BOX SCORE
MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – The Lewis & Clark football team had a rough match-up against the Linfield Wildcats for the Northwest Conference Championship on Saturday afternoon, falling to the Wildcats 47-14 in the rain at Maxwell Field.
The Pioneers end the regular season with a 7-2 overall record, its best regular season record in years, while finishing the NWC season 4-2. The Wildcats earned their third consecutive NWC Championship with the win, finishing the season undefeated at 9-0 overall and 6-0 in conference play.
Linfield got off to a quick start by taking a 34-0 lead into halftime after scoring on its first six possessions. The Wildcats were forced to settle with back-to-back field goals to start the game after solid Pioneer defense would not allow them into the end zone after reaching the red zone.
The Wildcats found the end zone on their third possession with a six-yard rush by Josh Hill. The Pioneers nearly responded with a score of their own on a Curtis Shirey rush, but the ball popped out and found its way to a Linfield defender.
Linfield extended its lead to 37-0 early into the third quarter. Lewis & Clark finally got on the board with 4:43 left in the third quarter on a Keith Welch pass to Andrew Frisina. Welch hooked up with Frisina for a 28-yard reception. The point after by senior Tucker Laurence was successful cutting the score to 37-7.
Shortly after the Pioneer touchdown, the Wildcats found a way to score once again. The Pioneers put more points on the board with 11:27 remaining in the contest on a Evan Stanbro reception. Stanbro caught a 21-yard pass from freshman Dustin Dailey.
The Pioneers were led by Welch who rushed by 49 yards, while completing 18-30 passes. Standbro finished with 57 yards on four receptions, while Joevonte Mayes finished with 52 yards on five receptions. Shirey rushed for 131 yards on eight kickoff returns.
Joe Kopp-Anderson totaled a game-high nine tackles, while Angus Blair had eight tackles which included a sack. Senior Louis Baltazar ended the contest with seven tackles and a game-high four sacks.
Mickey Inns threw for 286 yards on 20-30 passing. Evan Peterson had six receptions for Linfield for a total of 94 yards. Defensively, Drew Fisher and Brian Dundas each had six tackles.
The Pioneers await word for a possible at-large bid to the NCAA National Tournament. Selections will be made on Sunday, Nov. 13.
