“The Grind.”

It sounds like a horror movie. 

We hear it all the time in regards to Mill Valley football. “The Grind.” 

But what is it really? What is “The Grind?”

Well, maybe it is like a horror movie. It can be painful. It can be tedious. It can be time consuming. 

It can also be rewarding.

The Mill Valley Jaguar football team announced today that 16 young men have been elected to this year’s leadership council. Center Stage Sports talked to a few of them about how they lead and what being on the council means to them.

With June nearly over, and the Jaguars Football team heading into its first summer break, I asked Mill Valley head coach Joel Applebee for an evaluation of this year’s team. What follows is a question and answer interview I conducted with Coach Applebee on June 27.

Jacob Olivier is having himself a scrimmage. 

The junior defensive back looks like he might weigh a buck twenty-five after eating a hearty meal and sticking a 10 pound weight in his shorts but at this moment he also looks like the best player on the field. 

The place? Staley High School. The situation? A high school football camp featuring teams from Mill Valley, Staley and Liberty North high schools. There are more than 400 kids taking part in scrimmages going on over two football fields. 

On the main field, Olivier is dominating.

The streets of western Shawnee are quiet at 6 a.m. as the June sun peaks out over the eastern horizon. Nary a car moves. Most walkers haven’t made their way out yet to take advantage of the cool temperatures. The only sounds are those of birds chirping.

The stillness of the moment doesn’t last. Slowly, cars, SUV, and trucks pull into the Mill Valley High School parking lot as teen-aged football players report for weightlifting and conditioning.

My wife Lori and I have photographed the Mill Valley Jaguars football team for eight years. We’ve seen the team win multiple state championships. We’ve seen them win in miraculous fashion. And we have seen them take heartbreaking losses. 

For several years I’ve wanted to do a special project with the Mill Valley football team. But what? What could be new, different and interesting?

My first thought was to go the “Paper Lion” route.

The Mill Valley and St. Thomas Aquinas rivalry has been one of the best in the state