ROYAL CITY - The Royal Knights went on the road for the second straight week against a state-ranked opponent last Friday and fell to the Riverview Panthers, 48-13, in prep football.

Riverview head coach Brett Jay, a former Panther signal-caller, relied on the arm of quarterback Ruvim Tyutyunnik to jump out to an early 14-0 first quarter lead.

The Royal offense struggled to establish a running game to support freshman quarterback Kaden Jenks in his second varsity start. He found himself repeatedly in third and long situations. But Royal stayed in the game.

"Even though we've come up short the last two weeks, the one thing I don't question is the heart of our players," Royal coach Wiley Allred said.

It was the defense that turned the momentum in Royal's favor momentarily midway through the second quarter. Senior cornerback Tanner Christensen intercepted a Tyutyunnik pass.

The offense took advantage when Jenks connected with Joseph Lang for 36 yards down the center of the field. A roughing the passer penalty tacked on to the end of the play moved the Knights into the red zone.

Royal (1-1, 3-2) capitalized when Jenks found Luis Garcia in the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 14-7.

Riverview regained the 14-point margin with 2:36 left in the half by matching the Royal score on a Tyutyunnik 3-yard touchdown run. It was the next few minutes of game time that put the Knights on their heels and secured the win for the Panthers.

Royal failed to convert on fourth down near midfield with 1:13 remaining in the first half. Panther running back Alonso Mendoza ran the next play between the tackles and past the Royal linebackers for a 51-yard touchdown and 28-7 lead.

Riverview then executed a successful onside kick and scored again just 43 seconds later to take a 35-7 halftime lead.

The second half started just as bad as the first half ended for the Knights. Riverview's Terran Brown returned the kickoff for a 96-yard touchdown, and the Panthers rolled to victory.

The Knights will have to improve each week to be prepared for another playoff run. They now look to secure the No. 2 seed in the SCAC East by winning the rest of their regular season contests.

Bright spots for Royal included Jenks's willingness to face the rush, stand in the pocket, and deliver the ball downfield. His future shines brightly.

Jenks also showed good awareness to throw the ball away when scanning the field and not finding an open target. He completed 11 of 27 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns.

Sophomore Joseph Lang also performed well, stepping into several new roles due to injuries. As a receiver, he hauled in two catches for 48 yards.

In the backfield, Lang carried seven times for 38 yards. He also returned four kickoffs for 52 yards, with a long of 41 yards.

Luis Garcia and Carter Allred both caught touchdown passes. Allred's was on the final play of the game.

Defensively, Royal forced two turnovers, including Christensen's interception and a fumble recovery by John Montoya.

After two consecutive road games, the Knights will stay home this Friday to face the Wahluke Warriors (2-1, 4-1). Wahluke is coming off of two narrow victories by a combined eight points over Kiona-Benton and Warden.