Gunnar Gundy leads Emporia State over Washburn in 120th edition of Turnpike Tussle

EMPORIA — The 120th edition of the Turnpike Tussle went Emporia State's way on Thursday. The Hornets secured the 30-14 win for their fourth straight win over Washburn.

Here are the takeaways from the first week of action between the two NCAA Division II teams:

Oklahoma State transfer Gunnar Gundy leads Emporia State

The Hornets received a boost in the summer when junior Gunnar Gundy committed to Emporia State. The former Oklahoma State quarterback and son head coach, Mike Gundy, found a groove in the Turnpike Tussle especially in the second half.

Gundy threw for 292 yards on 27-for-41 passing. He threw three touchdowns and one interception. His biggest highlight came in the fourth quarter when Gundy found Trenden Collins on the near sidelines. Collins lost his defender and Gundy hit him in stride perfectly for the 57-yard touchdown. Gundy also rushed for 101 yards on 19 attempts which led the team.

"I missed a few throws that were key. I think there were a few throws that were possible points," Gundy said in his debut. "I think we executed pretty well, but the ball has to finish in the end zone."

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St. Marys alum, Keller Hurla, starts at quarterback

It was a nightmare practice for Washburn last week. Starting quarterback Sam Van Dyne suffered a sprained MCL injury that will force him to miss several weeks. Van Dyne started last year as a true freshman and was expected to have a big season for the Ichabods.

Against Emporia State, Hurla earned the start and played the majority of the snaps for Washburn. The St. Marys native is a redshirt freshman and had a few promising drives in the game. He led the Ichadbods on a long drive in the first half that ended in a miss field goal.

Hurla brought Washburn into Emporia State in the third quarter. The drive finished in the first of two touchdowns for Washburn as running back Cam Robinson scored from four yards out. Hurla finished with 14-for-25 for 116 yards. He threw two interceptions in the loss

The coaching staff switched Hurla out for redshirt freshman Hayden Clark for multiple drives. Clark did not find much success. The quarterback from Georgia threw for 33 yards on 3-for-8 passing and had two interceptions.

"Both of those guys did some good things and having that game experience will help them a ton," Washburn head coach Craig Schurig said. "They handled themselves well and I'm sure we are going to see some things on film that we wish we would have done this or that."

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Jordan Finnesy shines in return to Washburn secondary

The junior safety made his return to the Ichabods lineup after suffering a season-ending knee injury last year. The Planville native made one of the best defensive plays in the game.

The Hornets had the ball inside the red zone with 30 seconds remaining in the first half. Gundy threw a pass into the end zone and Finnesy picked it off. It was a massive play just before halftime to keep Emporia State off of the board. Finnesy's play gave the Ichabods momentum into the locker room as Emporia State led 6-0.

"Finnesy is a great leader and he made some other great plays," Schurig said.

Liam Keating covers high school sports for The Topeka Capital-Journal. Send stats or information to him at Lkeating@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Gunnar Gundy leads Emporia State over Washburn in 120th edition of Turnpike Tussle