Whitworth turns back Puget Sound in high-scoring game 59-31 to clinch Northwest Conference championship

Much like the tale of the Pirates’ season, Whitworth brushed aside some early adversity on Saturday to run away with a win and in turn, secure another Northwest Conference championship.

Logan Lacio tossed six touchdowns and the Pirates put together a 35-point fourth quarter en route to a 59-31 win over Puget Sound at the Pine Bowl on senior day.

The victory closed out an undefeated record in Northwest Conference play and marked Whitworth’s second conference title in three seasons.

“It’s surreal, I think just the resilience and what we’ve overcome as a team,” Lacio said. “We started 1-2 and some of us were just wondering how the season would go after that. But that’s the beauty of Pirate football. We know the standard and what we can do over here.”

Whitworth, who clinched a playoff berth last weekend, will compete in the NCAA D-III tournament next weekend for the third straight year, a first in school history.

Entering Saturday’s game, Puget Sound had just one win on the season, but the Pirates were still expected to have its hands full against one of the more explosive offenses in the conference, with senior quarterback Hayden Teeter throwing for nearly 400 yards per game to a trio of talented wide receivers.

The showdown did not disappoint, racking up over 1,100 yards combined from the offenses.

The Loggers put Teeter’s strong arm to work right away and took an early lead thanks to a 43-yard dime to receiver Joe Gallagher on the opening drive.

“The gameplan was to be patient and make them throw short and rally and make tackles,” Whitworth coach Rod Sandberg said. “The problem was that we gave up some big plays. You can’t give up the big plays if you’re trying to give up the little plays, especially early. But they’re just so dynamic and we knew it was going to be a battle.”

Whitworth eventually evened the game near the end of the first quarter when Lacio found receiver Dawson Tobeck for a nine-yard score.

Into the second quarter, Lacio kept his efficient day going with a 31-yard touchdown to receiver Deacon Dietz along the right sideline put Whitworth ahead 14-10.

A field goal from junior kicker Iden Bone extended the Pirates’ lead before halftime, while also setting the school record for most made field goals in a single season.

Whitworth entered halftime with a 17-10 advantage.

A 10-yard connection from Lacio to running back Luis Salgado, who also had 96 rushing yards, stretched the Pirates’ lead even further.

A quiet third quarter set up perhaps the most hectic fourth quarter in D-III football this season as the two teams combined to score 56 points in the 15-minute frame.

The Pirates would seemingly put the game away time and time again before the Loggers would respond with a big play of their own.

Teeter, who led the conference in yards, touchdowns and interceptions by a wide margin, finished the day with 42 completions on 63 attempts for 551 yards and three touchdowns. He continuously challenged Pirates defensive backs and fired high-arching balls deep down the field.

Loggers sophomore Darius Bailey collected 195 yards and a touchdown on 14 catches, while junior Isaac Tran had 176 yards on 14 catches.

But Lacio and the offense did enough on their own to keep the game ultimately out of reach. The junior from Hawaii found five different receivers for touchdowns.

“They were leaving our receivers one-on-one and we took advantage,” Lacio said.” I think we have the best receiving core in the conference, maybe in the nation. I trusted them to win the one-on-ones and that’s what we did.”

Lacio finished with 351 yards, completing 20 of 24 passes in his best game as Pirate.

“Elite decisions today,” Sandberg said of Lacio. “He didn’t let (mistakes) bother him. He came back. They were tough to run against so he got us to the right checks, made some elite throws, elite checks and he was in control of the game. I’m just so proud of him and how he managed the game today.”

It was a breakout performance for Pirates sophomore receiver Drake Matthies, who compiled 133 yards on four catches – two of which went for scores.

A fumble forced by Nathan Hummel, recovered by Drew Cody and ran back 87 yards for a touchdown put an exclamation point on the roller coaster of a quarter.

Defensive back Omari Williams led Whitworth with 14 tackles in a busy day in the secondary.

Whitworth will learn who and where it will play in the first round of the postseason tournament when the bracket is revealed on Sunday at 2 p.m.

“We’re not expecting anything,” Lacio said. “Our motto is, ‘Expect nothing, earn everything.’ No matter who we play or where we play, we’ll be ready.”