TOPEKA, Kan. — Heartbreak has a new mascot: the Griffon.

Mixing elements of its loss to Northwest Missouri State two weeks ago — the prospect of a road upset that ended on an interception in the end zone — with a last-second defeat to Pittsburg State last week — a game that came down to a final play inside the opponent’s 5-yard line — Missouri Western came up just short again Saturday. Washburn’s Zack Watkins intercepted Drew Newhart in the end zone on the final play of the game, preserving the Ichabods’ 21-17 victory at Yager Stadium.

“It’s a game of inches, and the inches aren’t adding up for us,” said Western coach Jerry Partridge, whose team dropped to 1-4, 0-3 MIAA. “I really felt like at the end we would win this one.”

The Washburn coaches were planning on a Western score, as well. The Griffons started their last drive 85 yards away from the end zone with 1 minute, 49 seconds remaining. Newhart moved Western to Washburn’s 3-yard line in 10 plays, hitting Andrew Mead for a 22-yard gain on fourth-and-10 to set up another week of goal-line drama.

“You went through a series of emotions, win-loss, win-loss for that last minute,” said Washburn coach Craig Schurig, whose team improved to 3-2, 1-2. “We were planning on them scoring, getting a return and getting our last three plays. Then it was down to six (seconds), it was like, ‘Hell, let’s stop talking, and let’s start praying.’”

On first-and-goal from the 3, Newhart appeared to hit Zach Sharp in the end zone, but the ball squirted free when Sharp hit the ground. Did he catch it?

“I don’t think so,” Sharp said afterward, avoiding the controversy that enshrouded last week’s game.

That left two seconds for Western. Washburn’s Xavier Beckford batted Newhart’s last gasp jump ball to Watkins — Newhart’s third interception of the game — to end another wild Saturday of Griffon football.

“It was right there. It was unbelievable,” said Newhart, whose pass glanced off of tight end Alvaro Prado’s fingers at the goal line with 17 seconds to go. “I feel like I’m in there. I feel like I’m making the right reads.”

Western’s offense moved the ball most of the afternoon against a tough Washburn defense, rolling up 32 first downs and 470 yards. Newhart threw for 349 yards and a pair of scores — a 13-yard shovel pass to Thomas Hodges in the first quarter to tie it at 7 and a 26-yard strike to Ferrell McGhee in the fourth quarter to put the Griffons ahead, 17-14.

But Newhart’s first quarter interception set up the Washburn offense at the 5-yard line as the Ichabods went ahead 14-7, and the sophomore quarterback’s last two interceptions ended the Griffons’ final two drives.

What likely will get lost in the drama of the closing seconds is a much-improved performance from the Western defense. The Griffons entered Saturday ranked last in the MIAA in most defensive categories but held Washburn to 38 yards passing and eight first downs.

There were only a few blemishes on the Western defense’s record Saturday, but in a game this tight, they were enough to leave the Griffons just short again. Brandon Walker, who finished with 106 yards, broke free for a 56-yard run in the first half to set up the game’s first score. On that same drive, Western roughed the passer to negate a third-down stop.

“We’re not making enough plays. We make three or four more plays, we could be a 4-1 team,” Western linebacker Sean Whiters said. “I don’t feel good at all because we should have stopped them when it was 17-14.”

Instead, Washburn put together its best drive of the day with 12:47 left, running the ball effectively for 60 of the 66 yards on the scoring drive that ended when Justin Cooper scored from 9 yards out to put the Ichabods ahead, 21-17 — a score that stood up by the slimmest of margins.

“I have never been through this when you lose three games where you had the ball inside of the 10-yard line in the last minute to tie or win,” Partridge said. “I have no idea what to tell (my team). I don’t know what to tell myself.”

The Western coach paused and then added with an air of defiance, “We’re going to win next week.”

Sports reporter R.J. Cooper can be

reached at rjcooper@npgco.com