The buzz was prevalent well before the season started.

"We would do 7-on-7 drills in the summer and opposing coaches would come over and say, 'Who is that?'" recalled Pleasant Valley mentor Mark Versuk.Mike Mitchell's ability was hard to ignore."We knew Mike was going to have an impact on the team," said Versuk. "If he could stay healthy, we thought he was capable of doing great things."The senior flourished as the Bears enjoyed a record-setting season that ended with a spot in the District 11 Class 6A playoffs. Mitchell finished with 1,881 yards of total offense and an area-best 25 touchdowns.An undeniable talent with unmatched ability, Mike Mitchell is the 2016 Times News Football Player of the Year."It's really good. It's a great step for me," said Mitchell. "I'm proud to represent my school."After scoring four touchdowns and amassing 240 yards of total offense as a junior, Mitchell fully embraced his role this past fall as Pleasant Valley's feature back."Going into the summer and our 7-on-7 drills, coach Versuk told me that I needed to be more of a leader," he said. "I tried to be the best leader for my team that I could possibly be."Statistically, Mitchell was at the top of his class this season, leading the area with 1,447 yards rushing on 145 carries (9.98 yards-per-carry) while also adding 434 yard receiving on 22 catches (19.73 yards-per-catch).Mitchell credited the improvement to the foundation that was laid in the offseason."We really put a lot of time in the weight room and focused on speed training," he said of the workouts. "The entire team got bigger, faster and stronger. You could just see it."That was never more evident than in a Week 6 showdown against rival East Stroudsburg South. Against the Cavaliers, Mitchell's presence was undeniable, as he piled up 385 yards of total offense - 301 rushing, 84 receiving - in the Bears' 52-38 win.As he did so many times during the season, Mitchell showed the ability to find the end zone from anywhere on the field against ES South, scoring on runs of 43, 9 and 84-yards, in addition to a 73-yard score on a hook-and-lateral play."Mike's speed is what catches everyone's eye. He has an incredible burst, and can go five or 10 yards and be at full speed," Versuk said. "But he also has the ability to run through and between tackles. I think his durability and physicality surprised some people."He can go to the outside and use his speed, but he got much better at just following his blockers and letting the play develop. That was something that we really worked on."Though Versuk was in his first season as Pleasant Valley's head coach, the team never missed a beat. The Bears thrived under their former offensive coordinator, averaging 44.5 points and 441.3 yards per game, while rewriting the school's record books along the way."He brought a lot of confidence," Mitchell said of Versuk. "We always believed in the plays coach was calling because we knew they would be successful."It helped a lot knowing the offense that we were running and having the system in place. We all bought in and came together as a team. We knew that we had to put the time and effort into it to be successful."According to Pleasant Valley statistics, the Bears established seven school records as a team this past season, while Mitchell set five individual marks.Versuk hopes the records serve as a reminder not only of what the team accomplished, but also as a way to motivate the underclassmen."We're going to have a banner in the weight room with all of the records established this season, so that all of the younger guys coming through can see that and see what's possible if they put the time and the work in," the coach said. "And this (award) is great for Mike, tremendous for our team and great for our program."Looking back, it was a great season. Now, we want to do everything we can to keep it going."But the memory of a truly remarkable 2016 is one that won't be forgotten anytime soon."There are people that recognize me when I'm out, or talk to me about a certain game," Mitchell said. "I've had grandparents ask me to sign calendars and more kids come up to me now. I'll remember the atmosphere and the support we had from everyone, and just the bond I had with my teammates."The way the season happened, knowing that's the last time putting the pads on for my school, I couldn't ask for much more."