TACOMA, Wash. - On paper, the Puget Sound Loggers and
Claremont-M-S Stags seemed as equal as could be. On the
field, they proved that to be true but it was the Loggers that
prevailed in a triple-overtime thriller, defeating the Stags,
34-28, in a NCAA Division III football game on Saturday at Peyton
Field at Baker Stadium in Tacoma, Wash.
The Loggers (2-0) got on the scoreboard just three plays
into the game when Kavin Williams (Ocean Shores, Wash./North
Beach) connected with Darrell Stewart (Long Beach, Calif./Loyola)
for a 60-yard touchdown pass to give the Loggers a 7-0 lead
following the made PAT by Wyatt Evenson (Spokane, Wash./Shadle
Park). The Stags evened things up at the 6:44 mark in the
first quarter when Michael Hirokawa collected a pass from Ryan
Larsen for a 47-yard touchdown that capped a five-play, 67-yard
drive. The defenses took over in the second quarter as the
teams headed into the halftime break tied at 7-7.
In the third quarter, the Loggers again used a big connection
between Williams and Stewart to take a lead, this time a 78-yard
touchdown catch with 8:15 left in the period to give UPS a 14-7
lead after the PAT. In the fourth quarter, CMS evened it up
on an 18-yard touchdown reception by Nick Marineau and then with
2:38 remaining, the Stags took a 21-14 lead following a 14-yard run
by D.J. Lillard that finished in the Logger endzone.
Determined not to give up, the Loggers quickly marched down the
field, using five plays to go 56 yards as Williams found a diving
Brian Eggers (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain) in the end zone
for six and the Evenson PAT evened it up with just under two
minutes to go in the game. The Stags got the ball at their
own 39-yard line and marched their way down to the UPS 23 to set up
a 40-yard field goal attempt by David Dubinksi. The snap was
good by the Loggers' Brian Walker (Keizer, Ore./McNary) pounded
through the line and blocked the kick to force overtime.
In the first OT period, the Loggers had the first go on offense,
ending with a missed field goal from 30 yards out by Evenson but
the Logger defense stepped up, blocking a 37-yard field goal
attempt, again by Walker, to keep the Loggers alive.
In the second OT, CMS got the ball first and drove the 25 yards,
using a pass from Larsen to Jesse Franklin to give the Stags a
27-21 lead and the PAT by Dubinski pushed it to 28-21. When
the Loggers took the ball, they chipped away and it looked like the
game might be over but CMS was called for defensive holding on a
fourth-and-goal and the Loggers took advantage by running Williams
in the endzone and the Evenson PAT nodded the game up at 28-28.
In the third OT, the Loggers quickly drove down the field before
Casey Larson (Coupeville, Wash.) took the ball on a third-and-goal
and powered it in from four-yards out. The two-point
conversion was no good but the Logger defense took the field as
pumped up as they could and on a fourth-and-six from the UPS 7 yard
line, Alverno Middleton (Lakewood, Wash./Clover Park) put a hit on
Larsen short of the first-down marker to seal the overtime victory
for the Loggers.
Puget Sound was led by 294 yards passing, including three
touchdowns, by Williams. Stewart had a career day receiving,
finishing with seven catches for 185 yards. Senior Eric
Borton (Yakima, Wash./West Valley) led the Logger defense with 8.5
tackles, including one for loss.
Claremont-M-S was led by 277 yards passing by Larsen and 69
yards rushing by Lillard. Hirokawa finished with 93 yards
receiving on seven catches while Ashton Clarke led the Stag defense
with 11.5 tackles, including 11 solo tackles and four
tackles-for-loss.
The Loggers now turn their attention to next Saturday, when they
play host to defending NCAA Division III national champion
Wisconsin-Whitewater. Kickoff with the Warhawks, which is
also the annual homecoming game for the Loggers, is set for 12:30
p.m. at Peyton Field at Baker Stadium in Tacoma, Wash.
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