FOREST GROVE, Ore. – The Linfield Wildcats turned in their best all-around performance of the season Saturday at Hanson Stadium, pounding the Pacific Boxers 68-28 in Northwest Conference football action.
The 18th-ranked Wildcats (7-1, 5-0 NWC) forced six Pacific turnovers and held Division III's leading rusher to his lowest offensive output of the season. Linfield scored 45 points or more for the sixth straight week. Pacific (3-5, 1-4 NWC) lost its fourth straight contest after at 3-1 start.
Wildcats linebacker
Blake Rybar finished with a game-high nine tackles, including four assisted.
Johnny Miller added seven stops and a pass breakup.
Alex Frazier-Dow,
Connor Stevens and
Kenyon Johnson all finished with five tackles.
Jett Searle, Colby Kaluakoa,
Cutter Hillock and
Caiden Biege-Wetherbee each came away with interceptions in the game.
Wyatt Zellner recovered a fumble and
Brady Crenshaw blocked a punt that resulted in a safety.
Offensively,
Blake Eaton passed for 182 yards and three touchdowns.
Caleb Woodcock caught two touchdowns among his three receptions covering 84 yards. The Wildcats outgained the Boxers 436-329 while limiting the hosts to just 53 yards rushing.
Linfield put the game out of reach in the second quarter, scoring the game's first 38 points against a shell-shocked Pacific defense. Eaton and backup quarterback
Luke McNabb combined for two rushing touchdowns in the opening two quarters and combined for three TD passes, including two that went into the hands of
Caleb Woodcock in the final two minutes of the half.
Linfield special teams played a key role in the first-half landslide. McClain Stoneking returned two punts for 103 yards, including a 64-yard return for a TD at the 9:18 mark of the second quarter that made the score 28-0. Stoneking added a pair of kickoff returns, including a nifty 27-yard return.
Pacific scored its lone touchdown of the first half on Cole Weber 4-yard catch from quarterback Braeden Titus with 54 seconds left before intermission. The Wildcats answered with Woodcock's second TD catch from Eaton in the span of less than two minutes, scoring on a 39-yard bomb to the end zone with 16 seconds left.
Despite leading by 38 points, the Wildcats outgained the Boxers by just a 265-144 differential. Linfield's defense put the brakes Pacific tailback Brody Bantolina, who entered the game leading NCAA Division III in rushing. Bantolina was held to 21 first-half yards on 11 carries. He finished with 66 yards, his first game this season with fewer than 90 yards on the ground.
Pacific used a special teams play to score its second touchdown, blocking a Wildcats field goal attempt and returning the ball 61 yards to the end zone. Again, Linfield answered with a 51-yard reception by backup tailback
Jackson Pfeifer to put the 'Cats up 52-14.
On the ensuing drive, the Boxers threatened to score from the Linfield 7-yard-line on the final play of the third quarter, but Caiden Biege-Wetheree intercepted Titus at the goalline, squashing the Boxers' hopes of continuing the turnaround.
Third-string quarterback
Deacon Edgar took his turn behind center, rushing three times for 64 yards, including a 42-yard touchdown and passing 22 yards for a touchdown to
Chase McAuliffe.
'CAT SCRATCH
Saturday's announced attendance was 825 . . . Stoneking broke the career punt return yardage record set of 828 yards set by Rogers Ishizu between 1964 and 1967. . . Stoneking also equaled Kennedy Johnson's career record of four punt returns for touchdowns. . .Crenshaw blocked a punt in the fourth quarter that resulted in a Linfield safety. . . it was Crenshaw's third blocked kick of the season, moving him to No. 3 among Division III season statistical leaders.
NEXT
Linfield returns home to host Senior Day at Maxwell Field next Saturday when the Wildcats welcome Pacific Lutheran to McMinnville. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Senior Day introductions are expected to begin at 12:30.
