Stags Fall To Pioneers In Season Opener

In the first game of CMS Head Coach Kyle Sweeney's inaugural campaign with the team, the CMS Stags dropped a hard fought game to the Lewis & Clark Pioneers in Portland, Oregon. Scoring 12 seconds into their second possession of the game, the Pioneers grabbed the lead and never trailed en route to a 36-14 victory.

Just one play after L&C got on the scoreboard, senior Stag Trevor Beltz (pictured) unleashed a 62 yard touchdown run of his own to tie the game. That would be the last time the Stags were tied with the Pioneers.

Exceptional play from Pioneer sophomore quarterback Keith Welch who finished the day 13-24 for 133 passing yards and a touchdown pass caused problems for the Stag defense as they struggled to find a way to contain him. The strength of the Pioneer running game proved difficult to stop as well as Joevonte Mayes rushed for 158 yards on 16 carries and Keith Welch added 104 of his own on 10 carries.

The Stags offense struggled to develop a rhythm as they found their quarterbacks Peter Kimmey and Patrick Rooney sacked a total of four times during the game. However, Beltz compiled a solid game rushing for 86 yards on 11 carries.

Defensively, senior Ben Salzman led the team with 11 tackles, and senior Eddie Mills provided two sacks for the Stags.

The Stags return to action this Saturday, September 17 against Pacific University at Zinda Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.