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| Whether with a victory or without one, the Linfield and George Fox football teams went back to the West Coast with a few extra team experiences to show for their travels. @catdome_alumni on Twitter |
By Adam Turer
D3sports.com
Two of the top teams in the Northwest Conference traveled over 11,000 miles for non-conference contests on Saturday.
One returned victorious in its season debut. One spent a long flight thinking about what might have been after a one-point loss.
Both had memorable experiences, visiting national landmarks in New York after Saturday’s game.
And both have already turned the page to their Week 3 opponent.
“It helps you and your teammates build character, going on those long road trips together,” said George Fox running back Wesley Riddell. “The more we can do that, the better we feel about our chances later in the season. We’ll be more prepared when our opponents are tired or wearing down.”
The Bruins flew from Portland to Buffalo, via Chicago. They were delayed during their layover, and didn’t arrive in New York until 2 a.m. Friday morning.
“It forces you to adapt and adjust, which is good to learn how to do in life,” said Bruins head coach Chris Casey. “It’s always a great team-building experience on the bus, the plane, in the airport. It’s neat to see a different area of the country.”
Cross-country travel affords unique opportunities. Casey spent the delay in Chicago interviewing strangers, asking them questions with answers he would later relay to his team. He spoke to an airline ticketing agent, a bartender, a carpenter, and a fireman, and asked them what they feel makes them successful at their jobs.
“Their answers--teamwork, discipline, accountability, respect--are things we teach in football,” said Casey. “That confirms that the life skills and teamwork skills and human skills you’ll need in your family life and work are the same things we try to teach through football.”
Joseph Smith also delivered his team a lesson in humility. Following Linfield’s win over Rowan, the Wildcats were surprised with a trip to Manhattan. After a tiring two days of travel and earning a 35-14 victory over the Profs, most of the players fell asleep on the team bus. They were delighted to wake up to the bright lights of New York City. Smith took his team to pay their respects at Ground Zero, an experience his players will never forget.
“Getting a win was huge, and having the experience of going into New York and seeing Ground Zero was amazing,” said senior wide receiver Keaton Wood.
The postgame celebration was extra special for defensive back Tyler Bergeron. The junior, who spent five years away from the program serving in the Marine Corps, was able to reunite with some of his east coast Marine buddies from his time stationed in Maryland.
“We saw the 9/11 memorial which was humbling. A lot of guys were really moved by the experience,” said Bergeron. “As a team, we tried to make the travel a circumstance, not have it affect us. It was awesome.”
The Bruins visited Niagara Falls following their 15-14 loss at Alfred. Of course, it would have been more enjoyable under different circumstances, but the experience served as a welcome opportunity to hit the reset button. The Bruins were able to mentally throw their 0-2 start in a barrel and send it over the falls.
“It was cool to see Niagara Falls. We probably weren’t taking it in as much as we could have,” said Riddell. “It was a good place to go to clear our heads. It helped me calm down and clear our heads a little bit.”
The Wildcats remain on the road, and won’t play in the friendly confines of the Catdome until October 12. They travel next to Redlands, the team that defeated George Fox in Week 1. The Bruins have embraced their grueling scheduling, traveling to WIAC and Empire 8 teams in addition to the SCIAC power in recent seasons. The strength of schedule does not afford the Bruins time or reason to lick their wounds. It’s quickly on to the next one, in this case Pomona-Pitzer.
“Nothing changes. It didn’t matter if we played in New York, Hawaii, or at home. Nothing changes for us as far as our preparation for our next opponent. We won’t even discuss recovery from the trip,” said Casey. “Because you play tough opponents, it prepares you for our very tough league. Playing teams from different conferences, we see a variation of opponents, leagues, places in the country. We like playing top schools. When you have to reach for a higher goal, you get better.”
A bye week after 6,000 miles of travel sounds nice. But these players and coaches have no interest in complacency.
“The main message after the game was enjoy the win, but realize we have another short week ahead of us. We have to keep working and stay hungry. Another short week of practice keeps us focused, whereas a bye week might relax us,” said Wood. “It’s nice to start out on the road. You get tested, you travel, you know you get to come home for a pretty long homestand.”
Especially for the Bruins, turning the page quickly was welcomed.
“I think if we had a game or a bye this week, we would focus on this week and have a positive attitude and not focus on the travel,” said senior linebacker Austin Shadbolt. “We definitely wanted to come out with the win. Despite the loss, we see that we made some mistakes that we’ll turn around and we’ll capitalize on what we have done well.”
For both teams, Sunday was a long day. There was little to no sleep on Saturday night, an early flight on Sunday, and an adjustment returning to their native time zone. But there were bright spots. The players got to reunite with their teammates who didn’t make the long road trip. Over team dinner, they shared stories of the game and the postgame experience.
“It was awesome to get to experience New York City. After a win, that made it so much better,” said Wildcats quarterback Wyatt Smith. “Sunday was a long day. It felt like it was a 36-hour day. I think it’s nice to be able to start over again this week and have something to get us going. Without that, it would be easy to lay around and waste the week.”
While the Bruins began their journey on Thursday, the Wildcats waited until Friday to fly out. They held their Friday walkthroughs and meetings in airports. The players noted that, while at first they were skeptical of the short turnaround time, they benefited in a surprising way. Their bodies never had to acclimate to the time zone change. They didn’t have enough time.
Players from both teams appreciated how their respective training and coaching staffs made sure they stayed hydrated throughout the weekend. They did feel the east coast humidity in the second half, but nobody used the long travel as an excuse of any kind.
Both teams relished the opportunity to spend time bonding as a team, especially this early in the season. It’s one thing to share long hours in the video room, weight room, and locker room with your teammates. Few teams in the country have the opportunity to share cross-country air travel experiences with their teammates.
“It’s a team-building experience,” said Linfield’s Smith. “You spend every minute of the day with your teammates, which is different. It was exciting.”
“We have fewer guys and a longer time to hang out outside of football things and build camaraderie with guys you’re with but don’t always get to hang out with,” said Riddell, the George Fox running back.
The Bruins don’t shy away from any competition. The goal was to find a tenth game for the team, especially the seniors. When the Alfred game came together earlier this year, the players embraced the opportunity. Linfield’s players were excited in 2018 when they found out that they would be flying to New Jersey to face Rowan. The coaching staffs try to make the trips special, while still making game week as normal as possible.
“We want to make sure our guys have every opportunity to play,” said George Fox defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator John Bates. “We want to play the best, no matter where they’re at or where they’re from.”
An early season cross-country trip against a tough opponent from a strong conference is undoubtedly a test. The Wildcats prevailed, while the Bruins are more motivated than ever after falling short by the slimmest of margins.
“Our guys are excited to prepare for Pomona. The way we played in our last game hasn’t affected our guys,” said Bates. “They bounce back pretty easy and they’re pretty diligent in their work.”
“We’ve got a chip on our shoulder,” added Riddell. “We’ve played two tough games. We know how we could have performed.”
As beneficial and invaluable as the off-field experience was for both teams, the NWC foes headed back to Oregon with different perspectives. Linfield had a long flight home after last year’s debut, a loss to NAIA Carroll.
“The trip back last year after Carroll was miserable,” said Bergeron. “Everything tastes sweeter with victory. The trip back wouldn’t have been as fun if we didn’t come back with the win.”
