By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Wamego Red Raiders and Abilene Cowboys entered the 2022 season under drastically different pretenses.
For Wamego, this was another shot at a deep playoff run after a phenomenal 9-2 season in 2021.
For Abilene, it represented a chance for a struggling team, still in search of their first win in three seasons, to turn the page and re-establish themselves in Class 4A.
With seven weeks of football in the books, these two NCKL foes will size each other up this Friday night in a matchup that could be much closer than either team anticipated when the season began.
Abilene will enter this matchup at 4-3, fresh off a win over Augusta, with an opportunity to post their first winning regular season since 2016.
Despite the fact that Wamego has won the last two meetings by a combined 88 points, the Raiders are fully prepared for a battle come Friday night.
“Abilene has some weapons and they’ve got some skill players that move around well,” Wamego head coach Weston Moody said. “Timbrook throws the ball well and when you watch them on film they look pretty solid. It takes a little bit of time to get your culture in there but Coach Nicks has done a great job and I could see this being a rivalry that gets renewed.”
On the Wamego side of things, the Red Raiders have re-established themselves as a force to be reckoned with and will enter this game undefeated and ranked as the #4 team in Class 4A.
“Wamego is incredibly athletic and they’re not massive up front but they’re quick, they’re strong and they’re fundamentally sound,” Abilene head coach Brad Nicks said. “They’re well-coached and they platoon their kids to stay fresh but we have to focus on us, play Abilene football, and go get 'em."
One of the biggest hurdles for Abilene will be in overcoming the #1 scoring defense in Class 4A, as the Raiders allow under 6 points per game on average.
“The guys on Wamego’s defense are incredibly athletic,” Nicks said. They have safeties that come downhill and their linebackers and D-line are very quick and very strong.”
Defense has been a strength of the Cowboys this season as well as Abilene allows the seventh fewest passing yards per game, but will need to be prepared for a balanced Wamego attack that has given their opponents fits this season.
“When teams have tried to take away our run game this year we’ve thrown it, when they’ve tried to take away the pass we’ve run it,” Moody said. “It’s always my thought that you can’t be one-sided and you have to take what the defense gives you.”
While the Raiders will enter this contest as clear-cut favorites, Wamego is affording Abilene the utmost respect this week, and the Cowboys will get the #4 team in their class's best shot when the lights come on tonight.
“In the past couple of years we knew what was going to happen in this game,” Moody said. “That’s not the case here, I fully expect them to play us hard to the whistle and continue looking for that success against us this week.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm at Wamego High School, for continuing coverage of both teams stay tuned to the Salina and Little Apple Posts.