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Scots see star-crossed season end with 49-16 Class 5A playoff loss to De Soto
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
A 2025 football season full of disappointments, challenges and triumphs for Highland Park came to a close Friday.
The Scots fought from start to finish, but were ultimately defeated by De Soto 49-16 at Hummer Sports Park in the opening round of the Class 5A East playoffs.
Junior G'Honi Montgomery returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and also rushed for 76 yards in Highland Park's 49-16 Class 5A playoff loss to De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Scots’ only two losses in the regular season were contests forfeited as the fallout of a fight in the third game of the year. But they bounced back to vanquish rival Atchison, then to knock off undefeated Kansas City-Washington to claim the Meadowlark Conference title.
For a program on the rise, there was plenty to be proud of. The lopsided defeat to De Soto didn’t define the Scots’ season, coach Jermaine Monroe said.
“When you plan a whole summer, you don’t expect or plan for those things to happen. But that adversity, I think it just made us stronger,” Monroe said. “We became a stronger team during that break. We put way more focus on our sportsmanship. And we knew that, together, we were going to stand together as a family throughout any situation.”
Highland Park was the higher seed, but faced a team with an identical 6-2 record and which features a no-frills, straightforward attack. The Wildcats bolted to a 14-0 lead in the first period before the Scots could get their offense in gear. The home team began moving the ball late in the first period, but failed to reach the end zone and fell into a 28-0 hole.
Junior G’Honi Montgomery electrified the crowd when he took a pitch on a reverse on a kickoff and raced 90 yards for the Scots’ first score. Highland Park trailed 28-8 at halftime, but showed it was still in the fight by stopping De Soto on back-to-back possessions.
Late in the fourth period, Rayshon Pollard produced another Highland Park highlight on a 78-yard scoop-and-score.
But in the end, the Wildcats pounded out 316 yards on the ground to just 45 in the air.
“We haven’t faced a lot of opponents who run a smashmouth offense like that,” Monroe said. “They stay true to like six plays. We knew exactly everything they were going to run. Our boys knew it, but just to be able to stay on the field with a team that could sustain that for the whole game, it’s just a different grind that we’ve got to get used to.”
Montgomery led the Scots with 76 yards on 14 rugged carries. The Scots mustered just 45 yards passing and 88 yards rushing. But Monroe was pleased with the effort.
“Our boys fought to the end,” Monroe said. “The playmakers who we expect to make plays made plays. Our line did a great job, opened up some holes for our running backs. And our defense, the heart they left on the field, they gave everything they had. The boys never gave up. And the sportsmanship of both teams … that’s the type of stuff that I’m going to remember.”
DE SOTO 49, HIGHLAND PARK 16
State VB: No. 6 seed Hayden rolls to Class 4A semifinals with 3-0 day in pool play
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After finishing third in last year's Class 4A state tournament, No. 6 seed Hayden is back in the title hunt after a perfect 3-0 day Friday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
Corrinne McGreevy's Wildcats, 32-9 on the season, claimed the Pool II championship with three straight-set victories.
Hayden volleyball is headed to the Class 4A state semifinals Saturday after a perfect 3-0 record in pool play at the Hutchinson Sports Arena. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden opened its day with a 25-16, 25-19 win over No. 3 seed McPherson and then knocked off No. 2 Clay Center, 25-14, 26-24 before clinching the pool championship with a 25-20, 25-13 win over No. 7 seed Buhler in the Wildcats' final match of the day.
Hayden will now face Pool I runnerup Paola (27-10) in the semifinals, with the Panthers advancing on a tiebreaker despite a 1-2 record in pool play.
No. 1 seed and Pool II champion Andale (34-1) will face Pool I runnerup Clay Center (40-3) in the other semifinal.
The championship and third-place matches will begin 25 minutes after the conclusion of the final semifinal.
Rural comes up short in bid for 6A semifinals
After splitting its first two matches Friday, No. 4 seed Washburn Rural pushed two-time defending Class 6A state champ and top seed Mill Valley to three sets in the Junior Blues' final pool match of the day at the Tony's Pizza Event Center in Salina before Mill Valley escaped with a 25-27, 25-18, 25-17 win.
Mill Valley, 2-1 on the day, advanced to Saturday semifinals as the Pool I runnerup while Washburn Rural ended its season with a 31-9 record on the year.
Bulldawgs go 1-2 in 2A pool play
No. 8 seed Rossville split its first two Class 2A state pool play matches at Dodge City's United Wireless Arena and went to three sets in its final match against No. 5 seed Hillsboro, but came up short in its bid to advance to Saturday's semifinals.
The Bulldawgs dropped a 25-12, 25-13 decision to top seed and undefeated Ellinwood in its opening match before taking a 19-25, 25-19, 25-15 victory over No. 4 Humboldt.
After dropping a 25-20 first-set decision to Hillsboro Rossville answered with a 25-15 win in the second set, but the Trojans took the match with a hard-earned 26-24 win in the third set.
Junior Blues set tone early, advance in Class 6A playoffs with 37-0 romp past Titans
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Coming off back-to-back losses and playing its second straight game without injured senior quarterback John Hoytal, Washburn Rural was looking to get back on track in Friday's Class 6A West playoff opener against Wichita South in Bowen-Glaze Stadium.
And a quick start on both sides of the ball was just what the doctor ordered as the No. 7-seeded Junior Blues rode a 21-0 first-quarter lead to a 37-0 shutout over the visiting Titans.
Washburn Rural junior Jadyn Baum rushed for just under 200 yards and three touchdowns in Friday's 37-0 Class 6A playoff win over Wichita South. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural junior Jadyn Baum (right) celebrates a touchdown with teammate Peyton Goehring in Friday's 37-0 Class 6A playoff win over Wichita South. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
"We knew coming into it that we were going to have to rely offensively on the run game and we knew the defense was going to have to set the tone and kind of shorten the field for us,'' Washburn Rural coach Steve Buhler said. "Offensively, I think the kids did a really nice job of doing what we've been working on as far as the game preparation.
"Win and advance. We didn't get a chance to do this last year, to move on in the playoffs, so the kids were excited about what they're doing and we get that feeling we had two years ago and three years ago and we get that hunger back about trying to go deeper into the playoffs.''
With Friday's win Washburn Rural improved to 6-3 and advanced to a second-round 6A matchup at No. 2 seed Wichita Northwest, 8-1 on the season.
Offensively, Rural junior running back Jadyn Baum soared past the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season with 182 yards on 15 attempts while the Junior Blues' defense pitched the shutout while limiting the 3-6 Titans to 53 total yards.
Junior Ryker Petersen intercepted a pass to set up Washburn Rural's first touchdown in Friday's 37-0 Class 6A playoff win over Wichita South. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
An interception by Rural junior Ryker Petersen ended Wichita South's game-opening drive and led to an 8-yard Baum touchdown run with 8:30 left in the first quarter (Ryan Austin kick).
The Junior Blues recovered a South fumble on the Titans' ensuing possession and Rural found the end zone four plays later on Baum's second 8-yard TD of the night (Austin kick) to put the hosts up 14-0 at the 6:47 mark of the first.
Senior TJ Minikwu (right) celebrates a touchdown with teammate Kellan Roth in Friday's 37-0 Class 6A playoff win over Wichita South. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
With just 12 seconds remaining in the quarter Washburn Rural senior TJ Minikwu scored on a 5-yard run (Austin kick) to hike the Junior Blues' lead to 21-0.
The pace slowed in the second quarter but the Junior Blues took a 27-0 lead midway through the quarter on a 17-yard TD strike from junior Gavin Vantuyl to senior Nate Selm (kick failed).
Baum scored his third touchdown of the night on a 46-yard gallop (Austin kick) with 2:05 left in the third quarter and Austin capped Rural's scoring early in the fourth stanza with a 25-yard field goal.
Next up for the Junior Blues is next week's road test at Wichita Northwest, which advanced with a 57-14 win over Campus Friday night.
"They're exceptional,'' Buhler said of the Grizzlies. "You get to this round and everybody on the West side is so good and so well-rounded everything's going to be a dogfight and you have to be willing to play four full quarters and keep your nose in it the whole time.''
WASHBURN RURAL 37, WICHITA SOUTH 0
