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CDH Students Support Super Bowl Week's Game of Honor

By Staff, 02/08/18, 9:45AM CST

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Every year, the Super Bowl Charity Flag Football Game is played in the host city ahead of the big game. The Wounded Warrior Amputee Football Team (WWAFT) competed against the NFL Alumni Team in the annual Game of Honor on January 31, at Concordia University’s Sea Foam Stadium.  

The Wounded Warriors Amputee Football Team, comprised of Iraq and Afghanistan conflict amputees, competes across the country to show everyone that “the loss of a limb doesn’t mean the end of an active life.”

More than 40 Vikings and NFL stars were members of the NFL Alumni team, including Hall-of-Famers Chris Doleman and Carl Eller, Vietnam veteran and four-time Super Bowl Steeler champion Rocky Bleier, Robert Smith, and Chuck Foreman. Cretin-Derham Hall’s Athletic Director and Viking alum, Phil Archer’99, also participated.

Cretin-Derham Hall students were honored to be asked to support the game in a number of ways. LTC Jamie Fischer, JROTC, said that the school’s opportunity to support the event was, “an honor because it provided a real way to recognize the veterans’ sacrifices and resiliency. It was amazing to see the wounded warriors move with agility and fearlessness. It reminded us that there is almost nothing that we cannot overcome.”

JROTC students, Michael Burke’18, Andrew Keis’18, Ian Stoffel’21, and Zach Steigauf’21 presented the colors before the game. Student JROTC escorts at the game were Alexis Feist’18, Seamus Foley’19, Tommy Knops’18, Christian Pornschloegl’21, Leland Pornschloegl’18, Jack Rymanowski’18, and Joe Sexton’19.

Raider football players were on hand to warm up with the teams before the game and escorted the WWAFT players onto the field to start the game. Participating students were Darby Anderson’20, Henry Bergstrom’18, Shawn Brodie Jr.’18, Wyatt Garrity’19, Tristan Lee’21, Matteo Marchio’19, Nick Owsley’20, Noah Peirson’19, Jacob Prince’18, Louie Rottjakob’19, and Max Rottjakob’19.

Members of the CDH Dance Team, Bailey Collmann’20, Winnie Do’20, Gina Neumann’19, Natalie Scott’21, Lauren Smothers’21, Mollie Taft’21, and Bella Tambornino’18 also brought their energy and enthusiasm to the fans during the pregame. 

The Wounded Warriors defeated the Minnesota NFL Alumni 63-42 this year, maintaining their winning streak against NFL Alumni 18-0.