By TYLER HENRY
JC Post contributor
The Solomon Gorillas (1-0) and Wakefield Bombers (1-0) will each enter week two with high expectations and an opportunity to begin their 2022 campaign without a blemish.
Solomon will enter this game after dominating Rural-Vista in week one, holding the Heat to under 20 yards of total offense en route to a 48-0 shutout victory.
“I was impressed by how we rose up and played the way we did in week one,” Gorillas head coach Mike Kilgore said. “Every kid had the right mentality, they were focused and it was really good to see how bought in and ready to go we were.”
On the other side of this matchup, Wakefield will come into the contest fresh off of a big win of their own after railing Herington 40-16 in their season opener.
“I was really impressed by our ability to stay together and play through mistakes,” Bomber head coach Chris Freeman said. “We came out and set the tone right away and responded well after giving up an early score. We talk all the time about being uncommon men and for a team that’s so young those guys showed real maturity.”
Solomon has dominated the most recent chapter of this rivalry, winning each of the last five meetings including one in each of the last four seasons.
While the Gorillas don’t view this game as a real rivalry, that sentiment is not shared by Wakefield, and the Bombers will be hungry to hand Solomon a loss for the first time since 2014 on Friday night.
“This is a big rivalry game for us,” Freeman said. “We’ve played some close contested games and they’re always a strong program with numbers and talent. Our kids know each other and this is more than just another game.”
While Solomon may choose to view this game as just another on an eight-week calendar, Coach Kilgore and company still maintain the utmost respect for their league opponent, and will not be taking the Bombers lightly come kickoff.
“Wakefield is tenacious and Coach Freeman has done an excellent job with that program,” Kilgore said. “I’ve been impressed by how much fight their kids have in them even if they’re losing and when they’re winning they don’t stop.”
For Wakefield to flip the script and come up with a big victory on Friday, they will need to find an answer for Gorilla's signal caller Spencer Coup, something many defenses have tried to do with little success in the past two seasons.
“We have to make sure that we don’t turn the ball over and we have to keep their quarterback from getting outside,” Freeman said. “We also can’t let anyone get loose deep because they can be explosive. If we can force them out of their comfort zone with our physicality I think the rest will take care of itself.”
For Solomon, the key to starting off 2-0 will be in replicating the best parts of last week's dominant victory over Rural-Vista, and the Gorillas will once again hope for another vintage performance from their field general.
“Defensively we have to be assignment sound and we have to tackle well in space,” Kilgore said. “Offensively Spencer has to command the offense and take advantage of openings with his legs. When you have a quarterback that can take off and see the field like he does you’re a man up in the 8-man game and if he can do that we should be fine.”
Kickoff between the Gorillas and Bombers is scheduled for 7:00 at Solomon High School.
For continuing coverage of both programs all season long stay tuned to the Salina and JC Post.