Mill Valley defeated Kapaun Mt. Carmel, 62-37, for the 5A state football title Saturday, Nov. 25 in Pittsburg. The title was the school’s fifth straight and seventh in the last nine years.
Within the first 30 seconds, senior Davion Harris scored on a 35-yard pass play. After a defensive 3 and out, senior Jaden Scobee scored on a one-yard run, putting the Jags in the lead 13-0 in the first five minutes.
“It felt amazing to get those two touchdowns in the first few minutes,” Scobee said. “Offensive line did a fantastic job all game by making giant holes that really made my job easy.”
From there, Kapaun scored on its next three possessions, bringing the score to 13-16 at the end of the first quarter. But then Jags scored three more times, including rushing touchdowns by Scobee and sophomore Reggie Reece, and another TD catch by Harris, to take the lead at halftime, 34-30.
After halftime the team picked up the pace and scored three more touchdowns to Kapaun’s one touchdown, outscoring the Crusaders 28-7 to end the game and secure the 62-37 victory. Scobee scored two more rushing touchdowns, and senior quarterback Daniel Blaine also rushed for two touchdowns.
Senior Garrett Cronin shares what the team did to turn the game around after halftime.
“The coaches told us to believe in ourselves, and we did,” Cronin said. “We really just stuck with it and kept playing and kept fighting until the end.”
Kapaun came into the game averaging 48.6 ppg to Mill Valley’s 46 ppg. The Jags put up 62 in the game, the most points ever scored in a Kansas 5A title game. Associate head coach Mike Strack said he could not have been more proud of the team and all of the hard work they have put in this season.
“Obviously, anytime you win a title it’s special, it’s a phenomenal feeling,” Strack said. “I’ve never seen these kids play this hard. I’m so happy to get to celebrate this. Happy for our kids and our assistant coaches across the bar just worked so hard and it makes it all worth it.”
Scobee, who scored four touchdowns in the game while filling in for injured starter Tristan Baker, reflects on how he felt at the end of the game.
“It’s a great feeling,” Scobee said. “I’ve been in the program for years and have grown up with these guys. I’ve played since second grade so seeing all of it play out is a really great feeling. We’ve definitely come a long way and all of our work has really paid off.”
Cronin believed overtaking Kapaun offensively in the second half made the difference.
“In the first half we fought with them. And then in the second half, we just took it away,.” Cronin said. “It feels great. All the hard work and preparation. It really paid off in that state championship game and it feels great.”
The Jags are undefeated in state title games under head coach Joel Applebee. The team finished the season 11-2.
