Lewis & Clark College

SPOKANE, Wash.—Lewis & Clark College graduate student Sam Simril connected with junior Dante Washington in the right-corner of the end zone for a game-winning, two-point conversion, to help football knock off defending Northwest Conference Champion Whitworth 43-41 in the longest game in program history. 

THE BASICS 
 
Lewis & Clark 43, Whitworth 41 (3OT) 
(Lewis & Clark 6-1, Northwest Conference 4-0)
(Whitworth 3-3, NWC 2-2) 

COACHES CORNER
 
"We managed the highs and lows against very good football team – especially at their place," head coach Brett Elliott said. "We are so proud of the guys for always believing and finding a way to get on the bus 4-0 in NWC play." 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Football rallied from a 28-7 second-half deficit to take the lead late in the fourth quarter and then forced a pair of stops in overtime to earn their first win over Whitworth since 2011. The victory marked the River Otters' first win at the Pine Bowl since 1996. 
 
Graduate student Sam Simril went off for a career-high 437 passing yards and matched his career-high with five passing touchdowns. The senior recorded all five of his touchdowns in the final 20 minutes of regulation and overtime. 
 
Sophomore Sytyn Lasconia and senior Julius Walker each recorded two touchdown catches in the win. Lasconia recorded his eighth-straight 100+ yard receiving game. The sophomore notched a career-high 11 catches for 194 yards to break the program record for receiving yards in a single-season (1,201). Walker added a career-high eight catches and tacked on a career-high 140 receiving yards in the win. 
 
Junior Westin Wade led the River Otters in rushing yards and went over 100+ all-purpose yards on the day. He posted 12 rushes for 63 yards and tacked on a career-high nine catches for 61 yards. Junior Gio Borea finished second on the team with eight rushes for 24 yards. 
 
Seniors Jordan Delgado (six solo) and Charlie Murrin (four solo) and junior Kristopher Adams (six solo) topped the defense with seven tackles apiece. Delgado added a forced fumble and Adams and Murrin each notched a half tackle for loss. Senior Mitchell Sarmento finished fourth on the team with six tackles.  
 
Sophomore Owen Panu recorded two tackles, a one-yard interception return for a touchdown and a QB hurry. Fellow sophomore Jordan Perez notched a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery that all happened on the same play to end Whitworth's first drive in OT. Senior Kahiau Chang added a sack and first year John Murphy registered five tackles and a pass breakup. 
 
After having their opening drive stall out at the Whitworth five-yard line, Lewis & Clark grabbed the lead on the second offensive play for the Pirates. Panu and sophomore Cody Strozyk stood up the Whitworth running back on first down and Panu intercepted Whitworth quarterback Logan Lacio at the one-yard line and ran it in for a 7-0 lead just 6:40 into the game. 
 
The Pirates tied the game on their first drive of the second quarter when Kurt Solano rushed for a two-yard score to make it 7-7 with 12:56 to go in the first half. 
 
The hosts took the lead on their next drive and made it 21-7 with 31 seconds to go before halftime on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Lacio to Keagan Lime. 
 
Whitworth pushed their lead to 28-7 on the opening drive of the second half. Lacio found Deacon Dietz for a two-yard touchdown pass to cap off a 10-play, 75-yard drive. 
 
After turning the ball over on downs three times and punting once in the first half, Lewis & Clark would score touchdowns on their next four drives to take the lead. 
 
Simril and Lasconia connected for a 20-yard gain on 3^rd and 11 to to push the ball across midfield. The River Otters earned a fourth-down conversion on a Pirates penalty and Simril found Walker for a 19-yard touchdown catch to cut the hosts lead to 28-14 with 4:14 left in the third quarter. 
 
Lewis & Clark forced a three-and-out and needed just five plays to add a second-straight score. Simril found Lasconia for 34 yards and Wade for another 25 to push the ball to the Whitworth 11. On first down, Simril found Lasconia in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown to make it 28-21 with 1:31 left in the stanza. 
 
Whitworth crossed midfield on their next drive but were forced to punt after Murrin and Adams combined for a one-yard loss on 3^rd and 3. The River Otters tied the game with an 11-play, 75-yard drive. Lasconia (25-yard catch) and Wade (24-yard run) pushed the ball across midfield. Senior Rio Cruz added a 12-yard catch and Wade followed with an 11-yard run to bring the ball to the Pirates 13. Simril connected with Walker for a 10-yard score to tie the game at 28 with 8:44 to play. 
 
The River Otters defense forced another three-and-out to get the ball right back. Walker and Wade carried Lewis & Clark on their go-ahead drive. Walker notched three catches for 45 yards and Wade accounted for 27 more on the ground and in the air. On third and 10 from the Whitworth 11, Simril found Lasconia at the three-yard line and the receiver raced in for the go-ahead score with 1:48 to play. 
 
After managing just 12 plays and 43 yards on their previous three drives, Whitworth put together a game-tying drive. Lacio found Tyson Hoke for a seven-yard touchdown catch to tie the game at 35 with 20 seconds left in regulation. 
 
Whitworth got the ball first in overtime. On second and 10 from the River Otters 17-yard line, J. Perez sacked Lacio for a 15-yard loss, forced the fumble and pounced on top of it. 
 
Lewis & Clark immediately found themselves behind the sticks and turned the ball over on downs on their first possession. 
 
The River Otters would respond in the second overtime. Simril found Walker for a 15-yard gain to move the ball to the Whitworth 10. On third down, Simril found Cruz for a 10-yard touchdown catch to make it 41-35. The River Otters attempted a two-point conversion but the pass was incomplete. Whitworth would tie the game on a two-yard touchdown catch but their two-point try was stuffed when Sarmento tackled the quarterback on a delayed QB run. 
 
With the newer overtime rules, the two teams started triple overtime from the three-yard line with a single two-point conversion attempt. Whitworth was whistled for a false start penalty to move the ball back to the 8-yard line. Lacio tried to find a receiver coming across the middle but sophomore Maddox Maehara met the receiver as the ball got there and blew it up to create the stop. On their drive, Simril rolled out to his right and found a wide-open Washington two yards into the end zone for the winning score. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS 

• Lewis & Clark snapped a 13-game losing streak to the Pirates on Saturday. The win marked their first win since 2011 (30-22) and only their second win since 1997 (20-7). The win was their first win in Spokane since a 14-6 victory in 1996. 
• Simril's 437 passing yards mark his third career game with 429 passing yards or more. His 437 passing yards are the eighth-most in program history for a single-game. In two starts since junior Dashiell Weaver has been injured, Simril has thrown for 866 yards and eight touchdowns. 
• The River Otters are 4-0 in conference play for the first time since 2011 (4-0 start). This year's 4-0 start is just the sixth time in program history that Lewis & Clark has opened conference play with at least four-straight wins (1950, 1955, 1963, 1966, 2011). 
• Lasconia set the single-season program record for receiving yards on Saturday. With his 194 yards he now has 1,201 receiving yards on the season. He broke Aaron Schmidt's record of 1,072 receiving yards set in the 1989 season in the second quarter. Lasconia sits tied for third in program history for receiving touchdowns in a season (11) and tied for 11^th in receptions (54). 
• The River Otters defense held Whitworth to 23-yards rushing. The Pirates finished with just 1.4 rushing yards per play. 
• Lewis & Clark's offensive line did not allow a sack for the second-straight game. 
• The River Otters defeated the defending NWC Champion for the first time since 2000. Lewis & Clark defeated Willamette 33-30 in 2000 for their lone conference win. 
• Saturday's game marked the sixth overtime game in program history. The longest game prior to Saturday's win was a double-overtime victory over George Fox in 2023.  

WHO'S NEXT 
 
Lewis & Clark will host #22 Linfield on Saturday at 1 p.m. in a de facto Northwest Conference Championship Game. The two squads are the only 4-0 teams in conference and everyone else in the NWC has lost at least two games.