Kelvin McCoy brings stability to Salina Liberty's offense, readies for championship game

For all his years in Champions Indoor Football, Salina Liberty coach Heron O'Neal came to count on Kelvin McCoy as a steady, if unspectacular offensive lineman.

He simply plugged McCoy in at center and let him do his thing. It was the case when O'Neal was an assistant at Dodge City for a year and carried over when he took on the Liberty's head coach position.

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But while he never took McCoy for granted, neither did he see him as an alpha dog. Until this year, that is.

"This has been his best season, and I know it's very hard to top with the season he had last year," O'Neal said of McCoy, who not only made a successful switch from center to tackle midway through the season, but also took charge of the entire offensive line. "But I think this year, with the versatility he showed of playing right tackle, left tackle and center, as well as taking more of a leadership role as far as coaching up the offensive line, he has been special.

"We always had Kamalie (Matthews) before, and he was really the stamp of our offensive line and everything kind of went his way. This was the first year we didn't have Kamalie, and McCoy had to step up, and he did. I think he's the best offensive lineman in the league."

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Being a part of the winning lineup

It's hard to argue with the results. For a third straight season dating back to 2019 — COVID-19 wiped out the 2020 campaign — the Liberty find themselves playing for a CIF championship. They will play host to the Omaha Beef at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Tony's Pizza Evens Center for Champions Bowl VII, a rematch of last year's title game.

And McCoy is one of seven current Liberty players who was a part of all three.

"This is the third one, and it's time to seal the deal," McCoy said.

The Liberty lost the 2019 Champions Bowl at Duke City, then last year had a potential winning field goal blocked in the closing seconds to lose at home to Omaha, 40-39.

McCoy is the lone returning member of the 2021 offensive line, and it hasn't been an easy year. The Liberty lost starting quarterback Tyrie Adams to the Canadian Football League early in the season and running back Tracy Brooks with a broken arm for six games, not to mention a series of injuries that turned the line into a revolving door.

Fortunately, a veteran defense kept the Liberty in games while the offense found its way. And with Brooks, the league's reigning most valuable player, back and good as new, and midseason pickup Javin Kilgo at quarterback, things are starting to stabilize.

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That also goes for the offensive line, which is now set with McCoy at one tackle, rookie Aleki Tapa at the other and veteran Steven Fluker at center. There's also some depth, with either Rufus Quinn or Aneus Ruiz claiming the fourth spot each week.

"On our offensive line, we have five bodies, which is unusual for Coach O," McCoy said. "But we do this year because a lot of people have suffered injuries.

"What brings us together is the simple fact that we're a family. We love each other and we have each other's backs, through and through."

O'Neal said a turning point for the offensive line was having the 340-pound Fluker move from tackle to center and pushing the more mobile McCoy, who is 6-3, 300 pounds, to the outside where he can match up against opponent's best defensive linemen.

"Kelvin never gets any of the love, but he gets a lot of criticism from me because he's been with me for five years and all I would say is fix it, and he always fixes it," O'Neal said.

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McCoy in new role

McCoy has embraced his new role.

"It was a great switch," he said. "I'm built for this. I've been doing it since college, or actually since high school, so the switch was normal.

"I'm glad I was able to showcase to the world that I'm athletic enough to do more than just play center and that they can see me as more than a center."

Brooks, who relies on the line every time he carries the ball, agrees that McCoy is the linchpin.

"I feel like this is one of his better years, especially now that he has gone out and proven that he can play left tackle, right tackle and center," said Brooks, who happens to be McCoy's roommate. "He really is the captain of our offense (because of) the year he's having, and he deserves the job."

With one game left, the Liberty are determined that their Champions Bowl futility will come to an end. McCoy is especially confident in his offensive line.

"We're all we've got and we're all we need," he said. "We believe that through the whole o-line, starting with the first play to the last play and creating a new line of scrimmage."

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Offensive lineman Kelvin McCoy has had a special season for Liberty