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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
With the start of a new year just a few days away, it's natural to get excited about the future.
But while we look ahead to 2024, it’s also important that we don't forget those we lost in 2023.
In '23 we said goodbye to Kansas City Chiefs greats Otis Taylor and Ed Budde as well as sports legends such as Jim Brown and Dick Butkus (football), Brooks Robinson (baseball) and Willis Reed and Bobby Knight (basketball), but the losses were also felt close to home.
Frank Walton, best known for a highly-successful run with Topeka West football, passed away at the age of 81 just eight days into 2023 while Seaman cross country and track and field legend Bob Camien passed away on Sept. 3rd at the age of 76.
The year was also marked by the passing of well-known local youth coach Billy Weber on Sept. 30 at the age of 55 and the tragic passing of former Hayden standout athlete Kyra Bauer on Dec. 1 at just 22 years old.
Here’s a brief look at the legacy the four Topeka sports figures left:
FRANK WALTON
Frank Walton, who had a highly-successful 16-year run as Topeka West's football coach and later coached at Topeka High, passed away in January after a battle with cancer. [Facebook photo]
Walton, who passed away at the age of 81 after a battle with lung cancer, took over a struggling Topeka West football program and led the Chargers to 12 winning seasons in a 16-year run from 1977-1992, posting an 89-56 record and posting at least six wins 10 times.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee County girls high school sports teams enjoyed another oustanding year in 2023, with county schools capturing five state team championships in four different sports in four different classifications while local athletes also added a pair of individual titles.
That across-the-board success made it nearly impossible to narrow down TopSports.news' list of the top Shawnee County girls stories to just 10, and even harder to decide which accomplishments deserve to be at the top of the list, but here goes.
Seaman celebrates its first-ever state volleyball championship after a 25-19, 25-22 win over St. Thomas Aquinas in the 2023 championship match. [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
1. VIKING MAGIC -- After back-to-back fourth-place state finishes, Seaman's volleyball team was determined to make a statement in the Class 5A state tournament. Tatiana Dowling's Vikings accomplished that goal in dominant fashion, capping a perfect 5-0 weekend with a 25-19, 25-22 win over defending champion St. Thomas Aquinas in the championship match, with Seaman claiming its first state volleyball title in school history. The state run included five consecutive straight-set victories for the Vikings, who capped a 38-6 season while avenging a 3-0 dual loss to Aquinas earlier in October. Seaman juniors Maegan Mills and Reagan McGivern and senior Brooklyn Gormley were all named to the All-5A State Tournament team while Mills was named the 5A player of the year by the Kansas Volleyball Association.
Washburn Rural wrestling coach Damon Parker hoists senior star Addi Broxterman in the air after her pin in the third-place match clinched the 2023 state title for the Junior Blues. [Photo by Brian Turrel/Wyandotte Daily]
2. SETTING THE STANDARD -- Damon Parker's Washburn Rural Junior Blues continued to set the standard for all Kansas high school girls wrestling programs in 2023, with Rural winning its third team title in the four seasons that girls wrestling has been an official sport in the state. The Junior Blues had their two-year title reign snapped in 2022, finishing second to Dodge City, but Rural bounced back to win the Class 6A-5A title in 2023 by a 153-141 margin over Garden City as nine Junior Blues earned state medals.
Rossville softball celebrates its 2023 state championship after its 2-0 win over Santa Fe Trail in the title game. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
3. DIAMOND QUEENS -- Rossville's softball team rode the arm of senior pitcher Brinley Dyche to the 2023 Class 3A state championship, with the Bulldawgs claiming their first state softball title since 2000 with a 2-0 win over Santa Fe Trail in the championship game. Dyche picked up all three pitching victories for Rossville in its state title run as the Bulldawgs avenged a
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NOTE: Statistics for city boys basketball teams were compiled by Seaman girls coach Matt Tinsley. The following stats are the first of three statistical reports which will be released during the 2023-2024 season, capped by the season-ending stats.
Highland Park senior Tamir Anderson leads the city in scoring and 3-point field goals. [File photo/TSN]
SCORING
Name, school Gms. Pts. Avg
Anderson, Highland Park 3 74 24.7
Robinson, Highland Park 3 60 20.0
Bonner, Seaman 4 79 19.8
Sanchez, Shawnee Heights 5 91 18.2
Colboch, Hayden 5 81 16.2
Hales, Topeka High 6 91 15.2
Williams, Highland Park 3 41 13.7
B. Finley, Seaman 4 54 13.5
Dodge, Shawnee Heights 5 66 13.2
Foy, Topeka West 6 76 12.7
Everhart, Cair Paravel 6 75 12.5
Chambers, Topeka West 6 74 12.3
Ballard, Washburn Rural 5 58 11.6
Villegas, Topeka High 6 67 11.2
Taylor, Highland Park 3 33 11.0
Shawnee Heights junior Jaret Sanchez leads the city in rebounding with a 9.8 average. [File photo/TSN]
REBOUNDING
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
Sanchez, Shawnee Heights 5 49 9.8
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NOTE: Statistics for city girls basketball teams were compiled by Seaman girls coach Matt Tinsley. The following stats are the first of three statistical reports which will be released during the 2023-2024 season, capped by the season-ending stats.
Highland Park junior Amelia Ramsey is the city leader in scoring and rebounding entering 2024. [File photo/TSN]
SCORING
Name, school Gms. Pts. Avg
Ramsey, Highland Park 3 66 22.0
Meier, Hayden 5 80 16.0
Vickery, Washburn Rural 5 75 15.0
Canfield, Washburn Rural 2 29 14.5
McGlory, Topeka West 6 86 14.3
Becker, Seaman 5 68 13.6
Emmot, Shawnee Heights 5 67 13.4
Rayton, Topeka High 5 66 13.2
Broils, Highland Park 3 38 12.7
T. Stallbaumer, Seaman 5 62 12.4
Carter, Highland Park 3 33 11.0
Gragg, Seaman 5 53 10.6
Fulton, Hayden 5 53 10.6
Greco, Hayden 5 46 9.2
Vega, Shawnee Heights 5 44 8.8
REBOUNDING
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
Ramsey, Highland Park 3 45 15.0
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee County high schools captured a pair of boys state team titles in 2023 while county athletes combined to earn a whopping 13 individual championships, led by six athletes who captured multiple gold medals.
Topeka West is No. 1 on TopSports.news' list of the Top 10 boys high school sports stories of 2023 after two-time state doubles champs Ian and Miles Cusick led the Chargers to the Class 5A state tennis title while Washburn Rural bowling is right behind West after turning in one of the top performances in state tournament history en route to the 6A boys team championship.
Individually, Shawnee Heights distance ace Jackson Esquibel won state titles in two sports in 2023 while former Highland Park star Tre Richardson and Hayden's Jake Muller, Finn Dunshee, Jensen Schrickel and Liam Stegman all captured multiple state championships.
Here's a look at TopSports.news' Top 10 Shawnee County boys prep stories of 2023:
Topeka West twin brothers Ian and Miles Cusick exchange a hug after winning their second straight Class 5A doubles title in 2023. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka West's tennis poses for a team picture after winning the school's first Class 5A boys state tennis team title in May. [Submitted photo]
1. TWIN TITLES -- After leading Topeka West tennis to a second-place team finish with their first Class 5A state doubles championship in 2022 twin brothers Ian and Miles Cusick and Kurt Davids' Chargers completed their title quests in 2023. The Cusicks capped their bid for a repeat with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Arkansas City's Oakley and Dawson O'Donnell in the state final while all six West players earned state medals as the Chargers won the school's first boys state team crown by a 34-28 margin over Blue Valley Southwest. West senior Carter Cool added a seventh-place state singles finish while then-juniors Caden McGee and Caleb Weybrew finished ninth in doubles and then-junor James Maag placed 11th in singles.
Washburn Rural's boys bowling team won the 2023 Class 6A state championship by 135 pins. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
2. STRIKING GOLD -- A year after failing to qualify for state as a team in 2022, Jo Ricard's Junior Blues turned in a performance for the ages in the 2023 state meet, winning the Class 6A state team championship by a whopping 135 pins over Olathe Northwest (3,711-3,576). Senior Josh Hammons paced Rural with a fourth-place individual finish (725) while then-sophomore Logan Glinka finished seventh (696) and senior Walker Thompson 11th (671).
As a senior Highland Park's Tre Richardson posted four top-four finishes with a pair of Class 5A state titles in the state track meet, scoring 33 total points. [File photo/TSN]
3. TRE-RIFIC -- After helping Highland Park's football team snap an eight-year losing skid with a breakout 6-3 season to end 2022, Scot star Tre Richardson helped lead the Scots to a 24-1 record and a third-place Class 5A state finish in basketball. But Richardson saved his best for last, winning a pair of gold medals in the long jump and 100-meter dash and posting four top-four finishes in the 5A state track meet. Richardson scored 33 points to outscore 32 other 5A schools by himself.
