MORAN — After securing their first Three Rivers League title in 11 years, the Marmaton Valley High football team is getting set for their opening playoff game at home against Rural Vista (4-4) Thursday.
The Wildcats (6-2) are coming off a 76-28 win over St. Paul where they forced a fumble on the first drive of the game, which resulted in a Brayden Lawson touchdown. Marmaton Valley has scored fast all season, something they hope to continue in the playoffs.
“We want to get out on quickly, play fast and make teams catch up to us. Anytime we can get a fast start, it works in our favor,” Marmaton Valley head coach Max Mickunas said. “We want to crush their hope of winning by getting up early.”
Marmaton Valley has averaged 347.1 total yards per game, with 161.8 of them coming in the air. Mickunas’ squad has turned into more of a passing team this year after several years of running the ball with steam.
Quarterback Brayden Lawson has thrown for 25 touchdowns and gone for 1,294 total passing yards. Jaedon Granere has brought in a team-high 11 touchdowns on 536 receiving yards and averaged 67 receiving yards per game.
On the ground, Lawson has 539 rushing yards along with seven touchdowns. Senior Dre Ellis has run for a team-high 10 touchdowns on 512 rushing yards.
“Speed is the most important thing in eight-man, and we’re blessed to have a lot of it,” said Mickunas. “These guys can really run, and once they get the ball in their hands they can make people look silly sometimes.”
SENIORS Daniel Fewins and Ellis have been the team’s leaders this season.
“They’re really coming together and playing well,” said Mickunas. “I think throughout the course of the season they’ve gotten better. We’re clicking on all cylinders right now.”
Brevyn Campbell has been a leader on defense for the Wildcats, accounting for a team-high 78 tackles and going for a team-high 9.8 tackles per game. He even hauled in a touchdown catch last week in the second half of the win over St. Paul.
“Brevyn is tremendous. He’s super smart; he just has a nose for the football. He has good mechanics on his tackling, and he’s a natural at the linebacker position. A lot of the stuff he does, we haven’t coached him on. He’s just a natural and he’s very instinctive.”
Mickunas’ infectious energy on the field has created a culture where players now are united and excited for one another. Whenever the Wildcats score a touchdown, Mickunas lights up and sends a lightning bolt to his entire football team. He’s not the only one.
“I want these guys to enjoy playing football. They work hard, so whenever we score I try to be energetic. They feed off that. When we’re playing with enthusiasm, we’re playing at our best.”
The Wildcats have had their share of blowout victories this season, shutting out Oswego, 50-0, Yates Center, 74-0, and Marais des Cygnes Valley, 60-0. But that’s not letting them get overly confident.
“The biggest thing we need to take in is having the right mentality and play one game at a time,” Mickunas said. “We just want to execute at a high level and we’ll let the score take care of itself.”
