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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Topeka Area Football Coaches Association along with Rebound Sports Performance will host the annual Junior Day Combine on Tuesday, May 6, at Shawnee Heights for next year's seniors interested in playing football at the collegiate level.
The combine, scheduled for 4 to 5:30 p.m., will be an opportunity for area high school athletes to get exposure in front of college coaches.
There will be representatives from NCAA Division II, NAIA and junior college programs in Kansas and the Midwest area at the combine and prospect information and combine results will be available to every college that recruits the Topeka area.
Players need to bring running shoes, cleats and water.
The cost for attending the combine is $10 and can be paid the day of the combine (cash or check to TAFCA) .
If you are planning to attend the combine, please scan the completed registration form and email the information to Shawnee Heights football coach Jason Swift at
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By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Seaman girls soccer team – led by an assortment of multi-sport athletes – took down a depleted Cair Paravel team 8-0 in a shortened affair at the Bettis Family Sports Complex Tuesday.
After tallying four scores in the first half, the Vikings scored four more in rapid succession following the intermission. With 22:15 remaining in the second half, the mercy rule was invoked, giving Seaman its sixth win of the season.
The Vikings are led by a number of athletes who have experienced great success in other sports. Having placed second in the Class 5A volleyball and basketball tournaments this school year, Seaman knows a thing or two about winning.
Anna Becker (9) and Ryin Miller are part of a large group of multi-sport athletes who are playing a major role for the Seaman soccer team, which shut out Cair Paravel 8-0 Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]tg
Utilizing multi-sport athletes is both a blessing and a curse, Seaman coach Kyle Seevers said.
“They’ve all chosen track, basketball, volleyball, whatever,” said Seevers. “But they still love (soccer) so when they come out here, it’s like every year we wait … as soon as basketball is over, we can have all our players. But they are a lot of fun because they compete at the highest level at everything they do.”
Seevers said he has to be patient with players who have put so much into other sports throughout the school year. By the time they arrive on the soccer field, their skills aren’t sharp, and they are worn down by the intensity of competition.
“Our practice may not always be crisp. But when the whistle blows, they’re going to give it their all,” Seevers said. “I could get upset with it, but then we wouldn’t have some of the best athletes (go out for soccer).”
“It’s kind of preached at our school that we want to have multi-sport athletes and that’s a good thing,” said senior Anna Becker, who is committed to play basketball at Drake University. “We have a lot of athletic girls, and I think at our school we know how to win. So, it helps having that core of a lot of different girls who play different sports.”
Seevers said Seaman banks on significant improvement throughout the course of the soccer season as the players regain their touch and feel for the game. The Vikings advanced to the 5A state quarterfinals last year with many of the same players.
Junior Maya Martin had a pair of assists in Tuesday's 8-0 Seaman soccer win over Cair Paravel. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
“I think we had our ups and downs in the first half, but we are looking for a big second half,” Becker said. “We have three big games this week and we’re looking for three wins.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden's girls soccer team was coming off a loss entering Tuesday's Centennial League road game against Topeka High.
But that 1-0 defeat to undefeated Class 5A power St. James Academy actually seemed to provide momentum for the Wildcats, who bounced back with a 3-0 shutout win over the Trojans at Hummer Sports Park.
Hayden junior Reese Huscher (14) battles for a loose ball in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Topeka High. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I think we did some good things (against St. James) and I think we worked on it a little bit and I think they saw the result of some of the effort and I think they took it on themselves,'' Hayden coach Klaus Kreutzer said. "And credit to us, we had three freshman starting today, so I liked that.''
Hayden freshman Sawyer Wrench (17) defends Topeka High senior Alexa Aguirre (13) in Tuesday's 3-0 Wildcat win. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Hayden, which improved to 4-4-0 overall and 2-0-0 in the Centennial League, got the only goal it would need with 5:59 left in the opening half when junior Carsyn Broxterman scored off an assist from junior Reese Huscher.
Junior Ella Foster (1) celebrates her second-half goal with teammates in Tuesday's 3-0 Centennial League soccer win over Topeka High. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Wildcats added a pair of insurance goals in the second half, with junior Ella Foster finding the back of the net with 28:27 left and junior Avey Uhl scoring the final goal of the night at the 21:45 mark
Junior Lauren Borjon picked up the shutout in goal for Hayden while Topeka High fell to 4-6-1 overall and 0-3-0 in the league.
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By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural slowed the roll of the red-hot Shawnee Heights girls soccer team Monday, putting an end to the T-Birds’ five game win streak, winning 4-0 at the Junior Blues’ McElroy Field.
Washburn Rural senior Destiny Higgs (24) scored a pair of goals in Monday's 4-0 soccer win over Shawnee Heights. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Kate Hinck (9) had a pair of second-half goals in Monday's 4-0 soccer win over Shawnee Heights. [File photo/TSN]
Seniors Destiny Higgs and Kate Hinck netted two goals apiece to lead the Junior Blues to their eighth victory of the season while senior goalkeepers Madison Lemke and Hailey Davin combined for the shutout.
The T-Birds had overcome a slow start to the season to improve to 5-3-1 prior to Monday’s meeting with Washburn Rural. But they fell behind early and were unable to mount an offensive threat in response.
The friendly rivalry with the T-Birds, who left the Centennial League in 2019, gives the Junior Blues a chance to maintain their claim to city bragging rights.
“We’re happy that even though some of these teams are no longer in our league, we still play them,” Washburn Rural coach Brian Hensyel said. “These kids play club together and they all want to play against each other. We always have it as a goal to be the best in the city.”
“Shawnee Heights has always been a tough team to beat,” added Higgs. “We all know each other. It’s kind of nice to be able to brag about when we get with them and talk about it.”
Higgs put the Junior Blues up early, then added a second score midway through the first period, both coming against a strong wind from the south.
Once the T-Birds had to play into the wind in the second half, they could muster little offense. Meanwhile, Washburn Rural's Hinck tallied two insurance goals in the second half.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Anyone who has followed local high school golf this spring probably expected Monday's City Golf Championship at Topeka Country Club to be a down-to-the-wire battle between Washburn Rural and Hayden.
Washburn Rural golf poses for a team picture Monday after winning its 15th straight city team title by a single stroke over Hayden. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And things couldn't haven't been any closer, with the Junior Blues winning the team championship by a single stroke over the Wildcats to claim their 15th straight city title while Washburn Rural senior Tadd Armstrong and Hayden senior James Kuta took the race for the individual crown to a playoff before Armstrong won with a par putt on the extra hole.
Armstrong and Kuta both finished the 27-hole city event with scores of 118 in extremely windy conditions to force the playoff while Washburn Rural continued its dominating city run by the slimmest of margins, winning 489-490 in the city event, which was held in conjunction with the 20-school Topeka Country Club Invitational.
"This is a goal that we set out at the beginning of the year to accomplish and we had some guys step up this afternoon when some guys didn't have their best stuff,'' Washburn Rural coach Jared Goehring said. "Tadd and Higgins Hawks stepped up this afternoon for us, so I couldn't be more proud of this team win.
"We're definitely headed in the right direction going into the home stretch.''
Washburn Rural senior Tadd Armstrong won his first city individual title in a playoff Monday while Rural won its 15th straight city team title by a stroke over Hayden. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Armstrong achieved his goal of winning the city championship after finishing fourth in the as a junior.
"I wanted to come out and win this today,'' Armstrong said. "I felt pretty good. I just kept battling and persevering through the tough holes.''
Hayden senior James Kuta finished as the city runnerup Monday after placing 10th as a junior. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Senior Tagen Rodriguez finished third in the city meet with a 120 for runnerup Hayden while Washburn Rural's Michael Wilson placed fourth (123) and Rural's Hawks and Tagan Monasmith and Seaman's Alex Flanagan tied for fifth (124).
Hayden's Nick Gorman and Seaman's Bradley Williamson tied for eighth (125) while Hayden's Austin Bean (127) rounded out the city's top 10.
Olathe Northwest won the team title in the Topeka Country Club Invitational by a stroke over Blue Valley West (302-303).
Nick VanWyngardner of Olathe Northwest claimed the individual title with a 70.
TOPEKA CITY GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
