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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Barely a month into his adjustment to college football last season, Washburn University true freshman Sam Van Dyne was thrust into the QB-1 role for the Ichabods, starting the final nine games after starter Kellen Simoncic went down with a season-ending inury in the second game of the year.
Sam Van Dyne
And although the injury-plagued Ichabods struggled through a 2-9 campaign, Van Dyne is counting on the experiences of 2023, both good and bad, to pay dividends for himself and his teammates this fall.
"I definitely think the fastest way to learn is kind of sink or swim, getting thrown into the fire, and I definitely got thrown into the fire last year, but I feel like I learned a lot, so it will help me this year,'' said Van Dyne, a 6-foot-2, 215-pounder. "It would have been nice, obviously, if Kellen hadn't got hurt, but I couldn't say no to playing college football as a true freshman.''
Washburn quarterback Sam Van Dine threw for 2,002 yards and 15 touchdowns last fall as a true freshman. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Van Dyne went through the growing pains that all young players go through, but had a solid year overall, passing for 2,002 yards and 15 touchdowns while completing 166 of 312 attempts.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Kameron Badura
KAMERON BADURA, Rossville
A senior, Badura received TopSports.news All-Shawnee County and All-Mid-East League honorable mention recognition last fall for the 5-4 Bulldawgs. Badura is a returning starter for Rossville and is expected to play a key role as a skill player on offense and in the defensive secondary.
Alesecio Batson
ALESECIO BATSON, Topeka West
A senior, Batson is best known for his exploits in track and field, winning the Class 5A state triple jump championship at 48 feet, 4.25 inches as a sophomore in 2023. West football coach Trey Parker will try to take advantage of Batson's superb athleticism in a variety of roles this fall, including safety on defense.
Elijah Berg
ELIJAH BERG, Topeka West
Berg, a senior, will be counted on to provide talent and leadership for a Topeka West program that is looking to improve on back-to-back 1-8 seasons. Berg could see action in a variety of roles for the Chargers, including wide receiver, where he is West's top returner.
Tobias Bonura
TOBIAS BONURA, Cair Paravel Latin
As one of only four returning lettermen from last season's 9-3 Cair Paravel team, Bonura, a junior, will be counted on to be a team leader as the Lions make the jump to the 11-man ranks (Class 1A) for the first time in school history. With only 19 players on the roster, Bonura and the other Cair Paravel veterans will rarely leave the field.
Andrew Broughton
ANDREW BROUGHTON, Seaman
A 5-foot-11, 200-pound senior center, Broughton will anchor the offensive line for the Vikings after earning All-United Kansas Conference second-team honors and TopSports.news All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season. Broughton helped the Vikings post a 6-5 record and advance to the third round of the Class 5A state playoffs.
Parker Busenitz
PARKER BUSENITZ, Shawnee Heights
Busenitz, a senior, is a returning starter at safety, one of only two returning defensive starters for Shawnee Heights, which is coming off an 8-3 season last fall. Busenitz received All-Shawnee County honorable mention in 2023 after recording 40 tackles with three pass interceptions and is also expected to be an impact player at wide receiver for the T-Birds.
Brock Bush
BROCK BUSH, Rossville
A senior linebacker, Bush received All-Mid-East League and All-Shawnee County honorable mention last fall for the 5-4 Bulldawgs after receiving second-team all-league recognition and all-county honorable mention as a sophomore. The three-year starter will be counted on for leadership as Rossville begins its first season in the Big East League and looks to be a Class 1A contender.
Conner Bush
CONNER BUSH, Rossville
A junior, Bush is a top defensive returner for Rossville, which is coming off a 5-4 season, and has also logged multiple offensive starts for the Bulldawgs. Bush, one of 18 returning lettermen, will be a key player as Rossville makes the transition to Class 1A and to the Big East League.
Logan Cathcart
LOGAN CATHCART, Silver Lake
A senior, Cathcart is a returning starter for the Eagles, 8-2 last season, at both wide receiver and safety and will be counted on to provide leadership as Silver Lake makes the transition to the Big East League. Cathcart is also a baseball standout for the Eagles, receiving All-Shawnee County honorable mention last spring.
Seth Catron
SETH CATRON, Rossville
The Bulldawgs, coming off a 5-4 record a year ago, will be looking for Catron, a senior, to be one of Rossville's biggest weapons on offense as the team makes the transition to the Big East League and the Class 1A ranks this season. Catron, who has made multiple starts for the Bulldawgs, is one of 18 returning lettermen.
Ricky Crawford
RICKY CRAWFORD, Highland Park
Crawford, a 6-0, 180 senior linebacker, earned All-Meadowlark Conference first-team and Second 22 All-Shawnee County honors last season after helping lead the Scots to a 7-3 record and their first playoff win since 1991. Crawford led Highland Park with 78 tackles, including 54 solo stops, seven tackles for loss, five sacks and 13 quarterback hurries.
Hayden Cummings
HAYDEN CUMMINGS, Seaman
A 5-10, 205 senior linebacker, Cummings earned second-team All-United Kansas Conference recognition and All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season after helping the Vikings post a 6-5 record and advance to the third round of the Class 5A state playoffs. Cummings was credited with 103 total tackles, three tackles for loss and two forced fumbles for the Vikings.
Broderick Desch
BRODERICK DESCH, Hayden
Desch, a 5-10, 205 senior fullback, earned All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season after playing a key role on offense as the Wildcats posted a 12-1 record and advanced to the Class 3A state championship game. Desch rushed for 511 yards on 102 carries and scored 10 touchdowns in 2023.
Jack Donovan
JACK DONOVAN, Rossville
A junior wide receiver/defensive back, Donovan earned All-Mid-East first-team recognition on defense last season and earned All-Shawnee County honorable mention. Donovan is also a standout for the Bulldawgs in both golf and basketball, earning first-team All-Shawnee County recognition in both sports.
Caden Estrada
CADEN ESTRADA, Washburn Rural
A 6-2, 270 senior offensive tackle, Estrada has earned first-team All-Centennial League recognition the past two seasons and was a Second 22 All-Shawnee County selection last fall after helping Washburn Rural post an 11-1 record and advance to the Class 6A semifinals.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Washburn University, the defending Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association regular-season champion, has been picked to finish at the top of the league again this season in the 2024 MIAA Women’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released Friday.
The Ichabods totaled 137 points and nine first-place votes to secure the top spot after advancing all the way to the NCAA Division II National Championship match in Matthews, North Carolina last season before suffering a 1-0 loss to Point Loma Nazarene University. The defending national runnersup ended the season with an overall record of 21-4-1 and clinched the 2023 MIAA regular-season title with a league record of 9-1-1. It was the Ichabods' first MIAA championship crown since 2006. After three consecutive regular-season titles, the Jennies finished second in the league last season with an MIAA record of 8-1-2. Central Missouri finished 16-5-2 overall last season, concluding the year in the second round of the NCAA tournament with a 3-2 overtime loss to Washburn. Following the Griffons were Central Oklahoma at No. 7 with 82 points, Northeastern State No. 8 with 77 points, Rogers State No. 9 with 58 points and Nebraska-Kearney No. 10 with 46 points. In Pittsburg State’s inaugural season, the Gorillas were selected 11th with 39 points, followed by Newman and Missouri Southern. The 2024 MIAA women’s soccer season officially kicks off Thursday, Sept. 5. The MIAA Women’s Soccer Championship is scheduled to begin Sunday, Nov. 10 with the top four seeds hosting quarterfinal matches. The four remaining seeds will travel to Wichita for the championship’s final matches set for November 14 and 16 at the Stryker Sports Complex.
By RICK PETERSON TopSports.news For the first time in more than a quarter of a century Shawnee Heights will have a new baseball coach next spring.
But Shawnee Heights didn't even leave its campus to find a replacement for longtime T-Bird coach Ryan Schmidt, who retired following the 2024 season, with Heights promoting Jason Brown, who has served as the school's freshman coach for the past decade. Brown said the fact that he's familiar with virtually every player in the Shawnee Heights program is one of several factors in his decision to apply for the job. "Just being part of the program for so long and just kind of putting everything I had into it, this is something I really wanted,'' Brown told TopSports.news. Schmidt retired after 25 years as the T-Birds' head coach and 31 years in the program, leading the T-Birds to a pair of Class 5A state championships as Heights' head coach while also having a hand in two other state titles as an assistant under Craig Cox.
By RICK PETERSON TopSports.news Senior outside hitter Jalyn Stevenson is the unquestioned veteran for the 2024 Washburn University volleyball team, playing in 97 career matches with 89 starts for the Ichabods.
And the two-time All-MIAA first-team pick and former All-American still has vivid memories of how it all started. "I was terrified,'' Stevenson said during WU's Volleyball Media Day. "My high school coach (Erica Cowhick Book) played for Coach (Chris) Herron so I kind of had an idea and I had been to a few practices and I had watched them, but you never really know what you're getting yourself into until you're here and then you're like, 'Oh gosh, here we go.' "In experience I feel like I've been here 10 years already but in time I feel like it was just yesterday that I was doing this exact same thing, my first Media Day, and we did it right here (in Whiting Fieldhouse).'' Stevenson made 30 starts with 253 kills as a true freshman and played in the NCAA Division II championship match, surrounded by former WU All-Americans Allison Maxwell, Genna Berg and Faith Rottinghaus.
Now the former Spring Hill star wants to do everything she can in her final Washburn season to be that kind of a leader for an Ichabod team that includes eight freshmen. "Obviously I have a lot of experience and I've played in some high level games, so I think my job is to just kind of help them understand what we're doing, what we're aiming towards and keep the team on track,'' said Stevenson, who recorded 342 kills and 338 digs as a junior. "Also I just want to try to keep them comfortable and show them that it's OK to make errors and show them a positive attitude and a good outlook on the game and things like that.'' Gold Partners
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