- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After missing his entire junior season with a serious leg injury, Topeka West star Lenny Njoroge bounced back with a dominant 2022 cross county campaign, sweeping Topeka city, United Kansas Conference and regional individual championships before posting a career-best fourth-place finish in the Class 5A state meet.
Njoroge, whose only loss to a Kansas runner came in the state meet, headlines the 2022 All-Shawnee County boys cross country team along with Shawnee Heights state medalists Jackson Esquibel, a junior, and senior Kory Sutton.
Heights senior Andrew Emerson was also named to the All-Shawnee County first team after teaming with Equibel and Sutton to lead the T-Birds to a 5A regional team championship.
Washburn Rural, which won city and Centennial League team titles, is represented on the all-county team by seniors Easton Dial, Grayson Fink and Davin Johnson and junior Hayden Keller.
Seaman is represented on the first team by seniors Zach Jowers and Branen Moore while Topeka High senior Michael Christopher also earned a first-team berth.
Shawnee Heights coach John Oshel and Topeka West coach Donnie Palmer were named the boys co-coaches of the year for 2022.
All-Shawnee County boys capsules:
MICHAEL CHRISTOPER, Topeka High -- Christoper, a senior, posted a 13th-place finish in the Class 6A regional meet at Manhattan to earn an individual berth for the 6A state meet for the third time. Christopher finished ninth in the Centennial League meet and was 11th in the city meet. Prior to earning first-team All-Shawnee County honors this fall, Christopher received honorable mention two years in addition to being a two-time All-Centennial League second-team selection.
EASTON DIAL, Washburn Rural -- Dial was one of three senior leaders for Washburn Rural's cross country team after showing significant improvement throughout his high school career. The 2022 season was a breakout season of sorts for Dial, who bettered his previous personal best by 75 seconds. Dial placed fifth in the city meet as Rural won its 16th straight team title and he finished fourth in the Centennial League and second at regionals to help Rural qualify for state as a team.
ANDREW EMERSON, Shawnee Heights -- Emerson has been a significant part of Shawnee Heights' cross country and track teams for the past four years. Emerson posted three top 10 finishes in cross country this fall, ending his season with a third straight state appearance. Emerson helped Shawnee Heights win a team championship in 5A regional competition and is in the top one percent of his class. Emerson plans to attend the Air Force Academy.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural, which earned a third-place trophy in the Class 6A state meet, put six runners on the 2022 All-Shawnee County girls cross country team, which also includes a pair of top-five individual state finishers and five state medalists overall.
Rural, which won Topeka city and Centennial League team championships is represented on the all-county team by senior Madeline Carter, sophomore Payton Fink, sophomore Rylee Ismert, junior Sydney Laster, sophomore Brooklyn Nolte and senior Vilde Tronstad.
Regional team champion Seaman put sophomore Stella Appelhanz, senior Bethany Druse, freshman Ryin Miller and senior Leah Spurlock on the all-county team as the Vikings combined with the Junior Blues to earn 10 of 11 first-team berths.
Rural's Fink posted a fifth-place indiviual finish in 6A while Miller placed fifth in 5A and Druse, Appelhanz and Carter also earned state medals.
Silver Lake sophomore Tessa Gerber earned the final spot on the All-Shawnee County first team, turning in a strong performance in the 3A state meet and missing a state medal by just one place in a peronal-record time.
Rural coach Matt Swedlund and Seaman coach Rick Brading were named the girls Shawnee County co-coaches of the year for 2022.
All-Shawnee County girls capsules:
STELLA APPELHANZ, Seaman -- Appelhanz is a two-time All-Shawnee County selection as a sophomore. Appelhanz turned in a very consistent second half of the 2022 season, placing in the top 10 in the Seaman Invitational as well as the city, United Kansas Conference and Class 5A regional meets. Appelhanz placed 20th in the 5A state meet, earning All-State honors. Appelhanz's personal-best time five-kilometer time is 19:51.
MADELINE CARTER, Washburn Rural -- After battling a nagging injury early in the season, Carter, a senior, bounced back and was a big factor in Rural's late-season success. Carter didn't race until the fourth week of the season at the Rim Rock Invitational, contributing to Rural's second-place finish. Carter, who plans to run at Kansas, placed fourth in the Topeka city meet, second in the Centennial League and regional meets and capper her season with an All-State performance, finishing 11th and helping Rural finish third as a team.
BETHANY DRUSE, Seaman -- A senior, Druse was Seaman's No. 2 runner in all meets this fall and was a strong team leader for a young Viking team. Bethany was fifth in the city meet, third in the the United Kansas Conference, third in Class 5A regional competition and 14th in the 5A state meet. Bethany is a three-time 5A All-State runner and has also been All-City/County four straight years. The reigning 800 meters champ in track, Druse's personal best time is 18:48. Bethany will run at Kansas next year.
PAYTON FINK, Washburn Rural -- Following her outstanding freshman debut, Fink continued to make a name for herself in her sophomore season. Never finishing worse than seventh place, Fink was the individual champion in the Topeka city, Centennial League and Class 6A regional meets. Fink earned All State honors with her fifth-place finish at the state meet, leading the Junior Blues to a third-place podium team finish in 6A.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn Ichabod football team wrapped up its home slate on Saturday at Yager Stadium, falling 37-23 to the No. 4-ranked Pittsburg State Gorillas in WU's Senior Day contest.
Washburn outscored Pittsburg State 10-7 in the second half but couldn't overcome the 30-13 hole it dug itself in the first half.
"I'm proud of the way our kids responded at halftime,'' Washburn coach Craig Schurig said. "The defense did a great job and kept giving us chances and we finally got some points and got it to a one score game but then we just couldn't turn the table on it.
"That's why they're undefeated in conference. They're undefeated for a reason and they made the plays when they needed to. We obviously needed to play cleaner and play better.''
The Ichabods (6-4 overall, 6-4 MIAA) opened the scoring on their first drive of the game when Jared Taylor, making his first Washburn start, connected on a slant pass to James Letcher Jr., who scampered 84 yards to give WU a 6-0 advantage after the extra point went off the upright.
Pitt State scored the next nine points, getting an 8-yard TD run by Caleb Lewis with 10:30 to go in the first quarter and a safety with 5:50 left in the period after the Ichabods held the Gorillas on a fourth down from the Washburn 3.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Mid-East League volleyball powers Rossville and Silver Lake combined to earn four of six spots on the all-league first team.
Rossville, which won the 2022 league title, is represented on the first team by senior Brinley Dyche and junior Kinsey Perine while Mid-East runner-up Silver Lake put senior Lexis Berndt and senior Taylor Ross on the first team.
Berndt, Dyche, Perine and Ross were all unanimous first-team selections by the league coaches.
Rock Creek's Ayla Klingenberg was also a unanimous first-team pick while St. Marys' Brenna Smith rounded out the first team.
Silver Lake senior Leah Cook and Rossville junior Kinley Porter were named to the second team while Silver Lake junior Sarah Wehrli received honorable mention.
ALL-MID-EAST LEAGUE VOLLEYBALL
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
A pair of tight one-goal losses resulted in a fourth-place finish for Washburn Rural in the Class 6A state soccer tournament at the Stryker Complex in Wichita.
After a 1-0 loss to eventual state champion Mill Valley in Friday night's second semifinal, Rural and Dodge City were tied 1-1 in the closing minutes of Saturday's third-place game before Dodge City took a 2-1 win on a goal from Irwin Macias with just 1:06 remaining off an assist from Francisco Hernandez.
Dodge City, which finished off a 20-1-0 season, drew first blood at the 32:22 mark of the opening half on a goal from Mario Olivares.
The score remained 1-0 through the first half and well into the second half before Washburn Rural (16-5-0) evened the match on a goal from junior Benett Hallauer with 9:18 remaining.