SEWARD, Neb. – Both the Concordia University, Nebraska Football team and Briar Cliff will be seeking win No. 6 on the season when the two sides collide inside Bulldog Stadium on Saturday. Head Coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad aims to bounce back after enduring a 59-21 road loss to No. 11 Morningside last week. Meanwhile, the Chargers will look to build upon their 28-21 home victory over Doane. Saturday’s contest will kick off at 1 p.m. CT in Seward.
The matchup will mark the 23rd all-time meeting between Concordia and Briar Cliff. The two outfits have played each other annually since the Chargers football program inaugurated in 2003. Shane LaDage is in his fifth year leading the Chargers, who are enjoying one of their best seasons from a win-loss perspective. In last season’s meeting, the Bulldogs pummeled Briar Cliff in Sioux City, 63-13.
GAME INFO
Concordia (5-2, 5-2 GPAC) vs. Briar Cliff (5-4, 4-4 GPAC)
Saturday, Nov. 1 | 1 p.m.
Bulldog Stadium | Seward, Neb.
Webcast: GPAC Network
Live Stats: PrestoStats
Radio: 104.9 Max Country
Commentators: Parker Cyza and Ross Wurdeman
Tickets: HomeTown Ticketing (also sold on site)
STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
Team Statistics
*2025 national rankings out of 97 NAIA football programs in parentheses
Concordia
Offensive PPG: 39.0 (17th)
Defensive PPG: 31.4 (64th)
Total Offense: 413.0 (24th)
Pass Offense: 262.9 (19th)
Rush Offense: 150.1 (38th)
Total Defense: 367.4 (48th)
Pass Defense: 271.4 (82nd)
Rush Defense: 96.0 (18th)
Turnover +/-: -2
Briar Cliff
Offensive PPG: 17.2 (78th)
Defensive PPG: 30.3 (60th)
Total Offense: 291.7 (71st)
Pass Offense: 214.1 (51st)
Rush Offense: 77.6 (80th)
Total Defense: 381.0 (59th)
Pass Defense: 243.0 (70th)
Rush Defense: 138.0 (T-50th)
Turnover +/-: +2
2025 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Concordia
Head Coach: Patrick Daberkow (45-40, 8th season)
Passing: Gideon Stark – 133/256 (.520), 1,791 yards, 18 td, 11 int, 125.3 effic.
Rushing: Carlos Collazo – 102 rushes, 591 yards, 5.8 avg, 8 td
Receiving: Adam Van Cleave – 50 receptions, 642 yards, 12.8 avg, 6 td (9 total td)
Defense: Grant Huss – 77 tackles, 5 tfl, 3 sacks, 2 pbu, 1 ff, 1 fr
Briar Cliff
Head Coach: Shane LaDage (15-38, 5th season)
Passing: Brock Saya – 171/276 (.620), 1,927 yards, 11 td, 11 int, 125.8 effic.
Rushing: Chase Thomas – 123 rushes, 381 yards, 3.1 avg, 4 td
Receiving: Kymani Fleurme – 45 receptions, 599 yards, 13.3 avg, 2 td
Defense: Dayton Harrell – 50 tackles, 3 int, 7 pbu, 1 blocked kick
2025 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Concordia (5-2, 5-2 GPAC)
9/6 vs. Doane, W, 35-7
9/13 vs. Dakota Wesleyan, W, 27-22
9/27 at Waldorf, W, 54-0
10/4 at Mount Marty, W, 52-43
10/11 vs. Midland (Homecoming), L, 52-60 (2 OT)
10/18 at Hastings, W, 32-29
10/25 at (11) Morningside, L, 21-59
11/1 vs. Briar Cliff, 1 p.m.
11/8 at (6) Dordt, 1 p.m.
11/15 vs. (23) Northwestern (Senior Day), 1 p.m.
Briar Cliff (5-4, 4-4 GPAC)
8/30 vs. St. Ambrose, W, 35-23
9/6 vs. (3) Morningside, L, 17-58
9/13 vs. Hastings, W, 20-16
9/20 at Mount Marty, W, 34-20
9/27 vs. Dakota Wesleyan, W, 21-7
10/4 at (13) Dordt, L, 0-51
10/11 vs. Northwestern, L, 0-28
10/18 at Midland, L, 0-49
10/25 vs. Doane, W, 28-21
11/1 at Concordia, 1 p.m.
11/8 at Waldorf, 1 p.m.
In the rankings
Concordia was tagged with a preseason national ranking for the first time since 2002. The Bulldogs checked in at No. 21 in the NAIA preseason coaches’ poll announced on Aug. 25. Concordia has been ranked as high as No. 17 this season and now sits in the receiving votes category of the poll (as announced on Oct. 27). Meanwhile, Briar Cliff has yet to crack the NAIA top 25 in the 23-year history of the program.
Concordia
GPAC preseason: 4th
Current Massey Ratings: 21st
Briar Cliff
GPAC preseason: 10th
Current Massey Ratings: 48th
Last time out
Hopes of making a run at a GPAC championship were dampened last week as the Bulldogs were dealt a 59-21 defeat by No. 11 Morningside in what was a top 25 matchup in Sioux City, Iowa. Concordia dug a 31-7 hole by halftime while struggling to contain the passing of quarterback Zack Chevalier, who went 28-of-36 for 355 yards and five touchdowns. The Mustangs piled up 606 total yards compared to 247 for the Bulldogs. Highlights for Concordia were supplied by Adam Van Cleave, who returned a kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Later in that same quarter, Van Cleave raced 64 yards on a kick return. Van Cleave also scored on a one-yard touchdown run. The other Bulldog score came on a 54-yard strike from Gideon Stark to tight end Maddox Rickertsen. Concordia was stuffed in the run game with just 33 yards. It also turned the ball over four times.
Streaks halted
Two lengthy win streaks have been snapped in recent weeks. Spanning the final five games of 2024 and first four games of 2025, the Bulldogs put together a nine-game winning streak. That streak ended with the double overtime loss to Midland on Oct. 11. Then last week, the program’s 10-game road win streak was halted by Morningside. The Mustangs are responsible for each of Concordia’s two most recent road defeats. The school record for longest overall win streak remains 14, a feat that was accomplished by the 1944 and 1945 squads that played six-man football (due to low roster numbers caused by World War II).
Coach Daberkow + staff
Patrick Daberkow’s history at Concordia dates back to his first season as a Bulldog football player in 2003. This is Daberkow’s 18th season as part of the program’s staff – ninth as head coach. He served as defensive coordinator for seven years before being named head coach in December 2016. Daberkow assumed offensive play calling duties in 2022 before turning that role over to Greg Nelson, former Lincoln Lutheran head coach, in 2023. Meanwhile, his full-time staff includes Defensive Coordinator Corby Osten, Special Teams Coordinator Trent Laune and Assistant Coach Grady Koch (who specializes in coaching the offensive line, among other duties). Former Nebraska Wesleyan assistant Kevin Crume is in his third season at Concordia. The graduate assistants are Devin Zeigler and Tanner Ingle. Daberkow owns a career coaching record of 45-40. His 45 wins are the fourth most among all head coaches in program history. The top three are Courtney Meyer (70), Larry Oetting (63) and Herb Meyer (62).
Van Cleave takes on workhorse role
The Bulldogs want the ball in the hands of Adam Van Cleave. A week after he was named NAIA National Offensive Player of the Week, the Columbus Lakeview High School product flashed in a big way on special teams. He burned Morningside for separate kickoff returns of 81 yards (touchdown) and 64 yards. He wound up with 277 all-purpose yards when factoring in his 69 receiving yards and 35 rushing yards. On the season, Van Cleave has totaled nine touchdowns – six receiving, two rushing and one via kickoff return. In his Concordia career, Van Cleave has tallied 122 receptions for 1,494 yards and 12 touchdowns. The reception total ranks seventh on the program’s all-time list. Over the past two weeks, Van Cleave has been the team’s primary running back with Carlos Collazo sidelined by injury. Before suffering the injury, Collazo was the NAIA national leader in rushing yards per game (147.8).
The running backs are spurred by an offensive line that finally surrendered a sack in the Morningside game (just two sacks allowed on the season). The starting group includes Derek Campbell at left tackle, Kadence Velde at left guard, Brevin Damrow at center, Seth Moore at right guard and Jeremiah Vasquez at right tackle.
Stark nears 2,000 passing yards
Gideon Stark has been productive in his first season as the starting quarterback. He’s thrown for at least on touchdown in every game this season and sports 2025 totals of 1,791 yards and 18 touchdowns (against 11 interceptions). Stark is on track to fly past 2,000 passing yards, a number that has been reached four times in the history of the program. A strong close to the season could give Stark a shot at reaching school single season records of 2,642 passing yards and 28 passing touchdowns (both marks held by DJ McGarvie). Stark has sprayed touchdown tosses to four different receivers this season: Jonny Puelz (seven), Adam Van Cleave (six), Max Bartels (three) and Maddox Rickertsen (two). In 16 career collegiate games, Stark has completed 152 of 286 passes (.531) for 2,028 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Lead Dawgs
Over the first six outings of this season, Concordia held leads of 13 points or more in every game. That trend was halted last week as Morningside scored first and never looked back. An explosive offense has allowed the Bulldogs to build sizeable leads. Concordia scored more than 50 points in three straight games earlier this season: 54 at Waldorf, 52 at Mount Marty and 52 versus Midland. The school record for points scored in a GPAC conference game was set last season in the 63-13 victory at Briar Cliff.
Replacing Fehlhafer
The Bulldogs will be without star nose guard Carson Fehlhafer from here on out. In his place, Terry Sebek moved inside against Morningside. It will take a collective effort to replace the 6-foot-4, 325-pound Fehlhafer, who consistently ate up multiple blocks. Despite missing much of the Hastings game and the entire Morningside game, Fehlhafer remains the GPAC leader in sacks (7.5) and tackles for loss (13). Fehlhafer has been a key in shutting down opposing rushing attacks (96.0 rushing yards allowed per game). The linebacker crew has also played a role. Senior backer Grant Huss paces the team with 77 tackles. His season stat line also includes five tackles for loss, three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Atwood adds to PAT record
A junior from Grand Island, Neb., Peyton Atwood is putting together one of the best seasons ever for a Concordia kicker. Atwood went 4-for-4 on field goal tries on a blustery day at Hastings two weeks ago. With two PATs in that win, Atwood became the program’s all-time record holder for career PATs (now at 112), surpassing the former standard of 108 by Adam Meirose. Atwood also owns school records for PATs in a season (44 in 2024) and for longest field goal (50). Atwood leads all GPAC kickers and ranks second nationally with 10 made field goals this season. His 62 points (10-for-11 FGs / 32-for-33 PATs) are tied for the sixth most among NAIA kickers in 2025.
Longest field goals in Concordia history, on record
50 – Petyon Atwood (2025)
47 – Kenny Zoeller (2011)
46 – Jess Boyd (2001)
46 – John Dumar (1980)
Defensive superlatives
Since shutting out Waldorf on Sept. 27, the Concordia defense has allowed point totals of 43, 60, 29 and 59, respectively. However, the point total allowed (29) at Hastings was inflated by a pick-six and a special teams touchdown. This Bulldog team has been more effective at stopping the run (96.0/game) compared to defending the pass (271.4/game). Linebacker Grant Huss leads the defense with 77 tackles. In the secondary, Daylon Henson is the top playmaker. He’s recorded 45 tackles (6.5 for loss), two sacks, six pass breakups and two touchdowns (both on special teams). With the injury to Fehlhafer, more opportunities on the defensive line have come for the likes of Lukas Lafler and Brock Ostdiek.
Maddox’s miracle
A senior from Gothenburg, Neb., Maddox Rickertsen stepped into the starting tight end role this season and has caught 13 receptions for 262 yards and two touchdowns. It was two years ago, in a game versus Briar Cliff, that Rickertsen was hit hard and knocked to the turf. The resulting injury caused Rickertsen to visit the doctor. What he then learned in 2023 was that he had an egg-sized tumor in his colon. Rickertsen underwent a successful operation to have the tumor removed. Had it not been discovered, the tumor may have become cancerous. Rickertsen returned to the football field in 2024 and earned a starting role this season. A more detailed account of Rickertsen’s ordeal can be found HERE.
Around the league
After last week’s results, the GPAC championship race is likely down to two contenders: Dordt (7-0 GPAC) and Morningside (6-1 GPAC). Dordt remained unscathed last week thanks to a 17-14 close shave home win over Midland. Meanwhile in Sioux City, Morningside defeated Concordia, 59-21, and stayed in the hunt. Elsewhere around the league, Briar Cliff topped Doane, 28-21, Dakota Wesleyan knocked off Waldorf, 33-14, and Hastings edged Mount Marty, 23-20. As part of this week’s action, Dordt will be at Hastings and Morningside will travel to Doane.
Series vs. Briar Cliff
The series between Concordia and Briar Cliff dates back to 2003 when the Chargers played their inaugural football season. The Bulldogs are 19-3 all-time versus Briar Cliff. Concordia won 11-straight in the series until the Chargers snapped the string in 2018 with a 23-14 victory. Since that setback, the Bulldogs have won each of the past six meetings, including three in particularly decisive fashion – 61-21 in 2021 (Seward), 45-10 in 2022 (Sioux City) and 63-13 in 2024 (Sioux City). In last year’s blowout, DJ McGarvie threw for five touchdowns (two apiece caught by Austin Jablonski and Daylan Russell) and Mark Arp rushed for 167 yards and two scores. Concordia outgained Briar Cliff, 490-248, and took advantage of five Charger turnovers. One of those resulted in a 35-yard pick-six for Daylon Henson.
Scouting Briar Cliff
In year five under Head Coach Shane LaDage, Briar Cliff is putting together one of the best seasons in program history. At 5-4 overall, the Chargers need one more victory to tie the single season school record of six wins by the 2018 team. Picked 10th in the GPAC, Briar Cliff has exceeded expectations while earning wins over St. Ambrose University (Iowa), 35-23, Hastings, 20-16, Mount Marty, 34-20, Dakota Wesleyan, 21-7, and Doane, 28-21. Last week’s win was much needed after the Chargers went three straight games without scoring a point (with losses by scores of 51-0 to Dordt, 28-0 to Northwestern and 49-0 to Midland). Offensively, Briar Cliff has had much more success through the air than on the ground. Quarterback Brock Saya has completed 62.0 percent of his passes with totals of 1,927 passing yards and 11 touchdowns. Saya’s top targets include 2024 First Team All-GPAC tight end Steven Whiting and receiver Kymani Fleurme. Defensively, the team’s top tackler has been linebacker Max Rascon Jr. with 67 stops. Despite owning a winning record, the Chargers have been outscored by their opponents, 273-155.