Whitworth overcomes QB injury to beat George Fox 40-16

Whitworth was firing on all cylinders as it continued its strong start to Northwest Conference play on Saturday afternoon.

In gloomy weather, the Pirates overcame an injury to quarterback Logan Lacio en route to a 40-16 beatdown of winless George Fox at the Pine Bowl during Homecoming weekend.

Whitworth coach Rod Sandberg praised the team’s toughness and pointed to Saturday’s win as a step toward working through the growing pains of a relatively inexperienced group.

“Our identity is we’re a team that loves each other and we’re going to play hard and we’re going to compete,” Sandberg said. “That identity has been forged with how hard we worked in the offseason.”

Following a two-game skid, the Pirates kicked off conference play last week by taking down Pacific on the road courtesy of a strong fourth quarter.

But the Pirates got the scoring started early on Saturday.

After forcing a quick three-and-out on George Fox’s opening drive, Whitworth stormed down the field, mostly on the back of senior running back Luis Salgado.

Salgado, following a few tough games to open the season, has begun to return to the form that earned him back-to-back All-Northwest Conference honors.

Sandberg called Salgado the “best back in the league.”

“We want to get the ball in his hands,” he said. “He’s a winner and a great football player.”

The 14-play drive ended with Lacio finding receiver Deacon Dietz on a 9-yard slant to put the Pirates on the board first.

When the Pirates’ defense again stuffed the George Fox offense on third down, Whitworth’s offense followed up with another score – this one via another Lacio touchdown to sophomore Caleb Northcroft to fashion a 14-0 lead.

Fresh off a blowout loss to Linfield, George Fox was looking to collect its first win of the year with Mead graduate and dual-threat freshman quarterback JJ Leman leading the charge.

Leman started to find a rhythm through the air in the second quarter, but the first strong Bruins drive was thwarted by a tipped pass and an interception by defensive back Wyatt Hess.

Pirates backup quarterback Renat Mamikonyan Jr., or “June,” as his teammates call him, replaced Lacio midway through the second quarter. Lacio, the junior quarterback who took over the reins this year, could be seen limping on the sideline but it was unclear what caused the injury.

Lacio briefly reappeared for a drive but Mamikonyan Jr. would return to finish the game.

Sandberg did not have an update on Lacio’s status.

“He’s a warrior,” Sandberg said of Lacio. “If there is any way that he can be ready, then he will be.”

George Fox eventually got on the scoreboard midway through the second quarter when Leman found standout freshman receiver Karsen Denault for a 29-yard touchdown.

But the Bruins’ celebrations were quickly silenced when the extra point was blocked and Whitworth defensive back Omari Williams scooped up the ball and ran it back to extend the lead to 16-6.

A Salgado touchdown and a George Fox field goal took Whitworth to a 23-9 lead at halftime.

Despite a lopsided score after 30 minutes, the Bruins outgained the Pirates in yards throughout the first half, but were limited by seven penalties.

Salgado continued to pace the Pirates’ offense throughout the second half. He finished with 136 rushing yards on 21 carries. His second touchdown of the day came on an electric 41-yard scamper that saw him break a number of tackles on his way to the end zone.

But Leman and the Bruins refused to go away, responding with another deep pass to Denault, who made a tough catch before escaping a defender on his way to the end zone. The score narrowed Whitworth’s lead to 30-16.

Denault led all receivers with 150 yards on three catches.

Leman had a busy but inefficient day, completing 23 of 45 passes for 272 yards, two touchdowns and the one interception.

Throughout the fourth quarter, the Whitworth defense repeatedly stymied George Fox drives, led by the Pirates’ leading tackler Drew Cody. A strong performance by Whitworth’s front seven limited Leman’s impact with his legs.

An impressive Mamikonyan Jr. touchdown pass to Dietz put the game away. Dietz collected 69 yards on four catches to go with his two scores.

“He wasn’t fazed,” Sandberg said of Mamikonyan Jr. “The moment wasn’t too big for him. He played within himself. He has a different skillset than Logan (Lacio). I thought our coaches did a good job playing to his gifts and talents and what he does best.”

Mamikonyan Jr. finished with 130 passing yards on 11 completions. Lacio racked up 125 yards before leaving the game for good.

Whitworth will head on the road for two games as conference play continues. A major test looms as the Pirates will face off against Northwest Conference rival Linfield on Saturday at 1 p.m.