After losing their title to St. Thomas Aquinas last year, Mill Valley took back the 5A regional championship Friday with a 28-27 nail-biting win.
Jags’ junior running back Max Piva and senior quarterback/wide receiver Blake Jay combined to score four touchdowns on the night, propelling Mill Valley to the win and sending them to the next round of the state playoffs.
“I’m very proud of the kids, I thought they played with tremendous effort tonight and it’s going to continue to take that effort as we keep playing,” Mill Valley head coach Joel Applebee said.
Late game touchdown falls just short of comeback
Saints’ junior quarterback Carson Patrick dominated St. Thomas Aquinas’s scoring game. He had two rushing touchdowns, and completed a 10-yard pass to junior Jackson Rafferty for a touchdown with 54 seconds left in the fourth quarter that brought the score to 27-28. The Saints opted to go for a two-point conversion to take the lead, but failed to convert, handing the ball back to the Jags and securing the Mill Valley win.
Aquinas senior running back Calin Arndt also scored a seven-yard rushing touchdown with three seconds to spare in the second quarter, and kicker Jacob Zinkus got the extra point to end the first half tied up 14-14.
“I’m real proud of, you know, what these guys have done, and these guys fighting and coming back from down two touchdowns in the fourth quarter,” said Saints head coach Randy Dreiling.
Jay started and ended the scoring game for Mill Valley, getting a 13-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter and a 17-yard passing touchdown. Overall, Jay had a total of 133 yards, according to stats kept by Mill Valley.
Piva had a 27-yard touchdown with 1:20 left in the second quarter. His second was a five-yard touchdown within the first 30 seconds of the third quarter.
The two traditional football powerhouses brought dominant records into the playoff matchup: the Jaguars were 7-2 and the Saints 8-1.
Mill Valley advances to face St. James Academy in the next round of the playoffs on Friday, Nov. 14.
