Comeback kings take over the biggest game in City of Maize history
Midway through the first quarter, Camden Jurgensen was pulled out of the backfield for a freshman.
Avery Johnson is one of the most talented freshman quarterbacks in all of Kansas, and it wasn’t the first time this season Jurgensen, a senior, was benched.
In Week 8, undefeated Maize traveled to Derby to face the unquestioned best team in Kansas. The Eagles were underdogs but entered the south side of the Wichita area with legitimate hope of an upset.
Maize lost 55-7, the worst loss since 2014.
Jurgensen didn’t make it to halftime at quarterback before coach Gary Guzman went with his freshman.
Since that loss, Jurgensen has reclaimed his starting position. Maize is 3-0, and the Eagles soared into the Class 5A semifinals after a 28-0 win over crosstown rival Maize South in the biggest high school football game the city had ever seen.
Jurgensen threw for three touchdowns in the win after Johnson suffered a game-ending left leg injury.
“Avery is great, but also having him next to me pushes me,” Jurgensen said. “We have each other’s back no matter who is in there.”
Maize senior reciever Preven Christon said Jurgensen has opened up and been himself a little more since the Derby game. Christon said Jurgensen has been one of his best friends for as long as he can remember.
Christon caught Jurgensen’s first touchdown pass of the night with less than a minute left in the first quarter.
Normally lined up against Maize South’s Trevion Mitchell all night, Christon was one-on-one on the outside with Mitchell on the other side of the field.
Jurgensen dropped a fade route in the bucket.
The matchup between Christon and Mitchell was one to watch heading into the quarterfinal matchup. Christon said it was a great experience going against one of his friends and one of Kansas’ best cornerbacks.
“It started friendly, and then it got what it got, but at the end of the day, we’re still friends,” he said.
Christon was another Eagle who was humbled in Derby to finish the regular season. After having a pass swatted from his hands, Derby cornerback Terry Ginyard held up a zero with his right hand to indicate how many points the Eagles had on the night at that point.
It would have been easy for Maize to turn its shoulder on the 2019 season after the embarrassing loss. Senior running back Caden Cox said this year’s team has a ‘never quit’ mindset.
“It was probably good that we lost,” Cox said. “It showed us that we’re not invincible. We needed that. It just gave us more passion and drive to bounce back and prove we’re not just going to lay down - that we’re here to stay, and we’re coming for it all.”
With the Maize South offense sputtering Friday night, Cox scored a stunning touchdown midway through the third quarter to put the Eagles up two scores. He took a handoff to the right from about 30 yards out.
He got to the corner, delivered a vicious stiff arm to an oncoming tackler and reached the ball over the goal line for the score.
On Cox’s way back to the sideline, he gave two ‘horns down’ signs with his hands for the cameras to give Maize South a parting piece in his last game against the school he could have attended after going to Maize South elementary and middle schools.
Maize South entered Friday night with one of the best defenses in Kansas. The Mavericks had allowed an average of 10.5 points per game before their first and only loss of the season.
The Mavs posted three shutouts, including one in the first round of the playoffs against Salina South. But even on the road when Maize was considered the underdog, the Eagles’ defense played better.
Three of Maize South’s first four drives started in Maize territory. The Eagles never even allowed a field goal attempt.
“All I got to say is our defense is the real cut throat defense,” Cox said. “Those guys are the real deal.”
Guzman agreed Friday’s game was the biggest game the City of Maize had ever seen. Only Maize’s loss to Derby held the two programs away from a meeting of undefeated teams. And Maize and Maize South had never met later than the regional round of the postseason.
Last year, the Eagles beat Maize South 35-0 to reach the quarterfinals.
2018 was a year of almost for Maize. After beating Great Bend in the sectional round, the Eagles lost 67-60 at Wichita Northwest in the semifinals.
They face Northwest again in the same round Friday.
Guzman said his team was quick to move on from the Derby loss. In a similar way, the Eagles will have to move on from the Maize South win.
“I’m proud of the kids,” Guzman said. “This is a tough game. It’s a tough game to get ready for. Any time it’s a rival, it makes it even tougher.”
This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 11:43 PM.