By Noah Dalton
MITCHELL — After an 0-4 start to the season, Mitchell High School finally broke through Friday night, dominating Crawford County 41-0 for the program’s first win of the year.
It was just the first of many ways the Bluejackets found the end zone. The offense accounted for five touchdowns on the night, a mix of passing and rushing scores spread across the night.
The defense also got in on the action, with Endris adding a 90-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to help put the game away.
When all was said and done, Mitchell had racked up 142 yards rushing and 95 yards through the air. The Wolfpack were held scoreless, managing 101 rushing yards and 68 passing yards.
Bluejackets head coach Bobby Owens pointed to the preparation his team put in as the difference-maker in finally getting into the win column.
“Film, film, film. All the players bought in this week,” Owens said. “We had a few mishaps on defense. We adjusted our defense. We adjusted our coverage… and we took care of it.”
Kaden Mullis and Sven Lutchka split time under center for Mitchell, combining to complete 5/11 passes for 95 yards and three touchdowns.
Jaredon Sowder was Mitchell’s top target, hauling in three catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. Sven Lutchka added a 26-yard touchdown reception, and Parker Harden caught the game’s final score on a 1-yard strike from Mullis.
Owens said the win validated what he’d seen building over the past couple of weeks, even before the record showed it.
“I think we found our identity the last two weeks. I think prior to that, we were searching for an identity,” Owens said.
The coach also credited the home crowd with giving the Bluejackets a lift after a difficult start to the year.
“I couldn’t ask for a better crowd,” Owens said. “We owe them. We owe the community.”
Mitchell will look to carry the momentum from its first win into next week’s matchup against North Central Farmersburg.
As the program eyes potentially winning back-to-back games for the first time since the 2023 season, Owens said the Bluejackets will look to eliminate unforced errors.
“Now we’ve just got to improve on some penalties. We’re rolling the right way, we’re moving,” Owens said. “We’ve got to execute us.”
