ROYAL CITY - It will be "big on quick," says Connell coach Wayne Riner, when his Eagles visit Royal this Friday for the two schools' annual football showdown.

Royal will be the quick, Riner said. Connell will be the big.

Royal coach Wiley Allred agrees with that, but he adds that Connell has some quickness too.

Royal and Connell have been playing regularly since 2006, the year the Eagles came into the South Central 1A Conference East. They generally settle the title between them.

Royal will be trying to even the victory split at four games each. It will also be trying to snatch back the title the Eagles claimed with a 50-14 victory last year.

Riner noted the clubs will also be playing for state playoff positioning. He said the runner-up prize is a first-round visit to Cashmere.

Cashmere has beaten Connell, 47-14, and Royal, 42-27, in non-league action this year.

Record-wise, Connell and Royal are evenly matched. They have 6-1 overall marks and are 4-0 in the conference. They have crunched the SCAC East competition by similar scores.

Size-wise, the teams are not evenly matched. Royal's quarterback stands 5-8 or so. Connell's is taller than six feet.

Connell's starting running backs weigh more that 200 pounds each. Royal's biggest ball carrier checks in at about 170.

Connell's interior line averages 250 pounds per man. Royal's average is around 210 pounds.

Even with all of this advantage, Riner does not see a game like last year's. Royal's team skills are improved.

"They're a good football team," he said.

The biggest challenge for the Knights will be stopping 5-10, 205-pound Eagle running back Matt Hadley. He scored a state-record 50 touchdowns on the way to state player of the year as a junior.

Hadley has slowed a little this year, scoring 22 times in seven games. However, he has scored eight times and rushed for 350 yards in 15 carries in the last two games.

Royal's leading rusher is Alex Ramirez with 527 yards and eight touchdowns in 79 carries. The Knights employ more than one ball carrier, and another leader is quarterback Alex Myrick with 422 yards on 70 carries.

The two passing games have produced similar results. Connell's Chandler Salisbury, last year's all-league first-teamer, has completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,000 yards. Myrick has completed 80-134 for 1,093 yards and 13 touchdowns.

There are no special preparations for Connell, Allred said. The teams know each other well. The deciding factor will likely be execution.

Connell prepared for this game with a 56-0 win over Wahluke last Friday. Chandler went 8-for-8, and Hadley scored six times. Royal got a test from River View before prevailing, 42-24.

Allred said Friday's score was the result of Royal struggling some with execution on offense and River View playing an inspired game.

"They're not a bad football team," Allred said.

River View got 214 passing yards from quarterback Austin Weatherby on 19-of-40 passing.

Royal fumbled the ball three times and lost it twice. The Knights had 13 penalties for 120 yards.

The Knights maintained control by stifling River View's ground game. The Panthers gained 33 yards on 12 attempts. Royal tacklers were led by Marcos Morales and Johnny Villanueva with five stops each.

Christian Guerrero gave the Knights a 7-0 lead on a 9-yard pass from Myrick. River View tied, 7-7, when Joe Scott intercepted Myrick for a 38-yard return. It was only the second interception of Myrick this year.

Myrick gave Royal a new lead, 14-7, in the second period, with a 12-yard run. River View closed to within 14-10 at half-time with a field goal.

The second quarter featured a jarring third down tackle by Cristian Fernandez during a Royal goal line stand that thwarted a Panther touchdown.

The game was decided in the third period when the Royal defense turned the ball over to the offense and it exploded for 21 unanswered points.

Key second-half plays were interceptions by Myrick and Brady Dixon. Dixon's was a circus catch with a 30-yard return to set up a fourth period touchdown.

The scoring for Royal after half-time was a 1-yard run by the junior Myrick, a 4-yard run by Damien DeLaRosa, a 33-yard pass from Myrick to Danny Vermeer and an 18-yard run by Myrick.

Myrick finished the game with 150 yards and three touchdowns in 16 carries. He completed 12 of 26 passes for 169 yards and two more scores.

Royal rushed for 279 yards. DeLaRosa had 63 in 11 carries, Ramirez had 40 in 10 carries, Guerrero had 20 on three carries and Dixon had six on two runs.

Guerrero led the receiving corps with 52 yards on four catches. Vermeer, Johnny Villanueva and Dixon had two catches each for 54, 28 and 23 yards respectively. DeLaRosa caught one pass for nine yards, and Zach Christensen had one reception for three yards.