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14th annual  Crystal Bowl at Jake Christiansen Stadium Sept. 6, 1997, Concordia 17 vs Moorhead State 7, 1:35 Kickoff. 
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9/6/97 
 Cobbers post  17-7 win over Moorhead State. Tory Langemo given "Sweetest Move" plaque for second quarter TD. Cobber Defense Shines. 

by Jerry Pyle 
Concordia opened the 1997 campaign with a 17-7 win over cross-town rival Moorhead State today in the 14th annual Crystal Bowl. 

Chris Ohm punched in a 1-yard TD with 9:11 left in the first quarter after the Dragons gave up the ball on downs at the Cobber 36 with a bobbled snap to the punter. 

Tory Langemo was awarded the plaque for the game's "Sweetest Move" for his 22-yard touchdown reception with 4:39 left in the first quarter. That gave the Cobbers the 14-0 lead they would hold until late in the third quarter.. 

The Cobber defense, led by Ryan Sannes, earned collective MVP honors by holding the potent Dragons to just one first down and 39 yards in the first half.  (See Forum Story on the Defense) 

Concordia's Dan Steinbeisser ran for 151 yards on 27 carries for the Cobbers. 

The Dragons made it interesting in the second half with a Pat Elmes touchdown with 3:43 left in the third. But a Clayton Horgan field goal with 1:38 left in the game sealed the Cobber win. (See Full Box Score) (Listen to the game archived on Real Audio) 

See Also Fargo Forum Coverage: 
A Crystal-clear Cobbersâ Win, By Eric Peterson 
Concordia senior linebacker leads defensive charge in victory, By Tim Salwei and Eric Peterson 
Concordia 17, Moorhead State 7 (Statistics by the Forum)

The Cobbers host Gustavus Sept 13 at 1:00. The Dragons host UND next week. 

9/2/97 Dragon Football Fact Sheet 
by Larry Scott, Moorhead State Sports Information Director 

Records --- Saturday's game is the season opener for both teams.  Last year Moorhead State finished 7-3-0 overall and placed second in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with a 5-1-0 league record.  Concordia College finished 6-4-0 overall and placed fourth in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 6-3-0 league record. 

Coaches --- Ralph Micheli begins his fifth season as head coach at Moorhead State.  Micheli is 26-13-2 with the Dragons,  55-76-2 overall in 13 seasons as head coach at Tarkio College (MO), Sul Ross State University (TX), and MSU, and 3-1-0 vs. Concordia College.  Jim Chistopherson begins his 29th season as head coach at Concordia College with a 196-82-7 record and a 14-12-2 mark against MSU. 

Series --- Moorhead State and Concordia College meet for a 75th time in a series that dates to 1920.  Concordia holds a 43-19-12 series advantage, despite five MSU victories in the last seven games and eight MSU wins in the last 12 meetings. 

Last Year --- Moorhead State bolted to a 17-0 first half lead and turned aside a spirited Concordia College revival to post a 31-14 season-opening victory at Alex Nemzek Stadium.  Grover Moore rushed for 149 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown run, while quarterback Pat Elmes added 98 yards rushing to headline a Dragon offense that generated 332 rushing yards.  Senior cornerback Greg Hurt scored on a 64-yard fumble recovery in the fourth quarter to douse any Cobber comeback plans, and earned the NSIC Defensive Player of the Week award. Ethan Pole completed 10-17 passes for 99 yards for the Cobbers while Tory Langemo had a pair of touchdown receptions. 

Key Game Day Matchups: By Jerry Pyle, Cobber SID 

The Cobber Running Game: 
An experienced Cobber offensive line, led by four year starters Noah Caron and Jed Seeger, will try to establish a ground game for a Cobber backfield short on experience against an MSU defensive front seven that has no starters from last yearâs team. 

The Cobber Passing Game: 
Returning quarterback Ethan Pole will be counted on to get the ball to last yearâs Cobber MVP, Tory Langemo. But Langemo will face a tough matchup against MSUâs standout cornerback Mark Teckenburg. 

The Dragon Offense: 
And experienced Dragon offense, led by returning quarterbak Pat Elmes, dangerous halfback Grover Moore, and fullback Matt Oelrich, will present a serious challenge to a young Cobber defensive. Look for linebacker Ryan Sannes , and lineman Jeff Gronner to key the Cobber defense. 

Other Festivities at the 9/6/97 Crystal Bowl

Sweetest Move?

Crystal Sugar will donate a $500  scholarship to the school whose player pulls off todayâs "Sweetest Move." Members of the areaâs sports media will vote on the sweetest move and the winner will be presented with a plaque at the conclusion of todayâs game. 

Touchdowns for Charity

Crystal Sugar will donate $100 to the charity of each teamâs choice for each touchdown they score. 

Honoring the Sandbaggers

In honor of the outstanding efforts by Concordia and Moorhead State students in helping fight last springâs flood, a sandbag relay race will take place at halftime, matching a team of 50 Cobber students against 50 MSU students.