By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden's Ella Foster and Reese Huscher have already enjoyed sensational senior years, playing in back-to-back-to-back state championship games.
Undefeated Hayden soccer celebrates after Wednesday's 2-1 Class 4A-1A semifinal victory over Bishop Miege, ending the Stags' nine-year state title run. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And now, after ending Bishop Miege's nine-year Class 4A-1A state soccer championship reign with Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Stags, the Wildcats have the opportunity to put together a perfect ending to 2025-2026 in Saturday's state championship game in Wichita.
Foster and Huscher, along with sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein, helped the Wildcats post a second-place finish in volleyball and a state championship in basketball before advancing to their second straight state soccer championship game.
"It's been a whirlwind, definitely a lot of blood, sweat and tears this year,'' Huscher said. "I've had Ella by my side through all three and I couldn't of ask for anybody else better to go through it all with, and Hailey, too.''
Foster agreed.
"It's been an amazing feeling and I've been through the trenches with these girls and just to finish it with three state championship games is a great way to go out,'' Foster said.
Hayden, now 20-0-0, advances to Saturday's 7 p.m. state championship game at Wichita's Stryker Sports Complex to face Rose Hill (15-5-0), a 6-2 semifinal win over Louisburg. Hayden was the most recent school other than Miege to win a 4A-1A state title.
"I think we're so ready,'' Huscher said. "I don't think we've ever been more ready in the past years for sure and I think getting past (Miege) we proved to ourself and to our state that we're here to win it and we're not here to lose another state championship.''
"I think we definitely knew they were going to come out strong,'' Foster said. "They definitely came out and put a lot of pressure on us and we didn't play our best game, but we pulled through and we pushed hard and fought through the adversity going down early. I think we'll come together and put together a good game Saturday.''
Hayden took a 5-0 road win over Miege early in the regular season, but the the Stags, who topped the Wildcats 2-1 in double overtime in the 2025 state title game, drew first blood in Wednesday's semifinal with a goal at the 33:52 of the opening half.
Hayden senior star Carsyn Broxterman (4) had a goal and an assist in Wednesday's 2-1 Class 4A-1A semifinal win over Bishop Miege. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But Wildcat senior star Carsyn Broxterman scored off an assist from Schmidtlein with just 3:03 left in the first half to pull even at 1-1.
The score remained tied for the first 30:03 of the second half before freshman Emma Slyter scored the game-winning goal off a Broxterman assist.
"We didn't necessarily play our best at times, but we persevered and I think they fought through it,'' Hayden coach Klaus Kreutzer said. "I knew that (Miege) was motivated and they're a good team.
"Not to take anything from them and we're lucky to be here. It means a whole lot losing in double overtime to this team last time in the final and for these 10 seniors who have been around for four years, it's a just reward.''
CLASS 4A-1A SOCCER SEMIFINAL
HAYDEN 2, BISHOP MIEGE 1
Bishop Miege (11-9-0) 1 0 -- 1
Hayden (20-0-0) 1 1 -- 2
Bishop Miege -- Goal: Isabella McGaugh. Assist: Gaby Calderon.
Hayden -- Goals: Carsyn Broxterman, Emma Slyter. Assists: Hailey Schmidtlein, Broxterman.
CLASS 6A SEMIFINAL
MILL VALLEY 1, WASHBURN RURAL 0 (OT)
Mill Valley pushed across the game-winning goal in overtime to take a 1-0 Class 6A semifinal win over Washburn Rural Wednesday at Mill Valley.
The Jaguars ended Washburn Rural's championship run after losing to the Junior Blues 1-0 on penalty kicks in the 2025 final.
Mill Valley (17-1-2) advances to Saturday's championship game in Wichita to face Olathe Northwest (16-3-1) while Washburn Rural (13-7-0) will take on Garden City (13-6-1) in a 10:30 a.m. third-place game.
