By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
In Mitch Gebhardt’s first year at the helm of Southeast of Saline, the 3-0 Trojans hosted the Ellsworth Bearcats and were soundly beaten 35-6 in Gypsum.
SES wouldn’t win another game in 2010, closing out the year at a disappointing 3-6.
In the twelve seasons that followed, including the current 2022 campaign, the Trojans have posted 10 winning seasons, and have bludgeoned the Bearcats in all seven of their meetings, outscoring Ellsworth by a combined score of 301-33 in those games.
Tonight, the two take center stage in the world of 2A football, as the #1 Trojans (7-0) once again host the #5 Bearcats (7-0) in a battle for a league title, a district title, an undefeated season and a guaranteed two home playoff games beginning next week.
While Southeast enters this contest as the favorite on paper, Ellsworth has come out of the woodwork after a disappointing 2-7 campaign and will be eager to cement their status as a true contender in Class 2A while slaying their dragon all in one go.
“This is a big game, and this will set the tone for the playoffs,” Bearcat head coach Josh Homolka said. “This game will show us where we’re at compared to the teams that set the tone in 2A. There’s a lot on the line and our guys are excited to be a part of it.”
On the Southeast sideline, it’s been business as usual, but even though their preparation remains consistent, the Trojans are well aware of what this game means in the grander scheme of things.
“Our kids get up for every game but we understand that there’s a league title and a district title at stake and those are two things that we want,” SES head coach Mitch Gebhardt said. “Both teams have done a great job of setting themselves up for this and this should be a great football game.”
While both of these offenses have moved the ball on their opponents at will this season, the defenses will take center stage as the Trojans and Bearcats hold the best and second-best total defense in Class 2A, allowing just 135 and 162 yards per game respectively.
For the Trojans, the name of the game will be consistency, as SES doesn’t expect the home run balls that got them a 94-0 win last week to be as available against a stout Bearcat defense.
“It seems like Ellsworth plays fast from what we’ve seen and they get a lot of people to the football,” Gebhardt said. “If you miss a block they’re going to make you pay for it so we have to be assignment-sound and keep working for four quarters.”
On the Bearcat side, Ellsworth will need to make sure they handle the speed of a Trojan offense that has had opponents on their heels for a majority of the season.
“Their quarterback is pretty good and they can spread the ball out on you but they get to the line and run plays really quick and they run their offense at a high efficiency,” Homolka said. “We’ll have to identify formations quickly and be ready at the snap.”
Ellsworth can also keep the SES offense off the field with a slow, methodical running attack that’s worn down opposing fronts in 2022.
“We huddle and take our time to get to the line of scrimmage,” Homolka said. “They want to run 100 plays on offense but we definitely don’t want to play 100 plays on defense. The biggest thing we can do to help ourselves is to get first downs and try to grind some clock.”
While this game will be the first big test for Ellsworth, the Trojans feel that their strength of schedule has prepared them for a game like this, and will look to put that experience on full display tonight.
“Rock Creek, Clay Center, and Ellsworth are big games and we’ve played a tough schedule by design,” Gebhardt said. “Each week builds on itself and we knew we were in for some battles but our kids have handled that well and hopefully they continue to do that.”
Kickoff between the Trojans and Bearcats is set for 7 pm at Southeast of Saline high school and as always the game can be heard on KINA (910 AM or 107.5 FM) or streamed with live audio and video on the Salina Post.