Mill Valley, Gardner Edgerton, Aquinas reach Kansas football state-championship games

Mill Valley proved once again that it’s hard to knock out the champ.

The four-time defending Kansas Class 5A champion rallied for a 48-47 victory over Blue Valley Southwest in the state semifinals.

Last season, Mill Valley reached the state-title game by beating BV Southwest 63-0. This year, the Jaguars needed some improbable heroics to get there.

After a wild first half produced a slim 35-34 Mill Valley lead, the Timberwolves went ahead 40-35 on Dylan Dunn’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Alex Parks.

Mill Valley (10-2) stalled on a fourth-down attempt in the red zone with 2:37 left in the third quarter, and the T-Wolves went to work again. Starting a drive at their own 8-yard line, they marched the length of the field and scored on Dunn’s 5-yard pass to Emmitt Peters.

The Jags used a big kickoff return, Daniel Blaine 23-yard pass to Davion Harris and a Blaine keeper up the middle to make it 47-42 with 9:32 left.

Mill Valley next got the ball with 3:05 remaining and drove to the BV Southwest 29 with 2:11 to go. Later in the drive, with time running out, Blaine scored the winning touchdown — his fourth of the night — on a 12-yard scramble and dive into the end zone.

BV Southwest’s best season in school history concludes at 10-2. Dunn, who fired five TD passes Friday, finishes his career with 94 touchdowns and nearly 9,000 yards.

Gardner Edgerton 35, Blue Valley 3

Gardner Edgerton’s back where the Trailblazers left off last year: in the state-championship game.

GE trounced Blue Valley in the Class 6A semifinals will face Derby next Saturday at 1 p.m. in Emporia.

No. 6 seed Blue Valley took a 3-0 lead on a 34-yard field goal in the first quarter. But it was all Trailblazers from there.

Gardner Edgerton (11-1) took over at its own 10-yard line late in the first period. Dylan Butash started the drive with a 16-yard run up the middle. Bravin Powell finished it by scoring on a keeper with 8:53 left in the half.

The Trailblazers’ next drive covered 66 yards and culminated with Powell throwing a 19-yard TD pass to Randy Singleton.

Singleton stepped up again right before halftime, this time on defense, picking off Chris Aiello’s pass and returning it for a 29-yard pick-six. That made it 21-3 with 38 seconds remaining until intermission.

The second half was more of the same: another Powell keeper for a touchdown and another interception by Singleton.

Blue Valley finished its season 7-5.

St. Thomas Aquinas 42, Tonganoxie 14

St. Thomas Aquinas is just 48 minutes from its second state title.

The Saints cruised past Tonganoxie in Friday’s Class 4A semifinals and will face Andover Central for the championship next Saturday in Topeka.

Things started poorly for Tonganoxie with a fumble on the opening drive. The Saints turned that miscue into points on Gianni Rizzi’s 7-yard run.

Rizzi’s second touchdown run, this time from 18 yards out, made it 14-0. Then a tipped Tonganoxie pass landed in the hands of Saints senior Cooper Wortman, and just like that it was 21-0.

Things would only snowball from there. By halftime Aquinas’ lead had swelled to 42-0: Aiden Skinner tossed a 22-yard touchdown pass to Joe Loughman, Cole Richardson scored on a 58-yard run and Gavin Middendorf ran for a TD of 30 yards.

Tonganoxie (9-3) scored on a 33-yard pass from Trevor McGraw to Isaiah Holthaus, and a blocked punt, scoop and score by Holthaus.

The Saints (9-3) will try to add another trophy next weekend, alongside the 5A title they captured in 2018 by beating Wichita Northwest.

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