For years, the narrative was the same: Atchison owned Washington on the football field. On Friday night, the Wildcats rewrote the story in emphatic fashion.
Washington dismantled Atchison 82-44 in a statement victory that catapulted the Wildcats into first place in the Meadowlark Conference standings and signaled a dramatic shift in the local football landscape.
Senior quarterback Savion Stone was nearly unstoppable, accounting for nine touchdowns in a performance that left college coaches in attendance buzzing. Stone completed 10 of 12 passes for 206 yards while rushing 13 times for 273 yards, including a powerful 74-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
“It feels good,” Stone said after the game. “We haven’t done it since my whole high school career, so to come out on top like this, have such a big win, it feels great.”
The victory was particularly sweet given recent history. Atchison had throttled Washington 55-6 last season and posted similarly lopsided wins in 2023 (63-18) and 2022 (55-6). Friday’s 38-point margin represented a stunning reversal of fortune.
“They’ve been blowing us out for years,” Washington head coach Camron Smith said. “I’ve been telling anybody that will listen: This is the best team I ever coached.”
Atchison got on the board first, but the game turned decisively late in the first quarter when Atchison fumbled a snap at the Washington 7-yard line. DeAndre Gillom recovered, and on the very next play, CamRon Fields exploded for a 93-yard touchdown run that pushed the lead to 22-8.
“Once they fumbled that ball, it was over,” Stone explained. “All we had to do was continue to execute every single possession.”
Execute they did. Washington scored on its next five possessions, building a commanding 61-28 halftime advantage. The Wildcats’ explosive offense featured multiple weapons, with Fields contributing five receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns to complement his 149 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. Khaliel Burns-Bey added two touchdowns, including a 20-yard reverse in the first quarter.
Defensively, sophomore Zavion Hayslett wreaked havoc with 10 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks and four quarterback hurries, helping keep Atchison quarterback Yogi Purdy under pressure despite his 249 total yards and four touchdowns.
Smith attributed the transformation to an offseason commitment that began immediately after Thanksgiving.
“We came back and we were in the weight room December 9th,” Smith said. “[The] only team that beat us in the weight room in the state was Mill Valley. They went a week before us. We elevated the training that we do. And now this team is the strongest team, the most athletic team, the most talented team.”
Stone echoed his coach’s emphasis on the work put in during the offseason.
“Energy played a big part,” Stone said. “Staying in the weight room in the summer, whole team was there. Our whole team went on camps. It’s just that energy that we brought and that team morale that we continue to build, that bond that we build with each other.”
The victory puts Washington (5-0) atop the Meadowlark Conference standings. Atchison falls to 3-2 with a season-opening non-conference loss to Ottawa. Highland Park sits at 3-2 with forfeit losses to Harmon and Wichita East following a Sep. 19 fight during their game against Schlagle.
If Washington can avoid unexpected upsets against Wyandotte and Schlagle in the next two weeks, the Wildcats will look to complete an undefeated home season when they host Highland Park in their final regular season game. Smith noted the significance of that matchup, recalling years when KCK teams struggled against both Atchison and Highland Park.
“We’re the only program in Kansas City that has [beaten] both,” Smith said. “And so we’re going to try to do it again.”
The presence of five college coaches on Friday night, including representatives from Independence Community College and Butler Community College, underscored the talent Smith has assembled.
“We want to be a factory,” Smith explained. “We’re trying to expose our guys to high level football so that they’re ready to go play college football.”
For Stone, who is drawing Division I interest, the mission is clear.
“I want that D1 offer and I’m going to get it,” he said confidently. “But like I said, I’ve got to take game by game, continue to put up the numbers that I’m putting up and everything is going to fall in my favor.”
While Stone and his teammates have their sights set on a championship, Friday’s victory over Atchison represented something more immediate: proof that Washington football has arrived.
“We’re two, three deep everywhere,” Smith said. “Everybody that gets on the field deserves to be on the field. They worked for it, they earned it. Bunch of ballers on this team. Proud of ’em.”
For lots more photos from the game, visit Dotte Sports.
