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Rural soccer rolls to Class 6A semifinals with 5-1 romp past Garden City
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural soccer took care of business Monday night at McElroy Field, rolling to the Class 6A state semifinals with a 5-1 quarterfinal romp past Garden City.
Washburn Rural's soccer team celebrates Monday's 5-1 Class 6A quarterfinal win over Garden City at McElroy Field. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Now the 17-1-1 Junior Blues will get the opportunity to avenge their lone loss of the season in Wednesday's 6 p.m. state semifinal on the road against Blue Valley West, which rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit to take a 3-2 double-overtime early-season victory over Washburn Rural.
Needless to say, the Junior Blues are looking forward to the challenge ahead.
"We're glad to get the win (tonight) and know that we're playing two more times,'' Washburn Rural coach Brian Hensyel said. "We'll be ready Wednesday. This team has been playing great for quite sometime, we've been scoring goals and we feel really confident in our chances.''
Hensyel said the earlier loss to Blue Valley West (17-2), which advanced to the semifinals with a 2-0 quarterfinal win over Blue Valley, provided a wakeup call for the Junior Blues.
"It was probably the turning point,'' Hensyel said. "It was just the third game and I think we thought we were going to be really good and that first half we were really good and dominated the game and then just gave it away.
"Blue Valley West is a good team obviously and one of the best teams in Kansas City and we felt like on that night we just handed them a win in the second half. I think we've gotten a lot better since then and we had a feeling we were going to see them again because they're a really good team, so (Wednesday) will be fun.''
Washburn Rural senior Draden Chooncharoen (23) had a goal and an assist in Monday's 5-1 Class 6A quarterfinal win over Garden City. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Rural never trailed in Monday's quarterfinal after senior Draden Chooncharoen scored at the 25:35 mark of the first half.
"(Hensyel) always talks about getting out early, the first 15 minutes you've got to have a goal, so getting that first goal and having energy and making them play from behind that gave us a good starter for the game,'' said Chooncharoen, who also had an assist in the win.
Junior Myles Didde scored Monday's second goal in Washburn Rural's 5-1 Class 6A quarterfinal win over Garden City. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Junior Myles Didde made it a 2-0 game just over five minutes later and an own goal at the 12:20 mark put Washburn Rural in command 3-0 at the half.
Senior Dylan Willingham, Washburn Rural's single-season and career scoring record-holder, scored two goals on penalty kicks in Monday's 5-1 Class 6A state quarterfinal win over Garden City at McElroy Field. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Garden City (15-3-1) got on the scoreboard 6:44 into the second half on a goal from junior Saul Ortega, but Washburn Rural star Dylan Willingham converted penalty kicks with 12:40 and 3:50 remaining to account for the final margin.
No. 2 Washburn men's basketball tops No. 3 Dallas Baptist 89-77 to cap Florida trip
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Sophomore Dillon Claussen scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Washburn's 89-77 win over Dallas Baptist Sunday in Lakeland, Fla. [File photo/TSN] Three city standouts earn All-United Kansas Conference first-team volleyball honors
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman, Shawnee Heights and Topeka West all put a player on the All-United Kansas Conference volleyball first team while Seaman senior Kinsley Smith was named the conference defensive player of the year.
Kinsley Smith, Seaman
Smith also earned a spot on the eight-member All-UKC first team along with Shawnee Heights senior Avery Willey and Topeka West junior Sydney Van Dyke.
Avery Willey, Shawnee Heights
Sydney Van Dyke, Topeka West
Shawnee Heights senior Brooke McCabe was named to the All-UKC second team while Seaman senior Addison Sibley, Shawnee Heights junior Clara Morgan and senior Jaidyn Euwer andTopeka West senior Breonnah Keeling and sophomore Kendall Munoz received honorable mention.
Lansing senior Avery Sands was named the UKC offensive player of the year while De Soto senior Kylie Groves was named the setter of the year and Lansing's Whitney Pakenham was voted coach of the year.
ALL-UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL
