Kennedy's Bishop Mitchell becomes first 2A player selected for Les Schwab Bowl
http://highschoolsports.oregonlive.com/news/article/6064693781498113980/kennedys-bishop-mitchell-becomes-first-2a-player-selected-for-les-schwab-bowl/
FOREST GROVE -- Months ago, when Les Schwab Tires Bowl organizers were scouring the state for available talent for Saturday’s all-star high school football game, they knew exactly where to look – the internet.
Needing another running back after an initial selection dropped out, organizers Reggie Walker and John McCallum searched the web for highlight tapes of college-bound players, and it led them to the most unlikely of players: Kennedy tailback Bishop Mitchell.
Mitchell, who led the Trojans to a Class 2A semifinal appearance last fall and a title game spot in 2015, will be the first player from 2A in the history of the event, typically reserved for Class 6A and 5A graduated seniors. He will play on the South Team, coached by Lebanon’s Ty Tomlin.
“I’m excited to get the chance to represent my school, league and 2A, but I wasn’t really expecting it at all,” Mitchell said. “I want to come out here and do the best I can as a small-school kid.”
Mitchell, the 2A offensive player of the year last fall with blazing speed and lightning-quick change of direction ability, signed a letter of intent with the Portland State Vikings in February. At 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, he thrived in the smaller realm of 2A football, but some of his South teammates think he would have been fine with the big boys.
“He came out here and competed; you can’t even tell he’s from a small school,” Lebanon quarterback Ty Hargis said.
Hargis and Mitchell have been working together on Lebanon’s triple-option offense all week in practice.
“He has worked hard every day, and he’s just so fast,” Hargis said.
The numbers are there for Mitchell to grab attention. He rushed for 2,217 yards and 28 touchdowns on 223 carries last season, and in his career for the Trojans he ripped off 4,807 yards and scored 74 touchdowns. Understandably, it has been done at the small-school level and some people easily dismiss what Mitchell has accomplished, but fellow South running back Nathaniel Maddox of Lebanon spoke with brevity when describing Mitchell’s skills.
“He’s got it,” Maddox said.
Dylan Bigsby of 4A Banks was the last player not from a 5A or 6A school to play in the game. He played for the North team in 2015, and Hayden Craig of 3A Dayton played in 2012.
Mitchell looks to be a critical part of the South’s running attack, which will be divided among a stable of powerful and fast backs. Tigard’s Jash Allen, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound bruiser, packs a wallop between the tackles, while Maddox, Thurston’s Connor Morton and Summit’s Dawson Ruhl are the smaller scatbacks to burst around the edge.
When he arrived at Pacific University for training camp, Mitchell said he didn’t know this game was mainly for players in big-school programs until someone told him. The only thing he had on his mind was to play football, no matter where anybody came from.
“I’ll have memories from here forever, and I’m going to play with a chip on my shoulder,” Mitchell said. “You don’t always expect big things from a small-town kid, so I’m going to play the best I can.”
The game kicks off at 12:30 p.m. at Hillsboro Stadium.
