Mill Valley coach Joel Applebee doesn’t think it will be all that difficult to convince his players that Tonganoxie isn’t the same team the Jaguars defeated 59-0 a year ago.
“We just have to show them film to be honest with you,” Applebee said. “They’re very much improved. They got a great coaching staff over there. Coach (Al) Troyer has done a great job of teaching the basics over there. They’re very good fundamentally and they’re very disciplined.”
The undefeated Tonganoxie Chieftains (3-0, 2-0 Kaw Valley League) travel to face the unbeaten Mill Valley Jaguars (3-0, 2-0 Kaw Valley League) in a key conference clash. The matchup was voted by the readers of Kpreps.com as the statewide game of the week.
Class 5A’s Mill Valley opened the season with a big win over 6A’s Manhattan (26-21). The Jaguars have followed that with lopsided victories over KC-Turner (48-7) and Basehor-Linwood (38-0).
The fast start is all the more special when you consider the Jaguars had to replace most of its skill players on offense from last season.
“Offensively, we’re still pretty young,” Applebee said. “We’re pretty veteran up front, but we skill-wise we replaced everybody this year. We’re still learning and growing into the positions.”
Among the graduates was Skyler Windmiller, who started three seasons at quarterback for Mill Valley.
“Skyler was a great player for us,” Applebee said. “He passed for close to it if not over 6,000 yards in those three years as a starter. We threw the ball a lot with him, because we could. He was very good at that. Having to replace him was big.”
Mill Valley opened practices with a three-man race between Dylan Cole, Logan Koch and Ty Bruce. Bruce started the game against Manhattan, but Koch has assumed the role as the starter. The other two remain key players in the offense as Bruce is used at running back and Cole has been moved to tight end.
Koch, a sophomore, brings a lot of athletic ability to the position. He started at point guard on Mill Valley’s basketball team last year.
This season, Koch has rushed for 412 yards and five touchdowns on 58 carries.
“Logan is a dynamic kid,” Applebee said. “He’s one of those kids who understands space and where’s he at. He’s got great vision. We’ve obviously gone more of running with the quarterback this year. He does a great job at that. He’s just a sophomore, so he’s got a chance to be pretty special.”
The Jaguars don’t throw the ball as much as when Windmiller was quarterback, but they have been pretty efficient when they do pass. Koch has completed 9 of 11 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
Defense has been the strength for Mill Valley so far. The Jaguars boast a veteran unit. Linebackers Micah Clarke and T.J. Phillips are three-year starters, while nose guard Ryan Smith is a four-year starter. Senior defensive lineman Alex Rounds already has three sacks on the season.
“Defensively, we’ve played extremely well,” Applebee said. “We talk to them all the time about being in position to play fast, and they’re doing a good job of that.”
The Jaguars will be challenged by a Tonganoxie team has put up an average of 42.3 points per game during wins over Lansing (58-42), Atchison (41-14) and KC Piper (28-0).
Last Friday’s win over KC Piper also was the Kpreps statewide game of the week as voted on by the site’s readers.
Tonganoxie, a 4A school, appears much improved from last year’s team that finished 5-6. With Al Troyer now in his second season as head coach of the Chieftains, they are 6-1 in their past seven games with the only loss coming in the playoffs to eventual 4A runner-up Eudora.
The Chietains are rushing for 336 yards per game this season. Senior Cole Holloway leads the team with 452 yards and four touchdowns on 72 carries. Tyler Ford has 314 yards and three touchdowns, while Shane Levy has 202 yards and five touchdowns.
Defensively, senior Jordan Bordreaux leads Tonganoxie with 25 tackles. Senior James Grizzle has three sacks and two pass deflections.
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