By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
Southeast of Saline gave Council Grove a run for their money last week, but the Braves weathered the storm and defeated SES 14-8 to remain undefeated at 6-0.
The Trojans, now 4-2, hit the road for Riley County this week in a district game that could have massive implications come playoff time.
Week Seven - SE of Saline (4-2) at Riley County (4-2)
Date/Time - Friday, October 16, 2026, 7:00 kickoff
Location - Riley County High School, Riley KS
The Series - The Falcons have dominated this series since the first meeting in 1994, taking seven of the eight contests all time including all three in the playoffs. The lone win for SES in that span came 23-21 in 2018. Prior to this season, Riley County was the last team to beat Southeast in the regular season for six consecutive seasons.
Season Results
SE of Saline
- W 24-22 vs. Beloit
- W 55-6 at Lyons
- W 48-9 vs. Ellsworth
- L 28-14 at Marysville
- W 22-14 at Wichita Collegiate
- L 14-8 vs. Council Grove
Riley County
- L 7-6 vs. Nemeha Central
- W 21-0 vs. St. Marys
- W 20-15 at Rossville
- W 50-7 at Hiawatha
- W 42-0 vs. Minneapolis
- L 28-0 at Marysville
District 5 Standings
1. Council Grove (3-0, 6-0, +32)
2. Marysville (2-1, 4-2, +30)
3. Riley County (1-1, 4-2, +0)
T5. SE of Saline (0-2, 4-2, -20)
—--------------------------------
T5. Minneapolis (0-2, 1-5, -42)
NCAA Standings
1. SE of Saline (3-0) - League Champs
T2. Beloit (2-1)
T2. Lyons (2-1)
T2. Sacred Heart (2-1)
T5. Republic County (1-2)
T5. Ellsworth (1-3)
7. Minneapolis (0-3)
Broadcast info - This game will be streamed with live video and broadcast commentary on Salina Post and on the Salina Post YouTube page, and will be broadcast on radio on KINA (910 AM, 107.5 FM, or online at 910KINA.com.) Pregame begins at 6:30 on both platforms.
Voice of the Trojans Devin Hanney will provide play-by-play, with Kevin Lilley joining the booth for color commentary.
Stream link - youtube.com/watch?v=NOiM0Va5WRo
THE TROJANS AT A GLANCE
Despite boasting a 4-2 overall record, these final two weeks will be make-or-break for the Trojans, who sit in fourth place in the district at 0-2.
A win over Riley County could vault Southeast into a better playoff position if they can take care of Minneapolis in week eight, but that will prove to be a tall task against a 4-2 Falcon squad in a similar predicament.
The Trojan defense remains a strength, holding opponents under 16 points per game, while racking up 54 TFL, 8 sacks, 6 interceptions and 6 fumble recoveries.
The offense has looked good in stretches, but has struggled to put points on the board against top-tier defenses, scoring just 22 points in their two losses.
Turnovers have also plagued the Trojans with six interceptions and as many lost fumbles on the year.
Despite all that, Tiernan Ptacek has looked sharp at quarterback, completing 51 percent of his passes for over 1,000 yards and ten touchdowns through the air while also adding 500 yards and eight more scores on the ground.
A LOOK AT THE FALCONS
Riley County comes into this contest with a curious resume, holding an identical 4-2 record to Southeast.
At first glance, those wins come against four teams with a combined 6-18 record, but victories over Rossville and St. Mary’s are likely more impressive than the box scores would have you believe.
The Falcons have moved the ball effectively on the ground this season, averaging over 180 rushing yards per game, and have been excellent on defense, holding their first six opponents to under 10 points per game.
QUOTES FROM COACH PTACEK
On positives in a tough loss to Council Grove…
“Our kids did a lot of good things defensively in that game, with them throwing the ball around and doing some of the things that they do. We knew we needed to force some turnovers, and we forced the first three interceptions of their season, we also had 5 or 6 sacks and we held them out of the end zone in the second half to keep ourselves in the game.”
On where the offense still needs to improve…
“We’ve done a better job of taking care of the football over these last few weeks but we still need to sustain drives more effectively. We need to clean up mistakes and find ways to run the football against the boxes we’re seeing consistently from opposing defenses.”
On the importance of weeks 7 and 8 for postseason play…
“These are huge games for playoff positioning, obviously we’re focused on Riley County this week and they’ve flown a little under the radar but we want to finish district play with two wins and see where that puts us in week nine.”
On Riley County and the challenges they present…
“We scrimmaged Riley County this summer, they’ve got athletes and they’re very physical. They run the ball well and they do a good job of taking shots when they need to but we’re going to have to play fast and physical in order to match up with this Riley County team.”