BAKERSVILLE - One glance at the north end zone gave a sense of how much the Toe River Rivalry meant to both Mountain Heritage and Mitchell this year.

The pine trees that lined the field, where the Mountaineers make their entrance and walk past the statue of Charlie, were barren, bent and snapped by the winds that swept through Mitchell County during Tropical Storm Helene. It served as a reminder of neighboring Yancey County, which was hammered just as hard as Helene's floods wiped away roads and houses.

In a rivalry game made more powerful by the destruction each community faced, Mountain Heritage's 54-12 win was more than dominating, and did more than just earn them a share of the Western Highlands Conference.

"For our community, it's big for them," junior linebacker Malachi Huskins said. "That's bragging rights for 365 days."

Neither county has returned to school yet as repairs in the community continue. Friday was the first night game for either team since September, adding a sense that things can return to normal soon.

"I forgot how good it felt," Mountain Heritage coach Joey Robinson said. "Friday night is awesome."

Mountain Heritage (7-0, 3-0) shut down Mitchell (6-2, 3-1), allowing scores only on the first two drives of the second half. Running back Owen Riddle's 69-yard rush on the first play of the second half more than doubled Mitchell's total of 63 first-half yards.

Huskins had a standout day, intercepting Mitchell quarterback Caleb Cook twice and earning a first-quarter sack to shut down Mitchell's momentum early.

Quarterback Brandon Quinn led the offense to another high-powered output, tallying 17 carries for 160 yards with four touchdowns as the Cougars brought their points per game up to 44.

But Mountain Heritage also served a reminder that it has plenty of pieces on offense. Junior tight end Cason Jones scored twice, including an 85-yard kick return, and running back Lane Chandler and quarterback Braydon Deyton each added a score.

"Football plays, they don't always work the way they're drawn up, but if they do, we're going to score as much as we want," Quinn said. "We've got so many guys, so many weapons out on the field."

Now the Cougars have all but clinched the conference title, with just a game against Draughn left to win it outright. It also would secure them a high seed come playoff time, meaning more chances to play at home.

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Though Robinson isn't sure if Mountain Heritage will be ready to host its first playoff game on Nov. 15, he thinks there's a good chance and said the community wants to return to the field and is working to make it happen.

"It'll be awful nice to be back at our place and get to play home games for the fans and our community," Robinson said. "Sometimes there's nothing more healing than Friday night."

Evan Gerike is the high school sports reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @EvanGerike. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.