The Emporia Spartans struggled to find their footing Friday night at Bowen-Glaze Stadium in Topeka, falling to Washburn Rural 24-8.
Emporia went three-and-out on its opening possession, while the Junior Blues established their ground game early and drove down the field for the first score of the night.
The Spartans turned the ball over on downs on their next possession, then punted and threw an interception on their following two drives. WR took advantage, adding a second rushing touchdown before connecting on a field goal to take a 17-0 lead into halftime.
For the first time this season, the Emporia offense was held scoreless through the opening two quarters.
The Spartans continued to battle on offense in the second half but couldn’t find the end zone until late. With 68 seconds remaining, Ben Collins powered in from one yard out for Emporia’s lone touchdown of the night. He finished with 146 rushing yards.
The score was Collins’ team-leading sixth touchdown of the season.
The Black and Red fall to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in league play. Emporia will hit the road for Week Six, traveling to Manhattan.
