The Bods may not have seen many wins this season, but people would never have been able to tell by the performance in the game Saturday, Nov. 11. The Bods returned home to play their last game of the season and ended it with a 45-14 win over Northeastern State University.
“You got to see the enthusiasm,” said Craig Schurig, head coach. “When you play with confidence and you’re making plays, you saw the enthusiasm of the team and the joy of playing football. We just haven’t had that enough this year.”
This win marks the 10th consecutive win that Washburn has had against Northeastern State. Some standouts during the game include Tyce Brown, junior wide receiver, with two touchdowns during the game, which is a career high for him. Connor Searcy, junior fullback also got on the board with a touchdown. During the game, freshman tight end Ty Weber, freshmwide receiver Triston Johnson and redshirt freshman fullback Lucas Oitker tallied the first touchdowns of their college careers.
Washburn football had a young team this year, with a lot of power coming from the freshmen lineup. On top of the three freshmen who tallied their first touchdowns during the game, Washburn also saw freshman quarterback Sam Van Dyne complete 18 passes for 188 yards. The list of notable freshmen doesn’t stop there. Other key players include wide receivers D.J. Bell, Chase Allen-Jackman and Armani Tookes to name a few.
Schurig discussed the talent surrounding the young players on the team.
“I think it gives us a bright future. And now it’s just combining those guys and getting them to work together,” Schurig said. “[…] and it bodes well for our future, because we’ve got really talented kids that just need experience. And they got a lot of it this year and then hopefully we have a huge growth going into next year.”
The Nov. 11 game was also Senior Day. This year, Washburn football has 13 seniors to say farewell to. One of those seniors is Andrew Funk, offensive lineman. He is a decorated member of the team as a five-time member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll and a three-time member of the all-MIAA selection. He made the second team this year.
Funk relayed his thoughts on his last game playing for Washburn.
“I mean, if you or anybody was at the game, you could see the O-Line, we had a lot of fun. That’s for sure. We finished on a very high note,” Funk said. “And even throughout the tough season, we’ve always had fun as a group and practice has always been upbeat. So to finish the season with having that much fun really kind of marked the end of the season in a really great way. So that was fun.”
Washburn ended the season with a record of 2-9, which is the first time they have ended a season with less than five wins since the 2014 season where they ended with a record of 4-7. Everyone is hopeful that, even with 13 graduating seniors, Washburn’s team will be better next season.
“Stay patient,” Schurig said. “We’ll be much better next year. We look to have some really good games at home, and it’s important to win at home and show the fans what type of team you have. So that’s why this last game was kind of fun to say, ‘Hey, this is the style of football that we play. It’s a fun brand to watch, and it’s entertaining.’ So we want to bring that back next year.”
Finally, the team said farewell to the senior players who will not be returning next season. Those players are Karl Andrews, Carter Bussone, Mason Fair, Andrew Funk, Jacob Glendinning, Bergan Hofer, Mason Honne, Isaac Keener, Percy Mitchell, C.J. Murray, Kevon Owens, Brent Peavler, and Taylon Peters.
“First, we thank them [seniors] for their leadership. They had really good careers and this year was hard on them, but they stayed true to it and they were leaders on the team,” Schurig said. “So we thank them more than anything for how much work they put into the program. And then wish them luck. They always know that Washburn University is part of their family and that our football program is also a big part of their family.”
Funk discussed his advice for younger team members for their future football careers.
“I think the biggest thing is enjoy it, because we work pretty much year-round for 11 games a year. So that last year, I think you have to sit back and appreciate those 11 experiences to play in front of the fans and playing with that team for your last season,” Funk said.
This year has been an outlier in Washburn football’s history, but ending the season on a 45-14 win over Northeastern State University was a highlight for seniors.
Edited by Jayme Thompson and Jeremy Ford
