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Former T-Bird Taylor Brees makes immediate impact for 13-2 Ichabod softball
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After spending their whole lives growing up in one town, a lot of high school athletes have their hearts set on getting away and seeing somewhere new when it comes time to pick a college.
Taylor Brees
Former Shawnee Heights multi-sport standout Taylor Brees was one of those student-athletes, but after a lot of thinking, Brees decided she wasn't going anywhere, a decision that has paid immediate dividends for both Brees and Brenda Holaday's 13-2 Washburn University softball team.
"I didn't want to stay here and Washburn actually never even crossed my mind,'' Brees said. "I was looking at St. Louis University and I was pretty heavily leaning on that. And then I just got a random text one day from Holaday and she wanted me to come on a visit.
"I was like, 'Oh yeah, I'll go but I'm not really thinking that's where I'll end up,' because I was so heavy on SLU (an NCAA Division I school) at that point. Then I came and I was like, 'Oh, this is not what I thought it was.' I was pleasantly surprised and I ended up deciding that this was probably my best fit.''
Brees was told that she would have an opportunity to play this spring as a freshman for the Ichabods, which helped cement her decision.
"That was a big thing that went into my decision was that (coach Holaday) basically told me that I could have an almost immediate impact whereas SLU, they were kind of a little bit more wishy washy about that,'' Brees said. "And Washburn also has such great facilities, so it was kind of a combination of those things.''
The 5-foot-3 Brees knew she had to earn her way into the Washburn lineup and went about doing that over the fall and winter while also making the position switch from second base to right field.
"I was really nervous that first game and, honestly, all fall and winter I wasn't really sure that I would be starting,'' she said. "I was kind of like on the bubble there, like that 10th man in softball terms. But the day before we were leaving for Texas, they put me in lineup. So I kind of only had a day before I knew.
"That first game I was really nervous and when I heard my name in the lineup I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is really happening.' But I went up there and I got a hit my first at bat and after that hit I was like, 'OK, you're fine, you can do this.' ''
Holaday, a former state-champion coach at Washburn Rural and the winningest coach in Washburn softball history, said Brees has taken advantage of every opportunity she's been given.
"She absolutely has,'' Holaday said. "To be a freshman and come into a program with a lot of established kids that should be tabbed for certain starting positions and all the transition that goes into playing at the college level and being a college student and moving away from home, the transition and the changes that she's made are a credit to her.
"She's extremely, extremely coachable, so when we saw what her bat was giving us in the fall and we had Dalaney Anderson at second we decided we would try to convert her to an outfielder. She loves second base and if she had her way she'd be at second base, but she loves playing more, so she started working at the outfield.''
Rossville's Senior Night produces unforgettable moment for Jakoby, Brandon McDonnell
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
A father coaching his son can be complicated. It can also produce some unforgettable moments. Tuesday night’s meeting between rivals Silver Lake and Rossville ended with one of those moments.
Senior Jakoby McDonnell celebrates his game-winning basket in Rossville's 51-50 win over Silver Lake Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Rossville coach Brandon McDonnell shared a special Senior Night memory with his son, Jakoby, in Tuesday's 51-50 win over rival Silver Lake. [File photo/TSN]
Trailing by one point with 8.7 seconds remaining, Rossville coach Brandon McDonnell called a play to produce a shot for the win. The play broke down due to the roar in the crazed Rossville gymnasium. The coach could do nothing but watch helplessly as his son Jakoby improvised. The senior decided it was up to him to win the game.
“At that point, with just (a few) seconds left, you just got to go down the court and get to the basket, either make it or get fouled,” Jakoby McDonnell said. “I knew once I saw a little bit of space, I was going to get downhill and try to get fouled or get the basket.”
The senior stands just 5-foot-6, but he drove into the teeth of the Silver Lake defense, bounced off the chest of an Eagle defender, and banked a jumper through the rim as the buzzer sounded.
“I’ve been smaller my whole life and I’ve been playing against bigger people,” Jakoby McDonnell said. “So, the only way for me to make something happen…is to go downhill, get a little bit of contact and score or get to the free throw line. It’s just something I’ve always done.”
The shot by McDonnell the player gave McDonnell the coach one of the biggest wins in his four seasons as head coach of the Bulldawgs. And it came just shortly after the McDonnells participated in Rossville’s Senior Night ceremony.
“It was definitely a special moment for me because he’s coached me my entire life and especially on Senior Night and still playing for him,” Jakoby McDonnell said. “Just getting him that (win) with this rivalry, it was just great for both of us.”
“As a dad, you know, he hits that shot and the only thing I could think about is, holy hell, man that was awesome,” Brandon McDonnell said.
Washburn Rural introduces former Junior Blues star Hayden Beck as girls golf coach
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Very few people are more familiar with Washburn Rural's golf program than Hayden Beck.
And now the former Junior Blues' star and 2020 Rural graduate will put that knowledge to work as Washburn Rural's new girls golf coach, beginning in the 2026 fall season.
Former Washburn Rural star Hayden Beck was announced Wednesday as the Junior Blues' new girls golf coach. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Beck takes over for his high school coach, Jared Goehring, as the Junior Blues' girls coach and will serve as an assistant under Goehring as a boys assistant this spring.
Goehring had a 15-year run as Rural's girls coach that included four Class 6A state championships, two runnerup finishes and three thirds while qualifying for state as a team 14 times. Goehring has also led Rural to a 6A boys title and will continue in that role for the foreseeable future.
Beck, a teacher in Rural's social studies department, said his focus moving forward is to continue his alma mater's outstanding golf tradition while adding his own stamp on the program.
"I've talked to coach quite a bit and I have a lot of respect for the guy,'' Beck said. "Throughout my entire life, even before high school, playing junior golf and taking junior golf lessons through him, I've been able to learn from him and I've been able to learn from the other coaches that came before me, coach (Jeff) Stromgren, coach (Ronnie) McHenry at Washburn, who have been fantastic guys to learn from.
"We've got something great built here. Now my job is to carry on that tradition and keep building. We have that foundation because of all the great work that was done by those before us. Now it's our turn to see what we can do.''
Beck played golf for the Junior Blues from 2017-2020 before going on to play collegiately at Washburn University.
In addition to his playing career, Beck has spent the past five years working as a junior golf instructor.
"We are excited to welcome Hayden back to Washburn Rural,'' Rural athletic director Charlie Nimz said. "His experience as a player, his passion for teaching and his familiarity with our program and community makes him an outstanding choice to lead our girls golf team.''
