High School Gameday Preview: 9-29

Ahhh.

Finally. This is high school football weather.

Get excited for tonight’s action with these tiny previews. For more, you can catch High School Gameday from 6 to 6:45 on Sports Radio 1150 KSAL.

Following tonight’s action, tune in to the RE/MAX Advantage Realtors Scoreboard Show from 10 to 11, also on 1150 KSAL.

Not only can you listen to these games on the radio, but you can find them online at KSAL.com. Just go to the top and pick the appropriate station.

AND IN AWESOME NEWS, we have a new app for your mobile devices! Search for the Rocking M Media app in the Google Play store or iTunes. It’s extremely easy to bounce from game to game.

Salina Central (0-4) at Newton (1-3) on Sports Radio 1150 KSAL

The last time Central recorded a victory was in 2015. It just so happens that the win was against Newton. The Mustangs are hoping to end the losing skid tonight as Central is coming off a 55-37 defeat to Campus. Central trailed 33-3 at one point in the game, but found the end zone five times through the air. SC lost a few more kids because of injuries, but maybe the offense is starting to click. Newton’s lone win for 2017 was two weeks ago versus Eisenhower. Newton has been competitive this year, falling to Maize 22-19 and Valley Center 21-15. The Railers have a three-headed monster in Jamieson Jones, Isaiah Presley and Colton Davis. All three have rushed for nearly 200 yards.

Goddard (4-0) at Salina South (1-3) on Y93.7

The Lions received a scare in week three, barely hanging on to beat Andover 21-17. Still, Goddard is impressive with its biggest win being a 50-20 whipping of Derby. Quarterback Blake Sullivan is the real deal. Sullivan has thrown for 589 yards while rushing for 596. That defense is terrific, too, not allowing teams to score more than 20 points. South knows a thing or two about defense, but the three touchdowns given up was crucial in last week’s 21-0 blanking at Maize. The Cougars are hoping the offense comes back together to string together long drives tonight.

Sacred Heart (1-3) at Ellsworth (3-1) on FM 104.9

The Knights are just a step behind. Sacred Heart nearly pulled out a win last week, but fell 44-41 to Southeast of Saline. Quarterback David Anderson found wide out Charlie Skidmore on many occasions, making that a priority tonight for the Ellsworth defense. The Bearcats are coming off their first loss of 2017, dropping a 31-26 decision to La Crosse. Quarterback Zac Schneider has been rock solid, running for 516 yards and throwing for 513. Ellsworth will be fired up for homecoming tonight.

Hutchinson Trinity (4-0) at Ell-Saline (4-0) on Real Country 101.7

I had this game circled for quite some time. There was potential for this to be an epic showdown and that’s what we see tonight in Brookville. Ell-Saline is rolling after stomping Inman 35-0. Quarterback Nick Davenport continues to improve, but don’t overlook the defense that has held opponents to 21 points or fewer in each game. Hutch Trinity boasts a strong defense as well as the Celtics are coming off a 32-19 win over Sedgwick. Quarterback Kaleb Hammeke is very good, racking up 455 yards on the ground, but look out for freshman Andrew Bergmeier, who leads the team with 464 rushing yards.

Minneapolis (2-2) at Southeast of Saline (2-2) on 92.7 The New Zoo

This has potential to be a solid tilt. Minneapolis lead Russell last Friday 12-0 at halftime, but the Broncos stormed back to pick up a 27-18 victory. Minneapolis is a tad bit banged up following that defeat, but the Lions are looking to keep the offensive momentum rolling with a great rushing attack. Southeast of Saline relied on a strong ground game in a wild 44-41 victory over Sacred Heart. Quarterback Hunter White was quite good and he’s looking to keep going tonight.

Hesston (2-2) at Smoky Valley (3-1) on 95.5 The Rock

Don’t let Hesston’s record fool you. Sure, 2-2 isn’t glamorous, but the Swathers might have the toughest schedule in Class 3A. Hesston dropped a 28-24 defeat to Garden Plain in the season opener and followed that up with wins over Halstead and Larned. Now Hesston fell to Nickerson last week, but the Swathers are still extremely good.  Smoky Valley’s lone loss was to Larned in week two. The Vikings have responded in the biggest way, destroying Haven and Hillsboro. Lindsborg should be rocking tonight.

Concordia (2-2) at Abilene (2-2) on The General 1560 KABI

After suffering two-straight losses, the Abilene Cowboys bounced back with a 34-14 win over Chapman. In week two, Abilene lost to Marysville, a program that lost for the first time last Friday. Who beat the Bulldogs? That’s right, the Concordia Panthers. Concordia might be 2-2, but the Panthers have two narrow defeats. Concordia was edged by Beloit 13-6 and Clay Center 28-26. This showdown is big for Concordia if the Panthers want to stay in the hunt for a North Central Kansas League title.