The final home game of the 2015 season for the Pacific University Boxers was senior day. The eighteen seniors of the team combined to help guide the Boxers to a close 34-20 win over the visiting George Fox Bruins on Saturday, November 6th. While the win was the result of the combined effort of the whole team, seniors Warner Shaw (QB), Bronson Barretto (RB) and Nathan Suyematsu (WR) led the way.

For Nathan Suyematsu, it was also a day to set a new season record for the home team that has stood for 55 years. With the home team’s first score of the night, Nathan broke the team record of receiving yards in one season set by Bob Wendel in 1960 with 957 yards. By the end of the game, Nathan reached 988 total yards for the season with one more game to go.

Quarterback Warner Shaw went 15 for 19 for 179 yards with a touchdown pass to Nathan Suyematsu and Bronson Barretto. Barretto also punched two scores through for his second and third touchdown of the night in teh second half. To keep it close, kicker Alex Beekman added to field goals from the 36 and 33 yard line in the second quarter to tie the game.

The game started with two scores by George Fox in the first with quarterback Grant Schroeder carrying it in from the five yard line, For the second score, Schroeder threw a 37 yarder to Brad Lander putting the Bruins up 13-0 early.

The Boxers got into gear before the end of the quarter and proceeded to earn 20 unanswered points before the end of the first half. Nathan Suyematsu grabbed Warner Shaw’s 17 yard pass for the first score with less than two minutes in the first quarter. It would take two Alex Beekman field goals to tie it up in the second. Less than two minutes to the half, Bronson Barretto took Warner Shaw’s 29 yard pass to the end zone for the lead. The Boxers headed into the locker room up 20-13.

The second half started the same way as the first half: with a George Fox score. The Bruin’s Grant Schroeder threw a seven yarder to Trevor Daniels to tie the game and both teams went into the fourth at a 20-20 tie.

With ten minutes left, Bronson Barretto punched it in from the two yard line to give the Boxers a lead they would hold onto for the win. Just to make sure, Barretto ran another carry in from the six yard line with four minutes left in the game to boost the lead, 34-20.

The Boxer defense also played a large part in the win. Avery Richardson, Andy Harris, Trey Kodama and Dalton Schwetz led the team in tackles with ten each. Zach Tucker was right behind with nine tackles. Dalton also had an interception he returned 24 yards. Max Look had the other Boxer interception which he returned for two yards and was a momentum killer for the Bruins in the fourth. Jaquari People had the lone Boxer sack but there were six tackles for loss by the team.

The Pacific University Boxers (4-2, 6-3) clinched a winning season and climbed into a two way tie with Puget Sound for third place The Boxers are two games behind Linfield with one game to play. The George Fox Bruins fell to 1-5 (3-6).

Pacific University will meet the Puget Sound Loggers for the last game of the season and the winner will keep third place in the conference. If Whitworth (8-1) loses to Lewis & Clark (0-8), the third place winner will tie for second. George Fox (1-5, 3-6) will travel to Willamette (2-4, 2-6) to wrap up their season.

By Greg Stoker
@GDStoker