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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University junior quarterback Keller Hurla is known primarily for his running ability, but it was Hurla's arm that provided the biggest play of the day Saturday in Yager Stadium as the Ichabods snapped a four-game losing streak to Pittsburg State with a 16-9 MIAA victory.

Washburn, which improved to 4-1-1 overall and 3-1 in the MIAA, never trailed Saturday, but the game was tied at 3, 6 and 9 as the Ichabods' Aidan Battle and the Gorillas' Austin Schmitt both kicked three field goals.

Washburn's Aden Canty (84) hauls in the game-winning touchdown catch in Saturday's 16-9 MIAA win over Pittsburg State. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Washburn's Aden Canty (84) celebrates his game-winning TD catch in Saturday's 16-9 victory over Pittsburg State. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Schmitt tied the game for the final time with a 27-yard field goal at the 9:27 mark of the fourth quarter before Hurla and sophomore Aden Canty hooked up for the game-winning 7-yard TD with 1:19 remaining.

"We knew that they liked to stack the box when I'm in the game, they're expecting quarterback runs, so I had my eyes on the safety and as soon as I saw him take a step downhill I knew we could get it over the top to Canty,'' Hurla said. "And Canty made a great catch in the end zone.

"We knew they were going to give us that look, and once we saw what we needed to see, I dumped it over the top and it was there. It was a great call and a great executed play.''

Canty agreed.  

"We've been practicing it all week, so we were ready for it, we were prepared,'' Canty said. "My coach told me to be ready for the call so when they called it we just executed it and I was ready for the pass.

"We knew that we needed a touchdown to put the game away. We knew we couldn't win by only field goals, so we knew we just had to go down there and score and when we got it everybody on the sideline had the confidence that we were going to win the game.''

Washburn's defense then clinched the win with a Reese Watkins interception with 25 seconds remaining ending the final possession for the Gorillas (1-5, 1-3).

The Ichabods' game-winning 15-play, 75-yard drive took 8:08 off the clock.

The march included crucial third-down conversions on a 7-yard pass from Logan Madden to Nathan Lewis Jr. and an 8-yard completion to Canty.

Washburn junior quarterback Keller Hurla picked up a key first down on a 4th-down carry and threw for the game-winning TD in Saturday's 16-9 win over Pittsburg State. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

A personal foul also helped extend the drive and the Ichabods converted a 4th-and-1 when Hurla rushed for six yards to the PSU 14.

After moving inside the 10, Hurla found Canty over the middle for the 7-yard TD strike and Battle's extra point provided the final 16-9 margin.

"Our entire model is we're going to be aggressive and going for it on fourth down to even set that up and not kicking the field goal and Keller picks it up and coach (Dane) Simoneau called a great play (on the TD) and we executed it and that's what good teams do is they go win games,'' Washburn coach Zach Watkins said. "They don't hope another team loses.'' 

After a scoreless first quarter, Washburn broke through midway through the second period with a 14-play, 84-yard drive that chewed nearly six minutes off the clock and produced a 25-yard field goal with 5:46 remaining in the half for a 3-0 lead.

Washburn's defense then forced a three and out, but Pittsburg State capitalized on a late interception and drove 23 yards in the final 33 seconds of the half, tying the game on Schmitt's 41-yard field goal as time expired.

The Ichabod defense came up with one of its biggest stands of the day to start the third quarter, stopping Pittsburg State on a 4th-and-1 pass at midfield.

Washburn turned the stop into points when Battle drilled a 34-yard field goal with 4:21 left in the third quarter but Pitt State answered late in the third after a 54-yard run by T.J. Starks set up Schmitt's 21-yard field goal, tying the game at 6-6 with 26 seconds remaining in the period.

After Battle's third field goal of the afternoon, a 25-yarder with 13:12 remaining, gave Washburn a 9-6 lead, the Gorillas managed only a 27-yard Schmitt field goal despite taking over at the Washburn 41 following an interception as the Ichabods held on third and 14 from the Washburn 19.

Washburn junior JC Heim (9) was in on a game-high 11 tackles in Saturday's 16-9 win over Pittsburg State. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN] 

Washburn sophomore Jaren Heim recovers a fumble in Saturday's 16-9 MIAA win over Pittsburg State. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Junior JC Heim registered a game-high 11 tackles and recorded a sack while his twin brother Jaren came up with the game's only fumble recovery. 

Washburn limited Pittsburg State to 251 yards of offense and just 52 rushing yards as the Ichabod defense increased their streak of not allowing a touchdown to nine quarters dating back to the third quarter of the win over Central Oklahoma on Sept. 19.

"Coach (Kaleb) Koch is an elite defensive coordinator and our defensive staff and players know our system, they believe in our system and I'm just so proud that those guys are part of our staff and the way those kids play and the heart they play with just shows that,'' Watkins said.

Madden completed 20 of 41 passes for 209 yards, while Hurla threw the game-winning TD strike on only his second pass attempt of the day. Lewis Jr. caught seven passes for 72 yards and Tre Calhoun added five receptions for 86 yards.

Cam Robinson led the ground game with 58 rushing yards.

Washburn finished with advantages in total offense (321-251), first downs (21-16), time of possession (32:48-27:12) and third-down conversions, converting 10 of 18 opportunities compared to 5 of 17 for Pittsburg State.

The Ichabods return to action next Saturday at Central Missouri (1:30 p.m. kickoff) in Warrensburg. The Mules are coming off a 42-21 loss at Northwest Missouri last time out.

WASHBURN 16, PITTSBURG STATE 9

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By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

Hayden took another step in resurrecting its season from an 0-4 start by steamrolling visiting Perry-Lecompton 42-13 Friday.

Hayden junior quarterback Ryker Tetuan (8) threw for 61 yards in Friday's 42-13 home district win over Perry-Lecompton. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Rather than pack it in after a winless month of September, the Wildcats regrouped behind a backup quarterback to get in the win column against Baldwin last Friday. Utilizing two quarterbacks against Perry-Lecompton, the Hayden defense throttled the Kaws, and the offense took advantage of short fields to rack up points.

After a scoreless first period in which both teams put together long drives resulting in no points, Hayden’s defense clamped down in the second quarter. The Wildcats held Perry-Lecompton without a first down in the period and utilized good field position to post three touchdowns in quick succession.

The Wildcats started the game with sophomore Grant Lenherr at quarterback. Lenherr, who played the entire game against Baldwin the previous week in place of junior Ryker Tetuan, went up top for a 37-yard scoring strike to Logan Power to put Hayden on the board.

After forcing the Kaws to punt from deep in their own territory, Hayden had just 33 yards to go for another touchdown. Coach Bill Arnold inserted Tetuan for the drive, and the Wildcats marched quickly to a second score, this one on a 10-yard run by Evan Huntley to put Hayden up 14-0 halfway through the second period.

Senior Logan Power scored a pair of touchdowns in Friday's 42-13 Hayden district win over Perry-Lecompton. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Hayden held the Kaws to another three-and-out, and just three plays later, Power scored his second touchdown, this time on a 10-yard end around.

“I felt like we came out tonight a little flat, unfortunately. But then things got rolling there after we got that first touchdown,” Arnold said. “I thought we dominated up front, which is a good thing, because we’re still fairly young up there.”

Hayden senior Mason Becker rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown on six carries in Friday's 42-13 district win over Perry-Lecompton. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN[

Touchdown runs by Mason Becker and Jace Wolff padded Hayden’s lead in the second half.

Arnold said it was by design that Tetuan replaced Lenherr in the second quarter. Tetuan completed six of his eight throws in his return to the offense. Lenherr completed all three of his attempts, including the touchdown strike to open the game.

“That was the plan,” Arnold said. “Grant did a good job last week and Ryker’s coming off an injury and we wanted to get him worked back in there.”

“It never feels good to be on the sidelines. It never feels good to see your guys go out there without you,” said Tetuan, who was forced out by a shoulder injury. “But you always support them and want them to do their best whether you’re out there or not. And I was very proud of how Grant went out there and did his job.

“It felt great to be back out there with my guys. There’s no better feeling.”

What looked dismal two weeks ago suddenly appears hopeful for the Wildcats. They improved to 2-0, in a commanding position in the Class 3A District 3 race. Hayden travels to Santa Fe Trail next Friday, before hosting Bishop Ward on Oct. 23. Ward was recently forced to forfeit back-to-back games due to a lack of players.

Arnold said the Wildcats have stayed positive and made continuous improvement despite adversity this season.

“I think these guys have been making progress all year long,” Arnold said. “You don’t always see it on the scoreboard, but at the same time, they never folded their tents.”

“I know my guys,” Tetuan said. “I know we’re willing to put the hard work in, to do what we need to do. We just want to get better so we can win.”

For Perry-Lecompton, senior Kayden Baker produced several big plays in the losing effort. His 43-yard reception set up his two-yard scoring run. Then he hauled in a long pass from quarterback AJ Campbell for a 62-yard touchdown reception.

The Kaws dropped to 3-3, 1-2 in Class 3A District 3.

HAYDEN 42, PERRY-LECOMPTON 13

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Traditional MIAA and NCAA Division II stalwart Pittsburg State is an uncharacteristic 1-4 entering Saturday's 12 p.m. Hall of Fame contest against Washburn University in Yager Stadium.

Washburn quarterback Logan Madden has passed for 1,279 yards and 10 touchddowns through five games, helping the Ichabods get off to a 3-1-1 record to the 2026 season. [File photo/TSN]

But the Ichabods, 3-1-1 overall and 2-1 in the MIAA, are more focused on playing well and continuing their solid play to start the 2026 campaign than they are the opponent.

"We tell our guys every week we're playing a nameless, faceless opponent,'' Washburn coach Zach Watkins said. "It doesn't matter who you're playing, what color jerseys  they wear or what their team name is, we have an opponent on Saturday and we have a seven-day season process that we work through to play that game.

"Their record doesn't matter, who you're playing doesn't matter. You can't take any MIAA team lightly and we never will. It's going to be a really good game and we have to play to win.''  

Washburn was off last week after not allowing an offensive touchdown by Nebraska-Kearney last time out in a 42-7 road win over the Lopers.

"You can't ask for a better bye week smack dab in the middle of the season, so I think it was good,'' Washburn quarterback Logan Madden said. "Obviously we're rolling, so you don't want to take that momentum away, but I don't that will hinder us to be honest.

"I think we had a really good plan with the bye week and got our guys the rest that needed it, guys that needed to shore up some individual things we got that done, so I thought it was perfect.''

The Gorillas (1-4, 1-2) are coming off a 34-27 overtime win over the Lopers on Oct. 3 in Kearney.

Pitt State is in a stretch of four games away from Carnie Smith Stadium and has not played a home game since a 21-10 loss to Emporia State on Sept. 5.

The Gorillas lead the all-time series with Washburn 67-27-1 and have won the last four meetings after the Ichabods won the previous four before that. Overall the teams have split the last 10 meetings.

WU's Madden is 28th in the nation in total passing yards at 1,279 and he is 19th in passing yards per game at 255.8.

Madden has completed 101 of 173 passes with 10 touchdowns.

Tre Calhoun leads the Ichabods with 28 catches for 384 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 13.7 yards per catch and 76.8 yards per game.

Against Nebraska-Kearney Quinton Renfro and Cam Robinson became the first pair of Ichabods to rush for over 100 yards in the same game since Justin Cooper (111) and Sean McPherson (102) both hit the century mark against Fort Hays State on Oct. 29, 2011.

Robinson scored two touchdowns in the same game for the first time in his Washburn career and his 19 rushing attempts and 108 rushing yards were career highs.

The Ichabod defense is tied for the national lead with eight fumble recoveries with West Alabama and Western Colorado.

Washburn returns to the road next week to face Central Missouri, starting a string of two straight road games. The Ichabods will travel to Fort Hays State on Oct. 24.

Washburn's next home game will be on Oct. 31 in a Halloween Homecoming contest against Missouri Western.