Conference Championship vs. Linfield

Here we go folks, the moment you've all been waiting for. Today Saturday November 12, 2011 Lewis and Clark College (7-1) travels to McMinnville, Oregon to play Linfield College (8-0) for the NCAA Division 3 North West Conference Championship. The game is at 1, hope to see you there.

Player Spotlight: Andrew Frisina

This year, junior Andrew Frisina has stepped up to fill an essential role on the Pioneer Offense. Playing his first two years on offense and being an impact player on Special Teams, Frisina has come to be known around the conference for his ability to catch the football. He is second on the team in receptions, with 40 on the year. He has caught the ball for over 570 yards, and averages over 70 yards receiving a game. Frisina has caught 4 Welch passes for TD's this year. Occasionally Frisina can be seen running the football and even on occasion throwing the ball-which he has 100% completion percentage.

Not only is Andrew a threat on the football field, despite his seemingly short stature, he is a menace on the baseball diamond. He's started 22 of 28 games with a slugging percentage of .367 last year with 2 HR and 9 RBIs, also being Hit by Pitches a staggering 5 times.

Frisina is one of many California natives on the team, hailing from San Pedro H.S. and a graduate of Rolling Hills Prep, where his father is the head coach and where is brother/teammate Torey Frisina is also a grad. Torey, Andrew's older brother, transferred into LC after his experience at the University of Redlands, and now plays defensive back for the Pios.

Top 10 Ranking in the West & upcoming Senior Game

This week Lewis and Clark College Football was ranked the #10 team in the West. They also received votes nominating them for the Top 25 rankings in the nation. The Pios have yet to crack into the national rankings list, but the presence of votes proves that the Pios are turning heads around the country. And the top 10 ranking in the west shows that those close by realize that the Pioneers are a force to be reckoned with. At 7-0 the Pioneers head into their last home game of the season vs. Willamette in the battle for the Wagon Wheel. 2000 was the most recent year the Pios took the Wagon Wheel home. The wheel has been the symbol of the rivalry since 1949.

Lewis and Clark beats Pacific Lutheran 34-32

The Lewis and Clark Pioneers remain undefeated after a 34-32 nail-biting victory over the Pacific Lutheran Lutes today. The team turned it on in the second half, scoring 27 pts and holding PLU to just 12. After a blindingly quick first 2 scores, PLU was up 14-0 and the Pioneers looked to be caught off guard by the Lutes. The Pios trailed 20-7 at the half. LC scored on the first drive of the 2nd half, which was followed by a PLU score. After a turnover was committed by either team, Lewis and Clark took the lead 27-26 early in the 4th quarter, and for the first time in the game. PLU turned the ball over on downs after trying a fake punt on 4th and 18, which was followed by a Lewis and Clark touchdown. LC led 34-26 when the Lutes scored to bring themselves within a chance to tie. Withe the score 34-32 PLU attempted a 2 point conversion which was a pass from Zack Halverson- it failed.Senior Chris Kelly fielded the ensuing onside kick from PLU for a 17 yard return, and Lewis and Clark kneeled the ball to run out the clock on their first victory over PLU since 1989. The Pios advance to 7-0 on the season and have guaranteed themselves a spot playing for the conference championship against Linfield. Next week the Pios take on Willamette at home in their last home game of the season, the senior game for the group of guys who were 1-8 their freshman year. Lewis and Clark rushed for 202 yards, while holding PLU to only 71 yds. 121 of those pioneer rushing yards were a result of the effort of the Pio offensive line in conjunction with their running back Joevante Mayes (Sr.) Curtis Shirey had 2 rushing TD's, Mayes with 1 rushing. Welch threw for 2, one to Shawn Evans and one to Andrew Frisina who made a shoestring catch. The Pioneer defense stepped up yet again, holding the Lutes to just 6 of 13 on 3rd down, sacking Halverson 3 times and forcing a fumble and an interception.

Player Spotlight: Keith Welch

Sophomore QB Keith Welch Jr. is ranked #5 in Total Offense and #4 in scoring among DIII football nationwide. Welch averages 336.3 yds/game and has been responsible for 144 points. On the season Welch has thrown for 1486 yards and rushed for 532, while maintaining a completion percentage of 59.89%

Keith is one of the many Northern California natives on the Pioneer football team, a graduate of Fairfield H.S. Welch is known on the team not only for his athletic skills, but also his jokes-which seem to come in an endless stream. After 7 A.M. practice he can often be heard looking for a ride to go to McDonald's and get breakfast. There is no doubt that Welch is a leader of the Pioneer football program, his talents and skills set him apart as a gifted athlete who continues to perform and post impressive stat sheets. He was named to the d3football.com Team of the Week last week for his 4 touchdown performance in the LC homecoming victory over UPS.

When asked about the team Welch said "I love these guys, they're my family." And when asked about the upcoming game at Pacific Lutheran he said "We understand it's going to be a battle, but we've been preparing for this war."

PLU Preview-Undefeated Pios travelling to Washington

How They Match Up Offense
Team	Lewis and Clark	Pacific Lutheran
Total Offense (Yds/Game)	476.33 (National Rank #12)	288.17 (National Rank #196)
Rushing Yds/Game	209.5 (National Rank #42)	103 (National Rank #200)
Passing Yds/Game	266.83 (National Rank #30)	185.17 (National Rank #131)
3rd Down Conversion %	43.04 (National Rank #59)	33.33 (National Rank #171)
Points Scored per Game	40.5 (National Rank #11)	17.67 (National Rank #191)
Overall Record	6-0	4-2

Undefeated Pioneers with another victory 31-28 over UPS

The Pioneers sure know how to keep their fans involved in their games, and once again the game ended with the opposition's hopes ticking down to zero along with the game clock. Puget Sound's last minute efforts at a comeback via laterals was stifled by the Pioneer defense; The same Pioneer defense that held UPS to 63 yards rushing on 27 attempts, and forced 2 turnovers. LC's offense had 488 total yards, 166 rushing and 322 passing. QB Keith Welch contributed most to those numbers with the 322 passing yards himself completing 23/36 passes and rushing for 142 yards. The end of the game was anything but dull, the Pioneers gained possession of the ball with 4:54 to go in the game, up 31-28 after a Monley field goal was followed up by a UPS touchdown. UPS kicked-off deep and the ball was returned to the LC 35. The Pios drove 58 yards on 10 plays down to the UPS 9 yard line, taking almost 4 minutes off the clock. The Pios elected to take the clock down a bit further on a fourth down attempt from the UPS 9, and were stopped. UPS gained possesion on their own 9, and 9 plays later were facing a hail-mary hope at a victory or tie to go to overtime. In a bit of trickery the QB Braden Foley (Fr. ) rolled right and tossed the ball laterally to his teammate across the field. The ball was kept alive for about 5 or 6 tosses before the ball was finally fumbled by Foley again at his own 7 yard line. With offensive penalty flags down, the referees picked up their laundry and jogged off the field, signaling an end to the crazy yet exciting end to the Pioneers 6th victory this season. For the Pioneer seniors-this leaves their all time record vs. Puget Sound at 3-1, and this leaves the Pioneers atop the conference alongside the only other undefeated team, Linfield.