TACOMA, Wash. -- The Loggers kicked off their 2025 season at home against the Lewis and Clark Pioneers, ultimately falling 56-20 in their home opener.
How it Happened
Lewis and Clark got off to a hot start, receiving the opening kickoff and marching down the field for the game's longest drive of the day. The Loggers' defense held strong, putting up good stops early and allowing no big plays out the gate. A 16-play 70-yard drive gave the Pioneers the opening 7-0 lead.
The Loggers struggled to get their offense going early, as they couldn't quite connect on their opening possession. The Pioneers capitalized, turning a three-and-out into a quick 61-yard drive to go up fourteen. Another solid drive by the Pioneers made it 21-0 after the first quarter, but the Loggers weren't out of it just yet. The offense started warming up, as quarterback
Hayden Teeter found
Joe Gallagher for a 19-yard gain. The drive fizzled out, but the team channeled that positive momentum into the defense.
The Pioneers marched their way back into Puget Sound's territory, but after calling a timeout on a 3rd and 7, the Pioneers opened up the door for the Loggers. Zac Robinson made a great defensive play, picking off Dashiell Weaver and giving the Loggers the ball back. It took just one play for Puget Sound to capitalize, as a deep ball to
Darius Bailey gave the Loggers their first touchdown of the season. That 63-yard touchdown was the longest scoring play of the day from either side, and pulled the Loggers within two possessions.
The rest of the first half was all Pioneers, though, as three straight touchdowns opened up the game. Weaver cashed in his fifth first-half touchdown pass to make it 42-6, as the Loggers found themselves behind the count heading into halftime.
The Loggers' best drive of the day came immediately after halftime. They marched down the field in 10 plays, cashing in on a 17-yard pass to
Isaac Tran for a touchdown. Teeter relied on his arm throughout the drive, showing promise as he steps into the starting role this season.
After another scoring drive by Lewis and Clark, the Loggers responded yet again. Teeter only needed seven plays to march his team nearly the whole length of the field, capping it off with a stellar 33-yard pass to Bailey – his second receiving touchdown of the day. One final punch by the Pioneers made it 56-20, as the Loggers dropped their home opener.
Top Performers
Teeter went 29-46 for 330 yards, picking up three touchdowns and only one interception. Bailey had 4 receptions for 101 yards and two touchdowns, while Gallagher picked up 10 receptions for 77 yards. Tran also had a solid day as a receiver, putting up 9 receptions for 94 yards. On the defensive side of the ball,
Dylan Ott finished the day with 7 solo and 10 total tackles. Robinson also picked up an interception and four tackles of his own.
Coach's Thoughts
"Lewis & Clark came out and played a really disciplined, fundamentally sound game, and you have to give them credit for that," said Loggers head coach
Jeff Thomas. "For us, it's about cleaning up penalties, trusting our assignments, and finishing plays when the opportunities are there. We've got a lot we can build on, and I'm confident we'll grow from this first game. 70 of our players are first or second-year players, and we need them to play like upperclassmen by the time we face them again in our conference opener."
What Happens Next
The Loggers hit the road as they head to Georgetown, Texas, to face Southwestern University on September 13th. The game is scheduled to kick off at 5:00 pm PST.
