Royal, Connell to lock horns in 1A state football playoffs

The last time the Connell and Royal football teams met — back in Week 3 with the South Central Athletic Conference East title up for grabs — the Knights banged out a 27-20 home victory before eventually claiming the league title.

When the teams meet again in the Class 1A state semifinals at 4 p.m. Saturday at Lions Field in Moses Lake, a much bigger trophy could be at stake.

Top-ranked Royal (12-0) and second-ranked Connell (10-1) will play for a shot at the state championship. The 1A final is scheduled for 1 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Tacoma Dome.

“I expect a great matchup between two fast teams that come from small communities that love football and have a great tradition,” Eagles coach Wayne Riner said Tuesday during a practice at Edgar Brown Stadium in Pasco.

Riner downplayed any thought toward avenging Connell’s only regular-season loss, instead pointing at his team’s steady improvement since the mid-September defeat.

“We just wanted another opportunity (to face Royal). I don’t like losing to anybody at any time, but this has nothing to do with redemption or anything like that,” Riner said. “We just knew if we got this far, we’d get a chance to play Royal again. We took care of business, and we’re right where we wanted to be.”

The Knights, who haven’t missed a state appearance since 1999, are looking for their first state title since 2007. They know they have a big test ahead against the Eagles, who defeated Zillah for the second time this season in the quarterfinals.

Royal coach Wiley Allred’s team hasn’t been tested much this season, outscoring opponents 659-56 — an average margin of 50 points a game. As a result of the blowouts, Knights starters have missed out on valuable playing time that could have kept them sharp heading into the playoffs. On the other hand, the rest has kept them healthy, too.

“That is a concern. We got tested a bit last week (a 21-7 win over Colville),” Allred said. “The weather has been a concern as far as getting up to full speed (in practice). Our kids will be ready.”

Since the loss to Royal, Connell has won eight in a row to earn its first semifinal berth since 2011, when the Eagles took home their last state title.

“We look at ourselves on film the first time we played them and see how much better we’ve gotten. We’ve grown up a lot,” Riner said. “I’m sure Royal has, too. I think our schedule is a little tougher than theirs. We’ve had a few more fights than they have.”

The matchup features the top two quarterbacks in the SCAC East in Royal’s Kaden Jenks and Connell’s Brian Hawkins. It also features some of the most dynamic skill players in the league, including the Knights’ Joe Lang and Sam Christensen, and the Eagles’ Parker McCary and Steven Kroontje.

But this game likely will be decided in the trenches, according to Allred.

“(Line play) is always a factor,” he said. “They’ve got some big defensive tackles, but our offensive line has improved all year.”

Connell (10-1) vs. Royal (12-0)

This story was originally published November 26, 2015 at 10:13 PM with the headline "Royal, Connell to lock horns in 1A state football playoffs."