Knights defense blanks Naches, 47-0
ROYAL CITY - The chances of a high school football team winning when its defense concedes only one first down the entire game are roughly the same as a baseball team winning when its pitcher tosses a no-hitter, practically 100 percent.
That is exactly the performance the Knight defense recorded in routing the Naches Valley Rangers by a score of 47-0 on Friday night. To further highlight the dominance, the Rangers' offense never ran a play in Royal territory.
The Knight defense granted its offensive counterparts excellent field position the entire game. All but six of Royal's 54 offensive plays were run on the Rangers' half of the field.
The offense took advantage early and often, jumping to a 34-0 lead by scoring touchdowns on each of its first five possessions.
The most thrilling of those touchdown drives came after senior running back Miguel Ayala had already pounded his way to two rushing touchdowns of four yards each.
With 46 seconds remaining in the first quarter, quarterback Kaden Jenks rewarded receiver Jose Ponce for getting past his defender along the left sideline with a perfectly placed pass that Ponce caught in stride on his way to a 71-yard score.
Jenks was accurate with his passes the entire game. He completed 11 of 14 attempts for 127 yards and three touchdowns.
Ponce was the primary beneficiary of the aerial accuracy and finished with five catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns. He also recorded two interceptions for the Knights' stifling defense.
However pleased the Royal coaches were with the passing attack, it was likely the running success that thrilled them most. The top three ball carriers combined to average more than eight yards per carry and found the end zone four times behind an offensive line that continues to adjust and improve.
Junior Darrin Miller led the charge with 93 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Ayala's 13 touches netted him 88 yards and two touchdowns. They both followed their blockers well, and ran with power.
The award for offensive efficiency goes to senior Gerard Weyns. He touched the ball just three times. He scored two touchdowns.
The first Weyns score was an 8-yard run that capped off a 47-yard drive early in the second quarter. The second was a 7-yard pass reception that finished a 5-play drive to open the scoring in the second half.
By the standard of his first two touches, Weyns's third opportunity was a relatively pedestrian 10-yard run that was part of an all-run possession that capped off the scoring for the Knights.
"Even though the level of competition may not have turned out as tough as last week (Ephrata), we executed very well on both sides of the ball and are definitely getting better," Weyns said.
On a side note, the Ephrata Tigers, who played the Knights closely in the season opener, dominated the 6th-ranked 2A Othello Huskies by a 35-14 margin.
The Knights will be on the road this Friday for the first time this year to face a familiar foe in the Connell Eagles. The Eagles have gotten off to a rough start, dropping their opener 41-3 to the Othello Huskies and losing to the Cashmere Bulldogs 34-7.
If you can't make the trip on Friday, a live audio webcast of the game can be heard at www.royalknightsfootball.com. Just click on the Webcast link to listen live.