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T-Birds bounce back from heartbreaker with 20-3 UKC road win at Seaman
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
On a beautiful night for football, city rivals Seaman and Shawnee Heights squared off in a United Kansas Conference matchup. Host Seaman was honoring its senior class and Shawnee Heights was coming off a tough, 50-48 loss to DeSoto last Friday night. However, Shawnee Heights played its best all-around game of the season, defeating the Vikings, 20-3.
“Kids played outstanding,'' Heights coach Jason Swift said. "That’s one of the best football games I’ve seen from a T-bird team ever. Everybody did their job -- all eleven on offense, defense and the special teams. They were phenomenal and I couldn’t be happier for these guys because they’ve faced adversity.
Following the tough loss to DeSoto last week, Coach Swift was proud of the team’s resolve, “You never know how someone will react when they get knocked down, but our boys got up and is a testament to them and their heart and resiliency.”
Seaman (3-3 overall, 3-2 UKC) took the opening kickoff and drove right down the field, but were unable to get into the end zone and senior Bryan Hayes kicked a 23-yard field goal to give the Vikings a 3-0 lead. On their ensuing possession, Shawnee Heights (2-4, 2-3) drove into the red zone, but junior wide receiver Javon Williams fumbled following a catch and Seaman took over at their own 18-yard line. Seaman responded to the turnover by driving back down into Thunderbird territory, but Hayes missed a 36-yard field goal attempt.
Following a couple of turnovers by the Vikings (an interception and on downs), the Thunderbirds were able to get on the scoreboard with a 10-yard pass from senior Aiden Scott to fellow senior AJ Gallegos. Senior Camden Granado kicked the extra point and with 4:59 remaining in the first half, Shawnee Heights led, 7-3. After another turnover on downs by Seaman with 2:56 left in the half, Shawnee Heights drove deep into Seaman territory and Granado kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired in the half, giving Heights a 10-3 lead going to the locker room.
As the second half began, Shawnee Heights appeared to be on their way to getting two scores on each side of the halftime break as sophomore Reid Niedfeldt took the opening kickoff 72 yards deep into Seaman territory. However, there was a penalty on the return, nullifying the terrific return. The teams traded punts after lengthy drives and Heights once again entered the red zone, threatening to extend their lead. But Viking senior Mike Hurla intercepted Scott’s pass at the 5-yard-line and returned it all the way to midfield with a little over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. As Seaman began moving the ball, the drive stalled because of a Viking fumble.
Shawnee Heights took the following possession into the fourth quarter and Scott was able to throw his second touchdown pass of the game on a 25-yard pass to Williams. Granado tacked on the extra point, giving the Thunderbirds a commanding 17-3 lead with 9:09 left in the game.
The ensuing kickoff appeared to be a momentum-shifting play as junior Jack Becker picked up the ball on the 1-yard line and went 93 yards all the way to the Heights 6-yard-line. But there was a holding penalty called, shifting the momentum right back to Heights. Seaman was unable to move the ball and was forced to punt with a little over seven minutes left in the game.
Shawnee Heights was able to run the ball with junior Trone Purvis getting the majority of the carries, milking the clock and forcing Seaman to use all of their timeouts. The Thunderbirds were able to convert two third downs into first downs, eventually taking the clock down to 1:12, when Granado kicked another 31-yard field goal to end the scoring.
Junior Trone Purvis carried the load as the lead running back and his coach was elated with his effort. “Trone probably had more carries tonight than he’s had all season as he stepped in for David Wakes (senior starter). Our offensive line paved the way for him and this was a ‘find a way’ game and our kids found a way to win it."
Shawnee Heights will go on the road to Lansing next Friday while Seaman will travel to face Basehor-Linwood.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 20, SEAMAN 3
T-Bird setter Clara Morgan overcomes obstacles to close in on 1,000-assist milestone as junior
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights setter Clara Morgan is closing in on 1,000 assists in her high school volleyball career. She figures to eclipse the mark this weekend at a tournament in Manhattan, overcoming significant obstacles along the way.
Shawnee Heights junior Clara Morgan is on the brink of reaching the 1,000-assist mark for her career. [Submitted photo]
The fact that Morgan is just halfway through her junior season puts the accomplishment in a special light. Starting on varsity since her freshman year has allowed her to rack up a lot of assists early in her career.
Making the feat all the more impressive is that Morgan plays in a 6-2 set, a Shawnee Heights tradition that rotates two setters instead of relying upon just one. Because she is not the team’s sole setter, Morgan has to make the most of her opportunities.
The third obstacle Morgan has overcome is the most significant. Her father passed away when she was nine years old.
“Losing him, he was a really big guy on sports, so he was like my dad but also my coach,” said Morgan, who is also a member of the T-Bird softball team. “I really relied on him. So, him passing, I really grieved with it, but I know he’s left me some good key lessons, and he’s always in the back of my head. When I’m playing, I’ll think of him and everything he taught me.
“I wish he could have seen this. He was never big on volleyball. When I was young, I was big on softball. But if he saw me now, I think he’d be really proud of me.”
Morgan said she finds support in two sources: her faith and her mother.
Before every game, the junior writes Bible verses on her taped wrists. Her go-to verse: Psalm 37:24, which she personalizes.
“‘Though she falls, she will not fail because the Lord supports her with his hand.’ I think that verse really helps especially in volleyball because it’s a game full of mistakes,” Morgan said. “I think, if you make a mistake, I can look down at my wrist and think He’s there to catch me.
“When things get hectic or people are yelling a lot of things at you, I can look down at my wrist and just say the verse in my head and it helps.”
The youngest of four children, Morgan praises her mother, Darlene Morgan, for her support on and off the court.
“When she can’t make a game, I totally understand, as the only parent in the household,” Morgan said. “She does a great job and when she can’t make it, she will send me a prayer over text, and I know she will be watching on Facebook.”
Junior Clara Morgan has overcome personal obstacles to become a standout for Shawnee Heights volleyball. [Submitted photo]
As the T-Birds’ setter, Morgan serves as an extension of her coach, Sami (McHenry) Kearney, a former standout at Shawnee Heights and Washburn in her own right.
“(Coach) is not on the court with you, so I get to help everyone stay calm and tell the hitters what they’re running,” Morgan said. “You’re basically giving instructions of what you think the coach would do if she was in there.”
Morgan’s coach put the junior’s assist total in perspective.
“One thousand assists as a junior is a huge deal,” Kearney said. “That means she is averaging over 300 assists per season and averaging about 10 assist per game. We haven’t had this accomplishment at Shawnee Heights since 2019.
“Because we run a 6-2, she’s in the game about two-thirds of the time, where other setters getting 1,000 assists are the only setter in their games. So, for her to reach this as a junior is a huge accomplishment. It shows how good she is and how she makes us all better because of it.”
Trojans, Chargers battle to 1-1 soccer deadlock
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Two Topeka soccer teams who are pouring it on down the stretch battled to a 1-1 tie Wednesday night at Hummer Sports Park.
Topeka High senior Bruno Nunez (10) celebrates his goal in Wednesday's 1-1 tie with USD 501 rival Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka West junior Diego Gonzalez-Talavera (9) is congratulated by his teammates after scoring the Chargers' lone goal on a PK in a 1-1 tie with Topeka High Wednesday night at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka West hosted Topeka High, hoping to avenge a thrilling 2-1 loss two weeks earlier. But both team’s goalkeepers turned away a barrage of shots to preserve the 1-1 tie through two overtime periods.
Twenty minutes into the first period, Topeka High got on the scoreboard first on a free kick blast by senior Bruno Nuñez.
However, the Trojans didn’t protect that lead for even one minute of game action. When Topeka High was called for a foul near their goal, the Chargers were rewarded with a penalty kick that junior Diego Gonzalez-Talavera hammered past Trojan keeper Billy Lutz.
Each team saw near misses swatted away or gobbled up by the goalkeepers the rest of the night.
“Every year, every game that we see (Topeka High), we know it’s going to be competitive, hard fought. And this game was nothing short,” said Topeka West coach Josh Kutter. “Both teams played all out. Both goalkeepers had to make their amazing saves. As stressful as it is, it’s fun to watch and I’m proud of both sides.”
The Chargers stand at 10-2-2 following the tie with Topeka High, who are now 7-4-2. Trojans coach Derek Snook said his hopes to repeat the 2-1 victory of two weeks ago came up just short.
Topeka High senior goalkeeper Billy Lutz makes a diving save in Wednesday's 1-1 tie with Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
“We had a couple (of shots) that we should have tucked away, no doubt. And maybe they did as well,” Snook said. “I don’t know that they had the essentially point-blank shots that we did. They were shooting from afar. The best game was being played 120 yards apart and both goalkeepers were just on top of it.”
