Linfield alumnus coach Chris Casey announced at a press conference his new position as the head coach of George Fox University’s newly revived football program, which is set to kick off in fall 2014 as part of the NCAA Division III and Northwest Conference after a 45 year hiatus of the sport.

Casey, who is currently the coach for Aloha High School football, will finish one more season with the team this fall before his transition to George Fox.

“It’s a win-win deal to be able to coach my last year at Aloha and take the job at George Fox, I couldn’t ask for a better situation as a coach,” Casey said in a “Bald-Faced Truth” radio show interview with John Canzano, sports columnist for The Oregonian.

The transition will be a return home for Casey, as the Newberg local is no stranger to the Bruins’ campus.

“My brother and I were ball boys for the baseball and the last football team. We literally grew up on campus,” said Casey in a phone interview.

All seven children of the Casey family were born in Newberg and many family members, including his parents, still live there. Casey’s brother, George Fox alum Pat Casey, served as the Bruins’ head baseball coach before leaving to coach OSU baseball while another brother serves as Newberg’s police chief.

Casey was a four-sport student athlete at Newberg High School. Graduating with the class of ’76, he went on to play for Mt. Hood Community College during the ’76 and ’77 seasons and began his Linfield career in 1978. Although a shoulder injury and surgery made ’78 and ‘79 red shirt years for Casey, he returned to play the defensive side of the ball as a strong safety in ’80 and ’81.

After graduating from Linfield, he went on to coach at Dalles High School before returning to his alma mater as an assistant football coach, recruiting coordinator and baseball coach from 1985-94.

Casey then took his experience to Whitworth in Spokane, Wash., to serve as an assistant football coach until 2004.

When Casey played as a Wildcat, defense coordinator Mike Riley (1977-82) and head coach Ad Rutschman gave Casey what he described as “a very positive experience.”  Casey remarked that his attraction to small college teams prevails in their value of athletics.

“My coaching philosophy and mentorship come from coach Rutschman. He is such a moral, ethical person and very successful on top of it,” Casey said in a phone interview.

In addition to his time working with coach Rutschman, Casey’s ties to the community were some of the strong considerations for George Fox Athletic Director Craig Taylor.

“GFU and the Casey family go back a long way,” Taylor said in a phone interview.

“Chris is a person of very strong faith, I think there’s a real strong connection.”

Reportedly, a number upward of 80 candidates showed interest in the position, but Taylor was drawn to Casey’s football traditions.

“Chris rose to the top of a very strong candidate pool for a variety of reasons,” Taylor said.

With a total of 30 years as a player and coach, and 22 years in the NWC, Casey’s experience in the football community is extensive. His “play to excellence” attitude has earned him a reputation that has been widely recognized.

Casey was titled 6A Coach of the year in 2010, as he guided the once struggling football program of Aloha to the Oregon High School Class 6A Championship; a story that Taylor calls “amazing.”

Aloha wasn’t the only down-and-out program Casey invested in. During his 10 years coaching at Whitworth, he brought the team to a league title after it had been falling flat in the conference.

“Wherever he’s been, the program has risen,” Taylor said.

Casey plans to do the same with the revival of the Bruins football program, fully aware of the challenges ahead.

“We have to develop an identity, develop tradition and player leadership, those things are all going to take time,” Casey said.

“It’s not the challenge, but how you approach the challenge,” he said.

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Chrissy Shane/Staff writer
Chrissy Shane can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Juniors Josh Hill and Drew Wert, and senior Hayden Mace celebrate a touch down made in the third quarter Nov. 19 at home. Jessica Prokop/ Editor-in-chief

Senior Buddy Saxon makes a touch down during the second quarter, pulling ahead of California Lutheran for the first time during the game. Jessica Prokop/ Editor-in-chief

Head football coach Joseph Smith didn’t expect to see a team as tough and talented as California Lutheran University until at least the second round of the NCAA Division-III playoffs.

After his team’s thrilling victory over the Kingsmen on Nov. 19, every fan in attendance at Maxwell Field could have told you why. Junior defensive tackle Tyler Steele blocked a desperation field goal that would have sent the game to overtime with 33 seconds left and the ’Cats withstood a furious second-half rally to eke out a 30-27 win in the rematch against CLU.

“I firmly expected a tough game,” Smith said. “I felt like we had a chance to put it away and didn’t with a lot of our opportunities in the first half.”

For nearly the entire first half of play, the game seemed to be well in hand for Linfield. Junior
kicker Josh Kay led the charge early as the offense faltered in the red zone, booting field goals of 30 and 43 yards. Cal Lu added a shaky 40-yard field goal of its own to keep it close in the first quarter, but junior quarterback Mickey Inns added two scoring strikes of 13 and eight yards to senior receiver Buddy Saxon and junior receiver Deidre Wiersma in the second quarter to pull away at 20-3. The Wildcat defense did its part, picking off two passes by Kingsmen quarterback Jordan Laudenslayer thanks to senior cornerback and safety Christian Hanna and Drew Fisher.

“When we get put in a situation to get out there and make a stop, it’s on our shoulders,” Fisher said. “It’s exciting, and it’s what you play for.”

Just before the half ended, the Wildcats drew a controversial pass interference penalty that drew the ire of the Maxwell Field crowd. On the next play, Kingsmen quarterback Jordan Laudenslayer hit receiver Eric Rogers on a desperation touchdown pass as time expired and robbed Linfield of any momentum heading into halftime.

“The hail-Mary touchdown made it a different game,” Smith said. “But the team in the playoffs who adjusts and gets it done in the crisis situations wins.”

The Cal Lutheran surge continued into the third quarter, with the Kingsmen adding another 20-yard field goal on their opening drive.

Kay continued his strong play by knocking a 43-yard attempt straight through the uprights, but Laudenslayer scooted into the end zone to answer with a five-yard touchdown run.

The Kingsmen quarterback tormented the Linfield defense all afternoon, making plays with his arms (249 yards, one touchdown) and his feet (83 yards, one touchdown).

“They were doing some things differently than last time,” Inns said. “That’s what happens when you play a team more than once.”

Up only three points, junior tailback Josh Hill scored on a 14-yard screen pass from Inns to give the Wildcats some breathing room. Hill, who had a career game against Cal Lutheran in the season-opener, rolled up 172 all-purpose yards and carried the bulk of the offensive load throughout the contest.

Smith said the result was a team effort, but did praise Hill for stepping up when his number was called.

“Josh is an electric player,” Smith said. “He was the guy who we win or lose with today, and he came through.”

Shortly after the score, a pass by Inns was tipped, intercepted and returned for a touchdown to pull the Kingsmen within three once again.

After a Wildcat three-and-out, the Kingsmen drove for a field goal try to tie the game. Then, Steele rose above the pile and squarely blocked the kick, preventing overtime and preserving the victory.

“I hit the right guard square in the nose and drove him back,” Steele said. “You throw up anything you’ve got free, I threw up my left arm and it hit right on my left hand.”

The ’Cats were next slated to travel to Dover, Del., to face the Wesley College Wolverines in the second round of the D-III playoffs. Wesley, an independent that went 8-1 in the regular season, has advanced to the
national semifinals six of the past seven seasons and will pose a stiff road test for the Linfield Wildcats.

Smith said that he was stunned at the loaded quadrant of the bracket his team was placed in, but that no matter who the opponent is, the players and coaching staff relish the challenge.

“For them [the NCAA] to load a bracket like they did is really not right,” Smith said. “There are some roads easier to the semifinals than others and our bracket is not one of them.”

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Chris Forrer/Sports columnist
Chris Forrer can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

For the second consecutive week, the Linfield Wildcat football program found itself comfortably ahead at halftime of an NCAA Division-III playoff game. For the second consecutive week, their opponent found a way back into the game.

This time, however, there would be no heroic ending. The Wesley College Wolverines stormed back from a 20-point halftime deficit and rattled off 42 unanswered points in the second half en route to a 49-34 victory that ended Linfield’s playoff run.

Quarterback Shane McSweeny almost single-handedly won the game for Wesley, accounting for 433 of his team’s 497 yards of offense and six total touchdowns.

“I’ve never seen or been a part of 42 unanswered points, and for this to happen in the playoffs,
was even more heart breaking,” senior safety Drew Fisher said. “Wesley had some big dudes and some guys that could really play ball.”

Through two quarters of play, everything was going right for the ’Cats. The tough Linfield defense harassed McSweeny, forcing him out of the pocket and sacking him twice, as well as creating an interception by junior linebacker Brian Dundas in the second quarter.

Additionally, the defense repeatedly tackled McSweeny and other Wesley ball carriers for lost yardage.

Wesley would score once in the second quarter on a 46-yard dash by McSweeny, but still only picked up a meager 181 yards of total offense in the first half.

“Everything was working for us in the first half,” Fisher said. “We tackled well, made plays on the ball, and forced quick punts from the Wesley offense which kept the momentum in our favor.”

Two short field goals of 26 and 27 yards by junior kicker Josh Kay got the scoring started early before junior quarterback Mickey Inns began to light up the Wolverine defense.

After breaking open one big play after another, including a shovel pass to junior tailback Josh Hill that went for 42 yards and a 45 yard catch-and-run down the sideline by senior tailback Aaron Williams, Inns fired touchdown passes of one and 33 yards to senior and junior receivers Buddy Saxon and Lucas Jepson.

Overall, Inns would accrue 296 yards through the air in the first half alone. All these factors combined with a six-yard scoring run by Hill to create a 27-7 halftime margin.

“We were extremely well prepared and were ready to play,” senior center Hayden Mace said. “Our coaching staff had a great plan of attack, and we executed it well in the first half.”

With a 20-point advantage and receiving the ball to begin the second half, everything seemed to be going in favor of the ’Cats.

Within seconds of starting the half, things began to go awry, with sophomore safety Colin Forman fumbling away the opening kickoff to the Wolverines on his own 28-yard line.

McSweeny wasted little time and capitalized a few minutes later on a 15-yard scoring strike.

After Fisher stripped a Wesley receiver and senior cornerback Taylor Skore recovered, Inns marched the ’Cats deep into the Wesley territory, only to have a pass intercepted on the one-yard line and returned 99 yards for a touchdown.

“They took hold of the momentum and it was hard to create our own,” Mace said. “Every phase was slipping, and the offense wasn’t able to help stop the bleeding.”

From that point on, McSweeny and the Wolverines never looked back, scoring on their next four consecutive possessions to take a commanding 49-27 lead. The Wildcats would score once more to bring the score back to a respectable margin, but in garbage time after the outcome was no longer in doubt.

Wesley’s defensive unit stepped up to complement their prolific offense, holding the ’Cats to 153 second-half yards.

The loss overshadowed a heroic performance by Inns, who finished with a career-high 407 passing yards. The collapse ensured Linfield was headed home after a road playoff game for the third season in a row.

“Wesley has a great team, a top-five defense with excellent athletes,” Mace said. “We had them on the ropes and should’ve knocked them out.”

The game marked the end of the careers of 20 different Linfield seniors, many of whom were three or four-year starters.

Mace said the bonds he made with his teammates and coaches were unlike anything he’d ever been a part of and was severely disappointed to end his career on a note like this.

Fisher added that his times on the field would be among the greatest in his life, but more importantly, the friends he made would stick around forever.

He also had something to say about the future of the program after the departure of the seniors.

“Mickey played a huge role in answering any questions about our offense this season. Josh Hill brought the running game back to Linfield,” Fisher said. “I think the stones are set in place for another exciting season from the ‘Cats next year.”

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Chris Forrer/Sports columnist
Chris Forrer can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

The NCAA released the bracket for the 2011 Division-III football playoffs on Nov. 13 and was received with much surprise from pundits and student-athletes.

No. five Linfield, which captured the Northwest Conference Championship and therefore the league’s automatic bid to playoffs, is slated for a rematch against No. eight California Lutheran University on Nov. 19 at Maxwell Field.

This marks the fifth time in the past three seasons the two teams have faced off, with Linfield owning a 4-1 advantage in the series.

During an interview on Nov. 12, head football coach Joseph Smith said he did not expect to face Cal Lutheran in the first round of the playoffs.

“I’d be surprised,” Smith said. “Possibly Redlands [College], a team from the South they move in or someone else.”

The 2011 playoff bracket bucked several trends in seeding and regional grouping that had been present in prior seasons.

For example, this year’s bracket did not identify specific seeds, leaving fans and pundits alike unaware of how matchups in later rounds might play out in terms of which school hosts what game.

Also, playoff brackets from previous seasons of Division-III football generally have tried to keep teams from the same region in the same area of the bracket.

This season, according to www.d3football.com, the four bracket areas appear to be organized with four teams from the highest seed’s region and two teams each from two other regions. This could create many interesting and potentially difficult travel situations for teams.

Although the seeding was not revealed, it can be somewhat gleaned by identifying the bracket area’s top seed and working backward from there to get a rough idea of ranking.

Doing so reveals a few puzzling scenarios in terms of both seeding and location grouping.

For example, undefeated and 9-0 Linfield appears to have been inexplicably
seeded No. three in one
bracket area behind a one-loss Wesley College team seeded No. two.

This means that the NWC champion Wildcats could be on the road all the way to Dover, Del., where Wesley is located, as early as the second round of the playoffs.

Without being a part of the seeding committee and knowing exactly which team went where, and why, it’s impossible to fully grasp the logic in some of the stranger parts of this bracket.

However, according to junior quarterback Mickey Inns, the ’Cats are ready to take on all comers, starting with a much improved Cal Lutheran squad.

“It’d be fine by me, they’re a good team,” Inns said. “Our mentality is that we’ll be ready to go against anybody, anytime. We’re going to stick to that and ride it into playoffs.”

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Chris Forrer/Sports columnist
Chris Forrer can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Junior wide receiver Josh Hill darts past senior defensive line Angus Blair during the Nov. 12 game against Lewis & Clark at Maxwell Field. Joel Ray/ Photo editor

Linfield football secured its third consecutive Northwest Conference championship in a 47-14 blowout victory over the Lewis & Clark Pioneers on Nov. 12 at Maxwell Field.

The Pioneers and their normally explosive offense hit a wall against the Linfield defense, gaining only 347 yards of offense.

Lewis & Clark wouldn’t score until garbage time late in the game, but junior quarterback Mickey Inns carved up a porous Pioneer secondary for 296 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

“Things started clicking,” Inns said. “We focused on being steady and not turning over the ball this week. Turnovers would have been the only way we could lose.”

The offense couldn’t capitalize in the red zone early on and had to settle with two field goals of 25 and 27 yards by junior kicker Josh Kay to start the game.

Inns caught fire after that and tossed three of his four touchdown strikes in the second quarter.

Junior receiver Deidre Wiersma pulled in a short, 3-yard lob from Inns and senior receiver Buddy Saxon added catches in the end zone of nine and 10 yards to lead 34-0.

Meanwhile, the Linfield defense forced two Pioneer turnovers while limiting the Lewis & Clark offense to only 96 yards in the first half.

“We tried to scheme up what they do and take advantage of it,” head football coach Joseph Smith said. “From a schematic standpoint, I thought Mickey did a nice job of that.”

The ’Cats continued to pile on points in the second half. Kay booted two more field goals of 41 and 24 yards to begin the third and fourth quarters, respectively, while Inns tacked on his final touchdown pass on a 29-yard strike to freshman receiver Evan Peterson.

Kay’s four field goals and five PATs were good for second in the Linfield record books for points scored by kicking in a single game.

On the season, Kay has only missed a single PAT and is 11-14 on field goal tries and attributes his success to a stellar kicking unit.

“This year I’ve gained a lot of confidence,” Kay said. “I attribute a lot to my holder, my snapper. I’ve got a real good setup back there; I’ve got all day to kick.”

The Pioneers did find the end zone before the contest was over, but down 37-0, the outcome was already all but set. Sophomore quarterback Keith Welch scored his only touchdown of the day late in the third quarter before being replaced by backup Evan Stanbro. Stanbro added a touchdown of his own in the fourth quarter to set the final margin. Welch, who had been leading the NWC in many statistical categories, figured to cause some problems for the Linfield defense. However, according to Smith, the Wildcat scout team got an assist from alumnus Aaron Boehme in practice in the week leading up to the game.

“The biggest thing we did is have Boehme mimic him [Welch],” Smith said. “We had him suit down and play a little football.”

Having locked up the NWC crown and the automatic playoff bid that comes with it, the ’Cats now await the NCAA seeding committee’s playoff bracket announcement at 3 PM on Nov. 13 to learn of their first-round opponent. In a mock bracket produced on Nov. 13 by www.d3football.com, the ’Cats secure the No. two seed in the West Region and would play the 8-2 McMurray University Warhawks. However, no matter who Linfield is slated to compete against, Inns says the ’Cats are ready to “Send ‘Em Up.”

“Our motto this year is ‘Send ‘Em Up,’” Inns said. “We’ll be ready to go against anybody, anytime. We’ll stick to that motto and ride it into playoffs.”

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Chris Forrer/Sports columnist
Chris Forrer can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com

Senior Drew Fisher returns a punt during the game against Whitworth University on Nov. 5 in Spokane, Wash. Photo Courtesy of Kelly Bird

The No. 5-ranked Linfield football program faced its most difficult and surprising road test yet against the Whitworth Pirates on Nov. 5 in Spokane, Wash., and escaped with a 42-38 victory.

One missed and three blocked Whitworth PATs, two of them by sophomore linebacker Tyler Robitaille, proved to be the difference in the long run.

“It was a game filled with a lot of adversity,” senior center Hayden Mace said.

The game shaped up to an impressive passing duel, as junior quarterback Mickey Inns set career-high marks with 344 yards and five touchdowns.

Pirates quarterback Bryan Peterson owned the first half, however, lighting up the ’Cats’ usually stiff secondary for four touchdown strikes before halftime.

The Wildcats were out gained by halftime for the first time all season.

“They had some guys making good plays on the ball,” Mace said.

Linfield found the end zone twice on a short scoring run by junior tailback Josh Hill and a three-yard scoring lob to sophomore tight end Jacob Priester, but couldn’t get out of it’s own way for much of the first half.

The ’Cats fumbled the ball away twice in the first half and ran up 11 penalties for 104 yards, leading to a 25-14 halftime deficit.

“We made some mistakes,” Mace said. “We weren’t executing at a high enough level as a team.”

Inns and the offense wasted little time in the second half, marching down field on their quarter-opening drive to score on a 39-yard pass to junior receiver Deidre Wiersma.

Later in the quarter, Inns connected with senior receiver
Buddy Saxon for another score to put the ’Cats ahead.

The offensive outburst continued with two more touchdowns, one to Priester and another to junior tailback Stephen Nasca.

While the offense got rolling, the defense clamped down on Peterson with five sacks and an interception by sophomore safety Ian Zarosinski.

“It was great to see the offense bounce back a little after last weekend’s game,” Mace said, “But there is still a lot we need to improve on as a unit.”

Whitworth kept things interesting by scoring twice more on Peterson’s passes to pull to within four with three minutes remaining, but the Wildcats ran the clock out to preserve the 42-38 margin.

With the victory, Linfield moves to 8-0 on the season and faces Lewis & Clark College on Nov. 12 at home to decide the Northwest Conference Championship.

The winner will also receive the NWC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division-III playoffs.

“It’ll be great to be back in the Catdome next weekend playing in front of our home crowd for the conference championship,” Mace said.

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Chris Forrer/Sports columnist
Chris Forrer can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Senior safety Drew Fisher helps take down Menlo’s ball carrier Oct. 29 at Cartan Field in Atherton, Calif. Photo courtesy of Kelly Bird

Sophomores Tim Edmonds, Michael MacClanathan, and junior Tyler Steele take down Menlo’s ball carrier Oct. 29 at Cartan Field in Atherton, Calif. Photo courtesy of Kelly Bird

The No. 5 Linfield Wildcat football team ground out a 23-6 victory over No. 25 Menlo College in Atherton, Calif., on Oct. 29.

The ’Cats struggled in what became a closer-than-expected contest, gaining only 299 yards of total offense and accruing eight penalties for 99 yards.

According to sophomore tight end Jacob Priester, the team’s mental focus was out of sync.

“We had too many mistakes, missed assignments and penalties,” Priester said.  “We weren’t on the same page as a team.”

Junior quarterback Mickey Inns had a successful outing, racking up 255 yards and two scores, but also throwing a rare interception late in the game.

Both touchdown strikes were to junior receiver Lucas Jepson, the first coming early in the contest on a 31-yard missile to stake Linfield to a 7-0 lead.

 A blocked punt by sophomore safety Colin Foreman was scooped up by sophomore linebacker Tyler Robitaille and returned 24 yards to tack on another touchdown, though the PAT try by junior kicker Josh Kay was blocked.

 The play marked the third consecutive game Linfield special teams had scored on plays other than kick returns.

“Special teams again played a huge role,” Priester said. “The blocked punt was an important moment for us.”

A missed assignment allowed Menlo running back Thomas Reynolds to take off for a 40-yard touchdown run, but senior defensive tackle Joell Reyes blocked the ensuing PAT attempt.

Kay would attempt field goals of 37 and 34 yards before the half ended, hitting the first but pulling the second wide right. Menlo only gained 64 yards of total offense in the half.

“Their [Menlo’s] quarterback is a scrambler who can make plays with his feet,” Priester said. “The defense did really well against a player like that.”

The Linfield offense continued to sputter in the second half until Inns connected with Jepson again for a 71-yard catch-and-run down the sideline to ice the game with six minutes remaining.

 The team was able to grind out the victory by picking themselves up after every mistake and not pointing fingers.

The Wildcats face a difficult two-game stretch to close the season, beginning with a road game in Spokane, Wash., to face Whitworth University on Nov. 5.

The Pirates are 3-5 on the season but stunned Northwest Conference foe Willamette 25-24 in their last game Oct. 29.

The ’Cats close the season out with a showdown against undefeated Lewis & Clark College on Nov. 12 that will likely decide the NWC championship.

According to Priester, the team knows that more focus will be needed for these games than was given against Menlo.

“We have to work harder,” Priester said. “Today was pretty ugly.”

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Chris Forrer/Sports Columnist
Chris Forrer can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.