Linfield offense in good hands
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Casey Allen? Nope. Brandon Hazenberg? Sorry. Brett Elliott? Not this time.
Brad McKechnie? Who?
Never heard of him? Well now you have.
Senior wide receiver Brad McKechnie, known as “Keck” by his teammates, is credited with having the best hands on the team and it is in the shadows of the names listed above that he has been able to use those hands to help Linfield in its quest for a second straight Division III championship.
In the past two years, McKechnie has read about his teammates in USA Today and the New York Times. He’s seen their names scattered on multiple All-American teams. Yet, publicity and recognition have never been motivation for McKechnie.
“Bottom line, I just love football,” McKechnie said. “I’ve been playing since the third grade and I just love the sport.”
After an injury-riddled high school career where he broke his collar bone and leg, he opted to enroll at Linfield instead of following in his brother’s footsteps at Pacific Lutheran.
“I wanted to make my own name,” McKechnie said.
His junior year would have been a “name-making” season on just about any division III football team in the country. At Linfield, a couple of guys named Casey Allen and George Carter overshadowed Keck’s performance.
McKechnie tallied 55 catches for 818 yards and eight touchdowns but was still third on the team in receiving behind the aforementioned duo’s combined 36 touchdowns and 2,565 yards. Nonetheless, McKechnie found his opportunities to contribute and capitalized, culminating with a team leading 71 yards receiving in the 2004 Stagg Bowl victory.
”We don’t even wear the ring,” McKechnie said about the team’s 2004 championship rings. “We have to have that next ring.”
When previews of Linfield surfaced for the 2005 season, McKechnie’s name was still noticeably buried in the print. Instead, Elliott to Allen was the predicted connection that would lead the Wildcats to the Stagg Bowl. Or it was “Haze,” two-way player Brandon Hazenberg that would provide the breathtaking excitement for Linfield. Some mentioned the improved defense and its prominent role in the title defense.
Then Saturday came around and the Wildcats ran into the stone wall defense of the Concordia-Moorhead Cobbers. The Wildcats had shut out their last four opponents 83-0 in the first quarter but found themselves down 7-0 to end the first frame. It was the first time they had trailed since being down 7-0 to Southern Oregon in Week 7.
“We weren’t used to that situation,” McKechnie said thinking back to Saturday. “We were thinking ‘OK, what’s going on, we need to settle down and figure things out.’”
A bit stunned, the Wildcats turned to McKechnie. Elliott hit him with a 22-yard touchdown strike to tie the game at 7-7. The Cobbers continued to be a nuisance to the Wildcats carrying a 14-7 lead to halftime. After tying the game in the third quarter the Wildcats still couldn’t shake the defensive-minded Cobbers.
Tied 14-14 to start the fourth quarter, the Wildcats again turned to McKechnie who caught the go-ahead touchdown on a 7-yard pass from Elliott. It would prove to be the game winner.
“I know my role and I take it at that,” McKechnie said.
In their biggest challenge of the season, McKechnie was as reliable as ever. The Wildcats will need this type of performance from Keck the rest of the way in order to secure that second ring.
McKechnie participated with his classmates in commencement last spring. After the semester he plans to become a teacher — a perfect profession for someone used to not getting recognized for the impact he has on those around him.