Mountaineers finish as 1A state runners-up
Junior quarterback Ty Turbyfill hops as he delivers a jump pass for Mitchell's lone touchdown of the 1A title game on Saturday, Dec. 11. (Cory Spiers/Staff)
Mitchell High’s bid for its first football state football title was denied on Saturday, Dec. 11 by Tarboro, which beat the Mountaineers 28-7 in the 1A State Championship played at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill.
The Vikings (14-1) win the state for the second consecutive season. Mitchell (13-3) finishes as 1A state runner-up. The Mountaineers are 0-2 in state title games after advancing to the final round but falling in 2015.
Tarboro got on the board early in the first quarter when Trevon White banged his way into the end zone for a 3-yard score. Mitchell answered late in the second quarter after junior quarterback Ty Turbyfill tossed up a jump pass for Gage Young who grabbed the 8-yard floater and found himself standing alone in the end zone.
With the game tied at 7, Tarboro drove down the field in the waning minutes of the first half. White scored again, this time from a yard out, to give the Vikings a 14-7 lead at halftime.
Tarboro kept its ground game churning in the second half, scoring two more touchdown runs courtesy of Tobias Joyner— one from 35 yards and another from 38.
With a double-digit lead in tow, the Vikings ratcheted up their defense, intercepting Turbyfill twice and bleeding the clock when they had the ball.
As the final buzzer sounded, the two teams met on the field to exchange pleasantries. Mitchell was awarded the state runner-up trophy and Turbyfill and Enrique Huaroco were honored as the team’s offensive and defensive most valuable players, respectively.
Turbyfill led the Mountaineers with 111 yards on 30 carries. Young ran four times for 17 yards and Carter Hoyle carried four times for 15.
Turbyfill completed 5 of 11 passes for 62 yards and a touchdown compared to two picks. Young caught two of Turbyfill’s passes for 39 yards and a score. Ethan Willis, Hoyle and Dalton Hollifield had a reception each.
Huaroco paced the Mitchell defense with a team-high 11 tackles, including one for a loss. He also forced a fumble. Xander Gardner and Joe Conley recorded 9 tackles each and Hoyle forced a fumble.
Tarboro quarterback Omarion Lewis attempted just one pass. The Mitchell defense held the stout Viking rushing attack to 243 yards on 50 carries.
“Ultimately, we didn’t come out on top where we wanted to be,” said Mitchell head coach Travise Pitman after the game. “Through life, if this is the worst thing that happens to these kids, then we’ll be alright.”