HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Mitchell powers Powell Valley to win

BY LLOYD COMBS

Sports Correspondent

BIG STONE GAP — Cedric Mitchell saw his teammates waving toward him.

Mitchell, who made three critical plays in the fourth quarter, didn’t have time to wave back.

Mitchell’s 84-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the final period, and his game-winning TD pass to Andrew Meador with 2:22 remaining, lifted Powell Valley to an exciting, 33-28, win over Honaker in the Region D, Division 2 semifinals Saturday afternoon at Bullitt Park.

The Viking senior hesitated when he first fielded a Logan Ball punt early in the final period, then he saw a wall of blockers to his right.

"I knew had blockers downfield waiting for me, and they were waving for me to come their way," said Mitchell, whose return gave his club a 27-20 lead, and seemed to light a spark in a Viking offense that had been quiet since taking a 20-8 lead in the first half.

Justin Hall threw for two touchdowns and engineered a clutch, 10-play, 77-yard drive that gave Honaker (6-5) the lead with 5:09 remaining in the contest. Hall staked the Tigers to a 28-27 advantage with a 10-yard TD run and a two-point conversion pass through double-coverage to Clay Smith in the end zone.

"We got a little excited and let up a little bit after we took the lead [in the first half]," said Powell Valley running back Myron Pinkston, who ran for 92 yards and two touchdowns. "But, come clutch time, we pulled it out."

Mitchell made two key throws as Powell Valley (8-3) took the lead for good with a 9-play, 60-yard drive. The left-hander gave the Vikings a first down at the

Tiger 14 with a 13-yard, fourth-down pass to Malcolm Pinkston. Mitchell then found Meador open between two defenders in the end zone for the game-winning, 17-yard throw.

Honaker drove from its own 25-yard line to midfield on its final possession, which ended when Powell Valley’s John Michael Allen intercepted a pass at his own 34 with 54 seconds remaining.

Logan Ball was a workhorse for Honaker. The school’s all-time rushing leader ran 33 times for 121 yards and scored two touchdowns in his final game for the Tigers, who took control of the line of scrimmage with an unbalanced line through the middle part of the contest.

Ball carried the ball on each and every snap of a 10-play, 48-yard drive that got the Tigers within 20-14 at halftime. The teams exchanged turnovers in the third quarter and that set up an 8-yard pass by Hall into the end zone that a defender deflected into

the hands of Matthew Shortridge for a touchdown. It evened the count at 20-20 with 2:04 left in the period.

"The way our kids played, it was a shame anyone had to lose," Honaker coach Doug Hubbard said. "Sometimes it just comes down to who makes the last big play."

Mitchell had more yards on kickoff and punt returns (4-for-154) than from the line of scrimmage (84 passing yards, 34 rushing). His fourth quarter return was his third

special teams touchdown of the season.

"[Mitchell] has a green light [on returns]," Powell Valley coach Phil Robbins said. "He’s had three [for touchdowns] this year, one on a kickoff and another one on a punt.

"He got four or five great blocks. You know, we’ve got that kind of a football team. We didn’t have a good day throwing the ball. But we got it in the hands of our playmakers."

Two returns by Mitchell gave the Vikings good field position that led to Myron Pinkston’s two first-half TDs. Malcolm Pinkston set up his brother’s first score with a 44-yard run in the first quarter. Malcolm added a 3-yard touchdown run late in the

opening period.

Honaker recovered an onside kick to start the game and scored first on a 30-yard pass from Hall to Ball.

Powell Valley and Gate City will play for the Region D, Division 2 title Saturday at UVa.-Wise.