BY JIM MISUNAS

jmisunas@gbtribune.com

Great Bend's dream of a state football championship was spoiled by "Jesus."

Salina Central's Jesus Delgado caught the game-winning 23-yard touchdown pass from Griffin Hall to seal a wild 30-28 semifinal victory in the 5A state semifinals.

Give Salina Central football coach Mark Sandbo all the credit.

The Mustangs converted a pair of fourth downs for touchdowns and converted another fourth down to set up a first-half score.

Down 23-7, Great Bend's football team had to dig deep.

So far, so good.

Cooper Ohnmacht's dazzling 56-yard touchdown reception was followed by Daxton Minton's 23-yard scoring dash for a 23-21 deficit against Salina Central. 

Salina Central's hard-running Cooper Reves lived up to his reputation. Reves dashed for 95 first-half yards and scored two touchdowns for a 16-6 halftime lead in Friday's 5A football semifinal.

Multi-time 5A state champion Salina Central rushed for 126 yards in 26 carries. 

The Mustangs led 6-0 on a Reves 4-yard run. The drive covered 49 yards in nine plays. The Panthers tied the game on Conner Holladay's 14-yard run.

Mustang coach Mark Sandbo pulled off a pair of fourth-down conversions for the half's two key plays. Quarterback Griffin Hall connected with Keaton Smith for a 4th-down conversion that set up Reves' 16 yard score that capped a 68-yard drive.

Salina Central 6 10 7 7 — 30 

Great Bend 6 0 15 7 — 28

SC—Cooper Reves 4 run (kick fails)

GB—Conner Holladay 14 run (kick blocked)

SC—Reves 16 run (Eli Duxler kick)

SC—Duxler 32 FG

SC—Bodie Rodriguez 7 pass from Hall (Duxler kick)

GB—Cooper Ohnmacht 56 pass from Daxton Minton (Ohnmacht pass from Minton) 

GB—Minton 23 run (Geovanni Cruz kick)

SC—Delgado 23 pass from Hall (Duxler kick)

GB—Ohnmacht 46 pass from Minton (Cruz kick)

RUSHING—SC—Reves 35-156; Griffin Hall 19-72; team 1-(-5); GB—21-119; Ian Premer 10-76; Minton 7-23; Holladay 3-18; Kale Kern 1-2.

PASSING—SC—Hall 8-13-0, 91; Eli Kreighbaum 1-1-0, 6; GB—Minton 9-17-0, 170

RECEIVING—SC—Keaton Smith 4-37; Bodie Rodriguez 3-26; Delgado 1-23; Gannon Cole 1-11; GB—Premer 3-15; Ohnmacht 5-146; Holladay 1-9.

Hoisington 0 0 0 0 — 

SE Saline 0 0 0 0 —

H—

SE—

RUSHING—H—Taylen Morales; C.J. Bryant; Mason Martin; Brody Pfannenstiel; SE—30 Grady Gephardt; 10 Tiernan Ptacek; 9 Lavone Hopkins.

PASSING—H—Martin; SE—10 Tiernan Ptacek.

RECEIVING—H—Carson Mason; Pfannenstiel; Morales; SE—11 Kadan Barragan; 9 L. Hopkins; 30 Gephardt; 39 Amarion Holub; 24 Kanyon Douglas; 48 Bryson Lippold.