Piva rolls while defense trolls Olathe South

By Todd Habiger

The only thing slowing down Mill Valley Jaguars running back Max Piva against Olathe South was the goal line

All night long Piva flashed his game breaking speed along with his punishing up the gut power running. The result was offensive dominance as the Jaguars crushed Olathe South 63-21 behind Piva’s 308 yards on the ground and three touchdowns.

Paving the way for Piva was an offensive line that is turning into a dominant unit for the Jaguars.

“I feel like staying really violent and fast off the ball was really a big thing for us tonight,” said senior offensive lineman Jamie Day. “Saying on our assignments and keeping our hands on the other guy across from us was a big thing too. At this point in the season, I feel like our offensive line is in a good spot.”

Good spot? How about a great spot? The Jaguars controlled the line of scrimmage and didn’t punt once all night.

Senior linebacker Ryder Farley blocked a South punt on their first drive and returned the ball to the four yard line. One play later Piva punched it over the goal line for a touchdown and 7-0 lead.

The next Jaguars drive consisted of a Piva 75 yard touchdown run. You kind of see where this is going.

While Piva was grinding out yards on the ground, Jaguars quarterback Holden Applebee was moving the offense through the air. Applebee threw for 161 yards on the night with two touchdowns.

Senior wide receiver Ryan Helm couldn’t help but be all smiles after the Jaguars offensive explosion that included a nice fourth quarter touchdown catch.

“We’re just having a blast out there,” said Helm. “We’re having fun every rep but we’re also giving our very best every rep. It’s just amazing to be able to put everything together.”

Helm said that the Jaguars balanced offensive attack makes the team very dangerous going forward.

“When you got a dawg like Max Piva, it’s really easy to throw the ball around,” Helm said. “It’s hard for defenses to focus on our run game when our passing game is working.”

The passing game showed its stuff in the second quarter. With the Jaguars up 14-7, Applebee connected with senior wide receiver Anthony Clem for a 75 yard touchdown to put the Jaguars up 21-7. 

Right before halftime Piva struck again with an 11 yard touchdown run to give the Jaguars a 28-7 halftime lead.

Senior offensive lineman Jaxon Harris said that he feels great about the state of the offensive line after four games. 

“I think we’re doing very well,” Harris said. “We’re studying hard in the film room. We’re applying it to practice and it’s showing up in games. We just need to stay confident, keep pushing forward and don’t get too comfortable.”

While the offense churning out yards, the defense was busy denying yards. For the third straight week, the Jaguars defense was impressive in limiting what the opposition's offense was able to do.

Olathe South found themselves in unfavorable position all night thanks to an aggressive and attacking Jaguars defense. 

“We’re communicating on all levels,” said junior defensive end Noah Major. “If we make a mistake there are people there to help out. It’s just going so well.”

Major said that he feels the team is missing too many tackles right now but is sure that as the team continues to practice and get better that the Jaguars will improve in that area. 

“I trust every single one of these guys and they trust me,” Major said. “What we do is built on trust.”

Senior linebacker Ryder Farley couldn’t agree more. 

“We care about each other so much and that translates to the field,” he said. “We just need to keep raising the standard each week.”

The Jaguars opened the third quarter with a seven yard touchdown run by Holden Applebee. Then, backed up at their own 1 yard line, the Jaguars handed the ball off to Max Piva four times and drove the length of the field for a 49-7 lead. 

Jaguars head coach Joel Applebee is happy with his team’s effort so far this season.

“We’re playing fast on both sides of the ball,” he said. “Tonight was a good win be just have to clean up little things. We had too many penalties.”

But with some film study and hard work on the practice field, Applebee feels those little mistakes will disappear as the season progresses.

“We’re going to have another great week in practice next week,” he said. “These kids love it. They love everything about practicing and preparing, so I have no doubt we’re going to do the same thing next week.”

The Jaguars take to the road next Friday for a showdown with Lawrence Freestate. Game time is at 7 p.m.