Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Celebrate the birth of the Christ Child!

Recruiting

Why do some high school football coaches just not care? The other coaches and I call to make visits and they do not call to cancel if that time is not good. When that happens the highlight of my day are either walking around Target, Kohl's or Barnes and Noble for an hour. Sometimes I take a book and read in a parking lot. There are days that I take a nap inside my sweet Dodge Neon that says Concordia University Chicago on the side.

Ninja

• Free Time - I cycle, lift weights, run


• Profession - Full-time football coach


• When necessary - NINJA

The Next Season

As the leaves on the trees continue to fall, I'd like to take this time to reflect on some things. First, on Saturday November 3, 2007 the Cougar football team concluded it's season with a final record on 3-7. While we did not reach our goal of 5-5, looking back there are some positives:

• First time since 1992 a Concordia River Forest/Chicago team had more than 2 wins.
• Defeated MacMurray College for the first time since the 1992 season.
• Since Coach Pries took over, the offense is averaging 6 more points per game while the defense is giving up 15 points less per game.

I definitely learned a lot as a first year college coach. Hopefully I continue to learn, grow and become a better coach and person in the process.

The recruiting season officially began. Last week I made my first trip over to Michigan. I was able to speak with several former students at Lutheran High North. That was definitely a pleasant day. On the following day I went to Lutheran Westland. While I was not able to speak to any seniors, hopefully someone will be able to look a the vast literature I was able to drop off. At Lutheran Northwest I had the opportunity to meet with 5 athletes.

Hopefully this off-season or as we are calling it "Pre-Season" will be an exciting time for the Cougars. I recently learned that Florida may become a major area for me to recruit. I guess I may take one for the team and schedule two week long trips to the land of sunshine and warm weather.

Mind Numbing

Just some thing to think about:

• When a DOOR is open, people say it is AJAR. But if A JAR is open is it a DOOR?
• If you put HOT SAUCE in the refrigerator, does it get cold?

Sad days...

Last night I read something that was totally shocking to me. It hurt me to the core. I read an article on yahoo.com stating that J. K. Rowling, the author of the infamous Harry Potter series, revealed that Dumbledore, the Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, was indeed a homosexual. That while he was growing up he had a "crush" on the wizard Gellert Grindelwald. Although it must not have been too big of a crush because those of us that have read the last and final book in the series learned that Dumbledore eventually killed Grindelwand in an epic battle. A battle that was almost five years in the making because Dumbledore struggled with his heart and feelings.

Now, in another yahoo.com article, I read that former singer for the "Boy Band" N'Sync also has a book coming out soon where he reveals he is also a homosexual. Indeed these last two days have been sad.

Here is a little picture and caption that Erich Janousky, our Offensive Coordinator wrote to capture to the moment of me purchasing my first Big Gulp Refill at 7-11.

"Birth, Baptism, getting a driver's license, turning 18, turning 21, graduating from college, the first real job, going toe to toe with "the ole' Ball Coach" and all-around (edited) anonymous offensive coordinator for a rival Illini-Badger foe, and now....the first Big Gulp refill. Dan's latest milestone in his life! Just look at that cup on the counter, basking in the glory and revelry of the moment!"

What a great day and moment in my life!

Sorry...

Sorry Cougar faithfuls, I have not been keeping up on the updates. To summarize the last two weeks I believe I can use one word...WOW! We were successful in beating the Highlanders of MacMurray College on October 6, 2007. It did mark the first time on 15 years a Cougar football team had more than two wins. It also was the first time in 15 years that we had defeated the Highlanders.

While we were feeling good about the win, we knew we had a tough week of work ahead of us. It was Homecoming Week, and we were preparing to face our nemesis, Concordia University Wisconsin. My Alma mater. So despite some of the distractions, were were able to finish the week with a good day of practice on Thursday. I think it was sparked by me wearing my old CUW football jersey and clothing all day.

We played the Falcons extremely well for the first 30 minutes of the ball game. The score at the break was 3-0 Falcons. Unfortunately it is a 60 minutes ball game. It what seemed a blink of the eye, we found ourselves down 31-0 at the end of the 3rd quarter and 45-0 at the end of the game.

This week were are getting ready for Aurora University. For those that know about my days playing in the Illini-Badger Football Conference know that the Spartans were once a powerhouse. Going undefeated in conference during my sophomore through senior year at CUW. They are not the same team they once were. While they do some things very well (inside run, which we have a hard time stopping) they also are vulnerable in spots. The Cougar Coaching staff will have their hands full trying to find ways to stop them this week.

GO COUGARS!!!

MacMurray Game Preview

After the demoralizing defeat last week at the hands of the Eureka Red Devils, the Cougars return home to verse the Highlanders of MacMurray. The Highlanders are also coming off a defeat from the previous week which was delivered to them by Concordia University Wisconsin.

The Cougars have made some changes in many positions. Sophomore Mike Marotta will return as the starting QB. He will also have three new receivers to throw passes to. The defense will see five new starters as well. One in the secondary, two at inside linebacker and two at the defensive line. Not only are the coaches looking for a spark from these players, but they are also hoping to motivate the prior starter.

Good luck Cougars!!!

Game Preview

The Cougars travel to Eureka, Illinois on Saturday to play the Red Devils of Eureka College. While in previous years this game may not have drawn too much attention, this year it is different. The Cougars enter the game tied for the best record in the conference at 2-2 overall and 1-0 in conference. This game means a lot for the Cougars. When they win it will mark the first time they have had more than 2 wins in a season since 1992. Eureka enters the game with the 2nd longest losing streak in Division III football. Their last win was against the Cougars.

Good Luck Cougars!!!

Cougars vs Eagles

Waking up at 6:00 am on a Saturday...maddening. Starbucks not having the cinnamon bagel I really enjoy...sub-standard. Recruits showing up late for our presentation causing me to miss our pre-game meeting...exasperating. Beating the Eagles of Benedictine...one of the best wins of my young coaching career.

If I have not told you this before, we as coaches and a team absolutely loathe Benedictine University. Not only do we often compete for the same recruits year in and year out, but we often hear that they bad mouth us as coaches and a staff. Plus, this was the first conference game of the season and we are now off to a great start. With upcoming competitions verse Eureka College and MacMurray College, the Cougars have a great opportunity to start 3-0 in conference play.

Congrats to Mike Marotta who got his first collegiate start at Quarterback and led the Cougar offense on 3 scoring drives. One of those drives has been called the best drive many people have seen in a long time from a Concordia football team. Congrats to Justin Peacock who made his first start as a Cougar and had 20 carries for the team. While he did not make any huge runs, he was a defensive coordinator's dream. He was a great ball control runner taking time off the clock. Congrats to the eight freshman that started on defense and the many other players that helped contribute to holding the Eagles to 10 points. Finally, congrats to the entire Cougar Football team. By avoiding the loss the kept the program from going 100 games under .500 in conference play.

The Season of Fall

I just want to state that I love FALL! Beautiful weather, Packers in first place, Brewers in contention for a play-off birth (first in 25 years). Simply wonderful.

Depressing

In our game the other day, the University of Chicago ran a total of 72 offensive plays against us. In 64 of those plays they gained a total of 210 yards and 0 touchdowns. In the 8 remaining plays, they gained 235 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Fire that Defensive Coordinator!!! Maybe he can get a job at Michigan though.

1-1

The Cougars had their home opener on Saturday afternoon. The good Lord had blessed us with a beautiful day. Going into the game I was a little worried and nervous, but once we hit the field for warm-ups I was comfortable. Plus I was very happy when I saw the offensive formations the Maroons of the University of Chicago. I was confident we were well prepared for what they were going to run.

We won the coin toss and choose to defer till the second half. U of Chicago decided to return the kick from us. Perfect, I love going on defense first. Ummm...... that did not work out to well. We played relatively well, but there were about 5 or 6 plays that hurt us defensively. The offense had no response to their veteran defense. It was not a fun afternoon.

The good news is that we still have another game coming up. We start work on Monday for our game against Rose-Hulman Institute.

Go Cougars and Packers!!!!

1-0

Unlike the University of Michigan, the Cougars won on Saturday 33-14. We traveled to Carlinville, Illinois on Friday night to play the Beavers of Blackburn College. Honestly, I was a little nervous going into the game, but once we got on the field and the National Anthem played I realized it was just another football game.

The Beavers took the lead with 1 second left in the first quarter on a 1 yard touchdown run. The Cougars came back with two touchdowns in the second quarter to take a halftime lead of 13-7. A turnover by the Cougars on the 22 yard-line gave the Beavers a short field, which led to another touchdown. With the Cougars down for the second time in the game, they showed some great heart. The offense scored 20 unanswered points and the defense forced some three and outs.

We had a lot of freshman step-up and play well. Freshman Inside Linebacker Mike Kelly led the team with 10 tackles (5 solo, 5 assist) and one sack. Three-and-a-half of those tackles were for a loss on the play. Freshman Running Back Kyhree Copeland lead the offense with 185 net rushing yards on 20 carries. He had one touchdown run of 44 yards. Kyhree also had 3 catches for 48 yards.

Overall we held the Beavers to 143 yards of total offense while piling up 458 yards.

Next week the Cougars return home for the first of three consecutive home games against the University of Chicago.

GO COUGARS!!!

Picture Day

I HATE PICTURE DAY!!! I did bring out my patented dress shirt, tie and sport jacket with shorts and sandals though.

Cougar Football Update

Sorry about the lack of updates. I tried to make one the other day, but for whatever reason it would not post. I LOVE technology. Anyways back to the Cougars. Last week has been full of ups and downs. The first team players have been identified and notified of their position on the team. There are some rather unhappy players. I have had many pleasant surprises these last couple of days. Right now the linebacker crew is leading the team in interceptions. Not counting today (sever weather) they have had at least one INT every day. I don't want to pat myself on the back, but I just did. For those that don't know I am the inside linebacker coach.

The team is making strides in the right direction, especially the defense. Although we do make mistakes and I think it has a lot to do with the youth of the team. The offense is hoping to get some players back soon. They have been hit with the injury bug. Fortunately nothing has been serious. A couple sprained ankles, dislocated fingers and strained muscles in the shoulder are just to name a few. Saturday will bring an end to the camp with the Maroon and Gold Scrimmage. Then we work on the Beavers of Blackburn College.

CO COUGARS!!!

Cougar Football - Day 3

We did more weight testing and running testing today. A lot of very impressive stats by the boys of the Maroon and Gold. Milton Moses (Outside Linebacker) ran a 4.47 second 40. Fransisco Vargus (Offensive Line) squatted around the 500 pound mark.

We actually put the helmets on today. There were a little offense verse defense drills today on the old gridiron. Like I have said numerous times over the last couple days, we are very young but athletic. We made some common mistakes in the various drills, but at the same time we did some very good things. Hopefully as we continue to learn we will have less mistakes and more positive plays.

Cougar Football - Day 2

We are a little half way through Day 2 of the 2007 Cougar football Pre-season Camp. Yesterday we had check-in. It was not a fun day for some players, their families and us coaches. The business office and financial aid office were very nice people. We almost had two players flat out leave because of the run-around they were given. But thankfully it worked out in the end (so far).

We began testing today... the highest bench press was by freshman Mason Thompson (Offensive Line). We pressed 425 pounds. The Florida boys are doing very well. Later this afternoon we will test them in a 12 minute run. They are required to do a certain amount of laps based on their position and weight. If they do not pass, starting on Tuesday morning they will be running it at 6:30 am everyday until they do pass.

Week in Review

This week has been quite the experience. With the approaching college football season set to begin on Saturday August 11, 2007, the Cougar Football Staff locked themselves in a room for several hours on Monday. Fortunately we had cookies, chips and salsa, pretzels and a plethora of other snacks to keep us sane. At the time of the meeting we were looking at numbers in the 70s-80s. We are very excited about that.

The week continued with a sad even for me... Barry Bonds broke the all-time home run record that was previously held by Hank Aaron. I am now a huge Alex Rodriguez fan. I wish A-Rod the best in his quest to become the new Home Run King.

On Wednesday morning I decided to go on a nice bike ride. The first 11 miles were good, but then the unthinkable. DOWN GOES ROHDE!!! Apparently riding a bike with tires that are about one inch wide on wet blacktop with wet leaves on it at around 20 miles per hour is not the best idea. The Quintanna Roo Kilo had minor damage. A dent to the top tube and a couple of scrapes on the gear shifters. My body was a whole different story. While I was stubborn and continued to ride another 15 miles, I had nice scrapes on my knee, elbow and hip. I was and have been the brunt of many jokes here in Cougar Land.

Saturday will be the first day of football. While I am excited for the start of the season, I am also nervous. I think it all stems from the uncertainty of what is to come. A new team, a new position with new expectations.

Keep checking back for updates on the season.

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Kochan

This past weekend I went back to Michigan to witness the union of Beth Faszholz and Kevin Kochan. The wedding and reception was phenomenal. Pastor Tom Faszholz (Beth's great uncle and former faculty member at CURF) was the officiant and delivered the message. The reception was help at Tina's. The food was great (especially the pasta) and was topped off some of the best DQ Ice Cream Cake I have ever had (imagine that one). Congratulations to both Kevin and Beth. May the Lord bless your marriage.

Harry Potter

Just finished the final installment in the Harry Potter books (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows). Let me say this.... it was AWESOME!!! I will not say much because I am sure that those of you out there did not have the time to lay around for two days and do nothing but read like I did (I don't have much of a life you know). I urge you to get a copy of your own, borrow, steal someones copy, do whatever you have to and read it as fast as you can. You will not regret it. Full action, excitement, joy, pain and tears. This book will not disappoint.

Wisconsin

My parents recently made a trip to northern Wisconsin near Eagle River. My father took some pictures that he shared with me (he doesn't know I burned some of them...ssshhhhhh). I really like this one of the senset our over Lake Kentuck. God really did things right at creation.

Lake Michigan Duathlon (7/14/07)

My day began at 5:00 am. As I began to pack my things for the days event, I began to feel the nerves in my stomach. Twisting an turning it into a ball of knots, I was unable to eat more than a granola bar and half an apple. I packed my car and began the hour and fifteen minute drive to Kenosha, WI. When I got to the Illinois/Wisconsin border, I began to get a little worried. RAIN was in my sights. At that point I noticed a text message from my sister. She informed me that it had been raining for about two hours in the great city of Milwaukee, WI. Ohhh...no.


I arrived at Simmons Island and prepared for the 7:15 start of the race and fortunately the rain had passed. My family arrived at about 6:55 and helped calm my nerves. As the start of the race came closer, I began to focus on my goal. 2 hours, 10 minutes to complete the 3.1 mile run, 25 mile bike and 3.1 mile run. This would be a large improvement over last years time of 2 hours, 24 minutes and 48 seconds.

The race began. I will spare you the thoughts that were going through my head (I'm trying to keep this clean). Basically, I can summarize my thoughts as, "Dan....what are you doing to your body?" My feelings were definitely pain and more pain. Eventually the pain in my legs left as numbness took over.

I finished the race two minutes past my goal with an official time of 2 hours, 12 minutes. I was fourth in my age group, thirteenth overall out of 52. The average time for all competitors.

While I am very happy with the nearly thirteen minute improvement, I am not going to be satisfied. Look for me to be back and better next year!!!

Quintana Roo Kilo

Those of you who have not seen the new bike... here it is. A wonderful piece of machinery.

Welcome...

Welcome to Bikes, Cougars and Everything Wisconsin. Feel free to discuss any of these topics or a new one if you choose.