"A lot of miles on these tires:" Hillcrest coach Jamie Mitchell celebrates 250-career wins

Hillcrest football coach Jamie Mitchell secured his 250th career win in the Patriots 28-0 win at Bessemer City last Friday.

The win now puts Mitchell at 250-85 in his 27-year head coaching career, which he began in 1997 in Mississippi. He spent 17 years coaching in Mississippi between five different schools — Ripley, Charleston, Olive Branch, Itawamba and Starkville. After that, he spent time coaching in Arkansas at North Little Rock between 2015-2019. He came to Alabama in 2020, spending one year coaching at Shades Valley before coming to Hillcrest in 2021.

Over his career, Mitchell has secured two state championships, the first one in 2012 in Starkville, Mississippi, followed by one five years later in 2017 in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

"(250 wins) means a lot of miles on these tires," Mitchell said with a laugh. "Looking back over 34 years, 27 as a head coach, there's just so many different people that have been a part of that, and it's been an amazing journey."

During his time at the helm of the Patriots program, Mitchell has led Hillcrest to back-to-back 11-win seasons, along with a 2022 6A-Region 4 championship. Currently, the Patriots are on track to win their second region title, sitting at 8-0 on the season and 5-0 in region play, and they have one of the top defenses in the state of Alabama, allowing an average of 4.8 points per game.

WEEK 8 SCHEDULE: Tuscaloosa area high school football Week 8 schedule

VOTE FOR ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Vote now for your Tuscaloosa area athlete of the week, for the week of Oct. 13

Mitchell said he spent the last week reminiscing on his career and reaching out to former assistants, knowing the milestone was approaching.

"It's not something I keep up with on a regular basis, but I knew I was getting close," he said. "I kind of knew going in and playing in at Bessemer City, I felt pretty good about it, but you just never know. I took sometime last week; I reached out to every assistant coach I think I have ever had. Just reliving some of those memories was awesome and fun."

Anna Snyder covers high school sports and University of Alabama recruiting for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com. Follow her on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @annaesnyder2

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Hillcrest football coach Jamie Mitchell reaches 250-career wins