Waukon football team looks to continue recent trend of play-off success with return of 30 letterwinners from last season’s State semifinals team
2019 Waukon football team ... Left to right - Front row: Lincoln Snitker, John Ronan, Jason Troester, Tanner Mitchell, Carter Benzing, Dawson Baures, Alyx Ede, Brennan Sweeney, Sawyer Krueger, Patrick Hennessy, Konnor Krambeer, Tyler Block; Middle row: Tanner Kiel, Daniel Cowell, Ethan O’Neill, Luke Pladsen, Joe Schwartz, Sean Cooper, Brock Hatlan, Walker Hermeier, Avery Rocksvold, Conner Schwartzhoff; Back row: Justin Strub, Asher Fahey, Creed Welch, Brady Behrend, Reed Kelly, Joe Hennessy, Zach Thornton, Matt Ronan, Daniel Gruman, Braden Hemann. Not pictured: Brixen Hanson, Lance Egan, Wyatt Lickiss, Charlie Waters.
The 2019 season for the Waukon football team has had some high expectations placed on it, as pre-season polls already have the Indians ranked at the top of Class 2A following last season’s 10-2 overall record, a second consecutive berth in the semifinal round of the Class 2A State Play-Offs and the return of all but six players from that squad. While high expectations may be typical - and likely part of the internal driving force - for a program that has been a State Play-Off qualifier in five of its last seven seasons, including three semifinals appearances that have produce one each of State Championship and State Runner-Up finishes, seventh-year Indian head coach Chad Beermann tempers this year’s expectations that appear on paper with what he says has to be proven on the field.
“We’ve talked about it as a team and what it ultimately means for us,” Coach Beermann shared about his team’s early-season accolades from outside sources. “The talent is there, it is merely a question of how well we can bond as a team. You never really know what you have until you see it in an actual game. We have had some competitive practices, and we expect that to help us improve.”
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