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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will recognize Shawnee County's all-time best teams in 21 sports as part of our Best of the Best project. The project continues with girls cross country and readers will have the opportunity to vote for teams in that sport through July 24, with the top teams in all categories announced in late July and August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best, click on https://take.quiz-maker.com/poll4868068x97de4f3f-151 while email votes/nominations will be also accepted at
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Hayden is not a lock to land the No. 1 spot in the TopSports.news Best of the Best girls country team rankings.
But the numbers are certainly in the Wildcats' favor, with Hayden accounting for seven of the 11 state championships captured by Shawnee County gils teams over the years.
Hayden's girls won the Class 4A cross country title in 1986, the first of seven state team championships for the Wildcats. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Hayden won its third straight Class 4A girls cross country championship in 1994. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Ben Meseke coached Hayden to its first Class 4A state title in 1986 before Kathy Strecker led the Wildcats to their other six state crowns after serving as Meseke's assistant in '86.
Strecker led Hayden to a three-peat from 1992 through 1994 and coached the Wildcats to back-to-back championships in '89 and '90 and the school's most recent title in '12.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Brian Walker started Sunday's final round of the Topeka Golf Association City Stroke Play championship with a two-stroke advantage and never looked back, shooting a 73 to take a four-stroke victory at Topeka Country Club.
Brian Walker captured the second TGA City Stroke Play title of his career Sunday at Topeka Country Club, closing the 54-hole event with a 73 to win by four strokes. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
City Stroke Play champion Brian Walker executes a chip during Sunday's final round at Topeka Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Walker, a former Hayden and Washburn University standout, earned his second City Stroke Play title to go with a pair of City Match Play crowns while Jason Buessing closed with a day's best 69 to finish second at 213.
Walker trailed Seth Kelley by three strokes after an opening-round 67 at Lake Shawnee but shot a 69 in the second round at Cypress Ridge to take the tournament lead and his top spot was never in serious jeopardy on Sunday.
"Each day I got off to a good start,'' Walker said. "The first day I was 3-under though 5 (holes). The second day I was 2-under through 3 and today not so much, but I made a long putt on 1 to kind of settle my nerves because Gavin (Wilhelm, City Match Play champ) had made birdie and it was not an easy two-putt for me on 1 but I made a couple of good putts on the first nine.
"I just didn't hit it good at all today but just left it in the spots I needed to be with uphill chips and uphill putts just so I could make pars and I kind of parred the course to death basically.''
With his final-round playing partners, Kelley, Blake Buessing and Wilhelm having up-and-down days, Walker sensed that he was in good shape to finish off the championship and said he just concentrated on trying to play a solid final round.
Brian Walker holds his daughter and his TGA Stroke Play championship trophy after Sunday's win at Topeka Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"You think about being up 4 or 5 but it doesn't take much, one bad swing and you could double bogey and they birdie and that's three shots right there,'' Walker said. "So you kind of have to stay aggressive but aggressive to the safer spots.
"As soon as you start getting tentative and kind of play scared bad things happen so I tried not to do that. I knew I didn't need to do anything special, just really make your pars and keep moving on.''
Hayden Beck, who carded a 72 on Sunday, and Kelley (77) tied for third place at 215 while 2022 champion Addison Alonzo and Blake Buessing tied for fifth at 216.
TGA CITY STROKE PLAY TOURNAMENT
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will recognize Shawnee County's all-time best teams in 21 sports as part of our Best of the Best project. The project continues with boys and girls bowling and readers will have the opportunity to vote for bowling teams through July 23, with the top teams in all categories announced in late July and August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best, click on https://take.quiz-maker.com/poll4867535x4F9E480F-151 while email votes/nominations will be also accepted at
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Compared to a lot of other sports in Kansas, high school bowling is a relative newcomer, with the Kansas State High School Activities Association approving the sport for state competition in 2005.
Shawnee Heights' girls won the county's first state bowling team title in 2010. [Submitted photo to TSN]
But it didn't take long for Shawnee County teams to make their mark, with local bowlers earning their first state medals in 2006 and Nick Harris' Shawnee Heights' girls posting the county's first team championship in 2010.
To date local teams have won a total of nine state titles -- five boys, four girls -- with four county schools earning championhips.
Seaman's girls won the Class 5A-1A state team title in 2022, part of a championship sweep by the Vikings. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Seaman's boys won the third state boys team title in school history in 2022. [File photot/TSN]
Washburn Rural's boys won their first Class 6A state bowling title in 2023, rolling to a 135-pin victory. [File photo/TSN]
Highlights include a Class 5A-1A girls and boys sweep by Bob Benoit's Seaman Vikings in 2022 and a dominating performance by Jo Ricard's Washburn Rural boys en route to a 135-pin victory in the Class 6A boys tournament this past season.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will recognize Shawnee County's all-time best teams in 21 sports as part of our Best of the Best project. The project continues with boys basketball and readers will have the opportunity to vote through July 22, with the top teams in all categories announced in late July and August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best, click on https://take.quiz-maker.com/poll4866544xC1E64A21-151 while email votes/nominations will be also accepted at
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Seven Shawnee County schools have produced a total of 27 state championship teams in boys basketball, and every one of those teams could make a case for a spot on the TopSports.news Best of the Best list.
But a good place to start is with four championship teams that have taken on legendary status among longtime high school basketball fans over the past six-plus decades.
Ben Meseke's Hayden team posted a perfect season in 1982-83, the first of eight state titles for the Wildcats. [Submitted photo]
Highland Park posted a perfect 25-0 record in 2006-2007 en route to one of the Scots' six state championships. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Ben Meseke's 1982-83 Hayden team and Ken Darting's 2006-2007 Highland Park team are the only two boys teams in Shawnee County history to post perfect seasons while Randy Springs' 1975-76 team accomplished an achievement that no other boys team in the state can lay claim to -- the 1976 Kansas Grand State title in the only year that event was held -- and Washburn Rural's 1960 title team was led by two of the biggest names in Topeka history.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will recognize Shawnee County's all-time best teams in 21 sports as part of our Best of the Best project. The project continues with girls basketball and readers will have the opportunity to vote through July 21, with the top teams in all categories announced in late July and August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best, click on https://take.quiz-maker.com/poll4865891x55AA4428-151 while email votes/nominations will be also accepted at
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Picking the top teams in the TSN Shawnee County Best of the Best project will be a challenge in every sport.
But its hard to imagine a much tougher task than in girls basketball, where it's a top-heavy group of contenders.
Silver Lake's girls basketball posted a perfect 25-0 record in 1983, recording the first of three perfect seasons and six Class 3A state titles. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.com]
Washburn Rural's girls went 23-2 in 1996, winning the first of five Class 6A state championships. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.com]
Five county teams from three different schools posted undefeated records on the way to state championships while a sixth team, the 2019-2020 Topeka High Trojans, were a perfect 23-0 when the season was halted after the first round of the state tournament due to Covid 19.
Four other county teams posted one-loss campaigns.
County teams have won 22 state titles overall, led by perennial Class 3A contender Silver Lake with six championships, including perfect seasons in 1983, 1984 and 2016.
Loren Ziegler coached the Eagles to five state titles, including all three undefeated campaigns, while Tyler Stewart also led Silver Lake to a 3A crown.
Mark Henry coached Shawnee Heights to a 23-0 record and the 5A championship in 1986 while Mike Goehring's Topeka West team rolled to a perfect 25-0 record and the 6A title in 1994.
Washburn Rural is next in line behind Silver Lake with five Class 6A state titles.Bill Annan coached Rural to three titles while Kevin Bordewick, an assistant under Annan, coached the Junior Blues to championships in 2019 and 2022, the county's most recent girls titles.
