Kpreps 2021 playoff coverage is presented by BTI – “Proud Supporter of Kansas High School Athletics”
The Mill Valley Jaguars continued their dominance of Kansas Class 5A with a 28-14 victory over the Maize Eagles on Saturday at Pittsburg State’s Carnie Smith Stadium. The Jaguars (12-1) captured their third consecutive state title and the program’s fifth state football championship in the past seven years.
Mill Valley built a 14-0 halftime lead on the strength of a Reice Kennedy 12-yard touchdown run and a 6-yard scoring run by quarterback Hayden Jay.
Jay’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Kendrick Jones midway through the third quarter gave the Jaguars a 20-0 advantage.
But Maize and their highly-recruited junior quarterback Avery Johnson wouldn’t go away. Johnson first connected with Aiden Doty on a 32-yard touchdown pass to pull the Eagles within 20-7 late in the third quarter.
Johnson then broke free for a 68-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1 to bring Maize within 20-14 early in the fourth quarter.
But Mill Valley would respond quickly as they have so many times under coach Joel Applebee. The Jaguars needed less than three minutes to drive the length of the field as Jay hit Jared Napoli on a 20-yard touchdown pass and Kennedy added the two-point conversion catch from Jay for a 28-14 lead.
Maize took over with 7:34 remaining in the game and had plenty of time to mount a comeback, but Johnson’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete and the Eagles went 4-and-out.
The Jaguars ran off more than three minutes before punting and pinning Maize at its own 10-yard line. The Eagles reached the Mill Valley side of the field before Johnson’s fourth-down scramble came up well short with less than a minute to go.
Kennedy was the offensive workhorse for Mill Valley rushing for 230 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. Jay passed for 172 yards and the two touchdowns. He also added a rushing score.
Johnson finished 19 of 34 passing for 247 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted twice. The Mill Valley defense forced three turnovers on the day. Jason Smith led the Mill Valley defense with 11 tackles, including three for loss.
MILL VALLEY 28, MAIZE 14
Maize (10-3): 0 – 0 – 7 – 7 | 14
Mill Valley (12-1): 7 -- 7 – 6 – 8 | 28
Scoring Summary:
First quarter:
3:18 | Mill Valley – Reice Kennedy 12-yard run (Jesse Wood PAT), MV 7-0
Second quarter:
10:42 | Mill Valley – Hayden Jay 6-yard run (Wood PAT), MV 14-0
Third quarter:
5:59 | Mill Valley – Kendrick Jones 20-yard reception from Jay (PAT failed), MV 20-0
3:49 | Maize – Aiden Doty 32-yard reception from Avery Johnson (Cole Segraves PAT), MV 20-7
Fourth quarter:
10:33 | Maize – Johnson 68-yard run (Segraves PAT), MV 20-14
7:39 | Mill Valley – Jared Napoli 20-yard reception from Jay (Kennedy pass from Jay), MV 28-14
TEAM STATISTICS
MAIZE MILL VALLEY
Rushing 32-156 41-255
Passing (Comp-Att-INT) 19-35-2 11-15-2
Passing Yards 247 172
Total yards 403 427
First Downs 21 18
Turnovers 3 3
Punts-Avg 2-33 2-39
Penalties 4-42 9-80
Time of Possession 21:38 26:22
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING:
Maize – Johnson 15-78; DaeShaun Carter 12-54; Justin Stephens 1-16
Mill Valley – Kennedy 27-230; Jay 12-21; Jared Napoli 1-4; Blake Boatwright 1-0
PASSING:
Maize – Johnson 19-32-2-247; Stephens 0-1-0-0
Mill Valley – Jay 11-15-2-172
RECEIVING:
Maize – Bryce Cohoon 7-82; Stephens 4-60; Landon Helm 3-32; Doty 2-40; Carter 1-13; Tayveon Williams 1-11; Jaeden Martin 1-9
Mill Valley – Napoli 3-51; Aidan Jacobs 3-45; Sean Allergheilgen 3-29; Kennedy 1-27; Kendrick Jones 1-20
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