Back to all Headlines
Photo Credit: Lori Habiger/Center Stage Photography

Holding the regional championship plaque at his side, Mill Valley Head Coach Joel Applebee stood before his players Friday night and praised them for being locked in against Olathe West.

"Just a great week. The preparation that they do, the focus that they have. I couldn't be more-proud of them," said Applebee. "They really work hard on preparing themselves on exactly what their job is. They did a great job tonight." 

The Jaguars' dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage in whipping Olathe West 42-6. Mill Valley (7-3) advances to next Friday night's Class 5A Eastern sectionals against undefeated and top-seeded De Soto.

"I just feel like our kids were very, very physical up front," said Applebee. "They did a great job of controlling the line of scrimmage all night long."

The Jaguars outrushed the visiting Owls 334 yards to 22! Tyler Green led the Jags with 157 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Quin Wittenauer ran for 111 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Olathe West's Anthony Favrow, who had rushed for 1,306 yards coming into this game, was limited to nine yards on 13 carries.

"They had a hard time moving the ball, and it was because our up front defensively and then our back seven. I can't say enough about them. They're great kids," said Applebee.

Mill Valley scored on the second play from scrimmage on a 43-yard burst by Green. The senior running back added a 17-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Quarterback Cooper Marsh finished off a long scoring drive with a two-yard keeper, and the Jaguars led 21-0 at halftime.

Marsh, who completed 10 of 15 passes for 223 yards, connected with Kendrick Jones on a 13-yard touchdown for a 28-0 lead in the third quarter.

The Owls, who finished the season 6-4 with the loss, followed with their only score of the night; a 77-yard touchdown pass by Alex Birge to Caden Barnard. Otherwise, Olathe West couldn't move the ball against the Jaguars' stout defensive line.

"That's been a big strength of ours. They're a very physical group. They love football. They love learning the game. They just want more and more each day," said Applebee.

And they'll get more football next week against a 10-0 De Soto squad that blanked Shawnee Heights 31-0.

"They're a great team. (DeSoto) Coach (Brian) King is a great coach. I fully expect it to be a heck of a battle. We're going over there. I'm sure they have a great atmosphere. A great crowd. This group really looks forward to these types of challenges. It's gonna be a great game."