By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
There were a number of questions surrounding the SES Trojan football team heading into the first week of the season, and some of those questions were only amplified when Southeast fumbled the ball away on the first play from scrimmage.
That was before SES ripped off 50 unanswered points to rout the Minneapolis Lions 50-0, kicking the new season off in style.
“I feel pretty good about it,” Trojan head coach Mitch Gebhardt said. “We challenged the kids at halftime, and they responded pretty well. Defensively we were playing well but offensively we were all over the place and in the second half we started to put it all together.”
The all-new backfield of Luke Gebhardt and Matthew Rodriguez slotted in well with veteran returners and once the team got on the gas they never looked back.
Luke finished his day 13/18 with a touchdown through the air and over 200 yards of total offense.
“I thought Luke did a good job for his first start,” Coach Gebhardt said. “I thought he handled things well and I know he’s going to continue working towards getting better.”
It was a monstrous night for Chase Poague, who found the end zone on a carry, a reception, and a punt return to help the Trojans pile on the points in the win.
Defensively Southeast put on a show, refusing to grant the Lions a single trip to the end zone and allowing them to gain a measly 42 yards of total offense.
This defensive performance was punctuated with three turnovers, as the Trojans picked off Gabe Huser and scooped up two fumbles in the victory.
On deck is a trip to Beloit for the annual Trojan War. SES knocked off Beloit 18-0 a season ago at home.
“It is a tough place to play and they have a heck of a football team but we’re going to enjoy this one first and we’ll get to work on Beloit after that,” he said.
For continuing coverage of the SES Trojan football team, stay tuned to the Salina Post.