The finish was fitting in a game as evenly matched as the Class 5A quarterfinal between Mill Valley and St. James. 

There were eight lead changes and the largest lead of the night was just six points. 

In the end, the Thunder had its hands on the ball last and took advantage, scoring with seconds left to outlast the Jaguars, 45-41, Friday night at St. James.

After Mill Valley’s Blake Jay scored on a quarterback sneak to put Mill Valley up 41-38 with less than six minutes to play, St. James proved to have the final heroics. Both teams traded stop and punts, then Thunder started their final drive at their own 47 with under two minutes left. St. James converted a key 4th-and-3 with :55 left, then a couple plays later, quarterback John Hornback rolled right from 12 yards out, and raced for the end zone, leaping in, for the game-winning score with just 14 seconds left in the game. 

"I really don't know how we got it done, but it was a fun win," St. James head coach Tom Radke said. 

The scoring started early and often for both teams, as the Thunder started quick with a Jake House touchdown less than two minutes into the game.  House rushed for 81 yards in the contest

Mill Valley countered before quarter's end with the first of four rushing touchdowns by Jay and led 7-6, after one period. The Jaguars extended the lead to 14-6 on a Max Piva run. 

But St. James controlled the rest of the half with a 69-yard touchdown pass from Hornback to Alec Jett and another House rushing score to lead, 20-14, at halftime. Hornback finished with 308 passing yards and 101 rushing yards in the game, while Jett snared five catches for 160 yards and a touchdown.

Out of the break, Mill Valley moved quickly and regained the lead at 10:20 in the third on a Jay touchdown run for 10 yards. Jay followed with a 47-yard touchdown scamper for a 28-23 lead with 5:03 left in the stanza.

In the final two minutes of the third, House found the end zone again on a one-yard run, and St. James converted the two-point try to lead, 31-28, after three.

The Jaguars opened the fourth quarter with a fourth-down touchdown pass from Jay to Piva to take a 34-31 lead. But House scored for the fourth time with eight minutes left, making it 38-34. 

The Thunder (10-1) face Basehor-Linwood (11-0) next Friday in Basehor for a spot in the state championship.