Waukon football team looks to continue recent string of play-off success in 2014 season


Left to right - Front row: Adam Benzing, Nick Bieber, Jake Ronan, Marshall Lyons, Peyton Hesse, Travis Herman, Landon Sivesind, Austin Hogan. Second row: Joe Frieden, Patrick Mahr, Drake Jensen, Colin Steiber, Sean Byrnes, Michael Howe, Christian Wenthold, Dawston Regan, Chris Miller. Back row: Michael Schulte, Brock Waters, Dennis Gaunitz, Wyatt Wille, Haden Hammel, Jamie Byrnes, Nick Johnson, Brennan Frick, Zach Bieber. Not pictured: Adam Drew.

The 2014 Waukon football team returns 23 varsity letterwinners from the most successful season in program history last fall, an historic campaign that saw the Indians play to a Class 2A State Runner-Up finish and rewrite a number of school records in the process. While a great deal of key contributors to last season’s success moved on with graduation this past May, including four players participating in Division I programs at UNI, Iowa and Oregon State, second-year Waukon head coach Chad Beermann says there certainly isn’t any sort of “one-and-done” mentality when it comes to wanting to continue the kind of success the program has developed over the last couple seasons.
“We know we graduated one of the most honored classes in school history,” Coach Beermann said. “We also know the cupboard is not bare. We have addressed the fact we have one of the toughest schedules in 2A, and many of those teams are anticipating a drop-off from our kids. We will have a bit of a target on our backs.”
Aside from what other teams may think coming into this season, Coach Beermann and his charges also know what they are capable of, setting their sights on goals that will continue to maintain and build upon back-to-back seasons where the Indians were Class 2A State Quarterfinalists in 2012 and State Runners-Up last season.
“We would like to make the play-offs for the third consecutive season,” the second-year Indian head coach said. “A goal each week is to rate ourselves against the team we can be. If we can play to potential, we should have a puncher’s chance against everyone on our schedule.”
That schedule will include a considerably different overall look, but also include a bit of familiarity from past experience. Remaining in the Indians’ Class 2A District 3 with them from last season will be the spectrum of district champion New Hampton and district last-place finisher Waterloo Columbus, while recent familiar play-off foes Dyersville Beckman and Center Point-Urbana also make their way into District 3 this season. North Fayette Valley will move up from a Class 1A State Semifinalist finish last season, while another fellow Northeast Iowa Conference (NEIC) school, Oelwein, will drop down from Class 3A. The Tribe’s three non-district games to begin the season will also feature a great deal of familiarity, as another pair of NEIC schools, Class 3A State Play-Off qualifiers Decorah and Crestwood, and Class 1A Quarterfinalist South Winneshiek make up a considerable trio of non-district match-ups to start the Indians’ season.
“Seven of our nine opponents this season are play-off teams from last year,” Coach Beermann observed. “We should have some great games. When the district came out this spring, I think the consensus was it was a two-horse race between North Fayette Valley and New Hampton based on returning players. New Hampton has had a significant injury, and Dyersville Beckman and Waterloo Columbus each have new coaches. I would say this year’s four play-off spots are really up in the air, with North Fayette Valley, New Hampton, Center Point-Urbana, Beckman and Waukon all having earned berths last year.”
The Indians’ postseason and overall success last season not only allowed this fall’s returning letterwinners to enjoy that historic experience, but also allowed for a vast majority of them to build up considerable game experience due to lopsided scores and the extension of the season well beyond just the regular schedule. This season’s 23 returning letterwinners include seniors Adam Benzing, Nick Bieber, Zach Bieber, Jamie Byrnes, Brennan Frick, Travis Herman, Michael Howe, Drake Jensen, Marshall Lyons, Jacob Ronan, Landon Sivesind and Brock Waters, as well as juniors Joe Frieden, Dennis Gaunitz, Haden Hammel, Peyton Hesse, Austin Hogan, Nick Johnson, Chris Miller, Dawston Regan, Michael Schulte, Colin Steiber and Wyatt Wille.
“These players really benefited from the additional month of practice we had last year due to the play-off run,” Coach Beermann said. “Many played big roles on the field, and the rest contributed more in our practices.”
Beermann also says juniors Sean Byrnes, Adam Drew and Pat Mahr will all play roles this year in helping fill holes left by graduation on both the offensive and defensive lines. “We lost over 90% of our total offense from last year to graduation, as well as four of our five offensive linemen and our entire defensive line,” Beermann noted.
Headlining the replacement of that mass exodus of statistical contributions will be All-State senior defensive back Jake Ronan, who, in addition to leading the Indians with eight interceptions last season, also returns with a 9.7 yards per carry average on 26 carries last season and the team’s second-best receiving totals of 29 catches for 385 yards and three touchdowns. Fellow seniors and All-District players Marshall Lyons and Adam Benzing also return with receiving and rushing yardage totals hovering around 100 yards from last season in addition to the team’s third-best defensive totals of 84 total tackles for Lyons and five solo tackles for loss for Benzing.
“While we do not have the sort of talent that draws Division I coaches this year, we really have a nice distribution of talent,” Coach Beermann outlined. “Where last year the majority of our yards and points came from two players (University of Northern Iowa recruit Marcus Weymiller and University of Iowa recruit Parker Hesse), this year the runs and catches will be spread through seven or eight. Also, we have some good linemen who have worked very hard to get bigger and stronger.”
One advantage this season’s team will have is the depth and experience that this year’s team allows. “This season, a goal is to ‘Two Platoon’ as much as possible,” Coach Beermann explained. “We feel we have enough depth to play the majority of our kids one way. This will help keep the kids fresh. The development of the junior class is what gives us depth this year.”
In addition to depth, the second-year coach also sees promise from upperclassmen leadership displayed early in the season, as well as some things that took place in the off-season. “The seniors are stepping into their leadership role,” he said. “In addition, we had good numbers in the weight room and at speed camp this summer.”
The fruits of that off-season and pre-season preparation will soon be realized, as the Indians will begin their 2014 schedule this Friday, August 29 at home against Class 1A State Quarterfinalist South Winneshiek. “Our starters need to be ready right away, as we open the season with five straight play-off teams from last season,” Coach Beermann said.