Royal Knights fallto Cashmere, 13-19, in overtime

ROYAL CITY - The Royal Knights dug themselves a deep hole in the first half at Cashmere Friday but mounted a furious comeback in the second half before falling 19-13 in overtime in non-league prep football.

The misfortune began on Royal's first offensive possession.

Good play-calling and execution allowed the Knights to move the ball quickly to mid-field. On third down and four yards to go the Knights approached the line of scrimmage, but some pre-snap confusion concerned the coaching staff.

They signaled the officials for a timeout before the play was live, but their pleas went unheeded. Instead, quarterback Kaden Jenks rolled to his right and threw a short pass that sailed over his intended receiver and into the arms of the Cashmere cornerback.

With an unobstructed path, the defender raced to the end zone to give the Bulldogs the early lead.

On their ensuing possession, the Knights moved the ball quickly from their own 29-yard line to the Cashmere 18. Junior Darrin Miller, who lined up at receiver as often as running back, accounted for 44 of those yards on a pass completion that he caught in stride and moved to the Cashmere 22.

A string of consecutive incomplete passes killed the drive and turned the ball back to the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs always play well with a lead. Their run-oriented offense chews up yards and time.

With 3:36 left in the first quarter, Cashmere embarked on a 13-play drive that covered 82 yards and took more than six minutes off of the clock to extend the lead to 13-0. Neither defense yielded for the remainder of the first half.

The Knights took the field in the second half with a renewed focus. After receiving the kickoff, Royal covered 70 yards in just four plays to seize the momentum with a blend of flash and physicality.

Each of the four plays was handled by a different Knight, but Miguel Ayala set the tone on the first with a punishing 21-yard run that bowled over two Cashmere defensive backs.

On the scoring play, Miller epitomized the drive as he exploded through the hole and past the Bulldog linebackers. He then hurdled the last Bulldog defender to get the Knights on the scoreboard.

Then the spotlight shifted to the Royal defense. After producing 184 yards in the first half, the Bulldog offense was limited to less than 50 yards in the second half.

Near the end of the third quarter, the Knights took possession on their own 40. Fullback Gerard Weyns softened the defense with a 25-yard run up the middle.

Ayala and Miller then shared the load on the ground and pushed the ball inside the Cashmere red zone.

After a false start penalty, Royal found itself facing fourth down and six from the Cashmere 21. As Jenks rolled to his right, he scanned the field looking for an open receiver.

He found none, but what he did find was open field between him and the first down marker. He raced to the marker trying to beat the oncoming defensive back to the spot and preserve a critical drive.

The two players collided as Jenks was launched into the air on impact. He came back to earth beyond the marker and earned a fresh set of downs at the Cashmere 14.

The Knights would need only one more play to even the contest. Ayala ran up the middle before veering toward the left corner of the end zone. A key block by receiver Joe Lang ensured the 14-yard touchdown.

The Bulldogs did not run an offensive play inside Royal territory in the second half until they intercepted a tipped pass on the Royal 3 with 1:38 left in regulation.

Cashmere missed a field goal wide to the left as time expired and the game headed into overtime.

Royal had the first possession of overtime and failed to score. Cashmere capitalized, running four consecutive plays with fullback Jadon McCabe until he finally reached the end zone.

Despite the loss, head coach Wiley Allred was positive with his players as they met on the field after the game. He reminded them that the last Royal Knight state championship (2007) was earned by a one-loss team that avenged that loss in the title game.

Ayala finished with 17 carries for 132 yards and a touchdown. Miller contributed 57 yards rushing and six receptions for 74 yards to lead the receiving corps.

Defensively, Ayala led the Knights with 11 total tackles. Weyns logged nine tackles and Miller and Teddy Mead had eight each.

This week the Knights will host the Wahluke Warriors for Homecoming. Wahluke opened their season with a convincing win over Kittitas but dropped their next three to Cle Elum, Warden, and Connell.