Photo courtesy of Tanner Colvin

GREAT BEND — Salina Central reached deep into its bag of tricks and pulled out its first trip to the Class 5A state championship game in 20 years.

The Mustangs scored on a fake field goal to start the second half and then used a fourth-down touchdown pass to their star linebacker in the final minute Friday night, on the way to a 30-28 semifinal victory over previously unbeaten Great Bend at Great Bend High School Memorial Stadium.

Next up for Central, which improved to 11-1, is a trip to Emporia for a 2 p.m. game next Friday against Basehor-Linwood, which knocked off St. James Academy, 28-20, in the East semifinal.

Central never trailed against Great Bend but did not secure the victory until Abram Owings fell on an onside kick with 20 seconds on the clock after a long pass play pulled the Panthers within two points. The Mustangs had scored just 13 seconds earlier to make it a two-possession game when Griffin Hall hit wide-open linebacker Jesus Delgado over the middle for 23 yards on fourth down and short.

The Mustangs went up front for good on Cooper Reves’ second rushing touchdown early in the second quarter and extended its lead to 16-6 on a 32-yard Elijah Duxler to close the half. They then took the second-half kickoff and marched 67 yards in 15 plays and took nearly 7 1/2 minutes off the clock to open their biggest lead.

The touchdown came on fourth-and-goal from the 7-yard line with Duxler lined up to attempt a 25-yard field goal. Instead, holder Griffin flipped the ball to Owings on an end around and Ownings sprinted to his right, finding Bodie Rodriguez for the score.

But it wasn’t all trickery for Central, which also leaned on a productive running attack in the first half and a stellar defensive effort throughout to put the Mustangs in the state finals for the first time since the 2005 team won it all.

Great Bend got back in the game with two touchdowns in the final three minutes of the third quarter, cutting the Central lead to 23-21 on Daxton Minton’s 23-yard quarterback keeper with 13 seconds left in the period.

Central then turned the ball over on its next possession with Hall and Reves both coughing the ball up, only to have the defense rise to the occasions with back-to-back stops. A Great Bend turnover on downs set the Mustangs up at their own 48-yard line with 4:36 left.

Central proceeded to run the clock down and forcing Great Bend to use all its time out, keeping the drive alive on a key third-down completion from Hall to Gannon Cole to the Panther 29. Four plays later, facing fourth-and-4 at the 23-yard line, Hall found Delgado for what proved to be the game winner.

Great Bend made it interesting by scoring in two plays to close within two points on a 46-yard pass play from Daxton Minton to Cooper Ohnmacht at the 20-second mark but could not execute the onside kick.

Central dominated time of possession, running 72 plays to just 35 for Great Bend and outgaining the Panthers 342 yards to 266. The Mustangs finished with 243 rushing yards, led by Reves with 155 on 37 carries and Hall with 89 on 15 attempts.

Hall completed 8 of 13 passes for 86 yards, while Owings and Eli Kreighbaum each completed one for a combined 13, giving the Mustangs 99 yards through the air. Keaton Smith had four catches for39 yards and Rodriguez three for 26.

Great Bend had 105 yards rushing, led by Ian Premer with 57, and 161 through the air as Ohnmacht caught four for 137 yards and two scores.