The Concordia University football team had 14 players named to the 2009 Great Plains Athletic Conference All-Conference Football Team announced Tuesday morning. Two Bulldog players earned GPAC All-Conference Second Team honors, and 12 more players were selected GPAC All-Conference honorable mention.
Sophomore linebacker Jerrod Fleming and junior defensive back Preston Harris were named Second Team GPAC All-Conference Defense. Nate Sindt, Josh Weber, Derrick Woods, Jamarcus Walker and Dustin Ehlers were All-Conference honorable mention offensive selections for the Bulldogs. Ben Klein, Aaron Hannemann, Alex Neiderklein, Matt Ridge, Austin Freudenberg, Daniel Crowe and Derek Rodine were All-Conference honorable mention defensive selections for Concordia.
Fleming was second on the team with 52 tackles on the year. He led the team in tackles for loss (9.0), sacks (2.0) and fumble recoveries (2). Fleming also added a forced fumble and an interception in 2009. He earned GPAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week honors on Nov. 2 for his efforts in Concordia’s 13-2 win over Dana College. Fleming totaled a game-high 11 tackles and added an interception, a sack and a pass breakup as the Bulldogs forced five Viking turnovers on the day.
Harris totaled 35 tackles on the year and had three interceptions for a Concordia defense that had 15 total interceptions on the year. He also added two tackles for loss and led the team in pass breakups during the 2009 season.
Five offensive players were honorable mention selections. Junior tight end Nate Sindt hauled in 17 passes for 246 yards and a team-high three touchdowns. Freshman transfer Josh Weber saw consistent playing time at the tackle position, and senior center Dustin Ehlers anchored the Concordia offensive line in 2009. Senior wide receiver Derrick Woods caught 13 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore receiver Jamarcus Walker averaged a team-best 17.3 yards per catch for the Bulldogs.
Ben Klein led six defensive players who were honorable mention selections. Klein led the team in tackles (53.5), interceptions (4) and forced fumbles (2), and he also added seven tackles for loss. He earned Conference and National Defensive Player-of-the-Week honors on Oct. 12 for his efforts in Concordia’s 28-12 Homecoming win over Dordt College. He totaled 10 tackles, two interceptions and 3.5 tackles for loss in the win.
Junior defensive lineman Aaron Hannemann totaled 20 tackles on the year including two tackles for loss. Senior corner Alex Neiderklein had 35 tackles and picked off two passes. Junior Matt Ridge had 29.5 tackles with 6.5 tackles for loss, a sack and two fumble recoveries, while sophomore Derek Rodine totaled 22 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Daniel Crowe had 42 tackles on the year to rank third on the team. Crowe added five tackles for loss to go along with a pick and a fumble recovery. Junior linebacker Austin Freudenberg had 32 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and two quarterback sacks.
Concordia finished the 2009 season with a 3-7 overall record.