Zoe Lang/The Mossy Log
Homecoming weekend is a well-known and fun event for current students, alumni and their families alike. This year’s Homecoming spanned four days, from Oct. 23 to 26, and included a wide variety of events such as walks through the EAR Forest, the Athletics Hall of Fame Dinner, campus tours, sporting events and concerts. One popular sports event is the Homecoming Football game, which occurred on Saturday, Oct. 25 at Griswold Stadium. The game drew 1,311 fans including remote viewers, one of the season’s largest turnouts.
Clash Orsborn ’26 emphasized the value of having a large audience and what stands out about the Homecoming game.
“What makes it fun is just a big turnout from people who go to Lewis & Clark and people who have come here in the past. Something that always gets these players going is when we have a lot of people watching and a lot of crowd noise … I think the highlight is just seeing how much passion all the guys played with.”
LC’s opponent was the Whitworth University Pirates, whom they last played in November 2024 at Whitworth University’s campus in Spokane, Washington, and lost 48-9. Whitworth has had a largely successful season, with their win-loss record being 4-2 this year, and this game bringing their standings to 5-2. LC has also seen success, with five wins and one loss prior to this game.
In a seven-point thriller that went down to the final two minutes, LC had a narrow loss at this year’s Homecoming, scoring 35 points against Whitworth’s 42. This follows a streak of five wins and one loss for LC, which was an away game against George Fox University occurring the previous weekend on Oct. 18.
The period before the game started was filled with energy — there were several tents set up around the parking lot with alumni, students and families tailgating and anticipating the start of the game. The Tailgate in the Endzone, an event with food and drink available for spectators to watch the game in the south endzone, was also beginning to fill up with people.
The game began with relatively sunny skies and little rain, and LC had first possession of the ball. Whitworth scored the first two touchdowns in the first quarter, and the final score for the quarter was 14-7. During the second quarter, players were hit with a downpour of rain, intense even for Pacific Northwesterners. Amidst the torrential showers, LC scored a touchdown, bringing the score to 14-14, and the first half of the game ended with a score of 21-14, with Whitworth in the lead.
Orsborn elaborated on the improvements made since the previous game against George Fox University.
“Compared to our last week game against George Fox, we came out and fought a lot harder in this game and showed a lot more resilience and toughness. And compared to earlier in the season, it was much different just with the weather, too. You know, a little extra adversity that we had to fight through,” he said.
Halftime events included a ceremony for women’s softball for making the NCAA Division III Tournament and men’s basketball for earning a Conference title. There was also an induction of new members into LC’s Hall of Fame and a Cheer and Step performance.
The third quarter ended with Whitworth leading 35-28, leading to a highly anticipated fourth quarter. LC brought the game once again to a tie by scoring a touchdown with 13:31 left in the game, but Whitworth was able to complete one more touchdown with 1:56 minutes left in a dramatic 97-yard drive that consumed nearly six minutes of the clock, capped by a 34-yard run, giving the Pirates the final seven points and putting them in the lead.
The narrow loss is a good sign of improvement, Orsborn explained, expressing his excitement for the season and future games.
“I think it shows that our program’s on the right track. Two years ago when we played Whitworth for our Homecoming, I don’t remember the exact score, but they beat us by a lot and just having a close game with them that came down to the final play shows the work this program has put in and where it’s headed.”
LC played Whitworth in Homecoming 2023, scoring 21 points against Whitworth’s 63. LC’s win-loss records for 2023 and 2024 are both 5-5.
Homecoming is an exciting weekend for players, spectators and families, and the audience helps bring on the energy and show support for the school and the team. Despite the narrow 42-35 loss, LC Football showed tremendous resilience, fighting through heavy rain and a significant early lead by the Pirates. As Orsborn noted, this close battle proves that the team is improving and validates the hard work that players have put in.
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