Cobbers capture 500th win

Concordia football team one of four in Minnesota with 500 wins

After a winning their game against Augsburg 47-20 on Oct. 26, Concordia College’s football team sang the fight song for the 500th time in the history of Cobber football.

Winning their 500th game not only represents a lot for the college’s athletic program, it has also given the team the urge to make it to this year’s football playoffs.

Knowing Augsburg had a strong offensive game, head coach Terry Horan made sure Concordia’s offense was one step ahead of Augsburg’s.

“Offense stayed on the field and had no turnovers,” Horan said. “Our special teams (also) played well.”

Since this was the first game the Cobbers had played at home in a while, freshman Grant German said the team made sure to make their varsity players shine throughout the game.

“The freshman stood a little farther back, and we allowed the varsity players to stand towards the front,” German said. “Freshman players were there for moral support.”

Freshman Stephen Erb felt the team’s overall strategy was not any different than in other games.

“We talked a lot before the game, but overall the game was no different than any other game,” Erb said.

Senior Ben Wagner attributes the team’s ongoing success to this year’s younger players and their willingness to step up when needed.

“Everyone’s been surprised with how well we’ve played,” Wagner said. “The young guys have stepped up.”

Before playing for Concordia, German felt that his past coaches were very demanding. However, he feels that Horan’s coaching style has been very helpful in both his overall playing and his academics.

“The coaches are better at teaching us our positions,” German said. “They know we are students first and treat us with respect.”

Winning this game enabled Concordia to become one of the four institutions in Minnesota with 500 wins.

“It’s pretty remarkable that we are one of the four colleges in Minnesota to win 500 games,” Horan said. “The University of Minnesota, Saint John’s and Saint Thomas are the three in our league.”

Wagner felt being part of the 500th win was an honor.

“I’d say it was kind of special, and I felt a sense of pride and honor too,” Wagner said. “It’s a privilege to play here at Concordia College, and it’s pretty nice to know that NFL players and some of our coaches contributed to some of these wins along the way.”

With only three more games to go until playoffs begin, German is looking forward to helping his fellow teammates improve their skills for the final games of the season.

“Even though we are done playing our games, it will be nice helping varsity get to playoffs,” German said.

Despite coming into the game unsure of their fate, Concordia’s football team left the field with another win and a feeling of satisfaction.

“They were a good team, and we crushed them,” Wagner said.