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Prep wrestling roundup: Rural girls claim title in 35-school Basehor-Linwood event
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior individual champions Lacey Middleton and Madi Blanco led the way as Washburn Rural girls wrestling reigned supreme in Saturday's 35-school eighth annual Ladycat Classic at Basehor-Linwood, taking the team championship by an 184.5-147 margin over the host Bobcats.
Washburn Rural senior Lacey Middleton has her hand raised after winning the 125-pound title in Saturday's Ladycat Invitational at Basehor-Linwood. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
Washburn Rural senior Madi Blanco fought back from a 7-2 deficit to win the 140-pound championship with a pin in Saturday's Ladycat Invitational at Basehor-Linwood. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
“I was impressed with our mental fortitude (Saturday), because this is always a crazy tough tournament,'' Washburn Rural coach Damon Parker told KSHSAA Covered. "We go to a national level tournament the week before this, and then they've got finals week. And then we come to this, which is the toughest tournament in the state of Kansas.
“It's the fact that they were able to keep it together. We always have some kids that struggle this week because of all of those external stressors. And this is the first time that I really saw them mat-side supporting each other and doing the relationship stuff that we really preach. They showed what they're capable of. I was impressed.”
Middleton, now 14-2 on the season, won the 125-pound title with a 4-1 decision over Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior Courtney Nye.
Middleton won with a takedown with 15 seconds left in the third period.
“I stopped being surprised by Lacey Middleton a long time ago,'' Parker said. “She's going to surprise other people because she's not a household name with everybody, but she will be. There is nobody here that went through more hammers than Lacey Middleton did today.”
Blanco, 13-1, took the 140 crown, rallying from a 7-2 deficit to record a second-period (3:18) win by pin over Dodge City junior Alejandra DeLaRosa.
“She's down 7-2, fights off her back and gets up with the biggest smile ever on her face,” Parker said. “That's who she is as a human. It’s such a rare gift to be able to look at the scoreboard, see yourself in a humongous hole, and be like, ‘Oh, cool, what a challenge. I can't wait.’ She is that kid.”
The Junior Blues also got third-place finishes from freshman 105-pounder Aliyah Tangpricha (12-2) and senior 170-pounder Elia Smith (12-2), a fourth from senior Emme Blanco (12-2) and sixth-place finishes from junior 130-pounder Rylee-Jade Ebanez (12-6) and 235-pound sophomore Emma Mehl (9-5).
“Overall, I couldn't be more pleased with the way that they wrestled (Saturday),'' Parker said. "But the coolest thing about this squad is they understand the way we performed here has absolutely no bearing on what's going to happen six weeks from now in February. They're going to enjoy it today, go home and we'll get back to work once we get back from the Christmas break.”
Shawnee Heights sophomore Olive Jones won the 135-pound championship in Saturday's 35-school Ladycat Classic at Basehor-Linwood. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
Shawnee Heights fnished 11th as a team with 87.5 points as T-Bird sophomore Olive Jones captured the 135-pound championship with a pin at the 3:46 mark over Nemaha Central junior Autumn Feldkamp, improving to 13-1 on the season.
The T-Birds also got a fourth-place finish from junior 125-pounder Audry Hinkly (8-5), a fifth from senior 145-pounder Olivia Stevens (9-2) and a seventh from junior 190-pounder Brooklyn Binkley (6-5).
Rossville junior 145-pounder Madelyn Wonnell (9-4) posted a sixth-place finish, while Bulldawg sophomore Nora Mitchell (11-4) finished seventh at 105 pounds.
Seaman sophomore Hollister Olson-Thomas (6-6) placed sixth at 135 pounds while Viking sophomore Avery Villines (7-5) finished eighth at 125.
Silver Lake junior Kamiryn Clark (6-5) finished eighth at 100 pounds.
Rural won the Basehor-Linwood LadyCat Classic with 184.5 points. Basehor-Linwood’s was second with 147 points. Lacey Middleton (125) and Madi Blanco (140) won their weight classes.
T-Birds' Bonebrake claims title in Scott Bacon Classic
Shawnee Heights freshman Jacob Bonebrake earned the 113-pound championship in Saturday's Scott Bacon Classic at Blue Valley.
Bonebrake, now 14-1 on the season, took a 6-2 decision over Blue Valley junior Rocco Lanzisero in the title match, leading Shawnee Heights to a sixth-place team finish (319.5).
The T-Birds also got a third-place finish from 150-pound junior Brody Brown (17-1), a fourth from senior 175-pounder Evan Johnson (12-4) and a sixth from sophomore 144-pounder Carter Kamanda (8-10).
Seaman finished fourth as a team with 335 points, led by a third-place finish from senior 157-pounder Brennen Bowers (18-1).
The Vikings also got a fourth-place showing from junior 150-pounder Deegan Frazier (15-3), fifths from 138-pound junior Ross Shipley (15-3) and 285-pound junior Henry Reichart (15-4) and a sixth from 126-pound freshman Cale Heston (11-7).
Lawrence Free State won the team championship with 386 points.
A1 Lock & Key Performers Dec. 22, 2025
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Jack Bachelor
JACK BACHELOR, Washburn University
A junior guard, Bachelor was named the MIAA Player of the Week after averaging 19.5 points, 4.5 assists and 2.0 rebounds as No. 1-ranked Ichabod men's basketball went 2-0 with victories over two top-five teams. The former Washburn Rural star went 8 of 13 from 3-point range and 9 of 10 from the free thow line as WU improved to 13-0, scoring 20 points against Lubbock Christian and 19 against West Texas A&M. Bachelor's first basket of the game against West Texas A&M pushed him over the career 1,000-point mark and he now has 1,017 career points.
Madi Blanco
MADI BLANCO, Washburn Rural
Blanco, a senior, won the 140-pound championship in Saturday's 35-school Ladycat Classic wrestling tournament, improving to 13-1 on the season as Washburn Rural captured the team title by a 184.5-147 margin over host Basehor-Linwood. Blanco battled back from a 7-2 deficit in the championship match to record a second-period pin.
Kailyn Hanni
KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake
Hanni, who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career, was named the Most Valuable Player in the Flurry In Flush girls basketball tournament at Rock Creek after Silver Lake clinched the tournament championship with a 72-44 win over Eudora on Saturday. Hanni helped the Eagles go 4-0 on the week, including a 69-53 regular-season win over Rossville, a 56-38 win over Hesston, a 62-41 win over Hays and Saturday's win over Eudora.
Ichabods' Jack Bachelor named MIAA Player of the Week
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Junior Jack Bachelor, the newest member of Washburn's 1,000-point club, was named the MIAA Player of the Week on Monday. [File photo/TSN]Bachelor averaged 19.5 points, 4.5 assists and 2.0 rebounds last week as the Ichabods went 2-0 with victories over two top-five teams.
The former Washburn Rural star went 8 of 13 from 3-point range and 9 of 10 from the free thow line as the No. 1-ranked Ichabods improved to 13-0 on the season.
Against Lubbock Christian, Bachelor scored 20 points while adding three steals with four assists in the win, going 6 of 10 from the field and 5 of 8 from deep.
Against West Texas A&M, he scored 19 points with five assists and three rebounds, hitting 3 of 5 3-point attempts and all six free throws.
Bachelor's first basket of the game against West Texas A&M – a 3-pointer with 15:33 to go in the first half – pushed him over the career 1,000-point mark for his career at Washburn, becoming the 30th Ichabod in program history to reach 1,000 points.
Bachelor now has 1,017 career points in 77 career games and he is tied with former teammate Michael Keegan at No. 24 overall on Washburn's all-time scoring chart.
The Ichabods will return to action on Jan. 3, hosting Emporia State at 3 p.m.
