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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Not even a nailbiting loss in the Class 5A 4x100-meter relay could put a damper on the best weekend of Seaman senior star Aaron Merritt's track career.
Seaman senior Aaron Merritt (middle) won Class 5A titles in the 110-meter hurdles and the 100 dash Saturday in Wichita. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Seaman senior Aaron Merritt (middle) wins the 100-meter dash in Saturday's Class 5A state meet at Wichita State's Cessna Stadium. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman got nipped by United Kansas Conference rival De Soto in the 4x100 (42.39 seconds to 42.50), but Merritt was still all smiles after his 28-point day.
"We ran an awesome race,'' Merritt said of the 4x100 relay. "It was a (personal record) for us even. We were in it fourth and got second, so nothing to complain about there.''
And the silver in the relay was Merritt's only non-gold on the day, with the future Kansas Jayhawk winning state championsips in the 110-meter hurdles and 100 dash.
Merritt had finished second in the 110s to Piper senior Jayden Henry in the UKC and regional meets, but turned the tables Saturday morning, winning in a time of 14.48 seconds while Henry finished third behind Merritt and Kapaun Mt. Carmel junior Dawson Grabendike.
"I knew winning today was just whoever was feeling the best today,'' Merritt said. "We're back and forth all season, had no clue who was going to win, and I was just best today so that's what happened.''
After running the prelims in the 100 earlier, Merritt ran a blistering 10.32 in the final to post his second win of the day.
"The 110s, I feel like is my primary, so I was completely focused on that and as soon as I got done I was completely focused on the 100,'' Merritt said. "The prelims of the 100 warmed me up and I felt good after winning the gold for the 100.''
Merritt's 10.32 easily eclipsed the 5A meet record of 10.50 set by Independence's Danny Williams in 1981, but Merritt's time won't be recognized as a record because Saturday's wind was above the allowable limit.
"I was hoping for like a 10.4 and to get the meet record, that would be really cool, but 10.3 blows my mind,'' Merritt said. "It's crazy.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA – Cair Paravel Latin fought off a barrage of scoring chances from powerhouse Bishop Miege for 92-plus minutes in Saturday’s Class 4-1A championship game at Stryker Sports Complex.
Cair Paravel's Zahra Friess battles for possession with Miege's Rose Lopez during the Lions' 1-0 double-overtime loss in Saturday's Class 4-1A championship game. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
Cair Paravel's Veronica Ignoto boots a goal kick during Saturday's Class 4-1A championship game. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
But Miege finally broke the dam with less than eight minutes in the second overtime.
On Miege’s 16th corner kick of the game, Dory Latenser headed home a perfectly-placed kick from Isabella McGaugh for the golden goal with 7:38 left in the second OT, securing a 1-0 win and the Stags’ state-record eighth consecutive championship.
Junior goalkeeper Veronica Ignoto and the Lions’ back line worked tirelessly to keep it scoreless, but offensive opportunities were scarce for Cair Paravel (15-4-1). The Lions weren’t officially credited with a shot on goal while Miege had 10.
“Really proud of my girls. That was an amazing show of courage against a tough team, perennial state champs,” Cair Paravel coach Doug Woolery told KSHSAA Covered. “We just couldn’t get our offense generated. We were on our heels most of the game.
“I knew my girls had it in them, but we just couldn’t seem to get the break that we had last time we played them (2-1 loss). We had a couple through balls to capitalize on and even had a couple missed opportunities in that game, and today those just didn’t show themselves. At the end of the day, they finally got one in the net and we didn’t.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Seaman sophomore star Ryan Miller's weekend didn't get off to the start she wanted on Friday morning, with Miller losing contact with Salina Central junior Katelyn Rupe midway through the Class 5A 3,200 meters as Rupe went on to notch her third straight win in the event by more than 16 seconds.
Seaman sophomore Ryin Miller jumped out to early leads Saturday on the way to Class 5A titles in the 1,600 and 800 meters at Wichita State's Cessna Stadium. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
But Miller bounced back on Saturday while flashing the form that has established her as one of the state's all-time bests, posting dominating victories in both the 1,600 and 800 before helping the Vikings to a runnerup finish in the 4x400 meter relay.
"The 32 I went out and I tried to reserve some, and it didn't work,'' Miller said. "She beat me pretty good those last three laps so today I was like, 'I'm just goint to get out, run my race.'
"I normally get out fast and I was just going to try not to let anybody get in my head.''
And Miller said Friday's loss in the 3,200 served as a big source of motivation on Saturday.
Seaman sophomore Ryin Miller earned four Class 5A state medals (two firsts, two seconds) as the Vikings tied for fourth as a team. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
"It was frustrating; I'm not sure what happened,'' Miller said of the 3,200. "It was just so early, I'm not used to running that early, but I just felt awful and I was like, 'This is the state meet. I may get hurt next year because of soccer,' and I was, 'If I'm going to do it, it has to be now,' so it was definitely motivation for sure.''
Miller started off her busy Saturday by jumping out to an early lead in the 1,600 and never looked back, winning her first state title in a 5A meet-record time of 4 minutes, 51.58 seconds.
She came back later in the day to take control of the 800 from the outset en route to the championship in 2:10.80 in windy conditions.
"I was looking at my weather app this morning and I was like, 'Oh my God, 85 and windy,' '' Miller said. "You could feel it on the frontstretch, but the big crowd definitely helped push me through it.''
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Washburn Rural girls soccer team bounced back from a heartbreaking semifinal loss Friday to blank Maize 3-0 for third place in the Class 6A state tournament Saturday at Hummer Sports Park.
Washburn Rural soccer accepts its Class 6A third-place trophy after Saturday's 3-0 win over Maize. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural poses for a team picture after finishing third in Class 6A Saturday at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Kate Hinck ruled the day, putting all three goals in the net for Washburn Rural. The junior raised her goal total to 28 on the season, second best in school history.
Placing third for the second consecutive season was a disappointing outcome for a team still seeking its first title.
“We’ve been in the Final Four a bunch of times. We’ve played (the consolation) game a number of times,” said Washburn Rural coach Brian Hensyel. “This was hard because our goal was to be the state champions. We didn’t quite get there.”
The Junior Blues regrouped with a strategy for Saturday.
“You have to rally for the second day,” Hensyel said. “We decided two things. We were just going to put all our players on the field today throughout the game. We have a lot of depth, so we used the whole roster today.
“But the second part was, we have a great group of girls, so I wasn’t worried about whether they would be ready to play or not. They wanted to finish with a win. It’s not quite what we wanted this weekend, but a great ending to the season.”
Junior Kate Hinck scored all three goals Saturday in Washburn Rural's 3-0 win over Maize in the Class 6A third-place game. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural junior Kate Hinck finished her season with 28 goals after Saturday's hat trick against Maize in a 3-0 win. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Using her speed and ball-handling skills, Hinck navigated her way through the Maize defense to two first-half goals. Early in the second half, she took a pass near the goal and punched a shot through traffic past the Maize goalkeeper.
“She’s crazy great,” Hensyel said. “She’s a go-to player. She made it happen today.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 7 seed Hayden completed its Cinderella run to the Class 3A state baseball championship Friday night, taking a 5-3 win over top seed Wichita Trinity at Tointon Family Stadium.
Hayden hoists the Class 3A championship trophy after Friday's 5-3 win over Wichita Trinity. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Hayden celebrates with the Class 3A trophy in hand after earning the state title with a 5-3 win over Wichita Trinity. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Hayden junior pitcher Liam Annand went 6.2 innings, picking up the win while allowing three runs on just four hits before sophomore Aiden Roberts closed out the victory with an inning of relief as the Wildcats picked up their first state title since 2015.
You look across our roster, we don’t have many seniors, almost everyone is coming back,” Hayden coach Bill Arnold told KSHSAA Covered. “It means a lot just for the growth they made throughout the year. I’m very proud of them.”
Hayden junior Liam Annand picked up the pitching win in Friday's 5-3 win over Wichita Trinity in the Class 3A state title game. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
The Wildcats, who finished an 18-12 season, pushed three runs across in the first inning to take control.
After singles by Mason Becker and Brady Heinen, a fielder's choice by Cooper Grace and a single by Evan Lenherr produced the first run.
Sophomore Kade Mitchell then doubled in two runs to make it a 3-0 Hayden lead.
