By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Most college football players have to wait a year, sometimes a lot longer, to get on the field.
Conversely, Jake Zeller, a former Holton High standout, only had to wait a matter of minutes to make his debut for the Washburn University football team and delivered in a big way in the Ichabods' 45-3 season-opening win over Lincoln.
Jake Zeller
Zeller, a 6-foot-1, 175 pound true freshman, averaged 54.3 yards on three punts with a long of 61 en route to being named the MIAA Co-Special Teams Player of the Week, and also handled the holding duties for the Ichabods on extra point and field goal attempts.
Zeller came to Washburn knowing that the WU punting job was open after the graduation of Lane Spiker and earned the job in preseason camp.
"I was told at the beginning of camp that camp decides a lot, so I went in with the mindset that, 'Im going to work my butt off and I want that spot,' '' Zeller said.
Zeller actually made his Washburn debut as the holder for Kameron Lake's extra point after a James Letcher Jr. touchdown that capped WU's first possession.
Zeller punted for the first time in the third quarter, recording a 48-yarder, and followed that with 61 and 54-yard punts as his average per punt was the second-highest in Washburn single-game history.
"Surprisingly I wasn't that nervous,'' Zeller said. "The first punt I probably put a little bit too much on that one but after that I settled down and just kicked the ball.''
Zeller played a variety of positions for Holton, a perennial state power, and credits Wildcat coach Brooks Barta for helping him decide to pursue punting in college.
"What happened was my junior year Barta mentioned to me, 'Hey, you should probably look at punting. You should go to some camps and get looked at. You have the leg for it,' '' Zeller said. "I had punted since I was a freshman at Holton but I didn't think anything of it, I didn't think it was going to be an opportunity for me.
"Going into my senior year I did some camps, did some things, and they told me, 'You have an opportunity that not a lot of kids have,' so I ran with it and started working on it. I went to Chicago last December and I got ranked. It really taught me a lot and I guess opened my eyes to what potentially could be there.''
Zeller eventually made contact with Washburn and is happy with how well, and how quickly, things have worked out.
"I didn't really know that Spike was graduating, but Barta mentioned, 'You probably should reach out to Washburn, that's a good opportunity for you,' so I reached out to a couple of colleges and Washburn was one of them. Washburn responded to me and it was one of the better opportunities for me.
"I'm more than thankful. The man upstairs has provided me with all the opportunities and I can't be thankful enough, honestly.''
ICHABODS ON ROAD TO FACE MULES
Washburn will go on the road for the first time on Thursday, traveling to Warrensburg, Mo. to face Central Missouri in a 7 p.m. MIAA tilt.
Central Missouri is coming off a 21-10 season-opening road loss at Pittsburg State in Josh Lamberson's debut as the Mules' head coach.
Former Rossville standouts Bo Reeves and Torrey Horak are on Central Misssouri's roster.
Reeves is a sophomore tight end and Horak a freshman defensive back.
Reeves caught one pass for 22 yards last week against Pitt State.
WU LOSE STANDOUT NEAL FOR SEASON
Last Thursday's season-opener was filled with postives for Washburn, but there was one major negative, with the Ichabods losing senior standout defensive back Kevin Neal Jr. for the season with a torn ACL knee injury that will require surgery.
"It's a heartbreaker,'' Washburn coach Craig Schurig said. "He's a captain, leader and just worked his tail off, an unbelievable kid with a great attitude. You just hate seeing that.''
Neal received All-MIAA honorable mention in 2021, registering 64 tackles.
