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Maize coach Gary Guzman faced some unique decisions in the final two minutes of the Class 5A West semifinals versus Kapaun Mt. Carmel. First, Guzman faced his former team. Guzman served as KMC’s defensive coordinator under legendary coach Ed Kriwiel, who won nine state championships with the Crusaders, the last in 1987. Guzman was part of three squads that reached a state final.
Then, Guzman took over as head coach and led Kapaun for 14 years before stints at Wichita Southeast and Maize. Guzman had paced Maize to the best finishes in school annals, though had not reached state since ’87. He still knows multiple people associated with KMC, including, the Crusaders’ current principal and athletic director were former assistants under Kriwiel and Guzman.
Guzman’s older sons graduated from KMC. Three of his grandchildren attend All Saints Catholic School, the feeder school for Kapaun. Guzman called the game weird, strange, unique and special. Guzman, though, told his players the game was about them.
“It’s about your families, it’s about your teammates and your school,” Guzman said. “I want you guys to go out there and play for those reasons.”
Last Friday, Kapaun Mt. Carmel significantly controlled the clock behind 2,000-yard running back Omari Elias and coach Weston Schartz, in his 38th season as a head coach in the Wichita City League. The game was tied at 14, and KMC was at Maize’s goal line. Maize had a timeout, and Guzman considered letting Kapaun have a touchdown, a move only rarely seen at the professional level.
“That was a situation where you are almost wanting your defense to go ahead and let them score so that we could have some time left on the clock, but you don’t want to tell them that,” Guzman said.
Guzman didn’t tell his team. He thought Kapaun might take a knee and force the Eagles to use more timeouts. Instead, KMC scored on a two-yard run for a 21-14 lead with 1 minute, 36 seconds left in the contest. Maize still had two timeouts and its high-octane offense paced by junior quarterback Avery Johnson, who holds multiple Power 5 offers.
“You have a chance with a player like that who can make things happen with his feet, make things happen with his arm,” Guzman said. “Obviously, we have got some other players too that have played well for us.”
Maize drove down and Johnson threw a 27-yard touchdown pass with 29 seconds left to sophomore backup Jaeden Martin. Before the TD, Martin had 10 catches for 105 yards and one score all year. The score pulled the Eagles to within 21-20 and Maize has kicker Cole Segraves, a consensus top-five specialist in Kansas.
The Eagles decided to go for two, which Guzman called “not an easy decision.” Right before Maize scored, Guzman was thinking what the team would do. He wanted to call timeout. During the break, Guzman talked to the offensive coaches, who wanted to go for two and the win. The players agreed.
Then, receiver Landon Helm scored the game-winning conversion on a jet sweep. Helm is the son of longtime Maize special teams coordinator and head baseball coach Rocky Helm. Landon has 24 catches this season, but the run marked his only touch of the game and lone rushing attempt this year.
“It was a double reverse situation, but he saw the defense shifting with our other players, so he went ahead and ran it in,” Guzman said. “That’s where the experience of playing football comes in.”
Maize rarely puts Johnson and wide receiver Bryce Cohoon on defense, though used them in the secondary when Kapaun had the ball last.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel attempted a last-second Hail Mary into the wind fell incomplete, and Maize (10-2) completed a wild finish. The Eagles will face two-time defending champion Mill Valley (11-1) for the Class 5A state title at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Pittsburg State’s Carnie Smith Stadium. Mill Valley is 18-1 in its last 19 games and 29-3 in its past 32. This is the first all-time matchup between the schools.
Jaguar coach Joel Applebee stands at 102-35, including 4-0 in state title games. Mill Valley graduated seven Kpreps first-team all-state picks, including quarterback Cooper Marsh, Shrine Bowl lineman Ethan Kremer and specialist Chris Temaat, currently Kansas State’s starting kicker.
Mill Valley returned just four starters, two receivers (Jared Napoli and Kendrick Jones) and two defensive linemen (Aidan Shaffer and Cody Moore) this fall, though is statistically better in several key areas, including yards per play and scoring defense, than last year’s 9-2 team that was considered Kansas’ best.
This marks the second time in five years Applebee has replaced nearly every position and still made a state title game. Mill Valley beat St. Thomas Aquinas, 35-19, in the semifinals. It marked the seventh straight year the pair has matched up in the playoffs, with six of those in the semis.
Applebee credited the seniors, including the returning quartet and Ryan Fulcher, the lone senior offensive line starter. Fulcher had a couple of starts in 2020. Applebee has been pleased with the offensive line play across the board. Junior Ty Marsh is at center. All summer long, Mill Valley thought they would move Marsh to a different position.
Sophomore Mason Kemp (6-5, 195) is at right tackle and known for his strength and intelligence. Sophomore Blake Neis (6-0, 200) is the right guard. Neis was a starting linebacker last season on the freshman team and mostly linebacker in middle school.
“Has really played well for us,” Applebee said. “He is a powerful sophomore. Strength-wise, he is right up there with our juniors and seniors. That’s the reason why that I think we were able to slide him right in there.”
Last season, Mill Valley scored 43.8 points and allowed 16.1 with 7.2 offensive yards per play. This year, the Jaguars are at 7.5 yards per play with 36 points a game and 13.8 allowed. Moore and Shaffer have combined for 11 sacks.
“Our senior leadership has just been tremendous this year,” Applebee said. “We have a fairly good-sized senior class, but the character that they have shown all year long has been tremendous for us, whether it’s been in practice, in film study, whether it’s in the classroom or outside of school as well, too. There are just a bunch of really good kids who love the game of football.”
Junior Hayden Jay has stepped in with 120 of 185 passing for 2,171 yards with 25 scores against five interceptions. Applebee has been most impressed with Jay’s ability to take coaching and stay even keeled, similar to Marsh, last season’s 5A Offensive Player of the Year.
Senior running back Reice Kennedy has been among Kansas’ biggest breakout stars with 181 carries for 1,189 yards and 14 TDs. Kennedy is in his second year of playing high school football. He was a soccer and basketball player before. Applebee knew him from weight class and always joked with Kennedy to come out for football. Kennedy approached the football program about coming out in the summer before his junior year.
“From the beginning of the summer till now, his improvement has been unbelievable,” Applebee said.
Defensively, sophomore Truman Griffith was expected to be a star and likely one of the state’s best players in the Class of 2024. He leads with 9.5 sacks.
Applebee said the safeties “have been a huge part” of the unit. Junior strong safety Holden Zigmant (5-8, 170) had posted impressive measurables this summer and was expected to be a breakout player this fall. Junior strong safety Mikey Bergeron (6-2, 180) is like Zigmant. They love all aspects of football and are 4.0 GPA students. Bergeron has 92 stops, Zigmant 69. Junior Broc Worcester has 88 stops.
“Holden is probably one of the most physical players we’ve had here at Mill Valley,” Applebee said.
For Maize, Johnson, a first team all-state pick in three sports as a sophomore, has completed 143 of 260 passes for 2,301 yards with 19 scores against four interceptions. He has rushed 129 times for 1,009 yards and 21 TDs. The Maize staff had heard of Johnson in the younger ranks, and Guzman watched him as an eighth grade where he highly impressed. Johnson holds 18 offers, including Arkansas, Auburn and Florida State, per 247 Sports.
Daeshaun Carter has 167 carries for 1,142 yards and 16 rushing scores in his first year as a starter. Cohoon has 34 catches for 726 yards and seven TDs. Offensive lineman Brandon Kerr is a likely first team all-state pick and was the only returning starter up front. Senior lineman Nick Reyes had played some in the past.
“All of them right now have played a major role this playoff season,” Guzman said.
Maize had limited returning defensive starters, though defensive lineman Caden Miranda, a returning all-league selection, has played well. Secondary-wise, Guzman has been pleased with senior safety Cael Moses, a vocal leader. Junior cornerback McKinley Joynes has enjoyed a solid year, along with senior Dakota Shook. A surprise is senior defensive tackle Dominic Gloria, a first-year starter.
Maize has consistently allowed more plays to the opponent; Kapaun ran 34 more plays than the Eagles. Overall, Eagle opponents have collectively ran 814 more plays than Maize. However, the Eagle defense has allowed 5.1 yards per play. Maize has averaged 7.9 yards per play.
“He has really stepped up this year, and done a very good job for us,” Guzman said of Gloria. “Not just his playing ability, but also his leadership.”
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