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MHSA(Q&)A: Mendon football coach John Schwartz

February 2, 2012

John Schwartz didn’t really want the Mendon football head coaching job when a group of players convinced him to take it before the 1989 season. And his first contract started out on a napkin. The rest is history.

Mendon won its 11th MHSAA football championship this fall, downing Fowler 33-0 in the Division 8 Final, to tie for third-most football titles won by one program. Schwartz has coached in the program for all 11, including 10 as head coach, and his record of 236-39 gives him a winning percentage of .858, tops in the MHSAA record book. He recently was selected as this year’s recipient of the high school Duffy Daugherty Award, annually given for career contributions to the game. He follows recent winners Ralph Munger of Rockford and Herb Brogan of Jackson Lumen Christi.

His Mendon teams have had just one losing season. And although he retired a year ago after 36 teaching middle school science, and then fought off cancer over the summer, he has no plans to leave his post on the Hornets’ sideline.

How would you characterize your program?

I think we have very good coaches and I think the kids respect the coaches, and they know the coaches think more of them than just being football players. They care about them. We have their attention, and what we really try to do is form a team concept as soon as we can. We try to stay away from giving any one person too much recognition. We don't give out MVP awards at the end of the year. It's a program where we're all in it together: coaches, kids and community. We try to get the best out of the kids, give the kids the best shot we have at being the best we can be.

How does a small school continue to reload every season?

My first year there, the first thing I did as a head coach was I started the junior high program. I think that's where everything starts. We even have the younger kids called the rocket kids, and those coaches come in and talk about (football) terms so when kids move from one level to another there's no re-teaching. Everyone has an ego, coaches have egos, and they like to do some things differently. But we don't have that. They do what we do. We give them a lot of flexibility, but we have certain drills we want to run. By the time we get them, these kids are in tune with what we are doing. The summer program also is something I started my first year as head coach too. ... It means that during the season we can concentrate more on teaching than conditioning.

You went from 3-6 in 2006 to 12-0 in 2007. Explain how you bounced back.

The losing season we had, we didn't have a lot of kids, and our two best kids were hurt early in the season and couldn't play. We never did bounce back. Even in that season, we were ahead at halftime in all but one game. We just didn't have enough to come back and pull the game out, and we had some very tough games. It wasn't a good season, but I thought those kids played awfully hard for what we had. We got a lot of experience, and it paid off the following year.

Our JVs practice with the varsity. When I work with inside linebackers, I work with (grades) 9-12. Kids learn quicker from kids than from coaches, as far as I'm concerned. ... Football's really changed. It's become a lot more complex. I think we have to delegate more and more every year so we can stay with the changes. It's too much for one person. I remember my first three, four or five years it was just three of us at the varsity level. The other two, neither one taught at the school. We were pretty successful right off the bat, and we started getting more and more interest from people. Now 9-12 we have seven coaches, and we have three at the junior high, and all the coaches but two have played for me. They know what I expect, what I'm looking for, what I want. ... And they want to win. I'd be lost without those guys.

Are there certain seasons that have meant more than others?

The first year I took the job, in 1989, we went undefeated and won a state title. A lot of those kids are very good friends of mine yet, and they're pretty special to me. They were a big boost to my program. In the '95 year, my son was a sophomore on that state title team. I remember a lot about that team.

They all have something they did very well. They either threw the ball well or played great defense or had a big line. When I hear a year now, I think about those teams.

You grew up in a small town (Colon) and have taught and coached in a small town. Was that important for you to do?

I've never taught anywhere else. I never felt I really had a reason to leave. I've gone through at least six superintendents since I've been there. The fourth or fifth said to me, "The only thing that bothers me about Mendon is these people think an awful lot of winning. There are other things." He asked me, "How do you feel about it?" I said, if they didn't feel that way, I wouldn't be here.

Who was your biggest coaching influence?

I would say Morley (Fraser, Jr., under whom Schwartz was an assistant for three seasons). Years before I got there, Mendon was pretty good in the early 70s, and then in the mid 70s football wasn't very good. I was the JV coach the first year, and the second year after two games they brought me up to varsity. The best thing I did was I told them I would not take the head job, but I'll assist. I knew (Fraser) was the kind of person and personality we needed there. It wasn't necessarily all of his football knowledge, but his energy and excitement that he brought to the game.

You said during the Finals postgame press conference that you'd battled cancer during the summer. How did you come back, and did you ever think that might be time to step down?

Everything's fine. I had coaches that took over. At the same time that that happened, I was retiring. If you retire in Michigan, you can't be at the school for one month. So I couldn't be at summer weights all the way through June. So my coaches did all the summer weights. But I had no intention of stepping down. If something (bad) came down ... but once they said they got it, everything went as normal.

After a championship season, how do you ramp things back up for the next fall and a new group of players?

When we go to the playoffs, we take all the JVs unless there are couple who don't want to go. They experience that and get an extra five weeks of practice if we win a state title. And they're excited about it. They want to do that. They’ve' tasted it, and they want a part of that the next year. We remind them it's not what you did, it's what can you do for me now. ... This is your year.

We talk about winning state championships from day one. A lot of people say we shouldn't do that, but why not? Isn't that the ultimate goal? I can't imagine telling a team we think we could be 7-2 this year. We expect to be 9-0 every year. Of course, that's not going to happen. But at same time, I think the losses make you better the following week. We've won state titles where we haven't won the league title. ... You get better.

PHOTO: Mendon coach John Schwartz talks things over with his players during the Hornets' 21-14 win over Decatur in the 2002 Division 7 Final at the Pontiac Silverdome.

Negaunee's David Juchemich is able to get to Iron Mountain's quarterback Brayden Kassin.

1st & Goal: 2025 Week 9 Review

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

October 27, 2025

Before we could get to Sunday and the announcement of brackets for this season’s MHSAA Football Playoffs, we cheered through Friday and Saturday’s regular-season finales as teams had one more chance to affect their postseason destinies this fall.

MI Student AidSeveral capitalized on those opportunities.

We highlight many of those matchups below, as well as a few final league title deciders and other games of note as 288 teams prepare to continue on this week.

Bay & Thumb

HEADLINER Harbor Beach 41, Millington 7 This impressive win over the reigning Division 7 champion Cardinals (6-3) is another indication Harbor Beach is going to be tough to beat in the Division 8 bracket. The Pirates have held strong in the fourth spot on their division’s playoff list and are set to host through the Regional Final if they advance. Click for more from the Huron Daily Tribune.

Watch list Marysville 19, Marine City 8 These two kept their annual series going despite playing in different divisions of the Macomb Area Conference for the first time since 2011, with the Vikings (7-2) Gold runners-up and Marine City (6-3) the Silver champ. Marysville won the matchup for the second straight, closing the regular season with only a pair of losses coming during the first three weeks and both by three points or fewer.

On the move Grand Blanc 40, Romeo 36 The Bobcats (9-0) finished a second perfect regular season over the last four, but not without facing their toughest challenge as Romeo (6-3) lost for the first time since Week 2. Almont 53, Detroit Edison 46 Almont (9-0) capped its second-straight perfect regular season with its closest win since opening day, as Edison (7-2) lost for the first time since Week 2. Frankenmuth 42, Armada 14  These two could meet again in a Division 5 District Final after this result sent the Eagles to 8-1 and Armada to 6-3.

Greater Detroit

HEADLINER Detroit Catholic Central 26, Detroit Martin Luther King 14 The final game statewide of the 2025 regular season matched two expected contenders in Divisions 1 and 3, respectively, in a Prep Bowl showdown at Ford Field. King (5-4) pulled within one score multiple times during the fourth quarter, but DCC (9-0) answered both to finish a second-straight perfect regular season. Click for more from the Detroit Free Press.

Watch list Birmingham Groves 21, Birmingham Seaholm 14 Groves (6-3) defeated the Maples for the third-straight time to lock up homefield advantage through two potential District games, including a possible rematch with Seaholm (5-4) in two weeks.

On the move Harper Woods 21, Mason 17 The Pioneers (9-0) hung on for their third one-score win this fall to finish their first perfect regular season since  2007, while sending Mason to 5-4 with a third defeat by seven points or fewer. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 34, Hudsonville Unity Christian 25 The reigning Division 5 champion Fighting Irish (7-2) have won six straight with this arguably the most impressive of the run as they handed Division 4 Unity (8-1) its only loss. Salem 34, Livonia Stevenson 6 The Rocks (5-4) won their league crossover to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2017 (not counting 2020, when nearly all teams made the field because of COVID-19).

Mid-Michigan

HEADLINER Howell 57, Belleville 36 The Highlanders (8-1) claimed their second-straight overall Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship as these two division winners met for a repeat of last year’s title game. Howell’s Christian Farren scored three touchdowns during the first quarter, and Bryce Kish scored three over the final three quarters as Belleville (7-2) lost for the first time since the season opener. Click for more from the Detroit News.

Watch list East Lansing 28, Holt 14 The Trojans reached the Division 2 playoffs at 4-5 in part after winning their third game in a row and also because their losses came against opponents with a combined record of 42-3, including three teams that finished 9-0.

On the move Beal City 39, Ithaca 8 The Aggies (9-0) completed their second perfect regular season in four years, and this one while giving up only 31 points total against a schedule with five playoff teams including Ithaca (6-3). DeWitt 63, Lansing Everett 7 The Panthers (9-0) closed an outright Capital Area Activities Conference Blue title, running their league winning streak to 17 games while scoring at least 51 points in all six Blue games this fall. St. Johns 28, Ypsilanti Lincoln 23 The Redwings (5-4) ended a four-game losing streak to secure a second-straight playoff berth and send also playoff-bound Lincoln to 6-3, which is still the Railsplitters’ best record since 2017 when they last qualified for the postseason (not counting COVID-shortened 2020).

Durand hands off the ball as blockers hold back Bath's defenders during the Railroaders' 50-0 victory.

Northern Lower Peninsula

HEADLINER Maple City Glen Lake 23, Mancelona 22 Glen Lake (7-1) went to Mancelona to claim this winner-take-all matchup for the Northern Michigan Football Conference Legacy championship, the Lakers’ second-straight outright league title. Glen Lake now will host Mancelona (5-4) in a Division 8 District Semifinal. Click for more from the Traverse City Record-Eagle.

Watch list Traverse City West 21, Traverse City Central 20 (OT) You’ll literally have a chance to watch again as these two will face off this week as well in a first-round Division 2 game. The Titans (5-4) have won three straight in the series and will see Central (5-4) in the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

On the move Kingsley 44, Charlevoix 18 The Stags (7-2) will jump into the postseason as the No. 7 team on the Division 6 playoff list – their highest rank since Week 4 – and coming off handing Charlevoix (8-1) its only defeat. Boyne City 27, Kalkaska 20 The Ramblers (6-3) have reached the playoffs every season this decade but kept the Blazers (5-4) from advancing as they fell to the No. 37 spot on the Division 6 list. McBain 21, Fowler 14 These two have put together a nice regular season-ending showdown the last three seasons, with this the second straight decided by seven points and this time for McBain (7-2) after Fowler (6-3) won last season’s meeting.

Southeast & Border

HEADLINER Hanover-Horton 20, Michigan Center 14 The Comets (7-2) showed again how much can change over the course of a season, winning this championship matchup of Cascades Conference division winners after falling to Michigan Center (8-1) in nonleague play 53-14 in Week 3. Click for more from the Jackson Citizen Patriot.

Watch list Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard 42, Allen Park Cabrini 7 FGR (9-0) impressively won this Prep Bowl matchup of undefeated opponents to complete its first perfect regular season since 1976 (according to Michigan-Football.com).

On the move Jonesville 22, Manchester 0 The Comets (6-3) were close to the line for making the playoffs heading into the weekend but secured their spot in Division 7, as did Manchester (5-4) in Division 8 despite the defeat. Napoleon 40, Brooklyn Columbia Central 36 The Pirates (6-3) bounced back from falling to Michigan Center in a title decider the week before to get past the Golden Eagles (5-4) in a matchup of Cascades runners-up. Onsted 36, Detroit Henry Ford 16 The Wildcats (4-5) – winners of three of their last four games – sat anywhere from No. 37-44 on the Division 6 playoff list between Weeks 3-8 before jumping seven spots to No. 32 with this victory and earning first postseason appearance this decade.

Otsego's Lane Blanchard (8) is chased by Plainwell defenders during the Bulldogs' 39-0 win. 

Southwest Corridor

HEADLINER Portage Central 40, St. Joseph 8 Central avenged last season’s loss that led to shared league title, this time clinching the outright championship in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West and completing its first perfect regular season since 2013. The Mustangs (9-0) gave up their first points since Week 6 – making the total just 18 this season. The Bears (5-4) were averaging more than 37 points per game entering the weekend. Click for more from the St. Joseph Herald-Palladium.

Watch list Niles 21, Edwardsburg 12 Niles (9-0) completed an outright championship run in the Wolverine Conference despite facing their stiffest challenge in league play in the third-place Eddies (6-3). After back-to-back one-loss regular seasons, Niles also capped its first perfect one since 1979.

On the move Buchanan 46, Muskegon Catholic Central 6 The Bucks (6-3) were treading near the playoff qualification line in Division 6, but will return to the field for a fourth-straight season. Kalamazoo United 25, Schoolcraft 20 The Titans (7-2) have won six straight this fall and most recently against Schoolcraft (7-2) had lost back-to-back games in 2022 and 2023. Kalamazoo Central 52, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 10 The Maroon Giants (6-3) clinched a second-straight outright championship in the SMAC East and will next face Howell in a District opener for the second-straight season as well.

Upper Peninsula

HEADLINER Marquette 21, Kingsford 13 In breaking a three-year losing streak against the Flivvers, Marquette (6-3) bumped up four spots to No. 23 on the Division 3 playoff list to secure a spot in the postseason after just missing a year ago. Kingsford (6-3) fell only one spot in the Division 5 field, to No. 18, and will host its first-round District game this weekend. Click for more from MyUPNow.

Watch list West Iron County 42, Hancock 38 After ranking between No. 36-48 on the Division 8 playoff list over the last six weeks, West Iron (4-4) played this win into a four-spot jump and its first postseason berth this decade.

On the move Escanaba 38, Gladstone 12 Escanaba not only capped its most successful regular season since 1998 at 8-1, but guaranteed itself at least two home playoff games if it advances this week against Freeland. Negaunee 44, Iron Mountain 7 The Miners (6-3) broke a two-game losing streak to the rival Mountaineers (6-3), and in doing so held on to a spot in the Division 5 playoff field. Calumet 42, L’Anse 8 The Copper Kings (7-2) capped their best regular season since 2019 with a fourth-straight win, and L’Anse (5-4) as well was able to hang on to a first playoff berth in three seasons.

Marquette's Ford Richardson (11) eludes a Kingsford defender.

West Michigan

HEADLINER Belding 52, Wyoming Godwin Heights 20 The Black Knights took this winner-take-all title matchup in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver, running its league championship streak to four and its league game winning streak to 23. Belding (8-1) also clinched homefield advantage through Regional Finals if it advances, and Godwin Heights (7-2) also will host this week. Click for more from the Greenville Daily News.

Watch list Holland Christian 35, Grand Rapids Christian 22 Despite going 1-4 in O-K Black play, Holland Christian (5-4) hung on with this win over O-K White runner-up Grand Rapids Christian (5-4) as both landed in the playoffs.

On the move Grand Rapids West Catholic 28, Zeeland West 16 West Catholic (8-1) avenged last season’s loss to the eventual Division 3 champion Dux (6-3). Grand Rapids Catholic Central 24, Grand Rapids South Christian 17 The Cougars (9-0) survived one of their closest games this fall to clinch their first perfect regular season since 2021. Muskegon Oakridge 41, North Muskegon 27 Oakridge (6-3) bounced back from two straight losses by avenging last season’s defeat to North Muskegon (6-3).

8-Player

HEADLINER Indian River Inland Lakes 47, Gaylord St. Mary 20 This one receives top billing because it determined one of the final league titles still outstanding, and Inland Lakes (9-0) indeed clinched its fifth-straight Ski Valley Conference championship and ran its regular-season winning streak to 23 games. St. Mary (7-2) finished Ski Valley runner-up for the fourth-straight season but did hold on to one of the final spots in the Division 2 playoff field. Click for more from the Petoskey News-Review.

Watch list Portland St. Patrick 42, Blanchard Montabella 16 Montabella’s pursuit of a perfect regular season has been rightfully noted these last few weeks. But the Shamrocks (9-0) completed theirs by handing the Mustangs (8-1) their only loss, and in the process St. Patrick moved up to become the overall No. 1 in Division 2 playoff points – especially key if it ends up facing No. 2 Mendon in a Regional Final.

On the move St. Helen Charlton Heston Academy 43, AuGres-Sims 6 The Patriots (7-2) went from a three-year losing streak ending in 2023 to this fall the North Star League Big Dipper championship and their first season ending with a winning record. AuGres-Sims (5-4) shared the Little Dipper title. Climax-Scotts 72, Pittsford 64 These two finished the regular season with a bang, with their combined 136 points tying for ninth-most in an 8-player game when the losing team scored at least 40. Hillman 28, Rogers City 24 With this first win over Rogers City (4-5) in four recent attempts, Hillman (6-3) hung on to the final playoff qualifying spot in Division 2.

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PHOTOS (Top) Negaunee's David Juchemich is able to get to Iron Mountain's quarterback Brayden Kassin on Thursday. (2) Durand hands off the ball as blockers hold back Bath's defenders during the Railroaders' 50-0 victory. (3) Otsego's Lane Blanchard (8) is chased by Plainwell defenders during the Bulldogs' 39-0 win. (4) Marquette's Ford Richardson (11) eludes a Kingsford defender. (Negaunee/Iron Mountain photo by Cara Kamps. Durand/Bath photo by John Johnson. Otsego/Plainwell photo by Gary Shook. Marquette/Kingsford photo by Randy Ritari.)