Meet the Ironmen

WAUPACA – For many years, communities surrounding Waupaca had youth football leagues but Waupaca did not. Boys would put on a helmet and pads for the first time in seventh grade while the players in other nearby communities already had two years or more of tackle football under their belts.
This experience differential has been addressed. On Friday, Aug. 15, the newly formed Waupaca Ironmen took the gridiron at the high school to play their very first scrimmage amongst themselves: white team versus blue team.
There are 33 fifth and sixth graders playing tackle football and there are 13 third and fourth graders playing Ultimate Flag in full pads, a kind of rough-and-tumble version of flag football.
The players started practice on Aug. 4 and they were deep in the learning curve. Although some boys might be familiar with the game, playing the tackle version in full pads was an entirely new experience. Early in the second half of the scrimmage, one player snagged an interception and for one second, every player on the field froze in a wow-what-do-we-do-now moment. They snapped out of the shock and mobbed the picked-off ball runner.
And they were learning the rules the hard way for the first time: too many or two few players on the field, off sides, false starts, fumbles and every other error a football player can make. It’s all going according to plan. The idea behind this program is that it is better to learn these lessons now rather than two years later.

The scrimmage would not exist without the teams and the teams would not exist without an organization. It’s the result of some interested fathers kicking around the idea of starting a youth tackle football program. That led to some initial meetings and then months of work.
“It was creating bylaws and getting 501 (c) (3) paperwork together. How do you get something started from scratch? That was November and December. We started fundraising in January. The community support has been absolutely tremendous,” said Cory Nagel, President of the newly established Waupaca Youth Football Association (WYFA).
The logo of the team is a profile of a stern-looking man wearing a hard hart marked with a W. He holds a sledgehammer over his left shoulder and a football is tucked tight against his right bicep.
The association is not directly associated with the school district other than use of the field, much like a baseball travel team.
“While these are all Waupaca kids, we’re not affiliated with the school like the middle school team would be. So we came up with our own unique identity. Although the [Waupaca] Foundry is one of our main sponsors, we came up with the idea of the Ironmen. We felt like it was a good fit that encompassed the blue-collar and work ethic of this town — whether it’s the Foundry or the blacksmith on Main Street in the 1800s, this town has always been a manufacturing-heavy area and it had a good ring to it for a football team,” said Nagel.
The Waupaca Foundry is a key sponsor, along with numerous local businesses, community groups, nonprofits and churches. One significant sponsor was Brian Fay who donated $10,000 to the association. To honor his generosity, their football jerseys have a logo with his name on it. The group also received some grant funding.
All a player needs to play are cleats. The pads, helmets and mouth guards are provided. There is a $150 club fee.
The fifth/sixth grade players are divided into two teams. The white team is coached by Justin Berrens and he is helped by five assistant coaches. The blue team is coached by Steve Dahl and he is also aided by five assistant coaches. The Ultimate Flag team is coached by Nate Tester and three assistant coaches.
“For these kids, when I watch them walking off the field and they are completely soaked [with sweat], it tells me they are engaged, having fun and they are loving it,’ said Nagel.
They are part of the Mid-State Conference which is 17 teams from around central Wisconsin. Both teams will play six games during their season. They play at the Waupaca High School field on Saturday mornings. Their schedule and more information can be found on their Facebook page and on their Waupaca Ironmen Sports Engine website.
As a bonus, the Ironmen will have some cheerleaders as the state-champ Waupaca Middle School and High School Dance Teams will perform at some of their games.