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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park senior Tre Richardson, a returning Class 5A state champion, captured four gold medals in Thursday's Meadowlark Conference track and field meet at Kansas City-Washington, leading the Scots to a third-place team finish.
Highland Park senior Tre Richardson won four events in Thursday's Meadowlark Conference track and field meet, taking wins in the long jump, triple jump, 100 and 200. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Highland Park senior Keijuan Johnson swept Meadowlark Conference titles in the 110 and 300-meter hurdles events Thursday in Kansas City, Kan.. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Richardson won the league title in the long jump at 20 feet, 4 inches, the triple jump at 43-2, the 100-meter dash at 10.97 seconds and the 200 dash in 21.50.
Richardson is the defending 5A state champ in the 200 and is a returning state placer in the long jump and triple jump.
Highland Park also got a pair of individual wins from senior Keijuan Johnson, who won the 110 high hurdles in 15.47 seconds and the 300 intermediates in 43.95.
Scot senior Gabe Davis finished second in the discus (99-9) and third in the discus (38-1) as Highland Park finished third as a team with 96.5 points.
Sophomore De'Asia Sanders picked up a league title in the girls javelin for the Scots with a throw of 85 feet, 3.50 inches while sophomore Ke'Ahjahnae Rice finished second in the 400 dash (62.96).
Highland Park's girls finished fifth as a team with 39 points.
Highland Park will compete in a 5A regional meet next Thursday at the Olathe District Athletic Complex, vying for berths in the state meet May 26-27 at Wichita State.
City athletes win 11 Centennial League titles
Manhattan swept the boys and girls Centennial League team championships in decisive fashion but city athletes also shined, combining for wins in 11 events.
Washburn Rural junior Josh Sulzen-Watson and Topeka High sophomore Aubreona Torres-Hill led the city contingent with two individual wins apiece.
Sulzen-Watson won the boys discus with a throw of 155 feet, 2 inches and won the javelin with a best throw of 181-1.
Topeka High sophomore Aubreona Torres-Hill won Centennial League titles in the 100 and 300 hurdles Thursday night. [File photo/TSN]
Torres-Hill swept the girls hurdles races, winning the 100-meter hurdles in 16.62 seconds and the 300s in 49.15.
Hayden's boys, who tied Washburn Rural for second place in the team standings, got individual wins from senior Jake Muller in the 300 hurdles (39.98) and sophomore Jensen Schrickel in the long jump (21 feet, 3.25 inches) while Muller and Schrickel also ran on the Wildcats' winning 4x400 relay in 3:23.74.
In addition to Sulzen-Watson's two wins, Rural's boys also got a win from junior Jamond Lane in the shot put (48-2.50) and the Junior Blues won the 4x800 relay in 8:19.66.
Washburn Rural sophomore Rylee Ismert (left) won the Centennial League 1,600 meters title Thursday while Payton Fink won the 3,200. [File photo/TSN]
On the girls side, Washburn Rural sophomore Rylee Ismert won the 1,600-meter run (5:28.56) and sophomore Payton Fink won the 3,200 (11:49.88).
Manhattan won the boys team title by a 116-77 margin over Hayden and Washburn Rural while the Indian girls won the league championship by a 166-77.50 margin over Emporia, with Washburn Rural third (76.50).
Topeka High and Washburn Rural will compete in a 6A regional at Wichita Heights next Thursday while Hayden will compete in a 4A regional at Shawnee Mission North next Friday.
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Two veteran coaches struggled to find superlatives sufficient to describe the 0-0 double-overtime tie between Washburn Rural and Seaman Thursday night at McElroy Field.
The teams met at Washburn Rural with seedings on the line as two of the top programs in their respective classes.
Seaman's soccer team huddles up after Thursday's 0-0 double-overtime tie with Washburn Rural. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Washburn Rural soccer coach Brian Hensyel talks to his Junior Blues, who battled Seaman to an 0-0 deadlock Thursday night. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Seaman goalkeeper Maegan Mills kept Washburn Rural out of the goal in Thursday's 0-0 double-overtime tie. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Senior Mackinly Rohn and Washburn Rural battled to an 0-0 tie with Seaman Thursday night at McElroy Field. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Seaman entered the contest atop the standings in Class 5A East with a 13-1-1 record. The Junior Blues, meanwhile, carried an 11-4-0 mark and were second in the 6A West Regional.
A win would have meant a lot to either team. But the 0-0 tie had longtime coaches Brian Hensyel of Washburn Rural and Tim Nussbaum of Seaman grasping for adjectives.
“That was the highest level of high school soccer game I’ve ever seen,” Nussbaum said. “Everybody left everything on the field. That’s passion. That’s love. I won’t be able to talk tomorrow, but I don’t care.”
“That’s a fun way to end the regular season,” Hensyel said. “Two city rivals. That was probably the most exciting tie that I’ve ever been a part of.”
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
The Hayden girls soccer team ended its 2023 regular season campaign with a dominant 10-0 romp past Tonganoxie while snapping its three-game winless streak at Hayden on Thursday evening.
After suffering a one-goal loss to Piper, an 0-0 draw with Manhattan and an 3-0 loss to Seaman, the Wildcats are back to winning.
Hayden's soccer team celebrates Thursday's 10-0 non-league win over Tongaoxie. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Hayden junior Lauren Sandstrom (12) scored a pair of goals in Thursday's 10-0 Wildcat win over Tonganoxie. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Hayden freshman Reese Huscher (15) had a pair of goals Thursday, helping the Wildcats end their regular season with a 10-0 win over Tonganoxie. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN] Group
The timing of the 10-0 non-league win couldn’t have come at a better time, with soccer regionals beginning next week.
Even though the win was satisfying for Hayden coach Klaus Kreutzer, it bugs him knowing that they didn’t learn much about what they needed to fix or what worked best due to how one-sided their victory was against an unfamiliar opponent.
“It’s tough because you don’t learn anything from a 10-nothing game,” Kreutzer said. “The win is nice, but it’s tough. But having said that, everybody got to play on Senior Night. So getting everybody in to play is a good thing. The whole team has been working, so they all deserve something.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural swimming coach Bob Burdick missed Thursday's girls Centennial League meet for a very good reason, with Burdick in California for his son's college graduation.
But his Junior Blues team would have made their coach proud, with Washburn Rural rolling to its third straight league team championship by a 520-435 margin over Manhattan at the Capitol Federal Natatorium.
Washburn Rural celebrates its third straight Centennial League girls swimming championship Thursday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Freshman Audrey Appuhn won four gold medals in Thursday's Centennial League swimming meet at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Makenna Pritchard (left), who won four gold medals, congratulates teammate Ella Bombardier at the conclusion the 50-yard freestyle after Pritchard and Bombardier finished one-three in Thursday's Centennial League swim meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"His son is graduating from USC tonight so he had to be at his son's graduation, but he's sending the love and we can feel the love and we're sending him love back,'' Pritchard said. "We're so proud of his son and we're so proud of him.''
Washburn Rural won eight events, with Pritchard, a senior, and freshman Audrey Appuhn winning four gold medals apiece. The Junior Blues added four second-place finishes and posted top-three finishes in 11 of 12 events.
"(Burdick) said, 'Go out and do what we always do,' '' Pritchard said. "We know how to swim, we know how to race. We're done it for the last four years together so he told us, 'Go out and do you.' ''
Pritchard posted individual victories in the 50-yard freestyle (25.36 seconds) and 100 free (55.94) while Appuhn won the 200 individual medley (2 minutes, 11.39 seconds) and the 500 free (5:13.53) and Mara Bara won the 100 backstroke (1:02.80).
Washburn Rural also swept the three relays, with Appuhn, Kiersten Harris, Bare and Pritchard winning the 200 medley relay (1:55.69), Harris, Molly Didde, Sophie Heinen and Genevieve Miranda winning the 200 free relay (1:50.84) and Miranda, Bare, Appuhn and Pritchard taking the 400 free relay (3:48.87).
While Pritchard was competing in her final Centennial meet, Appuhn made a big splash in her league debut, continuing an oustanding freshman campaign.
"Honestly, I've just been looking forward to this since I was eight and just to be able to come to the meet, it doesn't matter the place to me, just to be able to come here and see everyone that I love every single day, it really means the world to me,'' Appuhn said.
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Cair Paravel Latin girls soccer team’s three seniors remember when seventh-graders were needed to field a full team. They recall competing for championships in leagues that received little to no media recognition.
Cair Paravel seniors Eva Rollenhagen, Audrey Smith and Sage Schwartz were honored Wednesday on Senior Night after the Lions' 3-0 win over Heritage Christian. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Katherine Keys (1) and Zahra Friess both scored goals and had assists in Cair Paravel's 3-0 weather-shortened win over Heritage Christian Wednesday. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Cair Paravel's KellyAnn Chada scored a goal in the Lions' 3-0 weather-shortened win over Heritage Christian on Wednesday. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
They also remember advancing to KSHSAA’s Class 4-1A state Final Four last spring, the smallest school in the state with a soccer team reaching the biggest stage.
With a 3-0 weather-shortened win over Heritage Christian Academy at the Sunflower Soccer Association on Wednesday, CPLS assured itself of a top-two position in the 4-1A East Region and sewed up a bye in the first round of the regional playoffs that kick off next week.
To the seniors who remember where the program came from, that’s further confirmation that they belong.
“It’s so nice to be able to play (in KSHSAA) these past couple of years,” said Sage Schwartz. “I feel like it really showcases our school’s skill because we’re so small we don’t usually get recognized.”
“The amazing part is that, even before we got to KSHSAA, we worked just as hard and really the style of our play hasn’t really changed,” Audrey Smith said. “We just had more opportunities to show people what we could do.”
