By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
If you’ve watched Salina South in the Christien Ozores era, you’ve watched a team on the cusp of turning the corner.
Ozores led the Cougars to their first win in three years in 2024, snapping a 30-game losing streak that stretched back into the 2021 season.
There was cause for optimism in 2025, but after an 0-6 start, it appeared the Cougar rebuild would be delayed another year.
Salina South had other plans.
The Cougars parlayed a 1-7 regular season into an improbable playoff run, knocking off two of the top teams in Class 5A in Andover and Liberal before falling to the eventual state champs and cross-town rival Central Mustangs.
That run, coupled with a large group of returners, has South’s stock soaring ahead of a 2026 campaign with a huge range of potential outcomes.
“I was excited to see our group of kids really come together and finally figure out how to win games,” Ozores said. “There’s been talent, but those guys had never really won, and putting four quarters of the kind of football we wanted to play together was really nice to see.”
Even during the regular season, four of South's eight losses came by ten or fewer points, and the confidence that comes with winning big games could very well be the key that unlocks the next step in this Cougar rebuild.
“There’s always room for improvement but we feel like our culture is in a good spot,” Ozores said. “We know we’re not good enough yet and we have to continue to get better every single day, we can’t be satisfied and we have to take on that 1-0 mentality every week. Our guys have bought into that and they know we’re doing everything we can to put them in the best position to succeed.”
While many question marks linger around the upcoming campaign, the skill positions are not one of them, as South returns their starting quarterback, running back, and two of their top three pass catchers from 2025.
Sophomore Izzy Telles was a revelation at quarterback last year, shattering the school’s single-season passing record with 2,269 yards through the air and 24 touchdowns to just 10 picks
“It’s hard to play against 5 and 6A teams as a 15-year-old, but Izzy did a great job and he’s really taken another step up,” he said. “He’s seeing things faster, getting to his spots quicker, and his progressions are faster. He’s taken more ownership as a leader, and he’s done a great job making sure we’re lined up in the right spots and ready to go.”
Not only will Telles get two of his favorite targets back in Jay Curtis and Jaxton Kitchener, but the Cougars add Sacred Heart transfer Noah Hines to the receiving core, who averaged over 700 yards receiving over the last two seasons for the Knights.
“Noah has done a great job, and we were really happy he showed up ready to go,” Ozores said. “He’s making that adjustment against these bigger schools, but he’s picking it up really quickly and he knows how to best use his skill set. We know our guys are going to get a lot of attention so we’re excited to see him step up and make some plays for us this year.”
To put the cherry on top, the Cougars also return a 1,000-yard rusher in Armane Redmond to the backfield, and get two of their anchors back on the offensive line.
“Our skill guys are very talented and very experienced on both sides of the ball,” he said. “A lot of those guys have been starting since freshman year and we feel really great about that group.”
Defensively, the Cougars took a huge step forward last season, holding opponents to just 28 points per game over their last five matchups after allowing over 37 in their first six.
If that trend continues, the version of South we see on Friday night’s could look reminiscent of the one that knocked off Andover and Liberal if the team can stay healthy and continue that steady improvement.
“Overall we’re a lot faster on defense,” Ozores said. “When you play teams like Derby, Maize and Central you have to be able to get off blocks quickly and run, getting to those guys is important and our guys are flying around to the football well. We may not be the biggest group but our guys have great speed on defense and we feel really good about that.”
South did lose a good chunk of defensive talent, but returns anchors at all three levels with Conner Riley and Corbin Beason back in the trenches, Maddox Girard and Jaxon Anthony at linebacker, and Kobie Henley and Caden Stauffer patrolling the secondary.
The biggest question for the Cougars may not lie in their starting lineup, but in the guys who may be called upon in a pinch throughout the season.
“We feel good about the guys we’ve got but we’re still working to establish more depth,” he said. “Football is a physical game, guys are going to get dinged up and you really have to have a next man up mentality. We want to get to a point where we feel confident about whoever might have to step up at any position and a lot of that comes down to getting these younger guys more experience and confidence.”
One way or another, the Cougars will enter the postseason battle-tested after facing an AVCTL gauntlet that features the defending 5A champs in Salina Central, Maize, Hutch, Maize South and Derby.
“Playing as the smallest school in the AVCTL DI is a real challenge but we learn really quickly where we are and where we need to get better,” he said. “We play schools with double our numbers but we have to find ways to stay healthy and show up every week ready to prove that we’re a really good football team.”
The gauntlet begins with a showdown for the Mayor’s Cup on September 4th.
2026 Salina South Football Schedule
- 9/4 - vs. Salina Central
- 9/11 - vs. Maize
- 9/18 - at Hutch
- 9/25 - vs. Valley Center
- 10/2 - at Ark City
- 10/9 - vs. Maize South
- 10/16 - at Haysville-Campus
- 10/23 - vs. Derby