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Isaac Ansley, Emma Schell the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency Rising Stars of the Week
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural junior baseball player Isaac Ansley and Topeka High freshman soccer player Emma Schell have been selected by the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency as the Rising Stars of the Week.
The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the bulk of the 2024-2025 school year.
Here’s a brief look at the accomplishments of Ansley and Schell over the past week:
Washburn Rural junior Isaac Ansley has been selected as the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency male Rising Star of the Week. [File photo/TSN]
ISAAC ANSLEY, Washburn Rural
A left-handed pitcher, Ansley was the winning pitcher in Tuesday's 18-1 first-game win over Topeka High in the Junior Blues' Centennial League opener.
Ansley turned in a complete-game performance in the opener before Washburn Rural took a 24-1 win in the nightcap to improve to 3-2 on the season.
Topeka High freshman Emma Schell (left) has been named the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency female Rising Star of the Week. [File photo/TSN]
EMMA SCHELL, Topeka High
Schell scored a pair of goals in her high school soccer debut as the Trojans took a 5-0 win over USD 501 rival Topeka West.
Schell scored her first goal just 1 minute, 17 seconds into her first match and added another goal and an assist later in the game as Topeka High opened its season with a win.
Rural swimmers post third-place finish in Topeka High Invitational
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Local teams experimented with different lineups at the Topeka High School Invitational girls swim meet at Capitol Federal Natatorium Thursday as they focused on development.
Washburn Rural senior Genevieve Miranda was a double individual winner in Thursday's Topeka High Invitational. [File photo/TSN]
The Washburn Rural girls finished the highest of the local teams in the 13-team field, placing third.
Early-season meets give young swimmers an opportunity to try different events, and they afford coaches a chance to find best fits to help the team, Washburn Rural coach Bob Burdick said.
“If we wanted to win this meet, we would have put swimmers in different races than we did,” Burdick said. “Tonight, we tried a lot of people in a lot of new spots to see what they could do. That’s what we’ve got to do to build it.”
Leading the Junior Blues was senior Genevieve Miranda, a veteran who was willing to swim events she wouldn’t normally be in. No matter. She placed first in two events, an unusual combination of a sprint and a distance race. She was victorious in the 50-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle.
“I’ve been training a lot to work up to this level, so I’m really excited,” Miranda said. “Even if I’m in an event that’s not my best race, I’m doing my best for the team.”
Washburn Rural junior Audrey Appuhn posted a win in the 100 breaststroke in Thursday's Topeka High Invitational.
The Junior Blues’ Audrey Appuhn, a junior, added a first in the 100-yard breaststroke.
“Since we lost a lot of swimmers to graduation, what we’re doing is trying to figure out where our best placement is for our swimmers,” Burdick said. “But then we have all these new swimmers. So, we’re shuffling them around, building their confidence and seeing where the puzzle fits.
“When we get to the end of the season, we’ve got a small team, but it only takes 14 or 15 kids to win a championship meet. We’ve just got to have them in the right spots.”
“We’re down by like 10 people or so from last year, but so far everybody’s been doing great at doing everything together and having team unity,” Miranda added. “It’s important that we hype ourselves up as a team and don’t let each other get nervous. Nerves are a big thing when it comes to racing.”
Topeka High's Hara Del Castillo was an individual winner in the 200 IM in Thursday's Topeka High Invitational. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka High junior Hara Del Castillo placed first in the 200 individual medley. But she pointed out that she is racing against herself more than she is the field.
“I like winning even if the time wasn’t what I wanted it to be,” Del Castillo said. “I’m not doing as well as I would like to be. My times haven’t been hitting where I usually would be. I’m hoping it will be better later in the season. This was a chance to scope out how I’m doing and see what I can work on.”
Seaman senior Joslynn Grace won the 100 butterfly in Thursday's Topeka High Invitational. [File photo/TSN]
Claiming Seaman’s lone gold medal was senior Joslynn Grace, who came in first in the 100-yard butterfly.
TOPEKA HIGH INVITATIONAL
Seaman softball opens home slate with split against Basehor-Linwood
By NICHOLAS GAINEY
Special to TopSports.news
The Seaman Vikings softball team split its home-opening doubleheader on Thursday night at Seaman High, defeating United Kansas Conference rival Basehor-Linwood 8-0 in the first game before falling to the Bobcats 13-4 in the nightcap.
Seaman senior pitcher Kaelyn O'Rourke twirled a four-hit shutout in Thursday's 8-0 UKC win over Basehor-Linwood. [File photo/TSN]
In Game 1, the Vikings took advantage of a strong pitching performance from Utah-commit Kaelyn O’Rourke.
The senior struck out the first two Bobcats in the top of the first before allowing a two-out double to third baseman Trinity Deters. O’Rourke stranded Deters at second base by striking out catcher Adelyn Thom to end the half-inning.
The Viking offense went to work in the bottom of the first, with Anna McLaughlin and Raegan McConnell drawing walks to put traffic on the bases. Following a single from O’Rourke, sophomore Natalee Simpson singled to left field to drive in McLaughlin and give Seaman an early advantage.
After McConnell scored on a wild pitch, first baseman Lauren Glasgow put the finishing touches on the inning with a two-out, two-run double to put the hosts up 4-0 after an inning of play.
O’Rourke went back to work in the second inning, striking out the side, but the Vikings were unable to add on to the lead in their half of the inning.
The Vikings exploded again in the bottom of the third, with O’Rourke scoring from third base on a wild pitch.
A few batters later, third baseman Kayleigh Neill launched a towering three-run home run to left field, giving Seaman an 8-0 lead.
The hosts’ bats went cold from the fourth inning on, but O’Rourke continued to dominate in the circle, throwing a complete-game shutout with 16 strikeouts and allowing only four hits.
While his star pitcher’s talent is widely known, Seaman coach Dan Ruda praised O’Rourke’s mentality in the circle.
“The best thing about (O’Rourke) is her mindset,” Ruda said. “She believes in herself and has that attitude of, ‘I’m going to go right after you.’ ”
