Football returning to the bluegrass

Football is returning to the bluegrass tomorrow evening, with teams throughout the commonwealth hitting the gridiron for their first of ten regular season contests.

The Mason County Royals, Bracken County Polar Bears, Fleming County Panthers and Lewis County Lions will all hit the field tomorrow night to kick off their seasons, hoping to start bringing in wins on the way to a successful postseason run.

The Royals kick their season off at home, against the Russell Red Devils. In 2023, Mason County started off their season against Russell on the road, and fell 28-8. That game CJ Arthur scored the Royals only touchdown, with Teegin Routt fighting his way into the endzone for a two-point conversion. Both teams have spent the off season growing stronger and preparing for 2024, and will be working hard to start their season off with a win.

The Royals have a deep, experienced roster heading into the 2024 season, and are eager to hit their home field tomorrow night to prove their strength against a tough Class 3A District 6 team.

Bracken County heads onto the field returning nearly all of their key players from last year’s strong 6-5 season, having grown stronger, faster and closer together as a team, but will start their season off with a big challenge. The Polar Bears head to Cynthiana tomorrow night to take on the Harrison County Thoroughbreds, one of the Class 4A District 5’s strongest teams. Last season Harrison County went 6-5, losing out to other incredibly tough teams, including the Covington Catholic Colonels, Mason County Royals and Ashland Tomcats.

While the Polar Bears are a strong, close-knit team, and are eager to take on each of their opponents throughout the 2024 season, Harrison County will undoubtedly prove to be a tough first contest for Bracken County, but the Polar Bears aren’t afraid.

The Fleming County Panthers get their season started with a late contest against the Lafayette Generals tomorrow night, with kickoff scheduled for 8:45 p.m. Lafayette had a rough year in 2023, ending their season 2-9, their only wins on the season coming from a 25-12 victory over the Moore Mustangs and a 30-0 shutout over the Henry Clay Blue Devils. Having lost 21 seniors since the end of the 2023 season, the Generals enter 2024 with a rebuilt team, and are hoping to start their season off on the right foot. The Panthers enter 2024 rolling off of a 6-5 season in 2023, and are looking for an even better record at the end of this year. The Panthers are looking for a strong showing on opening day, and hope to continue to grow and improve before their week three contest against longtime rivals, the Mason County Royals.

Under the direction of a new head coach, The Lewis County Lions hit the road to Carlisle tomorrow evening to take on the Nicholas County Blue Jackets, a team that last season narrowly defeated the Lions 32-30 in the first game of the season. The Lions have spent the off-season getting to know their new head coach, and building up the strength of their program since the end of the 2023 season. Lewis County went 2-8 last year, and are looking to end the season with a drastically different record by the end of 2024.

Coach Dalton Stamm has worked closely with his team, and has known several of his players since their time with Lewis County’s middle school program, and is eager to show his teams progress as the 2024 season gets underway.

Each team hitting the field tomorrow evening has put in countless hours of work to ensure their team’s success this season, and are patiently awaiting their first contest of the year. Every athlete hitting the field under the Friday night lights from the kickoff of tomorrow night’s game, to the final buzzer in early November will be working tirelessly to help bring in wins for their team, and will be hoping to come out of the other side of the state tournament crowned champions.