The 2006 Red Raider football team solidified its position as one of the top programs in the NAIA with an 11-2 record, capped off with a final ranking of sixth in the national poll. It was the fourth consecutive season in which NWC finished in the top 18. In addition, Head Coach Orv Otten’s squad returned to the postseason championship series for the first time since 2003 and defeated #12 Black Hills State before falling on the road to #4 Missouri Valley in the closing minutes, 33-26. The 2007 Red Raider team has some key holes to fill in their two-deep, including four-time NAIA All-American linebacker and 2006 GPAC Player-of-the-Year Austin Janssen. However, the Red Raider cupboard is not bare as they return a core group of 25 letter winners and will bring in one of the largest and most talented recruiting classes in recent years.
Offensively, NWC returns six starters from a 2006 squad that averaged 36.8 points per game, the highest in over nine years. The Red Raiders featured one of the most balanced attacks in the country as they gained 2,461 yards on the ground coupled with 2,042 through the air. One of the keys to this season’s success will be replacing Keith Sietstra. The graduated senior finished second in career yards (4,498) and touchdowns (51) and earned all-conference four consecutive years. The Red Raiders must also replace three starters from the offensive line, including 2nd team All-American Phil Kooistra.
Quarterback
Guiding the offense for the third straight season will be senior Craig Hector. A gifted athlete who is a threat to run as well as pass, Hector completed 56% of his attempts for 1,856 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also rushed for over 400 yards and hit pay dirt nine times, which helped him earn second team all-league honors. “Craig really opens up the field because teams must account for his dual attack,” commented Otten. “As the season progressed, his confidence continued to grow and he became one of our best leaders on the field.” Behind Hector on the depth chart are junior Matt Roesner and sophomore Ryan Mitchell. Both guys saw extensive action on the junior varsity squad and will battle for the backup job.
Offensive Backfield
The Red Raiders have several strong candidates who will help shoulder the load this season. Juniors Kyle Ochsner and Tim Naiman possess the most experience coming back from last year’s squad. Ochsner averaged 4.1 yards per carry before missing the final seven games of the season due to an injury. Naiman, a bruising, 200-pound fullback, carried the ball 63 times and scored two touchdowns last season. Four underclassmen also figure to be in the mix, including sophomore Kyle Veldhorst and freshmen Taylor Malm, Kevin Vander Schaaf and Jordan Langer. “We have plenty of depth in our offensive backfield, all of whom bring something a little different to the position,” commented Otten.
Receivers
An experienced and deep receiving corps returns for the Red Raiders, led by senior Tyler Reichle, who earned second team all-league honors in 2006. He led NWC in receptions (42), yards (657) and touchdowns (12). “Tyler proved to be a real playmaker for us last season,” commented Otten. “He has great hands and has worked tremendously hard during the off-season.” Joining Reichle will be junior Seth Moen, who caught 23 balls and three scores. “Seth is extremely strong and is not afraid to make the tough catches over the middle.” Senior Brock Jensen, junior D.J. Hansen and sophomore Reed Van Hulzen will also vie for playing time at the receiver position. “With our talent and depth at receiver, we can really provide opponents with matchup problems.”
Junior Tyler Meekma is the front runner at the tight end position. Meekma possesses good size and strength and saw a good deal of time in goal-line situations last year.
Offensive Line
The Red Raiders suffered heavy losses on the offensive line as three of the five starters graduated. Senior Tim Ranney and junior Jordan Menning return and will anchor the left side of the line. Ranney earned honorable mention all-league honors as he helped pave the way for the fifth best scoring offense in the NAIA. Menning, a 6’4”, 257-pound guard, will join Ranney in the trenches. In addition, NWC has 13 new faces to make the o-line one of the deepest positions on the roster. Senior Dan Hup, a 6’5”, 300-pound guard, heads the list of newcomers. Junior George Barnes and freshman Logan Ogden will also vie for playing time.
A staple of Red Raiders teams in recent years has been the play of their defense, and in 2006, it was no exception. The “Big Red D” gave up just 11.4 points per contest, ranked third in the nation in total defense and scored eight touchdowns. Coach Otten and his staff will have to replace not only Austin Janssen but first team all-conference performers Jordan Van Otterloo and Tim Martin. Van Otterloo holds the GPAC career record with 22 interceptions while Martin recorded six sacks and 16 tackles for a loss. The Red Raiders, however, return five starters and will look to several talented newcomers to fill in the gaps.
Defensive Line
Andrew Lundgren heads the list of returning players on the defensive line. The senior, who also earned All-American recognition as a wrestler last season, recorded a team-high 6.5 sacks and 35.5 tackles. Lundgren was an honorable mention all-GPAC selection in 2006. Junior Cody Van Sloten also returns for his third season with the Red Raiders. Van Sloten earned all-conference accolades as a freshman and registered 24 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 2006. Several newcomers will vie for the rest of the spots in the rotation. Freshmen Paul Lundgren and Tyler Harsselaar, head the list of newcomers. Lundgren, who joins his brother Andrew on the squad, earned all-state honors two straight seasons for MOC-Floyd Valley High School. “We’ll need several of our freshmen to step up and make an impact at the defensive line position,” commented Otten.
Linebacker
The most experienced group on the Red Raider defense is at the linebacker position where they return a pair of starters and two valuable reserves. Two-time all-league performer Nathan Jansen, a junior, heads the group after a 2006 season in which he ranked second on the team in tackles with 72. Jansen also recorded 5.5 sacks and two interceptions, both of which he returned as touchdowns, and broke up four passes. “Nathan is a complete player,” commented Otten. “He is such a force in the running game but also rushes the passer extremely well. Nathan is a definite playmaker on the defensive side of the ball.” Joining Jansen are seniors Scott Stahl and Jordan Reed. Stahl, who earned honorable mention all-league honors last year, finished third on the team with 56 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Reed, a standout on special teams and a backup linebacker last year, will look to play more of a role as well. Grant Hegstad and T.J. Lensch are a pair of sophomores who will also contribute in the linebacking corps. Hegstad recorded 21.5 tackles in 2006 while Lensch had a solid off-season after making the switch from offense to defense.
Secondary
The lone holdover in the defensive backfield from the 2006 squad is senior Kadrian Hardersen. The honorable mention all-league safety is smart and excels in run support. “Kadrian stepped into the starting role last season and played outstanding. He is a heavy hitter who understands the defense extremely well.” Junior Kyle DeBoer and sophomores Grant Mosier and Brad Payne also figure to be in the mix as well. Jordan Halvorsen, a transfer from the University of Northern Colorado, is another very talented, athletic player, in a very deep and athletic secondary group.
The Red Raider special teams are led by second team all-GPAC kicker Grant Mosier. Mosier converted 56-60 extra points and made 7-13 of his field goal attempts. “Grant had an outstanding freshman season for us. He was extremely accurate and had a powerful leg on his kickoffs.” NWC will have to replace all-league punter Blake Reinke, who averaged almost 37 yards per attempt and placed 18 punts inside the 20-yard line. The return game will be led by Reichle, who led the Red Raiders in both punt and kickoff returns with over 550 combined yards and one touchdown.
The theme for the 2007 season is “Iron Sharpens Iron” taken from Proverbs 27:17, and is a good fit for this year’s squad. “We have competition at several of the positions, which will hopefully push everyone to get better, not just for themselves but for the good of the team,” commented Otten. With many newcomers to the 2007 team, an obvious key is how well they adjust to the college game. “Our letter winners have tasted success over the years and they have worked extremely hard this off-season. They are good leaders and will challenge those coming in to work hard.”
Last year, the GPAC had three teams qualify for the postseason, led by national champion USF. This year’s conference race will be tough once again as several teams return key players. Says Otten, “Our schedule is very tough, with a pair of road games during the first three weeks of the season. We must have a good preseason and be ready to play good football on September 1.”
2008 media guide
