New coach Mustafa looks to lead Gladiators to playoff berth

By JASON JUNO

sports@yourdailyglobe.com

Ontonagon — New Ontonagon coach Kadin Mustafa was ready for the season to start after last week’s scrimmage.

He’s got a team he thinks is capable of big things — including coming out on top of a tough conference — and the Gladiators’ performance in the preseason scrimmage fired him up even more.

“Oh I’m juiced” to coach, Mustafa said, “especially after what I saw today.”

Mustafa played football at Bark River-Harris and he coached defense for the Gladiators last year. He became head coach going into this season after Tyler Thomas left to become the coach at Westwood.

The Gladiators start the season with a home game against Carney-Nadeau Friday night. He obviously thinks his team is ready to go with what he saw in the scrimmage.

“I don’t think we just competed with everyone, I think we did a good number on just about everybody,” Mustafa said. “I was really impressed. Little things to tighten up here and there, but I think every team has that at this point in the season.”

Their high hopes for the season are drawn out on the board in the locker room.

“First and foremost, we want to make the playoffs, which is something I think we’re very capable of,” Mustafa said. “Second, we want a home playoff game. This town I don’t think has had one for 30 years, 30-40 years. We also want to win the conference. I think we have a good shot at it.

“Those are our team goals this year. With the way that we executed today, we tighten a few things up, we have a good shot at that.”

Not that it will be easy. The Great Lakes Eight West is an elite league and Crystal Falls Forest Park has pretty high expectations with a strong veteran roster. Other teams in the league are Ironwood, Gogebic, Lake Linden-Hubbell and North Central.

“I think Crystal Falls probably is the favorite,” Mustafa said. “That hurts my feelings to say that out loud. I really like our chances. I think we got a good shot.”

Ontonagon lost two All-U.P. First Team players in receiver Easton LeGault and lineman Redd Strong. But they still have senior quarterback Austin Gordon and senior running back Caden Besonen to keep an explosive offense going.

Gordon threw for 1,238 yards and 13 touchdowns and rushed for 616 yards and five TDs last year.

“He’s a great athlete,” Mustafa said. “On top of that, he’s a great leader on the field. He knows how to command an offense and he knows everyone’s spot, too. He doesn’t just know what his routes are, or who’s running routes, he knows every lineman, what their job is. He’s a true all-around guy.”

Besonen was a First Team All-Conference selection at defensive back last year when he tallied 45 tackles and four interceptions. That’s on top of all the offensive stats he piled up.

“I don’t know if there’s anyone that outworked him this summer,” Mustafa said. “He has a nose for the football like I’ve never seen before. He’s just another one of those kids that’s a leader on the field.”

Mustafa likes their offensive line.

“Super disciplined,” he said. “They’ll hold their own, they’ll grind out for their boys.”

They’re led by senior guard Rex Strong.

“He’s an animal,” Mustafa said. “He likes to go. We have to reel him in sometimes, but he’s very, very good.”

Ontonagon changed up its offense for this year. It took them three days to get it down, Mustafa said.

“It’s very simple for them, they didn’t have any trouble picking it up,” he said. “We have kind of like a tempo offense I like to call it. It helps knowing the offense entirely after three days, where we can go a tight formation – run, run, run – then we can hurry up like that, split it back out and we know our pass plays off the rip. I like to think we’re pretty well balanced.”

Juniors Jack Nelson, an end, and Dyceson Drew, a linebacker, are leaders along with Besonen on the defensive end.

Nelson is “your definition of a team leader,” Mustafa said. “Dyceson Drew, he’s just an animal, he likes to go stick people. Caden Besonen, he’s another linebacker that’ll come and make plays.”

Freshman defensive back Brody Bobula made an impression in the scrimmage.

“He was putting his helmet in some plays and had some really good coverage today,” he said.

Other Gladiators include: Seniors Kayle Kaarto (TE/LB), Connor Cousineau (OL/DT), Abi Pestka (WR/DB), Thomas Logghe (TE/DE), Kole Kin (WR/DB) and Timmy Isabel (OL/DT); sophomores Owen Pantti (QB/DB), Ryan Holmstrom (OL/DT) and Jacob Hurst (RB/DB); and freshmen Logan Beck (OL/DT), Niko Amos (WR/DB), BJ Anderson (OL/LB), Cooper Moilanen (RB/DB), Connor Guzek (OL/DT), Klayton Kin (RB/DB), Chase Madden (OL/DT), Skylar Sanchez (OL/LB) and Cameron Logghe (TE/LB).

Mustafa had a chance to play football in college but opted to go into the marine corps.

“I was coached by Al Stenberg,” the 2018 graduate said of the since retired Bark River-Harris coached. “At the time, a lot of people don’t really like his coaching methods. But I will until I die will say he is one of the most knowledgeable football coaches that was to walk the earth.”