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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Eli Barnes
ELI BARNES, Silver Lake
Barnes, a senior wide receiver/defensive back, was a TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 and All-Mid-East League selection in 2022. Barnes caught 39 passes for 670 yards (17.2 yards per catch) and five touchdowns for the 6-3 Eagles. Barnes also picked off a pair of passes for Silver Lake and recovered a pair of fumbles on the year.
Callen Barta
CALLEN BARTA, Seaman
A 6-foot-3, 180-pound senior wide receiver/defensive back, Barta earned All-Shawnee County Second 22 and All-United Kansas Conference second-team recognition at receiver last fall for the 4-4 Vikings. Barta caught 41 passes for 406 yards and three touchowns and was in on 26 tackles with two interceptions. Barta has made an oral commitment to Nebraska.
Allen Baughman
ALLEN BAUGHMAN, Shawnee Heights
A senior running back, Baughman was named the TopSports.news Shawnee County co-offensive newcomer of the year in 2022 after rushing for 1,496 yards and 20 touchowns on 225 carries for the 5-5 T-Birds. Baughman, a first-team All-United Kansas Conference pick, rushed for more than 100 yards in seven games, including 284-yard and 222-yard performances.
Packson Bettis
PACKSON BETTIS, Washburn Rural
Bettis, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound senior defensive end, recorded 61 tackles (38 solos) with 10 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback pressures and a forced fumble to help lead Washburn Rural to an 8-3 record and the third round (sectional) of the 6A Class 6A playoffs last fall. Bettis received All-Shawnee County Top 22 and first-team All-Centennial League first-team honors. Bettis has made an oral commitment to North Dakota.
Jack Bloom
JACK BLOOM, Seaman
Bloom, a 6-foot, 185-pound senior running back/defensive back, was an All-Shawnee County Second 22 selection last fall and earned All-United Kansas Conference second-team honors on defense for 4-4 Seaman. Bloom carried the ball 81 times for 483 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 10 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. On defense Bloom was in on 20 tackles with an interception.
Jesiah Bonura
JESIAH BONURA, Cair Paravel Latin
Bonura, a senior, received TSN All-Shawnee County honorable mention for the 3-5 Lions last season and will be counted on to provide leadership for Cair Paravel. Bonura caught 40 passes for 400 yards and five touchdowns in 2022 and carried the ball 37 times for 250 yards and two touchdowns. Bonura was in on 23.5 tackles, with 3.5 stops for loss.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news finished its tour of preseason football practice at all 10 Shawnee County high schools on Friday and will post preview stories over the coming days leading into the opening games of the 2023 season on Sept. 1.
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Coming off a perfect 11-0 record and a Kansas Christian Athletic Association state championship in 2021, Cair Paravel Latin football coach Doug Bonura knew his team was going to face a big challenge last fall in its first season as a full member of the Kansas State High School Athletics Association.
Cair Paravel Latin football coach Doug Bonura (right) talks to his team during a preseason practice session. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
That certainly proved to be the case as the Lions finished 3-5 after an up-and-down campaign and came up short of their goal of advancing to the Eight-Man Division I playoffs out of District 2.
"Last year was kind of a year of getting things figured out, going into KSHSAA for the first time, and not knowing half the teams we played,'' Bonura said. "That's half your battle when you know what you're getting into.
"Last year we were really hoping to get into the playoffs. We thought we had a chance, and we did have a chance, but we just didn't put two and two together to make it happen and we played some really good teams.''
But with a strong, senior-laden returning nucleus, Bonura is confident his team can make some major moves this fall.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Izzy Glotzbach
IZZY GLOTZBACH, Hayden
A sophomore, Glotzbach competed in the Class 4A state tournament for Hayden last season, with the Wildcats finishing third as a team. Glotzbach placed sixth in the city championship as a freshman and finished ninth in the Centennial League tournament, tied for 12th at regionals and was a second-team all-league and All-Shawnee County honoree.
Avery Grunert
AVERY GRUNERT, Hayden
Grunert, a senior, ended her junior season with a tie for 14th place in the Class 4A state tournament, helping lead the Wildcats to a third-place team finish while earning first-team All-Shawnee County recognition. Grunert placed 10th in the city meet, was seventh in the Centennial League tournament and tied for 10th in 4A regional competition, helping Hayden qualify for state as a team with a second-place finish. Grunert earned All-Shawnee County second-team honors as a sophomore.
Raegan Petersen
RAEGAN PETERSEN, Washburn Rural
Petersen, a senior, had a breakout junior season for the Junior Blues, capped by a 15th-place finish in the Class 6A state tournament as Washburn Rural finished fourth as a team, just two strokes out of second place. Petersen was the city runnerup as Rural captured its 10th straight city team
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Top Fuel points leader Justin Ashley picke up his sixth win of the season Sunday at the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor at Heartland Motorsports Park.
Top Fuel points leader Justin Ashley picked up his sixth win of the 2023 season Sunday at Heartland Motorsports Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Bob Tasca III (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) also won at the 13th of 21 races in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series.
In the championship round, Ashley went 3.702 seconds at 323.58 miles per hour in his 11,000-horsepower Phillips Connect Toyota dragster to slip past BrittanyForce’s 3.707 at 323.58 in the final NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series national event at Heartland Motorsports Park.
After battling through several weather delays, the final round finished up under the lights as Ashley earned his 11th career win.
Ashley knocked off Josh Hart, Leah Pruett and Antron Brown to reach the final round before turning in the quickest run of the weekend to continue his impressive season while stretching his points lead to 83 points over Steve Torrence.
“We have a lot of history as a team here,'' Ashley said. "Jim Epler was the first Funny Car driver to go 300 mph and he did it right here in Topeka and my father won Funny Car here in 2007. This is the first race that him and I have won professionally at the same venue. It's really exciting and each one is more special than the next. We had four incredible turnarounds today and the team did a good job. Their ability to maintain composure and consistency on and off the race track is really second to none.
“It was tough to stay focused today. We really didn't know what today was going to bring but every driver and team were under the same circumstance. We didn't know if we were going to get a race in, let alone four rounds today, was probably the biggest challenge of all. But you have a lot of confidence as a driver when you have a team like the Phillips Connect team.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Robert Hight protected the top qualifying position in Funny Car over Saturday's final two qualifying rounds at Heartland Motorsports Park, earning his 80th career No. 1 qualifier in the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor.
Joining Hight as top qualifiers were Steve Torrence in Top Fuel and Dallas Glenn in Pro Stock leading into Sunday's elimination rounds, which will get under way at 10 a.m. after a slight schedule change. .
Hight’s strong Friday run of 3.948 seconds at 321.19 miles per hour in his 11,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS held up Saturday, handing the three-time world champ his third No. 1 qualifier of the 2023 season and the 80th over his standout career.
hree-time Funny Car champ Robert Hight earned the No. 1 qualifier position for Sunday's Menards NHRA Nationals eliminations. [File photo/TSN]
Hight, who will be looking for his third win of the 2023 season, will open eliminations on Sunday against Jack Wyatt.
“That 80 is a big number, it shows I've been doing it a long time, but it also shows I've had great (John Force Racing) teams behind me,” Hight said. “You're not No. 1 qualifier without a really good race car.
"This is a tribute to all the good people I've worked with. This is big for us. I think we're turning a corner with this new combination. It's starting to respond. Jimmy (Prock, crew chief) was happy.''
