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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
The Rossville Bulldawgs are heading back to the Class 2A state championship game after a 36-8 win over arch rival Silver Lake Friday night at Rossville.
Rossville and Silver Lake’s matchup back in October was a tight 24-19 contest, with the Bulldawgs rallying for the win after quarterback Torrey Horak was knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury.
Friday was Horak's first start at quarterback since his injury and he teamed with fellow senior Corey Catron to set the tone as the Bulldawgs opened up a commanding 22-0 lead in the third quarter on the way to the decisive win.
Rossville celebrates a Corey Catron touchdown in Friday's 36-8 Class 2A semifinal win over Silver Lake Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Horak threw for 134 yards and ran for 138 yards and two touchdowns while Catron ran for 178 yards and three TDs as the Bulldawgs improved to 12-0.
“I feel good,'' Horak said. "The shoulder is fine. My throws have looked great in practice. Coach (Derick Hammes) saw my progression and he said I was in tonight.''
There was no scoring in the first quarter, with Rossville’s Mshewe Hale coming up with a big sack forcing Silver Lake to lose 8 yards and force a punt, while Silver Lake’s defensive backs had some big deflections and run stops to force Rossville to be uncomfortable. The teams would each punt the ball three times before the end of the quarter.
Rossville senior Corey Catron, who scored three touchdowns, flashes the No. 1 sign during the Bulldawgs' 36-8 win over Silver Lake Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But the second quarter was all Rossville, with Catron and Horak racking up over 100 yards in the quarter, including a 2-yard touchdown run from Catron and a 15-yard score from Horak as the Bulldawgs opened up a 15-0 advantage.
“They had some defensive shifts we needed to pick up on,'' Rossville junior offensive lineman Jacob Carver said. "We adjusted to their tough shifts and that got us to put some points up.''
Catron had a 1-yard rushing touchdown midway through the third quarter and Horak added a 10-yard TD and Catron a 1-yard plunge in the fourth as Rossville put the game away.
Silver Lake, which ended its season 9-3, got on the board late on a 21-yard touchdown strike from Daigan Kruger to Kamryn Kaniper.
Kruger threw for 178 yards and ran for 51 yards to lead Silver Lake's offense.
Next up for Rossville, which has won four state titles over the past seven seasons, is a 1 p.m. matchup with Beloit next Saturday at Salina Stadium.
Beloit, now 9-3, advanced to the championship game with a 22-19 win over Kingman.
“We won the title last year from the focus we had going into the state championship,'' Horak said. "We know how Thanksgiving week works. We need to have a lot of focus and a lot of close attention to detail.''
ROSSVILLE 36, SILVER LAKE 8
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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.''
