- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news has finished its tour of preseason football practice at all 10 Shawnee County high schools and will be posting preview stories over the coming days leading into the opening games of the 2023 season Sept. 1.
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There's a lot of talk about Highland Park football these days ... for all the right reasons.
After snapping an eight-year, 65-game losing streak in its 2022 season-opener on the way to a breakout 6-3 campaign, there's a lot of excitement surrouning Jemaine Monroe's Scots entering this fall.
Jermaine Monroe and Highland Park football will be looking for another big year this fall. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I think more and more you're hearing more buzz in the hallways and the classrooms, kids talking about fooball and waiting for fooball season to start,'' Monroe said. "We're getting a lot of buzz on campus, along with other sports, but football has been getting a lot of buzz.''
Monroe has also seen a big jump in participation numbers after Hi Park struggled in that department for many years.
"The numbers are growing and there's more and more players that are interested in playing football,'' Monroe said. "Eisenhower and Chase (middle schools) sent us a lot of freshmen. I think we have 28 freshmen and we're sitting at right over 70 for total players.''
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Longtime Topeka broadcaster Mike Manns will be inducted into the Kansas Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame on Oct. 22 as part of the association's class of 2023, honoring his 50-plus years in broadcasting.
Mike Manns
Manns, who began his broacasting career in Topeka in 1972, continues to provide play-by-play coverage for area high school football and basketball games even though he retired from reporting the news in '18.
Awards and recognition include receiving the KAB’s Hod Humiston Award for Outstanding Contributions to Sports Broadcasting in 2010.
Manns received the Kansas State High School Activities Association’s Oscar Stauffer sportscaster's award in '10 and '12 and the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association award in '09.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
ANTONIO AGUIRRE, Highland Park
A junior, Aguirre played a major role last season as Highland Park posted a 10-7-1 record, with Aguirre a first-team All-Meadowlark Conference selection
Jaime Alvarado, a Topeka High junior, received All-City and All-Centennial League honorable mention last season. [File photo/TSN]
JAIME ALVARADO, Topeka High
A junior, Alvarado received All-City and All-Centennial League honorable mention last season, helping Topeka High post an 11-6-0 record.
CARTER FREEMAN, Shawnee Heights
A junior goalkeeper, Freeman earned All-City and All-United Kansas Conference honorable mention last season after helping Shawnee Heights post an 11-6-1 record and earn the UKC title.
Topeka High senior Chris Gomez (18) received All-City and All-Centennial League honorable mention last season. [File photo/TSN]
CHRIS GOMEZ, Topeka High
Gomez, a junior, received All-City and All-Centennial League honorable mention last season, helping Topeka High post an 11-6-0 record.
Topeka West senior defender Isaac Gonzalez-Talavera (10) was a first-team All-City selection in 2022. [File photo/TSN]
ISAAC GONZALEZ-TALAVERA, Topeka West
Gonzalez-Talavera, a senior defender, earned first-team All-City honors season last season and was a second-team All-United Kansas Conference pick after helping the improving Chargers post a 3-13-1 record last fall.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news has finished its tour of preseason football practices at all 10 Shawnee County high schools and will post preview stories over the coming days leading into the opening games of the 2023 season Sept. 1.
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Bill Arnold's Hayden football team is coming off an outstanding 2022 season, with the Wildcats posting a 10-2 record and advancing to the Class 3A semifinals.
But with a strong returning nucleus, Hayden's goals are set even higher this fall.
Veteran Hayden football coach Bill Arnold is 199-65 as a head coach entering the 2023 season. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I think they've got a goal in mind,'' said Arnold, who is just one victory away from reaching the 200-win mark for his career.
Hayden's only two defeats a year ago came at the hands of 3A runnerup Holton and Arnold said that for the most part he's been very pleased with the Wildcats' work over the offseason to get ready to make another run at the title this fall.
"We really had a good June and really from January through June I thought our offseason weights were great,'' Arnold said. "I thought they made some great improvements in (the weight room).
"The month of June we had three different camps we went to. We went to Manhattan to a camp with Clay Center and Manhattan. We went to Benedictine and saw a bunch of different schools up there and then Manhattan and Topeka High came here at the end of June.''
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Jo'Mhara Benning
JO'MHARA BENNING, Topeka High
Benning, a junior, was a second-team All-Shawnee County selection last season and also received All-Centennial League honorable mention. Benning is also a softball and basketball standout for the Trojans.
Zoe Canfield
ZOE CANFIELD, Washburn Rural
Canfield, a 5-foot-10 senior setter/rightside hitter, earned first-team All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League honors last fall after helping lead Washburn Rural to a 45-1 record and the eighth Class 6A state title in school history. Canfield, who has competed in three straight state tournaments for the Junior Blues, accumulated 1,016 assists last fall with 172 digs and 46 service aces on 96.6-percent serving.
Layla Collins
LAYLA COLLINS, Washburn Rural
A 5-foot-11 junior leftside hitter, Collins played a key role last season as Washburn Rural posted a 45-1 record, including 44 straight wins, en route to the Class 6A state championship. Collins was a second-team All-Shawnee County pick and received All-Centennial League honorable mention.
Brooklyn Gormley
BROOKLYN GORMLEY, Seaman
Gormley, a senior, moved up to the All-Shawnee County first team last season after being a second-team pick as a sophomore and was also an All-United Kansas Conference first-team pick and All-Class 5A State Tournament selection. Gormley registered 275 kills for the 32-11 Vikings last fall while hitting at a .257 clip and had 70 total blocks. Gormley also recorded 65 digs and 57 service aces, helping Seaman post a fourth-place finish in 5A.
