The Mitchell High varsity football team committed to the ground game and wore down non-conference foe Charlotte Latin, winning 16-7 on the road in the season opener.
Latin struck first with a passing touchdown midway through the first quarter but the Mountaineers answered with a 6-yard rushing touchdown from Chase Duncan. After a successful 2-point conversion, Mitchell led 8-7 after one quarter.
Mitchell struck again in the second quarter with a 1-yard touchdown plunge by junior quarterback Caleb Cook. Another 2-point conversion made it 16-7, which held the rest of the way.
Cook took his first snaps as a starting quarterback for Mitchell but wasn’t tasked with much throwing. He threw only 9 times, completing 5 passes for 39 yards.
The runningbacks did the damage for the Mountaineers, who racked up 201 yards on the ground on 39 attempts.
Duncan spearheaded that rushing attack with a game-high 143 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
Kaj Pittman chipped in 27 yards on 4 carries.
Cook bulldozed his way in for another rushing score. Rylan Cooper ran 5 times for 25 yards.
When Cook did air it out, Kadan Phillips emerged as his favorite target. Phillips hauled in three catches for 30 yards while Pittman and Duncan had a catch each.
The Mitchell defense gave Latin quarterback Hudson Shoup fits throughout the night, limiting him to just 78 yards and picking him off three times.
The Mountaineer defense was equally stout against the Latin rushing attack, holding the hosts to just 69 yards on 26 carries.
Mitchell (1-0) will continue its non-conference slate by welcoming McDowell (0-1) to Ledger on Friday, Aug. 25. The Titans were edged 31-24 by R-S Central in the season opener this past week.