BAKERSVILLE – It at least stopped raining Friday before kickoff.
After that, not much else went Polk County’s way.
Mitchell turned a long kickoff return into a touchdown in less than a minute. A long pass brought another score moments later. And the Mountaineers were off and rolling to a 39-7 victory over the Wolverines in a Western Highlands Conference encounter.
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Deshawn Orr returned the opening kickoff 91 yards, setting up Owen Riddle’s 1-yard touchdown plunge, then teamed with Riddle on a 61-yard catch-and-run touchdown that put Mitchell (3-3, 1-1) up 13-0 less than four minutes into the game.
Riddle added a 13-yard scoring run on a fourth-down play late in the first quarter and Orr took a reverse 46 yards for another touchdown midway through the second period as the Mountaineers built a 27-0 halftime advantage, delighting a Homecoming crowd who waited through a pregame storm that delayed kickoff by 15 minutes.
Polk County (2-4, 0-2) could muster nothing in response. The Wolverines had their worst offensive showing of the season, managing just 95 total yards. Leading rusher Loreynzo Sanchez finished with 97 yards on 23 carries, and 65 of those yards came on the Wolverines’ lone possession of the fourth quarter, a 67-yard drive that ended in Keyan Simpson’s 6-yard scoring toss from Brody Wilkins.
Styler Blackwell had a fumble recovery while Zach McCraw hauled in an interception. But it was the type of evening where Polk kicker Blake Anderson proved the Wolverines’ most effective player, punting six times for an average of 37 yards per kick, reaching inside the five with his two kickoffs and making touchdown-saving tackles on each.
Polk County continues Western Highlands Conference play next Friday, traveling to Mountain Heritage.
MITCHELL 39, POLK COUNTY 7
PC 0 0 0 7 — 7
Mit 20 7 12 0 — 39
FIRST QUARTER
M – Owen Riddle 1 run (Alex Wences kick), 11:12
M – Deshawn Orr 61 pass from Riddle (kick failed), 8:15
M – Riddle 13 run (Wences kick), 2:52
SECOND QUARTER
M – Orr 46 run (Wences kick), 7:20
THIRD QUARTER
M – Kaj Pitman 2 run (kick failed), 8:07
M – Cylas Carver 2 run (kick failed), .11
FOURTH QUARTER
PC – Keyan Simpson 6 pass from Brody Wilkins (Blake Anderson kick), 6:00
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
PC – Loreynzo Sanchez 23-87, Brody Wilkins 5-(-26). M – Kaj Pitman 10-55, Hayden Webb 6-53, Deshawn Orr 1-46, Cylas Carver 5-29, Owen Riddle 6-20, Alex Wences 2-18, Ethan Horney 2-17, Owen Woody 4-6, Bryson McFalls 1-5, Peyton Pitman 2-(-4), Team 1-(-14).
Passing
PC – Brody Wilkins 4-11-0-24. M – Owen Riddle 5-12-1-183.
Receiving
PC – Loreynzo Sanchez 3-18, Keyan Simpson 1-6. M – Deshawn Orr 3-133, Kaden Buchana 1-25, n/a 1-25.
