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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Trey Brown wasn't looking to leave Hayden after coaching the Wildcats to a Class 3A state tournament berth this past season in his only year at the school.
Trey Brown, who announced his resignation as Hayden's coach on Monday, has accepted a position as an assistant coach at MidAmerica Nazarene University, where he was a standout point guard. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
But when the opportunity arose for the former MidAmerica Nazarene standout point guard to return to his alma mater as an assistant coach, Brown knew he needed to jump at it.
"I wasn't planning on anything and it kind of just happened out of the blue,'' Brown told TopSports.news. "It happened really fast but they had some turnover with their staff this year and had an opening and coach (Adam) Hepker reached out and said they might have an opening for me.
"We kind of talked about it and I took a lot of time to think about it and went through the whole process there and talked with my family and thought it was the best situation for me.''
Hepker, also a MidAmerica grad, returned to MNU as an assistant Brown's senior season and has been the Pioneers head coach the past two years after longtime coach Rocky Lamar retired.
"I thought it was a great opportunity to learn under him because he has just done a phenomenal job in following in coach Lamar's footsteps, which is no easy task at all, but he hasn't skipped a beat and I have the utmost respect for coach Hep and just the way he carries himself and what he's all about,'' Brown said.
"And obviously it's a bonus to get to go back home to a place where I got to play and a place that really changed my life on the court but more importantly off the court. It's home and it just felt like an opportunity that I couldn't pass up.''
The 25-year-old Brown helped lead Shawnee Heights to the Class 5A state championship in 2017 and the All-Stater began his college playing career at Missouri Western before transferring to MidAmerica Nazarene.
Brown averaged 13.4 points as a senior and scored more than 1,000 career points for MidAmerica, where he earned his criminal justice degree in 2022.
Brown's first coaching job was at Cair Paravel Latin, which he led to a 9-13 record in the 2022-2023 season before he accepted the Hayden position. The Wildcats posted an 8-16 record this past season, but posted three straight sub-state wins to earn a trip to the 3A state tournament.
Hayden dropped a 56-42 decision to top seed Beloit in the first round.
Even though Brown began his coaching career at the high school level he said the idea of coaching in college intrigued him.
"I think it was always in the back of my mind for further down the line,'' Brown said. "I didn't really plan on going anywhere now, and like I told the (Hayden) guys the other night, I definitely didn't think I'd get this chance to do this so early in my coaching career.
"But life is crazy and God works in mysterious ways, so I was presented with a great opportunity and thought long and hard about it and felt it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Due to weather-related postponements on Monday, several area golf regionals were pushed back a day until Tuesday.
But having to wait an extra day didn't seem to faze local golfers, with three teams earning team berths for next Monday and Tuesday's state events.
Here's a class-by-class look at Tuesday's tournaments involving Shawnee County teams:
Washburn Rural's golf team poses for a picture after finishing second in Tuesday's Class 6A regional at Junction City. [Washburn Rural golf]
Washburn Rural earns runnerup 6A finish
Led by top-10 finishes from senior Camden Zimlich and junior Tagan Monasmith, the Junior Blues finished second as a team behind Centennial League rival Manhattan in the Class 6A regional at Rolling Meadows in Junction City to advance to next week's Class 6A state tournament at Garden City.
Zimlich shot an 82 to tie for sixth place while Monasmith shot an 83 to tie for eighth to lead Washburn Rural while Hayden Glynn and Tadd Armstrong tied for 11th with 86s to round out the Junior Blues' four-man team score of 337.
Tanner Kasprznk added a 93 and Michael Wilson a 94 for Washburn Rural.
Manhattan won the team championship at 320 while Rural out-distanced Wichita East by 22 strokes for second place.
Hayden's golf team poses for a picture after earning a Class 3A state tournament berth with a runnerup regional finish on Tuesday in Seneca. [Hayden Golf]
Hayden posts second-place finish in 3A regional
Hayden finished second in Tuesday's Class 3A regional at Seneca's Spring Creek Golf Course to advance to next week's state tournament at Emporia.
Sabetha won the regional title with a four-man score of 310 while Hayden was second at 322 to earn the final team berth for state.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 2 West seed Topeka High faced supreme challenges in both of its games in Tuesday's Class 6A baseball regional at Hummer Sports Park.
But after ending a state tournament drought of more than seven decades in 2023, the Trojans weren't going to be denied in their bid for a return trip to state, rallying for a 9-6 win over No. 15 seed Wichita East in the semifinals and eeking out a 2-1 victory over No. 10 Derby in the championship game.
Topeka High baseball poses for a team picture after capturing its second straight Class 6A state berth with a 2-1 win over Derby Tuesday at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka High baseball coach Cody Miller accepts the Class 6A regional championship trophy from High principal Dustin Dick Tuesday night at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"This team plays with a lot of heart and they don't quit, ever, so I think that was pretty much on display in that first game because we didn't have it early on and we didn't play very well at all, but we turned it on and that was a great effort,'' Topeka High coach Cody Miller said.
Topeka High fell behind 6-0 against Wichita East, who the Trojans had just swept in a twinbill last Thursday, before scoring nine straight runs to advance to the final.
"It's so difficult to beat a team three times in one season and we had just shown them our two arms four days before,'' Miller said. "We knew they were going to be ready to go and they were going to try and knock us off and they played great, too, so hats off to them.''
And fired up by that come-from-behind win Topeka High never trailed in the championship game, getting the only two runs it would need on a two-run double in the bottom of the third from sophomore Drayden Acosta and then riding the pitching of senior ace Nate Plankinton with last-out help from first-game starter Hank Stamper to close out the victory and punch its ticket to next week's 6A state tournament at Hoglund Stadium on the campus of the University of Kansas.
"I was telling the guys, it might not seem like it, but it's so rare to go back to back years and I hope they enjoy it because it's a really special thing for us to do and I'm so proud of those guys,'' Miller said.
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Seaman softball team’s white-knuckle ride Tuesday ended with a trip to the Class 5A state tournament next week.
The hosts of the regional playoffs dispatched Salina Central in the regional semifinal 7-1. Then the Vikings had to outlast Salina South in the final.
Seaman pitcher Kaelyn O'Rourke picked up the pitching win in both games as the Vikings won a Class 5A regional title at Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Vikings risked their 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh by intentionally walking Salina South’s star hitter, which pushed the tying run to second base with two outs.
“We just wanted to make sure that somebody else beat us,” Seaman coach Jay Monhollon said of walking Salina South sophomore Paityn Fritz, who homered in the Cougars' 12-1 win in their semifinal game. “We decided that was best for our team.”
Seaman junior pitcher Kaelyn O’Rourke rose to the occasion, striking out the next batter to lock up the trip to state.
O’Rourke was the winning pitcher in both games. She threw four scoreless innings in the first game, striking out eight and surrendering just one hit.
O’Rourke gave up eight hits in the second contest but limited the Cougars to just one run in a scary fifth inning.
The junior gave up back-to-back doubles – both of which nearly left the yard – which tied the game at 1-1. But she settled down to escape the jam.
“In that situation, I just take a deep breath and reset and focus on the next pitch,” O’Rourke said. “There’s a lot of pressure, but I know that my defense has got my back.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Famers Kyle Weems and Michael Wilhoite will be back in Topeka June 21 to host the third annual Big Kev Give Back Camp, a dual basketball/football camp on the campus of Washburn University.
Both Weems and Wilhoite graduated from Highland Park and Wilhoite was a football standout at Washburn and Weems a basketball star at Missouri State before both players went on to long-time professional careers.
Weems and Wilhoite, who were inducted into the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame in 2021, will be joined by many other special guests to host the camp, in conjunction with Washburn, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The June 21 camp, open to athletes 9 through 17, is named in honor of Kyle's late father, Kevin, a former Washburn University basketball player, who had a big impact on the athletic careers of both Weems and Wilhoite.
Athletes will have the option between all-day basketball or football camps or can split their time between half-day basketball and football camps. Athletes wishing to split their time between football and basketball are encouraged to attend the football camp in the morning session.
The cost of the camp is $20 and athletes are encouraged to register online at www.wusports.com.
