By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Former Centralia multi-sport star Kamble Haverkamp cherished his time in the Kansas State football progam.
But Washburn University offered Haverkamp an opportunity that the 6-foot, 205-pound senior free safety wasn't sure if or when he'd ever get from the Wildcats -- a chance to play on a regular basis.
Centralia product Kamble Haverkamp's decision to transfer to Washburn has been a good one for him and the Ichabods. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
"There were a lot of great guys (at Kansas State) that taught me a lot, great leaders, as far as how you have to study and prepare and how you approach all the things you have to do as a student-athlete, so I definitely grew a lot in my time there for sure,'' Haverkamp said.
"You're there and it's awesome. It's a great place to be, you can't deny that, but whenever you look at all the time you have to put in to be a student-athlete and all the early mornings and all the lifting, eating right and all the time that it takes just to be a student-athlete, the bare minimum, if I'm going to do all of that I want to play on the field.
"I want to play and contribute to my team and make all that time worth it and get the reward of playing.''
And four seasons after making the decision to transfer to Washburn, it's safe to say the move has been a good one for both Haverkamp and the Ichabods.
"Absolutely, one of the best decisions I've ever made,'' Haverkamp said. "Obviously, playing football is great and that's awesome, but it's also just all the people that I've gotten to meet, teammates that are now brothers, and coaches that have impacted me, especially coach Wat (Ichabod coach Zach Watkins).
"I've been with him four years now and he's just a great guy to be around and he's taught me so much and he's a mentor to me.''
Haverkamp played in 28 games with 33 tackles over his first three seasons at WU before becoming a full-time starter and one of WU's top defensive players this fall.
Entering Saturday's 2 p.m. MIAA game at Pittsburg State, Haverkamp ranks third for the 1-4 Ichabods with a career-high 30 tackles (23 solo) while leading Washburn with five tackles for loss and two pass interceptions. Haverkamp also has recorded two sacks with a fumble recovery.
"We had recruited him out of high school, but a lot of kids have that Division I dream,'' Watkins said. "I think he just realized he wanted to play and have a huge impact and he's done that here.
"He does everything right, on the field, off the field. He's one of our single-digit captains and everything that it takes to play college football he does well and is a fan of -- the weight room, the time, the film, the football, the studying. Plus, he's a great student and Kam is one of the best examples on our team of a true student-athlete.''
