PENDLETON — Pendleton’s defense was once again the deciding factor in Friday night’s home contest at the Pendleton Sports Complex as the Arabians defeated the visiting Royal Irish 45-12.

With the win, Pendleton moved to 8-0 on the season.

An early score by JJ Kissick gave the Arabians an early 5-0. The Royal Irish — a club made up of primarily Bishop Chatard and Cathedral students — answered back with a long try after an intercepted pass to tie things at 5-5.

Several Irish penalties allowed the Arabians to advance the ball inside the visitor’s 22-meter line. Sam Rhea found a running Peyton Pollock for the club’s second score. The conversion failed again, but the Arabians led 10-5.

Leading for the second time — and this time for good — the Arabians found themselves with a penalty once again inside the visitor’s 22-meter line. This time it was Pollock who found Dresden Roberts for the try. The conversion was good, putting Pendleton ahead 17-5.

Feeling more comfortable now, the Arabians began to put pressure on the visitors. From a scrum, Reese Reddington found Jacob Rowley who broke two tackles before offloading to Nick Trout who immediately got the ball to Elijah Pimental. Pimental scored to give the Arabians a 24-5 halftime lead.

Early in the second half, Roberts found pay dirt for his second score. The conversion was good and the Arabians led 31-5.

The Arabians’ next two scores came in different ways. Steven DeVaut found the goal with a short and powerful run, and Rowley scored his team-leading eighth try as he broke a tackle and sped down the sideline for an uncontested center try. Both conversions were kicked through and the Arabians led 45-5.

The Irish churned out a last-minute converted try to make the final score 45-12.

On May 10, Pendleton will celebrate both senior and alumni night. The girls game kicks after the 6 p.m. recognition, and the boys will kick after the 7:20 senior recognition. Both teams will take on Westfield.