Photos wanted

If you have any photos of Northwest football teams or individual players, past or present, and they are not copyright-restricted, email them to me and I'll post them on the blog.

Also, I would love to post snippets of video of the 2009 team in action. Send me a link if you see any posted on YouTube.

- Mickey Ciokajlo

Jackson Northwest Mounties drop season opener to Lansing Catholic Central

The Jackson Northwest Mounties lost their season opener, 28-20, on the road Friday night at Lansing Catholic Central, according to the Jackson Citizen Patriot.

"I'm disappointed, but I still have confidence in my team," coach Eddie Cobb told the Citizen Patriot.

Citizen Patriot story: Northwest done in by second quarter in loss to Lansing Catholic Central

Game stats from MLive: Jackson Northwest @ Lansing Catholic Central - Football

The Mounties are now 5-11 against the Cougars since the teams first played in 1984. See Rivals Archive.

Next week, Northwest will host St. Johns at 7 p.m. Thursday (yes, Thursday) at Mountie Stadium. St. Johns beat Charlotte Friday night, 31-21.

Coaches pick Mounties to finish 4th in CAAC Red

Area football coaches picked the Jackson Northwest Mounties to finish fourth in the CAAC Red, according to the Lansing State Journal.

See the list here.

The coaches picked Lansing Sexton to finish first.

The Mounties play Sexton at home on Sept. 25.

Northwest football schedule: 2010 schedule

Below is the schedule for the 2010 season, according to the MHSAA.

All games start at 7 p.m. Home games are in caps.

Aug. 27 -– L: Lansing Catholic Central 49, Northwest 20

Sept. 2 -- L: at St. Johns 34, Northwest 7

Sept. 10 –- L: at Owosso 30, Northwest 14

Sept. 17 -- L: Belleville 24, Northwest 6

Sept. 24 -- L: Lansing Sexton 45, Northwest 0

Oct. 1 –- L: Mason 49, Northwest 0

Oct. 8 -- L: Lansing Waverly 18, Northwest 16

Oct. 15 -- L: Jackson 35, Northwest 20

Oct. 22 -- W: Northwest 41, Western 0

Seniors of 1985

Here's a picture from an old scrapbook of, from left, Kevin Miller, Jay Ciokajlo (my oldest brother) and Eddie Mosson.

They were seniors on the 1985 team. They had a strong core group of athletes but were cursed by bad luck and whatever else causes a team to go 1-8.

In the season opener, they lost a nail-biter to Jackson High, 19-13. According to an old clip from the Leslie Local, Mosson rushed for 89 yards. But he also broke his collarbone in that game and had to sit out the rest of the season.

I've previously written about the team's lone victory that year, a 14-7 homecoming win over Columbia Central.

In that game, Jay scored the two-point conversion that gave the Mounties an 8-7 lead going into halftime, according to a story from the Jackson Citizen-Patriot.

Miller led the offense that game with 63 yards on 15 carries. At the end of the season, Miller was voted the team's most valuable player.

Here's a link to a previous post with pictures of all of the players and coaches from that team.

Coach Duane Kaiser: 20 years since he retired

This fall will be the 20th anniversary of Duane Kaiser's final season as Northwest's head football coach.

I believe, although I don't have the records to prove it, that he is still the Mounties' winningest coach.

He was an old-school tough and passionate coach who led his teams with an almost militaristic approach to discipline.

His style wasn't for everybody. But I thought it was perfect for a group of 16- and 17-year-olds who were trying to restore some glory to a once-proud program (He was the team's coach in its hey day in the 1970s and then returned for a four-season run from 1986-89).

Below is a story I wrote for the high school paper, The Realtor, in December 1989 when word got out that he had coached his final game:

Thursday, Dec. 14, 1989

Long reign ends for N.W. football coach

By Mickey Ciokajlo

Yes, the rumor is true. Head Varsity football coach Duane Kaiser will not return to coach next year. The reasons why are not clear because Kaiser refused to be interviewed, saying he didn't want to make a big deal out of it.

His statement of resignation to the athletic director, Wayne McDonald, said it was effective November 14, and did not give a reason.

"His efforts will be missed greatly. In my 25 years at Northwest I've had numerous opportunities to observe hid dedication to sports from both vantage of fellow coach and athletic director; he will be missed," stated McDonald about Kaiser's resignation.

Kaiser began coaching at Northwest as an assistant to head coach Ray Newton in 1966. In 1968, he began a nine-year reign as head coach in which he boasted a 53-23-1 record. In six of those nine seasons he had either an 8-1 or 7-2 record making him by far the winningest coach in Northwest history. His feats included five Cascade conference championships.

When Kaiser returned 11 years later in 1986 to take hold of the Northwest football program, no one knew what to expect. Stories heard from the teachers and parents who remembered him told of his great records in the 1970's, and of his harsh coaching style. His first season was a winless one. But the next year he won three games, and in his final two years he showed winning records.

Kaiser's complete high school coaching career record in 13 seasons is 70-46-1. Being just one of the eight coaches that have coached at Northwest, Kaiser has won 59% of the school's total victories, which spans 33 seasons.

"Mr. Kaiser taught me to put 110% into everything I do," said junior running back Rick Rochefort, "but I think we need a younger man who can understand us more off the field."

"I learned a lot from him, and a lot of good stories too," said senior fullback/linebacker Tracey Lackey. Lackey added, "He cared about his players on and off the field."

Junior defensive end Scot Williams summed it up by saying, "I wish he was coaching next year because he's been the head coach ever since I started, and it's going to be my Senior year. Now everything's going to change with a new head coach."

Jackson Northwest Mounties add Belleville Tigers as Week 4 opponent in 2009

The Jackson Northwest Mounties have found a replacement for Tecumseh in 2009.

For the first time, the Mounties will play the Belleville Tigers, according to michigan-football.com.

Belleville went 0-9 in 2008 and in 2007.

In fact, the Tigers haven't won a game since Oct. 6, 2006 when they beat Dearborn Fordson, 21-14. Belleville finished the 2006 season 2-7.

Belleville in 2009 will also play Redford Union, a team some Northwest fans may recall from the late 1980s and early 1990s.