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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Steve Torrence is known to save his best for last, especially last drag races, which is why the four-time world champion and his CAPCO Contractors Top Fuel Toyota are on the short list of top contenders this weekend as Heartland Motorsports Park plays host for the 34th and final time to the Menard’s NHRA Nationals presented by Pet Armor.
Steve Torrence, left, shares a moment with Team CAPCO crew chief Richard Hogan. The two hope to collaborate for a win this week in the final NHRA tour event at Heartland Motorsports Park. [Photo by Will Lester]
Steve Torrence executes a burnout in his CAPCO Contractors dragster. The four-time world champion will compete this weekin the 34th and final Menard's Nationals. [Photo by Mark Rebilas]
This will be the eighth time in his pro career Torrence has raced in a venue’s final NHRA tour event and the third time he’s done so this year alone.
In the previous seven farewells, Torrence has won more rounds than any other racer in any pro category (18), won 75 percent of the two-car heats in which he was involved, and never failed to at least reach or surpass the semifinals.
Combine that stellar record with Torrence's recent history at HMP -- runner-up in 2022 to close friend Antron Brown, a '19 victory over his faher, Billy, in an all-CAPCO final round, and six straight semifinal appearances, and it’s easy to see why the 40-year-old Texan and his CAPCO team will be in spotlight in Topeka.
“The biggest thing is that we’ve finally got a car again that responds to what Hoagie (crew chief Richard Hogan) and Bobby (Lagana Jr.) tell it to do,” Torrence said in a team release. “We won four championships on consistency and that’s what we’re getting back to, being able to make the adjustments that give us the best chance (for success) whatever the conditions are.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Picking the top spot on TopSports.news Best of the Best Top 10 has been a tough task in most every sport.
But thanks to a dominant three-year run by Washburn Rural, picking No. 1 for boys tennis was relatively easy.
Kevin Hedberg's 2005 Washburn Rural boys tennis team swept the Class 6A singles, doubles and team championships, the Junior Blues' third straight team title. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Hall of Fame coach Kevin Hedberg's Junior Blues captured three straight Class 6A state team championships from 2003 through 2005, capped by a sweep of the singles, doubles and team titles in '05.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka had a strong tennis tradition long before the Kansas State High School Actiivities Assocation hosted its first state girls tennis team championships in 1985.
And the Capital City continued that tradition in the inaugural state meet, with Corey Wilson's Topeka West Chargers, who were tapped for the No. 1 spot on the TopSports.news Best of Best girls tennis list, capturing the Class 6A state championship behind a dominating doubles performance.
Corey Wilson's Topeka West girls tennis teams garnered Class 6A state team titles in 1985, '87 and '94. [Topeka West]
Washburn Rural's girls tennis team won its second Class 6A team title in 1993. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
The Chargers won by a 59-52 margin over Wichita Souheast as West's Stacy Cook and Diana Gaiher won the state title wih a 6-2, 6-0 win in the state championship match over teammates Amy Bybee and Andrea Hazlett.
Hall of Fame coach Kevin Hedberg's 1993 Washburn Rural team is No. 2 on the Best of the Best Top 10, winning the 6A team championship by a 38-29 margin over Shawnee Mission East as Danielle Knipp posted a runnerup state finish in singles and Megan McBride and Jenny Van
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka has produced some of the top boys and girls high school swimmers in Kansas history, multi-time state champions and record-setters, but when it comes to teams, a couple stand alone.
Rod Garman's 2018 Seaman boys swimming team made Topeka history, earning the city's first team state title. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Rod Garman's 2018 Seaman boys team made history in the Class 5A-1A state meet as the only city team to claim a team championship, while prep stars Haley Molden and Sammie Schurig were triple gold medalists in 2010 as Washburn Rural's girls finished second in 6A, just 11 points out of first.state champs in 2010.
The Viking boys dominated the '18 state meet en route to a runaway 347-197 win over Bishop Miege as Zeke Metz won three gold medals and was named the 5A-1A swimmer of the meet while both Molden and Schurig were double individual state champs in '10 and also added a relay win.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Brent Reese-Hackett is getting a late start in his new position as Topeka West's head girls basketball coach, but will be looking to use his impressive background as a player and experience as a coach to make up for long time.
Former TCU basketball standout Brent Reese-Hackett is the new head girls basketball coach at Topeka West. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Reese-Hackett is taking over for Jeff Skar, who resigned after the 2022-2023 season, and Reese-Hackett was a late hire after Topeka West hit a snag that delayed the hiring process, accepting the job last month as teams across the state were finishing up their summer offseason work.
"It was late,'' Reese-Hackett admitted. "I looked at an email (Monday) and the accepted offer was July 11th.''
But it's hard to question Reese-Hackett's basketball pedigree, which could come into play as the new West coach plays catchup.
A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Reese-Hackett was a standout at Division I Texas Christian University from 2004-2008, appearing in 122 games with 88 starts.
Reese-Hackett finished his career with 1,098 points for the Horned Frogs while connecting on 190 3-pointers.
