MOUNDSVILLE — A lot has changed for the inaugural season of the Ohio Valley Ironmen, both on and off the field.

The Ironmen will now play an independent schedule after several teams in the International Football Alliance have pulled out, which put Head Coach/General Manager Manny Matsakis in a tough spot.

“All I cared about was the Ohio Valley. That’s all that mattered. We were building this to happen,” Matsakis said. “For about 48 hours I was in a bit of a tailspin. I’m from here. People all over the Ohio Valley are excited. I literally got in a foxhole and re-grouped and came up with a way to create this product for the people in the Ohio Valley.”

Teams in Baltimore and Huntsville, Ala., have withdrawn from the IFA. Matsakis said an official release from the league is due any time.

“While I still like the whole concept of the IFA, my closest games were Tampa Bay, San Antonio and Chihuahua, Mexico,” he noted. “I met with everyone involved and informed them that we are still in the IFA, but we are playing an independent schedule. We have San Antonio playing us home-and-home. I also found out that there are, in our region, a lot of high-quality teams that play at the professional developmental level and some top-ranked semi-pro teams.

“It also produced a win-win for us because now we have gone from four home games to six home games,” Matsakis stressed. “Three of the teams we are now playing have won national championships at their levels in the past several years.”

Those teams include Cincinnati, Erie, Pa., and Michigan.

“The Michigan team is supposed to be really good,” Matsakis noted.

Training camp, which has been delayed two weeks, is right around the corner and the ball will be kicked off the first week of June, according to Matsakis.

“The players will be reporting on May 29 and we will play our first game on June 7,” he said. “We are scrapping that exhibition game against Cincinnati on May 23, but everything else is a go.”

The entire training camp will take place at John Marshall’s Monarch Stadium and will be open daily to the public. Practice times have yet to be determined.

“On Thursday we will be handing out gear and stuff like that,” Matsakis offered. “Then on Friday, Saturday and Sunday we will have heavy installation. Then we’ll start preparing for Cincinnati.”

The new schedule begins June 7 with Cincinnati and continues a week later as Erie comes to Moundsville. San Antonio visits on June 21 before Ohio Valley’s bye week which will also serve as the Developmental Camp.

Cincinnati returns on July 5, with Michigan scheduled for July 12. The Ironmen make their only away appearance in San Antonio on July 19 before the regular-season finale against Washington.

All games have 7 p.m. kick offs slated.

Matsakis said the interest in both sponsoring the team in one way or another and ticket sales has been great thus far.

“We’re probably up to 300 season tickets sold already,” he said. “That’s a good start, but I think there might be some hesitancy by some people until they realize this is a legitimate thing.”

He has been busy assembling a coaching staff, with three of the positions being filled by Ohio Valley products. Former Wheeling Park and Oklahoma State running back Boogie Johnson will coach the running backs, while Bellaire alum Clint Lekandous will serve as a defensive coach. Former River assistant Rob Caldwell will help Matsakis with the offense.

“There are two other guys that I can’t name yet because they are still coaching in the indoor league,” he said. “All six guys will be hired soon, though.”

A pair of local products have also been signed. They are Bethesda’s Joe Browne and Bellaire’s Jaiden Kesterson. According to Matsakis, Brown has played some semi-pro ball and currently works in the coal mine.

“Another kid from Bellaire has agreed to play for us,” Matsakis said of Kesterson. “He works at the Belmont County Correctional Center. Great athlete. He went through a workout with us and I was like ‘holy smokes.'”

Making life easier for the prospective players have been special meetings over the Internet.

“We’ve been having team meetings via Zoom on Sunday nights. Those have been going great,” Matsakis explained. “That’s where we have put in all of our different schemes, so when they get here they will know all of the plays.”

While Matsakis was very excited to have quarterback James Franklin as the Ironmen’s No. 1 signee, there are high probabilities that it won’t happen.

“James has been getting different offers from the CFL, but that’s the idea. We want players to get opportunities at the next level, whatever that might be,” Matsakis stressed. “Also, defensive end Chance Williams that we drafted out of Miami (Fla.) just signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.”

The Ironmen have quarterback on the roster in Chris Barrett who played collegiately at West Virginia Wesleyan.

Matsakis said another quarterback will be added for training camp.

“I told him that he is 33 years old. He has to make a decision,” he said of his talks with Franklin. “I told him to do what is best for his family. I told him that we are preparing like he isn’t coming, but if he does, then we’ll deal with that later.”

Matsakis also said that WTRF will broadcast all home games live. A coaches show will also run every week during the season.