ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul football team will open the season as part of NCAA Division II's week zero this Thursday, August 28 with a 6:30 p.m. kickoff in the lone non-conference game at Quincy University in Quincy, Illinois. This marks the first part of a three-part season preview series to be released this week leading up to the season opener.
 
The opener will be Quincy's Military Appreciation Night game at QU Stadium and available to watch online on the GLVC Sports Network for a $15.75 pay-per-view fee. Fans can also follow the game online by viewing live in-game statistics, courtesy Quincy University.
 
This will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs, with Concordia coming off of a 2-9 overall finish and 2-8 NSIC season for an 11^th-place finish in the 13-team NSIC, while Quincy went 6-4 overall with a 5-3 GLVC record to finish fourth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
 
CSP has been picked 11^th overall in the 2025 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll in the new-look Northern Sun with the University of Jamestown (N.D.) becoming the NSIC's 14^th football-playing member. CSP is picked sixth in the seven-team NSIC South Division. Quincy was tabbed fourth in the GLVC Preseason Poll following the winning 2024 season under Jason Killday, who enters his second season as the head coach of the Hawks.
 
COACHING STAFF RECEIVES BOOSTS WITH NEW FACES & KEY OFFSEASON DEVELOPMENT
Head coach Shannon Currier enters his 19^th season as a head college football coach in 2025, which will be his 14^th at Concordia. Now in his second term as sideline boss of Golden Bear football, Currier has been back with CSP for 10 seasons this fall.
 
His impact on the program has been long-lasting, and includes unparalleled loyalty as countless former players have opened their coaching careers under his tutelage, or returned to their alma mater to coach alongside him.
 
MUNKWITZ & MEDLO MOVE FORWARD
Two of the top examples of alumni coaches turned the page in their coaching careers during the offseason, as Jon Medlo turned in his whistle for a key card to join CSP's athletic administrative team as Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities, while Jake Munkwitz accepted a position in his wife's home state of Iowa to grow in his coaching career at an NAIA-power at Grand View University.
 
"Jon and Jake have meant a lot to this program for all of the work they put in and their commitment to the football program, athletic department and university, and that's what neat about them both. They wanted to make an impact at Concordia and leave a legacy – they've both been committed to CSP's mission and helping the program," said Coach Currier. "You grow to be great friends with these people, we aren't just co-workers, we're with each other for a lot of hours and form a special bond. Those relationships never go away, and that's the best part of this game."
 
Medlo didn't play for the Golden Bears, he was a member of the program in the mid-1990's when Concordia was part of the NAIA and Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – before the UMAC made the move to NCAA Division III.
 
Before returning to CSP, Medlo had put together a successful career as a coach and athletics administrator across various levels of college and high school football.
 
He returned to Concordia in 2016 when Currier returned to the program.
 
"Jon has a high level of commitment to CSP, and that's why we were lucky to land him from Hamline. He's all about trying to improve CSP in all ways. And in his role on the coaching staff, he did it all. He's been a recruiting coordinator, handled all of our travel, but above his tasks and coaching, I could always count on him to be honest about anything on his mind. That created a high level of trust, because I always knew exactly what he was feeling."
 
Munkwitz's story goes back even further than Medlo's as a legacy player. His father, Jim, was a player and coach for the Concordia Comets in the 1980's and remained so connected to the football program, that when Currier was coaching at the Division II level in the early 2000s in his first run at the helm of the program, Jim's son Jake was right there on the sidelines as a ball boy. Following Jake to CSP was his sister, Frankie, to the softball team. And just like Jim, and then Jake, Frankie made a lasting impact with the softball program naming an award after her.
 
"I have that image burned of Jake as a ball boy at Griffin Stadium burned into my memory," commented Currier. He continued, "When Tom Rubbelke hired me to come back in December of 2015, he told me that the program has a young graduate assistant coach, Jake Munkwitz, and I quickly learned that Jake was all about this business as a football coach."
 
Building his staff, Currier had a plan, and part of that plan was to install a full-time defensive line coach as one of his assistants.
 
"When Jake was done with his GA position, we had an opening and I wanted to fill that spot with a defensive line assistant, but the timing was just too perfect, we had to keep Jake here. In our program, the football position is never more important than the right fit, and Jake had (and still has) everything we look for in a coach and we couldn't pass up his enthusiasm, commitment and desire to be great and learn. He ran our special teams and coached our linebackers and did a great job. He's always had a big role, but he kept growing and gaining more responsibilities including becoming our recruiting coordinator and also worked so well with all of the different departments across our entire campus."
 
Currier has a sense of pride when talking about Munkwitz, "His family is so respected at Concordia, how Jake and the entire family handles their business is so impressive. And now he goes to Iowa where his wife is from, they are living in their parents old home. He will see something new as a coach, a new opportunity to see other things, gain other experiences, he'll coach the defensive line there – it was the right time for him to leave the nest."
 
The last CSP alumni assistant coach to leave the program for an assistant position on the Grand View staff, Travis Johansen, is now the head coach at the University of South Dakota. Munkwitz now has the opportunity to chart his own dynamic career path.
 
HERE COMES THE BOOM(ER)
Just like Currier decides to view the Medlo and Munkwitz departures through the lens of opportunity for his longtime coworkers and valued friends, he also views filling their roles as an opportunity to embrace change.
 
Anyone who has spent time with Coach Currier understands that he intentionally chooses the positive, optimistic, human-oriented outlook on a situation, and while he hadn't been tasked with filling a full-time assistant position on his staff in many years, that's exactly the way his outlook was aimed this offseason.
 
"In anything in life, change can be good – we try to embrace the change and we expect our program to gain something from this change. We miss the coaches who leave, whether it's part of our 2-year GA cycle, student assistants or volunteer/stipend coaches – we always miss them for the people they were and relationships we had while they were here, and Jon and Jake are certainly no exception."
 
And just like when Munkwitz was hired to coach linebacker when Currier was trying to fill a defensive line position, he once again turned to filling an assistant role with the best person who has all of the coaching characteristics that Currier values most.
 
While Boomer Roepke didn't have "offensive line coach" on his resume, his background as an offensive coordinator and play caller fit major aspects of what the program was seeking. But above that, Roepke's personality is a perfect match for how Currier's player-focused, student-athlete outcome-focused program operates.
 
"Coach Boomer will call the plays and oversee the offense, which frees me up to oversee the entire program as head coach and focus specifically on the quarterback position. But above that, Boomer coached my son (Collin) at Northwestern, and I saw first-hand the type of impact that he makes. I remember after a tough loss, I had asked Collin what Boomer said to them after the game, I'm always curious about that as a coach – what different coaches have for messaging to their players, win or lose. This one was a tough loss, and Collin said, 'he told us that he loved us.' That's Boomer."
 
Coach Currier and Roepke have been in the same discipleship group for the last four or five years, meeting regularly at FCA, forging a relationship that may have started on common ground between their faith and football, but becoming something more meaningful. And with Medlo, Currier had a high level of trust due to Medlo's blunt personality, while Roepke enters the program with the pair already having forged a high level of trust over the past few years.
 
And while Roepke didn't have offensive line on his resume entering his post at CSP, Medlo hasn't strayed from the program, often volunteering his time between facility duties to observe at practice, and sit through film sessions to break down his expertise with arguably one of the most important position groups in the sport.
 
"Boomer has learned a lot from Jon's presence, and I'm grateful to 'Meds' for his continued involvement and commitment."
 
"Boomer has a desire for greatness, he's motivated to be great in all realms: coaching the offensive line, recruiting, running the offense. But his mission is to make an impact on people and in doing so, he spreads joy and has enthusiasm – I enjoy that mentality. He tries to build people up, coach them up, build relationships and culture and leads to retaining players and creating successful performances – he does it extremely well."
 
COACH THOMAS IS THE PERFECT FIT
To fill Coach Munkwitz's role on the staff, Currier prioritized a full-time defensive line coach while still emphasizing the overall coaching traits. To fill this vacancy, Currier believes he found everything he values including positional fit, someone to run the special teams, and someone who knows defensive coordinator Craig Stern's defensive scheme.
 
"We haven't had a full-time defensive line coach since I've been back at CSP, and we went back my initial intuition to fill that spot, it's one of the most important positions on the football team – and it's important to have both sides of the line of scrimmage run by a full-time coach. So while that was our initial need and priority to fill, we also wanted someone with experience in how we run our defensive front."
 
He continued, "We searched high and low for coaches with that perfect blend of experience, and Coach Dalton Thomas came along and is a young coach with a unique background and during our process, we learned how qualified he is to be our special teams coordinator."
 
Thomas had his prep football career derailed due to injury, but still found his way to the University of Northern Iowa where he had intended to play. He ended up in a student assistant coaching role, and continued to earn new tasks and roles while learning the game, what type of work ethic it takes to be successful in college football coaching, while learning accountability and attention to detail.
 
Following his graduation, he secured a position as a graduate assistant at Division II power Northwest Missouri State, first to lead the safeties and then the defensive line.
 
"Coach Wright is the 'grand-daddy' of the defense we run, and Coach Thomas learned a lot in a great Division II program."
 
Thomas then bumped up a level to South Dakota State as the Jackrabbits' assistant defensive line coach where he continued his growth as a coach.
 
"SDSU defensive coordinator Brian Bergstrom was Winona State's head coach the past few years, so we know him, and when Coach Thomas applied, we checked in with Coach Bergstrom. They didn't want to lose him, and he was impressive in his interview."
 
When the players met Thomas, they were impressed. "The players enjoy his accountability, enthusiasm and knowledge for the game. He's a very good teacher, and he's made an immediate impact on our program. Our defensive line has already improved due to his focused recruitment to bolster the position with transfers, and our defensive line culture has flipped and is becoming very strong. I'm excited to see that group take steps forward this fall after a great preseason camp."
 
VOUK, HAMER RETURN IN KEY POSIITONS
The program retained a pair of key offensive assistant coaches in top non-full time positions in Devin Vouk (RB/TE) and Levy Hamer (WR).
 
"It was essential for us to have Coach Vouk and Coach Hamer back this year. It brings us continuity on offense and with our skill positions, and these two coaches are growing. Devin has added responsibilities with leading our kickoff return unit and handles our academic support (GRACE) where we've produced our best-ever spring term team GPA under his leadership. Both coaches have been instrumental in the development of our offense and we continue to be on the same page more than ever due to that continuity."
 
HELLER & YLITALO STEP INTO GA POSITIONS
The program's graduate assistants have turned over, with Riley Heller graduating from the program last winter and immediately transitioning into the GA role on offense while the new defensive graduate assistant, Bradley Ylitalo, emerged late in the process.
 
"Riley has been outstanding and he is setting the bar high – he's already been one of the top GA's we've had. Bradley came to us in an interesting way, he has a Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Wake Forest and came here to pursue a second master's degree and was a volunteer on our staff. We quickly learned that his mission in life fits what we are trying to do – his coaching is his ministry, he showed enthusiasm and excitement in his role and when that late opening popped, we knew right away that he'd be the right fit for a GA position. He runs the special teams scout teams, is very organized and detailed – we are excited about our GA's, they are both very good."
 
TOLLY, STANLEY & THOMAS JOIN AS VOLUNTEER STAFF
The program also welcomed in new volunteers with Tayler Stanley, Trevor Tolly and Jeff Thomas. Tolly was the head coach at Hopkins High School and has experience in college coaching from UW-River Falls and Hamline.
 
"Coach Tolly is a key addition, as Coach Thomas also runs the special teams, so when he's tied up with that role, we have a really qualified coach to fill that gap. We have 120 kids, they all need direction and guidance, the more coaches we have interacting and leading, the better our culture continues to be allowing us to continue our strength in retention and keeping our players and coaches on the same page and using the same language."
 
Coach Currier then cited the Tower of Babel incident from the Bible in Genesis 11:6, "God's observation that, with humanity united by one language and purpose, their collective capacity for action is so great that 'nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.'"

Stanley is also a graduate student looking to gain coaching experience, assisting the wide receiver group while Jeff "Big Dog" Thomas is assisting the offensive line.
 
"He's tremendous, Coach Stanley and Coach Heller lead our defensive scout team – an area we have to improve. It's important for our team to get an exact look of what an opponent will bring on Saturday. We will be more prepared for game situations because of the work they've been doing, we're more locked in on the detail of our scout looks and having capable people running these facets of our program is essential. Coach Thomas is a good dude, another guy in our program who encourages people."
 
DUDYREV & MATHEWS IN STUDENT COACH POSITIONS
Returning for his second year as a student assistant is Tim Dudyrev, "he's really important to our success and allows us to function at a higher level. He handles our offensive signal relays on gameday, handles some of our equipment manager duties fixing helmets and runs all of our player laundry."
 
The staff also includes a work study/volunteer in Elijah Mathews who has ambitions to be an NFL equipment manager in his future. He oversees equipment and video as well as the film crew of four student film operators in practice.
 
"All of these coaches are involved in recruiting, fundraising towards our $100,000 team goal and everyone has a role on gameday, with travel prep and each position coach takes it personally when the players in their group aren't performing on or off the field to the level we aim to achieve – all of our coaches are in this together, and we have strong leadership on our team."
 
COACH BOND LEVELS UP WITH KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
It's not often that a small college football coach has a chance to get behind the scenes in a learning and development capacity with an NFL dynasty, but assistant coach Mike Bond, the program's recruiting coordinator, was able to do just that in the few weeks leading up to fall camp late this summer.
 
Bond was awarded one of 10 spots on the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship with the Kansas City Chiefs under three-time Super Bowl champion head coach Andy Reid and more specifically defensive coordinator Steve "Spags" Spagnuolo, a four-time Super Bowl champion.
 
"Coach Bond was part of the staff in Kansas City for a couple weeks at the end of summer, right up until our camp started. He was part of every meeting, their film sessions, practices, he helped give looks to the defense moving around in formations to give a look to their defense to learn and talk about adjustments, coverages, assignments – he absorbed it all, from practices, expectations, player habits, culture and everything their coaches emphasized to their championship-caliber players."
 
"Coach Bond came back more confident, brought new drills to the program, heightened expectations and more credibility. The players see how lucky they are to have a coach who is high caliber to be in the room with the Kansas City Chiefs and in the Bill Walsh pipeline. It raises expectations with the players, that position group is already better, it improves the program and is great recognition for us. If I'm a high school defensive back, stuff like this really makes a different on my decision where to play college football."
 
MEET THE TEAM: SPECIAL TEAMS PREVIEW
While Coach Munkwitz was a mainstay leading the special teams unit for years, Coach Thomas has brought in an outside perspective and new approach to the program.
 
"We have been comfortable with what we've been doing on special teams in the past, but we also need to empower Coach Thomas to teach and coach what he knows, so we do have schematic changes with our special teams and he's done a great job implementing everything. We have new drill work, we are fast-paced with a lot of people moving around, and we have more coaches involved doing a great job leading various parts of the special teams. We have a lot of hands on deck, and Dalton has done a great job delegating pieces of special teams to other coaches, for example Coach Vouk runs the kick return units, Coach Bond is on the kickoff team – he's empowering others to be part of this, which is great."
 
"With our philosophy, we want to protect the punter – always, but at the same time, we will make sure that opposing teams respect it and don't bring the juice. We are fundamentally sound, these guys play their tails off and play relentlessly on special teams."
 
He concluded, "We have different schemes on all of our special teams units, and the guys have bought into it and given great effort, they are ready to take the next step on Thursday night!"
 
MEET THE BEARS: KICKING GAME
The Golden Bears will enter 2025 replacing their kicker and punter. A one-year transfer last year, Jeff Isotalo McGuire made seven field goals including a pair of 50-plus yarders with a long of 60 while making all 22 PATs. The team also replaces four-year punter Parker Dahlman who etched his name firmly in the single-game, season and career records.
 
The team does return Kenny Steffen, who redshirted in his first in the program in 2024 and can handle both kicking and punting duties.
 
Newcomers include freshman kicker Ryan Bendezu and junior punter Caden Carsen who is also a pitcher on the CSP baseball team.
 
"Bendezu has had a strong fall camp and has won the job as our kicker. Both have kicked well this fall but Ryan stood out with his consistency and we are excited about him, he is a talented player and we're hoping he gets out to a strong start."
 
"We also had competition at the punter position. Coach Stern was watching his son play summer baseball, and he was playing on the same team as a CSP pitcher. Through some conversations, Stern learned that Caden could punt and he found his way to our team and is now the starting punter. He's a great addition, we're excited to see him go, he is very athletic and has done a nice job punting this fall."
 
"With Kenny also having experience with both roles, he's had a nice camp and we're probably in a spot where we'll travel all three in our kicking/punting game to secure those needs."
 
"The kicking battery is an operation we are still working out, but we have our snapper James Wade returning as well as Carter Miller and Caydon Christensen in long/short snapping roles behind him, along with our holders Reed Styer and Jackson Compton."
 
SPECIAL TEAMS HEROES
The kickoff and punt coverage and return units will feature a strong amount of continuity, with a number of players assigned to four or three special teams units: Michaell Hall, Crash Davis, Antoine Jarrett, Safdar McCrary, Byron Sweeny, Dominic Stencel, Jonas Barros, Bo Kenney, Ricky Dixon, CJ Jackson, EJ Stoffel, Daniel Hornacek, Parkees Harris, Joel Lacy, Carter Zezulka, Jay Hardy, Anthony Hickman, Ben Rehl, Mike King and Dilan Williamson all being top special teams performers.
 
While it's a large quantity of players, including several who are starters or key members of the two-deep, Currier notes, "That's a third of the game and is the part of the game where the most yards are exchanged, we want our best players possible out there while still finding balance to limit wear and tear. But we are committed to winning that phase of the game every week."
 
THE RETURN GAME
"We want to make sure that we either get past the 30 (yard line) or make the sound decision to take the 30, and we have the elusive and explosive players to achieve this."
 
"Troy Ellison is one of our most explosive players and has a history of making big plays in our program, Parkees Harris runs as hard as anyone we've had here, Tony Edwards started as a true freshman at (DII) Lake Erie State and had a good season at RCTC and is an explosive player. Timothy Davis is known as 'shift' for a reason – he's quick and will be our punt return man. We have some explosive players – if we create space for them, we will hit some big plays."