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

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