Waukon football team returns 19 letterwinners for its 2025 campaign
2025 Waukon football team ... Left to right - Front row: Chase Sweeney, Marcus Byrnes, Mayson Miller, Beckham Delaney, Talin Hemann, Dane Burns, Landon Howe, Kooper Crawford, Raymond Sweeney, Kaden Mitchell, Brody Bernau; Middle row: Cael Lange, Easton Bucknell, Vaughn Stegen, Trent Schullo, McKyan Egan, Kenton Hilgerson, Tade McCormick, Jackson Moore, Jaxon Regan, Gabe McCormick, Tristyn Crawford, Tryston Johnson, Brayden Berns, Keagan Estebo. Back row: Owen Grimstad, Dylan Stegen, Mason McKee, Keagan Palmer, Zach Perkins, Connor Stilwell, Joey Courtney, Cody Dunham, Micheal Duncklee, Dajian Mitchell, Brayden Engrav, Draemon Berger, Jacob Jones. Not pictured: Issiah Moudy, Kreaton Lonning, Sophia Ghegan.
The Waukon football team will return 19 varsity letterwinners this fall from a team that played its way to an eighth consecutive Class 2A State Play-Off qualification but did so in a manner relatively rare for the Indian grid program. The continuance of that streak where every team desires to be came in non-championship fashion for the first time in the past seven years of the program, with this year’s squad hoping to bounce back from last season’s first non-winning record since the 2014 season, at 3-6 overall and 2-3 in Class 2A District 3 to earn a 12th Class 2A State Play-Offs berth in the past 14 seasons.
Leading that charge for this fall’s overall squad of 58 players in the four high school grades, freshmen through seniors, will be a collection of returning veteran players from nearly every aspect of the game, making for a diverse foundation upon which to further build. Headlining that veteran group are 13 seniors that include Dylan Stegen, Brayden Engrav, Mason McKee, Jacob Jones, Owen Grimstad, Draemon Berger, Cody Dunham, Zach Perkins, Dajian Mitchell, Joey Courtney, Connor Stilwell, Keagan Palmer and Micheal Duncklee, with the five juniors of Tade McCormick, Jaxon Regan, Vaughn Stegen, Issiah Moudy and Tristyn Crawford, and sophomore McKyan Egan rounding out this season’s list of letterwinning returnees.
In addition to those returning veterans, 13-year Indian head coach Chad Beermann sees some of this season’s younger underclassmen also being able to assist in the Tribe’s grid effort this fall. “A significant number of sophomores could play roles this year, with Chase Sweeney, Talin Hemann, Beckham Delaney, Brody Bernau, Easton Bucknell, Cael Lange and Marcus Byrnes all possibly seeing time between offense, defense, and special teams.”
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