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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
For the second year in a row, Blue Valley Southwest came back to defeat the Seaman Vikings in the postseason.
Last year the Timberwolves put up 13 points in the fourth quarter to defeat Seaman, 27-21.
On Friday the Timberwolves were down at one point, 37-24, and came back to beat the Vikings, 44-37, with 20 unanswered points.
On the first drive of the game, Dylan Dunn chucked a 68-yard touchdown pass to Sam Swickard for the game’s first touchdown, giving Blue Valley Southwest the lead.
Seaman's Brody Gormley (7) celebrates a touchdown in Friday's 44-37 loss to Blue Valley Southwest. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Right away, the Vikings clapped back. Camden Barta threw a 64-yarder to Brody Gormley to tie it up immediately after the Timberwolve touchdown.
Seaman gained momentum in the second quarter. Six minutes into the second quarter, Barta connected with Gormley again for a 52-yard passing touchdown.
In the second quarter, Seaman's defensive pressures caused Dunn to be sacked twice and throw an interception. The interception was hauled in by Cameron Selbach. who took the ball 69 yards for a Viking touchdown.
Blue Valley Southwest was able to collect a touchdown on the ground right before halftime, with Jake Laurie running the ball in for a 20-yard touchdown. That would be Laurie’s first of three touchdowns on the night.
At the half, Seaman held a 24-17 lead over the Timberwolves.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
One play may not have beaten Washburn Rural in Friday's Class 6A state playoff game against Free State, but it certainly put the Junior Blues in a hole they never recovered from in a 42-10 loss at Bowen-Glaze Stadium.
Down 14-7 early in the second quarter, Rural's defense came up with its first stop of the night, pinning the Firebirds at their 16-yard-line and forcing a punt.
But that punt, as bad as it was, proved to be the play of the night, turning what would given the Junior Blues a golden opportunity to tie the game into a 21-7 deficit.
Free State's punt didn't make it past the line of scrimmage and by rule that allowed Free State senior Brian Lane to scoop up the ball and ramble 85 yards for a touchdown, helping the Firebirds open up a 14-point lead with 11:02 remaining in the half on the way to Friday's decisive win.
Free State's Wesley Edison (7) breaks up a pass intended for Washburn Rural's Lukas Hanks in Friday's 42-10 Firebird win. [Photo courtesy of Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
Lane said he didn't initially realize he could advance the ball.
""I actually did not,'' he said. "I picked the ball up because it started to roll backwards. I just heard coach saying, 'Run! run!' So I just started running."
It was the first touchdown of his career.
"I'll remember that forever -- through college, through my whole life,'' Lane said.
Free State coach Kevin Stewart said he did know the rule.
"I just noticed the ball didn't ever cross the line,'' Stewart said. "Behind the line of scrimmage, you can advance it. I was just yelling at (Lane), 'Run it, run it, run it! He didn't really know what I was talking about it, but thankfully he listened. Thankfully the officially didn't blow the play dead, they just let it go.
"I've only seen that play twice in football. One time it was a Chiefs-Chargers game. I was a fan and I'm watching the game and I'm just going nuts. Then one other time in high school football. I felt really bad for Washburn Rural on that play. I really do, because that's a tough break. Unlucky. Just total luck on our part. Terrible play by us turned into luck. But that's just part of the game. Sometimes it happens like that."
The play had Washburn Rural coach Steve Buhler and his staff trying to figure out exactly what transpired.
"You're trying to figure out what happened,'' Buhler said. "From the sideline you're sure the punt went past the line of scrimmage and to be honest with you I'd still have to go look that rule up because I've never seen it, as long as I've been around.
"We had to look at it on the sideline just to make sure and it was just a yard or two back. It was right up near the line of scrimmage. It was a good call. It never made it from what we saw. You teach the kids when it's a short punt to get away from it so they don't get hit so our kids just scattered and a couple of our guys assumed it was done and thought they heard a whistle and the next thing they knew (Free State) picks it up and runs it. So instead of being down 14-7 with the ball on their 13-yard-line, we're down 21-7.''
After getting a 3-yard touchdown run from senior quarterback Jet Dineen to cap Free State's first possession of the game, Washburn Rural senior Robby Bolin answered with a 93-yard kickoff return (Giles Frederickson kick) to tie the game at 7-7 with 8:02 left in the opening quarter.
But Free State broke the tie with a long scoring drive, capped by a 6-yard run from senior Dash Cleveland with 3:05 left in the first and then added to its lead with Long's TD.
The score remained 21-7 into the second half before the Firebirds scored three touchdowns in the third quarter to put the 8-2 Junior Blues away.
Free State went up 42-7 with 4:38 left in the third on Dineen's third touchdown of the night before Washburn Rural got its final points of the night on a 46-yard field goal from Frederickson, a senior.
Dineen finished with 167 rushing yards on 23 carries while Cleveland had 109 yards on 21 attempts.
Washburn Rural sophomore quarterback Branton DeWeese looks for a receiver in Friday's 42-10 playoff loss to Free State. [Photo courtesy of Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
Washburn Rural had trouble moving the ball consistently against Free State's defense, with sophomore quarterback Branton DeWeese ending the night at Rural's leading rusher with 45 yards on seven carries and passing for 82 yards on an 11 of 26 night (one interception).
While Rural was obviously in pain after having its season ended, Buhler said he hopes the Junior Blues can someday soon appreciate what they accomplished this fall, including a share of the Centennial League title.
"I think they'll get to that point, especially the seniors when they get a chance to step away and look back,'' Buhler said. "I hope for the young guys it's two things. I hope they're motivated. We've gotten this far and we now have a gauge of where we need to take the next step.''
Free State, which improved to 8-2, will travel to Derby next week to face the defending state champs in a 6A quarterfinal.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
And then there were two!
Washburn Rural's soccer team came from behind to earn a berth in Saturday's Class 6A state championship game with a 2-1 semifinal win over Blue Valley Northwest Friday at Olathe's College Boulevard Activity Center.
Next up for the 19-0-0 Junior Blues is the 2 p.m. final against Olathe West (12-7-1), which took a 2-1 win over Wichita North (17-2-1) in Friday's second semifinal.
Kaden Hill (7), in action earlier this season, scored the game-winning goal in Washburn Rural's 2-1 semifinal win over Blue Valley Northwest in the Class 6A state tournament. [File photo by Doug Walker/TSN]
Blue Valley Northwest (8-11-1) drew first blood against Washburn Rural and took a 1-0 lead into halftime, but the Junior Blues pulled even on Easton Bradstreet's goal midway through the second half and scored the game-winning goal eight minutes later on a shot from senior Kaden Hill.
Olathe West also trailed 1-0 in its semifinal, but scored the final two goals to take the victory.
Blue Valley Northwest will face Wichita North in the 12 p.m. third-place game.
CLASS 6A STATE SOCCER
At College Boulevard Activity Center, Olathe
FRIDAY'S RESULTS
Washburn Rural 2, Blue Valley Northwest 1
Olathe West 2, Wichita North 1
SATURDAY'S GAMES
12 p.m. -- Third place: Blue Valley Northwest (8-11-1) vs. Wichita North (17-2-1) .
2 -- Championship: Washburn Rural (19-0-0) vs. Olathe West (12-7-10.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Now in his 20th season as Washburn University's head football coach, it's probably hard for local fans to remember Craig Schurig being anywhere else.
But if not for a nine-year stint as an assistant at Pittsburg State, Washburn may have never happened.
"Probably nobody remember that any more because I've been here so long, but that's kind of where I got my football knowledge, under Chuck Broyles,'' said Schurig, whose 7-2 Ichabods will go on the road to face the 7-2 Gorillas in a 1 p.m. MIAA game Saturday at Carnie Smith Stadium.
After serving as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater, Colorado School of Mines, in 1992, Schurig went to Pitt State, where he coached tight ends, defensive backs and the punt team during a stint from 1993-2001 before landing the head coaching position at Washburn.
And although he wants to beat Pittsburg State as badly as any other team on the Ichabods' schedule, Schurig still has fond memories of his time in Pittsburg.
"You want your team to play well because you remember your time there,'' he said. "My three kids, Samantha, Mitchell and Michael, were all born there and that's where I really started my coaching career, so any time you go back you want to play well and show that you've kind of taken what you learned and done well.''
Craig Schurig's Washburn football team will take a 7-2 record and four-game winning streak into Saturday's game at Pittsburg State. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
While on Chuck Broyles staff at Pitt State Schurig was part of Gorilla teams that played for the national championship in 1995, won four MIAA championships and advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs eight times.
"I learned a lot from just how they ran the program,'' said Schurig, who is 9-8 against Pittsburg State. "Chuck did such a great job with just the total program, how your recruited, how you trained, putting a system in place on offense and defense and special teams.
"His philosophy was to have a physical team that was sound in what you did and to try to beat people and not try to trick people and that if you hit it that way you could be successful in this conference.''
Schurig was named Washburn's coach on Dec.. 28, 2001 and the rest, as they say, is history.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Four Topeka volleyball standouts have earned All-State Tournament honors for 2021.
Washburn Rural senior Katelynn Brogan and junior Brooklyn DeLeye were named to the All-Class 6A All-State Tournament team while Seaman senior Drew Baxter and sophomore Brooklyn Gormley were named to the 5A team.
Brooklyn DeLeye
Katelynn Brogan
Drew Baxter
Brooklyn Gormley
Brogan, a 5-foot-10 setter/rightside hitter, and DeLeye, a 6-2 outside hitter, helped lead Washburn Rural to a 41-2 record on the season and a fourth-place finish in the 6A state tournament.
DeLeye was named to the 6A All-State Tournament team for the third straight season.
Baxter, a 5-9 outside hitter/setter, and Gormley, a 5-11 middle blocker, helped lead Seaman to a 27-13 record and a fourth-place finish in the 5A state tournament.
