TACOMA, Wash. - The Puget Sound Loggers fell behind early but a
strong team effort kept them in the game as they nearly upset the
Linfield Wildcats, falling 32-24 in a Northwest Conference football
game on Saturday afternoon at Peyton Field at Baker Stadium.
The Wildcats broke onto the scoreboard first at the 11:03 mark in
the first quarter after the punt return by Isaac Blum (Torrey
Pines, Calif/Rancho Santa Fe) was fumbled and Dean Kongslie
returned the ball 13 yards to the endzone for Linfield. The
PAT by Scot Birkhofer was blocked by Dan Mensonides (Tacoma,
Wash./Whittier) as the 'Cats took the 6-0 lead.
Linfield scored again at the 5:57 mark in the first quarter when
Cole Franklin connected with Russell Sells for a 22-yard touchdown
reception and the Birkhofer attempt was good for a 13-0 lead.
The Logger bad luck continued two drives later when the option
pitch by Kavin Williams (Ocean Shores, Wash./North Beach) flew past
the Logger running back and out of the endzone for a safety.
The Loggers got on the scoreboard for the first time at the 12:16
mark in the second quarter when Williams ran 40 yards for a UPS
touchdown and the PAT attempt by Wyatt Evenson (Spokane,
Wash./Shadle Park) was good as the Loggers cut the gap to
15-7. The Loggers got within one with 7:06 remaining in the
first half when Williams scampered six yards to cap a six-play,
69-yard drive and get the Loggers within one point at halftime,
15-14.
The scoring continued in the third quarter as Birkofer kicked a
42-yard field goal with 12:16 remaining to give Linfield an 18-14
lead. Evenson and the Loggers answered back at the 6:46 mark
with a 26-yard field goal of their own to get back within one
point, 18-17. The Wildcats again stretched the load on their
next drive, moving 52 yards on five plays and capping it off with a
12 yard pass from Cole Bixeman to Travis Masters for a Linfield
touchdown and the Birkhofer PAT made it 25-17 after three
quarters.
The 'Cats continued to pull away on the first play of the
fourth quarter as Bixenman used the quarterback sneak to go two
yards and the PAT gave Linfield a 32-17 lead. The Loggers
didn't throw in the towel, driving 80 yards on their next drive,
culminating on a four-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Silas
Paul (Portland, Ore./Lincoln) and the PAT brought the Loggers back
within eight, 32-24. The Loggers had a chance to tie the
score near the end of the game but the Hail Mary attempt from
Spencer Crace (Wilsonville, Ore.) to Brian Eggers (Fort Collins,
Colo./Rocky Mountain) was complete as time expired but it was about
10 yards short.
Williams led the Loggers with 30 carries for 201 yards on the
ground with two scores and nine-of-21 passes for 145 yards passing
with one touchdown. Silas Paul finished with 12 carries for
41 yards while Isaac Blum caught a pair of balls for 99 yards to
lead the Logger receivers. On defense, the Loggers were led
by seven tackles from Eric Borton (Yakima, Wash./West
Valley). Mike Oates (Federal Way, Wash./Decatur) had a great
game as well, recording six tackles, including 1.5 sacks.
Linfield was led by five-of-eight passing for 104 yards and a
score from Bixenman. Franklin also had a passing score, throwing
for 76 yards on five-of-ten passes with two UPS
interceptions. John Toresy collected three catches for 90
yards to pace the 'Cat receivers. Defensively, Tyler
McCann led all players with 10 tackles while Taylor Summers had 3.5
tackles for loss, including two sacks.
The Loggers head down to Salem, Ore. next weekend to take on
Willamette. Kick-off with the Bearcats is set for 1:00 p.m.
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