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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural junior Olivia Koch was a repeat selection as the Centennial League softball player of the year as city players earned eight of 11 first-team spots.
Washburn Rural junior Olivia Koch has been named the Centennial League softball player of the year for the second straight season. [File photo/TSN]
Koch is joined on the all-league first team by senior Henley Rapp and junior Justice McBurney after the Junior Blues went undefeated in league play while Topeka High, third in Class 6A, is represented by sophomore London Backman and juniors Campbell Dawson and Kenslee Young and Hayden by junior Emberly Connell and sophomore Blakeley Walter.
Topeka High's Shane Miles was voted the Centennial League coach of the year while Mamhattan's Foveaux was named the newcomer of the year.
City players combined to put seven players on the second team while 10 players received honorable mention.
ALL-CENTENNIAL LEAGUE SOFTBALL
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The 2026 All-Shawnee County boys golf team: From left -- Evan Michalski, Seaman; Chase Hastert, Topeka High/Cair Paravel Latin; Caleb Cleverdon, Topeka High/Cair Paravel Latin; Peyton Goehring, Washburn Rural; Higgins Hawks, Washburn Rural; Michael Wilson, Washburn Rural; Wyatt Dean, Washburn Rural. Not pictured: Jack Donovan, Rossville. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Eight state qualifiers, including three state medalists and four members of a Washburn Rural team that won its 16th straight city championship, comprise the 2026 All-Shawnee County boys golf team.
Caleb Cleverdon, who competed for Cair Paravel Latin in the postseason and Topeka High in the regular season, finished a county-high second in last week's Class 2A state tournament while Rossville senior Jack Donovan, a three-time all-county first-team selection and four-time state medalist, finished fifth in 2A and CPLS sophomore Chase Hastert placed 17th.
Washburn Rural, which won its 16th straight city team championship, is represented on the All-Shawnee County team by senior repeat pick Higgins Hawks, senior city champion Peyton Goehring, senior Michael Wilson and sophomore Wyatt Dean.
Rounding out the first team is Seaman senior Evan Michalski, a 5A individual qualifier with a tie for sixth place at regionals after tying for fourth in the United Kansas Conference tournament.
All-Shawnee County capsules:
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Weather delays and moving from an outdoor field to indoors proved to be little more than an inconvenience for Hayden's soccer team Saturday as the Wildcats wrapped up a perfect season with a 1-0 win over Rose Hill in the Class 4A-1A championship game at the Stryker Soccer Complex in Wichita.
Hayden soccer celebrates its 1-0 win over Rose Hill in Saturday's Class 4A-1A state championship game at Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
After a scoreless first half, Wildcat senior Carsyn Broxterman scored the only goal the Wildcats would need just 1:25 into the second half off an assist from junior Avery Becker and Hayden was able to close out its championship run after finishing second in a double-overtime loss to Bishop Miege a year earlier.
Hayden soccer finished off its undefeated season with a 1-0 win over Rose Hill in Saturday's Class 4A-1A state championship game at Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
“I haven’t even processed this yet,'' Broxterman said. "I’ve been dreaming about this for so long and when it actually happens, I can't even, I'm just so excited."
Both Hayden and Rose Hill had to deal with sudden change after inclement weather forced the teams to play the championship game inside.
"We were not very excited about that,'' Broxterman said. "But we practiced in here and we were ready for anything. We weren't going to let this take us out at all. We came in and we gave it our best.
“It was very muggy in here. We were sweating a lot, but other than that, I mean, it would have been the same.”
After the scoreless first half and a talk with Wildcat coach Klaus Kreutzer, Hayden had a quick response after the break to get the goal it needed.
“We were all kind of jittery and nervous, like, 'Oh my gosh, this is tied. I don't know what to do,’ '' Broxterman said. “And (Kreuzter) was just kind of like, ‘We're fine. You guys are fine, you're playing fine. Go out there and play your game and you'll be okay.’ ''
After Broxterman's goal Rose Hill turned up its offensive pressure, but the Hayden defense and senior goalkeepers Kadence Watts and Lauren Borjon were able to keep the Rockets out of the net.
“After we scored that goal, they definitely came out stronger,'' Broxterman said. "They definitely wanted it. But I think we really went on lockdown very well. We were covering each other's backs, we were marking our players.
"Even though we didn't have possession, we were really locking down.”
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By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
WICHITA -- The final day of the 2026 Kansas state track and field championships got underway on Saturday morning with the final track preliminary races as the 100 meters started at 8:30 a.m. on the campus of Wichita State University and due to two lengthy weather-related suspensions, the meet finally concluded around 11 p.m. Saturday night.
The marathon final day of competition produced three local boys state champions, with Washburn Rural junior Christian Hartman-Babb winning the Class 6A 100-meter dash, Seaman senior Brody Anderson winning the 5A 800 and Rossville sophomore Landen Lewis earning the title in the 2A javelin.
Seaman senior Brody Anderson ended his high school career with the Class 5A state 800 meters championship Saturday night in Wichita. [File photo/TSN]
Anderson capped his outstanding track and cross country career for the Vikings with his first career state title after finishing second to Kapaun Mt. Carmel star Daniel Enriquez in the 3,200 and 1,600 earlier in the weekend.
After finishing finished second in the 3,200 meters Friday morning, Anderson finished second to Enriquez again in the 5A boys 1,600 meters with a time of 4 minutes,12.48 seconds.
Following Saturday's first weather delay, the duo faced one another again in the 800 meters.
In a race where 15 of the 18 runners had qualifying times under two minutes, the competition was going to be at a high level.
Anderson didn’t go immediately to the lead and after the first 400 meters, sitting in fifth place.
“I went into the race trying to play it tactical to see how the field spread out before I made my move, rather than taking the race from the lead like I did in the 3,200 and 1,600 races,'' Anderson said. "After 400 meters, I was trapped against the rail, but I found a gap and took off and never looked back.”
He came all the way back and won the race in a personal best time of 1:52.08, finishing ahead of junior Nathan Webb of Valley Center (1:52.78) and Enriquez (1:52.99).
All three of the runners broke the state meet record in 5A, but it will be Anderson’s name that goes into the record books.
“It feels amazing to wrap up the last race of my high school career with a victory and state title,'' Anderson said. "I’m so grateful for all of my coaches and family that helped me reach this point.”
Washburn Rural junior Christian Hartman-Babb won the Class 6A 100-meter dash and finished second in the 200 Saturday in Wichita. [File photo/TSN]
Hartman-Babb was the first local state champion with his victory in the 6A boys 100 meters.
He finished the final in a winning time of 10.59 seconds after qualifying early on Saturday morning with a time of 10.63.
Hartman-Babb returned later after the first weather delay for the 6A boys 200 race, where he finished second to senior Nicolas Cabral of Olathe East by only 0.003 seconds (21.397 to 21.400).
The third local state champ was Rossville's Lewis, who won the 2A javelin title with a throw of 181 feet, 9 inches.
His championship throw came on his fourth attempt, which was 18 feet further than any of his other attempts during the competition.
Lewis had a long wait for his title, with the 2A event originally scheduled for Friday evening before being pushed back to Saturday by weather. Then the event was delayed further by Saturday's inclement weather before finally being contested.
Saturday's other Shawnee County medalists:
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
With Washburn Rural baseball on the verge of ending a 74-year-old title drought on Saturday in the Class 6A championsip game at Wichita State's Eck Stadium, Junior Blues senior catcher Aidan Newbery came through with a play that lived up to the moment.
Washburn Rural celebrates its first state baseball title in 74 years with a dogpile at Eck Stadium after Saturday's 4-3 win over Free State. [Photo by Selena Favela/TSN]
With the Junior Blues nursing a 4-3 lead with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning and Free State's potential game-tying run at third base, Rural senior relief pitcher Isaac Ansley's pitch temporarily got away from Newbery and Firebird senior Eli Berns darted towards home in attempt to knot the score.
Washburn Rural senior catcher Aidan Newbery tags out the runner at the plate to clinch Washburn Rural's Class 6A state baseball championship Saturday in Wichita. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
The umpire calls the play at the plate to end Washburn Rural's 4-3 win over Free State in the Class 6A state championship game. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural senior catcher Aidan Newbery and pitcher Issac Ainsley celebrate the ending of Saturday's 4-3 win over Free State in the Class 6A championship game. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
But Newbery made the play of the day, corraling the ball as it rolled away and diving back towards home plate to apply the tag on Bern, ending the game and giving the Junior Blues the state title they had coveted for so, so long.
"I saw the ball right next to me and I knew I just needed to run as hard as I could and how it happened, no matter what,'' Newbery said. "All I did was just hold onto it as hard as I could and then just make a play. I figured I was closer (than Ansley) and I knew I wanted it so I just took it. Words can't desribe how amazing this is.''
"I thought it was going to be close, but when you think of these games and you dream about them, that's not the play that you think it ends on for sure,'' Washburn Rural coach Jay Mastin said.
Washburn Rural, which finished its season 22-8, took control of the championship game in the very first inning, scoring three runs on two hits, a walk and a Firebird error to go in front 3-0.
Newbery had the big blow in the inning, blasting a two-run double, before Washburn Rural junior Dominic Nimz plated the third run of the inning with a sacrifice fly.
Free State (26-5) got on the board in the bottom of the first on a run-scoring single from junior Ferris Dinkel but Washburn Rural made it a 4-1 game in the fourth, with an RBI single from senior Austin Ditch scoring junior Trenton Gray, who opened the inning with a walk.
