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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Eleven city soccer standouts have received All-State recognition from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association, led by Class 6A goalkeeper of the year Wyatt Arnold and 6A forward of the year Porter Schafersman of Washburn Rural.
Arnold and Schafersman, both seniors, were joined on the All-6A first team by senior Washburn Rural teammate Joe Morse while Junior Blues coach Brian Hensyel was named the 6A coach of the year.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural, which posted a runner-up finish in the Class 6A state tournament, put a city-high four players on the 2021 All-City boys soccer team, selected by city coaches.
Rural is represented by seniors Wyatt Arnold (goalkeeper), Mason Grogan (defense), Joe Morse (midfield) and Porter Schafersman (forward), while Junior Blues coach Brian Hensyel was named the city coach of the year.
Hayden, a quarterfinalist in 4A-1A, put junior Jake Muller (forward) and senior Nick Padilla (midfield) on the All-City team while Seaman is represented by seniors Kyson Evans (midfield/defense) and Gavin Wilhelm (midfield/defense) and Shawnee Heights by senior David Skinner (defense) and junior Isaac Wilson (midfield).
Senior Ethan Everhart (forward/midfield) earned first-team honors for Cair Paravel Latin while Highland Park is represented by junior Vellamy Diaz (forward), Topeka High by senior Sergio Ramirez (midfield) and Topeka West by junior Jack Snyder (defense).
Arnold and Padilla are both All-City first-team repeat picks while Everhart, Muller, Evans, Skinner, Ramirez and Schafersman moved up to the first team after earning honorable mention a year ago.
Hensyel was selected as the city coach of the year after leading the Junior Blues to a 19-1 record, including a 27th straight Centennial League championship (outright or shared).
ALL-CITY SOCCER
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
The 11th-ranked Washburn University men's basketball team will host No. 17 Oklahoma Baptist Tuesday at Lee Arena (7 p.m. tipoff), with the Ichabods looking to keep their momentum going after Saturday's 90-47 non-league win over Baker.
Washburn will take a 2-2 record into Tuesday's game while Oklahoma Baptist is 2-1 on the season.
Washburn won its 32nd consecutive home-opener on Saturday against Baker, with former Hayden standout Levi Braun scoring a career-high 21 points while Jalen Lewis contributed 14 points as the Ichabods hit nine 3-pointers.
Defensively, the Ichabods forced the Wildcats to turn the ball over 26 times, with Isaiah Thorne, Azeem Ross and Kevaughn Ellis recording three steals apiece. Thirty-one percent of the points scored for the Ichabods were off turnovers.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After waiting a full two years, the fact that Monday's NCAA Division II selection show was a half hour late starting was little more than an annoyance to Washburn University's volleyball team.
And there were no surprises for the Ichabods when the pairings were announced, with 26-5 Washburn earning the No. 5 seed for the Central Region tournament, which will be played in Warrensburg, Mo. beginning on Thursday, Dec. 2.
Washburn volleyball earned a place in the NCAA Tournament for the 16th time in program history and will face No. 4 seed Winona State (28-4) in the quarterfinal match. A starting time had not been determined at the time the pairings were announced.
"It's always kind of that waiting game and thank goodness this year we were the second region to be announced, so that was nice that we didn't have to wait so long,'' Washburn senior Faith Rottinghaus said. "Even though we had a feeling we were in, it's always the uncertain that can bite you in the butt.''
Washburn is in the NCAA field for the third straight season, making the tourney in 2018 and 2019 before the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19.
The No. 6-ranked Ichabods will take on No. 10-ranked Winona State in the opening round on Thursday.
"That's the seed I thought we'd get, that was not a surprise to me at all,'' said Herron, who has coached the Ichabods to all 16 of their NCAA appearances. "And that's the team I thought we would play.
"I think it's kind of exciting that we're playing somebody we haven't played. That's really cool for us and I know our kids will be excited about not playing somebody for the third or fourth time. Our preparation will be good and we'll be excited to see the tape (of the opponent) and we're really looking forward to this.''
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By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
After two straight losses and a rash of injuries the Washburn University men’s basketball looked to get back on track Saturday in its home opener against Baker Univeristy.
The Ichabods started the game on a 9-0 scoring run and did not look back, completing a wire-to-wire 90-47 victory at Lee Arena.
“I think it was good to hopefully get some confidence back,” said Washburn coach Brett Ballard. “It was fun to see guys come out and produce when the lights came on.”
The win ended a two-game skid and moved the Ichabods to 2-2 on the season as the team continues to work in many new faces.
“It’s wild what we are dealing with right now from an injury standpoint,” Ballard said. “Right now we are kind of trying to piece it together day-by-day. It will be good for us in the long run I think because we are getting some guys some experience. When we get all of our guys back we have a chance to be really special.”
Washburn’s upperclassmen started the action, with senior Rathen Carter and junior Jalen Lewis combining for 15 of the first 18 Ichabod points, including three 3-pointers. A six-point burst from sophomore Connor Deffebaugh and the lead had grown to nearly 20 points less than 10 minutes in.
On the other end, the Ichabods forced the Wildcats into five turnovers in the first eight minutes of play, and 13 in the half, generating 12 fastbreak points in the first 20 minutes.
“We want to play fast and our transition game hasn’t been as effective as I would like early, so it was good for us to get some steals and get some easy ones,” Ballard said.
Freshman Levi Braun helped the offense in the halfcourt, knocking down two triples as part of eight first half points and a career-high 21 in the game for the Hayden product.
“He is an elite shooter, we got to find a way to get him shots, but that was fun to watch, he is great at what he does,” Ballard said.
Six points in the final 90 seconds for Baker, which was playing the game as an exhibition, made it a 44-27 game at the break.
Scoring was close to even for both sides to begin the second half before Washburn went on a 17-5 run over seven minutes to put the game out of reach. Highlighting the run was Braun who scored the final eight points, including two more triples.
“My teammates just did a good job finding me, I give a lot of the credit to them and the coaches,” Braun said. “It’s my job to make shots so I don’t really get surprised when I make shots.”
Both teams emptied the bench shortly after and the Ichabods continued to score, with the lead growing to 41 points on a steal and slam by sophomore Kevaughn Ellis at the 2:22 mark.
Washburn would go on to secure a 43-point victory, moving to 2-2 on the season in a game that did not look like the last two outings.
“It’s been a little difficult (adjusting to new roles), but you know it’s the next man up mentality,” Braun said. “We have so many weapons, we are missing some really good players but once we get those guys back you know it’s even scarier for us.”
Braun was joined in double figures by Lewis who finished with 14, and Deffebaugh and freshman Andrew Orr who each had 12.