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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Anyone who has a sibling knows it's nearly impossible to get along ALL the time, especially when you're together ALL the time, and Topeka West twin brothers Ian and Miles Cusick admit there's been instances where they haven't always necessarily been on the same page this spring as doubles partners for West's tennis team.
But those times have been far outweighed by an impressive run of success by the sophomore pair, who rolled to the No. 1 doubles championship in last Thursday's city meet at the Kossover Tennis Center, helping lead Kurt Davids' Chargers to their first city team crown.
Topeka West sophomore twin brothers Miles Cusick (left) and Ian Cusick have put together a banner season in doubles this season, winning the No. 1 city title and helping lead the Chargers to the team crown. [File photo/TSN]
"I think we try to get along well,'' Miles Cusick said. "There's some times it's a little bit tougher than others, but I think we definitely manage it very well. That's obviously one of the things we've worked on is making sure we're communicating with each other.
"If we get mad it doesn't help the team and there's nothing you can really do about it. Just get rid of it.''
Ian Cusick agreed there are challenges at times, but he said he feels he and Miles are growing as a doubles team, and brothers.
"Sometimes it's actually really hard to play with him because we're brothers and we have that bond, but you're more comfortable so it's easier to get mad at him,'' Ian Cusick explained. "You can't brush it off like you would with someone you're not as close with.
"We have lost a couple of hard matches this season and you get a little upset, but we're definitely getting closer.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Nothing really came easy for Washburn's baseball team in its weekend MIAA series against Newman, but after dropping a one-run game to the Jets on Friday, the Ichabods rebounded on Senior Day Saturday with a pair of 7-6 victories, the second in 11 innings, to clinch their fourth straight series win.
Cole Emerson (28) is congratulated by his Washburn teammates after scoring in the Ichabods' 7-6 first-game win over Newman Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third in Saturday's first game, with catcher Kros Bay a doubling and scoring on a wild pitch and Cole Emerson getting hit by a pitch, stealing second base and scoring on Eric Hinostroza's run-scoring single.
Newman capitalized on two Washburn errors to take a 3-2 lead and went up 5-2 in the fifth on a two-run homer from Hayden Van DePol.
Washburn began its rally in the bottom of the fifth with a run-scoring sacrifice fly from Parker Dunn and a run-scoring single from Brett Ingram and the Ichabods tied the game 5-5 in the seventh when Peter Shearer plated the tying run with a sacrifice fly.
Newman reclaimed the lead in the top of the eighth, but Shawnee Heights product Emerson walked to open the bottom of the eighth and scored the tying run on back-to-back wild pitches.
Hinostroza singled to right center, stole second base and went to third on a throwing error before scoring the game-winning run on Zion Bowlin's groundout.
Washburn Rural proeuct Dalton Huggins earned his first career win after working the eighth inning and Braden Minor came on to pitch the ninth for Washburn and recorded a 1-2-3 inning in seven pitches to get the save.
Ichabod starting pitcher Brock Gilliam worked the first seven innings in his no-decision, throwing 137 pitches and allowing six runs (four earned) and four hits and four walks while tying a career-best 13 strikeouts.
Hinostroza and Bay both went 2 for 4 at the plate in the first game and scored once. Ingram was also 2 for 4 and drove in a run while Emerson scored three runs and drew two walks.
Washburn, 16-20 overall and 15-15 in the MIAA, fell behind 5-0 in the nightcap after four and a half innings, but the Ichabods loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth and Xavier De Leon knocked in two runs with a single.
De Leon scored on Hinostroza's double and Bowlin singled to plate another run to cut WU's deficit to 5-4.
The Ichabods took their first lead of the game in the seventh after back-to-back RBI singles from Bowlin and Dunn but Newman (8-21, 7-20 MIAA) scored the tying run in the top of the ninth.
Still locked in a 6-6 tie, Casey Steward entered the game as Washburn's pitcher in the 11th and recorded a 1-2-3 inning.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Former Shawnee Heights star Wyatt Hubert became the second Topekan to be chosen in the 2021 NFL draft, with the Cincinnati Bengals taking the Kansas State defensive end in the seventh round on Saturday
Former Shawnee Heights and Kansas State star defensive end Wyatt Hubert was selected in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Bengals. [Photo/Kansas State Athletics
The Chicago Bears picked Topeka High graduate Teven Jenkins, an Oklahoma State offensive lineman, in Friday's second round while Hubert becomes the second recent Shawnee Heights graduate in the NFL, with former T-Bird and Washburn University star Corey Ballentine currently with the New York Jets.
The Bengals selected Hubert with the seventh selection of the seventh round (235th overall).
Hubert, an All-Big 12 first-teamer, started 29 games at Kansas State, finishing his Wildcat career with 20 sacks and 34 tackles for loss.
Hubert continues a tradition of Shawnee Heights graduates in the NFL, with Tom Dinkel and Troy Wilson both playing in the Super Bowl and Ballentine being selected in the sixth round of the 2019 draft.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Sophomore Jeremiah Smith led the way with a hand in four of Shawnee Heights' six event wins as the the T-Birds claimed the boys team championship in Friday's Shawnee Heights Invitational track and field meet.
Shawnee Heights sophomore Jeremiah Smith had a hand in four wins, including the 110 hurdles, as the T-Birds won the boys team title in Friday's Shawnee Heights Invitational. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Smith won individual titles in the 100 (10.95 seconds) and the 200-meter dashes (22.15) and the 110-meter high hurdles (14.74) and also ran on the T-Birds' winning 4x100 relay (44.02).
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Rossville and Silver Lake were two of the smallest schools in Friday's 20-school Bob Camien/Claudia Welch Seaman Relays, but the Bulldawgs and Eagles made their share of noise, combining for a pair of wins and 10 top-three finishes.
Rossville's Briar Gillum won the girls shot put with a throw of 40 feet, 7 inches and also finished third in the discus at 125-6 while Silver Lake's Carson Johnson took the gold medal in the boys 300-meter hurdles in 41.67 seconds.
Silver Lake's Brogen Renfro wins his heat in the 200-meter dash preliminaries in Friday's Camien/Welch Seaman Relays. Renfro placed second in the 200 and the triple jump and third in the 100. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Silver Lake's Brogen Renfro posted top-three finishes in three events, taking second in the boys triple jump (43-9) and the 200 (22.76) and third in the 100 (10.91), while Rossville's Woodrow Rezac was the runner-up in the boys 100 (10.89).
Rossville's Amelia Foster placed third in the girls 400 (59.91) and third in the 800 (2:24.94) while Silver Lake's Cameron TenEyck was third in the boys 1,600 (4:41.61).
