ROYAL – Two days after the Wapato football team was on the wrong end of another lopsided game for top-ranked Royal, the Wolves came together.

After spending Friday night at the school, the team returned to Royal, this time for a tiebreaker against Cascade with a spot in a Class 1A state-qualifier up for grabs.

The Wolves came through with a 23-14 victory, and are now one win away from the program’s first state playoff berth.

AJ Garza threw a touchdown pass to Paolo Santibanez, and caught a scoring toss from Eithan Patterson for Wapato (4-6), and Noel Lopez, who entered the week leading the SCAC in rushing, added a TD run.

The Wolves will join five conference rivals – Royal, Cashmere, Zillah, Connell and Naches Valley in the field of 24. The pairings will be announced Sunday.

Winners of the play-ins will be reseeded into the state playoff bracket.

Fourth-year coach Ray Reyes, a Wapato alum, took over a program that won five games total in the seven years before he took over. The Wolves have won in three straight seasons, not including Saturday’s result.

“It’s surrounding the program with the people that believe in the kids,” fourth-year Wapato coach Ray Reyes said. “We’re always learning and that takes a staff, that takes a community and that takes the kids.”

Reyes knows the Wolves will face another challenge in their play-in opponent, which will likely be 

one of the top-ranked teams in the state.

He said they’ll approach the hurdle the way they did Saturday – by believing.