Football: Mitchell 41, River Ridge 0

NEW PORT RICHEY — Mitchell dominated both sides of the ball in the route.

The Mustangs (1-0) held the Knights (0-1) to 42 yards of offense while rushing for 293 yards using eight ball carriers. Ricky Trinidad, Freddie Jones and Edward Musto rushed for touchdowns.

Trinidad, who ran for 145 yards on seven carries and two touchdowns, was often used as a decoy. The Mustangs ran several plays that drew attention to him while the ball was dumped to another back.

"There were good holes. The lineman opened up a lot of lanes," Trinidad said. "When the defense is keying on me, it opens up holes for other guys."

Even when the Knights were able to get momentum, Mitchell's aggressive defense found a way to squash it.

One such play came in the third quarter, after River Ridge got an interception on its 2-yard line. The next play resulted in a safety.

"I just told the defense to go out there and pin their ears back and go get the ball, and they did," Mustangs coach Brian Wachtel said.

The Mitchell secondary and special teams also contributed. John Damiani had a 56-yard interception return for a touchdown in the waning minutes of the first quarter, and kicker Codi Folsom contributed seven points with a field goal and four extra points.