Bishop Carroll and Salina South
The top-ranked and undefeated Bishop Carroll Golden Eagles (11-0) seem to be on a journey destined for a Class 5A state championship.
However, the second-ranked Salina South Cougars (10-1) are the only team to defeat Bishop Carroll over the past three seasons.
The two teams will collide in the Class 5A semifinals at 7 p.m. Friday. The game will be televised statewide on Cox Channel Kansas.
Tonight’s winner between the Eagles and the Cougars will face the winner of St. Thomas Aquinas and Shawnee Heights in the Class 5A state championship at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29 at Pittsburg State University’s Carnie Smith Stadium.
The Eagles have dominated their competition in 2014.
Bishop Carroll has scored new fewer than 37 points in a game and has allowed no more than 15. The Eagles’ closest margin of victory was 29 points in the season opener against Wichita Northwest.
“We’ve stayed hungry, and we’ve stayed healthy,” Bishop Carroll coach Alan Schuckman said. “Our guys know each week that we’re going to get everybody’s best shot. They’ve practiced everyday ready to work. They’re not satisfied with 11-0. They have a goal in place.”
Carroll opened the playoffs with lopsided wins over Goddard and Wichita Heights.
“They have a great program,” Salina South coach Sam Sellers said. “You know if you want to win a state title, they’re one of the teams you have to beat to do it. There’s no secret to them this year. Everybody knows, it’s a fantastic defense and offensively they have some nice talent who can hit home runs. They can get on teams quick. With an explosive offense and a fantastic defense, it can make life rough on opposing teams.”
Eagles running back Denzel Goolsby has rushed for almost 1,400 yards.
“He’s a special player and a special person,” Schuckman said. “If you watch in practice every day, you’d know why he’s so successful in games. He practices at the same tempo … We have a lot of focused guys on our football team right now, and he’s definitely taken it to another level.”
Quarterback Colton Howell has passed for almost 1,100 yards while rushing for 550.
“Colton is a talented kid, but I think his greatest strength is that he has a great command of the offense,” Sellers said. “He really knows what Coach Schuckman wants him to do. He never gets rattled and knows exactly what he wants to do.”
Bishop Carroll’s only loss since 2011 was a 21-19 defeat at the hands of Salina South during last year’s playoffs.
The Cougars hope to get back to the state title game after finishing as runner-up a year ago.
“They are a typical Salina South team,” Schuckman said. “They play hard on both sides of the ball. They are going to be a big challenge for us.”
The Cougars are on a five-game winning streak since falling 45-14 to Derby on Oct. 10.
Salina South is led by quarterback Dalton Wassenberg, who has passed for 1,846 yards and 25 touchdowns with only six interceptions.
“He’s a tremendous quarterback, considering that he’s pretty limited on his experience,” Schuckman said. “I’ve been impressed with his ability to run and throw it with the size he is. He presents a challenge for defenses.”
Dylan Becker has more than 1,000 yards receiving for the Cougars.
“He’s a kid who last year as a sophomore, we had some talented upperclassmen ahead of him,” Sellers said. “He physically matured, and we always knew he’d be a special receiver. What he gives us is speed. He’s a very explosive athlete. With our run game, it allows him to get behind defenses. When he does that, it’s over. He’s really become a complete wide receiver this year.”
Salina South also has a healthy Eric McCullough back in the lineup. He rushed for 179 yards and two touchdowns during last week’s 49-28 win over Maize South.
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