NEWBERG, Ore. --- Year eight of George Fox football kicks off Saturday night, Sep. 4, as the Bruins entertain the University of Redlands Bulldogs at Stoffer Family Stadium.

In a short period, head coach and Newberg native Chris Casey and his staff have constructed a winning program that is now an annual contender in the top tier of the competitive Northwest Conference. Casey returns a quartet of coaches who have been with the program since its first year of competition (the odyssey began with a "zero year" in 2013, in which the Bruins coaching staff and first recruits established the foundation of the program before playing their first games in 2014).

The Bruins should have a good idea of where they stand early in the season after a pair of non-conference games against Southern California Interscholastic Athletic Conference members Redlands and Chapman University. The two combined to go 19-3 in the 2019 season to occupy the top two spots in the conference and are both ranked in the NCAA Division III preseason top 25.

"The hope of the team is to maintain excellence and to be championship caliber in all that we do," said Casey. "We hope to maintain great togetherness and to persevere through all adversity. Football takes a tremendous investment of time and effort, so to be heading back into a full season is really exciting for our players because they love to compete and to just play the game they love."

"Togetherness" and "Perseverance" are just two aspects of the T.A.P.E. philosophy that helps mold the foundation of Casey's program, the other two parts being "Attitude" and "Effort".
"It's our mantra," said Casey. "Great qualities to play football by, and to also live life by."

Discounting the pandemic-altered 2020-21 season—in which George Fox played just two spring games against one opponent, setting aside the second half of game two for younger, less experienced players to compete—the Bruins carry a streak of four consecutive winning NWC seasons into 2021. A dozen returning starters and five former All-NWC selections will look to carry that momentum past the COVID-19 gap.

"We feel like we have improved greatly with the strength of our offensive and defensive linemen, our experience at the QB position, and our overall knowledge of our terminology, techniques, and philosophy," said Casey. "Playing the two games last spring really helped in these areas and we feel gives us a very good starting point going into the 2021 season." 

Chief among the returners is right tackle Brett Schuler, who will anchor the Bruins' offensive line after earning unanimous First Team All-NWC honors in 2019. Schuler is more than living up to his family name: older brother Nolan was a stalwart offensive lineman at GFU from 2014-18, becoming the first Bruin OL to earn all-conference honors. Schuler will be joined up front by fellow 10-game starter Kalen Akiu, who shifts from right tackle to center, where he started both spring games vs. Pacific (Ore.).

A product of Portland 6A powerhouse Central Catholic High School, junior Dylan Gabriel will man right guard after starting four games in 2019 and both games this past spring. New starters on the left side of the line include Mason Dominguez at left guard and 6-5, 325-pound freshman left tackle Zach Luworo. Jarius Jackson, who was a multi-sport athlete at nearby Tualatin High School will also be a regular contributor on the Bruin OL.

While the core of the Bruins' coaching staff has been with the program from the start, a high-profile newcomer joins the staff this season. Neil Lomax is a Portland-area legend who piloted the high-flying run and shoot Portland State University offense under Mouse Davis from 1977-80 before a stellar NFL career with the St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals. This is Lomax's first college coaching position after assisting at six area high schools since 1998, including his alma mater Lake Oswego (1998-2005). Lomax was the head football coach at Fort Vancouver High School from 2018-20.

Under Lomax's tutelage, Haiden Schaan takes over the starting quarterback position in 2021 after five appearances as a backup in 2019, and two spring starts under center. Veteran Austin Davis appeared in both spring games at quarterback. Two quarterbacks with freshman eligibility will also vie for snaps as Max Richey and Brennan Stults saw action at the position in the spring.

In the offensive backfield, leading ball carrier Ethan Kassebaum returns after averaging 4.7 yards-per-carry in 2019. Kassebaum did not participate in the 2020-21 spring campaign, nor did his backup Josiah Schmidt, both competing in track and field last spring. In the senior's absence, bruising fullback Faufano Autele was the most effective of a deep stable of backs to tote the rock against Pacific (Ore.), averaging 6.0 yards-per-carry with a touchdown. In all, a dozen different players carried the ball in the two spring games. In Kassebaum and Schmidt's absence, freshman Logan Candanoza got the bulk of the spring work, including six carries for 30 yards and a touchdown in George Fox's 35-7 win at Pacific on April 9. From a Prosser (Wash.) High School program with a championship pedigree, expect Candanoza, who has four years of eligibility remaining, to impact the Bruin running game in the years to come. Schmidt, in addition to spelling Kassebaum in the offensive backfield, will be GFU's primary kick returner.

The Bruins' aerial attack welcomes back an emerging star in the NWC in sophomore wide receiver Leon Johnson III. As a first-year player in 2019, the 6-foot-5 Johnson III led all Bruin WRs with 25 receptions and six touchdowns, averaging 18.0 yards per catch, and earned Honorable Mention NWC honors. A dual-sport athlete at George Fox, Johnson III did not play football in the spring as he was busy manning the outfield for the George Fox baseball team.

The rest of the WR group is mostly unproven. Senior Adam Hawker returns to provide a tall target in the slot at 6-3 and fellow senior Isaiah Ingram, son of offensive coordinator Ken Ingram, is back for his fifth year in the program to provide veteran leadership. Freshman Jaden Bolibol has looked good in fall camp and earned a starting role opposite Johnson III, while three other young players will make their first significant contributions on gamedays in sophomore Dillan Dobbins and freshmen River Osen and Elias Polanski. 

The Bruins have formidable depth at tight end with senior Chad Bletko, who played on a state championship team at Clackamas High School in 2017, and junior Ian Johnson who will contribute after seeing his first regular action in 2019 and playing in both spring games. Johnson participated in track in the spring and has impressed in fall camp. Sophomore Joshua Hauenstein will have four years of eligibility after manning the position during spring ball as a freshman.

On the defensive side, the Bruins have a big hole to fill with the graduation of 2019 NWC Defensive Player Of The Year Daniel Campos. The middle linebacker was a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award, given to the nation's top small college defender, and was the only conference player nominated. While the middle of the defense will see several new faces, the Bruins do return a pair of all-conference defensive linemen and a wealth of starting experience in the defensive backfield.

Senior Riley Lusk has had two years to recover from an injury that cost him all of 2019. Another alumnus of Washington powerhouse Prosser, Lusk was a force in the middle of the line for George Fox as a junior in 2018, with seven tackles behind the line and five batted passes on the way to earning First Team All-NWC. In his absence in 2019, Beaverton's Anthony Pasion stepped to the plate, producing three tackles for loss and 22 total tackles in his first season as a starter, earning Second Team All-NWC garlands. Pasion did not play in the spring, while Lusk appeared in both games for the Bruins. Aaron Valenzuela will man the other end of a deep defensive front after forcing a Pacific fumble during spring competition. Nate Koenig and Kyle Brabec will provide depth at end with sophomore Jaron Marks expected to see plenty of action at tackle. Cobey Aldrich and Cameron Bennett should also see action in the D-line rotation.

The linebacker unit will have a fresh look in 2021 as the Bruins look to replace all three starters and five players who saw action in every game in 2019. Beaverton native Josh Poppleton returns for his fifth year in the program after recording 23 tackles, including three behind the line of scrimmage in nine games in 2019. Sophomore Kobe Andrews led the Bruins in tackles in the spring, with 12 of them coming in the home game vs. Pacific. Sophomore Nash Wylie inherits Campos' middle linebacker spot and will have four years to show his stuff, while Grayson Ponce, Joe James, and Austin Brockamp will add depth to the second level.

The most experience on the defensive side of the ball returns on the back end, where the Bruins return four of five starters, including all three safeties. Justin Montijo tied with Andrews for 13 tackles in the spring and picked off a pass at Pacific, one of six turnovers forced by the Bruins in their 35-7 victory. In addition to a critical role at the back end of the defense, Montijo will be the primary punt returner while holding on PAT and FG tries.

Abe Smith also had an interception in the game with a return of 45 yards. From a Washington 4A annual football title contender Union High School in Vancouver, Smith's 10 passes defended in 2019 trailed only Campos. Montijo and Wyatt Adams, like Smith a fifth-year senior, are the Bruins' top returning tacklers from 2019, with Montijo tied for second and Smith fourth in total tackles in GFU's last full season of play. Adams' 10 tackles ranked third-highest on the roster in the spring twinbill. The coaching staff is expecting big things from newcomer Kiegan Schaan, quarterback Haiden's younger brother. Austin Canchola is another player with freshman eligibility who will be a part of the safety rotation.

At cornerback, Lucas Schwin returns after a strong performance at home against Pacific in the spring, where he recorded eight tackles, including two behind the line. Battling to replace the departed Caleb Harrel at the other corner is a pair of seniors, who each lettered in 2019. Chris McCoy has the most returning experience after appearing in seven games in 2019 and broke up a pass in the spring. Kross Knoll recorded eight tackles in the spring campaign after appearing in five games in 2019. Sophomore Matt Phillips is also in the mix at corner.

The kicking game will certainly be in sure feet this fall. While the Bruins break in a new long snapper in freshman Aaron Boyea, they return a pair of proven kickers and punters. All-NWC punter Jason Santoni is back for a fifth year after averaging 42 yards a boot with a long of 62 and no blocks in 2019. However, in the spring games, Ethan Hoffman punted in Santoni's absence and excelled, averaging 41.0 on 12 boots, while placing seven inside the 20-yard line with no touchbacks to earn an All-America nod. Both Santoni and Hoffman have previous experience at placekicker as well from 2019, so veteran special teams coordinator Ian Sanders and kicker/punter coach Scott Cannon will be in good stead. For now, Hoffman is handling PAT's and field goals, while Santoni should be one of the nation's top Division III punters while also handling kickoff duties. Suffice it to say, George Fox will likely have not one but two legs up on a lot of the competition this fall.

While the Bruins are going to get playoff-caliber competition right from the starting gun with Redlands and Chapman, the gameday approach stays the same for Coach Casey, his staff, and players.

"Since we treat every game exactly the same regarding both the mental and the physical, every game for us is, therefore, a key game," said Casey. "We consider every league game as if it is for the league championship."

NWC games commence with a trip to Pacific Lutheran on Oct. 2, while the Bruins welcome the Willamette Bearcats on Oct. 9 for their first conference home game. Only two NWC teams have finished ahead of George Fox in the NWC standings since the Bruins breakthrough 2016 season. The Bruins travel to 2019 champion Linfield on Sat. Oct. 20 and host 2018 champion Whitworth in the regular-season finale Nov. 13.