In Linn’s final regular-season game on Friday, the Wildcats lost to Harrisburg in a conference matchup, 50-14.

Coach Steve Samson said the team had a solid start. “We ran the ball extremely effectively on the first drive, then we had a player removed from the game, and we then had to play some individuals that were not ready to play, which cost us in the long run,” he said. “But, throughout the game, we threw the ball really well. Hunter finished 10 of 15 for 200 yards and one touchdown, so we showed we can throw the ball when we need to. We just need to add that to our normal rushing attack to keep the defense guessing.”

Hunter Bish connected with Preston Keilholz on a 77-yard TD catch, but the two-point conversion failed.

Linn’s defense, meanwhile, held Harrisburg scoreless in the second half while adding a touchdown to the tally.

In the fourth, Knox Sowders punched it in from two yards out, and Bish found Paul Lopez for the two-point conversion.

Senior Craig Laughlin was sidelined with a knee injury. “Craig makes a difference on both sides of the ball,” said Samson. “I think we felt his absence more on the defensive side of the ball. Senior Joe Brandt came in at TE and did a great job for us. Going into our district game, we are down three starters, Craig, Cameron (Hoelscher), and Tommy (Scheulen), so we will have our hands full this week getting players ready to play Friday night.”

Bish also led the rushing attack with 38 yards on 12 carries, as Scheulen and Keilholz added 26 yards apiece, and Sowders ran for 19.

Lopez added 68 passing yards on five catches, as Tyler Wagner had 43 yards on two receptions to lead the team.

Defensively, Brandt’s 14 tackles (4 for a loss) paced the Wildcats, Connor Knoll posted six (1 TFL), Ben Muenks and Jakob Poston each had five, Owen Reichart added four, and Brayden Backes finished with three.

On Friday, the Cats travel to Urbana to play Skyline in the C1D4 tournament with kickoff at 7 p.m.

“We have a very good chance of winning this game,” said Samson. “We are only guaranteed 48 minutes this Friday; they have to earn another 48 minutes if they want it. If we play hard and limit our mistakes, we can play with Skyline.”

Samson praised seniors Laughlin, Brandt, Hoelscher, Wagner, Jake Bish, and Carson Kliethermes. “This year’s seniors have shown great leadership both on and off the field,” he said. “This group has been in the program all four years and has been a big part of the program’s growth. They continue to work hard in practice and set the standard for the rest of the team.”