Goddard is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Salina Central is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Lions will challenge the Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Goddard's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last four matchups.
Goddard is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They walked away with a 44-35 victory over Arkansas City on Friday. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas football rankings (they are ranked 47th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 134th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Erik Olivas
| 10/17/25 @ Arkansas City | 187 |
| 10/09/25 vs South | 157 |
| 10/03/25 vs Andover Central | 212 |
| 09/26/25 @ Newton | 152 |
| 09/19/25 @ Andover | 114 |
| + 2 more games |
This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Erik Olivas and Joseph Diekemper. Olivas rushed for 187 yards and one touchdown while picking up 11.7 yards per carry while Diekemper gained 90 total yards and four touchdowns. Olivas is crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 114 every time he's taken the field this season. Bryer Rojas made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
Goddard was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 333 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2024.
Goddard didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Aidan Beach and Rojas. Rojas got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Salina Central played a tough game on Thursday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They took a blow against Andover, falling 48-21. The contest marked the Mustangs' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Goddard will have to keep a close watch on Griffin Hall and Cooper Reves, a pair of players who had a big impact on Salina Central's prior game. Hall rushed for 94 yards and one score on only 12 carries, while Reves rushed for 103 yards and one TD on only 13 carries.
Having lost for the first time this season, Salina Central fell to 6-1. As for Goddard, their win bumped their record up to 5-2.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Goddard has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 226.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Salina Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 288.9 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Goddard took a serious blow against Salina Central in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, falling 52-24. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Reves, who rushed for 245 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 9.8 yards per carry. Now that the Lions know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
