TACOMA, Wash. – The Pacific Lutheran University football team returns to Sparks Stadium on Saturday, facing Northwest Conference rival Pacific University. For the Lute seniors, it will be their last time putting on the pads at home.

The Lutes (1-6, 0-5 NWC) took on defending NWC Champions Whitworth University last weekend in Spokane, Washington. It was a scoreless first quarter, but the Pirates took advantage of some of the Lutes' mistakes and capitalized, winning the game 31-6.

As the Lutes' season winds down, the senior class takes a look back at how far they have come while being a Lute and this very young team that they have led..
 
Senior middle linebacker, Nicholas Bautista, is a first-year captain for the Lutes and has been a phenomenal leader for many of the younger players.

"My thoughts on the season have remained the same since it started. I never look at the record to see how that dictates my thoughts or action. My thoughts on the season have always been about doing the best I can to lead this amazing young group of the freshman class and to give them to knowledge, tools, and to make memories with them that they remember from when they are seniors" says Nick "I hope to teach the underclassmen to grow up and be leaders when they get further into the program. It will take some time pouring back into the younger men of this team and teaching them the correct ways to act, learn, and how to be a Lute."

The senior Sociology major, Bautista, had the opportunity that not many others get, which is to play alongside his older brother, Anthony Bautista last year on the defense.

"My favorite memory of being a Lute is playing with my brother last year. That is a memory I'll never forget and will always have."
 
Someone that has displayed great leadership and dedication to this team regardless of their role on the field has been senior offensive lineman Justine Albert Mojica, known as J-MO. 

"Being a leader to me isn't necessarily being the best player on the field. A leader takes care of the team as whole and puts the team before themselves. I just tried my best to be there for everyone in any and every capacity I could," said Mojica. "With 60 plus new faces this year, I believe that a growth mindset and looking for those learning opportunities is the biggest thing we want to instill in the younger guys. Senior year has been challenging with time management and balancing priorities, but ultimately it feels great to know something great is at the end of it."

As the senior Kinesiology major reflects on his last four years, he goes way back in time for his favorite memory.

"My favorite memory as a Lute was Report Day of the 2016 season. That's where I met my best friends and this senior class. Quite honestly, I have great relationships and many memories with the other seniors in this class, it was hard to pick one. Why not make it the day these guys entered my life?"
 
Now what shows more dedication and leadership than remaining on the team for four years? How about five years? Fifth year senior, two time captain, All-NWC offensive lineman Alex Fairhurst has his fair share of time and memories while being a Lute.

Fairhurst tore his ACL in Fall Camp putting him out for his original senior season. He took the opportunity to come back and play that final year he had and has also gained a lot from it. 

"My motivation was that I wanted to play another season of the game I loved with a team I loved. It sounds cheesy but it's not. There aren't any other opportunities in life to play football. It was also good to have the motivation of getting back into the field while I was working on rehab." said Fairhurst, "The thing I've gained from this season is seeing how people can influence a team from so many different roles. Sitting out the first two weeks of this season made me hungry to make the most out of any opportunity in any role that I could fill for the team."

Five years on a team, you can certainly have a lot of favorite moments, Fairhurst certainly has his top one.

"My favorite non-football moment was being 2x breakaway belly flop champ and getting Jud to belly flop too!"

As the Lutes prepare to take the field two more, they know that the season isn't quite over. These seniors and the rest of the Lutes football team is eager to go out and play while they can.

"I hope to finish this season with two weeks of good football. It's going to take some hard work and focus to make sure that everyone is on the same page, as injuries remain a threat to our roster. But we're also going to do it all with a smile because we still get to play football," said Fairhurst. 
 

Senior Day and FREE foam fingers?! See you at Sparks at 1:00 p.m. Saturday for @PLUFootball final home game! #GoLutes pic.twitter.com/3YtxM4x4de

— PLU Athletics (@golutes) November 7, 2019

Nov. 9: PLU vs. Pacific at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup, Washington (1 p.m.)

Series History: The Lutes and Boxers have met 53 times since the series' first began during the 1939 season with PLU holding a 30-11-3 advantage in the all-time rivalry. The Lutes additionally own a 6-3 edge in the series since Pacific reinstated its football program in 2010, including a 30-23 victory last fall inside Sparks Stadium. 
 
The Lutes have absolutely owned the Boxers in games played at home, winning the last 10 encounters played in the Evergreen State with the last home setback coming during the 1972 season when the Lutes played games at Franklin Pierce Stadium.
 
About the Boxers: Pacific (3-5, 3-2 NWC) dropped its opening four games of the season but has been on fire since, winning three of its last four and averaging 48.3 points per game over that stretch.
 
The Boxers stumbled 52-14 to Linfield in the NWC opener before putting up 59 at Willamette, 56 against Lewis & Clark and outdueling Puget Sound 60-55 last weekend in Forest Grove. The Boxers racked up a school record 676 yards of total offense in the win over the Loggers. 
 
Josh Harris headlines the Boxer ground attack, averaging 123.5 yards per game with 13 touchdowns on the year. Quarterback Kenyon Harris has thrown for 1,380 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season with four interceptions. Kobe Williams has been the top target with 596 receiving yards and six touchdowns.