Whitworth Pirates upset No. 24 Oaks

Linebacker Paul Werhane returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown and finished with a team-high 11 tackles Saturday to spark the Whitworth Pirates to a 20-7 upset victory over the 24th-ranked Menlo Oaks in nonconference action in Atherton, Calif.

Whitworth (3-2) intercepted Menlo quarterback Cruz Castillo five times and twice stopped the Oaks on fourth down in the fourth quarter.

Adam Anderson’s 1-yard plunge with 3:05 remaining in the first quarter staked the Pirates to a 7-0 lead. Anderson finished with 173 yards on the ground on 35 carries.

The Pirates stretched the lead to 14-0 when quarterback Andrew DeFelice hooked up with Dale Entel from 13 yards out in the third quarter.

The Oaks (3-2) pulled within 14-7 on a 7-yard pass from Castillo to Kenny Cavness with 2:06 left in the third quarter.

Werhane’s interception return came with 13:26 remaining in the final quarter to wrap up the victory.

Humboldt State 25, Central Washington 24: Brian Blumberg’s 18-yard field goal with 1:12 left gave the Lumberjacks (4-1, 3-0 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) a win over the Wildcats (3-3, 3-1) at Arcata, Calif.

Pacific Lutheran 31, Puget Sound 28: Richard Isett kicked a 49-yard field goal as time expired to give the Lutes (3-0) a win over the host Loggers (1-3) in a Northwest Conference opener at Tacoma.