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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural will be looking for its third straight Centennial League swimming and diving championship Thursday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium.
Senior Nathen Trachta returns to lead the Junior Blues after claiming four gold medals in the 2021 league meet as Washburn Rural won the team title by a 386-353 margin over Manhattan while Seaman was third with 350 points.
Washburn Rural senior Nathen Trachta returns for the Junior Blues after winning four gold medals in last season's Centennial League swimming and diving championships. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Trachta was the individual champion in the 100 butterfly (54.47) and the 100 backstroke (56.54).and also swam on Washburn Rural's winning 200 freestyle (1:31.48) and 400 free (3:22.39) relays, with the Junior Blues setting a league record in the 200 free relay.
Seaman's Colin O'Rourke claimed a league championship in the 200 individual medley in 2:08.63 a year ago and O'Rourke finished second to Trachta in the 100 butterfly (54.80) while the Vikings also placed second in the 200 medley relay (1:46.55).
Runner-up Manhattan won four events in last year's league meet while Emporia's Braxton Hicks won the diving event while setting a league record with a score of 5:48.55.
Washburn Rural placed six swimmers on the All-Centennial League first team last season, with Trachta, Will Powell and Cordell Dimick returning from that team.
O'Rourke and Seaman teammate Adin Florence were all-league honorees last season.
Jack Miranda is scheduled to compete for Washburn Rural in Thursday's Centennial League meet after winning four gold medals in the city meet. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn Rural is coming off a narrow 530-526 win over Seaman in the city meet, with Jack Miranda winning four gold medals on the day while Trachta earned three gold medals to go with a second-place finish.
The Centennial League diving competition will get under way at 12 p.m.. Thursday followed by the swimming competition at 5 p.m.
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By RICK PETERSON 
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural senior wrestling star Austin Fager and Seaman freshman girls basketball standout Anna Becker have been named the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency Athletes of the Week honorees.
Fager captured his fourth straight Centennial League individual title last Saturday while Becker notched a career-high performance and two 20-point-plus games as Seaman posted a pair of Centennial League victories.
Here’s a brief looks at the accomplishments of Fager and Becker last week:
Washburn Rural senior wrestler Austin Fager is the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency Boys Athlete of the Week after winning his fourth Centennial League title last Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
AUSTIN FAGER, Washburn Rural
The Junior Blues' 182-pounder, Fager earned his fourth Centennial League individual wrestling championship last Saturday at Highland Park while helping lead Washburn Rural to its third straight league team title by a 202.5-174.5 margin over Manhattan.
Top-ranked in Class 6A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association, Fager wrapped up Centennial League title No. 4 with a 46-second pin over Emporia's Davian White in the championship match. Fager is currently 33-2 this season for the Junior Blues.
Also a football standout for the Junior Blues, Fager was a state finalist last season, helping Washburn Rural win its first boys state wrestling team championship.
Anna Becker is the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency Girls Athlete of the Week after scoring 48 points in two Seaman wins last week, including a career-high 26-point game. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
ANNA BECKER, Seaman
Becker, a 5-foot-9 guard, is the midst of an outstanding freshman season for Seaman's girls basketball team, ranked No. 8 in Class 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.
Becker scored a total of 48 points in two Seaman wins last week. Becker scored a career-high 26 points last Tuesday in the Vikings' 49-46 Centennial League victory over Manhattan and followed that up with a 22-point effort last Friday night as Seaman improved to 10-4 with a 67-35 win over Highland Park.
Becker went 8 of 12 from the field and 9 of 12 from the free throw line against Manhattan and went 7 of 7 from the free throw line against Highland Park.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After making an equipment change a game into Wednesday's Washburn Rural bowling triangular at West Ridge Lanes, Rural junior Geo Peoples went on to bowl the best series of his high school career, leading the Junior Blues to the boys team championship.
Peoples, a returning state placer, bowled a 719 three-game series while the Junior Blues took the team title by a 2,852-2,586 margin over runner-up Seaman while Topeka West was third (2,343).
"I made a ball switch after the first game, and it just really worked for me,'' said Peoples, who placed 14th in the Class 6A state tournament last season. "I was thinking I'd would try (my other ball) and I still shot a good game with it the first game, but I improved after that.''
Washburn Rural junior Geo Peoples, who placed 14th in last season's Class 6A state tournament, won the individual title in Wednesday's Washburn Rural triangular with a 719 series. [File photo/TSN]
Peoples and senior teammate Matthew Hartter, who bowled a 690 series, went one-two in the individual standings and Rural placed four bowlers in the boys top five, with Josh Hammons fourth with a 677 and Logan Glinka fifth with a 669 as Washburn Rural posted a season-best high score.
With the Centennial League tournament coming up next Wednesday at West Ridge, followed by regional and state competition, Peoples said he feels like the Junior Blues are ready to be a contender.
"I think we're ready,'' Peoples said. "We just need to practice with spares and I think that will get us ready to crush league and regionals.''
Washburn Rural bowling coach Jo Ricard talks to her teams after Wednesday's triangular at West Ridge Lanes. Rural's boys won the team title and Geo Peoples won the individual crown with a 719 series. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"For the most part they've been pretty solid,'' Rural coach Jo Ricard said of the boys team. "What we said to the guys though is we did very well today, but we have to turn around, stay relaxed, and we have to do this for the next three weeks.''
Runner-up Seaman got a third-place finish from Zander White, who rolled a 685 series.
Seaman senior Makenzie Millard, a two-time top-five state placer, won the individual title in Wednesday's Washburn Rural triangular with a 679 series as the Vikings won the team championship. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman rolled to the girls individual and team championships, with senior Makenzie Millard taking individual honors while the Vikings took the team crown by a 2,333-2,060 margin over Topeka West. Rural was third with a 1,972 score.
Millard, a two-time state medalist, won the individual title with a 679 series while the Vikings also got a third-place individual finish from Katie Price, who bowled a 564 series.
Millard placed fourth last season after a a fifth-place showing as a sophomore and said she is healthy and excited for what's ahead in the biggest meets of the year after fighting through a thumb injury at this point in the season a year ago.
"I sure am,'' Millard said. "We're working really hard at practice and it seems to be paying off, so I'm pretty happy about it.''
Seaman's girls won league and regional titles a year ago before finishing fourth at state and Viking coach Bob Benoit said his team still needs to keep improving to be at its best for its late-season run.
"I think they're getting closer, but the spare game is not anywhere near where it needs to be,'' Benoit said. "We have too many highs, we have too many lows and we've got to get that ironed out where things are more consistent.''
Runner-up Topeka West got a second-place finish from Megan Wood, who bowled a 647 series, and a fifth from Brenna Rutschmann (531), while Washburn Rural got a fourth-place finish from Claire Ireland (547).
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park's boys basketball team maintained its share of the Centennial League lead with a 71-45 home romp past Topeka High Tuesday night.
The Scots, who improved to 14-2 overall and 11-1 in the league, steadily built their lead over the Trojans, including a 34-21 advantage at the half and a 48-32 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Highland Park singed the net at a 59 percent clip (30 of 51) and hit six of nine 3-point attempts while committing just seven turnovers.
Junior Jahmir Kingcannon had 21 points with five 3-pointers in Highland Park's 71-45 win over Topeka High Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Junior Jahmir Kingcannon scored 21 points with five 3-pointers while junior Ketraleus Aldridge added 18 points with five dunks and senior Juan'Tario Roberts 10 points.
Sophomore BJ Canady led Topeka High (4-12, 3-8) with 15 points, 11 in the fourth quarter, while Germane Mays added 12 points.
Senior Tae Thomas (15) led Topeka High with a game-high 22 points and five 3-pointers in Tuesday's 61-38 road win at Highland Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
TOPEKA HIGH GIRLS 61, HIGHLAND PARK 38 -- Undefeated and second-ranked Topeka High took control with a 21-5 first quarter and led 37-20 at the half and 47-28 after three quarters.
The Trojans (15-0, 12-0) rolled to the win despite shooting just 37 percent from the field and 44 percent from the tree throw line while hitting seven of 32 3-point attempts.
Senior Tae Thomas paced Topeka High with a game-high 22 points and five 3-pointers while junior Kiki Smith added 16 points (two 3-pointers) and junior Adisyn Caryl eight points.
Freshman Amelia Ramsey led Highland Park (2-14, 0-12) with 15 points while Aisya Taylor added nine points and Atiya Gonzales eight.
Topeka High will host No. 3-ranked Washburn Rural in a Centennial League showdown Friday night.
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
A turnover-ridden night haunted Topeka West's girls basketball team in the Charger' 53-34 home Centennial League loss to Manhattan Tuesday night.
The youthful Lady Chargers had a difficult time making shots and handling the basketball for the entire course of the game.
Topeka West turned the ball over 24 times and made just 12 field goals on the night.
Manhattan keyed in on forcing as many turnovers as possible against Topeka West according to Manhattan coach Scott Mall.
“In the full court, we did what we really wanted to,” said Mall. “We kept pressure on (Topeka West) and forced turnovers. I thought we did a pretty good job of that.”
Topeka West kept the game within reach for the first two quarters.
The Lady Chargers only trailed by three points by the end of the first quarter and faced a nine-point deficit going into the halftime break.
Topeka West had a difficult time making shots in the second half. The Lady Chargers were outscored 17-7 in the third quarter, and 12 of those 17 points from Manhattan came off West turnovers.
Topeka West girls basketball coach Jeff Skar saw some positive signs in Tuesday's 53-34 loss to Manhattan. [File photo/TSN]
