WA State 1A State Title Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that the state playoffs are wrapping up, we are now at the time where a state champion will be crowned for each classification. I will be taking a look at each of the matchups and seeing who might be crowned champion! Here is the 1A class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Royal HS</strong></em> - 12-0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Royal has been insanely impressive all season long. They are a very well rounded team but are especially a run heavy offensive team. They have yet to give up more than 14 points in a single game, College Place HS being the only team to score over 10. They beat a tough Lynden Christian team early in the season, only allowing 7 points that game. The defense hasn't given up a single point in the past 4 games, including the last 2 playoff games. The defense has been nails all season and I expect another close, low scoring game. Ethan Ellis is a big, powerful running back who loves contact and does a great job in the open field. Lance Allred is a do-it all player who is starting at quarterback, but can play a variety of positions. He's a dual threat when behind center, given his athletic ability and smooth moves in the open field. Ezra Jenks has been a stable within their defensive backfield as well, doing a great job at the next level. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Lakeside (9 Mile Falls)</em></strong> - 12-0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lakeside won some very close games early in the season, including a week 1 win over Lynden Christian and a week 4 win over Freeman. The offense would start to get rolling throughout the season as they began to win games big and score a lot of points. [player_tooltip player_id='1108454' first='Calvin' last='Mikkelsen'] took over as the starting quarterback position at the beginning of the season. There was some bumps in the road early, but Calvin has settled in very nicely and does an amazing job running the offense and has improved his accuracy a tremendous amount. He's 6'3” / 215 pounds so he's extremely hard to take down, especially if he escapes the pocket and is scrambling. Lakeside has a big offensive line that helps them matchup well against tough defenses throughout the season but what has been the big thing for them is the defense. The defense has stepped up in a big way, applying more pressure to the quarterback so the secondary has capitalize on opportunities to create turnovers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>DEVIN'S OUTLOOK:</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is going to be an amazing game. I think both teams matchup very well against each other and both will play very similar. It's going to be a hard fought, low scoring game. Whichever defense is able to create turnovers will win the game. I also believe experience in these types of games plays a role, giving Royal the edge in that department.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With how the Royal defense has been playing, I just can't pick against them. I really like Lakeside chances in this game, but I do believe Royal will once again be crowned 1A state champions by a score of 17-13. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->