By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
All season long, Salina Central has been praised for having one of the best offenses in Class 5A.
The Mustangs ended the regular season ranked third in total offense (435 yds/g), fourth in scoring offense (45.3 ppg), and sixth in passing offense, averaging 180 yards through the air per game.
Through the first half of the campaign, that unit needed to be elite as Central found themselves in a shootout almost every week, with final scores like 54-44 and 47-33 dotting their record.
Despite a slow start on the other side of the ball, the Central defense has come into its own in the last four weeks, holding Andover Central to 24, Ark City to 8, and most recently, Andover to 15 in a gritty, defensive week nine elimination game.
“We were bend but don’t break on defense all night against Andover,” Mustang head coach Mark Sandbo said. “They won the field position battle and they had good spots to start from, but our defense had three stops inside the 20 where we didn’t allow points and that’s huge. That unit is getting better every week and we’re really starting to see them play with more confidence.”
While many on the outside view this recent sample size as anomalies, a closer examination of Central’s personnel tells the story of an inexperienced unit slowly learning the ropes and adjusting to the speed of the Friday night lights.
“Our defense has come a long way in terms of schematics and speed,” Sandbo said. “If you see a 60 mph fastball and then you jump to an 85 mph fastball there’s a difference there and when we replaced nine defensive starters these guys had to make an adjustment to the change of pace.”
That defense will be called upon to put together another strong effort this week as the Mustangs welcome in a 7-2 Great Bend team fresh off a 31-27 victory over Goddard-Eisenhower in week nine.
While the Panthers have been solid this season, Central hopes that their recent improvements, as well as an active four-game winning streak, will help to propel them to their first November win since 2013.
“I think we’re playing pretty confident right now but we hadn’t won a gritty, defensive game like that before and that’s big,” Sandbo said. “We relied on our defense to get some stops with their backs to the wall and they did that. We took a big step forward last week.”
This week, the Mustang defense will need to prepare for a Panther backfield that features senior quarterback Cayden Scheuerman and feature back Cody Miller, who have combined for over 3,200 yards of total offense and 34 touchdowns this season.
While good through the air, Scheuerman has been far from perfect this season, surrendering six picks to go along with his twelve passing touchdowns in 2022.
“Great Bend knows who they want to go to on offense,” he said. “They’ll spread you out and use all of the field to find open guys. We have to understand that they’re going to make some completions but when we have opportunities to make plays on defense we have to take advantage.”
On offense, the Mustangs should get a sizable boost from the return of Kenyon McMillan, who has torched opposing defenses to the tune of another 1,000-yard season.
“Great Bend is well-coached and they’re multiple on defense which can be tough for high school kids,” Sandbo said. “They know what they want to do and they’re talented even if they’re not as explosive as they have been in years past.”
Kickoff between the Mustangs and Panthers has been moved to 6 pm on Friday at Salina Stadium to inclement weather. The winner will advance to the 5A quarterfinals to take on either 8-1 Hays or 7-2 Valley Center.