Mill Valley football is able to pull out hard-fought victory in playoff game at De Soto

For a couple of seconds, time stood still underneath the floodlights at De Soto High School’s football field.

The clock had already hit zero in Friday night’s playoff game, but the ball was still flying through the air en route to a scrum of players jostling for position in the end zone.

When that ball from backup De Soto quarterback Tyler Schultze dropped uncaught into the green grass, the white jerseys on the far sideline erupted. The Mill Valley Jaguars, defending Class 5A state champions, had again defeated the rival De Soto Wildcats, 16-13, to advance to the Kansas sub-state semifinals.

“We had every chance in the world tonight to fold as a team, and our seniors weren’t going to let that happen,” Mill Valley coach John Applebee said. “We’re very proud of them. A very gutsy win, and now we’ve got a lot of work to do and we’ll be ready to go next week.”

It could have been a very different story Friday if not for a crucial penalty with just 6 seconds left. More about that in a second.

The Wildcats looked dead and buried with a little over a minute remaining. Starting quarterback Jackson Miller was hit from behind on his own 24-yard line. He lost the ball and re-aggravated a lower leg injury he had suffered on the previous play.

Carted off the field, it was the senior’s last play as a Wildcat.

“I cannot tell you how proud I am of Jackson, not only through his play tonight but through his career — his leadership has been unreal,” De Soto coach Brian King said.

Miller finished the night with 77 yards and a touchdown. He ends his De Soto career with 84 touchdowns and an 18-1 record in conference competition. But that’s not where the game ended.

The Jaguars’ Jacob Hartman, who had scored two touchdowns already, was looking to put the game to bed with a third. But on the drive that would’ve iced Mill Valley’s win, he, too, lost the ball; De Soto senior Garrett Kellner recovered.

So the Wildcats (9-2) embarked on a frantic drive from their own 8-yard line, bringing the ball all the way down to Mill Valley’s 27 with just 6 seconds to go.

This left King with a tough choice: The Wildcats were potentially in field-goal range, and a successful kick would tie the game and send it to overtime. But that decision became easier when a delay penalty pushed De Soto back another 5 yards.

“We were borderline in range and then we got out of range when we broke the huddle, and that’s a killer,” King explained.

Lining up the offense one last time, Schultze sent a high ball toward the end zone. Senior receiver Austin Tabor got both hands around it, but Mill Valley defensive back Cole Clauder batted it away.

Game over.

“I think our best opportunity was what we took, and we were close,” King said. “I don’t want to second-guess and regret that decision.”

With just three combined touchdowns scored all night, the game was one of clutch defensive plays and turnovers. Mill Valley turned it over five times — two interceptions and three fumbles. The Jaguars also had a field goal blocked on their first drive of the night.

“We weren’t making anything easy tonight, that’s what was going through my mind. But give them credit, they’re a gutsy team, they work hard, they’re a great team,” Applebee said. “But in the end, it takes a lot of guts from our team, too, to pull that out. And we were really led by our seniors; I’m really proud of them.”

Mill Valley (8-2) hosts St. Thomas Aquinas, which defeated Blue Valley Southwest 32-7, next Friday night. The winner advances to the state championship game against the winner of the state’s other 5A semifinal: Wichita Northwest or Bishop Carroll.

“We regroup with film in the morning and regroup on Monday in practice,” Applebee said. “It’s a new week, no matter what, and that’s going to be our mindset. We put this game past us.”

This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 11:02 PM.