ROYAL CITY -- Matt Hadley ran for 126 yards and three second-half touchdowns Friday night as No. 2 Connell pulled away to defeat sixth-ranked Royal 30-14 and clinch the SCAC East's top seed to the regional playoffs.
The Eagles clinched a share of their third league title in four years and can claim the outright title with a win next week over Warden.
The Knights are the No. 2 seed.
Ivan Barragan kicked three first-half field goals as Connell led 9-7 at halftime. Hadley scored on runs of 35 and 2 yards in the third quarter as the Eagles took control, then added another 2-yard TD run early in the fourth.
Connell 3 6 14 7 -- 30
Royal 7 0 0 7 -- 14
SCORING PLAYS
C -- FG Ivan Barragan 26
R -- Ben Singer 8 pass from Marc Albertson (Will Christensen kick)
C -- FG Barragan 34
C -- FG Barragan 46
C -- Matt Hadley 35 run (Barragan kick)
C -- Hadley 2 run (Barragan kick)
C -- Hadley 2 run (Barragan kick)
R -- Singer 21 pass from Albertson (Christensen kick)
STATISTICS
RUSHING--C, Hadley 20-126, Dyrel Whitby 16-93, Nate Martinez 9-(minus 3). R, Albertson 9-49, Christensen 12-24, Dylan DeLay 3-9, Kris Rice 1-3, Jeremy Edwards 5-16.
PASSING--C, Martinez 4-9-0-60. R, Albertson 10-29-1-136.
RECEIVING--C, Hadley 2-9, Kraymer Eppich 1-21, Bryant Anderson 1-30. R, Singer 6-80, Kyle Spartveit 2-10, Rice 1-30, Edwards 1-16.
FIRST DOWNS--C 10, R 11. FUMBLES-LOST--C 3-1, R 2-2. PENALTIES-YARDS--C 3-20, R 3-20.
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Connell outguns Royal for SCAC East crown
Connell outguns Royal for SCAC East crown
ROYAL CITY -- Defensive stops had been hard to come by Friday night.
Both the Royal and Connell offenses had been having their way, but Connell's Ryan Heinen came up with the big play when his team needed it most.
Heinen intercepted a pass to help keep the Eagles in front and set up a crucial touchdown as Connell defeated Royal 49-28 in an SCAC East game.
Connell rolls over Granger 61-6
Connell rolls over Granger 61-6
CONNELL -- Chandler Salisbury led the air assault with three touchdown passes on 288 passing yards, and Matt Hadley led the ground attack with two touchdowns on 161 rushing yards as Connell decimated Granger 61-6 in an SCAC 1A football crossover playoff that decided the District's No. 2 state seed.
Granger 0 0 6 0 -- 6
Connell 21 27 7 6 -- 61
Connell's Hadley earns All-Area football MVP
Connell's Hadley earns All-Area football MVP
As the years pass, Connell High School will most certainly add more football championship banners to its gymnasium rafters. The tradition established there is bigger than any one player or one graduating class.
However, the Eagles can look long and hard, but they aren't likely to find another player like Matt Hadley, who hit the ground running as a freshman and didn't stop until he held two state records (and nearly a third).
The 5-foot-11, 210-pound senior running back racked up 124 career touchdowns and 746 career points -- both records for all classes -- and 6,881 rushing yards, second only to 7,755 by Timberline's Jonathan Stewart. He capped his career by rushing for 2,330 yards and 40 touchdowns, leading Connell to its second 1A state title in four seasons.
Connell 52, Kiona-Benton 13
Connell 52, Kiona-Benton 13
BENTON CITY -- Matt Hadley rushed for 148 yards and three touchdowns and ran in a 65-yard pass from Chandler Salisbury for another TD as Connell bested Kiona-Benton in Benton City.
Connell 21 21 10 0 -- 52
Kiona-Benton 0 7 0 6 -- 13
Connell 56, Wahluke 0
Connell 56, Wahluke 0
CONNELL -- Matt Hadley rustled up six touchdowns on nine carries and 212 rushing yards as Connell's defense rendered Wahluke pretty much inconsequential in an SCAC East game.
Connell 56, Wahluke 0
Wahluke 0 0 0 0 -- 0
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