1A Football Playoffs | Big itch scratched as Royal advances
TACOMA - Austin Allred saw his teammates win two Class 1A football titles when he was a rarely used underclassman. Now, as Royal’s starting quarterback, he wants one of his own.
Allred, a 6-foot, 180-pound senior, threw for two touchdowns and ran for two to lead the fifth-ranked Knights to a 43-14 win over No. 3 Cascade Christian of Puyallup in a Class 1A semifinal Friday at the Tacoma Dome.
After losing in the semifinals last year, the Royal seniors were itching to return to the championship game.
“We wanted it bad,” Allred said. “We still want it bad.”
The Knights (13-1) will play top-ranked Connell, their league rival, for the title next Saturday at 1 p.m. in a rematch of a regular-season contest won in September by Connell, 23-20.
Royal took a 7-0 lead on a 79-yard punt return by Blair Collins after a three-and-out on Cascade Christian’s opening possession. Allred scored later in the first quarter on an 11-yard run and capped a dominant first half with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Hector Ledezma with no time left.
“That was huge,” said Royal coach Wiley Allred of the play that gave his team a 22-0 lead at the break. “It gave us a lot of confidence and took the pressure off a little bit.”
Cascade Christian’s leading rusher, Charlie Velling, was held to 58 yards on 14 carries before leaving in the third quarter with a sprained MCL in his left knee.
Cougars coach Randy Davis, who started coaching at the school four years ago when Velling was a freshman, said even after the injury his senior running back wanted to keep playing.
“We’ve been through the battles together and it’s been great watching him develop as he has,” Davis said. “He’s an unbelievable kid.”
The Cougars (12-1) have never been to the championship game, having lost in the semifinals three times in the past six years.
“It was frustrating because we thought we could get back in the game,” said Cougars quarterback Ben Johnson.
Royal has outscored opponents 151-21 in the playoffs. Next weekend it plays a team that has scored more than 40 points seven times in the past two months.
“It’d be nice to get some revenge on Connell,” Austin Allred said. “But it doesn’t matter [who we play].”
Other semifinal
Connell 51, Montesano 14
The top-ranked Eagles (13-0) led 35-14 at halftime and cruised back to the title game. Connell, state runner-up to Meridian last year, capped a highlight-filled first half with a 53-yard touchdown scramble by quarterback Brett Clyde. Clyde also passed for three touchdowns. Spencer Hadley ran for three TDs and had more than 200 all-purpose yards.
“On our offense, we have gamers,” said Connell coach Wayne Riner. “We have big playmakers everywhere.”
The loss was all too familiar for eighth-ranked Montesano (10-3) in its 19th state-playoff appearance. The Bulldogs lost to Connell in the semifinals last year.