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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: If Shawnee County athletes would like to have their college letter of intent signing pictures in any sport published on TopSports.news, submit them to
Topeka High's Lilly Smith (middle front) has signed a college basketball letter of intent with Spoon River College in Canton, Ill. [Submitted]
Cair Paravel Latin senior Basia Nesbett-Tucker has signed a volleyball letter of intent with Calvary University. [Photo courtesy of Jan Pabitzky]
Washburn Rural senior pole-vaulter Mike Mercer has signed a track and field letter of intent with McPherson College. [Submitted]
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After putting together a 27-1 singles record for Hayden this spring, senior Alex Sherer will represent Rossville in postseason tennis. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After a wait of nearly four years, senior Alex Sherer is officially a Rossville Bulldawg tennis player.
Following an impressive 27-1 singles run this season as a co-op player for Hayden, Sherer will switch gears this weekend and represent Rossville in Class 3A-1A regional competition Friday and Saturday at Salina Central High School, vying for a berth in the 3A-1A state tournament on May 14-15 at Wichita.
Sherer was unable to play his first two years of high school tennis because Rossville did not field a team and his chance to compete as a co-op player for Hayden and Rossville his junior season was wiped out by COVID-19.
But all the stars finally aligned for Sherer this spring and he's doing his best to make up for lost time.
Sherer competed in a full regular-season schedule for Hayden, finishing that stint with the singles championship in last Saturday's Emporia tournament, and will now represent Rossville as a one-man team in postseason.
"It's been fun,'' Sherer said. "I've been making new friends and re-meeting people I had met before and just trying to be a good teammate and have a good time.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It's no secret among local high school football coaches that there's an abundance of athletic talent in the Topeka area.
The major objective of Tuesday's Topeka Area Football Coaches Association Junior Day Combine was about making sure that knowledge is no secret to college coaches either.
Seventy-four prep players, most from the class of 2022, were on hand Tuesday at Shawnee Heights to show off their talents while representives from 18 area Division II, NAIA and junior college football programs were in attendance to take a first-hand look.
"We've done this 14 out of the last 15 years,'' said camp organizer Jason Swift, head coach at Shawnee Heights. "Last year was the only year we didn't do it, because of COVID.
"This was a good number (of participants). We've got good football players in Northeast Kansas and this is a chance to promote it.''
Topeka West junior Mikael Glenn goes through an agility drill at Tuesday's Junior Combine at Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman's baseball team had to work out of numerous jams against Shawnee Heights Tuesday night, starting with an eventful first inning and going down to the final pitch of the night.
But the Vikings had an answer for each and every situation, riding strong pitching and key defensive plays to a 2-0 rivalry win over the T-Birds on Heights' Senior Night at the Bettis Family Sports Complex.
"When you play guys that you know, that you've grown up with, you can throw the records out because they want to beat you,'' Seaman coach Trent Oliva said. "That's a good ballclub over there and we're going to get their best shot just like we're going to try to give them our best shot.''
Seaman, which improved to 14-3, scored what proved to be the game-winning run when junior Maclane Finley singled and scored in the top of the first inning, but Shawnee Heights loaded the bases in the bottom of the first, setting the tone for the night.
Seaman pitcher Brady Stuewe is congratulated by catcher Andrew Kirmer after the final out in Tuesday's 2-0 Viking win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
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Perry Schmiedeler will put on a specialists camp at WU on June 10, along with Ichabods special teams coordinator Zach Watkins. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics}.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Perry Schmiedeler has long had a passion for special teams, parlaying that dedication into outstanding punting and place-kicking careers at both Washburn Rural and Washburn University.
On June 10 the WU record-setter, along with Washburn special teams coordinator Zach Wakins, will try to lay the groundwork for the success of future specialists in a one-day camp at Yager Stadium and the Washburn Indoor Athletic Facility.
Perry Schmiedeler
Zach Watkins
"I've kind of been doing private lessons the last several years, since I graduated, and I thought it would just be really cool to get a bunch of kids and work with all of them together at the same time,'' said Schmiedeler, who completed his college career in 2018 as the Ichabods' all-time leading kick scorer and No. 2 all-time for punting average.
Schmiedeler said he wants to emphasize the importance of the kicking game to athletes at the middle school and high school level as well as those who aspire to compete at the college level.
"To my knowledge Topeka hasn't really had a kicking camp like this,'' Schmiedeler said. "I do know other universities and colleges around Kansas have them, but never something this local, so I think this will be really cool to get a bunch of local kids together to kick together, but also kids from around the region. We've already had kids from Nebraska and Missouri sign up, so we're looking forward to having a bunch of different kids from around the Midwest really.
"The camp is over for seventh through 12th graders and we've had some middle-schoolers sign up already but we've also have kids in high school going to their junior and senior year who are looking at Division II and Division I colleges.''
Schmiedeler said he thinks it will be an advantage to have athletes at different stages in their careers involved.
