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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake sophomore pitcher Kendra Cook and Shawnee Heights junior track and field standout Jackson Esquibel have been selected by the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency as the Rising Stars of the Week.
The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the bulk of the 2022-2023 school year.
Here’s a brief look at the accomplishments of Cook and Esquibel over the past week:
Sophomore Kendra Cook pitched a complete-game five-hitter in Silver Lake's 5-0 second-game win over Rossville on Monday at Silver Lake after picking up a 4-2 win over Basehor-Linwood last Thursday. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
KENDRA COOK, Silver Lake
Cook picked up a pair of pitching wins over previously-unbeaten Basehor-Linwood and Rossville in her last two starts, helping Silver Lake improve to 6-0 on the season.
Cook gave up five hits while striking out four in last Thursday's 4-2 road win over Basehor-Linwood, which finished second in the Class 5A state tournament last season.
The Eagle standout followed that up with a five-hit, complete-game 5-0 shutout over rival Rossville on Monday at Silver Lake. Cook also struck out four in that win.
Shawnee Heights junior Jackson Esquibel set school records in the boys 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs in last Friday's Lansing Invitational. [Submitted photo]
JACKSON ESQUIBEL, Shawnee Heights
A Class 5A state medalist in both cross country and track, Esquibel set Shawnee Heights school records in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs in last Friday's Lansing Invitational.
Esquibel won the 1,600 in 4 minutes, 23.37 seconds and finished second in the 3,200 in 9:31.56.
Esquibel broke the previous school record of 4:24.09 in the 1,600 and the previous record of 9:31.9, set 34 seasons ago, in the 3,200.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
As an athlete, TJ McGreevy was one of the most successful athletes in Topeka history, helping Hayden win state championships in football, basketball and baseball before going on to a solid pitching career for Wichita State.
Former Hayden three-sport state champion and Wichita State pitcher TJ McGreevy, now the head baseball coach at Topeka West, is focusing on trying to develop the Chargers into a competitive team in the city and United Kansas Conference. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Now in his second season as head baseball coach for Topeka West after taking over for another former Hayden and Shocker standout, John Tetuan, McGreevy's biggest objective these days is trying to remain patient while trying to help the Chargers develop into a competitive team.
"It's extremely tough,'' McGreevy said. "Luckily I've been around the program for awhile, and being with John Tetuan and kind of talking to him throughout the years and seeing how he did it, it's just a lot of trying to develop.''
After suffering 11-0 and 11-1 non-league losses at Hayden on Tuesday, Topeka West is now 1-8 on the season, with the Chargers' lone win a 16-1 non-league decision over city rival Highland Park.
"We've got, I think, six sophomores playing (against Hayden) so we're trying to keep it positive and hopefully in the next couple of years we'll be able to compete at a little bit higher level,'' said McGreevy, named the Topeka Shawnee County Male Athlete of the Year for the 2008-2009 school year.
"We're just trying to preach to come out every day and just keep getting better at your skills.''
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Despite battling throughout, Hayden's softball team suffered a pair of Centennial League losses to Class 6A state power Washburn Rural on Tuesday at Hayden.
Hayden senior pitching standout Alyssa Droge has battled through three knee injuries and a cancer fight to lead the Wildcat softball team this spring. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But after everything Wildcat senior pitching standout Alyssa Droge has battled through, it's going to take a lot more than a couple of losses to wipe the smile off her face.
Droge's problems started back in her freshman year, beginning a series of three knee surgeries that disrupted her career.
"My first one was my freshman year in December (2019) playing basketball and my second one was in March or April of my sophomore year during softball,'' Droge said. "I think I got through about half the season. The third one happened the 3rd of July this past year in 2022 during summer ball and I just had it done real fast. The third one was a meniscus and slight ACL and the other two were ACLs.''
But as tough as the injuries were to battle through, Droge received her scariest news in August of 2021 when she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
"I had six months of chemo,'' Droge said. "I went to Children's Mercy (in Kansas City, Mo.) for one week every month for six months.''
Droge finally got some good news in late '21 when she found out that her cancer was in remission.
"My last chemo was on Christmas Eve and I officially began remission Jan. 11 of 2022,'' she said.
Droge admitted that she got to the point of 'Why me?' during her numerous battles, but did her best to maintain a positive attitude.
"I was like, 'When is this going to end?' '' Droge said. "But you've just got to fight through it. You're only given what you can handle and only what the Lord knows you can get through.''
Droge credits an amazing support system for helping her get through everything that was thrown at her.
"It was incredible,'' she said. "From fundraisers to getting cards from people at school while I was in the hospital, it was insane everyone that reached out and hearing everyone every time I see them just saying they were praying for me just means so much.''
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Hayden baseball didn’t have much to grumble about at the end of its day on Tuesday after the Wildcats posted a pair of run-rule victories against Topeka West in the non-league doubleheader at Haydenl.
The Wildcats displayed great patience at the plate and capitalized on nearly all of its opportunities offensively. In Game 1, with an eight-run first inning helping Hayden take a 10-0 win that took five innings. Then, in Game 2, the Wildcats earned an 11-1 victory that took six innings.
Cooper Grace helped Hayden baseball post a non-league twinbill sweep over Topeka West on Tuesday, 10-0 and 11-1. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
“At the plate, I thought we squared some balls up and hit some balls hard, which is good,” Hayden coach Bill Arnold said. “Hopefully, we build on our at-bats a little bit.”
Several Hayden batters finished the day with eye-popping stat lines in the doubleheader sweep.
Senior Jackson Summers had a combined five hits, including two doubles, a triple, four stolen bases, two walks and four RBI.
Cooper Grace, Dylan Foster, Konnor Becker, Easton Blosser and Brady Heinen had at least one game with multiple hits.
In addition, players such as Bradyn Rose, Evan Lenherr, Summers, Grace and Foster had various RBI games.
“The guys and I have been hitting the ball a lot trying to get better,” Summers said. “I felt good with the way I played today, but a lot of other guys hit well, too. I think we swing it really well and have a good zone. I’d like to maintain that same approach that we had today and just keep swinging the bat.”
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
After suffering their first loss of the season last Friday against Olathe South, Washburn Rural softball coach Liz Stover was obviously curious to see how her Junior Blues would bounce back in Tuesday's Centennial League doubleheader at Hayden.
Washburn Rural senior Emmerson Cope hit a two-run home run in a 6-0 first-game win at Hayden and pitched a no-hitter with 14 strikeouts. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Emmerson Cope (right) is congratulated by teammates after her first-game home run in Rural's 6-0 win over Hayden. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
For the most part Stover liked what she saw out of her team, with Rural improving to 7-1 overall and a perfect 6-0 in the league with a 6-0, 13-4 sweep over the Wildcats.
"I'm happy that they did bounce back the way they did,'' Stover said. "I'm happy with a couple of wins but I do think that there's still some things to work on.
"We're a pretty young team overall. We've got a lot of kids that don't have a ton of playing experience for the varsity team so far, so really we're just trying to work on staying consistent and focused.''
Senior standout Emmerson Cope, a Nebraska signee, tossed a no-hitter in the opener with 14 strikeouts and also put the Junior Blues ahead to stay with a two-run home run in the third inning.
Hayden was tied 1-1 in the bottom of the first in the nightcap, but Washburn Rural crushed three home runs in a seven-run second and four in the game on the way to closing out the sweep.
