The Salina Central Mustangs ended Great Bend’s Class 5A state football title hopes with a 30-28 victory in the 5A state semifinals Friday night at Great Bend.
The score was tied 6-6 after one quarter. The Mustangs led at halftime 16-6. In the third quarter, the Mustangs turned a fake field goal into a touchdown to increase their lead to 23-6.
Great Bend rallied with two TDs to cut the Mustangs lead to 23-21 at the end of the third quarter.
The Mustangs connected on a TD pass with 33 seconds and added the extra point kick to make the score 30-21.
Great Bend quarterback Daxton Minton connected with Cooper Ohnmacht on a 46-yard TD pass with 20 seconds left to cut the Mustangs’ lead to 30-28. It was the second TD hookup of the game between Minton and Ohnmacht,
Salina Central recovered Great Bend’s onside kick attempt.
Salina Central (11-1) will play Basehor-Linwood (12-0) next Friday in the Kansas Class 5A football state championship game at Emporia State University’s Welch Stadium.
Basehor-Linwood defeated Lenexa-St. James 28-20 in the other Class 5A semifinal.
The Panthers’ bid for a second state title appearance was thwarted. The Panthers lost to Stilwell-Blue Valley 34-3 in the Class 5A finals in 2006.
The Mustangs, coached by Mark Sandbo, will make their first state championship appearance since 2005 when they won the 5A state championship 29-21 over Blue Valley. The Mustangs went 4-5 in 2024.
Salina Central has won six Class 5A state titles, all under legendary Kansas Hall of Fame coach Marvin Diener. The state titles came in 1993, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2005.
Great Bend finished the season with an 11-1 record. Lenexa-St. James finished with a 10-2 record.
