Continuing a tradition of international travel, the Central College football team is in the midst of a nine-day trip to Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The Dutch will play an exhibition game Friday night in Innsbruck, Austria against the Swarco Raiders Tirol, a top Austrian club team, at the Tivoli Stadium. The Raiders were formed in 1992 and have won the Eurobowl three times while claiming the Austrian Bowl five times, including 2015 and 2016, and has a partnership with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders.
“They’re pretty good,” coach Jeff McMartin said. “They’re well-coached and have some good players.”
But football is not the focus for the trip.
“Experiencing different cultures and different countries is part of the players’ educational process,” McMartin said.
The week is coordinated by Global Football, which organized Central’s four most-recent international trips. International travel is a Central football tradition, started in the mid-1980s by the late Ron Schipper, Central’s hall of fame coach and a longtime ambassador for American football. The Tazon de Estrellas (Bowl of the Stars) is now held in Mexico each year and in December, Dutch defensive coordinator Don De Waard served as the American squad’s head coach for the fifth time.
European trip roster:
Cory Archer, sr., RB, Fremont, Iowa/Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont HS
Spencer Barber, jr., TE, Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge HS
Jordan Borman, so., DB, Eagan, Minn./Eagan HS
Josh Brunk, sr., OL, West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley HS
Austin Carney, jr., LB, Marengo, Iowa/Iowa Valley HS
Daniel Coovert, jr., SB, Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore HS
Collin Erickson, jr., DB, Gilbert, Ariz./Dobson HS
Nathan Fitzgerald, jr., RB, Elkader, Iowa/Central HS
Aaron Fogt, jr., TE, West Des Moines, Iowa/Waukee HS
Thomas Fox, jr., LB, Stockton, Ill./Stockton HS
Patrick Gray, jr., RB, West Des Moines, Iowa/Waukee HS
Blaine Hawkins, fr., QB, Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny HS
Cade Humphries, SB, fr., Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo HS
Logan Huinker, fr., Altoona, Iowa/Southeast Polk HS
Max Hytone, sr., OL, Waukee, Iowa/Waukee HS
Brady Johnson, so., TE, Stanton, Iowa/Stanton HS
Erik Knaack, fr., WR, Reinbeck, Iowa/Gladbrook-Reinbeck HS
Connor Lewin, so., LB, Stillman Valley, Ill./Stillman Valley HS
Joshua Mayhew, fr., OL, North Aurora, Ill./North Aurora HS
Ben Mitchell, sr., SB, Des Moines, Iowa/Hoover HS
Ross Norem, so., TE, Iowa Falls, Iowa/Iowa Falls-Alden HS
Tate O’Tool, so., LB, Fort Dodge, Iowa/St. Edmond HS
Jake Poster, jr., LB, Davenport, Iowa/Assumption HS
Gavin Ritchie, fr., WR, Williamsburg, Iowa/Williamsburg HS
Hunter Robinson, so., WR, Lisbon, Iowa/Lisbon HS
Josh Scheible, sr., LB, Kansas City, Mo./Liberty HS
Caleb Schlatter, fr., SB, Story City, Iowa/Roland-Story HS
Jeremy Shannon, sr., DB, Morris, Ill./Morris HS
Carter Smith, so., OL, Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg HS
Cody Smith, so., OL, Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg HS
Drew Smith, fr., LB, Joliet, Ill., West HS
Trevor Smith, so., DB, Audubon, Iowa/Audubon HS
Josiah Soderstrum, jr., DB, Story City, Iowa/Roland-Story HS
Ryan Sprain, so., DB, Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock HS
Brett Staton, fr., DB, Story City, Iowa/Roland-Story HS
Jake Suggett, so., OL, Chula Vista, Calif./Eastlake HS
Alex Tamerius, jr., LB, Creston, Iowa/Creston HS
Cody Tuttle, jr., OL, Oskaloosa, Iowa/Oskaloosa HS
Dylan Tuttle, jr., OL, Oskaloosa, Iowa/Oskaloosa HS
Jacob Walters, sr., LB, Sun City, Ariz./Liberty HS
Cody Wonderlich, fr., LB, Pleasant Hill, Iowa/Southeast Polk HS
Jordon Woods, so., RB, Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg HS