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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: The college fall letter of intent signing period gets under way this week and TopSports.news will post signing updates as they are received. Email any signing information and signing day pictures to Rick Peterson at
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Shawnee Heights senior volleyball standouts Emily Loy and Taylor Rottinghaus are scheduled to sign college letters of intent at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday in the Heights cafeteria.
Emily Loy
Taylor Rottinghaus
Rottinghaus will sign with Washburn University while Loy is also headed to the MIAA, signing with Missouri Western.
Loy was an All-Shawnee County first-team pick as a junior and received All-United Kansas Conference second-team honors this past season.
Loy registered 285 kills and 35 total blocks as a senior while also contributing 225 digs, 31 assists and 19 aces on 97.1-percent serve efficiency.
Rottinghaus was named to the All-UKC first team and was named the conference defensive player of the year as a senior.
Rottinghaus recorded 376 digs and 75 assists while registering 22 service aces on 94.5-percent serve efficiency.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
OK, so taking a full season off from your primary sport to try something completely new might not always be the way to go.
But that unlikely path has paid big dividends for both Hayden junior football standout Finn Dunshee and the 9-1 Wildcats this fall.
Hayden junior Finn Dunshee has made a successful transition from football to rugby back to football for the 9-1 Wildcats [File photo/TSN]
After playing football and running track at Hayden as a freshman, Dunshee spent his sophomore school year at St. Martin's Academy in Fort Scott.
"My uncle (Daniel Kerr) has this really cool boarding school and I went down there and visited and I just really liked the experience of the brotherhood that they had down there,'' Dunshee said. "And my mom wanted me to give it a try so I decided midway through my freshman year, I think after semester, that I was going to go down there the next year.''
While at St. Martin's, Dunshee discovered the sport of rugby.
"They just have rugby and every boy played it,'' Dunshee said. "It's a small school, like 60 kids. I had never played and it was such a fun experience and we were a pretty good team. We took second in the state last year and I played a pretty big role on that team. It was just a great experience.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights senior forward Jordan Garvin has been named the United Kansas Conference boys soccer player of the year after leading the T-Birds to the league title in 2022.
Shawnee Heights senior Jordan Garvin (midddle) has been named the United Kansas Conference boys soccer player of the year after helping the T-Birds win the conference title this fall. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights boys soccer coach Nic Simons has been named the United Kansas Conference coach of the year after leading the T-Birds to the conference title. [FIle photo/TSN]
Garvin was one of four Heights players to be named to the All-UKC first-team, with senior defender Jose Guajardo-Arizpe and seniors midfielders Jesus Cardona and Isaac Wilson also earning first-team honors.
Shawnee Heights' Nic Simons was named the UKC coach of the year.
Eight Topeka city players earned second-team All-UKC laurels -- seniors Joseph Budge and Ayden Thompson of Seaman, senior Zachary Memmer and juniors Jack Martin and Jack Phillips of Shawnee Heights and senior Lenny Njoroge and juniors Isaac Gonzalez-Talavera and Jaden Patterson of Topeka West.
ALL-UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE SOCCER
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural, which won its eighth Class 6A state championship and its first in 10 seasons, put four players on the TopSports.news All-Shawnee County volleyball team, led by two-time player of the year Brooklyn DeLeye.
Washburn Rural two-time Shawnee County player of the year Brooklyn DeLeye headlines the 2022 TSN all-county volleyball team. [File photo/TSN]
DeLeye, a senior, is joined on the all-county first team by senior Taylor Russell and juniors Zoe Canfield and Jada Ingram while veteran Junior Blues coach Kevin Bordewick, who went over the 1,000-win mark for his career in 2022, was named the coach of the year after Rural went 45-1 on the season with 44 straight wins to end the year.
State placers Rural and Seaman, fourth in 5A, combined to earn seven of 13 first-team berths.
The Vikings, who posted a 32-11 record and won the United Kansas Conference title, are represented on the first team by senior Laynee Brown, junior Brooklyn Gormley and sophomore Maegan Mills.
Mid-East League champion Rossville put senior Brinley Dyche and junior Kinsey Perine on the all-county team while Shawnee Heights is represented by seniors Emily Loy and Taylor Rottinghaus, Silver Lake by senior Taylor Ross and Topeka West by senior Makinsey Jones.
Brown, DeLeye, Ingram, Jones, Loy, Perine and Russell are all repeat first-team selections while Canfield, Dyche, Gormley and Mills were second-team picks a year ago and Ross and Rottinghauls received honorable mention.
Hayden freshman Reese Huscher was named the county newcomer of the year after compiling 148 kills, 254 digs and serving at 97 percent.
All-Shawnee County first team capsules:
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Ma'Kenttis Adams
MA'KENTTIS ADAMS, Washburn Rural
A 5-foot-9, 195-pound senior running back, Adams scored a pair of touchdowns and set up a third TD with a long run as Washburn Rural improved to 8-2 on the season with a 34-7 Class 6A playoff victory at Garden City last Friday night. Adams helped the Junior Blues advance to the state quarterfinals while posting their fifth straight victory.
JC Cummings
JC CUMMINGS, Hayden
A 5-foot-10, 189-pound senior running back/linebacker, Cummings helped lead 9-1 Hayden to a a come-from-behind 22-19 Class 3A playoff win over previously-unbeaten Wellsville last Friday night on the road. Unofficially, Cummings rushed for 81 yards on 16 attempts and scored the game-winning points on an 11-yard touchdown run and a 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats advanced to a 3A quarterfinal game at Columbus.
Branton DeWeese
BRANTON DEWEESE, Washburn Rural
DeWeese, Washburn Rural's 6-foot, 185-pound junior quarterback, completed 14 of 21 passes for 157 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Junior Blues advanced to a Class 6A quarterfinal with a 34-7 road victory at Garden City last Friday night. DeWeese helped Washburn Rural improve to 8-2 on the season with its fifth straight win, setting up a Friday night game at Derby.
Finn Dunshee
FINN DUNSHEE, Hayden
A 5-foot-8, 160-pound junior running back/linebacker, Dunshee scored two touchdowns and a 2-point conversion as 9-1 Hayden advanced to the Class 3A quarterfinals with a come-from-behind 22-19 playoff victory over previously-unbeaten Wellsville. With Hayden trailing 13-0, Dunshee returned a Wellsville kickoff approximately 80 yards for a touchdown and also scored on an 11-yard TD run and added a 2-point conversion.
James Letcher Jr.
JAMES LETCHER JR., Washburn University
Letcher, a 5-foot-8, 175-pound senior, caught five passes for 127 yards, including an 84-yard touchdown, in Washburn's 37-23 MIAA loss to No. 4-ranked Pittsburg State last Saturday at Yager Stadium. Saturday's receiving yards boosted Letcher's season total to 1,005 yards, with Letcher the first Ichabod since 2018 to go over the 1,000-yard mark in a season.
Ty Weber
TY WEBER, Washburn Rural
Weber, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound senior, stood out on both sides of the ball as Washburn Rural's 8-2 football team advanced to the Class 6A state quarterfinals with a 34-7 win at Garden City last Friday night. Weber helped spearhead a No. 1 Rural defensive unit that did not allow a point before leaving the game in the fourth quarer and he also caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Branton DeWeese while filling in on offense for the injured Lukas Hanks.
