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Junior wide receiver Chase Allen-Jackman breaks a tackle for more yards. The play helped keep the drive going in the first half.
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Freshman defensive back Isaiah Kincade and freshman safety Reece Watkins line up with sophomore safety Kale Hammerschmidt before kick off. The trio prepared for the play against Northwest Missouri State.
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Freshman wide receiver Jaden Abongo Jr. attempts to get open for a catch. Abongo puts efforts on the field to give advantage to Washburn’s offense.
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Senior running back Teondre Carter makes a move to avoid a tackle. The play picked up a few extra yards.
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Senior defensive back Kamble Haverkamp forces an interception during the game. The play gave Washburn a chance to gain momentum.
On Saturday, Sept.6, at Yager Stadium, Washburn’s football team battled against Northwest Missouri State. The Ichabods fought hard in their MIAA opener before falling 34-7.
The Bearcats had a strong start, jumping ahead with two first quarter touchdowns, leaving the first quarter at 13-0. Washburn’s defense kept the game within reach. Defensive back Kamble Haverkamp gave the Ichabods some momentum midway through the second quarter with an interception, firing up the crowd.
Washburn’s offense finally broke through in the fourth quarter. Graduate student quarterback Justin Lewis connected with D.J Bell for a 69-yard touchdown bringing the score up to 27-7.
Following his touchdown, Bell explained the offense is still coming together.
“We couldn’t get our offense to go. We started off bad last game, real bad. But we gotta keep going,” Bell said. “Once we start clicking, we’re good…Just gotta uplift everybody and just keep going.”
After Bell talked about the offense, Haverkamp, who snagged the interception, points out how he and his team are not discouraged.
“They just got us on a couple plays,” Haverkamp said. “They schemed us up. I think the loss motivates you even more. It shows what kind of team we are by how we respond next week, It’s how we respond tomorrow. Just got to bounce back and come back with a win next week.”
Sophomore defensive tackle AI-Mani Jimerson adds on to how the team is already looking ahead, not letting this loss stop their motivation.
“It was honestly on us, I’ll take part in it,” Jimerson said. “We were making a lot of bad mistakes, but we’ll come back better next week…It’s only game two, we still got nine more opportunities to be great.”
Head Coach Zack Watkins also spoke on that message, noting not only the challenge they faced but also the positives of the game.
“We play a really good team, and when you don’t play your best, the score ends up like that,” Watkins said. “We have some young kids who have really played well, they’ve made some really good plays, we didn’t make enough to win the game, but we’ve had some young kids step up, and that’s encouraging moving forward”.
The Ichabods next game will be in Golden, Colorado, Sept.13 against the Colorado School of Mines at 1 p.m.
Edited by Arohi Rai and Stuti Khadka
