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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No question, these are tough times for Topeka West's football program, with the Chargers 0-5 after an 84-14 home United Kansas Conference loss to Lansing Thursday night at Hummer Sports Park.
But after a long wait to get on the field for the Chargers, West wide receiver/defensive back Josh Nitschke is determined to make the most of his time at Topeka West.
"I moved in from East Texas,'' Nitschke said. "I moved here last year but my transcripts didn't go through from Texas, so I wasn't allowed to play but I did play (junior varsity) and I had a little bit of fun down there.''
Nitschke is finally getting his chance to play varsity football for West this fall and has been a definite bright spot for Trey Parker's Chargers.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman's volleyball team improved to 20-4 on the season Thursday night, sweeping a non-league dual at Hayden.
The Vikings topped the Wildcats, 25-16, 25-11, 25-16.
Hayden fell to 8-16 on the season with the loss to Seaman, fourth in the Class 5A state tournament the past two seasons.
Hayden will compete in the Centennial League tournament on Saturday at Manhattan.
Seaman will return to action next Tuesday, facing United Kansas Conference foes De Soto and Leavenworth in a triangular at De Soto.
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Hayden and Seaman battled for 100 minutes on the Seaman soccer pitch Thursday night, both leaving with a 1-1 tie and thoughts of what might have been.
Seaman scratched out a 1-0 lead with three minutes left in the first half. A couple of Viking seniors teamed up for the game’s first goal, with Phoenix Cannon passing to Jace Brake, who managed to out-maneuver a defender and punch a shot past the Hayden goalkeeper.
But while the Vikings had the lead and some momentum to finish the first half, they felt they had let an opportunity slip away.
“We found a goal and we had opportunities to go up two, three to zero. It kind of felt like we left a win on the table tonight,” Seaman coach Tim Nussbaum said. “A tie’s a decent result, but I feel like we should have done better tonight.”
Hayden coach Klaus Kreutzer praised the Wildcats for responding to the Seaman goal.
“That was tough because I thought we played a good first half, but we just had that one hiccup,” Kreutzer said. “To (the Hayden players’) credit, they kept their poise and stayed after it.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
From Day 1 after he was named head football coach at Topeka West, Trey Parker has preached positivity and emphasized that the Chargers need to appreciate each and every step they take, no matter how small.
And though it may been been hard for anyone looking at Thursday's 84-14 United Kansas Conference loss to Lansing and glean anything positive, Parker said there were bright spots the winless Chargers can take from that rout, particularly in the second half, as they move forward.
"We were down on the scoreboard, but I definitely saw that fight in the second half that I was looking for,'' Parker said. "That's what I always preach to these guys, that we know it's a long road ahead of us, but we just have to continue to fight.
"We can't give up. I tell them all the time, 'You either fight or you lay down,' and we definitely fought in that second half so I'm proud of that.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University soccer will take a six-match winning streak into its second consecutive weekend of home matches, with the Ichabods hosting Rogers State on Friday and Northeastern State on Sunday at Yager Stadium.
The Ichabods, who have won six straight games for the first time since 2008, will face Rogers State at 6 p.m. on Friday and Northeastern State on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Washburn is 7-1-0 on the 2023 season after posting an 11-6-2 record, when the Ichabods finished sixth in the MIAA.
Two wins this week would give WU the longest winning streak in program history.