ROYAL CITY – With fourth-seeded Lynden Christian able to counter-punch early with No. 1 Royal in Saturday’s Class 1A state semifinal, the five-time defending champions leaned on a couple reliable haymakers.

Senior linebacker Brody Bishop sparked the defense with two takeaways and the Knights’ stout offensive line paved the way for junior Dax Jenks to run wild, sending Royal to its sixth straight championship game with a 61-35 victory at David Nielsen Memorial Field.

The top-seeded Knights will meet No. 2 Cashmere – a 41-14 winner over No. 3 Mt. Baker on Saturday at Wenatchee’s Apple Bowl – at 3 p.m. Friday at Husky Stadium. The Knights outlasted the Bulldogs 21-15 in overtime Oct. 3.

It looked as if Saturday’s semifinal might become a game of whatever-you-can-do-I-can-do-better.

Lynden Christian, behind the running of burly 6-foot-3 junior tailback Chris Kooiman and the passing of senior Eli Maberry, were sustaining drives.

The Lyncs, the last team to beat Royal before it started the 47-game winning streak it’s riding, trailed by just a score after Jenks’ first scoring jaunt of a high-scoring first quarter.

Bishop intervened, however, tipping and then pulling down an interception near midfield.

Five plays later, Royal junior quarterback Grant Wardenaar plunged in from a yard out, and the Knights’ lead would remain at least two touchdowns the rest of the way.

Bishop struck again on the Lyncs’ next snap, forcing and recovering a fumble at Royal’s 40-yard line.

“He’s been our MVP defensively all year,” Knights coach Wiley Allred said. “He’s an energizer all over.”

Royal (12-0) again turned the turnover into points, with Jenks weaving his way for a 15-yard score.

LC (10-2) kept the game from becoming a runaway, at least before intermission, scoring with less than a minute left to remain within two scores, 34-20, heading into halftime.

Royal went full throttle to start third as Jenks took a sack-avoiding toss from the left-handed Wardenaar 35 yards to set up Anderson Brown’s 25-yard scoring catch.

After a turnover over on downs, Jenks capped a 38-yard drive with a 9-yard jaunt for six, and the rout was on.

Jenks, a shifty 6-1, 175-pounder, finished with 226 yards on 22 carries, adding scoring rushes of 32 and 37 yards in the fourth quarter.

Both Allred and Jenks were quick to credit an offensive line that includes all-SCAC selections Rolando Cedillo, Abel Garcia, Logan Piper and Orlando Santillan.

“We gave them the MVP,” Allred said. “He’s not doing it without them. He’s a special player but they were getting it done.”

Added Jenks: “Winning up front in a game like this is huge, especially with their size. The ability to run whatever we want was huge.”

Halftime adjustments also led to the Knights shutting down Kooiman. After six runs of 7 yards or longer in the first half, he was held to 1 yard on five carries after the break.

“Our defense really played well, we rallied to the ball and we played as a team,” Bishop said.

Wardenaar ran for 62 yards and two scores, and threw for 216 yards and another score. Backup quarterback Mannt Ruvalcaba tossed an 11-yard touchdown to Shea Stevenson for the game’s first score when, for one play, he replaced Wardenaar, who had to leave the game with small cut on his hand.

Friday’s game will be the second playoff matchup in as many years between the Knights and Bulldogs. Royal beat Cashmere in last year’s semifinals en route to their eighth title in nine years.

“That says a lot about these two teams,” Allred said.

It will also give the Knights’ dozen seniors a chance to go out with a fourth championship.

“I just want to give it one more shot before I’m done with football,” Bishop said. “It’s been an incredible journey and I’m just happy to be part of this team.”