4 games you should not have missed in Week 5 of Washington high school football

Big showdown came in central Washington where Class 1A No. 1 Royal toppled No. 4 Cashmere, 55-14

Alex Roberts is not only Kennewick's leading running back, but the top returning rusher in the MCC in 2024. / Photo by Jamie Council

Longtime Royal High School football coach Wiley Allred feels every game his team plays in is important.

But Friday night certainly had a higher level of "feels."

Guess what, when the four-time defending WIAA Class 1A champion Knights know they are spotlighted on a bigger stage, they usuallly know how to react.

And they did with a 55-14 victory at fourth-ranked Cashmere as new 1A SCAC rivals.

Lance Allred, SBLive WA's reigning 1A state MVP, accounted for 423 yards of total offense (287 passing, 136 rushing) and eight touchdowns as No. 1 Royal scored on eight consecutive drives in racking up 528 yards - all in front of a packed house in Cashmere.

And it was his feet that broke the tie for good.

Lance Allred, reigning Class 1A MVP, throws during first day of Royal's preseason camp in 2024. / Photo by Todd Milles

After Rylan Hatmaker found Logan Spies for a 78-yard touchdown with 34 seconds remaining in the first quarter to tie it at 14-14, Allred didn't wait long to give Royal the lead back.

On the first play of the drive, Allred got loose, broke a couple of tackles and galloped 73 yards for the go-ahead score, 21-14, just 22 seconds later.

"Pretty special play," Cashmere coach Bryan Bremer said.

Added the Royal coach: "Lance shines in big games."

If that was a momentum-stopper, the one at the end of the first half was a back-breaker.

Royal took over near midfield with a minute to go, and Allred went right to running back Santana Luna, who scored on a 45-yard pass play on the first play of the series to give the Knights a 34-14 lead with 51 seconds remaining.

"That is what we play for," Wiley Allred said. "This was a big deal for everybody ... and it was two good football teams going at it.

"Our kids played well."

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'ONE OF THE CRAZIEST GAMES I'VE EVER BEEN IN'

Under the no-love-lost category of Week 5 games, the ending of No. 8 Lincoln of Tacoma's win against 3A PSL rival Mount Tahoma will be debated for years.

What it won't do is tarnish Sione Kaho's growing reputation as a clutch performer.

Kaho tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Kasey Williams with one second remaining to send the game into overtime, then led a pair of scoring drives in the extra sessions to give the Abes a 36-30 win at Mount Tahoma Stadium.

After Lincoln's defense held on Ramon Jones Jr.'s interception in the second overtime, Jadeon Scranton won it for the Abes with his 1-yard touchdown plunge.

"It was definitely one of the craziest games I've ever been in," Lincoln coach Masaki Matsumoto said, "and one of the most satisfying in how our kids rallied."

It was a rally for the ages.

Down 26-20 near midfield with no timeouts and 38 seconds to go, the Abes' odds worsened with Kaho was sacked on the first play of the series.

But he rallied by hitting Jones on a 24-yard pass, then Kanoa Teplasy on a 19-yarder to the Thunderbirds' 5.

With the stadium clock showing no time left, the Thunderbirds thought they had survived, only to see the officiating crew put four seconds back on the clock, ruling too much time had run off after an Abes' first down (which should have stopped the clock).

Kaho spiked the ball to stop the clock, then delivered the game-tying score.

"Calm and collected," Matsumoto said.

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4A KINGCO STILL PLAYING OUT IN BLENDER

4A KingCo football is as unpredictable as ever - and it played out again Friday when preseason league co-favorite Woodinville took on winless Mount Si.

The Wildcats scored the final nine points of the fourth quarter to stun the Falcons, 21-20, in Snoqualmie.

Keller Hyl's 25-yard field goal gave Mount Si the lead with 40 seconds remaining, and the Wildcats survived when Woodinville's final-second pass fell incomplete in the end zone.

"That was a really good win for us," Mount Si coach Steve Botulinski said. "We've had a tough stretch to start the year."

In his first start at quarterback, Cruz Langarica kept the go-ahead scoring drive alive with his 42-yard completion to Zach Hillblom on fourth-and-3 with a couple minutes remaining.

"October football is fun, and these moments are super memorable for our seniors," Botulinski said.

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KENNEWICK WRAPS UP RICHLAND

When it comes to facing Richland with its three all-4A/3A Mid-Columbia Conference wide receivers, Kennewick coach Randy Affholter used a basketball analogy.

"To me, it's like playing basketball," Affholter said. "And when a kid you are facing wants to get out and run, you just hold the ball."

The No. 2 Lions of 3A held on for a 14-13 victory over the Bombers, ranked No. 8 in 4A, at Fran Rish Stadium in Richland.

Canaan Hays gave Kennewick the lead for good with his 2-yard score with seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, even though Richland later scored a touchdown on Jackson Woodard's 13-yard pass to Zach Rose five minutes later - but the Bombers missed the PAT kick.

After that, Kennewick controlled much of the fourth quarter behind Hays (game-high 135 yards), Alex Roberts (117 yards) and the run game (259 yards) as Richland never crossed midfield to sniff a go-ahead score.

"What we learned offensively is we can run the ball against a packed box," Affholter said. "Our kids up front offensively did a nice job."

Woodard finished 23-for-35 for 231 yards and two touchdowns, and added 38 rushing yards.

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