How Wichita East QB DaeOnte’ Mitchell developed into a Kansas high school football star

It’s not often a freshman high school football player is named the starting quarterback, especially at the Class 6A level.

But DaeOnte’ Mitchell isn’t like most football players.

Now a three-year starter at quarterback, Mitchell has already shattered the career passing record at Wichita East and has the all-time City League record in his sights next. Mitchell leads the Blue Aces (6-3) into a road test against No. 1-ranked Manhattan (9-0) in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs Friday night.

“I’d rather play them now than later,” East coach Ene Akpan said. “We’re going to find out if we’re supposed to be here or not. (Mitchell) and our kids love that competition. That’s something these kids look forward to, so we can’t wait to see what happens.”

“They put their pads on just like us,” Mitchell said. “We’ve got a big opportunity to handle business against the number one seed. But seeds don’t matter. We want to show what we’ve got.”

Mitchell has long been a standout in the Wichita football scene, dating back to his junior football days with the Wichita Cowboys, where he was coached by his uncle, Willie Finley.

Finley still remembers the first time he had his nephew, who was 7 at the time, try to throw a football.

“We were doing 10-yard outs and his first throw was right on the money and my eyes get big and it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, we’ve got ourselves a football player,’” Finley said. “Then I was like, ‘Wait, do it again.’ So I had him do it 10 times and all 10 times his throws were on the money. That’s when I was like, ‘Oh yeah, we’re good to go.’”

Mitchell rarely had to use his arm in those early days as a quarterback because he was so fast. Finley even called him the “Michael Vick” of the Wichita junior football league because Mitchell, who goes by the nickname of “Paco,” was so much faster than his peers.

But once he arrived at the high school level, Mitchell could no longer simply out-run defenders. He could still make plays with his legs, sure, but he quickly found out that he would have to develop his passing skills to be effective. It didn’t take long for Mitchell to become a strong thrower, too.

“He could make every throw,” Akpan remembers about Mitchell early in his high school career. “He had a really strong arm for a young kid and that’s probably what stood out the most. A lot of freshmen are usually smaller in stature and they can’t make all of the throws you need them to make on the varsity level. But Paco could throw the fade, the post, anything you needed him to make.”

He also started training with famed Wichita trainer Brian Butler.

“Really most of what we focused on was his core strength,” Butler said. “He was working a lot with (Maize’s Avery Johnson and Northwest’s Jayce Glasper) and they really focused on their core strength and their footwork as quarterbacks.”

While Mitchell was not able to dominate high school football like he had at every level before, his arrival and standout play at quarterback with the Blue Aces immediately changed the trajectory of the program.

East has won a first-round playoff game for all three years with Mitchell, including the program’s best playoff run since 1983 when the Blue Aces reached the Class 6A quarterfinals in 2020.

“The biggest things I’ve learned is to never give up and to never fold under pressure,” Mitchell said. “It was challenging (playing varsity right away), but I feel like I stepped up to the plate. It’s a whole different level in high school, so I just had to come in and commit to getting better and then grind.

Akpan says the biggest improvement Mitchell has made this season has been his leadership.

“I think Paco has matured a lot since his freshman year,” Akpan said. “Early on, his confidence level wasn’t always the highest, especially because of his height. When things didn’t go right, he kind of shut down. Now when things go bad, he’s always positive and always bringing kids up. He puts it on himself to make a play and he’s always optimistic now. He’s got a chip on his shoulder and if anybody says he can’t do something, he’s going to try to prove them wrong.”

Mitchell isn’t the only standout player for East in its 2024 class. He is surrounded by classmates who have become dangerous weapons in East’s offense this season with running back Ray Ray Leak and wide receivers L.T. Robinson and Marcus White, while fellow junior Dayontay Standifer leads the East defense.

Finley, who knows Mitchell better than anyone, also sees the improvement in his leadership as the biggest difference-maker this season.

“The game has always been there with Paco. The arm has always been there,” Finley said. “And now the leadership is there. I think Paco has always been a kid who has led by his play on the field. He’s never been extremely vocal. But I think you’re seeing him be a lot more vocal this year and he’s holding guys accountable where the last two years he’s let the seniors do that.”

Mitchell has blossomed into the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the state and the 6-foot-1, 210-pound junior is starting to attract Div. I interest.

He has been invited by Kansas State to attend the Wildcats’ game against Texas in Manhattan on Saturday night as a K-State recruit. Mitchell will take a visit to Princeton the following weekend and he plans to take a visit to North Dakota State, as well. All college programs are recruiting him to play quarterback, according to Finley.

He hopes he can catch the eye of even more programs with his play on Friday in what he hopes will be a win over the No. 1 team in the state.

“If we can eliminate a few mistakes here or there, we know we can compete with anybody,” Akpan said. “I think we’ve been the underdogs for the last three years now. Our guys kind of strive for that. We love playing these tough games. We know Manhattan is one of the best teams in the state and it’s going to be tough, but our guys are looking forward at the chance to compete.”