The Salina Central Mustangs wrapped up the 2024 football season with a 4-5 record, finishing with a 56-35 playoff loss to Maize South.
The season marked the Mustangs’ first losing record since 2020 and their second under head coach Mark Sandbo.
“We had a lot of ups and downs,” Sandbo said. “At times, we played well, and other times, we played probably below average. But I’m proud of our kids and the work they put in.14 seniors are walking away from this season, and they’re going to be missed.”
Offensively, the Mustangs were led by junior running back Cooper Reves. Reves rushed for 1,141 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns and averaged 126.8 yards per game. Senior quarterback Jack Gordon threw for 1,704 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and had a 57.4 percent completion rate. Also, senior wide receiver senior Isaiah White made his mark averaging 41 receiving yards per game with four touchdowns.
On the defensive side of things, senior linebacker/tight end Tyrus Young led with 8.4 tackles per game, and senior defensive end James Mackinney recorded 6.5 sacks and averaged 7.9 tackles per game. Junior tackle Connor Carter added strength on the defensive line with 6.7 tackles per game.
The Mustangs had moments of strong play, especially in their 52-24 win over district leader Goddard. Sandbo said inconsistency kept them from reaching their potential.
“Goddard’s a great example — that’s a team who had a lot of success before playing us, and we exposed them and showed what we’re capable of,” Sandbo said. “But even in that game, we didn’t play clean football. We found ways to shoot ourselves in the foot with mistakes and mental errors. When we play good, clean football, we’re a tough team to beat. But with what we did before playing Maize South, we put ourselves in a position where we were up against a really good team, and we didn’t bring our best.”
Sandbo said there are several things from this season that the team can learn from.
“A big lesson for them is going to be execution,” he said. “Understanding what it means to be in the right spot, in the right place — not thinking, not processing, but reacting. That comes with reps, attention to film, and attention to the details we talk about in practice.”
White said the season served as a good lesson for the underclassmen.
“My season going this way is good for the underclassmen,” he said. “It shows them that things aren’t just handed to you. My class is cocky — a lot of them think it’ll be handed to them because it has been before. You actually have to go out there and work, because if you don’t, we’ll end up with a 4-5 season.”
One of the season’s lowest points was losing 31-30 to Arkansas City, marking the first loss against them since 2017 when their record was 0-9.
White said some players’ lack of commitment in the off-season may have been a factor in the season not meeting expectations.
“Some people are all talk about working hard, but you’d never see them in the gym,” he said. “When Friday night comes, it shows who put in the work. Thinking you did OK last year doesn’t mean you’ll do OK this year. We can’t let ‘OK’ be the standard. You have to drive for more.”
Junior wide receiver Bodie Rodriguez, who led the team with 455 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, agreed with White’s focus on accountability.
“We can’t let some players skip the weight room or take it easy in practice if we want to get better,” Rodriguez said. “We need to be all-in as a team. We know that now, and I’m ready to get to work for next year.”
Rodríguez said that he’s preparing to take on a leadership role next season.
“A lot of the guys already respect me,” he said. “But we all need to hold each other accountable. We’ve got to get stuff done and get to work every day in practice. We can’t goof around as much.”
Looking ahead, Sandbo said the Mustangs have promising young talent, including sophomore Griffin Hall, who is expected to be the starting quarterback next season.
“We’re excited about Griffin, and he’s got a lot of potential,” Sandbo said. “But just like anyone else, he has to put in the work.”
Even with Hall playing in and out of varsity games, he was able to achieve 293 passing yards, 168 rushing yards, four touchdown passes and a completion rate of 88 percent.
As the Mustangs close out the 2024 season, Sandbo said that this season was a lesson to not slack off during the off-season.
“You can’t just get by with showing up,” Sandbo said. “Games are won through the hard work put in during December, January, February, March, and all the way into the summer. There’s been a bit of complacency, and while this isn’t necessarily a setback, it’s a realization that we need to flip the switch. When Friday nights in September come around, we’ll be ready to play fast, physical football.”
