Defense shines in Royal’s 56-12 win

ROYAL CITY – After scoring on their opening possession of the game, No. 1 Royal led the entirety of Saturday's 1A State Football Tournament quarterfinal matchup against No. 8 Lynden Christian, going on to defeat the Lyncs 56-12. 

Royal forced four Lynden Christian turnovers in the win, including two interceptions returned for touchdowns. 

“Super excited, especially after two weeks of practice,” Royal senior Lance Allred said. “We were just ready to play a game. Third year in a row playing these guys, they’re always good competition. We were focused, we were excited. It was fun.” 

The Knights opened the game with a 12-play, 77-yard drive capped off by Allred scoring on a quarterback sneak from under center. Lynden Christian then began to march down the field into Royal territory, but the defense of the Knights stopped the Lyncs on fourth down when senior Ezra Jenks intercepted a tipped pass on fourth down. 

Jenks was one of three Knights with an interception in the win, joining sophomore Grant Wardenaar and senior Ben Jenks, both of which returned their interceptions for touchdowns. Wardenaar’s came near the end of the first half, while Ben Jenks scored in the fourth quarter. 

“I was just going to sit the slant and hitch, then I saw the quarterback’s eyes right at my guy. Saw the ball and just jumped it. Pick six,” Wardenaar said. 

Five plays after the interception by Ezra Jenks, with the drive being aided by a 37-yard reception by senior Jackson Larsen, Allred was in the end zone again on another quarterback sneak. 

“We practice it all the time at practice, and we have big guys going against their big guys; you just have to a gap, and I trust going behind those linemen,” Allred said. 

Following another defensive stand that forced a Lynden Christian punt, Allred connected with Larsen again on an 80-yard touchdown on a throw deep down the field to put the Knights up 21-0 early in the second quarter. 

“They were bringing pressure and one-on-one'd Jackson (Larsen) — I hit Jackson on that every time,” Allred said. 

Lynden Christian punted on its next drive but quickly got the ball back with an interception of Allred. The Lyncs reached the end zone on a halfback pass to sophomore Kaden Veldman, cutting the deficit to 14.   

Any potential momentum for the Lyncs off the touchdown was quickly erased, as Royal senior Santana Luna scored a 77-yard rushing touchdown on the next play from scrimmage. 

“I got the counter, I looked and our lineman laid the (defensive end) out,” Luna said. “That got me happy, and I just took off. I was excited, (scoring) from so far back. It’s really rare.” 

Luna scored three touchdowns in the win, having also reached the end zone on runs of 5 and 16 yards. 

“We’re blessed with some kids, and we’ve got good blocking up front,” Royal head coach Wiley Allred said. “You can’t let Luna out, he’s too fast. It was nice to get that right back and feel like we’re still in control of this.” 

Luna’s second touchdown of the day put the Knights up 35-7, and Wardenaar returned his interception for a touchdown on Lynden Christian’s next drive. The Lyncs scored a touchdown on their first drive of the second half, which Royal responded to with Luna’s third touchdown of the day. 

Lynden Christian’s final three offensive drives of the game ended with a turnover on downs, an interception returned for a touchdown and a fumble recovered by the Knights. 

“That’s just what our guys do; we try to be in the right position, and if we can get pressure on the quarterback and force a bad throw now and then, our guys back there are pretty good. They’re going to take advantage,” Wiley said. “They did a good job today.” 

With the win, Royal advances to play No. 4 Cashmere on Saturday. The Bulldogs defeated No. 5 Nooksack Valley 38-12 this weekend. Kickoff time was not available in time for press deadline. 

Box score 

LNC: 0-6-6-0 12
RYL: 14-28-7-7 56 

    Royal senior Ben Jenks (10) keeps his eyes on the quarterback before a play in Saturday’s quarterfinal game against Lynden Christian. Jenks returned an interception for a touchdown in the win.
  

    Royal senior Caden Fitzhugh (44) runs toward the Lynden Christian quarterback in the second quarter on Saturday. Fitzhugh had two sacks in the win.
  

    Royal sophomore Grant Wardenaar (7) intercepts a Lynden Christian pass and returns it for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Lyncs on Saturday.
  

    Royal senior Lance Allred (11) rolls out of the pocket before throwing an 80-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter of Saturday’s win over Lynden Christian.
  

    Royal senior Ezra Jenks (13) returns an intercepted pass in the first quarter. The Knights forced four turnovers in the win over Lynden Christian.