SPOKANE, Wash. – For the Whitworth Pirates, playoffs aren’t the achievement, but the expectation.
“I think that’s the beauty of Pirate football,” quarterback Logan Lacio. “We know the standard, we know how we can play, and we realized we weren’t playing to that standard, so that bye week in-between conference play and non-conference, that was a big turnaround for us.”
Whitworth surges into the DIII playoffs after winning seven-straight games following a 1-2 start. They swept conference play and cinched their third Northwest Conference crown under head coach Rod Sandberg.
“Extremely rewarding,” Sandberg said. “This is just a group of guys that believed in each other, trusted each other even when adversity hit. Came together, went to work, trusted the process, and really awesome that they have these rewards they have now.”
Sandberg’s motto for this year’s team is ‘hold the rope’, a phrase coined from World War II hero and Medal of Honor recipient Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector who saved over 70 men at the Battle of Iwo Jima.
“We’re going to have to go win hard games, and we’re going to have to hold the rope for each other,” Pirates defensive lineman Lane Watkins said. “Sandberg always says ‘through bleeding hands, blood, sweat, tears, whatever that may be, we’re going to have to trust each other, and if you’re the one dangling off the rope, you know you got a brother on the other side holding it.”
The heart of this team lies in Lacio, his first season as the Pirates starting quarterback resulting in one of the most efficient and mistake-free players in the conference.
“Well, he’s a winner, and he works really, really hard,” Sandberg said. “Football means a lot to him.”
“Seeing our o-line play super well how they’ve been playing, and continually seeing Luis do superhuman things, it’s fun to watch, and it makes coming back here super enjoyable, and coming to practice and playing games, there’s nothing better right now for us,” Lacio said.
Now Whitworth moves to the first postseason three-peat appearance, this weekend presents the shot for three-straight second-round appearances, also a Pirates first.
“Nothing better, right?” Watkins said. “We’ve kind of implemented this state of success here at Whitworth, it’s not a fluke, it wasn’t last year’s 33 seniors, it wasn’t Austin Ewing coming in and winning the Linfield game, it’s what this program is about, we’re about winning.”
Whitworth kicks off against the Chapman Panthers this Saturday at noon in the Pine Bowl.
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