By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No matter what the destination, traveling to the Class 6A state tournament is a semi-regular early November trip for the Washburn Rural soccer team.
Senior standout Easton Bradstreet and the 16-3-0 Washburn Rural soccer team will take on Mill Valley in a 7 p.m. Class 6A state semifinal Friday at Wichita. [File photo/TSN]
This weekend that trip is to Wichita's Stryker Complex, with Brian Hensyel's Junior Blues competing in the state semifinals for the third straight season and the 15th time overall.
Washburn Rural, 16-3-0, will face 15-1-1 Mill Valley in a 7 p.m. semifinal Friday night.
"We lose people every year and what we take pride in is that every year Washburn Rural is going to be in the Final Four, that's our job,'' Rural coach Brian Hensyel said. "We had a goal in mind, we took care of it, and we probably exceeded expectations but there's no reason we can't go there now and make some noise.''
Washburn, second in 2021, advanced to the Final Four with a 3-2 win over Derby Tuesday night at McElroy Field while Mill Valley survived a 3-2 marathon with Shawnee Mission East, taking the win with a 5-4 edge in penalty kicks.
The Junior Blues trailed 1-0 after an early Derby penalty kick but scored three straight goals to take control and held on down the stretch after Derby cut its deficit to one goal.
Senior Aaron Tinajero scored two goals and freshman Draden Chooncharoen one for the Junior Blues while freshman Brandon Hamilton, junior Griffin Heinen and junior Devon Rutschmann were credited with assists.
Dodge City (19-0-0) will face Olathe West (17-2-0) in Friday's 5 p.m. semifinal.
The Red Demons advanced with a 4-0 win over Free State while Olathe West took a 3-1 quarterfinal victory over Shawnee Mission West.
The semifinal winners will play for the state title at 2 p.m. Saturday, following the 12 p.m. third-place game.
Washburn Rural will be aiming for its fourth state title and has also finished second three times, third three times and fourth on five occasions.
Hensyel acknowledged that Rural is probably considered an underdog this weekend, but he's fine with that role.
"The last couple of years we've been right there, maybe with a chance to win a title and maybe this will be a little bit different,'' Hensyel said. "Ten years ago we went as an underdog and that's when we won it.''
Senior Easton Bradstreet has scored 29 goals for the Junior Blues, one off Austin Halsey's school record, and currently shares the school record for career goals with Halsey at 57.
