By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
Two years ago, Solomon High School was one game away from a state championship.
But, they fell 52-6 to undefeated Central Plains in the title game, then graduated several key seniors. After posting a 4-5 record in 2019, it was time for the Gorillas to move in a different direction.
Mike Kilgore will be taking over as head coach of Solomon this season, and has been settling in nicely, despite all the challenges of 2020.
“It’s been a lot of work getting everything ready and making sure our kids are safe,” Kilgore said. “But the kids have been resilient and they’ve made it a pretty easy transition for me”
In the leadup to the 2020 season, Solomon’s practices have been highlighted by an intense battle for the starting quarterback spot between senior Alex Herbal and freshman Spencer Coup.
Each brings their own unique style to the table, and with less than a week to go before the season kicks off, the decision of who will be under center has still not been made.
“Alex can run like the wind,” Kilgore said. “He has a good feel for what to do with the ball and he’s been in the system for two years now so he knows it well.”
Herbal started at QB for the Gorillas in 2019 before a broken thumb forced him to adapt to a different role. He still managed to tally 16 rushing touchdowns and came up just shy of averaging 100 yards per game on the ground.
Coup, a freshman, is much newer to the Solomon system, but brings dynamic passing to the picture.
“He ran some of our stuff at the junior high level,” Kilgore said. “He can throw the ball very well, has good feet and great vision.”
While the quarterback battle rages on, Junior Dylan Hynes has secured his spot as the team’s go-to rusher. He averaged four yards per carry in 2019.
The main changes for the Solomon offense will come on the offensive line, as the Gorillas graduated seniors Brock Nelson, Trevor Kirby and Cameron Miller last year. The ironically named Lucas Newcomer will be the only returning lineman, and will be joined by actual newcomers Kyle Ryan and Simon Smith.
Solomon will also be transitioning Dawson Duryea from running back to “X” on the offensive line, where he will be eligible to set blocks and catch passes.
On the defensive end, the Gorillas will return a lot of familiar faces, starting with linebacker Dylan Hynes, who led the team in tackles last season.
Solomon also got back linebacker Jarrett Baxa, cornerback Dawson Duryea and safety Alex Herbal.
The defensive line will be completely overhauled this season as juniors Simon and Jacob Smith will fill the holes left by Brock Nelson and Trevor Kirby. Rounding out the front at nose guard will be 5-foot-11 junior Nevante Farris, who has the potential to be explosive in 2020.
“He’s a smaller kid but he is so fast off the ball and he does such a great job in our scheme,” Kilgore said. “He’s gonna make some noise in there this year.”
In addition to fighting for a starting QB spot, Spencer Coup now finds himself in a battle with fellow freshman Spencer Krause for the final cornerback spot.
Regardless of who gets the start, coach Kilgore wants his defense to be a lot more relaxed this year, which he hopes will lead to fewer mistakes.
“Our goal is to have the kids not have to think out there,” he said. “We want them to react and fly to the ball. They’ll know their jobs but I don’t want them thinking too much about it, I just want them to fly.”
Solomon will have an ideal opportunity to fly off the line on Friday when they visit Rural Vista (1-8 in 2019) to open their season.