TOPEKA, Kan. - On a cloudy Halloween afternoon, the Washburn Ichabods provided the Homecoming crowd with more treats than tricks, racing to a huge early lead and then holding off a late Missouri Western rally for a 55-40 MIAA victory at Yager Stadium at Moore Bowl. The Ichabods improve to 6-2-1 and 5-2 in the MIAA and will hit the road for the final time next week at Emporia State.
The Ichabods wasted little time getting on the board as
Logan Madden connected with Nathan Lewis Jr. on a 20-yard touchdown pass with 9:56 left in the opening quarter. Later in the period, a 71-yard run by
Cam Robinson from the Ichabod 3-yard line helped set up one of the game's most unique scoring plays as back-up quarterback
Justin Lewis threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Madden, pushing the Washburn lead to 13-0 for Madden's first career reception.
After Missouri Western answered with a touchdown, Madden found
Tre Calhoun for a 68-yard touchdown strike giving Washburn a 20-7 lead after one quarter. The same duo connected again early in the second quarter on another 68-yard touchdown reception, stretching the advantage to 27-7 with 12:20 left in the opening half.
The Griffons cut into the lead before halftime, but Madden and Lewis, Jr. hooked up once more when the quarterback found Lewis on a 42-yard scoring pass with 1:22 remaining in the half, sending the Ichabods into the break with a 34-21 advantage after the Griffons finished the scoring in the opening 30 minutes with a field goal just before the break.
Washburn delivered its biggest Halloween scare in the third quarter when
Brody Hayes stepped in front of a pass and returned the interception 68 yards for a touchdown to make it 41-24 with 12:35 left in the third quarter. Later in the period,
Keller Hurla capped an 11-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run before
Jacoby Ogbonna electrified the Homecoming crowd with a 79-yard punt return touchdown, helping the Ichabods build a commanding 55-24 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Missouri Western scored 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, but the Griffons could never fully erase the deficit.
The Ichabod offense churned out 519 total yards on only 56 plays. Madden completed 13 of 19 passes for 336 yards and four touchdown passes while also catching a touchdown reception. Calhoun had a monster afternoon, catching five for 180 yards and two touchdowns, while Lewis, Jr. caught four for 116 yards and two scores.
On the ground, Robinson led Washburn with 77 yards on only three carries, highlighted by his 71-yard burst in the first quarter.
Quinton Renfro added 67 rushing yards and Hurla scored the team's lone rushing touchdown.
Defensively, the Ichabods bent but made game-changing plays throughout the afternoon.
J.C. Heim led the defense with 17 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. Hayes recorded 10 tackles along with his 68-yard interception return touchdown, while
Keith Guidry added an interception return of 33 yards in the fourth quarter.
Joshua Flash added six tackles, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry, while
Ozzy Poage recorded a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss. As a team, Washburn registered four sacks and eight tackles for loss.
Missouri Western finished with 534 total yards, including 418 through the air. Isaiah Tate completed 25 of 40 passes for 310 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game, while Skyler Cassel added 108 passing yards and two touchdowns in relief. Crew Myers led all Griffon receivers with 11 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown, Peyton Hatfield caught six passes for 71 yards and Malik Moore finished with five receptions for 62 yards and a score. Rickie Dunn paced the Missouri Western rushing attack with 48 yards and a touchdown.
The Ichabods scored touchdowns in all three phases of the game for the first time in a single game since accomplishing the feat against Central Oklahoma on Oct. 23, 201. Despite being outgained 534-519 and facing a Missouri Western offense that piled up 35 first downs, the Ichabods consistently came up with the biggest plays of the day, averaging 9.3 yards per play while scoring eight touchdowns.
The Griffons recorded 35 first downs compared to 18 for the Ichabods, including seven by penalty, with multiple pass interference calls against the Ichabods contributing to drive extensions throughout the afternoon. Missouri Western also controlled the ball for 34:49 compared to 25:11 for Washburn.
NOTES:
• The win
…  moved the Ichabods' record to 6-2-1 on the season … moved the Ichabods to 24-28-2 all-time against Missouri Western … moved the Ichabods to 51-48-1 all-time on homecoming and snapped a three-game homecoming losing streak … the win guaranteed the Ichabods their first winning season since 2022 when the Ichabods were 7-4.
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