By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
After stumbling to their first and only loss in week one, the Ell-Saline Cardinals have been putting on a show, rattling off eight straight wins and rolling into the second round of the 8-Man Division I playoffs ranked 5th in the state.
Ell-Saline wasted no time dispatching of Mankato Rock Hills in their playoff opener, eliminating the Grizzlies 56-8 in a game that saw Kas Kramer find the end zone eight times on five rushing touchdowns, a receiving touchdown and two scoop and scores.
That dominant victory was simply a by-product of what the Cardinals have grown into over the course of the season, and as the playoffs heat up, Ell-Saline continues putting its best football on the field week after week.
“I’ve been impressed by our progression throughout the course of the year,” Ell-Saline head coach Joe Roche said. “We’ve been on the same page a lot more here at the end of the year than we were early and our defense has really come around. I knew our defensive line was going to be good and I knew our secondary play would be strong but I had my doubts about our linebackers and those guys have really bought in and played well.”
That defensive unit has been one of the more underrated groups in 8-man this year, holding opponents to just ten points per game over the last seven weeks.
That stretch included a 38-36 win over state-ranked Little River, and an unexpected 58-12 shellacking of formerly state-ranked Central Plains.
With one playoff win already under its belt, the Cardinals (8-1) turn their attention to the Madison Bulldogs (6-3) in the second round this week.
The Bulldogs confidently took care of Ceder Vale-Dexter 54-14 at home last week, and will be hungry to return to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2021.
“Madison has some athletes at their skill positions and they have some big boys up front,” Roche said. “It’s going to be imperative not to let them build up steam and swallow us up and we need to use our speed and quickness to our advantage and control the point of attack.”
Kickoff between the Cardinals and Bulldogs is set for 6:00 in Brookville, the winner will advance to the quarterfinals to play either Oswego (7-2) or Clifton-Clyde (7-2).