By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
After a 4-6 finish to their 2020 season, the Ell-Saline Cardinals football team is back and ready for more in 2021.
The road will not be an easy one for the Ell-Saline, as five of their eight regular-season opponents are ranked in the top 10 in class 1A and two more are playing down from class 2A.
“As coaches, we always want to win games but we have a very tough schedule so we have our work cut out for us,” Cardinals head coach Joe Roche said. “Our goal is to compete every week and to give ourselves a chance to win a lot of games in the fourth quarter.”
Roche’s squad will be missing five seniors from a year ago but does return a number of key starters on both sides of the ball.
“We learned a lot in 2020 and we had a lot of kids who got quite a lot of experience that we bring back this season,” he said. “We do have a lot of guys changing positions so in some ways we do feel like we’re starting from scratch.”
One of the biggest changes will be at quarterback, where junior Kade Wilson will transition from linebacker and tight end a season ago.
“He’s a tough kid and he knows what it takes to win on Friday nights,” Roche said. “His running might actually be better than his throwing and he can be dangerous in space which might be essential because our offensive line isn’t as experienced this year."
One of the few returners on that O-Line will be Jonathon Calzada, who is returning slowly but surely from a knee injury.
Alongside Calzada will be a myriad of new faces to the line, including converted kicker Noah Carrazco, who will see the field a lot more on both sides of the ball in his senior campaign.
In the backfield with Wilson will be the junior running back tandem of Obed Ruiz and Aidan Brockway, who helped lead his 4x800 meter relay team to a gold medal finish at state last spring.
The receiving corps will be led by a strong group of returners featuring familiar faces like Taegan Bradley, Gabe Roche, Joe Heichel, and Steven Norris who will slot in along tight end Garrett Phelps.
Stringing together drives will be a huge key to the Cardinal's success, as when rested, their defensive unit is one to be feared.
“I would like us to be able to move the football more effectively this season,” Roche said. “Our defense could be a strong part of our game but if they’re on the field the whole game they can’t do that.”
That defense will once again be anchored by Kayden Goddard at middle linebacker, flanked by Kade Wilson and Ryder Dent on the outside.
In the secondary Taegan Bradley and Steven Norris will patrol the deepest parts of the field at safety while Joe Heichel and Hunter Holmgren slot in as the starting corners.
In the trenches, the Cardinals still have some things to figure out but Noah Carrazco will work the interior while Garrett Phelps puts pressure on opposing offenses from the edge.
Regardless of how things pan out amidst the gauntlet of a schedule put on Ell-Saline’s plate this season, the team is itching to get back on the field for another year of Friday night lights.
“Last year taught us a lot with covid especially with our entire spring season taken away,” Roche said. “Hopefully we’ve all learned from that and I think the kids are just excited to get on the field again.”
Ell-Saline opens their 2021 season with back-to-back home games hosting Marion on September third before taking on Sacred Heart on September 10th.