“I know I’ll be surrounded by great people that will push and demand excellence out of me,” freshman quarterback Max Campbell said. “I knew the minute that I stepped on campus that the family feel of the team was something that I wanted to be a part of.”

Choosing where to go to school can be a big decision. Linfield football freshmen discuss their decision to attend the university and how their freshman fall is going. The athletes express nothing but praise for the school and the football coaching staff when asked about their reasoning behind choosing Linfield.

The culture and comradery inside the locker room and on campus isn’t the only thing that attracted them to becoming Wildcats, they also wanted to have a successful four years. “I wanted to be a part of the winning program and help build the streak,” freshman wide receiver Joshua Calo said.

The “Streak”, as it is known to the Linfield community, represents the 64 consecutive winning seasons for the football team, dating back to 1956. It is the longest streak of consecutive winning seasons in NCAA football; 22 seasons longer than the next closest programs Notre Dame, Harvard and Central College. 

Players can not only train with the team to maintain the streak, but they also have found a support system. “Everybody is really helpful and all there to help us with what we need. Especially with the fires and the pandemic, everybody has made it easier,” Calo added. 

Spirits are still high on the team, regardless of the weather conditions and the ongoing pandemic. “I’ve been thankful to be able to play football again. I’m thankful that the players and coaches are taking coronavirus and the smoke seriously,” said freshman QB Campbell. 

“It’s been fun. We’re still practicing, but it’s been a little annoying not knowing what your schedule’s going to look like and having to move inside,” freshmen safety Caide Biege-Wetherbee added.

Despite the ongoing conditions of the air quality and the COVID-19 pandemic, the new ‘Cats are still making the best of their freshman year. As of now, there is no set date for when the team will kick off the season, but it will be sometime in 2021. When the time comes, the Wildcats will be ready to hit the ground running and have a successful season.