Royal clinched a share of the District 10-4A Division II title on Friday to cap off a tremendous regular season for the Falcons, as they rose to the top of their district and clinched a strong playoff spot.

The Falcons closed out the regular season with a 60-0 win over Katy Harmony School of Innovation. Shutting out their final district opponent and putting together a great performance before heading into playoffs.

Royal came out fired up to start the first half and ended up scoring 52 points before halftime. Mason Hartwell continued a strong sophomore season with arguably the best game of his varsity career. Hartwell threw for six touchdowns in the first half, two of which went to Jaylon Johnson, another that went to Kaysi Fleming and one that went to Chazren Barley, while the Falcons defense added an interception that they returned for a touchdown and a safety in the first half. Barley then capped off the scoring in the second half with a fumble return for a touchdown on defense as Royal sealed the win and a share of the district title.

The win caps off a tremendous regular season for Royal. They have averaged over 26 points per game through their 10 games while they have only given up 19 points per game. The Falcons won their last four games heading into the playoffs and looked to reach a new level down the stretch of the regular season. Through those final four games (aside from a forfeit win over Sugar Land Harmony School of Innovation) the Falcons averaged 35 points per game and only game up on average just over 10 points per game.

Royal heads into playoffs with a 7-3 record overall and 5-1 district record. The Falcons shared the district championship with Columbia High School and will have the second playoff seed out of the district, since Columbia owned the tiebreaker over Royal.  The Falcons will play Silsbee in the bi-district round. The two teams will meet 7:30 p.m. Friday at Ray Moody Stadium in Channelview. Silsbee comes into the matchup with a 7-3 record and 3-2 record in its district, finishing third in District 9-4A Division II.

For Royal, this is the programs first district championship since 2005 and while they have more goals to accomplish, they are excited and happy to be able to celebrate a great accomplishment.

“I’m so incredibly proud of this team, coaching staff, training staff, administration, parents and the entire Royal community,” said Royal head coach Theadis Reagins. “All of the hard work that we put in throughout not just this season, but the offseason, helped us achieve this goal we set forth. What an amazing feeling.”