With Richards trailing late against visiting Dunlap in a Class 6A opener on Nov. 1, Bulldogs coach Tony Sheehan knew what time it was.

Myles Mitchell time.

“I’m not going to lie,” Sheehan said. “I went up to him in the fourth quarter and told him that we were going to put it all on his back and that he was going to carry us.

“He said, ‘I got it,’ and when a kid says that, you believe in him. In my 17 years at Richards, there are only two kids like that I can think of off the top of my head where you can look (them) in the eyes and tell them to take the game over, and they do. One is Myles, and the other is (Iowa defensive back) Sebastian Castro.”

After that conversation, Mitchell scored the final points of the game with a 5-yard touchdown run at 3:32 of the fourth quarter, giving the Bulldogs a 21-20 lead. For good measure, Mitchell intercepted an Eagles pass on the ensuing possession at the Richards 20 with 29 seconds left to seal the victory.

The North Dakota State recruit scored all three touchdowns for Richards, rushing 33 times for 181 yards.

The Bulldogs (9-1) have another home game in the second round against downstate Washington (8-2), which eliminated Shepard 52-21.

“Myles also has been playing linebacker for us all year,” Sheehan said. “On that last drive, he needed to play, and he was ready to go. He wasn’t coming out.”

Up 14-0, Richards saw its advantage dwindle to 14-12 at halftime. Dunlap (6-4) then took the lead at 20-14 with about eight minutes left before Richards began its game-winning drive. That drive featured a big dose of Mitchell along with a key 25-yard pass from quarterback Noah Escobedo (7 of 14, 51 yards passing) to Milan Mosley, who had two catches for 35 yards.

“This was a great game,” Sheehan said. “(Dunlap is) pretty good. Their quarterback played well, but our defense hung tough when we needed them to, and we got a touchdown when we needed to.

“Our defense did a good job for the most part of bending but not breaking. Dunlap is a good, physical football team. They were much bigger than us. But I’m proud of our kids for sticking together. That shows a lot of leadership and experience for us.”