By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Salina Liberty will kick off their 2023 season on Saturday when they host the Topeka Tropics, officially beginning their title defense.
It’s been almost a year since Salina hoisted the Champions Bowl Trophy, and the Liberty players, as well as the Liberty faithful, will be eager to see Salina back on the gridiron in a live game.
“I know the guys are excited to get back on the field,” Liberty head coach Heron O’Neal said. “Seeing how the Salina community has responded to our championship win and to our guys has been amazing. Excitement has spread throughout the city and it’s been humbling to see the response.”
Much like in any Champions Indoor Football season, each of the league’s eight teams has undergone significant turnover, and as a result, info and film on early-season opponents are sparse, giving an edge to teams willing and able to adapt in the heat of battle.
“Topeka has a good mix of young ballplayers and veterans and some are just now getting an opportunity at this level,” O’Neal said. “There’s no film to see what kind of stuff they’ll run this year and they’ve got a new offensive coordinator as well so we’re going in blind like everyone else. We just have to be ready to make adjustments on the fly.”
With their game-one focus squarely on themselves, Salina will look to race out of the gates and take advantage of the early-season chaos, with their own veteran-heavy roster in tow.
“I want to see our guys play four full quarters and make sure our conditioning level is where it needs to be,” he said. “I’m also looking forward to seeing how our guys execute, that’s a big thing for me.”
While many things around the league change from year to year, the goals around the Liberty locker room do not, and Salina will take the first step towards achieving those aspirations when the season kicks off on Saturday.
“Our goal is to win every game every season so getting off to a good start is big,” O’Neal said. “It’s not a playoff game so nothing is critical but the only way to go undefeated is to win that first game.”
Kickoff between the Liberty and Tropics is set for 6:35 at Tony’s Pizza Events Center and the game can be streamed live with audio and video on the Salina Post.