Kyle Palmer  - Football

These 3 Johnson County schools won Kansas state football titles Saturday — including a first

Players for Blue Valley Northwest celebrate after their Kansas Class 6A state championship game victory over Derby Saturday. The title was the school's first football trophy ever. Image via Blue Valley Northwest High School Athletics Twitter account.

Three Johnson County schools took home Kansas state football titles on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, including a first-ever trophy for Blue Valley Northwest.

The Huskies trounced three-time defending state champ Derby 41-21 Saturday in Emporia to take home the Class 6A title.

Meanwhile, Mill Valley High School in the USD 232 De Soto school district won its third consecutive Class 5A championship — and fifth since 2015 — with a 28-15 win over Maize in Pittsburg.

And St. James Academy in Lenexa won its second straight Class 4A title, with a 28-21 win over Andover Central in a game played in Topeka.

Blue Valley Northwest makes history

It was a history-making day for Blue Valley Northwest Saturday.

Quarterback Mikey Pauley ran for four touchdowns and threw for a fifth score, and the Huskies led 28-0 at halftime en route to the victory.

The win was the culmination of a remarkable turnaround for a Northwest program that went winless four seasons ago.

Grant Stubblefield also scored a touchdown for the Huskies, who finished the season 12-1.

Mill Valley, St. James continue dominance

Meanwhile, it was a more familiar feeling for the champions in Classes 4A and 5A.

Mill Valley jumped out to a 14-0 lead over Maize in the Class 5A title game played in Pittsburg, and the Jaguars used their defense to hold on for a 28-15 win, the school’s third straight football championship and fifth in the past seven seasons.

Mill Valley senior running back Reice Kennedy ran for more than 200 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Hayden Jay tossed two scores and ran for another.

In the Class 4A championship played in Topeka, St. James Academy rallied for a 28-21 victory of Andover Central.

The Thunder trailed 14-0 in the first half and also fell behind 21-14 in the second half but managed to come back both times.

Senior running back Tiave Watts scored twice before leaving with an injury. Quarterback Jackson House scored what proved to the game-winning touchdown, a short run to put St. James up for good.

 

Hi! I'm Kyle Palmer, editor of the Shawnee Mission Post and Blue Valley Post. I believe deeply in the power of local news and strive each day to make our readers feel informed, so they can get the most out of life in this great place we all call home

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