Football Season Begins for Bearcats with Game on Saturday Night at La Verne
By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University will begin the 2023 football season with a night game at the University of La Verne (Calif.) on Saturday, Sept. 2. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. PDT.
The Bearcats defeated La Verne 26-14 at McCulloch Stadium in Salem, Oregon, last season. Three years earlier in 2019, the Leopards defeated Willamette 43-33 in Southern California. Willamette leads the all-time series 3-1.
As the season begins, Willamette features several key returning players on offense, defense, and special teams.
On offense, top returning Bearcats include wide receivers Justin Genovia (Sr., Aiea, HI/Iolani School) and Tyler Epefanio (Jr., WR, Spokane, WA/Lakeside HS), running back Steven Wright (Jr., Hesperia, CA/Apple Valley HS), plus offensive linemen Dayton Roberts (Jr., Scottsdale, AZ/Desert Mountain HS), Dylan Carpenter (Sr., Ontario, OR/Ontario HS), and Gio Gallardo (Sr., Baldwin Park, CA/Sierra Vista HS).
Place-kicker Camdin Dirnberger (Jr., Missoula, MT/Sentinal HS) and punter George Wiles-Koehler (So., Montrovia, CA/St. John Bosco HS) also return for the Bearcats.
On defense, top returning players include Hogan Smith (Jr., DB, Prineville, OR/Crook County HS), Dylan Hall (Sr., LB, Erie, CO/Peak to Peak Charter School), La'Akea Like (Sr., LB, Littleton, CO/Columbine HS), Dominic Corado (Jr., DB, Lake Forest, CA/JSerra Catholic HS), and Raymond Pasay (Jr., LB, Turner, OR/Cascade HS).
Genovia hauled in a team-high 40 receptions last season for a team-leading 528 yards. He scored four touchdowns. In two seasons with the Bearcats, he has caught 65 passes for 772 yards. Epefanio, who missed five games due to injury a year ago, provides quickness and elusiveness. Last year, he grabbed nine passes for 184 yards and two scores.
In 2022, Wright carried the ball 94 times for 345 yards and two touchdowns. He will be joined at the running back position by transfers Cahlil Hooper (Grad., Harbor City, CA/Culver City HS/San Jose State Univ.) and Gabriel Herrera (Jr., San Jose, CA/Adrian C. Wilcox HS/Foothill College).
Roberts, Carpenter, and Gallardo gained significant experience on the offensive line over the past two seasons. They will provide leadership for several new and returning linemen, as Willamette looks to have a strong presence up front.
Dirnberger connected on all 16 extra points last season and converted 5 of 6 field goals. His longest field goal covered 43 yards. Wiles-Koehler punted 63 times in 2022 for an average of 31.6 yards per punt, while placing 10 kicks inside the 20-yard line. Twenty-two of Wiles-Koehler's punts were fair caught.
Smith led Willamette's defensive chart with 52 total tackles a year ago. He registered 34 unassisted tackles and provided 18 assists. Hall provided 30 solo tackles and 14 assists for 44 total tackle. He also earned 2.5 tackles for loss, including 2.0 sacks.
The efforts of Like resulted in 32 tackles and nine assists. He recorded 3.5 tackles for loss. Corado topped WU with six pass break-ups, while earning 23 solo tackles and 16 assists for 39 total stops. Pasay contributed 23 unassisted tackles and 15 assists for 38 total tackles. He had two tackles for loss and led the team with two blocked kicks.