Knights shutout Cougars

ROYAL CITY — Royal’s 42-0 win over Seton Catholic Saturday night clinched a fourth-straight appearance in the 1A state title game, sending the Knights to Seattle for a clash against Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) on Friday afternoon.

The Knights scored 28 points in the first quarter for the second straight week and held the Cougars to under 100 yards passing.

“Just a lot of good preparation from the guys,” Royal coach Wiley Allred said. “Had no idea it would go like this today, the kids were dialed in and got a really good start, that helps. The defense bent but didn’t break against some really good athletes.”

Royal scored three touchdowns before six minutes came off the game clock, reaching the end zone on a 20-yard touchdown run by junior Lance Allred, a 42-yard reception by junior Jackson Larsen and a 37-yard touchdown run by junior Ethan Ellis. 

“It’s kids jumping on opportunities, capitalizing on a couple deep balls and on runs,” Wiley Allred said. “Ethan (Ellis) gives us an extra step in the backfield, he just got back and he’s been helpful.”

Ellis had nearly 100 yards rushing over Royal’s first three drives, headlined by carries of 45 and 37 yards.

“‘Try not to fumble, try and get as many yards as possible.’” Ellis said of what goes through his mind on long runs. 

    Royal junior Ethan Ellis (22) carries the ball on a 46-yard touchdown run.
  

After an interception, the Knights responded on their next offensive drive by scoring on a 10-yard run by Lance Allred. 

“I think it’s just preparation, and then preparation gives us confidence knowing we can do what we need to do,” Lance Allred said.

The junior quarterback got into the end zone again in the second quarter on a five-yard run. Ellis, who finished the game with 13 carries for 177 yards and two touchdowns, scored again on a 46-yard run in the third quarter.

Allred completed eight-of-12 passes for 138 yards, a touchdown and an interception, adding an additional 75 yards and three touchdowns on 11 rushes. Larsen led the Knights in receiving with four grabs for 80 yards and a touchdown.

“We knew that we had an advantage on their line, so we were able to do that,” Lance Allred said.

On defense, the Knights pitched their fourth-straight shutout, three of which have been in the postseason. Royal’s defense has only given up 48 points this season.

“Up front, everybody out there is physical,” defensive lineman Juan Morales said. “Our backers, it’s the same thing.”

Entering the game, Seton Catholic had been averaging 41.7 points per game, including scoring 50-plus points in four of its last five games. Royal held the Cougars to 206 total yards of offense and forced two turnovers, with junior Ben Jenks intercepting two passes in Saturday’s win.

“They’ve just got to keep focusing one more week on what we’re doing,” Wiley Allred said. “They play their positions pretty well, each of them, and then we rotate on the defensive line — about 6-7 kids — and that helps keep our kids fresh.”

    Royal senior Bennett Brown (87) fights for extra yards in the first quarter against Seton Catholic.
  

Royal, the winners of the past three 1A state titles, travels to Husky Stadium in Seattle for a matchup against Lakeside. The Eagles are 12-0, defeating No. 15 Life Christian Academy 41-14, No. 10 Freeman 24-20 and No. 6 Nooksack Valley 24-23 in their first three playoff games. 

Kickoff is at 3 p.m. Friday.

“It’s super dope, it’s definitely something we saw at the beginning of the season and it was our goal to get there,” Lance Allred said. 

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com. For more sports photos, visit our sports page at www.columbiabasinherald.com/news/sports.

    Royal players sing the school’s fight song after defeating Seton Catholic 42-0 in the 1A State Football Tournament semifinals.
  

Box score

Seton.: 0-0-0-0 0
ROY: 28-7-7-0 42

Correction: The corrected score for the Knights' match against Nooksack Valley has been incorporated above.