The replacements

Josh Garcia was a force on the field. The junior defensive lineman was making big plays and had emerged as a vocal and emotional leader for the Mill Valley Jaguars football team. After honing his skills on the scout team as a sophomore and earning scout team defensive player of the year honors, Josh was turning into a star.

Then, suddenly, it ended.

Josh injured his MCL on Oct. 3 against Shawnee Mission Northwest in a bit of friendly fire.

“One of my teammates swung their legs right at my knee and my knee moved but my leg didn’t,” Garcia said.

Injuries are a cruel reality of the game. In a split second a player’s season can end — but the game goes on and a team must adapt and overcome. 

Sophomore defensive end Barrett Carbajo prepares to get off the ball from his defensive end position.

The Young Gun

With Garcia out for an extended period of time, the Jaguars turned to Barrett Carbajo. As a sophomore, he’s the youngest player now starting on defense. Carbajo admits to being a little overwhelmed at being called to play immediately after Garcia’s injury.

“It all came kind of fast,” Carbajo said. “I had to put my head down and set my goal about what I was going to do. Once I got out there, after a couple of plays, it felt natural.”

Carbajo said that he had been working hard on improving his game all summer and all season long. 

“I’ve been repping in practice and working hard,” he said. “I was ready for this opportunity. When I came in I was ready and happy to step in and execute for the team.”

Carbajo praised the coaching staff for pushing him hard and helping him get better each week to play at the varsity level. 

“The transition from JV to varsity — it’s a different game. You need to be physical. You need to be fast — a lot faster — and keep the right technique,” he said.

Carbajo said Garcia has been one of his biggest supporters and has helped him in games and practice.

“Josh is a great player,” Carbajo said. “He’s a great teammate. He’s helped me a lot. He’s taken me under his wing and taught me techniques to make me a better player. Stepping into his shoes is really a big deal.”

Stepping into someone else’s shoes can be difficult and self-doubt can set in. Carbajo had his best game against Olathe Northwest and in one moment, knew that he belonged on the field.

“I got my first tackle for a loss and it felt great,” he said. 

Later that same game, Carbajo came up with a big interception to further build his confidence. 

“When I caught it I just felt on top of the world,” he said. “I felt that I was meant to be there and I really had stepped into Josh’s place and took over.”

Junior running back Max Piva set a school record with 406 yards rushing against Olathe Northwest. Piva stepped into the starting running back position due to injuries to Reggie Reece.

The Running Man

All State running back Reggie Reece was going to be the man carrying the rock this season. Reece had come within one yard of breaking the Mill Valley single season rushing record so his place as RB1 was not in doubt.

Still, backup Max Piva, expected to see significant time this year spelling Reece to reduce his wear and tear. 

But that plan blew up quickly. Reece struggled with injuries from the start and suddenly Piva went from complimentary player to lead runner — and he’s thrived in the role.

In a game against Olathe Northwest the only thing that seemed to stop Piva was the goal line. The junior running back racked up a school record 406 yards rushing and three touchdowns. He had a similarly dominating game against Lawrence on Sept. 26 where he rushed for 237 yards and three touchdowns.

For the season, Piva has 1,533 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns. He’s averaging over 10 yards a carry and 170 yards per game. Not bad for a backup.

“Starting is definitely a big change,” Piva said. “It’s a big opportunity to go out there and help my team out more than I was able to from the sidelines.”

Piva admits to feeling some nerves as he starts out a game.

“There’s definitely some nervousness, but I just want to leave my mark,” he said. “I try not to look at it as filling someone else’s shoes. I want to make it my own shoe.”

Piva praised Reece for helping him improve his game with workouts in the summer and helping him learn how to best play the position.

“Reggie’s always been a great friend of mine and a great teammate,” he said. “He’s been a good role model, a great leader and always encouraging. Even right now, when he’s injured, he’s on the sidelines helping everybody out.”

As he’s transitioned to the starting running back, Piva said that his teammates and the coaching staff have always been in his corner.

“I’ve got lots of encouragement,” he said. “I know they believe in me. It’s a great feeling knowing that no one doubts your abilities. It’s helped build my confidence.”

When asked what he wanted the community and football fans to know about him, Piva had this to say: “I want them to know that my teammates are able to rely on me for anything — football or not — and that I am somebody who is just striving to be his best.”

Defensive back Garrett Cox has been called upon in a number of situations to play meaningful minutes for the Jaguars this season.

The self starter

No matter what the situation, senior defensive back Garrett Cox is ready to go. It doesn’t matter whether he’s coming off the bench or starting, Cox is mentally and physically prepared.

Cox has started games this year, but for most of the season he’s come off the bench and is expected to provide the same quality of play as the starter. 

“It’s definitely an uneasy feeling not knowing if you're gonna get in or not,” Cox said. “I can get stressed sometimes too because I know that if I do go into the game I’m held to the same standards as a starter even if I haven’t had the same amount of reps as them.” 

Starters get more reps in practice but the backups have to be ready at any moment. No advance notice. No time to warm up. Just get in and go. 

“When I’m out there for meaningful minutes it makes all the work I put in feel worth it,” he said.  “It’s one of the best feelings in the world when I contribute to a win in a big way. “Every game I go into I prepare like I'm a starter. If I feel like not watching as much film or not taking mental reps on the sideline, I think about what it would be like if I have to go into a big game if someone gets injured. I want to be prepared and play well.” 

Cox knows his role on the team and has accepted it. He’s a cog in the machine. But that doesn’t mean he’s bringing anything less than excellence to the role.

“When I go out onto the field I try and take everything in and see that I’ve been repping against this offense all week and I know that I'm prepared,” he said.

He does what he does because, like most of the other players on the team, he’s bought into the concept that the team is bigger than one person. It’s a unit that must play their roles to perfection to achieve its goals.

“My team is very influential to me and everything I do is for them,” he said. “During the playoffs what you can expect from me is what you’ve been getting all season. Whenever I’m in the game, for whatever reason, I’m gonna play my ass off and every game I am going to be prepared.”