The Pioneer football team lost its homecoming game to the Puget
Sound Loggers 69-31 (boxscore) Saturday
afternoon at Fred Wilson Field. Joevonte Mayes rushed for 145 yards
and two touchdowns in the loss.
It took just over two minutes for the tone of this high-scoring
game to be set. After an errant squib kick to start the game, the
Loggers started their first possession on the Pioneers 39. On the
seventh play of the game, Silas Paul rushed in for the score from
the 11-yard line, giving the Loggers a 7-0 lead after 2:02 worth of
playing time.
The Pioneers started their first possession in the driving rain,
the weather definitely contributing to a Pioneer fumble, recovered
by the Loggers' AJ Middleton at the L&C 47. It took three plays
for the Loggers to find end zone, once again handing the ball to
Paul who rushed for 18 yards for his second TD of the game. The
ensuing extra point was blocked by the Pioneers' TJ Knutson
(sophomore, Bountiful, Utah), making it a 13-0 game with eleven
minutes left in the first quarter.
The Pioneers Joevonte Mayes (freshman, Milwaukie, Ore.)returned
the ensuing kickoff 36 yards to set the Pioneers up at midfield.
After a short rush and aided by a personal foul, the Pioneers
handed the ball to Ryan Kostecka (freshman, Napa, Calif.) who ran
32-yards for the Pioneer touchdown.
After another short kickoff, the Loggers began their next drive
at the L&C 37. Six plays later, Silas Paul rushed for his third
TD of the game, this one from 17 yards out, giving the Loggers a
20-7 lead. The Loggers extended the lead to 27-7 before the end of
the first quarter after another Pioneer fumble set up a seven play,
35-yard drive that was capped by a one-yard rush by James Olcott.
The Pioneers began the second quarter driving and putting up
three points on a 34-yard field goal attempt by Andrew Foote
(sophomore, Denver, Colo.).
The Loggers Silas Paul made good on a first and goal from the
four for his fourth TD of the game with 10:39 left in the half.
After a three-and-out and Pioneer punt, Silas Paul rushed for
59-yards on the first play of the UPS drive for his fifth touchdown
of the day, giving the Loggers a 41-10 advantage. The Loggers added
another seven with 5:16 left in the half on a four-yrad rush by
Mike Griffith.
With just :49 seconds left in the half, the Pioneers turned to
Mayes, handing him the ball on the UPS 28, where he rushed in into
the endzone to make it a 48-17 halftime score.
The Pioneers started the second half with the ball, but ended up
punting the ball away. Puget Sound began their offensive drive at
their own 27, handing the ball to Morgan Anthony who went 73 yards
on their first play from scrimmage in the second half to score a
touchdown, making it a 55-17 game.
The Loggers defense scored their first points of the game with
1:14 left in the third when a pass by Pioneer QB AJ Brown (junior,
Vancouver, Wash.) was picked off by the Logger's Cory Haywood at
the UPS 20 and run back all the way for an 80-yard score, making it
a 62-17 game.
The Pioneers started the fourth quarter midway through a drive
orchestrated by backup QB Tucker Lawrence (freshman, San Martin,
Calif.). Laurence helped his own cause with a 19 yard scramble.
Eventually the Pioneers found themselves at the ten. On second and
goal, they handed the ball to Joevonte Mayes for his second rushing
TD of the day, making it a 62-24 game.
The Pioneers put up another seven with just over a minute left
in the game. Tucker Lawrence connected with James Connelly
(junior, El Cajon, Calif.) along the sideline. Connelly
managed to stay in bounds an elude would-be tacklers to take it the
entire 68-yards for a touchdown. It was the first touchdown
completion in Lawrence's Pioneer career.
The Loggers added a final score with :46 left in the game one a
53-yard Casey Larson rushing TD for the final 69-31.
For the Loggers, Silas Paul was the story of the game. Paul had
171 yards rushing with five touchdowns. The Pioneers Joevonte Mayes
amassed 256 all purpose yards with two rushing touchdowns.
The Pioneers are on the road next weekend, heading to Tacoma to
take on the Pacific Lutheran Lutes. The game will be available live
on the internet on sportsjuice.com. Kickoff is at 1:30.
C lick on the photo below to see pictures from the game
