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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Topeka High’s 2-1 non-conference soccer win over Shawnee Heights Tuesday night at the Bettis Family Sports Complex may have been the most impressive win of the season for the Trojans.
With the win over Shawnee Heights, Topeka High has won six out of its last eight games. The two losses during the hot streak were both overtime games.
“The guys are buying into what we are trying to do here,” Topeka High coach Derek Snook said. “Our kids are doing a great job into tuning out all of the outside noise that can affect most teams. All of the negative stuff from the outside world doesn’t matter when everyone is buying in with each other.”
Coming into the contest on Tuesday, Shawnee Heights was one of the hottest teams in the state. The Thunderbirds had won six straight games before the loss to the Trojans.
“We didn’t finish the way we wanted to today,” Shawnee Heights coach Nic Simons said. “In tight games you need to take advantage of the opportunities that you have and limit the opportunities that we give up. I don’t think we played well enough on either side of the ball tonight.”
Shawnee Heights looked explosive offensively early. Star midfielder Jordan Garvin booted in a goal from the middle of the goalbox above the goalkeeper's head for a goal with 24:16 remaining in the first half to give the T-Birds a 1-0 lead.
“I thought we looked great for the first 20 minutes of the first half,” Simons said. “Our shots on goal were good and the effort was good early.”
Physically dominating defensive play from the Trojans and the Thunderbirds kept the contest scoreless for another 10 minutes.
With 14:04 left in the half, Topeka High was able to get some good separation away from the Thunderbirds in the alley on the way to the box. Chris Gomez would set up Jamie Alvarado perfectly for the game-tying goal.
Topeka High would waste no time at all capitalizing on its momentum. One minute and 18 seconds later, Topeka High would score again.
Gomez would tap the ball high towards the head of Alexis Salas and Salas would knock in the goal with the top of his head to give Topeka High the 2-1 lead before the halftime break.
“We were on our heels a bit after giving up that goal to (Garvin) earlier,” Snook said. “Those two goals were key for us. They bought into the fact from that point on that we were going to have to defend our goal for the rest of the game. That’s difficult when you play a good team like Shawnee Heights. We were able to get it done tonight.”
The second half displayed some incredible defense from both schools.
Jose Guajardo-Arizpe, Jack Martin, Jack Phillips, Jesus Carillo-Cardona and Ryan Bell kept the high-flying Topeka High offense shut down in the second half. Despite all of the opportunities that the Trojans had, the Thunderbird defenders gave the offense a chance.
Those chances that the Thunderbird defenders provided were short-lived by Topeka High’s “brick wall” backline. Diego Carlos, Lawrence Rizo, Thomas Schmidt, Victor Mesta and others played at an extremely high level in the 40-minute half.
With 3:23 left in the game, High goalie Billy Lutz and forward Logan Murray sacrificed their bodies to prevent Shawnee Heights from tying the game. Shawnee Heights' Garvin found a wide-open lane near the goal. Murray went for the slide tackle on the ball and Lutz dove in front of the ball face first to keep the Thunderbirds away.
The collision looked tough but luckily both Murray and Lutz were both okay after the collision. That dangerous sacrifice saved Topeka High’s lead and it led to the Trojan victory.
“You have to be a little crazy to be a goalkeeper,” Snook said. “Sometimes you have to put yourself in harm's way. Billy did a great job coming out and getting the ball. The best part of that was Logan backtracking from his midfield position after they beat our defense and helped knock that ball out of there.”
TOPEKA HIGH 2, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 1
Topeka High (7-4-0) 2 0 – 2
Shawnee Heights (6-4-1) 1 0 – 1
Goals: Topeka High – Alvarado, Salas. Shawnee Heights – Garvin.
Assists: Topeka High – Gomez (2).
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake football quarterback Tanner Martin and Seaman tennis standouts Katie Krumins and Molly Gorman have been named the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency Rising Stars of the Week for last week.
The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the 2022-2023 school year.
Here’s a brief look at the accomplishments of Martin, Gorman and Krumins last week:
MOLLY GORMAN and KATIE KRUMINS, Seaman
Gorman, a freshman, and Krumins, a junior, teamed up to win the doubles championship in Tuesday's United Kansas Conference tennis tournament at Kossover Tennis Center, capped by an 8-2 decision over Seaman teammates Kate Eckert and Ella Foxhoven in the championship match.
Gorman and Krumins went a perfect 5-0 on the day, helping the Vikings win the team championship by a 75-64 margin over De Soto in Seaman's first year in the UKC.
TANNER MARTIN, Silver Lake
A 6-foot, 178-pound junior quarterback, Martin completed 18 of 35 pass attempts for 276 yards and three touchdowns in Silver Lake's 22-21 home overtime win over Rossville last Friday night in the Eagles' Class 2A district opener.
Martin threw for a 10-yard TD and a 2-point conversion to senior Troy Heiman in overtime to give Silver Lake the victory, with the Eagles improving to 3-2 on the season.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After coming up a point shy in its bid for the city girls tennis championship, Seaman never let Tuesday's United Kansas Conference meet get close, with the Vikings rolling to the team championship in their first year in the league by a 75-64 margin over De Soto at Kossover Tennis Center.
Seaman got UKC titles from senior Lauren Sweeney in singles and from junior Katie Krumins and freshman Molly Gorman in doubles while Kate Eckert and Ella Foxhoven added a runner-up finish in doubles and Nina Del-Zio finished third in singles.
Sweeney capped off her championship run with an 8-2 win over De Soto's Emma Hellerich in the singles final while Krumins and Gorman topped their Seaman teammates Eckert and Foxhoven in the doubles championship, 8-2. Del-Zio earned a third-place singles finish with an 8-0 win over Shawnee Heights' Annika Scheller.
"I was worried because De Soto was hanging aound and they were in all the semifinals,'' Seaman coach Jamie Robinson said. "So even though it looks like on paper that we dominated, it was a little decey there. If we had dropped another semifinal match it could have got interesting quick.''
But it didn't happen, with Seaman doing everything it needed to do to put the title away by a convincing margin.
Now the Vikings will try to use Tuesday's title as a building block for Saturday's Class 5A regional at Emporia.
"It's definitely cool,'' said Sweeney, a state doubles champion as a junior. "This should give us a confidence boost for sure.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- In the recent city girls tennis tournament, Washburn Rural's senior doubles team of Kate Fritz and Meredith Kucera dropped a lopsided 8-1 semifinal decision to Hayden's Lauren Sandstrom and Emily Sheetz.
And for quite a while Monday it looked like Fritz and Kucera were on their way to another loss to the Hayden duo, with the Wildcats rolling to a 6-2 first-set win in the Centennial League doubles final.
But Fritz and Kucera slowly but surely turned the tables, rallying for a 2-6, 6-4, 10-8 victory at Emporia High.
Fritz said that she and Kucera, who placed third in the city meet, embraced the underdog role.
"We love it,'' Fritz said.
"They were the ones that had pressure on them,'' Kucera said. "We had two bad matches during that time, but we knew we could come out here today and finish what we started.''
"Our catch phrase today was, 'Play scrappy, simple tennis,' '' Fritz said.
Washburn Rural coach Brad Johnston said Fritz and Kucera played much better Monday than they had in the city meet.
"They just had more energy and it felt good to see them working together and to just have a little bit more confidence in playng them,'' Johnston said.
With the comeback victory, Fritz and Kucera led Washburn Rural to a second-place team finish, just one point behind league champion Manhattan.
The Junior Blues also got a fourth-place doubles finish from seniors Hailey Beck and Ciana Evans while Mena DiMarzio and Kayla Peter posted fifth and sixth-place finishes in singles.
City champion Hayden finished third as a team Monday, getting a runner-up finish in singles from sophomore Ainzley Zulueta in addition to the second-place doubles finish from Sandstrom, a junior, and sophomore Sheetz.
Zulueta, the defending Class 4A state champion, dropped a 6-2, 6-2 decision to Manhattan's Jill Harkin in the championship match.
Monday's loss was only the second of the season for Zulueta, with both losses coming against Harkin, the defending 6A state champ.
"She was definitely a lot more physically prepared than I was,'' Zulueta said. "That was probably the most tired match I've had this past season. I was exhausted and on the verge of cramping, but I'm glad I got to play her again.''
Zulueta said playing Harkin will help get her ready for postseason.
"This definitely helps me prepare for the upcoming tournaments,'' Zulueta said. "It's just another step to help me be more prepared for regionals and state.''
Topeka High finished fourth in the team standings, led by a third-place doubles finish from seniors Haley Carpenter and Adisyn Caryl.
Washburn Rural, Hayden and Topeka High will all compete in regional tournaments later this week, vying for state tournament berths.
Washburn Rural and Topeka High will take part in a 6A regional on Friday at Kossover Tennis Center while Hayden will host a 4A tournament Saturday at Kossover.
CENTENNIAL LEAGUE GIRLS TENNIS
Team scores
Manhattan 37, Washburn Rural 36, Hayden 30, Topeka High 24, Emporia 17, Junction City 12.
Individual results
Singles
Semifinals -- Harkin, Manhattan, def. Wiens, Manhattan, 6-0, 6-0; Zulueta, Hayden, def. Keough, Emporia, 6-1, 6-1.
Championship -- Harkin, Manhattan, def. Zulueta, Hayden, 6-2, 6-2.
Third -- Wiens, Manhattan, def. Keough, Emporia, 6-1, 6-1.
Fifth -- DiMarzio, Washburn Rural, winner by injury default over Peter, Washburn Rural.
Doubles
Semifinals -- Fritz/Kucera, Washburn Rural, def. Carpenter/Caryl, Topeka High, 6-1, 6-2; Sandstrom/Sheetz, Hayden, def. Beck/Evans, Washburn Rural, 6-4, 6-4.
Championship -- Fritz/Kucera, Washburn Rural, def. Sheetz/Sandstrom, Hayden, 2-6, 6-4, 10-8.
Third -- Carpenter/Caryl, Topeka High, def. Beck/Evans, 6-4, 6-3.
Fifth -- Craft/Robinson, Manhattan, def. Zhang/Evangelidis, Manhattan, 6-3, 6-4.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's powerhouse volleyball team had plenty to celebrate on Saturday in Junction City.
Veteran Rural coach Kevin Bordewick reached the 1,000-victory mark for his volleyball coaching career in the first match of the Centennial League tournament while the Junior Blues went 5-0 on the day to win the league championship with a dominating performance.
The Junior Blues posted five straight-set victories on the day while not allowing more than 17 points in a set.
Washburn Rural opened the day with a 25-6, 25-9 win over Junction City, followed by a 25-15, 25-12 victory over Hayden, a 25-7, 25-17 triumph over Topeka High, a 25-8, 25-13 win over Manhattan and a 25-6, 25-9 decision over Emporia.
Emporia finished second in the league tournament with a 4-1 record.
The Junior Blues improved to 20-1 on the season while pushing their winning streak to 19 matches.
Rural will travel to Olathe Northwest on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. dual match. Northwest and Rural finished third and fourth in the Class 6A state tournament last season.
Junior Blues' Canfield commits to Kansas basketball
Washburn Rural junior volleyball and basketball standout Zoe Canfield has made an oral commitment to the Kansas women's basketball program.
As a sophomore Canfield averaged 10.8 points, 2.2 rebounts, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals for the Class 6A state-champion Junior Blues while shooting 47.5 percent from 3-point range and 84.8 percent from the free throw line.
Canfield is also a standout setter for the Washburn Rural volleyball team, which is currently 20-1 on the season.
Silver Lake volleyball claims tournament crown
Silver Lake's volleyball team posted a perfect 5-0 record to claim the tournament championship in Saturday's Silver Lake Invitational.
Sarah Johnson's Eagles, now 21-8 on the season, survived a pair of three-set matches to win the title.
Silver Lake took a 25-12, 21-25, 26-14 win over Royal Valley, a 25-13, 25-17 victory over Jefferson West, an 18-25, 25-19, 25-23 triumph over Rossville, a 25-9, 25-17 victory over Sabetha and a 25-15, 25-16 win over St. Marys.
Friday football: Hayden moves to 5-0
Hayden, which is Shawnee County's only undefeated football team, improved to 5-0 on Friday night with a 44-28 road win at Perry-Lecompton in Class 3A district competition.
Wildcat sophomore quarterback Jett Wahlmeier completed 12 of 14 pass attempts for 188 yards and a touchdown in Friday's win.
Junior Finn Dunshee added a 100-yard-plus rushing night for the Wildcats while sophomore Jensen Schrickel caught five passes for just under 100 yards.
The Wildcats will be at home Friday for a 3A district game against Royal Valley.
In Friday night's other Shawnee County games:
• Silver Lake rallied for a 22-21 Class 2A district win over rival Rossville in the annual War on 24.
The Eagles scored two late fourth-quarter touchdowns to force overtime and junior Tanner Martin completed a touchdown pass and a 2-point conversion pass to senior Troy Heiman in overtime to give the 3-2 Eagles the victory over the Bulldawgs.
• Undefeated Burlingame took a 57-26 Eight-Man Division I district win over Cair Paravel Latin despite a big night from the Lions' Evan Will.
Burlingame took command with a 35-6 halftime advantage, jumping out to a 35-0 lead.
CPLS's Will threw for 143 yar and three touchdowns and also scored on a 4-yard run while recording 10 tackles on defense.
Jesiah Bonura caught eight passes for 137 yards and a touchdown.
• De Soto ended Shawnee Heights' three-game United Kansas Conference winning streak with 28-0 win at Wetter Field.
The score was 0-0 at the end of the first quarter and Heights trailed by just a 7-0 margin at the half before De Soto pulled away after halftime.
Shawnee Heights junior Allen Baughman rushed for 122 yards on 27 attempts and now has 903 yards and 10 touchdowns on 122 attempts this season for the 3-2 T-Birds.
• Junction City pulled away in the second half for a 24-6 Centennial League win at Washburn Rural.
• Highland Park suffered its first loss of the season, dropping a 59-22 non-league road decision at Lincoln College Prep.
• Topeka West is still looking for its first win of the season after a 42-0 United Kansas Conference loss to Lansing. The Chargers will face winless Turner on the road Friday.
• Topeka High fell to 1-4 with an 81-13 non-league loss at Wichita Northwest, which improved to 4-1 with its fourth straight victory.