State Playoffs: Carroll v Salina Central

A year ago, Bishop Carroll's final test before making it back to the Class 5A state title game for the first time since 1978 was Salina Central, a program looking to rediscover its own more recent title game roots. Salina Central had won six state titles under Marvin Diener dating back to the mid-1990s, though the Mustangs had been out of picture for a couple of seasons. Carroll beat Central in a game of smash-mouth football, 17-7. This fall, they meet again in the playoffs on Friday night - this time in the first round. Carroll has compiled rout after rout following its season-opening loss at Wichita Heights, 24-21. Junior quarterback Blake Bell has captured minds with his ability, not to mention records, setting a new single-season passing mark in the City League by throwing for 2,623 yards and 33 TDs, accompanied by just three interceptions. So the smash-mouth game from a year ago? Probably not going to happen again. Carroll has put up frightening numbers against its opponents since senior slot receiver and running back Joe Brown returned after sitting out the Heights game. Alongside Carroll's outstanding offensive attack is Salina Central's defense, which has been a work in progress in 2008. Central has not had solid linebacker play all season, which is what prompted coach Michael Hall to move star player Taylor Counts (6-0, 230) to the defense full-time mid-season. "He's been playing both ways - full-time on defense - and he's always before been strictly an offensive player. But we haven't had the linebackers this year," said Hall. "Taylor's a real team player, but our offense has suffered [from the move]. He took our defense from poor to average." In Counts' place at running back is sophomore Cale Sharp, brother of Central legend and current KU back, Jake. Sharp has rushed for 1,000 yards this season, but he is not the prototypical bruising, unstoppable Central back. Salina Central's 5-4 record shouldn't be taken lightly. Two of their losses came at Blue Valley Stilwell and at home against Derby, and they were heartbreakers. Blue Valley broke a 31-31 with a game-winning TD with nine seconds left, and Derby came back to beat Central 28-27. Central is arguably Carroll's most difficult opponent since Week 1 at Heights. "We're going to get tested," said Carroll coach Alan Schuckman, who has coached a completely different Carroll team this fall than others in recent years. Typically depending on defense as their backbone, the one questionable facet of the Golden Eagles this fall is the defense, which was ransacked by graduation. "(Central) has one of the best offensive lines we've seen this year. They're very big up front." Salina Central is over six-foot and 210 pounds across the front, paving the way for the young Sharp. "They play low and they play hard," Shuckman said of them after watching their tape. "It's going to be a tale of two contrasting offenses - power versus spread." Hall added that he's not underestimating the Carroll defense. He likes what he's seen on tape out of Carroll middle linebacker Timmy Chadd, a junior. Shuckman added that he's ready for the 5A West playoffs to get under way. "Let's get the season over with," he said with anticipation. "Let's knock 'em down and see who's standing." This first-round match-up certainly gets the 5A playoffs off to a strong start.