Mitchell
rushed for 156 yards on just six carries, including touchdowns the
first three times he touched the ball, and the Tigers cruised to a 54-24
victory in non-region play.
After
starting the year 3-0, Rockdale has dropped games to Lowndes (45-15)
and Stockbridge, and in the process allowed its most points in a
two-game span since also giving up 99 to Stockbridge and McIntosh in
September, 1994.
It
didn’t take the host Tigers long to show off that punishing run game.
On Stockbridge’s second offensive play from scrimmage, Mitchell bounced
off the initial tacklers and exploded down the field for a 63-yard
touchdown that made it a 6-0 game just four minutes in.
The Tigers were just getting started.
After
a 28-yard hook up between Malachi Brown and Jacob Pinch, with Pinch
making a great catch along the sideline to get to the Rockdale 1,
Brown’s quarterback sneak from a yard out made it a 13-0 game.
With
2:47 left in the opening quarter, Mitchell had another huge run early
in a drive, scampering down the sideline for a 56-yard touchdown on the
first play from scrimmage to give Stockbridge a 20-6 cushion.
Before
that run, Rockdale took advantage of Stockbridge’s only mistake of the
first half, pouncing on an Ali Burney fumble at the Tigers’ 14. Two
plays later, Rockdale snapped the shutout bid on Devin Williams’ nifty,
14-yard touchdown run.
The
good feeling didn’t last long, though. Stockbridge sacked Rockdale
quarterback Kemani Pittman twice on a late-first quarter drive, then
took over after a punt and Mitchell was virtually un-touched again, this
time scoring from 17 yards to make it 27-6.
Mitchell
had just three carries the rest of the night, but that gave his
teammates more of a chance to shine. Stockbridge got two more scoring
runs in the opening half, a 12-yarder by Brown and Jalen Holston’s
39-yard scamper, and the Tigers finished the opening half with 267 total
yards collected from only 21 offensive plays, taking a 41-6 lead into
the break.
Mitchell
had one more electrifying play in him as he took a late-third quarter
kickoff and after changing direction, ran it back 85 yards for a
touchdown that put Stockbridge ahead 48-12 with 37 seconds to play.
In
the second half, Tajee Steele had a three-yard touchdown run and a
29-yard touchdown catch, while T.J. Warren had the play of the night
for Rockdale, bouncing off an initial tackle near the sideline and
scoring from 59 yards to make it 54-24 with a minute to play.
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