Jags roar past Wichita Northwest again in Kansas 5A football final, defend their crown

For the second straight year, Cooper Marsh delivered his best game of the season with a state championship on the line.

Mill Valley’s senior quarterback helped secure back-to-back Class 5A championships with six touchdowns — three through the air on just seven completions — in the Jaguars’ 49-35 victory over Wichita Northwest Saturday at Pittsburg State’s Carnie Smith Stadium.

Two of Marsh’s TDs came after Northwest had rallied to tie it in the fourth quarter. In all, he threw for 255 yards and added 134 on the ground. The left-hander accounted for 389 of Mill Valley’s 446 total yards and six of his team’s seven scores.

It was the second straight year Marsh came through with heroics in a title game against Northwest. He also scored the winning touchdown in last season’s 40-31 finale. He rushed for 183 yards and four TDs that day.

“You can’t say enough about Cooper,” Mill Valley coach Joel Applebee said, whose team finishes 10-2. “He made some plays today that big-time players make. He’s a special, special kid and we’re going to miss him. He just rises to the occasion and he loves that atmosphere, that pressure of a state-title game. He knows what to do.”

Indeed, Marsh wasn’t rattled when his only mistake of Saturday’s game — an interception in MVHS territory — produced a Northwest touchdown after Geremiah Moore scampered in from 25 yards. At that point, it was 35-all with 8:21 remaining.

Backed up on a second-and-17, Marsh calmly found Jacob Hartman over the top for a 40-yard completion. Three plays later, he connected with Kendrick Jones for a 33-yard strike, and then he scored on a keeper to give Mill Valley a 42-35 advantage with 5:08 to go.

“I just had to stay calm in the chaos,” Marsh said. “We were in the same situation last year with these guys. So we knew we had the ability to do it again. I told the guys on the last drive if we put it in here, then that was going to be the game.”

Mill Valley’s defense delivered a crucial fourth-and-1 stop at Northwest’s 29-yard line before Marsh put the game out of reach with a 22-yard TD pass to Quin Wittenauer.

Afterward, Marsh credited his senior-laden offensive line, led by Ethan Kramer, Robbie Dervin, Sam Hecht, Saxton Hall and Tommy Penner, with making another big day possible.

“This is the biggest game of the year, so I knew that we had to play our best football of the season,” Marsh said. “I just tried to compete every play and win every play. I couldn’t have done it without my guys up front blocking for me.

“It’s really cool to win one, but it’s even cooler to win two.”

Thunder roll to 4A championship

The St. James Thunder didn’t just win the first championship in school history Friday, they put on a clinic in how to score touchdowns.

The Thunder capped an eight-win season with a fury of points, out-punching Arkansas City 56-34 for the title at Hutchinson Community College.

St. James (8-4), led by head coach Tom Radke, became the first school besides Bishop Miege and a hanful of Division II programs to win a 4A title since Buhler did it in 2013. Class 4A has been unified since the state activities association merged Divisions I and II in 2018.

Senior La’James White, who moved from Piper High to St. James late in the summer, scored five touchdowns for the Thunder, including one on an 83-yard scamper in the third quarter for his fourth TD of the afternoon. He also intercepted a pass.

Hayes Manning’s touchdown reception with 5:16 remaining in the game made it 56-21 St. James before Ark City (6-7) scored two late TDs.

Derby tops BV North for 6A threepeat

In a frantic 150 seconds to wind down the first half, Derby scored three touchdowns en route to a 56-31 victory over Blue Valley North at the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe.

The championship is Derby’s seventh in school history and third in a row.

For much of the first half, it looked like the win might go to whoever made a crucial stop and had the ball last before halftime. But Derby’s Lem Wash engineered two quick scores, and an interception by safety Cason Lindsey set up a third.

Despite the loss, the Mustangs still have plenty to look forward to in 2021. Team leaders Martin and wide receiver Mekhi Miller will return for their senior years. On Saturday, that pair connected on 10 occasions for 157 yards of Martin’s 441 total. Their 30-yard hookup set up BV North’s final TD.

“They fought to the end,” BV North coach Andy Sims said.

— Shaun Goodwin, special to The Star/Wichita Eagle

In other Kansas state finals ...

Class 3A: Andale roared to its fifth state title and capped an unbeaten 12-0 season with a 20-0 win over Perry-Lecompton (11-2) in Hutchinson.

Class 2A: In a battle of two unbeatens, Rossville defeated Hoisington 27-20 at Salina District Stadium.

Class 1A: Olpe won the championship at Fort Hays State with a 14-0 victory over Oakley.

8-Player Div. II: Hanover beat St. Francis 46-24 for the title. The Div. I final was later Saturday afternoon.

This story was originally published November 28, 2020 at 5:35 PM.