Roy leads unforgettable ride to title

TACOMA — His day started with a little television and a cup of coffee.

It ended on the Tacoma Dome carpet, a burden lifted and a title secured.

Kalen Roy played perhaps the best game of his high-school career last night and like his mentor before him, led the Kentwood Conquerors to the Class 4A state football championship.

Roy, a 5-foot-7, 170-pound junior quarterback, completed 10 of 17 pass attempts for 154 yards and three touchdowns as the Conquerors beat Capital 35-28 last night to win their second straight state title.

Last year, Roy watched from the sideline as quarterback Carl Bonnell led the Conquerors to a 38-24 victory over Pasco in the state title game.

"He was a fun player to watch and I learned a lot just watching him from the sidelines," said Roy, who set a season-high total in completions last night and threw for three touchdowns for just the second time this season. "It was kind of tough not getting to play, but learning from the best quarterback in the state really helped me."

Bonnell, now at Washington State, was in the stands yesterday, Roy said.

And that made the performance all the sweeter given the conversation the two had following last year's state title game.

"You've gotta get back here, man," Bonnell told Roy.

And the Conquerors did, winning Coach Tom Ingles his third state title and second at Kentwood.

All three of Roy's touchdown passes came in the first half. The first came less than four minutes into the game on a 25-yard pass to Joey Ravotti. Later in the quarter, Roy hit Will Thompson on a 21-yard screen pass, giving the Conquerors a 14-0 lead.

But on no drive was Roy more impressive last night than on the one he led late in the second quarter.

His Conquerors were reeling, having turned the ball over on their previous two possessions. And Capital was rolling, having cashed in on both miscues with touchdowns to force a 14-14 tie.

The game clock showed 2:10 left in the first half when Roy trotted onto the field to begin the drive at his own 47.

He pitched the ball to Thompson for 9 yards on the first play. Then, with the Cougars crowding the line, Roy coolly fired deep to Brett Haack down the sideline for a 28-yard gain.

He followed that with a pair of short completions to Ryan Conwell, moving the Conquerors to the Capital 3. One play later, found Haack in the front corner of the end zone for a touchdown. The scoring pass was Roy's third of the night and his 12th of the season.

"Definitely," said Conwell when asked if it was Roy's best game. "He's really gotten better. Through every game, he has improved a lot. He's doing awesome. Next year, I'm sure he'll carry them again to another state championship."

Roy said he had trouble sleeping and woke up around 7:30 yesterday morning. He killed some time, went to a team breakfast, shined his helmet, then said a few prayers.

The result was his best game of the year and a feeling that perhaps he helped lessen the blow of losing Bonnell.

"Carl was a great quarterback, so we weren't sure how Kalen was going to do," Conwell said. "We knew he was going to be a good quarterback, but we weren't sure how good. He really stepped up and took the spot."

Said Roy: "I think I can reflect on the whole year and know that I filled his shoes pretty good. We had a great season."