Salina 'Em Up

There was a time when the greater Wichita area had nothing whatsoever to do with Class 4A football. Cessna Stadium hosted the 4A state title games from 1989 to 1993 – that was the extent of it.   

Barring the six appearances by Wellington High, 35 miles south of Wichita, in title games from 1981 to 2002, the Wichita area didn’t factor into Class 4A.

But suburban expansion around Wichita has turned it into the cradle of 4A football in recent years. Rose Hill earned a state berth in 2004, and Andale won consecutive titles in 2006 and 2007.

Fourth-quarter penalties by Andover Central doomed the Jags against Topeka Hayden in the second round of the 2008 playoffs, a 21-20 overtime loss, or else they may have kept the recent run alive. They were certainly state caliber. Even so, Andale gave the eventual champs, Hayden, their second-toughest game of the 2008 playoffs, a 20-12 loss.

The area’s state title prospects in Class 4A remain strong in 2009. Buhler, Rose Hill, Andover, Clearwater and Mulvane, in addition to Andale, Andover Central and Wellington, recently have proven their mettle. Irrelevance has passed. –TW