Jaguars take control in the second half; defeat Lawrence Free State

By Todd Habiger

What’s better than an exciting win against a league opponent? 

An exciting win against a league opponent on your birthday! 

On his 18th birthday, Jaguars quarterback Holden Applebee threw for 138 yards and three touchdowns helping lead the Jaguars to a 42-28 victory. Happy birthday Holden.

“I'm excited. We played really well as a team and fought all four quarters. We knew it was going to be a four quarter game, so it was a great team win. Everyone did their job and we came out on top. It definitely feels a lot better with it being on my birthday too,” Applebee said.

Helping Applebee gain the win was another outstanding performance by running back Max Piva. Remember when 300 yard rushing games were special? They seem to be the norm for Piva who is playing on another level right now. Piva logged 318 yards on the ground and added three touchdowns.

The Jaguars got on the scoreboard quickly in the first quarter when Blue Zambo returned a punt inside the Jaguars red zone. Moments later Piva pounded the ball into the endzone for a 7-0 lead. 

The Jaguars extended the lead to 14-0 later in the first quarter when Applebee connected with wide receiver Anthony Clem for a touchdown.

Free State refused to go away. The Firebirds marched down the field with the help of some pass interference penalties and cut the lead to 14-7.

Later in the second quarter the Firebirds stopped the Jaguars on fourth and short in the red zone and then proceeded to march down the field and tie things up a 14-14 which is where the score stood at the half.

The Jaguars Braydon Jones took the second half kickoff to the house to give the Jaguars a seemingly 20-14 lead. But one of those pesky yellow flags came out early in the return backing Mill Valley up inside their own five yard line. So they did things the hard way. 

Behind the arm of Applebee and the legs of Piva, the Jaguars drove down the field and scored on a strike from Applebee to wide receiver Ryan Helm to give the Jaguars a 21-14 lead. 

Free State looked to answer the Jaguars score and used some big plays to get inside the 10 yard line. But the Jaguars defense held strong. Free State pushed the ball inside the 5 yard line on their first play but could come no closer. Defensive end Noah Major dropped the Firebirds runner for a big loss on second down while passes on third and fourth down went nowhere leading to a turnover on downs. 

The Jaguars countered with a long Max Piva run to push the lead to 28-14. Free State returned the favor and quickly cut the lead to 28-21. 

A failed onside kick gave the Jaguars good starting position at mid-field and they immediately made Free State pay. Applebee hit Clem for a 48 yard touchdown to give the Jaguars a 35-21 cushion. 

“The defender  was playing inside leverage on me. I knew it was an RPO. 
I saw people were crashing out in the box, so I knew the ball was probably coming to me. I know how to win inside leverage and catch the ball,” Clem said.

After a Jaguars stop on defense, Max Piva extended the Jaguars lead to 42-21 with a 40 yard touchdown run. 

Free State would score again late in the game but it was too little too late. The Jaguars prevailed 42-28 to stay perfect on the season.

Senior defensive lineman Josh Garcia wasn’t happy with the big plays the Jaguars gave up on defense but is confident that the team will rebound with a strong defense effort in their next contest against Shawnee Mission North.

Garcia said right now he’s living in the moment and trying to cherish everything he can as the regular season starts to wind down.

“Playing Mill Valley football — there's literally nothing else like it,” he said. “I haven't experienced anything in my life that's like this program. It’s the best program I've ever been a part of 
and I'm just trying to cherish it.”

The Jaguars will be at home next week to take on Shawnee Mission North. Game time is at 7 p.m. North is 5-1 on the season with impressive wins against Olathe East and Free State.