Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
ROY — Roy cornerback Zay Morris gave up a 38-yard catch on fourth down that helped keep a late comeback attempt by Woods Cross alive.
He felt the ball was coming back to him. And when it did, he was ready.
Morris picked off Wildcats quarterback Jesse Simmons at the goal line and ran it back 100 yards — really, he probably ran 115 yards — for an icing-on-the-cake touchdown in Roy's 33-14 win.
"I knew it was coming, and I just got on my mid point and I'm seeing the ball, I went and high-pointed it," Morris said. "And I was like, you know, I see green grass, why am I going to stop?"
An exhausted Morris had to be helped back to his feet on the sideline.
"I was not cramping, I was dead," he said. "I had to lay down, had to take my break, had to take a breath."
The Royals (7-0, 4-0 Region 5) still lead Region 5 by one game, and they have Morris to thank, as well as running back Logan Cella and the defense.
Cella ran for two touchdowns and eclipsed 100 yards on the ground.
"From the very first snap we knew we could run the ball and we were getting chunk yards, so after they scored, we just felt like we should run the ball and pound it down their throat, see if we could get some yards through that," Cella said.
Roy led 13-0 after rushing touchdowns by Cella and Robert Young.
Then, Woods Cross (4-3, 2-2 Region 5) embarked on a 14-play, 80-yard drive that took seven minutes of game time and ended with a 44-yard touchdown pass from Simmons to Krew Fornelius against a busted coverage.
The Royals sapped 94% of the remaining time in the first half and scored on their next drive. Quarterback Dru Gardner sprinted away from pressure and found Morris on the run for a 1-yard touchdown and a 20-7 halftime lead.
Woods Cross, behind a good game from fullback Viliami Tapa'atoutai, journeyed 13 plays for 80 yards and another long touchdown pass, this time from Simmons to Ryker Martin to cut the lead to 20-14.
Other than the long touchdown drives, the Royals dealt with the Wildcats' triple-option run game well.
"We knew we could stop them, we were getting them to third down, but we had some blown coverages and they were getting some long passes," said Cella, who also plays linebacker.
A Roy punt pinned the Wildcats at the 12-yard line and they had the momentum until the Royals forced a three-and-out. Cella ran seven times for 55 yards on the next drive, capped by a 6-yard rushing score that made it 26-14.
Simmons threw a pick to Rhett Slater, the backup cornerback, then Gardner threw a pick to Ryker Martin.
Morris got the 100-yard interception return on the next drive, then Slater picked off Simmons again to give the Royals a chance to end the game in victory formation.
"We're feeling ecstatic," Morris said. "This is a great team win, especially on homecoming, so to be able to win in front of a big crowd like this, it's just a great feeling."
Friday's game marked the start of a stretch where Woods Cross will play three of its final four regular-season games on the road.
If things don't improve in the RPI rankings — the Wildcats were No. 17 coming in — a first-round playoff game on the road could await, too.
The Wildcats host Northridge next week, while Roy heads to Viewmont.
