Royal faces elusive Newport quarterback in 1A semifinals
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin Herald Royal quarterback Sawyer Jenks goes into Saturday's 1A state semifinal game against Newport with 36 touchdown passes for the season.
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin HeraldRoyal receiver Angel Farias is a dual threat with speed to score from anywhere in the passing game. He also has four of the Knights six punt returns for touchdowns this year.
ROYAL CITY — And then there were four.
The Washington 1A football tournament shown some unpredictability through the first two rounds. Meridian (12-0) remains a constant threat on the other side of the bracket. But, Colville ousting 2016 runner-up Connell in the first week, then losing to Newport in the quarterfinals adds a new dimension.
None of that matters much to the two-time defending state champions, who roll into Moses Lake with the eighth longest winning streak in the country (39). The No. 1 Royal Knights (12-0) will face Newport (11-1) at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Lions Field.
They just put the blinders on, focus on the here-and-now, without paying attention to the surroundings or what’s ahead. Royal has outscored its opponents 84-0 in the first two rounds, playing every bit like the defending champions, but quite aware that nothing is a given at this point in the season.
“Ever since we played Colville last year, I thought they were the team to beat from eastern Washington.” Royal coach Wiley Allred said. “Colville matched up well against Connell, so that wasn’t a big surprise. I don’t know much about Newport, but they must be pretty good if they can beat Colville.”
Newport quarterback Koa Pancho moves well in the pocket with the ability to reverse direction and sidestep trouble to assist in the passing game. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound senior is also a big part of the Grizzlies ground game. He had 101 yards with two touchdowns during a regular season game against Freeman. He also racked up 300 yards from scrimmage with three touchdowns to lead the Grizzlies past Deer Park. A lot of what Newport does is centered around the guy under center.
“They like to run the quarterback a lot and throw some quick screens,” Allred said. “The quarterback is the fastest kid on the field. He’s real poised and confident back there. He’s one of those Michael Vick kind of kids that can put on a burst and turn it into yards. He can take it half speed, then start off the other way, so we’ll need to contain him.”
Pancho has tight end Danny Bradbury at his disposal. Grizzlies return man Tug Smith has a 90-yard kick return to his credit, so they have a special teams threat as well.
“I was pretty pleased with everything we did last week,” Allred said. “At this point in the season, you pretty much have to be strong in all three phases of the game. The key is not to let their quarterback look like an All-American too many times. He has to be contained at all times.
“Offensively, we want to get after it from the get-go and not stop until it’s over. We have to find ways to get in the end zone.”
The Knights scored 28 first-half points last week in their quarterfinal victory over previously unbeaten Okanogan. Running back Alonso Hernandez scored from 65 yards out on the first play from scrimmage and finished with 198 yards rushing with three touchdowns. Sawyer Jenks threw his 36th touchdown pass of the season, tying his brother Kaden’s mark from last season.
The Knights are explosive on offense and go into the game averaging 56.6 points and 256.7 yards per game. Corbin Christensen, the SCAC offensive player of the year, and Angel Farias give Jenks targets that can score from anywhere on the field. With a power back like Hernandez and the speed of Lorenzo Myrick, the threat to go the distance is everywhere.
The stage is nearly set. On the other side of the 1A bracket, Meridian (12-0) has put up 93 points in two games en route to the other semifinal and will face La Center (9-2) on Saturday at Civic Stadium-Bellingham.