In what was a mismatch on paper, was anything but that for the first three quarters on Friday night in Mason. The Mason Comets came into their home opener against Lakota West on a positive note. Last week, the Comets knocked off the Sycamore Aviators for the Battle of the Skies rivalry trophy. That was a breath of fresh air after the Comets were shut out in their season opener at Springboro, 33-0. On the flip side, Lakota West came into this matchup, fresh off victories over St. Xavier and Lakota East. The Firebirds were flying high but the Comets were up for the fight.

Mason received the opening kickoff to begin the game. The Comets offense drove down the field and capped off the drive with a 20-yard touchdown run by quarterback Alex Nagel. The 7-0 lead was major momentum for Mason as their defense stepped up and kept Lakota West off the scoreboard for the next few drives. The Comets defense came up huge in a goal to go situation, stifling the Lakota West offense and ultimately stalling their drive with a sack. The quarter ended with Mason leading 7-0. Starting the second quarter, Firebird kicker Levi King missed a field goal, firing up the Mason sideline and building more momentum.

That momentum was short-lived as 4-star Lakota West linebacker blocked the Orion Bentley punt. Jimmie Green came away with the scoop and score to tie the game up with 9:30 to go in the half. Neither team was able to muster anything offensively, as both teams traded interceptions, and they headed into the locker room deadlocked at seven. After a Landen Darling field goal to give the Comets the 10-7 lead, it became the Kenyon Norman show. The Northwestern commit took over the game and wore down the Comets defense, scoring three consecutive times on the ground. Norman finished with a game high 212 yards rushing on 25 attempts and 3 touchdowns. After a solid half of football, the Comets defense couldn’t keep Norman down.

Offensively, the Comets were unable to muster anything in the second half. Nagel finished with 54 yards through the air on just 6 of 13 attempts. He was able to make up for it on the ground as he added 99 yards rushing and a touchdown. While both teams possessed the ball for over 23 minutes a piece, third down was the major difference. The Comets were 4 of 11 on third down while Lakota West finished 4 of 7. Not converting on third down was the ultimate downfall for Mason. Having to give the ball back to the powerful Firebird offense while trying to play catch-up was going to make it tough.

Next up for the Comets is a trip across Butler Warren Road to face the Lakota East Thunderhawks, while the GMC leaders, Lakota West, return home to host Hamilton.

Chris Asbrock is the owner, writer and analyst for Impact Sports Cincinnati and can be followed on Twitter  Follow @iamchrisasbrock and Follow @ISCincy