Fans, former players cross lines in Jackson-Central rivalry

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Jackson played in the Class 4 state championship in 1994.

The colors of a rivalry that began in 1912 burned bright at Tiger Stadium on Friday night.

The 3,000 seats on the west side of the 4-year-old home of the Tigers were unmistakably in favor of the home team, occupied by a sea of orange.

The 2,000 seats on east side were cast in red.

Including a deep throng standing along the track that encircled the field, Central athletic director Lance Tollison estimated between 7,000 and 7,500 people were in attendance.

Not quite as apparent was the black, which silently accentuates the more pronounced color of both schools.

But these days, black seems to serve as the conduit of loyalty.

"I gave up the red and black for orange and black," said Central defensive line coach Kit Eifert, who is in his first year with the Tigers after playing in the Class 4 championship game with Jackson in 1994.

Besides the black-shirted coaches on the Central sideline, five of whom either coached or played at Jackson, some of those in the crowd also wore a shared past.

From left, Christian, Scott, Mackenzie and Bobby Mitchell stand on the sidelines after the game against Jackson Friday, Sept. 26, 2014 at Cape Central. (GLENN LANDBERG)

In attendance for the 108th meeting between the schools were many former combatants who contributed their shares of thrills to the rivalry, and are examples of its metamorphis.

Former Central quarterback John Lohr, a 1986 graduate, sat on the Jackson side cheering on step-son Lucas Helwege, a senior receiver/defensive back for Jackson.

Lohr wore No. 14 for the Tigers, and he "unretired" his uniform this past week, calling on a ploy used in his playing days under then-head coach Gary Lynch, who is now assisting with the Tigers.

"A couple of guys on the team, I don't know how, got red jerseys, and a couple of us wore them out to practice our senior year to get fired up for the [Jackson] game," Lohr said.

Timing was crucial, Lohr said, noting he and a teammate were the last to emerge from the locker room to surprise their teammates already on the practice field.

"Everybody booed, and then everyone got fired up," Lohr said.

Current Jackson senior Ethan Isakson, who spends a lot of time around the Lohr residence, approached the former Tigers quarterback this past week about the prank.

"He came up and said, 'Hey, can I get one of those jerseys from you. I'd like to fire up the troops in practice,'" Lohr said. "I said, 'Sure.' I gave my son my home game jersey and I gave Ethan one of my practice jerseys. I warned [Jackson] coach [Brent] Eckley I gave them the jerseys just to fire up the troops, and he said 'That's fine.'"

The jerseys made the practice field, but were not worn by Helwege and Isakson.

"I believe [quarterback] Dante [Vandeven] wore my jersey this week," Lohr said. "Dante ran scout team this week, trying to be [Central quarterback] Peyton Montgomery. They have similar skill sets."

Lohr went on to be a punter at Southeast Missouri State, playing for his father Jim Lohr. He guided the Tigers to a 10-0 win at Houck Stadium -- Central's former home field -- in 1985, ending a two-year losing streak to the Indians.

"I don't think the rivalry has changed," Lohr said. "The kids changed, the stadium's changed."

Lohr choice of fashion does.

"On the 100th [game played between the schools] I was wearing my home jersey, and then when my son started playing for Jackson, I had to kind of switch allegiances," Lohr said.

Matt Collier, a 1989 Jackson graduate, has stayed true to his school through the years.

Collier wore No. 61, the same number worn by his cousin Bruce Collier and his nephew Chris Collier -- who graduated last spring -- during his playing days.

He was a three-year starter under former Jackson head coaches Paul Weber and Carl Gross, and later was an assistant with the Indians.

He was part of a 47-42 win over Central in 1988, which broke a three-year losing streak to the Tigers.

He fondly remembered the antics of Weber.

"I know he had a letter he opened, an anonymous letter one time," Collier said. "You knew it wasn't true -- that the Tigers were coming to town and take ownership of Jackson's field. I'm sure it was just some off-the-wall thing that I'm sure he had somebody write for him. It was always fun."

While Collier has kept it simple, the Central-Jackson rivarly has gotten complex for the Mitchell family, much like Lohr.

Scott Mitchell works the chain gang at Central games, wearing an orange shirt with a CT on the chest. His son, Christian is a sophomore linebacker/fullback with Central, and his senior daughter Mackenzie is a Tigers cheerleader.

One would never know that Mitchell had carried on the family tradition of playing running back at Jackson, where he graduated in 1988.

"I get a lot of my old teammates that say, 'I can't believe you're in that orange," Mitchell said before the game. "Hey, I'm still Jackson, and now I'm Cape. My family is here. I support. I'm not biased or nothing. I just hope it's a really good game."

Mitchell said he mainly returned kickoffs for the Indians.

"It was litle more intense," Mitchell said about the rivalry in his playing days. "It's more of a friendship thing now. [Back then] it was like that week we don't go to Cape at all, and Cape don't come to Jackson. It was just real intense."

His senior year, Mitchell lost to the Tigers and one of his current chain-gang members, Derrick Reddin, whose son Jalen is a senior defensive back and receiver for the Tigers.

"We were rivals, but now we're good buddies," Mitchell said.

Reddin, a 1988 graduate of Central, remembers their senior encounter in 1987, a 14-10 win for the Tigers.

"If I recall, I scored the winning touchdown," Reddin said. "I scored both the touchdowns."

He also acknowledged the rivalry was more intense during his playing days.

"It's a little different now," Reddin said. "Back then you didn't have the camraderie. Kids didn't interact -- you've got social media now. They didn't have that then."

The intensity of the rivarly between Mitchell and Reddin had likely diminished somewhat from the playing days of Scott's father, Bobby Mitchell, who graduated in 1960.

Mitchell, who was wearing a black T-shirt, was a starting running back all four years for the Indians before playing a year for Lincoln University.

"It was something you lived for," Bobby said about the Cape-Jackson rivalry. "You marked it on the calender and circled it, you know what I mean. And if you got beat, you circled it twice."

Central won Bobby Mitchell's first two years, but the Indians won his junior and senior years. Jackson totaled 53 points over those last two years.

Were any of those points his?

"A few of them are," Bobby said with a laugh. "Yeah, I rung the bell a few times."

Bobby said he's come to grips with the rivalry, especially since his grandchildren attend Central.

"That's the way is," Bobby said with a laugh. "I've got a granddaughter cheerleadin' and a got a grandson out there on the team. There you go, that's the way it is. No problem."

He said the rivarly used to be more hardcore, complete with squirmishes.

"I like it way better [now]," Bobby Mitchell said. "People are educated and have way better sense."

Part of the education is the educational system itself. Football coaches have crossed the rivalry lines freely in recent years.

Central linebackers coach Van Hitt was the head coach at Jackson as recently as the 2011 season, and Central offensive line coach Bob Sink was a longtime assistant at Jackson and still coaches the Indians' pole vaulters during the track season.

"Some of these kids I'm coaching now, I coached against their daddies," Sink said after the Tigers' 31-21 victory. "And there's kids playing for Jackson, who I've coached their daddies. That's a great deal. And when you win, that makes it better, but it's a heck of a rivalry. I'm tickled to death for our kids."

Eifert is surprised as his own personal evolution in the rivalry. He and current Central head coach Nathan Norman were all-state teammates at Jackson.

"Twenty years ago I never would have expected it to work out like this," Eifert said. "Things happen for a reason."

Eifert, who coached the last four years at Sikeston, was reintroduced to the rivarly Friday night for the first time since his high school days.

"When you look at it, the communities are so close together, especially now with the way technology has gone," Eifert said. "It's just a click of a button away.

"It's different than it was 20 years ago because Cape was a solid eight miles away by vehicle, and it still is, but the internet makes it instant. Back then I never knew the guys from Cape, and now they all know each other. It's just a different time. It's still a great rivalry. It's fun to be a part of no matter what side I'm on."