Rossville wrestling star Kendra Hurla capped her prep career with a fourth straight individual title in 2024.

[Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]

Silver Lake girls basketball posted a perfect 26-0 record in the 2023-2024 season, winning the Class 3A state title.

[File photo/TSN]

Seaman girls basketball celebrates its 2024 Class 5A state basketball title

[File photo/TSN]

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Sophomore guard Jack Bachelor has helped Washburn University achieve a No. 2 national ranking this season.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

It's been an extremely busy time for Washburn University head football coach Zach Watkins as he began putting his stamp on the Ichabod program since being named the 38th head coach in WU history on Nov. 26.

ZachWatkinsWUheadcoach 1Zach Watkins, who was named Washburn's head football coach in late November, announced his full-time coaching staff on Thursday. [File photo/TSN]

rnn8x32z[Graphic courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

Watkins, a Washburn Hall of Famer and former Ichabod defensive coordinator, took a major step in that process on Thursday, announcing his seven member full-time coaching staff as preparations gear up for the 2025 season.

Former Ichabod star Dane Simoneau is the lone full-time holdover from Craig Schurig's 2024 staff and will serve as WU's offensive coordinator while two other members of Watkins' first coaching staff have ties to the school.  

"Making some staff changes, that's never easy, but you have to put your vision on the program,'' Watkins told TopSports.news Thursday. "During that time, with the staff changes there were a lot of responsibilities put on just a few people, but Dane Simoneau and our young coaches (primarily graduate assistants) did a great job of handling all the things that needed to be done as we hired fulltime staff.

"It's been a lot with recruiting, to our current players and making sure their grades and finals are good. It's been very hectic but it's been very rewarding to work through all that stuff. Now, to get the full staff here, we have recruiting visits coming up and all the processes that have to happen with that. The entire recruiting process is accellorating from from what it used to be, so between making the staff changes and the new staff coming in, it's put us a little bit behind, but we're going to rebound just fine.''

Watkins said he's very happy with the staff he's been able to assemble.

In addition to Simoneau, Kaleb Koch, who will serve as WU's defensive coordinator, and Jarvis Harrod, who will coach defensive backs and serve as special teams coordinator, both played for the Ichabods and were graduate assistants for WU.

Watkins' staff also includes former Kansas State star and Oklahoma State assistant Travis Britz while all of the new additions have extensive coaching experience at the high school and/or collegiate level.

"I think the most important thing in a program is the people and that's the players, the coaches, the administration,'' Watkins said. "People make every situation good or bad and wanting to be a head coach and preparing to be a head coach that's the No. 1 thing that you have to be aware of is what people are available to your staff and who can you go after.

"So I had a bunch of ideas of guys I wanted to talk to. I had a lot of conversations for limited spots and I think we've got a very good staff put together.''

Watkins said getting his staff in place was a major milestone but he also knows that he and his coaches will be working non-stop all the way until the opening of the 2025 season in the fall.

"It was the hiring process, right into our current players' final grades, right into recruiting, right into the new semester starting, into workouts and spring ball,'' Watkins said. "It never ends and it's really good to be full go all the time because there's no other way to work than to be all in and do it full speed.''

A look at Watkins' full-time coaching staff:

Dane Simoneau – Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks

One of the most highly-decorated players in Ichabod history returns to the sidelines for his fifth full-time season on the Ichabod coaching staff moving into the role of offensive coordinator starting in the 2025 season. Prior to joining the Ichbaods he spent four seasons at Northeastern State with the final three as the offensive coordinator, helping the RiverHawks to NCAA-era records in its passing game in 2016 with Diminic McKinzy breaking season marks in passing yards and touchdown passes.

Simoneau spent his first three seasons on coaching the offensive line and the last two as the quarterbacks coach, which he will continue to work with in 2025. In three seasons as the offensive line coach, Simoneau has helped six offensive line earn All-MIAA honors while three more picked up all-region accolades and two added All-American honors. Simoneau served as a graduate assistant coach at Washburn from 2012-13, coaching both the quarterbacks and tight ends.
Simoneau played for the Ichabods from 2007-11, where he started 42 of 43 games and recorded the most proficient passing career in Washburn history. The five-time consensus All-American finished his senior season second in Harlon Hill voting with school records of 4,089 yards and 38 touchdowns. He also earned the MIAA's Offensive Player of the Year as well as regional player of the year honors.

Simoneau finished his collegiate career 12th in NCAA Division II history with 11,291 yards passing and 15th on the all-time charts with 102 passing touchdowns. He left school with 35 Ichabod career, season and single-game records, including the top three passing seasons in school history.

Simoneau was also a four-year starter on the Ichabod baseball team where he finished his career first in all-time doubles, fourth in at bats, sixth in RBI, and 10th in hits earning all-MIAA honors as a senior at shortstop.

He served as the offensive coordinator and also played for the Salina Bombers of the Champions Professional Indoor Football League from 2012-13. He led the 2013 squad to a 9-3 record and an appearance in the Champions Bowl. He was also named the 2013 CPIFL Offensive MVP.

He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in kinesiology from Washburn in 2013. Simoneau lives in Topeka with his wife Morgan and their daughter, Maddie and their son, Quin.

Kaleb Koch – Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers

Koch returns to his alma mater starting the 2025 spring semester after a successful nine-year run at Benedictine College, where he served as the Ravens' defensive coordinator since 2021 and was named the assistant head coach, helping guide the Ravens to an 11-3 record, the Heart of America Championship and the NAIA national semifinals in 2024.

Koch joined the Benedictine football coaching staff in 2016. He served as the outside linebackers coach (2016-18), special teams coordinator and linebackers coach (2019-20) and became the defensive coordinator in 2021.
He was named the Heart assistant coach of the year in 2022.

In two seasons, Koch's defenses ranked third in the NAIA in takeaways, fourth in the NAIA in sacks, and allowed just 16 points per game in 2022. In 2023, his defense was second in the Heart (16th in the NAIA) in takeaways, fourth in the NAIA in total sacks and second in the sacks per game, second in the Heart in scoring defense at 18 points per game and second in the Heart in rushing defense. In 2024, his defense ranked second in the NAIA in interceptions with 24, second in sacks with 42, ninth in fumbles recovered and fifth in defensive touchdowns.

Koch graduated from Washburn University in 2012 with a degree in physical education. While an Ichabod he played both outside linebacker and free safety. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Washburn. Koch started out on the defensive side of the ball, coaching the defensive line from 2012 to 2013. From there, he spent the next three seasons coaching on the offensive side, working with tight ends and fullbacks. Koch moved to running backs coach in the spring of 2016. During his time at Washburn he coached three all-MIAA players.

Travis Britz – Defensive Line / Defensive Run Game Coordinator

Travis Britz is in his first season as a member of the Ichabod coaching staff after three seasons on the coaching staff at Oklahoma State as a coach on the defensive line. Prior to joining the Cowboys staff, he spent two seasons at Abilene Christian coaching the defensive line.

Britz was a four-year letter-winner and team captain in 2015, a three-time All-Big 12 performer at Kansas State, and a two-year graduate assistant coach, starting in the 2017 season as a defensive graduate assistant for K-State.

Britz, who played in 47 games with 36 starts over his career, helped the Wildcats accumulate a 34-18 record and win the 2012 Big 12 Championship, while K-State advanced to four bowl games. He totaled 111 career tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in addition to nine pass breakups.

Britz earned second-team All-Big 12 honors as a senior in 2015 when he totaled career highs in tackles (41), TFLs (11.0) and sacks (4.0). His TFL total was the most by a Wildcat interior defensive lineman since 2000. He was also a valuable member of the special teams as he blocked four kicks in 2013 and another in 2014 to tie the K-State career record.

Britz, who graduated from K-State in 2017 with a bachelor's of science degree in secondary education and his master's of science from K-State in academic advising in 2019.

The Harrisonville, Mo. native was rated the No. 20 player in the state by Rivals.com. Britz and his wife, Erin, have one daughter, Delaney.

Jarvis Harrod – Defensive Backs / Special Teams Coordinator

Jarvis Harrod returns to the Ichabod coaching staff as full-time member after spending the 2024 season as the defensive backs coach at Central Missouri.

Harrod was a graduate assistant at Washburn from 2022-24 after wrapping up his Ichabod playing career in 2015 after three seasons as an Ichabod after playing in 22 games with 30 tackles and a blocked punt.

During the 2022 season, Harrod helped coach a Washburn defense that led the MIAA in takeaways with 15 while mentoring two Ichabod All-MIAA selections. He also coached one Mule defensive back to All-MIAA honors in his one season in Warrensburg. The Mules had 11 interceptions during the 2024 season, returning two for touchdowns.

Harrod joined Mules staff during the summer of 2024 as the cornerbacks coach after serving as the Defensive Backs Coach at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo. during the 2023 season.

Harrod graduated from Washburn with a bachelor's degree in health & fitness promotion in 2014. He and his wife, Kali Harrod, have a son, Jameson Anthony Harrod.

Julian Mendez – Offensive Line / Run Game Coordinator

Mendez is in his first season as a member of the Ichabod coaching staff after spending a season at William Woods as the head coach, helping to build the program from scratch. Mendez brings 14 years of coaching experience at different levels of college (NAIA, NJCAA, NCAA Division II) and high school (Class 6A Texas high school), including serving as an associate Head Coach, offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator.

Prior to going to William Woods, Mendez served as the offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Odessa (Texas) High School, one of the most powerful high school programs in the country in the famed 6A division in Texas, responsible for coordinating and implementing offensive game plans and recruiting visits from college coaches for Odessa.

Previously, Mendez served as associate head Coach/offensive coordinator at Ottawa University from 2019-22, where he was involved in every aspect of the football program, including preparing and implementing offensive game plans, coordinating recruiting, coordinating academics, overseeing eligibility, and personally recruiting players in junior colleges in California and Iowa and high school players in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

Additional experience includes serving as offensive line coach and travel coordinator at MIAA foe Northeastern State University (2015-18), assistant head coach and offensive line coach at Ellsworth (Iowa) Community College (2013-14) and as a graduate assistant/offensive line coach at Ottawa (2011-12)

Mendez is a graduate of Ottawa University, earning his master's in education in 2013 and bachelor's in recreation and sports administration in 2010.

As a player, he was a two-year letter-winner at both Ottawa and Southwestern (California) Community College, where he earned first-team All-Conference honors as an offensive tackle in 2009. He is married to Samantha Mendez.

Nelson Vazquez – Wide Receivers / Passing Game Coordinator

Nelson Vazquez enters his first season as a member of the Ichabod coaching staff and he will coach the wide receivers after a successful five-year run at New Mexico Military Institute. He was initially the wide receivers coach before being elevated to the position of passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

In the summer of 2024, Vazquez was selected from a pool of more than 1,500 applicants to participate in the NFL team's National Coaching Academy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he gained on-field experience, had interactive sessions, learned business insights, had media training, learning film review, and instruction on key football software with NFL players, coaches and staff.

The Broncos captured the NJCAA Division I national championship in 2021 with a 31-13 win over Iowa Western to mark the program's first national title. NMMI had the nation's best rushing attack, compiling 3,746 yards along with 41 touchdowns on the ground and Vazquez helped complement that potent rushing attack with a passing game that put up 1,879 yards and 23 touchdowns. NMMI's offense finished second in total yardage with 5,625 yards and led the nation in scoring with 526 points, 40.5 per game.

The Tampa, Florida, native has been coaching since 2015, first as wide receivers coach at his alma mater Plant High in Tampa before moving on to nearby Wesley Chapel High, where he coached wideouts and coordinated the offense.
Vazquez was a wide receiver at Plant and helped guide the Panthers to a 14-1 campaign and a state championship in 2008. He later attended Mendocino College in Ukiah, California, where he appeared in nine games as a sophomore in 2010, catching 32 passes for 517 yards and eight touchdowns.

Later, he ran track and played football at Fort Hays State University. He obtained a degree in justice studies with a minor in sociology. Nelson graduated from FHSU with a Bachelor of Science in Justice Studies in 2014 and was a student-athlete on the FHSU football and track and field teams.

Ross Sharp -- Assistant Coach / Director of Player Personnel

Sharp is in his first season on the Ichabod coaching staff as the director of player personnel after spending the last six years as an assistant coach at Oak Park High School in North Kansas City, Mo., also serving as an assistant athletic director.

In his time on the Oak Park coaching staff, he served as a co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, special teams coordinator and linebackers coach and defensive backs coach. He helped lead Oak Park to its best record in more than 20 years in 2024, an 11-1 mark with a conference and district championship.

Prior to joining Oak Park, Sharp was at Northwest Missouri, serving multiple roles including the tight ends coach as a graduate assistant then moving into the director of player personnel, leading recruiting efforts that led to two Bearcat NCAA National Championships.

Before coaching in Maryville, Sharp worked at the University of Missouri where he worked with the tight ends and the recruiting staff, helping Mizzou land the No. 1 recruit in the nation as the Tigers moved from the Big 12 to the SEC.

As a member of various collegiate coaching staffs, he has been part of two NCAA championships, three MIAA titles, the AFCA D2 Coaching staff of the Year, the Southeastern Conference East championship, the Cotton Bowl championship and the Independence Bowl championship.
 
 

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