Ellensburg scheduled for football opener

ROYAL CITY — If Royal High School’s football team next fall is to measure up to the 2015 state 1A championship edition, it should know after the first two games.

The Knights will have the luxury of starting the season at home on Sept. 2. But the task will be the annually state-contending 2A Ellensburg Bulldogs.

The following weekend, the Knights will take on the always-tough 1A Zillah Leopards at Zillah. Ellensburg’s state dreams were ended only by a loss to eventual state champ Prosser in 2015. Zillah’s died in a one-point loss to Connell.

The Royal-Ellensburg match-up came about because both schools were looking for a non-league opener and takers were hard to find.

“No class A school wanted to schedule us,” Royal coach Wiley Allred said. “Ellensburg suggested it, and we accepted.”

Ellensburg coach Randy Affholter did not consider playing Royal taking a step down. He noted the Knights have handled 2A competition well in the past.

“Last year they beat Ephrata about the same way we did,” he said.

Actually, Affholter sees Royal as a potential long-term opponent. The distance is not far between the two communities.

“I think we could develop a regional rivalry,” he said.

First things first. Royal will likely start next season as the No. 1-ranked 1A program in the state. A loss to Ellensburg would not be an embarrassment, but it would probably cost the ranking.

On the other hand, Affholter said, the Bulldogs would not consider a loss to Royal an embarrassment, either. He noted the Knights are respected and will have one of the best quarterbacks in the state.

The bulldogs return 15 starters, out of 22, next year. There will be a retuning starter at just about every line position.

Royal lost a lot of senior starters to graduation this spring but, because of the depth of that team, the Knights will return 36 letterman. However, there will be several new faces squaring off with the Bulldog line.

“We’re going to have to get to work,” Allred said.

Weight room workouts will continue to be from 6-8 p.m. daily during summer. Summer Camp, usually at EWU, will be June 22-25. Spring football dates aren’t clear yet.

Weeks 3-9 next fall will feature SCAC East league games. If things work out as in recent years, the key game will come at Connell on Oct. 14. The Eagles will be good and waiting to avenge two losses to the Knights in 2015.

There are two new league teams on the schedule this year. Warden returns to the fold, and College Place joins the league for the first time.

The addition of these two schools may return the SCAC to the allocation of four state tournament berths.