That's what the speedy senior did last weekend, when he returned from a three-week absence to help the Rams beat Baker 16-6 in the quarterfinals of the state Class B football playoffs.
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“The doctors said there was a real good chance that I wouldn't come back,” Mitzel said. “So, to have a great game, especially against a team like Baker, which is the team to beat in Class B football, that was great.”
The 160-pound running back gained 150 yards against the Spartans and scored one of Loyola's two touchdowns, but Mitzel “tweaked” his injured knee during a long run in which he busted loose of several tackles.
“Yeah, it was in the last three minutes, it just slipped again,” said Mitzel, who went down without being touched in the Florence game. “It was pretty painful.”
Mitzel said it didn't have anything to do with the muddy conditions or the ruts made by the tractor, which was used to clear the field of snowfall on the Friday before the game.
“There were mud trails everywhere,” he said. “It was kind of fun actually when it got warm and everything started melting.”
Mitzel said he isn't sure if that was his last carry in high school, but he's not ruling himself out just yet.
Loyola faces Fairfield on Friday in another elimination playoff game on the road. The fourth-ranked Rams definitely have a better shot at winning with Mitzel in there, but for now he's listening to his doctors.
“They don't want me to play,” Mitzel said, “but they also said it didn't do any more damage to the knee in Baker, just bone bruises.”
Mitzel continues to rehab his knee and rest while he can so they all - doctors, parents, coaches - can make a game-time decision on Friday.
“Right now, I'm planning on playing but it's not totally up to me,” he said. “We'll see how it feels on Friday.”
“The coaches have a say, too,” Mitzel added, “but if we win this it's the championship.”
Playoff time
Two Missoula Class AA volleyball programs enter postseason play Thursday.
Sentinel hosts Helena Capital in its Western AA playoff, while Hellgate travels to Kalispell Glacier. Both contests start at 7 p.m.
The Spartans (17-5) are the No. 2 seed in the West behind regular-season winner Helena High. Sentinel can clinch that same seed for next week's all-class state tournament with a win over the Bruins (3-18).
The Spartans, Western AA champions last season, swept Capital in their previous two meetings this fall.
The Knights (6-15) finished sixth in the conference and will be forced to win on the road at Glacier (12-9) if they want to advance to state, which runs Nov. 20-22 in Bozeman.
The Wolfpack, who swept Hellgate in both their matches this fall, are seeking their first trip to state.
Missoula Big Sky hosts Kalispell Flathead on Friday at 6 p.m in the final Western AA playoff match. The winner of that contest earns the West's No. 4 seed at state.
The Eagles (10-12) earned the right to host by finishing three matches ahead of the Bravettes (4-14) during the regular season.
ESPN ranks Eagles
The girls' basketball squad at Missoula Big Sky was ranked in the preseason top 20 for the West Region by the Internet site ESPNRISE.com.
The Eagles, who won the Class AA state championship in March, were listed No. 8 in the rankings which debuted on the high school-oriented Web site on Nov. 5.
“That says a lot more about our past kids in the progam than it does about our current ones,” said Big Sky girls' coach Marti Leibenguth. “It's a really cool thing, but I don't know what to say about it, or what it means.”
The current rankings are based off last year's record, this year's projections and of course players who are returning. The Eagles, who went 20-3 in 2007-08, return one of the nation's top players in senior Joslyn Tinkle, who on Wednesday announced she was joining Stanford next season.
“Fortunately for us we do have a player like Joslyn, who does a lot for our program,” Leibenguth said. “She's a great team player, a great kid and she does bring a lot of attention to our program because of her caliber of play.”
The West region is comprised of teams from Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. Other regions include the East, Southeast, Midwest and Southwest.
Teams from Montana, however, rarely travel outside the state to play, even if they are ranked nationally.
“It's a really cool thing,” said Leibenguth, who'll begin her 14th season at Big Sky this winter. “But unfortunately, we don't have an opportunity to play teams from out of state. So it's hard to put this into perspective.”
“I have no idea how we'd do against teams from other states,” she added.
Saint Mary's from Stockton, Calif., which went 33-1 in 2007-08, is the top-ranked prep team in the West region according to the preseason rankings. There were no other Montana teams picked.
ESPN.com plans on updating the rankings each week during the regular season and playoffs. Practices for girls' basketball do not start until Nov. 24 in Montana.
Wendy's winners
Two Malta seniors were named as this year's Wendy's High School Heisman Award winners for the state of Montana.
Caitlin Smith and Casey Knudsen were picked from 10 girls and 10 boys finalists in the annual compeition that mirrors the collegiate version in terms of prestige.
Smith and Knudsen have a chance to be one of 12 national finalists, who are selected from one of six regions in the weeks to come. The national winners will be announced Dec. 12 in New York.
Among the 10 girls considered state finalists, two were from western Montana - Kelsey Cable of St. Ignatius and Tinkle.
In the boys' competition, Ronan senior Nolan Harris and Plains senior Mitch Thompson were state finalists.
The Wendy's Heisman Program is in its 15th year of recognizing outstanding student-athletes.
Reporter Nick Lockridge may be reached at 523-5298 or by e-mail at nick.lockridge@lee.net.
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