By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Salina Liberty flexed their muscle on the first day of CIF play with a resounding 52-27 defeat of the Wichita Force.
Wichita kept things close early on, leading the Liberty 19-13 late in the first half, but Salina hit the gas and never looked back, outscoring the Force 26-8 out of the break.
The Liberty fielded a balanced attack tonight, with 169 yards and four touchdowns through the air, and 102 yards and four TDs on the ground.
Tyrie Adams had a statement game at QB, finishing the day with 135 total yards and four big touchdowns in the win.
“I think we settled down a lot on offense in the second half,” Liberty coach Heron O’Neal said. “Tyrie came in and made some great plays for us, he was a playmaker all day and he made some mistakes but I’m willing to live with that.”
Salina tightened the screws on defense in the second half as well, allowing Wichita into the end zone just once after leading by eight at the half.
The Liberty defense also forced two turnovers tonight with interceptions by K-Hop (Kendrick Harper) and Dontra Matthews and recorded two sacks.
While the offense and defense played exceptionally well in the win, the Liberty still have some work to do on special teams, where they allowed Wichita to gain 102 of their total 275 yards on kick returns.
Overall Salina is primed and ready for a big 2021 campaign which will continue next Saturday when the Liberty host the Omaha Beef.
“Omaha is going to be ready to go,” O’Neal said. “I can’t wait to see what they look like this year but I’m just happy to get a win tonight. To go 2-0 at this point is something we’re definitely happy about.”
Stay tuned to the Salina Post for continuing coverage of the 2021 Liberty season.