LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
One thousand – that’s the number of rushing yards one Paris Cooperative High School (PCHS) football player has achieved during his last year as a Tiger. Mason Byrnes has continued to grind this season, becoming a wrecking ball while on the football field.
“He’s put in a ton of work, done a great job over four years and his off-season commitment to the weight room has been advantageous for him being really, really successful,” PCHS football Coach Jeremy Clodfelder said. “He’s gifted enough, when things may not be there, he can kind of make some plays and do some really good stuff. He has a unique running style. He has strength, he’s really physical but he also has the ability to kind of keep his balance and elude people as he runs.”
During the Paris Tigers’ Oct. 18 game against Robinson, Byrnes snatched over 200 rushing yards, which put him over the 1,000-yard milestone. Even with his powerhouse efforts, the Tigers ultimately lost to Robinson by four points. Byrnes and Clodfelder recognized the proximity of a win that was unfortunately washed away.
“For him (Byrnes) and all those guys, I wish it would have turned out differently. They were a class that should’ve been, could’ve been, good enough. We just didn’t get it done,” Clodfelder said. “You know, sometimes it’s just not in the cards. You look back and there’ll be disappointment, frustration and discouragement, but at the same time, appreciate their ability to be in games. It’s been entertaining, I’m sure, for the fan base and community.”
“They (Robinson) sacked us for a good amount of yards. We had to punt a ball and they intercepted our punt on the 20-yard line, so they only had 20 yards to score,” Byrnes said.
When asked about his future plans for football or potential career after high school, Byrnes was unsure as to what that future looks like. With such an impactful high school career, it can sometimes be difficult to decide what the best choice is.
“I might just go into a trade school,” he said.
As for next year’s football team, Coach Clodfelder recognizes they have a lot of work cut out for them. Multiple positions need to be filled following the graduation of the Tiger’s senior players.
“We got to replace a quarterback. We got to replace (Byrnes). We got to replace three offensive linemen,” Clodfelder said. “Replacing a guy who’s been able to create yardage, when sometimes maybe it wasn’t there, is going to be a challenge, which means we have to, one, get better up front, and we have to create a back or two that can go and carry the load and do the things that he once did at a high level.”
The Paris Tigers played their final game of the season on Friday, Oct. 25 in Casey, Ill. They will move into off-season training and begin prepping a new team for next fall.