Wood’s primary role as a starting point guard her freshman year was to take care of the ball. It quickly became apparent she was capable of much, much more.

As a sophomoreshe led the team in scoring and helped Central make its first state tournament appearance in 27 years, when she led the Mustangs in scoring again as a senior, her average of 16.0 points per game was the highest for a Central player in 20 years.

Wood also became one of the top perimeter scoring threats in the state, setting what was then the Central records for single season (90) and career (222) 3-pointers made. As a senior she shot 42.1 percent behind the arc.

The Mustangs loved to have the ball in Wood’s hands at the end of the game, not only for her ball- handling skills, but her precision at the free throw line, Wood shot better than 80 percent from the line in each of her final two seasons, including 86.2 percent as a senior.

At the end of Wood’s senior year, Central advanced to the class 5A state title game for the first time in the program's history. That 2013-14 team also set what was then the school record for victories in a season with 23.

Wood received all league recognition in each of her four seasons at Central, including first- team honors as both a sophomore and senior. She was also selected for all- league recognition in volleyball as a sophomore, junior and senior.

Wood committed to the University of Nebraska as a walk-on before the start of her senior season at Central, and later earned a scholarship with the Huskers. In addition to playing all four years at Nebraska, she also earned academic all-big 10 honors and was selected the big 10 sportsmanship award winner for all Nebraska women’s sports.

Dyck’s lengthy career as boys golf coach at Salina High was notable for many reasons, including the consistency he brought to the program.

In his 25 seasons as head coach at Salina High, from 1946 through 1970, Dyck established his team as one of the best in the state.

During his coaching career, Dyck’s teams won four state titles, had four runner-up finishes and qualified for state in 24 of his 25 seasons.

Salina dominated at the Central Kansas league championships under Dyck, winning 19 league titles and taking second place on six occasions. The team also won its own Salina invitational 20 times and won eight regional championships.

Dyck was inducted into the Kansas State High School Activities Association hall of fame in 1979.

Phillippi filled a number of different positions during his 41- year teaching career, including 28 years in the Salina school district. At Salina High alone, he had lengthy stints as head football coach, head track coach, assistant basketball coach and athletic director.

Phillippi spent 12 seasons as head football coach from 1938 through 1949, during which Salina won six Central Kansas league titles and finished runner-up five times. Phillippi’s teams went 73-25 with six ties, and his 1945 team finished 8-1. That team was scored on only twice all season, and went 6-0 in the CKL while out-scoring opponents 203-0.

As head track coach, Phillippi’s teams won three league titles in his seven seasons. He served as an assistant coach for the boys basketball team under Earl Morrison for 13 years, helping Salina High to state titles in 1945 and 1950. He was named athletic director in 1952, and during his eight years in that role, established athletic teams at the junior high level for the first time in football, basketball and track.

In 1976, Phillippi was the first Salina High coach to be inducted into the Kansas State High School Activities Association Hall of Fame.

One of the top players in the history of Salina High School tennis, Pete Stroer was a dominating force during his four-year career at Salina Central.

Stroer became the first Salina player to win a boys state singles title when he went unbeaten as a sophomore, then won a second class 5A state title to cap off his senior season in 1999.

His career record of 119-7 included a 35-0 mark as a sophomore, and he won 90 of his 92 matches over his final three seasons. He also had a string of 66 consecutive wins over his sophomore and junior seasons. He placed second at state as a junior, then won his state title as
a senior while wearing a cast on his sprained right ankle. That injury forced him to miss two tournaments earlier in the season.

Stroer went unbeaten over four years at 1-70 league tournaments, helping the Mustangs to team titles all four years. Central also won a class 5A state team title in 1998, and placed second at state in Stroer’s freshman, sophomore and senior seasons.

Stroer went on to compete in tennis at the University of Kansas and later transferred to the University of Texas. At both Kansas and Texas, Stroer was the team captain, he went on to play professional tennis, at Central, Stroer was a standout on the basketball court. He earned all-league honors following his junior and senior seasons, and in his final year, led the Mustangs in scoring (18.5 PPG) and led the league in rebounding at 8.8 boards a game.

A starter at the varsity level as a freshman, it didn’t take long for Martin to prove that she could contribute in many ways for the Central women’s basketball team. At the end of that first season, Martin was the team leader in scoring, rebounds and assists.

She would lead Central in rebounding in each of her four years with the Mustangs and is currently the school record holder for career rebounds with 781. She ranks among the school’s all-time leaders in numerous categories, including scoring, assists, steals and blocked shots.

In Martin’s senior year, Central advanced to the class 5A state title game for the first time in the program’s history. That 2013-2014 team also set what was then the school record for victories in a season with 23.

Martin earned All-Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League honors in each of her four seasons at Central and was a first-team selection all four years. As a senior she was named the league’s most valuable player. She was also named the 5A player of the year and 1st team all class all-state her senior year.

Her talents were not restricted to basketball. She earned all-league recognition all four years in volleyball, including league MVP honors as a senior in that sport, and was a four-time state medalist in the hurdles for the Central track and field program.

Martin committed to Kansas State Basketball before the start of her sophomore year and went on to play four seasons for the Wildcats. After completing her career at K-State, Martin was fifth in school history in assists, 10th in rebounds, third in games played and fourth in career starts. She was also a three-time academic all-big 12 first team recipient. Her senior year at K-State she was an academic all-american and a big 12 scholar athlete.

The 1970-71 Salina Central boys basketball team played its best when it mattered most, putting together a strong late-season run to capture the class 4A state championship.

It was the program’s fourth state title, but the first as Salina Central. The 1970-71 season marked the first year with two Salina High Schools, with Salina South opening its doors that same year.

The Mustangs, who finished fourth in class 5A a year earlier, went 22-2 and won their final 10 games. One of their two losses came to eventual 5A state champion Wichita Southeast.

Central won the Central Kansas league title and the McPherson invitational that year. When the Mustangs defeated Mcpherson in the 4A sub-state final, it was reported more than 1,000 fans had to be turned away from the Central gym that night. The bullpups lost five games
that season, including four to Central.

During the 4A state tournament at Kansas State’s Ahearn Fieldhouse, Central opened with a 73-68 victory over Campus, then needed overtime to defeat CKL rival Junction City 48-44 in the semifinals. Harrison King’s 15-foot jumper with five seconds remaining in regulation
forced overtime against the defending state champion Blue Jays.

Central downed previously unbeaten Coffeyville in the finals, 73-58, in a game the Mustangs dominated. Coffeyville was playing in its second straight state final, after finishing runner-up to Junction City the previous year.

Nino Samuel was named state tourney MVP and Greg Hill was named to the state all-tourney team. Samuel had 26 points and 24 rebounds in the opener vs. Campus, then had 20 points in the title game.

Central starters were Sam Haggard, Greg Hill, Harrison King, Tom Roderick and Nino Samuel. Reserves included Bob Crowe, Jon George, Max Johnson, Dave McClanathan and Tom Wilbur. Alternantes to state were Dave Mann and Stan Fields.

The team was coached by Carroll Cyr, who went 81-48 in six seasons at Central.
Assistant coaches were Don Heath, Sam Siegrist and Gary Sherrer.

The 2001 Salina Central football team was one of six Mustang state championship teams in a span of 13 years from 1993 through 2005, but few teams in Kansas history dominated like this one.

When Central defeated Pittsburg by 35 points in the class 5A state title game (56-21), it matched almost exactly the Mustangs’ average margin of victory over 12 games during their unbeaten season.

Only one team in those 12 games managed to score more than seven points in the first half against the Central defense. The Mustang offense, like it did through much of the regular season, built identical 28-0 leads in the first half of each of its three postseason victories over
Salina South (35-14), Andover (70-25) and Pittsburg.

In the 5A title game, played at Pittsburg’s Carnie Smith stadium, Central scored on eight of its 10 possessions. That included eight rushing touchdowns, four of those in the first half against a Pittsburg defense that had not allowed more than 27 points in a game all season.

Senior running back Donnie Anders set a school single-season record with 3,252 yards rushing, and set a state record while averaging 271.0 yards a game. Anders had 327 yards rushing and five touchdowns in the title game, with the Mustangs also getting scoring runs from Nolan Seim, Jim Christy and Charlie Elsea. The Central defense forced three turnovers in the finale, including two interceptions for Cody Frank.

The Central defense gave up an average of 10.6 points a game in the regular season and the Mustangs extended their district winning streak to 30 games over 10 years.