Coe linebackers shred in Guitar Hero, then shred opposing offenses

CEDAR RAPIDS — Jay Oostendorp recalled being cooped up in his apartment with roommates Ben Adelsberger and Sam Shaw.

They needed something to do indoors to combat the cold winter break weather and decided to visit a video game store. The Coe seniors returned with “Guitar Hero” for Nintendo Wii and the competitions started.

“It took off,” said Oostendorp, admitting he takes pride in besting his teammates. “It gets pretty serious.”

Picture three football players that average 6-foot and 210 pounds, jamming to solos of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” or “I Wanna Be Sedated” by The Ramones.

“We’re big Guitar Hero guys now across the board,” Adelsberger said with a laugh. “Jay is probably the best. He’s pretty darn good.”

From shredding rock classics to shredding offenses, the linebacker trio is a tight-knit group on and off the field. They are a key part of the Kohawks’ talented and deep defense that opens the season with the Bremner Cup against rival Cornell Saturday at Clark Field. Coe has won 23 straight and owns a 77-51-4 advantage in the series.

“Our defense is going to be the backbone of our team again with all the returning players,” Coe Coach Tyler Staker said. “It’s a senior-led unit. I feel they are going to set the tone for how the season goes.”

Oostendorp, Adelsberger and Shaw have been friends since freshman year. They share a similar mindset and drive one another to be their best. The trio trains, eats and talks football together when they aren’t at the field or riffing a fake six-string. The goal is to keep each other in line and rise to new heights.

“We take pride in doing the little things right,” Oostendorp said. “We take pride in our effort and working together as a team. We’re always trying to push each other to the ball and stuff like that.”

The days of mindlessly straightforward attacking I-formation runs have passed. Linebackers have to mesh instinct with intelligence, being able to read and react during plays.

Staker said offensive coordinators create misdirection, use motion and vary tempo. The key is to learn the assignments and then let the dogs loose.

The Coe linebackers have earned the nickname, “The Dogs” for their aggressive mindset.

“It’s really turned into knowing the game and doing your job every time,” Oostendorp said. “We like getting after it, too, so it’s always buckle up and hell on wheels for 60 minutes.”

Adelsberger led the Kohawks with 82 total tackles, earning second-team all-American Rivers Conference honors. He also tallied 16 tackles for loss and two sacks. Oostendorp was a first-team all-conference performer, recording 16.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. Shaw finished with 16 tackles in an injury-shortened season.

“They fly around,” Staker said. “Ben plays like his hair is on fire. Jay is all over the field. Last year, Sam played at a really high level and got injured. … He’s back and healthy. He’s playing at a high pace.”

Adelsberger said each player possesses different strengths. He said Shaw is dynamic in the pass game and hits like a truck. Oostendorp is slick and quick to shed blocks to make a play and has superb strength and power to bull rush a blocker into the ground. Adelsberger admits he is a talker on the field and gets into opponents’ heads.

They still have a friendly rivalry, trying to outperform one another. They attempt to gain bragging rights with the best play or statistics after a game.

“Basically, we feed off each other,” Adelsberger said. “Any tackle for loss, sack or play made, we’re always hyping each other up and happy for each other. We get excited.”

Staker has a luxury in depth at linebacker. Darrius Saunders played the Sam linebacker last season and ranked fifth in tackles. He returns but has suffered a preseason injury. David Lukula is expected to contribute on a defense that could play 12 to 13 seniors any given week.

“There isn’t a whole lot we’ve thrown at them that they haven’t seen and that experience in college football is huge,” Staker said. “I’m really excited for them and the start of our season.”

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com