By Tyler Henry
Salina Post Contributor
With half of the high school football season already behind us, it’s been a mixed bag of results for local area schools in 2020. Some have gotten off to a hot start, while others have struggled out of the gate.
In this midseason report, we’ll be taking a look at the first half of the season of each of our 8-Man and 1-3A schools, in terms of record, performance and upcoming games.
Southeast of Saline Trojans (4-0)
The Southeast of Saline Trojans have been cooking through their first four games. Since going into the locker room at the half of their opener with Minneapolis tied 16-16, the Trojan defense has not allowed a single point.
After defeating Minne 32-16, the Trojans ripped off wins of 18-0 against Beloit, 42-0 against Ellsworth and 60-0 against Russell last week.
“I’m excited about how relentless our defense has played,” SES head coach Mitch Gebhardt said. “It’s pretty hard to run or pass against them.”
While the defense has been the highlight, the offense has been very impressive, putting up monster numbers over the last two weeks.
Quarterback Jaxson Gebhardt has already put up 845 yards of total offense to add to 10 touchdowns this year.
Beside him in the backfield is Bryant Banks, who is averaging almost six yards per carry, highlighted by a first half last week that saw him rush for over 100.
The defense, as previously mentioned has been unreal this season, allowing no points through the last ten quarters of play. While the entire unit has been good, the three man front of Sterling Harp, Dawson Adams and Dalton Bunch has been something special, with 15 tackles for loss this year between them.
Junior linebacker Rudy Rodriguez has also had an impressive start, leading the team with 35 tackles and stopping everything up the middle.
The road for SES will not get any easier as they will face a 4-0 Colby team this week, and follow it up with a matchup against a scrappy 2-2 Goodland team.
After that it’s one more road trip to visit 1-3 Smoky Valley, followed by a meeting with a tough 2-2 Scott City squad.
Sacred Heart Knights (0-4)
The Sacred Heart Knights season has not gotten off to a good start in 2020, as the team has been outscored 178-6 in their first four games.
The struggles began in a rare 8-man battle with Kinsley due to scheduling changes that saw Sacred Heart fall 42-6. They followed it up with losses of 34-0 to Ell Saline, 50-0 to Inman and 52-0 to Smith Center.
While the team doesn’t look great on paper, this is a very young Knights squad that has needed even more youth to step up due to injuries.
“I’ve seen a lot of the younger guys step their game up and really compete,” head coach Shane Richards said. “We’ve just got to find the mental toughness to come out and compete for four quarters.”
While no one on the Sacred Heart roster boasts any flashy stats, there have been a few players who have shown glimpses of greatness this season.
Jared McCartney has done a good job of giving Sacred Heart a consistent rushing attack while guys like Mason Richards, Michael Matteucci and Gus Campa have done some really good things on defense.
Sacred Heart will have a great opportunity to pick up that elusive first win on Friday as they face an 0-4 Ellinwood team that has not found the scoreboard once this season.
“We match up well with Ellinwood, I hope that’ll be the game that helps our kids know what it takes to win a ballgame,” he said.
After that the Knights will face Wichita Independent (1-3), Oakley (3-1) and Plainville (2-2).
Ell Saline Cardinals (2-2)
The Ell Saline Cardinals got off to a great start in 2020, ripping off back to back wins against Marion (28-0) and Sacred Heart (34-0).
However, heading into the midway point of the season, the Cardinals are on a two game losing streak thanks to losses to Oakley (34-7) and Plainville (33-0).
“We play with great effort, and we have very good chemistry so we have the foundation of a really good team,” head coach Joe Roche said. “We could be more efficient on offense, we could stay with our blocks longer and we have a QB who can throw it but a lot of inexperience at wide receiver.”
Offensively, the Cardinals have looked very sharp at times, led by quarterback TJ Morrical who has over 500 yards and eight touchdowns this year, most of that on the ground.
Running back Keenan Drees has also looked sharp in the first half of 2020, averaging over six yards a carry on the ground.
On defense it really has been a team effort for Ell Saline, but one standout has been middle linebacker Kayden Goddard, who leads the team in tackles.
The schedule for Ell Saline won’t be getting any easier as the team will have to face Sedgwick (4-0), Inman (3-1), Smith Center (3-1) and Ellinwood (0-4)
“All of these games will be tough,” Roche said. “If we can finish by winning two of our district games that would be great but we’re gonna have to bring it and we’re gonna have to play hard, physical football to get out of it.”
Solomon Gorillas (4-0)
Another team that has flown off the line in 2020 is the Solomon Gorillas. Solomon hasn’t just won, they’ve done so in dominant fashion, outsourcing their opponents 202-70 so far this year.
The Gorillas got started with a 60-12 win over Rural Vista, and a close 38-32 win over Wakefield. After that, Solomon tore through it’s next two opponents, smacking Centre 56-26 and shutting out Herington 48-0).
“They’re starting to become a team, taking care of each other and doing the right things on and off the field and it’s been great,” head coach Mike Kilgore said.
The Solomon offense has been dominant this season, led by quarterback Alex Herbal who has 741 yards of total offense and 14 total touchdowns already.
It’s also been a great start for running back Dylan Hynes, who is averaging over five yards per carry and has eight touchdowns in the first four games.
Defensively there hasn’t been a single weak spot for Solomon, and the group effort has worked perfectly this season.
“Our defense is doing some work,” he said. They’re all doing their part, doing what they’re coached to do and I’m very thankful for the defense that we currently have.”
Solomon has a great opportunity to keep things rolling as they will face a 1-3 Bennington squad this week and a 2-2 Lincoln team next week.
The final stretch will be the biggest test for the Gorillas, as the team will take on the defending state champs in 4-0 Canton-Galva on the road, and 3-1 Little River at home.
“I wouldn’t put a state championship run past our team,” he said. “I would definitely be on the watch for this group of guys making a run, they’re gonna do some damage.”
Bennington Bulldogs (1-3)
Bennington got off to a good start in 2020 but has been trending in the wrong direction ever since. After a great win to start their season over Wakefield, the team has lost it’s last three, and their schedule won’t be getting any easier down the stretch.
Following the 34-30 win, Bennington fell to Washington County 36-16, Moundridge 48-38, and Canton Galva 66-0.
The back end of the Bulldog’s schedule won’t be any easier, as their final four opponents boast a record of 11-5.
Things will start with a rivalry game this week against the 4-0 Solomon Gorillas before Bennington faces 3-1 Little River.
Their final two opponents will be two 2-2 squads in Lincoln and Herington.