LINN — Linn knew going into Friday’s Homecoming game against Russellville that it would be a tough, physical contest, and a large crowd of students, parents, and alumni cheered the Wildcats until the very end of the 49-12 loss.

“Anytime you get to play on your home field is special,” said Coach Steve Samson. “Our crowds are always great, and Friday night was no exception. We have a tremendous fan base, and I know that the players really appreciate them, as does everyone associated with the program.”

Mid America Bank hosted a pregame tailgate at the Lions Club barns adjacent to the athletic complex, serving food and beverages while giving everyone an opportunity to catch up. Youth players sported their uniform jerseys in support of the program, and excitement permeated the atmosphere.

On the field, an unfortunate bounce led to a fumble on the opening kickoff, which gave the Indians a short field to start the contest.

“We are playing a lot of freshmen and underclassmen, trying to give the starters a break on special teams,” said Samson. “Footballs don’t always bounce perfectly.”

Russellville scored three first-quarter touchdowns to take a 21-0 lead before Linn scored.

Tommy Scheulen had another solid running game with 106 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns, including a 61-yard scamper achieved after battling through the defensive line.

“Tommy is starting to hit the line lower and harder than he did earlier in the season,” said Samson. “He is not picking his hole, but running through the hole, so he is getting to linebacker depth faster.”

Cameron Hoelscher added 40 yards on five carries with a long of 22, and Tyler Wagner ran the ball seven times for 34 yards, including a 15-yard gain that set up Scheulen’s second TD run from four yards out in the second. “Tyler and Cameron have good speed, and we need to take advantage of that when we can,” said Samson.

Linn had three big plays on the ground, which Samson attributed to solid blocking. “Those three plays were probably the best blocked all night, which is why they went for big yardage,” he added. “We have to continue coaching. We have to be perfect on everything we do, and finish every play, to start putting runs like that together, one after another.”

The Wildcats also made connections through the air, as Hunter Bish went 2-5 for 21 yards with a long of 11, and Wagner was 2-4 for 18 yards with a long of 12. Paul Lopez caught two passes for 18 yards, while Craig Laughlin had an 11-yard completion, and Hoelscher gained 10 yards on the pass he caught.

Linn trailed 35-12 at the half and held Russellville to a pair of touchdowns in the second half.

Defensively, Linn played well at times. “We are still struggling with getting lined up properly and still have a hard time setting the edge on sweeps,” said Samson. “Any time you run the option, players have to do the jobs that are assigned to them (dive, QB, and pitch). At times, we tried to do more than we needed, and players were not able to get back to their original assignment, which cost us.”

Laughlin posted 11 tackles, including one for a loss, and Jason Greer added 11 tackles, with Wagner adding 10, followed by Connor Knoll, Joe Brandt, Scheulen, and Hoelscher (6 apiece), Preston Keilholz (4), Landon Brown and Aaden Nelson (3 each), Bentley Hertzing and Ben Muenks (2 apiece).

Linn travels to Tipton on Friday for a Central State 8 showdown against a tough team.

“Tipton is a great program, and they are playing really well at this point,” Samson noted. “We are going to have to work our tails off this week and not worry about Tipton, but worry about what we have to do to be successful during the game. We are going to have to really work on blocking and tackling this week, but we are also going to have to make sure our alignment is correct and get off the ball on both offense and defense. Tipton will take advantage of any mistake you make, so we are going to have to play exceptional defense Friday and try to take away some of what they want to do.”

The game begins at 7 p.m.