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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Wednesday's Junior Blues Invitational at Hummer Sports Park was the third track and field meet of the season for most of Arrik White's Washburn Rural teammates, while White was making a belated season debut.
But the Rural senior, an All-City pick in cross country, was just happy to be back on the track, and even happier to be winning.
Coming off a stress fracture in his left leg that sidelined him for about two months, White won the boys 1,600 meters by nearly 20 seconds in a time of 4 minutes, 48.3 seconds and also ran a leg on the Junior Blues' winning 4 x 400 relay (3:48.5).
"Leading up to (the 1,600) I was super nervous because my first (track) race in two years, I was like, 'It's going to be intense,' '' White said. "But then in the middle of it I kind of got into a groove and felt like I was where I wanted to be for the amount of training I've had.''
Coming off a stress fracture, Washburn Rural senior Arrik White made his season debut Wednesday with a win in the 1,600-meter run in the Junior Blues Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
White still isn't quite 100 percent physically, but the Rural senior has also felt a sense of urgency to return to action.
"I saw last week at Olathe a few of the guys I'd be racing with at regionals, they were doing pretty well, so I know I have to get to that spot pretty quick,'' White said. "I have faith in myself, but it will definitely be mentally challenging.''
White thought Wednesday was a good start in the right direction.
"I'll take it,'' said White, who has signed to run collegiately at Allen Community College. "It's always going to be in the back of my mind where I could have been if I hadn't gotten hurt, but after seven, eight weeks off, for me to be at a 4:48, I'll definitely take it.''
Washburn Rural used Wednesday's meet as a varsity competition while several other schools in the field used the meet as a combined varsity/junior varsity meet.
Other highlights:
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news plans to compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2021 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
GIRLS
100 METERS
Reed, Topeka West 12.2
Hillebert, Hayden 12.6
Brooks, Topeka West 12.6
200 METERS
Reed, Topeka West 26.78
Hillebert, Hayden 26.82
Rottinghaus, Shawnee Heights 26.82
Brooks, Topeka West 27.41
400 METERS
Rottinghaus, Shawnee Heights 59.55
Reed, Topeka West 62.61
Bray, Washburn Rural 63.97
800 METERS
Druse, Seaman 2:21.0
Wagner, Washburn Rural 2:31.07
Rezac, Washburn Rural 2:31.58
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Washburn Rural senior Marquel Russell is the Shawnee County leader in the boys 300-meter hurdles and ranks second in the 110 hurdles. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news plans to compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2021 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
BOYS
100 METERS
Smith, Shawnee Heights 10.36
January, Shawnee Heights 10.92
Rezac, Rossville 10.98
200 METERS
Smith, Shawnee Heights 21.85
Renfro, Silver Lake 22.91
January, Shawnee Heights 23.04
400 METERS
Arnold, Shawnee Heights 51.97
Mitchell, Washburn Rural 54.3
Kaniper, Silver Lake 54.80
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka High star junior pitcher NiJaree Canady feels like there's still "room for improvement'' for herself and the Trojans' softball team. .
Given the Trojans' impressive performance Tuesday in a 5-0, 10-0 doubleader road sweep over fellow Class 6A power Washburn Rural, that's a scary thought.
"There's always room for improvement," Canady said after turning in a pair of complete-game pitching performances against . "I felt good out there and coming here and getting a win is always good.
"We knew coming here it would be good games and we had some good practices yesterday. It gives us a lot of confidence."
Topeka High junior NiJaree Canady gave up just five hits while striking out 28 in Tuesday's 5-0, 10-0 doubleheader sweep at Washburn Rural. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Canady gave up two straight hits to Rural junior Campbell Bagshaw and senior Olivia Bruno open the first game, but was in command the rest of the day, twirling a three-hitter with 17 strikeouts in the first game and following that up with a two-hit, 11-strikeout performance in the second game as Topeka High improved to 10-0 on the season.
And as good as Canady was on the mound, the Trojans were just as good at the plate, piling up 24 hits and a whopping six home runs on the day.
"We got production from everybody today," Topeka High coach Shane Miles said. "Everybody got bunts down, we got situational stuff, we got big hits."
Trojan star senior catcher Zoe Caryl connected on home runs in both games while junior Elycia Joyce hit her first two home runs of the season, including a huge three-run shot in a four-run third inning that broke open the first game.
"I was feeling good and I had a 3-1 count so I thought (Bruno) throw me right down the middle and she did," Joyce said. "I was looking for it and I took it.
"Seeing these people like Zoe leading us with six home runs this season, I want to do that. I want to get as many home runs as I can."
Joyce added a two-run homer in the second game as Topeka High also got round-trippers from Caryl, Canady and senior Tatum Wilson in a six-run sixth that enabled the Trojans to end the game after six innings because of the 10-run spread.
Washburn Rural junior Campbell Bagshaw opens the Junior Blues' first at-bat Tuesday against Topeka High with a long single. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN}
Washburn Rural, playing just its second doubleheader of the season, never got untracked against Topeka High, with the 2-2 Junior Blues managing just four singles and Baylee Dial's first-game double in the twinbill.
FIRST GAME
TOPEKA HIGH 5, WASHBURN RURAL 0
Topeka High 004 010 0 -- 5 8 0
Washburn Rural 000 000 0 -- 0 3 0
Canady and Zoe Caryl. Bruno and Louderback. WP -- Canady. LP -- Bruno. 2B -- Topeka High: Zoe Caryl, Canady, Washburn Rural: Dial. HR -- Topeka High: Joyce, Zoe Caryl.
SECOND GAME
TOPEKA HIGH 10, WASHBURN RURAL 0
Topeka High (10-0, 8-0) 000 406 x -- 10 16 4
Washburn Rural (2-2, 2-2) 000 000 x -- 0 2 2
Canady and Zoe Caryl. Cope, Bruno (6) and Louderback. WP -- Canady. LP -- Cope. 2B -- Topeka High: Adysen Caryl. 3B — Topeka High: Wilson. HR -- Topeka High: Z. Caryl, Canady, Joyce, Wilson.
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Washburn Rural junior Emma Krueger (left) battles Seaman freshman Marin Schuler for the ball in Tuesday's 3-0 Junior Blues win over the Vikings. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural didn't have much time to dwell on Monday's heartbreaking road loss to three-time defending Class 6A state girls soccer champion Blue Valley West, with the Junior Blues returning to action 24 hours later.
That turned out to a good thing, with Rural bouncing back with a 3-0 Centennial League victory over Seaman Tuesday night at McElroy Field, improving to 6-2-1 on the season.
"It was probably wasn't real smart with our schedule to play Blue Valley West on a Monday and then come and play a Seaman team that always plays really hard,'' Washburn Rural coach Brian Hensyel said. "That's a tough back to back, but at the end of the year and you get to the playoffs, if you're lucky enough to be one of the last four teams, you do that then, so it's not bad practice for us.''
Washburn Rural, the state runner-up to the Jaguars in the 2018 and '19 state championship games, had Blue Valley West down 2-1 in the closing stages of Monday's game, but West scored twice over the final three minutes to stun the Junior Blues, 3-2.
"We had them and let them off the hook,'' Hensyel said.
Obviously, Rural was still stinging from that defeat, but after a scoreless first half against the 2-2-1 Vikings, the Junior Blues dominated the second half to remain undefeated in league play.
"We had a lot of girls play a lot of minutes last night and it was a really hard, tough, physical game,'' Hensyel said. "Obviously mentally it was tough, too, to flip that switch and come back and play against a team that was really ready to compete today, but I loved the second half.
"We kind of needed the halftime to maybe kind of re-energize and then the second half we controlled the game.''
Washburn Rural got the only goal it would need about 12 minutes into the second half on a shot from senior Joy Ngibuini and the Junior Blues got insurance goals from junior Emma Krueger with 10:55 remaining and from junior Belle Kennedy with just 1:04 left.
Senior Brynn Fitzgibbons and junior Hunter McWilliams were credited with assists while sophomore Hailey Beck picked up the shutout in goal for the Junior Blues.
Seaman will be back in action Wednesday, hosting St. James Academy in a 6:15 p.m. non-league game while Washburn Rural will travel to Bishop Carroll Friday for a 6:30 p.m. non-league contest.
WASHBURN RURAL 3, SEAMAN 0
Seaman (2-2-1) 0 0 -- 0
Washburn Rural (6-2-1) 0 3 -- 3
Washburn Rural -- Goals: Joy Ngibuini, Emma Krueger, Belle Kennedy. Assists: Brynn Fitzgibbons, Hunter McWilliams. Shutout: Hailey Beck.
