By TYLER HENRY
Little Apple Post contributor
The Salina Liberty will host the Queen City Asylum on Saturday, April 2nd in their one non-league game of the season.
Kickoff is set for 6:35 PM as one of just two remaining undefeated CIF teams prepares to take on the pride of Springfield Missouri, fresh off a 64-6 win over the Missouri Monarchs.
The Liberty enter this game on a roll with wins of 54-33 over the Topeka Tropics and a 36-31 come from behind victory over the Omaha Beef in hand.
“If I had to sum up what I was most proud of in that Omaha game in one word it would be perseverance,” Liberty HC Heron O’Neal said. “To deal with all of the things that went on and a back and forth game, it showed that we have that clutch gene.”
Salina will have to cope without their reigning league MVP in Tracy Brooks, who will be sidelined with an arm injury sustained on the opening drive against Omaha for at least six weeks.
In Brooks’ stead, the Liberty will turn to Tre Griffin, who has put on a show in his first two CIF games with four touchdowns on the ground already, to add to his prowess as a pass-catcher.
“I’m very comfortable with Tre taking that mantle,” O’Neal said. “He’s established himself as one of the most dangerous guys with the ball in his hands through these first few games.”
While this game will not count towards the CIF standings, it does provide Salina with an opportunity to iron out a few things in their game before league play resumes next week.
“We still need to work on our focus and on playing a full game,” he said. “We haven’t done that in any of the three elements of the game and we have a lot of things we need to clean up and work on.”
This game will also take place at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center, which has become one of the best atmospheres in the CIF for football games this year.
“Our crowd is a huge benefit,” O’Neal said. “The crowd in the Omaha game was the biggest that we’ve ever had and we’ve seen so much growth in our fanbase over the years. It’s great to have that energy and for them to be so loud that it affects the ballgame.”
Kickoff 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.
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