Bill Mason

HARRODSBURG — Mercer County is looking for a new football coach after Bill Mason resigned Tuesday. Mercer principal Terry Yates said Tuesday he talked with and received Mason’s resignation. Mason compiled a 5-17 record in two seasons as the school’s head coach following Marty Jaggers. “The reason for my resignation is 100 percent driven by my commitment to my family,” Mason said. “I found it impossible to balance working as the head coach at Mercer County and to be the father I want to be for my sons, who are very active in extracurricular activities and athletics in the Danville school system.

�� � BILL MASON FILE Background on new Mercer County football coach Bill Mason: Coaching Experience 1997-2001, Nelson County High School, assistant coach. 2002-05, Nelson County High School, head coach. 2006-09, Mercer County High School, defensive coordinator. Playing Experience 1989-92, Iroquois High School. 1993-96, Campbellsville University. Other Information Went 19-25 as a head coach at Nelson County, including 1-3 in the Class AAAA playoffs.

HARRODSBURG ? Mercer County coach Bill Mason said his team was not hanging its head over last week's loss tot Tates Creek, where the Titans ran off 29 straight points to lead before falling. In fact, the way Mercer responded after the loss showed Mason the potential his team has. "Our team has a great attitude and they all have taken constructive criticism and improved every week. We have shown the ability to be a big-play team and have scored when given a short field," Mason said.

Mercer County principal Terry Yates said it might have been easier to promote Bill Mason in the first place, but it wasn't the right way to find a new football coach. Yates said it was important that the school conduct a broad search, even though that search ended with the school hiring from within. Mason, who has been an assistant coach at Mercer for the past three seasons, was named the Titans' head coach on Friday. "We could've just handed the program over to coach Mason, and that was something I strongly considered, but I think in that situation there would always be people that wondered why we didn't look (outside the school)

HARRODSBURG - When it appeared Bill Mason would not be promoted to the head job at Mercer County, he tactfully said only that he planned to be coaching football next season. He didn't say where. He left the door open that he could have been back at Mercer as defensive coordinator - or at another school as an assistant coach. Mason had to be burning inside that he was being passed over at Mercer in the search to find Marty Jaggers' replacement. First, the job was offered to Madisonville-North Hopkins coach Will Weaver.

HARRODSBURG ? Winless Mercer County has played some explosive offensive teams to open the season, but the Titans have another big challenge this Friday when they try to slow down Anderson County in Lawrenceburg. Anderson, ranked No. 7 in Class AAAAA, has posted wins over Garrard County (47-10) and Meade County (43-34) and averages 45 points and 411.5 yards of offense per game for coach Mark Peach. Mr. Football candidate Jake Russell is the Bearcats' top offensive weapon, having completed 28 of 47 passes for 345 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.

By HAL MORRIS hmorris@amnews.com HARRODSBURG ? The numbers for Breathitt County running back Channing Fugate speak for themselves. The Tennessee recruit ran for 3,052 yards and 36 touchdowns and averaged 10.9 yards per carry to lead the Bobcats to the Class AAA title game last season, and will end his career as one of the state's all-time leading rushers. He also led Breathitt in tackles at strong safety with 101.5 stops last year. Fugate is 37 touchdowns away from tying former Danville star Kelvin Turner's career touchdown record of 116, and is 3,175 yards from tying Derek Homer's state rushing mark of 8,224 yards.

Mercer County has been its own worst enemy at times this season. "Our biggest hurdle has been our own mistakes. We have fixed our early special teams problems, and have greatly improved our tackling. We have to put together a full game for our quarter form our offense, defense and special teams," Mercer coach Bill Mason said. "Not just a quarter here or there, four quarters from all three areas. " Mason hopes his team can put it together for its first win Friday, when the Titans step out of district play to face Marion County, Class AAAA's No. 9-ranked team, in Lebanon.

HARRODSBURG — When Mercer County holds on to the ball, coach Bill Mason says the Titans are a much better team. But they “lost the turnover battle,” and that proved costly in last Friday’s loss to Lafayette. Mason said the Titans can’t afford the same mistakes Friday in their home opener against Anderson County. “We fumbled four times and lost two and had two interceptions. We did a nice job of limiting their offensive play (only 33 plays)

Bill Mason never had the opportunity last season to get things exactly the way he wanted. Mason was hired as Mercer County’s head coach in late June last year, which he says was not enough time to get his system and way of doing things in place. But he’s had a full year to get the program going the way he thinks it should go, and believes everything is running smoother this season, including him. “As a new coach, I may have been there before, but I was a new coach and didn’t have the opportunity to get guidelines and regulations established in the offseason,” said Mason, who was a Mercer assistant for three seasons before being named head coach.

HARRODSBURG — Mercer County is looking for a new football coach after Bill Mason resigned Tuesday. Mercer principal Terry Yates said Tuesday he talked with and received Mason’s resignation. Mason compiled a 5-17 record in two seasons as the school’s head coach following Marty Jaggers. “The reason for my resignation is 100 percent driven by my commitment to my family,” Mason said. “I found it impossible to balance working as the head coach at Mercer County and to be the father I want to be for my sons, who are very active in extracurricular activities and athletics in the Danville school system.

STANFORD — Still learning how to win, Lincoln County Patriots passed a test on putting a team away Friday night. They aced the part about taking advantage of an opponent’s mistake, had no trouble with clock-chewing offense and lockdown defense and even got extra credit for turning motivation into celebration after their 30-7 victory over Mercer County. Lincoln has lost its share of close games this season, dropping three straight by nine points or less last month, and coach Mike Settles said those games may have prepared them for this one, which was still close until late in the third quarter.

HARRODSBURG — One thing Mercer County coach Bill Mason said his team could not do was turn the ball over and give Anderson County more chances to score. But that’s exactly what happened here Friday as the Bearcats capitalized on almost ever Titan miscue and rolled to a 42-13 win. “You just can’t turn the ball over versus a team that’s a good football team,” Mason said. “Anderson County’s got a quality team.” Anderson’s three first-half scores were all a result of either a Mercer turnover or penalty which kept a drive alive, and the Bearcats scored five of their six touchdown off Mercer errors.

HARRODSBURG — When Mercer County holds on to the ball, coach Bill Mason says the Titans are a much better team. But they “lost the turnover battle,” and that proved costly in last Friday’s loss to Lafayette. Mason said the Titans can’t afford the same mistakes Friday in their home opener against Anderson County. “We fumbled four times and lost two and had two interceptions. We did a nice job of limiting their offensive play (only 33 plays)

The story remains the same for Garrard County. “We must figure out a way to slow down another power-oriented team,” said Garrard coach Mark Scenters, whose Golden Lions play East Jessamine on Friday in the PBK Bank Death Valley Bowl at Lincoln County. Garrard gave up 368 rushing yards in last week’s loss at Anderson County, while East Jessamine ran up 451 yards on the ground in last week’s 45-20 win over Spencer County. Cameron Thomas ran for 183 yards and two touchdowns for the Jaguars, and quarterback David Powers ran for 115 yards and three TDs. “Their backs, including their quarterback, run very hard and are the type of runners that don't go down easily.

Bill Mason never had the opportunity last season to get things exactly the way he wanted. Mason was hired as Mercer County’s head coach in late June last year, which he says was not enough time to get his system and way of doing things in place. But he’s had a full year to get the program going the way he thinks it should go, and believes everything is running smoother this season, including him. “As a new coach, I may have been there before, but I was a new coach and didn’t have the opportunity to get guidelines and regulations established in the offseason,” said Mason, who was a Mercer assistant for three seasons before being named head coach.

So much has changed at Mercer County since the Titans last played Letcher County Central. But Mercer coach Bill Mason said the one thing that hasn't changed that much is Letcher. The two teams will meet Friday in Whitesburg in the first round of the Class AAAAA playoffs, 50 weeks after Letcher ended Mercer's 2008 season. "They remind me of the same caliber football team," Mason said. "They're big and athletic and really aggressive, they're good tacklers, they get after you. " The Cougars handed Mercer a heartbreaking 13-12 loss last year, kicking a field goal with one second left to win. Since then, the Titans have endured heavy graduation losses, a midsummer coaching change and an eight-game losing streak.

Mercer County has been its own worst enemy at times this season. "Our biggest hurdle has been our own mistakes. We have fixed our early special teams problems, and have greatly improved our tackling. We have to put together a full game for our quarter form our offense, defense and special teams," Mercer coach Bill Mason said. "Not just a quarter here or there, four quarters from all three areas. " Mason hopes his team can put it together for its first win Friday, when the Titans step out of district play to face Marion County, Class AAAA's No. 9-ranked team, in Lebanon.

One team is winless, one team is unbeaten. Perhaps it should be no surprise then that one coach is quite concerned with his opponent's offense and how his team can contain it. However, the surprise is that the coach worrying the most is Boyle County's Larry French, and his team is unbeaten. "They are very athletic and they are very fast. They can do somet things out of the quarterback scramble that really concerns us. Their special teams are pretty sound, too. They really return kicks and punts well.

HARRODSBURG ? Winless Mercer County has played some explosive offensive teams to open the season, but the Titans have another big challenge this Friday when they try to slow down Anderson County in Lawrenceburg. Anderson, ranked No. 7 in Class AAAAA, has posted wins over Garrard County (47-10) and Meade County (43-34) and averages 45 points and 411.5 yards of offense per game for coach Mark Peach. Mr. Football candidate Jake Russell is the Bearcats' top offensive weapon, having completed 28 of 47 passes for 345 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.