Seniors lead Centralia football to 1A state championship appearance

CENTRALIA (KSNT) - Before the season even began, Centralia football was grounded by its senior leadership.

Back in February, Centralia head coach Roger Holthaus said his group of seniors rallied the underclassmen together in the weight room and made it a mission to accomplish something this season. Now, the Panthers have a date with the 1A state championship game on Saturday.

"The seniors have gotten us here," Holthaus said.

Centralia last won a state title in 2019, the year before this year's senior Panthers began their high school careers. The team agrees this state title appearance is a culmination of hard work, adjustments and resiliency.

"Excited for the kids, excited for the community, this is what we worked for," Holthaus said. "Our goal was to play on Thanksgiving weekend, so I told the kids to enjoy the moment, live in the moment."

For the upperclassmen, bringing some hardware back to Centralia wouldn't hurt.

"It's a dream of mine, it always has been," senior quarterback Jacob Flentie said. "To bring back a trophy that says 'first' on it."

"I'd be doing it for my brothers," senior lineman Parker Koch said. "We've been through a lot together and we've all had our struggles, we've all had our injuries, and I think it would be great to get past them and show everybody what we can do."

After beating Rossville 22-9 in the semifinals, Centralia will face undefeated Conway Springs on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. at Hutchinson Community College.