The Emporia State football team shutout Washburn in the second half on the way to a 45-17 win in the Turnpike Tussle on Saturday at Moore Bowl in Topeka. ESU got on the board first after Eric McCarty blocked an Ichabod punt and Kingsley Bennett scooped it up and ran it in from 13 yards out. On ESU’s next drive, quarterback Jamison Sarver found Diego Cearns on a 35-yard wheel route touchdown pass to make it 14-0. Washburn answered with 10-straight points before a Caden Dodson field goal made it 17-10 Hornets late in the second, but the ‘Bods scored with less than two minutes to play in the half to knot it up at 17 going to halftime. Sarver connected with Bennett on a 24-yard touchdown in the third before running for his first career touchdown early in the fourth. Landon Boss and Kaliel Boyd each returned interceptions for touchdowns in the fourth quarter to ice the game away. Boss finished with 12 tackles with 11 solo stops including three tackles for loss, and a sack to go along with the pick-six. For the first time the winning team was awarded the Kansas Turnpike Trophy and Boss said he was glad it was coming back to Emporia.
Head coach Garin Higgins said the trophy was something the rivalry desperately needed.
Cearns ran for 136 yards on 26 carries becoming the first Hornet to rush for over 100 yards in back-to-back games since Canaan Brooks in 2021. ESU (5-5, 4-4 MIAA) has now won five-straight in the rivalry. ESU wraps up the season with Senior Day on Saturday, November 15 against Fort Hays State. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. on Mix 104.9.
