Cory Smith
Mt. Airy News
MOUNT AIRY – A lockdown second half helped Mount Airy shut out visiting Mitchell 42-0 in the second round of the 1A State Playoffs.
Mount Airy recorded its ninth shutout of the season with the Nov. 10 victory, while Mitchell was held scoreless in a game for the first time since 2014.
Friday’s matchup between No. 2 Mount Airy and No. 15 Mitchell was the first meeting between the teams since the 2021 1A West Regional Semifinals. The Mountaineers upset the Bears, who were also the No. 2 seed that year, 21-14 in the Granite City before finishing 1A State Runner-up.
For most of Mount Airy’s seniors, the 2021 Mitchell game has been their only 1A loss as varsity starters.
Similar to their 2021 contest, the two physical teams battled in the trenches and kept Friday’s game low scoring in the first half with long drives. Mitchell held the advantage in total yards at halftime 171-153, while Mount Airy’s Taeshon Martin had the game’s only touchdown.
The Bears’ defense regrouped at the break, then held the Mountaineers to just 6 yards of total offense in the second half. Mitchell didn’t record a first down in the second half, and turned the ball over twice.
Mount Airy, meanwhile, scored on all four of its second-half offensive possessions.
Granite Bears Martin and Walker Stroup each had interceptions in the second half – with Stroup’s being returned 40 yards for a touchdown. Mario Revels also added a pair of pass break-ups in the secondary.
Contributing heavily to the shutout were 10 Granite Bear tackles for a loss. Deric Dandy led the team with four, J.D. Harper and D.J. Joyce each had two, and Dee Dawkins and Third Floyd each had one.
The Granite Bear duo of Martin and Tyler Mason combined for 257 yards rushing in the victory. Mason led all players with 140 yards on 14 carries (10 yards per carry), while Martin went for 117 yards on 11 carries (10.6 YPC) and scored two rushing touchdowns.
Martin, who surpassed 1,000 yards rushing on the season in Friday’s game, was Mount Airy’s leader in total yards by also making two receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown. The sophomore’s 52-yard touchdown reception from Landon Gallimore was his first reception of the season and first receiving touchdown as a varsity player.
Mount Airy (12-0) finished the night with 446 total yards.
Mitchell (9-3) also relied on a ground-and-pound offense with the intent of wearing down Mount Airy’s defense and limiting the defending champs’ time on offense.
Mitchell received the opening kickoff and was immediately set back after two false starts, then a spear from Deric Dandy set the team back 3 more yards. However, running back Rylan Cooper kept the Mountaineers alive with two big runs to move the chains.
The Mountaineers’ opening drive spanned 16 plays and took up 10:43 of game time. The Bears forced five tackles for a loss on the drive, but four runs for at least 10 yards, paired with an 11-yard completion from quarterback Caleb Cook to Kadan Phillips, helped the visitors convert on four-consecutive third downs.
The drive ended with Mount Airy’s Stroup breaking up a Cook pass in the end zone on fourth-and-4.
Mount Airy only ran two plays before the end of the first quarter. The second quarter began with Mount Airy being flagged for the first of three times on the drive and nine times in the game.
Martin ran in a 9-yard touchdown that was called back, but the sophomore responded with a 14-yard score on the next snap.
Mitchell made it to Mount Airy’s 20-yard line on its opening drive, then reached the red zone on its second drive. The Mountaineers had to get creative after Cooper, who already had 10 carries for 72 yards (7.2 YPC), left the game.
Despite on playing one full quarter and part of the second, Cooper accounted for nearly half of Mitchell’s 177 total yards. The senior entered Friday’s game as the Mountaineers’ second-leading rusher, while also leading the team in total tackles with 128 – 48 more than any of his teammates.
Mitchell had some success without Cooper on its second drive. Cook connected with Phillips for a 35-yard gain that was destined for the end zone before Mount Airy’s Blake Hawks made a well-timed tackle.
The Mountaineers’ second drive ended the same as the first, though, with Stroup breaking up a fourth-down heave.
Mount Airy’s next drive stalled out after penalties pushed the team back multiple times. The Bears would receive the second half’s opening kickoff, and from there the game changed.
Gallimore scored just his second rushing touchdown on the season to open the third quarter, then Mount Airy forced a three-and-out. Gallimore connected with Martin for the 52-yard score on the next drive, then the Bears’ defense forced another Mountaineer three-and-out.
The next two Mitchell possessions ended with Stroup and Martin’s interceptions, then the duo also combined to score Mount Airy’s next two scores: Stroup on the pick-6, and Martin on a 13-yard run to open the fourth quarter.
Mount Airy’s final touchdown of the night was scored by John Martin on a 1-yard run.
Mitchell went 0-for-4 passing in the second half with the pair of interceptions. The Mountaineers also rushed 10 times for 6 yards in the half.