HARRISBURG — Linn continued to show signs of progress Friday at Harrisburg, particularly on defense, as the Wildcats limited the Bulldogs to two touchdowns in a 14-0 loss.

Linn rushed for 76 yards on 38 carries and added 36 yards passing. Harrisburg finished with 259 yards of total offense, including 175 on the ground and 84 through the air.

For Linn coach Billy “Sonny” Sonnemaker, the result remained frustrating, but the performance also offered another indication that a young Wildcat program is moving closer to where he wants it to be. “You can see how close it is,” he said. “You can see guys that are there where they’re supposed to be. We’re still in that learning phase.”

One of Linn’s opportunities came late in the first half, when the Wildcats moved into position to threaten before time expired. Sonny said handling those situations is another part of the learning process for a team still gaining experience.

“It’s a situation that we haven’t practiced a whole lot,” Sonny said. “It’s just more growing pains of a young program. That’s the unfortunate side of a rebuild. You’re going to take those lumps against a disciplined ball club that’s done this a few times.”

Those lessons, however, are beginning to show up in smaller moments.

Sonny pointed to Paulie Lopez as one example. Before the game, he challenged Lopez to make it a goal not to be brought down by the first defender who reached him.

When Linn later called a jet play for Lopez, Sonny said he could see the message register as the play unfolded.

“You could see him run, and the guy was going to tackle him, and all of a sudden, you could see that little spark,” Sonny said. “The next day at weights, he was like, ‘Coach, I think I did what you coached me to do.’ He was so excited about it.”

For Sonny, moments like that remain important as Linn continues building a football foundation. “Yes, we want to win, but that’s the stuff we’ve got to remember with these kids,” he said. “They have not played football that much. We’re still learning football from the base groundwork, from the beginning.”

The Wildcats also continued to make strides on special teams.

Preston Keilholz has taken on an increased role with Aaden Nelson at less than 100%, and Sonny said Keilholz’s punting has become a weapon in helping Linn control field position.

“Preston has really stepped up special teams-wise,” Sonny said. “Preston is changing the field for us. He’s been working on it every day.”

That work has also drawn attention beyond Linn.

“We do have some colleges that have noticed his leg and his ability to flip the field for us,” Sonny said. “That’s really neat.”

Sonny said Linn’s athleticism continues to help the Wildcats on special teams even as the coaching staff works to build the fundamentals needed to expand what the unit can do. “We said it from the very beginning: We wanted to make special teams special and defense our emphasis, and we’ve done that,” Sonny said. “Now, how can we get that to translate to our offense? That’s where we’re lacking right now.”

Defensively, Linn kept Harrisburg from turning the game into the type of runaway contest the Wildcats have faced at times during their young program’s development.

One Harrisburg touchdown came after a Wildcat defender lost his footing, while another came when the Bulldogs were able to win a physical battle at the point of attack.

Even with the Wildcats still searching for their first victory, Sonny said the growth is becoming easier to see.

“We’re still going to give our best, and we’re still learning how to do this thing,” he said. “Ultimately, at the end of the day, we’re going to get this thing going, and we’re not far off. We just have to finally put it all together.”

Sonny compared the Wildcats to an engine that has yet to reach its full potential.

“We’re a big V8 engine, but we haven’t been firing on all cylinders yet,” he said. “Once this thing gets rolling, it’s going to be awesome.”