By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
Southeast of Saline is off to a hot start to the 2024 campaign, and after winning the Trojan War for a seventh straight season, the Trojans now fix their gaze on a perennial power and postseason rival in Kingman.
The Eagles come into this contest at 2-1, their only loss to the defending 3A state champs in Cheney, while the Trojans enter at 3-0 with two victories over state powers.
Last week’s win over Beloit proved just how tough SES is, after losing both of their top offensive weapons in Grady Gebhardt and Tucker Thaxton for stretches of the game.
“Seeing our guys stick with it and understand what we do has been such a good thing for us,” SES head coach Mitch Gebhardt said. “Everybody is working together and that’s a huge thing with this group. They’re resilient, they focus on the next play and we’ve had a lot of different guys make big plays for us.”
Southeast will need that resilience again this week against a Kingman team it’s met in each of the last two postsesaons.
The Eagles eliminated SES 28-22 in the 2022 semifinals, but the Trojans got their revenge with a 36-28 win in last year’s quarterfinals, setting up Friday night’s rubber match.
“Kingman is disciplined and their coaching staff does such a great job,” Gebhardt said. “Their kids are in the right spots, they’re always physical and those kids are gonna work hard for four quarters. We’ve had some great battles with them and this is a big game for us.”
This also marks the final game in a brutal early-season stretch that saw Southeast seek out opponents like Clay Center and Beloit for their early-season schedule.
“Playing good teams early like this is big, and it lets you learn who you are,” he said. “Mistakes are compounded in games like this but in our film sessions we can really see what might come back and haunt us later, it makes us better.”
Up against a perennial power, in enemy territory, it will take another strong effort for the Trojans to walk away with a win, but the team is up to the task.
“We have to take care of the football; turnovers are big in a game like this,” he said. “We have to stay together and know our role on defense, and we have to continue to improve on special teams.”
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and pregame coverage will be on Salina Post and KINA at 6:40. Devin Hanney and Russ Cossell will have the call.
You can tune in for live stream video and audio commentary below 100% free on Salina Post by clicking HERE.