Chase Lydig took his considerable football talents from the halls of White River High to the field at Linfield College, where he has continued to shine.

A sophomore defensive lineman for the Wildcats, Lydig was honored last week as a first-team selection when the Northwest Conference released its all-league teams.

The recognition follows a regular season in which the 6-foot-1, 250-pound Lydig ranked fourth in the NWC with 11.5 tackles for loss and sixth in sacks (five). Twice this season he registered two sacks in a game, once against Pacific Lutheran University and again when the Wildcats took on George Fox.

Lydig even managed to slip into Linfield’s offensive statistics with a touchdown reception against Lewis and Clark College. With the ball on LC’s one-yard line, the Linfield staff put Lydig on the field as a receiver and he hauled in the short pass for a score.

Lydig’s stellar sophomore season follows a letter-winning freshman campaign where he appeared in seven games and had three tackles.

Success is nothing new for Lydig, who capped his senior season at White River by earning first-team, all-league honors as both an offensive and defensive lineman. He received honorable mention for his offensive line play as both a sophomore and junior.

Lydig, a psychology major, helped the Wildcats to yet another successful season. Linfield went 7-0 to win the Northwest Conference title and was 8-1 during the regular season. The squad took on the undefeated Chapman Panthers Saturday in the first round of the Division III playoffs; results could not be included here.

Success is nothing new at the McMinnville, Oregon, college, where veteran coach Joseph Smith had compiled a record of 127-25 heading into Saturday’s playoff game. The Wildcats have won 10 consecutive NWC championships.

The nine-team Northwest Conference competes at the NCAA Division III level. Member institutions include four from Washington (Pacific Lutheran, Whitman, Whitworth and the University of Puget Sound) and five from Oregon (Linfield, Pacific, Willamette, George Fox and Lewis and Clark College). Of the nine, only Whitman does not field a football program.

Chase Lydig was honored for his performance on the defensive line, but also managed to haul in a touchdown pass for Linfield College. Photo courtesy Linfield Sports information