The 2023 regular season came to a close on Friday night in Ledger with the Mitchell Mountaineers collecting their eighth win of the year.
Coach Travise Pitman, now in his 10th year as the head coach, has led the Mountaineers to at least eight wins per year during his tenure at the helm at Mitchell. Week 10 saw the Mountaineers turn in a great performance in the first half and come away with a convincing 48-28 over Avery.
Much of the success of this 2023 team is directly related to the commitment of the seniors on the team this year. During the off-season, they bought into the strength and conditioning program. They elevated their work ethic and now at the end of the regular season, it is obvious that the work has paid dividends.
Coming into this season, there were numerous positions to be filled on both sides of the ball and special teams. An eight-win season proves the improvements that have been made by this team.
On Friday night, six young men scored touchdowns. The offensive production was at a peak performance level. The young men that scored touchdowns were: Chase Duncan, Caleb Cook, DJ Pugh, Marley McCourry, Cole Young and Rylan Cooper. Hard work and commitment paid off.
Chase Duncan led the way in the ground attack as he gained 143 yards on 9 carries. Caleb Cook was very efficient in the passing game completing 8 of 9 passes for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns.
In the early part of the game, the defense played well. Numerous substitutions were made and 17 defensive players made tackles. The coaches began making substitutions late in the second quarter and gave more guys an opportunity to get on the field and contribute.
Getting playing time is a win-win situation. It rewards everyone and gives them a chance to play and also inspires the younger guys to work to improve over the off-season as they prepare for the coming year.
State playoffs begin this week. The Mountaineers will host a first-round game at home Friday night, Nov. 3. Their first-round opponent will be East Wilkes.
East Wilkes plays in the Northwest Conference, and they finished the year with a 6-4 record and finished third in their conference. They are a run-oriented team that plays a ball control style offense.
East Wilkes is a familiar play-off opponent for Mountaineer football. Their first meeting in the play-offs was in 1986, a game that the Mountaineers won. More recently, the Mountaineers played them in 2011 and came away with a 33-8 win. The last meeting with them was in 2015 and the Mountaineers came away with a 17-14 victory.
As the playoffs begin, fan support goes to another level. Historically, the support shown for Mountaineer football has been incredible.
Mountaineer fans have a reputation for being among the best.
Teams know that a game against Mitchell brings a level of support not often experienced on a regular basis. So, Mountaineer fans, make plans to be in Ledger Friday night. Wear that purple and make lots of noise in support of the Mountaineers.
Stay engaged in the game and cheer the Mountaineers on to a big win.
Go Mountaineers!
Game Stats
Passing
Caleb Cook 8 of 9
passing for 104 yards
2 Touchdown passes
Team Rushing Total
46 Rushing Attempts | 438 yrds
4 rushers over 60 yards
rushing each:
Chase Duncan, Rylan Cooper, Deshawn Orr, and Marley McCourry
Chase Duncan gained 143 yards
Team First Downs: 30
17 Players had at least one tackle
Team Tackle Leaders
Jordan Riddle 6 tackles
1 tackle for lost yardage
1 quarterback sac:
Kadan Phillips
5 tackles
1 tackle for lost yardage
Interceptions – 1
Chase Duncan