By TYLER HENRY
Little Apple Post contributor
After a much-needed bye week, the Salina Liberty will return to the Tony’s Pizza Events Center for their fifth CIF contest of the season as they get their first look at the expansion Marshals of Rapid City on Saturday.
The Liberty enter this contest at 2-2 after dropping back-to-back games for the first time since 2019 while Rapid City, still trying to find traction, will come in at 1-3.
Over the course of the week, Salina’s quest to replace reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Tyrie Adams continued, and the Liberty found their man in former IFL QB Vincent Espinoza.
“He’s a kid that we’ve been looking at for a couple of years,” Liberty HC Heron O’Neal said. “He has the experience and he’s a good-sized guy who can make every throw you need. He’s a dual-threat with a lot of intelligence and this will be the first QB1 experience of his career.”
O’Neal, who returns from a two-game suspension this week, highlighted that the bye could not have come at a better time for Salina, who needed a reset before the final six weeks of the season.
“That bye week was key because it gave us time to find our new QB and it gave me a chance to reset and spend some time with my family,” he said. “It’s been a tough couple of weeks but we’re refreshed and ready to make a push to the playoffs.”
The Liberty now turn their attention to another new expansion team in Rapid City, a squad whose head coach O’Neal has faced as a player, and whose DC he worked under early in his career.
“Their defensive coordinator baptized me many years ago with the team that he had in 2005 in Everett,” O’Neal said. “He’s a hall of fame coach and he’s probably forgotten more football than what 3/4 of the league’s coaches have ever known.”
As for the matchup on the field, getting Espinoza comfortable and up to speed with the CIF game will be paramount in re-establishing the Liberty offense after a few middling weeks.
“We need to get our quarterback into a rhythm early in this game,” he said. “He’s still learning how we do things, especially on a game day but I think his indoor experience will have him prepared for the speed of the game.”
On the flipside, the Salina defense has continued to impress but will be looking to generate more turnovers as the season heats up.
Kickoff between the Marshals and Liberty is set for 6:35 pm in Salina and as always the game can be heard on KINA (910 AM or 107.5 FM) courtesy of Eagle Radio.
To purchase tickets to this and future Liberty home games, click here.