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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Finishing second at the highest level of Class 6A high school and NCAA Division II soccer is a fine accomplishment, but frankly Washburn University standout Belle Kennedy is sick of it.
Former Washburn Rural soccer star Belle Kennedy is a returning All-MIAA first-team pick for Washburn, which will open its 2024 season at 6 p.m. Thursday at Yager Stadium against Missouri-St. Louis. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
"Incredibly,'' Kennedy said.
Kennedy helped Washburn Rural post a runnerup finish in the 6A state tournament as a freshman. Then, after having the 2020 season cancelled by COVID-19 and finishing third as a junior, the two-time 6A Midfielder of the Year helped lead Rural to another second-place state finish to close out her high school career.
The All-MIAA first-teamer came tantalizingly close to a championship again last fall as a Washburn sophomore, but again the title ended up just out of reach of her and her teammates.
And now, with Davy Phillips' Washburn team returning a wealth of experience from last year's 21-4-1 NCAA Division II runnerup team, Kennedy and her teammates are setting their sights on another run at the crown, beginning their quest with Thursday's 6 p.m. season-opener against Missouri-St. Louis at Yager Stadium.
"I really want our team to be first, no matter what,'' Kennedy said. "That's our hope every single year and even though we don't always get the result that we want, to know how far we came last year is a big accomplishment in itself. But we need to get better this year.
"You're still not satisfied with (second), that is true, but I've come to embrace it and realize that we have two more years left at least in my eligibility to get it done and our team, we have one more year with 11 of our great players that are going to be graduating after this fall, and I think we still have the chance to do it.''
Kennedy, a two-time All-MIAA honoree, has seemingly made a smooth transition to college soccer, but she said it has been an adjustment.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Like most coaches in all sports, Washburn University soccer coach Davy Phillips really appreciates the practice aspect of coaching.
But after multiple weeks of practice, Phillips knows his Ichabod players are ready for the real thing and will get that chance with a pair of non-conference battles Thursday and Saturday at Yager Stadium.
Davy Phillips' Washburn soccer team, coming off a runnerup finish in the 2023 NCAA national tournament, opens its season Thursday night at Yager Stadium. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
No. 2 nationally-ranked Washburn, the 2023 NCAA Division II runnerup, will make its 2024 debut at 6 p.m. Thursday against Missouri-St. Louis before hosting Maryville at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
"The players definitely are ready,'' Phillips said. "I like coaching and teaching the game to be honest but there's a reason we keep score and games matter. For a variety of reasons we didn't get a preseason scrimmage in, so (Thursday) is really, truly the first time out against someone else, so the girls are anxious, eager to play.
"We've been kind of building up what it means to play games, what it means to play the season, so the whole buildup is, I think, leading the girls into a very excited spot about tomorrow.''
WU is fresh off a run to the NCAA title game in 2023, compiling a 21-4-1 record and winning the MIAA regular-season championship.
Missouri-St. Louis went 8-6-3 in 2023 with a 7-4-1 record in the GLVC, falling in the GLVC tournament quarterfinals while Maryville went 14-3-4 with a 10-1-2 record in the GLVC. The Saints fell in the semifinals of the GLVC tournament, but earned a berth in the NCAA tournament, where they advanced to the second round.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Ella Dirks didn't know exactly what to expect when she reached out to Washburn University football coach Craig Schurig this past spring.
Ella Dirks, who grew up around football, joined the Washburn University coaching staff this fall as a student assistant. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
But suffice it to say the Washburn freshman was blown away by Schurig's response, offering the 18-year-old the opportunity to break into coaching as a member of the Ichabods' coaching staff as a student assistant.
"My senior year of high school (at Blue Valley Northwest), around April, I contacted coach Schurig because I was still deciding on colleges and I was like, 'Can I be a manager? I would carry water or anything because I just want to be a part of football,' '' Dirks said. "And he came up to me with this opportunity and said, 'Hey, would you like to do this? Is this something you're interested in?'
"I was honestly shocked and I was like, 'Absolutely, I would love to do it,' so all props to coach Schurig for offering me the position. I'm very grateful for what I'm doing.''
Schurig's association with the Dirks family goes way back to 2000 and 2001 when Schurig was an assistant at Pittsburg State and Ella's father, the late Josh Dirks, was a standout offensive lineman for the Gorillas.
Schurig and the Dirks family re-connected in 2013 and 2014 when Josh came on board at Washburn as a volunteer assistant while Ella's mother, Tiffany, served as a WU professor.
Josh Dirks, then an assistant coach at Olathe North, passed away in November, 2021, at the age of 39 but Schurig maintained contact with the family, and when Ella contacted him, Schurig thought it was a natural to offer her a chance to be involved with a sport she loves.
Student assistant coach Ella Dirks cheers on Washburn during the Ichabods' season-opener against Emporia State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
"I had seen Ella grow up and she was very athletic and she loved sports and loved football,'' Schurig said. "Her dad was a very good football player and a coach and all of that, so when she was coming to school here she approached me and wanted to see if there was anything she could do to help out the team. I was like, 'Well shoot, why don't you GA, why don't you coach?'
"Her dad was coaching at Olathe North, so she went to all of those games and she knows football and she loves athletics and loves to compete. And it worked out well because Mitchell (Schurig) is with the offensive line and he knows Ella well and we thought we might as well have her learn the offensive line because that's where her dad played. I thought that was a good fit and pretty cool.
"You're seeing these women in the NFL and major college football and everywhere, and if she really likes it she could get involved in coaching and there's always a way you can do that. So she kind of got excited about it and then we wanted to see if it would fit and it fit well.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
As a fifth-year senior for the Washburn University volleyball team, Taryn Pridgett feels a certain responsibility to help out the seven freshmen in the Ichabod program.
Cair Paravel product Taryn Pridgett is entering her senior season for Washburn after recording 108 kills a year ago. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
After all, it wasn't that long ago that the former Cair Paravel Latin standout was in that same position.
"Honestly, I really just want to provide support for the young ones, especially because it's hard coming into a program,'' said Pridgett, a 5-foot-8 outside hitter. "You're away from home for the first time, there's a lot of changes and coach (Chris Herron) is intense, so it can be a difficult change.
"So I think right now it's just prioritizing the young ones and making sure they're comfortable and making sure they feel confident in practices because they're still learning. They don't necesssarily have all the drills down and are making mistakes, but it's just reminding them that it's all part of the process and everyone has been there at some point, so we're all here for you.''
Pridgett made the jump from Cair Paravel, which was just starting to make the transition from the Kansas Christian Athletic Conference to the Kansas State High School Athletic Association, to Washburn during the COVID-cancelled 2020 season and admitted that it took multiple seasons before she felt truly comfortable at the college level.
"I think honestly it was probably until about my junior year when I finally started grasping how different it all is,'' Pridgett said. "Obviously you can kind of see it more on the sideline and when you're playing a little bit, but I think as you mature you kind of see little things that you kind of missed early on in your career.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
(All kickoffs at 7 p.m.)
Rossville senior Tayson Horak (12) earned All-Shawnee County Second 22 and All-Mid-East League first-team honors last fall. [File photo/TSN]
Former Silver Lake football star Logan Pegram is starting his third season as the Eagles' head coach, leading Lake to a 14-5 record over the past two years. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
ROSSVILLE at SILVER LAKE
The Bulldawgs and Eagles open the 2024 season with one of the state's most storied rivalries. Rossville is coming off a 5-4 record a year ago while Silver Lake went 8-2. Rossville is playing its first season in the Class 1A ranks while the Bulldawgs and Silver Lake are both entering their first year in the new Big East League. Rossville senior Tayson Horak earned All-Mid-East League first-team recognition on offense and was a TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Second 22 pick last season while seniors Kameron Badura and Brock Bush and junior Jack Donovan received all-county honorable mention. Silver Lake senior Braden Strausbaugh, an offensive tackle and defensive end, earned All-Shawnee County Second 22 recognition last fall while seniors Logan Cathcart and Trent Rollenhagen and junior Dayne Johnson received all-county honorable mention.
Seniors King Leonard (1) is a top returner for Washburn Rural, intercepting nine passes last fall for the 11-1 Junior Blues. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights junior receiver/defensive back Tyren Parker has received Division I offers from Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State. [File photo/TSN]
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS at WASHBURN RURAL
City rivals Washburn Rural and Shawnee Heights combined for 19 wins last season, with the 11-1 Junior Blues advancing to the Class 6A semifinals and the 8-3 T-Birds making it to the 5A quarterfinals. Rural senior safety King Leonard was among the state leaders with nine interceptions, including one pick six, and was also in on 75 tackles (47 solo) en route to earning All-Shawnee County Top 22 honors last fall. Senior cornerback Wilson Miller was named the Shawnee County defensive newcomer of the year and earned All-Centennial League defensive honors and All-Shawnee County Second 22 recognition last season. Shawnee Heights only returns defensive starters Parker Busenitz, a senior safety, and junior cornerback Tyren Parker from last year's team along with junior kicker Camden Granado. Parker has D-I offers from Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State.
Senior Jamon Wilson racked up 1,185 all-purpose yards and scored 63 points last fall for the 7-3 Scots. [File photo/TSN]
KC-WYANDOTTE at HIGHLAND PARK
At Hummer Sports Park
After snapping an eight-year losing streak early in 2022, Jermaine Monroe's Scots have posted back-to-back winning seasons, including a 7-3 mark last season when Highland Park won its first playoff game since 1991. Senior linebacker Ricky Crawford earned All-Meadowlark Conference first-team and Second 22 All-Shawnee County honors last season, leading Highland Park with 78 tackles, including 54 solo stops, seven tackles for loss, five sacks and 13 quarterback hurries. Junior defensive back TremaineSavage was a first-team All-Meadowlark Conference selection last season, recording 29 tackles, registering 15 pass breakups and forcing two fumbles, while senior wide receiver/defensive back Jamon Wilson racked up 1,185 all-purpose yards last season while scoring 63 total points and receiving All-Shawnee County honorable mention. Wyandotte is coming off a 1-8 season in 2023.
Hayden senior receiver/defensive back Jensen Schrickel is a two-time All-Shawnee County Top 22 selection. [File photo/TSN]
HAYDEN at EUDORA
Hayden went 12-1 and finished second in Class 3A last fall while Eudora is coming off a 5-5 season, losing to Atchison 50-27 in the second round of the 4A playoffs. Wildcat senior wide receiver/defensive back Jensen Schrickel is a two-time TSN All-Shawnee County Top 22 selection, catching 40 passes for 683 yards, carrying the ball 18 times for 268 yards and scoring 10 total touchdowns and three 2-point conversions. Junior running back Kade Mitchell was named the co-offensive newcomer of the year in Shawnee County last season after rushing for 764 yards on 79 carries, catching 13 passes for 209 yards and scored 14 touchdowns and 92 total points. Senior quarterback Jett Wahlmeier completed 61 of 113 passing attempts for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns last fall.
