SPORTS

Kayson Dietz, Salina South conquer flexbone offense in 36-14 victory over Campus

Salina Journal

HAYSVILLE — Salina South's Kayson Dietz was a man on a mission to get to the football against Campus' flexbone offense Friday night.

Dietz and the Cougar defense held Campus to 139 yards of total offense in a 36-14 Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League Division I victory over the Colts.

"We needed this one," Dietz said after the Cougars improved to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in AVCTL-I play. "This was a real big one for us and we all did what we're supposed to do and we got it.

"Them being a flexbone offense, it feels really good. There's a lot of pros, there's a few cons. The pros definitely outweighed the cons tonight. We all stuck together tonight and good things happen when your team sticks together like that."

South coach Sam Sellers said it's always difficult to scout the flexbone offense in practice, especially with only four days to prepare.

"Our scout team was phenomenal this week," Sellers said. "We kind of challenged them and we challenged our entire team. We were really disappointed in our play last week and we really needed this week not only to just to get a win and take some more steps forward and being closer to what we can be."

Salina South cashes in on turnovers

Two of the three Campus turnovers resulted in scores for the South. After Jarrett Pittenger recovered a fumble in the second quarter, the Cougars went with a wide receiver pass from Garrett Aills to Te'Jon McDaniel for a 28-yard touchdown, extending South's lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter.

The second fumble resulted in a 51-yard touchdown run by Weston Fries in the fourth period that made it 30-0 with 8:51 left.

With Dietz making an impact up front, it left the door open for his teammates to force those turnovers when they could get them. Dietz recorded 13 tackles, two tackles for a loss, forced a fumble and had a sack.

"We felt good about our game plan with him going in and just how talented he is and what we wanted to do with him specifically against the flexbone," Sellers said of Dietz. "He was a little bit hesitant at first because he looked a little bit different, looked a little goofy, but the kid is so talented and had a heck of a game tonight."

More from Week 3:

Ian Andalon, Seth Clemmer fill void left by Brandt Cox

With Brandt Cox out due to an injury he suffered last week against Maize South, Ian Andalon and Seth Clemmer filled in for their senior standout.

Clemmer had 80 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, while Andalon added 78 yards on 10 attempts.

"We want Brandt in there, but we feel great about those three guys," Sellers said. "Going into the season, we felt like that was a deep group. I wasn't surprised by their performances tonight."

Clemmer said he just had to step up and fill in when needed.

"The (offensive) line was gonna grind for us and we just had to go," Clemmer said.

Fries also had 47 yards and a touchdown on six carries and threw for 113 yards.

South had five different players record touchdowns

In addition to scores from Fries, Clemmer and McDaniel, South got a 33-yard touchdown run from Aills, and a 13-yard pass from Fries to Carter Copes. The Cougars also got two points via a safety after a mishandled snap by Campus in punt formation.

Sellers said having all five starting offensive linemen back in the lineup benefited them to have a balanced scoring attack.

"(Clemmer and Andalon) did a heck of a job, and Weston too," Sellers said. "We feel like we have playmakers everywhere. It's just going out and doing their jobs and doing it well. They executed the game plan perfectly."

Campus scored its two touchdowns 1 minute and 28 seconds apart with a 14-yard run by Garrett Denning and a 9-yard run by Brody Johnson.

South returns home to Salina Stadium for a 7 p.m. showdown with 6A No. 1 Derby on Friday.

Dylan Sherwood has been a Sports Reporter for The Salina Journal since August 2019. He can be reached at dsherwood@salina.com or on Twitter @DSherwoodSJ