Rossville Three-Peat Top C-J Sports Story

Winning a first state football championship was hard enough for Rossville, which endured years of semifinal heartbreak at the hands of archrival Silver Lake before finally breaking through for the program’s first state crown in 2014 with a come-from-behind win over Scott City in the Class 3A title game.

A second was even tougher as the Bulldawgs not only had to overcome miserable conditions but also another fourth-quarter deficit against an undefeated Wichita Collegiate team in the 2015 title game.

But three straight? With Class 3A arguably as deep as it has ever been, especially on the east side, the odds certainly didn’t seem in the Bulldawgs’ favor.

So after Rossville once again delivered, rallying past Hesston 48-42 in overtime in the 2016 title game, Bulldawg coach Derick Hammes wasn’t about to do anything other than relish in the moment of what his team had just accomplished — the three-peat earning the No. 3 spot on The Topeka Capital-Journal’s year-in-review countdown, as voted on by the sports staff.

“Let’s enjoy this one,” Hammes said. “They all feel really good, but this one had a different feel to it. (The title game) was so up and down and the dramatic finish — we’ve had three of them, I guess — it just makes it so special.”

How special is Rossville’s three-peat? It’s the first time a Shawnee County school has ever accomplished the feat. Washburn Rural won two straight state titles in 1985-86 and Silver Lake (eight) and Hayden (three) each have multiple crowns, but Rossville is the first to win three in a row.

For many, the expectations of pulling off the three-peat would be too much. Graduation had claimed two straight standout senior classes, including two-time All-Stater Tucker Horak — a seemingly once-in-a-lifetime type of player whose void would simply be too great to fill.

But inside the Rossville program, expectations remained the same.

“The players at the school, when we get up here we expect to win,” said quarterback Jacob Bradshaw. “That’s huge for us. We knew we were capable enough to be in this position, but to win it three years in a row, that just continues our dynasty.”

Perhaps no player had more to prove than Bradshaw, who had the unenviable task of replacing Horak as Rossville’s quarterback. But the senior responded in a big way, following up Horak’s epic season with one that was nearly as herculean.

Bradshaw amassed 4,508 yards of total offense, including 2,734 yards on the ground — eighth-best in a single season in state history. He punctuated his breakthrough season in the title game, rallying Rossville from a 15-point deficit and finishing with 423 yards of total offense, throwing for 148 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 275 yards and two TDs, including the game-winner in overtime.

“We really had a belief on our team that if we worked hard and did everything the right way, we could get back to the state championship game,” Bradshaw said. “We did that.”

“The bar’s been set pretty high, but our expectations are always high,” Hammes said. “That’s how you build these things. We will do the same things it takes in the offseason and prepare for the games the same way next year.”

While Rossville’s run headlined the 2016 prep season, it was far the only big-time feat accomplished in the area. Here’s a look at some of the other top area prep stories from the year.