By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
This week, our Salina Post Game of the Week takes back to Salina for a dynamic AVCTL-II matchup between Salina Central and the Lions of Goddard.
The Mustangs come into this contest at 3-4 looking to build some momentum after falling in three of their last four games, while the Lions look to keep things rolling at 6-1 riding a five game winning streak.
This game will also be big for playoff seedings, with both teams looking to position themselves well in the 5A state bracket that will kick off the postseason next week.
For Salina Central, putting together a complete effort will be the name of the game, as both sides of the ball have flashed their high ceiling in various games this season.
“We’ve never clicked offensively and defensively at the same time,” Central head coach Mark Sandbo said. “We’ve also shot ourselves in the foot after getting some momentum and putting ourselves in a good position. Dropped balls, bad penalties, and missed assignments have hurt us at the worst times.”
For Goddard, time of possession will be crucial, as the Lions prefer to grind out slow, sustained, long possessions, keeping the ball on the ground with playmakers like Kaden Stroot, Joe Diekemper, and Brock Sullivan.
The Lions will also rely on one of the best defensive units in the state, which has held opponents to just 13 points per game on average this season.
“We’re really confident in who we are defensively,” Goddard head coach Tommy Beason said. “That’s where we put all of our energy and time and that is who we are trying to be. We’ve been fortunate enough to hold the bad guys to few points and yards, and offensively we’ve managed to play a keep-away style of offense, and keep the other team off the field.”
To win that game of keep-away, Central will have to find ways to get quick stops, to give their own playmakers like Jack Gordon, Cooper Reves and Bodie Rodriguez ample opportunities to put points on the board.
“Goddard knows what we want to do and they always scout us up really well but they also know what they want to do especially offensively,” Sandbo said. “You probably have to go back a few decades to find the style of football that they want to play and they’re comfortable putting it on their defense to be aggressive, fast, and to play downhill.”
These teams, and coaches, have a tremendous amount of respect for one another, and both are expecting the other’s best shot when the ball gets in the air on Friday night.
“You have to throw Central’s record away, that means nothing to me,” Beason said. “Two of their losses are to state-ranked teams and one of those teams beat us too. They have too many playmakers, too many veterans, and some of the best coaching we’ve seen, and we can’t give them additional possessions like we did last year. We have to keep the ball longer than what they have it and we know what we need to do, now the quesiton is can we execute”?
Kickoff for this contest is scheduled for 7:00 at Salina Stadium.
You can tune into this contest with live video and audio commentary 100% free by clicking HERE, and watch it back any time on-demand.