PITTSBURG, Kan. – Mill Valley withstood a second-half rally by Maize and beat the Eagles 28-14 to win their third straight Kansas Class 5A state championship at Carnie Smith Stadium in Pittsburg.
It’s the Jaguars’ fifth Class 5A state title in the last seven seasons. Head Coach Joel Applebee is 5-0 in state championship matchups.
“It means everything because of these kids,” said Applebee. “They work they put in, you know, it’s just unbelievable. They bought in and worked hard. Understanding the value of each day to show up and work hard, and good things are gonna happen. What I told them afterwards… It’s about this community. This school. These kids. That's what it's about. And that’s what makes it so special.”
After taking a 14-0 lead into the locker room at halftime, the Jaguars scored early in the third quarter. Junior quarterback Hayden Jay tossed a pass while being hit. Kendrick Jones made the catch for a 20-yard touchdown. After the missed extra point, Mill Valley led 20-0.
“It was huge. You know, we’re really happy for Kendrick,” said Applebee. “He dealt with injuries all year. Just to come out in this game and make a catch like that was very special for him and the whole team.”
The Jaguars’ defensive gameplan started with pressuring junior quarterback Avery Johnson.
“Take out number-2 and the run game,” said senior defensive lineman Aidan Shaffer. “That's what we had to do. He’s a lethal runner, and we had to take him out and make him one-dimensional. That’s what we did.”
The Eagles’ highly recruited quarterback, who created big plays all season with his arm and feet, had few opportunities to razzle and dazzle. The Jags' defensive front pressured him more than any team Maize previously faced. Johnson tossed two interceptions in the first half, and his longest play was a 25-yard pass.
“They’re a very good football team,” said Maize Head Coach Gary Guzman. “We knew defensively they were going to be strong, and we had to be able to do something offensively to give ourselves a chance.”
With 3:49 remaining in the third, Maize advanced to the Mill Valley 32. On first-and-10, Johnson stepped up in the pocket and tossed a pass on the run to Aiden Doty for the Eagles’ first touchdown.
On the ensuing possession, Maize defensive back Cody Hughbanks jumped Jay’s pass down the middle for an interception at midfield. Hughbanks returned the pick 12 yards to the Mill Valley 38. Maize moved the ball to the 7, where the drive fizzled when Johnson’s fourth down pass intended for Justin Stephens fell incomplete.
Early in the fourth quarter, Mill Valley running back Reice Kennedy took a handoff at his own 13-yard line. Kennedy gained 57 yards before McKinley Joynes caught up with him and stripped the ball at the Maize 30-yard line. The Eagles recovered at the 23.
Facing fourth-and-1 at his own 32, Johnson secured the shot-gun snap, faked a handoff, and took off. Johnson ran through three arm tackles on his way to a 68-yard touchdown run. Suddenly, the Eagles were within six.
“We were always confident coming into our drives, and we knew that no matter what their offense did, we wouldn’t be shaken,” said Jay. “We got in the huddle to start the drive. We knew we had to score on this drive. We had to put them away.”
Mill Valley answered with an eight-play, 80-yard possession. On third-and-3, Jay hit Jared Napoli for a 20-yard touchdown pass.
“We ran the RPO,” said Jay. “Just a sweep to the right. Safety came down. Threw it to Nap. The rest is history.”
Jay and Kennedy connected for the two-point conversion, and the Jaguars pushed the lead back to 28-14.
Maize never threatened again.
The Eagles offense was averaging almost 37 points per game. They only managed to score 14 against Mill Valley’s defense.
“To hold Maize to 14 points. You know, their offense is really good,” said Jay, who completed 11 of 15 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns. “So, for our defense to play like that, it really helps us out. We only had to score 28 points and won by two touchdowns.”
“They were solid,” said Guzman. “We knew that they were going to be a very good defensive group, and we knew we had to be able to move the ball offensively to give ourselves a chance.”
Johnson, who passed for over 2,500 yards, rushed for over 1,000 yards, and accounted for a total of 42 touchdowns for the Eagles, finished with 247 yards passing with a touchdown and two interceptions.
“I mean, we just wanted to just put pressure on the quarterback,” said nose tackle Truman Griffith. “We knew he was good. I mean, he's a fast guy, so you want to contain him. I mean, I feel like we did a pretty good job.”
“We wanted to put pressure on him and see how he dealt with that,” said Applebee. “I thought our kids did a great job. You know, there were a couple of times obviously he made plays even with the pressure. That's how special a player he is. We knew if we just kind of contained him as much as we possibly could, good results would come from that.”
The Jaguars never trailed in the game. Kennedy carried the ball 27 times and rushed for 230 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Jay’s 6-yard keeper around the right end gave the Jags a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
This was the first-ever state championship appearance for Maize. The Eagles finished with a record of 10-3.
“Our team has nothing to be ashamed of,” said Guzman. “They had a great year. They battled every game. They battled in this game.”
Meanwhile, after losing 18 starters from last season’s 10-2 state championship squad, the Jaguars managed to make their way back to Pittsburg and achieved a three-peat.
“It was a ton of work in the offseason and in the summer,” said senior defensive lineman Aidan Shaffer. “We grinded our asses off, you know, that's just how you have to do it. And then once the season hit, we were just a day-by-day process. We improved, and we just kept getting better and better each day.”
“Losing 18 starters on offense and defense, people didn't know what to expect from us this year,” said Jay. “But like I said, you know, we knew what we had. We knew that if we worked hard, we would be just as good if not better than the past two teams. So, we knew all along, and we finished.”
Applebee completes his 12th season at Mill Valley. He’s 103-35 with five state titles.
“Well, it's all about our staff. Our staff is the best in the state,” said Applebee. “The amount of work they put in. You know, the love they show for these kids. That’s really what it’s all about. All the credit goes to them.”
This is the second time Applebee lost almost all of his starters from the previous season and produced another state championship team.
“I just think every game you could see the improvement they made, and it was week to week,” said Applebee. “I mean, if you go back and look at our Gardner game and the way we play now, it's all on them and the work they put in. They really, truly bought into that. Show up. Work. Get better, and just keep improving throughout the season, and we were playing our best football right now.”
