MITCHELL — The Mitchell Kernels are going with a familiar name in its next head football coach.
The school announced late Wednesday that it is hiring Pat Larson as the Kernels' coach.
Larson is a Mitchell High School and Dakota State University graduate. He has been on the Mitchell football staff for the past 19 years, coaching at every level within the program, most recently as a varsity assistant and Junior varsity head coach. He was named the Mitchell High School Assistant Coach of the Year in 2019 and the 2020 11AA Assistant Football Coach of the Year.
Larson has also been on the boys basketball coaching staff for six seasons and previously coached track and field.
"I am excited for the opportunity to work with the coaching staff and student-athletes to grow and enhance a program that the entire community can continue to be proud of," Larson said. "I will work to ensure that we put a competitive team on the field every week, while using the sport of football to teach life-long lessons that will carry our student-athletes into adulthood."
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In the statement, Larson thanked previous head coach Kent Van Overschelde, who resigned after 16 years as Kernel head coach in Febraury, for his mentoring role while serving on the football staff.
"Coach Larson is a person of incredibly high character and is highly respected by both our student-athletes and his coaching colleagues," Mitchell Activities Director Cory Aadland said in a statement. "His energy and passion for all things Mitchell Kernels is infectious and will serve him well leading our football program. He places a priority on building relationships and developing young people that our school and the Mitchell community will be proud of."
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