Broncos aiming to take next step after 5-5 season

The highlight was a 10-9 upset against No. 22-ranked Northwestern (Iowa). It marked the program’s first victory over the Red Raiders since 2004, serving as a catalyst for a team learning how to close out tight games in the competitive Great Plains Athletic Conference.

“When you haven’t won a lot year after year after year consistently, you have to learn how to win. And the first thing you do is you have to expect it,” Franzen said. “When you expect something to happen, more often than not, you’re going to find a way to make that happen, whether it’s to win or lose.

“Later in the season, we started expecting positive things.”

That newfound optimism has translated to a highly productive fall camp. The Broncos were picked to finish sixth in the 11-team GPAC preseason coaches’ poll.

“The leadership has been really as good as I’ve seen with our juniors and seniors,” Franzen said. “It makes it nice when a lot of the things that you have to teach the first-year guys are taken care of by a good group of leaders and we’ve had that.”

Offensively, the Broncos will lean heavily on experience in the trenches and under center. Senior quarterback Jarrett Synek — a Hastings High graduate — returns after completing 55.6% of his passes for 859 yards and six touchdowns in six games played.

Synek will be protected by an offensive line featuring a trio of returning All-GPAC performers: senior Jayden Lagunas (first team), junior Tre’Quan Henley (second team) and senior Sal Nacarelli (second team).

“Our quarterback and offensive line are a veteran group,” Franzen said. “It’s been really good so far and I think that will prove — hopefully, if we stay healthy through the season — to be a really strong point for us.”

In the backfield, senior Kaiden Merryman takes the reins. The NAIA indoor 60-meter and outdoor 100-meter track All-American averaged 56.5 yards per game and 6 yards per carry last season while scoring six TDs.

“I dare say Kaiden is the fastest football player in the NAIA,” Franzen said. “He can just fly.”

The receiving corps faces a remodel after losing its top two pass-catchers to graduation. Senior Jake Weidinger (13 catches, 272 yards and three TDs) and junior Cooper Butler (16 catches, 194 yards and one TD) from St. Cecilia return as the primary targets on the perimeter.

Meanwhile, senior Carson Kudlacek — another former Bluehawk — will shift to tight end after spending three seasons at quarterback. He joins a committee tasked with replacing a pair of graduating all-conference tight ends.

Defensively, Hastings must replace graduated linebacker Jake Lambert, last season’s leading tackler. However, junior linebacker and St. Cecilia grad Dawson Kissinger is back after a breakout campaign where he tallied 81 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and three interceptions to earn first-team All-GPAC honors.

Kissinger is joined by fellow junior linebackers Justyce Hostetler and Brice Chaplin, as well as senior Josiah Aldridge, who transitions from defensive back to linebacker.

The defensive line is anchored by returning second-team All-GPAC performer Tywan January (25 tackles and five tackles for loss). Junior David Lopez and senior Marquise Keeten, who each recorded 3.5 tackles for loss a year ago, also return.

The secondary took the biggest graduation hit, losing three top players. While seniors Jason Olford and Colton Marsh and junior Jaden Williams return, the coaching staff brought in several transfers to spark immediate competition.

“We don’t bring in a transfer to be a backup or a scout team player,” Franzen said. “We want somebody who’s going to come in and win a job or push the players that are there to another level. We feel a lot better about our secondary now than we did the day before camp started.”

Special teams present a mixed bag heading into week one. Sophomore kicker Colton Willmott (8 of 10 on field-goal attempts last year) is back, but the unexpected departure of two-time All-GPAC punter Travon Shaw left the staff scrambling for a replacement.

The Broncos open the season on the road against Dordt on Sept. 5, before hosting Concordia for their home debut on Sept. 12. To navigate a grueling GPAC schedule and build on last year’s momentum, Franzen knows the margin for error is thin.

“We’ve got to stay healthy,” Franzen said. “The drop from our starters to our backups in several spots is fairly significant. You’ve really got to lean into your culture and now we’ve got to deliver week to week.”