Banged-Up Mitchell Batters Buena

Scott Mitchell, a bruised and bandaged senior tailback for Agoura High, took a deep breath and, figuratively, licked his wounds.

The clock showed 11 minutes 40 seconds to play. The ball rested on the Agoura 33-yard line.

After three quarters Friday night, Agoura clung to a 21-13 lead over visiting Buena. Mitchell had earned every inch he had gained against the gang-tackling Bulldogs.

Agoura, a consensus underdog, needed another touchdown to put the game--and Mitchell’s body--on ice. And everyone and their trainer knew who was going to get the call.

Mitchell also knew he was going to get it--in more ways than one.

“During the game you don’t have time to think about pain,” he said. “Not until the next day.”

By that time, Agoura was savoring a 28-13 victory, thanks to a 15-play, 67-yard touchdown drive that chewed up 7:25 and banged up Mitchell’s 6-foot, 175-pound frame even further.

Mitchell carried eight times for 29 yards on the drive to finish with 178 yards in 22 carries and outshine George Keiaho, Buena’s standout junior running back, who gained 169 yards in 28 carries.

Twice Mitchell sustained the drive by moving the chains with third-down gains. He added an exclamation point to the march with a four-yard touchdown run with less than five minutes to play. Mitchell also had touchdown runs of eight and 70 yards.

“We looked at the film (of the drive) and I thought it would never get over,” Buena Coach Rick Scott said. “That broke our backs.”

Better Buena’s than Mitchell’s, as far as Agoura was concerned.

For once, it seemed, Mitchell had emerged from a battle relatively unscathed. Sure, he hurt. But considering his history of battling bumps and bruises, he had few complaints.

“You wake up the next morning and you always feel it,” Mitchell said. “It hasn’t been good at times, but I’ve been dealing with it. Last year, it was an ongoing thing, a lot of problematic, nagging injuries. But this year, it’s nothing too bad. I feel great.”

Last year, Mitchell spent about as much time wrapped in bandages as in shoulder pads. He missed much of the season because of a bruised shoulder, swollen ankles and a severe groin pull.

“We thought he would be a starter last year,” Coach Frank Greminger said, “but he just didn’t stay healthy long enough.”

Mitchell’s ankle woes date to his nine years as a gymnast--and a good one. When he was 14, Mitchell traveled to Colombia with the U. S. Junior national team to participate in an exhibition. However, years of fine-tuning a flamboyant dismount took their toll.

During a football game when he was a sophomore, Mitchell suffered a separated shoulder that continued to cause pain last season when he played at times with his shoulder in a harness and his ankles heavily taped.

Against Fillmore, he suffered a groin pull in a pile-up and missed three games.

“I did the splits,” he said. “I really felt helpless at the bottom of the pile.”

Despite the injuries, Mitchell managed to rush for 346 yards, second on the team.

Mitchell already has surpassed that total. He rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns in Agoura’s opening 34-0 victory over Santa Clara.

Additionally, the team has matched last year’s victory total, opening with consecutive wins after finishing 2-8 a year ago.

“I’m expecting a lot out of this team,” Mitchell said. “Last year and this year . . . there’s a big difference.”

And Mitchell feels it after every game.