FINAL:

SALINA CENTRAL 35

GODDARD 28

On a cold and wet night on the road the Salina Central Mustangs were able to wrap up their strong regular season with a victory against the Goddard Lions on Friday night.

The Mustangs jumped out to a strong lead early as they held a 14-0 lead early in the first quarter after scoring on their first two possessions thanks to touchdown runs by Abram Owings and Cooper Reves. The Lions were able to respond and cut the deficit to 14-7 at the end of the opening quarter after a long touchdown pass from Brock Sullivan to Bryer Rojas.

The second quarter was far quieter as both teams were held in check. Salina Central and Goddard each had long drives that reached deep into their opponent’s territory, but both offenses stalled out leading to missed field goals by each kicker en route to a 14-7 halftime score.

The offenses came to life again in the third quarter as the teams traded touchdowns with Salina Central eking out ahead holding a 28-14 lead as we headed to the final quarter as both Griffin Hall and Cooper Reves found the end zone on the ground.

Goddard showed a strong fight in the fourth quarter with a two yard touchdown run by Brock Sullivan cutting the deficit to seven. Salina Central responded with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Griffin Hall to Noah Peck that stretched the lead back to 14 with four minutes to play.

The Lions had one final push as Erik Olivas hauled in an electrifying 69-yard touchdown reception from Brock Sullivan to narrow the gap to 35-28 with 2:27 to play, but the Mustangs were able to convert one final key first down on the ensuing possession to run the clock out and secure the win.

Cooper Reves put together another stellar performance as he finished with 226 rushing yards on 29 carries in the contest with a pair of touchdowns. Griffin Hall added another 63 yards on the ground with his 17 carries including a touchdown run. Hall also added one touchdown through the air.

The win secured a 7-1 record for the Mustangs to finish the regular season. The loss drops Goddard to 5-3 to end the regular season. Salina Central will now wait to discover their playoff fate following Friday’s games across the state.

CITY PLUMBING AND H-VAC PLAYER OF THE GAME

Cooper Reves