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The 2024 All-City girls tennis team -- Front, left to right: Madeline Deters, Topeka High, Sidney Chinn, Seaman; Camryn Lux, Seaman; Emma Sweney, Seaman; Kaylyn Hiebsch, Seaman; Ainzley Zulueta, Hayden; Emily Sheetz, Hayden; Avery O'Bray, Hayden; Grace Funk, Hayden. Back, left to right: Hailey Caryl, Topeka High; Ava Ritter, Topeka High; Peyton Henry, Seaman; Molly Gorman, Seaman; Emerie Catlin, Washbrn Rural; Isabelle Haggard, Washburn Rural; Carolina Chedzoy, Washburn Rural; Sophia Wichman, Hayden; Izzy Glotzbach, Hayden. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden three-time Class 4A state singles champion Ainzley Zulueta headlines the 2024 All-City girls tennis team, which includes 13 state medalists.
Zulueta capped her high school career with an undefeated senior season, going through the postseason without losing a game as the Wildcats won their second state team title in three seasons.
All six of Hayden's players earned 4A state medals while helping the Wildcats sweep city, Centennial League, regional and state championships.
The Wildcats got a runnerup 4A double finish from senior Emily Sheetz and freshman Sophia Wichman while junior Grace Funk placed ninth in singles and juniors Izzy Glotzbach and Avery O'Bray finished 11th in doubles..
United Kansas Conference and 5A regional team champion Seaman, which finished third at state, also put six players on the All-City team.
Viking sophomore Emma Sweeney placed fourth in 5A singles while junior Molly Gorman finished 10th in singles and senior Sidney Chinn and junior Kaylyn Henry placed 12th in doubles. Seaman sophomores Kaylyn Hiebsch and Camryn Lux were also state qualifiers in doubles.
Washburn Rural's senior doubles team of Emerie Catlin and Isabelle Haggard placed ninth in the Class 6A state tournament after sweeping city, Centennial League and 6A regional titles while Junior Blue singles state qualifiers Carolina Chedzoy also earned an All-City spot.
Topeka High junior Madeline Deters finished eighth in singles in the 6A state tournament and is joined on the All-City team by state doubles qualifiers Ava Ritter, a junior and freshman Hailey Caryl.
All-City selections are based on finishes in the city meet and the recommendations of city coaches.
All-City capsules:
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Max Huston
MAX HUSTON, Seaman
A senior quarterback, Huston had a hand in all four Seaman touchdowns as the Vikings took a 28-14 home United Kansas Conference victory over previously-unbeaten Basehor-Linwood Friday night. Huston wnt 21 of 29 passing for 294 yards and a 76-yard touchdown to Bryer Finley and carried the ball 20 times for 67 yards with TDs of 2, 2 and 1 yard as Seaman improved to 6-1 overall and 6-0 in the UKC.
Rylee Ismert
RYLEE ISMERT, Washburn Rural
Ismert, a senior cross country standout and returning Class 6A state medalist, captured her first individual Centennial League championship on Saturday at Washburn Rural, clocking a five-kilometer time of 18 minutes, 02.9 seconds to win by more than 18 seconds as the Junior Blues defended their league team championship by a 28-54 margin over Manhattan.
Maegan Mills
MAEGAN MILLS, Seaman
A star senior hitter and returning All-Stater, Mills led Seaman volleyball to a perfect 9-0 record on the week, including wins over state powers Blue Valley West, St. James Academy and Washburn Rural and a tournament championship on Saturday in the Emporia Invitational as the defending Class 5A state-champion Vikings improved to 35-2 on the season.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University soccer dominated on both ends of the pitch en route to a 4-0 MIAA victory at Rogers State on Sunday afternoon.
Senior Riley Wells (18) was one of four Ichabods to score a goal in Sunday's 4-0 MIAA win over Rogers State, which completed a weekend road sweep. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods will remain on the road next weekend, starting with a 6 p.m. contest against Central Missouri on Friday.
Washburn (9-2-2 overall, 6-0-1 MIAA) wasted little time producing offense, earning a corner kick in the sixth minute.
Mackinly Rohn's cross found Josie Boyle on the far post, but Boyle's first shot attempt hit off the right post. Boyle followed her shot and scored on her second attempt, giving the senior defender her first goal of the season and the Ichabods a 1-0 lead.
About a minute and a half later, Washburn would double its lead when Khloe Schuckman stole the ball from a Hillcat (1-10-2, 0-5-2) defender and put a well-placed chip shot over the head of the goalkeeper, giving Schuckman her fourth goal of the season.
The Ichabods took the two-goal advantage into halftime after controlling multiple aspects of the first half.
Washburn out-shot Rogers State 14-4 in the first 45 minutes, with six of the Ichabods' shots being on target. Washburn also used six corner kicks to challenge the Hillcat defense.
After a scoreless start to the second half, the Ichabods extended their lead in the 55th minute, when Riley Wells finished off a deflected shot off the gloves of Hillcat goalkeeper Tiffany Brittan. The goal was Wells' second of the season.
After several off-target and saved shot attempts, Washburn added its final tally in the 69th minute, when Rohn's powerful shot attempt from the center of the box found an opening in a cluster of Ichabods and Hillcats.
The teams did not allow any goals for the remaining 20 minutes as Washburn secured its 11th straight clean sheet.
The Ichabods dominated on offense, taking 26 shot attempts, with 14 being on goal. Schuckman led Washburn with eight shot attempts, tying her career-high from an Oct. 7, 2022 match against Missouri Southern.
Aubrey Tanksley had five attempts off the bench for the Ichabods.
Sophomore goalkeeper Hailey Beck made three saves in net, as Washburn reached 1,000 consecutive minutes played without allowing a goal.
Rogers State took six shots in the contest, with three coming on target. Hope Jensen led the Hillcats with two shot attempts. Brittan played just over 64 minutes in net for Rogers State, making eight saves.
Friday recap: WU blanks RiverHawks, 1-0
Washburn earned its fifth conference victory in a row with a hard-fought 1-0 road win over Northeastern State on Friday night.
Northeastern State (8-4-0, 2-4-0) had an early opportunity to score after earning a corner kick in the first 15 seconds of the match, but the Washburn defense was able to clear the ball away from their own goal.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden two-sport athlete Izzy Glotzbach is already a 2024 state champion, helping the Wildcats run away with the Class 4A state tennis title Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center.
Hayden junior Izzy Glotzbach helped the Wildcats win the Class 4A tennis title on Saturday and will turn her attention to state golf on Monday in Hesston. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Hayden junior Izzy Glotzbach will compete in the Class 4A state golf tournament on Monday after tying for ninth for the state-champion Wildcats as a sophomore. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
And the Hayden junior would like nothing more than to add another championship to her resume in Monday and Tuesday's state golf tournament at Hesston as the Wildcats attempt to successfully defend their 2023 state crown.
"I really hope we can get it done,'' Glotzbach said. "It would be really cool to win it in two sports.''
Glotzbach earned her first state individual tennis medal on Saturday when she teamed with junior Avery O'Bray for an 11th-place doubles finish and has now earned state medals in both of her fall sports after tying for ninth in state golf as a sophomore to lead the way as the Wildcats won the state title by 37 strokes.
Hayden's golf team began its title defense in last Monday's McPherson regional, tying the host Bullpups for the team title and winning on a tiebreaker.
Hayden posted a four-person score of 326 at McPherson, with all of the Wildcats' top four earning top-10 finishes.
Senior Addyson Baer shot a 79 to pace Hayden with a fifth-place individual regional finish while junior Lauren Borjon was seventh with a 79, Glotzbach eighth with an 82 and sophomore Brooke Johnson ninth with an 84.
The Wildcats also got a 19th-place finish from senior Nora Allphin (95) and a 39th-place finish from junior Kellyn Specht (120).
And Glotzbach feels like her team has put itself in position to challenge for a title repeat.
"I think it's going to be a tough battle against McPherson and Wellington, but I think we can get it done if we just play how we know how to play,'' she said.
Glotzbach admits that playing dual sports in the same season is a challenge.
"It's pretty tough,'' she said. "I just have to really focus on school and still do sports.''
But Glotzbach said it's well worth the time and effort.
"It's fun to just be around the team and have the experience of winning state and stuff like that.''
Glotzbach is one of three returning players off last year's state championship golf team, with Borjon, who placed 15th a year ago, and Baer also returning.
The 2024 state tourneys will get under way at 9 a.m. Monday.
Washburn Rural senior Natalie Peterson shot a 77 last Monday to place third individually in the Class 6A regional tournament at Cypress Ridge. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Reece Randall shot a 78 last Monday to finish fourth in the Class 6A regional tournament at Cypress Ridge. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
CLASS 6A
Coming off a fourth-place team finish last fall, Washburn Rural is back in the Class 6A state tournament Monday and Tuesday at Hutchinson's Carey Park after a solid second-place finish in last Monday's 6A regional at Cypress Ridge.
The Junior Blues shot a four-person score of 329 at regionals as Washburn Rural combined with regional champ Manhattan (315) to earn the first 11 individual places.
Seniors Natalie Peterson (77) and Reece Randall (78) finished third and fourth to pace Washburn Rural while junior Lauren Cox placed eighth (85) and sophomore Kailyn Petersen finished 10th (89).
Senior Colbey Stead finished 11th with a 96 for the Junior Blues while junior Ella Taggart tied for 17th with a 109.
Seaman junior Makenna Stuke posted a runnerup finish in last Monday's Class 5A regional golf tournament, helping the Vikings win the team title by a 19-stroke margin. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman senior Jaycee Zimmerman posted a third-place individual finish for the regional-champion Vikings last Monday at Cypress Ridge. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
CLASS 5A
Seaman's girls golf team put all of its top four in the top five individual places in last Monday's Class 5A regional tournament at Cypress Ridge, winning the team championship by a 19-stroke margin while advancing to Monday and Tuesday's 5A state tournament at Salina Municipal Golf Course.
Seaman junior Makenna Stuke finished second individually with an 89, while senior Jaycee Zimmerman was third (93), sophomore Kaitlynn Frye fourth (95) and sophomore Chloe Schmidtlein fifth (97) as the Vikings won the team title by a 375-394 margin over De Soto.
The Vikings also got a tie for 12th place from junior Molina Quintana and senior Anna McLaughlin, who carded 108s.
Topeka West and Shawnee Heights both qualified a pair of individuals for state.
West senior Alex Baxter and Shawnee Heights senior Lyla Blair led the local individual qualifiers with a tie for seventh place (101), while Heights sophomore Lauryn Valdivia tied for 12th (108) and West junior Berlyn Kolean advanced with a 19th-place finish (119).
Silver Lake senior Taylor Zordel, a three-time state medalist, won the individual championship in last Monday's Class 3A-1A regional at Osage City, leading the defending state champions to the team title. [File photo/TSN]
CLASS 3A-1A
After winning its first Class 3A-1A state golf championship by 22 strokes last fall, Silver Lake will be shooting for a second straight state crown Monday and Tuesday at Emporia Municipal.
Silver Lake posted a 38-stroke win over Jefferson West in the 3A-1A regional at Osage City, posting a four-person score of 356 as senior Taylor Zordel led a one-two-three individual finish for the Eagles.
Zordel carded an 81 for a one-stroke victory over junior teammate Kailyn Hanni (82) while senior Hope Thornton finished third (92).
The Eagles also got a tie for 11th place from sophomore Savannah Wende (101), a tie for 13th from senior Makenna Miller (102) and a 23-place finish from Alyssa Streit (109).
Rossville had a pair of individual state qualifiers, with senior Brinley Pottorf placing 15th (104) and senior Jaymee Woodward tying for 21st (108).
SHAWNEE COUNTY STATE QUALIFIERS
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By KEVIN HASKIN
TopSports.news
Musings two-thirds into the month:
• Quick one: What’s your favorite Halloween candy?
• This one sorta stumps me. One, because I don’t eat candy. Ha, fake news. I do.
• My favorite candy bar, though, is a Fifth Avenue. Tough to find. And, you rarely see the fun size bars.
• So, Butterfinger? Nope. Don’t mind them but I prefer other candy, including the nougat trifecta of Snickers, Milky Way and Three Musketeers.
• However, it’s a quinella for me since Three Musketeers is trash.
• All right, the point is we’ve all got our favorite. And I’m betting we all understand why the Neco Wafer, circus peanuts and jelly orange slices have never been branded to give to Trick or Treaters.
• But no Fifth Avenue fun-size bars? Come on, confectioners.
• Shout out to the Topeka Mars plant during this time of year.
• Hey, was that Kansas that I saw win a football game Saturday? In dominant fashion, no less.
• The Jayhawks ride on Jalen Daniels. When he’s on, look out. The KU receivers are good and Devin Neal loosens defenses.
• Hard sometimes to emerge from a tailspin and show the firepower that shaped high expectations in the preseason.
• Was it the breakthrough KU needed to be upset Kansas State?
• I already like the Jayhawks’ ability to keep games close. Finishing became a key issue.
• K-State, though, looks tough all around and will have a vociferous nighttime crowd in its favor. Also, there’s a 15-game series win streak to uphold.
• Seems, too, that Avery Johnson improves each week, even when limited to using his arm as a singular weapon.
• None of the K-State receivers will likely be all-conference picks, but they’re solid. Especially when opponents must contend with D.J. Giddens and Dylan Edwards out of the backfield.
• About halfway through the season, you get over players who moved on but for a few weeks I stared at the TV and missed K-State’s Cooper Beebe and KU’s Kenny Logan.
• Underrated quality for KU is the ability of their secondary to break on throws, as witnessed by Cobee Bryant’s three interceptions against Houston.
• For K-State, an underrated quality is the reconstruction of the offensive line into a competitive unit. That, and the Wildcats’ tacklers swarming to the ball.
• Picking K-State to beat KU, 38-30.
• After Saturday, the two most intriguing games for each team will be against Iowa State.
• For KU, it will be interesting to see how many ISU fans travel to Arrowhead for the Nov. 9 clash.
• For K-State, the Nov. 30 showdown in Ames could be for incredibly high stakes.
• The Cyclones are for real. Their late rally to avert an upset bid by UCF revealed the moxie possessed by quarterback Rocco Becht.
• The Big 12 is better than most national observers think, but when coverage tilts toward hyping the Big Ten and SEC, bias is king.
• And, in a year when the SEC looks balanced, down or both.
• We’re seeing Neal Brown’s final year at West Virginia, Willie Fritz’s worst year at Houston and, dare I write this, Matt Campbell’s best year at Iowa State.
• So, the league championship series to determine the World Series participants were on the other night. So, too was college football.
• Yet I found myself surfing to the WNBA finals and kept it there to watch a tight finish that sent the series to a decisive game.
• Credit Caitlan Clark for this. Rather than bully and berate her, opponents should be sending a percentage of their pay Clark’s way.
• Still, the fervor escalated among other fan bases, too.
• Is it fair to compare Clark’s rock star status to Michael Jordan in his prime?
• Well, she’s only played her rookie season but I’m willing to go there.
• My interest in the baseball playoffs wanes with big spenders such as the Yankees, Dodgers and Mets playing for league pennants.
• Drove with two buddies to the Wild Card series the Royals swept at Baltimore.
• Good time? Yes, but I root for the Orioles and was bummed about the outcome.
• Six straight postseason losses to the Royals for Baltimore. Not something many franchises get saddled with.
• One slight excursion we took on our own was getting in the truck and taking a limited tour of Baltimore filming locations for the HBO hit, The Wire.
• Topeka neighborhoods, you have it pretty good.
• As long as construction barrels don’t block your path.
• Joined my wife for her craft exhibit at Baldwin’s Maple Leaf Festival.
• Pretty cool to see a small town come alive for that kind of thing. The two-day event debuted in 1958, just like me. The festival, however, remains vibrant.
• Oops, I’m late getting over there to help man the booth.
