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Coming off big MIAA win, Washburn football set to host Tigers in Homecoming tilt
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Fresh off its first MIAA win of the season last week in a 37-17 decision over Central Missouri last weekend, Washburn football team will host Fort Hays State at 1 p.m. Saturday in Yager Stadium as part of WU's Homecoming Week.
First-year Washburn coach Zach Watkins picked up his first MIAA win as a head coach last week in the Ichabods' 37-17 win over Central Missouri. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn is now 2-5 overall and 1-4 in the MIAA after snapping a four-game losing streak while the Tigers are 4-4 and 3-3 in the MIAA after suffering a 52-3 loss at No. 19 Northwest Missouri last Saturday.
"We keep talking about the fact that we have a very good process that we're implementing and we're running the program in the right way, but you have to see some tangible evidence that are wins to really back that up,'' Washburn coach Zach Watkins said. "Even without the wins for the last few weeks the players and coaches knew we were doing it the right way and kept working, but when you get a win it does validate it and it does give you some positivity that, 'Hey, we are on the right track.' ''
Ichabod sophomore linebacker JC Heim, a former Washburn Rural star, leads the nation in tackles per game with 13.6 stops per contest and junior L.J. Minner Jr. is third in the MIAA with 9.6 tackles per game, ranking 19th in NCAA D-II.
Senior safety Jordan Finnesy, who had two interceptions and a fumble recovery in the win over UCM, has 239 career tackles to rank 16th on the NCAA D-II active chart and he is also 16th on the active solo tackles chart with 146.
Senior Jake Zeller is fifth on the D-II active punting average chart at 41.9 yards per punt and he is seventh in total punting yards (6,196). Zeller is second in the MIAA and ninth in the national rankings in punting average this fall at 43.0 yards and is second on the Ichabod all-time punting average chart at 41.9 and ninth in total yards at 6,196.
Junior Chase Allen-Jackman's seven touchdown receptions lead the MIAA and rank 12th in the nation.
The Ichabod defense is 11th in turnovers gained in the national rankings and second in the MIAA and the Ichabods lead the MIAA in turnover margin and rank 14th in the nation.
The eight turnovers forced by the Ichabods last weekend against Central Missouri was a school record, as were the six interceptions, tying the six pickoffs recorded at Missouri Southern on Oct. 8, 2016.
Making his first career start, redshirt freshman Logan Madden completed 20 of 31 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns against Central Missouri while adding 14 rushing yards and a TD.
Former Topeka High star Ky Thomas posted 87 rushing yards and 33 receiving yards with two total touchdowns, and Allen-Jackman caught seven passes for 73 yards and a TD.
Fort Hays State head coach Chris Brown was an assistant at Washburn as the defensive coordinator for nine years while another former Ichabod coach on the Tiger staff, defensive coordinator Cooper Harris, was at Washburn from 2002-11, serving as linebackers coach and one season as the defensive coordinator before joining Brown in Hays.
Brown is in his 14th season as head coach at Fort Hays State, leading the Tigers to an MIAA Championship in 2017 and a co-championship in 2018 as well as their first NCAA postseason games since 1995.
Watkins has a great deal of respect for both Brown and Harris.
"Coach Brown was my D-Coordinator the whole time I played, coach Harris was my linebacker coach the whole time I played and then coach Brown hired me at Fort Hays for my first full-time coaching job,'' Watkins said. "I coached with him and coach Harris out there for three years after playing under them.
"So this week is not about me of course, but it's a special week to play your mentors in the head coaching role for the first time. We have the utmost respect for everybody we play, but especially guys you know on a personal level like those guys.''
Indians roll past short-handed Junior Blues, 43-0
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural football, which played without injured senior quarterback John Hoytal, will quickly put Friday's 43-0 Centennial League home loss to Manhattan in the rearview mirror and turn all of its attention to the Class 6A postseason.
Washburn Rural junior Jadyn Baum tries to elude a Manhattan defender in Friday night's 43-0 Centennial League loss to the Indians at Bowen-Glaze Stadium. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
The Junior Blues, who finished the regular season 5-3 overall and 2-2 in the Centennial League, are likely to be the No. 7 6A West seed and receive a first-round home game next Friday when the playoff pairings are announced by the Kansas State High School Activities Association.
"It's time to get ready,'' Washburn Rural coach Steve Buhler said. "Now the do or die part comes in. We've got to lean on our seniors and they've been good leaders for us all year.''
Washburn Rural got a big break on the first play of the game when Manhattan fumbled the opening kickoff and the Junior Blues recovered the ball at the Indians' 26-yard-line. Manhattan then jumped offside to give Rural a 1st-and-5 situation at the Indians' 21, but the visitors came up with a big defensive stop to take over on downs at their own 15.
Just two plays later Manhattan reached the end zone on a 78-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Finn Watson to senior JJ Dunnigan and the Indians never looked back.
"You've got to build a little momentum when you have opportunities like that,'' Buhler said. "We didn't take advantage of it early in the game and then they take advantage on a quick-hitter, which takes all the wind out of your sails, so you're not only disappointed by not scoring but then you're disappointed about giving up seven really quick.
"It's a 14-point swing in a matter of seconds.''
Manhattan senior Brady Durtschi picked off a Gavin Vantuyl pass to stop Rural's next possession and the Indians turned the turnover into a 1-yard TD from junior Joseph Mortenson and added a two-point conversion to go in front 15-0.
Mortenson scored his second TD of the night on a 2-yard run at the 8:47 mark of the second quarter and Watson added a 1-yard score with 34 seconds left in the half to put the Indians in command, 29-0.
The Indians who limited Washburn Rural to 50 total yards, added two more touchdowns in the second half -- an 8-yard run from senior Kha'Mario Davis and a 1-yard Watson plunge -- to finish off the win, improving to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the league.
Watson finished the night with a game-high 136 rushing yards and went six of six passing for 149 yards to lead the Indians.
MANHATTAN 43, WASHBURN RURAL 0
Late Mackinly Rohn goal pushes Ichabod soccer past No. 12 Jennies, 1-0
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn University soccer team posted a statement MIAA win Friday night in Yager Stadium, topping No. 12-ranked Central Missouri 1-0 on a late goal from junior Mackinly Rohn.
Junior Mackinly Rohn scored the game's only goal in the 85th minute in Friday's 1-0 Washburn soccer win over No. 12-ranked Central Missouri. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
"I'm so proud of the team for their effort and ability to compete against a really good team in UCM,'' Washburn coach Davy Phillips said. "They executed things we talked about throughout the week at a really high level.
"Sunday will provide another really tough test that we will need to be our best for, but tonight is a really good night for our team."
In the 85th minute, Rohn, a former Washburn Rural star, found the bottom right corner of the net for what would be the game's only score.
It was a back-and-forth opening 45 minutes, with both teams having two shots each. Washburn forced the UCM goalie to make a save. The Ichabods had five corners to the Jennies' two.
