By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
As Friday night lights return to the state of Kansas, all eyes will be on Salina Stadium for a rare week-one installment of the 53rd annual Mayor’s Cup.
“This is one of the top rivalries in the state up there with Manhattan-Junction City and Garden City-Dodge City,” Central head coach Mark Sandbo said. “This is 365 days of bragging rights that you’re the standard in the community when it comes to arguably the most popular sport in Salina.”
That notion isn’t lost on Salina South either, and the Cougars will be eager for an opportunity to reclaim the cup after losing it in a 49-14 week eight matchup last season.
“I know you’re supposed to say that we treat every game the same but this game means more, it just does,” Cougar head coach Sam Sellers said. “Whoever loses this game has to hear about it for the next year and that’s tough.”
While 52 matchups between South and Central precede this one, this will be a rare instance of the two meeting to open the season, adding an interesting wrinkle to an already heated rivalry.
“We’ve played South early before but never in week one like this,” Sandbo said. “I’ve never played a big rivalry game this quickly but no matter when you play them there’s going to be high energy in the stadium and on the sidelines. We just have to execute and I think we can have a lot of success.”
Both teams will have to settle into their new identity and work out their new personnel in the crucible of the Salina Showdown, but many would argue that the pressure falls on the challengers in South, who lost quarterback Weston Fries in the leadup to the season opener.
While Fries’ replacement Kreighton Modrow settles in, fans can expect an intense battle on the ground, as highly touted Cougar’s running back Ian Andalon looks to match the pace of Mustang feature back Kenyon McMillan.
“Central doesn’t return a ton of starters but I’ve always thought the world of Kenyon McMillan,” Sellers said. “That kid’s a heck of a football player and we know that he should be touching the ball 3o times a game.”
On the Mustang sideline, the focus will remain on finding ways to penetrate the Cougar O-Line, a unit that is shaping up to be one of South’s biggest strengths in 2022.
“They have some dynamic individuals,” Sandbo said. “At this level, every team has some really good athletes but they’re big up front and they have some really good skill guys that can do some big things.”
Despite the uncertainty that comes with a week-one matchup, both coaches feel that the familiarity between the student-athletes may bolster their confidence when the two teams take the field on Friday night.
“These kids have grown up together and played a lot of sports together,” Sellers said. I think there’s a lot of respect among these kids and it’s kind of like playing your brother, you love them but you would never want to lose to them.”
Salina Central held the cup in back-to-back years from 2018-2019 but since that brief run, neither team has managed to hold onto the trophy or the bragging rights in consecutive seasons.
Kickoff between the Mustangs and Cougars is set for 7 pm at Salina Stadium in front of what should be a packed house.