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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
SILVER LAKE – Silver Lake handled its deepest rival, Rossville on Monday night with 5-1 and 5-0 Mid-East League wins in a doubleheader matching unbeaten softball teams that could make a deep run in Class 3A this season.
Silver Lake (6-0) has found its groove in the young season so far. Before the Eagles' sweep of Rossville, Silver Lake was coming off two enormous victories against Class 5A softball powerhouse Basehor-Linwood, who hadn’t lost a single home game since 2021 before the Eagles' victories.
Silver Lake junior Raely Sterling (5) is mobbed by her Eagle teammates after a first-game home run in Monday's doubleheader against Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Junior Avery Wende pitched a complete-game victory in Silver Lake's 5-1 first-game win over Rossville on Monday at Silver Lake. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
“I talked to the girls, and I told them, ‘Don’t worry about the scoreboard and just go play their game,’ ” Silver Lake coach Nick Hamilton said. “Every girl has a job, and they’re doing it. I think for once, I’m really feeling the name on the front of their shirt is bigger than anything else on the field right now. That’s been important for us this year. Just focus as a team.”
Silver Lake’s offense has helped balance the team’s overall success. In the twinbill against Rossville, the Eagles had multiple players have standout games.
In Game 1, Taylor Zordel and Raely Sterling had two-hit games, while most of the lineup contributed hits and walks.
Game 2 was similar to the offensive production. Kira Lowrey, Zordel and Kaibryn Kruger significantly impacted the win at the plate.
In addition to the offensive output, excellent starting pitching has contributed to Silver Lake’s scorching hot start this season.
Junior Avery Wende and sophomore Kendra Cook have gone through their season without setbacks and are thriving with undefeated starts.
Wende and Cook both earned wins against Rossville on Monday night. The duo kept Rossville’s stellar offense relatively quiet. The starters allowed one combined run, six hits and fanned seven batters.
“The biggest thing is that they’ve adapted well to our new pitching coach, and they trust their defense,” Hamilton said. “They’re throwing pitches knowing it’s going to get hit, they’re trusting those girls to make plays. I think that’s a big step for them because that’s tough to do in high school ball.
"When you keep the ball in the park, you have girls that can make plays. You saw (Taylor) Zordel make that backhand (play); she can go make some plays. I got some girls that are competitive, they just want to go compete.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2023 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
GIRLS
100 METERS
Nichols, Shawnee Heights 12.36
Marshall, Topeka High 13.17
Ross, Silver Lake 13.36
Steiner, Seaman 13.62
Zuniga, Topeka High 13.76
200 METERS
Nichols, Shawnee Heights 25.88
Brooks, Topeka West 25.98
Fredrickson, Washburn Rural 26.98
Marshall, Topeka High 27.13
Rezac, Rossiville 27.63
400 METERS
Brooks, Topeka West 58.98
Fredrickson, Washburn Rural 60.01
Hillebert, Hayden 60.74
Miller, Seaman 61.85
Rezac, Rossville 63.08
Returning senior state champion Bethany Druse of Seaman is the Shawnee County leader in the girls 800. [File photo/TSN]
800 METERS
Druse, Seaman 2:21.80
Ismert, Washburn Rural 2:28.92
Carter, Washburn Rural 2:29.51
Foster, Rossville 2:33.78
Rottinghaus, Shawnee Heights 2:33.97
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2023 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
BOYS
100 METERS
Dunshee, Hayden 10.94
Rollenhagen, Silver Lake 11.08
Heiman, Silver Lake 11.23
Murph, Topeka High 11.28
Peoples, Topeka High 11.35
200 METERS
Peoples, Topeka High 22.60
Cochran, Seaman 22.70
Rollenhagen, Silver Lake 22.79
Murph, Topeka High 23.06
Berry-Briggs, Shawnee Heights 23.08
Heiman, Silver Lake 23.23
400 METERS
Schrickel, Hayden 51.09
Roeder, Topeka High 51.60
Benz, Shawnee Heights 52.68
Terry, Washburn Rural 52.85
Roney, Washburn Rural 53.04
800 METERS
Moore, Seaman 2:04.63
Esquibel, Shawnee Heights 2:05.09
Dial, Washburn Rural 2:05.41
Anderson, Seaman 2:05.59
Johnson, Washburn Rual 2:07.92
Shawnee Heights junior Jackson Esquibel (3) is the Shawnee County leader in the 1,600 meters. [File photo/TSN]
1,600 METERS
Esquibel, Shawnee Heights 4:23.37
Njoroge, Topeka West 4:24.12
Dial, Washburn Rural 4:33.13
Johnson, Washburn Rural 4:33.46
Jowers, Seaman 4:46.58
Topeka West senior Lenny Njoroge is the Shawnee County leader in the boys 3,200-meter run. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
3,200 METERS
Njoroge, Topeka West 9:26.36
Esquibel, Shawnee Heights 9:31.56
Johnson, Washburn Rural 10:02.87
Fink, Washburn Rual 10:17.98
Jowers, Seaman 10:19.72
- Details
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
After winning team championships in meets in Salina and Arkansas City, the Topeka West boys tennis team dominated the John Markham Spring Classic at Goddard Saturday, taking first as a team for the third straight meet.
Topeka West seniors Miles Cusick (back) and Ian Cusick rolled to the doubles championship Saturday at Goddard as the Chargers won their third straight team championship. [Submitted photo by Kami Cusick]
Seniors Ian and Miles Cusick, the defending Class 5A state doubles champions, shut out opponents from Wichita Southeast and Goddard Eisenhower in their first two matches. They went on to beat the team from McPherson 8-5 before taking an 8-4 decision over junior teammates Caden McGee and Caleb Weybrew to reach the finals.
The Cusicks then defeated Derby's Isaak Bowman and Hayden Carrillo 8-1 to take the top spot in doubles. McGee and Weybrew finished fourth.
Topeka West senior singles player Carter Cool finished fourth Saturday at Goddard, helping West win the team championship. [Submitted photo by Kami Cusick]
In singles, senior Carter Cool rolled past Jayden Phrakonkham from Wichita Southeast and Cair Paravel Latin freshman Drew Fay by 8-0 counts to open his tournament bid.
After beating Jack Ring from Maize High School, Cool fell in the semifinals to Independence's Kale Groff 8-1 and took fourth place in singles.
Junior James Maag won 8-1 in his first two matches against Goddard's Arce Gross and Independence's Owen Clapp before coming up short in the quarterinals, losing 8-3 to Goddard Eisenhower's Kyle King. Maag went on to finish fifth.
The Chargers will host the Topeka West Invitational at Kossover Tennis Center on Tuesday, April 18.
Shawnee Heights junior Jackson Esquibel (right) and Topeka West senior Lenny Njoroge finished first and second in the 1,600 last Friday's Lansing Invitational. [Submitted photo by Amy Esquibel]
Esquibel, Njoroge shine at Lansing
Shawnee Heights junior Jackson Esquibel set Shawnee Heights school records in a pair of events in Friday's Lansing Invitational track and field meet while Topeka West senior Lenny Njoroge registered a pair of personal records.
Esquibel and Njoroge went one-two in the 1,600, with Esquibel setting the Heights school record in 4 minutes, 23.37 seconds and Njororge finihing second in 4:24.12.
Njoroge came back later in the night to win the 3,200 9:26.36, with Esquibel second in a school-record time of 9:31.56.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Ian Cusick
IAN CUSICK, Topeka West
A senior, Cusick teamed with his twin brother, Miles, to win the doubles championship in Saturday's John Markham Spring Classic tennis tournament at Goddard, with the Cusicks leading the Chargers to their third straight team championship this spring. The Cusicks, defending Class 5A state doubles champions, went 5-0 in the tournament, capped by an 8-1 win over Derby's Isaak Bowman and Hayden Carrillo in the title match.
Miles Cusick
MILES CUSICK, Topeka West
Cusick, a senior, teamed with twin brother Ian to win the doubles championship in Saturday's John Markham Spring Classic at Goddard, leading the Chargers to their third straight team championship this spring. The Cusicks, defending Class 5A state doubles champions, went 5-0 in the tournament, capped by an 8-1 win over Derby's Isaak Bowman and Hayden Carrillo in the title match.
Jackson Esquibel
JACKSON ESQUIBEL, Shawnee Heights
A junior, Esquibel set Shawnee Heights school records in both the boys 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs in Friday's Lansing Invitational track and field meet. A Class 5A state medalist in both track and cross country, Esquibel won the 1,600 in 4 minutes, 23.37 seconds and finished second in the 3,200 in 9:31.56. Esquibel eclipsed 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.
