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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman cross country standout Ryin Miller turned in an oustanding freshman season last fall, capped by a fifth-place finish in the Class 5A state meet.
Miller has served notice over the first two meets that her 2023 season could be even better.
Seaman sophomore Ryin Miller demolished her own school record by nearly 40 seconds as she won Saturday's Joe Schrag Invitational by more than two minutes. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
After finishing second in the season-opening Manhattan Invitational, MIler posted a dominating performance in Saturday's Topeka West Joe Schrag Invitational at Kanza Park, repeating as the individual champion by more than two minutes while also helping the Vikings repeat as team champions.
Miller dominated Saturday's race from the opening gun en route to breaking her own Seaman five-kilometer record by almost 40 seconds in a time of 17 minutes, 41.04 seconds while winning the race by just over two minutes and eight seconds.
"Last year I ran a 5:20 (first mile) when I got my school record and I wanted to get under that so I was trying to go out hard so I could be under that and then hopefully that would boost my confidence for the rest of the race and it definitely did,'' Miller said.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After ending Friday's Washburn Invitational slate with a dramatic five-set comeback victory over Oklahoma Baptist, the No. 17-ranked Washburn volleyball team rode that momentum to a 3-0 sweep over No. 25 Harding on Saturday, completing a perfect 4-0 record over the three-day event at Lee Arena.
Topekan Brooklyn Lassiter puts away a kill during Saturday's Washburn volleyball sweep over Harding. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn coach Chris Herron said that Friday's comeback win against OBU provided a big momentum boost for the Ichabods on Saturday.
"That was huge,'' Herron said. "Let's be honest, because if you lose that in three or you lose it in five, then you've got the negative vibe about it and it's tough to get up for that next one.
"A great weekend for us. Everybody got to play and contribute and I'm excited about some of the young kids, and now the conference starts.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural improved to 2-0 on the season Friday night with a 28-14 non-league decision over De Soto at Bowen-Glaze Stadium.
Washburn Rural senior Packson Bettis (right) celebrates a tackle for a loss in Rural's 28-14 non-league win over De Soto. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural junior Lafayette Thompson rushed for more than 100 yards and scored two touchdowns in the Junior Blues' 28-14 win over DeSoto. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
The Junior Blues and Wildcats were knotted at 7-7 at the end of the first quarter before Rural opened up a 21-7 advantage at the half while taking advantage of two De Soto turnovers.
De Soto cut its deficit to 21-14 early in the fourth quarter before Washburn Rural added an insurance TD.
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Highland Park held off a comeback by Kansas City-Schlagle to preserve a 32-26 Meadowlark Conference victory at Hummer Sports Park and improve to 2-0.
The Scots shook off a 12-6 deficit, scoring twice late in the second quarter to go to intermission leading 18-12. After posting 14 points in the third quarter to lead 32-12, the Scots faced a threat late.
Highland Park junior Jamon Wilson scored three touchdowns to help lead the Scots to a 32-26 Meadowlark Conference win over KC-Schlagle. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
A fourth-quarter rally brought the Stallions back to within striking distance at 32-26 with 17.9 seconds left.
A wild scramble for an onsides kick ultimately resulted with the Scots in possession of the ball and a kneel down gave the Scots their second victory of the season.
“I love how our guys stayed focused and stayed resilient,” Highland Park coach Jermaine Monroe said. “We never really panicked. As long as we’re in arms reach, we’re going to keep working hard.”
Perhaps the turning point of the game occurred late in the third quarter when the Stallions, having driven the ball 71 yards in 10 plays, fumbled at the Highland Park 1- yard-line.
Instead of cutting into the Scots’ 26-12 lead, Schlagle relinquished the ball.
Two plays later, Highland Park’s Jamon Wilson took a short pass and raced 75 yards for a touchdown.
“That was big,” Monroe said. “I just wanted to get the ball in Jamon’s hands on a bubble screen and he made one guy miss and he was gone because they stacked the box and sent three linebackers on that play.”
Wilson added two more touchdowns on the ground. His 104 yards on seven carries and 127 yards on three receptions gave him 231 total yards from scrimmage on just 11 touches.
Having suffered through an 0-9 freshman season, the junior Wilson knows how bleak the recent history of the Highland Park program was.
“That’s definitely over,” Wilson said. “The program has been completely changed around, honestly. All that losing is over. That’s in the past.”
“We’re in a position where we’re used to winning. Our mindset is winning,” said third-year coach Monroe, who guided the Scots to a 6-3 mark a year ago. “The whole culture has changed…the way we work out, the way we practice, the way we approach games, the way we approach difficult situations. We don’t take it hard. We keep calm and focus on the next play.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden was good in last week's season-opener, rolling to a 34-point road win over traditional small-school power Olpe.
Bill Arnold's Wildcats were even better in Friday night's home opener, taking control early on the way to a 56-7 win over eight-time state champion Silver Lake.
Hayden senior Finn Dunshee rushed for 154 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Wildcats' 56-7 win over Silver Lake. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Hayden senior Jude Konrade picked up a Silver Lake fumble and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown in Friday's 56-7 Wildcat win. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"It's a good win, Silver Lake's a good team,'' Arnold said. "They've got a storied tradition over there and they expect to win each and every time they go out and I'm just real proud of our guys and the effort they put out tonight.
"I thought our execution and our pad level was no much better than a week ago. Silver Lake spreads you across the field and I thought we did a pretty good job of tackling in the open field tonight.''
The Wildcats scored on their first five offensive possessions of the first half and also threw in a defensive touchdown to open up a commanding 42-0 advantage with 3:29 left in the half before Arnold made wholesale changes for Hayden's final drive of the half.
Hayden senior Jude Konrade (52) is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a defensive touchdown in Friday's 56-7 win over Silver Lake. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Hayden senior star Finn Dunshee scored the Wildcats' first two touchdown of the night, on 7 and 56-yard runs, and the Wildcats made it 21-0 on a 17-yard run from sophomore Kade Mitchell before senior linebacker Jude Konrade made the score 28-0 after he scooped up a Silver Lake fumble and returned it 24 yards to paydirt with 4:17 left in the opening quarter.
