The memories of a perfect season came rushing back Wednesday evening as the Mayville football team, coaches, and families gathered inside the high school auditorium to celebrate once more—this time with the long-awaited reveal of their WIAA Division 5 State Championship rings.
Head Coach Scott Hilber stood before the group, not just to unveil the design, but to reflect on what the ring represents far beyond the gold and diamonds. For Hilber, the moment was less about the jewelry and more about the journey, the team’s identity, and its lasting connection to the community.
That journey reached its pinnacle on Nov. 20, 2025, when the Cardinals took the field at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison and defeated Northwestern 43–32 to secure the state title. For Hilber, the setting itself carried deep personal meaning.
“There’s something about Camp Randall,” he said. “Ever since I was young, going to games there, I always dreamed about playing there, and ever since I was eighteen years old, I dreamt I would coach there. There’s something about Camp Randall, the road to Randall. We’d like to ‘go camping.’ One of the oldest stadiums in the Big Ten. Now we’re part of that history.”
“Our ring is not gold and silver. Our ring is not blingy,” Hilber told the crowd. “We wanted to keep the cost down so as many people as possible could afford it. It’s not as big, luckily…but it’s not that small. That’s important—because this is about all of us.”
The ring features a cardinal surrounded by diamonds with “State Champions” engraved across the top, while one side pays tribute to Camp Randall Stadium—the historic venue where the Cardinals cemented their undefeated season. Another detail etched into the ring reads “14–0,” a mark Hilber emphasized with pride.
“There’s no asterisk on this one,” he said. “You had two only undefeated teams in division five coming down last man standing at the end, and you guys came out on top. That’s something special.”
Each player’s ring also includes the year, their number, and position—personalized reminders of the role each individual played in the championship run. But it was the words and symbolism behind the design that carried the deepest meaning.
One phrase included on the ring, “No Ceiling,” captured the mindset of a team that entered the season with uncertainty but refused to limit its potential. “We had a core group of the guys in the trenches, the earth movers, the people that really win football games for you.”
“I told the boys I’d never bs you, I will not lie to you, I will tell you straight to your face what your expectation is,” Hilber said. “I didn’t know what our expectation was. I’m not willing to put a ceiling on it. But when you set your expectations too low, you sell yourself short. You guys didn’t do that. You believed, and you got it done.”
Another defining element etched into the ring is “Iron Men”, a term deeply rooted in Mayville football history, paying homage to quarterback coach Bill Lee. The term dates back to the program’s earliest teams of the 1920s and before. Rather than simply a nickname, Hilber explained it as a tribute to generations of players who built the foundation of the program through toughness, grit, and a relentless work ethic. Hilber continued, “We have one of the most successful football traditions in the entire state of Wisc. That tradition goes way, way back.”
“When we talk about Iron Men, we’re talking about where this program comes from,” Hilber said. “There are undefeated teams from the 30’s without a ring because there was nothing as a state championship to play for then, but that is our heritage, where we come from.”
Hilber tied that historical meaning to the present-day team, emphasizing that the “Iron Men” identity is carried forward through both hard work and character.
“The hardest-working teams achieve the most success,” he said. “If you’re not willing to put in the work, you’re not going to get where you want to go…and we work here.”
But for Hilber, the meaning goes beyond football.
“What makes great teams is great civic leaders,” he said. “Our team is bigger than just the guys in this room. It’s the community. They support us, they believe in us, and they live through you.”
“The power of Iron Men, it’s strong men in numbers,“ explained Hilber, “It’s not Iron Man, it’s Iron Men. When a group of strong men can come together in numbers, what we can accomplish is amazing.”
He pointed to the team’s actions off the field as a defining part of their championship identity, including their response to the May 2025 tornado that struck the area just weeks before graduation. Without being asked, players showed up across the community—clearing debris, helping residents, and stepping into leadership roles when it mattered most.
“You didn’t have to be told—you just went out and did it,” Hilber said. “That connection to the community means everything.”
He also highlighted the smaller acts of service that often go unnoticed but leave a lasting impact—helping the Lions Club, assisting local groups, and simply showing up when needed.
“It might take you 10 or 15 minutes,” he said. “But to them, it means the absolute world.”
As the evening continued, players came forward one by one to receive their rings, each greeted with pride from teammates, coaches, and family members. The moment served as both a celebration and a reminder of something bigger than wins and losses.
Hilber stated a quote he got from ‘an old guy,’ “What you do for yourself dies with you, but what you do for others is immortal. It lasts forever.”
The 2025 Cardinals will forever be remembered as state champions. But as Hilber made clear, their place in Mayville football history is about more than a perfect record—it’s about carrying forward the legacy of the “Iron Men” who came before them and setting the standard for those still to come.
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