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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Coming off a three-touchdown loss to rival Seaman, Hayden was looking for a bounce-back performance Friday night night against Topeka West.
And although the night didn't necessarily start like the Wildcats wanted, Hayden got what it was looking for, scoring 39 unanswered points to take a 39-6 win at Hummer Sports Park.
Hayden turned the ball over on downs at the West 3-yard-line to end its first offensive possession and the Chargers struck for a 97-yard touchdown on a pass from junior quarterback Malachi Berg to junior Tyrell Reed to take a 6-0 lead at the 6:10 mark of the first quarter (conversion run failed).
But the rest of the night belonged to the 2-1 Wildcats, who tied the game with 2:11 left in the opening quarter, put the Chargers away with 26 second-quarter points before adding a final TD in the third.
Hayden senior Jack Chisham rushed for 182 yards and two touchdowns in the Wildcats' 39-6 win over Topeka West Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"Our coach (Bill Arnold) was kind of disappointed in us last week because he thought we quit,'' said Hayden senior Jack Chisham, who rushed for 182 yards on 14 carries, scoring on runs of 2 and 69 yards. "We wanted to show him that we can come back from a deficit and take control of the game.''
Arnold admitted that he was disappointed with the way the Wildcats finished the Seaman game (a 35-14 loss after the game was tied 7-7), but thought his team made a lot of strides Friday night.
"It was a rough week at practice,'' Arnold said. "I didn't feel like we finished the game off very well last week at all and we had to kind of get back to what Hayden tradition is about. I thought the kids came out tonight and executed.
"We competed. We're a long way away from mistake-free football, but I did like our physicality tonight.''
After Reed gave 1-2 West its early lead, Hayden bounced back on its next drive to tie the game on a 26-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Gavin Arnold to freshman Jensen Schrickel (pass failed).
Hayden's Joe Otting (65) congratulates teammate Jensen Schrickel after Schrickel scored the Wildcats' first touchdown in a 39-6 win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Chisham put Hayden ahead to stay with a 2-yard scoring run at the 9:21 mark of the second quarter and he broke loose for a 69-yard TD to give the Wildcats an 18-6 advantage with 7:40 left in the half (pass failed).
The Wildcats added a 12-yard scoring run from junior JC Cummings (pass failed) and closed out the half with a 6-yard touchdown run and a 2-point conversion from junior Ethan Florence to take a commanding 32-6 advantage with 39.7 seconds left in the half.
Hayden added its final score on an 18-yard TD pass from Arnold to senior TL Thompson (Schrickel kick) at the 8:34 mark of the third quarter.
Arnold completed 9 of 13 passes on the night for 95 yards and two TDs.
Topeka West's Tyrell Reed scored the Chargers' lone touchdown on a 97-yard reception Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
West's Reed caught four passes for 118 yards and the Chargers' lone TD while Berg passed for 170 yards on an 11 of 23 performance.
Reed also led West with 60 rushing yards on 13 attempts.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights and Washburn University product Corey Ballentine is the newest member of the Detroit Lions.
Ballentine, a third-year defensive back and returner, was claimed by the Lions after being waived off injured reserve by the New York Jets.
Corey Ballentine
The 25-year-old Ballentine was drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft by the New York Giants and played for the Giants in 2019 and with the Giants and the Jets in 2020.
Ballentine suffered a knee injury after a long kickoff return in a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, leading to his release by the Jets..
Ballentine played over 400 snaps at cornerback for the Giants in 2019-2020 and started four games before being waived and joining the Jets as their primary return man for the remainder of last season.
Ballentine, who has averaged 24.5 yards per kick in the NFL, fills the Lions' roster spot created with cornerback Jeff Okudah going on injured reserve.A multiple All-MIAA and Division II All-America honoree, Ballentine appeared in 46 games at Washburn, tallying 186 tackles (113 solos) and five interceptions and won the Cliff Harris Award as the small college defensive player of the year as a senior..
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THE PENNANT PLAYER PROFILE
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After playing running back for most of his career, including his first season at Washburn University, former Washburn Rural standout Hunter Browning made the switch to wide receiver in 2019.
It's a move that has paid off for both Browning, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound redshirt junior, and the 2-0 Ichabods, with Browning ranking second on the team with six receptions for 83 yards entering Saturday's 1 p.m. game at 2-0 Nebraska-Kearney while also carrying the ball once for 22 yards.
Hunter Browning
Browning rushed for 360 yards and two touchdowns on 85 attempts as a redshirt freshman in 2018, including a 116-yard performance against Northeastern State, but after suffering an injury to his shoulder as well as nerve damage in a subsequent injury, Browning and Washburn coach Craig Schurig made the decision for Browning to move outside for the '19 season.
"After my injury that year I had a meeting with coach and he said, 'You know we could really use you out at wide receiver because with our running backs, a lot of them are just really explosive and if we could have you and all of them on the field at the same time, that would be the most ideal thing for us,' '' Browning recalled.
"He told me I could think about it and get back to him, but I thought it was the right move at the time, and so far it's worked out. I just worked hard at it, on my route-running and watching film and all of that, and it's been really good.''
Browning caught eight passes for 78 yards and a TD in '19 and continues to feel more and more at home as a wideout after having basically two more years to learn the position.
Browning has already established a career-high yardage total in just two games this fall and needs just three catches to establish a career-high for single-season receptions.
"His speed was such that he played early as a tailback, but his body wasn't built to be a tailback in this conference,'' Schurig said. "By moving him we got a little bit more depth at that position and we liked his speed. We knew it was going to be a transition. It's hard to learn receiver, there's a lot going on, but with his body type and speed and quickness we felt like he could do some really good things at receiver and not take the pounding like he did at tailback.
"He's done a great job, he really has. He's so conscientous, works very hard and has really come on. He was making plays in practice and he's making them in games. He had a big touchdown pass against Lincoln and a huge catch in the first drive (against Central Missouri). He gets open.''
Looking back on it, Browning is glad he made the move.
"It was just a decision that was best for the team and for me, too,'' Browning said. "It's really fun being out there at receiver.''
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TopSports.news
Washburn Rural tuned up for Monday's city girls golf tournament with an impressive performance in Thursday's Olathe Northwest Invitational at Heritage Park Golf Course, with the Junior Blues sweeping the team and individual championships.
Senior Aliyah North carded a three-over-par 74 to take individual medalist honors by two strokes while Rural rolled to the team title by 18 strokes over host Olathe Northwest.
Aliyah North
North led the way as all of Rural's top four finished in the top 10.
Junior Blue senior Kaitlyn Crough tied for third with an 80 while junior Avery Scott tied for sixth with an 82 and junior Mallory Nelson tied for eighth with an 84.
Washburn Rural will enter Monday's city tournament at Western Hill as the eight-time defending team champion, winning the 2020 title by a 49-stroke margin over runner-up Hayden.
OLATHE NORTHWEST INVITATIONAL
Team scores
Washburn Rural 320, Olathe Northwest 338, Olathe East 352, Olathe West 357, Free State 394, Olathe South 443.
Individual results
1. Aliyah North, Washburn Rural, 74; 2. Claire Sullivan, Olathe Northwest, 76; 3. (tie) Kaitlyn Crough, Washburn Rural, and Claire Berquist, Free State, 80; 5. Camryn Scott, Olathe East, 81; 6. (tie) Avery Scott, Washburn Rural, and Liz Lyons, Olathe West, 82; 8. (tie) Mallory Nelson, Washburn Rural, and Avery Hearshman, Olathe Northwest, 84; 10. Mackenzie Locke, Olathe East, 85.
Other Washburn Rural -- 22. (tie) Raegan Peterson 99;
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
In the previous nine head-to-head football meetings between Emporia and Topeka High, the Trojans have emerged victorious in every single meeting against the Spartans.
In Emporia’s prolonged drought, the Spartans haven’t been able to find a way to edge the Trojans, with Thursday night a carbon copy of the past decade as Topeka High came out on top, 28-20, as senior Tylan Alejos turned in a monster night.
Topeka High senior Tylan Alejos scores one of his four touchdowns on the night in High's 28-20 win over Emporia Thursday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
After two winless weeks, Topeka High was finally able to taste the sweet nectar of victory in front of the home Hummer Sports Park crowd for the first time in 2021.
Self-inflicted mistakes have haunted the Trojans the first two weeks, but Thursday the offense was able to overcome the mistakes.
“I feel like we are getting closer to where want to be as a team,'' Topeka High coach Carlos Kelly said. "We have a new coaching staff, along with a new nucleus of guys. It’s going to take time, but I am proud of the guys.
"Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks, we are clicking and we have better chemistry together.”
Alejos, one of the most dynamic players in the city, had himself a career night, rushing for 223 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries and catching two passes for 19 yards and a TD.
“It was a good team performance,'' Alejos said. "We came out a little sloppy in the beginning but we came out and executed in the second half. Our offensive line was way more aggressive tonight and it opened me up to have a good game.”
Added Kelly:
“We thought we could take advantage of Emporia by getting Tylan out in open space. He works so hard and tries so hard, which means a lot to the guys. Tylan needs to be Tylan Alejos and not anybody else. Tylan is a special player.”
Topeka High lineman Danny Saili (77) comes up with a defensive stop for the Trojans in Thursday's 28-20 win over Emporia. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High’s defense forced a three and out on Emporia's game-opening drive, forcing the Spartans to punt the ball away.
Topeka High then marched right down the field, only to throw an interception to linebacker Bobby Trujillo in the end zone.
At 1:30 in the first, Emporia’s Cam Geitz eluded High's pass rush and found Kaden Woydziak for an 89-yard touchdown to put the Spartans up, 7-0.
Following that Emporia touchdown, Topeka quarterback Peyton Wheat threw his second interception of the night to Trujillo, leading to a 4-yard rushing touchdown by Derrick Keys.
Topeka High would fight back with a long drive, getting on the scoreboard with a 4-yard Alejos touchdown to decrease the deficit to 13-7.
After the Alejos touchdown at the 6:23 mark, the defenses were hitting back and forth.
After blocking an Emporia punt, the Trojans started at the Emporia 15-yard line. Wheat rolled out to the right out of the pocket and threw a 15-yard TD to Alejos with 0:08 to go in the half, putting High in front, 14-13.
Emporia’s Jaxson Dial opened up the second half with a pick six for a touchdown as the Spartans went back in front, 20-14, but Topeka High bounced back with a strong 14-play drive, taking 6:30 off the clock and finishing it off by Alejos punching it in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown.
Topeka High ended Emporia's ensuing possession with a blocked punt that gave the Trojans the ball deep in Spartan territory.
Alejos would then run it up the gut for his fourth touchdown of the night, giving the Trojans their final 28-20 margin.
Emporia had an opportunity at the Topeka High 9-yard line with 1:32 to go but High forced an incompletion and held on for the win.
Emporia (0-3, 0-3) will host the Highland Park Scots next Friday, while Topeka High (1-2,1-2) will host Manhattan.
TOPEKA HIGH 28, EMPORIA 20
Emporia (0-3, 0-3) 7 6 7 0 -- 20
Topeka High (1-2, 1-2) 0 14 14 0 -- 28
First quarter
Emporia -- Woydziak 89 pass from Geitz (Obermeyer kick)
Second Quarter
Emporia -- Keys 4 run (kick failed)
Topeka High -- Alejos 4 run (Thomas kick)
Topeka High -- Alejos 15 pass (Thomas kick)
Third Quarter
Emporia -- Dial 38 interception return (Obermeyer kick)
Topeka High -- Alejos 7 run (Thomas kick)
Topeka High -- Alejos 2 run (Thomas kick)
Individual Statistics
Rushing -- Emporia: Keys 13-6, Geitz 12-(minus)-9, Trujillo 1-3. Topeka High: Alejos 32-223, Wheat 4-5, Ross 2-10, Brown 1-5.
Passing -- Emporia: Geitz 11-22-0, 230 yards. Topeka High: Wheat 7-19-3, 106.
Receiving -- Emporia: Leeds 4-34, Woydziak 2-132, Trujillo 2-34, Obermeyer 2-22, Jackson, 1-8. Topeka High: Williams 3-28, Brown 2-59, Alejos, 2-19.
