'It never gets old'

MOSES LAKE – The Royal Knights are back in the 1A state championship game, having defeated No. 4 seed Cashmere 44-7 at Lions Field in Moses Lake on Saturday night.  

Saturday’s game was a rematch of an Oct. 4 league game between the Bulldogs and Knights, which Royal won 55-14 in Cashmere. 

“We looked at film and tried to solidify our defense and find areas we could move the ball on offense,” head coach Wiley Allred said. “They’re a really good team; they’re really strong, they’re hard to run the ball against, but Lance (Allred) had good protection, and we had some receivers that were hard to stop too.” 

On the first offensive play of the game for Royal, senior Lance Allred threw a pass deep down the field that was intercepted by the Bulldog secondary. After forcing a punt, Royal went up 7-0 on a touchdown catch-and-run by senior Jackson Larsen. 

“I saw space; our linemen, they block perfectly fine every time for me. It was just open space,” Larsen said. 

The interception didn’t knock the senior quarterback off his game, as Lance threw another touchdown pass on the next drive. Lance finished the game with six total touchdowns; four passing and two rushing. 

“We knew it was going to be a long game; we just had to line up for a 48-minute game and battle the whole way,” Wiley said. “The one nice thing was it was a long pass and they picked it – it was like a punt.” 

Senior Ben Jenks caught a 15-yard pass to put the Knights up 13-7 after the extra point was blocked, a lead they held on to for the rest of the game. Jenks caught two touchdowns in the win, scoring on a 13-yard pass on the next Royal drive. 

“I don’t get the ball very often, so when I do I try to make the most of it on those plays,” Jenks said. “I just saw they were in man (coverage), so I knew that wheel was going to be open. I was ready for the ball.” 

Larsen scored his second touchdown of the game on a tunnel screen that put the Knights up 27-7 midway through the second quarter, and Royal went up 34-7 on a two-yard run by Lance. Royal capped off the first half with an interception by sophomore Grant Wardenaar. 

Cashmere’s first three drives of the second half all ended with interceptions; one by Jenks in the red zone, another by Larsen near midfield and the final one by Wardenaar, who intercepted a deep pass in the fourth quarter. 

“They’re relentless – even if we do something good, we just focus on the next play and keep on rolling,” Larsen said. 

The Bulldogs gained just 67 yards of total offense in the second half of Saturday’s game. 

“We preach stopping the run, and they (Cashmere) want to run the ball – with all the stuff they do, they need to run the ball,” Wiley said. “We just tried to hit our gaps and read our keys. The kids did a great job.” 

In the Oct. 4 game against the Bulldogs, Royal won 55-14 while amassing 534 yards of offense and holding Cashmere to 133 yards. Despite the big win early in the season, the Knights were cautious not to overlook their semifinal opponent. 

“We just had to stay prepared; a lot of times people will play them once and be like, ‘Oh, we beat them already, so we can go in overconfident,’” Jenks said. “We just tried to make sure to not be overconfident going into this game.” 

Royal advances to play No. 2 Seton Catholic in the state title game Friday at 3 p.m. The Cougars defeated No. 6 Montesano 35-14 on Saturday and post a 12-0 record this fall. 

Friday will mark the fifth consecutive season the Knights have played for the 1A crown; the previous four games were all won by Royal. 

“It never gets old,” Wiley said of playing in the state championship game. 

This will also be the second straight season the state championship games are held at Husky Stadium in Seattle, home of the University of Washington’s football team. In last year’s title game, Royal defeated Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) 49-7 in the same stadium. 

“There’s always going to be a different feel, just with the massiveness of the stadium – it makes it a lot more special, I think,” Larsen said. “I’m glad the WIAA made that change, it’s an awesome change.” 

Box Score 

CSH: 7-0-0-0 7
RYL: 13-21-0-10 44 

    A group of Royal defenders combine for a tackle during the first half of Saturday’s state semifinal game against Cashmere. The Knights held the Bulldogs to just seven points in the win.
  

    Royal senior Ben Jenks (10) powers his way into the end zone on a 13-yard reception in the second quarter. Jenks caught two touchdowns in the win.
  

    Royal senior Alex Arceo (51) carries the football on a run play in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s win over Cashmere.