Despite their 5-5 record, the Lumberjacks aren't about to give up in their final game of the season.
At least, not the team's large senior class. They've experienced all of the program's ups and downs over the past few years and can't see themselves giving up on what will be their final game as collegiate athletes.
In fact, the Jacks are hoping to take out much of their frustration today at 3:05 p.m. against a Portland State team (2-8, 1-6 Big Sky Conference) that's been overmatched at times this year. It's about all they can hope for at this point as they try to end the season with a winning record.
"It's my fourth year here and none of them have gone the way I wanted them to go," NAU guard Kris Poindexter said. "I just want to go out and be remembered for the kind of player I was here. I want to go out and be physical and lay the wood."
For Poindexter, at least, the record is kind of a moot point A five- or six-win season isn't much to reminisce over. The entire experience, however, is.
"I'm trying not to think of it as wins and losses as much as a good time. I just want the memory," he said.
"A 'W' would be an even better memory."
It's what NAU coach Jerome Souers is counting on. He's hoping his seniors set an example and show next year's returning players that each game matters. There's only so many games to be played in a collegiate career, and each one isn't to be taken for granted.
"They're hell-bent to put together the best performance they have all year," Souers said. "With all the disappointments we've had throughout the year -- how close it's been in the Eastern (Washington) game, the Montana game -- things didn't go the way we hoped, the way we had worked for. You want to take everything you can out of the season, and this gives us a chance to come out as winners."
Although the years have been marked with maddening inconsistency, it hasn't stopped several of the Jacks from going full-bore every play. Because they're not walking away with any championship banners or notable accolades, the seniors hope their mindset is the one thing they can leave for their returning teammates.
"We've got a crazy work ethic," Poindexter said of his fellow seniors. "We've been down in games, down three scores in the fourth quarter, but we're still fighting. I see dudes on defense still flying around, I'm still blocking my heart out. If we leave anything behind, I hope it's the mental toughness. Regardless of if things are going your way or not -- you can't control everything -- but man, you can control if you quit."
As Souers enters what could be his final game as the Jacks' head coach (his contract status has yet to be officially determined), he believes the senior NAU starters -- Poindexter, offensive linemen Jeff Hines and Anthony Williams, wide receiver Daiveun Curry-Chapman, safety Matt Estrada, linebackers Cody Dowd and Reid Worthington, cornerbacks Taelor Worrell and Brian Hunter, defensive linemen Kainoa Pe'a, Brandon Vance and Kyle Rath, and quarterback Michael Herrick -- encapsulate what kind of players he wants in his program.
"This group of seniors set a standard, not just on the field but off the field, of what the NAU athletic experience is," Souers said. "They've seen a lot of tough situations and played a lot of tough, big games together -- they've had their heart broken on occasion and won some tough games on occasion and they've always made me proud."
He said it'll be tough to watch them go.
"It's like brothers playing backyard football for the last time," Souers said after Thursday's final practice.
The seniors, in turn, hope to prove Souers' remarks are on point.
"This season hasn't gone the way we expected, but we're still working out here and this game's the only thing that matters right now. We want to go out with a winning record," Estrada said. "As seniors, hopefully we can end it with a bang."
Jacob May can be reached at jmay@azdailysun.com or 556-2257.
