MOUNDSVILLE — Things are headed in the right direction as far as Ohio Valley Ironmen General Manager/Head Coach Manny Matsakis are concerned.

With the start of training camp for the inaugural International Football Alliance (IFA) outdoor season less than two months away, Matsakis discussed several aspects of what fans can expect.

According to the former college player/coach, players will report on May 15. Camp will be held at John Marshall High School’s Monarch Field in Moundsville.

“We’ll have a few practices and then on May 23 we will play an exhibition game against the Cincinnati Dukes,” Matsakis reported.

“So far we’ve signed 26 players for training camp. We had a good draft, six good players,” Matsakis said. “We’re excited about the players we drafted. Five of them are defensive players, which we needed.”

During the IFA Draft, which was held in the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., the Ironmen took a defensive approach.

“Defense was our main focus. I really wanted to find the right type of players to fit our defense … physical up front and really fast with the linebackers and secondary,” he noted.

However, he didn’t want to load up too soon.

“I want to get a feel for what type of offenses we will be seeing before I start taking on a lot of defensive players,” he admitted. ”

Hurricanes Coming

Two of the six players drafted started their careers at Miami University of Florida.

Ohio Valley’s top pick — and the third overall — was 6-7, 310-pound offensive tackle Tre Johnson, who played at Miami, transferred to a junior college and then finished up for Deion Sanders at Jackson State.

“He had some really good video,” Matsakis said. “He has the measurables.”

The second pick, 6-4, 270-pound defensive end Chantz Williams played at Miami and then went to UNC-Charlotte.

“He’s one of the few guys that have a pro day coming up,” Matsakis said. “Like any of these guys, if they get a chance to play in the NFL, good for them.”

Matsakis noted that Ohio Valley still has his IFA rights.

“He’s a great athlete. A fantastic edge rusher.”

Other Draftees

Selected third was 6-3, 240-pound defensive end Taiyon Devers from the University of Minnesota. Taken fourth was 6-2, 240-pound Morgan State linebacker Josh Holley. With the fifth pick, the Ironmen drafted 6-1, 290-pound University of Georgia defensive lineman CJ Wright; and going No. 6 was 6-2, 290-pound Idaho State defensive end Terrance Jones.

Big Name Programs

The Ironmen training camp is also littered with players from NCAA Division I programs such as Alabama (1), Georgia (3), Missouri (1), Wisconsin (2), Minnesota (2), Arkansas (1), Virginia (1), North Carolina (1) and South Carolina (1).

“That’s good because these guys respect the work ethic, those who want to get to the next level,” Matsakis added. “They know how to train, so they will come in with a certain work ethic.”

Other schools represented include Penn (2), Wyoming (1), University of St. Mary (1), Western Illinois (1) and Kutztown State (1).

“Even some of the small college guys that we’ve got are great athletes,” he continued.

One he was referring to is running back Jeremiah Nelson from Kutztown State.

“He’s a big boy,” Matsakis said of the 240-pounder. “He’s very talented and he’s working really hard.”

Matsakis said Nelson got caught up in the COVID period and kind of “fell through the cracks like a lot of these other guys.”

Still Time to Try Out

For those prospective players, the Ironmen will hold two tryouts prior to training camp, one locally and one not.

The first will occur Saturday in Cincinnati at Walnut Hills High School, while the second will be held on Sunday, 27 at a local site yet to be confirmed.

Exhibition Opponent

The Cincinnati Dukes are a semi professional football team that was established in 2013 and have been a part of the Blue Collar Football League for the past 11 years. They won the BCFL Championship in 2023 and 2024, following that up with back-to-back 2A AFNT National Championships. They also won the I75 Midwest Bowl Series 2A Championship in 2024 and the Ohio Valley Bowl Series in 2022.

“I’ve gotten to know their head coach and some of their other people,” Matsakis said. “In fact, some of their players might end up playing with us. We’re setting up some type of agreement that if we need a player because of an injury that we might call up someone from them. Cincinnati is not that far away.

Starting From Scratch

“It’s been very labor-intensive,” Matsakis admitted to building a franchise from the ground up. “There’s so much that I’ve done, and will continue to do, until the players get here in May, as far as office stuff.

“You’re talking about getting some content out there to let area businesses know who we are and what we’re trying to accomplish. We’re still working on sponsorships. That’s how you make it. You’ve got to have those local businesses behind you. We’ll always be working on the marketing end of things.

“The community support has been great. I think people are excited about something being outdoors during the summer.”

Coaching Staff

“I plan on having the coaching staff finalized by the second week or so in April,” Matsakis added. “I had a lot of coaches who are friends of mine that helped me screen the players and so forth,” he said. “There’s a lot of good coaches in the Ohio Valley.”

The plan is to get some from the area and then whoever else.

“There are so many people that want to be a part of this organization that aren’t from here, but the more local I can keep it, the better.”