Northeastern Kentucky Senior Bowl East vs. West Friday night at MSU

The Northeastern Kentucky Senior Bowl East vs. West football game is Friday night at 7:30 at Jayne Stadium on the Morehead State University campus.

Former Mason County Royals Malkolm Devine, Leevi Dunaway, Camdyn Washington and Trey Crump are scheduled to play in the game.

Former West Carter coach Kevin Brown will be inducted into the Northeastern Kentucky Senior Bowl Hall of Fame at halftime. 

Mason County baseball coach Tom Posey is the Game Director.

Admission is $10.

Malkolm Devine signs with Norwich University

Mason County senior Malkolm Devine signed today to play football at Norwich University, an NCAA Division III school in Northfield, Vermont. 

Devine had verbally committed to Cincinnati Christian University, but he de-committed after former Bengal David Fulcher resigned as the CCU head coach earlier this month.

"I didn't feel real comfortable with (Cincinnati Christian) anymore, so I just went where my heart was, and that was with Norwich," Devine said.

Mason County assistant athletic director Chris Ullery said Devine "is one of those throwback kids" who played three sports- football, basketball and baseball.

"He's not a kid that has just shown up in three sports, he's excelled at three sports," Ullery said. "You don't really see that too much anymore in high school athletics."

Mason County football coach Jonathan Thomas said Devine is "very, very gifted athletically."

Due to injuries in the backfield, Devine moved from wide receiver to running back his sophomore season.

"He wasn't crazy about that idea," Thomas said. "And, you know, he's excelled there. We had to sell him on, hey, you know, you'll be a good running back. He turned out to be a great running back for us."

Devine rushed for 27 touchdowns and 2,448 yards in three seasons.

He said he will probably major in physical education. 



(Updated April 26 to correct Ullery's quote about Devine being one of those throwback kids. The original version had the quote as "throwback kid")

Royals use big second half to defeat Bracken County for district championship

The Mason County Royals outscored the Bracken County Polar Bears 26-11 in the third quarter and 42-20 in the second half for a 74-42 victory in the championship game of the 39th District Tournament at The Fieldhouse.

The Royals had a 10-point lead at the half, but started the second half without Jaylen Lofton who cut his hand while opening a window in the locker room during intermission. He was taken to the hospital and did not return.

Bracken County opened the third quarter with a three-pointer by Tanner Fisher to make it 32-25, but Mason County answered with nine straight points as part of a 16-2 run.

The Royals led 58-33 at the end of the third quarter and opened the fourth quarter with a 10-4 run to lead 68-37 with 4:36 to play. The final 2:13 was played with a running clock.

It's Mason County's 24th straight win over Bracken County.

Malkolm Devine scored 12 of his career-high 29 points in the third quarter. Devine hit two of his four three-pointers in the third quarter.

Leevi Dunaway tossed in 14 points and Lofton added 11 points

Xylon Frey grabbed 15 rebounds to go along with eight points. 

Tanner Fisher and Trey Deaton scored 10 points apiece for Bracken County.

Both teams advance to the 10th Region Tournament next week at The Fieldhouse.

MC (17-13) Dunaway 14, Lofton 11, Frey 8, Jones 7, Devine 29, Brammer 2, May 3

BC (5-24) Tanner Fisher 10, Tad Fisher 4, T. Tucker 7, Deaton 10, Bishop 4, Cummins 4

MC 19 13 26 16- 74

BC  10 12 11 09- 42

Dunaway scores 38 points as Royals beat Augusta

Leevi Dunaway scored 38 points to lead the Mason County Royals to an 82-61 semifinal win over the Augusta Panthers tonight in the 39th District Tournament at The Fieldhouse.

The Royals used a 13-0 run in the second quarter to break open a close game.

Mason County outscored Augusta 23-8 in the second quarter to lead 41-22

The Royals led by as many as 26 points in the fourth quarter.

Dunaway hit 19-of-23 free throws. He moved into 10th place on the Royals' all-time scoring list.

Malkolm Devine scored 15 points and Jaylen Lofton added 14 points.

Augusta senior Thomas Mains scored 17 of his team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter.

Mason County snapped a three-game losing streak and advanced to the championship game Thursday night.

MC (16-13) Dunaway 38, Lofton 14, Frey 4, Jones 5, Devine 15, Brammer 4, May 2

A (12-15) Eichenberger 10, Ripato 12, Philpot 5, Appelman 6, Cordle 4, Mains 21, White 3

MC 18 23 12 29- 82

A     14 08 10 29- 61

Royals end regular season with 3rd straight loss

The Mason County Royals will enter postseason play on a three-game losing streak after closing out the regular season with an 84-66 loss to the Bishop Brossart Mustangs tonight in Alexandria.

There were 11 ties and 17 lead changes through the first two and a half periods, but after a 50-50 tie, Bishop Brossart closed out the third period on a 13-4 run and opened the fourth period with a 16-7 run to lead 79-61 with 4:09 left.

The Mustangs scored 50 points in the second half.

Bishop Brossart shot 58.8 percent from the field in the second half and made numerous layups.

Mason County center Dalton Perkins left the game with an injury in the third quarter and did not return.

"Once Dalton went out, you know, we had no defensive stopper at the goal," Mason County coach Buddy Biggs said.

Bishop Brossart outscored Mason County by 13 points on free throws. The Mustangs were 22-of-27 for 81.5 percent, while the Royals hit just 9-of-20 for 45 percent.

Leevi Dunaway led Mason County in scoring with 14 points despite sitting out the final 6:57 of the second quarter after picking up his third foul.

Carson Brammer tossed in 12 points, Jeremiah Jones followed with 11 points and Malkolm Devine added 10 points.

Mason County will play the Augusta Panthers in the 39th District Tournament Monday night at The Fieldhouse.

BB (15-11) Schumacher 17, Donnelly 9, Duffy 18, Eilerman 12, Hamberg 11, MacDonald 2, Bell 2, Schirmer 13

MC (15-12) Dunaway 14, Perkins 4, Frey 8, Jones 11, Devine 10, Brammer 12, May 7

BB   15 19 29 21- 84 

MC  16 21 17 12- 66

Mason Co. and Harrison County split a girls and boys doubleheader

Mason County and Harrison County split a girls and boys doubleheader tonight at The Fieldhouse.

Victoria Brooks scored 15 points and Kara Moran added 11 points to lead the Mason County Lady Royals to a 50-43 victory over the Fillies. It's Mason County's fifth straight win.

In the boys game, The Thorobreds scored the final nine points of the game to defeat the Royals 61-57.

The Royals led 53-46 with 4:50 to play and 57-52 with 2:45 remaining.

Jaylen Lofton had a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Leevi Dunaway followed with 16 points and Malkolm Devine added 14 points.

All four teams shot poorly. The Lady Royals and Fillies both were 14-of-42 (33.3 percent) from the field.

The Thorobreds were 20-of-55 (36.4 percent), while the Royals were 19-of-56 (33.9 percent).

The Thorobreds, after going 0-of-11 beyond the arc in the first half, made 6-of-9 three-pointers in the second half.

The Lady Royals host Simon Kenton Saturday at The Fieldhouse. The junior varsity game is at 1 pm and the varsity is at 2:30.

The Royals play at Rowan County Tuesday night.

Girls

MC (15-9) Brooks 15, Reed 8, Taylor 3, Moran 11, Payne 3, White 6, Schumacher 4

HC (20-5) Ecklar 8,  Hatterick 5, Kellione 18, Morris 6, Clements 6

MC 08 12 07 23- 50

HC 10 08 11 14- 43

Boys

MC (15-11) Dunaway 16, Lofton 17, Perkins 4, Frey 4 , Jones 1, Devine 11, Brammer 4

HC (9-16) Turley 13, Bryant 17, Free 16, Midden 2, Thompson 4, Shields 3, Boyers 4, Cummins 2

HC 09 11 21 20-  61

MC 09 18 19 11- 57

Royals outscore Tomcats 91-80

The Mason County Royals outscored the Ashland Tomcats 91-80 in a shootout tonight at The Fieldhouse for their fourth victory in their last five games.

Mason County led by 15 points at the half and by 20 at the end of the third quarter.

The Tomcats closed to within 85-74 with 1:08 to play, but could get no closer.

Ashland senior guard Chase Villers scored 24 of his game-high 41 points in the fourth quarter. He made eight three-pointers in the game including five in the fourth quarter.

Leevi Dunaway led Mason County in scoring with 27 points before fouling with 1:33 to play.

Xylon Frey scored a career-high 25 points and was 3-of-3 beyond the arc.

Jaylen Lofton had a double-double with 22 points and 17 rebounds.

Malkolm Devine also hit three treys and added 13 points.

Mason County outrebounded Ashland 52-38 and had 25 second chance points.

"I thought we could win tonight; I thought we would play well tonight, but I didn't see 91 coming, I gotta be honest about that," Mason County coach Buddy Biggs said. "It's a very, very good defensive team; they're very disciplined in the halfcourt, and for us to come out and hang this kinda number on them, I thought in a weird way, it was kind of a credit to our defense even though the game was so so high-scoring because we were able to get them out of what they wanted to do. They were jacking up a lot of contested shots and Villers was going one-on-one a lot, which ended up working out. He had a great fourth quarter, but before that, I thought that was one of the reason we had a 20-point lead- we got 'em out of their offensive structure, got a lot of long rebounds, got some runouts on the other end."

It's just the third loss of the season for Ashland.

Mason County hosts Harrison County Friday night.

MC (15-10) Dunaway 27, Lofton 22, Perkins 2, Frey 25, Devine 13, Brammer 2

A (20-3) Ch. Villers 41, Robinson 12, Hudson 10, Co. Villers 11, Brandt 11, Bradley 3

MC 14 30 21 26- 91

A     12 17 16 35- 80

Lady Royals and Royals post Senior Night wins

The Mason County Lady Royals and Royals both used big second halves to secure wins on Senior Night tonight at The Fieldhouse.

The Lady Royals ended the game on a 35-9 run to beat the Greenup County Lady Musketeers 58-32.

The Royals survived a first half three-point barrage by Western Brown to rally for a 73-55 victory over the Broncos.

The Lady Royals scored the final 16 points to run their winning streak to four games.

Kara Moran led Mason County in scoring with 14 points.

Victoria  Brooks followed with 12 points and AJ Reed added 10 points.

The Lady Royals travel to Georgetown Tuesday night to play the Scott County Lady Cardinals.

In the boys game, Western Brown hit 10-of-16 three-pointers in the first half including 6-of-9 in the first quarter.

The Broncos led 31-22 before the Royals closed the gap to 34-33 at the half.

After trailing 41-35, Mason County closed the third quarter on a 15-3 run and opened the fourth quarter with an 11-3 run to lead 61-45 with 5:45 to play.

The Broncos closed to within 12 points, but the Royals scored the final six points.

Western Brown ended up 14-of-29 (48.3 percent) from beyond the arc and only had four two-point field goals.

Western Brown junior Josh Taylor hit six three-pointers and scored a game-high 26 points. He drained five treys and scored 19 points in the first half.

Leevi Dunaway led Mason County in scoring with 21 points. 

Jaylen Lofton scored 16 points, Carson Brammer tossed in 12 points and Malkolm Devine added 10 points.

The Royals host the Ashland Tomcats Monday night.

Girls

MC (14-9) Moran 14, Schumacher 1, Reed 10, Poe 8, Brooks 12, May 4, Payne 6, Walton3

GC (5-16) Miller 4, Haywood 8, Robinson 9, Hannah 1, Boggs 5, Carroll 5

MC 09 10 16 23- 58

GC 07 09 10 06-  32

Boys 

MC (14-10) Dunaway 21, Lofton 16, Perkins 6, Frey 6, Jones 2, Devine 10, Brammer 12

WB (11-7) Wolfe 9, Fischer 3, Finn 7, Smith 9, Taylor 26, Tull 1

MC 18 15 17 23- 73

WB 22 12 11 10- 55

Royals routed by Clark County

The Clark County Cardinals were 11-of-15 (73.3 percent) from the field in the first quarter and 9-of-32 (59.4 percent) in the first half and routed the Mason County Royals 78-45 Friday night in Winchester.

Clark County broke a 2-2 with a 15-0 run. The Cardinals opened the fourth quarter with a 14-0 run.

The final five minutes and 25 seconds of the game were played with a running clock.

Mason County shot just 29.5 percent for the game and was 5-of-24 (20.8 percent) in the second half.

Clark County has won 12 straight games.

Leevi Dunaway led Mason County in scoring with 18 points.

Malkolm Devine made four three-pointers and added 16 points.

The Royals host Western Brown Saturday night at 7:30 on Senior Night.

CC (22-3) Cooper 18, Graham 13, Philpot 24, Canada 18, Jenkins 3, Jackson 2

MC (13-10) Dunaway 18, Lofton 2, Perkins 1, Frey 2, Devine 16, Brammer 6

CC  27 18 16 17- 78

MC 13 10 14 08- 45

Royals extend win streak over Bracken County to 23 games

The Mason County Royals had a 20-2 first quarter run on their way to an 84-56 victory over the Bracken County Polar Bears tonight at The Fieldhouse. It's the Royals' 23rd straight win over the Polar Bears.

Bracken County scored the first two points of the game, then, Mason County hit four three-pointers while scoring 14 straight points as part of the 20-2 run.

Mason County hit 11 three-pointers, had 18 assists and scored 28 points off Bracken County's 19 turnovers.

Malkolm Devine made five three-pointers and scored a game-high 20 points for the Royals.

Leevi Dunaway followed with 16 points, Jaylen Lofton and Jeremiah Jones each scored 11 points and Xylon Frey tossed in 10 points.

Mason Tucker led the Polar Bears in scoring with 16 points.

Trey Deaton and Tanner Fisher scored 11 points apiece.

Mason County plays the Clark County Cardinals in Winchester Friday night.

Bracken County hosts Pendleton County Friday night.

MC (13-9) Dunaway 16, Lofton 11, Perkins 8, Frey 10, Jones 11, Jackson 3, Devine 20, Brammer 5

BC (3-18) Tanner Fisher 11, Tad Fisher 9, T. Tucker 2, Bishop 4, M. Tucker 16, Deaton 11, Cummins 1, Jefferson 2

MC 22 26 14 22- 84

BC  08 18 13 17- 56

Royals snap three-game losing streak with a come from behind win over Montgomery County

The Mason County Royals rallied from a five-point deficit and snapped a three-game losing streak with a 58-52 win over the Montgomery County Indians tonight at The Fieldhouse.

The Indians shot 28.8 percent from the field and were 18-of-35 (51.4 percent) on free throws.

The Royals trailed 29-24 at the half and were still down five in the third quarter when they went on a 14-3 run to lead 43-37.

The Indians scored seven straight points to regain the lead with 6:50 left.

Mason County answered with an 11-3 run to take their biggest lead of the game at 54-47 with just over three minutes to play.

Montgomery County closed to within 54-52 with 1:42 to remaining, but Mason County scored the final four points.

The Royals shot 50 percent from the field in the second half after hitting just 30 percent in the first half.

Mason County was led in scoring by Leevi Dunaway with 12 points and Malkolm Devine with 10 points.

Montgomery County junior Pharoah Davis had a double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds.

The Royals host the Bracken County Polar Bears Wednesday night.

Mason County  (12-9) Dunaway 12, Lofton 6, Perkins 6, Frey 9, Jones 9, Devine 10, Brammer 6

Montgomery County (10-11) Ralls 5, King 13, Cockrell 6, Davis 14, Chism 6, Kosier 3, Young 5

Mason County           13 11 19 15- 58
Montgomery County 14 15 11 15- 52

Royals lose to Boyd Co. in OT on last-second layup

Boyd County senior Reese Robinson made a last-second layup to give the Lions a 64-62 win over the Mason County Royals in overtime today at The Fieldhouse.

Leevi Dunaway had tied the game with five seconds left. 

After a timeout, Boyd County broke the Royals' press and fed the ball to Robinson for the game-winner.

There were 11 ties and 11 lead changes in the game.

Mason County trailed by five points at the end of the third quarter, but opened the fourth quarter on an 11-1 run to lead 53-48 with 2:18 to go.

Boyd County rallied with five straight points and was playing for the last shot, but committed a turnover with eight seconds left.

Mason County broke the Lions' press, but threw the ball out of bounds in frontcourt with five-point-five seconds remaining.

Boyd County missed an open three-pointer as the fourth quarter buzzer sounded. 

The Lions led by as many as five points in the extra period

Mason County has lost three straight games.

Boyd County ran its winning streak to eight games.

Dunaway led the Royals in scoring with 20 points.

Jeremiah Jones and Malkolm Devine added 11 points apiece.

Mason County hosts Montgomery County Tuesday night.

BC (16-5) Stewart 12, Smith 8, Robinson 16, Taylor 5, Short 23

MC (11-9) Dunaway 20, Perkins 4, Frey 7, Jones 11, Devine 11, Brammer 9

BC 14 16 17 06- 64

MC 15 16 11 11- 62

Lewis County beats Mason County for first time since 1996

The Lewis County Lions beat the Mason County Royals for the first time since 1996.

Tay Offut scored 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and the Lions used to an 18-0 run to beat the Royals 74-58 Saturday afternoon at Lewis County.

There were five lead changes and one tie in the first quarter, but Lewis County scored the final 11 points of the second quarter and the first seven points of the third quarter to build a 21-point lead.

Mason County closed to with seven points with just over three and a half minutes remaining in the game, but Lewis County answered with an 8-0 run.

It's just the Lions' fourth win over the Royals in 39 meetings.

Mason County senior Malkolm Devine made five three-pointers and scored a career-high 21 points.

Caleb Boyd followed with 15 points and Leevi Dunaway added 10 points before fouling out with 5:30 left in the game.

The Royals play at Paris Tuesday night.

LC (10-9) Willis 10, Wright 10, Ruckel 3, Offut 23, O'Keefe 20, Robersion 6, Wallingford 2

MC (11-7) Dunaway 10, Perkins 2, Boyd 15, Steward 7, Jones 3, Devine 21

LC  18 17 18 21- 74

MC 11 10 17 20- 58

Royals hang on for three-point win over Ripley

The Mason County Royals blew two double digits, but rallied from a six-point deficit and survived a three-point barrage by Ripley for a 70-67 victory over the Blue Jays tonight at The Fieldhouse.

Mason County outscored Ripley 18-2 in the second quarter for a 31-17 halftime lead.

The Blue Jays rallied to within five points before the Royals pushed the lead back out to 13 points with an eight-point possession thanks to old fashion three-point play, two technical free throws and a three-pointer.

Ripley answered with a 20-1 run to lead 52-46 with 5:52 left in the game.

After the Blue Jays led 54-48 with just under five minutes to play, the Royals went on a 17-4 run (including an 11-0 spurt) to lead 65-58 with 1:08 remaining.

Ripley hit three-three pointers in a 30-second span to draw to within 68-67 with 17 seconds to go.

Mason County senior Malkolm Devine hit two free throws with 10 seconds left and Ripley missed a three-point shot just before the buzzer.

Ripley did not make a field goal in the second quarter and was 1 for 14 on three-pointers in the first half. The Blue Jays were 8 of 14 beyond the arc in the second half.

Mason County shot 60 percent from the field in the first half and 50 percent for the game.

With junior point guard Jaylen Lofton out, Leevi Dunaway moved to the point and scored a game-high 26 points.

Jeremiah Jones followed with 14 points including 10 in the fourth quarter. He hit back-to-back corner threes to tie the game and give the Royals the lead for good.

Devine tossed in 10 points.

Ripley was led in scoring by Landon Rigdon with 14 points. He made four three-pointers in the 

fourth quarter.

Mason County has won three straight games and four of its last five. The Royals play at Lewis County Saturday afternoon. The junior varsity game begins at 2 p.m., the varsity at 3:30.

MC (11-6) Dunaway 26, Perkins 5, Boyd 3, Steward 7, Frey 5, Jones 14, Devine 10

R (10-3) Royal 13, Dearing 10, King 6, Harney 11, Dunn 8, Ridgon 14, Staggs 2, Fyffe 3

MC 13 18 15 24- 70

R     15 02 24 26- 67

Mason Co. faces Johnson Central in first round of playoffs

The Mason County Royals travel to Paintsville tonight to play the Johnson Central Golden Eagles in the first round of the Class 4A football playoffs.

The Royals are 7-3, have won four straight games and are undefeated on the road this season.

The Golden Eagles, the defending state champions, are 8-2 and have lost back-to-back games to Ashland and Belfry.

Johnson Central's huge offensive line is anchored by 6-6, 315 pound senior tackle Ethan Bingham.

The Golden Eagles average 359 rushing yards per game.

Running back Blake Gamble has rushed for 1,380 yards and 17 touchdowns on 177 carries.

Johnson Central averages just 8.5 passes per game, but quarterback Riley Preece has thrown for 892 yards and 10 touchdowns,

Mason County tailback Malkolm Devine has rushed for 1,180 yards and 11 touchdowns on 183 carries.

Chandler Dunaway has passed for 1,269 yards and 20 touchdowns. He has also rushed for six touchdowns.

Kickoff is at 7:30

Games notes:

• Johnson Central leads the series with Mason County 2-0. The Golden Eagles beat the Royals in  2005 (35-14 at Johnson Central) and in 2006 (40-0 at Mason County) when they were Class 3A District 8 opponents.
• Johnson Central and Mason County have one common opponent this season- Rowan County. The Golden Eagles beat the Vikings 61-7 at home. The Royal defeated Rowan County 51-16 at Morehead State University.
• This is the 18th season that Mason County has qualified for the playoffs. 
• The Royals all-time playoff record is 19-18 and they have lost three straight playoff games including 35-14 to Ashland last season.
• Mason County's last win in the playoffs was in 2013 in the second round (49-7 over Garrard County).
• The Royals have not won a road playoff game since 2002 (49-21 vs. Lloyd).
• Johnson Central routed Franklin-Simpson 48-0 in last year's state championship game.
• The loss to Ashland two weeks ago snapped the Golden Eagles' 13-game winning streak going back to last season.

Royals close out regular season with a 36-6 win over Lewis County

The Mason County Royals scored on six of their first seven possessions and closed out the regular season with a 36-6 victory over the Lewis County Lions tonight in Vanceburg.

Malkolm Devine, who rushed for 188 yards on 17 carries, ran 30 yards for a touchdown on the third play of the game.

Mason County led 29-0 at halftime and scored on their first possession of the second half  to invoke the running clock with 4:47 left in the third quarter.

Camdyn Washington had a receiving touchdown and rushing touchdown.

Tykeise Henry rushed for a touchdown and had an interception.

Chandler Dunaway completed 4-of-8 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. He also scored a touchdown on a one-yard quarterback sneak.

Mason County had 314 yards of total offense while holding Lewis County to 202 yards.

Lewis County tailback Garrett Applegate rushed for 142 yards on 24 carries.

Mason County (7-3) plays Johnson Central in Paintsville next week in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs.

Lewis County ends the season with a 2-8 record.

MC 1st Q 11:11 Malkolm Devine 30 yard run (Brock Gilligan kick) MC 7, LC 0

MC 1st Q 6:29 Camdyn Washington 18 yard pass from Chandler Dunaway (Carson Brammer run) MC 15, LC 0

MC 2nd Q 7:42 Tykeise Henry 4 yard run (Brock Gilligan kick) MC 22, LC 0

MC 2nd Q 4:02 Camdyn Washington 28 yard run (Brock Gilligan kick) MC 29, LC 0

MC 3rd Q 4:47 Chandler Dunaway 1 yard run (Brock Gilligan kick) MC 36, LC 0

LC 4th Q 5:00 Justin Howard 10 yard pass from Zach Lehn (run failed) MC 36, LC 6

Mason County and Lewis County renew rivalry tonight

The Mason County Royals and the Lewis County Lions renew their rivalry tonight in Vanceburg in the final game of the regular season.

Mason County and Lewis County have not played since the Royals moved up to Class 4A in 2015.

The Royals are riding a three-game winning streak and will be going for their seventh win of the season.

The Lions have lost three games in a row. Last week's 49-16 loss to the West Carter Comets cost the Lions a spot in the Class 3A playoffs. Lewis County finished 1-4 in district play. The Lions are 2-7 overall with wins over Nicholas County (56-34) and Pendleton County (38-30.

Lewis County junior quarterback Zach Lehn has passed for 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns. He has thrown 12 interceptions.

Lehn's favorite targets are Tay Offutt and Zach Robersion. Offutt has 47 receptions for 620 yards and five touchdowns. Robersion has 40 receptions for 449 yards and two touchdowns.

Tailback Garrett Applegate is the Lions' leading rusher with 681 yards and 12 touchdowns on 114 carries.

Lewis County has been outscored 412-188.

Mason County coach Jonathan Thomas said after the Royals were unable to win a district championship, the next goal was to win as many games as possible.

"7 and 3 is definitely a goal for us, at this point and time it's very, very attainable," Thomas said.

He added that the Royals need to take of business tonight and not worry about next week's playoff game against Johnson Central.

"Next week will be here fast enough," Thomas said.

Game notes:

Mason County leads the series with Lewis County 24-7. The Royals have won the last three meetings. Lewis County's last win over Mason County was in 2011.

In the Class 4A statistics from the KHSAA, Mason County is second in scoring (38.8 ppg), seventh in scoring margin (18,7 ppg), seventh in rushing defense (95 ypg), 12th in scoring defense (20.1 ppg) and 18th in passing (109 ypg)

Mason County tailback Malkolm Devine is tied for 13th in rushing in Class 4A (103 ypg)

Mason Co. tops Grant Co. 28-8 for sixth win of the season

Chandler Dunaway completed 8-of-13 passes for 148 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Mason County Royals to a 28-8 victory over the Grant County Braves tonight on Senior Night. 

Leevi Dunaway had five receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns. He also had an interception on defense.

Malkolm Devine rushed for 76 yards on 17 carries and had a touchdown reception.

The Royals outscored the Braves 21-8 in the second half.

Mason County had 313 yards of total offense to 245 yards for Grant County.

With the Royals missing two starters on the offense line due to injuries, coach Jonathan Thomas said they used a basic offense.

Mason County (6-3) closes out the regular season next week at Lewis County. The Royals will travel to Paintsville in two weeks to play defending state champion Johnson Central in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs. Johnson Central lost to Ashland 21-18 tonight.

Grant County is 0-9. Braves quarterback Austin Knipp completed 13-of-23 passes for 139 yards and one touchdown.

MC 1st Q 2:20 Leevi Dunaway 36 yard pass from Chandler Dunaway (Brock Gilligan kick) MC 7, GC 0

MC 3rd Q 9:36 Leevi Dunaway 45 yard pass from Chandler Dunaway (Brock Gilligan kick) MC 14, GC 0

GC 3rd Q 6:50 Dalton Inggulls 25 yard pass from Austin Knipp (Austin Knipp run) MC 14, GC 8

MC 3rd Q 3:06 Malkolm Devine 24 yard pass from Chandler Dunaway (Brock Gilligan kick) MC 21, GC 8

MC 4th Q 3:02 Seth Chambers 7 yard run (Brock Gilligan kick) MC 28, GC 8

Mason County football team weekly award winners

Here are the Mason County football team weekly award winners based on the Royals' 20-16 win over the Holmes Bulldogs Friday night:

Brian Payne Player of the Game- Malkolm Devine

Offensive Lineman of the Game- Will Caudill

Defensive Players of the Game- Tykeise Henry and Seth Chambers

Special Teams Player of the Game- Carson Brammer

Scout Team Player of the Week- Carson Brammer

Mason County finishes district play with a 20-16 road win over Holmes

The Mason County Royals used a time-consuming run game in the second half to defeat the Holmes Bulldogs 20-16 Friday night in Covington and clinched at least the No. 3 seed in Class 4A District 7.

After trailing 10-7 at halftime, Mason County opened the third quarter with a 16-play, 70-yard scoring drive that took eight minutes and 27 seconds. Chandler Dunaway capped the drive with a one-yard quarterback sneak for the touchdown.

Holmes went three and out and Mason County started its second drive at its 30 yard line again.

The Royals drove to the Holmes one-yard line but the Bulldogs took over on downs after a goal line stand.

On the next play, Jaylen Lofton intercepted a pass, and three plays later Malkolm Devine scored a touchdown on a five-yard run to give the Royals a 20-10 lead with 4:09 left in the game.

Holmes made it interesting with a 63-yard touchdown pass with 3:38 to go.

The Bulldogs tried to get ball back with an onside kick but Carson Brammer fell on the football at the Royals' 49 yard line and Mason County picked up three first downs to run out the clock.

Mason County only dressed 27 players and two left the game with injuries.

"To have the numbers that we had and have the kids we had to throw in the game at the end, and I mean I couldn't be happier for our kids and the way they fought," Mason County coach Jonathan Thomas said. "I have said it all year- they're a gritty, gritty bunch."

Thomas said the team leaned on the offensive line. "It was very,very tough, we had guys step up to the challenge," Thomas said. "Our full backs were great, blocking backs were great."

Holmes had 274 yards of total offense, but just 39 rushing yards.

Mason County had 251 yards of total offense including 165 rushing yards.

Holmes had four turnovers. All were interceptions. Seth Chambers and Tykeise Henry both picked off passes in the end zone. Jeremiah Jones also had an interception.

Devine rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries. Ninety-seven of his rushing yards were in the second half.

"I can't say enough about Malkolm and his toughness," Thomas said.

Mason County is 5-3 overall and finished district play with a 2-2 record. 

The Royals host Grant County next week.

H 1st Q  3:56 Cortez Blassingame 12 yard pass from James Walker (Corter Blassingame pass from James Walker) H 8, MC 0

MC 1st Q 1:25 Malkolm Devine 3 yard run (Brock Gilligan kick) H 8, MC 7

H 2nd Q 11:09 safety H 10, MC 7

MC 3rd Q 3:33 Chandler Dunaway 1 yard run (Brock Gillian kick) MC 14, H 10

MC 4th Q 4:09 Malkolm Devine 5 yard run (kick failed) MC 20, H 10

H 4th Q 3:38 Cortez Blassingam 63 yard pass from James Walker (pass failed) MC 20, H 16