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'By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TOPEKA WEST (5-10, 4-7) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (10-5, 8-3)
Shawnee Heights senior Emari Doby (13) is coming off an 18-point game in the T-Birds' 62-43 UKC win over Leavenworth. [File photo/TSN]
Both teams are coming off United Kansas League victories last Friday, with Topeka West taking a 58-28 win at Kansas City-Turner and Shawnee Heights posting a 62-43 home win over Leavenworth. Shawnee Heights, which took a 42-33 win at West earlier in the season, got 18 points from senior Emari Doby while senior Riley Showalter added 14 points with four 3-pointers. Topeka West has won two straight games and four out of its last six.
EMPORIA (12-3, 3-2) at HAYDEN (9-4, 2-3)
Hayden won its fifth straight game last Friday, taking a 57-41 Centennial League home decision over Manhattan, while Emporia is coming off a 45-39 overtime league loss at Washburn Rural. Junior Lauren Sandstrom scored 19 points to lead four Wildcats in double figures against Manhattan while Kaliya Fulton added 15 points, Brylee Meier 12 points and Norma Greco 11. Emporia will be playing Hayden for the third time this season, with the Spartans taking 52-27 and 43-34 wins in the first two games.
Senior Kiki Smith scored 22 points in Topeka High's 62-25 Centennial League romp past Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
MANHATTAN (6-9, 2-3) at TOPEKA HIGH (12-3, 3-2)
Topeka High is coming off a 62-25 Centennial League romp past Junction City while Manhattan dropped a 57-41 league decision at Hayden last Friday. Senior Kiki Smith scored 22 points to lead Topeka High against Junction City while junior Ladaysha Baird added 14 points. Topeka High took a 75-42 decision over Manhattan earlier in the season.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Jack Bachelor
JACK BACHELOR, Washburn Rural
Bachelor, a 6-foot-2 senior guard, scored a total of 44 points in two Washburn Rural boys basketball wins on the week as the Junior Blues improved to 11-4 on the season. Bachelor scored 27 points in a 65-60 non-league win over Blue Valley last Tuesday, going nine of 13 from the field with three 3-pointers and six of seven at the free throw line. Bachelor followed that up with 17 points and five 3-pointers on Friday as Rural fought back from a 14-point deficit in the first half to take a 50-42 Centennial League win over Emporia. Bachelor hit six of nine shots and five of six 3-point attemps in the win over the Spartans.
Alexis Fredrickson
ALEXIS FREDRICKSON, Washburn Rural
The Junior Blues' senior 135-pound girls wrestler, Fredrickson reached the 100-victory milestone for her career in last Saturday's Centennial League tournament. Fredrickson, who began wrestling as a sophomore, went 3-1 with three pins, including a win over a No. 1-ranked (Class 6A-5A) wrestler as Washburn Rural rolled to its third straight league championship. Rural went 4-0 in the dual event, outscoring its four opponents by a 285-33 margin.
Madison Freeland
MADISON FREELAND, Shawnee Heights
A sophomore, Freeland captured the 135-pound championship in last Saturday's United Kansas Conference girls wrestling tournament at Seaman. Freeland went 3-0 on the day with pins in 48 seconds, 1 minute, 21 seconds and 1:42 to help lead Shawnee Heights to its fourth straight UKC team title by a 78-52 margin over tournament host Seaman. Freeland improved to 27-5 going into this Saturday's Class 6A-5A regional tournament at Seaman.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's girls, ranked No.2 in Class 6A-5A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association, dominated Saturday's five-school Centennial League tournament at Junction City, posting a perfect 4-0 dual record en route to the Junior Blues' third straight league crown.
Washburn Rural rolled to the 2023 Centennial League girl wrestling title Saturday at Junction City, outscoring its four league foes by a 285-33 margin in the dual event. [Twitter/Washburn Rural women's wrestling]
Washburn Rural's Addison Broxterman (left) became the first four-time Centennial League girls champion Saturday while Alexis Fredrickson notched her 100th career victory in just three seasons. [Twitter/Washburn Rural women's wrestling]
After a first-round bye, the Junior Blues opened the day with a 78-6 win over Junction City before taking a 78-3 win oer Emporia, a 51-24 win over Manhattan and a 78-0 win over Topeka High.
Rural wrestlers Kristen Rezac (105 pounds), Maddy Blow (110), Annie Gallegos (120), Addison Broxterman (125), Laiken Clark (130), Madison Davison (145), TaAni Rhoten (170) and Sophia Ross (235) all went 4-0 on the day while Alexis Fredrickson reached the 100-win mark for her career.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Despite losing senior returning state medalist and team leader Molly Busenitz to a season-ending knee injury earlier in the year, Saturday resulted in another United Kansas Conference team championship for Shawnee Heights' girls wrestling team.
Shawnee Heights, which has now won all four UKC girls titles that have been contested, had three individual champions crowned Saturday at Seaman, but it was the T-Birds' depth that made the difference in a 78-52 win over runner-up Seaman, with Heights adding eight runner-up finishes.
Shawnee Heights' girls wrestling team won its fourth straight United Kansas Conference team title Saturday at Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Shawnee Heights sophomore Madison Freeland celebrates her 135-pound United Kansas Conference championship Saturday at Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Heights coach Chad Parks admitted that losing Busenitz was a blow for the team but said that Busenitz and the T-Birds have done a great job of handling that setback.
"They've responded well,'' Parks said. "One thing is Molly had ACL surgery and literally was at practice that afternoon. She's still there, the girls love her, they look up to her, so she's still in there supporting them and cheering them on.
"They were all upset but then just jumped right back into business, which is what she wants.''
Shawnee Heights got individual titles from sophomore 135-pounder Madison Freeland (27-5 on the season), senior 155-pounder Cianna Graves (13-4) and senior 190-pounder Lilly Blair (16-9) while freshman Connie Burns (100 pounds), junior Odessa Schmidt (110), freshman Anissa Gonzales (115), freshman Addison Cooper (120), sophomore Reece Taylor (125), sophomore Isabel Reyes (130), senior Hannah Sixkiller (140) and junior McKenna Haltom (145) posted runner-up finishes and junior Emberlynn Phillips (105) finished third.
"Our girls battled,'' Parks said. "We know Seaman's really good and they're really good in a lot of weights we're good at, but we have depth. The thing I love about our girls is they come out and battle every single time no matter what and they're supporting each other. And to see their work ethic in the room pay off on the wrestling mats is big.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
A few weeks ago, a boys wrestling dual between Seaman and Shawnee Heights went down to the final match of the night before Viking standout senior 285-pounder Jaxon Thomas gave his team the win with a pin.
It was deja vu all over again Saturday at Seaman, with Thomas' final-match win giving the host Vikings their first Uniited Kansas Conference team title by a scant 184.5-179 margin over Shawnee Heights, which had won every UKC boys wrestling title since the league's inception.
Seaman's boys wrestling team poses for a team picture after winning the UKC team title by 5.5 points over Shawnee Heights Saturday at Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman senior 285-pounder Jaxson Thomas gives the Vikings their first UKC wrestling championhip with a pin in the final match of the tournament. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN
Seaman entered the 285-pound match trailing Shawnee Heights by a half point, but Thomas didn't know exactly what the team title situation was, just that the race was close. He got an idea of just how close when Viking coach Tony Pena said a few words to him right before he went out on the mat.
"I didn't know it was the full league tournament that was on the line,'' Thomas said. "I knew that we were really close. I didn't know who was up but I like the pressure of having that last match being on me.
"A couple of seconds before the match coach was like, 'This is on you, we're close. Finish the deal.' ''
Seaman standout 285-pound wrestler Jaxson Thomas is congratulated by Seaman coach Tony Pena, the UKC coach of the year, after Thomas gave the Vikings the team title with a pin. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
