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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news 

Jeremiah Nelson made the most of his first-ever appearance in the Topeka Golf Association City Match Play event, going wire to wire to capture the championship.

Jeremiah Nelson poses with his championship trophy Sunday at Shawnee Country Club after winning the 2026 TGA City Match Play championship. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

The former Washburn University golfer earned the top seed in qualifying with a 70 and posted four straight wins after receiving a first-round bye, capping his title run with a 4 and 3 win over Adam Head Sunday at Shawnee Country Club.

"I played really well today,'' Nelson said. "I had four birdies on the front and another one on the back, so I think I was 4-under through 15 holes and I thought I played pretty well.

"Adam just didn't enough putts to drop for him, but that's how match play goes.''

Jeremiah Nelson capped a dominating week in the TGA City Match Play tournament with a 4 and 3 win in Sunday's title match at Shawnee Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]   

Nelson, who tied for second in the City Stroke Play tournament in 2025, jumped out to a four-hole advantage through the opening eight holes and Head, the three-time TGA City Player of the Year, got no closer than two holes the rest of the way before Nelson clinched the championship by halving the 15th hole. 

"A couple of big par saves that kept it at a two-stroke lead on the back were huge,'' Nelson said. "I had a couple of 8-footers that I had to get to drop or it gets tighter and then anything can happen.''

 Adam Head, a three-time city player of the year, finished second in Sunday's TGA City Match Play Tournament at Shawnee Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Head was quick to give Nelson credit for his match-winning performance Sunday.

"He didn't make any mistakes,'' Head said. "I didn't really put pressure on him the front nine. He was 4-under and there weren't many opportunities for me.

"He had two holes where he struggled on the back and was able to recover and just didn't give me a window to do anything to make those four shots up. A guy like Jeremiah, there's not much you can do when you don't have your best stuff. There was a small window and he closed it really fast.''  

Emory Dease, a semifinalist in 2024, won the President's Flight title with a 2 and 1 decision over recent Hayden graduate Austin Bean, a Class 4A state qualifier this past spring. 

 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Editor's note: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will take a look at all of the senior finalists for the 2025-2026 Shawnee County High School Sports Awards from the fall, winter and spring seasons, followed by the athletes of the year for all three seasons and the overall outstanding girls and boys athletes of the year.

Brody Anderson, Seaman

BRODY ANDERSON | Seaman

SPORT: Track and field

Anderson ended his high school career with a Class 5A state championship, winning 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. 

 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.

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Editor's note: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will take a look at all of the senior finalists for the 2025-2026 Shawnee County High School Sports Awards from the fall, winter and spring seasons, followed by the athletes of the year for all three seasons and the overall outstanding girls and boys athletes of the year.

KaeVon Bonner, Seaman

KAEVON BONNER | Seaman

SPORT: Basketball

Bonner was named the Shawnee County co-player of the year as a senior after leading the Vikings to a 23-5 record and a third-place finish in Class 5A. Bonner was named the All-United Kansas Conference player of the year while earning all-county and All-UKC honors for the third straight season. Bonner averaged a city-high 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 2.6 steals for the Vikings while hitting 44 3-pointers.

Jack Donovan, Rossville 

JACK DONOVAN | Rossville

SPORT: Basketball

Donovan made the All-Shawnee County Top 10 for the third straight season after being named the co-newcomer of the year as a freshman. Donovan helped lead the Bulldawgs to a 17-8 record and a second straight Class 2A state tournament berth this past season. Donovan finished his prep career No. 2 on Rossville's career scoring list, with a season-high 47 points. Donovan received all-county recognition in football, golf and basketball.

Ryder Harrison, Washburn Rural  

RYDER HARRISON | Washburn Rural

SPORT: Wrestling

An All-Shawnee County first-team selection, Harrison finished second in Class 6A at 120 pounds as a senior while posting a 28-7 record on the season and helping lead the Junior Blues to a third-place team finish. Harrison finished second in 6A regional competition after winning a Centennial League championship with a 5-0 record and five straight pins.

Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake

DAYNE JOHNSON | Silver Lake

SPORT: Basketball

Johnson was named the Shawnee County co-player of the year after finishing his career as Silver Lake's career leading scorer while helping lead the Eagles to a 22-7 record and a second straight third-place finish in the Class 3A state tournament. A two-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 selection and a first-team All-Big East League pick, Johnson was also a two-time All-Shawnee County Top 22 pick in football for the Eagles.

Landen Kocher-Munoz, Washburn Rural

LANDEN KOCHER-MUNOZ | Washburn Rural

SPORT: Wrestling

Kocher-Munoz was named the Shawnee County wrestler of the year after winning his third Class 6A state championship in his fourth straight trip to the state finals. Kocher-Munoz won the 144-pound title as a senior, posting a 39-4 record on the season while helping lead the Junior Blues to a third-place 6A team finish and sweeping Centennial League, regional and state individual crowns.

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