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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
OK, so not everything went Seaman's way in Friday's second-round Class 5A home playoff game against Valley Center.
The Vikings were hit with nearly 100 yards in penalties, turned the ball over twice, had punts and field goals blocked, gave up a 65-yard pass play and had to deal with intermittent rain throughout the contest.
Seaman senior quarterback Max Huston ran for 117 yards and four TDs and passed for 272 yards and a TD in the Vikings' 43-16 win over Valley Center. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But those things were little more than an annoyance as Seaman opened up a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter on the way to a decisive 43-16 victory over the Hornets, earning a 5A regional title and advancing to the state quarterfinals for the second straight season.
"That's playoff football at its finest,'' Seaman coach Jared Swafford said. "It would be great if every game was perfectly clean and everything went the way you wanted it to, but the kids handled plenty of adversity and did a nice job.
"Give (Valley Center) credit, they're a tough team, but I'm really proud of our guys for finding a way to do enough to get a win.''
Now 8-2 on the season, No. 3 West seed Seaman will travel to Goddard next Friday to face No. 2 seed Eisenhower, a 37-26 winner over Maize South on Thursday night.
Seaman junior Kaden McKinney rushed for 114 yards and a TD in Friday's 43-16 Class 5A playoff win over Valley Center. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Max Huston (7) celebrates one of his four TDs with Bryer Finley (1) in Friday's 43-16 Class 5A regional playoff win over Valley Center. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman senior quarterback Max Huston had a huge night for the Vikings, completing 16 of 25 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown and carrying the ball 14 times for 117 yards and four TDs while junior Kaden McKinney also went over the 100-yard mark with 114 yards and a TD on 28 attempts.
Valley Center (3-7) kept Seaman senior receiving star Bryer Finley relatively in check for much of the night, but Finley still had five catches for 95 yards.
Junior Cameron Brian (6) celebrates a big defensive play in Seaman's 43-16 Class 5A playoff win over Valley Center. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Defensively the Vikings forced three Hornet turnovers and came up with three fourth-down stops while holding the visitors to 50 rushing yards on 23 attempts.
While happy with the win Huston said there's still plenty of room for improvement as the Vikings move on in the playoffs.
"I thought we did pretty good, not our best yet, not even close to our best yet,'' Huston said. "We had way too many penalties and mistakes that we could fix as we keep going in the playoffs.
"I would just say I'm proud of my guys and we're going to keep going.''
Seaman never trailed after driving 80 yards in nine plays on its opening drive for a 1-yard Huston TD run (Ethan Geiger kick).
The Vikings made it a 14-0 game at the 5:13 mark of the first quarter on a 39-yard TD strike from Huston to junior Jayden Evans (Geiger kick) and went up 21-0 at the 9:38 mark of the second quarter on a 51-yard gallop from Huston (Geiger kick).
Valley Center got on the scoreboard midway through the second stanza on a 27-yard TD pass from senior Connor Meyer to sophomore Ray J Logan (CJ Gonzalez kick) and cut its deficit to 21-10 on a 33-yard Gonzalez field goal at the 5:12 mark of the third quarter.
But that's as close as the Hornets would get as Huston scored on 4 and 8-yard runs to put Seaman in command 35-10 with 5:22 remaining.
Valley Center used a 65-yard pass play from Meyer to Logan to set up a 5-yard TD run from junior Rylan Bailey (conversion failed) before Seaman got its final TD of the night on a 8-yard McKinney run after a 42-yard pass completion from Huston to Finley. Junior Kevin Moe ran for the 2-point conversion after a mishandled snap on the extra point try to give the Vikings their final margin.
SEAMAN 43, VALLEY CENTER 16
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 10-ranked Washburn University men's basketball team opened its 2024-25 season with an 89-71 win over Sioux Falls Friday in Kansas City, Mo. as the Ichabods put six players in double figures in the win.
Washburn senior Michael Keegan slams down a dunk in the Ichabods' 89-71 season-opening win over Sioux Falls Friday. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn returns to Kansas City on Saturday to face No. 1-ranked Minnesota State, the defending Division II national champion.
The Ichabods jumped out to a 12-2 lead 3:13 into the game after Andrew Orr scored his sixth point of the night en route to a game-high 21 points on 9 of 11 shooting.
Washburn stretched the lead to as many as 21 with under three minutes to go at 49-28 before taking a 54-37 advantage into the break.
In the second half, the Ichabods (1-0) stretched their lead to as many as 25 twice during the frame en route to the 18-point win, improving to 3-0 against the Cougars all-time.
Orr scored 14 of his 21 points in the first half. He was followed followed by Jack Bachelor with 16 points, Brady Christiansen and Dillon Claussen with 12, Michael Keegan with 11 points and Jacob Hanna with 10.
Hanna and Christiansen each had nine rebounds and Hanna added five assists. Christiansen had five steals as the Ichabods had 14 in the game compared to seven for Sioux Falls (0-1).
Brandon Hrncir had 16 to lead the Cougars.
Washburn finished 32 of 67 from the field and 6 of 17 from deep hitting 19 of 23 free throw attempts. USF was 27 of 56 overall and 7 of 18 from 3-point range. Washburn also held a 40 to 30 advantage on the glass and outscored the Cougars 46 to 38 in the paint turning 14 offensive rebounds into 16 second-chance points. Washburn forced 21 Cougar turnovers leading to 26 Ichabod points.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Los Angeles Angels pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn, a former Seaman and Kansas star, will make an appearance on Friday, Nov. 29, at Westridge Mall for a free autograph signing.
Zeferjahn, who made his Major League debut this past season for the Angels, is scheduled to appear from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at R & D Collectibles in an event sponsored by Par's Sports Cards and R & D Collectibles.
A 2016 Seaman graduate, Zeferjahn was a multi-sport for the Vikings, earning All-State honors in baseball and being named the Co-City Player of the Year in basketball as a senior.
Zeferjahn went on to pitch three seasons for KU, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors in his final season for the Jayhawks after posting a 5-2 record with a 3.97 earned run average and 107 strikeouts in 88.1 innings pitched.
Zeferjahn was a third-round pick of the Boston Red Sox and rose to the AAA level before being traded to the Angels on July 30.
The Angels called up Zeferjahn on Aug. 22 from AAA Salt Lake and he made his Major League debut on Aug. 25.
Zeferjahn appeared in 12 games for the Angels as a relief pitcher, recording a 2.12 ERA in 17 innings with 18 strikeouts. He compiled an 0.76 WHIP (walks, hits per innings pitched).
Zeferjahn was picked No. 48 this past summer on TopSports.news' list of the Top 100 athletes in Shawnee County history.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
MIAA regular-season champion Washburn University put eight members on the All-MIAA soccer team released by the conference office Friday morning.
[Graphic courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods earned three first-team spots along with three second-team berths, one third-team pick and one honorable mention.
Senior forward Khloe Schuckman earned first-team All-MIAA honors for the third straight season. Schuckman, a Wichita Bishop Carroll product, tied for the conference lead in all scoring categories, recording seven goals and four assists for 18 total points. Schuckman has earned All-MIAA recognition each of her four seasons for the Ichabods.
Former Washburn Rural star Belle Kennedy was a first-team All-MIAA selection as a midfielder for the second consecutive year. The junior played in all 12 conference games, tallying 629 minutes. Kennedy scored two goals and added one assist in MIAA play, with both goals being game-winners.
Baldwin native Josie Boyle, a senior defender, was named to the All-MIAA first team after receiving honorable mention in 2023. The senior played 1,035 minutes across all 12 games in conference play, scoring two goals and contributing to 11 shutouts in conference play.
Washburn Rural product Hailey Beck was named the All-MIAA second-team goalkeeper. The sophomore did not allow a goal in the seven conference matches she played in, making 18 saves before missing the final five conference games with an injury. Beck posted a 6-0-1 record in goal, playing 630 shutout minutes.
Senior defender Jordan Tenpas was a second-team pick at defender, her second all-conference selection in her second year as an Ichabod. Tenpas played in 11 conference matches, recording 959 minutes played and contributing to 10 shutouts. Tenpas recorded six shots from the back line, with three on target.
Viviana Soto-Herrera made the all-conference second team as a midfielder for the second straight year. The senior started all 12 conference games, scoring three goals and making one assist. Soto-Herrera was highly efficient on offense, recording a 0.643 shots on goal percentage.
Lindsey Maul earned All-MIAA honors for the first time in her career, making the All-MIAA third team at defender. Maul played in all 12 conference games, playing 621 minutes and making one assist. The sophomore helped the Washburn defense post 11 shutouts in conference play.
Junior Lakin received all-conference honorable mention for the first time in her career. Rold played 905 minutes across 12 starts in conference play. The junior was part of a Washburn defense that only allowed two goals in MIAA action.
The Ichabods, who have won back-to-back regular-season conference titles, open MIAA Tournament play as the No. 1 seed, hosting No. 8 seed Fort Hays State to Yager Stadium on Sunday for a 1 p.m. quarterfinal.
ALL-MIAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topekan Peyton Williams is headed overseas for her fifth season of professional basketball, this time to China.
The product of Cair Paravel Latin and Kansas State University is now a veteran of four professional seasons. She played in Russia upon graduation, then spent a season in France and two in Hungary.
Former Cair Paravel and Kansas State star Peyton Williams is getting ready for her fifth professional basketball season and her first in China. [Submitted photo]
Williams will play this season for the Wuhan Shengfan Basketball Club.
“My agent and I talked about Spain, Turkey and China, all of which have really good leagues. Because China is a little bit farther away, he wanted to make sure I was actually interested in that. I said, ‘Let’s give it a try,’ '' Williams said. "He was able to connect with some people and help me find a team.”
An anthropology major at K-State, Williams is looking forward to the opportunity to experience a different part of the world.
“I have really enjoyed playing in the Europe circuit. But I’ve never been to China and have been really interested in the culture, as well as to see what basketball is like there.” Williams said. “I know that they have a really competitive league. So, it’s a chance to push myself as a professional and also to experience a different culture.”
Williams said the Chinese league, made up of 21 teams, covers such a large geographic area that the league is split into divisions. She said unlike Europe, where most of the travel was done in vans or on commuter trains, the team in China will travel primarily by airplane or on the country’s “bullet trains.”
“It will be somewhat similar to what we did in Russia,” Williams said. “There, almost all our travel was by plane, and sometimes those flights were across four or five time zones.”
Williams said the level of play she has experienced thus far in her career would be a step up from what she saw in the Big 12. She noted that a lot of the best players from the Big 12 have been among her opponents in Europe. She expects the Chinese league to be as challenging as anywhere she’s played, if not more so.
“I think every league that I’ve played in has had a lot of talent, but I’ve heard the Chinese league is really good because it attracts a lot of really good players from the U.S.,” Williams said.
