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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
High school bowling is a relative newcomer to the state scene, with the Kansas State High School Activities Association adding bowling as a state sport in 2005.
But local teams continue to make their mark, including three titles over the past two seasons.
Seaman's 2022 girls team and Washburn Rural's '23 boys team share the top spot on the TopSports.news Best of the Best bowling list while the Top 10 includes nine state championship teams.
Makenzie Millard finished second individually with a 697 series to lead the way as Bob Benoit's Seaman girls team posted a 29-pin win over Bishop Caroll in the '22 Class 5A girls state tournament while Jo Ricard's '23 Rural boys team put three bowlers in the top 11 places
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Twenty-seven Shawnee County teams have won boys state basketball championships, dating all the way back to 1932, but only two have completed perfect 25-0 seasons.
And after a panel of sports media professionals with more than 120 years of combined experience was unable to come up with a clearcut decision, Hayden's 1982-1983 team and Highland Park's 2006-2007 squad share the No.1 spot on TopSports.news' Best of the Best Top 10 list.
Ben Meseke's '83 Wildcats won their second straight Class 4A state title while becoming the first Shawnee County boys team to record a 25-0 season while Ken Darting's Scots repeated the 25-0 fete in '07 on the way to the 5A championship.
Top players for Hayden's '83 team included Mark Turgeon, who went on to a distinguised playing career at Kansas and a long NCAA Division I coaching career, and Tom Meier and Rob Reilly, who helped lead Washburn University to the 1987 NAIA national championship.
All five of Highland Park's starters on the '07 team earned All-State or All-5A recognition, led by Kyle Weems, who went on to become the Missouri Valley Player of the Year at Missoui State and a long and ongoing professional career, and Lamont Austin, who played in the NCAA Tournament for Morehead State.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Sunday, August 13, is likely to be a very sad day for area drag racing fans.
NHRA officials and Heartland Motorsports Park jointly announced on Friday that the final event at the Topeka facility will take place on Aug. 11-13 with the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor.
Heartland Motorsports Park, formerly Heartland Park Topeka, has hosted NHRA national events since the facility opened in 1989, but the track is likely to be closing its doors due to a long and ongoing tax and land dispute with Shawnee County.
NHRA officials announced Friday that the new Flying H Dragstrip in the Kansas City area will be part of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series national event schedule in 2024.
“We have a rich history at Heartland Motorsports Park and we want to thank Chris Payne and his team for many years supporting NHRA drag racing,” NHRA President Glen Cromwell said in a release. “But as one door closes, another opens and we are looking forward to the great opportunity of racing in the Kansas City area at a brand new facility. Scott Higgs and his team are building a fantastic new track at Flying H Dragstrip and we are excited to have our first event there in 2024 and create a wealth of new memories in the area.”
“We are extremely thankful for our longtime partnership with the NHRA and its racers, as well as all the fans who have visited Heartland Motorsports Park over the years,” Heartland Motorsports Park owner Chris Payne said in Friday's release. “Because of the actions by Shawnee County, unfortunately this will be the last national event at Heartland Motorsports Park. We look forward to completing the 2023 season as well.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
With 22 Shawnee County girls basketball teams earning state championships, including five that posted perfect seasons, the chore of picking the No.1 team in TopSports.news' Best of the Best project was a tough one.
But after considerable discussion, that honor goes to Mike Goehring's 1993-1994 Topeka West team, which dominated Kansas' largest class on the way to a perfect 25-0 season, capped by a win over Shawnee Mission West in the state final.
A member of the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the Chargers were the fourth 6A team to go undefeated, averaging 61.2 points while giving up just 39.7 points a game.
The Chargers, who added a 5A championship in 2000, were led by a senior class that included Angie Bahner, Misty Caryl, Wendy Farthing, April Gosselin, Krista Joy and Sara Sevy.
Mark Henry's undefeated 1985-1986 Shawnee Heights team, which went 23-0 to win the 5A state title, was tapped for the No. 2 spot on the Top 10 list, with the T-Birds beating Kansas City-Bishop Ward in the state final.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
You don't achieve the level of success that Washburn University's Justice Akinmoladun has enjoyed in football and track and field without setting the bar high.
And as the 6-foot, 290-pound defensive tackle prepares to start his junior football season, Akinmoladun won't settle for anything less than being the best this fall.
"All-American, first team,'' Akinmoladun said when asked about his goals for the 2023 season. "I want to be first-team everything. I will be the best D-lineman in D-II.in the nation.''
Already an All-American thrower in track and field, Akinmoladun is also one of the top defensive returners for the Ichabod football team, which is coming off a 7-4 season.
Akinmoladun is one of just three returning starters on defense for Washburn, but said he is confident that the Ichabods have the talent to be strong on the defensive side of the ball again this season.
"That's the good thing about having good players last year is we had good players under them, too, who were able to see what they did to be great,'' said Akinmoladun, a native of Grandview, Mo. "We have a lot of good guys coming in who have been working their butt off this whole summer so I'm not worried.
"We're just a young group, but I think we're ready to go.''