<table> </table> The story of Maurice Mitchell&#8217;s senior season as <em>The Star</em>&#8217;s All-Metro boys athlete of the year should be well-circulated by now. That he crossed every finish line first for Raytown South should be common knowledge. But little is known of the story behind Mitchell&#8217;s victories at the Missouri Class 4 state track-and-field meet.</p><p>Mitchell won four gold medals while defending his sprint championships (100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes) and anchoring the 400-meter relay. But in the days leading up to the meet, and away from the public&#8217;s eye, Mitchell used some unorthodox ways to rehabilitate a painful hamstring injury.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;d stay to (midnight), just to get my leg to work,&#8221; Mitchell said. &#8220;It was really weird, getting worked on and running so late at night.&#8221;</p><p>Although Mitchell lives in Raytown, that week he trained with his sprint coach Tom Lester and a specialist near North Kansas City High.</p><p>&#8220;I couldn&#8217;t run,&#8221; Mitchell said. &#8220;I still had that limp in my leg. I never got to 100 percent but (the specialist) got me to the point where I could finish it off.&#8221;</p><p>But Mitchell on a bum left leg, and even an aching right one, was still better than the top Missouri sprinters. Mitchell&#8217;s individual 30 points and the 10 he helped score during the 400 relay pulled Raytown South to the top for its first boys&#8217; state title in school history.</p><p>Mitchell rested the weeks after state and now feels back to 100 percent, which he will need to be next season as he runs for Florida State.