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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news has finished its tour of preseason football practices at all 10 Shawnee County high schools and will post preview stories over the coming days leading into the opening games of the 2025 season on Sept. 4 and 5.
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Coming off back-to-back 1-8 seasons, Topeka High football took a big step forward in Jason Filbeck's first year at the school last fall, posting a three-win improvement in a 4-5 campaign.
Jason Filbeck led Topeka High football to a three-win improvement last season in his first year at the school. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But five straight season-ending losses, including four defeats to Centennial League schools, proved to Filbeck that the Trojans still have work to do.
"The level of competition in our league is high, so a 4-0 start is cool and it's great and everything, but having to play the Washburn Rurals and Manhattans and Junction Citys in our league, we've got work to do,'' Filbeck said. "They're good teams and we're going to have to earn it if we want to play with them.''
Filbeck said that the Trojans' improvement has to come not only during the season but over the offseason as well.
"It's a big culture shift here and we're trying to get it to where it's an expectation that you're involved in the summer and in the stuff that is, quote, optional,'' he said. "We made strides in the right direction, but it's still not where we want it to be for sure.''
Topeka High returns a solid group of returners to build around this fall, returning four starters on offense and eight on defense.
That group includes quarterback Zane Smith, offensive linemen Jeremiah Lopez and Isaac Romero-Chavez and wide receiver Courtney Sanders on offense and defensive linemen Trey Lutz, Connor McKee and Adam Humphrey, linebackers Aidan Flannagan and Rock Williamson and defensive backs Malachi Murph, Jones Erby and Ant Jones on defense.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Phil Frost completed a sweep of titles in Topeka Golf Association City Match Play, City Stroke Play and Bill McDonald Champions Stroke Play championships Monday at Shawnee Country Club to wrap up TGA Player of the Year honors while Dave Carson earned his seventh Champions Stroke Play crown.
Phil Frost wrapped up the TGA 2025 Player of the Year award Monday at Shawnee Country Club. [File photo/TSN]
Frost shot rounds of 69 and 72 to win the 40-49 age division Champions Stroke Play title with a 36-hole total of 141, closing out a dominating run to the Player of the Year crown.
Carson, who competed in the 60-64 division, carded rounds of 74 and 72 in the city event for players aged 40 and over, finishing with a 36-hole total of 146 to take overall honors for gross score.
Dennis Switzky, competing in the 70-74 age class, was the overall net champ (including handicap), carding rounds of 67 and 69.
Only competitors 50 and over were eligible for the oveall titles.
Awards were presented Monday in multiple age divisions for low gross and net scores.
The Champions event is named in honor of Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Famer Bill McDonald, who was in attendance for Monday's tournament.
Hall of Fame basketball coach Ron Slaymaker was also on hand Monday as the guest speaker for the event.
TGA BILL McDONALD CITY CHAMPIONS STROKE PLAY TOURNAMENT
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news has finished its tour of preseason football practices at all 10 Shawnee County high schools and will post preview stories over the coming days leading into the opening games of the 2025 season on Sept. 4 and 5.
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Logan Pegram's Silver Lake football put together a solid 7-3 season in 2024, but the way the year ended left a sour taste in the Eagles' mouths while also stoking the fires for this fall.
Former Silver Lake football star Logan Pegram is starting his fourth season as the Eagles' head coach, leading Lake to a 21-8 record over the past three years. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
After beating Council Grove by 17 points in a district game last fall, the Eagles dropped a disappointing 30-8 decision to the Braves in the second round of the Class 2A playoffs.
"It left a bad taste in our mouth,'' Pegram said. "The guys know and we know that we all want to do the things that we're capable of doing, so any time you're not playing on Thanksgiving it's tough because it's where we want to be.''
"This is starting Year 4 for me and it's the group we had as freshmen and every year it's gotten better to start the season. They know the expectations and they know what we're doing and I think the way things ended last year, with beating that team two weeks before that and then losing it when it mattered, I think that's lit a fire and it's kind of pushed us.''
The Eagles, who have captured eight state titles, are 21-8 in Pegram's previous three seasons and return four starters on offense and seven on defense to build this year's team around.
Pegram said that Silver Lake had a productive offseason and summer to get ready for 2025.
"It was great,'' Pegram said. "We have implicit buy in from our community and our kids and our families, so getting them to the weight room and getting them to do what we ask them to do and the extracurricular things we do with 7 on 7 and camps, we have 100 percent buy in with that and that's never been a battle.''
Offensively the Eagles return junior lineman Myles Fisher and sophomore lineman Kendrick Vande Velde, senior running back Bryson Burgos and senior wide receiver Dayne Johnson.
Defensively Silver Lake returns Johnson at safety, Vande Velde in the defensive line and Fisher at linebacker along with senior Samson Webber in the defensive line, senior Jayden Waterer at linebacker, senior Joel Miller at cornerback and senior Grady Bergmann at safety.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news has finished its tour of preseason football practices at all 10 Shawnee County high schools and will post preview stories over the coming days leading into the opening games of the 2025 season on Sept. 4 and 5.
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After graduating 20 of 22 starters from its 2023 team that went 8-3, Shawnee Heights went through some definite growing pains last fall in a 2-7 campaign.
But one thing veteran T-Bird coach Jason Swift said he never had to worry about, no matter the score, was that he was going to get his team's best effort.
Veteran Shawnee Heights football coach Jason Swift and the experienced T-Birds will be looking for a big turnaround this fall. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And with 40 returning lettermen, including nine returning starters on offense, seven on defense and a standout specialist, Swift is counting on that effort to produce dividends this fall.
"I'll give testament to last year's team, they practiced hard every single week and they played hard no matter what adversity that we faced in the season,'' said Swift, who is starting his 23rd season at Heights. "Truthfully, all three aspects of the game -- offense, defense, special teams -- shined. One thing we couldn't do was just put it all together for four quarters, and if we could have, I think the record would have been a little bit different.
"But the thing that's great is that the kids that played so hard last year, the majority of them are back here on the field this year and they've got nine games of experience. So, when the lights go on on Friday nights, they're not going to be as bright this year.''
Leading the T-Bird returning cast are senior quarterback Aiden Scott (6-foot-5, 205 pounds) and senior wide receiver/defensive back Tyren Parker (6-3, 190), who both were TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 picks a year ago.
Senior Aiden Scott returns to quarterback Shawnee Heights after passing for 3,102 yards and 32 touchdowns last fall. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Scott, who was named the county offensive newcomer of the year last fall, completed 190 of 317 passes for 3,102 yards and 32 touchdowns as a junior while Parker caught 50 passes for 946 yards with 11 touchdowns and was in on 48 tackles with a pair of interceptions. Scott has committed to Washburn and Parker to Kansas.
Other top returners on offense include senior running back David Wakes (5-10, 190), senior wide receiver AJ Gallegos (5-10, 160), senior offensive lineman Henry Schattilly (6-3, 300) and junior offensive linemen Amir Bass (5-9, 265), Will Skaggs (6-3, 270) and Jude Haverkamp (6-2, 260).
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news will post preview stories for all 10 Shawnee County high school football programs over the coming days, leading into the opening games of the 2025 season on Sept. 4 and 5.
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Seaman graduated some very good football players off last season's Viking team team that posted an 8-3 record, captured the United Kansas Conference championship and advanced to the Class 5A quarterfinals for the second straight season.
Hopes remain high for Jared Swafford's Seaman football team that went 8-3 and claimed the UKC title last fall. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But the Vikings also return a solid nucleus to build around and fifth-year Seaman head coach Jared Swafford promises that the lofty expectations won't change.
"I think the best part about being the program that we are is you reload, you continue to move forward and you do what you do,'' said Swafford, who is 24-16 as a head coach. "We have a great group of kids who had a great summer.
"It's always tough to lose some studs, and if we want to continue to fight for league championships and be somebody in the playoffs that is a formidable opponent and presses towards a state championship, then you reload with more guys.''
Seaman graduated co-Shawnee County offensive players of the year Max Huston and Bryer Finley and defensive player of the year Kaden Jordan, but senior linebacker Cameron Brian (6-foot-1, 205 pounds) was an all-county Top 22 pick and the defensive newcomer of the year last fall and senior tight end Noah Kobuszewski (6-4, 240) and senior running back Kaden McKinney (6-2, 190) were Second 22 all-county honorees.
Brian was in on 112 tackles a year ago with 10 tackles for loss while McKinney rushed for 977 yards and scored 15 total touchdowns and Kobuszewski had 325 receiving yards.
Senior guards Brogen Brown (6-1, 240) and Brayden Warren (6-0, 215) received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season while the Vikings also return senior wide receiver Jayden Evans (6-5, 180), junior wide receiver Jack Becker (5-10, 165), senior tackle Brodie Empson (6-1, 210), senior linebacker Ben Trier (6-3, 210), senior defensive backs Michael Hurla (6-0, 185), Kevin Moe (5-11, 190) and Hayden Foxhoven (5-11, 175) and junior defensive back Grant Ebberts (6-0, 175).
