by Noah Dalton
LINTON — Mitchell High School’s 2025 season came to an end on Friday, as the Bluejackets were beaten in the opening round of sectional play 69-14 by last year’s Class 2A state runner-up, Linton-Stockton.
The Miners looked poised to make another run towards the top of the class with a dominant performance on the night, particularly in the first half, where they finished the first two periods with an emphatic 54-0 lead.
“They do everything, every little thing the right way, and that’s why they’ve gotten there. I felt like that’s really what kind of took the game over,” Bluejackets head coach Zach See said regarding Linton’s early advantage.
The experience of the Miners’ squad was another key noted by See. Linton fielded 16 seniors for their roster this season, compared to just three for Mitchell.
“They’re stronger than us, and they’re used to playing at that high of a level all the time for four quarters, and that’s not dogging us. I know we can get there, and I know we will get there. We’ve just got to continue to chip away at it and chip away towards that goal,” said See.
“Even when things feel like we’re stagnant and we’re not improving, we have to look past it and see the big picture in the long run. It is going to work, but it’s not going to be done in a day or two days. It’s going to take time.”
After struggling in the first half with just 34 total yards, Mitchell’s offense found some life as the game went on, finding the endzone twice in the second half.
Their first touchdown of the night came in the third quarter by way of a 65-yard carry from running back Tyson Quinn. They scored again in the fourth quarter via an 8-yard pass from Joe Todd to Sven Lutchka.
The brief surge late was not enough to overcome a huge night from Linton, who racked up 486 yards of total offense before the night was over.
“I felt like we were a little bit nervous coming into the game and I felt like we were able to settle in a little bit,” said See.
“I thought we looked decent in the second half. I think they scored twice, and we scored twice. In the grand scheme of things, we take a small victory there that we tied them in the second half, and we take that and carry it into offseason.”
With this loss, the Bluejackets finish the season with a final record of 1-9, with their lone win coming the previous week against Perry Central.
Regardless of scores or win totals, See was happy to see improvement from his young squad throughout the season.
He said the work will need to continue throughout the offseason and summer as they long toward next season with a positive outlook, hoping the experience gained this season for younger players will translate to better future results.
“Those freshmen next year should really be like a junior instead of a sophomore because they’ve got a year of varsity under their belt. Our sophomores that played this year should almost be like seniors next year experience-wise, so I’m very proud of them, and I think they’re going to continue to work.” said See.
“I feel like we’re going to be a better team next year and I think we’ll be much more physically built for it, and we’re going to hit the weight room hard and do the little things.”
