Varsity Mountaineers will play 5 in Ledger, 5 away
Quarterback Ty Turbyfill and the rest of the varsity Mountaineers now know their 2022-23 opponents. (MNJ file photo)
The Mitchell High School varsity football team will play five games at home and five games on the road and will face familiar non-conference opponents during the 2022-23 season, which is slated to kick off on Friday, Aug. 19 at Erwin.
After traveling to Erwin in Week 1, the Mountaineers stay on the road and travel down the mountain to play at McDowell in Week 2 before coming home to host Watauga on Sept. 2.
Mitchell wraps up its non-conference slate with a home game against Andrews before heading to Madison for the 1A/2A Western Conference 42 opener.
The Mountaineers then come home to face Owen and travel to Draughn on Sept. 30 before enjoying a bye week.
Out of the bye, Mitchell will renew its biggest rivalry by welcoming Mountain Heritage to Ledger on Oct. 14.
Mitchell’s schedule rounds out with a home game against Rosman (Oct. 21) and a road contest at Avery (Oct. 28) before the state playoffs begin.
Mitchell was undefeated in Ledger last season en route to a 13-3 overall record and an appearance in the 1A state title game in Chapel Hill where the team fell to Tarboro.
Mitchell’s non-conference slate looks familiar to anyone who followed the team last season. The opponents are almost identical with host sites flipped.
Mitchell and Erwin clashed in Week 1 last season with the Mountaineers running away with the game 47-7 in Ledger.
Instead of McDowell, Mitchell played at Lake Norman in Week 2 last season and was nipped 15-12.
The Mountaineers also traveled to Watauga and Andrews last season. The team beat Watauga 34-23 but fell to Andrews 26-14. Both teams will come to Ledger this season.
Mitchell will hope for continued success in conference play. The Mountaineers breezed through the conference slate last season, out-scoring league peers by a combined 292-67 en route to a perfect 6-0 conference mark.
Mitchell posted back-to-back conference shutouts last year by blanking Heritage and Rosman, both on the road.
The Mountaineers return several key starters from last year’s team, including its offensive battery of quarterback Ty Turbyfill and running back Chase Duncan.
Look for an extended team analysis in this year’s News-Journal fall sports preview, coming in August.