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Created: 10 October 2021

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

In Week 4 of the 2021 high school football season Washburn Rural came painfully close to knocking off traditional Centennial League power Junction City on the Blue Jays' home field, dropping an 18-17 heartbreaker.

The Junior Blues were back on the road Friday to take on another league heavyweight and this time Washburn Rural closed the deal, handing Manhattan is first defeat of the season, 21-14.

Washburn Rural never trailed against the Indians, taking 7-0 and 14-7 leads before Manhattan answered to force a pair of ties.

The Junior Blues broke the tie on a 1-yard fourth-quarter touchdown from sophomore quarterback Branton DeWeese and the Rural defense threw a second-half shutout to close out the victory, coming up with three second-half pass interceptions.

Now 5-1 on the season and 4-1 in the league, Washburn Rural put itself in a position to gain at least a share of the league championship. Rural, Manhattan and Junction City all currently have one league loss with two regular-season games remaining.

Washburn Rural will host Highland Park on Friday before hosting Seaman in its regular-season finale.

DeWeese hit senior Robby Bolin for a 38-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring in addition to his game-winning score while senior Ma’kenttis Adams had a 100-yard rushing night, including a 5-yard score and Bolin caught six passes for 86 yards. 

Robby Bolin

Ty Weber

Bolin, Connor Conklin and Landon MacEwan all picked off passes for Rural, while JC Heim and Ty Weber also came up with big plays defensively.

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 21, DE SOTO 20 -- Shawnee Heights was stung by three straight losses by a total of 11 points to start the season, but the T-Birds turned the tables Friday night, getting a tough one-point road win over traditional 5A power De Soto.

The T-Birds have now won two of their past three games to improve to 2-4. 

"These kids never quit believing in themselves and have been resilient all season. A special victory for the TBIRDS!'' veteran Shawnee Heights coach Jason Swift posted on Twitter.

Jarin Sanders

Senior running back Jarin Sanders and senior quarterback Callan Carver both had big nights for Shawnee Heights, while Jaxon Correll went 3 for 3 on extra-point attempts, including the difference-maker.

Sanders rushed for 155 yards on 31 carries while Carver rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and completed 10 of 19 pass attempts for 140 yards, including TD passes to Sanders and senior Carter Olson. Olson had two receptions for 66 yards.

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Created: 10 October 2021

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Host Seaman dominated Saturday's Class 5A girls tennis regional, sweeping the singles, doubles and team championships on the Vikings' home courts.

Senior Grace Unruh and junior Lauren Sweeney captured their second straight regional doubles title while remaining undefeated on the season (32-0) while Viking junior Nina Del-Zio and her sophomore teammate, Katie Krumins, posted a 1-2 regional finish in singles as Seaman won the team title by a commanding 20-10 margin over Shawnee Heights.

Seaman doubles partners Lauren Sweeney (left) and Grace Unruh won their second straight 5A regional doubles title Saturday, remaining unbeaten on the year. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

 While the day belonged to Seaman, Heights and Topeka West also had reason to celebrate.

The runner-up T-Birds got a third-place doubles finish from seniors Paige Devena and Bella LeJuerrne, while senior Laura El-Koubysi took fifth in singles and seniors Ariah Durkes and Shelby Elskamp qualfied for state with a sixth-place doubles finish.

Topeka West singles player Anna Newcome qualified for the state tournament with a third-place singles showing.

The 5A state tournament will be played at Emporia on Friday and Saturday.

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Created: 10 October 2021

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Ever since an early-season 8-5 loss, Hayden freshman star Ainzley Zulueta had been looking forward to a possible rematch with Bishop Miege freshman Breanna Quigley, just to see how far she had progressed over the course of the season.

Zulueta got that opportunity in Saturday's Class 4A regional tournament at Kossover Tennis Center and delivered in a big way, taking a decisive 6-2, 6-1 victory to claim the regional singles championship.

"Honestly, I really wanted to prove myself,'' said Zulueta, now 31-5 on the season. "After losing a few matches early in the season I trained a lot more so I could be more conditioned and it really paid off.''

 Hayden freshman Ainzley Zulueta won the singles championship in Saturday's 4A regional at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Zulueta took control of Saturday's final early on and felt good about her performance.

"I think I actually played really well,'' she said. "At the beginning of this tournament my ankle was kind of hurting, but I think after I started winning a few points in a row that brought up my confidence to play better.''

Hayden, which tied Bishop Miege for the regional team title with 20 points, also got a championship from the doubles team of sophomore Lauren Sandstrom and Emily Sheetz and a third-place doubles finish from juniors Briahna Barnett and Sloane Sims.

Hayden freshman Emily Sheetz (right) congratulates sophomore doubles partner Lauren Sandstrom after a good shot in Saturday's Class 4A regional tournament. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Sandstrom and Sheetz, who improved to 22-6, claimed the title with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Miege's Livi Shull and Clair Winklhofer in the championship match while Barnett and Sims took a 7-6 (7-5 tiebreaker), 4-6, 6-4 win over Miege's Emma Larzarcyk and Emily Lynn in the third-place match.

Overall, Hayden coach Christy Sheetz said it was a banner day for her Wildcats.

"I am so pleased,'' Sheetz said. "Two of them are essentially first-year varsity players as juniors and then there's two freshmen and one sophomore so I have a young team and a lot to look forward to.''

Next up in the 4A state tournament Friday and Saturday in Winfield.

SHERER QUALIFIES IN 3A-1A

Rossville junior Alivia Sherer, who competed for Hayden during the regular season as a co-op player, punched her ticket to the 3A-1A state tournament with a third-place finish in the 3A-1A regional tournament at Hillsboro.

Sherer finished off her regional performance with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Marantha Christian Academy's Olivia Favero in the third-place match.

Sherer will now compete in the 3A-1A state tournament Friday and Saturday at Maize South High School.

CLASS 4A GIRLS TENNIS REGIONAL

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Created: 09 October 2021

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural's girls tennis team finished off its sweep of city, Centennial League and Class 6A regional championships Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center.

The Junior Blues, who have not lost a competition this fall, qualified all six of its players for Friday and Saturday's state tournament at Wichita en route to a 22-19 regional victory over runner-up Manhattan.

Washburn Rural's girls tennis team poses with its Class 6A regional championship trophy Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn Rural got a one-two finish in doubles from the teams of Kate Fritz and Meredith Kucera and Hailey Beck and Shelby Schmutzler while Sheriden Wichman finished second and Mena DiMarzio fifth in singles.

"I'm really proud of these gals,'' Hedberg said. "It's a team effort. We're not star-laden, but we have good solid players at the top.

"They all pull together for each other and it's been really satisfying to watch them have some success.''

Fritz and Kucera, both juniors, captured the regional doubles title with a 6-3, 6-4 win over junior Beck and senior Schmutzler in the championship match, while Wichman, a senior, advanced to the singles final, dropping a 6-1, 6-1 decision to Manhattan star Jillian Harkin. DiMarzio closed out the Junior Blues state qualifiers, finishing fifth in singles with a 6-1, 6-0 win over in the fifth-place match.

Topeka High also turned in a solid regional performance, with the Trojans qualifiying both their doubles teams for state while finishing third as a team.

Juniors Adisyn Caryl and Haley Carpenter finished fourth on Saturday, dropping a 6-3, 7-5 decision to Manhattan in the third-place match while senior Mary Dietrick and sophomore McCall Beall finished sixth, dropping a three-set decision in the fifth-place match.

Dieterick and Beall turned in what was arguably the match of the two-day tournament, surviving a 3 hour, 40-minute three-set match on Friday to punch their ticket to state.

"In over 50 seasons of coaching that's got to be clearly one of my all-time favorite matches to watch, to not only see what it meant to them, but just the effort,'' Topeka High coach Duane Pomeroy said. "They were dead tired and just kept digging down deeper and deeper and going longer and longer and never gave up.

"We're really excited to be able to take four girls to state.''

CLASS 6A GIRLS TENNIS REGIONAL

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