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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Rick Strecker, a member of Hayden Catholic High School's first class of inductees into the school's Hall of Fame in 2021, passed away Saturday morning at the age of 67 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Rick Strecker, who led Hayden to five state titles and served his alma mater in a variety of roles, passed away Saturday after a battle with cancer. [File photo/TSN]
A 1976 Hayden graduate, Strecker served his alma mater as a physics and chemistry teacher, state championship coach, athletic director, principal and the school's president for nearly two decades before moving on to Blue Valley West in 2016.
Strecker, the student council president and athlete of the year as a senior at Hayden, led the Wildcats to three Class 4A state championships in girls basketball and two in track during his coaching career at the school.
“My time at Hayden will probably, except for my family, be the greatest blessing of my life,’’ Strecker told The Topeka Capital-Journal in 2016 after accepting his position at Blue Valley West. "To get the chance to go back there and coach with people like Jerry Simecka and Ben Meseke and Bobby Taul and work with them, but also to be in the same school where I went to high school and where my dad and mom and my grandparents went to high school has just been wonderful.''
Strecker continued to teach and coach in multiple sports at Blue Valley West, including serving as the Jaguars' head girls basketball coach, until being forced to step away after receiving his cancer diagnosis early in 2025.
Strecker was born on March 7, 1958, in Topeka to William and Theresa (Boos) Strecker.
He was baptized at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and attended St. Matthew’s grade school.
After graduating from Hayden High Strecker earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Benedictine College in 1980 and was also team captain of the basketball team.
He then earned an master's in physics from the Missouri-Kansas City in 1982 and an M.S. in education from the University of Kansas in 1999.
On August 22, 1987 Rick married Kathleen A. Rinella, and together they were blessed with four children.
Rick and Kathy met as teachers at Hayden and taught and coached together for many years. The Streckers lived in Topeka until 2016, when they relocated to Olathe after Kathy accepted a position at Rockhurst University and Rick a position at Blue Valley West.
Rick was recently honored to receive the Greater Kansas City Girls Basketball Lifetime Service Award.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his father in law, Anthony Rinella, grandparents Aloysius and Agnes Strecker, and Clemens and Amelia Boos, and his brother in law, John Whigham.
Rick is survived by his wife of 37 years, Kathy, and their children -- Jordan Strecker, Kristin (Seth) Wiedel, Shannon (Adam) Sova, and Mary Strecker (Grace Maddox). He was a proud grandfather to Nora, Tori, Leah, Matthew Wiede and Anthony Sova.
Strecker is also survived by his siblings -- Carol (Greg) Ingenthron, William (Dee) Strecker, Mark (Kris) Strecker and Scott (Heather) Strecker -- his mother in law, Susan Rinella, and his in-laws, Mike (Jennifer) Rinella, Ann Whigham, Mary (Peter) Lebourveau, Nancy (Chad) LaSala, and Christi (Mark) Douglas. He leaves behind many beloved cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and friends.
The Vigil Prayers will begin at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, July 8, at St. Paul Catholic Church, 21650 W. 115th Terrace, Olathe, followed by visitation from 5:15-8 p.m.
Words of remembrance will begin at 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday, July 9, at St. Paul Catholic Church followed by Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. Wednesday, also at St. Paul.
Inurnment will follow immediately after at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery in Lenexa.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:
- Hayden Catholic High School Foundation: Strecker Family Scholarship.
- St. Paul Catholic Church Capital Campaign.
- Benedictine College (Dr. A. Douglas Brothers Research Endowment).
• Catholic Community Health Hospice.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The top Shawnee County athletes from the class of 2025 are getting ready to embark on their college careers while offseason preparations for the 2025-2026 school year are well under way.
But it's also important to remember the accomplishments that made the '24-'25 campaign a special one for county athletes and teams.
Shawnee County schools claimed three state girls team championships and seven others came up just short over the past school year while three county standouts combined to claim five individual titles in three different sports.
While a case can always be made for any number of stories to sit at the top of the list, here's just one opinion on the Top 10 county girls prep stories of '24-'25.
Washburn Rural soccer celebrates its first Class 6A state championship after a 1-0 win over Mill Valley in PKs. [Photo by KSHSAA Covered]
1. HISTORIC BREAKTHROUGH -- Washburn Rural, already well established as one of the state's premier girls soccer programs, added the only missing piece from its impressive resume with its first Class 6A state championship on May 31 in Wichita. Making their 11th straight Final Four appearance, including four runnerup state finishes, the Junior Blues broke through with a 1-0 win over Mill Valley, taking the win with a 4-1 edge in penalty kicks as senior Madison Lemke came up huge in goal for Brian Hensyel's 19-2-0 Rural team.
Seaman junior Ryin Miller won three gold medals in the 2025 Class 5A state track meet at Wichita, giving her five wins in her career. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
2. MILLER TIMES -- Seaman superstar runner Ryin Miller capped off her junior track and field season by sweeping Class 5A state championships in her three individual events, taking wins in the 3,200 (10:19.53), 1,600 (4:57.33) and 800-meter (2:11.14) runs at Wichita State. Miller's three wins in 2025 gave her five career titles and came on the heels of a banner cross country season last fall, which included the fastest five-kilometer run in Kansas history (16:32.62) and a runnerup finish in the 5A state meet (17:26.36) by the Viking four-sport athlete.
Hayden senior Ainzley Zulueta earned her third Class 4A singles title last fall, leading the Wildcats to their second team title in three seasons. [File photo/TSN]
3. ZULUETA, WILDCATS BACK ON TOP -- After sitting out her junior high shool tennis season due to KSHSAA eligibility guidelines, Zulueta returned to the courts last fall and turned in a dominating postseason performance (eight straight 6-0, 6-0 wins in regional and state competition) en route to her third Class 4A singles championship in as many tries while leading Hayden to its second team title in three seasons by a 40-28 margin over McPherson. In addition to Zulueta's title, Christy Sheetz's Wildcats got a runnerup doubles finish from senior Emily Sheetz and freshman Sophia Wichman, a ninth-place singles finish from junior Grace Funk and an 11th-place doubles showing from juniors Izzy Glotzbach and Avery O'Bray.
Hayden's girls golf team captured its second straight Class 4A state championship last fall by 15 strokes over Wellington. [Submitted photo]
4. REPEAT FEAT -- Hayden rolled to its second straight Class 4A girls golf team championship last fall, posting a 698-713 win over Wellington at Hesston as three Wildcats earned individual medals. Junior Lauren Borjon paced Hayden with a third-place state finish (76-81 -- 157) while junior Izzy Glotzbach tied for 12th (89-82 -- 171) and senior Addyson Baer tied for 16th (86-88 -- 174). Glotzbach helped the Wildcats win state titles in tennis and golf three days apart.
Highland Park junior Makayla Cadet has her hand raised as the Class 5A 190-pound state champ last winter. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
5. A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY -- Highland Park junior Makayla Cadet celebrated her 17th birthday in one of the best ways you could imagine last winter, with a Class 5A state wrestling championship. Cadet, who went 23-4 on the season, became the first girls wrestler in Highland Park history to win a state championship when she pinned Basehor-Linwood junior Izzy Renfro at the 1:36 mark of the first period in Park City. Cadet's win over Renfro avenged a regional loss to the Bobcat standout.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The 2024-2025 sports year was full of near-misses for Shawnee County boys teams, with Hayden bowling the lone team to garner a championship in a school year that included seven top-three state trophy finishes in six sports.
But individually there was plenty to celebrate, most notably for Washburn Rural on the wrestling mat and track as seven Junior Blues combined for all six county titles
Following is a pick by pick look at the TopSports.news Top 10 county boys prep stories of '24-'25:
Washburn Rural 2025 grad Easton Broxterman won his third straight Class 6A state wrestling title in his fourth straight trip to the state finals. [File photo/TSN]
1. DOMINATING FINISH TO DOMINATING CAREER -- Washburn Rural superstar wrestler Easton Broxterman put the capper on one of the top high school careers in Shawnee County history with his third straight Class 6A state championship in his fourth straight trip to the state finals, helping lead the Junior Blues to a third-place team finish in the 6A state tournament in Overland Park. Broxterman, who will wrestle collegiately at Army, finished off a 41-2 senior season with the 145-pound state title.
Hayden captured the school's first-ever state bowling title in 2025. [File photo/TSN]
2. ROLLING TO HISTORY -- Hayden garnered the first state bowling championship in school history, winning the Class 4A-1A state event by a 3,666-3,571 margin over Mulvane as four Wildcats earned individual state medals. Trevor Christy rolled a 698 series to finish third individually while John Strickland finished fifth with a 685, Chase Blaser was seventh with a 676 and Reese Renyer placed 16th with a 636.
Washburn Rural 2025 grad Kristjan Marshall won back-to-back Class 6A state wrestling titles in '24 and '25.'[File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior to be Landen Kocher-Munoz won his second Class 6A state wrestling titles in '25.'[File photo/TSN]
3. REPEAT FEAT -- Washburn Rural wrestling stars Kristjan Marshall and Landen Kocher-Munoz captured the second Class 6A state titles of their careers as the Junior Blues finished third as a team. Marshall, a senior, won his second straight championship, winning the 157-pound crown to finish off a 37-5 season while Kocher-Munoz, a junior, won his second career championship in his third straight state final, winning at 138 pounds to finish 34-3 on the season.
Washburn Rural's Matthew Houser, Liam Morrison, Draden Chooncharoen and Isaiah Terry set the Class 6A state meet record in the 4x400 relay in the 2025 state meet. [File photo/TSN]
4. REPEAT FEAT PART II -- Washburn Rural won the Class 6A state title in the 4x400-meter relay for the second straight season in the final event of the state meet at Wichita State's Cessna Stadium as senior Matthew Houser, junior Liam Morrison, junior Draden Chooncharoen and senior Isaiah Terry set a 6A state meet record in a winning time of 3 minutes, 16.23 seconds. Morrison, Chooncharoen and Terry ran on Rural's state-champion relay in both '24 and '25 while Houser won his first state title.
5. DOUBLING THEIR PLEASURE -- In addition to helping Washburn Rural set a Class 6A state meet 4x400 relay record in the 2025 state meet, senior Isaiah Terry and junior Liam Morrison both doubled up with their first career individual state titles. Terry won the 400-meter dash in 47.92 seconds while Morrison won the 300 hurdles in 37.68 seconds. Terry and Morrison also both have a pair of state wins as part of the Junior Blues' 4x400 relay, giving them three career state golds.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Earlier this spring the Kansas State High School Activities Association presented a 60-year service award to an official for the first time in the long history of the organization.
Topekan John "Big Dawg'' Deedrick was honored by the KSHSAA for 60 years of service as an official last month in Manhattan. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Of course there's never been an official quite like the "Big Dawg,'' John Deedrick.
KSHSAA honored Deedrick, who retired at the conclusion of the 2024-2025 school year, on May 30 in Manhattan during the Class 3A state baseball tournament, recognizing the Topeka legend for his six decades of service as a registered official in baseball, basketball, football and volleyball.
"Sixty sounded like a good number and I was kind of shooting for that after I got my 50 year plaque,'' the 81-year-old Deedrick told TopSports.news. "But I did not know at the time that I would be the only official in the state of Kansas that's ever got a 60-year plaque.
"They've never made one before, so I feel like the Lone Ranger.''
The numbers that Deedrick put together in his high school officiating career are mind-boggling.
• Worked KSHSAA regular-season baseball games for more than 50 seasons, regular-season basketball for just under 50 years and football and volleyball for just under three decades.
• 39 state baseball tournaments.
• 22 state basketball tournaments.
• 7 state football championships.
• 1 state volleyball tournament.
Deedrick, who also officiated at the collegiate level for multiple decades, including 15 years as the MIAA commissioner of officials, has fond memories of his time in each sport.
"I retired from basketball in 2013 and my last state tournament was down in Emporia,'' Deedrick said. "That's kind of a neat story there because the very first state basketbll tournament that I worked was I think in 1977 and it was White Auditorium in Emporia and we dressed upstairs in some little crow's nest, no shower, just a meeting room and we had to walk down a hallway get into some rinkydink shower.
"That was my first state tournament and when I worked my last state tournament I was at White Auditorium in the same locker room upstairs with no shower and all that kind of stuff, so you might say it was like a storybook finish. I worked my first state tournament and my last state tournament in the same building with the same dressing room. Now what kind of a story is that?''
Deedrick also cherishes the memory of working a Class 6A state basketball title game between Danny Manning-led Lawrence and powerhouse Kansas City-Wyandotte and a 6A football championship between powerhouses Manhattan and Lawrence.
Dawg is also proud of the fact that he got the opportunity to work one state volleyball tournament during his career.
"One year I was free of no football playoffs, so I said, 'Hey, why don't I put in for a volleyball state because I could never do that before?'' Deedrick said. "I put in for a state and got a 1A at Fort Hays. I couldn't believe it. I put in for one and got one.''
Although he is a fan of all sports, baseball is probably Deedrick's favorite.
"The reason I like baseball is I get a chance to be with coaches and kids at home plate and you can talk to them during the game,'' he said. "Football and basketball you just work the games and you don't really communicate because the game is so intense. I tell people, 'I'm here for the kids.' I was taught by Dennis Walker, who got me started in college baseball, 'The game is for the kids. We're just part of it.' The coaches are part of it, the fans are part of it. Our job is the kids on the field.
"My goal was to have fun with the kids and I let them know that during the game. I would tell them at home plate what my intentions were, 'We're here to have fun.' And I always said to myself, 'When I can't have fun with the kids I'm walking away.' ''
Deedrick, who will turn 82 on July 30, never reached that point, but does feel like it's time to step back.
"I'm still having fun with the kids,'' Deedrick said. "I love the fans, I like the coaches who have been so respectful to me. I tell the coaches before the game, "I'm here for the kids and I want you coaches to have fun and I want the kids to have fun.'
"Sixty years just seemed like a good time to walk away because every year you get a little bit older. These last few years that I worked I noticed that when I come home from games I just felt like I was a little more tired. But everyone would tell me, 'You're 81.' ''
Deedrick was able to continue his officiating career after surviving a serious car accident while returning home from officiating a game in 1987 and continues to play slow-pitch softball.
In retirement Deedrick wants to help recruit and develop new officials.
"You hear all the time about how we're short on officials in football and basketball and baseball,'' he said. "I still want to work with young kids. I want to help the state and I want to help the supervisors in trying to find young officials. I want to stay in the program. I just didn't want to work a 50-game schedule because I just felt like age was creeping up on me.
"You've got to be lucky, just to survive 60 years. I don't know how I lasted that long. I just thank God for that. I've enjoyed my career and there's just so many nice people out there that have been good to me and I hope I shared a little fun with them and smiled and had a good time. I think that's what sports should be all about.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The official high school track and field season ended on May 31 in Wichita, but Seaman superstar Ryin Miller continues to crank out outstanding performances.
Seaman senior to be Ryin Miller turned in a strong performance in last weekend's Nike Outdoor Nationals, including a Kansas all-time best. [File photo/TSN]
Miller, who will be a senior for the Vikings in 2025-2026, is coming off a big weekend in the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Ore., including a Kansas all-time best.
Miller finished fifth in the championship division of the Nike Nationals 3,000 meters on Saturday in a time of 9 minutes, 28.52 seconds, Kansas' all-time fastest time in the event.
Miller then came back on Sunday to run the No. 2 all-time Kansas best of 4:42.58 in the one-mile run, placing fourth in the championship division.
Miller's performance in Oregon came after she swept the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 Class 5A championships in the state meet at Wichita State's Cessna Stadium and Miller now has five career 5A state titles.
The Seaman four-sport standout currently ranks No. 3 all-time in Kansas in the 800 (2:09.28) and No. 3 in the 3,200 (10:13.97).
