Royal Earns Respect in Rolling Past Channel Islands

It’s hard to be both unbeaten and unappreciated, but the Royal High football team started Thursday night’s Marmonte League opener at Channel Islands as both.

The Highlanders ended the game just undefeated.

Behind a strong performance by quarterback Ryan Fien and a dominating defense, Royal beat the Raiders, 28-8. The win marked Royal’s best start in school history and erased any lingering doubts about the Highlanders’ ability.

“(The Raiders) were big and physical, but were not exactly the weak sisters of East Simi Valley,” Coach Gene Uebelhardt said. “There are four teams now that think we can play.”

The Highlanders outscored their first three opponents, 94-13, but no one was ready just yet to engrave their name on the league championship trophy. Royal’s three previous opponents--Santa Paula, Saugus and Santa Ynez--are not from East Simi Valley, but they are weak sisters nonetheless.

But less than eight minutes into Thursday’s game, Royal (4-0) proved it could handle the big guys. Fien connected with wide receiver Tony Liming on a 64-yard touchdown pass, giving the Highlanders a 7-0 halftime lead.

Liming said the Raider defensive backs were “playing me to the inside so I dipped inside and cut out and Fien just put it right there.” The touchdown was his sixth of the season.

Royal limited Channel Islands (2-2) to just two substantial drives.

The first, a 17-play, 74-yard marched, ended on a botched field-goal attempt in the second quarter. The second came in the fourth period after Royal already had built a 28-0 lead.

“People can say whatever they want,” Uebelhardt said. “We’re still 4-0.”

Royal scored on its first possession of the second half when Liming ran six yards on an end-around to give the Highlanders a 14-0 lead.

The 10-play, 81-yard drive was aided by two pass-interference calls when Raider defenders ambushed Liming to prevent him from catching apparent touchdown passes.

Royal scored its last two touchdowns on interception returns, a 27-yard return by Tim Ross, and an 89-yard runback by Jon Clarke.

Fien, a 6-foot-3 junior, completed seven of 16 passes for 172 yards and one touchdown.

Channel Islands’ Pharoh Milner, who split time at running back and quarterback, rushed for 89 yards in 24 carries, and completed four of 12 passes for 26 yards.

David Cox scored Channel Islands’ lone touchdown on a one-yard plunge with 3:47 left in the game.