- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's men's basketball team scored a whopping 98 points, including 25 from Ichabod standout Andrew Orr.
But Washburn's work on the defensive end might have been the biggest bright spot in Saturday afternoon's 98-50 non-conference romp past Avila at Lee Arena.
Washburn junior Andrew Orr, working inside against Avila Saturday, scored a game-high 25 points in the Ichabods' 98-50 win. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn went into Saturday's game allowing 77.2 points per game, including 76 points in Tuesday's 97-76 win over Ottawa.
But Brett Ballard's 4-2 Ichabods wrapped up their non-conference slate with by far their stingiest defensive outing of the year, allowing 16 fewer points than they had in any of their previous five games.
"This team was similar to Ottawa and we knew that coming into today, so we knew that if we wanted to have the confidence that we needed to go play Emporia State (on Saturday), we needed to hold (Avila) to a very low number and 50 is a pretty low number in an entire basketball game,'' Orr said.
"At Washburn Ballard loves defense, so as long as we can keep our defensive pressure on, that's really what matters.''
- Details
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Hayden football team ran into tough sledding against the Cheney Cardinals and fell 34-7 in the Wildcats’ bid for a 3A championship Saturday in Hutchinson.
Hayden sophomore quarterback Connor Hanika loses the handle on a slick football as he attempts a pass in Saturday's 34-7 loss to Cheney in the Class 3A state championship game. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Hayden sophomore Logan Saenz (18) tackles a Cheney ball-carrier in Saturday's Class 3A state championship game at Hutchinson. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
With the Gowans Stadium field at Hutchinson Community College blanketed with several inches of snow, Hayden was unable to tap into its diverse bag of offensive tricks and failed to match the handful of big plays mustered by Cheney.
Hayden kept the game tight for three quarters, trailing just 13-7. But the Cardinals took command with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
“It was just a tough day. We didn’t make the plays when we had our opportunities,” Hayden coach Bill Arnold said. “Cheney is a good team. I’m not going to take anything away from them whatsoever. They did a good job offensively, but at the same time, we missed some opportunities out there.
“It would have been nice if we could have utilized our speed a little bit more today. But it was tough getting your footing out here. The kids battled, but it just wasn’t our day.”
Hayden senior Finn Dunshee (33) follows Jude Konrade (52) in Saturday's Class 3A championship game. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Hayden senior Jensen Schrickel looks for running room in Saturday's Class 3A championship game at Hutchinson. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Hayden senior Finn Dunshee and junior Jensen Schrickel, track stars who provided explosive plays for the Wildcats all season, were both bogged down by the snow. Dunshee amassed just 55 total yards on 16 touches while Schrickel was limited to 27 yards on seven touches.
“Any advantage of speed that we had, we lost,” Dunshee said. “It really leveled the playing field. Our line is a lot smaller than (Cheney’s) and they are a great team. We were both dealing with (the snow), so you can’t just blame it on that.”
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden boys basketball coach Trey Brown has yet to see his entire Wildcat team for preseason practice.
But while Brown could use that practice time to get ready for his first season at Hayden, it's a situation that he would be happy to deal with each and every year.
First-year Hayden boys basketball coach Trey Brown talks to his team during a preseason practice. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And when Brown does get his full team in the gym, probably early next week, he's counting on the Wildcats coming in with a great mindset after their run to the Class 3A state championship game in football.
"I'd probably say about 75 percent of our guys are still in football, which is a good thing at the end of the day,'' said Brown, a former multi-sport athlete himself at Shawnee Heights. "I know they've got a big senior class and a lot of those guys play basketball so just getting to experience the run in football that they've had and all of that, I think it will just bring them closer together for basketball and it will be the same thing, that they'll expect to win and compete at a high level.''
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Football coaches are always quick to preach the next-man-up philosophy to their teams while hoping they rarely have to use it.
But due to a rash of key injuries, Hayden coach Bill Arnold and his staff have had to rely on that next man up time and time and time again this fall, and it's a major reason why the Wildcats will take a perfect 12-0 record into Saturday's 12 p.m. Class 3A state championship game against 12-0 Cheney at Hutchinson's Gowans Stadium.
Hayden coach Bill Arnold, who has a career coaching record of 211-65, talks to Wildcat sophomore quarterback Connor Hanika during last Friday's 42-14 Class 3A semifinal win over Holton. [File photo/TSN]
"I would classify this group as very resilient,'' Hayden coach Bill Arnold said. "They've really bought into the next-guy-up mentality.
"We didn't really change a lot of guys' positioning. It was just the next guy that was on the depth chart was the one that stepped in and everybody just kind of pulled together and played.''
Hayden played without star senior running back Finn Dunshee for a full five games while the Wildcats also lost senior lineman Doug Peterson, senior receiver/defensive back Cooper Colboch and starting junior quarterback Jett Wahlmeier and sophomore linebacker Jackson McGivern missed the entire season.
But in the wake of the injuries, Arnold said the Wildcats did a great job of coming together and continuing to get the job done.
"They've just been real resilient in terms of coming to work every day and getting better,'' Arnold said.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West interim girls basketball coach Angie Ketterman is playing catch-up after being tapped to take over the program about two weeks before the start of preseason practice.
But very few people know Topeka West better than Ketterman, and the veteran coach will count on that institutional and athletic knowledge to make up for lost time.
Zoe Clark (35), a four-year varsity player and second-team All-Shawnee County pick last season, will be counted on to provive leadership for Topeka West's girls basketball team. [File photo/TSN]
Ketterman is a Topeka West graduate and played and served as an assistant coach for West coaching legend Mike Goehring and was on the staff of former Charger coach Becky Svaty while also serving as the Chargers' head softball coach.
The goal now for Ketterman, West's third head coach since March, is to provide some stability for the Chargers.
Jeff Skar resigned following the 2022-2023 season and his replacement, Brent Reese-Hackett, was relieved of his duties last month for undisclosed reasons after being named as Skar's successor in July.
West's administration quickly turned to Ketterman to get things back on an even keel for the West program.
"I was open to it,'' Ketterman said. "Svaty contacted me and then Laura Nichols (a former West coach and current administrator) did,'' Ketterman said. "They said, 'You've got the weekend to decide.'
"It took me about 24 hours and I'm like, 'Let's do it.' ''
