By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Canaan Mitchell’s moment has arrived.
Slathered in mud that caked his eyebrows and cheeks, the Rossville quarterback paused amidst the raucous celebration on the Jackson Heights field to reflect on the Bulldawgs season, the upcoming trip to the state title game, and all that led to this moment.
Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell starred in adverse conditions last Friday, leading the Bulldawgs to the Class 1A state title game with a 21-18 win at Jackson Heights. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Mitchell had just led his team to a 21-18 come-from-behind victory to earn a trip to Hutchinson, site of the Class 1A state championship game. The field conditions Friday required that Mitchell carry the team to victory. The slick field and muddy ball turned the game against the Cobras into a battle of quarterbacks. Both signal callers rushed the ball repeatedly, slipping and sliding in search of openings to run up field.
Jackson Heights’ quarterback, senior Drake Mellies, dashed to 168 yards on 29 carries -- providing essentially all the Cobras’ offense -- even though Rossville knew what to expect. It was an impressive rushing effort that Mitchell nearly matched.
“He’s a good player,” Mitchell said of Mellies. “We game-planned for him all week, and he’s fast and he was good. So, we just planned on him, stopping him, and that’s what we did. He got a few broken loose, but we stopped him in the end, so that’s all that matters.”
The difference in the game was Mitchell’s ability, in spite of the conditions, to effectively pick apart the Cobras through the air. What else would you expect from a kid who’s first name is pronounced “cannon?”
Having given Rossville its first score on a 51-yard burst through the slop on the game’s opening drive, Mitchell turned to the air. He hit receiver Cael Horgan for a 10-yard touchdown in the second period. He went right back to Horgan on the same play design for the two-point conversion.
“He’s a great quarterback,” Horgan said of Mitchell. “He kept his hands clean. He was throwing a great ball all game, put it right where we needed it.”
Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell has rushed and passed for more than 1,000 yards, helping lead the Bulldawgs to the Class 1A state title game. [File photo/TSN]
Mitchell really started clicking in the second half. He completed six of eight throws, including a 20-yard strike to Horgan that proved to be the winning touchdown.
“I had to get a little confidence in myself,” Mitchell said. “In the warmups I was throwing the ball all over the place. I had to get the confidence back in me and throw it around and trust my receivers.”
“That was in the game plan,” Rossville coach Derick Hammes said of the passing attack. “I thought that was there for us, and it just allowed us to kind of get some rhythm on offense to kind of move the ball, distribute it around the field a little bit.”
In addition to slipping on several running cuts, Mitchell lost his footing numerous times when setting up to throw. The conditions contributed to at least three quarterback sacks, which cut into the senior’s rushing stats. He finished with 94 yards on the ground, but sacks subtracted 21 yards from what would have been an even more impressive total. Desperate to control the ball and protect a lead, Rossville needed Mitchell to manage the slick track.
“Right at the end there when I slipped, my dad yelled at me to keep my feet under me,” Mitchell said. “But I just, like he said, (it was) trying to keep your feet under you…quick, choppy steps. That’s what I had to do.”
In the biggest game of his career, Mitchell completed 8 of 12 passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns. The senior has been building to this moment for a long time. He grew up watching the Bulldawgs win five state titles. Rossville won three straight Class 3A championships – 2014-2016 – in Hutchinson. It then won back-to-back Class 2A titles in Salina in 2020 and 2021.
“(In 2021), I was a sideline ball boy,” Mitchell recalled. “And just seeing them after they won the game, come together and cheer and everything, that was big to me being on the sideline. I always told my dad I wanted (a championship) ever since I was watching all of them.”
Mitchell watched championship seasons led by Tucker Horak in 2014 and 2015, then Jacob Bradshaw in 2016. A few years later, it was Torrey Horak who guided the latest championship runs. Mitchell absorbed important lessons along the way.
“They were leaders,” Mitchell said. “That’s what a Rossville quarterback has got to be. He’s got to be a leader, got to lead your team, and they were big-time leaders. So that’s what I try to do.”
Mitchell was prepared mentally for the job. But he had to wait for the opportunity to finally present itself. As a sophomore, he was backup quarterback to Camden Horak. His junior year, he lost a battle for the job to Tucker and Torrey’s youngest brother, Tayson Horak.
“Canaan was in a quarterback battle, and that was legit for his sophomore and junior year, and it could have been him,” Hammes said. “But he is a kid that trusted the process and trusted what we had in store for him. He deserves all the success that he’s earning for him.”
Finally entrenched as ‘the guy,’ Mitchell has proved he’s in a class with those who went before him. He has completed 66 percent of his passes for 1,578 yards this season. Most impressive, he has thrown 18 touchdowns with just one interception. He leads Rossville’s rugged ground attack with 1,013 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Friday, he will have a chance to fulfill his dream of bringing Rossville another title. The Bulldawgs will face unbeaten Sterling at Hutchinson Community College at 1 p.m.
