By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Broderick Desch
BRODERICK DESCH, Hayden
Desch, a senior fullback, put Hayden ahead to stay with a 12-yard touchdown run to open the scoring and added a 1-yard TD later in the game as the 11-1 Wildcats advanced to their second straight Class 3A state football championship game with a 35-7 sub-state road win over No. 1 East seed Wellsville. Unofficially, Desch finished with 58 yards on 14 carries.
Jacob Hanna
JACOB HANNA, Washburn University
Hanna, a 6-foot-3 senior out of Maize, scored 39 points in two games on the week as No. 5 nationally-ranked Washburn men's basketball improved to 6-0. Hanna scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds in an 89-71 home win Tuesday over Pittsburg State and had 19 points with eight rebounds, six assists and 9 of 10 free throws in Saturday's 81-73 home win over William Jewell.
Kade Mitchell
KADE MITCHELL, Hayden
Mitchell, a junior running back, scored touchdowns on runs of 5 and 18 yards and unofficially had 72 rushing yards on 11 attempts as Hayden earned a second straight trip to the Class 3A state football championship game with a 35-7 road win over No. East seed and previously-unbeaten Wellsville Friday night.
Yibari Nwidadah
YIBARI NWIDADAH, Washburn University
A 6-foot-2 junior center, Nwidadah recorded Washburn women's basketball's first double-double of the season in Friday's 81-59 win at Truman State, scoring 13 points (5 of 6 from the field) and grabbing 10 rebounds. Nwidadah, an Olathe North product, leads the team offensively with a 15.8 scoring average while shooting a team-high 69.4 percent from the field and compiling a team-best 7.0 rebounds per game.
Payton Sterk
PAYTON STERK, Washburn University
Sterk, a 5-foot-10 junior guard, scored 47 points in two games on the week as Washburn women's basketball posted back-to-back 22-point victories, A Colorado Springs native and Cal State East Bay transfer, Sterk scored a Washburn-high 25 points in Tuesday's 80-58 win at William Jewell and had 22 points in Friday's 81-59 win at Truman State. Sterk is averaging 15.8 points and has hit a team-high 14 3-pointers, with nine coming in the last two games.
Jalyn Stevenson
JALYN STEVENSON, Washburn University
The Washburn volleyball standout was named to the All-MIAA first team for the third straight season. A senior outside hitter, Stevenson receive her fourth All-MIAA honor, earning honorable mention as a freshman. Stevenson, a Spring Hill product, helped lead the Ichabods to a 20-7 record, posting a team-high with 296 kills while hitting .192 and was second on the team with 308 digs. She added 53 blocks while serving 31 aces on the year.
