THREE RIVERS AREA — It didn't matter that it was in Heber Springs, where the air up there is just a little cooler than down in the valley.
On that July morning it was already hot, and a number of Braylon Mitchell's teammates were getting re-acquainted with the Egg McMu◊n they'd had for breakfast.
Mitchell stood out as a physical specimen,
the same
way Darren
McFadden
used to. Big.
Strong. Fast.
◊at didn't matter when, while running through plays on defense, he bit on a screen pattern, leaving a receiver open up the middle.
"Braylon!"
◊e energetic, this-time disapproving voice of Steve Janski got everyone's attention. He didn't have to say much to his star running back/linebacker, just a few words of correction of how to recognize a receiver's route and adjust position accordingly. Mitchell, all 6 feet, 2 inches and 225 pounds of raw strength, grit and drive, o◊ered no argument.He dropped his head for a moment, said "Yes sir," then lined up again, determined not to make the same mistake twice.
And he didn't.
Listening to Janski throughout the rest of the practice, there was no coddle in his voice when he addressed Mitchell. And Mitchell wouldn't be one of the top high school players in the state without his coach spurring him, he said.
"He pushes me to bigger and better things," Mitchell said of Janski, whom he described as a father◊gure.
Janski said when Mitchell◊rst moved to Heber Springs from North Little Rock when Mitchell was in junior high, the coach wasn't sure how the young man would adapt.
"At◊rst I didn't know if he'd be able to survive in our program," Janski said. "We're pretty tough. Once he got that, I knew he had some talent."
But the relationship between Janski and Mitchell has not been one of exclusively tough love.◊e two get along well and are able to have fun away from the◊eld.
"He invited me to his home," Mitchell said,
speaking of when he◊rst moved to Heber
Springs.
Mitchell's a con◊dent guy, but he keeps
things in perspective. Janski's been sure to
help him do that.
"I've told him with all this hype and all this
attention he's getting (from media and college
recruiters), he needs to stay humble," Janski
said. "Second, he needs to expect to have a
bull's-eye on his chest."
Mitchell's taken the lesson to heart. Ask him
about his stats, and it's not that he doesn't
know them, but he'd much rather talk in "we"
terms instead of "I."
Mitchell credits his teammates not only for
his success on the◊eld, but also for helping
him feel at home in Heber Springs.
◊e motto of the Panthers is "one team, one
heartbeat." While Mitchell said he'd like to
top 2,000 yards this year (he tallied just shy of
1,800 last year), his ultimate goal is all about
his Panther brethren.
"My main goal is to get my team to War Me
morial [for a state championship]," he said.
- For more on Braylon Mitchell, see www.ARpreps.com.
BREAKING DOWN BRAYLON1,784 number of yards last year20 touchdowns2 jersey number11 number of Mitchell's siblings6-2 Mitchell's height225 Mitchell's weight
Special, Pages 180 on 08/23/2009