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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Jack Bachelor
JACK BACHELOR, Washburn University
A junior guard, Bachelor scored 23 points on 7 of 13 shooting with three 3-pointers and 6 of 6 free throws in an 95-63 win over Minnesota State-Moorhead and had 14 points with five assists and three 3s in an 88-57 in over Winona State as No. 2-ranked Washburn went 2-0 in the Central Regional Challenge at Pittsburg to improve to 4-0 on the season.
Mason Becker
MASON BECKER, Hayden
Becker, a junior, scored a 71-yard touchdown on a pass reception from Connor Hanika, rushed for 78 yards on 9 carries, went 5 of 5 on extra-point attempts to improve his season PAT streak to 61 and averaged 44.5 yards on two punts as Hayden improved to 11-0 with an 43-29 home Class 3A state quarterfinal win over Jefferson West.
Autumn Gibbs
AUTUMN GIBBS, Washburn University
A junior volleyball player, Gibbs came up big in Friday's 3-1 home MIAA win over Central Oklahoma. After Washburn, now No. 7-ranked, dropped a 25-23 first-set decision, Gibbs jump-started her team with six straight service points, including three aces, at the end of the second set to give WU a 25-22 win before it closed out the match with 25-19 and 25-16 wins. Washburn took a 3-0 win over Arkansas-Fort Smith the following day to earn a share of the MIAA regular-season championship.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
If a stranger happened to sit down during a conversation between veteran high school coaches Kevin Bordewick and Steve Alexander, it might be difficult to immediately ascertain whether the two were even friends, let alone best buddies for nearly four decades.
Kevin Bordewick begins his 17th season as Washburn Rural's girls head coach and his 33rd in the program on Monday. [File photo/TSN] 
Steve Alexander, introducing Kevin Bordewick for Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame induction in 2023, will serve as a Washburn Rural assistant coach this winter. [File photo/TSN]
But that's understandable considering the fact that the unshakable bond between the two men is based in part on making sure that the other one never thinks they've gained the upper hand in their decades long back and forth.
That fierce loyalty, almost always tinged with wit and maybe a touch of sarcasm, is likely to be evident at times this winter as Bordewick and Alexander re-visit their coaching roots while sharing the bench for the Washburn Rural girls basketball team.
And Bordewick, who began his coaching career as Alexander's assistant in boys basketball at Class 1A Blue Valley-Randolph, said he's waited a long time to get the chance to turn the tables and boss his friend around.
"Heck yeah. This is payback after 35, 40 years,'' Bordewick joked. "I've got a lot of ammo, a whole warehouse full.''
For his part, Alexander admits that some of that payback may actually be deserved.
"When Kevin was my assistant, he was coaching the JV game and I'm sitting three rows back behind the bench doing stats or something,'' Alexander recalled. "There was some call and I lost it and I throw my clipboard and it bounces down to the floor.
"I went down to the floor to get it and (Bordewick) got T'd up because I wasn't on the bench. He tells the refs, 'I don't even know that guy.' But they go, 'You do, too. We know that's the head coach.' ''
Bordewick remembers the incident well.
"I was already voicing my displeasure with the call and then there's this clipboard that flies by me on the stairs and I get a technical,'' Bordewick said.
"Being his assistant I really re-thought maybe I should have become a computer programmer or maybe I should have gone into visual arts, maybe movie production or something. I really re-thought my career.''
Bordewick eventually took over the girls programs for the Rams in basketball, volleyball and track but he and Alexander remained together at Blue Valley for five years before Alexander moved on to Seaman and Bordewick had a brief two-year stint as boys coach at Oskaloosa before becoming a staple in the girls volleyball and basketball programs at Washburn Rural.
Both Alexander and Bordewick credit close friend Bill Annan, now a women's assistant at Division I Oral Roberts for getting them to Topeka. Annan served as a boys assistant at Seaman before Alexander took on that role when Annan moved to Washburn Rural to guide the girls program.
Bordewick came on to board and served as Annan's assistant for 16 years, including three Class 6A state championships, before Annan moved on to college coaching and Bordewick succeeded him with the Junior Blues.
Fast forward and Bordewick is starting his 17th year as the Junior Blues' head girls coach, with 12 Class 6A state tournament appearances, eight final fours, two state titles and two runnerup finishes, while Alexander is joining Bordewick at Rural after 24 seasons with the Seaman girls as head coach and eight years as an assistant, leading the Vikings to a 5A state title game as a head coach and on the bench for the school's state championship run in 2024.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Twelve Shawnee County volleyball standouts have earned All-State recognition from the Kansas Volleyball Asssociation, led by six first-team selections.
Class 3A state champion Silver Lake put 5-foot-3 junior setter Kylie Hanni, 5-5 junior libero Jaylie Whitehead and 5-8 senior outside hitter Jaiden Wise on the Class 3A All-State first team while Sarah Johnson was named the 3A coach of the year after leading the Eagles to a 46-1 record and 37 straight wins to end the season.
Kylie Hanni, Silver Lake [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Jaylie Whitehead, Silver Lake [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Jaiden Wise [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
Sarah Johnson, Silver Lake. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Silver Lake 5-5 sophomore outside hitter Karys Deiter was named to the 3A second team while 5-10 senior middle hitter Paige Heiman received honorable mention.
Hailey Schmidtlein, Hayden [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
Blakely Walter, Hayden [File photo/TSN]
Hayden, which placed second at state in 4A after finishing third in 2024, is represented on the 4A All-State first team by 5-11 sophomore rightside hitter/middle blocker Hailey Schmidtlein and 5-9 sophomore setter Blakely Walter.
Senior 5-4 libero Ella Foster and 6-0 junior outside hitter Mallory Tanking were named to the all-state second team while 5-6 sophomore outside hitter Sophia Wichman received honorable mention.
Nora Burdiek, Rossville [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Rossville 5-10 junior outside hitter Nora Burdiek earned first-team 2A All-State honors after helping lead the Bulldawgs to a state tournament berth.
Washburn Rural 5-11 freshman outside hitter Brynn Anderson was named to the All-6A second team after helping lead the Junior Blues to a ninth straight state tournament berth this fall.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 2-ranked Washburn Ichabods improved to 4–0 on the season Saturday with an 88-57 rout over Winona State in Pittsburg in their final game of the Central Regional Challenge.
Junior Jack Bachelor scored 14 points with five assists and three 3-pointers in Saturday's 88-57 win over Winona State in the Central Regional Challenge. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn returns to a renovated Lee Arena for its home opener against Rockhurst on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
After falling behind 2–0 on the opening possession, Washburn responded with a 10-0 run midway through the first half, sparked by threes from Bryson Smith and Jermiah Jones and a fastbreak layup from Dillon Claussen.
That surge flipped the momentum and gave Washburn a lead it would hold for the final 37 minutes.
The Ichabods shot 50 percent in the opening half and knocked down eight triples to build a 41-26 advantage at the break.
The second half was more of the same as Washburn opened with back-to-back transition buckets from Smith and Brady Christiansen, then extended the margin with a 7-0 spurt capped by a Marcus Glock 3-pointer.
The lead ballooned to 33 points in the final minutes, the Ichabods' largest cushion of the night.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn volleyball celebrates Saturday after earning a share of the MIAA regular-season championship in Whiting Fieldhouse. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn volleyball poses for a team picture after earning a share of the MIAA regular-season title Saturday at Whiting Fieldhouse. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]Washburn, which improved to 24-3 overall and 13-3 in the MIAA, breezed through the first two sets with 25-14 and 25-9 wins over the Lions. The Ichabods were slowed in the third set before pulling away late to sweep the Lions (13-16, 3-13) with a 25-23 win.
Shawnee Heights product Kali Henry (right) is congratulated by her Washburn teammates during a long service run in Saturday's 3-0 MIAA sweep over Arkansas-Fort Smith. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Prior to the match seniors Austin Broadie, Sydney Conner, Alex Dvorak, Kali Henry, Bella Limback and Corinna McMullen were recognized.
The Ichabods got to work right away in the first set, leading 8-3 after Limback and Natalie Hedlund combined for a block. Later on McMullen served an ace that capped off a 3-0 run to put Washburn up 18-10. The offense went on to hit .333 in the set as they eased to the 11-point first-set win.
After Arkansas-Fort Smith took the first point in the second set, the next seven came from the Ichabods with the run wrapped up on a kill by Broadie on a pass from McMullen. Shortly after that a 6-0 run pushed the lead to double figures at 14-3. Washburn led by as many as 16 points, including the final margin.
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