Moments after Royal lefty quarterback Grant Wardenaar connected with fellow junior Dax Jenks for a 13-yard game-winner against Cashmere in overtime Oct. 3, many of the spectators were clamoring for more.

Well, more is about to happen.

The top-ranked Knights, winners of 47 straight games and five state championships in a row, take on No. 2 Cashmere, the only team to finish within a score of Royal during its historic run, for the Class 1A title.

Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. Friday at Husky Stadium in Seattle.

Both teams have rolled into the championship game. Each earned a top-four seed and first-round bye with Week 10 thumpings, then overpowered quarterfinal and semifinal opponents.

“This team always plays with confidence and swagger,” Bulldogs coach Bryan Brember said. “This is what we wanted and you can’t ask for anything more than an opportunity.”

A season ago, the first for Cashmere (11-1) in the SCAC after a long stay in the Caribou Trail League, Royal (12-0) won the teams’ two meetings handedly.

With a bevy of returning stars and a shift in mindset, the Bulldogs were ready to take a shot at the champs.

“Last year, they missed a little of the ‘we-belong’ mentality,” Bremer said.

Cashmere started the season by shutting out its first four opponents with defensive tackle and UNLV signee Prin Fox and conference Defensive Player of the Year Grey Jacobson leading the way.

The Bulldogs special teams, dubbed the Special Forces, also have been integral to the overall success.

Cashmere senior Isaac Zavala set a state record with his 11thpunt return for a touchdown earlier this fall, and the Bulldogs have 11 scores on returns this season, and another four on defense.

“A game like this, you figure the studs will show up,” Bremer said. “What it comes down to is what the role players are going to do.”

Royal is in its sixth straight championship game, and 17thoverall. The Knights are playing for their 14th championship and ninth in the past 10 postseasons.

To get here, the Knights had to replace a group of seniors that were part of four championship teams. The few returning starters and a roster well versed in Royal’s culture have jelled.

“The kids are more used to playing with each other,” Royal coach Wiley Allred said. “That was the first big game for some of them and there were a lot of nerves. It’s a different stage, so hopefully they’ll be able to channel those nerves again.”

It’s hard to think the second matchup will be a shootout. Both teams have six shutouts this season and had their lowest output against the other.

Royal’s stingy defense is guided by coordinator Jeremy Scroggins, who played on Allred’s first championship team in 2000, and was honored as the top assistant coach in the state last year.

“There’s a huge amount of trust there,” Allred said. “It allows me to do everything offensively. He’s a brilliant mind.”

Offensively for Royal, Jenks comes into the game having had his best three games of the season, each better than the one before. In Saturday’s semifinal against Lynden Christian, he ran for 226 yards and five touchdowns on 22 carries.

Cashmere has spread the ball around plenty, with 10 players having rushed for a touchdown and another 10 catching a scoring pass from all-SCAC first-teamer Rylan Hatmaker or understudy Mac Carlson.

“It’s a blessing and a curse you’re so familiar with what they are going to do,” Bremer said. “I’m excited for the chess match that no one really sees.”