By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
After struggling for several seasons, the Salina South football team is primed and ready to take the next step, with several key returners re-entering the fold on both sides of the ball.
“We have high expectations,” Cougar head coach Sam Sellers said. “The kids talk a lot about wanting to bring our program back to where we’ve been in the past. They see the state championship pictures hanging up in the weight room and they want to be a respected team in 5A again.”
Much of that future success will hinge upon a veteran backfield consisting of junior quarterback Weston Fries and senior running back Brandt Cox.
Fries, who took over the starting job in 2020, impressed in his sophomore campaign and should allow a receiving corps anchored by Zach Davidson and Carter Copes to haul in big targets throughout the year.
“Weston is both the most physically and mentally gifted quarterback we’ve had at South,” Sellers said. “He has great arm strength and accuracy while also having very good foot speed and elusiveness.”
The upcoming season should also provide an opportunity for Cox to flourish in the offense after a season filled with minor injuries and odd setbacks.
“Brandt has been working his tail off in the offseason to be one of the best running backs in the state,” Sellers said. “He has a great combination of size, speed and athleticism and he is a great receiver out of the backfield.”
With depth at the running back position, Cox should be able to work with a more manageable load which could see his production skyrocket this season.
While a few positional battles are still playing out the offensive line will be anchored by returning veterans Jose Felguerez and Carter Lambeth.
Te’Jon McDaniel and Garrett Aills are projected to step up big in the receiving game while juniors Jesse Vorareth and Jorge Franco are expected to slot in on the O-Line.
Defensively the Cougars retain the entirety of their now-senior defensive line, with Kayson Deitz, Trey Berland, and Brandon Fletcher doing battle in the trenches.
That trio will need to come up big for a defense that struggled mightily to stop the run in 2020.
Seniors Drew Nelson and Jarrett Pittenger join Luke Simpson to anchor the linebacking corps while newcomers like Kreighton Modrow and Laken Webb fill out the secondary.
This will also be one of the most veteran-heavy teams that South has had in a very long time, projected to start very few freshmen or sophomores at any point during the season.
While the veteran leadership should help give the Cougars a boost, mental toughness will still need to be a big point of emphasis in 2021.
“Where we’ve struggled over the last few years has been in a lack of confidence,” Sellers said. “We would be in a lot of games but it almost seemed like we were waiting for something to go wrong late in those games.”
South will kick off their season on September third when the team travels to McPherson, looking for their first win over the bullpups since 2014.