Year sixteen kicks off for the Manitowoc County Mariners on Saturday.
The very first snap of Manitowoc County Mariners football took place 16 years ago in 2010 in Menominee, Michigan, against M&M (Marinette and Menominee).
Fast forward to 2026, and the Manitowoc County Mariners are still alive and kicking, while more than 100 semipro football teams have either disbanded or folded in that same time frame.
Marcos Alfaro Sr. was a part of that first team, and he’ll begin his second year in stint two as the Mariners Head Coach tomorrow (May 2nd) afternoon when the Mariners kick off the season against the Rock River Rampage in Rockford, Illinois.
Alfaro tells SeehaferNews.com that they feel blessed to still be around playing the game they love.
“Every year comes with new challenges, faces, and opportunities,” he explained. “We’re excited but a bit surprised to still be around, considering all the challenges that semi-pro organizations face. We’ll just focus on this year and let the chips fall where they may.”
The roster consists of about 60 players, with Alfaro saying they’ve had 16 practices and a scrimmage against the Brown County Blackjacks to get ready for the season.
“We always have a good number of rookies and new players coming from other organizations wanting to come and play with us,” he noted. “We have a good mix of young and veteran players who have a chance to accomplish something special.”
Several returning players have more than 10 years of experience, including 16-year veteran Jon Mullins, Lamarco Crawford, Ben Darnell, Reggie Horace, Micheal Quinchia, Dylan Waupoose, and Don Woods. Other key returning players are Ethan Limon, Andrew “Bama” Hurlbert, Austin Isley, along with Rashon and Tyrell Bullock.
Two newcomers of note are kicker Daniel Karlin of Two Rivers and quarterback R.J. Jeffery of Valders.
Jeffery has been pressed into immediate service as he’ll fill the void left by 11-year veteran quarterback Marcos Alfaro Jr.
He’ll miss the season as he recovers from a knee injury suffered at the end of last season.
Alfaro Senior says Jeffery is stepping into some big shoes.
”He knows the game, and he’s also taken on a leadership role,” he revealed. “He’ll make a difference without Marcos. We’re not asking him to be Marcos or do the things he does, but just be himself. He’ll be just fine if we can give him a balanced offense to work with.”
The Mariners play in the very competitive and tough Midwest League, where they’ve experienced some tough sledding in recent years.
To use an adage, Alfaro is taking a half-full mentality into 2026.
“Our goal is to win it all. I feel we can do it, but we need to take it one game at a game. We are 0-0 every Saturday.”
They’ll play an eight-game schedule with two built-in byes (Memorial Day weekend and June 27th), with all home games to be played at Rubick Field in Manitowoc.
Tomorrow’s kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., and their home opener is on Saturday, May 9th, against the Central Wisconsin Wolves.
