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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Top-ranked Washburn Rural edged No. 2 Manhattan for the team championship in the Class 6A boys wrestling regional at Wichita North Saturday, with the Junior Blues claiming five individual titles while qualifying 10 wrestlers for this weeks state tournament at Hartman Arena in Park City.
Returning Class 6A state champion Easton Broxterman will take a 34-1 record into this week's state tournament in Park City. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural sophomore Landen Kocher-Munoz will be shooting for his second straight Class 6A state title this week at Hartman Arena in Park City. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural, which took a 243-234 win over Manhattan in the regional team race, got regional titles from 132-pound junior Easton Broxterman (45-1), sophomore 138-pounder Landen Kocher-Munoz (33-4), freshman 144-pounder Brodye Kocher-Munoz (36-12), junior 150-pounder Kristjan Marshall (35-4) and senior 157-pounder Brody Bryne (33-3).
Broxterman, a returning state champion, earned a medical forfeit over Vicent Rosas of Maize in the championship match while returning state champ L. Kocher-Munoz took a 10-8 decision over Daniel Gomez of Maize, B. Kocher-Munoz took a 2-1 decision over Manhattan's Logan Lagerman, Marshall took a 4-2 overtime decision over Grayson Hagen of Free State and Byrne pinned Free State's Gabe Swoyer in 59 seconds.
Sophomore 126-pounder Cooper Stivers (9-2) and senior 165-pounder Chase Calhoon (25-13) also advanced to regional championship matches, finishing second.
The Junior Blues got fourth-place finishes from sophomore 106-pounder Ryder Harrison (43-12), junior 120-pounder Walker Doyal (26-21) and 175-pound freshman Jadyn Baum (29-18)
Topeka High finished 12th as a team with 50 points and qualified junior 150-pounder Rehabiah Williamson (38-9), who finished sixth, senior 120-pounder Elijah Elliot (17-13), who finished seventh, sophomore 157-pounder Brandon Blancas (18-12), who placed eighth, and junior 215-pounder Detrick Johnson (23-12), who took eighth.
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By KEVIN HASKIN
TopSports.news
Musings at the mid-month:
• What makes us different is the stories we share.
• Not a house, a car, a boat, a section of land or a vacation getaway with beach access. OK, that last one might defeat the purpose of this narrative.
• It’s still the stories we share and the people we count on as family and friends, peers and mentors.
• Sadly, though, too many can share stories of random, senseless gun violence.
• That list includes an estimated million or so who attended the Chiefs Super Bowl rally, including busloads of kids.
• The same kids who barely know how to open a milk carton before learning active shooter drills.
• It was kids, or juveniles as police called them, charged in the shooting that marred the Super Bowl parade through Kansas City.
• In the time it takes to squeeze a trigger, the shooting and our mortality dominated discussions far more than Patrick Mahomes’ talent and immortality.
• That will change. The Chiefs will take the field again. We’ll fill the same seats we customarily watch the game from.
• And, we’ll engage with a hardened resolve to unite and support the city, the region and its football dynasty.
• But damn, that shooting sucks. All of them do. And, with them all, regardless of the assailants or their motives (if any), comes a wave of reflection, sadness, grief, anger and blame.
• Action is necessary. To take it, start with this foundational element: murder is a crime and should not be condoned.
• Sadly, this is our America. It’s part of our routine conversation, and unfortunately, part of too many stories we share.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural senior stars Brogan Meier and Jack Miranda knew that Saturday was their final chance as high school swimmers to make a big splash in the pool they've grown up in.
Washburn Rural senior Brogan Meier posted first and second individual finishes and second and third-place relay finishes in Saturday's Class 6A state swimming championships. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Jack Miranda helped lead Rural to a tie for third in the team standings, posting an individual state title and a runnerup finish on Saturday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Meier and Miranda went out and took full advantage of that opportunity, capturing their first Class 6A state individual championships and adding a pair of runnerup individual finishes and a second-place relay finish to lead the way as Washburn Rural earned a third-place team trophy in a tie with Centennial League rival Manhattan at the Capitol Federal Natatorium.
"We're all really happy,'' Meier said. "I'm so happy to get third and share the trophy with Manhattan, they're like our rival team and if we're going to split it with anyone, that's the team. But at the same time, the competitive part of me is like .2 is the difference between splitting a trophy and owning it all to ourselves. We were that close. We were doing great all across the board.''
"It's super exciting and it's amazing to be able to compete at this level and firsts, seconds, right there, it's awesome,'' Miranda said.
Meier earned Rural's first title of the day with a win in the 50-yard freestyle in 21.41 seconds and a few events later Miranda joined Meier as a state champ with a dominating win in the 500 free in 4 minutes, 43.71 seconds.
"I was in disbelief when I won that,'' Miranda said. "Just the amount of excitement and the feeling you get from being able to take home that gold is just crazy.
"I was in shock. I was not expecting a 4:43 from that. The first 300 was pretty strong and then that last 200 I told myself, 'I'm going to push that last 200 as hard as I can,' and I gave it all I've got and I came out with first place.''
Meier added a second-place finish in the 100 butterfly (51.90) while Miranda was the runnerup in the 200 free (1:44.04) and Meier and Miranda teamed with fellow senior Will Powell and junior Luke Lemke to finish a close second to Blue Valley North in the meet-ending 400 free relay (3:13.16).
"Individually I don't think I could have done any better,'' said Meier, who was fighting through sickness at the state meet. "I think I went out and did the best I could.''
Washburn Rural seniors Brogan Meier (right) and Will Powell both earned four state medals in Saturday's Class 6A state championships at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Meier and Powell also teamed with senior Elijah Leenerts and freshman Daniel Allen to post a third-place finish in the 200 free relay (1:28.22) while Powell added a fourth-place finish in the 100 free (47.99) and a seventh in the 50 free (22.01) and Allen finished seventh in the 500 free (4:56.44).
It all added up to 200 team points and the third-place deadlock with Manhattan, which Rural had topped for the Centennial League championship a week earlier.
Meier and Miranda both earned first-team All-State recognition while Powell was a second-team pick.
Saturday's state meet capped Janson Garman's first season as the Junior Blues' head coach.
'"Our boys swam great,'' said Garman, a former state champ for Seaman. "I'm so proud of them. We talked about when we came into finals today that the main focus was just to race and boy, did they race. They raced their hearts out.
"I know there were some swims where we wished we could have done better today but the majority, which I'm proud of, were great swims, best swims and I couldn't have wrote it up any better.''
Topeka High junior diver Jaxon Cowdin posted a 12th-place state finish Saturday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High junior Jaxon Cowdin finished 12th in one-meter diving with a score of 351.30, accounting for all five of Topeka High's team points.
Shawnee Heights junior Truman Brede won the Class 5A-1A 'B' final in the 100 backstroke on Saturday. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Seaman's 400-yard free relay team won the 'B' final in the Class 5A-1A state meet Saturday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. [Photo by Seaman Athletics]
Brede, Seaman relay win 5A-1A consolation titles
Shawnee Heights junior Truman Brede captured the 'B' final win in the 100-yard backstroke in the 5A-1A state championships in Saturday's early session while Seaman won the consolation crown in the 400 free relay.
Brede clocked a winning time of 57.33 in the 100 back while the Viking foursome of freshman Kinser Barbosa, junior Jeremiah Moylan, junior Peyton Holmes and senior Jack Pekarek won the 'B' final in the 400 free relay in 3:29.64.
Seaman finished 14th in the 5A-1A team standings with 48 points while Shawnee Heights took 17th with 21 points.
CLASS 6A STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
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By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Hayden's boys basketball team hosted Topeka High Friday for its Senior Night contest, with both teams looking to end losing streaks and Hayden looking for its first win in 2024.
Senior Dom Ridley scored a game-high 15 points as Hayden snapped a 12-game losing streak with a 57-42 win over Topeka HIgh Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The game would start out in the Trojans' favor, with High going up 7-2 early in the first quarter before the Wildcats got going to take a 12-7 lead at the end of the first.
The Wildcats would not look back as they would go into halftime up 27-20 and would pull away to take a 57-42 Centennial League victory, snapping a 12-game losing streak with their first win since Dec. 20.
“It all means a lot,'' said Trey Brown, who notched his first Centennial League win as the Wildcats' coach "It’s a credit to all these guys and it's a credit to the seniors. We talked all week about playing for them and doing all that for them. It's their last time getting to step on the floor at home.
"I am super proud of these guys and their effort. It could have been easy, really easy, to quit and these guys stayed with it. The seniors played great tonight, they led the charge and everyone picked up their energy.”
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Silver Lake's boys rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to take a 52-46 Mid-East League road win at Rock Creek Friday night.
The Eagles trailed 30-22 at the half but outscored the Mustangs 17-6 in the third quarter to take a 39-36 lead into the fourth quarter.
Silver Lake outscored Rock Creek 13-10 in the fourth stanza to hold on for the win, avenging a 51-38 home loss to the Mustangs on Jan. 5.
Junior Brody Deiter led Silver Lake with 19 points, going 5 of 6 at the free throw line.
Elijah Lopez added 14 for the Eagles, who improved to 11-7 overall and 5-4 in the Mid-East.
Silver Lake will travel to Royal Valley on Tuesday before hosting Wabaunsee on Thursday.
Senior Makenzie McDaniel scored 28 points for Silver Lake in the Eagles' 66-33 win over Rock Creek Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
McDaniel's 28 points leads Silver Lake girls to 66-33 romp past Rock Creek
Emporia State signee Makenzie McDaniel scored 28 points to lead the way as undefeated and top-ranked (Class 3A) Silver Lake rolled to a 66-33 Mid-East League win at Rock Creek Friday night.
Silver Lake, which improved to 18-0 overall and 9-0 in the Mid-East League, took control with a 27-8 first quarter and led 48-14 at the half and 64-25 at the start of the fourth quarter, forcing a running clock over the final eight minutes.
Senior McKinley Kruger added 16 points for Silver Lake while senior Kaylee Deiter finished with 11.
