Salina Central head coach Mark Sandbo lingered on the Salina Stadium field Friday night, surrounded by players, fans and family, a big smile on his face.

“That was old-school Salina Central football,” Sandbo said following a dominating second-half performance by his Mustangs in a 49-24 Class 5A quarterfinal victory over crosstown rival Salina South. “That’s Mustang football at its best.”

In what was the first playoff matchup between Central and South in 21 years, the Mustangs turned back the clock with a relentless rushing attack that produced 427 yards on the ground and 35 second-half points.

“We can run the ball,” said Central senior back Cooper Reves, who led the charge with 308 yards and five touchdowns. “We have a great line, so that was our plan coming into it, just to dominate the running game, and we did it.”

With the victory, Central improved to 10-1 and advanced to the 5A semifinals for the first time in eight seasons under Sandbo. They will travel to Great Bend next Friday to take on the unbeaten Panthers (11-0) in a matchup of the two top-seeded teams in the West.

Even so, the Mustangs needed the big second half to pull away from West No. 14 seed South, which already had upset No. 3 Andover and No. 6 Hays on the road after winning just once during the regular season. In fact, the Cougars led 17-14 at halftime and again midway through the third quarter before Central ended the game with 28 straight points.

“We expected them to come out strong and fight hard,” Central junior quarterback Griffin Hall said of South, which finished with a 3-8 record, matching its biggest win total since 2017. “But we were really confident in each other that we were going to play hard until the final whistle, the final horn of the game.”

After South scored 10 unanswered second-quarter points to lead by three at the half, Central set the tone to start the third period to go back in front. Abram Ownings’ 25-yard punt return gave the offense excellent field position at the Cougar 45-yard line, and five plays later Reves scored on an 18-yard run.

South answered with a 63-yard scoring drive, capped by a 32-yard Izrael Telles-to-Jaxon Myers touchdown pass with 5:26 left in the period, but from that point on it was all Central. The Mustangs scored on all five second-half possession while racking up 245 yards on the ground.

“Just keep running the ball, that’s the identity of this team,” senior left tackle Kaden Snyder said. “We definitely wanted to run all over them, we just thought maybe a little more balanced, but we’ll take the win how we can get it.”

Reves gave a shout out to the offensive line of Snyder, left guard Warrick VanBlaricon, center Parker Pinks, right guard Saijon Mills and right tackle Reyce Kelley.

“I kind of get all the glory, but without them, I’m nothing. “They do everything for me. They work their butts off, they play their butts off, and they’re just great.”

Snyder, who has committed to continue his career next year at Kansas, returned the compliment.

“Cooper is unlike anything I’ve seen from a running back,” he said. “We’ve had some really good running backs here, but he really might just be the best.”

“We also have Griffin (Hall), who can throw and run, so that’s a big part.”

Hall attempted just six passes, completing three for 27 yards, but he rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries.

“We just dominated up front with this o-line,” Hall said. “And Cooper made some incredible plays and was bouncing off tackles, and he did a great job just getting what he could every time and then busting the long run when he could.”

Even when South’s defense knew what was coming it was unable to derail the Central freight train.

“They’re calling out the run every single time, and we’re still able to get five, six yards, if not more, every single time,” Reves said. “It’s a pretty good feeling just to be dominant and have them knowing exactly what we’re going to do and still being able to complete what we’re trying to do.”

Sandbo could not have scripted it any better.

“We thought physically we were better in the box,” he said. “Credit to our offensive line and our offensive line coach, (Tony) Chesney, coaching those guys up, being ready for what they threw at us.

“Man, they created some holes, and then Cooper, when he’s able to get the full tilt, he’s a punishing runner. When something’s working, why go away from it, and what we were doing was really working.”

Once Central went in front for good, the defense got on board as well. The Mustangs allowed 297 total yards, but limited South to 94 in the second half.

“I think (South) got in their heads a little bit in the first half, but in the second half they came back and were just absolutely amazing,” Reves said.

Salina Central vs Salina South Sectionals Playoff Broadcast

All photos courtesy of Tanner Colvin