Salina Central’s fall sports season could just as easily have been dubbed Championship Central.
The Mustangs opened the 2025-26 school year with both a Class 5A team championship in football and individual title in girls cross country among their first semester accomplishments.
“Here at Salina Central, we had a very exciting first semester, and it has been a heck of a ride,” Central athletic director Greg Maring said. “Our football team won their first state championship in 20 years, and man, that was just so much fun.”
“We had another great year in cross country. Our teams qualified — both boys and girls — for state this year, and Kaylie Shultz was a Class 5A champion, and that’s pretty cool.”
Football’s return to the glory days
The biggest story for the Mustangs was football, which posted a 12-1 record on the way to its first state championship since 2005. On the way to a 51-34 championship victory over Basehor-Linwood, they beat crosstown rival Salina South in the quarterfinals and top seed Great Bend on the road in the semifinals.
“The thing I think about that run for the state championship is how much fun it was for the Mustang community and the city of Salina,” Maring said. “And then you think back to the South-Central game in the playoff. It had been forever since that happened, and how the community came out for that game.”
Befitting a championship season, Central received numerous individual honors as well. Mark Sandbo was named coach of the year and offensive line coach Tony Chesney assistant coach of the year by one publication, while running back Cooper Reves, offensive tackle Kaden Snyder, linebacker Jesus Delgado and kicker Eli Duxler were first team all-state selections.
Also, defensive end Conner Carter, wide receiver Gannon Cole, tight end Noah Peck, linemen Saijon Mills and Warrick VanBlaricon, quarterback Griffin Hall and linebacker Abram Ownings received honorable mention.
“The other thing that I thought about was our support from our cheerleaders and our dance team and our band,” Maring said. “They were everywhere, and they are a great supporting cast for those guys.”
A banner year for cross country
Not only did junior Kylie Shultz win her first individual cross country championship after finishing second and third the previous two years, but she broke the school 5-kilometer record along the way.
On the boys side, senior Liam Deniau-Young broke a school record as well and finished 18th in the state meet, giving the Mustangs a state medalist in both the boys and girls races.
The Mustangs also saw both boys and girls teams qualify for state for the first time since 1985 with the girls finishing eighth and the boys ninth.
“Another great job by coach (Brad) Dix, and that program continues to grow,” Maring said. “It gets better every year.”
Volleyball has a turnaround season
No Central team enjoyed a greater turnaround in 2025 than volleyball, which went from 9-25 the previous year to 24-12 under second-year coach Brandon Stephenson. It was the Mustangs’ first winning record since 2013.
The Mustangs had six individual players receive Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League Division II individual honors, led by first team selection Grace Ostmeyer, with senior McKynlee Dunlap, sophomore Elizabeth Howard and junior Katy Wagner on the second team. Sophomore Paxtyn Ekberg and senior Addison Hansen got honorable mention.
Girls tennis, girls golf and boys soccer round out fall
The Central girls tennis team had a major turnover from 2024 under first-year coach Grace Holgerson, but seniors Brooke Banninger and Macy O’Hara qualified for the 5A state tournament in doubles by finishing fifth at their regional.
The girls golf team had just four players out and did not qualify for state, while a young boys soccer team finished with a 1-15 record.
“We had some low numbers, but those girls improved each time they went out, and hopefully we can get a few more girls out next year,” Maring said of the golf team. “Our soccer team struggled a little bit, but we saw improvement throughout the year, and hopefully we can grow from that. We only had one senior on our team, so that bodes well moving forward into next year.
Basketball teams finish semester strong
Central’s run to a state football championship left the boys basketball team without a full roster for most of the preseason. But after a 1-4 start, the Mustangs moved into the holiday break on a roll with back-to-back victories over Goddard and Newton to improve to 3-4.
“It’s a good problem to have with our guys going to state and winning state,” Maring said. “But for our winter sports coaches, they didn’t get to see them until the Monday of the first week of competition, so when you think about that, they only had about three days of practice.
“But those kids are getting into basketball shape, and so I think we’ll see some good improvement.”
The Mustang girls also overcame a slow start with victories against Goddard and Newton, and also head to the break at 3-4.
Wrestling features returning state champions
The Central boys wrestling team brings back a pair of 5A state champions in Cooper Reves and Abram Owings, plus a runner-up and one other placer.
Reves has moved up from 190 pounds to 215 as a senior and is ranked No. 1 in that weight class. Likewise, Owings is No. 1 at 175 after winning the 165-pound title as a junior, and senior Julian Glover is No. 2 at 150 after taking second at 138.
The girls return two sophomore state placers in 120-pounder Abbie Slothower, who finished third last year at 110, while sophomore 235-pounder Kiarra Codling is coming off a fifth-place state finish. Both are ranked No. 2 in their respective divisions.
New year brings more winter sports
Two other winter sports, bowling and boys swimming, begin their seasons after the new year.
Also, for the first time, the Kansas State High School Activities Association is sanction E-sports as a state-sponsored activity, which means Central’s team will be able to travel to official meets in 2026.
Other Central activities stand out in first semester
Central’s cheer and VETS dance teams support both fall and winter sports programs and also went to state competitions of their own in Topeka.
Maring also applauded the school’s orchestra, choir and band students who excelled at KMEA honor competitions.
Theater director Barb Hilt has been named to the Kansas Thespians Hal of Fame, and a group of theater students will represent Central in January with a performance of the play “Catch Me If You Can.”
“It has been a fun start this school year,” Maring said. “I hope 2026 is just as good as 2025 has been to Salina Central.”
