Salina Liberty clinch No. 2 seed in Champions Indoor Football playoffs with 36-13 victory
The Salina Liberty got what they came for and then got the heck out of Dodge.
The Liberty defense turned back Southwest Kansas three times inside the 5-yard line in the second half and quarterback Javin Kilgo threw four touchdown passes Saturday night as Salina closed out the Champions Indoor Football regular season with a 36-13 Champions Indoor Football victory over the Storm at Dodge City's United Wireless Arena.
In so doing, the Liberty improved to 7-3 and sewed up the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the six-team CIF playoffs. They also will have a semifinal home game on June 18 at Tony's Pizza Events Center.
More: No. 2 Champions Indoor Football playoff seed on the line in Salina Liberty's season finale
"The defense in that second half was amazing," Liberty coach Heron O'Neal said. "But we have to get better on special teams. Our kickoffs are the worst in the league.
"I was happy with how Javin (Kilgo) bounced back in the second half."
The Liberty led just 16-10 at halftime on Jimmy Allen's 24-yard field goal as time expired, but opened the second half with a 17-yard Kilgo-to-Anthony Love touchdown pass for a double-digit advantage. After Southwest Kansas answered with a 32-yard Dillon Burkhard field goal, Kilgo found Tracy Brooks for an 8-yard score and a 29-13 cushion.
A 3-yard pass to Demarius Washington closed out the scoring midway through the fourth period.
More: Javin Kilgo, Demarius Washington and Tracy Brooks spark Salina Liberty offense in blowout
"We made some adjustments the second half, but our defense was good all night," O'Neal said. "(The Storm) were in the red zone three or four times and came out with nothing. That was the difference in the game."
Three Burkhard field goals accounted for all nine of Southwest Kansas' offensive points. The Storm also got a safety in the opening quarter when Salina was flagged for holding in its own end zone, and added two more points on Traivon Bryant's return of a blocked extra point.
The Liberty's first-half touchdowns came on a 17-yard pass from Kilgo to Washington in the opening quarter and a 10-yard Brooks run in the second.
"Offensively, we were really sloppy in the second half and in the first half we missed several assignments," O'Neal said. "We have a lot of work to do, but the good thing is we have the bye week, so we can still work on it.
"We will practice next week and get all that cleaned up."
Kilgo completed 13 of 21 passes for 149 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Brooks rushed for 35 yards, while Washington caught five passes for 66 yards and Coray Williams four for 47.
The Liberty finished with 170 yards total offense to 110 for Southwest Kansas. Storm quarterback Tyriq Smith rushed for for 46 yards, but completed just 6 of 15 passes for 53 yards with two interceptions.
In addition to four total red zone stops, the Liberty forced three turnovers with a fumble recovery and interceptions by Dontra Matthews and Tron Folsom. Brooks' pick was his third in the last three weeks.
More: Salina Liberty welcomes star running back Tracy Brooks back to lineup after injury
O'Neal said the Liberty came out of the game with some minor injuries, but should be back at full strength for the playoffs. Wide receiver Ed Smith, who was hurt making a touchdown catch at Sioux City two weeks ago, did not suit up for the second straight game, but O'Neal called it a precautionary measure.
In other games Saturday night, Billings beat Wyoming, 47-29, league leader Sioux City pounded Rapid City, 77-7, and Omaha took down winless Topeka, 42-21. Sioux City claimed the No. 1 playoff seed with a 9-1 record, while Salina, Billings and Omaha tied for second at 7-3.
The Liberty split their two games with both Omaha and Billings, but won the tiebreaker based on their margins of victory. Billings beat Omaha head-to-head in their only meeting to get the No. 2 seed, while the Beef is seeded fourth.
The first-round matchups next week should have No. 3 Billings playing host to No. 6 Wyoming and the winner coming to Salina for the semifinals. No. 5 Southwest Kansas will travel to No. 4 Omaha with the winner going to Sioux City.
SALINA LIBERTY 36, SW KANSAS STORM 13
Salina;7;9;13;7;—;36
SW Kansas;5;5;3;0;—;13
First Quarter
SWK—Burkhard 33 field goal, 11:09
SAL—Washington 17 pass from Kilgo (Allen kick), 6:53
SWK—Safety, 1:40
Second Quarter
SWK—Burkhard 23 field goal, 9:01
SAL—Brooks 10 run (kick blocked), 3:29
SWK—Bryant extra point return, 3:29
SAL—Allen 24 field goal, 0:00
Third Quarter
SAL—Love 17 pass from Kilgo (kick failed), 10:51
SWK—Burkhard 32 field goal, 6:18
SAL—Brooks 8 pass from Kilgo (Allen kick), 2:33
Fourth Quarter
SAL—Washington 3 pass from Kilgo (Allen kick), 7:50
This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Salina Liberty beat Southwest Kansas to clinch No. 2 seed in playoffs
