SCENE SETTER
• The Washburn Ichabods will play in Yager Stadium for the first time in three weeks as they will host Missouri Western for Washburn's homecoming game starting at 2 p.m.
• The Ichabods (5-2-1, 4-2 MIAA) are tied for third place in the conference standings.
• The Griffons (3-5, 2-4 MIAA) are coming off a 38-14 loss to Missouri Southern last time out at home.
• The Ichabods are 50-48-1 all-time on homecoming and have dropped their last three contests including the last two by a grand total of four points …Washburn is 2-5 all-time against Missouri Western on homecoming, winning the 2016 meeting 16-13.
• Overall the Griffons lead the all-time series 28-23-2 with Washburn winning six of the last 10 contests … the first meeting between the two schools was in 1972 with the Ichabods winning 58-3 in Topeka.
• A win over the Griffons would guarantee the Ichabods their first winning season since 2021 when the Ichabods were 9-3 qualifying for the NCAA Playoffs.
• The Washburn Ichabods were tabbed No. 8 in both the MIAA preseason coaches and preseason media polls that were released on Aug. 27 by the league office at the annual MIAA Football Media Day hosted by Washburn inside the Sneed Indoor Athletic Facility.
 
 WEATHER CHECK
• Saturday's weather forecast calls for a partly cloudy day with a high of 68 with a light breeze.
 
 BOD NOTES
• Logan Madden is 11th in the nation in completions per game with 21.2 and second in the MIAA overall.
• Everett Grower is 14th in the nation in punting at 43.0 yards per attempt. The Ichabods are also 14th in the nation in net punting at 39.39 yards per attempts which is second in the MIAA.
• J.C. Heim has gone back to back with career highs in tackles after recording 19 last time out against Fort Hays State and then 17 tackles the week before against Central Missouri … he has recorded double digit stops in seven straight games with at least 10 tackles tying a school record … he leads the nation with 105 total tackles (13.1 per game) and 40 more than anyone else in the MIAA (Landon Boss, ESU - 65) first in the MIAA in solo tackles and fourth in the nation with 6.8 per game.
• Joshua Flash combo of takeaways, scoring plays, and game-changing moments directly led to led to 17 Ichabod points while recording a career-high nine tackles with two interceptions, two forced fumbles, one interception return for a fourth quarter touchdown with both of his forced fumbles leading to Ichabod scores as Washburn topped Fort Hays State last time out. With Fort Hays State trailing by two points late in the fourth quarter, Flash stepped in front of a pass and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown. The interception stretched Washburn's lead to 31-22 with 91 seconds to go. On Fort Hays State's next possession, he recorded another interception in the Tiger endzone with 45 seconds remaining to seal the victory. His two forced fumbles led directly to 10 Ichabod points including a 60-yard scoop-and-score touchdown by Melvin Laster, turning a defensive stop into seven points and helping Washburn build an early advantage at 14-3 with 6:32 to go in the opening half. Another forced fumble later in the game helped Washburn add three more points with a field goal that pushed the Ichabods advantage to 24-15 with 14:17 to go in the game.
• Cam Robinson leads the team with 420 yards and four scores averaging 52.5 yards per game and 4.4 yards per carry … Quinton Renfro has 249 yards and 4.4 yards per carry with two scores and 31.1 yards per game.
• Tre Calhoun has 48 catches for 690 yards and six scores averaging 86.2 yards per game.
• the Ichabod defense leads the nation with 13 fumble recoveries.
• the win over FHSU - moved the Ichabods' record to 5-2-1 on the season … snapped a three-game losing streak to the Tigers … moved the Ichabods to 4-2 in MIAA games … was the first win in Hays for the Ichabods since Oct. 8, 2022 in a 45-14 win.
• J.C. Heim went over 100 tackles for the second consecutive season pushing his total to 105 this season (55 solo) after recording 142 last season … Heim's 19 tackles were the most by an Ichabod in a single game since Derrick McGreevy had 19 against Central Oklahoma on Nov. 4, 2017.
• Joshua Flash had nine tackles against the Tigers following 10 last week against Central Missouri … Flash tied an Ichabod single-game record with two forced fumbles in a single game.
• On top of his fumble return for a touchdown, Melvin Laster had two tackles for loss and a forced fumble along with a fumble recovery.
• Last time out, the 31-22 win by the Ichabods at Fort Hays State was not an Ichabod football Scorigami as the score once before … through 1,258 Ichabod games, there have been 302 games in which a score has happened only one time. In all, there have been 529 unique scoring games.
 
 PRO BODS
• The Washburn Ichabods have one former player on an NFL roster this season and one in the Canadian Football League.
• Kyle Hinton is on the 53-man roster of the Atlanta Falcons.
• James Letcher, Jr. is a standout return specialist and wide receiver  in the Canadian Football League playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in his third season in the CFL.
 
 COACHES
Washburn head coach Zach Watkins . . .
• is 8-10-1 in his second season as the Ichabod head coach.
• named the 38th head coach in Washburn program history on Nov. 26, 2024.
• first Ichabod alumnus to lead the program in more than 30 years.
• spent 11 seasons as Washburn's co-defensive coordinator before becoming head coach
• four-year starter at linebacker for Washburn (2006–09).
• recorded 100+ tackles each season, finishing with a school-record 473 career tackles (third all-time in NCAA Division II at the time).
• has had 10 players earn all-MIAA honors, an all-region selection, a CSC Academic All-American®, and 70 MIAA Academic Honor Roll picks adding five MIAA Scholar Athletes and three MIAA Academic Excellence selections after his first season as the Ichabod head coach.
• bachelor's degree in Finance and Business Management, Washburn University (2009).
• master's degree in Sports Administration, Fort Hays State (2013).
• married to Amanda; two children, Parker and Naomi.
• is 0-1 against Missouri Western.
 
Missouri Western head coach Tyler Fenwick . . .            
• is 14-18 in his third season at Missouri Western and is 67-66 in 12 seasons as a head coach.
• Fenwick previously served as the offensive coordinator at Missouri Western from 2007-2012 and helped the Griffons averaged 432.8 points per season and 35.1 points per game.
• as a team, the Griffons went 53-18 and played in the NCAA Division II playoffs three times as well as making three bowl appearances.
• is 2-1 against Washburn.
 
 NOTING THE GRIFFONS
• The Griffons (3-5, 2-4 MIAA) are coming off a 38-14 loss to Missouri Southern last time out at home losing their last two in a row overall including a 45-42 loss at Pittsburg State on Oct. 17.
• Rickie Dunn leads the team with 643 yards rushing at 80.4 per game with nine scores and 4.9 yards per carry.
• Isaiah Tage is 151 of 263 passing with 19 touchdown strikes for 2,323 yards averaging 290.4 yards per game with five interceptions.
• Crew Myers has a team-best 52 catches for 814 yards and five scores at 101.8 yards per game and Malik Moore has 37 catches for 615 ayrds and five scores.
• Ken Pierre-Charles has 70 tackles to lead the Griffon defense with 43 solo stops and an interception.
• Latrell Armstrong is 5 of 9 on field goals and has had two blocked with a season-long of 37 yards.
• The Griffon offense is third in the MIAA in scoring at 33.1 per game and ranked 10th in scoring defense allowing 38.6 points per contest.
• In total offense, the Griffons are second in the MIAA averaging 458 yards per game and 10th allowing 467.3 yards per game.
 
 LAST MEETING WITH THE GRIFFONS
(Nov. 1, 2025) ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — A determined fourth-quarter comeback gave Washburn a late lead, but Missouri Western delivered the final scoring punch as the Ichabods fell 27–24 on Saturday in the MIAA Game of the Week at Craig Field at Spratt Stadium.
After the Griffons took a 27-24 lead with 1:44 to go, the Ichabods took over at their own 20 and converted four third-down conversions reaching the Griffon 13 with 14 seconds left, but an incomplete pass on first down and an intentional grounding on second down forced a 10-second runoff as the Ichabods were without any more time outs ending the game with a three-point loss for the second week in a row.
Missouri Western controlled the opening quarter and was first on the board when Brandon Hall capped an 11-play, 71-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown run at the 6:28 mark. Washburn responded with a drive of its own, as Aidan Battle drilled a 28-yard field goal to make it 7–3 with 2:06 remaining in the first.
The Ichabods then grabbed their first lead in the second quarter thanks to a defensive spark. After Jordan Finnesy forced a fumble that Kamble Haverkamp recovered at the Griffon 27, Logan Madden connected with Weston Ropp on a 13-yard touchdown strike for a 10–7 advantage with 5:24 left before halftime. Missouri Western answered just before the break with a 33-yard Latrell Armstrong field goal to send the game tied 10–10 into the locker room.
Madden led Washburn through the air completing 21 of 38 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown, highlighted by seven receptions for 72 yards to Tre Calhoun and 49 receiving yards from Aden Canty. Cam Robinson totaled 66 all-purpose yards with 20 on the ground and 29 receiving. However, the Griffon defensive front limited Washburn to just 39 rushing yards on 24 attempts in the game.
Missouri Western pushed back in front in the third quarter behind Armstrong's 44-yard field goal and Hall's second rushing touchdown, a 33-yard burst that extended the lead to 20–10 heading to the fourth. Hall finished with 130 rushing yards as part of the Griffons' 215-yard team ground effort.
Washburn refused to fold. Keller Hurla entered at quarterback and engineered a 75-yard scoring drive early in the fourth, finding Henry Mohrmann for a 10-yard touchdown to pull the game back within 20–17. On the next possession, Finnesy swung momentum again with a 43-yard interception return to set up Hurla's one-yard keeper that put Washburn back on top 24–20 with 10:55 remaining.
Hurla finished with a touchdown pass and the short rushing score in the final quarter, helping the Ichabods convert two red-zone chances into touchdowns. Battle remained perfect on special teams, hitting all three PATs.
Defensively, J.C. Heim posted a game-high 15 tackles including 11 solo stops, while L.J. Minner, Jr., had 12 tackles with Haverkamp totaled eight tackles with three sacks and the fumble recovery. The unit forced two takeaways and limited the Griffons to just 4-of-15 on third-down attempts, but Missouri Western's ball control — holding possession for more than 34 minutes.
The decisive drive came from the Griffons in the final minutes. Missouri Western marched 41 yards on 11 plays, and quarterback Kane Donovan powered in from two yards out with 1:44 remaining to reclaim the lead for good.

 SERIES HISTORY WITH THE GRIFFONS
• The Griffons lead the all-time series 28-23-2.
• Washburn is 14-12 in games played in Topeka and 9-16-2 away from Yager Stadium.
• The Ichabods are 6-4 in the last 10 meetings.
• The game will mark the first time since 2023 the game will be played in Topeka as the 2024 and 2025 contests were both played in St. Joseph.
• The Ichabods are 2-5 against the Griffons on Washburn's homecoming date … the teams last met on Washburn's homecoming in 2016 with the Ichabods winning 16-13.
   LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS
(Oct. 24, 2026) HAYS, Kan. - The Washburn Ichabods forced three Fort Hays State turnovers, turning two of them into defensive touchdowns, as Washburn snapped a three-game losing streak to the Tigers with a 31-22 MIAA road win on Saturday afternoon at Lewis Field. The victory improved the Ichabods to 5-2-1 overall and 4-2 in MIAA play.
After Fort Hays State took a 3-0 lead on a 23-yard field goal midway through the opening quarter, Washburn answered early in the second quarter with a 12-play, 73-yard scoring drive. A 34-yard completion from Logan Madden to Tre Calhoun set up the score before Keller Hurla capped the march with a 6-yard touchdown run with 13:40 left in the half.
The Ichabod defense then delivered its first game-changing play. With 6:32 remaining in the second quarter, Joshua Flash forced a fumble by Fort Hays State running back AG Floyd. Melvin Laster scooped up the loose ball and raced 60 yards for a touchdown, pushing the Washburn lead to 14-3.
Fort Hays State trimmed the deficit to 14-9 before halftime on a 3-yard touchdown run by Floyd after the extra point was missed.
The Tigers took their only lead of the second half at 15-14 midway through the third quarter when Floyd scored from 2 yards out after Washburn blocked the extra-point attempt. Laster recorded the block to keep the deficit at one point.
Washburn responded with its best offensive drive of the second half, marching 75 yards in 11 plays. Madden completed four passes on the possession, including an 11-yard touchdown strike to Calhoun with 4:36 remaining in the third quarter, putting the Ichabods back in front 21-15.
The Washburn defense came up with another takeaway on the Tigers' next possession. Flash forced his second fumble of the afternoon when he jarred the ball loose from Floyd, and Braiden Lagafuaina recovered at the Fort Hays State 49-yard line. The turnover eventually led to an Aidan Battle 34-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, extending the Ichabod lead to 24-15 with 14:17 to go in the game.
Fort Hays State answered with a 75-yard touchdown drive, cutting the margin to 24-22 with 10:02 remaining. But once again the Ichabod defense provided the decisive play. After an Ichabod punt, the Tigers drove down into field goal range at the WU 26, but Laster forced another Floyd fumble with 4:25 left, Cortlin Dalton recovered to halt a Tiger scoring threat.
Washburn would end up punting as Everett Grower put the Tigers at their own 9-yard line after a 54-yard punt. After three plays, Flash stepped in front of a pass, intercepted it at the Tiger 37 and returned it for a touchdown, stretching the lead to 31-22 with a defensive score in the second half after Laster's defensive touchdown in the first half.
Flash would pick off another Tiger pass with 44 seconds to play in the FHSU endzone to end the game.
Flash was the catalyst for the Washburn defense, recording two forced fumbles, two interceptions, a touchdown return and nine tackles. Laster added a forced fumble, a fumble recovery returned 60 yards for a score, two tackles for loss and a blocked extra point. J.C. Heim led Washburn with a career-high 19 total tackles while Jaren Heim added seven and Brody Hayes finished with seven. The Ichabods recorded six tackles for loss, two sacks and forced five Tiger fumbles, recovering three.
Offensively, Madden completed 16 of 29 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 10 yards. Calhoun led the receiving corps with four catches for 54 yards and a touchdown. Nathan Lewis Jr. added four receptions for 33 yards and Aden Canty caught three passes for 36 yards. On the ground, Cam Robinson rushed for a team-high 37 yards and Hurla rushed for 22 yards and a touchdown while also completing two passes for 12 yards.  Everett Grower had four punts for 182 yards, averaging 46.5 per attempt.
Despite being outgained 437 to 282 and trailing in time of possession by nearly 12 minutes, Washburn's defense and special teams proved the difference. The Ichabods scored 17 points off turnovers,
Fort Hays State finished with 151 rushing yards, 286 passing yards and 30 first downs compared to 13 for Washburn. The Ichabods totaled 78 rushing yards, 204 passing yards and 282 yards of offense in the victory.
The Ichabods were also whistled for 10 penalties for 83 yards while the Tigers went 60 minutes without a flag in the game.
 
 A WIN OVER THE GRIFFONS WOULD
• move the Ichabods' record to 6-2-1 on the season.
• move the Ichabods to 24-28-2 all-time against Missouri Western.
• move the Ichabods to 51-48-1 all-time on homecoming and would snap a three-game homecoming losing streak.
 
  A LOSS TO THE GRIFFONS WOULD
• drop the Ichabods to 5-3-1 on the season and 4-3 in MIAA games.
• be the second loss in a row to the Griffons overall.
• drop the Ichabods to 23-29-2 all-time against the Griffons and Missouri Western's second straight win over the Ichabods and their second straight win in Topeka.
 
 ICHABOD FOOTBALL HISTORY
• Washburn is 589-624-45 (.484) in the 136th year of Ichabod football.
• The Ichabods are 15th in NCAA Division II history in wins.
• The Ichabods have 12 conference titles with the last coming in 2005 in the MIAA.
• Washburn has had 187 all-MIAA picks and 63 first team all-MIAA selections.
• Washburn has had 97 overall All-American selections and 73 individual All-American picks since joining the NCAA Division II ranks in 1989.
• Washburn has made 14 postseason appearances including bowl games and tournament games going 5-2 in a bowl games.
• Seven Ichabods have been picked in the NFL Draft.
 
 UP NEXT
Washburn returns to the road for the final time in 2026 with its shortest trip of the year down the Turnpike to face Emporia State on Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. inside Welch Stadium. The Ichabods will finish out the year on senior day hosting Missouri Southern at noon on Nov. 14.