Waukon football team returns 10 starters in 2022 from fifth consecutive State Play-Off Semifinals advancement last fall
2022 Waukon football juniors and seniors ... Left to right - Front row: Ethyn King-Marshall, Tyler Jones, Jacob Courtney, Isaac Ericson, Brody Berns, Jack O’Neill, Tucker Jackson, Evan O’Neill, Kael Crawford, Jakob Regan, Cael Rethwisch, Lucas Byrnes, Carson Lonning, Cullen Dickson, Nathon Koch; Back row: Ethan Hooten, Noah Hatlan, Nash Pearson, Isaac Roe, Cade Kelly, Milan Byrnes, Josh Reichard, Corbyn Palmer, Logan Lubahn, Isaac Cooper, Ayden Blake, Mason Kelly, Kole McCormick, Dylan Hogan, Sean Bieber.
2022 Waukon football sophomores ... Left to right: Holten Palmer, Ethan Baker, Carson Hager, Judah Johnson, Graine Curtin, Jaxon Brinkman, Reid Schulte, Preston Dietrich, Damon Berger. Not pictured: Max Jones, Ryland Egan, Garrison Byrnes, Talon Hutchens.
The 2022 Waukon football team will be looking to continue a recent trend of program success that has found the grid Tribe in the Class 2A State Play-Offs in eight of the past 10 seasons, including the past five seasons in a row that have not seen the Indians suffer more than two losses in a season. Bolstering that effort of victorious tradition will be a collection of 10 starters from a squad last season that played to a 10-2 season record and a fifth consecutive trip not only to the Class 2A State Play-Offs but deep enough into that play-off run to end up as one of Class 2A’s final four teams in the UNI-Dome once again before falling to the eventual State Champion.
Nine of those 10 returning starters make up a large senior class of 23 players headlining this season’s campaign. Those nine seniors represent experience in nearly every aspect of the game and lead an overall group of approximately 65 boys reporting for early season duty in the freshman through senior classes.
“We return Noah Hatlan at quarterback, and he’ll probably see duty at safety, and Nash Pearson at end and also safety,” Waukon head football coach Chad Beermann said in talking about his senior returning starters. “Up front, we were expecting to return four of five offensive linemen in Isaac Roe, Cullen Dickson, Milan Byrnes and Isaac Cooper, and all four defensive linemen in Roe, Byrnes, Cooper and Logan Lubahn. However, Cullen was injured in a summer wrestling camp, and we have moved Isaac Roe to tight end. Evan O’Neill returns for us at cornerback, and should see more time on offense. Cade Kelly was our first lineman off the bench in pretty much every position last season, and will be a starter for us this year.”
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