By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
For a time, the city of Salina dominated Class 5A, with either South or Central winning a state title in six of the seven seasons between 1999 and 2005.
The dynasties of Salina rose to power quickly, but fell almost as fast, and for the last 20 years, the community has waited for another opportunity to see one of their teams reach the summit.
Today, that wait may very well come to an end, as the Mustangs travel to Emporia to battle for a 5A crown for the first time since 2005.
“This community has been itching for something like this, and there’s been a lot of noise and a lot of positivity all playoffs,” Central head coach Mark Sandbo said. “Our kids feel like they’re walking on the red carpet, and it’s a big-time deal. Playing for a state title anywhere across the country is a big deal, but here in Salina, they take it up another notch.”
Coach Sandbo may be too humble to admit it, but his leadership, along with the leadership of his staff, has led to the revival of a program that, if you squint, looks almost like the Mustang teams of old.
In his first year leading the Mustangs in 2018, Central didn’t just win its first game in two years; it won seven, including its first playoff game since 2013.
In 2022, Sandbo’s Mustangs reached their first quarterfinal since 2013, and this year, they punched a ticket to their first semifinal since 2007, then won again to advance to the big one for the first time since 2005.
Central achieved all of this with a first-year starter in Griffin Hall under center, a power run game that mirrors those early 2000s teams, and a defense that’s taken arguably the biggest step forward of any unit in the state.
All three of those elements were on full display last week when the Mustangs eliminated the number one team in the state on the road in Great Bend, in a 30-28 upset that the city of Salina won’t soon forget.
“The way we played defensively against two of the most explosive players we’ve seen all year impressed me,” Sandbo said. “When the big moments came, our kids rose to the occasion.”
The jubilation of that moment didn’t turn to contentment of a job well done, but to hunger for the ultimate prize, one Salina has yearned for for two decades.
“These guys are locked in, but with 18 seniors and guys who have been in the fire, that’s not surprising,” he said. “We’re having fun but there’s a business focus to this and an understanding that the next one is the biggest one.”
To win a state title and climb the final rung on a very steep ladder, the Mustangs will have to do something no one in the state of Kansas has been able to do in 2025: beat Basehor Linwood.
The Panthers enter this contest at 12-0, fresh off a 28-20 victory over a St. James Academy team that many considered to be sneaky favorites to win 5A this season, setting up a showdown between two teams many counted out to reach this very moment.
“Basehor is really well coached,” Sandbo said. “They’ve got great schemes on both sides of the ball, they’re fast, they execute well and they’ve got some dudes that the spotlight will be on. They’re a lot like us with a lot of really great players in a lot of really important positions and they really hustle around.”
Offensively, the Bobcats are led by senior QB Carson Dixon who has 2,559 total yards, and 31 touchdowns on the year.
Dixon’s duel with Griffin Hall should make for an entertaining watch. The Mustang junior enters this game with 2,587 yards and 35 scores of his own.
The x-factor in this game may very well be Cooper Reves, who nobody, Great Bend included, has had an answer for this season.
Reves has lit 5A defenses on fire to the tune of 280 carries, 2,571 yards, and 28 rushing touchdowns, the perfect man to carry the torch of the Mustang teams of old.
While the importance of this matchup is elevated, the keys to victory do not change for a Central team that knows as well as anyone what’s on the line this afternoon.
“You have to have seven over three,” Sandbo said. “There’s a time when three points are huge, but when we’re inside the red zone, we have to be scoring touchdowns. Turnovers will be big in this game; that’ll get you beat in a game like this. We also need to limit their explosives and force them to drive the distance. If we can keep them somewhat corralled, I think we’ve got a chance to be celebrating around 5 pm.”
Kickoff of the 5A state championship game is scheduled for 2:00 on the campus of Emporia State University.