Brian Hobson
Sports@mitchellnews.com
Amidst a rash of calf cramps and controversial calls, the Mitchell High School Mountaineers were unable to withstand the passing attack of Charlotte Latin High School on Friday night.
After a relatively quiet first quarter, Charlotte Latin found its footing after a Mitchell punt gave the Hawks good field position, starting at their own 45-yard line.
Four plays later, Charlotte Latin receiver Hudson Shoup broke free for a 20-yard touchdown. The Mountaineers responded immediately, with a pass from No. 5 Caleb Cook to No. 3 Fernando Flores to reach the Hawks’ 38-yard line.
Soon thereafter, Cook found Flores, this time with a risky throw, where the ball barely went through the defender’s hands and into Flores’ arms, allowing the Mountaineers to gather a first down at the 3-yard line.
Controversy reared its ugly head soon after, when the Mountaineers, going for it on fourth down, appeared to have scored a touchdown, but the referees marked the Mitchell player down on the 1-foot line. The jeers from the crowd were loud, and many players on the Mitchell sideline seemed upset.
But this call appeared to fire up the Mountaineers and they forced a fumble six plays later, with Mitchell recovering the ball at the Charlotte Latin 19-yard line. The very next play, the Mountaineers scored their first touchdown of the season on a 19-yard run by Dayshawn Orr, but missed the extra point, remaining down 7-6.
Charlotte Latin used the last 2 minutes of the first half to its advantage, keeping the Mountaineers on their heels, and scored to close out the second quarter, leading 14-6 at half.
The third quarter started as the second one ended, with Charlotte Latin opening scoring, making the score 21-6. The game progressed slowly throughout the third quarter, with multiple Mitchell players continuing to be treated for calf cramps, and no more scoring occurred until the fourth quarter, where things became chaotic with 7 minutes to go.
Mitchell, down 21-6, scored on a 2-yard run by No. 2 Kaj Pittman to make the game 21-12, and No. 10 Kaden Buchanan made the 2-point conversion to bring the game to 21-14.
The Mitchell defense tightened, and with 3 minutes to go, the Mountaineers got the ball back on their 5-yard line.
On the Mountaineer’s first down passing play, defender Gavin Provencher jumped the route, intercepted the pass, and scored for Charlotte Latin making the game and the final 28-14.
The Mountaineers showed poise in their defeat, and with a never-say-die spirit, they fought to the end.
Road trip
Next up for Mitchell is a road trip to McDowell for 7 p.m. kickoff on Friday, Aug. 30.