2023 Football Schedule/Results

5-5 overall | 5-5 GPAC (T-4th) | Season Stats | Roster

Date	Opponent	Location	Result	Record
Sep. 2	*(1) Northwestern College (Parents' Weekend)	Seward, Neb.	L, 35-48	0-1, 0-1
Sep. 9	*University of Jamestown	Jamestown, N.D.	W, 27-23	1-1, 1-1
Sep. 16	*(19) Dordt University	Sioux Center, Iowa	L, 7-38	1-2, 1-2
Sep. 23	*Dakota Wesleyan University (Homecoming)	Seward, Neb.	L, 12-16	1-3, 1-3
Sep. 30	*Briar Cliff University	Seward, Neb.	W, 35-23	2-3, 2-3
Oct. 7	*(3) Morningside University	Sioux City, Iowa	L, 6-62	2-4, 2-4
Oct. 14	*Hastings College	Hastings, Neb.	W, 44-23	3-4, 3-4
Oct. 28	*Midland University	Seward, Neb.	L, 37-39 (2 OT)	3-5, 3-5
Nov. 4	*Doane University (Senior Day)	Seward, Neb.	W, 55-26	4-5, 4-5
Nov. 11	*Mount Marty University	Yankton, S.D.	W, 45-21	5-5, 5-5

2023 Roster

No.	Name		Pos.	Yr.	Ht.	Wt.	Hometown	Previous School
0	Jordan	Kavulak	DL	Jr.	6-3	245	Bee, Neb.	Seward HS
1	Mark	Arp	RB	Jr.	6-0	185	McCook, Neb.	McCook HS
1	Deegan	Barnes	DB	Fr.	5-11	185	Ignacio, Colo.	Bayfield HS
2	Adam	Van Cleave	WR	So.	5-11	175	Columbus, Neb.	University of Nebraska
3	DJ	McGarvie	QB	Jr.	6-3	190	Valparaiso, Neb.	Lincoln North Star HS
3	Calvin	Sassaman	DB	Fr.	5-11	170	Wahoo, Neb.	Bishop Nuemann HS
4	CJ	Dyhrkopp	ILB	Jr.	6-1	235	Columbus, Neb.	Columbus HS
4	Tanner	Frahm	DB	Fr.	5-10	185	Plainview, Neb.	Plainview HS
5	Myles	Lyons	CB	Jr.	6-1	165	Fort Worth, Texas	South Hills HS
5	Beau	Psencik	RB	Sr.	6-2	205	Houston, Texas	Lutheran S Acad./University of Nebraska
6	Cole	Coffey	WR	Jr.	6-1	170	Lincoln, Neb.	Lincoln North Star HS
6	Carson	Core	DB	Sr.	6-0	170	Seward, Neb.	Seward HS
7	James	Carnie	WR	So.	6-6	210	Norris, Neb.	Norris HS / University of Nebraska
7	Kyle	Sterup	DE	Jr.	6-5	250	Osceola, Neb.	Osceola HS
8	Luke	Penrod	DB	Fr.	6-1	190	Lincoln, Neb.	Lincoln Christian HS
8	Dominic	Philippi	WR	Jr.	5-9	150	Bruning, Neb.	Bruning-Davenport-Shickley HS
10	Braxton	Borer	DB	Fr.	6-1	175	Columbus, Neb.	Columbus Lakeview HS
10	Jake	Justice	WR	So.	6-7	210	Houston, Texas	Lutheran South Academy / Texas Tech
11	Michael	Doiel	S	Jr.	6-0	200	Manhattan, Kan.	Manhattan HS
11	Gideon	Stark	QB	So.	6-7	220	Magnolia, Texas	Concordia Lutheran HS
12	Karsten	McCarter	S	Jr.	6-0	175	Elm Creek, Neb.	Elm Creek Public Schools
12	Collin	Reetz	QB	So.	6-6	205	Estes Park, Colo.	Estes Park HS
13	Carsen	Arline	WR	Sr.	5-11	185	Nederland, Texas	Nederland HS
13	Will	Potratz	DB	Fr.	5-7	155	Lincoln, Neb.	Lincoln East HS
14	Luke	Lang	TE	Sr.	6-3	230	Brentwood, Calif.	Heritage HS
14	Gabe	Schmidt	DB	Fr.	5-11	170	Lincoln, Neb.	Lincoln Lutheran HS
15	Daylan	Russell	TE	Jr.	6-3	230	Alma, Neb.	Alma HS
15	Quincy	Trent	DB	Fr.	6-0	185	Louisville, Neb.	Louisville HS
16	Chase	Hofmeister	DB	So.	5-10	155	Pender, Neb.	Pender HS
16	Austin	Jablonski	WR	Jr.	6-4	215	Lincoln, Neb.	Lincoln Pius X / University of Nebraska
17	Ari	Holmstrom	QB	Fr.	6-2	170	Omaha, Neb.	Omaha Westside HS
17	Brice	Stokes	DB	Fr.	6-1	165	Sutter, Calif.	Sutter Union HS
18	Mason	Edwards	RB	Jr.	5-11	197	Wichita, Kan.	Maize South HS
18	Isaac	Rezac	DB	Fr.	5-9	170	Norfolk, Neb.	Norfolk HS
19	Tyler	Douglass	RB	Fr.	5-10	180	Grand Island, Neb.	Grand Island Northwest HS
19	Jaden	Seier	DB	So.	6-1	185	Kearney, Neb.	Kearney Catholic HS
20	Eli	Schmid	WR	So.	5-11	160	Oshkosh, Neb.	Creek Valley HS
20	Landon	Washington	DB	Fr.	5-11	175	Omaha, Neb.	Omaha Burke HS
21	Caleb	Matlock	WR	Jr.	5-10	170	Omaha, Neb.	Concordia Academy
21	Dylan	Smith	CB	Jr.	5-10	170	Denton, Neb.	Lincoln HS
22	Carter	Johnson	DB	So.	5-11	170	Anselmo, Neb.	Anselmo-Merna HS
22	Devin	Zeigler	RB	Sr.	5-7	190	Houston, Texas	Cy-Fair HS
23	Grant	Huss	LB	So.	6-0	205	Lincoln, Neb.	Lincoln Southwest HS
23	Peyton	White	K	So.	5-10	150	Leavenworth, Kan.	Leavenworth HS
24	Josh	Palacios	WR	Jr.	5-11	165	Katy, Texas	Cypress Park HS
24	Gavin	Weichel	DB	So.	6-1	200	Plymouth, Neb.	Tri County HS
25	Arcullous	Heard III	RB	Sr.	5-11	235	Maryland Heights, Mo.	Lutheran HS of St. Charles
25	Daylan	Henson	DB	So.	6-0	200	Pearland, Texas	Lutheran High North
26	Jesse	Herndon	LB	So.	6-2	230	Saronville, Neb.	Sutton HS
27	Jayson	Flack	LB	Fr.	6-0	190	Arvada, Colo.	Bellevue Christian HS
28	De'Vaughn	Tolliver	DB	Fr.	5-11	165	Houston, Texas	Cy-Fair HS
29	Max	Bartels	WR	So.	6-3	175	Lincoln, Neb.	Lincoln Lutheran HS
30	Joe	Kahrs	ILB	Jr.	5-11	240	Naponee, Neb.	Franklin HS
31	Max	Wurdeman	LB	Fr.	6-2	185	Parker, Colo.	Legend HS
32	Nick	Price	WR	So.	5-11	185	Colusa, Calif.	Colusa HS
33	Keith	Bell	DB	Fr.	6-0	185	Centennial Colo.	Valor Christian HS
34	Broedy	Amend	WR	Fr.	6-3	152	Milliken, Colo.	Roosevelt HS
34	Carlos	Collazo	RB	Fr.	5-10	205	Marquette, Neb.	Aurora HS
35	Zachary	Downs	DL	Jr.	6-1	195	Montgomery, Texas	Lake Creek HS
36	Isaac	Wilson	S	Jr.	6-0	175	St. Louis, Mo.	Lutheran HS South
36	Luke	Wilson	WR	So.	6-2	185	Larned, Kan.	Bethel College
37	Jake	Connell	DB	Fr.	5-11	165	Hyannis, Neb.	Hyannis HS
39	Peyton	Atwood	K	Fr.	6-1	185	Grand Island, Neb.	Grand Island Northwest HS
39	Nikko	Reyes	DB	Fr.	5-11	175	Colorado Springs, Colo.	Liberty HS
40	Hunter	Cole	TE	Jr.	6-2	215	Decatur, Texas	Decatur HS
40	Michael	Grindey	ILB	Sr.	6-1	230	Phoenix, Ariz.	Brophy Prep. / Creighton University
41	Jha'mauri	Erilus	DB	Fr.	5-9	150	Kileen, Texas	Ellison HS
42	Gabriel	Knisley	DB	Jr.	5-11	220	Goehner, Neb.	Seward HS
43	Noah	Brumm	TE	Fr.	6-4	190	Seward, Neb.	Seward HS
43	Nick	Leader	LB	Sr.	6-3	205	Lincoln, Neb.	Lincoln Southwest / Univ. of Nebraska
44	Maddox	Rickertsen	TE	So.	6-2	225	Gothenburg, Neb.	Gothenburg HS
45	John	Fehlhafer	K	Fr.	6-1	180	Utica, Neb.	Centennial HS
45	Mason	Fortney	LB	So.	6-3	200	Ashland, Neb.	Ashland-Greenwood HS
46	Zach	Krajicek	LB	Fr.	5-9	175	Yutan, Neb.	Yutan HS
47	Nathan	Bash	LB	So.	6-6	195	Plattesburg, Mo.	Plattsburg HS
48	Reed	McFadden	ILB	Jr.	6-1	240	Purdum, Neb.	Sandhills HS
49	Lukas	Lafler	LB	Fr.	6-0	215	Lincoln, Neb.	Lincoln Christian HS
50	Derek	Campbell	OL	So.	6-4	305	Geneva, Ill.	Geneva Community HS
50	Jayden	Wolf	LB	Fr.	6-1	200	Geneva, Neb.	Fillmore Central HS
51	Chase	Gibbs	DL	Fr.	6-2	250	Kirkland, N.M.	Kirkland Central HS
51	Sean	Mieints	LB	Fr.	6-2	180	Gothenburg, Neb.	Gothenburg HS
52	Brevin	Damrow	OL	So.	5-9	240	Plymouth, Neb.	Tri County HS
52	Kaden	Sears	LB	Fr.	5-10	200	Blair, Neb.	Blair HS
53	Coale	Holeman	DL	So.	6-0	300	Missouri City, Texas	Ridgepoint HS
53	Jarrod	Villareal	OL	So.	5-11	330	Conway, Ark.	Warren HS/Feather River College
54	Cohen	Carpenter	OL	Jr.	6-4	250	Manvel, Texas	Fort Bend Christian/Abilene Christian
54	Tyler	Thomas	OL	So.	6-1	255	Broken Bow, Neb.	Broken Bow HS
55	Carson	Adams	DL	So.	6-1	230	Geneva, Neb.	Fillmore Central HS
55	Joseph	McQueen	OL	Jr.	6-3	265	Millsap, Neb.	Brock HS
56	Jackson	Anderson	OL	Jr.	6-1	245	Highlands Ranch, Colo.	Valor HS
56	Drake	Trent	LB	Fr.	6-3	215	Yutan, Neb.	Yutan HS
57	Ty	Fuller	OL	Jr.	6-2	220	Orlando, Fla.	West Orange HS/Iowa Wesleyan Univ.
57	Jeremiah	Vasquez	OL	Fr.	6-3	285	Edwards, Colo.	Battle Mountain HS
58	Sven	Gredelj	DL	So.	5-11	260	Republic Of Croatia	Iowa Central CC
58	Christian	Schlepp	OL	Sr.	6-2	265	Manhattan, Kan.	Manhattan HS
59	Layne	Bugarske	OL	Fr.	6-4	255	Boerne, Texas	Boerne-Samuel V Champion HS
59	Sterling	Harp	NT	Jr.	5-10	265	Salina, Kan.	Southeast Saline HS
60	Eli	Grover	OL	So.	6-0	325	Eugene, Ore.	College of Siskiyous
63	Braxton	Mech	OL	So.	5-11	230	South Bend, Neb.	Ashland-Greenwood HS
65	Carter	Meier	OL	Fr.	6-1	275	Pierce, Neb.	Pierce HS
66	Toby	Hager	OL/LS	Sr.	6-2	285	Buena Park, Calif.	Sunny Hills HS
67	William	Swanson	OL	Fr.	6-3	340	Lincoln, Neb.	Lincoln Southeast HS
68	Scott	Cyr	OL	Fr.	6-0	215	Papillion, Neb.	Platteview HS
69	Tyler	Walford	OL	Jr.	6-3	300	Lincoln, Kan.	Ellsworth HS
70	Noah	Schaedel	OL	Jr.	6-2	245	Lincoln, Neb.	Lincoln HS
71	Nathan	Miller	OL	Jr.	6-5	280	Seward, Neb.	Seward HS
72	Bryce	Needham	OL	Jr.	6-2	250	Katy, Texas	Katy HS
73	Terry	Sebek	DL	Fr.	6-1	250	Hampton, Neb.	Nebraska Christian HS
74	Blake	Schlegel	OL	Jr.	6-6	325	Bruning, Neb.	Bruning-Davenport-Shickley HS
75	Seth	Moore	OL	Jr.	6-5	280	Kearney, Neb.	Kearney Catholic HS
76	Nick	Sazama	OL	Sr.	6-5	260	Norfolk, Neb.	Norfolk HS
77	Gavin	Mull	OL	Sr.	6-3	275	Roanoke, Texas	Byron Nelson HS
78	Matthew	Kern	DL	Fr.	5-11	280	Washington, Kan.	Washington County HS
79	Braden	Hackmer	OL	Jr.	5-9	280	Hungerford, Texas	Boling HS
80	Zack	Burke	WR	Jr.	6-4	185	Sidney, Neb.	Sidney HS
81	Logan	Knaus	TE	So.	6-2	175	Hildreth, Neb.	Wilcox-Hildreth HS
82	Charles	Nshimiyimana	K	So.	5-9	160	St. Louis, Mo.	Roosevelt HS
83	Josiah	Loftis	WR	Fr.	6-2	160	Tulsa, Okla.	Lincoln Christian School
84	Ethan	Kirby	TE	So.	6-5	240	Stewardson, Ill.	St. Paul Lutheran HS
85	Justin	Ningen	WR	Jr.	5-10	170	Chapell, Neb.	Creek Valley HS
86	Braylen	Muhle	WR	Fr.	6-0	170	Gretna, Neb.	Gretna HS
87	Jayson	Guthard	P/TE	Fr.	6-6	190	Sumner, Neb.	Sumner-Eddyville-Miller HS
88	Champ	Porter	TE	Fr.	6-2	220	Spanish Fork, Utah	America Leadership Academy
89	Hunter	Schultz	DB	Fr.	6-0	175	Wayne, Neb.	Wakefield HS
91	Stephen	Hughes II	DL	Jr.	6-1	250	Denver, Colo.	Columbine HS
92	AJ	Frazey	DL	Fr.	6-4	210	Seward, Neb.	Seward HS
93	Carson	Fehlhafer	DL	So.	6-4	300	Utica, Neb.	Centennial HS
94	Talatau	Solo	DL	Jr.	6-2	230	San Bernardino, Calif.	Pacific HS
96	Admir	Mujkic	P/K	Fr.	6-5	210	Lincoln, Neb.	Lincoln East HS
97	Jack	Freeman	DL	Jr.	5-11	245	Palm Coast, Fla.	Flagler Palm Coast HS
98	Brock	Ostdiek	DL	Fr.	6-0	225	Beatrice, Neb.	Beatrice HS
99	Devon	Polley	NT	Jr.	6-1	285	Edmond, Okla.	Edmond Memorial HS
	Logan	DeCoste	QB	So.	5-11	190	Hay Springs, Neb.	Hay Springs HS
	Zac	Dowgiallo	S	Jr.	5-10	170	Viera, Fla.	Viera HS
	Gabe	Ellis	ILB	Jr.	6-1	208	Kingsdown, Kan.	Bucklin HS
	Jaxson	Kant	OLB	So.	6-0	195	Norfolk, Neb.	Lutheran High Northeast
	Eric	Kieper Jr.	NT	Sr.	6-3	275	Lacombe, La.	Lakeshore HS
	Ben	Myers	QB	So.	6-3	206	Seward, Neb.	Seward HS
	Anthony	Nauman	DB	Jr.	5-11	185	Beatrice, Neb.	Beatrice HS / University of Nebraska
	Travis	Parsons	S	So.	6-0	219	Round Rock, Texas	Concordia Lutheran HS
	Devin	Rathman	S	Sr.			Hastings, Neb.	Heartland Lutheran HS
	Coy	Rosentreader	QB	Fr.	6-0	205	Clatonia, Neb.	Wilber-Clatonia HS
	Karson	Sherman	LB	So.	5-10	180	Glenvil, Neb.	Sandy Creek HS
	Brady	Soukup	OL	Jr.	5-10	210	Blair, Neb.	Blair HS
	Cody	Wilkerson	DL	So.	6-2	260	San Antonio, Texas	Southside HS

STAFF

Patrick Daberkow, Head Coach

Corby Osten, Defensive Coordinator

Trent Laune, Special Teams Coordinator / Defensive Backs

Grady Koch, Assistant Football Coach

Kevin Crume, Assistant Football Coach

Bryce Simnacher, Graduate Assistant (Offensive Line)

Wyatt Nickels, Graduate Assistant (Defensive Backs)

Greg Nelson, Quarterbacks

Von Thomas, Offensive Assistant

Courtney Meyer, Specialists

Ron Jackson, Defensive Tackles

Vince Beasley, Receivers

Justin Hoffman, Defensive Line

Chris Shipley, Inside Linebackers

Kordell Glause, Outside Linebackers

Jaxson Kant, Student Assistant

Todd Berner, Director of Strength and Conditoning

David Chouinard, Athletic Trainer

Season Preview: 2023 Concordia Football

August 25, 2023

Head Coach: Patrick Daberkow (27-31, 7th year)
2022 Record: 4-6 overall, 4-6 GPAC (T-6th)
Key Returners: WR Carsen Arline; DB Isiaha Conner; LB Michael Grindey; WR Austin Jablonski; DL Jordan Kavulak; S Gabe Knisley; TE Luke Lang; QB DJ McGarvie; OL Gavin Mull; DL Devon Polley; OL Christian Schlepp; DL Kyle Sterup; RB Devin Zeigler.
Key Losses: DB Kam Baker; DL Eric Kieper Jr.; WR Korrell Koehlmoos; OL Kaden Peters; OL Johnny Robinson.
2022 NAIA All-America: Korrell Koehlmoos (Honorable Mention).
2022 GPAC All-Conference: Michael Grindey (First Team); Korrrell Koehlmoos (First Team); Kaden Peters (Second Team); Devon Polley (Second Team); Kam Baker (Honorable Mention); Isiaha Conner (Honorable Mention); Luke Lang (Honorable Mention); DJ McGarvie (Honorable Mention).

Media Day wrap up from July 17

Outlook

Over the final six outings of the 2022 season, Concordia University Football averaged 33.2 points per game while adding explosive offensive capabilities to a program already known for rugged, run-to-the-football defensive tenacity. Behind returning record-breaking quarterback DJ McGarvie, the Bulldogs aim to hit the ground running this fall in a reversal of how things got started a year ago. There’s a quiet confidence brewing and a belief that the final 2022 record belies the talent inside the program.

Now entering year seven as head coach of his alma mater, Patrick Daberkow guides an outfit not far removed from a 7-3 campaign in 2021. The expectation is that Concordia will be much better than the squad that tied for sixth place in the GPAC last season. The Bulldogs were pegged sixth in the 2023 GPAC preseason coaches’ poll.

“We feel like we worked a lot of our kinks out last year,” Daberkow said. “We had some guys step up into some different roles. A year ago, going into our first game, where we were at compared to where we’re at this year, I feel a lot more confident. There were some unknowns going into last season. We feel like we have a lot pieces in place now. I just love the leadership of our locker room. I think our upperclassmen do a really good job. We have some new coaches on staff who have made a huge impact. We’re really excited about what’s happening in our program.”

Concordia boasts legitimate star power on both sides of the ball as McGarvie and receiver Austin Jablonski highlight the skill position group on offense and tackling machine Michael Grindey and disruptive nose tackle Devon Polley rank among the top returners defensively. In scrimmages this preseason, the Bulldogs have passed the tests with flying colors. An offensive line ravaged by injuries in 2022 is beefed up and decidedly more veteran while there appears to be more speed on the outside. Defensively, coordinator Corby Osten’s units have been consistently solid year-to-year.

That’s not to see there are no question marks. Concordia said goodbye to its top offensive lineman (Kaden Peters) from a year ago and lost the services of record-setting receiver Korrell Koehlmoos. Like many others in the GPAC, the Bulldogs have yet to get over the hump that exists in the form of league powerhouses Morningside and Northwestern and recent playoff qualifier Dordt. Daberkow would like to believe his program is in the process of closing the gap.

“It’s a different year,” Daberkow said. “Every team has its own unique identity. I’m really excited about how our staff has embraced what we’re trying to build as far as building up young men to grow in their faith and compete for a GPAC title. That’s something that we want to do. If we’re serious about that, then it’s about the steps we take. It’s the direction of your feet, not the words from your mouth that matter.”

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Grindey can talk with the best of them – he’s a sociable guy. But he certainly backs it up. The Arizona native earned First Team All-GPAC accolades in his very first season as a starter. The former club rugby player and Creighton University student exemplifies the type of high character player that Daberkow and his staff seek in recruiting.

Grindey joked at a media day in July that he’s “super loud,” but the joking stops when it comes to football. Says Grindey, sounding like a seasoned coach, “We’re just taking things one day at a time. The next step is film this afternoon. It’s having a great film session this afternoon and having a great practice this afternoon. We just continue to take steps one at a time. We just had a scrimmage and I think that went pretty well. We’re excited about our game against Northwestern.”

Grindey and the defense feel confident they will be backed by a strong offense. McGarvie threw for 2,553 yards and 18 touchdowns last season and will have a nice group of targets at his disposal this fall. Jablonski (36 catches for 483 yards and three touchdowns) is a breakout star in the making and Carsen Arline (40 catches for 409 yards and a touchdown) is a proven pass catcher. Tight end Luke Lang came on strong last season while transfer receiver Adam Van Cleave has home run hitting ability.

In the backfield, the duo of Devin Ziegler and Mark Arp combined for 961 rushing yards and five touchdowns last fall. They will run behind a bulked up offensive line with an average weight of 283 pounds within the projected lineup. At guard, former all-conference performer Christian Schlepp is back from injury for his fifth year inside the program. There are plenty of others with various levels of experience here such as Jackson Anderson, Toby Hager, Nathan Miller, Gavin Mull, Blake Schlegel and Tyler Walford.

The program’s highest scoring average during the GPAC era was 29.4 in 2015. This team appears plenty capable of flying past that mark. Said Daberkow, “Yards and points are what I care about – that’s it. I don’t care how we get first downs. If we have to run a fake field goal every down to get points, we’ll do that. We are comfortable doing things we haven’t done before if they can be effective. Trying out new things is fun. Last year we had some things that were broke, and we had to fix it. This year we feel like we can get creative with things and have some more fun with what we’ve built.”

As for his quarterback, Daberkow has glowing remarks. “He’s gotten better every year that he’s been here. He’s a competitor. He knows football so well. Coach (Greg) Nelson, our quarterbacks coach, has done a great job with that whole room. Our quarterback play has really improved. It’s been fun to see DJ step into a leadership role. If there’s a mistake that’s been made, he knows about it before you even talk to him. He knows what went wrong, and he can diagnose and troubleshoot things. We really have a high level of trust with him. I love his leadership.”

Polley picked up Second Team All-GPAC accolades last year on the other side of the ball. He made 15 tackles for loss while tearing up opposing backfields. He’ll have help up front from the likes of Kyle Sterup, Carson Fehlhafer, Stephen Hughes and more. Fehlhafer is back on the defensive line after filling in on the offensive line when injuries struck in 2022. Sterup registered 63 tackles and five sacks in ’22.

The aforementioned Grindey is the leader of the linebacker crew, featuring CJ Dyhrkopp, former defensive lineman Tal Solo, Michael Doiel, Zach Downs and Grant Huss. Concordia is essentially replacing two starters in this group after graduating Lukas Coe and watching Nick Leader get sidelined by injury.

In the secondary, there are plenty of veterans as starters return in the form of Isiaha Conner, Carson Core and Gabe Knisley. Both Core and Knisley are Seward High School graduates. The latter ranked second on the team with 77 tackles in 2022 while Conner paced the squad with four picks. In its 3-3-5 alignment, Concordia will make use of several other defensive backs, including returners such as Myles Lyons, Jaden Seier and Karsten McCarter, among others.

The defense was steady last season in limiting foes to 25.3 points and 369.4 yards per game. Says Grindey, “It all starts with the guys up front – Devon Polley and Kyle Sterup are two guys that come to mind. My job would be extremely hard without them – and also the guys in the secondary. It’s a team thing. Stats and all that are cool, but I love how the team plays and performs as one unit.”

The special teams units (overseen by Trent Laune) will have a different look as the Bulldogs may wind up with a true freshman at both kicker and punter. Burners in Jablonski and Van Cleave are candidates at the returner spots. Elsewhere, Hager is back for another season of long snapping and McCarter is likely to serve as the holder. Daberkow was encouraged by what he’s seen in the kicking game up to this point.

He’s already been asked about it several times this offseason. Daberkow is well aware that the defending national champions are coming to Seward for the season opener on Sept. 2. Concordia knows what kind of challenge that will be, but it remains focused on internal improvement, rather than being overcome with worry over any single opponent.

As Daberkow poses to his team, “Are we backing up what we say we’re about? Does our behavior match our talk? That’s something I think this group has embraced. I’m excited to see it get lived out.”

Grindey offers similar words, “It’s about the process. If we take the right steps, the outcome will take care of itself. This team is really focused on the day-to-day, one day at a time and what the next right thing is in the process.”

The entire 2023 schedule can be found HERE. After the matchup with Northwestern, the Bulldogs will go on the road for two outings before coming back home to host their homecoming game on Sept. 23.

Grindey: the rugby player turned HS football coach turned star Bulldog backer

September 1, 2023

Upon high school graduation, Michael Grindey found himself on the Creighton University Rugby Football Club because he “enjoyed the violence and the tenacity” of the sport and because he liked “being able to hit people.” A September 2018 Facebook post from the Creighton club team announced Grindey as the team’s “forward of the match.” Though a native of Chandler, Ariz., Grindey was meant for such a life sparring on the playing fields of the Midwest, where the leaves turn vibrant colors and where the ground becomes frozen like rock.

Grindey is the type of football guy who welcomes brutally cold winters and can’t wait for the next big bone-crunching tackle that inspires a wave of energy to run through himself and his teammates. Arizona is nice, but this is where his roots are.

“I was coaching high school football in Arizona and I was looking to get back to Nebraska somehow,” Grindey explained. “I found small-town Midwest Concordia Nebraska and met with Coach (Patrick) Daberkow. I think the biggest thing was we saw eye-to-eye on our goals and what we wanted to do with the program. I was really excited to be part of it. He’s a man of God. I look at Coach Daberkow and I see the love of Christ poured out toward our team. That was very attractive to me as a young Christian myself. I wanted to grow in my faith and play for an elite football team.”

Born in Omaha, Grindey attended Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix, where his parents Jim and Julie, moved the family. Michael has two brothers, John and Patrick. His father Jim graduated from Creighton and his mother was later employed by the school. So when it came time to choose a college destination, Michael wanted to go back. This wasn’t necessarily how he thought things would go – he’ll turn 24 years old before this football season ends – but he’s glad he’s here now. The First Team All-GPAC linebacker piled up 92 tackles in 2022 and stands out as a leader within Coach Daberkow’s program.

The word ‘outgoing’ is one you’ll often hear attached to Grindey. He joked with members of the media back in July that “I’m super loud” and that you’ll “probably hear me before you see me.” Yes, No. 40 is someone who will command attention. He’s a talker, but he’ll walk the walk.

Grindey has certainly won over Defensive Coordinator Corby Osten, who will count upon Grindey to help slow down defending national champion Northwestern in the season opener. Says Osten, “He talks to the seniors, he talks to the coaching staff, he talks to the offensive guys and he talks to the freshmen. He’s always willing to have a conversation. He’s very personable. He’s just a genuine dude and really authentic. It’s who he is. He’s very real.”

The path to success for Grindey has been one with twists and turns. He spent two years playing rugby at Creighton and a year away from college. During that year, he coached high school football in taking after his father. That opportunity seemed to rekindle the desire Grindey had to put back on the helmet and the pads. He wanted to go back to Nebraska, where his brothers had relocated for their own collegiate pursuits. It wasn’t going to be Creighton this time. Michael was going to find a place in Nebraska to play football. As he put it, “When I was in Arizona and it was November, I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt and not a flannel and jeans, it kind of upset me.”

As Grindey recalled of his recruiting visit, “I remember driving there and eating lunch at the café in Seward and I just fell in love with it. There’s nothing better than smalltown college football. I wanted to come back to Nebraska and be close to my brothers. I love the Midwest. I actually like the cold. I like the fall. We don’t really have that in Arizona. I fell in love with Seward and Concordia.”

Grindey arrived at Concordia in the fall of 2021 and earned immediate playing time. Naturally, Grindey was going to be overshadowed at the linebacker position by All-American Lane Napier, the leading tackler in the history of the GPAC conference. That was fine with Grindey, who could play off Napier and observe one of the school’s all-time greats. Unfortunately, that first season as a Bulldog was cut short by injury. Grindey finished with 17 tackles in five games while still waiting to burst onto the scene.

His time was coming. Osten and the coaching staff had an idea of what was in store. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound football-aholic became a tackling machine. He registered 27 tackles over the season’s first two games and never relented. Grindey ranked near the top of the GPAC with an average of 9.2 tackles per game. In Concordia’s 3-3-5 defensive alignment, Grindey has the freedom to simply run to the football and make plays. He’s willing to do whatever the coaches ask of him.

“He’s all in,” Osten said. “It’s refreshing to have someone like him who’s extremely coachable. He might want to know why, but he’ll come in and talk about it. In the moment, he’ll trust you and he’ll go and do it as hard as he can do it. The effort level he does things is different from a lot of people. He’s all effort all the time. He loves to play football. Going to practice is fun for him. He loves practice and going fast at practice.”

In interviews, Grindey will exude his infectious personality, but he also has a way of speaking like someone who is already a coach. He’s not trying to get too far ahead of himself. He might want to crack that triple-digit tackle number this season, but he’d never say it publicly. He wants to make this season successful from a team perspective.

“We’re just taking things one day at a time,” Grindey said back in the middle of August. “The next step is film this afternoon. It’s having a great film session this afternoon and having a great practice this afternoon. We just continue to take steps one at a time. We just had a scrimmage and I think that went pretty well. We’re excited about our game against Northwestern.”

One day he likely will coach a team of his own. The experience he’s had in Nebraska has prepared him for whenever that opportunity comes about. Grindey even spent this summer working as a strength and conditioning intern within the University of Nebraska football program.

“I had the honor to work with Coach Cory Campbell and Coach Matt Rhule this summer,” Grindey said. “That was a lot of fun. I think it revitalized by love for football and my love for coaching. I’m just excited to get back out on the field and keep playing.

“I would love to coach college football. That’s kind of the plan. There were a lot of cool connections made there. I coached high school football for a year and was in their weightroom coaching. I really miss that. It really brought that passion back. It was just cool to see the way things were run. It was a really cool opportunity to be part of.”

Talk about cool – that word describes Grindey’s journey to this point. He’s the type of player and person that Daberkow and his staff seek on the recruiting trail. They’ll be searching for the next ‘Michael Grindey story’ in the years to come.

Says Daberkow, “I don’t know of any story that is quite like Grindey’s. We don’t have any other 23- or 24-year-olds – he might be 26 by now. He’s got an awesome story. God brought him here.”

Grindey would agree with that statement. Added Grindey, “I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do so I went home to Arizona for a year and worked and coached high school football. That’s when I rediscovered my love for football. I pretty much ended up walking onto Coach Daberkow’s doorstep and saying, ‘Hey, I haven’t played in four years, but I’d love to play.’ Rugby was great at Creighton. I loved playing rugby, but I’m really glad to be playing football.”

Concordia pushes No. 1 Northwestern to the wire in shootout defeat

September 2, 2023

SEWARD, Neb. – It goes down in the loss column, but the 2023 Concordia University Football team gave top-ranked defending national champion Northwestern all it could handle in the season opener on Saturday (Sept. 2). In a good old-fashioned shootout, eight second half possessions in a row resulted in touchdowns as the teams traded blows. Ultimately, the firepower of Jalyn Gramstad and the Red Raiders won out, 48-35, on a stifling hot day inside Bulldog Stadium.

Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad fell short of an upset that would have sent shockwaves across the NAIA football landscape, but it showed it has the makings to far exceed last season’s 4-6 record.

“I think we have a team that believes,” Daberkow said. “Our guys have put a lot of work in and you’d like to see us come away with a better outcome, but we’ve got a lot of season left. We got 90 percent of the regular season left. Let’s do the next right thing, no finger pointing and let’s not make the same mistake twice. Let’s get back to the drawing board and go beat Jamestown.”

The ’22 Bulldogs broke the program record for average total offensive yardage per game, but that record will likely be put in jeopardy by the ’23 Bulldogs. Quarterback DJ McGarvie operated an offense that churned out 529 total yards up against the defending national champions. Concordia hung with Northwestern thanks to second-half touchdown drives that covered 33, 58, 72 and 75 yards, respectively. McGarvie finished with 413 passing yards and fired two touchdown strikes to Austin Jablonski and one to Luke Lang.

Afterwards, Northwestern Head Coach Matt McCarty gave credit to the Bulldog staff for its offensive game plan. Not only did McGarvie eclipse 400 passing yards for the second time in his career, two Bulldog receivers surpassed 100 yards, Adam Van Cleave (11 catches for 140 yards) and Jablonski (nine catches for 122 yards), and Devin Zeigler went past 100 yards on the ground. Zeigler and running back mate Mark Arp both found the end zone once on Saturday.

The sequence that made a possible upset feel real occurred immediately after halftime. Returning First Team All-GPAC linebacker Michael Grindey picked off a Gramstad pass at the Red Raider 33. On the ensuing play, McGarvie hit an uncovered Jablonski for a walk-in 33-yard touchdown. The deficit was cut to 21-14 at that moment. The fireworks were just getting started. Concordia just might have an offense to compete with anyone in the country.

“It’s pretty close,” McGarvie said when asked about how the performance aligned with offensive expectations. “Obviously we need to work on some things here and there, but we’re excited about what we did today. We’re excited about how we moved the ball against them.” Added McGarvie of the back-and-forth offensive explosiveness, “It was very fun. It was a very competitive game. We knew we were going to be in a dogfight. So did they.”

Other than the Grindey pick, the Bulldog defense failed to contain Northwestern’s offense over the final 30 minutes. Konner McQuillan ran wild for 252 yards and two touchdowns while Gramstad added 227 passing yards, 91 rushing yards and five total touchdowns. Star receiver Michael Storey reeled in 11 passes for 159 yards and three scores. The back breaker came with 3:49 remaining in the game when Gramstad plunged over the goal line from two yards out to complete an 80-yard drive.

From an overall perspective, it was hard not to be encouraged by how Concordia made this a four-quarter battle while faced with the NAIA’s preseason No. 1. Said Daberkow of the quick start after halftime, “I thought it was a good response to being down two touchdowns to the No. 1 team in the country. We get the interception and punch it in on the very next play. Coach (Greg) Nelson did a great job – and Coach (Grady) Koch – with the play calling. I was really excited about some of the progress we’ve made there. It’s disappointing that we didn’t kick it in a little earlier.”

Grindey, Isiaha Conner and CJ Dyhrkopp led the Bulldogs with nine tackles apiece on a day when Concordia was constantly chasing after explosive plays. Concordia got one additional turnover when Logan Meyer fumbled near the goal line and the ball was recovered in the end zone by defensive end Kyle Sterup. The offensive-oriented affair made for a light day for the punters, who combined to punt six times on the afternoon. New Concordia kicker Peyton Atwood made all five of his PAT tries.

This was the 17th career start at quarterback for McGarvie, who is in the process of rewriting the school’s passing records. By day’s end, he reached 40 career touchdown tosses (fourth most in program history) and also moved up to No. 4 on the program’s all-time passing yards list with 4,450 yards. He leapfrogged Kurt Earl (4,158). He has plenty of weapons at his disposal with the return of Jablonski, Lang and Carsen Arline and with the addition of the transfer Van Cleave.

The longest road trip of the 2023 season is up next. The Bulldogs will be headed to Jamestown, N.D., for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff next Saturday (Sept. 9). The Jimmies have begun this season at 0-2 with losses to Valley City State University (N.D.) and Midland. Since Jamestown joined the GPAC beginning with the 2018 season, Concordia has won four of the five series meetings.

Zeigler runs for three scores as Bulldogs rally for victory at Jamestown

September 9, 2023

JAMESTOWN, N.D. – The Bulldogs possessed the ball for just 17:01 and trailed by as many as 10 points on a Saturday (Sept. 9) that did not quite go as scripted. Ultimately, the Concordia University Football team celebrated when Kyle Sterup’s sack came on a do-or-die final play of the game. The sack punctuated the comeback win for the Bulldogs, who emerged from Jamestown with a 27-23 victory. The Jimmies’ ability to play keep away from the Concordia offense nearly paid off.

Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad needed the victory after dropping a shootout with No. 1 Northwestern in the season opener. The Bulldogs have now won five of the six all-time meetings versus Jamestown.

“Hats off to Jamestown. They’re a good football team,” Daberkow said. “This is a very tough place to play. Jamestown always presents some challenges. To be able to get out of here with a win, we’re happy. Obviously we want it to be cleaner than it was. One thing I’m encouraged by is that we made as big of mistakes as we could make in all three phases and we were resilient enough to delete them, move forward and come out of this place with a win.”

After the defense spent seemingly the entire first half on the field, the Concordia offense took advantage of its second half opportunities while riding strong-as-an-ox Devin Zeigler at running back. Zeigler finally gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the game when he raced 21 yards to the end zone on third and two. Concordia had erased what once was a 17-7 deficit and led, 27-23, with 1:41 left on the clock. Zeigler saved the day with a 124-yard, three-touchdown day in a career best performance.

On their last gasp, the Jimmies drove the ball to the Bulldog 18. On a fourth down play, with seven seconds left on the clock, Sterup threw Ty Monson to the turf for the game-clinching sack. Sterup registered two of Concordia’s seven sacks on an afternoon when the defense lined up for 83 plays. One week after struggling to stop the run, the Bulldogs stifled Jamestown to the tune of 31 yards rushing (with sacks factored in).

The frustration for the Concordia defense came from the short passing game of the Jimmies. Monson went 32-for-51 for 343 yards and two touchdowns. Eighteen of Jamestown’s 24 first downs were earned through the air. To compound matters, the Bulldogs had two passes intercepted and muffed a punt. The fumbled punt gave the Jimmies a first down in the red zone and resulted in a field goal that put Jamestown in front, 23-20, with 5:09 left to play.

On the ensuing game winning drive, Concordia hopped on the back of Zeigler and an improving offensive line led by the likes of fifth-year guard Christian Schlepp. The Bulldogs went 68 yards in nine plays (covering 3:28). Zeigler ran seven times for 52 yards on that final possession. The 5-foot-7 Houston native got stronger as the game wore on.

Said Daberkow, “I’m proud of Devin. If it’s 100 degrees in July, he’s out there doing footwork drills by himself. If it’s 20 below and it’s in February, he’s in the gym doing footwork drills. He’s a squat rack guy. When two people collide, the squat rack wins. Devin squats 600 pounds, and he didn’t squat that when he came here. He’s worked really, really hard. I’m so proud of him.”

Meanwhile, the passing game took a backseat compared to the 400-yard day DJ McGarvie enjoyed versus Northwestern. The Lincoln North Star High School product completed 12-of-17 passes for 185 yards at Jamestown. McGarvie also scored a touchdown on a one-yard plunge. His top target on the day was Austin Jablonski, who reeled in five grabs for 85 yards. Adam Van Cleave made two receptions for 58 yards, including a 53-yarder (longest play of the game for either side).

This was a step forward for the defense (other than allowing 11-for-20 on third down conversions). While Sterup registered two sacks, four of his teammates came through with a sack (and two others were involved in a half a sack): Michael Grindey (one), Stephen Hughes (one), Grant Huss (one) and Tal Solo (one). Jaden Seier (eight tackles and two pass breakups) and Isiaha Conner (seven tackles and two pass breakups) were active in the secondary. Jamestown finished with 374 total yards of offense.

Jamestown dropped to 0-3 (0-2 GPAC) with the tight defeat. Micah Madyun pulled in 11 receptions for 81 yards as part of a passing-oriented attack. Leading running back Zachariah Hammett was held to 27 yards on 14 carries. Hershell Jefferson and Keagan Schiele came away with a pick apiece.

Said Daberkow, “We were happy to be able to do what we had to do to get a win. Hats off to our offensive staff for being able to find something that worked as the game went along. It feels good to get a win. We expected to execute better. We’ll learn a lot from the film on this. We made some critical errors. We’ll learn from them and we won’t repeat them.”

Another trip north is on the docket next Saturday (Sept. 16) when the Bulldogs will play at No. 25 Dordt (2-0, 2-0 GPAC). Kickoff from Open Space Park in Sioux Center, Iowa, is set for 1 p.m. CT. The Defenders have won each of the past five series meetings with Concordia. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series, 9-6.

'Oneness' of Concordia remains with Hall of Fame inductee Giesselmann

September 15, 2023

The ties that bind Rod Giesselmann and Concordia date back to 1961 when Rod’s father took a call to St. John Lutheran School. For the next 10 years, Rod’s life became transformed by the hundreds (or even thousands) of relationships that were formed while living both across the street from and on the campus of Concordia Teachers College. Some of the best education professors in the country, as well as eventual Hall of Fame coaches, inspired a young Giesselmann, just a seventh grader when his family made the move to Seward.

It's been more than 50 years since Rod celebrated his college graduation, but the memories remain vivid as he relives the stories of yesteryear with an obvious passion and vigor. It’s clear when speaking with Giesselmann that those 10 years were some of the best of his life. He still marvels at how it all came together with the people who came together.

“There was a oneness between the 2,000 people on campus,” Rod says of his time as a Bulldog. “They all vowed to become mostly teachers and some pastors. That’s pretty wild. There was a oneness of purpose and oneness of being there. So many relationships festered and grew out of being in that spot for 10 years. Having all those mentors in athletics and in the vocation you were going into was pretty special.”

Another special moment for Rod came this past June when he received a letter in the mail, informing him of his selection into the Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame. The former record-setting quarterback had been nominated for the award by one of his sons. As Rod tells the story, his second son (Zachry) had been sitting in a tractor in western Nebraska and had the thought, ‘Why isn’t dad in the hall of fame?’ That thought set into motion the events that will lead Giesselmann back to campus for homecoming week at Concordia. Rod called his inclusion into the school’s hall of fame “humbling and something I’m thankful for at the same time.”

Athletically, Rod is known to the school’s history books as one of its finest quarterbacks. Perhaps his most significant claim to fame athletically, Rod led the 1970 football team to an 8-1 overall record, a Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship and final NAIA ranking of No. 12. Upon his graduation, Giesselmann essentially owned every meaningful program passing record – 13 of them to be exact. Over his fear years, he threw for 5,380 yards and 47 touchdowns while completing 355-of-839 attempts.

The ’70 season is one of the most cherished in Concordia’s football history. It started with a bang when Giesselmann and company ended rival Doane’s 38-game unbeaten streak with a 35-0 pummeling. In eight years playing for Concordia High School and Concordia Teachers College, Giesselmann never saw such a massive crowd. A reported 6,800 people flocked to Seward that day with most of them expecting to see Doane claim victory.

As Giesselmann recalls, the key to that season was that the top players remained healthy. Giesselmann himself had tried to play through a broken thumb in 1969. That 1970 season, Giesselmann threw for 1,783 yards and 17 touchdowns while spreading the ball to the likes of productive pass catchers in Dan Danielcyzk and Brian Naber. At a time when many colleges were focused on the run, coaches Ron Harms and John Seevers were allowing Giesselmann to air it out while calling his own plays. He was ahead of his time.

“With Coach Harms and Coach Seevers, we ran a little different offense than was around at that time,” Giesselmann said. “We threw the ball way more than anyone we played. We had some people who could catch, and we had some people who could throw. It was different. Teams had to prepare for us a little different than other schools at the time. Harms and Seevers let me call the plays. We wanted to do what they weren’t expecting us to do, so we threw the ball more than most. It was always fun to beat the places that had more than we had, like more scholarships and better facilities.”

As a school dedicated to developing “teachers and preachers,” as many would say back then, Concordia athletic teams indeed had to outwork and outsmart some of their opponents. Football head coach from 1959-63, Ralph Starenko was credited with helping to modernize and upgrade the program. He quickly came to understand the challenges that went with recruiting top football players to Concordia.

As Rod says, “There was no scholarship money and you had to want to be a Lutheran teacher or pastor. It was hard to get people to commit to that. We were more than proud that we could carry the banner of our vocation and also have success athletically. As I look back at it now, I’m very proud. Back then, the focus was just on what was in front of you.”

If there was a competitive advantage for Concordia, it may have been its oneness in mission and the closeness of the relationships that were built. Quite simply, there were good people in place with unified beliefs. When Giesselmann learned that he had been chosen for the hall of fame, he made a point to reach out to the people who helped him get there. In his thoughts were people like Harms, Seevers, Jim Wacker, Gene Faszholz, Carl Everts and many others, from both his high school and college days.

Harms served as head football coach from 1964 to 1969. One of the main reasons Giesselmann stayed home at Concordia for college was because of Harms’ influence (Harms would go on to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame).

Says Giesselmann of his recruitment, “(Tom) Osborne wanted me to walk on at Nebraska. Valparaiso talked to me a little bit. I was playing basketball for Concordia High School and we were making a run to go to the state tournament. Coach Harms was the head coach at the college at that time. He walks into the gym and looks at me and says, ‘Mr. Giesselmann, you coming here next year?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ That was it. 100 percent that was it. It was a pretty easy situation. I wouldn’t change anything about it. The 10 years of relationships during that time was pretty special.”

A three-sport college athlete, Giesselmann seems to remember each of those relationships in great detail. According to Rod, he suited up alongside one specific teammate for 340 games and 1,440 practices – but who’s counting? His toil included not just the grueling practices, but the jobs he had working a newspaper route, in the dining hall, in construction and for the House of Davisson. Giesselmann looks back at all of it with a certain fondness.

Concordia and the people involved set up Giesselmann to succeed in life and in his future careers as a teacher, coach and financial representative. He probably didn’t realize what he had then, but his years of wisdom have made it clear now.

“The people who coached me are involved in 10 different halls of fame,” Rod said. “The ability to be around those type of people was quite the thing. I feel very blessed to have had them in my life. I enjoyed every one of those conversations. Coach Harms and I talked for an hour (after the hall of fame announcement). We got done and he said, ‘That’s the most I ever talked to you.’ We just had a ball.”

An hour of conversation is nothing for someone like Rod, who quite evidently possesses the gift of gab. He has joked with his wife Becky that he will “behave” during his hall of fame speech and attempt to limit his remarks in line with the parameters that are communicated with inductees.

We’re here to tell you to take the time you need, Rod. You are a storyteller with stories to be told. On the week of homecoming, it seems fitting that Rod will be back home to help link the present to a different era of Concordia.

To be sure, Rod is a proud Concordian, faithful servant and witness to Christ. No matter where he goes, such as his home of Arlington, Texas, or otherwise, Rod feels the ‘oneness’ of Concordia. As Rod says, “There was a oneness of purpose and oneness of being there. If you are looking to be a teacher, you’re not going to get a better education than at Concordia Teachers College. You’re just not.”

Turnovers plague Bulldogs in lopsided loss at No. 19 Dordt

September 16, 2023

SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – An interception late in the first half led to three points for the opposition and swung the game in frustrating fashion for the Concordia University Football team. This time around, the Bulldogs were unable to overcome a negative turnover margin on the road. No. 19 Dordt used a strong defensive effort in sending Concordia packing with a 38-7 defeat on Saturday (Sept. 16). A fourth quarter touchdown by Carsen Arline prevented the Bulldogs from suffering a shutout.

Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad has fallen to 1-2 with both losses coming at the hands of nationally ranked GPAC foes.

“We can’t play good teams, make the mistakes we made and come out with a win,” Daberkow said. “This really hurts. I thought we were better than this. I know we have a team that can perform better than we did today. We have guys who need to step up in practice this week and prove some things. We have to do a better job all the way around – taking care of the football and getting our defense off the field. All those things.”

Things snowballed in the second half when the Defenders (3-0) piled on 24 points. The contest ended in a lopsided score, but Concordia hung tight in the first half. Trailing only 7-0 late in the opening half, the Bulldogs drove to the Dordt 10 thanks to a 60-yard, 11-play drive. It concluded with DJ McGarvie’s pass being picked off by Ian MacDonald. Just before the break, the Defenders got a 40-yard field goal from Stephen Leinen to push the lead to 10-0.

It only got worse from there for the visitors, who couldn’t recover from surrendering 24 points off turnovers. Not only that, for the second week in a row, the opponent dominated time of possession. Dordt held the ball for 35:01 while churning out 216 rushing yards. Quarterback Kolson Kruse ran for 63 yards and found the end zone three times. Kruse’s 23-yard touchdown run on third and 20 proved to be a back breaker as the Defenders went up 17-0 in the third quarter.

On the defensive line, Osceola, Neb., native Kyle Sterup keeps wreaking havoc. He finished his day with 11 tackles, including 4.5 for loss. Sterup pushed his season tackle-for-loss total to 8.5. His fine play on Saturday helped keep Dordt to an average of 5.1 yards per play.

Said Daberkow, “I’m just so impressed with Kyle, his work ethic and the energy he brings to everything he does. He’s a very serious competitor. He’s always trying to find an edge. He works his tail off to be as good as he is. He’s an absolute menace up front. Really thankful to have him with us.”

The disparity in the run game was striking as Concordia finished with four net rushing yards after sacks were factored in. The duo of Devin Zeigler and Mark Arp was held to 47 yards on 19 carries. In the passing game, McGarvie finished 25-for-41 for 219 yards and a touchdown. However, he was hounded by a Defender defense that recorded seven sacks and intercepted four passes. Austin Jablonski led the receiver group with 10 catches for 77 yards while Arline added five grabs for 65 yards and a score. The lone Bulldog touchdown made it a 24-7 score in the fourth quarter.

Concordia played without receiver Adam Van Cleave and safety Gabe Knisley. Both players were sidelined by injury. On the defensive side of the ball, CJ Dyhrkopp, Carson Core and Michael Doiel did their best to pick up the slack with at least seven tackles apiece. Up front, Carson Fehlhafer produced the team’s lone sack. The Bulldogs entered the day hoping to claim their first road win over a top 25 opponent since defeating Sterling College (Kan.), 21-15, on Sept. 6, 2014.

The Bulldogs will be back at home next Saturday (Sept. 23) to host Dakota Wesleyan (2-1, 1-1 GPAC) for homecoming. Kickoff from Bulldog Stadium is set for 1 p.m. CT. Concordia has triumphed in five of the past six meetings with the Tigers. The contest will mark the 24th all-time series matchup between the two programs. Added Daberkow, “Anytime you’re embarrassed, it tests your mettle. You have to make decisions on what that says about me and where I’m going to go with this. We have to keep our eyes on the right thing. If you’re rooted in who Christ says you are, you don’t have to fear anything.”

Final push for victory snuffed out in homecoming heartbreaker

September 23, 2023

SEWARD, Neb. – Attempting to complete a rally from down 16-3 in the final quarter, the Concordia University Football team came up inches short of a potential first down at the opposition’s one yard line. The stop on fourth down allowed visiting Dakota Wesleyan to spoil a Bulldog homecoming Saturday (Sept. 23) in what amounted to a 16-12 decision. Concordia suffered the defeat despite outgaining the Tigers, 460-317, on the strength of 215 rushing yards.

Mostly, this one just felt frustrating for Head Coach Patrick Daberkow and his squad. An inability to finish drives with points cost the Bulldogs, as they slipped to 1-3 on the season.

“It’s hard to process,” Daberkow said. “We have to play better to win games like that. Can’t leave it in anyone else’s hands. We have to execute earlier in the game. We can’t take so long to get going. This one hurts.

“I thought (Austin) Jablonski really fought hard on that fourth down. I thought we had it – but we didn’t. You have to move forward. There’s not a whole lot to say right now, just a lot of disappointment.”

Ultimately, the outcome came down to the fourth-and-two play that Daberkow referenced. With less than a minute remaining, Jablonski took the shot gun snap and bowled forward very near the first down marker at the one. A measurement showed the Bulldogs to be just short of the line to gain. Dakota Wesleyan actually had the ensuing snap go out the back of the end zone for a safety, but it was too late for Concordia with only 18 seconds remaining on the clock.

There were numerous plays the Bulldogs failed to execute that would have changed the complexion of the game. Twice in the first quarter, Concordia was unable to connect on potential long touchdowns with Jablonski and Luke Lang running free in the secondary. The Bulldogs moved the ball consistently between the 20s but scored only 10 points on their four trips to the red zone. Concordia’s lone touchdown came on quarterback DJ McGarvie’s nine-yard rush on a fourth down early in the fourth quarter.

That touchdown got the Bulldogs within one score (16-10). During the fourth quarter, the Concordia defense did its part as it forced back-to-back three-and-outs, then got an interception from linebacker Michael Grindey and finally a safety on the errant snap. Grindey’s second interception of the season put the ball at the DWU 34 with 3:08 left in the game. The Bulldogs proceeded to go 32 yards on eight plays before being denied on fourth down. The Tigers (4-1, 3-1 GPAC) hung on for another close victory despite running only 55 offensive plays (compared to 92 for Concordia).

Said Daberkow, “It’s disappointing but we have to move forward. We have a lot of season left. We have to start capitalizing on our opportunities.”

The skill of Jablonski was on full display as he caught 15 passes for 142 yards and also rushed eight times for 56 yards out of the wildcat formation. A solid performance by the offensive line helped pave the way for Devin Zeigler to run 19 times for 88 yards and for Mark Arp to carry 18 times for 67 yards. McGarvie wound up 24-for-40 for 245 yards through the air. He completed passes to In the process, he became the fourth quarterback in program history to eclipse 5,000 career passing yards. (The other points for Concordia came on Peyton Atwood’s 25-yard field goal late in the first half).

The Tiger offense did just enough to emerge with the W. Quarterback Austin Lee threw touchdown passes of 12 yards to Preston Nedved and 10 yards to Maxwell Raab. Lee totaled 231 passing yards while completing 21-of-30 attempts. Kiel Nelson hauled in six receptions for 101 yards. The Tiger ground attack was limited to 86 yards on 25 attempts. Concordia’s all-time record versus DWU is now 13-11.

Defensively, the Bulldogs were led by the nine tackles from safety Jaden Seier. Grindey collected six tackles and broke up a pass, in addition to the interception. Once again, Concordia played without starting safety Gabe Knisley. On the offensive side of the ball, Adam Van Cleave returned to the field after sitting out last week’s game at Dordt.

The Bulldogs will close the month of September next Saturday (Sept. 30) by welcoming Briar Cliff (0-3, 0-2 GPAC) to Seward. The contest will mark the lone night game of the 2023 season with kickoff set for 6 p.m. CT from Bulldog Stadium. Concordia has won each of the last four series meetings and is 17-3 all-time versus the Chargers.

Late fireworks seal win over Briar Cliff

September 30, 2023

SEWARD, Neb. – Late offensive fireworks and an exhilarating Bulldog Stadium light show made for a satisfying Saturday (Sept. 30) night for a Concordia University Football team that badly desired a victory. Big-play touchdowns of 68 and 75 yards in the fourth quarter helped erase the opposition’s special teams score as the Bulldogs held off Briar Cliff, 35-23. Four different Concordia players found the end zone as the offense piled up 478 total yards.

Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad shook off back-to-back defeats while earning its first home victory of 2023. Halfway through the season, the Bulldogs stand at 2-3.

“I’m happy for our guys to be able to celebrate together and experience that,” Daberkow said. “There aren’t too many things in life better than a winning locker room. What an awesome crowd tonight. What an awesome environment. What a fun atmosphere, what a cool campus community and an awesome game day experience.

“You have to absorb all the lessons you can out of a game. We had some opportunities to break this game open. Briar Cliff played really well and they capitalized on our mistakes. We’d like to see things not be so tight at the end. It would probably be better for everyone’s health if we had a bigger margin, but that’s life in the GPAC.”

A week earlier, the Chargers rallied from a 16-6 fourth quarter deficit to defeat Hastings. Briar Cliff attempted to recapture that magic in Seward as it got within 21-16 and 28-23 in the final quarter. The last score for the Chargers came on Brock Saya’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Okoro. It was a big day for Okoro, who also returned a blocked punt 13 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

The Concordia offense kicked it in gear at just the right time. The Bulldogs responded as DJ McGarvie found an uncovered Carsen Arline for a 68-yard touchdown with 4:56 left to play. The exclamation mark came later on when Austin Jablonski took the shotgun snap and sprinted 75 yards to the end zone. The Lincoln Pius X High School alum Jablonski enjoyed a big day with 86 yards rushing and 78 receiving yards on eight grabs.

The offense has shown explosiveness at times, as exemplified in the shootout with top-ranked Northwestern, but the past two weeks fell below expectations. Concordia got closer to where it wants to be on Saturday. Said Jablonski, “We’ve definitely taken some hard ones, but the one thing we’ve done is stuck together as a team. We always say, point the thumb, not the finger. Let’s be accountable and fix what we can fix ourselves. Stick together, and I think that showed tonight with a gutsy win by everyone involved. It feels great, but we’re hungry for more.”

McGarvie finished his day 18-for-31 for 229 yards and a touchdown through the air.  The Bulldogs mounted a 21-7 halftime lead as Mark Arp scored from 12 yards out and Devin Zeigler plunged over the goal line from one and eight yards away, respectively. Zeigler ran 22 times for 87 yards while Arp picked up 66 yards on his 13 carries. Six different Concordia players caught a pass, including Arline (five for 95) and tight end Luke Lang (three for 32). Beau Psencik also notched his first catch as a Bulldog.

Defensively, Concordia was stout against the run as Briar Cliff managed only 40 yards on 29 attempts. The Bulldogs were exceptionally active in the backfield with 10 tackles for loss. Linebacker Michael Grindey racked up 15 tackles and made 1.5 stops for loss. It was also a big day up front for Carson Fehlhafer, who registered 10 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack. Two stops for loss were also notched by Devon Polley and Kyle Sterup. Safety Daylan Henson intercepted a pass, returned the ball 18 yards and set up the team’s second touchdown of the day.

The disruptive nature of the defensive line was a major positive. Said Fehlhafer (an offensive lineman in 2022), “We emphasize that a lot and try to control the game as much as we can. This is the best thing for me. If they needed me on offense, I’d go back over, but I’m feeling super comfortable (on the d-line) and I’m enjoying it a lot.”

Other than the blocked punt that Briar Cliff returned for a touchdown, the Bulldogs also showed well on special teams. Concordia got a block of its own thanks to Deegan Barnes. Winning the field position battle played a role in the first two scores for the Bulldogs. Placekicker Peyton Atwood made all five of his PATs while Braxton Borer delivered a punt that pinned the Chargers inside their own 10 in the first quarter.

Most of Briar Cliff’s offensive success came through the air. Saya completed 9-of-15 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns. One of his scoring tosses covered 80 yards as Cory Carignan blazed to the end zone. The result moved Concordia to 18-3 all-time against the Chargers.

In spite of a couple of frustrating games, Daberkow sees reason to be optimistic moving forward. As a bonus, the Bulldog Stadium atmosphere impressed the recruits who were in attendance. Said Daberkow, “I love this team, my job and the community of people that surround me. It’s just so much fun to see them celebrate with each other.”

The next two outings will be on the road for the Bulldogs. Next Saturday (Oct. 7), they will be headed to Sioux City, Iowa, for a meeting with No. 3 Morningside (5-0, 4-0 GPAC). The Mustangs remained unbeaten with their 38-7 drubbing of Doane on Saturday. Concordia’s most recent win over Morningside came in 2003.

Bulldogs fall victim to No. 3 Morningside in blowout defeat

October 7, 2023

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Bulldogs forced Morningside to punt on the game’s opening possession on Saturday (Oct. 7), but it was all downhill from there for the visitors. The third-ranked Mustangs got on the board first via a defensive touchdown and cruised to a 62-6 rout of the Concordia University Football team. Morningside celebrated its homecoming by piling up 597 total yards of offense.

In the 2023 season opener, Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad pushed No. 1 Northwestern for all four quarters (48-35 loss). The Bulldogs were unable to bottle up that type of effort in Sioux City, Iowa, where they slipped to 2-4 overall.

“Turnovers definitely hurt us,” Daberkow said. “Sometimes it’s just about simple fundamental football and doing the basic things at a high level. That’s something that we have taken a lot of pride in up to this point, as far as not fumbling the football. That was a surprise today. We didn’t execute on the simple things. We’ll have to do that better moving forward.”

Concordia fumbled away its first two offensive possessions, leading to 10 quick points for Morningside. That wasn’t a good sign with the margin for error already tight against a team with the Mustangs’ firepower. Things got worse when Morningside quarterback Cash Parker found Zach Norton for touchdown connections of 28 and 34 yards in the first quarter in running the score to 24-0 after 15 minutes. At that point, the Mustangs were well on their way to a fifth straight blowout victory within conference play.

The deficit grew to 55-0 before the Bulldogs finally cracked the scoreboard with DJ McGarvie’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Austin Jablonski. The touchdown completed an impressive 16-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with 1:57 remaining in the third quarter. Concordia made one more trip to the red zone in the fourth quarter via an eight-play, 59-yard drive that ended with a turnover on downs.

Parker enjoyed an efficient 20-for-27, 284-yard passing day while up against a young Bulldog secondary. Parker threw for four scores, three of which went to Norton, who amassed 140 receiving yards on nine grabs. Jaylen Burch paced the rushing attack with 133 yards on 11 attempts. The Bulldog defense did not have much success getting off the field as Morningside (6-0, 5-0 GPAC) picked up 29 first downs and went 7-for-11 on third downs.

Said Daberkow, “They’re a very physical team. They have a ton of depth. They’re well-coached. They outplayed us and outcoached us today. We’re going to learn from it and move forward. There are lessons to learn from this … Three starters in the secondary were freshmen. There’s a lot of learning going on about what it takes to play at an elite level. I think the character of our group can handle the lessons that needed to be learned.”

McGarvie finished his day 19-for-37 for 179 yards and a touchdown. His top target was Jablonski, who hauled in six passes for 56 yards. Daylan Russell and Max Bartels made three receptions apiece. In the running game, Devin Zeigler carried 16 times for 70 yards and Mark Arp rushed 12 times for 58 yards. Defensively, CJ Dyhrkopp led Concordia with nine tackles and a stop for loss. Carson Core collected two tackles in the backfield and broke up a pass.

The Bulldogs will be on the road for the second straight week as they prepare to play at Hastings (3-4, 2-4 GPAC) next Saturday (Oct. 14). Kickoff from Lloyd Wilson Field is set for 1 p.m. CT. Concordia will attempt to avenge the 21-17 home loss it endured at the hands of the Broncos in 2022. The Bulldogs won their most recent trip to Hastings, 17-7, in 2021.

Explosive plays spark bounce back win at Hastings

October 14, 2023

HASTINGS, Neb. – The dynamic playmaking abilities of Austin Jablonski and Carsen Arline and a scoop and score for freshman Will Potratz allowed the Concordia University Football team to pull away from Hastings in the second half of the annual rivalry clash. The Bulldogs started fast in both halves on their way to a 44-23 victory over Hastings on a chilly, misty Saturday (Oct. 14) afternoon at Lloyd Wilson Field. Jablonski found the end zone three times in another fine performance.

Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad (3-4, 3-4 GPAC) turned it around following a defeat last week at No. 3 Morningside. The matchup with the Broncos is the first of three in a row against in-state GPAC opponents.

“Any time you can get a win on the road, you take it, no matter what it looks like,” Daberkow said. “I thought today was one of the cleaner games we’ve played all season. I was proud of the guys. I thought all three phases contributed. It’s fun to come to Hastings, an in-state rival, and walk out with a win. It kind of felt tighter than the score ended up being.”

The host Broncos rallied from an early 14-0 deficit while enjoying a dominant second quarter. A 33-yard field goal from Peyton Atwood edged Concordia in front, 17-16, at the half. The final 30 minutes were controlled by the Bulldogs, who found their best playmaker in Jablonski. His 57-yard touchdown reception from DJ McGarvie and two-yard touchdown rush (completing an 85-yard drive) extended the lead to 31-16. Disaster then struck for Hastings early in the fourth quarter when Devon Polley forced a fumble that freshman Will Potratz scooped up and took 10 yards to the end zone.

Quarterback Carson Kudlacek and the Hastings offense managed to pile up more than 400 yards and kept the game in doubt to some degree with a 59-yard scoring strike in the fourth quarter. Trailing 38-23, the Broncos mustered another red zone trip that resulted in no points. Three players later, Concordia put the game on ice with McGarvie’s toss to Arline for a breakaway 89-yard touchdown connection.

The passing game clicked for the Bulldogs in a way that it hadn’t since the season opening shootout with No. 1 Northwestern. McGarvie completed 20-of-31 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns. The monster day for Jablonski resulted in 11 receptions for 162 yards and three total touchdowns (two receiving and one rushing). Jablonski entered the contest leading all NAIA players in receptions. Arline also went over 100 yards receiving (109 on three grabs) and running back Marp Arp had a catch for 40 yards. Devin Zeigler paced the rushing attack with 73 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.

The starting offensive line that kept McGarvie from being sacked all game included tackles Cohen Carpenter and Blake Schlegel, guards Christian Schlepp and Tyler Walford and center Jackson Anderson. By game’s end, McGarvie moved up to No. 2 on the program’s all-time passing yards list with 5,837 for his career.

Said Daberkow, “We felt like we had some things in the first half that we were really close to hitting on offensively. DJ did a really good job today. He stepped up in the pocket and the o-line did a really good job protecting today. That’s a tough defensive line. Those guys are big and physical. To be able to run the ball and capitalize on some things in the passing game was a real bonus.”

Hastings (3-5, 2-5 GPAC) took advantage at times of a young Concordia secondary, but the Bulldogs made their share of plays defensively. Concordia held the Broncos out of the end zone after a first-and-goal at the one in the first quarter and came away with the aforementioned defensive touchdown. While making his second career start, Potratz collected 12 tackles, in addition to the scoop and score. Up front, Kyle Sterup wreaked havoc with 11 tackles, two stops for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a blocked punt and Polley (three tfl’s) and Carson Fehlhafer (2.5 tfl’s) combined for 5.5 tackles in the backfield. Meanwhile, linebacker Michael Grindey made 10 tackles and was credited with 1.5 sacks.

The Broncos did almost all of their damage in the passing game as they were held to 43 net rushing yards on 40 attempts. The Hastings signal caller Kudlacek completed 30-of-50 passes for 368 yards and an interception (which went to defensive back Jaden Seier). All three of Kudlacek’s touchdown tosses went to Ethan Wilborn, who snagged eight receptions for 161 yards.

Both teams relinquished a turnover on special teams. On the plus side for Concordia, Atwood made his lone field goal attempt and was 5-for-6 on PATs. Additionally, one of Jayson Guthard’s punts was downed inside the 20.

This was the 56th all-time series meeting between the Bulldogs and Broncos. Concordia has won seven of the last 11 matchups, including each of the last three played at Lloyd Wilson Field.

Following seven game day Saturdays in a row, the Bulldogs will have a bye next week. Concordia will be back inside Bulldog Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 28 when it is slated to host Midland (4-4, 3-4 GPAC) at 1 p.m. CT. The matchup will represent the 71st all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and Warriors. Last year’s contest went Midland’s way in a 41-31 score in Fremont.

Added Daberkow, “A week seven bye is a beautiful thing because you can use it to get some guys healthy, which we hope can happen. We have two more in-state rivals and Mount Marty coming up. Every week in this conference is a dogfight. I was proud of how we played today and had some freshmen step up. We had some freshmen make some big plays. They rose to the occasion.”

Potratz earns GPAC Defensive Player of the Week honors

October 16, 2023

SEWARD, Neb. – After finding the end zone for the first time in his collegiate career, freshman defensive back Will Potratz was recognized on Monday (Oct. 16) as the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Defensive Player of the Week. Potratz is the first Concordia University Football player to garner a GPAC weekly award this 2023 season. He was honored for his role in this past Saturday’s 44-23 win at Hastings.

A Lincoln East High School graduate, Potratz made the second start of his career while holding down a cornerback spot opposite Carson Core. Potratz collected 13 tackles, including one for loss as part of an active day at Hastings. The touchdown came early in the fourth quarter. After Devon Polley jarred the ball loose from the Bronco running back, Potratz scooped the ball up from inside the five-yard line and scored the defensive touchdown. That play pushed the Bulldogs’ lead to 38-16 at the time. On the season, Potratz has made 16 tackles. He is majoring in Business Communication.

Concordia will have a bye this week while preparing to host Midland on Oct. 28. The Bulldogs stand at 3-4 with three games remaining in the 2023 season.

Dawgs edged by Warriors in wild double OT clash

October 28, 2023

SEWARD, Neb. – There were plenty of numb fingers and chewed fingernails at the end of a cold and blustery Saturday (Oct. 28) inside Bulldog Stadium. Ultimately, it was a Midland offensive lineman finding the end zone on a two-point conversion that supplied the deciding points. The Concordia University Football team came up short, 39-37, in a double overtime clash featuring a little bit of everything. The Bulldogs forced overtime with Devin Zeigler’s one-yard touchdown plunge with 20 seconds left in regulation.

Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad slipped to 3-5 (3-5 GPAC) with two games to go in the 2023 season. Concordia fell despite throwing for more than 300 yards and rushing for more than 200.

“I’m proud of the effort and the toughness our guys showed,” Daberkow said. “It’s hard to know what to say about it, but our guys fought hard and that’s all you can ask for. Our execution could have been better at times. I thought we played smart football. Ultimately, things didn’t go our way. It is what it is. Losing is tough. There’s not a real positive way to frame it, but it’s really important we don’t let this beat us twice. We have to move forward in a way that allows us to be successful next week.”

The Bulldogs took their first lead of the game in overtime No. 2 when Austin Jablonski dumped a jump pass over the top for a six-yard touchdown to tight end Daylan Russell, over the top of the Midland defense. Forced to try for two, Concordia failed and held a 37-31 advantage. Needing to answer, the Warriors got an eight-yard touchdown rush from Kalynd Coats. Midland had a trick up its sleeve as quarterback Jacob Jones took the shotgun snap and then threw across his body to left tackle Callan Phillips, who rumbled to the goal line for the winning two-point conversion.

Finally, the Warriors (6-4, 5-4 GPAC) had put away a Bulldog squad that kept on coming. Concordia trailed at various times by scores of 10-0, 17-7 and 24-17 before rallying to knot the score in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter. On the tying drive, the Bulldogs got a 13-yard rush from CJ Dyhrkopp on a unique play in which a Concordia punt went straight into the air and never crossed the line of scrimmage. Zeigler eventually cashed in on what was a 15-play, 70-yard touchdown drive.

That drive showed resilience on a day when the Bulldogs threw three interceptions, had two empty red zone trips and struggled to contain the explosive Tyson Denkert. The Warrior running back rushed for a 75-yard touchdown, returned a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown and covered 46 yards on a punt return. Midland failed to put Concordia away while missing three field goals – on attempts of 37, 28 and 47 yards. Any kick into the north end zone faced significant resistance from the winds that howled from that direction.

The loss overshadowed a productive day for the Bulldog offense, which racked up 546 total yards. Mark Arp rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries while Zeigler toted the rock 25 times for 90 yards and a score. In the passing game, DJ McGarvie went 19-of-47 for 313 yards and two touchdowns. He continues to regularly target Jablonski, who hauled in 11 more receptions for 157 yards and a touchdown. In addition, Luke Lang pulled in three catches for 65 yards and a touchdown and receivers Carsen Arline and Max Bartels snagged two receptions apiece.

The offensive line has played a major role in Concordia’s offensive success. Daberkow commended that group afterwards. The starters include Cohen Carpenter and Blake Schlegel at the tackles, Christian Schlepp and Tyler Walford at the guards and Jackson Anderson at center.

Said Daberkow, “Devin and Mark ran tough. I’m proud of our offensive line. It’s a group that doesn’t get enough credit, which is the way it is for an offensive line. They’ve played well this year. I would have loved to have celebrated a win in the locker room with those guys. We have to get back to work.”

Defensively, the Bulldogs surrendered some big plays, but they did limit Midland to going just 2-for-11 on third downs. Linebacker Michael Grindey paced that unit with 12 tackles, including one for loss. Up front, Devon Polley made 11 tackles (1.5 for loss). It was also an active day for Dyhrkopp, who collected eight tackles and forced a fumble. At corner, Will Potratz notched six tackles and broke up two passes. The one turnover forced by Concordia came following the game-tying touchdown when Midland fumbled the kickoff. That play gave the Bulldogs a couple of chances at winning in regulation.

The Warriors have ensured themselves of a winning season. With the injuries at quarterback (Teryn Berry left the game in the first half), Midland threw only 17 passes. It simply followed the lead of Denkert, who ran 31 times for 215 yards. The Warriors finished with 296 rushing yards and 434 total yards.

Notably, McGarvie became the second player in program history to eclipse 6,000 career passing yards (6,150 by game’s end). His 48 touchdown passes are just one off the career school record shared by Jarrod Pimentel and Von Thomas. As for Jablonski, he has pushed his season totals to 75 receptions for 877 yards and six touchdowns. He entered the weekend as the NAIA national leader for receptions.

The Bulldogs will be at home for the final time in 2023 when they welcome Doane (1-8, 1-7 GPAC) to Seward next Saturday (Nov. 4). Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. CT. Concordia will attempt to avenge the 12-10 loss it suffered to Doane in the 2022 season opener. The Tigers got on the board with their first victory this fall by way of a 21-20 home triumph over Mount Marty on Saturday.

Record-setting day for McGarvie fuels decisive senior day rivalry win

November 4, 2023

SEWARD, Neb. – DJ McGarvie broke a pair of school all-time passing records as part of an air-it-out Saturday (Nov. 4) inside Bulldog Stadium. McGarvie totaled five touchdowns as the Concordia University Football team rolled past Doane, 55-26, in what amounted to the most lopsided contest in the rivalry since 1996. The eight Bulldog touchdowns were scored each by different individuals on a senior day that turned into a party for the home team. Deegan Barnes even got into the act with a scoop and score.

The blowout win helped wash away some of the sting of a double overtime defeat the week prior against another in-state opponent. Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad moved to 4-5 with one game remaining in the regular season.

“Any time you can beat a rival like that, it makes for a fun Saturday,” Daberkow said. “There’s no better place than Bulldog Stadium and no better group than these parents and fans. I’m super excited about the win and how this locker room has stayed together this season.

“Any time you have success on offense, you look at the offensive line. DJ makes so many good decisions. Jabo (Austin Jablonski) is such a tough target. If teams take away Jabo, we have other guys who can hurt you. It’s truly a team effort. You can do a lot of things when your o-line is playing well.”

When Concordia’s offense is clicking, it can play with anyone, as it proved in a week one shootout with top-ranked Northwestern. Now the most prolific passer in school history, McGarvie burned Doane’s defense with touchdown passes of 63 yards to Jablonski, 12 yards to Carsen Arline, 20 yard to Luke Lang and six yards to Max Bartels. The line for McGarvie by day’s end included 364 passing yards, four touchdown tosses and one rushing touchdown.

The Lincoln North Star High School product McGarvie set new standards for career touchdown passes (52) and career passing yards (6,514) while rising above the likes of past stars Jarrod Pimentel and Von Thomas. McGarvie first wanted to thank “all the o-linemen that have been blocking for him the past three years.” Continued McGarvie, “And all the wide receivers have helped me out tremendously. It’s their record as well as mine.”

This contest got out of hand in the third quarter as the Bulldogs added to their 28-10 halftime advantage. McGarvie plunged over the goal line from a yard out to complete a seven-play, 80-yard drive in the middle of the third quarter. Moments later, Carson Fehlhafer caused a fumble that Barnes picked up and raced 21 yards to the end zone. Concordia led 42-10 while treating its closest rival like a ragdoll. The remainder of the game was essentially a scrimmage.

The game-breaking Jablonski set a new Bulldog record of his own in eclipsing Korrell Koehlmoos’ standard for most receiving yards in a single season. Jablonski ran his total to 1,033 while making 10 grabs for 156 yards and a touchdown on Saturday. In addition, Carsen Arline pulled in five receptions for 72 yards and a score. Nine different Concordia players caught a pass (including defensive end Kyle Sterup). In putting a cherry on top, backup quarterback Gideon Stark threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Mason Edwards.

It was a fine way to send off 21 seniors who were honored prior to kickoff. Each of those seniors received a toolbelt and hammer as a symbol of their being equipped to go out and lead and serve. Said Daberkow, “That’s always bittersweet. It’s awesome because it’s such a blessing to coach them and be able to share four and sometimes five years of college football with these guys. That’s not something everybody can do. I don’t think the average person understands how much work it takes to win in this game. It’s a credit to them to finish the right way.”

Sterup (Osceola, Neb.) has been the MVP of the Concordia defense. He registered five more tackles for loss on Saturday. His pass reception went for 16 yards on a fake field goal in the fourth quarter. That play led to the Edwards touchdown. Sterup joked after the game that he should have scored on the play but he was just happy he caught the ball.

Said Sterup, “Any time you can play football with your brothers, there’s nothing better. It’s not been what we wanted as a season, but this is what we do. There’s nothing better than playing football.”

Barnes led the defense with 11 tackles. Meanwhile, Will Potratz and CJ Dyhrkopp collected nine stops apiece. Dyhrkopp intercepted a pass and Devon Polley registered a sack and four quarterback hurries.

The Concordia rushing game was held largely in check, but Mark Arp managed 32 rushing yards and 37 receiving yards. On special teams, Braxton Borer put two punts inside the opposition’s 20.

There were some feel-good moments that happened on Saturday. Senior Charles Nshimiyimana kicked an extra point and then was raised onto the shoulders of his teammates. It was the first action for Nshimiyimana, who was born in raised in a refugee camp in Uganda before his family moved to the United States. Then after the game, fifth-year Bulldog Carson Core proposed to Jerzi Rowe, a former Concordia softball player. The cheers from the crowd indicated the answer was indeed, ‘yes.’

Doane (1-9, 1-8 GPAC) threw the ball an astounding 70 times on Saturday. Cruz Kirwan passed for 412 yards and a touchdown while blowing past the pitch count. Receiver Jeremiah Payne caught 16 passes for 213 yards. There were 181 total plays from scrimmage in the game.

The Bulldogs will wrap up the 2023 season next Saturday (Nov. 11) with a trip to Mount Marty (3-7, 2-7 GPAC). Kickoff from Crane-Youngworth Field in Yankton, S.D., is set for 1 p.m. CT. Concordia has won the first two meetings played with the Lancers, who had their inaugural season of football in 2021. Mount Marty will be coming off a bye week.

Record-breaking McGarvie earns GPAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades

November 6, 2023

SEWARD, Neb. – A record-breaking day for DJ McGarvie led to the junior quarterback being named the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Offensive Player of the Week, as announced by the conference on Monday (Nov. 6). McGarvie has earned this award for the third time in his career having also garnered GPAC weekly honors once in 2021 and 2022. McGarvie is the second Concordia University Football player to be recognized this season. Will Potratz was named GPAC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 16.

A native of Valparaiso, Neb., McGarvie led the Bulldogs to a 55-26 senior day win over Doane in what amounted to the rivalry’s most lopsided affair since 1996. McGarvie completed 26-of-45 passes for 364 yards and four touchdowns. His scoring tosses each went to different receivers: Austin Jablonski, Carsen Arline, Luke Lang and Max Bartels. McGarvie also ran for a score as part of one of the most prolific performances of his career. McGarvie has thrown for at least 300 yards seven times in his three seasons at Concordia.

In conjunction with the win, the Lincoln North Star High School product set new program standards for career touchdown passes (52) and career passing yards (6,514) while rising above the likes of past stars Jarrod Pimentel and Von Thomas. On the season, McGarvie has thrown for 2,477 yards and 15 touchdowns while completing 57.3 percent of his passes. He lead the GPAC with an average of 275.2 passing yards per game.

McGarvie and the Bulldogs (4-5, 4-5 GPAC) will finish their season this Saturday with a trip to Mount Marty (3-7, 2-7 GPAC). Kickoff in Yankton, S.D., is set for 1 p.m. CT.