South Jones reconstructed its offense under first-year head coach Roger Satcher and tailored it around its most experienced player – John Mitchell.
The South Jones senior quarterback is getting more comfortable with the transition each passing week.
“You could tell in the first game that we’re getting used to the new way the [offense] was running,” said Mitchell. “Some guys are getting the ball that isn’t used to getting the ball just because of how many seniors we had last year. But we’ve gotten to where we put last year in the past. I’m looking forward to the offense this year and how special it can be. Our ground game is coming along, and I expect the passing game to get better as we go.
“I was [nervous] in the beginning because I was worried about how I would transition [to it] personally. But Coach Satcher and Coach Howard and our other offensive coaches like Coach Griffin have done a great job of getting us where we need to be, including me. It’s taken some of the pressure off me.”
Despite a heartbreaking overtime loss to Hancock in Week 2, Mitchell rushed for 241 yards on 18 carries (according to the stats provided by South Jones). His biggest gain of the night was an 85-yard run on the outside edge that resulted in one of his four touchdowns (two rushing, two passing).
“I saw the guy around the edge and tried to beat the two defensive backs to the sideline,” recalled Mitchell. “I was able to do that, and from there I just turned it up. I also had a 35-yard run that was a read-option. The end bit down hard on a pull-read, and our offensive line did a good job of opening up a lane for me, and I ended up beating the safeties to the end zone.”
“He made some great reads,” said Satcher. “There were a few times that he ran it when he shouldn’t have, but overall he was right on [with his decisions]. I’m pleased with Mitchell’s play.
“He can also throw the ball, but we just don’t have experienced receivers. We have good receivers, but they don’t have the experience [we’ve had in the past], so when the coverage is little different, they don’t adjust as they should.”
Mitchell passed for another 41 yards on four completions.
Senior running back Vekelion Campbell had a stellar night running the ball too, collecting 126 yards on 13 carries.
South Jones rallied in the second half last Friday night against Hancock, scoring 20 points in the third quarter to go up by a score. But the Hawks pushed the game into overtime with a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Hancock later won in OT to improve to 2-0 on the season as South Jones fell to 0-2.
Mitchell is our Week 3 Sports601 Powerade Player of the Week.
