Minnesota State University Moorhead Men's Football

Laqua Steve Laqua is entering his sixth year as the head football coach at Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2016. The Cavalier, N.D., native has taken on the challenge of helping restore Dragon football to its past glory. Laqua is the 17th coach in Dragon history, being named to the post in the spring of 2011. He came to the Dragons after a turning around the Fargo Shanley High School program as its head coach for four seasons. In 2015, the Dragons, despite losing two key offensive starters to injury, recorded their first winning season in nine years by posting a 6-5 mark. MSUM opened 3-0, highlighted by a last-second win at Concordia-St. Paul in Week 2 and a 35-34 win over playoff qualifier Augustana in Week 3.  The Dragons regained the Paddle with a 37-0 win over Mary in Week 10. MSUM had two players named to the All-NSIC North Division Second Team, Bennen Bierman and Jake Busse, while six players were honorable mention selections. The 2014 campaign saw the MSUM offense reach new heights. MSUM ranked fourth in the nation in first downs (292), a mark that led the NSIC.  The Dragons were sixth in total offense (517.6, which also led the NSIC) and 13th in rushing offense (260.7).  The Dragons (12 on offense, one on special teams) accounted for 13 school records in 2014. Six were single-game records while five were single-season and two were career records. A highlight was MSUM setting a new single-game record for total yardage twice, including in the finale win over Minnesota Crookston. Six players earned All-NSIC North Division honors, led by first-team selections Adam Jiskra (junior wide receiver) and Zayne Medhaug (junior running back). Jiskra and Medhaug also earned all-region honors from Don Hansen and the Beyond Sports Network. The 2013 season saw the Dragons make significant progress. MSUM finished third in the eight-team NSIC North Division with a 4-3 mark after being picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll. MSUM finished the season strong, going 4-2 in its last six games. The Dragons had seven All-NSIC players, including sophomore wide receiver Adam Jiskra, who was first-team all-conference. Jiskra was also named to the Don Hansen Super Region 3 Second Team. MSUM's offense set eight school records, including most total yards in a game (685) and most passing yards in a game. The team's offense was ranked 35th in all of Division II in total yards per game. Sophomore quarterback Jake Hodge ranked fourth in the nation for points responsible for and seventh in total offense. MSUM also beat Mary for the first time in school history to claim the "Paddle" for the first time, and the Dragons also regained the Battle Axe for the first time since 2008 with a 35-17 win over Bemidji State. The Dragons fielded one of the youngest teams in the NSIC -- starting as many as 11 freshmen in a game -- in 2012 and finished with a 1-10 mark, although the team had close calls against St. Cloud State and Bemidji State in games taken down to the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Safety Shea DeJong was named the NSIC Defensive Newcomer of the Year, while senior defensive lineman Steve Parks was named first-team All-NSIC. In his first season, Laqua led the Dragons to a 2-9 record including an opening-day victory and a thrilling overtime win on homecoming.  Four players were named to the All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference team while making a national impact.  Jeff Schuette, named to the All-NSIC Second Team, was eighth in the country in tackles followed closely by Tyler Brody, named to the All-NSIC Honorable Mention Team, who was 18th.  Laqua signed 23 recruits during his first full offseason to prepare his team for the 2012 season. Prior to his reign at Shanley, the Deacons had two winless seasons, and under Laquas guidance became North Dakota State Football Champions during his third year (2009). The team won a tight battle over Devils Lake, 31-30. In 2010, he coached the Deacons to their second state title, as the team topped Devils Lake on a field goal as time expired, 24-21. Laqua was honored as the the 2009 and 2010 North Dakota High School AA Coach of the Year.  During the 2009 season, the Deacons began their 20-game winning streak, a streak that was active when Laqua resigned his position. Prior to joining the prep-ranks, Laqua served as the Running Backs, Tight Ends and Punt Team Coach at North Dakota State from January 2005-March 2007, where he coached five All-Americans including Tyler Roehl and Mike Dragosavich. While at NDSU, Laqua was one of the teams top recruiters, as he was heavily involved in recruiting players from North Dakota, South Dakota and western Minnesota. He also served as the Bisons academic coordinator where he implemented a program that put an emphasis on study skills and a college degree. As a result, the team had 21-Academic All-Conference players during his two-year stint at NDSU. For the 2004 season, Laqua was the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles' Offensive Coordinator, where he led an offense that led the NSIC in rushing yards, yards per attempt and least turnovers. During that season, he directly coached an NCAA DII All-American Frederic Rollins, who was also named a National Player of the Week during the season. The Golden Eagle offense set records for rushing yards in a season, as well as single game marks. He directed the Golden Eagle offense that led the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in rushing yards, yards per attempt and least turnovers per game. His coaching experience also extends to one season at St. Olaf College, in Northfield, Minn., where he was the Outside Linebackers Coach. He also served his first stint at NDSU as a Graduate Assistant Coach for tight ends in 2002-03. Laqua had a decorated career at North Dakota State as a Division II student-athlete, playing safety for the Bison. He was an Academic All-Conference member for three years as well as graduated with honors. He earned his Masters of Education from NDSU in 2007. Laqua and his wife, Patty, have seven children.

Phil Herkenhoff, a 2012 Minnesota State University Moorhead graduate, has been named the Sanford Health Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at MSUM. He began his duties on Nov. 2. "I'm thankful for our sports medicine contract with Sanford Health, providing a strength and conditioning coach is just one of the many ways they support Dragon Athletics," MSUM athletic director Doug Peters said. "Coach Travis Anderson built a great foundation for us in the weight room and I am #FiredUp to have Coach Herkenhoff come in and build on that." A native of Melrose, Minn., Herkenhoff was a tight end for the MSUM football team from 2010-12 after transferring from Ridgewater College.  He earned his bachelor's degree in exercise science, with a minor in strength and conditioning, from MSUM in 2012. He earned a Master's degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University in 2014. Herkenhoff played for Steve Laqua during his first season as MSUM's head football coach in 2011 and also was an athlete under former head coach Travis Anderson. Herkenhoff had served as the head strength and conditioning coach at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa, since 2015. He was a student intern at MSUM in 2011-12 and also was an assistant strength coach for a year at Concordia College in Moorhead. Herkenhoff holds certifications from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, the National Strength and Conditioning Association, USA Weightlifting, CPR/AED and Reflexive Performance Reset.  

Cody Cooper is in his fourth season as an assistant coach for the Minnesota State University Moorhead football team. Cooper is a Moorhead native who served as a video director intern at North Dakota State from Aug. 2020 to Dec. 2021.  He is 2021 graduate from North Dakota State with a degree in sport management and business administration.

Taylor James enters his third season as the linebackers coach at MSUM 2025. He comes to Moorhead following a stint at NCAA Division I school Northern Illinois.  2024 saw the Dragon linebacking corp serve as the pulse of the Dragon defense under James' tutelage. Senior standoout Josiah Behm was named an All-NSIC First Team performer in 2024, concluding his career within the top ten all-time in tackles in NSIC history. Additionally, MSUM saw exceptional seasons from linerbackers Jack Bungarden, Mitch Jezierski and Tate Gustafson. James' first season on campus yielded high rewards for the Dragon linebackers. Junior Josiah Behm led the NSIC in tackles in 2023 and was named an All-NSIC First Team performer. Behm was also a D2CCA All-Super Region 4 performer.  James has also spent time coaching at the University of Sioux Falls (2017-18), Manchester University (2019) and his alma mater, Trine University (2019-22).  James was a linebacker for Trine from 2012 to 2016 where he was team captain as a senior. He also earned all-conference honors in 2014, 2015 and 2016. 

Justin Czech joined the MSUM football coaching staff in Jan. 2022 as an offensive assistant coach. He was elevated to quarterbacks coach in July 2023. Czech played at quarterback last year for MSUM and was also All-NSIC North First Team as a punter in 2021. A native of Chippewa Falls, Wis., Czech played for three seasons at St. Cloud State as well.

A.J. Scott is in his fourth season as the offensive line coach for the Minnesota State University Moorhead football team. A native of Las Vegas, Scott spent the past two seasons as the assistant offensive line coach at Division I Kent State. Scott was the defensive line coach at Lake Erie College in 2019-20, and was an offensive assistant coach at Colorado Mesa. Scott played tight end for four years at Colorado Mesa, where he was part of three RMAC Championships in a row. He was also Academic All-RMAC Honor Roll. Scott earned a bachelor's degree in sport management from Colorado Mesa in 2019 and earned his Masters of Business Administration from Lake Erie in 2020. He is pursuing a master's in sport administration from Kent State.

Chris Needham is in his 12th season as a member of the Minnesota State University Moorhead football coaching staff in 2025. Needham serves as the assistant head coach and director of recruiting, a position he has held since 2018. Previously he served as recruiting coordinator and had been a graduate assistant coach for the running backs, tight ends, fullbacks and the defensive line. A 2010 graduate of Fargo Shanley High School, Needham played for current Dragon coach Steve Laqua during his high school career. He was part of the 2009 team that won the North Dakota 2AA state championship. During the fall of 2013, He coached at Fargo Shanley where he assisted with both the middle school and high school football teams. Needham graduated from Concordia College (Moorhead) in 2014 with a degree in health education and a degree in physical education. He then earned his Master’s in Educational Leadership from Minnesota State University Moorhead in the fall of 2015.

Jesse Currier is in his seventh season as the Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach at Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2025. The 2024 season saw Currier held guide senior defensive lineman Denver Sheets to an All-NSIC Second Team season. Currier helped guide senior defensive lineman Hayden Carr to an All-NSIC Second Team selection in 2023. Linebacker Josiah Behm and defensive back Jake Bettcher were also named to the All-NSIC team.  In 2021, senior defensive end Darius Woods-Steichen was named to the All-NSIC North First Team while senior linebacker Matt Schoh, sophomore linebacker Josiah Behm and senior defensive lineman Jordan Magnuson were second-team selections.  MSUM finished 10th in all of Division II with 17 interceptions and 20th in turnovers gained. In his first season with the program, Currier helped lead the Dragon defense to significant improvements. The 2019 defense improved in scoring defense, takeaways, total yards, rushing yards per game, passing yards per game, 4th down conversions, red zone scoring percentage, and red zone TD percentage. Currier has several years of college football coaching experience. He was a graduate assistant at South Dakota State University from 2008-2010 before moving into a full-time role on the staff. He coached the team’s defensive tackles, and added the title of Recruiting Coordinator in 2013. Currier handled all the day-to-day operations related to recruiting. During his time at SDSU, the Jackrabbits went 69-43 and made six postseason appearances. Prior to his time at SDSU, Currier was an Assistant Coach at Iroquois High School in South Dakota, from 2003-2007, helping coach the team to a state championship in 2006. Currier received his Bachelor of Arts from South Dakota State University in History and Secondary Education in 2008, and pursued his Master of Arts in Education Administration with a K-12 emphasis through SDSU. Currier currently resides in Moorhead with his wife, Chelsea, and his children, Gracie and Ty.