Any spectator fortunate enough to be at David Nielsen Memorial Field for the Oct. 3 SCAC showdown between No. 1 Royal and No. 2, couldn’t help but hope for a sequel.

Not the week after, or in an early round playoff, but the first weekend in December.

And while there’s no guarantee the Knights and Bulldogs will meet up again with a championship at stake, the seeding committee kept the possibility alive.

Five-time defending Class 1A champion Royal (10-0) is the top seed in this year’s bracket, while Cashmere – which pushed the Knights to overtime before falling 21-15 early last month – is No. 2. Both teams had byes into this weekend’s quarterfinals.

A year after a semifinal matchup, two more wins by each and the conference rivals would meet at Husky Stadium on Dec. 5 in the 1A championship.

Royal will welcome Seton Catholic to Nielsen Field for a 1 o’clock game Saturday afternoon. It’s a rematch of last year’s 1A final in which the Knights ran away for a 61-28 victory after the game was tied 21-21 at halftime.

Both teams have seen great turnover, although Cougars quarterback Kolten Gesser – the son of Washington State legend Jason Gesser – is back.

What hasn’t changed is the Knights’ winning ways.

Royal has won 45 straight games. The streak is more a source of pride for the Knights rather than a weight.

“We don’t want it to be a burden,” Royal coach Wiley Allred said. “We relish that others feel that we are capable and I want them to play fearlessly.”

With the Knights home field being artificial and the team almost always near the top of the state rankings, they often get to host playoff games through the quarterfinals and even semifinals.

“It a good thing for our community,” Allred said.

Cashmere is hosting, too, albeit about 13 miles away at Wenatchee High’s Apple Bowl, which has an artificial surface.

Bulldogs coach Bryan Bremer said the team would practice a couple times at the Apple Bowl before 

Saturday’s 2 p.m. contest against Life Christian.

Although he would’ve liked to play rather than have a bye, Bremer said the team focused on fundamentals and hitting the weights during the week off.

Tackling will be crucial for Cashmere (9-1), as Eagles’ dual-threat quarterback Jabez Boyd passed for more than 500 yards and five touchdowns.

“They’re a really good football team,” said Bremer, noting that early losses left Life Christian with a deceiving 7-4 record and a lower seed than deserved. “They have studs and really good players up front.”

Bremer noted that depth and special teams could give the Bulldogs an edge. Isaac Zavala has six return touchdowns this season and a state-record 11 punt return TDs for his career.

“We put an emphasis on that,” Bremer said. “One game-changing play on special teams can be the difference.”