By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural coach Jared Goehring, former Rural coach Jeff Stromgren and former Hayden coach Dan Key, who combined for 12 state championships in girls and boys golf, swept the top three positions on TopSports.news' Top 10 Best of the Best Shawnee County Coaches golf list.
Current Washburn Rural golf coach Jared Goehring has led the Junior Blues to five state titles and 13 top-three state finishes. [File photo/TSN]
Jeff Stromgren coached Washburn Rural to boys and girls state golf championships before coaching Washburn University men's golf for nine seasons. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Former Hayden coach Dan Key coached the Wildcats to five state golf titles (four girls, one boys). [Submitted]
Goehring, who has led Washburn Rural to four Class 6A state girls titles as well as a boys championship in Kansas' largest class, earned the No. 1 spot on the Best of the Best list while No. 2 Stromgren led the Junior Blue boys and girls teams to 6A titles before moving on to the college level at Washburn University and Key coached Hayden to four 4A girls titles and one boys crown.
Rounding out the top five are former Shawnee Heights head coach and current Topeka West assistant Lynn Riney and the late Don Williams, who coached Washburn Rural's boys to a 6A championship in 1997..
Stromgren and Goehring, who served as an assistant under Stromgren, earned the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the Reader's Choice poll, garnering more than 2,000 votes, while Key ranked third in balloting by TSN readers.
A five-person panel of current and past sports media professionals with more than 150 years of combined experience met to help determine the final Best of the Best Top 10.
Former two-time Hayden state champ Denis Stanley is No. 6 on the Best of the Best list, followed by former Topeka West coach Jack Wiley, former Shawnee Heights coach Steve Giddens, former Silver Lake coach Alan Cunningham and former Topeka West coach Frank Walton to round out the Top 10..
Here's a look at the Top 10 and Readers Choice Awards:
TSN TOP 10 BEST OF THE BEST GOLF COACHES
1. Jared Goehring -- Goehring has led Washburn Rural to Class 6A girls state championships in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017 and the 6A boys state title in 2015. Goehring has coached the Junior Blues girls and boys programs to 13 top-three state finishes overall, including four state runner-up and four third-place finishes.
2. Jeff Stromgren -- Stromgren coached Washburn Rural's girls to a 6A team championship in 2005 and the Rural boys to the team crown in 2009 before moving on to coach Washburn University's men's team for nine seasons. While at Rural Stromgren recorded 12 top-three finishes in girls and boys golf overall, posting seven second-place finishes and three thirds.
3. Dan Key -- Key coached Hayden's girls to Class 4A team championships in 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2018 and the Wildcat boys to the 4A state title in 2011. Key's teams also posted three second-place state finishes and a third-place showing.
4. Lynn Riney -- Riney was Shawnee Heights longtime coach, mentoring the likes of PGA Tour standout Gary Woodland, and is currently the assistant coach at Topeka West. Riney led the T-Birds to three state runner-up team finishes and three thirds.
5. Don Williams -- Williams coached Washburn Rural to the Class 6A boys state team title in 1997 and also coached Rural to a pair of third-place finishes in the state tournament. Williams also won a state championship with the Junior Blues boys basketball team in 1985.
6. Denis Stanley -- Stanley coached Hayden's boys and girls teams to Class 4A state team titles in 2008 and also coached the Wildcat boys to two second-place and one third-place state finish.
7. Jack Wiley -- Wiley coached Topeka West's boys to four top-four state finishes, including a runner-up Class 4A finish in 1975 in the two-man division.
8. Steve Giddens -- Giddens was Shawnee Heights' longtime girls coach, leading Heights to a third-place finish in Class 6A-5A in 1997. Giddens also led the T-Bird girls to the Class 5A state softball championship in 2017.
9. Alan Cunningham -- Cunningham, No. 2 on TSN's Best of the Best list in baseball, led Silver Lake's girls to state tournament berths every year from 2008-2015, including a third-place team finish in 2011 when Becca (Holder) Livgren won the individual title.
10. Frank Walton -- Walton turned in a long stint as Topeka West's boys golf coach in addition to earning the No. 9 spot on TSN's Best of the Best list in football.
READERS CHOICE GOLF AWARDS
1. Jef Stromgren -- No. 2 in TSN Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
2. Jared Goehring -- No. 1 in TSN Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
3. Dan Key -- No. 3 in TSN Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
4. Greg Marney -- Marney turned in a long career as Rossville's head golf coach, fighting through numerous health battles to continue coaching.
5. Don Williams -- No. 5 in Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
6. Lynn Riney -- No. 4 in Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
7. Steve Giddens -- No. 8 in Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
8. (tie) Frank Walton-- No. 10 in Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
8. (tie) Richard Mariani -- Longtiime Topeka West coach who also serves as West's athletic director. Mariani's boys team finished third in Class 5A in 1999.
10. (tie) -- Denis Stanley -- No. 6 in Best of the Best Top 10 (see capsule above).
10. (tie) -- Chris Shanks -- Shanks led Hayden's boys team to a Class 4A state team championship in 2001.
10. (tie) -- Dan Piles -- One of four former Hayden coaches in the Readers Choice Top 10.
Next up: Soccer Best of the Best Top 10 and Reader's Choice awards.
