King's took out tough programs to get to Tacoma this Saturday
Danny Cuevas escapes the last possible tackler to dive into the end zone for a touchdown.
SEATTLE — From an Xs and Os standpoint, the Royal-King’s match-up Saturday for the State 1A football championship at the Tacoma Dome could be a case of mirror image.
“We use offensive sets that are similar to Royal’s,” King’s Coach Jim Shapiro said.
From a determination standpoint, the 1 p.m. game should be a good match-up. King’s had to really battle to get to the Dome. There were no blowouts.
King’s is a private Christian School in Seattle for grades 7-12 which participates in athletics under the nickname Knights. The name is well known in class 1A sporting circles.
In the last 20 years the school has won 38 team sports titles. It has won 28 academic team titles in that same time frame. King’s has played in the state football tournament the last six years but has never gone past the quarterfinals.
The win last Saturday over Montesano to get the Tacoma Dome ticket should get Royal’s attention. Montesano defeated Royal the last two times the Knights got to the Dome. This opponent likely will be as tough.
On the other hand, Royal has an edge in state tournament experience. The Knights have been to 15 consecutive tournaments. They have been to 24 all together.
Royal has played in the title game eight times and has won five of them. The first title came in 1996. The last was in 2007. The seniors on this team were freshman the last time Royal appeared in Tacoma in 2012.
King’s is 12-1. The lone loss was a 49-7 blowout. But it was to Archbishop Murphy, a 2A power that was barely edged by three points in the state semifinals by Tumwater.
In what will make Saturday a nice doubleheader for Royal football fans, Tumwater will play Prosser for the 2A title at 10 a.m.
The King’s offense was good enough to put up 407 points through 13 games. The defense may be questionable. It gave up 217 points for the season. There were no shutouts, but four teams were held to seven or six points. King’s average winning margin was 31-17.
The Royal Knights have scored 706 points though 13 games and given up 63. Their average game margin is 54-5.
“I expect a lot of touchdowns. I expect Royal to score a lot of points. Our hope is to keep up with them,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro has respect for Royal. He’s aware of Wiley Allred’s program from watching the Knights more than once at the Dome.
“They are a team you think of when you consider contenders east of the mountains,” he said.
King’s is a small school. Shapiro noted all of the offensive starters are defensive starters. And they rarely get a rest.
“Basically we have 11 boys who play all of the time,” Shapiro said.
King’s is tenacious. It had to play through key injuries to get to Tacoma.
Senior quarterback (No. 7) Koa Wilkins, 6-0, 160, suffered a broken collarbone early in the season. He came back to the helm in the quarterfinals. He is a runner and a passer.
The team’s leading tackler and league MVP Cooper Wright will not be available Saturday. He has a broken foot.
Juniors Caleb Perry, 5-6, 130, (No. 2) and Andrew Cline, 5-10, 165, (No. 28) will carry the ball most of the time.
The King’s Knights “don’t pass a ton,” but when they do, they usually look for 5-11, 160 senior receiver Jake Welch.
Where King’s might have an advantage on Royal is in the line. The center, guards and tackles are not any heavier than Royal’s boys, but they are rangier. Three of them are 5-10 and two are 6-0. They’ll bring leverage Royal hasn’t seen before to this game.