By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's football team will close out its 2022 home season against undefeated and No. 5-ranked Pittsburg State in Saturday's 1 p.m. Senior Day game at Yager Stadium, with the Ichabods set to honor 21 seniors.
Former Shawnee Heights standout Christian Clark (25) is one of 21 seniors who will be recognized on Washburn's Senior Day Saturday at Yager Stadium. [File photo/TSN]
Former Washburn Rural standout Hunter Browning will be honored during Saturday's Senior Day festivities at Yager Stadium. [File photo/TSN]
Among the honorees are WU record-holder James Letcher Jr. and national tackles leader Grant Bruner as well as former Topeka prep standouts Hunter Browning (Washburn Rural), Christian Clark (Shawnee Heights), Jack Hamilton (Washburn Rural) and Collin Wilson (Washburn Rural) and Peter Afful, Kevin Neal Jr., Derrick McClendon, Nicholas Wright, Jamison Phelps, Micah Skebo, Channon Ross, Brendan Harden, Jared Taylor, Peyton Lane, Alex Thomas, Landen Urban, Braden Rose, Je'Shon Edwards and Daniel Piburn.
Many of this year's seniors have been a part of the Washburn program for at least four years, including the canceled 2020 season due to COVID, an NCAA Playoffs appearance in 2021 and its third straight winning season this fall.
"This group is a special group,'' Washburn coach Craig Schurig said. "Because of COVID you went through that together and a lot of them have been around for five, six falls. You've gotten to know them really well and the ups and downs and you've been through a year that didn't exist football-wise and you had to battle through that.
"It's such a great group. A lot of them have graduated and they're going to be on to their careers after we're done this season so it's a very close-knit group.''
Schurig is very appreciative of the fact that most of his now-seniors stuck around through the 2020 COVID season when they could have transferred or quit football.
"That's why we have 21 seniors and those kids stayed loyal, they worked hard and they're truly super seniors because they've been leaders for like three years,'' Schurig said. "We've been through a lot and they've responded well and they're just a great group. They're fun to practice every day.''
The Ichabods (6-3 overall, 6-3 MIAA) are coming off a come-from-behind 21-17 win at Northeastern State last Saturday while the Gorillas (9-0, 9-0) clinched at least a share of the MIAA title with a 38-7 win at Central Oklahoma.
Washburn leads the MIAA in scoring offense at 33.8 ppg and is ranked fifth in scoring defense allowing 22.3 points per game while Pittsburg State is fourth in the MIAA in scoring offense (32.9) and first in scoring defense (14.3).
Washburn, which has posted four straight wins over Pitt State, is second in the MIAA in total offense at 424.1 yards per game while the Gorillas are second in the MIAA in total defense allowing 275.6 ypg.
Schurig has 10 of Washburn's 27 wins against Pittsburg State in the 91 overall meetings after spending eight years as a graduate assistant and full-time assistant at PSU from 1993-2001 prior to coming to Washburn.
Ichabod football strength and conditioning coach David Trupp was the defensive line and offseason strength and condition coordinator for the Gorillas from 1996 to 1998.
Former Topeka High standout Tyrell Everett is in his first season as Pittsburg State's defensive line coach.
Bruner leads the nation in tackles at 12.6 per game and is first in solo tackles with 7.9 per game while Letcher is ranked third among active NCAA D-II2 players with 5,323 all-purpose yards, fourth with 2,794 receiving yards and third with 217 receptions.
Letcher's 217 career receptions and 5,323 all-purpose yards are tops on Washburn's all-time charts.
Washburn will be without starting quarterback Kellen Simoncic on Saturday, with the sophomore suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in the win over Northeastern State. Taylor, who engineered the game-winning drive, will start on Saturday.
Washburn will wrap up its regular season at Missouri Southern on Nov. 12.
-
Footer
