By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The drizzle that was supposed to stop hours before kickoff but persisted through two possessions of Friday night’s Class 5A state semifinal game may have been a bad omen. But in the end, it was not the weather that doomed the top-ranked Panthers. Salina Central’s aggressive play calling and trick plays resulted in a pair of touchdowns, and the Mustangs were able to survive the upset bid 30-28 to advance to next Friday’s championship game against unbeaten Basehor-Linwood.
“That’s why you watch film, I guess,” said Central coach Mark Sandbo. “We felt comfortable with some calls even though they looked gutsy. One we can’t take credit for – that’s a kid making a play. We saw some things we liked. We were doing some really good things, and then our kids executed. Our good is good enough. We’re a really good football team, and our kids were really good tonight.”
One call that was not necessarily gutsy proved to be consequential. With time running out before the half, Sandbo opted for a 32-yard field goal try from senior Elijah Duxler. That kick as time expired sent the Mustangs into the half with a 16-6 lead.
Duxler was poised for more points on the first drive of the third quarter. The Panthers again made a goal-line stand to force fourth-and-nine. Duxler spotted up for another field goal but Mustang senior Abram Owings took the fake and found senior Bodie Rodriguez for a 9-yard touchdown pass and a 23-6 Central lead nearly eight minutes into the second half.
Great Bend responded with force. Five plays later, senior Daxton Minton hit junior Cooper Ohnmacht over the middle for a 56-yard strike to keep the season alive.
Then the Panther defense stepped in, forcing a punt on the next Salina possession, then getting fumble recoveries from junior Jaxon Wondra and senior Ian Premer on the next two stops. Using a short field after the punt, the Panthers needed just three plays before Minton ran 23 yards for a 23-21 score with 13 ticks left in the third.
Great Bend had all the momentum with the next two takeaways, but the Central defense stole it back with a pair of big stops.
“(Our defense) was fantastic,” Sandbo said. “We put them in some tough situations, but they responded. In a time like this, in a game like this, you have to respond, and you have to make plays. They made some plays.”
With time becoming a factor, Great Bend burned through three timeouts in a last-ditch attempt to stop the Mustangs. Central converted a big third-and-10 to keep possession, but soon faced fourth-and four in the final minute. Sandbo dialed up another trick play that resulted in a 23-yard touchdown pass from junior Griffin Hall to senior Jesus Delgado with just 33 seconds left. The Mustang grew to 30-21.
Still, the Panthers were not finished. Minton put a 46-yard pass on a rope to Ohnmacht for a touchdown with just 13 seconds gone from the clock. Central recovered the ensuing onside kick to end Great Bend’s hope of a state championship berth.
The Panthers opened the game with the ball but punted it away just four plays later. Central drove a short field on its first possession before senior Cooper Reves scored from four yards out to open scoring five minutes in.
Great Bend answered with a quick drive, capped by a 14-yard touchdown run from senior Conner Holladay. The Mustangs marched right back down the field before Reves scored from 16 yards out for a 13-6 Central lead two minutes into the second quarter.
Reves, who entered the night with more than 2,400 rushing yards this season, ran for 95 yards and the two touchdowns on 20 carries in the first half. He added 157 yards and 38 carries to his big season totals. Hall rushed for 75 yards on 19 carries and added 157 yards and a touchdown on 9-of-13 passing.
Minton, the all-time passing touchdown leader at Great Bend, finished his career strong with 161 yards on 8-of-17 passing. After some big rushing games in the last few weeks, he was kept in check with 23 yards on seven carries. Premer ran the ball 10 times for 68 yards. Ohnmacht caught four passes for 133 yards and a pair of scores.
Great Bend ends its historic season at 11-1. Salina Central takes an 11-1 record into next Friday’s Class 5A state championship game at Emporia State University. Unbeaten Basehor-Linwood defeated St. James Academy 28-20 to advance to the finals out of the east side of the bracket.