NEWBERG, Ore. -- Saturday started and ended with celebrations for the George Fox football team — beginning with Senior Day festivities and ending with the Bruins' fourth straight win, 27-21 over Pacific.

How It Happened
The game began with back-to-back-to-back punts before Fox had the first substantial drive of the day. Fox marched down the field, with 10-yard gains from Taylor Saben, Tucker Land, and Kaelan Frey. Then came the familiar big play: JJ Leman to Karsen Denault. The two freshmen took advantage of a Boxer lineman jumping offside, with Leman finding his wide receiver down the sideline between two defenders for the 36-yard touchdown.

After an impressive Zak Holsey pass breakup, the Bruins were back in business. Fox took advantage of Holsey's play with an 11-yard completion to Holsey and a 10-yard run from Brody Snyder, setting up Ben Rembisz for his first field goal of the day, a 37-yarder to put the Bruins up, 10-0. 

Fox wasn't done yet — after a stop from Fox's aggressive, attacking defense, it was once again Leman to Denault. The two connected on what appeared to be another offside penalty, with Denault hauling in the ball for a 49-yard gain and setting the Bruins up at the one-yard line. One play later, Saben finished the job with a touchdown rush to give GFU a 17-0 lead.

The Boxers wouldn't go down without a fight, going on an 11-play, 79-yard drive to cut into their deficit. Keaton Smith found Riley Caramillo over the middle for a 32-yard score to make the game 17-7, Bruins. A 31-yard kick return from Saben gave the Bruins a chance to score again, but Rembisz's long field goal as time expired missed, keeping the halftime score at 17-7.

Denault set the tone in the second half, beginning with a reception to keep the Bruin offense humming. Two big completions from Leman to Sheyden Iokia put Fox in field goal range, with Rembisz's hitting his second of the day to give Fox a 20-7 lead.

Though Pacific would counter with a touchdown of their own, two big plays — one defensive and one on special teams — ended the period on a positive note for the Bruins. First, it was Reyn Asato, who picked off Smith in the red zone to prevent the Boxers from taking the lead. Then, after the Fox drive stalled, it was Noah Bjornstedt who stepped up; the long snapper raced down the field and recovered a wild muffed punt that bounced off a fallen blocker and gave the Bruins the ball at midfield.

The Bruins never had a play over 10 yards on their next drive, instead playing pickleball — dinking and dunking down the field to score their third TD of the day. Saben had five carries on the drive as the Bruins inched closer to paydirt. Finally, on the 10th play, it was Leman who found the end zone on a QB keeper, putting Fox up 13-27.

Star running back Brody Bantolina waited until the fourth to make his presence known. The Boxers' senior RB, who rushed for 134 yards in the game, broke free for a 16-yard touchdown to cut the lead to one score once again; with 6:44 left, the Bruins' lead was in danger, as Fox was a touchdown and extra point away from trailing, 27-21.

Pacific never saw the ball again. Taylor Saben, Brody Snyder, and Tucker Land all had carries as offensive coordinator Joshua Mondt put his trust in the offensive line — and they rewarded him for their trust. Toby Esqueda, Rylan McGraw, Lawa Ah Yat, Miky Amare, and Sean Brewster showed that they had been eating their broccoli and putting in work in the weight room, opening up holes in a defense that knew that the run was coming.

It all came to a head on a 4th & 1 at the Pacific 43 with 1:45 remaining. Fox chose to go for it and the win. It paid off. Taylor Saben recorded the eighth straight running play for the Bruins, gaining a pivotal two yards to give the Bruins not only the first down, but the win.

Saben's rush ensured that the other 18 Fox seniors (Jack Condon, William Moffitt, Dylan Palama, Caleb McElfish, Mason McBride, Reyn Asato, DeMontre Thomas II, Zak Holsey, Keanu Shim, John Ojeisekhoba, Dane Johnson, Geordie McNeill, Lawa Ah Yat, Jacob Erickson, Makoa Kaanapu, Connor Delamarter, Silas Kincaid, and Chris Holt) all walked away winners in their final game at Stoffer Family Stadium, as the Bruins captured their fourth straight win, 27-21.

Top Performances
JJ Leman ended the day 16-24 for 182 yards and one score, rushing for an additional touchdown as well. Karsen Denault, meanwhile, pulled in his touchdown to go alongside 106 yards. Taylor Saben rushed for 86 yards and a score, while Brody Snyder ran for 73 yards and a whopping 7.3 yards per carry.

Defensively, senior Caleb McElfish led the way for Fox, finishing with 10 tackles, while Ty Borde was right behind with nine. Kuyper Assink had the lone sack of the day for Fox, while Kaikoa Iokia, Austin Harrison, and Silas Kincaid all recorded a tackle for loss. Reyn Asato cemented his final game in Newberg with his first career interception.

On special teams, Ben Rembisz had two field goals, with a long of 37, while Riley Rutledge totaled 3 punts for 117, with a long of 51. Snapper Noah Bjornstedt recovered a fumble on a muffed punt for the Bruins.

What It Means
It's been a complete 180 for the Bruins, who have rallied from an 0-5 start to sit at 4-5 (4-2 NWC) on the season. Fox clinched their first winning record in Northwest Conference play since 2022 with the win, which also dropped Pacific to 3-6 (2-4 NWC) on the year.

What Happens Next
While Saturday was GFU's final game of the season, at home, they'll look to stay solid and find some peace in Tacoma to end the 2025 campaign against Spencer Crace's previous stop in Pacific Lutheran (5-4, 4-2 NWC). Kick off is scheduled for 1:00 pm.