St. Thomas Aquinas travels to Mill Valley Friday night for a sub-state showdown.
The Saints or Jaguars have represented the Class 5A East in the state championship game six years in a row (three each) dating back to 2014.
"We've had a number of meetings over the years, so we know each other very well," said coach Randy Dreiling. "But every game is different. Every team is different. And this game is this year's team's opportunity."
Aquinas is 7-4 against Mill Valley over that time period, winning five in a row from 2017 to 2019 before last season's sub-state overtime thriller, a 34-31 Mill Valley win.
"They're the defending champs," said Dreiling, "so it's fitting that the road to state goes through them. What's important is that we be physical and each of us fulfill our assignment each play."
St. Thomas Aquinas (6-3) began the season 4-0, including a win over Bishop Miege, then lost to Lawrence, Omaha Westside (Neb.), and Bishop Carroll. The Saints have routed their playoff opponents thus far.
Mill Valley (7-2) defeated Derby, 45-14, to start the season. Mid-season, they fell to Bentonville (Ark.), 35-28, and Gardner-Edgerton, 28-26. The Jaguars defeated De Soto, 16-13, last week, after defeating them, 70-21, in Week 2.
The Saints, on average, are outscoring opponents, 29-25. On average per rush, they lead 5.6 to 5.0. They gain 84 percent of their offense rushing. Opposing offenses gain their yards, about half running and half passing.
Aquinas has three times as many turnovers as opponents, and opponents have 40 percent more big plays (greater than 20 yards).
But in the playoffs, the Aquinas defense has yielded 230 yards or less each game. And on offense, last week, the Saints scored on three big plays.
On offense, sophomore fullback, Sean Carroll, has rushed for 188 and 87 yards the past two weeks and has 695 yards rushing for the season.
Senior back, Tyron "Tank" Young, has 1,323 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, averaging 147 per game, and had three touchdown runs of over 30 yards last week.
Senior defensive tackle, Caden Reeves, leads the tackle chart after a prolific performance last week.
"This is the week where we can put it all together and meet our goal of making the state championship game," said Dreiling. "The opportunity is right in front of us, and now's the time to go meet the challenge."
