ST. PETER, Minn. – The 2015 Gustavus football season was special in many ways – individual career records were set and the team finished 7-3 overall and 5-3 in the MIAC for third place. The seven wins were the most by the Gusties since 2001 and the third place finish in the league was best since 2002. But now the page turns to the 2016 campaign, which marks a monumental milestone in the program’s history as Gustavus celebrates its 100th season of football. This season’s offense will create a new identity with the loss of record-setting quarterback Mitch Hendricks and All-American receiver Matthew Boyce, while the defense is restructured to cater to its strengths. After three consecutive winnings seasons, expectations are high for the Gusties in 2016.
Offensive Line
Key losses: Marcus Kelly (Woodbury, Minn.) and Scott Newby (Lakeville, Minn.)
Players to watch: Joe Theiler (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn.), Ryan Landherr (Sr., Prior Lake, Minn.), and Jake Schmitz (Sr., North Branch, Minn.)
Notes:
- Theiler was named to the 2015 MIAC All-Conference Second Team
- Offensive line last season blocked for a MIAC-leading 319.2 passing yards per game and a 58% third down conversion rate
- Jeremy Pastir (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) and Jake Langevin (Jr., Cannon Falls, Minn.) will round out the offensive line as new starters
Head Coach Peter Haugen’s comment: “We’re bringing back three guys that did a really nice job for us last year. Landherr, Theiler, and Schmitz – those guys return and bring experience, and then there will be a couple new guys. We lose a couple great guys for sure, but we’re excited about this year’s group.”
Running Backs
Key loss: none
Players to watch: Luke Martinez (Sr., Lenexa, Kan.) and Karim Ortiz (Jr., Cancun, Mexico)
Notes:
- Martinez returns to the starting lineup after missing all of last season due to injury
- Ortiz started last season as the No. 4 running back and finished the season as the team’s leading rusher with 99 carries for 452 yards and five touchdowns
Coach’s comment: “Having depth last year was one of the areas where we could see what we had and how important that depth was. We got to our fourth running back in week four, and Karim had a great season. We’re excited that Luke is back and he is going to lead a talented group.”
Quarterbacks
Key loss: Mitch Hendricks (Bemidji, Minn.)
Players to watch: Michael Veldman (So., Becker, Minn.) and Sam Archer (So., Zimmerman, Minn.)
Notes:
- Hendricks finished as Gustavus’s career record holder in completions (699) and touchdowns (77), and was 87 yards shy of the program’s record for passing yards
- Veldman begins the season as the starter after transferring from North Dakota State University
- Last season, Gustavus led the MIAC with 319.2 passing yards per game
Coach’s comment: “Replacing Mitch is obviously going to be tough. He did such a great job and was a tremendous competitor. But moving forward, Veldman will go in week one and Archer will be the backup. We feel like we have four guys who are going to be able to compete in this league. We have more quality depth at quarterback than we’ve ever had with Veldman, Archer, (Brandon) Snoberger (So., Rice, Minn.), and (Christian) Haffner (Fy., Lebanon, Tenn.).”
Receivers/Tight Ends
Key losses: Matthew Boyce (Excelsior, Minn.), Gabriel Boyce (Excelsior, Minn.), and Jake Douglas (Montevideo, Minn.)
Players to watch: George Buchner (Sr., Excelsior, Minn.), Hunter Johnson (Jr., Cannon Falls, Minn.), and Michael Hensch (So., North Branch, Minn.)
Notes:
- Gustavus receivers led the MIAC last season with 33 touchdowns during the regular season (two from running backs)
- Matthew Boyce set the program record for most receiving yards in a season last year with 1,318 yards on 77 receptions
- Johnson is the team’s leading returner, having caught 24 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns last season
- Hensch steps into the starting tight end role after not catching a pass last season
Coach’s comment: “We certainly lost some big players from last year, but we bring back George Buchner who’s seeing a lot of time and Hunter Johnson who’s also seeing a lot of time, along with Drew Fredericksen (Jr., Forsyth, Ill.) and Jamison Beulke (So., Montgomery, Minn.), who had some quality minutes last year. It’s really a talented group of receivers and with our depth that should be a strong point with our young kids.”
Defensive Line
Key losses: Adam Neubarth (Cologne, Minn.) and Isaac Kotila (Buffalo, Minn.)
Players to watch: Aaron Brau (Sr., Wabasso, Minn.) and Levi Folkert (Sr., Elgin, Minn.)
Notes:
- Folkert returns as the defensive line’s most experienced player, having played in all 10 games last season with 14 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss
- The Gusties will try to decrease their time on defense this season after leading the league with 85.8 tackles per game last year
- Last season the Gusties recorded 55 tackles for loss, accounting for 317 yards
Coach’s comment: “We’re trying to utilize the talent that we have at d-line. I’m excited about this group and how they are coming along. Coach Vine is working with them this year and that will be fun. Woody Bachman, who has done a great job over the past few years, is now over at Mankato Loyola. But we’re excited about the group coming back. Aaron Brau will anchor that group along with Levi Folkert.”
Linebackers
Key losses: Kyle Krzmarzick (Sleepy Eye, Minn.) and Kysten Zierke (Blue Earth, Minn.)
Players to watch: Zack Martinez (Sr., Lenexa, Kan.), Tyler Jakes (Sr., North Mankato, Minn.), Casey Decker (Jr., Mapleton, Minn.) and Anders Raarup (Jr., Eagan, Minn.)
Notes:
- Martinez returns to the starting middle linebacker spot after missing all last season with an injury
- Krzmarzick and Zierke led the team in tackles last season with 71 and 70, respectively, while Raarup and Jakes were next in line with 49 and 48, respectively
Coach’s comment: “There’s no doubt we’ll have some strong quality at linebacker. Zack Martinez comes back along with Tyler Jakes. Both guys are captains in the middle there. The guys who are on the edge are All-Conference Casey Decker and Anders Raarup, who played a ton last year, so there’s a lot of experience at linebacker.”
Defensive Backs
Key losses: Nick Frandsen (North Oaks, Minn.) and Philip Sun (Doral, Fla.)
Players to watch: Dutch Claybaugh (So., Kaneohe, Hawaii) and Tanner Jensen (Sr., Lewiston, Minn.)
Notes:
- The Gustie defense posted six interceptions last year, but none were recorded by this season’s returning defensive backs
- Jensen is the most experienced returner, having played in all 10 games last season with 29 tackles, three pass breakups and three passes defended
Coach’s comment: “Jordan Sorensen (Sr., St. Peter, Minn.) and Tanner Jensen played quite a bit last year, as well as Dutch Claybaugh and Sergio De Pablos (Sr., Cancun, Mexico), who didn’t play at the beginning of the year, but then we moved him to defense. There are a few guys that saw a number of varsity snaps last year, but we’ll be young with our depth.”
Specialists
Key loss: none
Players to watch: Brendan Boche (Jr., Lakeville, Minn.) and Casey Decker
Notes:
- Boche set a number of program kicking records last season – most extra points made in a game (9), most extra points made in a season (55), most extra points attempted in a season (58), most consecutive extra points made (49), and highest extra point percentage in a career (94.8%)
- Decker returns as the punter after recording 24 punts for an average of 34.6 yards
Coach’s comment: “Our specialists are a solid group. I’m excited about both Brendan Boche and Casey Decker at kicker and punter. They both had great seasons last year and then Brayton Finch (Fy., Mount Morris, Ill.) will back up both those positions.”
The Gustavus football team open its 2016 campaign at 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 3 at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo.
“I’m excited to get into the first week,” Haugen said. “Camp was great, it was two weeks and it’s a grind, but we’re getting into our routine. We have a schedule now that gets us ready for game time.”