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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news will post preview stories for all 10 Shawnee County high school football programs over the coming days, leading into the opening games of the 2025 season on Sept. 4 and 5.
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After starting the 2024 football season with three nailbiting losses, perennial state power Rossville reeled off eight straight wins to reach the Class 1A semifinals before seeing its season end in a 22-9 loss to Centralia.
And although veteran coach Derick Hammes was proud of the 8-4 Bulldawgs' impressive turnaround last fall, he also knows that anything less than playing for a state title is a disappointment for a program that has won five state championships since 2014.
Derick Hammes has led Rossville football to a 114-28 record and five state championships. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"It was disappointing because here, with our expectations, we fell short,'' Hammes said. "But I think the returners that we have got a taste of that and I think they want to make right on the opportunity that they missed.
"That's how it is here and our expectations are always high.''
Rossville, which is 114-28 under Hammes, would appear to have the pieces in place to make another deep playoff run, with the Bulldawgs returning TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 pick Conner Bush (senior running back/defensive back) and All-Shawnee County Second 22 honorees Jack Donovan (senior wide receiver/defensive back) and Andre Johnson (senior running back/linebacker) to build around.
Other players expected to make a major contribution this fall include seniors Caleb Lehman (offensive/defensive line), Canann Mitchell (quarterback/defensive back) and Cameron Miller (wide receiver/defensive back) and juniors Charlie Chance (offensive/defensive line), Cael Horgan (linebacker) and Easton Webb (offensive/defensive line).
Senior Canann Mitchell is slated to take over as Rossville's quarterback this fall. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Mitchell is expected to take over as the Bulldawgs' starting quarterback this fall after backing up All-Shawnee County Top 22 pick Tayson Horak last season.
"Mitchell established himself pretty early in the summer and I would say with Canann, he was neck and neck with Tayson last year and it was a hard decision and it very well could have been him,'' Hammes said. "Tayson went on to have the year like he had and that probably means Canann's a pretty good ballplayer because it was neck and neck through camp.''
A focus in preseason will be to rebuild an offensive line that was hit hard by graduation.
"I would call our offensive line a work in progress,'' Hammes said. "We graduated all five of our offensive linemen that started last year in that sub-state game. A couple of the guys, however, that we're trying to plug in got game experience and starting experience, so it's not like we're going from scratch.
"That part for us is something that we're continuing to work on and it's got to get better and when those kids develop then I think that this team will start to progress.''
The storied Rossville-Silver Lake "War on 24'' will kick off the season for the Bulldawgs and Eagles for the second straight year, with Rossville hosting Silver Lake on Sept. 5.
"I like it,'' Hammes said. "We're going to get an opening day and then we're going to get a big game on top of it with that rivalry.
"I really thinks it helps kids focus during the summer and the summer program for everybody's so important. So, if you have a little extra motivation to get you through those summer months, I think it's a good thing.''
ROSSVILLE
2025 football schedule
September -- 5 Silver Lake, 12 at St. Marys, 19 Nemaha Central, 26 at Maranatha Christian Academy.
October -- 3 Mission Valley, 10 at Cair Paravel Latin (Washburn), 17 at Olpe, 24 Wabaunsee.
Next up: Seaman.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Washburn University volleyball was picked to finish third in the 2025 MIAA Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll released by the conference on Friday morning.
Washburn volleyball was picked third in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, released Friday by the conference office. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Coming off a 21-8 season that included an 11-5 MIAA regular-season record, the Ichabods received 98 total points in the preseason poll.
Washburn finished fourth in the 2024 regular season and fell in the MIAA Tournament quarterfinals before ultimately advancing to the NCAA Central Region Semifinals.
Nebraska-Kearney leads the pack among the coaches with 119 total points and nine of 12 first-place votes.
Central Oklahoma was picked second, receiving the final three first-place votes and earning 111 total points.
Rounding out the top five behind Washburn are Missouri Western with 96 points and Central Missouri with 73.
Washburn will begin the season on September 5 at the Oredigger Volleyball Classic in Golden, Colo.
The first MIAA match will come on Sept. 26 against Northwest Missouri State inside of Whiting Fieldhouse at 6 p.m.
2025 MIAA VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON RANKINGS
1. Nebraska Kearney [9] - 119 points
2. Central Oklahoma [3] - 111 points
3. Washburn - 98 points
4. Missouri Western - 96 points
5. Central Missouri - 73 points
T6. Emporia State - 69 points
T6. Northwest Missouri - 69 points
8. Fort Hays State - 45 points
9. Pittsburg State - 43 points
10. Arkansas-Fort Smith - 35 points
11. Missouri Southern - 23 points
12. Newman - 12 points
[#] - Number of First Place Votes
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Local sports greats Jerad Head, Trey Lewis, Brenda Stolle, Duane Zlatnik and the late Bob Davis will be inducted into the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame on Monday, September 15, at Washburn University.
The Topeka Area Sports Commission will host the 20th annual Topeka Shawnee County Hall of Fame induction ceremony from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Washburn's Memorial Union.
"The Topeka Area Sports Commission is proud to continue the tradition of the Hall of Fame,'' said Mike Bell, executive director of the Topeka Area Sports Commission. "We are very proud to celebrate the achievements of these athletes during their career and look forward to honoring athletes in future years as they are enshrined in this Hall of Fame.''
Head was a multi-sport star at Hayden and Washburn University before embarking on a long career in professional baseball, including a Major League stint with the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians).
Lewis was a standout at Washburn Rural and earned NCAA Division II All-America honors as a defensive lineman before being drafted by the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons.
Stolle, a Silver Lake graduate, was a standout pitcher for the Emporia State softball team from 1979-81. During that time, she guided the Hornets to a national championship in 1980 and a second-place finish in 1981.
Zlatnik was a star lineman and three-time state wrestling champion at Rossville before becoming a three-year starter in the offensive line for the University of Kansas.
A Topeka West graduate, Davis carved out a legendary broadcasting career, including long stints for the University of Kansas and the Kansas City Royals.
The 2025 Hall of Fame event will feature a luncheon followed by the official program.
Established in 2006, the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame continues its mission to preserve and honor the legacies of those who have significantly advanced athletics in Shawnee County.
Community members, sports fans and supporters are invited to attend and celebrate this year's class of inductees. Tickets are available now and can by purchased at https://bit.ly/Top-SNCO-SportsHallOfFame.
Hall of Fame Class of 2025 capsules:
Jerad Head
JERAD HEAD
Head earned All-Class 4A honors in football, basketball and baseball at Hayden and played basketball and baseball at Washburn University before being signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Cleveland Indians in 2006.
Head was promoted to the majors on August 28, 2011 and played in 10 games as a left fielder and pinch hitter.
Head also played Minor League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers and Washington Nationals organizations before ending his playing career in 2013.
He was named as manager of the Auburn Doubledays of the Class A Short Season New York-Penn League in 2016 and managed through 2018.
Trey Lewis
TREY LEWIS
After graduating from Washburn Rural, Lewis played for the Washburn Ichabod football team from 2003-06 as a defensive lineman and became the first Ichabod to be named to the Associated Press Little All-American team since 1963. Lewis was also named to the American Football Coaches Association All-American team after recording 62 tackles as a senior with 36 solo stops, 10 tackles for loss and four sacks.
Lewis finished his career at Washburn with 156 total tackles, including 68 solo stops, 23 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. Lewis was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the 6th round as the 185th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.
He played from 2007-11 for the Falcons, appearing in 31 games.
Brenda Stolle
BRENDA STOLLE
A Silver Lake native, Stolle was a standout pitcher for the Emporia State softball team from 1979-81. Stolle led the Hornets to a national championship in 1980 and a second-place finish in 1981. Her career pitching record was 66-15, and she picked up six saves during her career.
During the 1980 championship season, Stolle compiled an 0.33 earned run average. She received numerous honors, including all-American honors twice, NAIA most valuable player in 1981, and Kansas Female Athlete of the Year from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Stolle was the first female ever inducted into the Emporia State Athletic Hall of Honor in 1988 and was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
Duane Zlatnik
DUANE ZLATNIK
Zlatnik starred in football and wrestling at Rossville before becoming a three-year starter in the offensive line at Kansas.
Zlatnik was a three-time state wrestling champion for the Bulldawgs and finished his career with a 148-13 record and a school-record 110 pins. He was a two-time All-Stater and Kansas Shrine Bowl pick in football.
Zlatnik was an All-Big 12 honoree for the Jayhawks and made 27 consecutive starts at right and left guard.
He is currently an assistant football and wrestling coach at Washburn Rural.
Bob Davis
BOB DAVIS (Inducted posthumously)
A Topeka West graduate, Davis passed away on March 20 at the age of 80 after a legendary career in sports broadcasting.
Davis was the "Voice of the Jayhawks" for more than 30 years before retiring in 2016. Davis called eight KU trips to the Final Four, six football bowl games, including the 2008 Orange Bowl, and thousands of regular-season basketball and football games. Davis was also on the call for the 1988 and 2008 men's basketball national championship victories. In 1997 Davis joined the Kansas City Royals, calling games for radio and television for the franchise for 16 years.
A 48-year veteran of broadcasting in the state of Kansas, Davis was born in Iola and grew up in Topeka, where he graduated from West in 1962. Davis stayed in Topeka to attend Washburn, where he graduated in 1967 with a degree in history.
Davis is a member of numerous Halls of Fame, including the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news will post preview stories for all 10 Shawnee County high school football programs over the coming days, leading into the opening games of the 2025 season on Sept. 4 and 5.
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The Highland Park football program that suffered through an eight-year, 65-game losing streak just a few years back doesn't exist anymore.
Jermaine Monroe's Highland Park football team will be aiming for its fourth straight winning season this fall after snapping an eight-year losing streak in 2022. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
After Jermaine Monroe's Scots finally tasted victory in 2022 on the way to a breakout 6-3 campaign, Highland Park has followed that up with 7-3 and 6-3 campaigns the past two seasons and is setting its sights on continuing its impressive turnaround this fall.
"I think we're a program now and I think people in the city look forward to us competing and being successful,'' Monroe said. "I think we are in a situation where guys step on the field expecting to win and they're stepping on the field expecting to compete.
"And one thing, especially with this group, I've never seen these guys quit and that's one thing that I can respect.''
Highland Park begins the 2025 season with a wealth of experience, including eight players who received All-Meadowlark Conference recognition a year ago.
Senior wide receiver/defensive back Tremaine Savage (5-foot-11, 170 pounds) earned first-team All-Meadowlark Conference honors for the second straight season in 2024 while junior offensive/defensive lineman Tayseaun Rouser (6-3, 250) and senior offensive/defensive lineman Andres Ochoa-Perez (5-10, 260) were also first-team all-conference picks.
Junior running back G'Honi Montgomery (5-10, 180) was a second-team All-Meadowlark pick a year ago while senior quarterback Dontrail Fox (6-3, 175), junior wide receiver/defensive back JoJo Kingcannon (5-10, 180), senior running back/defensive back Genesis Cooper (5-9, 185) and senior defensive end Philiciono Rice (6-1, 190) all received all-conference honorable mention.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news will post preview stories for all 10 Shawnee County high school football programs over the coming days, leading into the opening games of the 2025 season on Sept. 4 and 5.
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A lot of Kansas high school football programs -- actually the vast majority of them -- would be downright giddy if they were able to play for state championships in back-to-back seasons.
But there's no giddiness in the Hayden camp ... only determination.
Veteran Hayden football coach Bill Arnold talks to his team during Monday's season-opening practice. {Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Wildcats won a pair of undefeated Class 4A titles under Tom Stringer in 1998 and 2004 and have continued to be a perennial state power in Bill Arnold's 18 years (19th season this fall) at the Hayden helm, including a 4A crown in 2008.
But there have also been numerous near-misses, including losses to Cheney and Andale in the past two 3A title games, and those are the games that stick in the crawl of Arnold, who has a 222-68 career coaching record,
"You watch on ESPN and you see the Buffalo Bills going to the Super Bowl all the time and never winning it,'' Arnold said. "Well, we have won it before, but we've only won it once (the 2008 title) and we've got five kissing your sister trophies in my office and I'm tired of looking at them,'' he said. "But everything's got to fall into place.''
Hayden went 11-2 last season, including a 36-19 loss to Andale in the state final, and returns a wealth of experience to build around this fall.
"We have experience,'' Arnold said. "This senior class has been playing since they were sophomores, most of them, and they should know what to expect. Athletically, they're very talented, but it's like I told them, they can't do it by themselves. It takes a whole squad.''
"We lost a three-year starter at quarterback (Jett Wahlmeier). We lost a four-year starter at corner and wide receiver and probably one of the most prolific kids that we've had since I've been here in (Jensen) Schrickel. But at the same time I think we've got guys that we can fill the spots in and go with it.''
Headlining the list of Wildcat returners are senior running back/defensive back Kade Mitchell (5-foot-10, 175 pounds) and senior fullback/linebacker Jude Krentz (5-10, 200), who were both TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 honors last season.
