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Hayden girls basketball will look different, embracing new challenge
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
Dating back to 2023, Hayden has made it to the state tournament three straight seasons.
The Wildcats got knocked out in the first round in 2023. In 2024, Hayden finished 21-5 and posted a third-place finish. Last year, Hayden finished third again with a 22-3 record.
Hailey Schmidtlein is set to start her sophomore season for Hayden after earning first-team All-Shawnee County recognition last season. [File photo/TSN]
Coach Carvel Reynoldson enters year number seven with Hayden and said the year before he arrived took over, the Wildcats only won six games.
Despite suffering heavy graduation losses from last season's third-place state finishing team, Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson has high hopes for his Wildcats this winter. [File photo/TSN]
There were many ups and downs at that time and Reynoldson feels like winning the Centennial League last year proves the Wildcats have turned the corner. With the team losing Millie Ramsey, Brylee Meier and Norma Greco, Reynoldson's heard that people believe Hayden will take a step back, but he doesn’t think so.
“The heart and tenacity the girls are showing me are giving me hope,” Reynoldson said. “We have a senior class that has played all four years and knows the standards and they enforce them. A lot of times, I don’t have to because they do.
"They’re an athletic group, we’re a lot faster than we were last year, we’re tenacious, but replacing what we lost is going to be difficult from a scoring standpoint. Everybody knows that, but I love the tenacity we play with.”
Something else that sticks out is that the experience the girls have gained being at the state tournament the last couple of years, but also watching the seniors before them hold the team accountable.
A couple of players Reynoldson will rely on heavily will be senior Kaydence Watts and sophomore Hailey Schmidtlien, who was a first-team All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League pick as a freshman while being named the county and league newcomer of the yer.
Schmidtlien said one thing you’ll see from this group is the heart they’ll show, even though for some of her teammates, basketball may not be their number one sport.
“I think it’s been so much fun so far, I think these girls have learned a lot and you can tell. Our scrimmage day one looks nothing like it does now,” Schmidtlien said.
Hayden boys basketball pushing for deeper run as new season begins
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
From the first day of practice after Dwayne Anthony was hired as Hayden's boys basketball coach prior to last season, the enthusiasm and attention to detail was stressed immediately.
In year two, that’s no different. The intensity is higher and giving less than 100 percent is not acceptable.
Dwayne Anthony won't have his complete Hayden team together until after next Friday's state championship football game, but he has high hopes for the 2025-2026 campaign. [File photo/TSN]
“I live by a thing called push -- praying for some good success to happen,'' Anthony said. "That’s my own personal message but I try to live out that every day. We just need to show up as the best version of ourselves.
"If we’re not winning, then we’re improving and that’s the standard. We’re not coming in here being defeated, giving lackluster effort, but always winning and improving hopefully.”
Coming off a 13-9 record last season, Anthony knows he’ll have to retool his roster a little bit, but it’s simple in trying to replicate last year's success.
“Fundmentals, making sure we’re in shape and then the mentality in some of the things I believe that young men need to be taught at this age, helping them go about certain challenges, the ways to deal with ups and downs, being prepared mentality as much as being ready physically and sound fundamentals,” Anthony said.
He said building those relationships and trust right away is so key in the early going because that will empower the players to do more.
“The buy-in from my guys last year was tremendous and the buy-in that I seem to have so far and some of the energy already. I appreciate the trust that they’ve shown me so far,” Anthony said.
WU soccer to face top seed Minnesota State in second-round NCAA Central Region contest
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Ichabod soccer will square off with tournament host and No. 1 Central Region seed Minnesota State at 1 p.m. Sunday in Mankato, Minn.
Leah Henke, Washburn University
Kate Hinck, Washburn University
The Ichabods are 12-3-5 while Minnesota State is 18-1-3.
No. 4 seed Washburn is coming off a 2-0 first-round win over No. 5-seed Missouri Western while Minnesota State advanced with a 2-0 win over No. 8 Harding.
Freshman Leah Henke had a goal, her 10th of the season, and an assist in Friday's win while freshman Kate Hinck had Washburn's first goal of the game, her sixth of the season.
Sophomore Sam Searcey had the assist on Henke's goal against the Griffons and has five goals and four assists on the season.
The Ichabod defense recorded its 12th clean sheet of the year while freshman goalkeeper Lili Everley made a career-high eight saves in the match.
Defenders Rilyn Snyder and Shaye Taylor played all 90 minutes against Missouri Western and are one-two in minutes played for the Ichabods this season.
Minnesota State enters Sunday's match on a five-match unbeaten strea.
The Mavericks won the NSIC regular-season and conference tournament titles. They have three players tied for the team lead in goals with five apiece.
Sunday will be the first meeting between Minnesota State and Washburn.
