Highland dunks SLAM! behind monster performance from Cedric Mitchell

POCATELLO — Like last year, the Highland Rams have started their season with a pair of dominant wins over Nevada teams with title aspirations.

Behind a massive day from junior running back Cedric Mitchell, the Rams (2-0, 0-0) cruised to a 35-13 victory over the SLAM! (Sports Leadership and Management academy) Bulls at Idaho State University’s ICCU Dome to open Saturday play of the Rocky Mountain Rumble — a multi-state tournament hosted by Highland High School.

The game was called with 11:52 remaining in the fourth quarter following a gruesome injury suffered by a SLAM! player. After a delay of roughly an hour, during which the player, a freshman wide receiver, was stabilized, he was transported to Portneuf Medical Center by Pocatello Fire Department EMS.

“It was a difficult conversation that we had after the game,” Highland head coach Nick Sorrell said of addressing his shaken squad, adding that injuries are among the reasons he pushes his players to commit 100% of their effort and attention to every play.

For just over 36 minutes, before the injury, Mitchell and the Rams exerted dominance over the Bulls, and it started about as quickly as possible.

Mitchell took an inside handoff from quarterback Jacob Vincent on the first play of the game, bounced outside and won an 87-yard sprint to the endzone, giving the Rams a 7-0 lead just 19 seconds into the game.

Sorrell called Mitchell “just a different kind of talent,” comparing the back’s speed to that of Ian Duarte — an Eagle High alum and current Idaho State Bengal standout.

As far as running backs, though, Sorrell is not sure he as ever seen Mitchell’s level of raw speed before. The coach added that, when Mitchell left everyone in a cloud of vapors on that first carry, he was left looking around in confusion.

“He’s so explosive. … I would hate to be a defender trying to get him on the ground,” Sorrell said. “It’s cool to see how much he’s grown in the last couple of years.”

Mitchell’s second touch came early in Highland’s second possession and yielded a 13-yard gain. Three plays later, Mitchell took it another 15 yards to the house.

The star running back finished the first half with 129 yards and two scores on just four carries. In limited opportunities before the game’s premature conclusion, he added 11 yards and one more score on three carries in the third quarter, giving him seven carries for 130 yards and three touchdowns for the game.

Mitchell wasn’t the only junior to shine for Highland. Vincent was perfect in the first half, completing all 10 of his pass attempts for 141 yards and two scores.

“That’s what he expects of himself,” Sorrell said of Vincent’s performance. “He is very hard on himself, and he studies the game like no one else I’ve ever seen at the quarterback position.”

The quarterback, Sorrell said, will ask about the defense Highland runs against opponents and what the defense is looking for when they run those plays or schemes, in hopes of better understanding the game from the defensive side.

“He’s like a sponge,” Sorrell finished.

Vincent’s biggest single chunk came on a 40-yard first-quarter completion to yet another junior, Kona Baldwin.

Vincent finished the game completing 12 of 13 attempts for 154 yards, with touchdown passes to Kellan Tingey and Easton Almond — two more juniors.

Sorrell said he cannot remember having a more impressive class than the current group of juniors.

“There is talent all over the place,” he said. “We’ve talked a lot about, as coaches, ‘How do we spread the ball around?’ Anybody can take it to the house at any point, because they’re that good.”

A young group of linemen, he added, while they do not get the same recognition as the guys who carry the rock, also show a great deal of promise and contribute to the excitement Sorrell has about this program

Senior McKay Galo anchored a stellar defensive effort, which allowed just one touchdown — the second Bulls scored coming on a fumble recovery. Galo recorded a sack and blocked an extra point attempt.

The Rams left the somber and silent ICCU Dome with a 2-0 record to get ready for another out-of-state challenger, Skyridge (UT), who will visit The Hill Friday.

Sorrell put out a call for all Highland students and supporters to show up in force next weekend, when the Rams host the No. 3-ranked team in the state of Utah.

“We need everybody out there. It’s going to be big-time football,” the coach said.

Facing a team like Skyridge, the Rams will have the chance to show the entire region what Highland High School and Ram football is all about.