SALINA — Salina South High School’s football team broke out in the second quarter, rattling off 49 unanswered points through the second and third quarters against Great Bend.
The Panthers hung with the Cougars early, but South finished with a 56-13 win on Friday night.
Mike Jones was all that was advertised, breaking loose for a 52-yard touchdown to get things started in the first quarter.
Great Bend’s defense scored its first touchdown of the season on a Greg Burley interception return for a 5-yard score.
Jones plunged into the end zone again for the Cougars, scoring from two yards out to put Salina South up 14-6 with 9:00 remaining in the half, starting a 35-0 run before intermission.
Jones scored again on a 15-yard run before Cougars quarterback Justin Stonebraker connected with Walker Vinson for a 37-yard TD.
Stonebraker connected for another score, a 15-yarder to Zach Nachbar with 3:51 remaining.
Jones scored once again before intermission, an 18-yard TD run.
Jones scored his final touchdown of the game, a 31-yard run to open the third quarter.
Eric McCullough punched in a 1-yard TD run for South with 4:49 remaining in the third quarter, the Cougars’ final score of the game.
Great Bend’s Ramses Lopez scored on a 1-yard dive. It was his first varsity touchdown of his career.