Mill Valley coach Joel Applebee offers multiple superlatives regarding his accolade-laden senior class. The Jaguars list a remarkable 44 seniors. The three-time defending 5A state champions have many seniors who have started multiple seasons. Mill Valley has won five state titles since 2015.
“That’s been a huge part of our success, the senior leadership, and the type of character,” Applebee said.
Two-hundred and four miles southwest, Andale coach Dylan Schmidt has similar high praise for his 13 seniors, the most accomplished class in the highly decorated Indian program. Andale has won 50 straight games, the fifth-Kansas team to ever accomplish the mark. The Indians currently have the second-longest winning streak nationally.
Andale’s seniors include running back/defensive line Riley Marx, lineman Jack Kraus, quarterback Wyatt Spexarth, tight end Noah Bruce, running back Cody Parthemer, athlete Kelby Eck, and Jonah Meyer. Like Mill Valley, Andale has won three consecutive state championship games. Andale’s senior class is so deep that the coaching staff had trouble naming captains this summer. Marx has Division I offers in football and track.
Among others, Meyer set a goal to have a 4.0 GPA. Kraus often wakes up at 3:30 a.m. to work at a meat locker in Goddard. Mill Valley’s seniors are leaders in the classroom and community.
Both Applebee and Schmidt list preparation and the youth program as major tenets to its program’s success.
“Our defense is very senior-laden, so that helps a ton, with their preparation and what they do week in and week out to get themselves ready to play in a game,” Applebee said.
Andale shutout Clay Center, 36-0, in the semifinals, a win that encapsulated the Indians’ formula. The Indians had a total team effort in all three phases, including a blocked punt. Andale, up 14-0, held Clay Center on a goal line stand. The Indians consistently wore down Clay Center with its waves of talent, blocking and run game.
“If there is anything that we’ve really been proud of, it’s the way we’ve practiced and the way we’ve prepared,” Schmidt said.
Mill Valley and Andale are the only 11-man defending champions that qualified for a title game this Saturday. Both look to continue historical success in the final game for the acclaimed senior classes.
Last season, Andale had the greatest statistical year in program history with an average score of 53.4-5.2. This season, the Indians have an average margin of 55.1-5.7. Andale has a highly experienced coaching staff, including defensive coordinator Tim Fairchild.
“To be honest, especially for me and our staff, the more years you do it, and you do it at a high level, and you have been successful, you kind of have a recipe there and you just continue to kind of follow it, and that’s what we’ve done,” Schmidt said.
In Class 5A, Mill Valley (11-1) will face Maize (12-0) on Saturday at Pittsburg State’s Carnie Smith Stadium. In Class 3A, Andale (12-0) plays Holton (11-1) on Saturday at Gowans Stadium on the campus of Hutchinson Community College. In the preseason, Mill Valley was ranked first, Maize second; Andale first and Holton second.
The 5A contest is a highly anticipated rematch. Mill Valley defeated Maize, 28-14, last season. Maize has averaged 50.8 points a game and is set to shatter the school mark for scoring offense.
Maize senior quarterback Avery Johnson, a Kansas State commit and the state’s top recruit, has completed 127 of 188 passes for 2,486 yards with 28 scores against one interception. Maize has rushed for 210 yards a game and 7.8 yards per play. Six offensive skill players have at least 400 yards. On the defensive line, senior Caden Miranda and junior Christian Hanson have 20 tackles for loss.
This contest is considered a toss-up. Massey Ratings, a well-known national statistical site, lists Maize as Kansas’ No. 1 overall team in 11-man. Mill Valley has 11-man’s top defense, per Massey.
“Defensively, both their linebackers do a great job,” Applebee said. “They are very active. They fly around, play extremely hard, their secondary plays really physical, they are fast, they are just a solid group across the board defensively. Offensively, obviously their offensive line has done a really good job this year. They have run the ball better than they ever have, and that’s been a big, big part of their success.”
In most years, Holton would probably be the 3A state favorite. Brooks Barta is 257-58 in 26 years with the Wildcats. Holton averages 383 rushing yards per contest and nine yards a carry. The top-seven rushers are seniors. Garyson Booth leads with 123 carries for 1,667 yards and 21 scores. He paces the defense with eight TFLs.
Applebee has watched a group that continually competes and improves. Every day in the weight room, film study and practice, Mill Valley seniors push each other. They have set an example for the younger Jaguar players, both on the field and in the classroom.
The results have yielded just 64 total points allowed, with only a portion of those coming against the starting unit. Mill Valley has 5A’s best scoring defense since Bishop Carroll went 13-0 and permitted 65 points in 2014.
“They are just outstanding young men who attempt to be the best version of themselves everyday, and that’s the ultimate goal,” Applebee said. “We want to develop good football players, but we also want to develop good, young men, and we feel like we do that.”
Offensively, Applebee called senior quarterback Hayden Jay one of the best leaders he’s ever had. Jay has completed 87 of 150 passes for 1,324 yards with 14 scores against seven interceptions. Junior Tristan Baker has 190 carries for 1,317 yards and 20 TDs. Jay and Baker both grew up in Mill Valley’s youth program.
Senior Hayes Miller (team-high 37 catches) and 6-foot-7 junior left tackle Gus Hawkins moved in from Palmyra, Mo. and Scott City (Kan.), respectively. Hawkins has recently picked up a Kansas State offer.
Applebee is 114-36 in 13 seasons with the Jaguars, including 5-0 in state title games. Mill Valley, which rarely produces a Power 5 football player, is a model for other programs with its development, depth and preparation. Mill Valley has an experienced staff that includes longtime defensive coordinator Drew Hudgins.
Defensively, seniors form seven of the top eight and eight of the leading 10 tacklers. The 4-2-5 defense has a vocal senior presence at each level. Grant Rutkowski is a key voice on the defensive line. Broc Worcester has a similar role at linebacker and leads with 95 stops. Safety Holden Zigmant has been a vocal presence for the last two years. He has often been the Jaguars’ top defensive player in ‘22. Defensive back Mikey Bergeron is a returning first team all-state player.
Additionally, senior linebacker Noah Coy has 78 tackles, senior defensive back Dylan Massey has played multiple positions and senior Spencer Vaka has clogged the middle at nose guard. Sophomore defensive end Jayden Woods has multiple Power 5 offers and paces the defense with 10.5 tackles for loss. His dad is a Mill Valley graduate and former Kansas State cornerback. Junior defensive lineman Truman Griffith is a two-year starter. Hawkins and Zigmant both carry 4.0 GPAs.
Last week, Mill Valley scored on the game’s first play and dominated Blue Valley Southwest, 63-0. The week prior, Southwest quarterback Dylan Dunn had passed for nearly 600 yards and eight touchdowns. The Timberwolves had averaged 30 points a game. Mill Valley seniors knew it was their last home game of their careers, and Applebee said the group “really came to play.”
“That’s a testament to their work ethic that they put in each week,” Applebee said. “No. 2, obviously every game we walk into, we want to try to control the line of scrimmage, both offensively and defensively. And we felt like our front four could put some pressure on, make the quarterback make some quick decisions and try to just get him just a little bit out of his comfort zone, and so I thought they did an outstanding job of that as well.”
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