Go Pirates!
I kept meaning to post this, but kept forgetting. Youngest Son goes to Whitworth College (soon to be Whitworth University), a terrific private college in Spokane, WA. Whitworth plays in the NCAA Division III conference. They're not really a powerhouse sports school, but they usually fare pretty well, especially in sports like swimming, tennis, and cross-country. Their football team usually ends up third or so in the conference. It's tough to field a powerhouse football team when you have a total student body of about 2,000. And of course, D-III teams can't give athletic scholarships (NCAA rules), so all the kids going there are scholar-athletes, not just athletes. Whitworth's arch-rival in pretty much every sport, but especially in football, is Linfield College. Every year it seems like Whitworth has to play Linfield for the conference title, and for the past 30 years, Linfield has come out on top. Linfield regularly ranks among the top D-III teams in the nation in football. Whitworth's position on that list has varied a lot over the years. But this year things have been a little different. Whitworth was ranked #9 nationally last week, while Linfield was #15, and they were tied for the conference lead. But they had yet to play one another.
Last Saturday, Whitworth played Linfield at Linfield. Whitworth went into the game 8-0, 3-0 (conference), while Linfield was 5-3, 4-0 and had not lost a conference game since 2001. Linfield had not lost to Whitworth in 27 match-ups over 30 years. With fingers crossed, and a steady rain falling, the Whitworth Pirates met the Linfield Wildcats to duke it out. It was a crazy game. Linfield had the longest conference winning streak in Northwest conference history. They had not lost a home game in November since 1994. They were six-time defending conference champions. Really, what chance did Whitworth have? Turns out, a pretty good one. With only 85 yards of offense, compared with Linfield's 329, Whitworth pulled out a 17-13 win, to pretty much guarantee themselves the conference title. Linfield had five turnovers in the first half, which ended with the teams tied at 10. More mistakes on the part of the Wildcat offense the second half ensured the Pirate victory. One could say Linfield lost the game, as opposed to Whitworth winning it, but the reality is, the winning team made the fewest mistakes on a sloppy, slippery field, which is what it took to win. So, here's the sports writer's write-up, for anyone who cares.
Whitworth hosts University of Puget Sound this Saturday for the season ending finale, then it's on to Division III playoffs. Go Pirates!
But you know what's even cooler than this win? Seven Whitworth football players have been named to the 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII College Division football team, which was published yesterday. There are 23 players on the team. I think that is awesome!
