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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- No. 6 Washburn University volleyball opened the Sioux Falls Classic with a 3-0 sweep over Black Hills State on Thursday afternoon.
Junior Emma Siron (left) led Washburn with 15 kills in Thursday's 3-0 sweep over Black Hills State. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods return to action with two matches on Friday, taking on Upper Iowa at 10 a.m. and Sioux Falls at 7 p.m. on Day 2 of the tournament.
Washburn (5-0) was relentless on the offensive end, winning 25-14 in the opening set before closing out the match with 25-21 and 25-13 sets to take down the Yellow Jackets (2-3).
Early on in the first set the Ichabods doubled up Black Hills State 8-4 after a kill by Brooklyn Morrisey.
Throughout the middle of the set Washburn went on a 7-2 run, pushing the lead to 19-12.
The Ichabods offense churned out a .447 hitting percentage as a team in the first set as they cruised to a 25-14 win.
The Yellow Jackets responded with a 7-4 start to the second set.
Washburn re-took the lead on kills by Emma Siron and Brynne Topolski to lead 9-8. After the lead traded hands twice more it was Siron and Topolski that took over down the stretch, scoring the final four points of the set as part of a 4-1 run to end the set 25-21 and put the Ichabods up 2-0 in the match.
Washburn jumped in front of Black Hills State early in the third set, leading 14-7 after a 4-0 run and kill by Siron.
The Ichabods continued to pile on offensively, growing the lead to double-digits after Shannon Frakes set up Kennedy Derk for a kill that sparked a 5-0 burst. The Ichabods finished the set hitting .400 as a team to win 25-13.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It's probably safe to say that a 9:05 a.m. Saturday kickoff wasn't anywhere near the top of Washburn University football coach Zach Watkins' ideal starting times.
Zach Watkins' Ichabods will be looking for a second straight win to open the 2026 season and a third straight win overall in Saturday's 9:05 a.m. contest with Colorado School of Mines. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But after a pair of schedule changes, that's what the Ichabods were left with and Watkins is confident his team will be ready for the breakfast matchup with Colorado School of Mines in Yager Stadium.
Kickoff was originally slated for 12 p.m. before being changed to 7 p.m. because of the expected extreme heat and finally to 9:05 a.m. to accomodate Mines' travel schedule.
"I shared my preference for game time and I'm not the final decision maker,'' Watkins said. "Obviously we support whatever our administration decides and what they decide to do, but it doesn't matter if it's 8 a.m or midnight you've got to be ready to play the football game and our team will be ready.
"We're a mentally strong team, so we should be in a good spot.''
The Ichabods are coming off a 27-21 road win over Truman last Saturday while the Orediggers are 0-1 this season after opening the 2026 campaign with a 22-20 loss to Western Oregon in Golden, Colo.
Washburn is 13-7 all-time against the Orediggers and will be looking to end a two-game skid against Mines. The Ichabods have won seven of the last 10 meetings with Mines.
The Ichabods improved to 83-47-6 in season-openers with the win last Saturday.
After recording 15 catches for 113 yards in 2025, Ichabod wide receiver Tre Calhoun had seven catches for 117 yards against Truman while place-kicker Aidan Battle scored a career-high nine points against Truman.
Safety Brody Hayes led Washburn with a career-high 10 tackles (five solos) in his first career start while quarterback Logan Madden had career-highs of 38 passing attempts, 28 completions and 328 total passing yards and Nathan Lewis had career highs of nine receptions and 72 receiving yards.
"I told our team I was really proud of them,'' said Hayes, a team captain. "That's a long road trip, especially being the first game and the hotel stay, the long bus ride, the travel and all of that, I think for us to come out and play as well as we did in that first half was good.
"I think that shows how focused and disciplined and what a good job we did and I was happy with it. Obviously you want to finish that game a little better, it got close towards the end, but I was really happy with how we played overall.''
The 446 total yards of offense against Truman was the most by an Ichabod team since recording 547 yards on Nov. 9, 2024 against Central Oklahoma.
Bob Stitt was announced as the new head coach of Mines on Feb. 7, 2025, returning to the school after 10 years away to take over the program that he built into a national contender.
Stitt is 113-66 in his 17th season at Mines and has a 136-81 overall coaching record in his 20th season. Stitt was originally the Orediggers' head coach from 2000 to 2014, winning three RMAC titles, earning the first three NCAA playoff appearances in program history, and compiling a record of 108-62.
Pierce Richards set the Mines program record for receptions in a game against Western Oregon with 18 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown as the favored target of Joseph Capra, who went 30 of 49 for 232 yards and a touchdown.
The Orediggers rallied back from a 16-7 deficit at halftime, sparked by Mo Russolillo's 32-yard scoop and score off Parker Johnson's forced fumble to open the third quarter.
The Wolves held Mines to 41 rushing yards and went ahead on Jordan McCarty's fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Jaydan Burns, one of two scores for Burns on the day.
Colorado School of Mines was selected third in the RMAC preseason coaches' football poll. The Orediggers have 16 returning starters from last year's team and were picked behind defending champion CSU Pueblo and NCAA qualifier Western Colorado.
Washburn put together a strong second-half push in last year's game with Mines but could not overcome a big rushing day from the No. 24-ranked Orediggers, falling 41-27 in Golden after withstanding more than four hours of lightning delays.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
For the second time in as many days, the starting time for Washburn University's home-opening football game with Colorado School of Mines has been changed, with kickoff now set for 9:05 a.m. Saturday.
Zach Watkins' 1-0 Washburn football team will square off with Colorado School of Mines in a 9:05 a.m. Saturday. [File photo/TSN]
Originally scheduled for a noon kickoff, the game was first moved to a 7:05 p.m. kick before finalizing the 9:05 a.m. kick to accommodate the Orediggers' travel plans as well as playing before the predicted field temperature rises past safety protocols.
The Ichabods are coming off a 27-21 road win over Truman on Aug. 29. The Bulldogs, who received votes in the preseason AFCA top 25 coaches poll, went 8-4 mark in 2026 going 7-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference before falling 57-14 to Indianapolis in the first round of the NCAA playoffs after being picked second the GLVC preseason coaches poll.
The Orediggers are 0-1 this season after opening the 2026 campaign with a 22-20 loss to Western Oregon on Aug. 29 in Golden, Colo.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
There's always a certain amount of excitement surrounding a season-opener.
And the fact that Topeka High football got to kick off 2026 against USD 501 rival Highland Park, renewing a long-standing rivalry after an absence of several seasons, made Thursday night even more special for the Trojans.
Senior Courtney Sanders scored three touchdowns Thursday night to power Topeka High to a 33-6 season-opening win over Highland Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
And High took full advantage of its opportunity, opening up a 26-0 halftime lead on the way to a 33-6 win over the Scots at Hummer Sports Park.
"We had alumni coming out here and everybody else coming out to support us on both sides,'' said High senior standout Courtney Sanders, who scored three touchdowns on a run, a pass reception and a punt return to power the Trojans. "A 501 school, a rivalry game, I had to show out, I had to.''
Topeka High senior lineman Devin Ponte agreed that it was a special night for the Trojans.
"With all the talk leading up to it I was just excited to show that we were truly the better team tonight,'' Ponte said.
Junior Marion Collins scored Topeka High's first touchdown in Thursday's 33-6 season-opening win over Highland Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High recovered a fumble on Highland Park's first play from scrimmage and went ahead to stay at the 9:38 mark of the opening quarter on a 6-yard run from junior Marion Collins (kick failed).
High coach Jason Filbeck credited the Trojan defense for setting the tone for the night.
"Our defense does that and they did it last year, too,'' Filbeck said. "They get us good field position and give us opportunities, so credit to the defense.''
The rest of the half belonged to Sanders, who made the score 13-0 on an 18-yard TD pass from senior quarterback Asher Filbeck (Saamir Triplett kick) with 3:42 left in the opening half.
Sanders scored on a 40-yard run with two minutes left in the half (kick failed) and turned in the most exciting play of the night when he returned a 60-yard punt from Highland Park's JoJo Kingcannon 94 yards for a touchdown with 1:11 remaining (Triplett kick) to give the Trojans their 26-0 halftime advantage.
"He (JoJo Kingcannon) had a good punt right there and it just went over my head, but I went and go it,'' Sanders said. "It was too close to the end zone and I didn't want to put my team in that particular situation so I had to at least get some yards.
"I didn't know I was going to get the touchdown, but it was open and I cashed it in.''
"He's electric,'' Jason Filbeck said of Sanders. "If the kid was 200 pounds I'd have every school in the world calling me. He's unbelievably talented with the ball.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
For the second time in three games on the season Washburn University soccer rode a big second half to a victory Wednesday night at Yager Stadium, with sophomore standout Leah Henke's two goals powering the Ichabods to a 3-0 non-conference win over Drury.
Sophomore Leah Henke scored a pair of goals Wednesday night to lead No. 23-ranked Washburn to a 3-0 home shutout win over Drury. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The game remained tied at the half despite eight shots by host Washburn, but Henke scored the only goal the Ichabods would need with 38:59 remaining when freshman Chloe Holm found her for the score.
No. 23-ranked Washburn added another goal at the 35:58 mark when a corner kick from senior Mackinly Rohn resulted in an own goal and just 19 seconds later sophomore Brynn Allison found Henke for her second goal of the night and an MIAA-leading fourth of the season.
"First half we were definitely creating chances, it was just the finishing piece was missing,'' said Henke, a Wichita Bishop Carroll product. "At halftime it was like, 'Keep it up, you guys are doing everything well, we just need to finish.' And taking that into the second half we put a couple away early.''
Drury recorded three shots over the remainder of the match but was unable to find the back of the net as sophomore Lili Everley recorded the shutout in goal.
Coming off a 1-1 tie with Missouri-St. Louis last Saturday, Henke said it was important to bounce back with a big victory.
"UMSL, they're a solid team,'' Henke said. "I feel like we should have won and it was unfortunate that it was a tie, but I think that definitely fueled us going into this game and the final, it shows.''
Washburn, which improved to 2-0-1, outshot Drury 17-6, including 7-1 on goal. The Panthers received three yellow cards to the Ichabods' zero in the match.
Washburn coach Davy Phillips was pleased with the Ichabods' performance, particularly in the second half.
"We need it in the first-half, too, and I think some of it is just mentality,'' he said. "I think they're surprised by those chances in the first half and then once we start talking about things the picture becomes a little bit clearer for them. Credit to them, they continued to make adjustments and pick up on those moments of the game.''
