TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabod football team wrapped up the 2018 campaign with a 17-16 loss as Brain Covarrubias hit a 24-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining to send Nebraska-Kearney home with the win. Washburn finishes the season 5-6.
 
Washburn took a 16-14 lead on the final of Perry Schmiedeler’s three field goals, this one on a 38-yard attempt with 4:34 to play staking the Ichabods to a 16-14 lead. Schmiedeler also made field goals of 34 and 20 yards in the game giving in 281 career points which is second all-time on the Ichabod scoring charts.
 
The Lopers (5-6) scored first on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Alex McGinnis to Trey Lansman with 5:23 to go in the first quarter and would go up 14-0 on the second play of the second quarter on a 2-yard run by Dayton Sealey capping a 98-yard, six-play drive.
 
Washburn got on the board with Schmiedler’s first field goal of the day trimming the lead to 14-3 with 8:57 to go in the first half.
 
After the Lopers punted, Washburn took over and on a 4th and 15 from the Loper 47, Schmiedeler faked his second punt of the season running for 20 yards to convert a first down and the Ichabods would score a touchdown on a 30-yard strike from Mitch Schurig to James Brania-Hopp with 2:57 to go in the half as the teams entered the break with the Lopers up 14-10.
 
On the first UNK drive of the second half, McGinnis was picked off by Josh Wright at the Ichabod 12 and returned it to the Ichabod 26-yard line. Washburn took advantage of the Loper miscue as Schmiedler connected on a 34-yard field goal to cut the lead to 14-13 with 8:26 left in the third quarter.
 
Neither team scored until Schmiedeler put the Ichabods up 16-14 with 4:34 to go. On the Lopers’ drive which started at the UNK 32, the Lopers took advantage of a personal foul against the Ichabods turning a 4th and 2 into a first down moving the ball to the Ichabod 30 helping to set up the game-winning field goal.
 
Derrick McGreevy led the Ichabod defense with 18 tackles finishing with 316 for his career which is eighth all-time at Washburn. Austin Tillman had 16 tackles which put him over the 300-tackle mark and ninth all-time at Washburn.
 
Will Evans finished with a career-high 133 yards on 17 carries to lead the Ichabods and Schurig finished 16 of 30 for 126 yards.
 
Will Hamilton led the Ichabods with 39 yards on four catches and James Brania-Hopp had four catches for 36 and one touchdown. Brania-Hopp finished the season with 1,144 yards and nine touchdowns. His receiving yards total was third on the Ichabod single season chart and his 62 receptions ranks sixth. For his career, Brania-Hopp’s 2,147 receiving yards rank sixth and his 123 receptions are ninth on the Ichabod career chart.
 
Overall the Ichabods were outgained 276 to 159 on the ground and 372 to 285 overall.