JOPLIN, MO. – The Washburn Ichabod football team closed its 2025 season with a hard-fought 29–24 victory at Missouri Southern on Saturday afternoon, powered by a pair of late scoring drives, a defensive touchdown two huge defensive stops on fourth down in the Lion redzone.

The Ichabods (3–8, 2–7 MIAA) made the most of their opportunities despite being outgained 442–345, finishing 4-for-4 in the red zone and scoring 13 points off turnovers—including the play of the game, an 83-yard fumble return touchdown by Josh Grant that flipped momentum early in the second half.

Washburn opened the scoring late in the first quarter when Keller Hurla capped an 80-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Henry Mohrmann with :32 left in the quarter. Missouri Southern responded quickly with a 54-yard touchdown pass and added a field goal to take a 10–6 lead midway through the second quarter.

Logan Madden then engineered a crisp 64-yard drive, hitting Ty Weber on a 16-yard scoring strike to push Washburn back in front 13–10. The Ichabods added a 26-yard field goal from Aidan Battle just before halftime for a 16–10 advantage.

Early in the third quarter, Missouri Southern drove inside the Washburn red zone before the Ichabod defense provided a massive turning point. Keith Guidry forced a fumble that Grant scooped and returned 83 yards for a touchdown, extending the Washburn lead to 23–10. The Lions answered with consecutive touchdown drives to take a 24–23 lead late in the third quarter.

Trailing in the fourth, Washburn delivered its best drive of the day. Starting at its own 18, Madden guided a 12-play, 82-yard march featuring steady runs from Cam Robinson and efficient short passes. Madden finished the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Mohrmann—his second of the game—with 4:16 remaining. The Ichabod defense held from there, posting a fourth-down stop in the red zone to secure the victory. On a 4^th and two from the Ichabod nine, the Lions running back was tackled by J.C. Heim and forced a fumble as Kamble Haverkamp recovered the ball at the Ichabod 7 ending the play and two kneel downs later, the Ichabods picked up the win.

Madden finished 21 of 26 for 186 yards and two touchdowns while Hurla added a 4-for-5 passing performance and a touchdown along with 49 rushing yards. Robinson led the ground attack with 82 yards on 17 carries. Trey Harmison caught six passes for 72 yards, and Nathan Lewis Jr. added five receptions for 32 yards.

Defensively, J.C. Heim led Washburn with 12 tackles, while Jordan Finnesy and Jaren Heim added eight apiece. Grant recorded the game-changing fumble return touchdown and had five tackles, and Haverkamp added an interception.

Washburn totaled 147 rushing yards on 35 attempts and completed 25 of 31 passes for 198 yards. The Ichabods converted 7 of 12 third downs and 4-for-4 red zone chances while forcing two turnovers and scoring on both.