By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The last time Champions Indoor Football was played, the Salina Liberty came up just two yards short of a national title in Albuquerque.
Hungry to run it back, the team reassembled for the 2020 season but before anyone could take the field the Covid-19 pandemic shut the league down.
Now, with several new faces lining a roster that returns eight starters from that 2019 runner-up squad, it’s time for the Liberty to get back to work, and finish what they started three years ago.
“We definitely have unfinished business,” third year Liberty head coach Heron O’Neal said. “If you look at the two years that I’ve been here we came three yards away from going to the national title game in 2018 and we were two yards away from winning it in 2019. The next step is to win it all.”
Salina will begin their 2021 campaign when the team hosts Arlington at 6:35 on Saturday.
While there is a great veteran presence on this team, many newcomers recruited in the 2019 and 2020 offseasons will have a lot to prove as they make their case for starting spots.
“Rookies have to earn their stripes with me,” Coach O’Neal said. “They all have a long way to go to earn my trust but I’ve been impressed with some of the guys we’ve brought in this year.”
One of the most notable changes from the 2019 team will be at quarterback, where newcomers Mitch Kidd and Tyrie Adams will battle for the starting spot.
Kidd, who was brought on prior to the cancelled 2020 season, brings experience from the indoor game, having played quarterback for the Columbus Lions in the National Arena League.
Adams, a three-time All-American from Western Carolina University, is new to the Liberty this season, but has impressive numbers behind him as one of just nine players to throw for over 2,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 in the same season.
Both quarterbacks present a dual threat challenge, and could prove to be the key to pushing Salina to it’s first ever CIF title.
While rookies battle for a number of spots on the O-Line and at skill positions, two big returners will have an instant impact for the Liberty offense this season.
First team All-League running back Tracy Brooks returns for another year with Salina, hoping to continue carving up defenses with his explosive rushing ability.
The Liberty also return “Fast Ed” Smith, who lives up to his nickname, roasting opposing secondaries with his 4.2 speed and finishing routes with sure hands.
While the offense has the potential to be special, Salina will be able to hang their hats on defense this season, with a unit that returns a lot of talent from 2019.
“The strength of this team is going to be the defense,” O’Neal said. “We’re returning six of the starting eight that walked off the field in that championship game and the new additions are major recruits that a lot of people are going to fall in love with.”
Up front the dynamic duo of Jake Lattimer (better known as Thor) and two-time All-League defensive end Travis Taylor, will look to wreak havoc on opposing o-lines after contributing to a 19-sack season in 2019.
The linebacker corps will be headed up by Naiquan Thomas, who earned CIF Defensive Player of the Week honors in his first ever game with the Liberty, and has been a mainstay in the lineup ever since.
In the secondary, lockdown corners Isiah Barfield and Kendrick Harper (better known as K-Hop) will join safety Dontra Matthews (AKA The Predator), looking to reassemble a unit that picked off opposing QBs 18 times in 2019.
Salina has a lot of work to do to reach the CIF championship again in 2021, but after losing the 2020 season to the pandemic, seeing the team on the field is a welcome sight for many in and of itself.
“Just to see the smiles on the guys faces, it feels like a reunion,” O’Neal said. “You can see the thankfulness that God has blessed us and we’re finally turning the corner on this virus.”
Kickoff for the season opener against Arlington is set for 6:35pm on Saturday at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center.
Stay tuned to the Salina Post for continuing coverage of the 2021 Salina Liberty season.