By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Salina South Cougars (2-5) will have a tough task in their opening round of the playoffs when they visit Kapaun Mt. Carmel (6-1) for a clash with the Crusaders.
KMC High School has had an impressive 2020 campaign, outscoring their opponents 255-50 and pitching three shutouts.
The Crusader’s lone loss this year came at the hands of Bishop Carroll (5-2) by a final score of 31-28.
For Kapaun Mt. Carmel, the offense has been led by a solid committee of rushers, including Doug Bates, Austin Ruda, Cale Curtis and Kai Kunz, who have combined to carry the ball 201 times for 1,203 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Add to that 291 yards and four touchdowns on the ground from quarterback Andrew Gimino to add to his 400 yards and three touchdowns through the air and you have a potent offense that has kept opponents guessing in 2020.
The Crusaders have only officially played in six games this season, with a cancellation in week four, and a 1-0 win by forfeit over Liberal in week seven.
While their record looks good, they have only beaten one team with an above .500 record in 2020, a 24-6 victory over Hays last week.
The Cougars will need to see more of what they got out of their team last week in a 34-28 come from behind victory over Salina Central to pull the upset against the Crusaders.
More specifically, Salina South will need another dynamic performance from sophomore quarterback Weston Fries, who connected with Jackson Hayes four times in last week's big win.
Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 7pm on Friday night and the winner will await the result of a cross-town rivalry between Goddard (3-5) and Goddard Eisenhower (6-2).