At the beginning of the 2012-13 season, many questions surrounded the Linfield football program’s defensive unit. After its performance in the Wildcats’ 45-10 win against Willamette University, it appears those questions can be fully put to rest. The defense throttled its chief Northwest Conference rivals in soaking conditions at Maxwell Field, holding the Bearcats to only 108 total yards, while picking up two interceptions and amassing seven sacks for 53 lost yards, three by junior defensive end Brynnan Hyland.

“Our initial plan was to stop the running game,” junior cornerback Ian Zarosinski said. “The [defensive] line and the linebackers really dominated in the trenches.”

The first half of play was a struggle, as both teams’ offenses repeatedly stalled in the pouring rain. Linfield struck first on junior quarterback Josh Yoder’s one-yard scamper into the end zone. Senior kicker Josh Kay pulled a field goal attempt from 46 yards wide right and senior punter Josh Repp had a kick blocked, giving the Bearcats a short field at the Linfield 15-yard line. Willamette capitalized on a 14-yard run by quarterback Josh Dean that knotted the score at 7-7. The Bearcats briefly took the lead on a 28-yard field goal, but Kay responded by converting a 35-yard attempt of his own to bring the score to 10-10. After one half of football, the ’Cats had limited Willamette to a mere 50 total yards of offense but had only mustered 132 of their own.

“The weather was definitely a factor,” freshman running back Jonathan Shaffer said. “I give credit to the Bearcats’ defense, they came to play and they did.”

A five-minute stretch in the third quarter broke the game open for Linfield.

Senior quarterback Mickey Inns found junior
receiver Deidre Wiersma for a five-yard scoring strike just before junior safety Colin Forman blocked a Bearcat punt and chased the ball 38 yards into the end zone for a touchdown.

Junior middle linebacker Kyle Wright then snatched a Dean pass out of the air, setting up a 38-yard missile from Inns to sophomore receiver Charlie Poppen that ballooned the Wildcats’ lead to 31-10.

“Our defense and special teams is what sparked us in that third quarter,” Shaffer said. “Forman’s blocked punt really got us going.”

The game was put away in the fourth on another Inns-to-Poppen touchdown, this one from three yards.

With the game safely out of reach at 38-10, the reserve ’Cats saw game action and was able to capitalize. Shortly after another Dean pass was intercepted by junior linebacker Dominique Forrest, Yoder led a drive downfield that was capped by junior running back Mikkel Smythe’s one-yard plunge.

The Linfield defense continued to be unbreakable, preserving the final margin at 45-10, while limiting Willamette to just four of 29 third-down conversions throughout the game.

“Being a freshman, I didn’t realize how important this game was until Thursday or Friday,” Shaffer said. “To take it to them was a good feeling.”

Linfield, sitting atop the NWC at 7-0 (4-0 NWC) with just two games remaining, is in prime position for a fourth consecutive conference title and playoff berth.

Only the University of Puget Sound and Pacific University remain, teams occupying the NWC cellar with a combined record of 3-11.

Linfield travels north to take on Puget Sound on the road Nov. 3 before returning home Nov. 10 to face Pacific in the Hall of Fame game.

Chris Forrer

For the Review

Chris Forrer can be reached at

linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Photo courtesy of Sports Information

Freshman running back John Shaffer attempts to rush the football past an opponent during the game against Willamette on Oct. 27, beating the Bearcats 45-10. Shaffer rushed 23 times throughout the game with 59 yards gained.

The Linfield Wildcats continued on their recent stretch of domination with a 63-0 blowout of the Lewis & Clark College Pioneers on the road Oct. 20.

The shutout marked the largest margin of victory in the history of the matchup and saw a stifling Linfield defense limit the Pioneers to only 207 total yards, while its high-octane offense rolled up 534 yards of its own.

Freshman tailback John Shaffer continued to dazzle with his play since stepping in for injured seniors Josh Hill and Stephen Nasca, scoring a game-high three touchdowns on the ground.

“It’s a good feeling that our team is firing on all cylinders,” Shaffer said via text message.

Before the offense had an opportunity to showcase its talent, junior middle linebacker Kyle Wright scored Linfield’s first special teams touchdown of the season on a punt return that went 75 yards into the end zone. The next long stretch of play turned into the “Shaffer Show,” as the tailback scored all three of his touchdowns on runs of 14, three, and eight yards in 11 minutes.

“It was nothing out of the ordinary, just a few adjustments here and there,” Shaffer said. “The linemen up front did the rest, paving wide-open holes.”

Senior quarterback Mickey Inns continued to help the offense score at will, floating a three-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Charlie Poppen. As time was expiring in the first half, Inns lobbed a 27-yard strike to senior receiver Lucas Jepson to make Linfield’s lead an insurmountable 42-0. The senior quarterback finished with 265 yards and interception-free. The Linfield defense did their part in the opening half, limiting Lewis & Clark’s powerhouse quarterback Keith Welch to four completions for 50 yards and an interception by junior safety Colin Foreman that was nearly returned for a touchdown.

“With all the three-and-outs, it gave the offense a short field to work with,” Shaffer said. “Makes it much easier on us.”

In the second half, Linfield’s second-string players replaced the starters and continued the rout. Junior quarterback Josh Yoder punched into the end zone on a four-yard run before connecting with sophomore receiver Evan Peterson for a 15-yard touchdown.

Reserve junior running back Mikkel Smythe capped the scoring with an eight-yard run near the end of the third quarter. Neither team would score in the fourth, preserving Linfield’s shutout at 63-0.

“Most importantly, we got the players who work their butts off all week on scout team into the game,” Shaffer said. “They deserve it.”

At 6-0 (3-0 Northwest Conference) the ’Cats remain at No. 3 in this week’s www.d3football.com Top 25 poll. After a loss by in-state rival Willamette, Linfield gains sole possession of first place in the NWC and now firmly controls its playoff fate. The Wildcats face Willamette on Oct. 27 at Maxwell Field before traveling to the University of Puget Sound on Nov. 3.

Chris Forrer

For the Review

Chris Forrer can be reached at

linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Photo courtesy of Sports Information

Junior middle linebacker Kyle Wright rushes past the opposing team at the game against Lewis & Clark on Oct. 20, sweeping the game 63-0.

The Linfield volleyball team came up empty-handed with losses to Pacific Lutheran University and George Fox University on Oct. 20 and Oct. 21.

The second game of the weekend matched the Wildcats up against the George Fox Bruins on Oct. 21.

The first set started out slow for the Wildcats, falling into a 7-15 hole. The ’Cats rebounded, closing the gap to a 22-23 deficit. The Bruins would not be denied, taking the set on the next two points with a kill and a Linfield error, winning 22-25.

The next set could only be described as a nail-biter. With 11 ties and five lead changes, the two teams were matched at 25-25 before two kills by Linfield sophomore Kailana Ritte-Camara gave the set to the Wildcats 27-25.

After the intermission, the Bruins came out strong, jumping to an 11-4 lead and never looking back. The Bruins took the third and fourth sets 18-25 and 16-25.

“We were our own worst enemy,” junior Shayli Coppock said. “We let them back in the game too often by making mistakes on our side.”

Ritte-Camara led the Wildcats with 13 kills, sophomore Victoria Thompson added four blocks and freshman Courtney Uyeda had 25 digs.

On Oct. 20, the Wildcats traveled to Tacoma, Wash., to face 16th-ranked Pacific Lutheran.

The game started on a good note for the Wildcats, coming back from a 2-7 deficit to tie the first set at 14-14. The ’Cats kept at it and finally won the first set 28-26 on an ace from sophomore Audrey Frazier.

“We matched them with our pace and our defense was really scrappy, so we kept a lot of balls in play,” Coppock said.

After losing the first set, Pacific Lutheran responded, winning the next three sets convincingly at 18-25, 9-25 and 22-25.

Neither of the teams were efficient at the net. PLU posted a .105 attack percentage and the ’Cats were particularly poor with a percentage of -.026. The play was clearly evident with the 39 errors committed by the Wildcats.

Thompson led the Wildcats with eight kills and two blocks. Uyeda had 27 digs and Frazier had 29 assists.

“This week we’re going to focus on our side and work to keep the pressure on the other team by having a solid offense that’s consistent,” Coppock said.

The Wildcats only have two more weeks until their season is concluded. Their next game is at home on Oct. 24 when they face Pacific. The ’Cats then travel to Tacoma, Wash., to face the 15th-ranked Puget Sound Loggers on Oct. 27.

Chris Haddeland

Culture editor

Chris Haddeland can be reached at

linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

Kate Straube/Photo editor

Sophomore Kailana Ritte-Camara passes the ball to sophomore setter Audrey Frazier during the George Fox match Oct. 20, losing 3-1. Ritte-Camara serves as the Wildcats’ leading attacker. During the match against the Bruins, she had the most attacks with 13.