Bulldog football beats Waldorf Warriors in season opener
View from the crowd just after the Bulldogs’ third touchdown, score 21-0
Photo credit: Tobin Beck
By Isaac Dawson
The Concordia football team blasted past the Waldorf University Warriors this past Saturday with a final score of 45-7 to win the season opener.
The Concordia defense shone in the first half of the game, giving no ground to the advancing Warriors and pushing them backward faster than they ever gained progress. Junior Grant Huss got the most tackles at 12. Seniors Michael Grindey, Talatau Solo, and Zachary Downs got a sack each.
The Bulldogs scored their first points halfway through the first quarter. Senior quarterback DJ McGarvie threw it into the endzone to senior John Goodwin for 7-0.
Stopped in their tracks after four incomplete passes immediately following the first touchdown, Waldorf was forced to give up the ball to a brilliant series of passes by the Bulldogs. Senior Austin Jablonski and Goodwin took 60 yards in three plays to take another Concordia touchdown to round off the quarter.
With so many seniors making up the core of this year’s offense especially, McGarvie commented on the team dynamic and the hopes for next Saturday.
“We’re just looking forward to next week, we’re all just a tight bunch group and we’re all just happy for everyone’s successes today,” McGarvie said.
The Bulldogs’ defense was a thing to behold, crushing every Warriors’ advance in a wave of blue time after time, catching Waldorf’s starting running back Rocky Ketchum behind the line of scrimmage or within three yards rushes nearly every possession.
The second quarter was a devastating blow to the Warriors, with the Bulldogs taking their remaining 31 points and effectively ending the game early. Senior Daylan Russell, senior Mark Arp, McGarvie, who incredibly hurdled a defender, and sophomore Carlos Collazo took touchdowns in the second, bringing the score to 45-0 after a safety by intentional grounding by the Warriors’ quarterback.
Just before McGarvie’s touchdown, Collazo pulled off an amazing 43-yard rush, bulldozing through several defenders to eke out a few more paces to bring it to Waldorf’s 20.
Almost every important pass from McGarvie found its receiver in the first half of the game, where he pulled out all the stops and threw for 220 yards, nailing 17 out of 22 pass attempts, showing immense promise for the following games and his final season as the starting quarterback.
Concordia brought in their younger team for the final half, whose defense held strong until the Warriors got a long-awaited touchdown halfway through the fourth quarter. A series of turnarounds filled the rest of the game until it ended at 45-7, setting the 2024 season off to a brilliant first few steps, with several tougher stairs to climb.
Sophomore Jonny Puelz (80 yards on two receptions), Jablonski (71 yards on six receptions), and junior Adam Van Cleave (80 yards on seven receptions) provided McGarvie’s offensive backbone, taking ground like candy from a baby with 89, 80, and 71 yards respectively.
Collazo was a battering ram to the Warrior’s defense, rushing for 124 yards over the course of the game on 18 attempts, with 66 in the second as the primary fallback. As only a sophomore, Collazo leaves fans excited for a sequel in his upcoming seasons playing for the Bulldogs as a fitting successor to Mark Arp.
Collazo gave proof of his potential yet again in the third quarter, making several rushes that fell just short of the endzone following a 47-yard deep pass from junior quarterback Gideon Stark to Puelz.
With this first game, Concordia brings its record to 1-0. The next matchup is back in Bulldog Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7 against the Morningside Mustangs.
A lot is riding on next week for the Bulldogs, who lost their game against the Mustangs 62-6 in the 2023 season. Morningside is currently rated second in the GPAC behind Northwestern, but this amazing showing by the Bulldogs on Aug. 31 shows promise for this rematch to make their record 2-0.
