By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
After a disappointing 1-8 campaign in 2021, the Salina South Cougars have regrouped and are ready to re-establish themselves in Class 5A after a productive offseason.
“We knew that we were returning a lot of experience and we challenged those guys to bring our program back to where it has been,” 13-year head coach Sam Sellers said. “We have a proud tradition here at South and our kids have never experienced that. We’ve struggled lately in the win column but we wanted to commit to putting in the work in the offseason and these kids have taken that to heart.”
While Salina South returns a number of key starters on both sides of the ball, the Cougars were thrown a curveball in the leadup to week one when they discovered that quarterback Weston Fries would be unable to play due to a shoulder injury.
With very little time to find a replacement, South slid senior Kreighton Modrow over from defensive corner, to serve as the Cougar's signal caller this season.
“Kreighton is a kid that growing up played quarterback for us and has a QB background,” Sellers said. “Our decision came down to what was best for our pass game.”
With the sudden shift in personnel, South will once again rely on leaning into a strong ground game, with Ian Andalon and Seth Clemmer headlining the backfield.
“Our biggest team strength overall is in our run game and it’s nice to be able to say that,” he said. “That hasn’t been the case over the last few years and we’re awfully excited about it.”
Another strength of this year’s Cougar offense will come from an experienced O-Line consisting of Jesse Vorarath, Brayden Fencl, Derrick Vargas, and Jorge and Erik Franco.
“We’ve struggled up front these last few years and now all of the sudden that’s a big strength for us,” Sellers said. “We’ve seen our kids mature there and it’s a group that has been very good for us so far this summer. We feel great about our run game because of that.”
Rounding out the offense is a receiving corps anchored by Garrett Aills, Drew Emerson, and Carson Power.
Defensively, the Cougars will look to take a big step up from a 2021 season in which they allowed a shade under 45 points per game.
“Other than quarterback our biggest question was in our defense,” he said. “We weren’t good on that side of the ball last season and we lost our best player which raises a lot of questions. That group has really exceeded our expectations though and we’ve found kids that can be sound in coverage and good on run support.”
In the defensive trenches, South will be anchored by the big three of Damian Hightower, Peyton Augustine, and Dylan Roberts, while Seth Robben, Luke Simpson, and Alex Davidson lead the linebacking corps.
Carson Power and Drew Emerson will patrol the deepest parts of the field at safety while Garrett Aills and Dawson Dooley slot in at corner.
The Cougars will be tested right off the bat when they take on cross-town rival Salina Central in a Mayors Cup matchup on Friday night.
For more on Salina South football all season long stay tuned to the Salina Post.