May 27, 2023

Liberty make trek to Gillette to battle Mutangs for 2-seed

Posted May 27, 2023 1:00 PM

By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor

Salina Liberty coverage is presented by Ryan Roofing
Salina Liberty coverage is presented by Ryan Roofing

With just one week remaining in the regular season, the Salina Liberty will take to the gridiron on Saturday night for a colossal matchup with the Mustangs in Gillette.

The playoff field is already set, but the two teams will enter this contest in a tie for second at 7-2, with the winner claiming the two-seed, a first-round bye, and home-field advantage for a semifinal.

Meanwhile, the loser will take the three-seed and host a quarterfinal game before likely hitting the road for a second-round matchup the following week.

At 9-0, the Omaha Beef have secured the 1-seed and home field throughout this year’s postseason, and along with the Liberty and Mustangs, will fill out a field that will feature 6-4 Billings, 5-4 Sioux City, and 3-7 SW Kansas.

“All of these games have been big with that hole that we dug ourselves in the middle of the year but this is definitely a big one for us,” Salina head coach Heron O’Neal said. “It’s always tough when you go on the road, especially against a team that’s ranked second in the league and we’ve gotta be ready to put that trip behind us and put our best foot forward on Saturday.”

Fresh off a 48-39 win over the Bandits last week, the Liberty will have to make the long trek to Gillette to get to this one, and to face a Mustang team that looks leaps and bounds better than they did a season ago.

“Looking at what Coach Walker has brought in they’ve really restocked and they’ve got good coaching up there with some Arena I legends on that staff,” O’Neal said. “You can see the coaching in the way that they play and their recruiting has been big time this year.”

In their most recent contest, a 41-38 loss at the hands of the Billings Outlaws, the Mustangs got to try out newly signed QB Aaron Aiken, who delivered three touchdown passes against his former team.

One of Aiken's biggest targets this week will be Karonce Higgins, who leads the league in almost all receiving categories, topping the charts in yards (618), and touchdowns (14).

“Aiken has only played one game in this league so it’s tough to say what he can and can’t do just yet,” he said. “He runs the gameplan the way they want and they can make big plays when they go for the home run but he can also make things happen with his legs.”

In addition to contending with the league-best offense in the CIF, the Liberty will have to find a way through a defense that allows a second-ranked 148 yards, and 38 points per game.

“All you can do is come in with a good plan and make the adjustments on both sides accordingly as the game goes on,” O’Neal said. “We have to make sure we don’t turn the ball over, that’s the main thing. We’re focusing on our side of this matchup and we know we can’t turn the ball over and expect to win against a team like this.”

Kickoff between the Liberty and Mustangs is set for 6:30 PM at the CamPlex in Gillette and as always, the game can be heard on KINA (910 AM or 107.5 FM).