1999 Concordia Moorhead Football

2000 Concordia Football Preview Information
Concordia Football Home Page for 2000 | see also | 1999 Season Stats | 1999 Box Scores |

College Information
School: Concordia-Moorhead
Founded : 1891
Location: Moorhead, MN
Enrollment : 2950
President : Rev. Thomas Thomsen
Athletic Director: Dr. Armin Pipho
Team Nickname: Cobbers
Colors: Maroon and Gold
Logo: The Chicago "C"
Faculty Athletic Rep: Jim Forde
Stadium: Jake Christiansen 7,000
Press Box Phone: 218-299-4465
Ticket Information |

Concordia Football History
First year of football: 1920
All-time bowl / play-off record: 8-5-2
Years in post-season play: 8
Last postseason appearance/result: 1997/Loss to Augsburg 34-22
All-time football record: 410-233-39

Football Staff

Head Coach: Jim Christopherson
Alma Mater/year of grad.: Concordia, 1960
Starting 32nd season.
Record/current school: 214-95-7
All-Time Record/Yrs: 214-95-7 1st 31 yrs
Coach phone: 218-299-3499
Best time to call: 1:00-2:30

Assistants/Position:
Bob Nick : Concordia, '65, 34th yr, Off Coord,
Dave Klug : Concordia, '80, 13th yr, Def Coord
Doug Perry : Concordia, '65, 18th yr, Off Backs,
Bob Kohler : Valley City, '69, 13th yr, D-Backs
Dan Kostich : Moorhead St., '73, 5th yr O-Line,
Dale Hertel : Concordia, '71, 4th yr, Off Backs,
Scott Lucier : Concordia, '91, 2nd yr, D-line, recruiting coordinator

Sports Information
S.I.D: Jim Cella
Office Ph.: 218-299-3194
Home Ph: 218-233-3698
Fax: 218-299-4189
E-Mail Address: cella@cord.edu
WWW Address: http://www.cord.edu/dept/sports/

1999 Game-by Game Results
(Click here for links to box scores)
H/A Date Opponent
H 9/4   Moorhead St. L 7-44
H 9/18 Bethel        W 17-15
A 9/25 Carleton      W 35-6
A 10/2 Hamline       W 14-6
H 10/9 St. Olaf      W 17-10
A 10/16 St. John's    L 3-7
H 10/23 Gustavus      W 44-10
A 10/30 Macalester    W 40-0
H 11/5 St. Thomas    L 7-22
A 11/12 Augsburg      L 5-7

Record: 6-4 overall, 6-3 MIAC,4th in MIAC

2000 Cobber Football Schedule
(Players arrive Aug. 13, First Practice Aug. 15, Press Day Aug. 17)
H/A Date Opponent           Event
A 9/2   MSU-Moorhead 1:35 (Power Bowl II)
A 9/16 St. Thomas   1:00
H   9/23 Macalester   1:00 (Family Weekend)
A 9/30 Gustavus     1:00
H   10/7 Hamline      1:00 (Homecoming)
A 10/14 Bethel       1:00
H   10/21 St. Olaf     1:00
H   10/28 Carleton     1:00
    11/4 Augsburg     1:00 @ Metrodome
A 11/11 St. John’s   1:00

Concordia Series Records Against Opponents:
Opponent             W     L    T   Series Started
MSU-Moorhead 42 21 12 1920
St. Thomas   32 25 0 1931
Macalester   52 11 3 1923
Gustavus     29 38 2 1923
Hamline      42 13 0 1936
Bethel       18 4 0 1978
St. Olaf     29 19 2 1921
Carleton     13 5 0 1921
Augsburg     43 12 2 1926
St. John's   26 32 7 1923

Player & Team Information
1999 Overall Record: 6-4
1999 Conference Record/place: 6-3, 4th
Starters Returning/Lost: Offense: 9/2 Defense: 8/3 Punt-PK:/ 0/1

Returning Starters

Offense
PosNo Name Pos       Gr Ht Wt   H'town/HS
C 52 Chad Quamme    Sr. 6-0 250 Fargo ND/South
OG 63 Joel Nelson    Sr. 6-1 250 Fargo ND/South
OG 61 Josh Thompson Jr. 6-2 270 West Fargo ND
OT 79 Mark Haugen    Jr. 6-4 280 Moorhead MN
QB 01 Jeff Hertel    Sr. 6-2 180 Fargo ND/South
HB 02 Jason Braaten Sr. 5-10 180 Dent MN/Perham
SB 21 Raleigh Schmidt Jr 6-2 175 Tracy MN/Tracy Area HS
TE 87 Brian Martodam Jr. 6-4 225 Hawley MN
WR 81 Adam Strainer Sr. 6-3 190 Helena MT/Helena High

Defense
PosNo Name Pos       Gr Ht   Wt H'town/HS
DT 90 Ben Holm       Jr. 6-5 245 Gillette WY/Campbell County HS
DT 94 Jeff Westrum   Sr. 6-2 265 Clearbrook MN/Clearbrook-Gonvick
DE 99 Mark Hankel    Sr. 6-2 235 Mapleton ND/Fargo Oak Grove
MLB49 Joel Vettleson Sr. 6-1 215 Richmond MN/Cold Spring-Rocori
CB 42 Dan Tollefson Sr. 5-10 170 Madison MN/Lac Qui Parle Valley
CB 22 Eric Wold      Sr. 5-11 190 Fargo ND/South
FS 07 Travis Olson   Jr. 6-2 200 Hawley MN
SS 09 Jeff Hartquist Sr. 6-1 195 Pipestone MN/Pipestone-Jasper

Key Losses (grad/transfer/injury/misc.)

Graduated players with experience
Pos No Name Pos       Gr Ht   Wt H'town/HS
DE 55 Travis Boyd    Sr. 6-2 245 Lake Isabella CA/Kern Valley
OT 75 Jake Estenson Sr. 6-5 280 Rice Lake WI
DE 59 Scott Holthusen Sr.6-3 210 Wahpeton ND
K/P 35 Clayton Horgen Sr. 6-2 215 Fergus Falls MN
OLB 03 Jordan Nesvig Sr. 6-2 220 Fargo ND/South
OLB 57 Nels Paulson   Sr. 6-3 210 Cambridge MN
FB 44 Nathan Reiff Sr. 5-10 200 Whitehall MT
WR 05 Anthony Wood   Sr. 6-1 185 Seattle WA/Nathan Hale

Season Outlook and Notes:
8/10/00
The 2000 Concordia football season will be head coach Jim Christopherson's 32nd year with the Cobbers. He currently ranks third in wins among active NCAA Division III coaches with a career record of 214-95-7. He will be hoping that senior leadership will carry Concordia to the top of the MIAC race. The Cobbers will have 24 seniors on the team this year, that includes 11 starters returning from last season.

Concordia returns four players that were first or second team All-MIAC in 1999. The list includes defensive players; 1999 Team MVP Mark Hankel (DE, Sr., Mapleton, ND) and Joel Vettleson (MLB, Sr., Richmond, MN) and offensive standouts; Adam Strainer (WR, Sr., Helena, MT) and Joel Nelson (OG, Sr., Fargo, ND). Vettleson and Strainer will also serve as captains for this year's squad.

The Cobbers will return nine starters on offense and eight on defense. The offensive unit will have the passing, receiving and all-purpose yardage leaders return from the 1999 squad. The defense will return the leaders in tackles, sacks and interceptions.

A Closer Look:

The Defense:

The Cobbers return eight starters from a defense that was first in the league in scoring defense and second in the league in total yards allowed. Concordia allowed a mere 83 points in nine MIAC contests last year and gave up a stingy 80 yards per game on the ground and 177 yards per game through the air. The 2000 defense will look to carry on the stifling pace that they set in 1999.

Defensive line:

Defensive end Mark Hankel (Sr. 6-3 230 Mapleton ND, Oak Grove) and tackles Jeff Westrum (Sr. 6-2, 250, Clearbrook MN, Clearbrook-Gonvick H.S.) and Ben Holm (Jr. 6-5 245 Gillette WY,Campbell County H.S.) will give the Cobbers a formidable front three. Hankel set a new school record in 1999 for sacks with 14 and Westrum was second on the team with 5.5. Replacing end Travis Boyd (Lake Isabella, CA, Kern Valley H.S.), who graduated in the spring, will be a key for the continuity of the line.
Barry Bennett (Jr. 6-2 215 Long Prairie MN, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle H.S.) looks to be the leading candidate to fill the vacated spot, and should provide a strong fourth on the defensive line.

Linebackers:

Concordia will have a strong presence in the middle of the linebacking corps with returning All-MIAC player Joel Vettleson (Sr. 6-0 210 Richmond MN, Cold Spring-Rocori H.S.) who led the team in tackles with 65. The two outside linebacking positions will find new starters, since the departure of graduating seniors Jordon Nesvig (Fargo ND, Fargo South H.S.) and Nels Paulson (Cambridge MN, Cambridge H.S). The likely replacements are Mike Schwab (Sr. 6-4 200 Billings MT, Skyview H.S.) and
Andy Shaffer (Jr. 6-1 205 Monticello MN, Monticello H.S.). Schwab played in all 10 games in 1999 and was among the team leaders in tackles with 36.

Cornerbacks and Safeties:

One of the strengths of the defense this year will be the depth and experience of the secondary. The unit will remain intact from the 1999 season, and this will help solidify Concordia's tight pass defense and run stopping capabilities. The top two interception leaders return in cornerback Dan Tollefson (Sr. 5-9 170, Madison MN, Lac Qui Parle Valley) and safety Jeff Hartquist (Sr. 6-1, 195, Pipestone, Pipestone-Jasper H.S.) The other spots are held by safety Travis Olson (Jr. 6-0 185 Hawley, MN, Hawley) and cornerback Eric Wold (Sr. 5-11 190 Fargo ND, Fargo South H.S.). Both Olson and Hartquist had 57 tackles which tied them for second place on the team, and as a group the defensive backfield combined for 182 tackles and 11 interceptions.

The Offense:

The 2000 version of the Cobber offense will have experience and maturity on their side. There will be nine returning starters on the offensive side and they will all be juniors or seniors. This continuity should help Concordia improve on balancing their attack and putting more points on the board. The 1999 season found the Cobbers scoring 189 total points. That total was down from 1998 when they scored 203 points, and also in 1997, when they finished 2nd in the MIAC and made the NCAA playoffs, and put up 301 points.

Offensive line:

Although the Cobbers return four out of the five interior linemen, the big hole will be to fill the shoes of All-MIAC performer Jake Estenson (OT, Rice Lake, WI, Rice Lake H.S.). Estenson carried on the tradition of high profile offensive lineman by being named a 1st Team Lutheran College All-American and was also rewarded with a spot in the Aztec Bowl. The four starters that return will have experience on their side, which will help them anchor the offense for the 2000 season. Guard Joel Nelson (Sr., 6-1, 250, Fargo ND, Fargo South H.S.) is returning after being named to the All-MIAC 2nd team in 1999. Also returning are center Chad Quamme (Sr., 6-0, 250, Fargo ND, Fargo South H.S.), guard
Josh Thompson (Jr., 6-2, 270, West Fargo ND, West Fargo H.S) and tackle Mark Haugen (Jr., 6-4, 280, Moorhead MN, Moorhead H.S.). The experience and leadership will help Brian Riley (Jr., 6-5, 295, Kerkhoven MN, KMS H.S.) adjust to the other starting tackle position.

Running backs:

Jason Braaten (Sr. 5-10, 180, Dent MN, Perham HS) will carry the brunt of the work for the running backs this year. He is coming off of a breakthrough season in 1999 which saw him lead the team in all-purpose yards and touchdowns. He rushed for 516 yards and finished with a 5.4 yards per carry average. The biggest hole to fill will be a replacement for All-MIAC fullback Nathan Reiff
(5-10, 200, Whitehall MT) who led the team in rushing last year with 598 yards. Fullback Len Crouse (Sr., 6-3 210, Hazen ND, Hazen H.S.) will be looking to regain the form he had in 1998 when he led the Cobbers in rushing as a sophomore. Coming off the bench to spark the backfield will be Joel Ferrie
(Sr., 5-9, 190 Moorhead MN, Moorhead H.S.) and Jon Doebler (Jr., 6-0, 205, Warroad MN, Warroad H.S.).

Quarterbacks:

The Cobbers will have the stability of having a year of experience at the quarterback position. Jeff Hertel (Sr., 6-2, 185, Fargo, South HS) will enter the year as the starter and rely on the seasoning he received in 1999 to help him lead the Cobber offense this year. Hertel led the team in passing yards and total offense in 1999. His main goal will be to improve the balance of the Cobber offensive attack as the Cobbers led the league in rushing offense, and finished at the bottom of the league in passing.
Rob Szymanski (Sr., 6-0, 190, Great Falls MT, Great Falls H.S.) and Jeremy Nordick (Sr., 6-4, 205, Moorhead MN Moorhead H.S.) will add depth and experience to the quarterback position.

Receivers:

The receiving group will have experience and speed on its side. The experience will come from co-captain Adam Strainer (Sr., 6-3, 180, Helena MT, Helena H.S.) who has led the Cobbers the past two seasons in catches and receiving yards. The speed will come from Raleigh Schmidt (Jr., 6-2, 175, Tracy MN, Tracy Area H.S.) who finished second in both receiving categories behind Strainer. Tight End Brian Martodam (Jr., 6-4, 225, Hawley MN, Hawley H.S.) will be called upon to help the dynamic duo of Strainer and Schmidt.

2000 Preseason Roster:
See current roster on 2000 roster page |

This page is maintained by the Concordia Sports Information Office | sid@cord.edu |