Knights finish regular season at 6-3 with 42-0 win
ROYAL CITY - The Royal Knights had already clinched third place in the SCAC East and a regional high school football playoff berth and needed only to continue building momentum against Ki-Be last Friday.
They accomplished that mission in convincing fashion, taking down the Kiona-Benton Bears, 42-0. It was the Knights' third shutout win by 40 points or more in the past four outings.
With their 6-3 (4-2) finish, the Knights earned a cross-over playoff game with SCAC West-leading and top-ranked 9-0 Zillah this Friday at Zillah.
The Knights' balanced attack against Ki-Be was made possible by excellent line play. Seniors Collin Christensen, John Montoya and Tony Mayorga anchored the interior of the offensive line. Juniors Teddy Mead and Payton Stakkeland protected the edges as tackles. Senior tight end Carter Allred was a formidable run blocker.
The combined effort of these linemen produced more than 200 yards on the ground and another 200-plus through the air.
"Our offensive line play has continued to improve each week," coach Wiley Allred said. "Our running backs hit the open holes quickly, and Kaden (Jenks) did a good job finding open receivers."
Jenks, the Royal quarterback, was given all the time he needed to scan the field and find open receivers. He took advantage to turn in his best performance of the season. He completed 14 of 25 passes for 222 yards and a touchdown.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Jenks fired a bullet to the back middle of the end zone that stuck like Velcro to the outstretched fingertips of Carter Allred to extend the lead to 35-0.
Sophomore receiver and kick returner Jose Ponce added his own brand of excitement midway through the second quarter on an electrifying 79-yard punt return. Defensive end Emilio Bustos had just sacked the quarterback on the previous play to force the Bears to punt.
Ponce took the kick from his own 21 and headed toward the Royal sideline as his teammates raced into position to clear his path. Ponce outpaced the Bears until there was just one man to beat near the 15-yard line. With one subtle turn of his hips, Ponce froze the defender in his tracks and raced past him into the end zone.
Royal's starting running backs averaged more than five yards per carry. Darren Miller finished with 110 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. Gerard Weyns did most of his damage between the tackles and ended the night with 60 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Coach Allred also took notice of Weyns defensive performance.
"At middle linebacker, Gerard made excellent reads all game," Allred said. "He was in good position whether defending the run or dropping back into pass coverage."
Mirroring its defensive effort from the previous week, Royal allowed the Bears to cross midfield on only three occasions and never allowed them inside the 25-yard line.
The Knights again held the opposing quarterbacks to a 25 percent pass completion rate. Safety Jacob Lee added another interception to his season total on a deep sideline pass, but he credited the play of the defensive front as the primary catalyst for shutting down the Bears.
"When the defensive line puts that much pressure on the quarterback, it makes everything so much easier," he said. "Those guys played great, and it made the rest of us look good too."
The Knights are now tasked with a rematch on the road against the top-ranked Zillah Leopards. Royal fell to the Leopards in week 4 but have made several improvements since then.
That game was the first for Jenks at quarterback, and Royal was also without starting running back/linebacker Miguel Ayala. The offensive line has also rounded into form over the past few weeks.
The winner will earn a top seed into the state playoffs.