By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
For the first time in nearly a month, the Salina Liberty return home for a rematch against the Dodge City Law on Saturday.
The Liberty come into this game still holding the title of the only undefeated team in the league at 7-0 while the Law enter at 3-2 and fresh off a 40-34 victory over the Wichita Force.
The last time these two met in early May Salina got the better of Dodge City, nearly doubling them up 62-34 after stumbling out of the gates in the first quarter.
“We started off pretty slow in that game and a lot of that was a result of how Dodge City came out and performed,” Liberty head coach Heron O’Neal said. “We came off a bye feeling ourselves a little bit and got hit in the mouth so hopefully we learned from that and we’ll be ready to battle to show who’s who at this point in the season.”
The biggest question mark for Salina this week will be the status of quarterback Tyrie Adams, defensive back Isaiah Barfield and D-lineman Rusty Becker, all of whom came off the field and did not return in the Liberty win over Sioux City last week.
There will be questions to answer on the Dodge City side as well, as the team has been busy since the last meeting between these two strengthening their roster to build a real competitor.
In addition to bringing in three defensive linemen and four defensive backs in the last two weeks, the Law will regian the services of several key players on offense who were not available to face the Liberty the first time around.
“It’s going to be a completely different style of game than what we saw the first time around,” O’Neal said. “We’re expecting things to be much more physical. Our players and coaches feed off of the energy of that Salina crowd and we’re definitely going to need that energy this Saturday.”
Dodge City comes into this game with the second best scoring offense in the league and a defense that has struggled to keep points off the board but looked much better last week with the reinforcements.
Those new additions will need to step up as the defensive unit for the Law has also forced a measly two turnovers all season and has not pressured opposing QBs much with just four sacks in five games.
Dodge City is led offensively by the quarterback Ray John Ramsey who has settled into the starting role with six touchdowns and only two interceptions this season on a team that balances the passing and running games well.
Including today's showdown with the Law, Salina has just four games left in the regular season, and will be at home just one more time after this.
Kickoff between the Liberty and Law is scheduled for 6:30pm from the Tony’s Pizza Events Center and as always games can be heard on KINA (910 AM or 107.5 FM) courtesy of Eagle Radio.
For more on the Salina Liberty in 2021 stay tuned to the Salina Post.