'We knew what to do': Mitchell avenges spring loss, beats Robbinsville 34-21 in Regional Final

BAKERSVILLE — Looking around the locker room during halftime, linebacker Gabe Brandt saw further proof of the Mitchell football evolution that's become increasingly obvious over the past two months.

During the spring season, a second-round trip to Robbinsville proved too big a moment for a young Mountaineers team that fell 28-20. Midway through Friday's 1A Western Regional Final against the Black Knights, the doubt Brandt remembers seeing in teammates' eyes in April was replaced with belief.

Their confidence had been bolstered by a summer of work fueled by a desire to avoid another disappointing playoff performance, 10 consecutive wins entering Friday and, finally, an emphatic first half that gave Mitchell a three-touchdown lead and paved the way for a state title berth.

The No. 3 Mountaineers avenged their demons from the spring and beyond in an emphatic 34-21 win over No. 4 Robbinsville on Friday, securing the program's second Regional championship and setting up a state championship game against Tarboro in Chapel Hill next Saturday.

"We lost to them on April 23, and ever since then, all of us have wanted to get back here and finish what we started," quarterback Ty Turbyfill said. "We wanted to come back and do everything we could to beat them this year."

Lessons learned

Robbinsville ran on Mitchell with relative impunity during the spring, and the Mountaineers defense was determined not to let that happen again Friday, hoping for an early turnover to swing momentum on their home field.

Two run stops put the Black Knights in a third-and-five on its first possession, and quarterback Dasan Gross' pass was jumped by cornerback Dalton Hollifield for an interception.

"That was a big play in the game," Mitchell coach Travise Pitman said. "Forcing that turnover and going up 14-0."

Turbyfill had proven his might before Robbinsville (10-4) got to touch the ball, breaking off a 35-yard touchdown run through multiple tacklers on fourth-and-five after Mitchell (13-2) received the opening kickoff.

Hollifield got him the ball back on the 30-yard line, and though a holding penalty led to another fourth-down situation, the junior quarterback moved the chains with a four-yard run and then punched in a one-yard score for a 14-0 lead with 1:44 left in the first quarter.

"We tell our kids, you have to impose your will on the other team if you want to win," Robbinsville coach Dee Walsh said. "We didn't, and they did. Hats off to them."

Brandt shut down both of Robbinsville's second-half drives, tackling Kage Williams for a one-yard loss on a third-and-four, then jumping to knock down a pass from Gross on third-and-seven.

"Last year, they ran trap so good. We had to dog them up front [tonight]," Brandt said. "Just wreck them there. And we did that."

Two-minute magic

Brandt's pass breakup put Mitchell's offense on the field with 2:07 left before halftime, and Turbyfill proceeded to orchestrate an eight-play, 81-yard drive capped by yet another one-yard run from him.

The highlight came from the 45-yard line, when Turbyfill sidestepped a Black Knights free rusher, rolled out and hurled a pass deep for Hollifield, who reeled in the catch over the outstretched arms of a defender.

"Turbo made some damn plays," Pitman said. "That whole drive, you could see, just things that you have to do to win games like this."

Turbyfill's been rising to the occasion during each step of the Mountaineers' playoff run, and Friday was another masterpiece to add to his ledger.

With 197 rushing yards, five touchdowns, and 93 yards on eight-for-11 passing against Robbinsville, the junior brought his five-game playoff totals to 990 rushing yards, 19 rushing touchdowns, 379 passing yards and six more scores through the air.

"He's physical, strong, can break tackles. Knows how to wait on his blocks to develop," Walsh said. "His line stays tight and doesn't give up many gaps. They've got a good system and a great program."

Mitchell didn't wait long to extend its 20-0 halftime lead. Carter Hoyle picked off Gross on the second play of the third quarter, and Turbyfill was gone 29 yards down the sideline three plays later to make the score 27-0.

"We came out [early] and hit them in the mouth pretty good," Turbyfill said. "We kept the foot on the gas and just kept it going from there."

Robbinsville scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns, but by then the game was out of reach.

The Black Knights had entered Friday on an eight-game win streak of their own, and had grown exponentially during the later part of the season to return to a fourth consecutive Western Regional Final. Yet they never got a foothold in Ledger, gaining little over 60 yards in the first half.

"They just whipped us up front on both sides of the ball," Walsh said. "Our kids had a good season, overcame a lot of things and kept bouncing back. We just met our match tonight. ... Hope they pull it out and win it. We need the mountains to win."

One more to go

The win was just Mitchell's second in a Regional Final in program history, and Turbyfill described it as "one of the best feelings [he's] ever had playing sports."

As significant as beating Robbinsville was, though, one more victory would be exponentially bigger. The Mountaineers will face Tarboro (13-1) for the 1A state championship on Saturday, Dec. 11, at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill.

That 200-mile bus ride east will feature many of the same players who made the two-hour trip back from Robbinsville dejected in the spring.

When the final whistle blew on that game, though, and Pitman looked around at his team, he saw the potential for this team to make a run at the program's first state championship.

"It was a learning experience. We had a huge amount of sophomores playing in that game," Pitman said. "After the game, I was like, this is what you have to learn from. This is what you have to build for."

The players got the message.

One more win, and they'll get the rings to prove it.

"We knew what to do, how to take care of business," Brandt said. "If everybody does our job [next week], we can get this done."

This story has been updated.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Mitchell football beats Robbinsville 34-21 in 1A West Regional Final