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Shawnee Heights' annual Battle of the Bigs on tap July 7
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' annual Battle of the Bigs Lineman Challenge, which focuses on football's unsung heroes in the trenches, will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 7th, at Shawnee Heights.
Linemen will compete in nine non-contact measured events, including the 40-yard scoop and score, tractor tire flip, pro agility grill, 10-yard sled pull, 185-pound bench press, medicine ball toss, 10-yard sled drive, pursuit drill and the obstacle course.
For a registration fee of $25 per person, participants will get a T-shirt, food and drinks after the competition and will compete to win a team plaque as well as individual medals for top performer (Class 6A, 5A, 4A and lower classes) plus a bucket hat or visor for top five or top in their class.
Checks should be made payable to Shawnee Heights football.
For more information contact Shawnee Heights football coach Jason Swift at 913-908-7878.
Eagles' Kailyn Hanni named TSN Shawnee County 2025-2026 girls athlete of the year
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake four-sport star Kailyn Hanni has been named TopSports.news' Shawnee County girls senior athlete of the year for the 2025-2026 season.
Kailyn Hanni, a state champ in basketball and softball and a state medalist in golf and track and field as a senior, has been named the TopSports.news girls athlete of the year for the 2025-2026 school year. [File photo/TSN]
Hanni was named the TSN winter girls senior athlete of the year after leading Silver Lake to its second Class 3A state basketball championship in three seasons and was a finalist for the fall and spring athlete of the year awards.
A 5-foot-7 point guard, Hanni was named Miss Kansas Basketball by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association in 2025-2026 was also named the Shawnee County Player of the Year as a senior after helping lead the Eagles to a 28-1 record and earning all-county first-team honors for the third time.
Hanni finished her high school career with 1,404 points, 585 assists, 563 rebounds and 339 steals, finishing No. 1 on Silver Lake's all-time list in assists and steals and finishing No. 3 in career scoring.
She also set a single-game school scoring record with 39 points and a single-game assist mark with 12, reaching that total on three occasions.
Kailyn Hanni helped Silver Lake win the Class 3A softball title as a senior after back-to-back state runnerup finishes. [File photo/TSN]
Hanni helped lead Silver Lake to the Class 3A state softball championship this past spring and also doubled up in track and field, placing third in the 3A javelin hours after the Eagles' 4-0 win over Southeast of Saline in the state softball final.
Hanni was a first-team All-Shawnee County pick in both softball and track and earned All-3A first-team honors in softball.
Silver Lake senior Kailyn Hanni, a former state team champion in golf, placed fifth in the Class 3A-1A state tournament as a senior. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Hanni earned All-Shawnee County first-team golf honors last fall after finishing fifth in the 2025 3A-1A state tournament with a 36-hole total of 164 (81-83).
She captured regional and Big East League championships en route to earning first-team All-3A-1A honors.
Hanni helped Silver Lake win the state title as a sophomore and post a second-place finish (losing on a tiebreaker) as a junior.
The Silver Lake star will play college basketball at Fort Hays State.
Next up: Boys senior athlete of the year.
Anderson, Newbery TSN's co-Shawnee County spring boys athletes of the year
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman track and field star Brody Anderson and Washburn Rural baseball star Aidan Newbery, who ended their high school careers with state championships, have been selected as TopSports.news' Shawnee County co-spring boys senior athletes of the year for the 2025-2026 season.
Brody Anderson, Seaman
Anderson claimed the 2026 Class 5A state championship in the 800 meters in a 5A meet-record time of 1 minute, 52.08 seconds.
A former state medalist in cross country, Anderson also posted second-place 5A state finishes in the 3,200 and 1,600 meters after winning the city title in the 800 and sweeping the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 titles in the United Kansas Conference meet.
Aidan Newbery, Washburn Rural
Newbery, a catcher, was named the Shawnee County and Centennial League player of the year after helping lead Washburn Rural to its first state baseball championship since 1952, capped by a 4-3 win over Free State in the 6A state championship game.
Newbery was also named to the 6A All-State second team by the Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches.
Other spring boys athlete of the year finalists
Caleb Cleverdon, Cair Paravel/Topeka High
CALEB CLEVERDON | Cair Paravel/Topeka High
SPORT: Golf
Cleverdon, who competed for Topeka High in the regular season and Cair Paravel Latin in the postseason, posted a second-place individual finish in the Class 2A state tournament with a 36-hole total of 149 (73-76) after taking a four-shot individual win in the Flint Hills League tournament with a 73. A first-team All-Shawnee County pick, Cleverdon tied for third in the Centennial League (75) and tied for first in 2A regional competition (71), finishing second in a playoff.
Brody Cooper, Shawnee Heights [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]
BRODY COOPER | Shawnee Heights
SPORT: Baseball
A standout pitcher, Cooper helped lead Shawnee Heights to the 2026 Class 5A state championship game and a runnerup finish. A two-time United Kansas Conference first-team selection, Cooper was named the conference pitcher of the year as a senior and was also named to the All-Shawnee County first team.
Jack Donovan, Rossville
JACK DONOVAN | Rossville
SPORT: Golf
Donovan was a first-team All-Shawnee County pick for the third straight season after earning a state medal for the fourth straight year (two in Class 3A, two in 2A) with a fifth-place finish in the 2A state event with a 36 hole score of 155 (79-76). Donovan finished third in a 2A regional with a 76 and was the Big East League individual medalist with a 71. Donovan, who tied for sixth in the 2025 state tournament, received All-Shawnee County recognition in three sports.
Drew Fay, Cair Paravel Latin
DREW FAY | Cair Paravel Latin
SPORT: Tennis
Fay capped an outstanding four-year high school career with a city-high fifth-place finish in the 2026 Class 3A-1A state tournament. Fay was a four-year state qualifier and a three-time state medalist, with a high finish of second place in doubles in 2025. Fay captured the city championship in No. 1 singles this past spring and also won a regional title. Fay was a three-time All-City pick.
