SALEM, Ore. -- For the fourth straight time, the Wagon Wheel traveling trophy will return to Palatine Hill after the Lewis & Clark Pioneers 43-41 win over the Willamette Bearcats on Saturday.
Alex Koga went 5 for 5 on field goals including his last, a 37-yard attempt, that gave the Pios a two-score lead with 1:24 left in the fourth quarter.
Lewis & Clark had three sacks and four takeaways defensively. Anakin Mares and Sam Meinhard led the Pioneers with eight tackles apiece.
The Pioneers retained the Wagon Wheel for the fourth straight time, something they hadn't done since 1989-92. Lewis & Clark also hadn't scored 40 or more points in back-to-back games against the Bearcats since they posted 51 and 41 in 1991 and 1992, respectively. Lewis & Clark won 49-34 in 2019.
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Key Moments
In the fourth quarter, Willamette's Joseph Castillo capped off a 12-play, 58-yard drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown to narrow what was a 34-14 Lewis & Clark lead to six, 40-34. On the ensuing Pioneers drive, Tony Rangel fumbled, one of three by the Pios on the day, and Willamette's Christian Tovar recovered at the Bearcats 36.
Two plays into the Bearcats drive, Lewis & Clark's defense got the ball back when Cameron Chang forced the ball free from Willamette quarterback Dante Chaney and Makana LaBoy recovered with 2:27 remaining. The Pios rushed the ball three times and Koga kicked a 37-yard field goal, which matched his longest of the season and was his second from that distance in the game, to take a 43-34 lead with 1:19 remaining.
Willamette scored a touchdown on Noah Niblett's 13-yard reception with 17 seconds left, but Pios linebacker Alex Hensley recovered the onside kick attempt to seal the win.
Pioneers quarterback Cruz Montana went 12 for 22 for 162 yards and two passing touchdowns. He rushed for another on Lewis & Clark's opening series of the game, an 8-play, 60-yard effort that included a pair of double-digit rushes from Montana and Evan Powers' 11-yard rush. Montana was the Pios leading rusher. Rangel finished with 13 carries for 40 yards. Dyontae Navarrete, Lewis & Clark's leading rusher this season, did not play.
Justin Hope, Nicolas Lang, David Ceja, Marvin Pusung-Zita, Hensley and LaBoy all had sacks. Lewis & Clark's six sacks are their most since the 2019 finale when it had seven against Puget Sound. Lewis & Clark has had at least five sacks in five of its last 10 games.
Deeper Look
- Lewis & Clark scored on five of its seven second-half drives including a 2-play touchdown effort (Rangel 4-yard touchdown run) - the Pios only TD drive in the half - following Meinhard's interception on Willamette's first possession of the third quarter
- Koga is 7 for 9 on field goals this season and has made his last seven in a row after missing two in the season opener at Claremont M-S
- Aidan Verba-Hamilton caught his first touchdown of the season, a 20-yard TD reception with 7:11 remaining in the second quarter
- He last caught a TD pass on Oct. 19, 2019 at Pacific
- Elijah McGee had two receptions for 65 yards, a 32.5 yards per reception average
- Montana caught a 42-yard pass on a reverse throw by Sean Bodi on the final play of the first quarter
- Noah Hobbs had the first receptions of his career and finished with four for 35 yards
- Willamette was 7 for 16 on third downs, while the Pios converted their only fourth-down conversion try
- Lewis & Clark averaged 4.9 yards per play against Willamette's 3.7 per play
- Both teams had seven penalties
- Willamette held the ball for 37:12, while Lewis & Clark possessed for 22:48
- Chaney went 9 for 23 for 100 yards and fumbled four times, losing three
- Aidan Kuykendall played for one series and went 3 for 3 for 56 yards with a 13-yard TD throw to Niblett
Looking Ahead
The Pioneers host Puget Sound for Homecoming on Oct. 23.