From the Sideline: Danny Cuevas, Royal's little big man

You would think the state football playoffs would be a rough place for a boy who stands 5-4 and weights 145 pounds. And it is.

But Royal’s Danny Cuevas demonstrated Saturday against Colville that he can handle it. He was hurt momentarily late in the third quarter, but he finished the game with a stellar performance.

The Knights tried to get Cuevas to the outside a few times, but most of his carries were through the middle. He took some hits he’ll proudly tell his grandkids about some day. No team hits harder than Colville.

Coach Wiley Allred had said earlier that Cuevas is a tough runner. Cuevas proved it. No matter how hard he was popped, he never gave up the ball.

Cuevas carried 17 times for 57 yards. Thirty-four of those yards came on two plays. The other 23 came on 15 head-banging carries.

What fans will likely remember the most from this game, however, will not be a bull run. It will be a pass reception Cuevas turned into a touchdown to start Royal’s scoring in the second quarter.

On the 45-yard play, Cuevas caught the ball at the Royal sideline just past the line of scrimmage. It appeared he would surely go down when he turned to run. A defender was poised to make the tackle.

Cuevas made a move to the inside so hard that everyone, including the fans, thought he would go inside. He stopped on a dime as the defender flew by, cut back to the sideline and ran away.

The fans cheered the score, of course, but the loudest cheer was a collective “ooooh” when Cuevas made the move.

“They don’t use jockstraps any more; Otherwise, there’d be one on the field right there,” photographer Pete Christensen said.

Ceuvas’s touchdown reception was only one of several big plays. Corbin Christensen scored on a 44-yard pass and intercepted a drive-ending pass. Juan Garcia, Juan Hernandez and Ramses Gonzalez led an unbelievable goal-line stand that took the starch out of the Indians. Isaac Ellis made an interception that led to a score.

Kaden Jenks got my attention on three runs. The first came after he threw an interception at the Colville 35. Instead of hanging his head, he got on his horse and knocked the interceptor out of bounds at the Royal 6.

The other two came at the end of the first quarter and led to the Cuevas score. Calling his own number, Jenks ran from the Royal 34 for a first down.

The Knights were caught holding, and the ball was placed at the 24. With everyone at the game expecting a Jenks pass, he ran again, for 18 yards and nearly a first down.

The first playoff contest was a game of big plays. This has been a season of big plays.

Come to the stadium this Friday at 7 p.m. No one knows what will happen against LaSalle, but there will probably be some big plays you won’t want to miss.