Salina Central 51, Basehor-Linwood 34
What started as a defensive battle turned into an offensive showcase as Salina Central overcame a first-half deficit to defeat Basehor-Linwood 51-34 in a thrilling back-and-forth contest Friday night.
The Mustangs struck first when quarterback Griffin Hall connected with a wide-open Bodie Rodriguez for a touchdown, but Basehor-Linwood answered quickly. Running back Gavin Mitchell punched in a short touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7 late in the opening quarter.
The Bobcats seized control in the second quarter when Carson Dixon found Roman Miller for a touchdown pass, giving Basehor-Linwood its first lead at 14-7. Salina Central managed a field goal on the final play of the half to cut the deficit to 14-10 at the break.
The second half belonged to Salina Central. The Mustangs recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff, and Hall immediately capitalized with a short touchdown run to reclaim the lead at 17-14. On Basehor-Linwood's first offensive play, Dixon's pass was tipped at the line and intercepted, setting up another Mustangs score. Hall connected with Elijah Duxler for a touchdown, extending the lead to 24-14.
The third quarter turned disastrous for the Bobcats as Salina Central recovered a second fumble — their third turnover of the quarter. Cooper Reves broke loose for a long touchdown run, pushing the Mustangs' advantage to 31-14. Reves added another touchdown early in the fourth quarter to make it 37-14.
Basehor-Linwood refused to quit. After a fourth-down stop, Dixon connected with Nash Morrison on a long touchdown pass. The Bobcats recovered the ensuing onside kick and Morrison caught another touchdown from Dixon to pull within 37-27.
The teams traded scores in a wild final five minutes. Reves scored on an 11-yard run before Dixon hit Trowbridge from 66 yards out to make it 44-34. But Reves, who dominated the second half, added his fourth touchdown of the half on a 4-yard run with three minutes remaining to seal the victory.
Reves finished with four second-half touchdowns for Salina Central, while Hall threw two touchdown passes and ran for another. Dixon accounted for four touchdowns for Basehor-Linwood in the losing effort.
