Pat Denney takes over as Topeka High girls basketball coach.
[Photo: File Photo/TSN]
WU's Brandt Beeby (left) & Trenton Barry (4) share a High-5 during a game vs. ESU.
[Photo: Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman senior Ava Huston in aerial action on the soccer pitch.
[Photo Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn Rural boys golf team as city champions for the 16th straight time.
[Photo:: Rick Peterson/TSN]
Senior pitcher Riley Mohler, Silver Lake, in action.
[Photo: Rex Wolfe/TSN]
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Key Performers of the Week |
By RICK PETERSON
Washburn's Ian Luce hit a home run and had four RBI in Saturday's 12-4 MIAA road win over Rogers State. [File photo/TSN]Neither team got on the board in the first two innings of action with former Seaman standout Maclane Finley keeping the Hillcats off the board.
Trenton Barry led off the Washburn third with a single and came around to score with two outs on a single by Jack Borgmann, putting Washburn up 1-0.
Next time at the plate, a walk followed by a single from Brooks Richardson put Ichabods two on.
Both scored on a double to right field from Barry. Ian Luce followed that with his second home run of the week over the right field wall to put Washburn up 5-0.
Rogers State was held scoreless until it strung together a pair of walks with two hits to score two in the fifth inning.
After the Hillcats got two on with one out in the sixth Griffin Huiatt took over on the mound.
The bases filled up but Huiatt got out of the inning scoreless to maintain the lead.
Next time up Rogers State did score two runs, on a pair of bases-loaded walks, cutting the deficit to one.
After Richardson led off the eighth with a single Washburn added some insurance with a two-out double from Levi Risenhoover.
In the top of the ninth Brandt Beeby led off with a homer to right field. After a walk and two grounders Richardson found a hole up the middle to plate another run.
Barry walked and Luce plated two more with a double into right. Risenhoover reached on a double and Borgmann drove both in with a single to cap the six-run ninth.
Caleb Lunnon tossed a scoreless ninth to finish off the first ranked victory of the season for the Ichabods.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural junior girls softball standout Justice McBurney and Highland Park junior track standout and field standout Rayshon Pollard 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 2025-2026 school year.
Here's a brief look at McBurney and Pollard's recent accomplishments.
Justice McBurney, Washburn Rural [Photo by Rex Wolf/Special to TSN]
JUSTICE McBURNEY, Washburn Rural
A junior third baseman, McBurney has helped lead Washburn Rural to an 8-0 overall record and a 6-0 Centennial League mark.
McBurney and the Junior Blues posted a 5-4, 12-1 home doubleheader league sweep over Hayden on Tuesday, with McBurney blasting a pair of home runs in the first-game win.
Washburn Rural posted a runnerup finish in the Class 6A state tournament last spring.
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
RAYSHON POLLARD, Highland Park
Pollard, a junior hurdler and long-jumper, won three individual events in Wednesday's Junior Blues Invitational at Washburn Rural.
Pollard swept the 110-meter hurdles and the 300 hurdles, clocking a time of 15.54 in the 110 highs and 42.82 in the 300s. Pollard also won the long jump with a jump of 21 feet, 2.25 inches.
Pollard has swept the hurdles titles in three meets for the Scots.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Since being swept by fellow city softball power Washburn Rural in its second doubleheader of the season, Topeka High has been on roll, reeling off 10 straight wins to improve to 12-2.
Junior Kenslee Young picked up a pitching win and hit two home runs Thursday as Topeka High ran its winning streak to 10 games with wins over Olathe West and Olathe Northwest. [File photo/TSN]
And Shane Miles' Trojans posted their most impressive wins to date on Thursday in the Sunflower Festival in Olathe, posting wins over the two schools who have combined to win the last three Class 6A state championships.
Topeka High junior Campbell Dawson struck out six and allowed just one walk in Thursday's 6-3 win over defending Class 6A champ Olathe West. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka High, which captured back-to-back state titles in 2021 and 2022, took a 6-3 win over defending 6A champ Olathe West, which also won in 2023, and rolled to a 13-4 win over 2024 champ Olathe Northwest.
"I think those (Rural) games helped us see where pieces would fall together and we tried some girls at different spots and just tried to find that team chemistry that was going to work for us,'' Miles said. "Going into the Sunflower Fest we knew we were going to face some quality teams -- Olathe West ranked No. 1 in the state in all classes and Olathe Northwest being traditionally a very good team.
"Our girls were confident about it and they knew if they played the way they could, they could play with anybody.''
Senior third baseman Taimane Isaia slammed three home runs on the day for the Trojans while juniors Kenslee Young and Campbell Dawson both hit two homers and picked up complete-game pitching victories.
Dawson struck out six batters and only issued one walk against Olathe West and also went 2 of 3 at the plate while Isaia was 3 for 4 with a home run, a double, two runs scored and two RBI.
Trojan junior center-fielder Madilyn Poole was 4 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI while Gateley was 3 for 3 and freshman catcher Harper Robbins 2 for 3 as High had 16 hits in the game.
In addition to picking up the pitching win against Northwest, Young homered twice, drove in three runs and scored two.
Isaia went 3 for 5 with two homers, two RBI and three runs while Dawson went 3 for 4 with a homer, two doubles and five RBI.
Junior catcher Becca Gateley went 3 for 4 against Northwest with a triple and three runs scored and sophomore second baseman Adrianna Adame was 2 of 4 with two runs scored.
Miles said the key now for the Trojans is to build off the momentum they've established.
"You're never satisfied and that's what I told the girls (Thursday),'' he said. "They beat Olathe West the first game, but I told them, 'Don't be satisfied with that, go get the other one, too,' and that's what they did.
"It was very, very fun to be a coach yesterday and watch the girls have fun and play the way they can.''
