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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Nine Topeka boys soccer players have received All-State recognition from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association, led by first-team selections Easton Bradstreet of Washburn Rural (Class 6A) and Jordan Garvin of Shawnee Heights (Class 5A).
Bradstreet, who led Rural to a fourth-place finish in the Class 6A state tournament, and Garvin, named the player of the year in the United Kansas Conference, are both senior forwards and both helped lead their teams to league championships in the Centennial League and UKC, respectively.
Washburn Rural senior defender Cayden Lee and junior forward Devon Rutschmann were both named to the All-6A second team while Topeka High senior forward Aidan Morrison and Wahburn Rural senior midfielder received honorable mention.
Shawnee Heights senior midfielder Isaac Wilson was a second-team all-state pick in 5A while T-Bird senior forward Jesus Cardona and junior forward Jack Martin received honorable mention.
For a player to receive all-state honors from the KHSSCA, their coach must be a member of the association.
KANSAS HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER COACHES ASSOCIATION
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
(Kickoff at 7 p.m.)
CLASS 3A
HAYDEN (10-1) at HOLTON (10-1)
The Hayden road warriors hit the road for the third straight week, heading north to face Holton in a Class 3A sub-state clash between two 10-1 teams.
The Hayden Wildcats will face the Holton Wildcats for the second time this fall, with Holton rolling to a 37-13 win at Holton in district play.
Since then Hayden has reeled off four straight victories, including a 39-19 win at Columbus last Friday.
Junior Finn Dunshee rushed for 195 yards on just 13 attempts against Columbus and scored two touchdowns while sophomore Jensen Schrickel also scored a pair of TDs, on a 29-yard pass reception from sophomore Jett Wahlmeier and a 35-yard interception return, and Schrickel also kicked a 28-yard field goal and four extra points.
Dunshee has now rushed for 1,027 yards on 77 carries while Schrickel has caught 30 passes for 648 yards and has scored 16 total TDs while kicking 29 extra points..
Wahlmeier has completed 75 of 111 pass attempts for 1,240 yards and 15 TDs.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn women's basketball will continue its season-opening home stretch to begin the 2022-2023 season, hosting the Washburn Classic Friday and Saturday at Lee Arena.
The Ichabods will play host to Southern Nazarene University at 6 p.m. on Friday evening before finishing up the two-day classic against Rockhurst at 3 p.m. Saturday.
In addition to Washburn's games, Pittsburg State will play Rockhurst at 4 p.m. on Friday and will face Southern Nazarene at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Washburn began this season last weekend with a split in the Washburn Crossover Classic against Southwest Oklahoma State University and Oklahoma Baptist.
Washburn started out the season with a win for the first time since the 2017-18 season, rolling to a 71-55 win over Southwest Oklahoma State last Friday. The Ichabods dropped a 43-42 decision to OBU on Saturday.
Junior Mackenzie Gamble is off to a hot start for Washburn, averaging 14 points while hitting eight of her 14 3-point attempts.
Former Bishop Miege standout Gabi Artis is averaging eight points for the Ichabods while senior Macy Doebele is averaging 7.5 points and 6.5 rebounds and junior Aubree Dewey is averaging 7.0 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Junior Lauren Cassady averages a team-high 7.5 rebounds for WU.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 15-ranked Washburn University volleyball, last season's national runnerup, will be looking to defend its NCAA Central Region title this weekend in Wayne, Neb. as the Ichabods make their 17th trip to the NCAA tournament.
Washburn, coming off its first-ever MIAA Tournament championship, will open this year's postseason bid against No. 6-ranked Minnesota Duluth in a 12 p.m. Friday quarterfinal.
The Ichabods (24-7) are the regional tournament's No. 6 seed and will face No. 3 seed Minnesota Duluth (26-4). The Bulldogs fell in the NSIC semifinal against Concordia-St. Paul last week.
After losing their regular-season finale to Misouri Western, the Ichabods bounced back in a big way in the MIAA Tournament, defeating three straight nationally-ranked teams.
"We got an opportunity to show ourselves and show everybody that it wasn't necessarily about what happened in the past,'' Washburn libero Sydney Pullen said. "We had a new opportunity and we got to capitalize on that and it worked out well for us. We had a lot of fun.''
Washburn coach Chris Herron said his team did a great job of putting the pressure aside in the conference tournament and will try to do the same thing this week.
"We kept using the term, 'We're playing with house money here,' '' Herron said. "We played with no fear, we played loose. We danced a lot and there was lots of singing.
"Shayla (Conner, WU assistant) and the rest of our staff do an incredible job of keeping the team lose. They've done a really good job of keeping our kids ready.''
According to the regional seedings, Washburn is an underdog again this week, but Herron said the Ichabods can't worry about that.
"We're going to play really, really hard and then we're going to feel good about ourselves when we leave the building,'' he said.
"We have nothing to lose so we might as well give it our all,'' Pullen said.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn University men's basketball team won its 32nd straight home opener in a row Wednesday night in Lee Arena, taking a 70-63 decision over William Jewell.
The Ichabods rallied from an early 10-point deficit to improve to 2-1, getting a big lift off the bench from freshmen Jarmell Johnson and Brady Christiansen.
Johnson, a 6-foot-6 guard out of Denver, Colo., scored a team-high 14 points for the Ichabods while Christiansen, a 6-7 forward out of Lincoln, Neb., had nine points and grabbed 19 rebounds.
"I saw Brady's motor in high school and his size and a college-ready body, so I was excited about what we was going to be able to do, even as a freshman,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. "But obviously I had no inclination that he'd get 19 rebounds in a big game against a good team. That was amazing.
"Jarmell's been a pleasant surprise. A month and a half ago we were thinking about maybe redshirting the kid. That shows you how much I know about anything. He's aggressive, he's not afraid of the moment and he's been a nice spark for us.''
Johnson scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half as the Ichabods led throughout the half.
"I feel like my teammates trust me, coach trusts me and coach's standard never changes,'' Johnson said. "He always expects us to play how he wants to play no matter if you're a starter, coming off the bench, five minutes, two minutes. Whenever I get on the floor I just give it all I've got.''
Christiansen's 19 boards, including 11 on the offensive end, were the most by a WU player since Brady Skeens grabbed 22 boards on two occasions in 2017.
"I just worry about what the team needs and I just bring my toughness and my energy and I know it's going to pay off and help the team win,'' Christiansen said. "All the hard work you put in over the offseason is paying off and you've just go keep coming in and working and see where things go from there.''