ROYAL CITY – Moses Lake High School and Royal High School are three classifications and 30-some miles apart.

On Friday night, however, the two-time defending CBBN champion Mavericks and the Knights, winners of six straight Class 1A state championships, lined up against each other in a spring jamboree at Royal’s Davis Nielsen Memorial Field.

The matchup between the nearby schools was the highlight of the four-team jamboree that also included Ephrata and Connell.

Teams were eager to line up against opponents wearing different colors, even in abbreviated action.

“We love seeing Moses Lake-type schools,” Royal’s Hall of Fame coach Wiley Allred said. “It’s great competition and you got to do things right.”

First-year Moses Lake coach Kyler Haneberg, who was promoted earlier this spring as Brett Jay stepped away following a record-setting season, knows the matchup is important to his players and their pursuit to reach Royal’s level of success.

“They let you know about it, and our guys are tired of hearing about it.” Haneberg said. “You hear about it anywhere you go in the Columbia Basin, and we want to let them know that we’re the next program.”

Brady Jay is off to the University of Montana after setting the state’s single-season record with 72 touchdown passes, but the cupboard is hardly bare for Haneberg and the Mavs.

While they're still sorting out the quarterback battle – Friday against the Royal defense, it was Nolan Decubber who looked quite capable with his feet and arm – the offense will be able to lean on the team’s athleticism.

That includes Isaac Legault – who took a short pass and sprinted to the end zone Friday – and Elijah Burns, both seniors-to-be and part of the 4A third-place 4x100 relay, Case Anderson (32 receptions as a sophomore a year ago), and three-sport standout Caden Barney, a 12th-grader in the fall.

CBBN Defensive Player of the Year John Rainey and fellow all-conference first-team linebacker Petrah McKenzie will lead the defense, while all-league selections Reese Porter, and Payton Phillips are set to return for their senior season on the offensive front.

The collection of players, and several returning coaches have helped the new coach’s transition.

“It’s different, but it felt great and Coach Jay prepared me really well,” Haneberg said of his first spring in the pilot’s seat. “It felt seamless; we have a good group of guys that were already bought into the program.”

Moses Lake on Tuesday will join among others the bulk of the Mid-Columbia Conference, CBBN league-mates Sunnyside and West Valley, and CWAC contender Prosser at the three-day Tri-Cities Camp at Richland.

The Mavericks open the season Sept. 4 at MCC runner-up Richland.

Meanwhile, Royal shows no signs of slowing down. Winners of 48 straight games, the Knights figure to again be the SCAC and 1A favorite.

Quarterback Grant Wardenaar returns to lead the offense a second straight season, and the lefty was showing off his arm Friday. He’ll have fellow seniors Fischer Livingston and Manny Ruvalcaba to throw to, and running back Dax Jenks, also a 12th-grader in the fall, to take handoffs.

Scout Stevenson, the younger brother of graduated 1A Player of the Year Shea Stevenson, also will be a factor as a junior.

Up front, four-year starter Abel Garcia, the WIAA’s annual $5,000 Smart Choices Scholarship winner, and fellow all-SCACselection Rolando Cedillo graduated.

But there are several players ready to keep the Knights strong in the trenches, including Leo Bustos, Juan Jose Oseguera, Krew Jenks, David Jimenez and David Baeza.

“We just have to work on what everybody has to work on – blocking better and assignments, but physically we got kids that can play,” Allred said.

Royal will camp at Central Washington, and opens the season with its one regular-season nonleaguer at Lakeside on Sept. 4.

The first practice of the fall is scheduled for Aug. 19.