Pitman, McKinney, Kadans earn top recognition
LEDGER – Mitchell High School’s varsity football team is well-represented in the annual list of Western Highlands all-conference selections and individual accolades.
In addition to Mitchell’s 10 all-conference selections, senior quarterback Noah Pitman was named Player of the Year, senior kicker Elliot Kadans was selected as Special Teams Player of the Year and Tyler McKinney was selected as Athlete of the Year along with Mountain Heritage’s Cole Shehan.
Pitman started all 14 games for Mitchell, completing 55 percent of his passes for 1,672 yards and 23 touchdowns compared to five interceptions. His season quarterback rating was 113.6.
Pitman was also the team’s leading rusher with 1,619 yards and 24 touchdowns. He averaged 116 yards per game and crossed the 100-yard mark seven times.
Pitman started 27 games at quarterback over his final two seasons with the varsity team. With his junior and senior campaigns combined, he completed 54 percent of his passes for 3,222 yards and 47 touchdowns compared to seven interceptions.
Over the course of four varsity seasons, Pitman ran 439 times for 4,155 yards and 38 touchdowns. During his freshman and sophomore seasons, he caught 16 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown.
Pitman’s most frequent target was McKinney, who registered team-highs in receptions (46), receiving yards (764) and receiving touchdowns (11).
McKinney was a staple at receiver for four seasons as a varsity Mountaineer. He finishes his high school career with 106 receptions for 2,072 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Kadans was recognized for his key role as a special teams player. He made 69-of-74 extra points and was 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts.
Kadans also handled punting and kickoff duties. He forced 70 touchbacks on kickoffs, averaged 38.1 yards per punt on 16 attempts and pinned three punts inside the 20.
Pitman and McKinney were also all-conference selections in addition to juniors Caius Peterson and Ty Sparks, and seniors Logan Hudgins, Garrison Phillips, Mike Robertson, Logan Fox, Lathan Adkinson and Matthew Gilbert.
Mitchell’s 10 all-conference selections were second only to Mountain Heritage’s 11.
Owen had seven selections, Avery and Polk had five each and Madison had two.
Gilbert led the team in sacks with seven, was second on the team in total tackles with 98 and had 12 tackles for a loss.
Peterson was the team’s leading tackler with 106 total tackles, including a team-high 13 for a loss.
Adkinson and Fox combined for 105 tackles, including five for a loss.
Robertson had 16 tackles as a defensive lineman and was also a staple on the offensive line as a starting tackle.
Phillips caught 14 passes for 277 yards and a pair of touchdowns and led the team in interceptions with five.
Hudgins ran for 290 yards and three touchdowns and registered 47 tackles.
Sparks was fourth on the team in total tackles with 73, including five for a loss.