Lady Royals 1st, Royals 2nd at Mason County Indoor Meet #2

Another win for the Mason County Lady Royals and a runner-up finish for the Royals at the second indoor track and field meet of the season at Mason County on Saturday.

The Lady Royals finished with 124 points. Beechwood took second place with 74.5 points.

Beechwood won the boys' meet with 99 points. The Royals, who were short-handed because the distance runners missed the meet to run at Centre College on Sunday, had 71 points.

CJ Arthur won the boys' 55 meter dash in a school record time of 6.64.

Ava Thompson won the girls' pole vault and set a new school record at 10-feet, nine-inches one week after trying the record at 10-feet, six-inches.

Lexi Young finished second in the shot put while setting a new school record with a throw of 33-feet, four and a-half inches. 

Young won the girls' high jump at five-feet, six inches.

Mason County Indoor Meet #3 is this Saturday.

Royals break two school records in win over Grant County

The Mason County Royals broke two school records in their 50-6 victory over the Grant County Braves Thursday night. 

CJ Arthur's 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was two yards longer than the record set by Andre Brooks in a 55-0 rout of the Lewis County Lions in 1999 and matched by Bryan Sweet in a 35-14 victory over the Boyd County Lions in 2003.

Keshaun Thomas' 95-yard touchdown pass to Cole Horch broke the previous record of a 91-yard touchdown pass from Chris O'Hearn to Tony Jackson in a 14-13 win over the Rowan County Vikings in 1984. 

Royals rout Grant County

CJ Arthur returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown and the Mason County Royals never looked back in a 50-6 rout of the Grant County Braves Thursday night at Mason County.

Keshaun Thomas passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more scores.

Mason County is 6-2 overall and 3-0 in district play. 

The Royals will host the Covington Catholic next week in Senior Night.

MC 1st Q 11:47 CJ Arthur 92 yard kickoff return (kick failed)

MC 1st Q 8:09 Keshaun Thomas 5 yard run (Ryan Skaggs kick)

MC 1st Q 1:12 Keshaun Thomas 9 yard run (Ryan Skaggs kick)

MC 2nd Q 11:30 Garryon McClain 45 yard pass from Keshaun Thomas (kick failed)

MC 2nd Q 8:53 Landon Scilley 35 yard pass from Keshaun Thomas (Ryan Skaggs kick)

MC 2nd Q 6:40 Cole Horch 95 yard pass from Keshaun Thomas (kick failed)

MC 2nd Q 00:00 Landon Scilley 4 yard pass from Teegin Routt (kick failed)

MC 3rd Q 1:10 Leonard Avery 4 yard run (run failed

GC 4th Q 10:15 Cameron Duncan 40 yard run (kick blocked)

(Updated to correct, after a review of the game video, that CJ Arthur's kickoff return was 92 yards which is a new school record. The original post had it at 94 yards.)

Eight Royals scored a touchdown in Mason County's 52-0 victory over Holmes

Eight different players scored a touchdown as the Mason County Royals opened district play with a 52-0 victory over the Holmes Bulldogs in Covington Friday night.

Bryce Moran, CJ Arthur, Trey Walker, Kenton Johson and Keshaun Thomas each rushed for a touchdown in the first half.

Teegin Routt threw a touchdown pass to Cole Horch in the third quarter.

Micah Payne ran for a touchdown at the end of the third quarter and Hayden Horn rushed for the final touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Mason County had 401 yards of total offense (278 rushing and 123 passing).

Holmes only had 97 yards of offense, all rushing.

The final 16:47 was played with a running clock.

With 26 victories, Joe Wynn the second winningest coach at Mason County.

The Royals (4-2) will try to Cynthiana next week to play the Harrison County Thorobreds.

MC 1st Q 11:33 Bryce Moran 34 yard run (run failed)

MC 1st Q 6:41 CJ Arthur 77 yard run (run failed)

MC 2nd Q 7:56 Trey Walker 9 yard run (Keshawn Thomas run)

MC 2nd Q 2:47 Kenton Johnson 3 yard run (run failed)

MC 2nd Q  00:34 Keshaun Thomas 20 yard run (Ryan Skaggs kick)

MC 3rd Q 4:47 Cole Horch 21 yard pass from Teegin Routt (Ryan Skaggs kick)

MC 3rd Q 00:00 Micah Payne 10 yard run (took a knee)

MC 4th Q 5:27 Hayden Horn 21 yard run (took a knee)

(Game statistics courtesy of Travis Scaggs and Drew Spangler of WFTM Radio.)

Royals lose to Russell 28-8 in season opener

The Mason County Royals' regular season 13-game winning streak going back to the 2021 season was snapped by a 28-8 season-opening loss to the Russell Red Devils in Flatwoods Friday night.

Russell led 14-0 in the first quarter and 21-0 in the third quarter.

Mason County's lone touchdown was on an 88-yard kickoff return by CJ Arthur in the third quarter.

The Royals will play their home opener against the Montgomery County Indians next week.

R 1st Q 5:37 Caleb Rimmer 4 yard pass from Ethan Pack (Ben Totten kick) R 7, MC 0

R 1st Q 00:18 Andre Richardson-Crews 1 yard run (Ben Totten kick) R 14, MC 0

R 3rd Q 4:45 Haiden Anderson 23 yard pass from Ethan Pack (Ben Totten kick) R 21, MC 0

MC 3rd 4:30 CJ Arthur 88 yard kickoff return ( Teegin Routt pass from Cole Horch) R 21, MC 8

R 4th Q 11:55 Andre Richardson-Crews 5 yard run (Ben Totten kick) R 28, MC 8

Lady Royals and Royals runners-up in state meet, Young and Barrett are state champions

The Mason County girls' and boys' track and field teams were both runners-up, while Lexi Young and AJ Barrett won events at the KTCCCA Class AA Indoor State Championships on Saturday in Louisville.

The Lady Royals were edged by North Oldham by a single point, 61-60. The Royals finished with 66.5 points, 12.5 points behind the Bourbon County Colonels.

Young is the state champion in the high jump (5-00.00) and the state runner-up in the long jump (16-10). 

Barrett is the state champion in the pole vault clearing 14 feet, four inches. That's a new school record.

Two other Mason County athletes won medals: Austin Moreland, third in the 60 meter hurdles (9.37) and third in the 400 meter dash (53.00) and Keshaun Thomas, third in the triple jump (40-08.25).

Young set a new school record in the 60 meter dash (8:05).

Layla Henderson set new school records in the 1500 meter run (5:04.74) and the 3000 meter run (10:52.18).

Peyton Ullery set a new school record in the 1500 meter run (4:22.05).

CJ Arthur tied the school record in the 60 meter dash (7.29).

Next up is the outdoor track and field season.

Mason County girls' and boys' indoor track and field teams sweep fourth straight meets

The Mason County girls' and boys' indoor track and field teams both finished the regular season with 4-0 records after sweeping Mason County Indoor Meet #4 on Saturday.

The Lady Royals finished with 105 points. Beechwood was second with 87 points. 

The Royals won the boys' meet with 73 points. George Rogers Clark took second place with 54 points.

Mason County freshman Lexi Young won the girls' 55 meter dash (7.57), the girls' high jump (5-02.00) and the girls' long jump (17-00.25)

First place finishes by other Mason County athletes include:

• CJ Arthur, the boys' 55 meter dash (6.76)
• Elizabeth Lavinder, the girls' 800 meter run (2:34.71)
• AJ Barrett, the boys' pole vault (12-6.00)
• The boys' 4x400 meter relay team (3:53.76)

The state meet is this Saturday in Louisville.

Mason County girls' and boys' indoor track teams get third sweep, two records broken

For the third time in as many weeks, the Mason County girls' and boys' indoor track and field teams swept a meet on Saturday at the Mason County Indoor Athletic Complex.

The Lady Royals finished with 103 points. Simon Kenton was second with 69 points.

The Royals racked up 106.5 points. Boyd County was a distance second with 38 points.

Both Mason County teams are 3-0 this season.

Two school records were broken on Saturday. Lexi Young broke the girls' long jump record with a jump of 17-08.25. Peyton Ullery now owns the boys' 1600 meter run record with a time of 4:50.21.

Young also won the girls' 55 meter dash with a time of 7.55 and the girls' high jump, clearing five feet.

Other first place finishes by Mason County athletes include: 

• CJ Arthur, boys' 55 meter dash (6.81)
• Austin Moreland, boys' 400 meter dash (56.93)
• Elizabeth Lavinder, girls' 800 meter run, (2:35.02)
• Carter Sanders, boys' shot put (44-00.75)
• Ava Thompson, girls' pole vault (9-03.00)
• The boys' 4x400 meter relay team (4:01.36)

 Mason County Indoor Meet #4 is scheduled on February 25.

Mason County Middle School track and field teams with five individual state champions, girls' team runners-up, boys' 4th

Five individual state championships, a runner-up finish for the girls and a fourth place finish for the boys.

That's what the Mason County Middle School track and field teams accomplished Saturday at the KTCCCA Indoor Middle School State Championships in Louisville.

CJ Arthur is the state champion in the 200 meters (26.01) and the 400 meters (59.03).

Kenzie Gulley is the state champion in the 60 meters (8.32) and long jump (15-03).

Victoria Lavinder is the state champion in the shot put (26-03.25).

With only five athletes competing, the Mason County Middle School girls' track and field team was the runner-up, finishing just four points behind North Oldham, while the Mason County Middle School boys' team, with just four athletes competing, took fourth place.