TACOMA, Washington (November 9, 2024) - The drizzle of rain began just shortly after the senior day festivities on Baker Field at Peyton Stadium, just before kickoff.
The Loggers were on their heels during the first drive, allowing an early touchdown from the Pioneers. The Loggers' first possession saw them running just three plays for two total yards, and a punt from Thomas Goeglein to give the Pioneers the ball on their own 45 yard line. However, after just a few plays, Puget Sound's Steven Anaya picked off the Pioneers' quarterback and it was yet again Puget Sound's turn with the ball, and they chose to capitalize quickly. Mason Binning connected with Joe Ghallagher for a 53 yard pass to the Lewis & Clark 1-yard line, setting up a Henry Hernandez punch-in for the score.
Lewis & Clark then once again broke free of the Logger secondary, pushing the score to 7-42 before the Loggers were able to complete another scoring drive in the second quarter, a no-huddle pass from Binning to Jake Elorduy with just six seconds left in the half.
 Head Coach Jeff Thomas praised his group, saying that the seniors "showed tremendous heart, fighting hard until the final whistle. They set a strong example for our younger players, and although the result wasn't what we wanted, but I'm proud of the way our team is progressing and I'm happy to see multiple recruits commit to our program yesterday. We're building something special, and this group is laying a foundation for future success."
Hayden Teeter replaced Binning at the half, who left the game with 16 successful completions, one touchdown, and 184 yards. Last week, Binning set the all-time Puget Sound Football All-Time Completions record and earned his rest period as the Loggers prep for Pacific Lutheran next weekend. Over the course of his career, Binning has completed a total of 663 passes, all with one game to go. The next closest in this statistic are Murdock Rutledge (634, 2017-2021), Braden Foley (613, 2011-2014), and Hans Fortune (537, 2013-2016). Teeter finished out the game for the Loggers 12 for 20, with 177 yards. When asked about his success on the field, Binning points straight back at those who work the hardest to make his job as easy as they can - his receivers and offensive linesmen. "it's all about them," he said. "[Isaiah] Jerenz, Milton, Gallagher, Smith, Elorduy, and the entire o-line." None of this would be possible without their help. Thomas made sure to give credit to Binning, saying that "Mason has been the consummate teammate from his first moment on campus. As a first year student, he worked hard as the prep team quarterback  giving our starting defense a good look. Since earning the job as a sophomore, he has consistently improved and worked on his vocal leadership to match his tremendous work ethic. He'll be missed, but we know he'll continue to do great things after graduation."
Thomas, Binning, and the rest of the Loggers take on the Lutes in Lakewood, next Saturday at 1:00pm.
