A 21-point third period was the difference as the Mountain Heritage Cougars defeated the Mitchell Mountaineers 28-7 on an emotional Senior Night last Friday, October 22, at Memorial Stadium in Ledger.
Prior to the contest, the Mountaineers honored their senior football players, as well as held a moment of silence in remembrance of two students who a week earlier had been killed in an automobile accident.
With emotions running high, the Mountaineers played step-for-step with Heritage through the first half of action. It was the Cougars who drew first blood in the game when a 10-play, 80-yard drive was capped by an Austin Rice one-yard touchdown plunge. The extra point kick was successful to give Mountain Heritage a 7-0 lead with 1:57 to play in the opening stanza.
Mitchell answered the Cougar touchdown with its own sustained offensive drive. A ten-play possession that covered 63 yards culminated in a two-yard sneak by quarterback Justin Hughes. Isaac Edwards connected on the extra point kick which knotted the game at 7-7 with 10:47 remaining in the second period.
The Mountaineer defense bent but refused to break as Heritage drove inside the Mitchell 20-yard line on its ensuing possession. A 13-play drive was snuffed out on downs by the Mitchell defense to turn the football over on downs.
In the second half, the Mountain Heritage defense clamped down tightly, surrendering only 28 total yards in shutting out Mitchell over the final two periods. Mitchell was forced to punt on its first possession from deep in its own territory, giving Heritage starting field position in Mountaineer territory. A 14-play, 47-yard scoring drive which included 12 running plays was capped off by a two-yard pass from quarterback Tyson Tomberlin to tight end Dalton Woody. The extra point put Mountain Heritage on top by a 14-7 margin with 3:54 left in the third period.
Momentum swung solidly in the Cougars’ corner with Mitchell’s next offensive possession, as a Cougar defender put a helmet on the football to force a fumble by Mountaineer running back Michael Styles. Heritage recovered the pigskin inside the Mitchell 30-yard line, and on the first play from scrimmage after the turnover reached purple paydirt again as Eli Buckner broke loose for a 34-yard touchdown tote to give the Cougars a commanding 21-7 lead.
Mitchell’s fortunes on the field turned from bad to worse as it attempted to mount a comeback. Four consecutive offensive penalties pushed the Mountaineers inside its own 10-yard line, and the opportunistic Cougars picked off a Justin Hughes pass at the Mitchell 15-yard line. Two plays later Buckner broke several tackles to gallop 15 yards for his second score of the quarter. The extra point provided the final 28-7 margin of victory as neither club scored in the game’s final period.
The Mountaineers ran the football 25 times for 133 yards, and completed just 2 of 4 passes for 16 yards. Mountain Heritage chewed up 320 yards rushing on 56 carries, and completed 6 of 11 passes for 69 yards.
Hughes led the Mountaineer rushing attack with 12 carries for 72 yards and a score, while Styles ran six times for 45 yards. Ben Smith led the way defensively with 11 tackles to raise his team-leading total to 66 for the season, while Josh McClellan added ten tackles in the contest.
Mitchell will travel to take on Madison this Friday, October 29, in Marshall.
