The Shield game: Roy pulls away from Weber on late Young TDs for 48-34 win
Royals claim victory in the all-time highest-scoring rendition of rivalry with Warriors
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- Roy’s Robert Young (5) rushes the ball past Weber defenders Ian Elmore (4) and Tyler Payne (9) on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Roy.
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- Weber’s Dyson Parker (11) rushes the football past Roy’s Carsten Engberg (22) on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Roy.
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- Roy’s Zay Morris (2) runs past the outstretched arms of Weber’s Ian Elmore on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Roy.
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- Roy running back Robert Young (5) celebrates one of his four touchdowns against Weber with offensive lineman Beau Brown (66) on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Roy.
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- Weber’s Dyson Parker (11) dives for the end zone as Roy’s Colby Frokjer tries to make a stop on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Roy.
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- Roy receiver Zay Morris (2) tries to make a move against Weber defensive back Tyson Higgs (88) on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Roy.
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- Weber receiver Ian Elmore (4) breaks free from Roy’s Colby Frokjer on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Roy.
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- Weber quarterback Carter Payne rears back to throw the football against Roy on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Roy.
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- Roy’s Robert Young rushes the football against Weber on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Roy.
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- Weber’s Dyson Parker (11) slaps hands with a teammate after scoring a touchdown against Roy on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Roy.
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- Weber receiver Tyson Higgs tries to corral the ball in a game against Roy on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Roy.
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- Roy’s Braddock Sorensen (19) leaps as Roy’s football team takes the field for a game against Weber on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Roy.
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- Weber players Lincoln Henry (44) and Jayce Young (55) line up for a kickoff against Roy on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Roy.
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- Weber’s Landon Larose (6) carries the flag of the United States as the Warriors take the field for a game against Roy on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Roy.
ROY — It’s not nearly as ancient as the 104th Golden Spike matchup that concurrently took place 45 minutes north in Garland.
But the Roy-Weber series, dating back to 1965, more than holds its own in terms of duration, spirited play and competitive balance.
Yes, the Royals led the rivalry in the most consequential way — 33 wins against 25 defeats heading into this year’s rendition — but over the first 57 chapters, each squad tallied a total of 988 points.
Roy’s 36-14 win a year ago put some distance between the two squads on the overall scoreboard while also advancing the Royals’ victory margin.
It was more of the same Friday evening as the undefeated Royals retained “The Shield” for another cycle with a 48-34 decision over the previously unbeaten Warriors. Those 82 combined points are the most ever in the series.
“It was a very big game,” Roy’s Robert Young said. “The Shield game, we’ve been looking forward to since last year because one of our coaches (new Weber head coach Mo Cannon) left.
“It was just hard on some of our players because he was here since our sophomore year and he said he was gonna stay and then he left. I understand he was chasing his dreams, but he could have been with a winning team, I’m not going to lie.”
The victory moved Roy’s all-time record above .500 for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century at 299-298-2. The Royals will go for win number 300 next week as they host Clearfield and former head coach Fred Fernandes, who was instrumental in getting the Roy program back on track.
An early Roy first-quarter lead succumbed to a shootout over the remaining three quarters. Down 42-34, the Warriors had a chance to tie it up in the final four minutes, but the Royal defense forced the ball over on downs to all but wrap up the offensively-charged contest.
While Roy had contributors all over the field, it was again Young who proved to be a game-changing playmaker.
The senior, who primarily operated out of the Wildcat formation, rushed for 176 yards on 17 carries while accumulating four touchdowns on the ground and three two-point conversions. After setting up the Weber defense, he even tossed a tight spiral 15-yard touchdown pass to teammate Zay Morris.
And, Young caught four passes for 90 yards.
“We just installed (the Wildcat) this week,” Young said. “I gotta talk about our line. Our line did so good. We just bullied them all night.
“We have that (pass) play. It’s our only pass play in that package. I’m a QB at heart, to be honest. I can throw the ball a little.”
While Weber’s offense, quarterbacked by freshman Carter Payne, resiliently answered most of Roy’s trips to the end zone, ultimately the Weber defense couldn’t get stops. The Royals didn’t punt all evening and even left several points off the board that would have made the final score a bit more comfortable with a pair of missed field goals and PATs.
Quarterback Dru Gardner kicked off the offensive explosion with a 16-yard touchdown run 1:14 into the game, while Young scored on a 12-yard effort to make it 12-0 as the first quarter neared its end.
The Warriors (2-1) answered on a Payne touchdown throw to Dyson Parker for 19 yards a short time later, but the Royals kept responding to each Weber threat.
Gardner followed by lofting a 62-yard touchdown to Morris down the middle of the field before Payne countered with an 11-yard throw to Brock Dean, which made it 20-14 at halftime.
Young made it a two-score game, tacking on a 19-yard run following a Colby Frokjer interception to open the second half. Parker answered on Weber’s turn with a 6-yard run to paydirt.
After Young’s touchdown pass put Roy on top 36-21, the Warriors made it interesting in the fourth quarter.
First, Parker dove in from the 1 following a 78-yard Tyson Higgs reception.
On the ensuing series, Dean intercepted Gardner and the Warriors were in business.
Payne spearheaded a 12-play drive down the field which he capped with an 8-yard TD strike to Ian Elmore and suddenly Roy’s lead was down to 36-34.
The Royals kept going to their bread and butter. Young responded with a 74-yard scoring run and Frokjer’s second pick with 1:18 to play helped keep ‘The Shield’ in Roy (3-0) for another year.
“Our defensive played good all game, I feel,” Young added. “(Weber) just made a couple of big plays, that’s it. Our defense, we bend but we don’t break. We don’t break.
“It’s very exhausting,” Young added, “because you can’t get comfortable in rivalry games. No matter what, (anyone) can have a chance to win the game.”
For Roy, Gardner was 16 of 23 for 227 yards and two touchdowns. Logan Cella added 75 yards on 13 carries. Morris hauled in five receptions for 97 yards.
For Weber, Payne threw 18 of 34 for 252 yards and three scores. Parker rushed 30 times for 170 yards, and Tyson Higgs caught three passes for 102 yards.
