At a press conference at the Salina Bicentennial Center Wednesday afternoon, the Salina Liberty welcomed several new players into the fold and re-introduced some returning favorites as well.
Head Coach Eric Clayton announced the return of 2016 Special Teams Player of the Year Isiah Barfield. Barfield, who is also a defensive back, returned 57 kicks for 1,201 yards and 3 touchdowns during the Liberty’s inaugural season.
Also returning for the 2017 season will be running back Terrence Lowe, defensive back Josh Lewis, wide receiver Derek Racette and linebacker Brock Long.
Clayton said going into the 2017 season, the team knew it had to find the missing pieces to the puzzle to get a winning product on the field, particularly with an offense that struggled, and the first missing piece was the introduction of new starting quarterback Joshua Floyd, Jr.
Floyd, who has been called one of the best quarterback’s in indoor football, previously played with the Omaha Beef in 2016 and the Dodge City law in 2015. He has a total of five years experience in the indoor game. Floyd ranked in the Top 10 of nearly every passing category in the CIF in 2016, while leading the Beef to their first playoff berth in He sees coming to Salina as an opportinity. “I wanted to come somewhere that would actually fit me and I could stay for years,” he said.
Along with Floyd, Clayton also introduced several other new signings to the team, including defensive back Deveon Dinwiddie, wide receiver Kevin Parks, defensive back Jordan Gibson, defensive back Ty Scott, wide receiver Chris Allen, linebacker DeShawn Dinwiddie, defensive tackle Marty Everett, defensive back Delaney Dobard and offensive lineman James Tabor and Jordan Gibson.
Clayton also announced that the team was actively interviewing for new coaching positions, including offensive coordinator. Assistant Coaches Daniel Green, Dodie Wilson and Clint Wood were not retained after the 2016 season. “It’s a process of putting more pieces to the puzzle together,” he said.
Also on Wednesday, Liberty General Manager Francis Flax announced the launch of the newly redesigned Salina Liberty website, SalinaLiberty.com. The site was relaunched this past weekend.
Flax also made the new 16 team, four division format for 2017 official. The Liberty will be a part of the league’s Central Division, which will also include Dodge City, Duke City and Wichita.
The 2017 Salina Liberty season kicks off on Sunday, March 5th, when the Liberty host division rival Wichita at 7:05 p.m. Season tickets are now available at BicentennialCenter.com.