Connections and relationships. Hard work. Attention to detail. Leadership.

They mattered then, when Mike Noll started coaching high school football players in Clarion, Iowa, in 1985. They matter now. They are values, Noll believes, that young people still need to be taught in today’s culture.

They will never go out of style, and neither will Noll.

After leading his Richmond-Burton Rockets to 12 wins and one victory from a berth in the Class 3A state championship game, Noll is the 2025 Northwest Herald Football Coach of the Year, as voted on by the sports staff with input from area coaches.

It’s the sixth time Noll has won the award and the first time since R-B went 14-0 in winning the 2019 Class 4A state title. He won the award four times as McHenry’s coach (1994, 1998, 2000, 2003).

Noll, who started his head-coaching career at McHenry in 1988, after two seasons as the Warriors’ head sophomore coach, grew up in northwest Iowa, the son of educators. He played football (linebacker, offensive guard) and baseball (catcher) at Luther College, and sports have been a part of his life since he was little – a childhood that included his father taking him and his brother to Packers, Brewers, Twins and Drake Bulldogs games.

Noll’s Rockets went 12-1, including 7-0 in winning the Kishwaukee River Conference outright for the second year in a row, hiking his career win total to 304. He recently answered several questions from the Northwest Herald.

After first-round playoff exits the past two seasons, how satisfied were you with this season?

Noll: Last year [7-3 record] was OK, and the year before [7-3 record] was OK. It’s been a little while since we’ve done something significant, so I think we were all pretty happy with [the season]. The kids always set goals in the summer, and their goal was to bring a lot of energy to practice and the weight room, to have success in the playoffs and to play our best in November. I really think, for the most part, we did those things.

Were there any players who surprised you this season?

Noll: Yeah, I think there were some kids who really came through, especially some of our linemen. Calvin Werkmeister was a senior who worked really hard in the offseason. He didn’t become a starter until the middle of our season, but then he was rock-solid. Joe Sulek was another senior lineman who, quite honestly, a year ago I wouldn’t have predicted that he would have a solid year. Bryce Kowall is a senior who last year was a running back/outside linebacker. He really didn’t get to play much. He moved to O-line because he thought he could help us there, and he ended up playing center when our [starting] center [Mason Lowry] was hurt, and then ended up starting at outside linebacker. He hadn’t played center since [Stateline] Comets, maybe fifth or sixth grade, but he was playing some quick tackle for us, so he understood line play, and he’s a really bright kid, so we could teach him the blocking schemes in a week or two.

You won your 300th game in Week 8, 42-13 over visiting Marengo. Your team even gifted a congratulatory banner. What will you remember about that night?

Noll: It’s hard to say. It’s been too soon, I think. I enjoyed it because it was a good football environment. I didn’t talk about [the 300th win] at all with the kids, yet they all knew about it. I didn’t want them to have any concern or pressure because of that. But I enjoyed all parts of it.

What’s the biggest difference between players today and when you first started coaching in Clarion, Iowa in 1985?

Noll: I think the game is better, the equipment is better, the teaching is better, and kids know quite a lot more because now it’s in their pocket [cell phone]. They’re walking around with a supercomputer in their pocket. All of those things that have happened culturally, the age of technology, you get back things both positive and negative. But I don’t think kids are that much different. They still want discipline, they still want a coach that points them in the right direction, they want a coach that cares, and they want a coach that’s knowledgeable. None of that has changed.

When did you know you wanted to coach?

Noll: My dad [Don] was a history teacher and coach, and my mom [Jean] was a kindergarten teacher and a reading specialist. I was on the sidelines when I was a little kid, and I was at baseball games all summer long with my dad from an early age, so I knew I wanted to [coach]. But then in college, I had some people encouraging me to do law school. I thought about all of that, but I don’t know, I think I picked the right path. I still enjoy [coaching], or I wouldn’t do it.

Besides your dad, who were your mentors?

Noll: My high school football coach [Gary Japenga] was a mentor. He was pretty important to me on the field and off the field. I spent a lot of time at his house. His wife’s name was Mary, and they were just really good to me. ... I think in college I had really good coaches. My football coach was Bob Naslund. He was a good football coach, but he was an even better person. My baseball coach [Paul Solberg] in college was the same way.

You retired from teaching as a social studies and history teacher in 2018 when you were at Glenbrook South. How long do you want to continue coaching?

Noll: It’s a tough question to answer. Right now, my health’s good, I still enjoy it, and I think I still have something to offer kids. For now, I’ll probably keep doing it. There could be a point in the near future where I need to maybe take a fall off, recharge my battery and see what’s life like without football. But I’m afraid of that. I’ve never been away from this game since I was in sixth grade. It’s just the way things have been for me. Young people don’t keep you young, but they keep your mind moving. I get a kick out of working with them. It’s a great experience.