- Details
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
For the third year in a row, the Hayden Wildcats came up short in the state championship game at Hutchinson. And for the second consecutive year, the Wildcats hung close with Andale, only to see the game turn into a double-digit defeat late.
Kade Mitchell (25) scored Hayden's lone touchdown on a pass from Connor Hanika (3) in the Wildcats' 38-6 loss to Andale Friday in Hutchinson. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Hayden fell to the Indians by a score of 38-6 in Friday's Class 3A championship game Hutchinson Community College's Gowans Stadium, a rematch of the Wildcats' 36-19 loss to Andale a year ago.
The game got away from the Wildcats late, but the final score is misleading.
“Until the very end, we felt like we had a shot,” Hayden coach Bill Arnold said. “I felt like we would do really well defensively, and then we would give up a big play. We had opportunities early on. We didn’t capitalize on them.”
Hayden stopped Andale’s long opening drive at the 4-yard line. The Wildcats then ran off 16 plays, burning up the rest of the first period, flipping the field, but failing to produce points. Hayden was forced to punt, pinning the Indians at the 9-yard line. A couple of big plays brought Andale to the doorstep, where Indian quarterback Samuel Harp plunged in from the 1-yard line.
The Indians scored again just before the half and led 16-0 at the intermission.
The Wildcats temporarily took the momentum following the break, marching 69 yards on 11 plays and finishing the drive with a 7-yard scoring pass from Connor Hanika to Kade Mitchell.
Despite a failed attempt for two points, the scoring drive breathed life into the Wildcats. Three plays into the ensuing Andale drive, Hayden defensive back Mason Becker intercepted an Andale pass, giving the Wildcats the ball at midfield trailing by just 10 points.
But after moving to the Andale 35, Hayden mishandled a reverse, turning the ball over and squandering the momentum.
“We got a nice interception there and then we just turned the ball right back over,” Arnold said. “It’s uncharacteristic of our kids because we didn’t fumble the ball this year. I think (we had) maybe two fumbles the entire year.”
Hayden seniors Andrew Rohr (52), Jackson McGivern (36) and Xander Blasing (6) react at the end of Friday's 38-6 loss to Andale in the Class 3A state title game. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
From that point on, it was all Andale. The Indians hammered out three quick touchdowns, turning a 16-6 struggle into a 38-6 rout as Andale won its sixth state crown over the past seven seasons.
Miscues foiled the Wildcats’ chances. Hayden turned the ball over twice on interceptions in addition to the lost fumble. The Wildcats generated just 245 total yards and were penalized for 55 yards.
“We played too inconsistent,” Arnold said. “We had some really good sets and some really good plays, and then we come back and fumble the ball here, or we’re slow getting in and out of the huddle, getting the calls. I don’t know exactly what happened there. But at the same time, you’ve got to tip your cap (to Andale). They’ve got a good program.”
Hayden junior Mason Becker (4) tackles Andale quarterback Samuel Harp in Friday's Class 3A state championship game at Hutchinson. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
The Indians capped their second straight undefeated season with a win over Hayden. And for the second year in a row, the Andale attack featured quarterback Harp. The senior raced for 144 yards on 17 carries and added three touchdowns to his total of 30 going into Friday. Andale outrushed Hayden 330 yards to 104.
Hayden senior Xander Blasing caught six passes for 67 yards in Friday's 38-6 loss to Andale in the Class 3A state championship game. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Hanika threw for 133 yards to lead senior-laden Hayden. Mitchell returned from a recent injury to provide 60 yards from scrimmage and several long kickoff returns. Xander Blasing caught six passes for 67 yards.
“We’ve got a great group of seniors and it’s sad that we weren’t able to finish off the right way for them tonight,” Arnold said. “This group of seniors, they work hard. They showed good leadership all year long, and we just came up short for them tonight.”
ANDALE 38, HAYDEN 6
- Details
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Rossville’s pursuit of a Class 1A state football title came up just short in a dramatic battle, with Sterling defeating the Bulldawgs 35-34 at Hutchinson Community College Friday.
Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell ran for three touchdowns and threw for a TD in Friday's 35-34 loss to Sterling in the Class 1A state championship game. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
The Bulldawgs battled back when they were on the verge of getting blown out in the second period. Trailing 21-6 and unable to stop the Sterling rushing attack, Rossville turned the game around in the final two minutes of the first half. An 11-play drive ended with a touchdown pass from Canann Mitchell to Connor Bush to cut the deficit to 21-14.
The Bulldawgs took the second half kickoff and marched down the field to tie the game. Seizing the momentum, Rossville’s defense throttled Sterling’s rushing attack – which had accounted for 235 yards in the first half – forcing Sterling’s lone punt of the game.
Just as the second half ended with a Rossville touchdown, the third period ended with Mitchell running in from 2 yards out to give the Bulldawgs their first lead of the day, 28-21.
“We got together at halftime and went over some things that we needed to do better,” Rossville coach Derick Hammes said. “We didn’t change anything. We just did better at what we originally planned to do. We put a hat on them and we blocked them. We didn’t turn the football over and we had some rhythm offensively. It gave us a chance to win.”
Sterling senior Zane Farney rushed for 279 yards and three touchdowns in Friday's 35-34 win over Rossville in the Class 1A state championship game. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Suddenly in danger, Sterling put the ball in the hands of Zane Farney, who had accounted for more than 2,000 rushing on the season. A couple of long carries by the senior quickly tied the game. By the time the day was over. Farney had rushed for 279 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries.
Rossville responded to Sterling’s quick strike with a methodical drive. The Bulldawgs chewed up half of the fourth period on a march that ended with Mitchell’s third touchdown run of the game.
The Bulldawgs led 34-28 and had a decision to make. As Mitchell crossed the goal line, his facemask was grabbed by a Sterling defender. With the option to attempt a two-point conversion from inside the 2-yard line, Rossville decided to kick the point-after and assess the penalty yards to the kickoff. But Sterling’s Jacob Lewis leaped high to block the kick, freezing Rossville’s lead at six with 6:36 left.
Having been gashed for much of the day by the Sterling rushing attack, Rossville limited the Black Bears to short runs. But Sterling converted three fourth-down attempts to keep the drive going.
Having advanced to the Rossville 24-yard line with just one minute remaining, Sterling shocked the Bulldawgs by sending its quarterback back to pass for just the second time of the game. Logan Isaac floated a pass over the middle which Lewis – the man who blocked the Rossville PAT – leaped to corral at the goal line. It was just Sterling’s 10th pass completion of the season.
“I think every time I call a pass play, my kids look at me a little bit funny, and they’re like, ‘Are you sure?’ ” Sterling coach Brent Schneider said. “But we practice throwing the ball. We have confidence in our guys, and we’ve got playmakers.”
“We talked about (Sterling attempting a pass), but it was executed really well, and it was thrown into a crowd, so their kid made a play,” Hammes said. “That’s what you’ve got to do to win championships, make a play down the stretch.”
Sterling’s kicker punched the ball through the uprights to give the Black Bears a 35-34 lead.
Rossville had 52 seconds to respond, but only reached the Sterling 29 before a sack, a penalty and a short pass ended the Bulldawgs’ season.
“It was a good football game,” Hammes said. “Congratulations to Sterling. They made a play or two down the stretch that was the difference maker. I felt like our kids made some plays throughout the game as well, but it didn’t work out for us today.”
“We said at halftime it was going to be a dogfight,” Schneider said. “(Rossville) made some great adjustments. They put some stuff together They’re a great program with a great coaching staff. I talked to them before the game and I said, ‘I look up to you guys.’ They’ve got great tradition and we’re starting some tradition.”
Mitchell ran for 149 yards and threw for 193 to lead Rossville. The Bulldawgs finished the season 11-2, the only other loss coming to Nemaha Central, which goes for a 2A title on Saturday.
Rossville senior Andre Johnson reacts during Friday's 35-34 loss to Sterling in the Class 1A state championship game. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
“These kids have battled. Especially these seniors in their career here. They gave us a chance to win,” Hammes said. “Gutty, classy. We did things the right way and they cared about each other. It’s just a special group, and I’ll remember them just like a champion.”
STERLING 35, ROSSVILLE 34
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden football coaching legend Tom Stringer passed away Friday at the age of 64 years old.
Tom Stringer visits with John Tetuan, the star quarterback on his undefeated 1998 Class 4A state championship team, during Stringer's Hayden Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2023. [File photo/TSN]
A 1979 Hayden graduate, Stringer went on to earn first-team All-America honors at Pittsburg State as an offensive lineman before returning to Hayden where he served as head football coach from 1992-2006, leading the Wildcats to the school's first Class 4A state championsip in 1998 with a 13-0 record before adding a second undefeated state title in 2004.
A member of the Pittsburg State Athletics Hall of Fame, Stringer was inducted into the Hayden Catholic Hall of Fame in 2023 and said that being back at the school that meant so much to him throughout his life was extra sweet.
Tom Stringer, who passed away Friday at the age of 64, was inducted into the Hayden Hall of Fame in 2023 and is also a member of the Pittsburg State Athletic Hall of Fame. [File photo/TSN]
"It's really special because you get to re-live one of the best parts of your life,'' Stringer said on the night of his induction. "You don't know how bad you liked something until you get away from it, so this is good. I'm very proud and very grateful that I got selected to do this. It's been 17 years since I've been here and every day I think about this place. Every day.''
Stringer will be inducted into the Kansas Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Sunday, Dec. 7, at the Kansas Star Casino.
Stringer's Hayden teams won the Centennial League championship seven times and he achieved a career record of 131-35 during his 15 seasons as the Wildcats' head coach.
Stringer coached in the Kansas Shrine Bowl four times (twice as head coach).
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 2-ranked Washburn Ichabods will host the Ottawa Braves at 2 p.m. on Saturday in Lee Arena in their final tuneup up before opening MIAA play next week.
Washburn is 7-0 after rolling to a 105-51 win over Friends on Tuesday while Ottawa is 5-3 this season after dropping an 84-69 decision to McPherson in its last outing.
Former Washburn Rural star Jack Bachelor is averaging a team-high 17.4 points and 5.0 assists for 7-0 Washburn men's basketball. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN
After facing an NAIA foe for the second straight game on Saturday, Washburn will open its MIAA season next Thursday against Nebraska-Kearney and next Saturday against Fort Hays State, with both games in Lee Arena.
"The good thing about this week is we're able to focus a little bit more on ourselves and it's a little more self-scouting than it is on the opponent,'' Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. "We've got to respect those guys, but this has been good to hopefully use this practice time to tighten things up.''
"We look at every day as you're getting better or you're getting worse,'' junior Jack Bachelor said. "So taking steps in practice, taking steps in games and just working together and keep getting better as a team and individually is our goal because we know this MIAA conference is the best in the country, so there's going to be no off nights.''
Washburn's players also got the chance to take a short Thanksgiving break from Wednesday afternoon until returning to practice on Friday.
"This is a little bit of a time for them to re-charge,'' Ballard said. "It's a quick break, but a little bit of a re-charge for the players.''
Both Bachelor and sophomore Dillon Claussen have cracked double figures in all seven games this season and sneior Bryson Smith has scored no fewer than 12 points in each of the last six games, including 22 points in a win over Rockhurst.
Bachelor is averaging a team-high 17.4 points and 5.0 assists while shooting 88.9 percent from the free throw line.
Claussen is averaging 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds.
Claussen led the way with 19 points against Friends, shooting 9 of 11 from the field while adding six rebounds, two steals, and a block. Bachelor followed with 16 points, six assists, five steals, and three rebounds, while hitting four 3-pointers, and Smith added 14 points, three assists, and three steals.
- Details
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
Seaman boys basketball remembers its Class 5A sub-state loss to Valley Center at home last season and the Vikings don’t want that to happen again this year.
Seaman senior KaeVon Bonner is a returning two-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick. [File photo/TSN]
“I’m already envisioning that scenario and trying to coach towards that when we get into late February, early March that we’re making the right decisions and not just trying something and hoping it turns out in our favor,'' Seaman coach Craig Cox said. "I really enjoyed last season, but I did not enjoy the way we finished.''
Cox will be in year 15 at the helm of the Vikings' program and wants to see how this senior group will respond when the lights are turned on, especially watching their growth the last couple of years.
The Vikings went 13-8 in 2024-2025 and 9-12 in 2023-2024 after winning the state championship in 2022-2023 with an 18-7 record.
“We’ve got really good team chemistry, they like each other, they support each other, they’re there for each other and that makes our job a lot easier,'' Cox said. "I don’t have to worry about a lot of distractions because they’re good students and come from good families.
“We want an environment where they (players) want to be there and they’re not dreading practice, they’re not scared about what’s going to happen, how much we’re going to have to run. We want to have a good time and try to improve and limit our mistakes and help us be successful on game night.”
Cox mentioned that the Vikings have the potential to be a high scoring team this season, but last year they were easy to score on and they have to tighten that aspect up to have more chances.
“The mistake I made as a coach is thinking we need to help them on offense so that we kind of set aside our defensive drills and when I look back to our really good defensive teams in the past, it’s because we put the time in,'' Cox said.
"Unfortunately, this year with tryouts and our first game on Dec. 2, we don’t have time to do a lot, so we’re going to throw it at them and hopefully as we get to Christmas break and all of those practices and then in mid-season tournament time, we can continually be better defensively.''
Cox said Landon Wiltz, Griffin Zuniga, Matthew McConnaughey and Cameron Brian are players whoe will contribute this season along with senior KaeVon Bonner, who has been a key factor for the Vikings since his freshman year.
