Senior running back Myles Mitchell accepted the blame for Richards’ exit from last year’s playoffs.

Mitchell was unable to get into the end zone on a 2-point conversion in overtime, and the season was suddenly over. And he carried that around with him like an albatross for close to a year.

“That was a rough one,” Mitchell said, reliving the moment. “We missed a block in the front and they caught me in the backfield. I took that pretty hard on myself. I didn’t make it happen.

“It was all on me.”

Mitchell more than made up for that Friday night, running for 179 yards on 32 carries and scoring all three touchdowns as the host Bulldogs rallied for a 21-20 victory over Dunlap in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs in Oak Lawn.

Even though Mitchell scored what turned out to be the winning TD on a 5-yard run with 3:32 left, that wasn’t enough. He came up with an interception at the Bulldogs’ 20 with 23 seconds to go.

Sophomore kicker Anthony Sanchez had converted the winning extra point for Richards (9-1).

Seeded second in the south bracket, the Bulldogs will play in the second round at home next weekend against Washington (8-2), which beat Richards’ district rival Shepard 52-11.

Dunlap (6-4), which came in averaging 34 points a game, was led by junior tight end Mack Sutter with nine catches for 118 yards and a TD.

But Mitchell, the North Dakota State recruit, was all smiles after Friday’s thriller, especially in light of last year’s 52-51 second-round loss in OT to Chatham Glenwood.

“This time, I had my hands on the ball and scored and then got the pick,” Mitchell said. “I’m blessed. I’m ecstatic. I’m starstruck.”

Mitchell finished with 141 yards in the first half and two TDs, plus a 50-yard run and a 72-yard run that were called back because of holding penalties.

The Eagles tightened their defense on him in the second half and yards were harder to come by. But in the final 10-play scoring drive, he had 31 yards on eight carries and kept the chains moving.

Also on that drive, Noah Escobedo found Milan Mosley open in the middle for a 27-yard gain.

“All I was thinking was, ‘Catch the ball, catch the ball, catch the ball,’” Mosley said. “And I caught it and took it for a long run.”

Then it was back to Mitchell pounding through until Richards scored.

“Myles is our guy, man,” Mosley said. “He’s been here on the varsity for three years, and he’s real good.”

Richard coach Tony Sheehan said Mitchell was tied with Billy Andrews for most TDs in program history for a season with 30 heading into the game, and Mitchell added to that total Friday.“I’ve been here 17 years, and I have to say Myles and Leshon Williams are the two best backs I’ve ever had,” Sheehan said. “I think he just put himself in the conversation as one of the top five who has ever been at this place.

“He’s a special kid. On that last drive, we had to go with our bread and butter and put it on his back, and that’s what he did.”

Optimism for a deep run in the playoffs runs deep for the Bulldogs.

Since dropping a 48-15 decision in the second week of the regular season to Libertyville, Richards ended up winning seven straight games by blowouts, with a combined score of 308-38.

Surviving this scare might be a good thing.

“It was a great game for us,” Mitchell said. “Coach Sheehan schedules Week 1 and 2 pretty hard. We have hard practices and scrimmages in the summer so we are ready for games like these.”

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.