PORTLAND, Ore. – A 34-yard run by Luis Salgado with 1:56 left in the game was the final touchdown of a Northwest Conference offensive shootout, giving visiting Whitworth a 42-35 win over Lewis & Clark at a stormy Griswold Stadium.
Salgado ran for 170 yards on 25 carries and scored twice to help the Pirates improve to 5-2 overall and 4-0 in the NWC. Whitworth is now the last unbeaten NWC team in 2025.
The Pirates took eight offensive plays to grab a 14-0 lead in the game. After forcing L&C to punt on its first possession, Whitworth went 67 yards in only seven plays, capped by Logan Lacio's 24-yard scramble touchdown run. After forcing the Pioneers to punt again, Lacio hit Deacon Dietz in stride over the middle for a 69-yard touchdown pass.
Lewis & Clark (5-2, 2-2) came right back to get on the board with an 84-yard drive that only took eight plays. Sam Simril, starting at QB in place of injured starter Dashiel Weaver, found Sytyn Lasconia for an eight-yard score to cut the lead in half.
Whitworth appeared to be driving for another score, when Lacio was unable to handle a snap in the rainy weather inside the L&C 35. The Pioneers responded with a 67-yard drive that culminated in a 42-yard completion from Simril to Lasconia which tied the game.
Only two plays later, Salgado got on the board for the first time with a 53-yard touchdown run to cap a 67-yard possession. L&C came back with a ten-play drive that took over five minutes, but ended with a 36-yard completion from Simril to Lasconia. The game was tied 21-21 at halftime.
Whitworth took the opening kickoff of the second half down the field on a drive that took nearly six minutes. Lacio found Tyson Hoke on a 13-yard back-shoulder pass for a touchdown that put the Pirates ahead again.
And the Pioneers answered again, going 75 yards to tie the game on the fourth big pass-catch combination between Simril and Lasconia. This one went for 45 yards.
After a rare exchange of punts, Whitworth took advantage of a short field and went 45 yards in only three plays. Lacio passed to Hoke from 35 yards away for the go-ahead score.
The Pioneers were forced to punt again, giving the Pirates a chance to build a two-score lead. But L&C took advantage of another Lacio dropped snap inside the Whitworth 35-yard line. Four plays later Simril threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Logan March, tying the game a final time.
One more exchange of punts gave the Pirates the ball at their own three-yard line. Whitworth survived an offensive pass interference penalty, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and two third down conversions before Salgado finished off the 97-yard drive with a run through the middle that broke several tackles.
With less than two minutes remaining, L&C got to the Whitworth 44 before a final pass was intercepted by Trey Rose at the Pirate five-yard line on the game's final play.
Lacio completed 17 of 25 passes for 254 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 17 yards and a touchdown but fumbled twice leading to a pair of L&C scores. Hoke caught four passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns, while Dawson Tobeck had three for 41 yards. Nine different Pirates caught the 17 passes.
Drew Cody came away with nine tackles. Rose had seven stops to go along with his interception. Lane Watkins also made seven tackles, including one of Simril from behind on the final L&C drive when Simril was trying to get out of bounds to stop the clock.
Simril completed 27 of 40 passes for 319 yards with five touchdowns in his first start at L&C. Lasconia caught 10 passes for 166 yards and four touchdowns. Jordan Lahusky ran eight times for 73 yards.
L&C outgained Whitworth 497-471 and had a 31:37 – 28:23 edge in time of possession.
The Pirates will return home for the first time in three weeks to host Pacific Lutheran (4-3, 3-1) in another key NWC contest next Saturday.
