royals 101

Not sure the 9th region officials will let Rogers lower that left shoulder and clear out the defender on every one of his shots either. He is a load inside but I thought since we are complaining I would throw that out there. Stenzel is a fun player to watch and he really stepped up in the second half.

I can't help but feel bad for Pawsett. He is such a great kid and to have the last two football seasons end the way they did when the expectations were so high and missing three quarters of the basketball season the past two years has had to be tough on him. Does anyone know if signed anywhere for football yesterday?

Since it is always inferred that Mason County gets the home cooking, I am predicting that Mason and the three officials lose by 20! Not sure if Pawsett is supposed to play but if he does i will drop the margin to 16!

I have not said one time that it is not an advantage for Mason to play in the fieldhouse but I think some of the arguements in this thread had nothing to do with the actual game and how it was played. I agree that playing on the goals you practice on everyday is more comfortable but most of these kids play basketball all year around with AAU, camps, etc. They are used to playing in different gyms and all kinds of different environments. They could have played that game in Madison Square Gardens last year and if Clark County would have played the way they did at the end of that game they would have lost. Mason had the best teams in 2008 and 2009 and went into two different gyms and was able to win the game with no home court advantage. Clark County had the best team last year and was not able to get the job done. You can make all the excuses in the world but the team did not perform up the the level that they expected or the fans expected. They are once again the favorite to win at this point in the season. I think they would represent the 10th Region well this year and would have to be one of the favorites if they make it to Rupp.

Why is everyone ignoring the fact that Clark County had to option of what bench to take and chose to take the bench in front of the student section. Yeah yeah I know it should have been predetermined and fair to both teams but their coach chose to put his team on that bench. They lost the game due to jacking up ill advised three pointers down the stretch and not taking care of business on the floor, not because they sit in front of a student section. They were the far superior team and let Mason County hang around and get the win at the end. The loss falls on the players and the coaching staff! If blaming everyone and everything for the loss makes you all feel better that is fine. This is a new season and Clark County is the clear cut favorite at this time to win the region. It is up to the players to get it done! It should not matter where they put their uniform on or where their bench is located on the floor.

I feel like I have just wasted 30 minutes of my life reading this thread so I felt it was necessary to post what i thought. I don't think it was right last year to have the Mason student section sit behind the Clark Co bench but if Clark had the option as to what bench to sit at, you cannot put all the blame on the tournament director. You can say teams and fans are not treated fairly for the tournament but the bottom line is the court is still retangular, the goal is still 10'tall and the ball is still round. The players have to play the game regardless of where they get dressed or sit during the game. The locker rooms, the bench placment nor the Mason Co students lost that game for Clark County last year, the players did. Mason Co. could put them up in the French Quarter and feed them caviar but if the players can't get it done on the court it is all for not.

Congrats to Belfrey on a great game and the great crowd they brought. I feel really bad for Pawsett. I can't believe this happened to him two years in a row. I am not saying the result would have been different because Mason was having a hard time stopping their option attack. Mason's offense revolved around Pawsett's ability to throw the ball. Without him there was not much of an offense, it was the same play over and over. I just hope Pawsett can recover and get the opportunity to play at the college level. He is a great kid with a whole lot of talent. Good luck to Belfrey the rest of the way!

Congrats to Danville on the big win! I was not able to make it to the game but did listen on the radio. Mason Co. could not run the ball agaist the Ads defense and the could not stop the Ads from running the ball. I questioned Mason Co's line play going into the year and it did not sound like they played real well tonight. Pawsett was sacked several times and was called for 2 grounding penalties. Hopefullly Mason can shake off the loss and get ready to play next week. Good luck Danville on the rest of the season! I knew your team would bounce back after last season, I was just hoping it would be in week two as opposed to week 1.

For those interested, here are highlight/recruiting videos for Neal Pawsett, Jordan Gilbert and Josh Harris. - Neal Pawsett - QB - Jordan Gilbert - Jack of all trades - Josh Harris - RB/LB

The coaching staff is very high on this group. They were very pleased with the young receiving corp during the 7 on 7 with Highlands and think there will not be a drop off from last season even though they lost major contributors other than Gilbert.

I was no trying to imply that they there was no talent there, I was just stating that most games are won at the line of scrimage. If the line can give Pawsett time to throw and open up holes for Harris, they will be tough to stop. The the majority of teams we play their primary offense is on the ground. You have to have a good d-line and linebackers to clog up the middle. I have very high expectations for this years team. Does anyone have any details on the Highlands 7 on 7 from last week? They had a little article in the paper but it did not give many details.

Pawsett and Harris are the back bone of this team and will need to stay healthy for a State Tournament run. I look for Jordan Gilbert to also have a big year at WR and special teams. Could be a fun year , but they will need to play well in the trenches. I think when it is all said and done Harris will have some major D-1 offers. That kid is just a football player. He is a good running back but on defense he is a head hunter and plays with a nasty streak.

They need Neal Pawsett and Josh Harris to stay healthy. Does anyone know how Pawsett's recruiting is going? He is a very smart young man and a very good QB. Hopefully he will show well in the summer camps and get some good offers. Harris should be getting some looks to but he will only be a junior. He is an absolute stud on the football field. He should get some D-I offers down the road. Should be a good season for the Royals.

55-36 final EC had only 5 field goals in the second half

Anytime you avoid Ballard and Scott Co in the early rounds you have to consider it a good draw.

AndOneDad- Putting it all together at the right time is what you have to do at tournament time, otherwise your sitting in the stands watching. I agree this is not the strongest team Mason Co. has brought to the state tournament but they are a very unselfish group and have battled injuries this season. They don't have that marqee player that they have had in the past. This team is very balanced and plays hard on the defensive end. They have had trouble scoring at times this year but have never lacked in effort.

I agree on the Setty stepping up comment. He needs to play well and more importantly stay out of foul trouble. They need him on the floor for his length on the defensive end and shooting ability on the offensive end.

The Mason County guards did play well in the Regional Finals, but they were far from perfect. I don't know much about North Hardin so I will not predict the outcome. Hope the Royals come ready to play and can pull out a victory. Go Royals!

Bottom line: 2 great teams, 2 great fan bases and one heck of a game. It is a shame someone has to lose but that is part of the game.

I am not going to deny that playing on your home floor is an advantage, but Clark Co can't blame the arena, the fans or officiating for their loss. It comes to down to making plays and making shots at the end of games and they did not do that. I said it above and I will say it again, their shot selection and game management that last three minutes kept them from going to Rupp. Mason Co. took full advantage of the missed threes and the free throw opportunities that Cards gave them. Gutty preformance by the Royals!

This game could have been at Madison Square Gardens and it would not have made a difference. Clark County's game management and shot selection is what lost them the game, not the arena or the student section.

I was not the most optomistic Mason Co. fan coming into this game. In the first few minutes of the game Clark Co. established the low post game with Rogers. When the officials were letting him lower his shoulder and drive towards the basket, I thought that Mason Co. was in for a long night. Not sure why Clark Co went away from this stratagy. If their goal was to get Setty out of the game early, I guess their stratagy worked. But when Setty went out it seemed like they turned more to the perimiter game. Jordan Gilbert kept Mason Co. in the game in the first half. Clark Co's game management and shot selection in the last 3 minutes was nothing short of shocking. I am not real sure coach Humphrey's wanted the intentional foul with under a minute to go, I think he wanted pressure on the ball and the player misunderstood the situation. Mason Co took advantage and the rest we shall say is history. Great win for the Royals. And to think I thought about not going to the State Tournament this year.