By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
As the regular season draws to a close, things are heating up in Salina as South and Central prepare for the 52nd battle for the Mayor’s Cup.
“This is 365 days of bragging rights on the line,” Mustang head coach Mark Sandbo said. “I’ve been a part of some really big rivalries but this one is different. A lot of these guys have buddies across town and I think that plays into why these games are so tight, there’s really no psychological edge.”
The cup currently belongs to the Cougars, following a 34-28 win over the Mustangs last season, but keeping it will take a monumental effort on the part of Salina South.
Some truly unfortunate injuries have taken thier toll on the Cougars, who enter this game at 1-6 while the Mustangs come in riding a four-game winning streak at 5-2.
While the records and stats may favor Central on paper, all of that means nothing when these two take the field in another installment of a rivalry rife with upsets throughout its 52-year history.
“Whenever these two meet you can throw out the stats and throw out the records,” Sandbo said. “Its going to be a dogfight and we know we’re going to get their best shot because we’ve gotten it the last three years.”
This is the first time in Coach Sandbo’s tenure that Central will go into this game looking to reclaim the cup, a feat that has been on the minds of the Mustangs since that loss in 2020.
“I definitely feel like we have a great opportunity to bring it home,” he said. “Every class wants to stamp their year onto that trophy. It definitely feels a little more empty in our athletics hallway without that Mayor’s Cup.”
Both Salina teams will participate in the playoffs next week, Salina South will start on the road while Central can secure a home playoff game with a win this week.
Kickoff between the Mustangs and Cougars is scheduled for 7pm at Salina Stadium, for coverage of both teams throughout the 2021 postseason stay tuned to the Salina Post.