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Washburn Rural soccer tops Blue Valley West 2-1 to earn shot at Class 6A state title
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural soccer avenged its only loss of the season Wednesday night, going on the road to top Blue Valley West 2-1 and earn its first berth in the Class 6A state championship game since 2021.
Senior Draden Chooncharoen (left) scored the game's first goal in Washburn Rural's 2-1 Class 6A semifinal road win over Blue Valley West Wednesday night. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Brady Loeffler scored the game-winning goal in Wednesday's 2-1 Class 6A semifinal road win over Blue Valley West. [File photo/TSN]
The 18-1-1 Junior Blues will face defending champion Shawnee Mission East (16-3-1) at 5 p.m. Saturday in the title game at Wichita's Stryker Complex.
"One of the best road victories in program history,'' Rural coach Brian Hensyel said. "Defense was awesome tonight.''
The Junior Blues, who dropped a 3-2 home double-overtime decision to the Jaguars in Rural's third game of the season, never trailed Wednesday after senior Draden Chooncharoen scored in the first half on a header off a corner kick from senior Brandon Hamilton.
Blue Valley West (17-3-0) evened the score at 1-1 midway through the second half, but it took Washburn Rural all of about 30 seconds to answer with the game-winner, with senior Brady Loeffler scoring off a header.
"Great team victory for a group that just finds ways to win,'' Hensyel said. "Twelve seniors and all their experience paid off. Looking forward to the title game Saturday.''
Shawnee Mission East (16-3-1) advanced to the championship game with a 5-3 semifinal victory over Wichita Southeast (18-2-0).
Washburn Rural, making its sixth straight 6A final four appearance, dropped a 3-0 semifinal decision to the Lancers last season before the Junior Blues bounced back to finish third with a 3-1 win over Shawnee Mission West. SM East won the 2024 title with a 1-0 win over Dodge City.
Depth powers Washburn soccer to 11-2-4 record, top spot in MIAA race
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University soccer coach Davy Phillips puts a talented starting lineup on the field every time the Ichabods take the field.
But the talent doesn't stop there, and Phillips credits the Ichabods' depth for being a big factor in the Ichabods' 11-2-4 start, including a league-leading 8-0-3 MIAA record and 13-match unbeaten streak, entering Wednesday's 6 p.m. regular-season finale against Emporia State in Yager Stadium.
Junior Kylie Hinrichs (19) scored her first career goal, the game-winner, in Washburn's recent 2-1 soccer win over Fort Hays State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn sophomore Sam Searcey has five goals and three assists on the season for the MIAA-leading Ichabods, [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"The strength is in the collective in this group, truly,'' Phillips said. "We've said it for a couple of years, but I just feel like we got deeper this year. Our depth is definitely a strength of ours.''
Washburn players who primarily come off the bench have accounted for nine of the Ichabods' 28 goals on the season while providing six of the team's 13 assists.
Washburn freshman Bricelyn Betts is mobbed by her teammates after scoring a goal in the Ichabods' 2-1 MIAA win over Fort Hays State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Sophomore Sam Searcey (Lincoln, Neb.), who has come off the bench in 13 of 17 games, ranks second on the team with five goals and has also contributed a team-leading three assists, while freshman Jules Wardlaw (Olathe West) has a pair of goals, freshman Bricelyn Betts (Raymore, Mo.) has a goal and two assists and junior Kylie Hinrichs (Elkhorn, Neb.) has one goal, a game-winner, for the Ichabods.
"There's zero dropoff and it makes for really hard conversations as a coach explaining to players how fine that line is and why certain players get to start versus not, but if you can get past that and just concentrate on the strength it gives our team being that deep at every position, it's an incredible strength for us,'' Phillips said.
A perfect example of that bench strength was on display in Washburn's most recent home game, a 2-1 win over Fort Hays State, as Betts and Hinrichs both recorded their first career goals while Searcey provided the assist on both goals.
"It's kind of crazy how we have such a good second lineup that it's almost like you barely see a dropoff when we go in, which is really unique at this level,'' Hinrichs said.
Betts said the key for the players coming off the bench is to provide energy and a spark when possible.
"It's just like there'a already momentum going and we just want to keep it going,'' Betts said. "Energy coming out and making a difference is definitely what we really strive to do and something that Davy emphasizes really heavily.''
A1 Lock & Key Performers Nov. 3, 2025
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Jadyn Baum
JADYN BAUM, Washburn Rural
A junior running back, Baum sailed over the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season Friday night, picking up 182 yards and scoring three touchdowns on 15 carries as 6-3 Washburn Rural advanced to the second round of the Class 6A football playoffs with a 37-0 win over Wichita South at Bowen-Glaze Stadium. Baum scored TDs on 8, 8 and 46 yards against the Titans.
Dillon Claussen
DILLON CLAUSSEN, Washburn University
A 6-foot-8 sophomore, Claussen registered a pair of double-doubles as the No. 2-ranked Washburn men's basketball team opened the season with a pair of wins in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Lakeland, Fla. The Omaha, Neb. native scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in Saturday's 101-53 win over Augusta (Ga.) and had 23 points and 12 rebounds in Sunday's 89-77 win over No. 3-ranked Dallas Baptist.
Henry Laubach
HENRY LAUBACH, Washburn Rural
A sophomore, Laubach led a balanced Washburn Rural cross country team with a 22nd-place individual finish in a five-kilometer time of 16 minutes, 40.66 seconds Saturday at Rim Rock Farm as the Junior Blues captured the Class 6A team championship by a single point, 100-101 over Blue Valley.
