ROYAL CITY — The Royal Knights (7-0) earned their fourth-straight shutout win on Friday with a 64-0 victory over the Wahluke Warriors (2-5).  

“We executed well in the first half, and came out spreading the ball around,” Head Coach Wiley Allred said. “We knew we were going to probably get after them, but I thought our guys played really well.” 

The Warriors deferred to the second half in the coin toss, giving the Knights the ball first, and they didn’t waste their time getting on the scoreboard. After Grant Wardenaar found Scout Stevenson for a 13-yard touchdown pass, Royal proceeded to score 29 more points in the first quarter alone. From there, they added four more scores, three of which were on the ground in the second quarter to make it 64-0 at halftime. With a running clock in the second half, it was soon after that the Knights officially sealed the win.  

Wardenaar was an efficient passer, completing 8-of-11 passes for 201 yards and four touchdowns. He’d often roll out of the pocket to find receivers down the field.  

“It was just something that we saw on film this week to just get out of the pocket a little bit, but our O-line's great and they always protect good,” Wardenaar said. “Rolling out is definitely a lot harder to throw because you're on the run, and then staying in the pocket, I feel like I'm a little bit more accurate, but I'm always working on rolling out.” 

On the receiving end of his surgical passing was Manny Ruvalcaba, who caught three passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown of the night came in the early stages of the second quarter on a deep ball where he had to win a contested catch. After catching the ball over the defender, he kept his feet to turn up the field for a 45-yard touchdown.  

“He's the next level player if he chooses to be,” Allred said. “He's a heck of a receiver, great athlete. Fun for him to have a chance to shine tonight, he hasn't had a ton of opportunities, but he's special at that receiver.” 

Stevenson finished with two catches for 33 yards and a score, while Fischer Livingston caught two for 27 yards and a score as well.  

In the rushing game, the Knights totaled 101 yards as a team, with Aven Rodriguez leading with 39 yards on four carries and two touchdowns. Jackson Flood continued to be productive, even with three carries he gained 21 yards and found the endzone in the first quarter.  

Defensively, the Knights trenches wreaked havoc. Daniel Angel got in the backfield several times for a sack and four tackles for loss. Grady Stewart also earned a sack while six additional Knights tackled the Warriors for a loss.  

Not to mention the five turnovers Royal forced. While the trenches helped force three fumbles, it was the secondary players Livingston and Jose Acevedo finding themselves at the right place, at the right time for interceptions.  

Acevedo was able to take his pick to the endzone for a score in the first quarter. Allred applauded what his secondary has been able to accomplish throughout this season so far.  

“It's been great,” he said. “And then Jose, just came in week five, and he's had a pick every game, and he's just playing really well. The guys in the secondary are very alert and called a lot of the defense for us. I think Fischer caused a fumble on just a great hit in the first quarter.”  

New to the Knights program this season, Acevedo said it has felt great to make an impact after having wait four games. 

“These past few games that I've had, they've been going amazing. I'm just trying to show everybody what I got,” Acevedo said. “The coaching my first day here was amazing. They were very welcoming, and they honestly just teach you step by step. You come in and you don't know any of these plays, any of these coverages. It just looks like gibberish out there, but the coaches will honestly go step by step and show you everything.” 

The Warriors had moments of promise, forcing a fumble and Moises Antunes hauling in an interception. As they look ahead, they’ll be on the road when they play the Cashmere Bulldogs on Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. 

For the Knights, their focus will be on consistently improving as they welcome the Connell Eagles (6-1) next Friday at 7 p.m. 

“Really looking forward to it. I want our guys to be honed in and ready to go,” Allred said. “There are a few things we've got to go over, a few mistakes we made early on, and guys recovered, and it didn't hurt us as bad as it could have. But against some teams, it could hurt us. We have to keep working on keeping those mistakes to a minimum. The guys they're preparing well, and they're fun to coach during the week, and they're focused on getting better every week, every day.” 

BOX SCORE: 

WHLK: 0-0-0-0: 0 

ROYL: 36-28-0-0: 64 

    Dax Jenks (6) dances up the sideline on a punt return against the Wahluke Warriors on Friday.
  

    The Wahluke offense prepares to take the field against the Royal Knights on Friday.
  

    The Knights’ Jose Acevedo (11) lines up on defense against the Wahluke Warriors Friday. Acevedo recorded a pick-6.