By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
With the start of the Champions Indoor Football season just days away, the Salina Liberty has been hard at work as they prepare to defend their title in 2023.
After years of coming up just short, Salina finally sealed the deal back in 2022, knocking off a hated rival in the Omaha Beef to bring the elusive title back to the Salina Community.
While that feeling of jubilation has lingered over the city of Salina since that fateful day in June, the team hasn’t spent a ton of time thinking about it, focusing instead on keeping the crown in their possession.
“It feels good to be the champs,” Liberty head coach Heron O’Neal said. “The confetti came down and we got the trophy and our rings but as soon as I had that in my hand my attention shifted to this year and I haven’t looked back. Now it’s time to reload and try to run it back.”
This year’s Salina roster will feature a healthy mix of returning veterans and newcomers alike, as the Liberty look to further cement their status as the top dog in the CIF.
One of the biggest changes this season will be at quarterback, where a preseason battle still rages on between two newcomers in Javonte Johnson and Jerod Evans
Johnson is fresh off a championship-winning season with the Tri-City Rush of the AWFC, which saw him collect the league’s MVP award after earning himself, and his team a ring.
“Javonte can throw a football 75 yards,” O’Neal said. “He has that kind of ridiculous arm strength but I also love his competitive spirit. There was an adjustment period as he moved up to the CIF but he’s clicking on all cylinders now and discovering how he can be effective in this offense.”
On the other side of the battle, Jerod Evans brings more size to the table, as well as certified NFL experience.
“Jerod is a big kid from Virginia Tech who spent some time with the Eagles and Packers in the NFL,” he said. “We picked him up recently so he’s still learning things but he’s another dual threat with a rocket arm and a high quarterback IQ.”
While the Liberty will have a new signal caller this season, the rest of the offense will feature a host of familiar faces, with Tracy Brooks and Tristan Gould returning to the backfield, and Fast Ed Smith, D-Wash, and Anthony Love lining the receiving corps.
The Liberty also return both Kelvin McCoy and Aleki Tapa to the offensive line which should help bolster the confidence of a pair of rookies in running back De’Andra Sipp and receiver Caleb Mills.
Rounding out the scoring threats, Salina will also return a former Kansas Wesleyan product in kicker Michael Pursley.
With so much firepower, the Liberty offense should be a force to be reckoned with this season, and Salina will be in good hands should they find themselves in any shootouts.
“We have a lot of talent and a lot of experience in our quarterback room, in our backfield, and in our wide receiving corps,” O’Neal said. “Our defense carried us last year but this year that might be reversed. We have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball but the offense is looking good right now as we get things together defensively.”
On the defensive side of things, Salina will have more holes to fill from their top-ranked, championship-winning unit a season ago, but should still be in good hands with veteran returners at two of the three levels.
In the trenches opposing fronts will once again have to deal with the dynamic duo of Shaq Bradford and Travis Taylor, who wreaked havoc on opponent’s backfields last season.
The linebacking corps will see the most turnover with a pair of newcomers stepping up in Darian Taylor and Adrian Johnson, while the secondary returns captain Deetray Matthews alongside more newcomers in Kevin Simmons, Ethan Owens, and Trevon Slayton.
“I’ll be interested to see how well we play together on the defensive side of the ball since we only return three starters from that championship defense,” he said. “That’s going to be a big key for us and it’s not something we’re concerned about but we’ll be keeping an eye on it.”
While hopes and expectations in the Salina community will be high entering this year’s title defense, those things haven’t changed over the first four years of Coach O’s time at the helm, and this year will be no different.
“Our goals and aspirations never change, and for as long as God blesses me to be the coach of this team they never will,” he said. “We want to win every game, to be the #1 seed with home field throughout the playoffs, and to win the championship. Those three goals never change in addition to trying to help our guys move up to the next level.”
The Liberty will open their season at home on Saturday when they host the Topeka Tropics to open CIF play at 6:35 pm.
For coverage of Salina Liberty football all season long stay tuned to the Salina Post and follow us on Twitter @spostsports.