Koch scores 36 points in MVHS boys win against Piper

Angelique McNaughton

December 10, 2013

Sophomore Logan Koch made two clutch shots in the final 17 seconds of the second half, including a guarded three pointer with 6.5 seconds left in regulation, to send Mill Valley Hill into overtime and eventually past Piper High 79-77 on Friday.

Koch scored 25 of his 36 points in the second half and overtime to lead the Jaguars (1-0) to their first Kaw Valley League victory of the season. Drew Boatwright added 22 points, and Nick Friesner had 11, including an important basket in overtime to put the Jaguars ahead 78-77 with 3.5 seconds left.

“Wow,” Friesner said. “I think that was one of the best finishes I think I’ve ever seen at Mill Valley.

“Our student section really pushed us through the third and fourth quarters and we fed off of their energy,” he said.

The game stayed close throughout, with more than a dozen lead changes. The Jaguars and Pirates traded basket for basket in the first quarter, before Piper started to pad a lead in the second quarter when the Jaguars couldn’t get a shot to fall and were outrebounded.

“I thought we were looking for our shot to go down too quickly and then we would play defense for longer than we made them play defense,” MVHS coach Justin Bogart said. “We got critical rebounds when we needed to, but Piper really hurt us on the boards.”

The Jaguars went into the third quarter down eight, a lead they reduced to two at the end of the quarter following a Boatwright three pointer.

Boatwright opened the fourth quarter with an explosive three, to put the Jaguars ahead 47-46, before adding another two points off of a steal.

The Jaguars looked like a different team in the final period and were offensively and defensively more organized.

“After one of the timeouts, we told them to trust what we do and trust our preparation,” Bogart said. “We tried to put them in as many difficult situations as possible in practice and we just have to trust our stuff.

“We just reminded them of critical points on defense and that every rebound is a battle that we have to win,” he said.

Both the final minutes of regulation and overtime were wild, with each coming down to the last 15 seconds of play.

“It was a hard fought game and Logan definitely kept us in it,” Boatwright said. “We also had some younger players who stepped up and scored some baskets when we needed them to.”

Both Mill Valley and Piper students remained on their feet for the entirety of the game, vying for loudest student section, before Mill Valley students stormed the court following the win.

“I was just happy to see us overcome a little adversity and get ourselves a win in the first game of the season,” Bogart said. “We had a number of a players make a lot of significant contributions, but ultimately we had a real shift in the fourth quarter and we began to play more together than we had.”

Inexperienced Lady Jaguars commit 31 turnovers in loss

Carly Eaton has taken the helm this season for the lady Jaguars but was unable to compensate for the inexperience of her teammates in Friday’s 46-37 loss to Piper.

Although the Jaguars outrebounded Piper 32-16 — Catie Kaifes had 5 rebounds for the Jaguars — they committed 31 turnovers.

“We are very young in terms of varsity experience and we’ve been talking about taking care of the ball,“ MVHS coach John McFall said. “We were extremely sloppy and had way too many turnovers.

“We showed some toughness and we hung tough, but it seemed like every time we battled back and we would get it even, we turned it over,” he said.

The Jaguars went on an 8-0 run in the second quarter to take a 16-6 lead before the Pirates completely took over and ended the half on an 18-0 run.

“We couldn’t get it back and I think we got ahead and then got one stop and then we went three straight possessions where we didn’t even get the ball to half court,” McFall said.

While the Pirates never trailed in the second half, they led only 27-26 with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. But the Jaguars couldn’t grab a lead.

“You’ve got to give Piper credit because they were relentless on defense,” McFall said.

Eaton had 15 points and Kyle Lewis added seven. Both Whitney Hazlett and Savannah Rudicel scored five points apiece.

Freshman Courtney Carlson made her varsity debut at guard for the Jaguars but couldn’t seem to find her rhythm.

“As a freshman, she played like a freshman,” McFall said. “She has been much better than that in practice and she made a couple of mistakes that affected her.

“But it wasn’t just Courtney, it was player after player,” he said.

Carlson’s role this season, as most of the Lady Jaguars’ roles, is something that’s in the process of being worked out, McFall said. The Jaguars graduated all five starters from the 2012-2013 season.

“Right now, we just need to take care of us more than anything,” McFall said.

MVHS boys have new look after losing seven from a season ago

Angelique McNaughton

November 25, 2013

The players who were a part of Mill Valley High’s boys basketball program for the past four seasons will be remembered fondly, but it’s not about them anymore head coach Justin Bogart said.

“It’s about these (seniors) guys now,” Bogart said. “And the guys who are juniors, sophomores and freshmen.”

This year’s five seniors — Ben Carroll, Nick Friesner, Davis Cantwell, Wyatt Voorhes and Drew Boatwright — will join fellow letter-winner, sophomore point guard and returning starter Logan Koch, who is currently recovering from a concussion, in leading the Jaguars this season. Bogart said Clayton Holberg can also be expected to put in some minutes off of the bench.

“A couple of other guys, just by who we are, will have to step up and give us some more,“ Bogart said. “What I’ve seen in practice is that they are up to the challenge and I think they look forward to leaving their own mark on our program.”

The somewhat young team that graduated six seniors and lost junior-to-be Pat Muldoon, who transferred to Kaw Valley League foe Basehor-Linwood High, will be following an impressive 2012-13 season, that included a third place finish in the 5A state tournament, and a 20-4 record.

“It was a good season overall, but we are looking to do better than what we did last year,” said Voorhes, who transferred from Bishop Miege High as a junior and averaged around 13 points as a combo-guard. “I think we are fast this year and people can just expect the same exciting, fun, energetic games that we had last year.”

With the loss of their starting lineup, though, the Jaguars’ play will reasonably look different as they adapt to their new roles.

“I think with who we are, we can play a little different style than we did last year to create some real problems for people in the full-court offensively and defensively,” Bogart said.

“We’re going to be jam packed with some new looks and if you got a bunch of guys who are six-feet tall and can move pretty well, you’re looking at some full-court pressure and some things on defense that we haven’t broken out in a year or two.”

The Jaguars’ season opens Dec. 6 at home against Piper and then a tough Kaw Valley League schedule follows. But also a strong out-of-league schedule that will include Raytown South (Mo.), Gardner-Edgerton and Olathe Northwest.

“I would like to win a KVL Championship because we haven’t had one of those in a couple of years and also (win) the tournament that we play in at Coffeyville,” said Friesner, referring to the mid-season tournament that the Jaguars are the defending champions.

But until then, it’s going to be a “long two weeks” of practice, Friesner said.

“We are going to be playing against each other everyday and getting really annoyed with it,“ he said. “But it will just get us excited and pumped up for our first game.“

Which is the only game that’s on Bogart’s mind.

“That is the one that is on my mind and just like football, we want to be 1-0,” he said. “But we do believe in getting better every day and if we worry about ways to win and which means getting better every day, then we don’t have to worry about wins and losses because those things will take care of themselves.”

Jaguars earn No. 1 seed in playoffs after undefeated regular season

Angelique McNaughton

November 4, 2013

Lansing — Logan Koch ran for 281 yards and six touchdowns in a little more than a half to lead Mill Valley to a 68-8 victory over Lansing on Friday.

After the quarterback’s first touchdown since returning from an injury-delayed season, his game was back. Koch didn’t display any signs of weariness having missed the last five games, running for 194 yards and four touchdowns in the first quarter.

Nick Wilson rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown, and Dylan Cole also ran one in for the Jaguars (9-0) to take the lead 47-8 at the end of the first half.

Koch played one series in the third quarter before letting Cole and Drew McGee take the helm and add another three touchdowns before completely shutting out the Lions (4-5) the entire second half.

“We didn’t give up any points the second half and they did a great job of doing what they were supposed to do,” MVHS head coach Joel Applebee said. “We wanted to shut them out the second half and we did.”

As was the story for most of the season, the Jaguars’ defense held the Lions to just 54 yards on the ground and less than 200 yards all game. Christian Jegen led the team with three tackles, and TJ Philips and Tyler Garrison each added two. Henry Midyett added an interception and a fumble recovery to the effort.

“That (the defense) was a big part of it,” Applebee said.

The Jaguars’ 544 yards were the most the team has rushed for all season. Isaiah Young had seven carries for 66 yards and one touchdown, and Cole had 4 carries for 63 yards and one touchdown.

“Up front, we played extremely well and I can’t give enough credit to our offensive line,” Applebee said.

The Jaguars enter the playoffs as the No. 1 East seed and undefeated for the first time in school history. MVHS will host St.Thomas Aquinas (3-6) on Friday at 7 p.m.

“We always tell our kids that the best playing of football begins weeks seven, eight and nine, and I feel like we’ve done that,” Applebee said. “While we’ve still got room to work this week in practice, I feel good about this team because our kids understand that we are in the playoffs now and that it is another level of play.”

Jaguars coast to easy win over Schlagle

Angelique McNaughton

October 21, 2013

On its opening drive, Mill Valley effectively worked its way down the field and senior Nick Wilson scored a touchdown Friday night against Kansas City-Schlagle in the Jaguars’ first district match up.

It was not only the first series of the night, but it turned out that the drive would set the tempo for the remainder of the game, as once again, the Jaguar (7-0) defense dominated all night long in a 48-0 senior night victory over the Stallions (3-4).

It is the second time the undefeated Jaguars have held an opponent scoreless this season, after defeating Basehor-Linwood 38-0 last month.

“To be honest, everybody played well: Offense, defense and special teams,” MVHS head coach Joel Applebee said

The defense’s dominance allowed quarterback Ty Bruce and squad to go to work, offensively, jumping out to a 26-0 lead after the first quarter thanks to touchdowns by both Wilson and Bruce, and a 30-yard touchdown pass to Christian Jegen. Bruce threw for 86 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for 90 yards and a touchdown.

His offense notched a few more touchdowns to end the half 41-0, while keeping the Stallions scoreless.

“It was probably the most complete half we’ve played all year,” Applebee said. “It was a really clean half and I felt comfortable where we were at.”

The second half started exactly like the first — with a quick drive resulting in a Wilson touchdown.

After that one series, Applebee pulled his starters in order to rotate in the rest of the Jaguars.

“We only scored one touchdown the second half but I felt like we played really well,” Applebee said. “It doesn’t matter what game it is, it is never easy to shut out an opponent and I thought they did a good job of staying focused.

“We got a lot of JV guys in tonight, so it was good to see,” he said.

The Jaguars forced three turnovers and the Stallions were held to just 72 yards rushing and 30 yards passing.

Senior TJ Philips had two interceptions and one sack, while fellow senior TJ Midiros had an interception and a fumble recovery.

“When our defense plays like that, it sets our offense up,” Applebee said.

Wilson had 13 carries for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Jegen scored three touchdowns and junior Zach Hanna added one. By the end of the night, the Jaguars compiled 271 yards of total offense.

“I felt comfortable looking at the fact that we hadn’t played a complete game all year,” Applebee said. “And that was our goal and it was good to see how we played.

“Obviously the first district game is always important because everyone is technically 0-0,” he added.

MVHS will travel to Washington on Friday in the hopes of going 2-0 in the league and 8-0 for the season. This time last year, the Jaguars were 6-1.

Dylan Cole returned to play Friday night but Evan Applegate and quarterback Logan Koch didn’t, though Applebee said both will likely play this week.

“Honestly, this is the healthiest we’ve been heading into the week and we’re excited because we have an opportunity to finish 8-0,” he said. “Washington is going to be talented and they are going to be disciplined — it’s what they do— and we just need to do the same thing as always which is control the ball, run the ball and play defense like we have all year.”

Jaguars defense propels them to another victory, move to 6-0

Angelique McNaughton

October 13, 2013

Kansas City, Kan. — For the second week in a row, Mill Valley’s defense was the key component in helping the Jaguars maintain an undefeated record, after topping Piper 21-14 on Friday night.

Defense was the story for the Jaguars (6-0), who sit alone atop the Kaw Valley League standings. The Jaguars defense, which has allowed only 58 points all season, had one interception, sacked Tanner Eikenbary six times and held Piper (2-4) to 103 yards rushing.

“Defensively, we are continuing to play really well,” MVHS head coach Joel Applebee said. “We did the things we needed to do, when we needed to do them.”

Following a scoreless first quarter, junior quarterback Ty Bruce put his team on the scoreboard in the second quarter when he ran one in for a touchdown before halftime. Bruce ran for 55 yards, including one touchdown, and completed 7-17 passes for 151 yards.

“He (Bruce) did a nice job of managing the game,” Applebee said of the junior, who replaced sophomore starter Logan Koch who is sidelined with an injury.

The Jaguars came out in the second half and handled the ball well from the opening drive, with senior Nick Wilson putting his team ahead 14-0 after a 17-yard run.

Things got a little rough after that, with the Jaguars’ offense committing a slew of turnovers.

“We started to turn the ball over and they took advantage of it like a good team should,” Applebee said. “Offensively, we are very young on that side of the ball and while that’s not an excuse, we just need to continue to get better.

“But fortunately, we were never behind,” he said.

It took a pickoff by sophomore Christian Jegen in the third quarter to help preserve the Jaguars’ 14-7 lead.

After holding the Pirates to three-and-out, Piper punted to the Jaguars, who had an unsuccessful drive and were forced to punt as well. Jegen’s interception followed and the 10-yard carry gave the Jaguars the momentum to widen the gap 21-7.

“Jegen had a huge game for us,” Applebee said.

The sophomore led the offense with 122 yards receiving, including a 33-yard touchdown reception.

When the Jaguars turned the ball over on their own 25, it set up the Pirates for their final touchdown of the game. From there, the Jaguars controlled the ball well, punted once and held the Pirate offense on a fourth down.

The Pirates got the ball back with 45 seconds left in the game but it was too little, too late.

“It was a back and forth game during the forth quarter and we need to better our offense,” Applebee said.

Like many teams this time of the season, the Jaguars offense is running thin and young as it battles a different kind of opponent with four starters remaining sidelined due to injuries. Applebee said three of the four players- Dylan Cole, Sebastian Peterson, and Evan Applegate- should be able to return next week, while Koch is being evaluated week by week.

MVHS will host Kansas City Schlagle at 7 p.m. Friday night for district play.

What will be key to playing well against Schlagle and remaining undefeated?

“We need to continue to play good defense and improving on offense with the young guys we have over there,” Applebee said. “Being that time of year and in district play, everyone is 0-0 and we are going to look to get that first district win next week.”

Mill Valley softball savors second-place state finish

By Angelique McNaughton

May 27, 2013

The Mill Valley softball team saw its season come to an end Saturday against Bishop Carroll Class 5A state softball championship game.

The 5-0 loss was reminiscent of a second-place state finish more than ten years ago for the Jaguars, while the Eagles captured their third consecutive title. The Jaguars (18-5-1) defeated Andover Central, 5-1, and Goddard, 5-2, to make it to the final game.

“I knew it was going to be a tough game going into it but we didn’t have errors … they just hit the ball,” Mill Valley softball coach Sarah Haub said. “The game is the game and there is nothing we could have done differently.”

Scoring a run early in the first inning, the Eagles took a lead the Jaguars were never able to offensively overcome.

“They were the best we’ve seen all year,“ Haub said. “They had the pitching, they had several great hitters on the team and they were just the whole package.”

Haub said her girls were never able to get their bats going against the Eagle’s Jessi Haffner, who didn’t allow a run until the sixth inning.

“When you don’t see those pitches in (the) regular season, then you don’t have the confidence built up and it’s hard to adjust to the speed and spin of the ball,” Haub said.

“It’s hard to come into a tournament and face it one time but our kids did the best they could do and we came up short.”

A few hours after the game, Haub said the dust had begun to settle and the second-place finish had set in. She said the team’s only goal for the tournament was to win the first game Thursday night, which it hadn’t done since 2001.

Senior shortstop Kelli Spring led the Jaguars during the first game against Andover High School Thursday at Wichita’s Two Rivers Youth Complex. Spring went 2-for-2 with a single in the second inning and a double in the fourth, while snagging seven balls hit to her at shortstop. Fellow senior Taylor Brunson started the Jaguars off with a clutch, squeeze bunt that scored Spring from third base and set the tone for the rest of the game.

Mill Valley pitcher Lexi Myers went the distance while only allowing one earned run on six hits and one walk. Lexi Myers was at the rubber again against Goddard High School and went another six innings on Friday, striking out three batters, while allowing two runs and one walk.

“It was a very intense game against Goddard,” Haub said. “The fans and the coaches were really getting into it.”

At the plate, Kaitlin Parker started a second inning rally that saw one run cross the plate on an RBI. Lexi Myers followed her lead, scoring on another RBI and Rienna Schriner scored on one in the fourth inning. Lacie Myers also had a triple to round out the afternoon at the plate for the Jaguars.

“We were really patient at the plate and we attacked the ball pretty well when the pitcher came at us,” Haub said. “We did a good job of making contact at the plate.”

Haub, who just completed her fifth season as the Jaguars’ head coach, said the girls “had a great season.”

“They were a great group of girls, who worked hard,” she said. “We meshed well this year and came into the tournament and had a good time.”

After losing four-year starting pitcher Jillian Jobe to graduation last spring, Haub said her team has displayed their heart and commitment at every turn this season.  The returning players will have an opportunity to show the same adversity next season with the loss of seniors Spring and Brunson.

“I think we are only going to be stronger,” Haub said. “We are going to have to fill two big positions and we have people who can potentially do that for us. I wouldn’t say it will be a rebuilding year filling in a short stop and a third baseman, but we are going to do the best we can do.”

Jaguars cruise past Turner, set up big week with KVL title implications

By Angelique McNaughton

February 10, 2013

At the end of the first quarter, it looked like it could go either way during the Mill Valley boys basketball game at Turner on Friday.

Two players for the Jaguars got into foul trouble and the Golden Bears capitalized off of every of turnover, taking the lead 16-15 at the end of the first quarter.

But an explosive third quarter and 18-point lead down the stretch allowed the Jaguars (14-2, 9-1 in the Kaw Valley League) to cruise to a 67-55 victory over the Golden Bears.

“It was a good game for us because Turner has some size and that created some problems,“ Mill Valley coach Justin Bogart said. “They forced us to play different.”

Nathan Stacy and Pat Muldoon had two fouls apiece early in the first quarter, forcing Bogart to make some adjustments to his game plan.

“Turner did a nice job of taking it inside against us,” Bogart said. “It forced us to play a with a small line up.”

The Jaguars managed to end the first half with a seven-point cushion, 30-23, while shooting 70 percent from the field (12 of 17) despite 13 turnovers.

After struggling to find their footing, the Jaguars opened the third quarter with a 17-5 run after creating nine turnovers from nine steals within the first five minutes.

Bogart switched his defense to a zone, which his team hasn’t played since November, and then his team converted defensive opportunities into points to maintain a double-digit lead for the rest of the game.

Four players scored in double figures during the meeting and Logan Koch contributed 10 assists, four steals and six points.

Muldoon led the Jaguars with 14 points and Stacy and Wyatt Voorhes each scored 13 points, while Brett Hamilton scored 11.

“When we don’t turn the ball over, we’re working very effectively on offense and that’s a big part of how we were able to overcome that early adversity,” Bogart said.

The Jaguars play host to Bonner Springs on Tuesday, who is coming off of a close win against Basehor-Linwood High School on Friday.

“When we last played them (BSHS) it was tough but emotionally our guys are ready,” Bogart said. “The next game is the most important game and our guys will be ready to play.”

After Tuesday, a showdown with Lansing, tied for first in the KVL with Mill Valley, looms at home on Friday.

Keal hopes MVHS wrestling team returns to full strength soon

The Mill Valley wrestling team may have finished 10th overall in Eudora’s Tournament of Champions on Saturday, but with four starters out, coach Travis Keal was pleased with the results.

“Our other kids stepped up and wrestled hard,” Keal said. “That’s what I talked about before the tournament: ‘We’re going to be minus four of our starters and someone is going to have to step up and make it a positive experience.’”

The Jaguars earned 152 points, falling behind Lawrence High School’s 156 points. Mill Valley’s lone first place finisher on Saturday was Landon Scott, wrestling in the 106-pound weight class and improving his record to 12-1.  Both Derrick Paxton at 182 pounds and Jake Gramke at 196 pounds placed third. Also, a pair of sixth-place finishes came from the Burnett brothers, Seth (152) and Bryan (138). Adam Swearengin placed eighth at 220 pounds.

“We had a lot of guys step up and wrestle,“ Keal said. “We had some JV kids that won some matches and that was good experience for them. They helped the team score points.”

Keal said his squad is working extra hard on the mat to try to get in good position to score points.

“We just need to keep going and keep getting at it,” he said.

Three of the four starters absent on Saturday were state qualifiers for the Jaguars last season. Both Logan Marx and C.J. Beran were out sick and James Gray and Jake Ellis sustained injuries, making them all ineligible to compete.

“It’s just part of the wrestling season,” Keal said of his starters’ absence. “If they’re not better and well this weekend, they just won’t wrestle. February is more important to me.”

The Jaguars will be at Blue Valley High for a two-day tournament with Johnson County area schools this weekend.

“Hopefully we get some of those guys back and we can score a little higher as a team,” Keal said.

Mill Valley to travel to Lansing for district title showdown

In preparing for the district championship this week against Lansing, Mill Valley is focused and looking to build off of the momentum of Friday’s 63-40 victory against Washington.

“We’re concentrating on what we do as a team (this week),” coach Joel Applebee said. “Our goal all year long is to concentrate and improve on what we do.”

At least on paper, there didn’t appear to be much for the Jaguars (7-1) to improve upon from Friday’s senior night victory against the Wildcats (3-5). In its second district game, the Jaguars put up 42 points in just the first half.

“We played well,” Applebee said. “We jumped out early, and I was very happy.”

Senior quarterback Skyler Windmiller led the Jaguars the first half, completing 14 of 20 passes for 211 yards, including three touchdowns. Windmiller frequently targeted senior L.J. Hatch, who caught four passes for 89 yards and a touchdown.

Senior Kendall Short ran for two touchdowns to follow up his three-score performance from a week ago against Schlagle. Against Washington, Short carried nine times for 105 yards and also brought in a 38-yard reception.

The 36-point halftime cushion prompted Applebee to start rotating in his second- and third-string underclassmen.

“Our kids got some great experience,” he said. “We played a lot of freshmen fourth quarter.”

Behind freshman quarterback Logan Koch, who ran for three touchdowns and 189 rushing yards, the seemingly inexperienced players held their own against Washington’s starters.

Amassing 331 rushing yards, the Jaguars surpassed the season average of 220, effectively moving the ball downfield all night.

Senior Staton Rebeck had an 89-yard punt return in the second quarter for a touchdown, while junior linebacker T.J. Philips led the defense with seven tackles and a sack.

Senior Coleman McCann remained on the sideline Friday after an injury sustained at Tonganoxie on Sept. 21. Joining him was junior Adam Swearingen, who injured his leg against Turner. Applebee called both players’ status “week-to-week.”

Applebee said the Jaguars were pumped up after the decisive senior night performance but that they needed to take it to another level against the Lions (3-5) at 7 p.m. Friday in a game that will decide the district title.

“Lansing is going to be a challenge,” he said.

The Lions are coming off a one-point victory against Schlagle.

While the Jaguars are already guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, a district championship would ensure Mill Valley’s chance to host a game.

“We’ve clinched the playoffs, but that’s not what we are about,” he said. “We want to win the district.”

Mill Valley sets up shot at district football title with latest victory

Mill Valley stepped out to an impressive lead against Washington on Friday night, putting up 42 points in just the first half.

With a final score of 63-40, coach Joel Applebee said he never felt threatened during Mill Valley’s second district game.

“We played well,” Applebee said. “We jumped out early and I was very happy.”

The Jaguars (7-1) played consistently in the first two quarters,  executing on both the defensive and offensive sides with special teams playing a major role again this week.
Behind senior quarterback Skyler Windmiller, who threw for three touchdowns in the first half, the Jaguars moved the ball down the field effectively all night.

Senior running back Kendall Short ran for two touchdowns after recently returning from an injury sustained last month.

With the 36-point cushion at the half, Applebee started rotating in his second and third string underclassmen.

“Our kids got some great experience,” he said. “We played a lot of freshmen in the fourth quarter.”

The seemingly inexperienced players handled their own against Washington’s starters.

Logan Koch, freshman quarterback, rushed for three touchdowns in the second half, two in the third quarter alone.

“We decided to rest our ones (starters) for the entire second half and let our younger ones get some play,” Applesaid.

Senior Coleman McCann remained on the sidelines again this week after his injury at Tonganoxie on Sept. 21. Applebee said he continues to “look week-to-week” in the hopes of getting him back as soon as possible.

Mill Valley visits Lansing on Friday for the district championship.