By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Southeast of Saline undefeated tour rolled on Friday night as the Trojans pillaged the Smoky Valley Vikings 45-0.
SES took a manageable 16-0 lead into the half but exploded in the third quarter doubling their lead before putting the finishing touches on their seventh win of the season.
“We struggled to get the ball in the end zone early and we really had to lean on our defense,” SES head coach Mitch Gebhardt said. “They made some big plays for us and I thought that’s what turned the game around.”
As the offense found its footing, the defense continued to look completely impenetrable. The Trojan defense has not allowed a single point in the last 16 quarters of play.
“We play team defense,” Gebhardt said. “We talk about it all the time, everybody has a job to do and you have to believe that the guy standing next to you is going to do his job.”
While Southeast took care of business in Gypsum, the Colby Eagles handed the Scott City Beavers a massive loss 44-14, subsequently handing the Trojans the District Six title.
SES will play Scott City next week in the regular-season finale, but that game is just a formality. The Trojans will begin their playoff run hosting Marysville on October 29th.
The backfield tandem of Luke Gebhardt and Matthew Rodriguez was in full effect tonight as the duo participated in all five touchdowns and combined for over 400 yards of total offense.
It was a monster day for Jake Gebhardt as well, who hauled in 13 catches for 137 yards, including a whopping ten receptions in the first half.
The Southeast defense forced three more turnovers and held the Vikings to under 200 yards of total offense on the night.
The Trojans extend their regular-season winning streak to 14 games dating back to 2019 and can cap off back-to-back undefeated regular seasons with a win over Scott City next week.
For continued coverage of SES football in 2021, stay tuned to the Salina Post.