Despite a strong season so far, Mitchell has seen their luck take a bit of a downturn recently. They fell to the Avery County Vikings 25-21. The Mountaineers were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Vikings apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in October of 2023.
Despite the loss, Mitchell still got an impressive performance from Kaj Pittman, who rushed for 154 yards and three touchdowns. Pittman has become a key player for Mitchell: the team is 5-1 when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 1-2 otherwise. Mitchell also got help from Isaiah Turner, who showed off his sure hands for 85 receiving yards.
Even though they lost, Mitchell was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 211 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 183 rushing yards in nine consecutive contests.
Oak Markland went supernova for Avery County, picking up 182 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Markland's longest reception was for an incredible 74 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaleb Liner, who threw for 140 yards and two touchdowns on only seven passes.
Mitchell's loss ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 6-3. As for Avery County, they moved to 2-7 with that win, which also ended their three-game losing streak.
The two teams are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. Mitchell will welcome Draughn at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Draughn is coming into the game with three straight defeats on the road, meaning Mitchell will have to defend against a squad hungry for a victory. As for Avery County, they will venture away from home to square off against South Stanly at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. South Stanly is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 28.2 points per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
