Two dominant backs in Erik Olivas and Cooper Reves are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Goddard Lions are taking a road trip to take on the Salina Central Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 919 yards in their previous games.
Goddard is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 27-24 win over Maize South. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Lions have posted since September 20, 2024.
Trey Wright
| 10/30/25 vs Maize South | 7 |
| 10/24/25 vs Salina Central | 8 |
| 10/17/25 @ Arkansas City | 8 |
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Goddard's defense and their four sacks. In that department, Trey Wright was the leader with three. He is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made seven or more in each of the last three games he's played. Goddard got some further help from Gage Koenigs: he made 13 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Salina Central). They breezed past West to the tune of 68-22 on Friday. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas football rankings (they are ranked 35th, while the Chargers are ranked 155th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Salina Central's win came from a few key players Goddard will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Griffin Hall, who threw for 150 yards and five TDs while completing 84.6% of his passes. Those five passing touchdowns gave him a new career-high. Gannon Cole was Hall's top target, picking up 34 receiving yards and three scores.
Salina Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 289 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 159 rushing yards in 11 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Salina Central didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. Trae Wise led the group effort, picking up two of those interceptions all by himself. He got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Goddard is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 33.3 points over those games. As for Salina Central, their victory bumped their record up to 8-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Goddard has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 220.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Salina Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 294.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Goddard couldn't quite get it done against Salina Central when the teams last played last Friday as they fell 35-28. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Mustangs' Reves, who rushed for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 7.9 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.
