Welcome to Top Sports News

A1 Lock & Key Performers Feb. 17, 2025
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
KOTI BEST, Seaman
A senior wrestler, Best returned from an injury to claim the 125-pound championship and reach the 100-win milestone for her career in Saturday's Class 5A West regional at Seaman. Now 17-2 on the season, Best went 4-0 on the day with none of her matches lasting longer than 1 minute, 25 seconds, including pins in 25 seconds, 30 seconds and 1:02.
KAEVON BONNER, Seaman
Bonner, a 6-foot-3 junior guard, scored 26 points last Tuesday as No. 7-ranked Seaman took a 68-66 home United Kansas Conference win over No. 8-ranked Shawnee Heights. Bonner scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and went 12 of 15 at the free throw line as Seaman improved to 12-4 on the season.
JAXON COWDIN, Topeka High
A senior swimmer/diver, Cowdin captured his third straight Centennial League championship in one-meter diving last Thursday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. Cowdin dominated the competition en route to a winning 11-dive score of 428.75. Cowdin's third league title came on the heels of his fourth straight city title.

Vikings' Best returns to action with dominant Class 5A regional championship run
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After advancing to the Class 6A-5A state championship match as a sophomore, the last two seasons have been a bit of a nightmare for Seaman girls wrestling star Koti Best.
Seaman senior Koti Best returned from an injury Saturday to win the 125-pound title in the Class 5A West regional at Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
A four-time state qualifier and two-time state placer, Best missed a big chunk of her junior season with concussion issues although she did return -- briefly -- in time for state.
"I wrestled the first round and I got re-concussed,'' Best lamented.
Best was back at full strength for the start of the current campaign, but was forced to the sidelines again after suffering a dislocated shoulder in the Newton tournament.
"It was not a good time,'' Best said. "I was so scared. I was like, 'I can't lose my season two years in a row.' ''
Seaman senior Koti Best reached the 100-win milestone in Saturday's Class 5A West regional en route to the 125-pound title. [Seaman Athletics]
Fortunately, that didn't happen, with Best returning to action with a dominant performance in Saturday's 5A West regional tournament at Seaman while capturing the 125-pound title and reaching the 100-win career milestone during the tournament.
"It's been so frustrating because I was so close and then I just kept getting shot down and shot down and hurt and hurt, but it motivated me a lot,'' Best said.
And Best got through regionals without any further damage to her shoulder.
"I felt very good,'' she said. "My shoulder was a little bit sore, but that's expected.''
Best, now 17-2 on the season, went 4-0 on the day with none of her matches lasting more than 1 minute, 25 seconds.
Best posted 30-second, 1:02 and 25-second pins to reach the championship match before defeating Great Bend freshman Micah Ellegood in a final that was halted at the 1:25 mark due to an injury to Ellegood that occurred during a Best takedown.
"I felt so awful, I felt so bad,'' said Best, who was leading 9-2 when the match was stopped.
"We've been there and I don't want to see anybody ever get hurt,'' said Seaman coach Jordan Best, Koti's father. "That's not how we want to win matches. It's unfortunate, but I hope she makes a quick recovery and I know she can bounce back. She's going to be a stud.''
Best will now look forward to her final state meet Feb. 28-March 1 at Park City's Hartman Arena as one of seven state qualifiers for the Vikings.
Seaman senior Taylie Heston was the 120-pound runnerup in Saturday's Class 5A West Regional. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman senior 120-pounder Taylie Heston (29-7) also advanced to the regional finals before she dropped 2-1 four-overtime decision to Emporia junior Kensley Medrano.
Seaman, which finished sixth as a team, also got fourth-place finishes from senior 110-pounder Natalie Smith (26-9) and 130-pound junior Makenna Stuke (23-13) and sixth-place finishes from freshman 115-pounder Avery Villines (13-16) and senior 190-pounder Abagail Soppe (11-9) and a seventh-place showing from freshman Savannah Rivera (11-24).
"Actually that's a little bit more than I envisioned happening, so it's a good day,'' Seaman coach Jordan Best said. "We had some girls that themselves didn't think they would actually make the state tournament that made it so that's awesome.''
Topeka West qualified two wrestlers for state, with sophomore 235-pounder Monica Stewart (12-13) finishing sixth and sophomore 170-pounder Haylee Jessepe (6-12) finishing eighth.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel won the regional team title by a 218.5-180.5 margin over Hays.
CLASS 5A WEST GIRLS REGIONAL WRESTLING

Regional girls wrestling: T-Birds win three individual titles, earn runnerup team finish
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights, top-ranked in the most recent Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association Class 5A rankings, posted a strong runnerup team finish in Saturday's 5A East Regional at Bonner Springs, qualifying 12 wrestlers for state.
Junior Cianna Graves improved to 35-2 on the season while winning the 150-pound title for Shawnee Heights in Saturday's Class 5A East regional. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Madison Freeland (left) won the 140-pound Class 5A regional title Saturday at Bonner Springs. [File photo/TSN]
Heights finished the regional tournament with 215.5 points, while the T-Birds' United Kansas Conference rival, Basehor Linwood, took first with 234.5 points.
Shawnee Heights got individual regional championships from 125-pound senior Reece Taylor, 140-pound senior Madison Freeland and 135-pound junior Cianna Graves while freshman Ava Gutierrez (100) and senior Isabel Reyes (130) advanced to the regional finals, finishing second.
Taylor, No. 1 ranked in 5A at 125, improved to 33-3 with her regional title, posting a 1 minute, 18 second pin over Blue Valley Southwest senior Brynn Lowe in the final.
Freeland, No. 5-ranked at 140, is 28-6 on the season after recording a 3:25 pin over Bonner Springs junior Nevaeh Brown in her final while Graves, 35-2 and top-ranked at 155, took a 4-2 win over Bonner Springs junior Addison Voges in the regional championship match.
Sophomore Audry Hinkly (120) and junior Olivia Stevens (145) posted third-place finishes while freshman Olive Jones (135) and sophomore Brooklyn Binkley (170) placed fourth, junior Mara Grau-Jones (235) fifth, freshman Halle Hill (110) sixth and junior Shelby Watson (190) seventh.
Highland Park finished 10th as a team while qualifying five wrestlers for state.