It was the last home game of the season for the Salina South Cougars as they celebrated their seniors on senior night against the visiting Goddard Lions. The Lions entered the evening 4-1 overall and 3-1 in ACVTL-II play, while the Cougars looked for their first victory of the season.
The Lions would strike first with 10:26 to go in the first quarter after a 26-yard TD run from tailback Kaden Stroot, the 2-point conversion failed, and the Lions held a 6-0 lead. The Cougars would get a defensive stop with a Lions turnover on downs with around four and a half minutes to go in quarter number one and the offense would respond quickly. After a 39-yard pitch and catch from senior QB Landon Putman to Jr WR Jaxon Myers to start the drive, they would find each other once again a few plays later for a 21-yard touchdown for the Cougars first and only touchdown of the night. The PAT was good, and Salina South would hold a 1-point lead (7-6) over Goddard at the end of one quarter.
After a competitive first quarter of play the second quarter did not disappoint in excitement. With 9:44 to go in quarter number two, tailback Eric Olivas would find the endzone untouched for a 69-yard TD run, the PAT was good, and Goddard retook the lead over Salina South, 13-7. On the following kickoff, Cougars wideout Jaxon Myers would receive the kickoff and run it all the way back inside the 10-yard line to the 6 in Lions territory. The Cougars would come up short of the endzone and 3rd down and Goal and settle for the three, FG was good, and South cut the lead to just 3. Goddard wasted no time in responding as Landon Kohlhorst returned the following kick off 70 yards for a touchdown, the two-point conversion was no good and the Lions led the Cougars 19-10 with 8:21 left before the break. The Lions would score once more right before half on a 61-yard touchdown run by Erik Olivas, his second of the game, to give Goddard a 26-10 lead going into halftime after the PAT was good.
The second half was all Goddard as they would outscore the Cougars 34-0, finding the end zone on all five possessions of the 2nd half. With 7:00 to play in the third quarter QB Brock Sullivan would find TE Kenny Ast through the air for a 32-yard pitch and catch for a touchdown. This marked the first passing touchdown of the entire season for Sullivan and the Lions offense. Goddard would score four more touchdowns, all on the ground, before the night’s end. Aidan Avalos, Joe Diekemper, Kaiden Stroot, and Cooper Glasscock, would all rush for a touchdown in the 2nd half to help Goddard defeat Salina South by a score of 60-10.
The Cougars, 0-6 overall and 0-4 in AVCL-I play, will be back in action next Friday, October 18th in a road game against league opponent Haysville-Campus.
Player of the Game- Jaxon Myers
H&R Block of the Game- Eric Franco
Goddard- 6|19|21|13/|60
South- 7|3|0|0|10
