Offseason mode has just begun inside the Concordia University, Nebraska Football program. While the hunt for a postseason bid continues, the Bulldogs will carry winning vibes into 2026 thanks to a 21-17 victory over No. 19 Northwestern in the season finale. The conclusion felt especially satisfying considering the injuries that were dealt to some of the highest performing players on the roster. Whatever frustrations were felt, they faded as 23 seniors rang The Victory Bell on senior day.
The program’s ultimate goals are still out there, but Head Coach Patrick Daberkow (ninth season) felt a sense of pride in the character he observed in his players from August camp through the season finale in mid-November.
“I’m proud of the guys and their efforts,” Daberkow said a few days following the 2025 capper. “It was a great way to send out the seniors. Eight wins last year and seven wins this year is nothing to hang your head about. Certainly, we want to play in the postseason. That is the goal and that’s what we’re working towards. There’s zero doubt that these seniors left their mark, and it’s fun to send them out with a win.”
The season finishing triumph pushed Concordia to 7-3 and to third place by itself in the final GPAC standings. Those results put the program at 15-5 (.750) over the past two seasons, for a winning percentage surpassed only by Dordt and Morningside, among conference rivals. The 2025 Bulldogs proved the program has staying power after it returned only two offensive starters (and only one starting lineman on either side of the ball) from the ’24 squad that was ranked 18th nationally to finish the year.
This fall, Concordia opened at 4-0 and rose as high as No. 17 in the NAIA coaches’ poll. The season’s first loss was a difficult one to swallow – a 60-52 double overtime defeat at the hands of rival Midland after surrendering a 38-7 lead on homecoming. But the Bulldogs picked themselves up off the mat, and without stars Carlos Collazo and Carson Fehlhafer, rebounded to win games over Hastings, Briar Cliff and Northwestern over the second half of the season. The only two losses over that stretch came against the league’s two NAIA playoff qualifiers, Dordt and Morningside.
Daberkow and company avoided excuses even as injuries piled up. Daberkow never had to question the character of his group. An early indicator about the nature of these Bulldogs came at the start of fall camp when a storm with extreme wind gusts tore through Seward. Without prompt, members of the team dispersed throughout the town to assist with cleanup efforts.
“It’s pretty incredible if you think back to August,” Daberkow said. “We started out that first Saturday that we were together – about 4:30 in the morning that storm came through. I had a tree come through my dining room window. I had never seen Seward in that bad of shape as far as all the trees down and all the damage. I learned a lot about the character of our team early in fall camp with how our guys responded to that situation – with resolve, with tenacity and with urgency. It was cool to see that off the field and then to see that translate on the field.”
Within the team concept, plenty of Bulldogs enjoyed fine individual seasons. First Team All-GPAC accolades went to Fehlhafer, center Brevin Damrow, safety Daylon Henson, linebacker Grant Huss and do-it-all Adam Van Cleave. A total of 14 players were named all-conference honorees and a program record 24 student-athletes garnered NAIA Scholar-Athlete recognition. Furthermore, four Concordia players also earned an NAIA National Player of the Week throughout the fall, including Fehlhafer, Van Cleave, kicker Peyton Atwood and punter Braxtyn Koch.
Two significant individual records were broken in 2025. A bruising tailback out of Aurora, Neb., Collazo set a new program standard for rushing yards in a single game when he bulldozed his way to 283 rushing yards in the wild 52-43 win at Mount Marty. Collazo was leading the nation in rushing yards per game (147.8) when he went down with an injury versus Midland. The week before Collazo’s monster performance, Atwood drilled a 50-yard field goal at Waldorf for a new program record. The Grand Island native enjoyed a stellar season that also saw him become the school career record holder for PATs (121). The likes of Atwood, Koch and long snapper Max Wurdeman helped make up a strong special teams unit.
The Bulldogs will never know what might have been had Collazo and Fehlhafer remained healthy. The nearly unblockable Fehlhafer posted an eye-popping stat line in this season’s win over Dakota Wesleyan. His ledger included 13 tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks and two blocked kicks. Unfortunately, Fehlhafer missed the season’s final four games after suffering an injury at Hastings. In addition, Collazo missed six games and the game-breaking Van Cleave sat out two games (including the loss at Dordt).
Despite those dynamics, Concordia persevered. Said Daberkow, “We had several times this season where we had to come from behind in the fourth quarter to win. That takes character and that takes poise and resolve. I was really proud of our team for what they displayed. You think about the ups and downs of the season. Losing your starting running back, losing your All-American nose guard and having some of your most productive players miss games with injuries – it tests your depth. Our guys really rose to the occasion, and I was proud of players, our coaching staff, our athletic trainers and everyone involved.”
The evolution of the Bulldog offense has coincided with the program’s enhanced national profile. The ’24 team quarterbacked by DJ McGarvie averaged 38.5 points and 469.7 yards per game. This year’s squad parted ways with McGarvie, All-American Austin Jablonski, 1,000-yard running back Mark Arp and the entire starting offensive line. The results remained impressive as a unit steered by quarterback Gideon Stark averaged 34.8 points and 396.2 yards per game.
The Magnolia, Texas, native Stark was sacked only three times all season. He was kept clean by a starting offensive line of left tackle Derek Campbell, left guard Kadence Velde, center Brevin Damrow, right guard Seth Moore and right tackle Jeremiah Vasquez. With their help, Stark became the second quarterback in program history to eclipse both 20 touchdown passes and 2,000 passing yards in a single season.
Stark’s favorite target was Van Cleave, who amassed 1,341 all-purpose yards and 11 total touchdowns. Throughout the year, Van Cleave found the end zone as receiver, rusher and kick returner in a display of his versatility. Van Cleave earned the bulk of the carries at running back once Collazo was sidelined. Calvin Sassaman also contributed two 100-yard rushing games. The other top pass catchers were Jonny Puelz (31 for 519 yards and nine touchdowns), Max Bartels (40 for 446 yards and three touchdowns) and tight end Maddox Rickertsen (19 for 323 yards and three touchdowns).
On the defensive side of the ball, there were ups and downs. Concordia allowed averages of 31.0 points and 384.1 yards per game. The unit finished strong by shutting out Northwestern in the second half of the season finale. In that contest, Huss eclipsed 100 tackles for the season. Huss was joined at linebacker by transfer Dylan Meyer, who led the team with 16.5 tackles for loss. At safety, Henson continued to star as a playmaking safety and scored two touchdowns on botched punt snaps. An experienced secondary also included Luke Penrod, Will Potratz, Jacob Rolen and Jaden Seier.
With the season in the books, Daberkow and his staff shift focus to offseason player development while intensifying recruiting efforts. As part of his postgame remarks on the Bulldog Coaches Show, Daberkow went into a detailed discussion of how the program goes about the recruiting process.
“One thing we’ve really identified is how important it is to get to know players before you offer them,” Daberkow said. “A lot of what happens in college football is programs are offering kids before they really get to know them. I think it’s a recipe for disaster. We want to make sure we’re bringing the right guys into the program. We’re not the best fit for everybody. We want to make sure the kids get a feel for what it’s like to be here and for the standards and expectations that we have. We really feel like we have a good thing going. It’s hard to argue against that. I think that’s being recognized on the recruiting trail. We know what we’re looking for, and we feel like we have a lot to offer. It’s a fun place to be in. It’s pretty obvious the direction we’re headed. We’re confident in that and we feel like we can bring value to a young man who’s looking for a college football experience.”
In other words, the Bulldogs seek high character young men with the ability to get the program over the hump and into the NAIA Football Championship Series. Concordia will gear up to make another run at it in 2026.
Concluded Daberkow, “You want to die in battle in the playoffs, but the way we finished the season, I felt like was an exclamation point. It shows the direction the program’s headed. We’re excited to prep for team 100 now.”