Emporia State took a home-opener victory last Thursday with a 30-14 win over Washburn, marking the Hornets’ fourth straight win over the Ichabods since 2021.
With neither team scoring in the first quarter, junior punter and kicker Caden Dodson scored a 29-yard field goal for the Hornets in the second quarter. Dodson later scored a 38-yard field goal with four minutes left in the quarter after the Hornets pushed the Ichabods to a 2-yard loss, bringing the score to 6-0 at the half.
At the start of the second half, sophomore defensive back Clem Mccullough took the ball from Washburn, bringing it to the Washburn 20-yard line and allowing Dodson to make a field goal that would bring the score to 9-0. The Ichabods later scored, bringing the score to 9-7 before a touchdown pass between debut junior quarterback Gunnar Gundy and wide receiver Tyler Kahmann brought the Hornets to a wider lead of 16-7.
The Hornets took over play at the beginning of the fourth quarter from Washburn, followed by a 5-play stunt between Gundy and redshirt sophomore Ethan Schultze whose touchdown brought the Hornets to a 23-7 lead. With a pass assist from Gundy, sophomore wide receiver Trenden Collins scored another touchdown for the Hornets before Washburn scored their final touchdown of the night, bringing the final score to 30-14 favoring ESU.
At 391 yards, Gundy holds the most total offense yards by a debuting ESU quarterback as noted by ESU Athletics. This is Gundy’s first year playing for ESU. Previously, Gundy played for Oklahoma State under his father, coach Mike Gundy. At OSU, Gundy secured a total of 569 yards and five touchdowns over the course of three seasons from 2021 to 2023.
The Hornets will go on to play the Angelo State Rams out of San Angelo, Texas on Sept. 7. The Rams are currently 0-1 on the season, after taking a 7-21 loss against Fort Hays on Aug. 30. Last season, the Rams went 7-3 overall and 6-2 in conference play. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Welch Stadium on Sept. 7.
