ROYAL CITY — The Royal Knights (11-0) stormed through Seton Catholic Cougars 48-10 in a rematch of last year's 1A state football championship. However, this came in the quarterfinal round as the Knights earned a first round bye.  

“They're always tough, never perfect, but the kids played hard, and we're pretty prepared. We had some nice plays,” Head Coach Wiley Allred said.  

The Knights did most of their damage in the first half. Shea Stevenson kick started their momentum with a pick six early in the first quarter. From there, the offense controlled the pace of the game and racked up the points. By halftime, the Knights led 34-7 over Seton Catholic.  

In the second half, they put up 14 more points and utilized a running clock to finish the game quickly and secure the win. Royal now advances to the semifinals of the 1A state football tournament.  

“We can't stay idle. We can't just think we're good right now,” Shea Stevenson said. “We got to keep working. We got to learn from this game and learn from our other games and try to put together a good game against whoever it may be (next).” 

After a dominant first quarter that gave Royal a 14-0 lead, they continued to ride the momentum in the second quarter. The Knights were controlling the tempo of the game by running the ball. This allowed them to capitalize on big play opportunities like a deep shot down the sideline to Stevenson for a touchdown.  

Stevenson said his teammates in the trenches helped find opportunities to score. 

“It wasn't just me, it's a team effort. O-line did a great job, and they gave me a ton of time to go make plays. Every pass play, they were working hard. I say it's mostly O-line, and everybody up front,” he said.  

On their next offensive drive, the Knights were continuing to move the ball downfield with ease. However, a fumble recovered by Seton Catholic shifted the momentum. The Cougars suddenly found themselves in the red zone after completing a deep pass along the sideline. Shortly after, their quarterback found a receiver over the middle for a touchdown.  

However, the Knights responded quickly on their next drive with several chunk plays downfield. Within a few minutes they found themselves at the one-yard line where Grant Wardenaar ran a quarterback sneak up the middle to add to their score before halftime.  

With momentum back in their favor, Royal started the second half with an explosive run play by Dax Jenks, who took his first carry of the half 90 yards for a touchdown. Seton Catholic struggled to get anything going on offense due to multiple high snaps, which caused their quarterback to take a sack.  

They eventually punted the ball with their backs against the endzone, and the Knights' return set them up past midfield. The Knights utilized their favorable field position to move the ball downfield through the air to set up Brody Bishop for a short rushing touchdown.  

“He's a beast. He's super physical, and he's next up next year. I'm excited to see him. He's a great athlete, middle backer, and a great teammate too,” Stevenson said.  

With a running clock, the Knights only allowed a field goal by the Cougars and secured the win to advance further in the state tournament.  

“It's definitely a confidence booster, and it shows where we're at and how we could really make a good push here,” Stevenson said.  

Allred had high praise for Stevenson’s presence on both sides of the ball. Recording multiple touchdowns and interceptions throughout the game, he called Stevenson one of the ball players around.  

“He does everything, blocks, tackles. He does the little things that nobody sees, and he's a kid with the ball in his hands who’s dangerous,” Allred said.  

Looking ahead, the Knights will likely host the semifinal game since they are the first seed. They will face the winner of Montesano and Lynden Christian. The results of that game were not available at the time of press. As they await to hear who they play next, Allred is determined to keep his players focused.  

“Staying healthy and staying focused and ready to go and so we can give it our best shot,” Allred said.  

BOX SCORE:  

STCL: 0-7-0-3: 10
ROYL: 14-20-14-0: 48 

    Grant Wardenaar (7) slips a tackle from a Seton Catholic defender as he runs toward the endzone.
  

    Grant Wardenaar (7) checks the ball down to Shea Stevenson (23) during an offensive possession for the Knights.