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Created: 30 January 2026

By RICK PETERSON                                                                                                          

TopSports.news

Cair Paravel Latin sophomore boys basketball standout Blaine Durbin and Topeka High junior girls basketball standout Ahsieyrhuajh have been selected by the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency as the Rising Stars of the Week.

The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the bulk of the 2025-2026 school year.

Here's a brief look at the recent accomplishments of Durbin and Rayton.

Blaine Durbin, Cair Paravel Latin [Photo by Jan Pabitzky/Special to TSN] 

BLAINE DURBIN, Cair Paravel Latin

Durbin scored a total of 60 points in three wins last week week as No. 7-ranked (Class 2A) Cair Paravel won the championship in the Flint Hills League Tournament at Emporia. Durbin scored 17 points in a 64-30 win over West Franklin, had 30 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a 60-45 win over Lyndon and scored 13 points in the Lions' 64-47 win over Osage City.

Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, Topeka High [File photo/TSN]

ASHIEYRHUAJH RAYTON, Topeka High

Rayton scored 33 points in Tuesday's 71-33 non-league win over Atchison and followed that up with a 37-point performance in Thursday's 65-57 loss to state-ranked Derby in the opening round of the Capital City Classic, surpassing the 1,000-point milestone for her career. Rayton connected on three 3-pointers against Atchison and four against Derby.

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural's boys exploited a height advantage on defense and efficiency on offense to defeat the Highland Park boys 60-35 Friday at Washburn Rural.

Junior Cooper Schmidt made an impact on both ends of the floor in Friday's 60-35 Washburn Rural win over Highland Park. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]  

Washburn Rural bounced back from a disappointing loss to Seaman on Tuesday to improve to 9-5. Against Highland Park they hit 26-50 shots from the field, needing just one 3-pointer to rack up 60 points. The Junior Blues jumped out to an 18-7 advantage after one quarter and stretched that lead to 36-16 by halftime before cruising to the victory.

“It was ok. I don’t know that I think we were real sharp,” Washburn Rural coach Alex Hutchins said. “We need to shoot the ball better, but I think we’re more focused on the process than the shots going in necessarily. I think we were better defending them off the dribble than we were when we played them back in December (a 57-44 win for the Junior Blues). But I still think there are some execution things that we’re going to have to clean up to compete against some of the better teams on our schedule the rest of the way.”

Junior Cooper Schmidt, Washburn Rural’s 6-foot-10 post player, scored just six points, but he dominated at both ends of the floor. He knocked away Highland Park shot attempts and cleared the boards while providing a threat in the low post on offense against the much smaller Scots. He was recognized by the team after the game for his impact.

“Coop’s a big kid. That’s a luxury that not every team has, and it’s a luxury that we haven’t had very often,” Hutchins said. “It’s a responsibility of Coop to impact the game without fouling so that he can be that interior presence. And it’s our responsibility as coaches to figure out schematically how to leverage that as best we can. It’s been a growing process for both him and us. As the year’s gone on, I think he’s continued to get better and better at becoming a force protecting the paint for us.”

“I love playing that role,” said Schmidt. “That’s how I’ve been since I was a kid. I’ve always played defense more than offense. So, I don’t mind that at all.”

Washburn Rural scored 15 points in Friday's 60-35 Washburn Rural win over Highland Park. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

ophomore Brooks Ballard scored 13 points with a 3-pointer in Friday's 60-35 Washburn Rural win over Highland Park. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]  

Offensively, the Junior Blues saw three players crack double figures, and three others tally six points apiece. Leading the way was John Hoytal with 15 points on 7-9 shooting, Brooks Ballard with 13 points on 6-7 shooting, and Myles Bradley with 11 on 4-7 from the field.

“I think we’re definitely going up,” Schmidt said. “We had a couple of rough games a week or two ago. But I think we’re doing better.

“We need to be more disciplined. Honestly, I think it’s more of an effort thing. We have the skill. I think if we just keep working hard we’re going to be good.”

The Scots fell to 3-12 on the season. They were paced by sophomore Davion Anderson, who dropped in four 3-pointers and finished with 19 points.

WASHBURN RURAL BOYS 60, HIGHLAND PARK 35

Highland Park      7 9 9 110 -- 35

Washburn Rural 18 18 13 11 -- 60

Highland Park (3-12) – Anderson 6-17 3-5 19, Montgomery 1-3 0-0 2, Drew 0-1 0-0 0, Mitchell 0-2 0-0 0, Kingcannon 2-10 0-0 4, Smith 0-3 0-0 0, L. McMillon 0-1 0-0 0, Nance 0-5 0-0 0, Powell 4-6 0-0 8, Z. McMillon 0-0 2-2 2, Pollard 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-48 5-7 35.

Washburn Rural (9-5) – Ballard 6-7 0-1 13, Jo. Hoytal 7-9 1-2 15, O’Connor 2-5 2-4 6, Chooncharoen 3-5 0-1 6, Schmidt 3-9 0-0 6, Bradley 4-7 3-4 11, Wright 0-1 0-2 0, Nimz 0-1 0-0 0, Jones 0-2 0-0 0, Ja. Hoytal 1-2 1-2 3, Graf 0-1 0-0 0, Vogel 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-50 7-16 60.

3-point goals – Highland Park 4 (Anderson 4), Washburn Rural 1 (Ballard 1). Total fouls – Highland Park 16, Washburn Rural 10. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none. 

 

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural swimming ran its string of Topeka City Boys Championships to seven Thursday, running away with the city meet at Capitol Federal Natatorium.

Washburn Rural boys swimming celebrates in the Capitol Federal Natatorium pool Thursday after winning its seventh straight city team title. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]

The Junior Blues were so dominant they claimed all but two of the 11 All-City first-team slots. They racked up 609 points, topping Seaman with 371.

The performance prompted second-year coach Bob Burdick to say that the rebuild from a Class 6A State third-place finish in 2024 is ahead of schedule.

“We lost a lot of seniors (from 2024), and they were really fast seniors. So, we had a rebuild year last year,” Burdick said. “That rebuild went way faster than expected because we got a lot of great swimmers. We’re going to lose 12 seniors this year, but we’re still looking just as solid next year because of all the new freshmen and sophomores coming in as well as the team that will return.

“They’ve got a great attitude and they’ve meshed totally as a team. We don’t have anybody with ego problems or anything like that. So that’s carrying the whole team.”

Daniel Allen won two individual events and swam on two winning relays as Washburn Rural dominated Thursday's city championships. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Braeden Montgomery was a double individual champion Thursday and swam on a winning relay as Washburn Rural won its seventh straight city team title. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN] 

Daniel Allen and Braeden Montgomery led the Junior Blues by taking first in two individual events while Thomas Appuhn, Castle Wallace and Davin Potts each collected one win.

Seaman's Kinser Barbosa won the 50 and 100-yard freestyle in Thursday's city swimming meet. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Kinser Barbosa highlighted the Seaman performance by taking first in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle races.

“I was able to push past my limits and break those benchmarks in my individuals and was able to maintain it in both relays too. So, I feel great,” Barbosa said. “This is a special meet where you get to compete with your friends, but also where everyone has that great mindset to push past your limits. Each race is a great race because they all have the same mindset.”

Will Stewart was named to the All-City first team for placing second in two events and for also helping lead Topeka High relay teams to two third-place finishes.

Allen returned to the Junior Blues for his junior year after devoting last season solely to club competition. Burdick knew what he was getting in Allen because, as a freshman, he placed seventh at the state meet in the 500-yard freestyle and also contributed to a relay team that placed third at state.

“Adding Daniel is the anchor for the relays, so we know we’re going to be strong there, but we also have a lot of good swimmers supporting him,” Burdick said. “His attitude is really great for the team. That helps motivate a lot of people and gives us a great role model in the pool.”

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