Whitworth seniors have left legacy on gridiron

The Pine Bowl will welcome today a group of 16 senior Whitworth football players who are seeking an historic finish to careers that were interrupted by the turmoil of a coaching change.

The No. 25 Pirates (8-1, 5-1 Northwest Conference) host winless Lewis & Clark in the regular-season finale at 12:30 p.m. Whitworth players hope a win over the Pioneers (0-8, 0-6) will earn them an at-large berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Two of those seniors, in particular, started for former coach John Tully and had to adjust to the new style of Rod Sandberg. Cornerback De’ Hall and defensive end Danny Welstad played significant roles for both coaches.

“Those two guys were studs in high school and they were studs before we got here,” Sandberg said. “They didn’t come here to play for us. They are amazing the way that put team success before personal success. They are winners.”

Hall, who has 10 career interceptions and three returned for touchdowns, has been at Whitworth for five years. He lost last year, Sandberg’s first as coach, to a knee injury and got a second chance at his senior season.

“I have been trying hardest not to think about it, because it’s sad,” Hall said.

Welstad, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound anchor on the defensive line, played immediately as a freshman and was named first-team all-conference after recording eight sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss in 2014.

“Going out and having a good game wouldn’t be the worst thing,” Welstad said. “But playing one more time with my best friends is the biggest thing for me.”

Hall is a 5-7, 148-pound defensive back who finds a way to deliver some of the biggest hits of the game.

“For being a smaller guy, he’s a really physical player,” defensive backs coach Jay Tully said. “He’s got the toughness you expect from a wrestler. He’s also got an infectious laugh. He likes being out there, which is fun.”

Hall, who battled minor injuries this year, finished second in his weight class in wrestling his senior year of high school in Las Vegas, Nevada.

He said having Jay Tully hold over from the previous staff was a huge bonus when he had to learn a new system.

“He helped ease us into that transition,” Hall said of Tully. “I just want to them to remember me as someone who wasn’t the biggest guy, or even the fastest, but someone who was a hard worker, loved competing and winning and had a lot of fun doing it.”

Sandberg said Welstad, from Gig Harbor, Washington, had better numbers as a junior, when the team lacked depth on its defense. This year, coaches regularly spell Welstad for long stretches.

“He’s a phenomenal, all-conference type player,” Sandberg said of Welstad. “He’s playing the run much better, but he doesn’t necessarily have the sack numbers. But Danny steps up in big games.”

Welstad, who has three sacks and seven tackles for loss this season, said he wants his final season to be remembered for a group of guys who accepted new coaches and found success.

With a win, Whitworth will finish with nine wins for only the fourth time in school history and the first time since it finished 11-1 in 2006.

“For the seniors, we see it as kind of leaving a legacy for the program,” Welstad said, “and setting the standard for years to come.”