Cair Paravel Lions
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news finished its tour of preseason football practice at all 10 Shawnee County high schools on Friday and will post preview stories over the coming days leading into the opening games of the 2023 season on Sept. 1.
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Coming off a perfect 11-0 record and a Kansas Christian Athletic Association state championship in 2021, Cair Paravel Latin football coach Doug Bonura knew his team was going to face a big challenge last fall in its first season as a full member of the Kansas State High School Athletics Association.
Cair Paravel Latin football coach Doug Bonura (right) talks to his team during a preseason practice session. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
That certainly proved to be the case as the Lions finished 3-5 after an up-and-down campaign and came up short of their goal of advancing to the Eight-Man Division I playoffs out of District 2.
"Last year was kind of a year of getting things figured out, going into KSHSAA for the first time, and not knowing half the teams we played,'' Bonura said. "That's half your battle when you know what you're getting into.
"Last year we were really hoping to get into the playoffs. We thought we had a chance, and we did have a chance, but we just didn't put two and two together to make it happen and we played some really good teams.''
But with a strong, senior-laden returning nucleus, Bonura is confident his team can make some major moves this fall.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Eli Barnes
ELI BARNES, Silver Lake
Barnes, a senior wide receiver/defensive back, was a TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 and All-Mid-East League selection in 2022. Barnes caught 39 passes for 670 yards (17.2 yards per catch) and five touchdowns for the 6-3 Eagles. Barnes also picked off a pair of passes for Silver Lake and recovered a pair of fumbles on the year.
Callen Barta
CALLEN BARTA, Seaman
A 6-foot-3, 180-pound senior wide receiver/defensive back, Barta earned All-Shawnee County Second 22 and All-United Kansas Conference second-team recognition at receiver last fall for the 4-4 Vikings. Barta caught 41 passes for 406 yards and three touchowns and was in on 26 tackles with two interceptions. Barta has made an oral commitment to Nebraska.
Allen Baughman
ALLEN BAUGHMAN, Shawnee Heights
A senior running back, Baughman was named the TopSports.news Shawnee County co-offensive newcomer of the year in 2022 after rushing for 1,496 yards and 20 touchowns on 225 carries for the 5-5 T-Birds. Baughman, a first-team All-United Kansas Conference pick, rushed for more than 100 yards in seven games, including 284-yard and 222-yard performances.
Packson Bettis
PACKSON BETTIS, Washburn Rural
Bettis, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound senior defensive end, recorded 61 tackles (38 solos) with 10 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback pressures and a forced fumble to help lead Washburn Rural to an 8-3 record and the third round (sectional) of the 6A Class 6A playoffs last fall. Bettis received All-Shawnee County Top 22 and first-team All-Centennial League first-team honors. Bettis has made an oral commitment to North Dakota.
Jack Bloom
JACK BLOOM, Seaman
Bloom, a 6-foot, 185-pound senior running back/defensive back, was an All-Shawnee County Second 22 selection last fall and earned All-United Kansas Conference second-team honors on defense for 4-4 Seaman. Bloom carried the ball 81 times for 483 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 10 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. On defense Bloom was in on 20 tackles with an interception.
Jesiah Bonura
JESIAH BONURA, Cair Paravel Latin
Bonura, a senior, received TSN All-Shawnee County honorable mention for the 3-5 Lions last season and will be counted on to provide leadership for Cair Paravel. Bonura caught 40 passes for 400 yards and five touchdowns in 2022 and carried the ball 37 times for 250 yards and two touchdowns. Bonura was in on 23.5 tackles, with 3.5 stops for loss.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Jo'Mhara Benning
JO'MHARA BENNING, Topeka High
Benning, a junior, was a second-team All-Shawnee County selection last season and also received All-Centennial League honorable mention. Benning is also a softball and basketball standout for the Trojans.
Zoe Canfield
ZOE CANFIELD, Washburn Rural
Canfield, a 5-foot-10 senior setter/rightside hitter, earned first-team All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League honors last fall after helping lead Washburn Rural to a 45-1 record and the eighth Class 6A state title in school history. Canfield, who has competed in three straight state tournaments for the Junior Blues, accumulated 1,016 assists last fall with 172 digs and 46 service aces on 96.6-percent serving.
Layla Collins
LAYLA COLLINS, Washburn Rural
A 5-foot-11 junior leftside hitter, Collins played a key role last season as Washburn Rural posted a 45-1 record, including 44 straight wins, en route to the Class 6A state championship. Collins was a second-team All-Shawnee County pick and received All-Centennial League honorable mention.
Brooklyn Gormley
BROOKLYN GORMLEY, Seaman
Gormley, a senior, moved up to the All-Shawnee County first team last season after being a second-team pick as a sophomore and was also an All-United Kansas Conference first-team pick and All-Class 5A State Tournament selection. Gormley registered 275 kills for the 32-11 Vikings last fall while hitting at a .257 clip and had 70 total blocks. Gormley also recorded 65 digs and 57 service aces, helping Seaman post a fourth-place finish in 5A.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Former Silver Lake star Shannon Kruger and former Hayden star Corrinne (Stringer) McGreevy are returning to their alma maters as head coaches, part of a group of 18 new varsity head coaches who have been announced by Shawnee County high schools for the 2023-2024 school year.
Former Hayden star Corrinne (Stringer) McGreevy will take over as the Wildcats' volleyball coach this fall. [File photo/TSN]
Kruger, a former Silver Lake multi-sport standout and a Washburn University Hall of Famer, takes over as the Eagles' head boys basketball coach, while McGreevy is the new Hayden volleyball coach after starring for the Wildcats in that sport.
Former Shawnee Heights All-Stater and Cair Paravel Latin coach Trey Brown is the new boys basketball coach at Hayden. [File photo/TSN]
Joining Kruger as a new head coach for Silver Lake is Colt Rogers, who is taking over as the Eagles' wrestling coach, while former Shawnee Heights star and Cair Paravel Latin coach Trey Brown is Hayden's new boys basketball coach.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' 2004 girls soccer team, which dropped just one game on the way to the Class 5A-1A state championship, was picked for the No. 1 spot on the TopSports.news Best of the Best Top 10.
Shawnee Heights, the 2004 Class 5A-1A state champ, is No. 1 on the TSN Best of the Best girls soccer Top 10. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Marc Serrano's Shawnee Heights team went 18-1-1 on the season, beating city rival Topeka West in the 5A-1A state final to earn Heights' lone state soccer championship.
T-Bird legend Jessica Mainz, who also led Heights to a runnerup state finish in '05, finished her T-Bird career with 97 goals and 44 assists before becoming an All-American and two-time MIAA Player of the Year for Washburn University.
Topeka West earned its lone state soccer title in 2001, posting an 18-2-0 record to win the Class 5A-1A championship. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Tim Collins' Topeka West Chargers, who garnered Shawnee County's first-ever girls state soccer championship in 2001, were tapped for the No. 2 spot on the Best of the Best list.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Recent Seaman graduate Jaxson Thomas, a Class 5A state wrestling champion as a senior, was named the Topeka Shawnee County Winter Male Athlete of the Year Wednesday night at Washburn.
Seaman state wrestling champion Jaxson Thomas was named the Topeka Shawnee County Winter Male Athlete of the Year Wednesday night. [File photo/TSN]
Thomas won the 5A 285-pound state wrestling championship in Febuary after jumping up two weight divisions for his final high school season.
Thomas posted a 46-5 record on the 2023 season and avenged a regional loss in the state championship match, pinning Blue Valley Southwest senior Tarin Forsyth in the second period.
Thomas recorded a pin in the final match of the United Kansas Conference tournament to give Seaman the UKC team championship in Seaman's first season in the conference.
As a junior Thomas was a Centennial League champion and a 5A state qualifier. Thomas was also a standout for Seaman's football team, receiving All-Shawnee County honorable mention as a senior.
Thomas, the son of Richard Thomas and Karen Olson-Thomas, compiled a 3.57 grade point average at Seaman.
Other candidates:
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seven city schools have representation on the 2023 All-City girls soccer team, led by Washburn Rural with four first-team picks.
Washburn Rural (15-5-1), which won the Centennial League championship on the way to a third-place finish in the Class 6A state tournament, put seniors Hailey Beck, Addi Broxterman and Mackinly Rohn and sophomore Kate Hinck on the first team, selected by city coaches.
Washburn Rural senior Hailey Beck was a first-team All-City pick at goalkeeper. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Mackinly Rohn is one of four Washburn Rural players on the All-City soccer first team. [File photo/TSN]
Cair Paravel junior Katherine Keys (left) and sophomore Zahra Friess (3) have been named to the All-City soccer first team. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka High junior Avery Zimmerman (2) earned first-team All-City girls soccer honors for the third straight season. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman is represented on the All-City first team by junior repeat pick Elinore Stallbaumer, senior Jaycee Schumann and freshman Ava Huston while Viking coach Tim Nussbaum was named the city coach of the year after leading Seaman to a 14-2-2 record in 2023.
Hayden, which finished third in the Class 4A-1A state tournament, put seniors Briahna Barnett and Noelia Cruz on the first team after the Wildcats went 12-6-2 on the season.
Cair Paravel Latin, which posted a 16-2-1 record, put junior Katherine Keys and sophomore Zahra Friess on the first team for the second straight season while Shawnee Heights sophomore Lailah Benz is also a first-team repeat pick and is joined on the first team by senior teammate Lily Martin.
Topeka High junior Avery Zimmerman made the All-City first team for the third straight season while Topeka West senior Noelia Valezuela Alvarado rounds out the first team.
2023 ALL-CITY GIRLS SOCCER
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Thirteen city girls soccer standouts have earned All-State recognition from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association, led by Cair Paravel Latin Class 4A-1A co-forward of the year Katherine Keys.
Cair Paravel junior Katherine Keys and sophomore Zahra Friess (3) have been named to the All-Class 4A-1A soccer first team, with Keys named the co-forward of the year in 4A-1A. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Mackinly Rohn (left) has been named to the All-4A-1A soccer first team. [File photo/TSN]
Keys, a junior, was one of four Lions named to the All-4A-1A first team along with Zahra Friess, KellyAnn Chada and Trinity Childs while CPLS coach Doug Woolery was named the 4A-1A co-coach of the year.
Washburn Rural senior midfielder Mackinly Rohn earned first-team honors in 6A after earning honorable mention as a junior.
Rural senior Addi Broxterman earned All-6A second-team recognition while Kate Hinck, Destiny Higgs and Hailey Beck earned honorable mention.
Shawnee Heights sophomore Isabell Van Fleet was a second-team pick in 5A while Heights' Lailah Benz earned honorable mention.
Cair Paravel's Veronica Ignato and Sawyer Schwartz received All-4A-1A honorable mention.
Coaches have to be members of the KHSSCA to have players nominated and selected.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Chip Kueffer may be brand new to being a head basketball coach, but the new Cair Paravel Latin coach has spent most of his life around the sport, including more than four years with Hall of Fame coach Bill Self and the storied University of Kansas program.
Chip Kueffer
Now the Baldwin native is looking forward to putting all of that experience to good use in his new position with the Lions.
Kueffer takes over at Cair Paravel from Trey Brown, who recently resigned to accept the head coaching job at Hayden.
"The game has done so much for me and given me countless opportunities, memories and relationships, so this is a phenomenal opportunity for me to give back and pay forward for what's been done for me,'' Kueffer said. "I had so many selfless leaders and mentors pour into my life when there was nothing for them to gain out of it,
"So for me this is just a great opportunity for me to be able to pass on those same lessons and values and morals and everything. It's my passion for sure.''
One of the biggest influences in Kueffer's basketball career have been Self and the Jayhawk basketball progam.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seven athletes who had a hand in eight state titles, including five multiple-event state champs, headline the 2023 All-Shawnee County boys track and field team.
Hayden senior Jake Muller (right) won his second Class 4A 300-meter hurdles state title last Saturday, one of his three state gold medals on the day. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Hayden junior Finn Dunshee (left) was the 4A 100-meter dash champ and also won state titles in the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays last weekend. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Hayden senior Jake Muller and junior Finn Dunshee took home three gold medals apiece, posting individual wins to go with two relay victories, while Wildcat sophomores Jensen Schrickel and Liam Stegman teamed with Muller and Dunshee for the two relay titles, including a Class 4A state meet record.
Highland Park senior Tre Richardson (middle) won the Class 5A boys 100-meter dash last Saturday at Cessna Stadium, the first of his two state titles on the day. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Highland Park senior Tre Richardson won the Class 5A long jump, finished second in the triple jump and scored 33 total points in the state meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Highland Park senior Tre Richardson turned in a monster individual 5A state performance, winning a pair of state titles and posting a runnerup finish while scoring 33 points by himself to outscore 22 other 5A schools.
Shawnee Heights junior Jackson Esquibel won the Class 5A state title in the 3,200 meters and finished second in the 1,600 last weekend. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Topeka West sophomore Alesecio Batson won the Class 5A triple jump championship last weekend in Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Shawnee Heights junior Jackson Esquibel and Topeka West sophomore Alesecio Batson also won 5A state titles, with Esquibel also recording a second-place finish as 16 members of the All-Shawnee County team earning state medals.
Hayden's Liam Stegman, Jake Muller, Jensen Schrickel and Finn Dunshee won Class 4A state titles in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays last Saturday in Wichita. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Muller won the second 300-meter intermediate hurdles state title of his career in 38.41 seconds while Dunshee won the 4A 100-meter dash in 10.84 and Muller and Dunshee teamed with Schrickel and Stegman to win the 4x100 (42.65) and 4x400 relay championships while setting the 4A meet record in the 4X400 relay (3:20.99). Schrickel also finished third in the 400 (49.63).
Richardson won the 5A 100-meter dash in 10.73 seconds and the long jump at 23 feet, 4.50 inches, finished second in the triple jump (46-5.75) and fourth in the 200 dash (22.49).
Esquibel won the 5A 3,200-meter run in 9 minutes, 18.67 seconds and added a runnerup finish in the 1,600 (4:15.26) while Batson won the 5A triple jump at 48-4.25.
Topeka West senior Lenny Njoroge finished second in the 5A 3,200 (9:21.24) and added a fourth-place finish in the 1,600 (4:22.45) while Shawnee Heights senior Jordan Garvin finished second in the 5A 300 hurdles (39.68) and Washburn Rural junior Jamond Lane was second in the 6A discus (167-6).
Washburn Rural junior Josh Sulzen-Watson finished fourth in the 6A discus (157-4) and fifth in the javelin (168-6).
Cair Paravel Latin sophomore Ben Roeder, who competed for Topeka High during the regular season and CPLS in the postseason finished fourth in the 2A 200-meter dash (23.43) and fifth in the 400 (50.70).
Shawnee Heights senior Jeremiah Smith, a former state champ, posted a fifth-place finish in the 5A 100 (10.95) while T-Bird junior Alex Dittman took fifth in the 5A javelin (165-9) while Hayden senior Joe Otting earned a 4A state medal with an eighth-place finish in the discus (142-11) and Washburn Rural freshman Liam Morrison took eighth in the 6A 300 hurdles (46.39).
Also earning berths on the All-Shawee County boys first team were Seaman senior Branen Moore, junior Aaron Merritt, sophomore Bryce Cochran and Peyton Holmes, Washburn Rural seniors Easton Dial and Davin Johnson and junior Colin Rausch, Highland Park senior Keijuan Johnson and Topeka High senior V'Ante Peoples, juniors Jaziah Mack, Logan Murray,and Travis Shyne and freshman Malachi Murph.
All-Shawnee County picks were based on meeting minimum performance standards as well as coaches' recommendation and postseason performances.
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY BOYS TRACK AND FIELD
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Three-time first-team selections Myles Alonzo of Topeka West, Bryce Badsky of Silver Lake and Alex Valdivia of Shawnee Heights headline the 2023 All-Shawnee County boys golf team.
The 2023 All-Shawnee County boys golf team: Front left -- Myles Alonzo, Topeka West; Tyler Lincoln, Shawnee Heights; Alex Valdivia, Shawnee Heights; Jonathan Hart, Rossville; Hayden Glynn, Washburn Rural; Andrew Burdett, Washburn Rural; Bryan Tyrell, Washburn Rural. Not pictured: Bryce Badsky, Silver Lake. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Bryce Badsky, Silver Lake
Valdivia, a senior, and Alonzo, a junior, earned individual medals in the Class 5A state tournament while Badsky, a junior, earned his third straight individual medal in the 3A state meet.
Washburn Rural, which won its 13th straight city team championship, is represented on the All-Shawnee County team by seniors Andrew Burdett and Bryan Tyrell and junior Hayden Glynn while Shawnee Heights senior Tyler Lincoln and Rossville sophomore Jonathan Hart round out the eight-member first team.
Lincoln was the 2023 city individual champion while Hart placed fifth individually in the 3A state tournament and led the Bulldawgs to a fifth-place team finish.
All-Shawnee County capsules:
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden's Lauren Sandstrom and Shawnee Heights' Jackson Esquibel, who both recently completed their junior years of high school, were selected Thursday night at The Foundry as the Dan Key Farmers Agency girls and boys 2023 Rising Stars of the year.
Hayden's Lauren Sandstrom (left) and Shawnee Heights' Jackson Esquibel (right) pose with Dan Key Thursday night after being named the 2023 Dan Key Farmers Agency Rising Stars of the Year. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Sandstrom and Esquibel were picked from seven girls and boys finalists chosen from weekly Rising Stars who were selected through the 2022-2023 school year.
Sandstrom was a three-sport standout for Hayden, earning a Class 4A state doubles championship with Emily Sheetz last fall and helped lead the Wildcats to a state tournament berth in basketball and a third-place state finish in soccer.
Esquibel capped a big year as a distance runner for Shawnee Heights last weekend at Wichita State's Cessna Stadium with a Class 5A state track championship in the 3,200-meter run and a second-place finish in the 1,600. Last fall Esquibel was a state medalist in the 5A cross country meet, finishing eighth.
Other girls finalists included Rossville three-time state wrestling champion Kendra Hurla, Silver Lake three-sport stars Makenzie McDaniel and McKinley Kruger, Seaman four-sport standout Anna Becker, Washburn Rural 2022 volleyball and basketball state champ Zoe Canfield and Highland Park basketball star Amelia Ramsey.
Hurla, McDaniel, Kruger and Canfield recently completed their junior years of high school while Becker and Ramsey recently finished their sophomore years.
Other boys finalists included Washburn Rural state wrestling champion Easton Broxterman, Topeka West state triple jump champion Alesecio Batson, Seaman football and baseball standout Max Huston, Washburn Rural star quarterback Branton DeWeese, Shawnee Heights football and wrestling standout Allen Baughman and Hayden football star and track and field state champion Jensen Schrickel.
DeWeese and Baughman recently completed their junior years of high school while Broxterman, Batson, Huston and Schrickel completed their sophomore years.
The Dan Key Famers Agency also recognized Shawnee County state team champions from the the 2022-2023 school year.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
BOYS
100 METERS
Highland Park senior Tre Richardson (middle) won the Class 5A state title in the 100-meter dash, one of his two gold medals and four top-four finishes at state. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Richardson, Highland Park 10.49
Smith, Shawnee Heights 10.74
Dunshee, Hayden 10.76
Peoples, Topeka High 10.96
Merritt, Seaman 10.99
200 METERS
Richardson, Highland Park 21.5
Murph, Topeka High 22.16
Cochran, Seaman 22.34
Smith, Shawnee Heights 22.35
Peoples, Topeka High 22.53
400 METERS
Schrickel, Hayden 49.63
Roeder, Cair Paravel 50.70
Roney, Washburn Rural 51.72
Benz, Shawnee Heights 51.89
Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural 51.96
800 METERS
Esquibel, Shawnee Heights 1:59.55
Moore, Seaman 2:00.12
Johnson, Washburn Rural 2:00.55
Anderson, Seaman 2:01.30
Stuke, Seaman 2:01.5
1,600 METERS
Esquibel, Shawnee Heights 4:15.26
Njoroge, Topeka West 4:17.71
Dial, Washburn Rural 4:33.13
Johnson, Washburn Rural 4:33.46
Walker, Seaman 4:39.05
Shawnee Heights junior Jackson Esquibel was the state champion in the Class 5A 3,200 and the runnerup in the 1,600 while Topeka West senior Lenny Njoroe (right) was second in the 3,200 and fourth in the 1,600. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
3,200 METERS
Esquibel, Shawnee Heights 9:18.67
Njoroge, Topeka West 9:20.08
Johnson, Washburn Rural 9:51.59
Dial, Washburn Rural 9:51.97
Jowers, Seaman 10:05.32
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Saturday was a special day all the way through for Hayden's boys track team at Cessna Stadium, but the Wildcats saved their best for last, setting a meet record in their final event of the day.
Hayden junior Finn Dunshee (left) crosses the finish line with the Class 4A state championship in the 100-meter dash. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Hayden's Jake Muller (right) and Eudora's Conor Dunback run virtually even late in the Class 4A 300-meter hurdles event Saturday at Cessna Stadium. Muller won the state title in 38.41 seconds. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Hayden sophomore Jensen Schrickel celebrates the Wildcats' victory at the end of Saturday night's Class 4x400 relay at Cessna Stadium. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
The Wildcats got individual Class 4A state championships from senior Jake Muller and junior Finn Dunshee, who also teamed with sophomores Jensen Schrickel and Liam Stegman to add a pair of relay wins as Hayden posted a top-five team finish.
Dunshee set the tone for the day when he was the top qualifier in the 4A 100-meter dash and followed that up with his first state championship in a time of 10.84 seconds.
"Based off my first run in our prelims I felt pretty good,'' Dunshee said. "I knew if I went out there and ran my race -- just didn't fall out of the blocks or false start -- I had an OK chance but it was my first time in the finals of the 100 so anything can happen.''
Dunshee was competing in his second state meet, making it to state as a freshman before spending his sophomore year at St. Martin's Academy in Fort Scott to play rugby.
"I'm definitely a lot faster than I was so I knew I had a better chance of doing something good,'' Dunshee said. "I think I was a lot more confident. This felt great.''
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
A year ago, Cair Paravel Latin made history as the smallest school in the state with a girls soccer team reached the Class 4-1A Final Four.
Due in part to an unfortunate draw, the Lions came one game short of matching that feat Tuesday, losing to defending state champion Bishop Miege 6-1 at Bettis Sports Complex.
Cair Paravel junior Katherine Keys (left) celebrates the Lions' lone goal with teammate Zahra Friess in Tuesday's 6-1 Class 4A-1A quarterfinal soccer loss to Biship Miege. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Cair Paravel sophomore Zahra Friess (3) races towards the ball in Tuesday's 6-1 Class 4A-1A state quarterfinal loss to Bishop Miege. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Bishop Miege towers over the 4-1A classification, winning every state championship since Hayden claimed the title in 2015. For Cair Paravel, finishing with the best record in the East Regional turned out to be a curse. It gave the Lions the top seed but forced them to face Miege in the quarterfinals.
Miege entered the playoffs with a record of just 9-7. But those losses were to 5A powerhouses St. James Academy and St. Thomas Aquinas and four 6A schools. Due to the number of losses they took during the regular season, the Stags entered the playoffs as the sixth seed.
“We were really hoping that we wouldn’t have to play them until state,” said Katherine Keys, who recorded the Lions’ lone goal 10 minutes into the second half. “But that’s how the cookie crumbled, I guess. We knew that was going to be a tough opponent and they proved themselves to be so.
“We were hopeful going into the game. We knew we were a good team, and we knew we had a chance. (Coach Doug) Woolery kept telling us that we’re the strongest team he’s ever coached, so we were hopeful.”
“Credit goes to them. Their level of play is pretty advanced,” Woolery said. “It makes sense when you have the toughest schedule in the state.”
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights senior Alex Valdivia and Topeka West junior Myles Alonzo are used to battling it out on the golf course, and Tuesday's Class 5A state tournament at McPherson was no exception.
Topeka West junior Myles Alonzo posted a 36-hole total of 143 to tie for 12th place in the Class 5A state golf tournament. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights senior Alex Valdivia tied for 12th place in the Class 5A state golf tournament with a 36-hole total of 143. [File photo/TSN]
Valdivia and Alonzo finished the state tournament with identical 36-hole scores of 143, tying for 12th place to earn state medals at the Turkey Creek Golf Course.
Valdivia carded a 70 Tuesday after an opening-round 73 while Alonzo followed his first-round 71 with a 72.
Bulldawgs finish fifth in 3A
Rossville posted a fifth-place finish in the Class 3A state tournament at Dodge City's Mariah Hills, carding a four-man two-day score of 671.
Sophomore Jonathan Hart finished fifth individually to lead the Bulldawgs, shooting a 71 on Tuesday after a first-round 79 to finish at 150.
Hart was followed by freshman Jack Donovan, who tied for 16th place with a 157 (80-77), while senior Kyser Lundin finished at 181 (88-93), freshman Paxton Willett at 183 (90-93), senior Manuel VanderPutten at 201 (102-99) and senior Aiden Baumchen at 216 (102-114)
Silver Lake junior Bryce Badsky earned his third 3A state medal, tying Donovan for 16th place at 157 (79-78).
Santa Fe Trail junior Lane Workman won the 3A state title by four strokes, posting a 36-hole total of 142 (72-70).
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2023 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
BOYS
100 METERS
Richardson, Highland Park 10.49
Smith, Shawnee Heights 10.74
Dunshee, Hayden 10.76
Peoples, Topeka High 10.96
Merritt, Seaman 10.99
200 METERS
Richardson, Highland Park 21.5
Murph, Topeka High 22.16
Cochran, Seaman 22.34
Smith, Shawnee Heights 22.35
Peoples, Topeka High 22.53
Hayden sophomore Jensen Schrickel is the Shawnee County leader in the 400-meter dash. [Photo by Sarah Carson/Special to TSN]
400 METERS
Schrickel, Hayden 49.83
Roeder, Cair Paravel 50.70
Roney, Washburn Rural 51.72
Benz, Shawnee Heights 51.89
Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural 51.96
800 METERS
Esquibel, Shawnee Heights 1:59.55
Moore, Seaman 2:00.12
Johnson, Washburn Rural 2:00.55
Anderson, Seaman 2:01.30
Stuke, Seaman 2:01.5
Topeka West senior Lenny Njoroge (left) and Shawnee Heights junior Jackson Esquibel are the Shawnee County leaders in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs. [Photo by Sarah Carson/Special to TSN]
1,600 METERS
Njoroge, Topeka West 4:17.71
Esquibel, Shawnee Heights 4:20.46
Dial, Washburn Rural 4:33.13
Johnson, Washburn Rural 4:33.46
Jowers, Seaman 4:43.66
3,200 METERS
Njoroge, Topeka West 9:20.08
Esquibel, Shawnee Heights 9:25.23
Johnson, Washburn Rural 9:51.59
Dial, Washburn Rural 9:51.97
Jowers, Seaman 10:05.32
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden sits in fifth place after Monday's opening round of the Class 4A boys golf tournament at Quail Creek Golf Course in Winfield, earning a team berth for Tuesday's final round.
The Wildcats finished the first round with a four-man score of 339 to advance to the second round.
Hayden's golf team advanced to the final round of the Class 4A state tournament with a fifth-place standing after Monday's opening round. [Submitted photo]
Sophomore Tagen Rodriguez led Hayden with a first-round 82, followed by sophomore James Kuta with an 84, senior Garrett Borjon with an 89, sophomore Nick Gorman and senior Noah Haverkamp with 90s and sophomore Colin Scott with a 98.
Bulldawgs fifth in 3A team race
Rossville earned a team berth for Tuesday's final round in the Class 3A state tournament at Dodge City's Maiah Hills, currently sitting in fifth place with a four-man score of 337.
Sophomore Jonathan Hart led the Bulldawgs with a first-round 79, followed by freshman Jack Donovan with an 80, senior Kyser Lundin with an 88, freshman Paxton Willett with a 90 and seniors Aiden Baumchen and Manuel VanderPutten with a 102.
Silver Lake junior Bryce Badsky, a two-time state medalist shot a 79 to advance to Tuesday's final round as an individual.
Washburn Rural senior Bryan Tyrell (above) and junior teammate Hayden Glynn advanced to the final round of the Class 6A state tournament. [File photo/TSN]
Rural's Glynn, Tyrell advance in 6A
Junior Hayden Glynn and senior Bryan Tyrell earned invididual berths for the final 18 holes of competition in the Class 6A state tournament at Newton's Sand Creek Station.
Washburn Rural fell short of advancing as a team to Tuesday's round but Glynn shot a 77 and Tyrell a 79 to earn two of the 18 individual spots.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden senior Jake Muller and junior Finn Dunshee both earned a pair of gold medals to lead the way as Hayden's boys track and field team qualified in eight events for next week's state meet at Wichita in Friday's Class 4A regional at Shawnee Mission North.
Hayden junior Finn Dunshee (right) won the 100-meter dash title in Friday's Class 4A regional and also ran on the Wildcats' winning 4x100 relay. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden senior Jake Muller won a regional title in the 300 hurdles and also ran on the Wildcats' winning 4x100 relay Friday at Shawnee Mission North. [File photo/TSN]
Dunshee won the boys 100-meter dash in 10.98 seconds and Muller won the 300 hurdles in 38.78 seconds while both also teamed with sophomores Liam Stegman and Jensen Schrickel to win the 4x100 relay in 43.00.
Stegman, Muller, Schrickel and Dunshee also qualified for state with a second-place regional finish in the 4x400 relay (3:23.92) while Muller also qualified in the 110 high hurdles with a third-place regional finish (16.01) and Shrickel finished third in the 400 dash (49.83).
Senior Joe Otting qualiied for state in a pair of field events, placing second in the discus at 148 feet, 3 inches and fourth in the javelin (173-6).
Hayden junior Natalie Hillebert won a Class 4A regional title on Friday in the 400-meter dash. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden's girls also picked up a regional victory, with junior Natalie Hillibert winning the girls 400 in 58.15 seconds.
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Cair Paravel Latin girls soccer team took a big first step toward a return to the Class 4-1A state tournament by beating Eudora 4-0 Thursday at Bettis Sports Complex to claim a regional championship.
Cair Paravel sophomore Zahra Friess (3) is congratulated by teammates Trinity Childs (12) and Hemi Duehring (18) after scorinng the first goal in Thursday's 4-0 regional win over Eudora. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Cair Paravel junior Katherine Keys scored a goal for the Lions in Thursday's 4-0 Class 4A-1A regional win over Eudora. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Cair Paravel soccer poses for a team pictue after Thursday's Class 4A-1A regional win over Eudora. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Awarded a bye for compiling the best record in the 4-1A East regional, the Lions had to win just one game to advance to next week’s quarterfinals. The Lions took down the Cardinals with quick striking offense and a solid defensive effort.
“We maybe started off a little slower than I would like,” Cair Paravel coach Doug Woolery said “Maybe (Eudora) was playing tough and made us look slower. But once we hit a groove, we started combining more. I thought we played better with possession and passing and movement in the second half.”
Sophomore Zahra Friess broke the ice at the 23:11 mark of the first half, scoring off a long pass. Then it was freshman KellyAnn Chada who contributed on the Lions’ three remaining goals. She recorded two assists on centering passes from the right wing in the first half. Midway through the second half she weaved through the Cardinal defense for an insurance goal.
“She could probably play anywhere on the field,” Woolery said of Chada. “She really helps us out on the wing. She’s got such great ball control, the ability to either take the shot or cross the ball in. She’s continually improving and seeking to improve.”
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Junior Rich Helmbold shot a 78 to win the individual championship as Cair Paravel Latin earned a 29-stroke victory in the team race in Monday's Class 2A boys golf regional at Fort Scott's Woodland Hills Golf Course.
Cair Paravel Latin golf is headed to the Class 2A state tournament at Hesston next week after winning a regional championship by 29 strokes. [Submitted photo]
All of the Lions' top four players finished in the top eight Monday, with junior Simon Everhart placing sixth with an 89, sophomore Jase Pavlik seventh with an 90 and freshman Caleb Cleverdon eighth with a 93.
Cair Paravel finished with a four-man score of 350 while St. Marys Colgan finished second at 379 and Lyndon third at 396.
Cair Paravel's players competed for Topeka High during the regular season as part of a co-op agreement before competing in 2A in postseason.
The Lions will compete in the state tournament next Monday and Tuesday in Hesston at the Hesston Golf Course.
Washburn Rural golf earned a team berth for next week's Class 6A state tournament in Newton with a runnerup team finish in Monday's regional at Manhattan. [Twitter/Washburn Rural golf]
Rural earns 6A berth with runnerup finish
Washburn Rural placed all of its top four players in the top 10 in Monday's Class 6A regional tournament at Manhattan Country Club en route to a second-place team finish and a berth in next week's state tournament at Newton.
Rural senior Bryan Tyrell tied for fourth with a 79 to lead the Junior Blues while senior Tyler Baumchen was a stroke back with an 80, tying for seventh individually.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West senior twin brothers Ian and Miles Cusick advanced to the Class 5A tennis doubles semifinals for the second straight season Friday in Arkansas City, continuing their bid for a state title repeat.
Topeka West seniors Ian Cusick (left) and Miles Cusick advanced to the Class 5A state doubles semifinals Friday at Arkansas City. [File photo/TSN]
The Cusicks posted 6-0, 6-2 and 6-1, 6-3 victories in their two matches on Friday and will face Newton seniors Otis Musser and Justin Franz in Saturday morning's semifinals.
Topeka West, which finished second as a team in the 2022 state meet, advanced its entire team to Saturday's final day of the state tournament.
West senior Carter Cool and junior James Maag went 3-1 in singles and juniors Caden McGee and Caleb Weybrew went 3-1 in doubles and all of the Chargers can still finish as high as fifth place on Saturday.
State competition will continue at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Washburn Rural senior Mason Casebeer went 3-1 on Friday to clinch a state singles medal in the Class 6A state tournament at Kossover Tennis Center. [File photo/TSN]
CLASS 6A
Washburn Rural senior standout Mason Casebeer and the doubles team of senior Kiefer Von Lintel and freshman Dylan Willingham clinched Class 6A state medals Friday at Kossover Tennis Center.
Casebeer, a regional champion, dropped his first match of the day but bounced back with 9-0 and 9-2 wins to advance to Saturday's competition.
Von Lintel and Willingham went 3-1 Friday and advanced with a 9-7 win in their final Friday match.
Both Casebeer, a former state doubles medalist, and Von Lintel and Willingham can still finish as high as fifth place in 6A.
Rural junior singles player Lawson Lobatos and the doubles team of junior Dylan Dodge and freshman Keegan Knudtson were eliminated from competition on Friday.
Saturday's competition will begin at 9 a.m.
Hayden senior Gus Glotzbach and junior Joseph Luke have clinched state doubles medals in the Class 4A state tournament at Pratt. [File photo/TSN]
CLASS 4A
Hayden's doubles team of senior Gus Glotzbach and junior Joseph Luke advanced to Saturday's competition in the Class 4A state tournament at Pratt.
Regional champions Glotzbach and Luke won their first match of the day before dropping a 6-4, 7-6 quarterfinal decision to Parsons.
Glotzbach has clinched a 4A state medal for the third straight season while Luke has earned a state medal for the second straight season.
Hayden singles players Chris Hayes, a senior, and sophomore Evan George were eliminated from state on Friday.
State competition will resume at 9 a.m. on Saturday.
CLASS 3A-1A
Cair Paravel Latin freshman Drew Fay, making the Lions' first-ever appearance in state tennis, went 2-2 in singles on Friday in Wichita but was eliminated from competition with a tough 9-7 loss in his final match.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Entering Friday and Saturday's Class 5A state boys tennis tournament at Arkansas City, Topeka West has already swept city, United Kansas Conference and regional team championships and is considered one of the top contenders for the state title after finishing second a year ago.
Topeka West varsity tennis players Ian Cusick, Caleb Weybrew, Miles Cusick, Carter Cool, James Maag and Caden McGee are all members of the National Honor Society in addition to being city, UKC and Class 5A regional team champions. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka West's top six varsity tennis players posed for a picture with head coach Kurt Davids and assistant coach Shon Daniels at the recent National Honor Soccer induction ceremony after winning the UKC team championship. [Photo courtesy of Katie Shiflett]
And that may not even be the Chargers' most impressive accomplishment.
Kurt Davids' team of seniors Ian Cusick, Miles Cusick and Carter Cool and juniors James Maag, Caden McGee and Caleb Weybrew not only go into state with a combined 119-34 record on the season but all six have also earned the rare distinction of earning membership in the prestigious National Honor Society.
"I'm really impressed with my guys,'' Ian Cusick said.. "Sometimes they may act kind of dumb around me, but I'm really impressed that everybody was able to be in (NHS) at the same time.''
Miles Cusick agreed with his twin brother.
"We were talking about it at practice the other day and we're interested to see if you could find another team in the state of Kansas that has all six of their varsity in the National Honor Society, so it's definitely a cool thing that we all managed to do,'' said Miles, who teamed with Ian to win the Class 5A state doubles title in 2022.
While the Chargers' recent success on the tennis court has been well-documented, their academic success shows that the classroom is just as important to the team.
Cool, who will attend the University of Kansas next school year, is the valedictorian of the Topeka West graduating class of 2023 while the Cusicks rank in the top 10 and Maag, McGee and Weybrew are among the top students in the junior class.
"Actually, I take (academics) more serious than I do tennis,'' said Cool, a two-time city champ in No. 1 singles. "I'd say tennis comes second to my studies, but obviously I take that very serious.''
"I think I probably take my grades more serious than I do tennis to some extent,'' said Ian Cusick, who will attend KU. "They always say you're a student before an athlete and you have to make the grades if you want to play, so grades are pretty important to me.''
Miles Cusick said academic success is also important to his family.
"I think it's aways been emphasized in the Cusick household that we are student-athletes and even though we're very dedicated to tennis, we're also very dedicated to grades,'' said Miles, who will attend Kansas State.
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Cair Paravel Latin girls soccer team’s three seniors remember when seventh-graders were needed to field a full team. They recall competing for championships in leagues that received little to no media recognition.
Cair Paravel seniors Eva Rollenhagen, Audrey Smith and Sage Schwartz were honored Wednesday on Senior Night after the Lions' 3-0 win over Heritage Christian. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Katherine Keys (1) and Zahra Friess both scored goals and had assists in Cair Paravel's 3-0 weather-shortened win over Heritage Christian Wednesday. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Cair Paravel's KellyAnn Chada scored a goal in the Lions' 3-0 weather-shortened win over Heritage Christian on Wednesday. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
They also remember advancing to KSHSAA’s Class 4-1A state Final Four last spring, the smallest school in the state with a soccer team reaching the biggest stage.
With a 3-0 weather-shortened win over Heritage Christian Academy at the Sunflower Soccer Association on Wednesday, CPLS assured itself of a top-two position in the 4-1A East Region and sewed up a bye in the first round of the regional playoffs that kick off next week.
To the seniors who remember where the program came from, that’s further confirmation that they belong.
“It’s so nice to be able to play (in KSHSAA) these past couple of years,” said Sage Schwartz. “I feel like it really showcases our school’s skill because we’re so small we don’t usually get recognized.”
“The amazing part is that, even before we got to KSHSAA, we worked just as hard and really the style of our play hasn’t really changed,” Audrey Smith said. “We just had more opportunities to show people what we could do.”
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Audrey Appuhn
AUDREY APPUHN, Washburn Rural
Appuhn, a freshman swimming standout, was a part of four victories in her first Topeka City Championship Friday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium, helping lead Washburn Rural to its 20th straight city team championship. Appuhn won the 200-yard freestyle in 1 minute, 57.72 seconds and the 500 free in 5:11.08 and also swam on the Junior Blues' winning 200 medley relay (1:54.84) and 400 free relay (3:40.49).
Ala'Jah Brooks
ALA'JAH BROOKS, Topeka West
A senior track and field standout, Brooks won three individual titles in Friday's Joe Schrag City Championship at Hummer Sports Park. Brooks won the long jump with a best of 16 feet, 7.50 inches, won the 400-meter dash in 57.26 seconds and won the 200 in 25.65 seconds. Brooks was the only athlete to win three individual events in the city meet.
Mason Casebeer
MASON CASEBEER, Washburn Rural
A senior tennis standout, Casebeer captured a pair of singles championships last week, including earning his third Class 6A state tournament berth Friday at Wichita. Casebeer opened his week with a Centennial League title, earning a 6-0, 6-1 win over Manhattan's Advith Nataraja in the final. Casebeer followed up his league title with a regional championship Friday at Riverside Tennis Center, taking a 6-1, 6-1 win over Wichita East sophomore Bo Lu to help Rural win the regional team title by a 19-15 margin over Manhattan.
By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Cair Paravel Latin's girls soccer team won its 11th straight match with a convincing 10-0 mercy-rule victory over Maranatha Christian Academy on Monday evening at the Sunflower Soccer Complex.
Katherine Keys scored a three-goal hat track Monday as Cair Paravel Latin pushed its win streak to 11 games with a 10-0 win over Maranatha Christian Academy. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Cair Paravel's Zahra Friess (3) slides into the goal for the first of her two goals in the Lions' 10-0 win over Maranatha Christian Academy. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Sage Schwartz is congratulated by her teammates after scoring a goal in Cair Paravel's 10-0 win over Maranatha Christian Academy. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Cair Paravel's last and only loss was a 3-2 overtime loss to Class 5A Seaman back on March 28th, but the Lions have dominated every school since the one-goal loss in the third game of the 2023 campaign.
The Lions have outscored the opposition 85-8 this season and are seeded No. 1 in the 4-1A east side of the regional standings after seven weeks.
Cair Paravel coach Doug Woolery believes that the Lions are playing their best soccer as CPLS approaches the end of the regular season.
"Every coach, no matter where at the end of the season, wants their team to get better and better. I feel like the girls here have done that," Woolery said. "It seems like the combination of where everybody's playing right now is great. After the Seaman game, I said I didn't have the pieces in the right place. I feel like I have that now. It's just a matter of the girls continuing to gel with each other."
Cair Paravel (12-1-1) ran the pace of play against Maranatha on Monday. Not many of the passes from the Lions were disrupted, challenged or intercepted. Instead, Cair Paravel consistently made clean passes, opening the contest early.
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Freshman tennis player Drew Fay made Cair Paravel Latin school history Wednesday at Rock Chalk Park, earning the school's first Class 3A-1A state tournament berth.
Cair Paravel freshman singles player Drew Fay poses for a picture with his medal after earning a Class 3A-1A state tournament berth with a fifth-place regional finish. [Submitted photo]
Cair Paravel freshman singles player Drew Fay will compete in the Class 3A-1A state tennis tournament after qualifying for state with a fifth-place regional finish. [Submitted photo]
Fay posted a 3-1 record in Wednesday's Class 3A-1A regional to post a fifth-place singles finish for Cair Paravel, which is fielding a boys tennis program for the first time.
Fay beat Bishop Seabury's Gabe Rinnert in the fifth-place match, with the top six in both singles and doubles advancing to the 3A-1A state meet May 12-13 at the Riverside Tennis Complex in Wichita.
Joey Thoennes also represented Cair Paravel in singles at the regional meet while Seth Arnold and Oliver Ellis competed in doubles.
Sophomore Destiny Higgs (24) scored four goals in Washburn Rural's 8-0 Centennial League win over Emporia Tuesday night. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
Higgs' four goals power Rural soccer to 8-0 win over Emporia
Washburn Rural sophomore Destiny Higgs scored four goals as the Junior Blues clinched at least a share of the Centennial League title with an 8-0 home win over Emporia Tuesday night.
Rural can clinch the title outright with a win over Topeka High next Monday at Hummer Sports Park.
Washburn Rural senior Addi Broxterman scored a pair of goals in Tuesday's 8-0 Centennial League win over Emporia. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
In addition to Higgs' four goals, the 9-4-0 Junior Blues got two goals from senior Addi Broxterman and a goal apiece from sophomore Kate Hinck and senior Bri Jones.
Senior Mackinly Rohn was credited with a pair of assists while Hinck, junior Savannah Tuffley, senior Maya Hoge and junior Hayley Legg also had assists.
Senior Hailey Beck (0) and junior Mackenzie Flood (00) combined for the shutout in goal in Tuesday's 8-0 Washburn Rural Centennial League win over Emporia. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
Senior Hailey Beck and junior Mackenzie Flood combined for the shutout in goal.
Rural will travel to Wichita Northwest for a non-league game Thursday night.
Seaman senior Katie Price (center) signed a bowling letter of intent with Peru State on Wednesday. Price was joined at her signing by former Seaman teammate Makenzie Millard (right) and former Washburn Rural standout Kaitlyn Doyal. [Submitted photo]
Seaman bowling standout Price signs with Peru State
Seaman senior bowler Katie Price, the Class 5A-1A state runnerup in the 2023 state tournament, signed a letter of intent with Peru State College on Wednesday at Seaman.
Price helped the Vikings win the 5A-1A state team championship in 2022 and led Seaman to a third-place finish in '23.
Price will join former teammate Makenzie Millard and former Washburn Rural standout Kaitlyn Doyal at Peru State.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TopSports.News, in partnership with the University of Kansas Health System St Francis Campus, A-1 Lock and Key and Washburn University, will host the 18th annual Topeka Shawnee County Sports Awards/Hall of Fame induction ceremony on June 28, 2023 at Washburn's Memorial Union.
For the third straight year TopSports.news will serve as host for the Sports Awards/Hall of Fame banquet, a longstanding tradition for the Topeka and Shawnee County sports community.
The ceremony will highlight Shawnee County high school senior student-athletes’ achievements throughout the 2022-2023 school year along with the induction of the 2023 Topeka Shawnee County Hall of Fame Class.
Schools have been asked to submit nominees with a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average for both female and male candidates for the fall, winter and spring seasons as well as nominees for most inspirational athlete. Over-all outstanding male and female athletes for 2022-2023 will also be named.
Also recognized will be an outstanding female and male athlete from Washburn University.
The four-member 2023 Hall of Fame class and the '23 Washburn University Athletes of the Year will be announced on TopSports.news on May 1.
The high school nominees for the 10 Shawnee County high schools will be announced in June after the conclusion of the spring sports season.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Alesecio Batson
ALESECIO BATSON, Topeka West
Batson, a sophomore track and field standout, posted a victory in the boys triple jump in last Friday's Free State Barrier Breaker Invitational at Lawrence, jumping a winning distance of 46 feet, 8.25 inches for the Chargers.
Emmerson Cope
EMMERSON COPE, Washburn Rural
A senior softball standout, Cope piicked up the pitching victory and also had a home run and a double in Washburn Rural's 14-4 first-game victory over Seaman last Friday. The Nebraska signee also helped the 12-2 Junior Blues complete the sweep with a 10-0 shutout in the second game.
Zahra Friess
ZAHRA FRIESS, Cair Paravel Latin
A sophomore, Friess scored four goals and was also credited with four assists in the Lions' 10-0 win over Kaw Valley Conference foe Kansas City Christian last Monday. Cair Paravel added a 10-0 league win over Kansas City-Bishop Ward on Thursday, improving to 9-1-1 with its eighth straight victory.
By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Cair Paravel Latin’s soccer team knew it had its work cut out for it in facing Topeka High, but the Lions were able to ride their first-half offensive attack and backline success to a 5-2 victory at Sunflower Soccer Complex on Thursday.
Cair Paravel Latin soccer coach Doug Woolery talks to his team after Thursday's 5-2 non-league win over Topeka High. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
After a perfect weekend at the Titan Classic in Wichita, where the Lions won the Red Bracket championshi and a 10-0 win on Monday against Bishop Ward, their win streak was extended to four matches with the victory against Topeka High.
In its latest win streak, Cair Paravel has shown glimpses of last year’s team that made a run to the Class 4A-1A state tournament.
“I was happy with how we performed against (Topeka High),” Cair Paravel coach Doug Woolery said. “I feel like we are getting better every single game because they’re doing things better that need to get done. Today, I thought there were more of those moments where the small ball developed into making scoring opportunities. We didn’t always capitalize on those moments, but I felt like we put ourselves in a position where more of those scoring opportunities were prevalent.
“Topeka High is always a tough game for us. Derek (Snook) does a great job with his girls. We knew it was going to be a physical, tough game. A win is good, but a win against a tough team like Topeka High is even sweeter.”
By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Seaman’s girls soccer team is off to an undefeated 3-0-0 start, with two of its early regular-season wins coming from teams that were in state tournaments a year ago.
Seaman junior Marin Schuler (22) scored two goals Tuesday as the Vikings improved to 3-0 with a 3-2 non-league win over Cair Paravel Latin. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
Seaman's soccer team celebrates a goal by Viking junior Marin Schuler in Tuesday's 3-2 win over Cair Paravel at the Sunflower Soccer Complex. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
In Seaman’s home opener last Tuesday, the Lady Vikings knocked off Class 6A Manhattan. 3-1. Manhattan finished fourth in the state last year. Then on Thursday, Seaman defeated former Centennial League foe Emporia, 6-0.
Seaman started the second week of the season on the right foot Tuesday with a 3-2 city defeat over Cair Paravel Latin.
The Lions return a nearly identical team from last season after their fourth-place finish in the 4A-1A state tournament.
It hasn’t been the most leisurely start to the season with Seaman’s high-quality opponents, but the Vikings are happy with how they have found a way to handle the challenges.
“It’s been a great start,” Seaman coach Tim Nussbaum said. “We just want to keep getting better every day, and we want to keep this thing going.”
By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Before Friday the last time the Hayden and Cair Paravel Latin girls soccer teams had met was for a trip to the Class 4A-1A semifinals last spring.
Cair Paravel ended the Wildcats season a year ago after a strenuous and physical 2-1 winning effort in the 4A-1A state quarterfinal.
Cair Paravel sophomore Zahra Friess (3) tries to get past Hayden's Lauren Sandstrom in Friday's 2-2 tie game. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
Hayden senior Briahna Barnett (7) advances the ball as Cair Paravel sophomore Amania Vincent gives chase. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
Hayden and Cair Paravel hooked up again Friday afternoon and slugged it out through two overtime before ending up in a 2-2 deadlock.
"It's early in the season, and we've improved since our last game," Cair Paravel coach Doug Woolery said. "We are still collecting our lineup and putting all of our moving parts together. We have new players that are settling into the system, maybe used to playing differently with their club teams. I'm not unhappy with the way that we are playing. It's Hayden, so I anticipated this would be a tough game."
Friday's non-league contest was a physical match between the two programs. No team had a clear, runaway advantage but both schools that could return to the 4A-1A hunt again this year knew precisely what Friday would bring.
"I couldn't wait to play (Cair Paravel) because we lost to them in the (quarterfinal)," Hayden coach Klause Kreutzer said. "They're a good team, and I'd rather play a good team. I have to give them credit; they worked hard.
"They've got a lot of young players, and so do we. I'm satisfied with our effort. The execution wasn't what I like it to be, but they're a good team, and a tie isn't bad at all."
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural senior standout Brooklyn DeLeye was tapped as the TopSports.news 2023 All-Shawnee County girls basketball player of the year after helping lead the Junior Blues to a second straight appearance in the Class 6A state title game.
A three-time All-Shawnee County first-team pick, the 6-foot-2 DeLeye helped the Centennial League champions post an 18-6 record and come within an eyelash of winning a second straight 6A state championship, with the Junior Blues dropping a 35-34 heartbreaker to Blue Valley North in the title game.
DeLeye is joined on the all-county Top 10 by 6-foot senior teammate Chloe Carlgren while Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick, who has led the Junior Blues to a pair of state titles and a runner-up finish since 2019, was named the county coach of the year.
Washburn Rural senior Brooklyn DeLeye has been named the TSN Shawnee County girls player of the year after helping lead the Junior Blues to a second straight appearance in the Class 6A title game. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Chloe Carlgren has been named to the All-Shawnee County first team after helping the Junior Blues win the Centennial League championship and finish second in Class 6A. [File photo/TSN]
Veteran Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick, who has led Rural to two Class 6A state basketball titles and 10 state crowns overall, has been named the TSN Shawnee County girls basketball coach of the year. [File photo/TSN]
DeLeye averaged 16 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals, shot 59.7 percent from 2-point range and 38.5 percent on 3-point attempts as a senior while Carlgren averaged 9.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, shot 35 percent from 3-point range and was the Junior Blues' defensive stopper.
Like DeLeye. Topeka High senior star Kiki Smith earned TSN All-Shawnee County Top 10 honors for the third straight season after leading the Trojans to a 16-6 record this past season.
Topeka High senior star Kiki Smith (23) earned All-Shawnee County first-team recognition for the third straight season. [File photo/TSN]
Smith, a 5-8 senior, helped the Trojans reach the Class 6A state tournament her first three high schools seasons, including a state runnerup finish in 2021.
As a senior Smith averaged a city-high 20.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.1 steals while connecting on 50 3-pointers.
Seaman, which posted a 21-2 record and won the United Kansas Conference title, is represented on the first team by 5-10 sophomore Anna Becker and 5-9 freshman Maddie Gragg, who was also named the Shawnee County newcomer of the year. Becker is a Top 10 repeat pick and was named the United Kansas Conference player of the year.
Seaman sophomore Anna Becker has been named to the All-Shawnee County Top 10 after helping lead the Vikings to a 21-2 record. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman's Maddie Gragg earned All-Shawnee County Top 10 honors as a freshman while also being named the county newcomer of the year. [File photo/TSN]
Becker averaged 12 points, 3.7 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 steals this past season while Gragg averaged 13.4 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 60.2 percent from the field on 2-point attempts and 75 percent from the free throw line.
Silver Lake junior Makenzie McDaniel earned a spot on the TSN All-Shawnee County Top 10 after helping lead the Eagles to a 23-3 record and a third straight trip to the Class 3A state tournament. [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake junior McKinley Kruger (12) is a repeat pick on the All-Shawnee County Top 10 after helping lead the Eagles to a fourth-place finish in the Class 3A state tournament this past season. [File photo]
Silver Lake, which went 23-3 on the season en route to a fourth-place finish in the 3A state tournament, put sophomores McKinley Kruger (5-7) and Makenzie McDaniel (6-1) on the All-Shawnee County first team for the second straight season.
Shawnee Heights senior Emari Doby moved up to the All-Shawnee County Top 10 this season after earning Second 10 recognition as a junior. [File photo/TSN]
Rossville junior Kinsey Perine was tapped for the 2023 TSN All-Shawnee County Top 10, moving up from the Second 10 as a sophomore. [File photo/TSN]
Highland Park sophomore Amelia Ramsey earned a berth on the All-Shawnee County Top 10 after leading the Scots to a 19-4 record and their first berth in the Class 5A state tournamet in 11 seasons. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights senior Emari Doby (5-9) and Rossville junior Kinsey Perine (5-8) move up to the Top 10 this season after earning Second 10 honors last season while Highland Park sophomore Amelia Ramsey (6-0) earned first-team recognition this season after receiving honorable mention a year ago.
Doby averaged 12.5 points and 8.3 rebounds as a senior while Perine averaged 9.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 5.8 steals and Ramsey averaged 19.8 points and 15.8 rebounds while shooting 65.2 percent from two-point range.
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY GIRLS BASKETBALL
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park senior Bo Aldridge headlines the 2023 TopSports.news' All-Shawnee County boys basketball team after helping lead the Scots to a 24-1 record and a third-place finish in the Class 5A state tournament.
BO ALDRIDGE
Aldridge was tapped as the Shawnee County player of the year after leading Highland Park to a second straight state tournament berth while averaging 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
The Scots, whose only loss was a heartbreaking one-point semifinal decision to eventual state champion Andover, also put seniors Tre Richardson and Jahmir Kingcannon on the TSN Shawnee County Top 10.
TRE RICHARDSON
JAHMIR KINGCANNON
Richardson averaged 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals for the Scots while Kingcannon averaged 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots per game.
Highland Park's Mike Williams was named the county coach of the year after the Scots posted a county-high victory total by nine wins.
The Highland Park trio of Aldridge, Richardson and Kingcannon are part of an outstanding group of county seniors that earned nine of 10 spots on the TSN All-Shawnee County Top 10, with Aldridge, Washburn Rural's Jack Bachelor, Seaman's Kaeden Bonner and Hayden's Joe Otting all first-team repeaters.
JACK BACHELOR
Bachelor was named the Centennial League player of the year after averaging 17.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists while hitting 32 3-pointers and shooting 82 percent from the free throw line for the 15-6 Junior Blues, who shared the league title.
KAEDEN BONNER
Bonner, who helped Seaman win its first-ever boys 5A state title as a junior, fought through an injury plagued senior season but still averaged 15.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists while hitting 24 3-pointers and shooting 81 percent from the free throw line for the 13-8 Vikings.
JOE OTTING
Otting, a Notre Dame football signee, earned first-team all-county honors in both football and basketball for the second straight season while putting together a string of double-double performances for the 11-11 Wildcats.
Shawnee Heights junior Brennon Dodge, the lone underclassmen on the all-county Top 10, and Seaman senior Aron Davis both moved up to the Top 10 after being Second 10 picks a year ago.
BRENNON DODGE
ARON DAVIS
Dodge was the floor leader and a top 3-point threat for a Shawnee Heights team that posted a 15-7 record this past season while Davis averaged 16.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists for Seaman.
Topeka West seniors Xavier Alexander and Malachi Berg also garnered Top 10 spots after helping the Chargers post a 14-8 record this past season.
XAVIER ALEXANDER
MALACHI BERG
Alexander, a first-team All-United Kansas Confererence pick, averaged 15.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists with 53 3-pointers while Berg averaged 14.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 steals..
Rossville freshman Jack Donovan and Seaman freshman KaeVon Bonner were named Shawnee County co-newcomers of the year.
Donovan averaged 10.4 points and connected on 49 3-pointers for the Bulldawgs while Bonner averaged 8.4 points and 2.3 rebounds while hitting 32 3-pointers.
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY BOYS BASKETBALL
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior goalkeeper Hailey Beck helped Washburn Rural post a runnerup finish in the Class 6A state tournament last season. [File photo/TSN]
HAILEY BECK, Washburn Rural
Beck, a senior goalkeeper, helped 17-3-1 Washburn Rural win the Centennial League championship and finish second in the Class 6A state tournament last season, earning All-Centennial League second-team recognition and All-City honorable mention. Beck has signed a letter of intent with Washburn University. Beck was also a multi-time state qualifier in tennis.
LAILAH BENZ, Shawnee Heights
A sophomore midfielder, Benz earned first-team All-City honors as a freshman for the 13-5-0 T-Birds and was also a first-team All-United Kansas Conference selection. Benz earned All-Class 5A honorable mention from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association last season.
Cair Paravel Latin sophomore Zahra Friess (3) earned All-4A-1A first-team honors as a freshman. [File photo/TSN]
ZAHRA FRIESS, Cair Paravel Latin
As a freshman, Friess helped lead Cair Paravel to a fourth-place finish in the Class 4A-1A state tournament last spring, with the Lions posting a 15-5-0 record. Friess earned All-4A-1A first-team honors from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association in 2022 and was a first-team All-City and All-Kaw Valley Conference pick.
KATE HINCK, Washburn Rural
Hinck was an immediate contributor for Washburn Rural last spring as a freshman, earning first-team All-City and All-Centennial League recognition at forward. Hinck helped the Junior Blues post a 17-3 record on the way to the Centennial League championship and a runnerup finish in the Class 6A state tournament. Hinck was a starter for Rural's basketball team that finished second in 6A last week.
Cair Paravel junior Katherine Keys helped lead the Lions to a fourth-place finish in the Class 4A-1A state tournament last spring. [File photo/TSN]
KATHERINE KEYS, Cair Paravel Latin
A junior forward, Keys helped 15-5-0 Cair Paravel advance to the Class 4A-1A final four last season en route to a fourth-place state finish. Keys earned a first-team spot on the All-City team for the second straight season and was also a first-team All-Kaw Valley Conference selection.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden's boys basketball team was ice cold in the first quarter of Tuesday's Class 4A sub-state semifinal at Parsons, but the Wildcats warmed up quickly on the way to a 62-41 victory.
Junior Cooper Colboch jump-started Hayden with four 3-pointers in the second quarter as the Wildcats posted a 62-41 Class 4A sub-state win at Parsons Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
With the win No. 9 seed Hayden advanced to a 7 p.m. sub-state final on Friday at top seed Atchison, an 81-45 winner over Coffeyville on Tuesday.
Parsons led 8-5 at the end of the opening quarter but Hayden hit the host Vikings with a 28-12 second quarter and cruised the rest of the way.
Junior Cooper Colboch hit four 3-pointers in the second quarter to power Hayden (11-10) to a 33-20 halftime advantage while Dominic Ridley also hit two 3s in the quarter.
Hayden boosted its lead to 49-30 by the end of the third quarter and held a 13-11 advantage over the final eight minutes.
Senior Jake Muller led Hayden with 15 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, while Colboch added 14.
Hayden will be looking to get back to the 4A state tournament after finishing fourth a year ago.
Senior Troy Heiman scored 10 points to lead a balanced Silver Lake attack in Tuesday's 37-24 Class 3A sub-state win over Maur Hill. [File photo/TSN]
SILVER LAKE BOYS 37, MAUR HILL-MT. ACADEMY 24 --No. 6 seed Silver Lake rode a stifling defensive effort to Tuesday's 37-24 win at No. 3 seed Maur Hill in a Class 3A sub-state quarterfinal.
The Eagles, who improved to 8-13, advanced to a 7:30 p.m. sub-state semifinal Friday at tournament host Perry-Lecompton (17-4).
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Parirings have been released for this week's sub-state high school basketball tournaments, with 11 Shawnee County teams earning home court advantage for at least the first round of sub-state.
Both Highland Park teams, Seaman's girls, Topeka High's girls and Washburn Rural's boys could all stay at home through both rounds of sub-state competition.
Silver Lake and Rossville will both compete in the Class 3A Perry-Lecompton sub-state while both Cair Paravel Latin teams will compete in the 2A St. Marys sub-state
Here's a look at sub-state tournaments involving Shawnee County teams:
Brittney Redmond's Topeka High girls will open Class 6A sub-state competition at 6 p.m. Wednesday against Garden City. [File photo/TSN]
CLASS 6A GIRLS
West sub-state No. 4 -- Topeka High, which will be shooting for a fifth straight state tournment berth, is in the same sub-state with defending Class 6A champion Washburn Rural.
No. 4 West seed Topeka High will open postseason at 6 p.m. Wednesday at High, with the 15-5 Trojans hosting Garden City (6-14) in a semifinal.
No. 5 seed Rural (14-5) will host Centennial League rival Manhattan (7-13) at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
The winners of those two semifinals will advance to a Saturday championship game.
CLASS 6A BOYS
West sub-state No. 1 -- Topeka High, the No. 16 seed at 3-17, will go on the road Tuesday for a 6 p.m. sub-state semifinal against No. 1 Garden City (19-1).
The winner of that game will advance to a Friday final to meet the winner of the semifinal between No. 8 Junction City (11-9) and No. 9 Free State (11-9).
West sub-state No. 4 -- Washburn Rural is the No. 4 seed in the west at 14-5 and will open its postseason bid at 6 p.m. Tuesday at home against No. 13 Campus (7-13).
The winner of that semifinal will advance to a Friday sub-state championship game to take on the winner of the semifinal between No. 5 Derby (14-6) and No. 12 Wichita West (8-12).
Junior Taylin Stallbaumer and the Seaman girls will enter Class 5A postseason as the top east seed at 19-1. [File photo/TSN]
CLASS 5A GIRLS
East sub-state No. 1 -- Seaman is the No. 1 seed in the east at 19-1 and will be at home for a 7 p.m. Tuesday semifinal to face No. 16 Kansas City-Schlagle (1-15).
The winner of that game will advance to a Friday final to face the winner of the semifinal between No. 8 seed KC-Sumner (14-6) and No. 9 Piper (14-6).
Rob Brown's Highland Park girls, 17-3 on the season, will be at home for Tuesday's Class 5A sub-state semifinal against Leavenworth. [File photo/TSN]
East sub-state No. 3 -- Highland Park (17-3) is the No. 3 east seed and is in the same 5A sub-state bracket with No. 6 seed Shawnee Heights (14-6).
HIghland Park will face No. 14 seed Leavenworth (4-16) in a 7 p.m. semifinal on Tuesday at Hi Park while Shawnee Heights will host No. 11 De Soto (13-7) in a 7 p.m. Tuesday contest.
The two semifinal winners will move on to a Friday championship game.
West sub-state No. 2 -- Topeka West is the No. 15 seed at 6-14 and will travel to No. 2 seed Andover (18-2) for a 6 p.m. Tuesday semifinal. Andover is coached by former Topeka High coach Hannah Alexander.
The winner will advance to Friday's sub-state final to face the winner of the semifinal between No. 7 Goddard Eisenhower (14-6) and No. 10 Salina Central (10-10).
Senior Tre Richardson and the Highland Park boys are a perfect 20-0 entering Class 5A postseason competition. [File photo/TSN]
CLASS 5A BOYS
By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
ROSSVILLE –The Rossville boys basketball team closed out its 2022-2023 regular season with a 62-45 Mid-East League loss against Rock Creek Thursday, but that game doesn’t mean much to the Bulldawgs in their eye toward a promising future.
First-year Rossville boys coach Brandon McDonnell is proud of the progress the Bulldawgs have made over a 7-13 regular season. [File photo/TSN]
Although Rossville finished its regular season 7-13, the culture has changed surrounding the boys' basketball program.
In the previous three years, Rossville had won eight games. This year alone, they neared that total.
"Let's just be honest, it's a blessing," Rossville coach Brandon McDonnell said. "We got seven wins. We've gotten more wins this year than we had the past two or three years. So it's a blessing. The only way this year happened the way it did is for the boys to go out there and perform and put in the work. I can coach them up all day, but I'm not out there playing; the boys are.
"For them to go out there, exert that energy, and play hard is a blessing. That's that light at the end of the tunnel; you see it. I got most of these boys for the next two or three years, which is beautiful. We've had rocky parts this year and speed bumps, but we get over them. We get over them together. What more can I ask?"
McDonnell knew that getting buy-in from his kids wouldn't be an issue. So when the first-year coach took the job at Rossville, he had a sole mission: To put a winning product on the court and develop kids while helping them reach their fullest potential.
Seven wins might not seem like much, but it's a step in the right direction for a successful boys' basketball program at Rossville.
"I don't go home mad; I don't go home frustrated because I know the boys are working hard," McDonnell said. "They don't want to come out here and lose games. They work their tails off. You see the beauty and glimpses of what they are doing. There is light at the end of the tunnel. We are just young. Having a good offseason will be crucial, but I'm not worried about that now."
McDonnell admits that he feels empathy for his senior class that won't be able to experience the ride with this young group after this season.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After dropping two previous games to Rock Creek by a total of 30 points, Silver Lake's boys basketball team made a dramatic turnaround Friday night, taking a 51-40 home Mid-East League decision over the Mustangs.
Senior Troy Heiman scored 12 points to lead a balanced Silver Lake attack as the Eagles took a 51-40 Mid-East League win over Rock Creek Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
Friday's win was the second straight double-digit win for the Eagles, who improved to 6-12 overall and 5-4 in the league.
Silver Lake trailed 12-5 at the end of the opening quarter, but outscored the Mustangs 28-15 over the middle two quarters to put itself in position for the win before outscoring Rock Creek 18-13 over the final eight minutes.
Senior Troy Heiman led Silver Lake with 12 points while freshman Dayne Johnson added 10 points, junior Elijah Lopez nine points and junior Spencer Johnson eight.
Senior Jack Bachelor scored 20 points and had 10 assists in Washburn Rural's 78-70 loss at Manhattan Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
MANHATTAN BOYS 78, WASHBURN RURAL 70 --Manhattan handed Washburn Rural its second Centennial League loss of the season Friday night, dropping the Junior Blues into a share for the league lead with Emporia.
Manhattan (11-8, 5-4) rode a 26-13 first quarter to a big lead and the Indians led 38-28 at the half 59-45 at the start of the fourth quarter before the Junior Blues (14-5, 7-2) made up ground late.
Senior Jack Bachelor led Washburn Rural with 20 points, including four 3-pointers, and also had 10 assists.
'By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
HAYDEN (11-6, 3-5) at TOPEKA HIGH (13-5, 4-4)
Sophomore Norma Greco scored 14 points to lead Hayden in a 48-21 Centennial League win over Junction City Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden is 2-0 on the week, posting a 55-16 non-league win over Tonganoxie Monday and taking a 48-21 home Centennial League win over Junction City Tuesday night. Sophomore Norma Greco led Hayden with 14 points against Junction City while junior Lauren Sandstrom added 11 points and sophomore Brylee Meier 10. Topeka High is coming off back-to-back league losses to Emporia and league-leading Washburn Rural, with the Trojans dropping a 55-42 decision at Rural Tuesday night. Freshman Keimara Marshall scored 11 points to lead the Trojans against the Junior Blues. Topeka High took a 60-25 win over Hayden earlier in the season.
BASEHOR-LINWOOD (12-5, 10-3) at SEAMAN (16-1, 12-1)
Top-ranked (Class 5A) Seaman will have an opportunity Friday night to avenge its only loss of the season, a 74-71 overtime defeat at Basehor-Linwood earlier in the year. The Vikings have won 10 straight games since that loss to the Bobcats. Seaman is coming off a 61-22 win over Leavenworth on Tuesday while Basehor-Linwood beat KC-Turner, 58-17.
KC-SUMNER (13-5, 7-3) at HIGHLAND PARK (13-3, 8-0)
Highland Park took a 65-51 home Meadowlark Conference win over Atchison on Tuesday while Sumner is coming off a 50-46 loss to KC-Wyandotte. Highland Park beat Sumner 64-20 earlier in the season.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
HAYDEN (9-8, 3-5) at TOPEKA HIGH (3-15, 0-8)
Senior Joe Otting is coming off a 19-point, 10-rebound performance Tuesday night in Hayden's 56-45 Centennial League win over Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden will be looking for its third win of the week affter beating non-league foe Tonganoxie on Monday and taking a 56-45 home Centennial League win over Junction City Tuesday night. Senior Joe Otting led the Wildcats with 19 points and 10 rebounds against Junction City while senior Jake Muller added 13 points. Topeka High is coming off a 61-35 league loss to Washburn Rural, with senior Mason Gomez scoring 12 points to lead the Trojans. Hayden will be playing Topeka High for the third time this season, with the Wildcats taking 67-57 and 64-47 wins in the earlier two games.
Senior Aron Davis scored 25 points, 21 in the second half, as Seaman took a 56-50 UKC road win at Leavenworth. [File photo/TSN]
BASEHOR-LINWOOD (6-11, 5-8) at SEAMAN (10-7, 7-6)
Seaman has won three straight games after a 56-50 United Kansas Conference decision over Leavenworth on Tuesday. Senior Aron Davis led the Vikings with 25 points against Leavenworth, including 21 points in the second half. Seaman took a 48-39 UKC win over Basehor-Linwood in the first meeting between the Vikings and the Bobcats.
Senior Tre Richardson scored 25 points in Highland Park's 80-51 win over Atchison Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
KC-SUMNER (10-8, 7-4) at HIGHLAND PARK (16-0, 8-0)
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After sweeping Tonganoxie on the road Monday, Hayden's girls and boys basketball teams posted their second wins in as many nights on Tuesday, taking a home Centennial League sweep over Junction City.
Hayden sophomore Norma Greco (30) led the way with 14 points in Tuesday's 48-21 Centennial League win over Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden senior Joe Otting scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Wildcats' 56-45 Centennial League win over Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden's girls, tied for the No. 10 spot in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Class 4A rankings, rolled to a 48-21 win over the Blue Jays while Hayden's boys posted a 56-45 win over Junction City.
Hayden's girls, who improved to 11-6 overall and 3-5 in the Centennial League, got 14 points from sophomore Norma Greco while junior Lauren Sandstrom added 11 points and sophomore Brylee Meier 10.
The Hayden boys, now 9-8 overall and 3-5 in the league, got a double-double from senior Joe Otting, who finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while senior Jake Muller added 13 points.
Hayden built a 29-21 lead at the half before pulling away down the stretch.
SEAMAN GIRLS 61, LEAVENWORTH 22 --Seaman, the top-ranked team in Class 5A for the past four weeks, rolled to its 16th win in 17 starts on the season, taking a 61-22 United Kansas Conference road victory at Leavenworth.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TOPEKA HIGH (3-14, 0-7) at WASHBURN RURAL (13-4, 6-1)
Senior Jack Bachelor scored 14 points and went seven of eight at the free throw line in Washburn Rural's 43-39 overtime win over Hayden last Friday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn Rural maintained its lead in the Centennial League race with a 43-39 home overtime win over Hayden last Friday while Topeka High dropped a 67-51 league decision to Emporia. Washburn Rural, which has won six straight games, got a game-high 14 points from senior Jack Bachelor against Hayden, including a seven of eight performance at the free throw line. Washburn Rural took a 54-42 win over Topeka High in an earlier meeting this season at High.
Senior Bo Aldridge and the Highland Park boys will host Atchison Tuesday in a battle between top-ranked teams. [File photo/TSN]
ATCHISON (15-1, 7-1) at HIGHLAND PARK (15-0, 7-0)
Tuesday's game matches Highland Park, the top-ranked team in Class 5A, against Atchison, No. 1-ranked in 4A. Highland Park is coming off an 87-73 non-league victory at Kansas City-Central, Mo. last Friday while Atchison is coming off a 74-33 Meadowlark Conference decision over KC-Harmon. Highland Park handed Atchison its only loss of the season in an earlier conference game, with the Scots taking a 66-47 road win.
JUNCTION CITY (10-7, 4-3) at HAYDEN (8-8, 2-5)
After dropping back-to-back Centennial League heartbreakers last week to Emporia and Washburn Rural, Hayden got back on track with a 49-35 non-league win at Tonganoxie Monday night. Senior Joe Otting and sophomore Jacob Deister scored nine-points apiece for the Wildcats, with Deister hitting three 3-pointers, while senior Jake Muller added eight points. Junction City dropped two and one-point league games to Washburn Rural and Manhattan last week. The Blue Jays took a 44-42 decision over Hayden earlier in the season.
'By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TOPEKA HIGH (13-4, 4-3) at WASHBURN RURAL (12-4, 7-0)
Washburn Rural senior Brooklyn DeLeye scored a game-high 18 points in Friday's 55-29 Centennial League win over Hayden at Rural. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn Rural protected its two-game lead in the Centennial League race with a 55-29 home league win over Hayden last Friday while Topeka High dropped a 37-31 league decision to Emporia. Seniors Brooklyn DeLeye and Chloe Carlgren scored 18 and 13 points for Washburn Rural in the win over Hayden while senior Kiki Smith led Topeka High with 15 points against Emporia. Rural took a 47-46 win over High in the first meeting between the two teams.
Sophomore standout Amelia Ramsey and the Meadowlark Conference-leading Highland Park girls will host Atchison Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
ATCHISON (9-7, 6-2) at HIGHLAND PARK (12-3, 7-0)
Highland Park is coming off a 67-31 non-league victory at Kansas City-Central, Mo. last Thursday while Atchison is coming off a 70-22 Meadowlark Conference win over KC-Harmon. Highland Park and Atchison have combined for 11 straight wins, with the Scots winning seven straight games and Atchison winning four straight. Highland Park took a 56-40 win over Atchison in an earlier meeting between the two teams.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake's girls and boys basketball teams took a pair of rivalry wins over Rossville Friday night at Silver Lake, with the Eagle girls taking a 76-61 Mid-East League victory over the Bulldawgs and the Lake boys avenging an earlier loss to Rossville with a 58-41 win.
Junior Makenzie McDaniel scored a game-high 29 points in Silver Lake's 76-61 Mid-East League victory over Rossville Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
Junior Makenzie McDaniel powered No. 3-ranked Silver Lake with a 29-point performance Friday, including 20 points in the second half, as the Eagles improved to 16-1 overall and 7-1 in the league.
Silver Lake opened up a 22-8 lead at the end of the opening quarter, which proved to be the difference, as the Eagles outscored the Bulldawgs by just a 54-53 margin over the final three quarters.
Kaibryn Kruger and McKinley Kruger scored 12 points each to join McDaniel in double figures.
Rossville (12-5, 4-4) got 18 points from freshman Rylee Dick while juniors Emma Mitchell and Kinsey Perine added 14 points apiece for the Bulldawgs.
Silver Lake's boys bounced back from a seven-point loss to the Bulldawgs earlier in the season with Friday's 17-point win.
Friday's game was still tight at the end of the start of the fourth quarter, with Silver Lake holding a 43-36 advantage, before the Eagles closed with a 15-5 scoring edge over the final eight minutes.
Freshman Dayne Johnson paced Silver Lake (5-12, 4-4) with a game-high 16 points while senior Troy Heiman added 14 points and junior Elijah Lopez 13 points.
Rossville (6-11, 2-5) got 14 points from sophomore Tayson Horak, who canned four 3-pointers on the night.
EMPORIA GIRLS 37, TOPEKA HIGH 31 -- The No. 6-ranked (Class 5A) Emporia girls rallied down the stretch to take a 37-31 home Centennial League victory over No. 4 (6A) Topeka High.
'By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
HAYDEN (9-5, 2-4) at WASHBURN RURAL (11-4, 6-0)
Senior Chloe Carlgren and Centennial League-leading Washburn Rural will host Hayden on Friday. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural, ranked No. 6 in Class 6A, maintained its two-game lead in the Centennial League race with a 46-28 league win at Junction City on Tuesday while No. 8-ranked (Class 4A) Hayden is coming off a 44-32 Centennial League loss to Emporia. Hayden got 22 points from junior Lauren Sandstrom against Emporia. Washburn Rural was on top by just a point at halftime (23-22) in Tuesday's game at Junction City but the Junior Blues outscored the Blue Jays 23-6 in the second half. Washburn Rural took a 56-32 win over Hayden earlier this season.
Freshman Maddie Gragg (left) is in the midst of an outstanding freshman season for 14-1 Seaman, which will play at Topeka West on Friday. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
SEAMAN (14-1, 10-1) at TOPEKA WEST (5-11, 4-8)
Top-ranked (Class 5A) Seaman is coming off a 70-8 United Kansas Conference win over Kansas City-Turner on Tuesday while Topeka West dropped a 43-26 UKC decision at Shawnee Heights. Sophomore Kinley Wilhelm and freshman Maggie Gragg scored 12 points apiece for Seaman against Turner while sophomore Maggie Moulden had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Azayah Duncan scored 10 points for Topeka West against Shawnee Heights with three 3-pointers. Seaman beat Topeka West 60-26 earlier in the year.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Sophomore Kaden Ballard came up with a steal and the game-winning basket at the buzzer to give Centennial League-leading Washburn Rural a 46-44 road victory at Junction City Tuesday night.
Sophomore Kaden Ballard (right) scored the game-winning basket in Tuesday night's 46-44 Centennial League win over Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
With the win Washburn Rural moved to 12-4 overall and 5-1 in the league while Junction City dropped to 10-6, 4-2.
Washburn Rural led 35-32 at the end of the third quarter and 23-20 at the half.
Senior Wyatt Conklin led the Junior Blues with 11 points while senior Jack Bachelor added nine points.
The Junior Blues have now won five straight games.
WASHBURN RURAL GIRLS 46, JUNCTION CITY 28 -- Washburn Rural protected its two-game lead in the Centennial League race with a 46-28 win at Junction City Tuesday night.
The Junior Blues improved to 11-4 overall and 6-0 in the league race.
Washburn Rural led by only a point, 23-22, at haltime before outscoring the Blue Jays 23-6 in the second half.
Junior Lauren Sandstrom scored a game-high 22 points in Hayden's 44-32 Centennial League loss to Emporia Tuesday night. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
EMPORIA GIRLS 44, HAYDEN 32 -- Hayden was within six points (11-5) at the end of the opening quarter and eight points (25-17) at the half but Emporia opened up a 13-point cushion at the end of the third quarter on the way to a 44-32 Centennial League victory Tuesday at Hayden.
Emporia improved to 13-3 overall and 4-2 in the league with its third win of the season over the Wildcats while Hayden fell to 9-5 and 2-4, with the Spartans ending Hayden's five-game winning streak.
Junior Lauren Sandstrom led Hayden with a game-high 22 points.
Senior Joe Otting scored a game-high 12 points for Hayden in Tuesday's 39-38 Centennial League loss ot Emporia. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
EMPORIA BOYS 39, HAYDEN 38 -- Hayden was whistled for a foul with .3 on the clock and Cooper Rech hit one of two free throws to give Emporia the 39-28 Centennial League victory at Hayden.
Hayden (7-7, 2-4) led 21-16 at halftime and 30-26 at the start of the fourth quarter.
'By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TOPEKA WEST (5-10, 4-7) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (10-5, 8-3)
Shawnee Heights senior Emari Doby (13) is coming off an 18-point game in the T-Birds' 62-43 UKC win over Leavenworth. [File photo/TSN]
Both teams are coming off United Kansas League victories last Friday, with Topeka West taking a 58-28 win at Kansas City-Turner and Shawnee Heights posting a 62-43 home win over Leavenworth. Shawnee Heights, which took a 42-33 win at West earlier in the season, got 18 points from senior Emari Doby while senior Riley Showalter added 14 points with four 3-pointers. Topeka West has won two straight games and four out of its last six.
EMPORIA (12-3, 3-2) at HAYDEN (9-4, 2-3)
Hayden won its fifth straight game last Friday, taking a 57-41 Centennial League home decision over Manhattan, while Emporia is coming off a 45-39 overtime league loss at Washburn Rural. Junior Lauren Sandstrom scored 19 points to lead four Wildcats in double figures against Manhattan while Kaliya Fulton added 15 points, Brylee Meier 12 points and Norma Greco 11. Emporia will be playing Hayden for the third time this season, with the Spartans taking 52-27 and 43-34 wins in the first two games.
Senior Kiki Smith scored 22 points in Topeka High's 62-25 Centennial League romp past Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
MANHATTAN (6-9, 2-3) at TOPEKA HIGH (12-3, 3-2)
Topeka High is coming off a 62-25 Centennial League romp past Junction City while Manhattan dropped a 57-41 league decision at Hayden last Friday. Senior Kiki Smith scored 22 points to lead Topeka High against Junction City while junior Ladaysha Baird added 14 points. Topeka High took a 75-42 decision over Manhattan earlier in the season.
'By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TOPEKA WEST (12-3, 9-2) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (11-4, 8-3)
Senior Malachi Berg is coming off a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds in Topeka West's 85-56 UKC win over KC-Turner last Friday. [File photo/TSN]
Sophomore Jaret Sanchez led Shawnee Heights with 18 points in last Friday's 69-32 UKC win over Leavenworth. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka West and Shawnee Heights have both already clinched winning seasons and are looking to strengthen their Class 5A sub-state seedings. Topeka West is coming off an 85-56 United Kansas Conference win over Kansas City-Turner while Shawnee Heights rolled to a 69-32 home UKC win over Leavenworth last Friday. Sophomore Jaret Sanchez led Shawnee Heights with 18 points against Leavenworth while junior Brennon Dodge added 14 points and senior Q Stovall 13. Senior Malachi Berg had 17 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals against Turner while Xavier Alexander led the Chargers with 24 points and three 3-pointers, while Sincere Austin and Mason Jones had 11 points apiece. Topeka West took a 64-51 home win over the T-Birds early in the season.
Senior Joe Otting led Hayden with 14 points in last Friday's 51-48 Centennial League win over Manhattan. [File photo/TSN]
EMPORIA (10-5, 3-2) at HAYDEN (7-6, 2-3)
Hayden posted a 51-48 home Centennial League win over Manhattan last Friday while Emporia let a 14-point lead get away in a 50-42 league loss to Washburn Rural. Senior Joe Otting led Hayden with 14 points against Manhattan while senior Jake Muller added nine points. Emporia and Hayden will be squaring off for the third time this season, with the Spartans taking 57-53 and 59-52 wins in the first two meetings.
MANHATTAN (8-7, 2-3) at TOPEKA HIGH (3-12, 0-5)
Manhattan dropped a 51-48 Centennial League decision at Hayden last Friday while Topeka High is coming off a 52-46 loss to league co-leader Junction City. Manhattan beat Topeka High, 56-46, earlier in the season.
'By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
HAYDEN (7-7, 2-4) at WASHBURN RURAL (12-4, 5-1)
Sophomore Kaden Ballard (left) scored the game-winning basket at the buzzer in Tuesday night's 46-44 Centennial League win over Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden is coming off a heartbreaking 39-38 home Centennial League loss to Emporia on Tuesday while No. 10-ranked (Class 6A) Washburn Rural took over sole possession of the Centennial League lead with a 46-44 thriller at Junction City. Hayden was whistled for a foul at the .3 mark of the fourth quarter against Emporia and the Spartans hit a free throw for the game-winning point. Washburn Rural's game at Junction City also went down to the wire, with Junior Blue sophomore Kaden Ballard scoring at the buzzer to give Rural the win. Senior Joe Otting scored 12 points and freshman Ayden McGibboney 11 for Hayden against Emporia while seniors Wyatt Conklin and Jack Bachelor scored 11 and nine points, respectively, for the Junior Blues against Junction City. Rural took a 46-36 win over Hayden in an earlier game.
Senior Aron Davis scored 26 points in Seaman's 67-46 United Kansas Conference victory over KC-Turner on Tuesday. [File photo/TSN]
SEAMAN (8-7, 5-6) at TOPEKA WEST (12-4, 9-3)
Seaman moved back above .500 with a 67-46 United Kansas Conference win over Kansas City-Turner on Tuesday while No. 8-ranked (Class 5A) Topeka West is coming off a 67-48 league loss at Shawnee Heights. Senior Aron Davis scored 26 points for the Seaman in the Vikings' win over Turner while senior Malachi Berg scored 14 points and senior Sincere Austin 11 for Topeka West against Shawnee Heights. Topeka West took a 74-62 UKC win at Seaman in the first game between the Chargers and the Vikings this season.
ROSSVILLE (6-10, 2-4) at SILVER LAKE (4-12, 3-4)
Rossville and Silver Lake will both be looking to get back on track in Friday's Mid-East League rematch. Silver Lake was off Tuesday night after a 74-67 league loss to St. Mary's last Friday while Rossville is coming off a 64-45 non-league loss to Osage City. Freshman Jack Donovan scored 14 points with four 3-pointers for the Bulldawgs in the loss to Osage City. Rossville took a 50-43 Mid-East League win over the Eagles earlier this season.
