By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Southeast of Saline Trojans started their 2022 season with an impressive showing, handing the Rock Creek Mustangs a 38-26 loss to keep a number of milestones alive in Gypsum.
The Trojans have now won an unthinkable 13 consecutive season and home openers, one for each year of the Mitch Gebhardt era. SES also extends their regular season win streak to 17 games dating back to 2019.
Southeast had a number of big questions to answer in this highly touted season opener, but the biggest unknowns loomed over new personnel in the trenches and in the run game.
Both of those questions would be answered confidently by the final whistle.
The Trojans would strike first, picking up right where they left off in 2021 with a 56-yard pitch and catch from Luke Gebhardt to Michael Murray.
SES would go up 14-0 early but Mustang quarterback Dalton Whitworth proved to be just as good as advertised, manufacturing two big drives to make it a one-point ballgame at the intermission.
Southeast leaned on the passing game in the first half and while many braced for a second-half shootout, the Trojans had other ideas.
“We figured out that our run game is going to carry us,” Gebhardt said. “We talked since last year about how our line was going to do but Coach Douglas has worked them hard and I thought those two units were the difference in the second half.”
Offensively the operators in the Trojan trenches got to work, opening up even bigger lanes for Nathan Friesen, Danny Kejr, and Luke Gebhardt.
In addition to controlling the tempo, Southeast was now able to control the clock and keep last year’s record-breaking state passing leader on the Rock Creek sideline.
“Our offensive line set the tone when we got the ball and we had several kids that ran the ball hard,” he said. “We have more speed than we’ve had in the past and for us to utilize that is great.”
Out of the break, the two teams traded punches with Whitworth finding Ethan Burgess for a 60-yard touchdown pass, but from there the Trojans quite literally ran away with the game, racking up over 200 second-half rushing yards to put the game out of reach and take the 38-26 victory.
Both Friesen and Gebhardt put in 100-yard rushing performances, with Kejr tacking on 70 more of his own while the SES defense kept Whitworth and company at bay until the final whistle.
Rock Creek will stay on the road in St. Mary’s next week for a battle with the Bears while Southeast travels to Beloit for an all-2A Trojan War.
For more on Southeast of Saline football all season long stay tuned to the Salina Post.