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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The National Federation of State High School Associations has announced that nine high school coaches from Kansas, including longtime Topeka West tennis coach Kurt Davids, have been named National Coaches Association Sectional Coaches of the Year for the 2021-22 school year.
Davids was named the boys tennis coach of the year for Section 5 (Midwest), which includes Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Topeka West tennis coach Kurt Davids, who was named the Kansas Coaching Association boys tennis coach of the year earlier this summer, has been named the Section 5 boys tennis coach of the year and is now eligible for the national award. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka West tennis coach Kurt Davids (right) received his Kansas Coaching Association state coach of the year award in August from the KCA's Stan Boggs. [File photo/TSN]
Davids was earlier named the Kansas state boys tennis coach of the year, making him eligible for the sectional and national coach of the year awards.
Davids, who has coached West's boys for 29 seasons, led the Chagers to a second-place finish in the Class 5A state tournament this past season while also winning a regional team championship, sharing the city team title with Washburn Rural and finishing second in the Centennial League meet.
West also won the city boys title in 2021 and Davids' teams (boys and girls combined) have posted five top-four state team finishes. He has coached Class 5A state singles and doubles champs.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Emporia State soccer standout Hannah Woolery, a Cair Paravel Latin graduate, has been named a first-team Academic All-American by the College Sports Communicators, becoming the first ESU student-athlete to be voted first-team Academic All-American and first-team All-American in the same year since Lady Hornet basketball player Emily Bloss in 2001.
Emporia State senior Hannah Woolery, a Cair Paravel product, has been named a first-team Academic All-American after also receiving first-team All-America honors on the field. [Photo courtesy of Emporia State Athletics]
Woolery's ESU teammate Mackenzie Dimarco also earned Academic All-America honors as a third-team pick, marking the first time in school history that two teammates have earned All-American honors from the College Sports Communicators both in the classroom and in the field of play.
Woolery has a 3.90 grade point average in English and was named first-team All-America on the field by the D2CCA this year.
Woolery holds the Emporia State career record with 21 assists, also ranks second in shots on goal and third in both career goals and career points.
She earned first-team All-MIAA and was fourth in the MIAA in goals, third in shots on goal, fourth in points and sixth in assists.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka baseball legend Ken Berry has always considered himself a story-teller, a trait he figures was passed along by his late father.
Lifelong Topekan Ken Berry on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" in May, 1967 with Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle. [Photo Submitted]
Ken Berry's third novel, "His Last Run,'' is available now. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And the 81-year-old former American League All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner and longtime minor league manager and coach is not done telling his stories.
Berry, who still gives individual baseball/softball lessons, recently finished his third novel, "His Last Run,'' after earlier writing seven children's books.
"I'm kind of like my dad,'' Berry said. "When I was growing up my dad was a story teller, and whether it was true or whether he just made it up or something, he could tell a good story. I probably inherited that from him.
"And in junior high I started reading books. I had never had a book in my hand before and I found a book that looked like something I might like and started reading it and I liked it so well that the next day I went back and got another one, the next day I went back and got another one and I would read almost a book a day all the way through high school.''
While Berry turned his complete focus on baseball through an 11-year playing career and his long coaching career, he never got over his love for the written word and launched his own writing career in 2011.
"You'll get into a book and you're thinking, 'OK, I know what's going to happen down the road,' '' Berry said. "I can visualize where (the author's) headed or whatever. And it's just something where I like putting scenarios together and see how I can get them to work out where maybe it keeps people guessing.''
After his string of children's books, Berry wrote his first novel, "Twin Snipers,'' followed by "Comeback'' and now "His Last Run,'' which is available now.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TOPEKA WEST (0-1, 0-1) at SEAMAN (1-0, 1-0)
Senior Kaeden Bonner scored a game-high 15 points as Seaman took a 56-35 win over Lansing in the Vikings' UKC debut last Friday at Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Tuesday's game pits a pair of 2022 Class 5A state qualifiers against each other in Tuesday's 7:15 p.m. contest, with Seaman winning the state title a year ago while West lost a quarterfinal game to St. James Academy. Seaman ran its winning streak to 12 games with a 56-35 home United Kansas Conference victory over Lansing last Friday while Topeka West dropped a tight 58-52 UKC decision to Basehor-Linwood. Senior Kaeden Bonner scored a game-high 15 points to lead Seaman against Lansing while junior Holden Finley added nine points and senior Trey Parsel and sophomore Bryer Finley seven apiece. Topeka West put up a fight on the road against perennial 5A power Basehor-Linwood, including a 34-34 tie at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Bobcats took control down the stretch.
BONNER SPRINGS (1-0) at HIGHLAND PARK (0-0)
Senior Ketraleus Aldridge is a top returner for Highland Park, which is coming off an 18-5 season and a Class 5A state tournament berth. [File photo/TSN]
Highland Park, a Class 5A state qualifier last season, opens its 2022-2023 season against Bonner Springs. The Scots, ranked No. 3 in 5A in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association preseason rankings, are loaded with experience, led by senior Bo Aldridge, who averaged 18.7 points and 8.1 rebounds a year ago for 18-5 Hi Park. Also back are seniors Tre Richardson (10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals), Jahmir Kingcannon (10.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 38 3-pointers) and Quentin Adams (6 points, 2.8 assists, 1.9 steals). The Scots will play two straight non-league games before beginning their first seaon in the Meadowlark Conference. Bonner Springs opened its season with a 79-45 non-league win over Labette County.
PIPER (1-0, 1-0) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (0-1, 0-1)
Shawnee Heights opened its season with a 59-46 United Kansas Conference loss to De Soto, which played for the Class 5A state championship last season, while Piper opened with a 79-56 UKC win over Leavenworth. Sophomore Jaret Sanchez scored 14 points to lead the T-Birds against De Soto but was the lone Heights player to score more than seven points. The Pirates are coached by former Shawnee Heights coach Steve Wallace, who led the T-Birds to the 5A state title in 2017.
ST. MARY'S ACADEMY (2-0) at TOPEKA HIGH (0-2)
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TOPEKA WEST (0-1, 0-1) at SEAMAN (1-0, 1-0)
Seaman's Anna Becker opened her sophomore season with 15 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's 63-32 season-opening win over Lansing. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman opened its first season in the United Kansas Conference with a 62-32 win over Lansing last Frdiay night while Topeka West dropped a 52-36 decision to Basehor-Linwood in its UKC debut. Freshman Maddie Gragg scored a game-high 17 points in her high school debut for Seaman while Viking sophomore Anna Becker registered a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
BONNER SPRINGS (1-0) at HIGHLAND PARK (0-0)
Highland Park opens its season Tuesday after taking steps forward last season in a 4-17 season. The Scots return a solid nucleus from that team, led by sophomore Amelia Ramsey. Ramsey averaged 9.2 points and 10.2 rebounds, which led the city of Topeka, while shooting 59 percent from 2-point range and 72 percent from the free throw line as a freshman. Ramsey received All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League honorable mention last season. Bonner Springs opened its season with a 56-45 win over Labette County last Friday.
Shawnee Heights' Emari Doby opened her senior season with 24 points in last Friday's 54-50 loss to De Soto. [File photo/TSN]
PIPER (1-0, 1-0) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (0-1, 0-1)
Shawnee Heights dropped a tight 54-50 United Kansas Conference decision to De Soto in last Friday's season-opener while Piper, a new UKC member this season, is coming off a 49-47 conference win over Leavenworth. Senior Emari Doby scored 24 points against De Soto while junior Breezy Canady and senior Abby Fleischer scored nine and eight points, respectively, for the T-Birds.
Senior star Kiki Smith and the Topeka High girls are 1-1 on the season after a 50-19 romp past Valley Center last Saturday. [File photo/TSN]
TOPEKA HIGH (1-1) vs. BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST (1-0)
At De Soto Hardwood Classic
Class 6A stalwarts Blue Valley Northwest and Topeka High will square off in Tuesday's opening round of the De Soto Hardwood Classic. Topeka High, which has qualified for the Class 6A
