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Topeka High girls soccer rolls to 9-0 rivalry win over West in season-opener

By Rick Peterson

TopSports.news

Topeka High girls soccer coach Derek Snook pretty know what he has in his nine-member senior class and two-time All-City pick Avery Zimmerman, a junior.

But the Trojans still entered Monday's 2023 season-opener with some question marks and took a big step towards answering those questions in a 9-0 non-league romp past rival Topeka West at Hummer Sports Park.

Junior Avery Zimmerman (2) had four goals and an assist in Monday's 9-0 Topeka High season-opening win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Topeka High freshman Raelee Shipley (10), controlling the ball off her body, scored two goals and had an assist in her high school debut Monday, a 9-0 win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Zimmerman powered the Trojans with four goals and an assist and the Trojans also got a goal and two assists from senior Cierra Carranza and a goal and an assist from senior Haley Carpenter and a shutout in goal from senior Keira Trupp.

But Topeka High also got a pair of goals and an assist from freshman Raelee Shipley and a goal from sophomore Alexa Aguirre.

It all added up to an impressive opener for Snook's Trojans.

"Obviously it's really good to get a win and come back out in our first competition of the year and seeing where we are,'' Snook said. "Playing against each other (in practice) we were a little bit unsure. We kind of know, because we have so many seniors, what they can do, but how are we going to step up and replace the seniors we lost from last year.

"I thought we did a really good job, especially the younger ones, coming through. It was good to get everybody in the game and to see kind of what we have to work with.''

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Scots' Aldridge, banner senior class heads TSN all-county boys basketball

 By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Highland Park senior Bo Aldridge headlines the 2023 TopSports.news' All-Shawnee County boys basketball team after helping lead the Scots to a 24-1 record and a third-place finish in the Class 5A state tournament.

BO ALDRIDGE

Aldridge was tapped as the Shawnee County player of the year after leading Highland Park to a second straight state tournament berth while averaging 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists. 

The Scots, whose only loss was a heartbreaking one-point semifinal decision to eventual state champion Andover, also put seniors Tre Richardson and Jahmir Kingcannon on the TSN Shawnee County Top 10.

TRE RICHARDSON

JAHMIR KINGCANNON

Richardson averaged 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals for the Scots while Kingcannon averaged 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots per game.

Highland Park's Mike Williams was named the county coach of the year after the Scots posted a county-high victory total by nine wins.

The Highland Park trio of Aldridge, Richardson and Kingcannon are part of an outstanding group of county seniors that earned nine of 10 spots on the TSN All-Shawnee County Top 10, with Aldridge, Washburn Rural's Jack Bachelor, Seaman's Kaeden Bonner and Hayden's Joe Otting all first-team repeaters.

JACK BACHELOR

Bachelor was named the Centennial League player of the year after averaging 17.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists while hitting 32 3-pointers and shooting 82 percent from the free throw line for the 15-6 Junior Blues, who shared the league title.

KAEDEN BONNER

Bonner, who helped Seaman win its first-ever boys 5A state title as a junior, fought through an injury plagued senior season but still averaged 15.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists while hitting 24 3-pointers and shooting 81 percent from the free throw line for the 13-8 Vikings.

JOE OTTING

Otting, a Notre Dame football signee, earned first-team all-county honors in both football and basketball for the second straight season while putting together a string of double-double performances for the 11-11 Wildcats.

 Shawnee Heights junior Brennon Dodge, the lone underclassmen on the all-county Top 10, and Seaman senior Aron Davis both moved up to the Top 10 after being Second 10 picks a year ago.

BRENNON DODGE

ARON DAVIS

Dodge was the floor leader and a top 3-point threat for a Shawnee Heights team that posted a 15-7 record this past season while Davis averaged 16.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists for Seaman.

Topeka West seniors Xavier Alexander and Malachi Berg also garnered Top 10 spots after helping the Chargers post a 14-8 record this past season. 

XAVIER ALEXANDER

MALACHI BERG

Alexander, a first-team All-United Kansas Confererence pick, averaged 15.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists with 53 3-pointers while Berg averaged 14.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 steals..

Rossville freshman Jack Donovan and Seaman freshman KaeVon Bonner were named Shawnee County co-newcomers of the year.

Donovan averaged 10.4 points and connected on 49 3-pointers for the Bulldawgs while Bonner averaged 8.4 points and 2.3 rebounds while hitting 32 3-pointers.

ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY BOYS BASKETBALL

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All-Shawnee County wrestling: Dawgs' Hurla, Rural's Broxterman top girls team

 By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Three-time state individual champion Kendra Hurla of Rossville and three-time team champ and four-time state medalist Addi Broxterman of Washburn Rural headine the TopSports.news 2023 All-Shawnee County girls wrestling team.

ADDISON BROXTERMAN and DAMON PARKER

KENDRA HURLA

Broxterman and Hurla were named the Shawnee County co-wrestlers of the year after Broxterman, a senior, helped Rural win its third Class 6A-5A state championship in four seasons while junior Hurla won her third straight Class 4A-1A 120-pound championship. 

Broxterman, 45-4, placed third at state this past season ater back-to-back second-place finishes while Hurla won her third state title with a 9-5 decision over Columbus' Addison Saporito, capping a 27-1 season for the Bulldawgs, who finished second in the 4A-1A team standings.

The TopSports.news all-county team is based in part on selections made by the seven Topeka head coaches as well as at large selections for county schools Rossville and Silver Lake.

Washburn Rural, which won the 6A-5A team title by a 153-141 margin over Garden City, put a county-high eight wrestlers on the first team.

In addition to Broxterman, Washburn Rural is represented by sophomore 100-pounder Molly Spader (36-7), junior 105-pounder Kristen Rezac (36-6), sophomore 115-pounder Maddy Blow (29-14), sophomore 120-pounder Annie Gallegos (36-14), sophomore 145-pounder Madison Davison (26-14), sophomore 155-pounder Ashley Schwarz (32-12) and junior 170-pounder TaAni Rhoten (23-9).

Rezac placed third at state while Gallegos, Davison and Schwarz posted fourth-place finishes and Spader finished fifth.

Washburn Rural coach Damon Parker, who has led the Junior Blues to three state titles and a runnerup finish in the four years since girls wrestling became an official Kansas State High School Activities Association sport, was selected as the Shawnee County coach of the year while Schwarz was named the county newcomer of the year.

Hurla is one of three Rossville wrestlers on the TSN All-Shawnee County first team after the Bulldawgs placed second in the 4A-1A team standings.

KEERA LACOCK

Junior Keera Lacock (33-2) advanced to the 4A-1A championship match at 115 pounds en route to a runnerup finish while junior Hailey Horton (32-7) finished third at 155 pounds.

KOTI BEST

Seaman also put three wrestlers on the all-county first team, led by sophomore Koti Best, who finished second at state in the 130-pound division to finish off a 36-6 season.

Joining Best on the first team for the Vikings are sophomore 110-pounder Taylie Heston (29-7) and senior 140-pounder Kaidence Heston (28-12). K. Heston finished sixth at state. 

Shawnee Heights, which was the highest placing 5A school in the 6A-5A state tournament for the second straight season with a fourth-place finish, is represented on the first team by sophomore 135-pounder Madison Freeland (32-7) and senior 190-pounder Lilly Blair (20-11).

MADISON FREELAND

Freeland was the 6A-5A runnerup in the 135-pound division.

Topeka West junior Tristyn Johnson made the first team at 235 pounds for the second straight season after posting a third-place state finish in 6A-5A. Johnson placed fifth at state as a sophomore.

ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY GIRLS WRESTLING

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