From the Capital Journal:
“I can’t wrap my head around any of the numbers because they’re amazing.”
Knowing those words came from the mouth of Rossville football coach Derick Hammes, one reasonably could assume he was talking about Tucker Horak’s 2015 season for the ages.
And he very well could have after Horak put together arguably the greatest high school statistical season in Kansas history as a senior, becoming the state’s first quarterback to rush and throw for more than 2,000 yards in the same season.
Instead, Hammes was referring to the 2016 season Horak’s successor, Jacob Bradshaw, orchestrated in leading Rossville to its third straight Class 6A state title. Stepping into a job with all eyes on how he would perform, Bradshaw delivered a season which wasn’t a far cry off Horak’s epic campaign a year ago.
The Bulldawg senior amassed 4,508 yards of total offense and 56 touchdowns to leave his own mark on the Rossville program and earn him a headlining spot on The Topeka Capital-Journal’s 2016 All-State Top 11 squad.
“Each kid had a different style, but the result was pretty darn similar,” Hammes said. “To me that’s an indication both were great players and great catalysts for what we were doing. As a coach, you’re extremely lucky when you think you have a once-in-a-lifetime type of guy. And then you have two back-to-back.”
After playing wide receiver for Rossville during its 2015 title run, Bradshaw knew going into the 2016 season there were going to be comparisons to his former teammate. He would be judged on not just every move, every game, but also by where he took the Bulldawgs along the way.
That kind of pressure can be suffocating, but Bradshaw maintained his focus on guiding Rossville back to the 3A state championship. The means of getting there mattered little to him.
“It was kind of a challenge and I did my best to stay away from all of that,” Bradshaw said of the outside pressure. “Once I step on the field, all that goes away completely and you’re locked in on what you have to do to help your team win.
“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. We did that.”
In the process, Bradshaw did an arguably better-than-expected impression of his predecessor. Though he didn’t quite reach Horak’s lofty numbers, he wasn’t far off.
Bradshaw’s 2,734 yards rushing rank only behind Horak’s 2,859 yards in program history for a single season. His 1,774 passing yards are ninth in school history.
And Bradshaw punctuated it all with a stellar performance in the Class 3A title game, throwing for 147 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 281 yards and two scores, including the game-winner as Rossville edged Hesston 48-42 in overtime for the three-peat.
“I was eager to see how I’d do, but I was surprised at how it turned out,” Bradshaw said. “I tried to learn a lot from (Horak) last year and he definitely helped me out as much as I could. We had a tremendous line and coach puts me in a great position to put up numbers. I had a great supporting cast around me and we had enough playmakers on the team to help me out a lot.”
Whatever questions Hammes, or anyone, had about Bradshaw entering the season, he answered them. Emphatically.
“Once he got it in gear, he never looked back,” Hammes said. “He did a super job for us.”
Bradshaw is one of two dual-threat quarterbacks on The Capital-Journal Top 11 this year. He’s joined by Great Bend senior Jacob Murray, who re-wrote the Panther record book for total offense and touchdowns in leading the Panthers to the Class 5A semifinals.
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