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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
On Thursday Shawnee Heights senior star Jeremiah Smith picked Nebraska to continue his track career next season ... with a little help from a former T-Bird.
Smith, a three-time state champ and No. 1 on Kansas' all-time list in the 100-meter dash, revealed his college choice in front of friends and family Thursday at Heights, picking the Huskers over Iowa Oklahoma, and then immediately signed his letter of intent to make things official.
Shawnee Heights senior Jeremiah Smith signed a track and field letter of intent with Nebraska on Saturday at Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Smith follows in the footsteps of former Shawnee Heights state champ and current Nebraka standout Mikey Hoffer, an NCCA qualifier for the Huskers, and said that Hoffer was in his ear during the recruiting proces.
"He definitely was,'' Smith said. "The University of Nebraska definitely used the connection we had to their advantage, had me talking to him all the time and things like that. He was deinitely involved.''
And Smith said it was good to have somebody like Hoffer to lean on.
"It definitely was because I had like an inside view and I could ask him personal questions that I couldn't ask the coach,'' Smith said. "He's been there for four years and he's going to tell me straight. Even though he wants me to go there, he wants what's best for me so he's going to tell me the truth about what I asked.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: The college fall letter of intent signing period got under way this week and TopSports.news will post signing updates as they are received. Email any signing information and signing day pictures to Rick Peterson at
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Seaman girls golf star Lois Deeter and Viking javelin standout Ally Trier signed their college letter of intents on Wednesday, with Deeter signing with Arkansas Tech and Trier with Emporia State.
Seaman's Ally Trier (left) signed with Emporia State and the Vikings' Lois Deeter signed with Arkansas Tech on Wednesday. [Submitted photo]
Deeter finished seventh in the Class 5A state golf tournament as a senior after winning city and United Kansas Conference individual titles and finishing second in regional competition.
Deeter led Seaman to its first-ever league title by 51 strokes and to a regional team crown before earning her third state medal in as many high school golf seasons. Deeter placed fifth individually in 5A as a freshman and junior.
Trier was an All-Shawnee County track and field selection as a junior, posting a second-place finish in a 5A regional meet to qualify for state.
Trier was the city champion in the javelin with a personal-record throw of 132 feet, 10 inches.
High state champ Alvarez signs softball letter with KCKCC -- Topeka High catcher Alesia Alvarez, who helped lead the Trojans to the Class 6A state softball championship last spring, has signed with Kansas City Kansas Community College's softball program.
Topeka High senior Alesia Alvarez (middle) has signed a softball letter with Kansas City Kansas Community College. [Submitted Photo]
Alvarez received All-State, All-Centennial League and All-Shawnee County recognition as a junior.
Alvarez has also played tennis all four years at Topeka High and joined the Trojans' girls wrestling program last year, receiving All-City honorable mention.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
(Games at 7 p.m.)
CLASS 6A
WASHBURN RURAL (8-2) at DERBY (8-2)
Washburn Rural is coming off an 34-7 second-round playoff win at Garden City while Derby rolled to a 76-28 win over Lawrence.
Washburn Rural's defense set the tone for the night when it scored the game's first touchdown on a JC Heim recovey in the end zone with five minutes left in the opening quarter and the Junior Blues went on to open up a commanding 34-0 lead.
Washburn Rural junior JC Heim (25) scored the game's first touchdown on a defensive TD as the Junior Blues rolled to a 34-7 Class 6A playoff win last Friday at Garden City. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Ma'kenttis Adams led the way as Rural finished with 41 carries for 192 rushing yards against Garden City while junior quarterback Branton DeWeese was 14 of 21 passing for 157 yards.
Washburn Rural enters Friday night's 6A state quarterfinal on a five-game winning streak while perennial state title contender Derby has won four straight games.
The Panthers two losses have been by a total of four points, to undefeated Manhattan (in overtime) and Maize.
Notre Dame commit Dylan Edwards has rushed for 1,590 yards and 27 touchdowns on 144 attempts for Derby while senior quarterback Brock Zerger is also in the midst of a big senior season.
Zerger has rushed for 997 yards and 14 TDs on 101 attempts and completed 61 of 103 pass attempts for 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Derby senior Miles Wash has been in on 120 tackles.
The Washburn Rural-Derby winner will advance to the state semifinals to face the winner of Friday's game between Centennial League champion Manhattan (10-0) and Wichita Northwest (8-2).
CLASS 3A
HAYDEN (9-1) at COLUMBUS (5-5)
Hayden rallied from a 13-0 deficit to hand previously-unbeaten Wellsville a 22-19 defeat last Friday while Columbus took a 21-14 second-round playoff victory over Galena last Thursday.
Hayden senior JC Cummings (38) has had a big 2022 season on both offense and defense for the 9-1 Wildcats. [File photo/TSN]
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After dropping a 76-49 decision at Kansas State in its lone exhibition on Nov. 1, the Washburn Ichabods will officially open their 118th season of men's basketball with a pair of games this weekend at the Central Region Challenge at storied Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo., beginning with a 5 p.m. Friday game against Henderson State before facing Augustana (S.D.) at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Connor Deffebaugh scored a team-high 11 points in its Nov. 1 exhibition loss to Kansas State. The Ichabods officially open the season Friday against Henderson State in Kansas City, Mo. [File photo/TSN]
Ichabod coach Brett Ballard, who has led Washburn to 20-win seasons and NCAA Tournament berths in four of his five seasons, including a 22-11 mark last season, said it's time to get started and see where WU, which graduated its top three scorers, is and where the Ichabods need to make improvement.
"We've been a liittle inconsistent at times in practice, which you expect a little bit with so many new guys,'' Ballard said. "But we've been more consistent the last week or so and I think that K-State game allowed us to evaluate some film and tighten some things up so I like where we're at from a consistency standpoint and I think ultimately that will help you play better in the games.
"This is a good weekend because you'll play two good quality teams and have a great undertanding of kind of where you're at. You never know how the whole year's going to play out, but certainly this gives you a snapshot of where your team is, where your strengths are, what you've got to continue to work on and I think this will be a great experience for our guys.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden junior football standout Finn Dunshee and Rossville junior volleyball standout Kinsey Perine have been named the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency Rising Stars of the Week for last week.
The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the 2022-2023 school year.
Here’s a brief look at the accomplishments of Dunshee and Perine last week:
Hayden junior running back/linebacker Finn Dunshee scored two touchdowns and added a 2-point conversion in the Wildcats' 22-19 Class 3A playoff win over Wellsville last Friday. [File photo/TSN]
FINN DUNSHEE, Hayden
Dunshee, a 5-foot-8, 160-pound running back/outside linebacker, is coming off a big game in last week's 22-19 playoff win at Wellsville, rushing for 123 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries while also returning a kickoff 80 yards-plus for a TD and adding a 2-point conversion.
Dunshee has rushed for a team-high 832 yards on 64 carries on the year while also catching five passes for 231 yards. He has scored a total of 14 touchdowns, scoring on offense, defense and special teams.
Rossville junior volleyball standout Kinsey Perine was a unanimous All-Mid-East League volleyball pick for the third straight season after helping lead the Bulldawgs to a 34-6 record. [Submitted photo]
KINSEY PERINE, Rossville
Perine, the Bulldawgs' three-sport star, was named a unanimous All-Mid-East League first-team selection in volleyball for the third straight season.
Perine, who helped lead the Bulldawgs to a 34-6 record and the Mid-East League championship, finished the season with 568 kills, 40 total blocks and 327 digs en route to earning All-Shawnee County first-team recognition for the second straight year.
