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Washburn Rural rides Hoytal's four TD passes to 42-21 season-opening win over T-Birds
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Junior John Hoytal made the most of his first start as Washburn Rural's quarterback Friday night, throwing for 234 yards and four touchdowns as the Junior Blues opened their 2024 season with a 42-21 non-league win over city rival Shawnee Heights at Bowen-Glaze Stadium.
Junior quarterback John Hoytal threw for four touchdowns in his first start as Washburn Rural's quarterback Friday night, leading the Junior Blues to a 42-21 win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural's Lafayette Thompson (6), Kellan Roth (7) and Brody Schwinn (11) celebrate a Junior Blues touchdown in Friday's 42-21 win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Hoytal and junior Kellan Roth hooked up for 2, 42 and 17-yard touchdowns while Hoytal also hit sophomore Brady Schwinn for a 16-yard score while completing 14 of 21 attempts on the night
"You know I was a little nervous before the game, but you can't tell the difference between nerves and excitement, so I got excited and after that first play it was all just on from there,'' Hoytal said. "I felt like I played good, but it's only up from here.
"We went through a little valley in the game but we've got to get to the top of that peak and get back on the peak.''
Junior TJ Minikwu (24) finds running room against Shawnee Heights in Friday's 42-21 Washburn Rural win at Bowen-Glaze Stadium. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Sophomore Jadyn Baum celebrates a touchdown with his Washburn Rural teammates in Friday's 42-21 win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Rural also had a big night on the ground, with junior TJ Minikwu and sophomore Jadyn Baum both topping the 100-yard mark in rushing yards.
Minikwu finished with 131 yards on 24 attempts while Baum had 115 yards on 16 carries.
The Junior Blues drove 80 yards in nine plays for a TD on its opening drive, getting a 2-yard score from Hoytal to Roth (Ryan Austin kick) at the 9:06 mark of the opening quarter.
After missing out on some scoring opportunities Washburn Rural made it a 14-0 game early in the second quarter when Hoytal found Roth for a 42-yard scoring strike (Austin) kick.
Cair Paravel product Taryn Pridgett eyeing super senior season for Ichabod volleyball
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
As a fifth-year senior for the Washburn University volleyball team, Taryn Pridgett feels a certain responsibility to help out the seven freshmen in the Ichabod program.
Cair Paravel product Taryn Pridgett is entering her senior season for Washburn after recording 108 kills a year ago. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
After all, it wasn't that long ago that the former Cair Paravel Latin standout was in that same position.
"Honestly, I really just want to provide support for the young ones, especially because it's hard coming into a program,'' said Pridgett, a 5-foot-8 outside hitter. "You're away from home for the first time, there's a lot of changes and coach (Chris Herron) is intense, so it can be a difficult change.
"So I think right now it's just prioritizing the young ones and making sure they're comfortable and making sure they feel confident in practices because they're still learning. They don't necesssarily have all the drills down and are making mistakes, but it's just reminding them that it's all part of the process and everyone has been there at some point, so we're all here for you.''
Pridgett made the jump from Cair Paravel, which was just starting to make the transition from the Kansas Christian Athletic Conference to the Kansas State High School Athletic Association, to Washburn during the COVID-cancelled 2020 season and admitted that it took multiple seasons before she felt truly comfortable at the college level.
"I think honestly it was probably until about my junior year when I finally started grasping how different it all is,'' Pridgett said. "Obviously you can kind of see it more on the sideline and when you're playing a little bit, but I think as you mature you kind of see little things that you kind of missed early on in your career.''
Three-time runnerup Belle Kennedy sets sights on final piece of title puzzle with WU soccer
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Finishing second at the highest level of Class 6A high school and NCAA Division II soccer is a fine accomplishment, but frankly Washburn University standout Belle Kennedy is sick of it.
Former Washburn Rural soccer star Belle Kennedy is a returning All-MIAA first-team pick for Washburn, which will open its 2024 season at 6 p.m. Thursday at Yager Stadium against Missouri-St. Louis. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
"Incredibly,'' Kennedy said.
Kennedy helped Washburn Rural post a runnerup finish in the 6A state tournament as a freshman. Then, after having the 2020 season cancelled by COVID-19 and finishing third as a junior, the two-time 6A Midfielder of the Year helped lead Rural to another second-place state finish to close out her high school career.
The All-MIAA first-teamer came tantalizingly close to a championship again last fall as a Washburn sophomore, but again the title ended up just out of reach of her and her teammates.
And now, with Davy Phillips' Washburn team returning a wealth of experience from last year's 21-4-1 NCAA Division II runnerup team, Kennedy and her teammates are setting their sights on another run at the crown, beginning their quest with Thursday's 6 p.m. season-opener against Missouri-St. Louis at Yager Stadium.
"I really want our team to be first, no matter what,'' Kennedy said. "That's our hope every single year and even though we don't always get the result that we want, to know how far we came last year is a big accomplishment in itself. But we need to get better this year.
"You're still not satisfied with (second), that is true, but I've come to embrace it and realize that we have two more years left at least in my eligibility to get it done and our team, we have one more year with 11 of our great players that are going to be graduating after this fall, and I think we still have the chance to do it.''
Kennedy, a two-time All-MIAA honoree, has seemingly made a smooth transition to college soccer, but she said it has been an adjustment.
