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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Four city players earned first-team recognition on the All-Centennial League baseball team, including three players from Class 6A state qualifier Topeka High.
Topeka High junior pitcher Nate Plankinton was named to the All-Centennial League first team after helping lead the Trojans to a Class 6A state tournament berth. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka High junior Isaiah Kincade (21) earned All-Centennial League first team honors for the 16-7 Trojans. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka High senior Elijah Kincade (32) has been named to the All-Centennial League first team after helping the Trojans reach the Class 6A state tournament. [File photo//TSN]
Hayden sophomore Cooper Grace earned a berth on the All-Centennial League first team. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka High put juniors Nate Plankinton and Isaiah Kincade and senior Elijah Kincade on the the 11-member first team, selected by league coaches, after the Trojans posted a 16-7 record and earned their first trip to state in more than seven decades.
Hayden, which went 11-6 on the season, is represented on the first team by sophomore Cooper Grace.
Topeka High is represented on the second team by junior Matt Genrich while Hayden put seniors Konnor Becker and Jackson Summers on the second team and Washburn Rural put junior Kyle Walker, senior Zach Sharshel, sophomore Sam Bettis and senior Ty Weber on the second 11.
Hayden senior Braydn Rose and Washburn Rural seniors Dayten Smoot, Aiden Rea and Kaleb Wellshear earned all-league honorable mention.
Centennial League champion Manhattan, which put a league-high five players on the first team, swept the individual awards.
Manhattan senior Kyler Horsman was named the league player of the year while junior Jake Wolcott was named the newcomer of the year and Don Hess the coach of the year.
ALL-CENTENNIAL LEAGUE BASEBALL
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Saturday was a special day all the way through for Hayden's boys track team at Cessna Stadium, but the Wildcats saved their best for last, setting a meet record in their final event of the day.
Hayden junior Finn Dunshee (left) crosses the finish line with the Class 4A state championship in the 100-meter dash. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Hayden's Jake Muller (right) and Eudora's Conor Dunback run virtually even late in the Class 4A 300-meter hurdles event Saturday at Cessna Stadium. Muller won the state title in 38.41 seconds. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Hayden sophomore Jensen Schrickel celebrates the Wildcats' victory at the end of Saturday night's Class 4x400 relay at Cessna Stadium. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
The Wildcats got individual Class 4A state championships from senior Jake Muller and junior Finn Dunshee, who also teamed with sophomores Jensen Schrickel and Liam Stegman to add a pair of relay wins as Hayden posted a top-five team finish.
Dunshee set the tone for the day when he was the top qualifier in the 4A 100-meter dash and followed that up with his first state championship in a time of 10.84 seconds.
"Based off my first run in our prelims I felt pretty good,'' Dunshee said. "I knew if I went out there and ran my race -- just didn't fall out of the blocks or false start -- I had an OK chance but it was my first time in the finals of the 100 so anything can happen.''
Dunshee was competing in his second state meet, making it to state as a freshman before spending his sophomore year at St. Martin's Academy in Fort Scott to play rugby.
"I'm definitely a lot faster than I was so I knew I had a better chance of doing something good,'' Dunshee said. "I think I was a lot more confident. This felt great.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- It's not really a secret that Highland Park senior star Tre Richardson has never been a big fan of track and field.
In fact, he considers track his No. 4 sport behind football, basketball and baseball.
Highland Park senior Tre Richardson (center) won the Class 5A boys 100-meter dash Saturday at Cessna Stadium, the first of his two state titles on the day. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Highland Park senior Tre Richardson won the Class 5A long jump, finished second in the triple jump and scored 33 total points in the state meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But like the sport or not, Richardson will be remembered as one of Highland Park's all-time greats track greats after capping his final appearance with a pair of state titles, a second-place finish and an injury-affected fourth in the Class 5A state meet at Cessna Stadium.
Richardson was a multiple-time state medalist for the third straight season and a state champ for the second straight year.
Richardson scored 33 points on the weekend, outscoring 22 other 5A schools that cracked the scoring column by himself as HIghland Park finished ninth as a team.
"I took my senior season out good,'' Richardson said
After finishing second to Topeka West's Alesecio Batson in Friday's triple jump with a best of 46 feet, 5.75 inches, Richardson won the 100-meter dash in 10.73 seconds and the long jump at 23-4.50 before limping to a fourth-place finish in the 200 in 22.49 on Saturday.
"I hurt myself doing long jump earlier on my last jump, pulled my groin,'' Richardson said. "That's why I didn't use blocks to get down. I just did enough to get in the top places.''
Richardson still threatened to win the event until coming up short at the end
"Without the injury I feel like I would have had three golds, one silver,'' said Richardson, who won the 200 in 2022.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Obviously, Shawnee Heights junior distance star Jackson Esquibel went into Friday night's Class 5A boys 3,200 meters run thinking about what a state championship would mean to him.
Shawnee Heights junior Jackson Esquibel flashes the No. 1 sign as he crosses the finish line for the Class 5A 3,200 meters state championship Friday night at Cessna Stadium. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Shawnee Heights junior Jackson Esquibel and Topeka West senior Lenny Njoroge run with the leaders on the way to a one-two finish in the Class 5A boys 3,200 meters Friday night. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But Esquibel was also thinking about setting a good example for the entire Shawnee Heights track and field team.
"I've had a lot of teammates who have called me a leader on the team and I really wanted to give a good performance to start off state,'' Esquibel said.
Esquibel did that and then some, winning his first state title in a personal-record time of 9 minutes, 18.67 seconds as Esquibel and friendly city rival Lenny Njoroge of Topeka West posted a one-two finish.
"My goal was to break my PR, which was 9:25,'' Esquibel said. "I've had some struggles PRing in the two-mile this year so I really focused on this race being a race that I could get out quick, not get boxed in and give myself my best chance and I got it done. Thank goodness!''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After a tough 1-0 semifinal loss to eventual Class 6A state champion Mill Valley on Friday, Washburn Rural soccer ended its ninth straight trip to the 6A Final Four with Saturday's 4-1 win over Centennial League rival Manhattan in the third-place game at the Stryker Complex.
Washburn Rural senior Mackinly Rohn (center) is congratulated by her teammates after scoring the game's first goal in Saturday's 4-1 win over Manhattan in the Class 6A third-place game. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
"Our goal every year is to be in the Final Four and just lay it on the line,'' Washburn Rural coach Brian Hensyel said. "(Friday night) we played one of the best teams in the state, Mill Valley, and went toe to toe with them. They found a way to get a goal and we didn't. We have nothing to be ashamed of.
"You want to finish your season on a win. We've been lucky enough to come here and win a game each time for a long time. We'll keep knocking on the door and hopefully in the next few years we'll kick it down and get a first place. But I'm proud that they came back today and got a win against our rival."
