The evolution of a rivalry
The Mill Valley and St. Thomas Aquinas rivalry has been one of the best in the state
Every sports team needs a good rival. Someone to bring out the best – or in some cases – the worst in them.
What makes a good rivalry? Good teams. Competitive games. Intense competition. Electric game day atmosphere.
Mill Valley verses St. Thomas Aquinas football checks all those boxes.
In the last decade there hasn’t been a better or more high stakes matchup in the state. From 2015 to 2021 the winner has represented the eastern division in the Kansas Class 5A state championship game.
“Growing up, watching Mill Valley and Aquinas play, makes you really feel that rivalry,” said Cody Moore a defensive end on the 2020 and 2021 Jaguars. “Everyone at Mill Valley grew up together. Mill Valley has a small town vibe whereas Aquinas kids never had the bond we had. That’s what means so much about this rivalry. You take our culture verses their talent — we’ve seen the results.”
Joel Donn, a defensive back for Mill Valley from 2013-2016 couldn’t agree more.
“The rivalry goes beyond the football field,” he said. “It’s the fan base, tailgates, band members, cheer, dance and all the parts and pieces. It’s your town having pride and faith in you to beat the kids on the other side of town.”
For the past two years this rivalry has been put on hold as Aquinas moved to 4A. But on Nov. 15 the rivalry will be renewed, when the Jaguars take on the Saints for a sectional playoff game. The winner will be the heavy favorite to win the class 5A state championship.
Mill Valley defensive end Cody Moore takes down Aquinas quarterback Maxx Ford in the 2020 substate game. Mill Valley was dominate that year cruising to a 42-7 win.
The infancy of a rivalry
The origin of the rivalry can be traced to the fall of 2014.
The two teams had met five times before, with the Saints holding a 4-1 edge. But that year, the whole dynamic changed.
Since it opened in 1988, Aquinas’ athletic program had produced a number of state championships. None of those, however, were in football. The school looked to change that by hiring Randy Dreiling, a highly successful football coach at Hutchinson High School. In 17 seasons at Hutch, Dreiling had amassed 160 wins, 13 playoff appearances and seven state championships.
The move paid immediate dividends. Aquinas went 9-4 in 2014 and made the state championship game, losing 39-7 against Wichita’s Bishop Carroll. But the future looked bright as the Saints were loaded with talented underclassmen.
At Mill Valley, things were more uncertain. Coach Joel Applebee was entering his sixth season, and the Jaguars had just left the Kaw Valley League, where they racked up plenty of wins against 4A and mediocre 5A schools, but had little playoff success. Mill Valley entered the 2014 season as an independent team, with eyes toward joining the Eastern Kansas League, then considered among the best leagues in the state.
The Jaguars found the independent schedule challenging, going 5-5 and losing in the first round of the playoffs to Pittsburg. But like Aquinas, the Jaguars had a solid core returning the following school year.
The kickoff to the 2015 season began with an Aquinas-Mill Valley matchup. Aquinas was the preseason number 1 ranked team in 5A. Mill Valley was ranked number 5.
Both teams had the entire offseason to focus on that first opponent.
“You see that sign ‘Beat Aquinas’ up on the wall during every practice, lift, film session, all summer long,” said Donn, a junior defensive back that season. “You know the job that needs to be done, and with that constant reminder, you want to give 100 percent effort.”
When the game started, it was Mill Valley that struck first. For Coach Applebee that first score is something that’s always stayed with him.
Mill Valley’s Christian Jegen delivers a stiff arm to the Aquinas defender in the 2015 opening game at Aquinas. The Jaguars prevailed 38-20. They would go on to defeat the Saints again at substate and a week later capture the school’s first state championship.
“Christian Jegen’s fade route in the end zone for our very first touchdown that we scored against them in 2015 sticks out to me,” Applebee said. “That kind of set the tone for that game. It was an unbelievable catch by Christian.”
The first half was a battle with Mill Valley holding a slim 14-13 lead.
In the second half the Jaguars exploded for 24 points and left Aquinas with a 38-20 win, and also took with them the number 1 ranking.
As the season progressed, the two teams seemed to be on an inevitable collision course in the playoffs. Mill Valley lost only one game that season — to Missouri power Staley High School. Aquinas lost only once more that season. The stage was set for a rematch at substate.
Jegen, a senior on that team, who would later be named the Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year, remembers the feeling going into that rematch well.
“The feeling was good. Obviously, there was a lot of nerves because it was the deepest we had ever been in the playoffs and we were playing a good opponent,” he said.
It was no contest. Mill Valley rolled to a 45-28 win.
“It was a crazy feeling,” Jegen said. “Everyone was just on a high because we had the chance to do what no sports team at Mill Valley had done before — win a state championship.”
The Jaguars did win its first state championship the following week, defeating Bishop Carroll 35-14.
The rivalry was on. Just no one knew it yet.
“I never thought at the time that this would turn into a rivalry game,” Jegen said. “But it’s a fun one. There’s always that stigma of public schools verses private schools so I enjoy the rivalry.”
The rivalry gets real
The encore to Mill Valley’s championship season started off well. The Jaguars were 3-1 when Aquinas popped up on their schedule for game five. The game was a thriller, which Aquinas won 40-33.
“That first game was a lot of fun even though we lost” said Brody Flaming, Mill Valley’s junior quarterback at the time. “It was nonstop big plays by both teams.”
Flaming threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns while sophomore running back Cameron Young rushed for 191 yards and two touchdowns.
But Donn doesn’t have such great memories from that game.
“I can’t help but remember the punt that I muffed which ultimately won them the game,” he said. “It’s easy when you make a mistake like that to think the whole game was your fault, but that’s not even close to being true.”
Although neither team was as strong as the previous year, they both ended up in the same place again – substate.
If the first game was a thriller, the second matchup could best be described as a “chiller.”
The game temperature was below freezing with a harsh wind whipping through the Aquinas stadium.
“The temperature was brutal,” said Donn. “I remember doing everything I could to stay warm, and doing everything I could to be a step ahead on such a brutal night. During half time I was working out to get my body temp up.”
Unlike the first matchup, which was non-stop scoring, the substate game was a slugfest on the frozen field.
“It was brutally cold, and I don’t think any of us could feel anything that was happening,” said Flaming. “It was so cold, it felt like the ball was dying in the air. It was so cold that my sweat was icicles mid-game. It was fun, but man it was cold.”
Mill Valley held a slim 14-13 lead going into the fourth quarter but the Saints were driving late in the game and looked to be in good position to take the lead.
Then the Jaguar defense made a huge play, forcing a fumble — the Saints’ fourth on the night — to preserve the Mill Valley victory and a return trip to the state championship game.
“Punching the ball out as a defense when they were close to scoring was just icing on the cake from a defensive guy who felt the guilt of losing to them earlier in the season,” Donn said.
The Jaguars would go on to win their second straight state championship the following week with a 35-34 double overtime win over Wichita’s Goddard High School.
Aquinas takes control
In 2017, Aquinas got a measure of revenge against the Jaguars. They handled Mill Valley 42-21 in week six, and in the substate game they dominated the Jaguars 55-21.
The game was the last of Flaming’s Jaguar career.
“Knowing that was my last game and final snap, it was tough to walk off that field that night,” he said.
With the game long since decided, coach Applebee took Flaming off the field late in the fourth quarter; a curtain call for a player who had given so much and led the Jaguars to the promised land the year before.
“It felt like a fever dream as I trotted off that field, seeing Coach Applebee tearing up. I had tears in my eyes. It didn’t feel real,” he said.
Mill Valley quarterback Brody Flaming hurdles a defender in Mill Valley’s 2017 substate matchup against Aquinas. Despite Flaming’s efforts, the Jaguars would fall 55-21.
But as he came off the field, the unexpected happened. Not only did Flaming get a standing ovation from the Jaguar faithful, he got a standing ovation from the opposition; a sign of respect and gratitude for being a worthy opponent for the past two years.
“I had goosebumps when I looked up and noticed the entire stadium were on their feet giving me an ovation,” Flaming said. “I never really thought I would have an impact like that.”
Aquinas would go on to lose the state championship game the following week to Bishop Carroll. It would be their last loss for a long time.
The 2018 Saints went undefeated, taking a 24-13 victory over Mill Valley in week four, and a 30-7 victory over the Jaguars in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. Aquinas would go on to defeat Wichita Northwest High School to claim the state championship.
The Saints would return plenty of Division 1 talent for the following season. A second straight state championship seemed like a forgone conclusion.
The script flips
Aquinas started the 2019 season the same way they ended the 2018 season – winning. And winning big.
The Saints came into Jaguar Stadium for the fourth game of the year, undefeated and averaging nearly 60 points a game. By contrast, the Jaguars were off to a lackluster 1-2 start.
The game was classic Mill Valley-Aquinas. Aquinas won 28-21. The Jaguars turned the ball over four times.
“We made a lot of mistakes in that game and learned from them,” said Jared Napoli, a sophomore tight end for the Jaguars that season.
While Aquinas continued to dominate opponents, Mill Valley quietly went on a roll. The Jaguars won their last four regular season games and four playoff games. A substate rematch with the Saints for the right to represent Kansas Class 5A in the state championship game was on the line once again.
“The locker room before the game was crickets,” said Cooper Marsh, Mill Valley’s junior quarterback. “We did still have music playing but everyone was in the zone and only had one thing on their mind. Everyone knew we were about to go into the toughest game of the year and the biggest up to that point. You could sense the ‘we are not going to lose this game’ energy within the locker room.”
Then the game started. And it didn’t start well for the Jaguars. Aquinas’ star running back Tank Young took the ball 75 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the game. Later in the first quarter Young scored again, this time on a 35 yard reception.
Up 14-0 Aquinas worked its way into the redzone one more time and threatened to go up three scores. But junior linebacker Kolten Jegen didn’t let that happen. He intercepted a pass at the three yard line and the Jaguars offense went to work.
Mill Valley drove the length of the field behind the efforts of Marsh and junior running back Quin Wittenauer. Wittenauer scored the Jaguars first touchdown and later Marsh tied things up at 14 all with a rushing touchdown. The Saints quickly took the lead back with a 65-yard touchdown run and the game was 21-14 at the half.
With under eight minutes to go in the game, Mill Valley found themselves down 28-17. Time was running out.
“That moment was indescribable,” said Tyler Green about crossing the goal line in overtime of the 2019 substate game to give Mill Valley the upset victory over the undefeated and defending state champion St. Thomas Aquinas that propelled the Jaguars to the state championship game.
But the Jaguars stayed calm and cool. They were confident they could still win the game.
“I loved being down that whole game because as soon as we started getting things going on our side, I knew we were in control of that game,” said Marsh.
Starting at their own 20, the Jaguars went to work. The Jaguars moved the ball to the Aquinas 45 when Marsh unleashed a bomb to Napoli to set Mill Valley up inside the 10 yard line. Marsh took the ball in for a touchdown two plays later, and then hit Napoli for a two point conversion to cut the Saints’ lead to three.
“Those two plays really made me feel like I belonged on the field for Mill Valley,” Napoli said. “I had played in five varsity games to that point, and had made some plays, but that was the first time I really impacted the win in a big way. Especially in the time those plays were made, they gave us life to come back.”
A big defensive stop with less than two minutes to go gave the Jaguars the ball. A Chris Tennent field goal tied the game at 28 with no time remaining. In overtime, the Saints could only muster a field goal, giving them a 31-28 lead. What happened next is the stuff of legends.
On Mill Valley’s first play, senior running back Tyler Green gained four yards. On his next carry he gained immortality in Jaguar lore as he spun across the goal line giving the Jaguars a 31-28 win, and a ticket to Pittsburg.
“That moment was indescribable,” said Green. “When I crossed that goal line it was like all of the emotions of the season came flooding in like a wave. The crowd went wild, and I remember just looking up and feeling a rush of pride and joy with the team. What made it even more powerful was knowing that we had accomplished it together. The guys on and off the field, the coaches, and the fans all played a part in that win. It was the culmination of everything we had put into the season, and to win in such dramatic fashion made it feel like something truly special.”
Rise of the Valley
The substate win against Aquinas propelled the Jaguars into the state championship game where they defeated Wichita Northwest 40-31, and launched an unprecedented era of success.
“The 2019 win was a turning point for Mill Valley football,” Green said. “Beating Aquinas in that game shifted the perception of Mill Valley as a football powerhouse and helped solidify our program’s place among the elite teams in Kansas. Not just because it was a huge win in the playoffs, but because it represented the culmination of years of growth for the program. Beating Aquinas in such a high-stakes game propelled us to the state title and set a new standard for Mill Valley football. It wasn't just about having talented players, but about building a culture of resilience, grit, and excellence.”
The following two seasons saw Mill Valley hand the Saints two substate lopsided losses on the Jaguars’ way to two more state championships.
Mill Valley quarterback Cooper Marsh tumbles into the endzone to tie up the 2019 substate game with Aquinas. After losing a regular season game to the Saints 28-21, Marsh and the Jaguars got revenge in this one, prevailing 34-31 in overtime. The Jaguars would win the state championship over Wichita Northwest the following week.
Despite that, the rivalry was as intense as ever for the players.
“Honestly, I’ve never been more amped in my life then when I played Aquinas those two years,” said Moore. “I think that extra adrenaline helped a lot. You know that every play means something, and could determine the outcome of the game.”
Napoli was equally excited to face Aquinas each year in the playoffs. Some of the best games of his career came against Aquinas, including a two touchdown game in 2021.
“The games against them was something that we always looked forward to as a team,” he said. “We knew they played football like we did - tough and disciplined. That usually made them the best test for a Mill Valley team.”
Enemy mine
Coach Applebee doesn’t get too caught up in the rivalry. The message he preaches to his team is that they have to treat this matchup like every other game, but he acknowledges that high stakes games in the playoffs create an unbelievable atmosphere. For him, the rivalry isn’t based on bad blood, but respect.
“They’re a tremendous program with one of the best coaches that’s ever done it,” Applebee said. “I have a lot of respect for Coach Dreiling. What he’s done over his career is unbelievable, and he’s taught me a lot as a coach.”
Each player that has suited up for a Mill Valley-Aquinas game has their own opinion of their opponent. Are they the enemy that must be vanquished at all costs or the noble competitor that deserves respect?
Marsh: “Aquinas is such a good competitor because they want it in their program like we want it at Mill Valley. They have set a high standard there like we do at Mill Valley; they do all the off season work, etc. So, Aquinas wanting it like us makes them such an intense rival.”
Napoli: “It meant more to me when we were playing them. I looked at it like, if we win this game then we’re winning the state championship.”
Donn: “Aquinas was definitely our number one rivalry my junior and senior years. Playing them during the regular season, and inevitably always finding our way back to facing off in playoffs, was special: Two amazing programs battling on every snap past the whistle.”
Green: “It wasn’t just another game on the schedule. You could feel the weight of the tradition and the pride in every practice leading up to the game. Aquinas represented top-tier competition that fueled us to bring our best.”
Moore: “These are the games that really make you stand out as a player. In those big moments you either rise up to the moment or fall. And I loved that.”
Flaming: “This rivalry made a man out of me, even though that sounds cliche. But it also created lifelong friendships with guys from the other side. It made us look forward to those two games even more every year and I’m glad we had a team like that to play against throughout my career.”
