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.
