By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After playing in all 11 games last fall with three starts as a redshirt freshman, Washburn University sophomore quarterback Keller Hurla was excited for the 2025 season before a preseason injury put him on the sidelines.
Quarterback Keller Hurla is back in action for Washburn after recovering from a pre-season hamstring injury. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
But after missing the Ichabods' first three games, the former St. Marys star is back in action and hoping to help Washburn get hot over the second half of the season.
"I had a Grade 2 hamstring tear that happened late in fall camp,'' Hurla said. "At first they thought it was a Grade 1, so I thought I'd be back in a week or so and hopefully be back for Week 1 or Week 2, but then it ended up being a little worse than they thought so they held me out four or five weeks.
"I was able to return the week of (Central Oklahoma). That Wednesday I was able to get a full go and start practicing again. It's good to be back and healthy and just being with the guys out there again. I feel like (last week) I was finally getting back to 100 percent and now it feels great.''
While splitting time with graduate QB Justin Lewis, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Hurla has completed 11 of 20 passes for 149 yards and two TDs and carried the ball 21 times for 60 yards and two scores as WU pushed UCO and Nebraska-Kearney to the limit in six and seven-point losses.
Hurla also split time running the offense last season when he passed for 812 yards and five TDs and ranked No. 2 on the Ichabods with 332 rushing yards and a team-high five rushing TDs.
"It's kind of tough not knowing exactly when you're going to be thrown in, but it's always just staying ready and being prepared as if you're the starter every week and just being ready to go whenever your name's called,'' he said.
"I've kind of learned how to deal with situations like that just in the past year, so it's really nothing new for me and I'm just trying to take advantage of every opportunity I get.''
Washburn, 1-4 overall and 0-3 in the MIAA, faces a tough test Saturday on the road at Pittsburg State, but Hurla feels like the Ichabods' best days are ahead of them in the second half of the season.
"It's going to flip,'' Hurla said. "It will, just with our culture of this new coaching staff and the leaders on this team.
"We have the same mindset every week, just attack the new seven-day season no matter what happened last week. We flush it, we move on and attack the seven-day season and attack it to the best of or ability.''
