By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

SALEM, Ore.– There were so many emotions spilling out of Blanchet Catholic’s AJ Brown as he signed his Letter of Intent to play Football at Linfield University Monday afternoon at the school he’s called home these past few years.

All the work that it took for Brown to get here.  The late nights, early mornings, the grinding in between.  His sense of purpose and his drive.  It all led to this moment when he put pen to paper.

“All the hard work.  All the late nights and the early mornings.  All the grinding, it all paid off.  Up there, that’s all I was thinking about.  All the hard work and all the sacrifices and it all paid off.  I’m so thankful, God has blessed me in so many ways.”  Brown said.  “Just that drive and that purpose for me is setting that goal, wanting and going to grab it.  When I was a little kid and wanting to be a college athlete, whether that’s D3, D1, I had all the schools.  That drive and that purpose, lazer focus on that one thing and setting my mind to it, that’s where the purpose, that’s where the drive and that’s where it came from.”

Brown stepped up as a leader this past season, pointing towards the leadership of 2023 Blanchet-grad Spencer Kowalski that helped aid him into being the leader he became this past season.  The Cavaliers went 6-4 and reached the 2A State Playoffs before falling to Gold Beach in the opening round of the postseason.  For Brown, it was one of the best parts of this past season to be able to lead the squad as he did.

“That was one of the best parts.  It was leading the team, being one of the captains and leading us to the playoffs, that was big for us,” he said.

Now for the future.  He’ll be joining the NCAA Division-III powerhouse in Linfield and their rich tradition of winning football.  Feeding the streak is their mantra, and they hold their teams to that high-standard of winning.  

And it’s something that Brown is excited to be a part of starting this upcoming season.

“You’ve seen their resume, all they do is win.  That’s the program I’m coming to and I’m all for winning.  Winning is what I’m doing it for, I want to win and that winning tradition is one of the reasons why I chose Linfield.  All they do is win,” starts Brown. “They set the bar here (hand up high) and that’s what makes them so special.  I’m excited to get to work in the Fall, I’m excited for it.”

Photos By Jeremy McDonald