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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden improved to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in Class 3A District 4 with a dominating 31-7 road romp at Holton Friday night.
Hayden senior Jett Wahlmeier threw for three touchdowns in Friday's 31-7 district win over Holton. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Hayden senior Jensen Schrickel caught a pair of touchdown passes in Friday's 31-7 district win over Holton. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Hayden was in control throughout the game, with Holton (3-3, 2-1) held without a first down and not crossing midfield until the third quarter.
Hayden jumped out in front 21-0 with three first-half touchdowns.
Hayden junior Kade Mitchell rushed for 73 yards and also had a TD reception Friday at Holton. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Broderick Desch scored Hayden's final touchdown in Friday's 31-7 district win at Holton. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Wildcats drove 57 yards in 11 plays on its opening possession, capped by a 5-yard touchdown pass from senior Jett Wahlmeier to junior Kade Mitchell (Mason Becker extra point).
Hayden added a pair of TDs in the second quarter, with Wahlmeier hitting senior Jensen Schrickel for a 37-yard TD pass (Becker kick) and Wahlmeier hitting Schrickel for a 12-yard score (Becker kick).
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The matchup of high-octane offenses from Shawnee Heights and Seaman didn’t disappoint Friday night.
A wild shootout ended in favor of the visiting Vikings 59-34 at Shawnee Heights.
Seaman junior running Kaden McKinney (9) ran for 204 yards and senior quarterback Max Huston (7) had 341 all-purpose yards in the Vikings' 59-34 UKC win over Shawne Heights. [File photo/TSN]
The T-Birds filled the sky with footballs, with junior quarterback Aiden Scott throwing for 339 yards and five touchdowns, while the Vikings hit for big plays on the ground and through the air.
Seaman junior running back Kaden McKinney made a statement out of the blocks. With the Vikings pinned at their 3-yard-line, he took a handoff up the middle and, after breaking through the line, found daylight. He raced 97 yards to set the tone. In the second period, he struck again, taking the first play of a Viking drive 55 yards for another score.
“We prepared all week knowing we were going to run the ball,” said the junior, who finished with 204 yards on 20 carries. “Taking the first play to the house gets everybody amped up. Getting that momentum goes a long way in the game of football.”
“Kaden is a very talented young man,” said Seaman coach Jared Swafford. “What he’s able to do with the ball in his hands, and the way our O-line is blocking right now, being able to run the ball is a really nice thing to have.”
The Vikings jumped out to what appeared to be a commanding 21-point advantage in the first 14 minutes of the game, holding the T-Birds scoreless on their first four possessions.
But Shawnee Heights began chipping away, getting two quick strikes from Scott to hotly recruited junior receiver Tyren Parker. The home team narrowed the deficit to 35-20 at the half.
“Defensively, we started out great,” Swafford said. “We held them for a goose egg for a quarter, plus. We know what they’re capable of. They put up points on everybody, so we knew some of those things were going to happen. We had the mentality ‘Bend but don’t break.’
“Yeah, we’ve got things to work on, but what they’re capable of, with that receiving corps and the way Aiden spins the ball, they’re tough.”
Scott continued the aerial assault in the second half, but the margin never was closer than 15 points.
Senior quarterback Max Huston triggered the Viking offense with 175 yards passing, 166 yards rushing, and five total touchdowns. He hit senior receiver Bryer Finley eight times for 173 yards.
“Max is a heck of a player,” Swafford said. “He’s able to do stuff on the run. They got some good pressure on him, but he’s able to just make magic with the ball.”
For the T-Birds, Scott completed 21 of 34 attempts for 339 yards. He spread the ball around, connecting at least four times with five different receivers.
While the defenses scrambled to keep up with offensive firepower, senior defensive back Marioano Collins put his stamp on the game. Covering Parker on deep throws, Collins high-pointed two passes from Scott for drive-killing interceptions. He also recovered a fumble late in the game.
“I like to make game changers. I like to impact the course of the game,” Collins said. “If I get the chance to, I’m going to take it. Facing (someone like Scott), it’s fun, but it’s challenging. He’s a good quarterback. Our secondary stepped up. We worked hard in practice for this.”
“Marioano has been playing hurt, but you would never know it by the way he just keeps working his tail off,” Swafford said. “I’m very proud of him for going against a phenomenal player in Parker, doing a great job going up to compete for those balls.”
The Vikings improved to 5-1, with a spotless 5-0 mark in the United Kansas Conference. Remaining on their schedule are games with undefeated Basehor-Linwood and De Soto, two teams still in the running for the league title.
“We knew we had a good plan tonight,” Swafford said. “We believe in our kids. We believe in what we’ve been doing. This process continues to build upon itself.”
SEAMAN 59, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 34
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Nothing came easy for Topeka West in Friday night's home United Kansas Conference matchup with Kansas City-Turner, but Charger coach Trey Parker wouldn't have expected anything different.
Topeka West celebrates its first win of the 2024 season, a 32-20 decision over Kansas City-Turner Friday night at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson]
And although the game between two teams who were looking for their first win of the season was still in doubt until the final two and a half minutes, Parker's Chargers found a way to crack into the victory column, riding a big night from sophomore running back Damon Webb to take a 32-20 victory at Hummer Sports Park.
Now 1-5 overall and in the UKC, Topeka West had to overcome some missteps along the way, including having a touchdown called back and just under 100 yards in penalties, but the Chargers persevered for the breakthrough win.
"We're just grateful for it, but I was just saying a minute ago, it's the epitome of Topeka West,'' Parker said. "We've got good stuff going and then we take five steps back.
"And that's on and off the field, but I hope this is a precursor of what's to come for us down the road, that we fight through adversity and we know how to fight and finish and win.''
Parker said it made him feel good to be able to see the Chargers celebrate after a win.
"Like I said before, this is what we do it for,'' he said. "Obviously you want to win, but when these guys put in so much work I'm just happy that they get to see the fruits of their labor at the end of the day.
"It's been a rough season to this point and we know it's not over, but this brings that joy back to get us through the rest of the year.''
Topeka West coach Trey Parker congratulates Damon Webb (left) and Emmanuel Newman after Friday's 32-20 UKC win over KC-Turner. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Webb was catalyst for the Chargers, finishing his career-best night with 192 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries while freshman quarterback Josiah Wilke threw for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Both teams moved the ball in the first half, but the score remained scoreless until Wilke found senior Alesecio Batson for a 28-yard touchdown strike at the 1:33 mark of the second quarter.
The Chargers were pushed back 15 yards for their extra-point attempt after being whistled for a dead-ball personal foul after the score and missed the extra point, but West went to halftime with the 6-0 advantage.
West had a 24-yard Treyvion Barr touchdown run wiped out by a penalty early in the thrid quarter and ended up turning the ball over on downs.
But the Chargers forced a turnover by Turner (0-6, 0-5) off a sack by senior Eadrian Cooper and returned the ball to the Bears' 32-yard-line, setting up Webb's first TD of the night on a 4-yard run with 3:53 left in the third quarter (run failed) to give West a 12-0 advantage.
"I was trying to get (Webb) to play football last year and he finally came out this year and I told him, 'Kid, you're a stud,' and he's finally starting to come into his own,'' Parker said. "We're just proud of the progression he's making in his first year playing high school football and we don't know what's to come for him.''
Parker also had praise for Wilke, who has taken over as West's full-time quarterback.
"That's the thing we love about him, he keeps his composure under any circumstances,'' Parker said. "When guys in the huddle are saying this is going on and that they look to him and he's 15 years old and he tells them, 'Hey, calm down, relax.' ''
Turner fought back to get within 12-6, 18-14 and 24-20 with 5:03 remaining but Topeka West finally put the Bears away with a 17-yard Webb run and Barr 2-point conversion with just 2:37 remaining.
Turner senior George Erickson rushed for 114 yards on 11 carries, including a 62-yard touchdown run.
Topeka West will return to action next Friday with a UKC road game at Leavenworth.
TOPEKA WEST 32, KC-TURNER 20
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's football team got its starting quarterback, Sam Van Dyne, back last week after the sophomore missed the Ichabods' first four games after a freak practice injury less than a week before the Ichabods' season-opener.
Washburn sophomore quarterback Sam Van Dyne returned from a knee injury with a three-touchdown passing performance against Northwest Missouri last Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Now Van Dyne and the 1-4 Ichabods will be looking to get their mojo back over the second half of the 2024 season, which begins with Saturday night's 7 p.m. MIAA road contest against Fort Hays State at Lewis Field.
Van Dyne threw for three touchdowns in last Saturday's 51-34 home loss to Northwest Missouri as he returned from a knee injury (MCL).
"I think the first quarter I was definitely a little rusty -- a couple of mental errors on my part -- but after that I thought I played a pretty good game,'' Van Dyne said. "Still a couple of silly things that I did that I probably shouldn't of, but I thought after I kind of got over that rustiness and kind of found a groove it felt like I was just playing football again.''
Washburn coach Craig Schurig gave Van Dyne high marks for his performance against the Bearcats.
"I thought he did tremendous,''Schurig said. "You knew he was going to be a little off on timing and that kind of stuff and he was going against a really good defense. Northwest puts a lot of pressure on you with their front and they're very aggressive with their coverages but I thought he handled it well.
"He's obviously very intelligent and very poised and when he's on and he's making some of those throws it's very tough to cover and I think he handled himself great.''
The best news for Van Dyne, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound Liberty, Mo. native, was that he said he's feeling great physically.
"Three weeks ago I'm thinking, 'My knee feels great, I'm ready to play,' and my knee feels 100 times better than it did three weeks ago and I think it will just continue to feel better and I'll continue to feel better with it,'' he said. "I'm still getting used to wearing a brace, I haven't had to do that before, but just getting back into a groove with my teammates has been good, too.''
And Schurig feels like Van Dyne, who threw for over 2,000 yards as a freshman, will continue to make strides.
"I think he will continue to improve,'' Schurig said. "The passing game is all timing and as that continues to improve that should be more and more efficient for us.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University volleyball will begin a run of five straight road matches with MIAA contests against Fort Hays State on Friday at 6 p.m. and against No. 3-ranked Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Washburn junior Corinna McMullen (12) celebrates a service ace with her teammates during Tuesday's 3-2 MIAA win over Emporia State at Lea Arena. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods are 12-3 on the year overall and 3-2 in the MIAA after finishing off a homestand with a 3-2 MIAA win over Emporia State on Tuesday night.
Senior Jalyn Stevenson is Washburn's team leader with 173 kills (3.04 per set) while hititng .241 across her 15 starts. She is also second on the squad in digs with 169 and in aces with 13.
Stevenson is ninth in the MIAA in kills and 16th in kills per set while ranking 19th in total digs. The senior has six double-doubles on the year and 10 matches with 10-plus kills. She ranks 20th in program history with 1,164 career kills. She will move into 19th with five more kills. She is also 14th on the program charts in aces and 22nd in digs. She needs 47 digs to reach the top 20 in that category.
Alex Dvorak is third on the team with 117 kills while hitting .384, the second highest mark on the team. She has started all 15 matches and leads the team with 74 total blocks. The junior is 31st in the nation and third in the MIAA in hitting percentage and she is 20th in the nation and second among MIAA players in blocks per set. She has hit over .300 in 12 of 15 matches.
Shawnee Heights product Taylor Rottinghaus has a team-high 266 digs across 15 matches. She has chipped in 60 assists and served 11 aces. The sophomore is eighth in the MIAA in digs per set while ranking seventh among conference players in total digs.
Corinna McMullen paces Washburn with 340 assists through 15 matches and is third on the team with 130 digs while serving a team-high 23 aces. The junior is 10th in the MIAA in assists per set, ninth in total assists and fourth in aces. She has five double-doubles on the year and three matches with at least 30 assists.
