By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will recognize Shawnee County's all-time best teams in 21 sports as part of our Best of the Best project. The project continues with boys track and field and readers will have the opportunity to vote for teams in that sport through August 5, with the top teams in all categories announced in late July and August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best, click on https://take.quiz-maker.com/poll4880338x001842f6-151 while email votes/nominations will be also accepted at
-------------------------------------------------------
Topeka High earned Shawnee County's first boys state track and field championship way back in 2016, the first of 14 state titles won by five county schools over 99 years
High leads county schools with six state titles, with five of those coming by 1973 before the Duke Tibbs-led Trojans ended High's 40-year title drought with the Class 6A title in 2013.
Topeka High won its sixth state track and field team title in 2022, ending a 40-year championship dought. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
The 1980s were also a golden decade for county schools, with Topeka West, Washburn Rural and Shawnee Heights combining for five championships in a six-year span.
Joe Schrag's Topeka West boys track and field team won its second straight Class 6A state title in 1984. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Jerry Beardslee's Washburn Rural won its first Class 5A boys track and field championship in 1984. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Mike Nash's Shawnee Heights' boys track and field team scored 86 points on the way to the Class 5A state title in 1989. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Joe Schrag coached Topeka West to back-to-back 6A crowns in 1983 and '84, with sprint star Mark Pickens and state-champion high jump and long jump champ Sharrieff Hazim leading the '84 Chargers while Pickens and distance state champs Rob Hays and Jeff Shelar all winnning state titles in West's '85 title run.
Jerry Beardslee's Washburn Rural team joined West as a state team champ in '84, with the Junior Blues taking the 5A title by a slim 63-58 margin over Kapaun Mt. Carmel as the Junior Blues posted a pair of relay wins and Anthony Dulan went 23 feet, 3.75 inches to take the long jump title.
Rural added another 5A championship in '87 behind a dominant performance in the jumps as Jeff Musselman won the high jump, Alan Hug won the long jump and Todd Myer took the pole vault title.
Mike Nash's Shawnee Heights notched the county's final championship of the '80s in '89, with the T-Birds turning in a dominant 86-point performance to win the 5A title by 18 points over Liberal as local legends Marcel Carter and Troy Wilson combined for five individual wins.
Kansas State High School Activities Association Hall of Famer Carter, who went on to star at Florida, swept the 100, 200 and 400 sprint titles while future NFL player Wilson, a member of the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame, won the shot put and discus titles, including an outstanding shot put mark of 62-1.50.
Brad Nicks' Shawnee Heights' 2015 boys track and field team won the Class 5A title by a slim 76.50-75 margin over Leavenworth. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Bob Camien's Seaman team won the 5A team title in 06 behind state gold medalists Clay Schneider and Brandon Wenger before Brad Nicks' Shawnee Heights' teams captured 5A crowns in '07 and '15, with the '15 team placing in 13 events and rolling up 76.50 points to edget Leavenworth by 1.50 points with a win in the meet-ending 4x400 relay.
Vote for your favorite team at https://take.quiz-maker.com/poll4880338x001842f6-151 while readers also have the option of writing in a candidate.
Vote as many times as you wish. Final selections will be based on reader vote as well as input from TSN contributors and current and past local sports media professionals.
Votes in boys track and field will be accepted through August 5 before TSN publishes our Best of the Best lists in late July and August.
NEXT UP: Volleyball (ballot will be published on TopSports.news on Sunday).
).
