By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
At 3-4 a week before the start of the playoffs, Salina Central was in need of a statement win, and on Friday night, the Mustangs got it in a 52-24 rout of the Goddard Lions.
With this result, the Mustangs close out the regular season at 4-4 while Goddard drops to 6-2, snapping their 5 game win streak.
I’m really proud of our kids and their responses to how we challenged them,” Central head coach Mark Sandbo said. “It was going to require us to be physical and disciplined defensively, but we were extremely physical tonight. Offensively, they were challenged to play a clean game and to finish drives. After scoring on every drive except our fumble and never punting, I would say our kids answered the challenge.”
Goddard settled into their game early, taking half of the first quarter to slowly and methodically march down the field and punch in the first score of the game on an Erik Olivas run.
Not deterred in the slightest, Central took the ball back, and broke off five plays for 65 yards and a touchdown of their own in under three minutes, striking on a 24-yard run by Cooper Reves.
Game on.
After trading touchdowns, the Mustangs forced Goddard to punt the ball away for the first time in the second quarter, but immediately coughed up the football, leading to the third Lion score of the day and an 18-12 Goddard lead.
In need of a quick score, Central perfectly executed the 2-minute drill, and found Reves for his second touchdown just before the intermission to take their first lead of the day 19-18.
That score was just a preview of the Cooper Reves show that was to come, and on the first drive of the third quarter, the junior tailback exploded through the hole, broke four tackles, and flew 59 yards to the end zone for his third score of the day.
An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gave the Mustangs better field position on the ensuing kickoff, and Central utilized the short field to pull off an ambush onside kick, setting up a fourth Reves rushing score, this time from 34 yards away.
Not to be outdone, Abram Owings would run in a second touchdown of his own, and with those four unanswered touchdowns, the game was out of reach for the run-leaning Lions of Goddard, as the Mustangs cruised to a 52-24 rout.
Reves finished the day with over 200 yards rushing and four touchdowns, while Owings would add a strip fumble returned for a touchdown to complete a hat trick of his own.
Jack Gordon impressed as well, completing 9-13 for 150 yards and a TD pass to Bodie Rodriguez.
Central (4-4), will open postseason play on the road at Maize South (5-3) next Friday night while Goddard (6-2) returns home to host Valley Center (2-6).
You can watch the full broadcast of last nights game for free by clicking HERE.