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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
SEARCY, Ark. -- By the end of a football season, it's easy for players to get sick of practice.
But Washburn University's football team is happy to keep grinding as long as possible if it means the Ichabods can keep their outstanding 9-2 season going.
"You get something you really look forward to and it's a goal we've been chasing for a long time here, so it's definitely gratifying knowing that you're in (the playoffs) but you didn't just come here to take part,'' Washburn senior All-MIAA first-team quarterback Mitch Schurig said. "You want to play well and keep on winning.''
Washburn senior quarterback Mitch Schurig and the 9-2 Ichabods will be looking to extend their season with an NCAA Division II playoff win Saturday at Harding. [File photo/TSN]
For the first time since the 2011 season and the fourth time in the program's history, the 9-2 the Ichabods will be out to extend their season when they face off against No. 7-ranked Harding at 1 p.m. Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs.
Harding finished the season 10-1 in the Great American Conference and is the No. 2 ranked team in NCAA Super Region 3, while Washburn, which has won six straight games, garnered the No. 7 seed out of Super Region 3.
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
The 11th-ranked Washburn University men's basketball team will be looking to move forward after falling to William Jewell College, 56-52, on Wednesday night in Liberty, Mo.
Washburn (1-2) is set to take the Lee Arena court at 2 p.m. Saturday against Baker University (3-4) in the Ichabods' home-opener. Washburn has won 31 home-openers in a row.
Saturday’s contest will be an exhibition game for Baker while the Ichabods are looking to even their record.
Michael Keegan
While the Ichabods, who have been without All-American guard Tyler Geiman and post player Jonny Clausing due to injuries, have lost two in a row, they have still managed to outscore their opponents on the season.
Washburn is currently shooting 39.3 percent from the field and shooting 35.3 percent from beyond the 3-point line.
The Ichabods have stolen the ball from opponents 24 times and have blocked five shots. Washburn has scored 18.3 points off of turnovers.
Washburn’s biggest strength this year has been taking advantage of free throw opportunities, with the Ichabods shooting 83 percent from the free-throw line on 31 attempts.
Leading the way for Washburn in the young 2021 season is freshman Michael Keegan, who is leading the team in points per game (12.7) and rebounds per game (4.3).
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THE PENNANT PLAYER PROFILE
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Peyton Lane agrees that to be a pole-vaulter you have to be a little crazy, and a little controlled craziness can go a long ways on the football field as well.
So if you want to describe Washburn University's record-setting pole-vaulter and the Ichabods' leading tackler in those terms, he's fine with that.
"There's a lot of things that tie in together with pole vault and football,'' Lane said. "You've got to be a little bit crazy to do both of them and I'm not the biggest guy in football either, so whether it's football or flinging myself in the air in the pole vault, you've got to be a little bit fearless and just trust the moment and just trust yourself.''
Also the school record-holder in the indoor pole vault, the 6-foot, 180-pound junior Clay Center native cleared 16 feet, 4.50 inches to set the Washburn outdoor school record in the pole vault in the spring and he followed that success with a big football season this fall, recording a team-high 62 tackles (46 solo) while also picking off two passes and recovering a pair of fumbles.
Washburn junior safety Peyton Lane comes up with a pass interception in the Ichabods' victory over then-No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri earlier this season. [File photo/TSN]
Peyton Lane is Washburn's indoor and outdoor school record-holder in the pole vault. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Lane said he feels like last spring's success in track and field helped set the stage for his success fhis fall.
"Definitely I feel really confident in myself and my ability to perform, whether it's in track or in football, and I feel like it does carry over,'' he said.
Lane received All-MIAA football recognition for the first time earlier this week, earning honorable mention.
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THE PENNANT PLAYER PROFILE
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
There was a time that former Salina Central football and wrestling standout Taylon Peters thought his future woud be on the mat.
After all, Peters was a three-time Class 5A state wrestling medalist and a two-state runner-up, but both Peters and the Washburn Ichabods are happy the 5-foot-10, 200-pound sophomore running back chose the gridiron instead.
"Early on in high school I always thought I was going to be a wrestler,'' Peters said. "But my freshman year I had to cut 27 pounds and that kind of ruined it for me in a sense. I still loved to wrestle, but I knew if I went to college to wrestle I was just going to have to cut weight and I was going to be miserable. I was having a lot of fun playing football anyway so I just decided to go that way.''
Washburn running back Taylon Peters (21) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a touchdown earlier this season. Peters is the Ichabods' leading rusher with 703 yards on 134 attempts. [Photo by Phil Anderson/Special to TSN]
And Peters, who received All-MIAA honorable mention earlier this week, has no doubt that his wrestling background is still paying dividends for him.
"Most definitely,'' Peters said. "It helps in every aspect of football, really -- balance, knowing how much your body can take, just recovering after a play, getting yourself under control, breathing. It all helps.''
Peters, who rushed for 1,719 yards and 20 touchdown as a senior at Central, earned playing time right off the bat as a true freshman for Washburn in 2019, rushing for 98 yards and two TDs in his college debut against Lincoln.
Peters went on to gain 544 yards and score seven touchdowns on 121 attempts as a freshman and has stepped up his game even more for the 9-2 playoff-bound Ichabods this fall after the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19.
"My coach my freshman year, Bryce Chavis, always told me to have confidence in myself and that he believed in me and supported me and told me I was a good back and I just needed to focus and keep becoming the best version of myself that I could be,'' Peters said.
Peters, who is coming off a career-high 123-yard performance in last Saturday's 38-28 win over Missouri Southern, is Washburn's leading rusher with 703 yards and four touchdowns on 134 attemps heading into Saturday's 1 p.m. NCAA Division II playoff game at Harding while teaming with senior Zach Willis to give the Ichabods a strong one-two punch.
As a tandem Peters and Willis have rushed for 1,276 yards and a combined 11 TDs while averaging right at 5 yards a carry.
"I've really enjoyed playing with Zach and me and him have a great relationship,'' Peters said. "He's a heck of a back and we have different styles but we both deliver a big punch. It's a lot of fun being that close with somebody and running the ball together.
"It keeps us fresh and we can rely on each other to get third and short downs or break off a long run. We can rely on each other to do just about anything, so it's really cool.''
With two seasons remaining, the goal for Peters now is to continue to improve.
"That's my goal every season I have, to just keep getting better,'' he said. "You can't become stagnant or you're just going to keep producing the same things, so I really try to get better every game and keep improving.''
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
One of the best rivalries in Kansas high school football will be on display Friday in Rossville, with Rossville and Silver Lake facing off in the War on 24 Part II, with a berth in the Class 2A state championship game on the line.
Here's a breakdown of what fans can expect in Friday's game:
SHORT HISTORY
These two schools went toe to toe on October 15th at CJ Hamilton Field in Silver Lake, with defending 2A champion Rossville receiving its first tough test of the season.
.Bulldawg star quarterback Torrey Horrak suffered an upper arm injury to end the first half, leaving starting running back Corey Catron to take snaps under center for the remainder of the game.
Rossville star Torrey Horak returned to action at quarterback last week against Riverton, providing an offensive spark for the Bulldawgs. [File photo/TSN]
Catron would lead the Bulldawgs through the back and forth battle, running for 129 yards, throwing for 34 yards and totaling two touchdowns.
The Eagles went blow for blow with the Bulldawgs throughout the game, led by quarterback Daigan Kruger, who tallied 252 total yards along with three total touchdowns.
Silver Lake could’ve had one more shot to win the game but undefeated Rossville snatched the win from them by spoiling an onsides kick, holding on for a 24-19 win.
Both Rossville and Silver Lake have continued to roll since the earlier game, with the Bulldawgs now 11-0 and Silver Lake 9-2 entering Friday's clash.
In the last four games, Rossville has routed Mission Valley, Republic County, Nemaha Central and Riverton.
The Dawgs' defense has held the four schools to a combined 32 points while the Rossville offense has lit up the scoreboard with 195 points.
Rossville senior Corey Catron scored four touchdowns in last Friday's 56-14 win over Riverton in a Class 2A quarterfinal. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Horak has returned from his earlier injury, giving the Bulldawg offensve a spark against Riverton, and allowing Catron to return to running back.
Rossville's offensive line has been a strength all season, giving the Bulldawg offense room to operate.
Rossville will need all three phases of the game to be working excellently to beat a gritty Silver Lake team, which has continued to gain momentum since the five-point loss to the Bulldawgs with wins over Pleasant Ridge, Atchison County, St. Marys and Wellsville.
As Kruger told TopSports.news last week, “We are playing our best football.''
Silver Lake is coming off of a 33-27 win last week against a previously-undefeated Wellsville team.
