ShawneeDispatch.com

Photo by Kevin Anderson

Miles Malec set eight school records as Mill Valley's go-to wide receiver.

Photo by Kevin Anderson

Kelsey O'Hara was a mainstay as the anchor runner on the Mill Valley 3,200-meter relay team that medaled at state four years in a row.

Mill Valley High School may be just eight years old, but it already is building a storied tradition among its athletic programs.

The girls track team has won the Kaw Valley League championship every year since the school opened. The football program has been a league powerhouse and has turned out NCAA Division I players.

In just a few short years, the Jaguars have set the bar high. Seniors Miles Malec and Kelsey O'Hara have played major roles in the school's athletic success during the past four years, and their contributions to the Jaguar sports programs led the Dispatch to select them as the Mill Valley male and female athletes of the year, given annually to the top senior athletes at the school.

JAGS IN GOOD HANDS WITH MALEC

When he entered Mill Valley High School as a freshman four years ago, there were questions about how good of an athlete Miles Malec would become.

There never was a doubt, however, that the guy could catch.

Mill Valley coach George Radell vividly remembers Malec's first day of football practice.

"I remember our receivers coach saying after the first day of practice, 'I think he's supposed to be with the linemen : but he sure can catch,'" Radell recalled. "He came to high school as a short, soft, little overweight kid. He was probably 5-foot-4, and he graduates 6-1, 185 pounds, with numerous records at Mill Valley High School and multiple college offers."

Yes, Malec had hands of glue from day one - a set of hands that would eventually make him one of the top wide receivers in Kansas and an All-Kaw Valley League shortstop in baseball.

Despite being undersized, Malec was one of two freshmen to suit up for the football regional playoffs. His sophomore year, he cracked the varsity rotation and shared time with standout Alex Meddaugh, a player Malec said he learned a lot from.

"He worked hard in practice," Malec said of Meddaugh, "and as a young kid watching one of the older guys actually try and work hard at practice, it meant a lot to me. When I became a junior and senior I wanted to do that because (Meddaugh) showed that it pays off to do that and not just walk through practice."

Radell knew Malec as well as any coach at Mill Valley during the past four years. That's because, Radell said, Malec rarely left the coaches alone. He was always hanging around the coaches and spent plenty of time in the coaches' office, especially during his junior and senior seasons.

"He spent as much time in the coaches' office as the coaches did, just sitting there with us or listening to us talk. I think through that process he gained maybe a coach's perspective of the big picture," Radell said.

Malec credited sports - and Radell and baseball coach Jeff Strickland in particular - with giving him direction as he grew older. His coaches stood by him when he made youthful mistakes, and they helped him understand his potential.

"I made a few mistakes in high school doing some stuff I shouldn't have been doing, but I knew I screwed up and sat down with both of them because I'd rather them hear it out of my mouth than from others," he said. "I had a few punishments here and there, and they talked to me about it. Coach Strickland understood, and he helped me out a lot with just growing up as a person. Coach Radell did too."

Radell said the more Malec matured, the more he evolved into a leader and playmaker for the Jaguars. Radell recalled when Malec was diagnosed with mononucleosis before the season-opener his junior year. He had an enlarged spleen. Doctors wouldn't clear him to play.

"Long story short, he played that first game and he got clearance," Radell said. "He was running all over town to get whatever they were doing, MRIs or CT scans or X-rays to determine he was in position where it was safe to take the field. That was completely personally motivated."

That same determination was evident throughout his senior season when an injury-plagued Jaguar squad needed him most. The biggest of those blows, as far as Malec's statistics were concerned, came this season when starting quarterback Luke Lawyer was knocked out for the season with an injured collarbone.

In the face of that adversity, Radell said, Malec blossomed as a leader. He didn't pout about having fewer balls thrown his way. Instead, he found ways to make plays happen and helped lead the Jaguars to a 6-3 record anyway.

"We went through a stretch there when he didn't have balls thrown to him, he wasn't a part of what we were doing, but he's playing defensive back and getting interceptions and wanting to do more," Radell said.

Strickland saw Malec try to do more as well. After breaking into the varsity lineup as a sophomore, he became an everyday contributor his junior year on a senior-dominated roster.

Malec was one of just a handful of seniors on the youth-laden 2008 squad. Strickland needed players to step up, and Malec embraced that opportunity as a sure-handed shortstop.

"He set a good example on the field during practices and during games by playing as hard as he could," Strickland said.

Malec's sound defensive play and powerful bat helped him garner second-team All-Kaw Valley League honors and second-team All-Johnson County recognition.

The baseball honor was the last of many athletic honors he collected during his sports career, with most of them coming on the football field. He was an All-KVL selection, an honorable mention All-Johnson County choice by the Kansas City Star, an honorable mention All-State pick by the Topeka Capital-Journal and a first-team All-State honoree by the Wichita Eagle.

He also solidified his position as the best wide receiver in Mill Valley history, setting school records in eight categories - the most of any Jaguar football player not named Woods. Malec's records include career receptions (62), career receiving yards (1,087) and career receiving touchdowns (14).

Only 2005 graduate and University of Northern Colorado player David Woods has more records with 14. Woods' younger brother Justin, a Kansas State football player, owns four records, and oldest brother Max has one.

"That's quite a few records when you think individual game receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns receiving, career receiving yards : goodness gracious that guy was super productive for us," Radell said of Malec's production throughout his career. "And he did it really in spite of not always having all the ingredients a team would need to be successful passing."

Malec had offers to play both baseball and football in college, but none appealed to him. He said he'd hoped to walk on at Kansas University, but the Jayhawks didn't return his calls.

He will attend Johnson County Community College this fall and is considering walking on to the baseball team. He hasn't ruled out giving football another try, though, and said he may transfer to KU next year.

Radell said he wouldn't rule out the possibility that Malec will play again.

"I think he's still entertaining the possibility," Radell said. "Certainly he could be on a campus right now working out with a team getting ready for the season."

O'HARA EXCELS ON THE RUN

Tradition runs deep in the Mill Valley High School running community, and few athletes' footprints have left tracks as permanent as those of Kelsey O'Hara.

The list of honors includes two cross country state medals, four track state medals in the 3,200-meter relay, two individual Kaw Valley League championships in cross country and four league titles in track.

Her teams were equally good, winning two KVL crowns in cross country and four in track, as well as placing second at the Class 5A state track meet this spring.

At a school known for its talented runners, few have been better than O'Hara.

She began crafting her legacy early. During her freshman season of cross country she won the league championship, was the regional runner-up and then blazed the Rim Rock Farm course to a fourth-place finish at state in 12 minutes, 26 seconds, a mere eight seconds behind the winner.

"Coach (Mark) Chipman talked to me about maybe doing that good, but I didn't think that could happen because there were so many good runners," O'Hara recalled. "I was probably expecting top 15, and then I got fourth. It was a really big shock."

Just seven months later, O'Hara made her first impression on the state track meet when she teamed with Sara Karcher, Lindsey Warren, Emily Gilbreath to finish fifth in the 3,200 relay.

A bout with mononucleosis crept up just before the state track meet, and its lingering effects slowed O'Hara considerably during her sophomore cross country season.

"I went from being fourth at state (as a freshman) to fourth from last," she said with a chuckle. "I was sick the whole time."

At a point in her career when many female runners begin to lose a step, O'Hara made sure her glory days weren't behind her. Neither mononucleosis nor a growth spurt erased her from the running map. By track season in 2006 she was back up to speed. The sophomore and three seniors reunited for a fourth-place finish in the 3,200 relay at state.

O'Hara said she learned a lot from running with the upperclassmen for two years. Specifically, she learned the value of hard work.

"They were always there at practice; never missed it," she said. "They would work hard every day, even if coach wasn't here and we had to run 400s by ourselves. They'd always push themselves to make sure they got better. As I got older, I tried to do it because seeing how hard they worked made me want to work hard too."

Hard work made O'Hara a permanent fixture among the area's top runners throughout her junior and senior years, as well. In cross country, she recaptured the KVL championship as a junior and returned to the medal stand at state in 20th place. Meanwhile, she teamed with Whitney Hartman, Jasa DuMontelle and Katie Maybell to finish fifth at state in the 3,200 relay in 2007 and third in 2008. In typical O'Hara fashion, she anchored the relay team, and in her final race the senior held off two runners in the final 100 meters. Seconds later the senior collapsed into the arms of her sophomore teammates - the next generation of Mill Valley standout runners - and celebrated.

"It was just an awesome feeling because there was so much emotion put behind it, and being such team effort was just awesome," she said.

Team effort was what attracted O'Hara to basketball. She began playing in third grade and was a two-year varsity player for the Jaguars.

Mill Valley coach Diana Krull said O'Hara's running background made the 6-foot forward a particularly effective post defender.

"Obviously she's got a running background, so she ran the floor for us very well, which was a positive for us with the style of ball we like to play getting up and down the floor," Krull said. "She was mainly a defensive stopper, and she brought intensity to the floor when she was out there."

Toughness was one of O'Hara's trademarks, and she played most of her senior season with a black eye she sustained while battling for a rebound.

"Most girls in basketball don't like contact, and when you play inside there's lot of contact all the time," Krull said. "Kelsey wasn't one to back off. She actually invited a lot of contact."

O'Hara's work ethic wasn't limited to the track, cross country course or basketball court. She also excelled in the classroom. She was a member of the marching band, debate team and JAGS-Community Service Club. She also posted the second-highest grade-point average in her class. She was ranked first all through her first three years, ": and then I took calculus this year," she said, noting that she got a B during her first semester and a B-plus second semester.

As if she wasn't busy enough with sports and school, there was a third facet to O'Hara's chaotic schedule.

"There's a side that a lot of people don't know about her," Mill Valley track coach Mark Peck said. "She does a tremendous amount of volunteer work at Lakeview Village in Lenexa, a home for senior citizens. I teach a community service class and Kelsey couldn't fit that class into her schedule, but she went ahead and volunteered and would go over to Lakeview retirement home throughout the summer and the school year on her free time."

You already know O'Hara's academic and athletic commitments, so you know her "free time" was limited. That meant she spent about five hours per weekend - when she wasn't running in a meet or playing in a basketball tournament - at Lakeview. O'Hara said she loved the time she spent there and "really grew a bond with a lot of the people there."

In fact, O'Hara received Mill Valley's Presidential Service Award for performing at least 100 community service hours during the school year.

"My kids leave school to go do that," Peck said. "Well, she did this on her own after practice. I think that's pretty cool on her part."

O'Hara's volunteer work helped her earn a Robert Dole scholarship, as well as the Richard Catlett scholarship from Lakeview Village and the Betty Charlton scholarship from the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce.

Even with her extensive list of accomplishments, O'Hara always has maintained a level head and a clear focus. That, Krull said, is what's most impressive about the future Kansas State University student and engineering major.

"She's a very humble person, and as a coach you really enjoy being able to be around and coach and be a part of a kid like that," Krull said. "She's just an all-around good person in all aspects of everything."