Royal begins title defense at home

ROYAL CITY - The Royal Knights football team hopes the 2008 season will end the same way the 2007 season did, with a 1A state championship.

Royal begins the defense of it's 2007 1A state football championship Saturday afternoon when the Knights host the Chelan Goats at 2 p.m. in the first round of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) 1A football tournament.

The top-ranked Knights enter Saturday's playoff game with a perfect 10-0 record following last week's 49-7 victory over the Goldendale Timberwolves.

The postseason and the 1A WIAA playoffs are nothing new to Royal High School.

Since 1994, the Knights have won five state championships, finished second twice and came within one game of playing for the championship three times.

Royal has won three state championships in the past four years.

The Knights are the defending state champions and Royal head coach Wiley Allred said his team knows how important Saturday's game is.

"We are a pretty senior-dominate team," he said. "They know how important this opportunity is."

Royal has won 24 football games since the start of the 2007 season, including 22 straight heading into Saturday's home playoff game with Chelan.

Chelan is a solid football team and Allred and the Knights know it.

"The haven't been behind in the first half all season," Allred said. "Hopefully we can change that. We want to come out strong from the beginning."

The Goats will have their hands full Saturday with a Royal team which is averaging more than 44 points per game this season.

The Knights are led on offense by four first team All-South Central Athletic Conference (SCAC) East Division selections including senior quarterback Connor Paysse and senior wide receiver Blair Collins.

Collins is the SCAC East Division offensive player of the year and is a threat to score anytime he touches the football. Collins has scored 21 touchdowns this season, seven of which have come on punt returns.

Paysse has led the Royal offense all season, throwing for 23 touchdowns and more than 1,800 yards and rushing for more 380 yards.

When Paysse drops back into the pocket, the senior is well protected by his offensive line.

The offensive line has four All-SCAC East Division picks including first team selections Jace Christensen and Tanner Freeman.

Christensen was SCAC East Division defensive player of the year.

Royal's defense held opponents to fewer than 10 points per game, including two shutout victories over Warden and Kiona-Benton as the Knights have enjoyed an average victory of more than 35 points per game.

Kick off for Saturday's playoff game with Chelan is scheduled for 2 p.m. and Allred said the game will be exciting.

"It will be a heck of a ball game," he said.