Royal stops 2A powerhouse Ellensburg, 21-14 victory

ROYAL CITY – The highly anticipated non-league prep football match between top-ranked 1A Royal and fourth-ranked 2A Ellensburg went to the Knights, 21-14, at Royal last Friday.

Ellensburg made the game close with a late rush, but Royal was in control throughout. The defense stopped Ellensburg’s first drive cold, and the offense cashed in a short drive to set the stage.

“I was excited before the game, and I’m still excited,” coach Wiley Allred told the players afterward.

At the same time that he congratulated the boys for a good game, Allred said the film would show several details that need work. A tough game was made tougher by Knight mistakes.

Still, Allred said: “It’s better to start this way than blowing out somebody.”

The Knights will get more of this type of competition this Friday. They will travel to Zillah, which dismantled Wahluke, 63-6, in its opener.

Last Friday, Ellensburg scored with 2:07 left to make the score 21-14 and then attempted an onside kick. Corbin Christensen recovered the ball for the Knights at the Royal 49, and Royal was able to run out the clock.

The confident Knights won the coin toss but elected to let Ellensburg get the ball first. And Ellensburg got the wind, too.

That didn’t work out well for the Bulldogs. They couldn’t find anywhere to run against the Royal defense.

Then misfortune befell Ellensburg. A bad snap caused the punter to touch his knee down at the Ellensburg 15-yard line, giving Royal the ball right there.

Demonstrating why he is the No. 1 senior quarterback in the state, Kaden Jenks completed his first three passes to direct the short scoring drive. With 7:43 left in the first period, Jenks rode bullish line blocking from the 1 into the end zone.

Royal’s line protected Jenks all night. He had to scramble a couple of times, but he was never sacked. He completed 24 of 33 passes for 248 yards and one touchdown.

There were more passes than runs, but the threat of the run kept the Ellensburg defense honest. And some of the best runs came at key moments.

Jenks completed his first eight passes and finished with a 73 percent completion rate without interception. The first half was remarkable. Jenks completed 15 of 18 throws for 180 yards against four defensive backs who were all-CWAC last year.

Jenks was also the leading rusher with 39 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns. But he shifted the spotlight to his teammates.

“The line played great, really great,” Jenks said.

Alonso Hernandez added 16 yards on six carries. Isaac Ellis gained 14 on 10 totes, and Adrian Trinidad carried the ball one time for one yard.

The receiving corps was superb. Corbin Christensen caught nine passes for 144 yards. Adrian Trinidad caught five for 27, Juan Niebla, Juan Ojeda and Isaac Ellis caught three passes each, and Sawyer Stakkeland caught one.

The leader on defense was Christensen with five tackles and four assists. Jenks made seven tackles, and Stakkeland and Alonso Hernandez participated in seven. Ramses Gonzalez, Juan Hernandez, Juan Garcia and C.J. Quintero were in on four tackles.

Royal outgained Ellensburg, 318-247 and outpassed the Bulldogs, 248-115. There were no turnovers for either team.

The Royal offense scored again, in the second period, on a drive that included Jenks’ first bomb of the year. Rolling to the right to set up, Jenks’ 75-yard pass to wide open Corbin Christensen in the middle of the field moved the ball to the Ellensburg 13. Jenks scored on a 1-yard keeper through the left end.

Ellensburg then mounted its first serious drive, taking the ball from its own 35 to the Royal 9 in nine plays. But, with 4:25 left in the half, The Royal defense stopped the Bulldogs on downs at the 5.

The Ellensburg defense, which was good all night, set the tone for the second half. It stopped the Knights’ first drive in three plays and the second Royal drive in five plays.

Taking the ball at their own 46 with 4:55 left in the third period, the Bulldogs scored in six plays. A 42-yard pass that was well-covered by three Royal defenders, found its way to the receiver and to the end zone.

Taking over at its own 20 after the kickoff, Royal launched a promising drive. After a 22-yard hookup with tight end Sawyer Stakkeland, Jenks had his team at the 42.

A 20-yard pass to Stakkeland netted a Royal first down at the Ellensburg 39. But the Knights were caught holding and sent back to their own 26. The penalty killed the drive at the Royal 40.

Early in the fourth quarter, Royal’s Isaac Ellis broke up a Bulldog pass play on third down and forced a punt. In 10 plays, Royal rolled to its third score with 4:53 left.

Trinidad caught a Jenks 14-yard pass inside the Ellensburg 10, stepped around a defender and raced to the right side of the end zone to make the score 21-7.

Then came Ellensburg’s second score and the attempted onside kick.