By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
For a second consecutive season, the Salina Liberty are headed to the Champions Bowl after a 55-31 victory over the Dodge City Law.
The Liberty will meet the Omaha Beef, who narrowly defeated the Sioux City Bandits 40-39 on Friday for a shot at the title in Salina next Saturday.
With this playoff victory the Liberty advance to 11-1 on the year while Dodge City wraps up their season at 4-7.
The Law made this a back-and-forth affair throughout most of the first half as the league’s two top offenses traded punches early.
The first quarter saw four lead changes and Dodge City made it five on the opening drive of the second quarter as quarterback Jaylen Lowe ran one in from six yards out to give the Law a 16-14 lead.
That lead would be the last for the Law as Salina went on a 41-15 run to close out a dominant home victory.
Tyrie Adams put on a show in his first full game back with the Liberty since suffering an injury against Sioux City in week nine.
Adams finished his game 12-16 with 113 yards, five touchdowns, and zero turnovers.
The Liberty receiving corps was in full effect tonight as four different wideouts hauled in a touchdown pass from Adams including two for Juahem Byrd.
Salina was also aided by another solid performance on the ground by Tracy Brooks who tacked on 77 yards and two touchdowns while three-time CIF Special Teams Player of the Week Jimmy Allen added two field goals and seven extra points to round out a true team win.
As the team celebrated on the field, there was still a sense of dissatisfaction with one final game still remaining on the schedule.
“It’s a huge victory,” Liberty head coach Heron O’Neal said. “This will be my fifth national championship game and that 2019 loss still burns within me.”
That loss came at the hands of the Duke City Gladiators in the 2019 Champions Bowl where the Liberty were stopped on the goal line on the final play of the game.
“Every player that walked off that field in 2019 still has unfinished business,” O’Neal said. “Omaha’s up and we’re ready, they have to come to us and play in front of this crowd.”
The 2021 Champions Bowl is scheduled for Saturday, July 17th at 6:35 pm and will be played at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina as the Liberty look to take down the Beef for the city's first-ever national title.
For more on the Champions Bowl stay tuned to the Salina Post.