Mitchell, Benson run past rival Wasson to retain helmet trophy

MonDarrius Benson ran for 185 yards and three touchdowns Saturday to lead Mitchell to an emotional 42-34 victory against rival Wasson in the “Helmet Game” at Garry Berry Stadium.

Benson, who had 33 carries, rushed 22 times in the second half for 152 yards. He had scoring runs of 2, 21 and 12 yards as Mitchell overcame a 14-0 first-quarter deficit.

“The kid is absolutely phenomenal,” coach Archie Malloy said of his 5-foot-8, 165-pound back. “He has heart and he has desire. And when you’re as athletic as he is, that takes you a long way.”

View a photo slideshow from the game.

Mitchell led 42-20 after Benson scored on the second play of the fourth quarter. The Thunderbirds fought back as Chris Price scored on a 27-yard run and Trevor Brown on a 21-yard pass from Tony Williams.

“We made a valiant effort to come back, but we missed out on too many opportunities,” Wasson coach Harold Brown said. “We have to eliminate the mental mistakes and penalties.”

Mitchell (2-3) won the prized helmet — school colors of each team are painted on half of the helmet — for the second straight year after Wasson (0-5) captured the previous five nonconference meetings.

Both teams amassed nearly 400 yards of offense, but it was a ragged game throughout — Wasson had four turnovers and Mitchell had two — as each team was assessed 14 penalties for an alarming total of 261 yards.

That lack of discipline continued following the hard-hitting contest as players and coaches voiced anger toward the opposition. It began on the final play — a kneel-down by Mitchell — with a mini-shoving match. Brown instructed his team to go straight to the locker room to avoid any further encounters.

Mitchell players and coaches took that as a sign of disrespect as Wasson bypassed the traditional postgame handshake. Barbs were exchanged and tempers escalated, with Brown and Malloy squaring off nose-to-nose.

It marred an admirable effort by players from both teams, who often reside in adjoining neighborhoods and grow up hearing of the rivalry.

“It was so much emotion, too much emotion,” Benson said.

Of his brilliant second half, Benson said, “It was clutch time. Basically, at halftime we knew we had to grind it out and take care of the ball.

“This was a big win for us.”