Excellence is the standard for Linfield football

The definition of success to the Linfield football team is different than most Division III programs across the country. Success isn't solely having a winning season, or even winning the Northwest Conference title. These goals for many have become the standard for Linfield football year in and year out. 68-consecutive winning seasons tied with the fact that Linfield graduates hold the highest earning power amongst universities in the Pacific Northwest, proves that Joseph Smith continues to establish a culture of success not only on the field, but off the field as well.

With the 2025 season rapidly approaching, Smith and the Wildcats look to roll out a roster with many fresh faces led by upperclassmen in all three phases. 

After a playoff run in 2024 that saw a dominant 65-3 win in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs, to a heartbreaking 28-18 loss to Mary Hardin-Baylor in the third round on Maxwell Field, the 'Cats start the season inside the top-25 national rankings from both the American Football Coaches Association and D3Football.com. 

Once again tabbed as the No.1 team in the Northwest Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, Linfield enters the season ranked No.15 by the AFCA and No.16 by D3Football.com. As the lone NWC representative in the rankings, the Wildcats look to advance to a third game in the Division III playoffs for the first time since the 2021 season. 

The ‘Cats head into the season with a new look on both offense and defense, saying goodbye to five key All-Conference honorees from a year ago. The leading passer Blake Eaton threw for over 2,700 yards with a 67.5% completion percentage, and managed a 22:6 touchdown to interception ratio. Both Eaton and the 2025 starter Luke McNabb split snaps at the position, with McNabb acting as the true dual-threat option. Three wideouts in Connor Wolfe, Malain Stoneking, and Jacob Slifka led Linfield in receptions last season, leaving a void of 122 receptions, 17 touchdowns, and over 1,600 yards. Stoneking was a First Team All-NWC honoree, while Wolfe earned Second Team honors as the top pass catchers in the Wildcat offense.  Running back Aaron Martinez handled the majority of the backfield work in 2024, taking just a handful of snaps over this year's starter Jackson Pfeifer, but Martinez found the end zone four times with an average of 29.1 yards per game.

On the defense, the biggest loss comes in linebacker Blake Rybar. three-time All-American, First Team All-Region, First Team All-NWC, and NWC Defensive Player of the Year honoree, Rybar's 81 tackles and 11.5 tackles for loss in 2024 led the ‘Cats defense. A pillar in the purple and white during his four seasons, Rybar’s 236 tackles leaves him 13th on the Linfield football all-time leading tacklers list. Two-way athlete Chance Sparks also graduated, after a career that saw a pair of First Team All-NWC selections. Leading the team in interceptions (7) and pass break ups (7) while playing all 12 games last season, Sparks saw snaps at wide receiver, catching seven passes for 143 yards and a pair of visits to the end zone. Senior defensive end Caleb Sell competed in 43 games over four seasons, earning First Team All-Conference, First Team All-Region, and Second Team All-American honors in 2024. The star defensive end leaves behind 10.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss, alongside a veteran group of defensive linemen who led the Northwest Conference in sacks (42). 

Aside from these few key Wildcats at the skill positions, newcomers and tenured players are projected to take a leap forward to fill in across the field. 

Senior Tanner Relling and junior Alex Bodadilla were named Coach Smith's starters in the trenches on the offensive side. Relling takes the lead at left tackle, while Bobadilla will serve as McNabb's wingman under center. On the defensive side, Jaydon Kaio, Gabe Erickson, and Kanaan Huffman will take over at defensive end and defensive tackle. Erickson is the sole Wildcat of the three to have game action under his belt, appearing in 11 games last season, making ten total tackles and three tackles for loss.

Junior Pavaan Bankston takes over as the rover for the Linfield defense, filling in following the departure of Johnny Wilson. Junior Brady Crenshaw returns at safety in 2025, seeing 12 games and eight tackles in 2024. He will also serve as the primary kick returner in 2025, taking five kicks last season with a longest return of 29 yards. Cornerback Reid Gray will handle the punt returns this season. The sophomore handled 19 punts in 2024, with a total return yardage of 198 and a long of 35. 

Football kicks off the season in a matter of days, hosting the UW-Oshkosh Titans at Maxwell Field inside Memorial Stadium for the first time since December 1, 2012. Last season, the Titans knocked off the Wildcats in the second game of the season in Wisconsin, as Oshkosh scored a touchdown in the first overtime possession before intercepting Blake Eaton's pass on the ensuing possession. In both of the times these two teams have met, it resulted in the Titans winning a one-score game in overtime. This time, the unranked Titans return to the Cat Dome to face No.15/16 Linfield, while Oshkosh did receive votes in each of the top-25 polls. 

In the second game of the season, the 'Cats once again host their annual opponent from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in the Chapman Panthers. Chapman comes to McMinnville after a strong 7-3 season in 2024, falling to Pomona-Pitzer in the SCIAC Championship game, 37-34. Linfield maintains a 5-1 record against Chapman all-time, with the last matchup coming in 2019 where the Panthers claimed a 68-65 playoff win in Orange, California. 

A pair of strong teams aim to prepare Linfield for the NWC slate, and a repeat of the Northwest Conference title. 

After outscoring NWC opponents 368-79 and earning a perfect 7-0 record in conference play, Linfield's 34-1 record against NWC teams over the past five seasons sets the tone for what's to come. The 'Cats seek their NWC home opener on October 11th, where they play host to the Pacific Boxers for homecoming weekend. The following week, the No.2 team in the NWC Preseason Coaches Poll in the Whitworth Pirates come to McMinnville for Fall Family Weekend. To close out the regular season, a sixth home game of the season against Willamette is on tap, which will also serve as the Pacific Office Automation Hall of Fame Game and Senior Day. 

For the three road trips of the season, the 'Cats travel to Newberg to face rival George Fox on October 4th, before heading to Tacoma, Washington, for two separate trips to face Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran. 

Inside the Numbers: Game One (Kip Carlson)

SEASON OPENERS: After beating Denison 31-7 to start 2024, in season-openers Linfield has an all-time record of 67-38-4 (.633); that includes a home record of 36-11-2 (.755) and a road record of 31-27-2 (.533) … Linfield has won its last 5 season-openers and 12 of its last 13 … Linfield’s longest streak of season-opening wins was 11 from 1995-2005 … Linfield’s longest losing streak in season-openers was 7, from 1937-46 (no teams were fielded from 1943-45 due to World War II) … Linfield’s widest margin of victory in a season-opener was 61 points, coming in 1966’s 61-0 home win over Whitworth; the Wildcats’ widest margin of defeat in a season-opener was 54 points in the school’s first-ever football game, a 54-0 loss at Pacific College (now George Fox) in 1896 … Linfield’s highest score in a season-opener was 71 points in a 71-21 win at Hardin-Simmons in 2013; on the flip side, the Wildcats have been shut out 20 times in season-openers, most recently in 1960 in a 33-0 loss at Humboldt State … The most points the Wildcats have allowed in a season-opener was that 54 to Pacific College (now George Fox) in the 54-0 loss in 1896, while Linfield has posted 18 shutouts in season-openers, most recently in 1999’s 48-0 home win over Redlands …

HOME OPENERS: Linfield now has an all-time record of 79-27-3 (.739) in home-openers, including 70-21-2 (.763) at Maxwell Field, after the Wildcats started their 2024 home schedule with a 31-7 win over Denison … Linfield has won 6 straight home-openers and 24 of its last 26 … Linfield’s longest winning streak in home-openers was 12, from 1957-68; that was part of a string of 13 straight unbeaten home-openers from 1956-68 … Linfield’s longest losing streak in home-openers was 5 from 1928-32 … Linfield’s widest margin of victory in a home-opener was 75 points in a 81-6 victory over Monmouth Normal (now Western Oregon) in 1923; the 81 points are also the most the Wildcats have scored in a home-opener … Linfield’s widest margin of defeat and most points allowed in a home-opener is 56 in a 56-0 loss to Pacific College (now George Fox) in the Wildcats’ initial season of 1896 … Linfield has posted 25 shutouts in home-openers, most recently 2018’s 13-0 win over Redlands … the Wildcats have been shut out 13 times in home-openers, most recently in 1972 in a 6-0 loss to Portland State …