My favorite Mill Valley Games
Honorable Mention) 2020 – Mill Valley 45 – Derby 14
Honorable Mention) 2016 - Mill Valley 33 – Aquinas 40
10) 2015 – Mill Valley 38 – Aquinas 20 (Opening game)
For me, this was the beginning of Mill Valley becoming the Mill Valley we know today. This was the opening game of the 2015 season. St. Thomas Aquinas was ranked number 1 coming of a state championship game appearance and had nearly everyone coming back. Mill Valley was coming off a .500 season and a first round playoff loss. Mill Valley took a slim 14-13 lead into halftime but then jumped all over the Saints in the second half and won in convincing fashion. This game vaulted Mill Valley from number 5 to number 1 in the rankings – a position they held the rest of the year. This is the game put Mill Valley on the map.
9) 2015 - Mill Valley 27 – Derby 20 (Game 3)
If the Aquinas game put Mill Valley on the map, then it was this game that made everyone stand up and take notice. This was Derby – a juggernaut of 6A who had whipped Mill Valley the previous two seasons. This time was different. Mill Valley was confident and withstood all the Derby threw their way. The first half was close but Mill Valley took control in the second half and withstood a late Derby comeback attempt. Derby would not lose another game all season on their way to the Kansas Class 6A state championship. This was Mill Valley’s closest game of the season against Kansas competition as they rolled over opponents on their way to the state championship.
8) 2020 – Mill Valley – 16 – DeSoto 13 (Playoffs)
I don’t think many people expected this close of a game. Mill Valley crushed DeSoto in their meeting earlier that season, putting up a season high 70 points on the Wildcats. DeSoto was ready the second time around and had Mill Valley on their heels for much of the game. DeSoto took a 6-3 lead into the fourth quarter and looked primed to pull off the upset. The Jaguars broke though in the fourth quarter to take a 10 to 6 lead. DeSoto quickly countered to retake the lead at 13-10. Mill Valley would strike back with around 5 minutes left in the game to go back on top 16-13. With one final possession, and DeSoto, working with its backup quarterback, the Wildcats marched down the field to within striking distance. A desperation pass with 6 seconds left in the game bounded away from the primary receiver with Cole Clauder providing the nice defense but a trailing receiver almost came up with the carom in the endzone. If you can find the game to watch somewhere, you can see just how close trailing receiver was to catching that ball before it fell helplessly to the ground as time expired.
7) 2016 – Mill Valley 14 – Aquinas 13 (Substate)
It there was a misery list, this game would rank near the top of the list. It was cold. Damn cold. There was a strong wind which made it even colder. I remember being huddled in the stands in a heavy coat under a blanket and the wind just whipping through me like a knife. If you think that sounds bad let me assure you it was actually much worse. I can’t imagine what it was like for the players. In a game earlier in the season, Aquinas won a shootout 40-33 (a game that just missed making this list). This one was a different kind of battle. Each time Aquinas would get a good drive going, the Mill Valley defense would come up with a key turnover. Mill Valley took a 14-7 lead into the fourth quarter. Early in the fourth quarter, Aquinas scored a touchdown but miss an important extra point giving Mill Valley a slim 14-13 lead. Late in the game Aquinas was driving the ball down the field moving into, at least, field goal range, when the Jags defense forced their fourth turnover of the game with around a minute left. Aquinas stopped the Mill Valley ground game cold and used all their timeouts forcing the Jaguars to punt from deep in their own territory. The Saints were going to get one last shot and possibly great field position. But Aquinas roughed the punter giving the Jaguars a first down, the game, and a return to the state championship.
It was a hot crowd for the 2019 Mill Valley-DeSoto playoff game. They had to bring in extra seating and it still wasn’t enough.
6) 2019 – Mill Valley 18 – DeSoto 7 (Playoffs)
If I were ranking a game purely on atmosphere, this one would be at the top of the list. The only two high schools in a small district. Friends vs friends. Neighbors vs neighbors. In some cases, brother vs brother. This game had the hype and lived up to it. I’ve never seen a more intense crowd in my life. The game was played at DeSoto, and extra seating was installed to accommodate the visiting fans. It still wasn’t enough. The place was packed. The crowd was hot. The atmosphere was electric. DeSoto took a 7-2 lead into the half, much to the delight of the home crowd; but Mill Valley Jags roared to life in the second half, quickly took an 8-7 lead and dominated from there. They tacked on 10 more points in the second half and the Jaguars left the city of DeSoto with the win.
Ethan Kremer moving people out of the way as Mill Valley secures its second straight state championship victory over Wichita Northwest.
5) 2020 – Mill Valley 49 – Wichita Northwest 35 (State Championship Game)
How do you choose between the four Mill Valley state championship games? This was an exciting game (heck Mill Valley put up 49 points) but lands in the number five spot because it wasn’t quite as perfect as the year before. Mill Valley started slowly, but once Ty Reishus broke loose for a 91 yard TD reception, the fireworks started. Cooper Marsh had an outstanding state championship game with three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns. This was a back-and-forth contest, but Northwest never had a lead. After Northwest tied up the game early in the fourth quarter, Mill Valley took control of the contest, scoring 14 straight points and repeated as state champions.
Quarterback Cooper Marsh runs wild over Wichita Northwest in the 2019 state championship game.
4) 2019 – Mill Valley 40 – Wichita Northwest 31 (State Championship Game)
After a two-year hiatus between state championship appearances, Mill Valley was back and facing the high-flying Wichita Northwest Grizzlies. The Grizzlies struck first but the Jaguars roared back, taking a 21-7 lead. Northwest closed the gap to 21-17 at the half. Mill Valley jumped all over the Grizzlies to start the second half going up 31-17. But Northwest would not go away and in the fourth quarter tied the game at 31-31. Soon after the tie, and with Mill Valley backed up near their endzone, Tyler Green broke off a big 60 yard run to get Mill Valley out of the hole. Cooper Marsh would take the ball into the endzone a few plays later to give the Jaguars the lead once again. A late field goal sealed the game and the Jaguars were once again state champs.
3) 2015 – Mill Valley 35 – Bishop Carroll 14 (State Championship Game)
From an entertainment standpoint, this probably ranks as the worst of all of Mill Valley’s state championship games. MV was just that much better than the rest of the state that year. Led by QB Logan Koch, WR/RB/DB Christian Jegen, tight end Lucas Krull and a dominating defense, Mill Valley steamrolled teams in 2015. Going into the game, the question was, how would Mill Valley respond in their first-ever state championship game? Bishop Carroll was the defending state champions, and they had been here a few times before. This wasn’t new to them. Mill Valley responded just fine, thank you very much. Jumping out to a 21-0 first quarter lead, the Jaguars never looked back, and faced no threats. Why does this game rank so high? This was Mill Valley’s first state championship of any kind – and it was beautiful.
2) 2016 – Mill Valley 35 – Goddard 34 (2 OT) (State Championship Game)
How can a double overtime thriller, considered one of the great state championship games in Kansas history, rank as number 2? We will get to that later. This game, played under an unusually warm November sun, was an instant classic as two evenly matched teams went toe-to-toe like prize fighters and duked it out to be the last man standing. Goddard’s Kody Gonzalez got things started with a long TD run in the first quarter. A failed two point conversion gave Goddard a 6-0 lead. Mill Valley came back strong with TD passes from Brody Flaming to first Ben Hartman and then Evan Rice to take a 14-6 lead. Goddard scored in the second quarter to bring the halftime score to 14-13, Mill Valley. The two teams took turns trading scores in the second half, and with four minutes left to play, a Goddard touchdown and two point conversion tied things up at 28-28. The Jaguars got the ball first in overtime but couldn’t score when sophomore Jack Matchette missed a field goal attempt on fourth down. Goddard just needed to score for the win. The Lions took the ball down to the 1 yard line. On third down, Gonzalez attempted to go over the top and into the endzone for the win, but he was met at the goal line by Jaguar Dylan Smith, who jarred the ball loose for a Mill Valley recovery and new life. Goddard got the ball first in the second overtime and scored a touchdown. The extra point attempt hit the left upright and was no good, but a penalty by Mill Valley on the play gave the Lions a second chance. The next extra point attempt was wide right. Mill Valley scored a touchdown on their first play in the second overtime – Flaming to Rice for their third touchdown of the day. The championship then rested on the shoulders of young kicker Matchette. Tension in the stadium was so high. The fateful extra point sailed perfectly through the uprights, and Mill Valley became back-to-back 5A state champions.
Tyler Green crosses the goal line in overtime to give Mill Valley the upset victory over St. Thomas Aquinas in 2019.
1) 2019 Mill Valley 34 – Aquinas 31 (OT) (Substate)
This game takes the top spot because it shocked Kansas football. Aquinas was the defending state champions and had rolled over opponents in 2019. They were considered the best team in the state and hadn’t lost in two years. The setting was a packed and rowdy Aquinas stadium. Early on, it looked like Aquinas would roll. The Saints’ star running back Tank Young scored on Aquinas’ first offensive play. On their very next possession, Young turned a wheel route into another touchdown. Aquinas 14, Mill Valley 0. On their third possession, Aquinas drove into the red zone and looked like they were going to take a commanding 21-0 lead, but a Kolten Jegen interception at the 2 yard line ended the threat. Then Mill Valley got to work. WB Quin Wittenauer provided the needed spark; and he and Cooper Marsh masterfully drove the ball down the field. Quin finished off the 98-yard-drive with a touchdown run. Mill Valley struck again with around three minutes left in the half to tie the game at 14. Aquinas would quickly counter with a long TD run to take a 21-14 lead into the half. In the second half, every time Mill Valley closed the gap, Aquinas would reel off a big play to widen it once again. With around 8 minutes left in the game, Aquinas had an 11-point lead and it appeared that time was running out on the Jaguars’ championship dreams. But the team kept its cool and battled back. A long pass from Cooper Marsh to sophomore Jared Napoli set up a short touchdown run. Napoli then hauled in a clutch 2pt conversion, cutting the Aquinas lead to three points. The Saints then drove the ball down the field and tried to bleed the clock. On a fourth and one for Aquinas, the Mill Valley defense came up huge, stopping Tank Young from converting. Finally, late in the game, the Jaguars had their chance. The offense drove down the field, and the Jag’s Chris Tennant hit a clutch 30-yard field goal to send the game into overtime. Aquinas won the toss, and scored with a field goal. Mill Valley then took over and turned to senior powerhouse running back Tyler Green. On first down Tyler gained four yards. One second down he gained Mill Valley a trip to the state championship game. The Jaguars had shocked the seemingly unstoppable Saints in an unforgettable battle. I’ve watched this game more times than I care to admit, and each time I watch it I get choked up when Tyler Green falls over that goal line.
