ZILLAH – Connell football Scott Forsyth made a dead-on observation Friday night after his Eagles battled Zillah at Andy Collins Memorial Field.

While the budding rivalry between five-time defending Class 1A champion Royal and SCAC newcomer Cashmere has gained the state’s attention, the matchups between Connell and Leopards have provided much more drama.

“This may be the best little secret rivalry in the SCAC,” he said. “The games we’ve played the last two years have been phenomenal in terms of fans watching.”

Unfortunately for the Eagles, they again fell to Zillah, 6-0, a year after an overtime defeat last September.

The Leopards get a jump on the conference race in one of the few games that was competed because wildfire smoke in the Yakima Valley. Last season, the opener played a big role in deciding the SCAC’s third spot to the round of 32 and gave Zillah a home playoff game, which it won.

Trailing after Leopards quarterback Beau Donahoe hit fellow sophomore Brayden Russell for a 28-yards catch-and-scamper score early in the second quarter, Connell nearly tied the score on the first play from scrimmage after halftime.

Hunter Vanhollebeke found Max Anderson behind the Zillah defense for what seemed a certain touchdown, but Zillah senior Henry Davis chased down Anderson and tripped him up at the 2-yard line.

The Leopards would hold at the goal line, before the Eagles co committed a procedure penalty and eventually came away without points.

 “It’s a literal game of inches, we talk about it all of the time and it’s a metaphor, but it’s real life sometimes,” Forsyth said. 

Davis’ heroics continued late in the fourth quarter.

While Zillah seemed poised to put the game away with just less than 3 minutes remaining in the game, a turnover of its own deep in Connell territory gave the Eagles a chance.

Connell chunked its way up the field before Vanhollebeke threw deep, only to see Davis stepped in for the interception.

“That’s our senior, that’s our captain,” Leopards coach Ryan Watson said. “That’s just who Henry is – he’s the hardest working guy in the weightroom, he’s a 4-point student, he’s going to leave it on the field and give you everything that has.”

Zillah’s sophomores also stepped up, including running back Maverick Myers, and receiver/defensive backs Jace Salme and Jett Tackett. 

“They stepped up in a big way tonight, there’s been a lot of growing pains for these young kids,” Watson said. They just grinded it out they were tough.”

Connell returns home to play to meet Othello in the only non-leaguer for both team, while the Leopards make the short trip to Wapato.