The trip to the Whitworth Pine Bowl is always a tough test for any team in the Northwest Conference, but Linfield took care of business in a 35-17 win over the Pirates to remain undefeated.
 
Following a hard-fought game against a program that has always been competitive in recent memory, the Wildcats cashed in two more weekly honors from the NWC, announced Monday. Joel Valadez was named the NWC Football Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week while Blaze Holani earned Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week honors.
 
Valadez went off to lead the receiving corps. The junior wide receiver from Grants Pass caught 11 passes for 178 yards and a pair of touchdowns, the first for 37 yards and the second for 41. The reigning NWC Freshman of the Year ranks second in the NWC with 104.8 receiving yards per game.
 
The Wildcats earned the Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week honor after every game so far this season. Holani joins fellow linebacker Blake Rybar and defensive end Travis Swanson, who received the award twice. Holani picked up four tackles against the Pirates, including three sacks for a loss of 10 yards.
 
Linfield enters the week at 4-0 overall and 2-0 in NWC play. The 'Cats remain idle at No. 7 in the latest D3football.com Top 25. They hold on to the No. 5 spot in this week's AFCA poll.
 
The 'Cats are chasing the program's 66^th consecutive winning season when they take the road to play at Pacific on Saturday in Forest Grove. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at the Boxers' Hanson Stadium.