Rossville football is back in the Class 1A semifinals for the second straight season after a 27-20 road win at previously-unbeaten and No. 1 East seed St. Mary's Colgan Friday night in Pittsburg.
Senior quarterback Canann Mitchell scored a pair of touchdowns Friday in Rossville's 27-20 road win over previously-unbeaten Colgan. [File photo/TSN]
The No. 4-seeded Bulldawgs, now 10-1, never trailed after jumping out to a 14-0 lead over the Panthers, who had not allowed a point in their first two playoff games, but Colgan (10-1) struck with just 32 seconds left in the opening half to cut its halftime deficit to 14-6.
Rossville outscored Colgan 13-7 in the third quarter to take a 27-13 lead into the final quarter before the Panthers scored just five seconds into the fourth to cut their deficit to seven at 27-20.
But that would be the last TD of the night as Rossville was able to close out its eighth straight win.
Rossville senior Andre Johnson scored on a 15-yard run at the 8:15 mark of the opening quarter (Austin Dohrman kick) to put the Bulldawgs up 7-0 and senior quarterback Canann Mitchell scored on a 2-yard run with just 52 remaining in the half (Dohrman kick).
The Bulldawgs padded their advantage with an 11-yard TD run by Cael Horgan with 7:17 left in the third quarter (Dohrman kick) and Mitchell scored his second TD of the night at the 3:41 mark of the third on a 71-yard gallop (kick failed) to end Rossville's scoring.
Rossville will be back on the road next Friday to face No. 2 East seed Jackson Heights (11-0), a 21-14 quarterfinal winner over Riverside.
Having been blown out in the first meeting with Hayden, Jefferson West gave the Wildcats a fight in the Class 3A quarterfinal matchup Friday at Hayden. The Tigers closed to within seven points in the fourth period before ultimately falling, 43-29.
Hayden hoists the trophy after Friday's 43-29 Class 3A quarterfinal playoff win over Jefferson West Friday at Hayden. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Hayden senior quarterback Connor Hanika ran for a touchdown and threw for two TDs in Friday's 43-29 Class 3A quarterfinal win over Jefferson West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Wildcats blasted Jefferson West 42-0 in the final week of the regular season. But the Tigers followed that loss with two playoff victories to set up a rematch. The Tigers were more physical and more efficient in the second meeting, a spirited contest marred by numerous personal fouls and some bickering both during and after the game.
Leading by just seven points with 9:39 left, the Wildcats rose to the challenge, scoring twice in the final six minutes to hold Jefferson West at bay.
“That’s a good team right there,” Hayden junior Mason Becker said of the Tigers. “Last time we played them, we beat them by a little bit. But they fight hard all the way to the end. They have great coaching and great players.”
Hayden caught the Tigers with a quick strike to open the contest. On just the second play from scrimmage, Hayden quarterback Connor Hanika uncorked a bomb to Becker that resulted in a 71-yard score.
Hayden senior Jude Krentz ran for a pair of touchdowns in Friday's 42-29 Class 3A quarterfinal win over Jefferson West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
At the close of the first period, Hanika beat the defense on a nine-yard race to the right pilon to give Hayden its second touchdown. Jude Krentz added the Wildcats’ third score early in the second period, and a rout similar to the one that occurred in late October appeared imminent.
But when Hayden turned the ball over on downs midway through the second period, life was breathed into the Tigers, who appeared on the ropes trailing 22-0.
Jefferson West freshman quarterback Brixton Schwinn, unable to get the passing game going in the first meeting, suddenly found his rhythm. A pass to Crayton Holman went for 41 yards, moving the visitors into Hayden territory for the first time on the night. Four plays later, Schwinn hit Holman for the Tigers’ first score in six periods played against Hayden this season.
The Tigers got another break when Hayden senior back Kade Mitchell came out of the locker room for the second half with his right knee tightly wrapped and packed with ice. The senior has accounted for over 1,400 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns on the season, but he would make no more contributions in this suddenly competitive battle.
Shifting to running back on certain sets and producing a spark on the ground was Becker, who typically lines up on the perimeter.
“Kade went out and someone had to step up,” Becker said. “We all had to step up. I came in and was just going to give my all for the dude next to me.”
Senior Xander Blasing had a big night on both sides of the ball in Friday's 43-29 Hayden Class 3A playoff win over Jefferson West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Quickly after the break, Hayden added another score on a 30-yard pass from Hanika to a leaping Xander Blasing. The 29-8 lead looked safe.
But Schwinn and the Tigers benefitted from a couple of Hayden penalties to get into the red zone again. The freshman quarterback connected with his junior brother, Brody Schwinn, combining for their 18th touchdown pass of the season.
Then early in the fourth period, the Tigers capitalized on a turnover deep in Hayden territory for another score, this time a short run by the younger Schwinn. Hayden’s lead was cut to 29-22 with 9:39 remaining.
“They throw the ball all over the place,” Hayden coach Bill Arnold said of Jefferson West. “They spread you out. They get a little bit of a mismatch here and there, but I thought our kids played well.”
Hayden responded with a drive that culminated with a 16-yard scoring run by Krentz. Next, Hayden’s Logan Power picked off a Schwinn pass to set up a 3-yard touchdown by Jackson McGivern and finally Hayden could rest easy. A late touchdown by Jefferson West only narrowed the final score to 43-29.
“I felt like we played pretty good,” Arnold said. “We had to make some adjustments when Kade didn’t come back out in the second half. I thought our kids played hard. We made some mistakes. (Jefferson West) made some good plays as well. But in the end, it’s survive and advance.”
Hayden will host yet another playoff game next Friday, this time against 11-0 Santa Fe Trail, which held off Holton 28-26.
Becker produced an impressively versatile stat line on the night. In addition to the 71-yard scoring reception, he added 78 yards rushing on nine carries. He booted each of his kickoffs out of the end zone, converted all five extra point kicks he attempted, and his two punts averaged 44.5 yards.
Jefferson West’s freshman quarterback Schwinn threw for 292 yards and also rushed for 61 yards. His brother, Brody, caught eight passes for 114 yards.
The Tigers completed their season with an 8-3 record, one of the best in the school’s recent history.
The No. 2-ranked Washburn University men's basketball team put together an outstanding offensive performance on Friday night in its first of two games in the Central Region Challenge at Pittsburg State, shooting 61.4 percent from the field and scoring 53 second-half points in a 95-63 win over Minnesota State-Moorhead.
Junior Jack Bachelor led the way with 23 points Friday as No. 2 ranked Washburn improved to 3-0 with a 95-63 win over MSU-Moorhead. [File photo/TSN]
The 3-0 Ichabods took control early with balanced scoring and a surge midway through the first half, then broke the game wide open after halftime with an 18-6 burst that pushed the margin to over 20.
After trailing 5–0 in the opening minutes, Washburn responded with an 8-2 run, capped by a Bryson Smith fast-break layup.
Washburn Rural product Jack Bachelor provided a spark throughout the period, scoring 13 first-half points, highlighted by a pair of transition layups and 6-for-6 shooting at the free throw line.
A late stretch in which Washburn scored 11 of 13 points gave the Ichabods a 42-33 halftime lead.
Washburn shot 46.9 percent in the opening half while scoring 26 points in the paint, turning eight Moorhead turnovers into nine fast-break points.
The Ichabods came out firing in the second half, putting together a 7–0 run in the first 70 seconds thanks to a Brady Christiansen corner 3-pointer and a pair of fastbreak scores from Bachelor and Smith.
That stretch ballooned the lead to 49-33 and forced an early MSU-Moorhead timeout.
Another 9-2 run, capped by a step-back Smith three and a transition layup from Bachelor, extended the margin to 61–38.
The Washburn advantage reached 32 points with 6:20 left as the Ichabods continued to pile up transition points and dominate the paint.
The second-half numbers were staggering as Washburn shot 80 percent from the field (20 of 25) and 70 percent from three (7 of 10) while scoring 53 points on just 25 shot attempts.
At one point in the second half the Ichabods were 18 of 19 from the field.
Bachelor led the way with 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-6 from deep and a perfect 6-for-6 at the line.
Smith delivered a highly efficient 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting with a pair of threes. Christiansen added 11 points and seven rebounds, while Dillon Claussen was a force inside with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
Jeremiah Jones added 11 points, five assists and two steals.
For the game, Washburn shot 35-of-57 overall (61.4 percent), 9-of-17 from three (52.9 percent) and 16-of-24 at the line while scoring 52 points in the paint, 22 points off turnovers, 20 fast-break points and 27 points from the bench.
Moorhead was held to 40 percent shooting and outrebounded 38–26.
Washburn will face Winona State on Saturday in Pittsburg.
Ichabod women drop 73-61 in Central Region Crossover
Washburn women's basketball led for the majority of the first half Friday but was unable to overcome a second-half run from St. Cloud State in the season-opener, falling 73-61 in day one of the Central Region Crossover in Edmond, Okla.
The Ichabods will wrap up the tournament on Saturday at 1 p.m., facing No. 18 Southwest Minnesota State.
In the opening minutes it was all Washburn (0-1) as the Ichabods led 6-0, beginning with a 3-pointer from Gabi Giovannetti in the opening minute. The Huskies (1-0) did not get on the board until the 6:54 mark, but quickly tied the game at 6-6. Back-to-back baskets inside by WU senior Yibari Nwidadah in the final three minutes of the quarter put the Ichabods in front, 18-17.
The first four points of the second quarter came from Washburn as it held St. Cloud State scoreless until the 6:31 mark in the quarter. The Ichabods led by as many as six before the Huskies turned around their offensive output, shooting 7-15 in the quarter to lead 32-31 going into the break on a last-second 3-pointer.
Coming out of the break Nwidadah got a layup to fall, putting Washburn back in front. The Ichabods held the lead until an 8-0 run by St. Cloud State midway through the quarter put them in front by five. The Ichabods were held to 6-19 (31.6 percent) shooting in the third as the Huskies expanded the lead to nine heading to the fourth.
Washburn began the fourth quarter on a 6-3 run to stay in the game. Another 3-pointer by Giovannetti with 3:01 remaining made it a four-point contest but that was as close as the Ichabods could get. St. Cloud State scored the next eight points and went on to post the 12-point win.
Both teams shot under 40.0 percent in the contest with the Ichabods at 37.7 and the Huskies at 39.7. Both teams also shot under 25.0 percent from deep, with Washburn making three triples to five for St. Cloud State.
Rebounding was dead even at 40 each, with St. Cloud State leading 16-8 in assists and using a 25-18 advantage in second-chance scoring to gain an advantage.
Nwidadah led Washburn with 15 points on 6-9 shooting while adding eight rebounds, a team-high. Payton Sterk scored in double figures with 11 points and Britany Kogbara had 10 off the bench in her Washburn debut.
Jada Eggebrecht and Alana Zarneke had 19 points each to lead the Huskies.
The outlook for a victory by No. 8-ranked Washburn volleyball over No. 7 Central Oklahoma didn't look particularly promising late in the second set Friday night in Whiting Fieldhouse.
Washburn celebrates one of three service aces from junior Autumn Gibbs (1) late in the second set that sparked the No. 8-ranked Ichabods to a 3-1 win over No. 7 Central Oklahoma. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn junior Autumn Gibbs (right) celebrates her set-ending ace that gave the Ichabods a 25-22 win in the second set in Friday's 3-1 win over Central Oklahoma. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
After dropping a 25-23 first-set decision to the Bronchos and trailing most of the second set, six straight service points from junior Autumn Gibbs, with three aces including the final two points of the set, turned the tide as the Ichabods went on to post a 3-1 win to keep its MIAA regular-season championship hopes alive.
"Autumn turned the entire match around,'' Washburn coach Chris Herron said. "We were down and she goes six in a row, so it completely turned the match around.''
"I feel confident being able to serve aggressively because I know my teammates have got my back and I feel like I can go out there and no matter how I perform they're going to have my back,'' Gibbs said.
"I had a run like that at MSU and that was pretty exciting, but it's awesome when it happens because it doesn't happen often. This is a huge win and we're super excited. We've got another one tomorrow, but it's a great win.''
After rallying for the 25-22 second-set win, Washburn (23-3 overall, 12-3 MIAA) closed out the win with 25-19 and 25-16 wins over the Bronchos (26-4, 12-4).
Washburn will close out its regular season with a 2 p.m. home match against Arkansas-Fort Smith Saturday and the Ichabods can earn a share of the MIAA regular-season championship with a win.
Both sides went back and forth early in Friday's first set, with nine ties in the first 22 points of the match.
The Ichabods went in front with a 3-0 run that started and ended with kills by Brynne Topolski, making the score 14-11.
Central Oklahoma answered right back, going on an 8-2 run. Washburn pulled back within one point at 24-23 after two more kills from Topolski but the Bronchos held on to take the first set.
The Bronchos carried the momentum into an early 7-3 lead in the second set. The Ichabods came alive going on a 4-1 run to pull within one after Keilah Rivers landed an ace.
Central Oklahoma came right back with three in a row and kept the lead between four and five points late in the set before Gibbs and Co. took control to even the match.
Washburn quickly jumped in front in the third and led 12-6 after a 5-1 run that included three kills by Natalie Hedlund. The Bronchos came back to pull within two but were turned away with three straight kills from the Ichabod offense that hit .459 in the set on the way to taking a 2-1 lead.
The rally continued into the fourth set, with Washburn leading 11-5 after Taylor Rottinghaus set up Hedlund for a kill.
Central Oklahoma never got closer than five the rest of the set, with the Ichabod defense holding the Bronchos to .103 hitting as WU closed out the nine-point decision to cement the come-from-behind victory.
There's no doubt that the 2025 season has been a tough one for the Washburn University football team, with the 2-8 Ichabods suffering four one-possession losses, including a pair of three-point defeats and an overtime heartbreaker.
Senior Jordan Finnesy (1) is one of 15 Washburn seniors who will play their final collegiate game for the Ichabods Saturday at Missouri Southern. [File photo/TSN]
But Washburn will have the opportunity to finish off the season on a high note in Saturday's 1 p.m. MIAA contest at Missouri Southern.
"We want to do whatever we can this week to get that win,'' said Washburn standout senior safety Jordan Finnesy. "Not just for the seniors but for the guys who will be going through the offseason. It just leaves a better taste in your mouth and gives you a little bit of momentum going into the offseason and then into next season.
"So it would be big to get a win this week and go out that way.''
The Ichabods, 1-7 in the MIAA, are coming off a 45-17 loss to Emporia State while Missouri Southern is 3-7 overall and has a matching 1-7 record in the conference after a 44-17 loss at Central Oklahoma last Saturday in Edmond.
Sophomore JC Heim leads the MIAA and is second in the national rankings in tackles per game with 12.9 per contest while L.J. Minner Jr. is third in the conference with 9.9 tackles per game, ranking 16th in the NCAA D-II national rankings.
Heim's 6.6 solo tackles per game also leads the MIAA and is second nationally. Heim's 130 tackles this season ranks fifth on the Ichabod single-season chart, trailing Derrick McGreevy (131), Grant Bruner (137), current Washburn coach Zach Watkins (143) and Bill Guidetti (152).
Finnesy's253 career tackles rank 15th on the NCAA D-II active chart and he is 15th on the D-II active solo tackles chart with 158 and 15th on the Ichabod career tackles chart.
Senior Jake Zeller is fifth on the NCAA D-II active punting average chart at 42.2 and he is seventh in total punt yards (7,047). Zeller is second in the MIAA and ninth in the national rankings in punting average at 43.5. Zeller is second on the Ichabod all-time punting average chart at 42.2 and ninth in total yards at 7,047.
