By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
Some seasons feel like a bad dream that you just can’t wake up from.
Before the Salina South Cougars ever set foot on the football field in 2022 the team was already without four key three-year starters.
Among these cornerstones was projected starting quarterback Weston Fries, who found out that he would miss the season due to a shoulder injury less than two weeks before kickoff.
Regardless, the Cougars marched on through a five-week gauntlet that included matchups with #2 Maize, #5 Hutchinson, 4-1 Derby, whose lone loss came at the hands of #1 Manhattan of 6A, and 3-2 Salina Central, who holds the #5 scoring offense in 5A.
The Cougar's troubles were compounded in a week-three matchup against Haysville Campus, in which South lost defensive standout Luke Simpson and star wideout Garrett Ailes, who led the team with almost 300 receiving yards through two weeks.
Salina South will enter the home stretch of their season at 0-5, but that record is not indicative of the work the Cougars have continued to put in even against insurmountable odds.
“These guys have shown incredible resilience even with all that we’ve gone through,” South head coach Sam Sellers said. “They continue to show up every week with a great attitude, ready to put in the work.”
That work has not been for nothing, as despite their struggles, the Cougars have actually put together the sixth-best passing offense in Class 5A, averaging 188 yards per game.
That success has come on the shoulders of sophomore quarterback Landon Putman, who took over as the starter in week two against the Derby Panthers.
Putman has completed 55% of his passes for 859 yards and ten touchdowns despite being sacked 22 times this season.
As Salina South looks to turn the corner, their schedule will give them a brief respite as the Cougars prepare for 1-4 Newton and 1-4 Goddard-Eisenhower in the next two weeks.
“We’re still looking to improve our physicality and consistency,” Sellers said. “We’ve been a physical group at times but not at others and we still need to find the confidence to overcome mistakes. When things have gone wrong for us we’ve strung those bad plays together and by the time we recover we’re in a hole.”
Despite facing a mountain of early-season adversity, the Cougars are far from ready to throw in the towel and will look to finish the season out strong no matter what else is thrown their way.
“We want to see our guys continue to fight and get better regardless of record,” he said. “We really like this group of kids and even after what they’ve gone through and our brutal schedule there are things on our goal list that are very achievable if we continue to fight.”
With a pair of winnable games upcoming, the next two weeks will provide South with an opportunity to build some momentum ahead of a big week eight matchup against Maize South.
“We knew going into this season that the first four or five weeks were going to be tough,” Sellers said. “We faced a lot of traditional powers early on and we feel like now we’re on a little bit more of a level playing field but we’re going to have to play really well to be in games these last three weeks.”
The Cougars will be back in action this Friday when the team travels to Newton looking to rally against the 1-4 Railers.