Five in a row

SEATTLE — Tied at 21 through the first 24 minutes, the top-seeded Royal Knights outscored No. 2 Seton Catholic 40-7 in the second half of Friday’s 1A State Football Tournament championship game, defeating the Cougars 61-28 to claim their fifth consecutive championship. 

“We knew it would be a battle — this is a really good team, they had everybody back from last year,” Royal head coach Wiley Allred said. “They’re bigger, faster and stronger (than last year), and it showed. We really made a lot of mistakes in the first half but still scored 21 points, so we just had to reset at halftime.” 

Royal led the game 21-7 with just under three-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first half, but an 84-yard kickoff returned for a touchdown followed by the Cougars scoring two plays after a fumble by Royal senior Santana Luna allowed Seton Catholic to tie the game with 16 seconds remaining in the second quarter. 

“Santana hasn’t fumbled all year — it happens, it’s a big game,” Allred said. “But, the good thing was we had halftime to talk about it and get the kids rejuvenated and their confidence back. Obviously, some of that credit needs to go to Seton Catholic, they’ve got great athletes.” 

It didn’t take long for Royal to get rolling in the second half; the Knights marched down the field on a nine-play, 70-yard drive capped off with a three-yard touchdown run by senior Lance Allred. After the Cougars ran a fake punt in their own territory, which was sniffed out by the Knights, Lance was back in the end zone on a 14-yard carry to put the Knights up 35-21. 

Two Seton Catholic drives later, Royal senior Ben Jenks intercepted a Cougar pass and returned it 37 yards to the end zone, putting the Knights up 41-21 after the ensuing extra point was missed.  

“We watched that play on film — I saw the ball when I was sitting on that (route) waiting for him to throw it,” Jenks said. “Once he did, I jumped it.” 

Three of the final five Seton Catholic drives ended with interceptions; after Jenks scored on a pick-six, sophomore Grant Wardenaar and senior Jackson Larsen both intercepted passes — Larsen's was returned 69 yards for a touchdown to put the Knights up 61-28 with two minutes left on the clock. 

“I just didn’t want to get caught — that was the whole thought process. ‘Don’t get caught, I have to score this because I let up that big play earlier,’” Larsen said. 

Wardenaar led the Knights with two interceptions in Friday’s win. 

“The first one, we got pressure and he threw a bad ball, and I was able to get it,” Wardenaar said. “The second one, I knew they weren’t going to run it that much, so I knew he was going to throw it. I just read it, and he threw it right up to me and I got it.” 

Before the late-game interceptions, Royal was able to get the Cougar offense off the field with two fourth-down stops in the third quarter.  

“We just locked down – Coach Jeremy (Scroggins), he made a few adjustments and we were able to lock down,” Wardenaar said. “That’s a really good team, too. (Scroggins) is really good.” 

After seeing their 14-point lead evaporate in just over three minutes at the end of the second quarter, Wiley said halftime was used a reset ahead of the second half. 

“We just reminded them that we’ve had some really unfortunate things happen, and I said, ‘I doubt that will happen again in the second half. It’s really up to us; we can reset, it’s 0-0, we’ve had tons of mistakes.’’” Wiley Allred said. “‘If we just settle down, we’re going to score a lot more than they do in the second half.” 

Leading the way on offense was Lance, who accounted for seven total touchdowns in Friday’s win — breaking his own record for the most touchdowns scored in the 1A championship, which he set against Lakeside (9 Mile Falls) in 2023 with six (three passing, three rushing). The senior quarterback completed 15-of-21 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown and ran the ball 21 times for 203 yards and six touchdowns. 

“It’s 100% my linemen — they opened it up wide open, and I had to make, maybe, one move,” Lance said. “I just had to run. They (the offensive line) did an amazing job.” 

Lance scored on touchdown runs of 39, 19, three, 14, 49 and 48 yards. 

“Every big game, he’s done stuff like that,” Wiley said. “We don’t really ask him to do a lot of that during the year, but it’s always in the biggest games.” 

“I think it’s just the trust that I hope I’ve built with my coach,” Lance said. “That when it’s a big opportunity, you can trust me.” 

Junior Shea Stevenson paced the Knights with six grabs for 89 yards, followed by Larsen with four catches for 70 yards and a touchdown, which came in the second quarter to put the Knights up 21-7. 

“It was great, it felt like Cashmere again,” said Larsen, who scored on similar plays in the semifinal game against the Bulldogs. “Just wide open. The deafening sound of our amazing community coming out was awesome.” 

Royal’s fifth consecutive state championship win was the result of a great deal of effort on the part of the team, coaching staff and others, Jenks said. 

“It’s more than just the 11 people playing on the field; our scout team was amazing, and they put in the work, they watched film on the teams so they can replicate them as best as possible,” Jenks said. “It takes a lot of work.” 

The game was also Wiley’s 300th career win; fans in the stands at Husky Stadium held a banner to recognize the achievement, which noted the 20 league championships and 12 state titles the Knights have won over Allred’s 26 years as head coach. 

“I’ve been coaching for a long time with some really good players,” Wiley said. 

“He’s put so much time and so much effort into every single team we play,” Lance said. “300 wins just shows how amazing he’s done. I’m excited for him.” 

The Knights have won eight titles in 10 years; the two outliers during that stretch? A three-point semifinal loss to eventual champion Colville in 2018 and the spring 2021 season not having a postseason due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“That’s pretty special,” Wiley said.  

Box Score 

SEC: 0-21-0-7 28
RYL: 7-14-14-26 61 

    Royal junior Shea Stevenson (23) dives to secure a catch in the first half against Seton Catholic on Friday. Stevenson led the Knights with six catches for 89 yards.
  

    Royal senior Jackson Larsen (21) outruns Seton Catholic defenders on his way to the end zone on a 34-yard reception. Larsen also scored on a 69-yard interception returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of Friday’s win.
  

    Royal defenders group up for a tackle in the first half against Seton Catholic. The Knights turned the Cougars over four times in the second half – two fourth-down stops and three interceptions.
  

    Royal sophomore Grant Wardenaar (7) returns an intercepted pass during the first quarter against Seton Catholic on Friday. Wardenaar intercepted two passes in the win, and the Knights had four interceptions during the course of the game.
  

    Royal sophomore Orlando Santillan (74) rushes in to secure a tackle during the first quarter against Seton Catholic on Friday.
  

    Royal seniors Eliezer Vivar (65) and Asher Garnick (63) lead the Knights out of the tunnel ahead of Friday’s state championship game against Seton Catholic.
  

    Royal players celebrate after defeating Seton Catholic 61-28 in Friday’s 1A championship game at Husky Stadium in Seattle. Players held up five fingers – one for each of Royal’s five consecutive championship wins.