Hayden High School Wildcats
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Anna Becker
ANNA BECKER, Seaman
Becker, a senior guard, capped her banner four-year high school basketball career with a game-high 28 points in Saturday's 68-61 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas in the Class 5A girls state championship game. Becker, a Drake signee, hit 4-7 3-pointers and dished out five assists as the Vikings finished a 24-1 season. Becker had 49 points in the tournament.
Kailyn Hanni
KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake
Hanni, a junior guard, scored a game-high 19 points and hit 7 of 8 free throws in Saturday's 48-45 loss to Halstead in the Class 3A girls state championship game. Hanni's big game in the finals came after she scored 28 points (15 made free throws) with 6 assists and 4 rebounds in the Eagles' 65-58 semifinal victory over Hesston.
Dayne Johnson
DAYNE JOHNSON, Silver Lake
A junior, Johnson registered a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday's Class 3A boys third-place game, leading the Eagles to a 63-51 win over Galena. Johnson scored 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds on Friday as Silver Lake fell 66-60 to Goodland in the state semifinals.
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Centennial League boys basketball champion Washburn Rural, which went unbeaten in league play, dominated all-league balloting from the league coaches, sweeping all three of the individual awards.
Washburn Rural senior Amare Jones has been named the Centennial League boys basketball player of the year. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural junior Simon Rowley has been named the Centennial League boys newcomer of the year. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Rural senior Amare Jones was named the Centennial League player of the year while junior Simon Rowley was selected as the newcomer of the year and Junior Blues coach Alex Hutchins was tapped as the coach of the year.
Hayden senior James Kuta (right) has been named to the All-Centennial League boys first team. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Jones and Rowley were also named to the all-league first team, along with Hayden senior James Kuta.
Jones, Rowley and Kuta headlined a list of nine city players who received All-Centennial League recognition.
Earning second-team all-league honors were Washburn Rural senior Kaden Ballard and Topeka High junior Bryson McComas.
Hayden junior Connor Hanika and sophomore Mason Becker received all-league honorable mention along with senior King Leonard and junior John Hoytal of Washburn Rural.
ALL-CENTENNIAL LEAGUE BOYS BASKETBALL
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
SALINA -- The Hayden girls rebounded from a disappointing semifinal loss to Class 4A powerhouse Bishop Miege Friday, taking out their frustration on Buhler.
Hayden poses for a team picture Saturday after finishing third in the Class 4A state tournament in Salina. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
The Wildcats claimed the third-place trophy for the second year in a row – having done so in the 3A Classification a year ago – by defeating Buhler 57-23 at the Tony’s Pizza Event Center in Salina Saturday afternoon.
“The third-place game is a tough one to play in because you’re so disappointed from the night before,” Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson said, noting the tears shed in the locker room after the loss to Miege.
“Today, in the stands, watching the game before ours, we seemed really loose. And sometimes that can go either way,” Reynoldson said. “I really felt we were going to play well, but you never know.”
Reynoldson’s fears were allayed instantly. Hayden started on 16-2 run and led 19-4 at the end of the first period.
“Millie (Ramsey) got fed a couple of times with easy buckets and she hit a three, and it caused them to call an early timeout, and it just snowballed from there,” the Hayden coach said.
The Wildcats led 30-12 at the half, playing nearly everyone on the team in the first half.
“We all agreed that we didn’t get where we wanted to, but this was still our last game, and we needed to come out and play as hard as we can,” Ramsey said. “We know what we’re capable of and we know what we can.
“It felt really great to end on a win, I’m really glad we didn’t have to end with (the loss to Miege) because that was not it.”
Ramsey led the Wildcats with 20 points and eight rebounds. Norma Greco scored 11.
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
SALINA -- The Hayden girls basketball team pulled away from Clay Center Thursday in the first round of the Class 4A state tournament, 56-44, to advance to a semifinal date with Bishop Miege, winners of the last five 4A championships.
Hayden girls basketball coach Carvel Reynoldson talks to his Wildcats during Thursday's 56-44 Class 4A state tournament win over Clay Center. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
The Tigers gave Hayden all they could handle for the first two periods.
Senior post Raegann McDonald accounted for 12 of Clay Center’s 24 points prior to intermission. Hayden clung to a 26-24 lead at the break, prompting some defensive changes.
“They played a great first half,” Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson said of Clay Center. “They did a great job posting us up. So, we made an adjustment on how we were going to guard (McDonald). And I think it helped.
“Of course, it always helps to hit shots and we were able to find people under the basket.”
Making a big impact in the second half was Hayden freshman Hailey Schmidtlein, who scored 12 of her 16 points after halftime. She was disruptive on defense and got loose in the open court.
“She’s the heart and soul of our defense, and offensively she’s just a little bit different,” Reynoldson said of Schmidtlein. “She can break out in transition.”
“Honestly, I felt lots of nerves. But coach said, ‘Just go have fun out there.’ Our mindset is just to go out and play with everything you’ve got,” Schmidtlein said of her first exposure to state tournament basketball.
Senior Millie Ramsey (right) led Hayden with 17 points in Thursday's 56-44 Class 4A state tournament win over Clay Center. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Leading Hayden with 17 points was senior Millie Ramsey, followed by Schmidtlein’s 16. Seniors Brylee Meier and Norma Greco added 13 and 10, respectively.
Schmidtlein has been watching the Hayden Wildcats for years. Her sister, Riley, was a 2022 graduate. Hailey Schmidtlein understands the rich tradition of the Hayden program.
“It doesn’t feel real,” Schmidtlein said. “Like, it’s insane from watching my sister play and now I’m the one on the court. It’s just a crazy feeling.”
The freshman praised her older teammates, particularly the four seniors.
“They’ve not only been great leaders, but they’ve taught me how to be a leader,” Schmidtlein said. “They’ve shown me so much love and support, being a freshman starting with four seniors. They don’t treat me any different.”
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
SALINA -- The Hayden girls had a shot at knocking off five-time defending Class 4A champion Bishop Miege in the semifinal round Friday, but the Wildcats faded in the second half, losing 59-42.
Freshman Hailey Schmidtlein (2) scored 17 points in Hayden's 59-42 Class 4A state semifinal loss to Bishop Miege Friday night. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
The Wildcats will have a short night to recover. They face Buhler in the consolation game at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Tony’s Pizza Event Center in Salina. The Wildcats placed third at Class 3A state a year ago.
After falling into an early hole Friday, Hayden drew back to within four points in the second period. They trailed 23-17 at the half.
But in the second half, every time Hayden tried to narrow the gap, Miege had an answer.
“We started off in a 9-3 hole, and then at halftime I was feeling really good down six,” said Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson. “But it just seemed like every time we would make a play to cut (into the Miege lead), they would hit a big shot. Next play they hit threes, sometimes by people we didn’t expect to hit them. So that was frustrating.”
Hayden was hit immediately by a 7-0 Miege run out of halftime. They held on to trail by just 10, 41-31 at the end of the third period before running out of steam in the fourth.
“We knew we just couldn’t do the same thing the entire time because (Hayden is) just so talented and they have so many different weapons,” said Miege coach Mike Allen. “We felt like we had to mix up some press, maybe mix in a couple of zone looks and still do our base man. Mixing it up helped us to extend the lead.”
Producing a lot of the big plays in the second half was junior Mary Grant. Having put up five points in the first half, Grant exploded for 13 points in the third period and nine more in the fourth period. She hit all five of her 3-point attempts and all four of her foul shots, finishing with 27 points.
Senior Millie Ramsey scored 10 points in Hayden's 59-42 Class 4A state semifinal loss to Bishop Miege. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Senior Brylee Meier scored 10 points in Hayden's 59-42 Class 4A state semifinal loss to Bishop Miege. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Freshman Hailey Schmidtlein led the Wildcats with 17 points before fouling out late in the fourth period. Seniors Millie Ramsey and Brylee Meier each added 10 for Hayden.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park's boys basketball team has put together an amazing run of success over the past three seasons, advancing to the Class 5A state tournament all three years while posting a 65-8 overall record, including a 47-3 mark over the past two campaigns.
Highland Park boys basketball celebrates its Class 5A sub-state championship after Saturday's 53-35 win over Bashor-Linwood. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But there's a feeling of emptiness that remains for those closest to the Scot program after back-to-back heartbreaking semifinal losses to the eventual state champions the past two years.
Two years ago Highland Park led virtually the entire game against Andover before the Trojans pulled out a 55-54 win with a late 7-0 run. The drama continued last season when Kapaun Mt. Carmel outlasted the Scots in overtime, 67-64.
Highland Park bounced back both seasons for dominating wins in the third-place game, but that provided little consolation to the Scots.
And now the Scots' main focus -- really their only focus -- is on doing everything they can to wipe that bad taste out of their mouths with a state title run this week in Emporia's White Auditorium.
"I feel like the last three or so years we get down there and I'm not saying we were playing bad but I feel like we could have played a little better,'' Highland Park coach Mike Williams said. "So we are really, really focused on wanting to get to state and kind of show a little bit of the essence that we saw tonight.
"I like our prep, I like what we're doing going into it and we're looking forward to next week.''
Scot senior standout Ja'Corey Robinson agreed.
"We've got some fire under us,'' Robinson said. "We're trying to go out with a win. We're tired of getting third place. We're trying to finish it all out and win a state championship.''
Highland Park, which has had only three single-digit games all season, enters this year's state tournament as the top seed with a perfect 22-0 record and will face off with No. 8 Andover Central (14-8) at 2 p.m. Thursday in the opening game of the 5A boys event.
Highland Park made it back to the state tournament with a 53-35 romp past Basehor-Linwood in Saturday's sub-state final at Hi Park.
Senior Mikey Williams led the Scots with a game-high 18 points, including three 3-pointers, against the Bobcats, while Robinson added 15 points.
The Highland Park-Andover Central winner will advance to a 4 p.m. semifinal on Friday to face the first-round winner between No. 4 seed Shawnee Heights (19-3) and No. 5 Piper (19-3).
"We're just making it a point to come out every day in the state tournament with the same fire and the same juice and the same fire that we've had throughout this whole season so we can end up hoisting the state championship trophy,'' Mikey Williams said. "
The Shawnee Heights-Piper first-round contest at 4 p.m. Thursday is a rematch of last year's first-round game that saw Piper close with a 14-1 run to pull out a 72-71 win on the way to a runnerup state finish.
Heights and Piper will be playing for the third time this season, with the Pirates winning the first two games.
Shawnee Heights earned its second straight state berth under Ken Darting with a 49-42 sub-state win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday.
On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 seed and defending champion Kapaun Mt. Carmel (19-3) will play a 6 p.m. first-round game against No. 7 Topeka West (14-8) and No. 3 Andover (19-3) will face No. 6 Bonner Springs (18-4) at 8 o'clock, with the winners playing an 8 p.m. Friday semifinal.
Topeka West is making its first state tournament appearance under coach Christian Ulsaker after making it to state with an 81-54 home win over Valley Center in Saturday's sub-state final.
Here's a team-by-team glance at the other first-round games involving Shawnee County teams:
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It's been an outstanding 2024-2025 high school basketball season for Shawnee County teams, with 10 of 20 making it to state tournaments in five different classifications.
Now we wait to see how many of those teams can achieve the ultimate goal of a state championship on Saturday.
For what it's worth -- and it's not much -- here's my take on what we could see in all 14 of this week's state tournaments across the state.
If I didn't pick your team don't fret because it could bode well for you.
If I did pick the team/teams you root for, good luck.
By Saturday night we'll know, and win or lose, it promises to be a fun week. Enjoy!
CLASS 6A BOYS
Finalists -- Shawnee Mission Northwest (4: 19-3) vs. Wichita Heights (3: 20-2).
Champion -- Wichita Heights. I give Heights, the 6A runnerup the past two seasons, a very slight edge in what could be a repeat of the 2024 title game, won by Northwest to cap a 25-0 season.
Other contenders -- Shawnee Mission South is the top seed at 21-1, with its lone loss coming against SM Northwest, while Derby is also 21-1 and the No. 2 seed. Washburn Rural (6: 18-4) is certainly capable of knocking off Wichita Heights while Derby could get a big test from No. 7 Olathe North (16-6).
CLASS 6A GIRLS
Finalists -- Blue Valley North (3: 18-4) vs. Olathe South (4: 18-4).
Champion -- Blue Valley North. It's worth noting that although North has lost four times, but none of those four losses came against Kansas teams. The Mustangs finished third last season after winning the championship in 2023.
Other contenders -- It's been an up and down season for Washburn Rural (6: 16-6) but never count out a Kevin Bordewick team in postseason. The Hall of Fame coach has led Washburn Rural to three straight 6A championship games (title in 2022, runnerup in 2023 and 2024) and the Junior Blues have won a pair of championships since 2019. Derby is the top seed at 19-3 and the pre-tournament team to beat.
Highland Park standout Ja'Corey Robinson and the 22-0 Scots will be looking for a Class 5A state title this week after back-to-back third-place finishes. [File photo/TSN]
CLASS 5A BOYS
Finalists -- Highland Park (1: 22-0) vs. Kapaun Mt. Carmel (2: 19-3).
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Trevor Christy
TREVOR CHRISTY, Hayden
Christy, a senior, posted a third-place individual finish in last Thursday's Class 4A state bowling championships at Wichita's Bowlero Northrock, helping lead Hayden to its first-ever state bowling team title. Christy finished third with a 698 series, bowling games of 244, 239 and 215 as the Wildcats won the team championship by 95 pins (3,666-3,571) over Mulvane.
Jalen Foy
JALEN FOY, Topeka West
A senior guard, Foy scored 40 points in two Class 5A sub-state victories on the week as Topeka West boys basketball advanced to the Class 5A state tournament. Foy scored 19 points with a pair of 3-pointers in a 69-63 overtime semifinal win over Bishop Carroll and had 21 points while hitting 8 of 10 free throws in Saturday's 81-54 home win over Valley Center in the sub-state championship game.
Emily Lee
EMILY LEE, Hayden
Lee, a senior bowler, earned her second straight Class 4A-1A state medal last Thursday at Wichita's Bowlero Northrock, bowling a 551 series to place fourth individually. A regional champion, Lee bowled games of 188, 203 and 160 as the Wildcats finished sixth as a team. Lee posted an 11th-place state finish as a junior in 2024.
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Hayden’s Lady Wildcats saw themselves in familiar position Saturday night, with their third straight sub-state state tournament berth on the line againt Baldwin.
Hayden's girls pose for a team picture after clinching a third straight state tournament berth with Saturday's 52-22 win over Baldwin. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN
The Wildcats would see the Lady Bulldogs put up a early fight by taking a early 6-5 lead and then getting within three at 15-12 early in the second quarter, but that would be all she wrote for the Bulldogs as Hayden would take off and outscore the bulldogs 37-10 the rest of the way on the way to a 52-22 rout.
The Wildcats would get a early three from senior Bella Reid.
“I was excited and I was glad it went in because all my friends and family were their watching me,'' Reid said. “This season has been a highlight of my basketball career, playing beside by my best friends has meant everything to me. This season has definitely been my favorite and I will be sad when it is over.”
The Wildcats, who have featured a starting lineup that features four seniors and a standout freshman in 5-foot-11 Hailey Schmidtlein, who would score 11 points for the Cats.
“It means a lot to go to state as a freshman,'' Schmidtlein said. "The way we played that game, was one play at a time. We really came out strong each quarter, and we really came out strong in the second half. I am so proud of us and I can’t wait to see what we can do at state.”
Senior Norma Greco on making it back to state: “I think that over the recent years we have had good teams and that our program has really taken a step up in the right direction.”
Senior Millie Ramsey scored 12 points in Saturday's 52-22 Hayden sub-state win over Baldwin. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Wildcats will miss a huge senior class next season and a big part of the four-member senior class will be the tandem of Brylee Meier and Millie Ramsey, with Meier being a four-year varsity member and Ramsey being a mid-season transfer a year ago. This will be Ramsey's third trip in a row to the state tournament, with her first trip coming during her time at Highland Park when she would lead her Scots to the 5A state tournament.
Meier and Ramsey would share scoring honors on a special night for the Cats as they would both score 12 points.
“We just came out with a lot of energy and the crowd was really good tonight,'' Meier said. "Everyone came ready to play and we were able to get the win. This program has improved a lot over the years. My teammates and I have all worked really hard to get where we are today. Us going to state for a third year in a row shows all of the blood, sweat and tears we all have put into this program.”
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Just a year ago the Wildcats were in Class 3A and entered the postseason 5-13.
What a difference a year makes and the Wildcats, led by first-year coach Dwayne Anthony entered the postseason in Class 4A with a 13-8 record and ranked No. 7 in the last Kansas Basketball Coaches Association poll.
Senior Jacob Deister (4) led Hayden with 15 points in Tuesday's 93-59 Class 4A sub-state win over Independence. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden would end up drawing the Bulldogs of Independence, who would enter the game with a 9-11 record and led by 5-foot-10 sophomore Javen Colbert. Javen's mom is from Topeka so he was able to play in front of a lot of friends and family and would score 14 points on the night.
"It was very special to be able to play in Topeka tonight because all my family is from here, and I am glad I was able to represent for them just wish the game would of gone a different way,'' Colbert said.
The Wildcats would get off to a 6-0 run to start the game and take off from there as they would stretch that into a 22-10 lead midway thru the first quarter and take a commanding 32-19 lead to end the first quarter.
The Wildcats would start the second quarter with a 12-0 run that would put them up 47-19 as the Wildcats would use their length and speed to go into halftime up 54-29.
The Wildcats would be led by senior Jacob Deister, who would have 13 of his game-high 15 points at halftime.
The Wildcats would roll from there and out-score the Dawgs 39-29 the rest of the game to take a 93-59 semifinal win.
Hayden would get double-digit nights from four athletes as Deister would lead the way with 15 points, followed by Mason Becker’s 14, Connor Hanika’s 13 and Cooper Zweisler with 11 points.
The Wildcats were hot from 3-point range all night as they would shoot 9-17 from outside the arc.
"We came out really hot and our press really got the momentum going for us,'' Hanika said. "We still have a few adjustments to make to get ready for Rock Creek, including watching lots of film before Friday.”
"I really applaud the boys' passion and attention to detail and our energy and effort,'' Anthony said. "We are really, really a strong team when they bring those things. Now we just need to get back to it and watch film on Rock Creek and get ready for Friday.
"I am blessed, I have a team full of leaders, not just Mason, Connor and Jacob, but the senior class alone, each and every one of them is solid individuals and it is the reason that these guys have experienced success so far.''
The Wildcats now turn their attention to the No. 2 team on the East side of sub-state in Rock Creek, which advanced with a 59-39 win over Tonganoxie.
The game will be Friday night at Rock Creek with a game time of 7p.m. The winner will punch their ticket to the Class 4A state tournament next week in Salina.
HAYDEN BOYS 93, INDEPENDENCE 59
Independence 19 10 7 23 — 59
Hayden 32 22 22 17 — 93
Independence (9-12) — Smith 5-12 2-4 15, Colbert 4-11 4-6 14, Lanning 2-7 2-2 7, Veile 1-2 3-6 5, Bunyard 2-3 0-0 4, Sprague 3-3 1-2 7, Small 2-2 0-0 6, Sanders 0-0 1-1 1. Totals 19-40 13-21 59.
Hayden (13-8) — Deister 7-12 0-0 15, Becker 5-8 1-2 14, Hanika 6-9 1-2 13, Mitchell 2-4 0-0 4, Kuta 2-3 0-2 4, Zweisler 4-7 1-1 11, Compton 3-6 2-2 10, Tourtillot 4-6 0-2 9, Banks 3-5 0-0 6, Heinen 2-4 1-1 5, Wolff 1-2 0-0 2, Power 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 39-67 6-12 93.
3-point goals — Indy 8 (Smith 3, Colbert 2, Small 2, Lanning) Hayden 9 (Becker 3, Zweisler 2, Compton 2, Tourtillot, Deister). Total Fouls — Indy 10, Hayden 18.
Highland Park girls roll to 59-11 5A sub-state win
No. 3 Class 5A East girls seed Highland Park opened its sub-state bid with a 59-11 home semifinal win over Meadowlark Conference rival Kansas City-Washington Tuesday night.
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
The Class 4A No. 2-ranked Hayden girls looked as good as advertised Wednesday night as they rolled to a 53-17 home sub-state semifinal win over the Blue Comets of Chanute.
Senior Millie Ramsey led Hayden with 17 points in Wednesday's 53-17 sub-state win over Chanute. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden senior Norma Greco scored 14 points with four 3-pointers in Wednesday's 53-17 sub-state win over Chanute. [File photo/TSN]
The Wildcats would open things up quickly with a 9-0 run to get the game started and then Chanute would counter and trail the cats 10-6 at the end of the first quarter.
But that would be all it wrote for the Comets as Hayden would wake up on offense and start to show why they are the top seed on the East side of the bracket as the Wildcats would out-score the Comets 36-9 the rest of the way including a 25-0 run that stretched midway through the first quarter all the way to the fourth quarter.
A big part of that help was 17 points from senior Amelia Ramsey, who was a perfect 8-8 from the field before she missed her last shot to finish 8-9 to lead all scorers.
Senior Norma Greco would be hot from deep for the Wildcats as she would go 5-6 from the field and 4-5 from 3-point range.
"Our plan was to really penetrate the gaps and try to swing it and get open looks or get the ball inside and let Millie go to work, and it definitely helps when there is multiple of us scoring and it’s not just from one place it makes us hard to beat,'' Greco said.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Parirings have been finalized for this week's sub-state high school basketball tournaments, with 12 city teams earning home court advantage for at least the semifinals of sub-state competition, which begins Tuesday and continues through Saturday.
Both Washburn Rural (Class 6A), Highland Park (5A) and Seaman (5A) teams, Shawnee Heights' boys (5A) and Hayden's girls (4A) could all stay at home through both rounds of sub-state competition.
Topeka High's girls (6A), Topeka West's boys (5A), Shawnee Heights' girls (5A) and Hayden's boys (4A) will be at home for at least the sub-state semifinals.
Both Silver Lake and Rossville teams and the Cair Paravel Latin boys have already posted first-round sub-state wins to advance to semifinals.
Silver Lake's girls and boys will compete in the Class 3A Hiawatha sub-state while Rossville and the CPLS boys will compete in the Class 2A Valley Heights sub-state.
Here's a look at sub-state tournaments involving Shawnee County teams:
Senior Kaden Ballard and the Washburn Rural boys will open their bid for a Class 6A state tournament berth with a home semifinal game against Wichita West Tuesday night. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
CLASS 6A BOYS
West sub-state No. 3 -- Centennial League champion Washburn Rural (16-4) is the No. 3 West seed and will host No. 14 Wichita West (4-16) a 6 p.m. Tuesday semifinal.
The Washburn Rural-Wichita West winner will advance to a Friday night 7 p.m. sub-state final to face the semifinal winner between No. 6 seed Junction City (13-7) and No. 11 Manhattan (6-14).
Senior standout Kate Hinck and the Washburn Rural girls are the No. 3 West seed for the Class 6A sub-state tournament. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
CLASS 6A GIRLS
West sub-state No. 3 -- Washburn Rural, second in 6A the past two years after winning the title in 2022, is the No. 3 West seed and will host No. 14 Lawrence Free State (3-17) in a 7 p.m. Wednesday semifinal.
The Washburn Rural-Free State winner will advance to a 5 p.m. Saturday sub-state championship game to face the semifinal winner between No. 6 seed Manhattan (13-7) and No. 11 Maize (5-15).
CLASS 6A GIRLS
West sub-state No. 2 --Topeka High, the No. 7 West seed at 13-7, will host No. 10 Wichita South (8-12) Wednesday for a 6 p.m. sub-state semifinal.
The winner of that game will advance to a 5 p.m. Saturday final to meet the winner of the semifinal between No. 2 seed Wichita Heights (17-3) and No. 15 Dodge City (1-19).
CLASS 5A GIRLS
East sub-state No. 2 -- Shawnee Heights is the No. 7 East seed at 13-7 and will host No. 10 Basehor-Linwood (10-10) in a 7 p.m. Tuesday semifinal. The T-Birds beat the Bobcats twice during the regular season in the United Kansas Conference.
The winner of that game will advance to a 7 p.m. Friday final to face the winner of the semifinal between No. 2 seed Piper (16-4) and No. 15 Kansas City-Harmon (6-14).
East sub-state No. 3 -- Highland Park (16-4) is the No. 3 East seed and will host No. 14 seed Kansas City-Washington (6-14) in a 7 p.m. semifinal on Tuesday. Hi Park owns a pair of Meadowlark Conference wins over the Wildcats this season.
The Highland Park-Washington winner will advance to a 7 p.m. Friday sub-state final to face the semifinal winner between No. 6 Aquinas (13-7) and No. 11 Pittsburg (10-10).
Undefeated Seaman begins defense of its Class 5A state title Tuesday against city rival Topeka West. [File photo/TSN]
West sub-state No. 2 --Defending Class 5A state champion Seaman is the No. 2 West seed with a perfect 20-0 record and will host city and United Kansas Conference rival Topeka West, the No. 15 West seed at 6-14, in a 7 p.m. Tuesday semifinal.
The Seaman-West winner will advance to Friday's 7 p.m. sub-state final to face the winner of the semifinal between No. 7 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (15-5) and No. 10 Valley Center (10-10).
CLASS 5A BOYS
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural, which won its sixth straight team championship, and Topeka High four-time diving champ Jaxon Cowdin headline the 2025 All-City boys swimming and diving team.
The 2025 All-City boys swimming and diving first team -- Front, from left: Palmer Heskett, Hayden; Castle Wallace, Washburn Rural; Evan Hoobler, Shawnee Heights; Truman Brede, Shawnee Heights; Dawson Blankenship, Topeka High; Kinser Barbosa, Seaman. Back, from left: Peyton Holmes, Seaman; Jeremiah Moylan, Seaman; Will Stewart, Topeka High; Andres Morao-Jaspe, Washburn Rural; Luke Lemke, Washburn Rural; Thomas Appuhn, Washburn Rural; Jaxon Cowdin, Topeka High. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The 2025 All-City boys swimming and diving second team -- Front, from left: Patrick Luke, Hayden; Dominic Delgado, Topeka High; Alex Lanterman, Washburn Rural; Kaden Collette, Topeka West; Joseph Jensen, Washburn Rural. Back, from left: Owen Lathrop-Allen, Topeka High; Miller Reid, Hayden; William Toland, Topeka High; Josh Hochard, Seaman; Sourish Sinha, Washburn Rural; Brody Clark, Topeka West. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The All-City team, based on performances in the city meet, includes a city-high four members of the Rural team that won its sixth straight city championship.
Earning first-team All-City honors for the Junior Blues are Thomas Appuhn, Luke Lemke, Andrew Morao-Jaspe and Castle Wallace.
Sophomore Morao-Jaspe won four gold medals in the city meet to pace Rural's title run.
Topeka High senior Jaxon Cowdin earned his fourth straight city one-meter diving title and his third straight Centennial League championship before finishing 11th in 6A.
The Trojans also put Dawson Blankenship and Will Stewart on the first team after finishing second as a team in the city meet.
Shawnee Heights is represented on the All-City team by repeat picks Truman Brede and Evan Hoobler while Kinser Barbosa, Peyton Holmes and Jeremiah Moylan earned first-team berths for Seaman and Hayden is represented by Palmer Heskett.
All-City capsules:
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
When the Hayden boys left the door open at the end of the fourth period Thursday night, Eudora took advantage, sending the meeting at Hayden into overtime. When Eudora returned the favor, the Wildcats stole the game 58-53 to close the regular season 12-8.
Hayden junior Connor Hanika put the Wildcats ahead in OT in Thursday's 58-53 win ovr Eudora. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Leading 53-52 in overtime, Eudora hoisted an ill-advised 3-pointer with 30 seconds remaining. Hayden senior Connor Hanika drove aggressively the full length of the floor, got to the rim, and converted an old-fashioned three-point play.
“I got the rebound and started pushing it up the floor,” Hanika said. “I had two (teammates) in the corner like we do on every transition, and I saw the defender playing to the right side of the box. I figured I could take him. I decided to go up and it fell for me, and I got the and-one.”
The Wildcats trapped a Eudora dribbler on the ensuing possession, forcing a turnover with 10 seconds left, effectively ending the game.
“It’s a game of possessions. Sometimes the possession works and sometimes it doesn’t,” said Hayden coach Dwayne Anthony. “I’m just thankful we were able to take advantage.”
Hanika sat much of the first period as the Wildcats started other seniors. He was held scoreless in the first two periods, but he notched 10 points after halftime, including the one to put Hayden over the top.
“It feels great,” Hanika said. “Seniors came out really phenomenal. They wanted a chance to prove themselves and they did. Going to (the playoffs) is going to be really fun. This is a great group of guys.”
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
A meeting of two of the top girls teams in the 4A classification went the way of the Hayden Wildcats Thursday. The Wildcats blew out Eudora 53-30 in the final regular season game, a match with plenty of postseason implications.
Millie Ramsey led Hayden with 17 points in Thursday's 53-30 Night win over Eudora. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The final rankings by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association had Hayden ranked second, one spot ahead of Eudora. The regular season clash at Hayden was important because five of the top six teams in 4A are in the East bracket, with Eudora tentatively seeded first prior to Thursday night.
“We will be seeded first now, because we’re both 18-2 and the tiebreaker is head-to-head,” said Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson. “I think this is going to give us a confidence boost because we haven’t played many 4A teams. So, to beat (Eudora) pretty good, that’s got to give us confidence moving forward.”
Hayden slowly pulled away from the visitors in the first half, sparked by 11 points from senior point guard Norma Greco.
An 8-0 run by the Cardinals in the third period re-invigorated their hopes. But with the Hayden lead shaved to just 34-28, the Wildcats clamped down. They ran off 11 unanswered points to finish the period leading 45-28. The Wildcats then milked the clock, outscoring Eudora 8-2 in the final quarter.
“We played really good help defense. Hailey Schmidtlein did a great job on their best player,” Reynoldson said. “The thing about Eudora is they are very well coached. They have great scouting reports, and they guard the scouting reports really well. I thought if we hit some shots, it would be a great night for us. But I knew it was going to be tough. I have a lot of respect for (Eudora).”
Senior Norma Greco scored 11 points in Hayden's 53-30 win over Eudora Thursday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Hayden senior Amelia Ramsey was held to five points in the first half. But she hit all five of her field goal attempts in the second to finish with 17. Greco and Schmidtlein added 11.
“We’re feeling great. It was emotional, being senior night,” Greco said. “We wanted this one bad, especially since we lost to them last year.”
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Tuesday was Round 2 between Hayden and Junction City's boys this season and, just like the first meeting, this game would go down to the wire.
Sophomore Mason Becker scored 21 points with five 3-pointers in Hayden's 75-63 win over Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
The Wildcats got a huge night from their sharp-shooting sophomore Mason Becker, who would score a game high 21 points on 6-12 shooting from the field with five 3-pointers as Hayden took control down the stretch for a 75-63 Centennial League win at the Bueltel Activity Center.
The Wildcats would be in a back and fourth game with 16 lead changes as they would trail the Blue Jays by one at the end of the first quarter and continue to trail by a point at halftime, 26-25.
Hayden would trail 28-25 early in the third quarter before going on a nine-point run to take the lead and never looked back, outscoring the Blue Jays 24-17 in the fourth quarter to take the 12-point win.
"We came into tonight knowing Junction City is a tough team,'' Becker said. "We got them last time at their place and knew they would give us everything they had, we had to just play tougher than them.
"Everybody that touched the ball tonight scored and we all played an amazing game.”
"This is a very big win,'' Hayden coach Dwayne Anthony said. "We played a very tough and scrappy Junction City team, well respected, and a power in Class 6A. So it is unbelievable, our guys have been working hard and they executed the game plan, and I am glad we got the win.”
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
The Class 4A No. 2-ranked Hayden girls hosted Junction City Tuesday night and this game would be all Hayden as the Wildcats would open with a 25-0 first quarter and take a 41-9 halftime lead.
Senior Brylee Meier scored a game-high 26 points as Hayden took a 76-23 Centennial League victory over Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
The Centennial League-champion Lady Wildcats would end up finishing off league play with a 76-23 win over the Blue Jays.
The Wildcats would get a career night from senior Brylee Meier as she would hit six 3-pointers on 10-15 shooting from the field and lead all scorers with 26 points.
"She hit her first couple and when she does that she is pretty deadly, and once I saw those first few go in I knew it was going to be a good night,” Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson said.
“I just kept getting open on the 3-point line, and my teammates would give me the ball whenever I was open,'' Meier said.
The Wildcats also got double figures from freshman Hailey Schmidtlein scoring 17 as 12 of the 14 girls to check into the game would crack the scoring column for the Wildcats.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Career days for Hayden seniors Emily Lee and Chase Blaser helped propel Hayden to a sweep of the girls and boys team titles in Monday's Class 4A-1A bowling regional at Gage Bowl.
Lee claimed the girls individual championship with a three-game series of 602 while leading the Wildcats to the team title by a 2,550-2,354 margin over Ottawa while Blaser finished second individually with a 684 series as Hayden won the boys team crown by a 3,369-3,156 margin over the Cyclones.
Hayden's boys bowling team celebrates a mark during the Baker format games in Monday's Class 4A-1A regional. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Wildcats will compete in the 4A-1A state tournament for the second straight season next Thursday at Bowlero Northrock in Wichita.
Lee, who finished 11th in the state meet as a junior, rolled games of 217, 204 and 181, shattering her previous career-best series.
Hayden senior Emily Lee shot a 602 series to take girls individual honors in Monday's Class 4A-1A bowling regional. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"This is my first 600,'' Lee said. "I think a 546 was my next highest scratch series. I think it really helped having a coach always there. Mr. (Ed) Lee (Hayden assistant) was always there and he would help me with all my pickups and all of that.''
Hayden also got a third-place individual finish from Ashley Lee, Emily's twin sister, with a 487 series while junior Jenna Henkensiefken placed fifth (429), junior Emily Peterson 11th (382), sophomore Maura Valdivia 14th (367) and senior Viola Geminiani 21st (321).
Hayden senior Chase Blaser shot a 684 series with a 279 in Monday's Class 4A-1A bowling regional. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Blaser opened his day with a 183 before improving to 222 in the second game and finishing his series with a personal-record 279.
Blaser, ninth in 4A-1A as a junior, rolled 11 strikes in his third game, with only a one-pin spare in the third frame preventing him from a perfect 300 game.
"I was a little bit upset about that one, but I could kind of see it coming,'' Blaser said. "(The last pin) toppled over a little uneasily a couple of frames beforehand and I made a little move and got them the rest of the way. That is my new personal high game.''
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Anna Becker
ANNA BECKER, Seaman
Becker, a senior guard, scored 25 points last Friday as top-ranked (Class 5A) Seaman, playing its first game in 10 days, rolled to a 61-32 home United Kansas Conference victory over Basehor-Linwood. Becker, a Drake signee, hit 10 of 12 shots from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers, and all three of her free throw attempts as the Vikings improved to 17-0 overall and 13-0 in the UKC.
Truman Brede
TRUMAN BREDE, Shawnee Heights
A senior swimming standout, Brede posted a city-best state performance in Saturday's Class 5A state championships, finishing fourth in the 100-yard backstroke in 56.15 seconds. A United Kansas Conference champion, Brede also posted a 14th-place 'B' final finish in the 200 freestyle.
Easton Broxterman
EASTON BROXTERMAN, Washburn Rural
A senior wrestling star, Broxterman claimed the 144-pound championship in Saturday's Class 6A West regional tournament, improving to 37-2 on the season. A two-time state champion and three-time state finalist, Broxterman went 4-0 on the day in Saturday's regional, posting pins in 35 seconds and 1 minute, 41 seconds and winning by 16-0 and 15-0 technical falls.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural, coming off a third-place team finish in last year's Class 6A state tournament, placed third Saturday in the Garden City 6A West regional, with the Junior Blues qualifying 10 wrestlers for Friday and Saturday's state meet at Overland Park.
Washburn Rural senior Easton Broxterman (top) will be aiming for his third straight Class 6A state wrestling championship this weekend in Overland Park. [File photo/TSN]
Rural, which scored 218.5 points to finish behind Manhattan and Garden City, was led by individual champions Landen Kocher-Munoz, Easton Broxterman and Kristan Marshall.
Washburn Rural senior Kristjan Marshall (top) enters this weekend's Class 6A state wrestling tournament as a defending state champion. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural junior Landen Kocher-Munoz is a two-time state finalist and a former Class 6A state champ. [File photo/TSN]
Broxterman, a 144-pound senior, will be shooting for his third straight 6A state title this weekend while Marshall, a 157-pound senior and 138-pound junior L. Kocher-Munoz will be looking for their second state championships.
Broxterman will take a 37-2 record into the state tournament while Marshall is currently 33-5 and L. Kocher-Munoz 30-3.
Rural sophomore 190-pounder Jadyn Baum, 31-7 on the season, also advanced to the regional championship match, finishing second.
The Junior Blues also got third-place finishes from junior Cooper Stivers (132) and sophomore Brodye Kocher-Munoz (150), fourth-place finishes from junior Ryder Harrison (120) and senior Walker Doyal (126), a fifth from freshman Kaiden Marshall (215) and a sixth from sophomore Gavin Homeyer (175).
Topeka High qualified four wrestlers for state, led by senior 165-pounder Nick Davis (38-5), who posted a fourth-place regional finish.
The Trojans got a fifth-place finish from sophomore Landon Snyder (175), a sixth from senior Cooper Martin (190) and an eighth-place finish from sophomore Jose Gomez (106).
Friday and Saturday's state meet will get under way at 9 a.m. at the AdventHealth Sports Park.
Hayden junior Jude Krentz won the 175-pound title in Saturday's Class 4A regional at Tonganoxie. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden's Krentz, Silver Lake's Clelland win 4A regional titles
Silver Lake sophomore Kayden Clelland and Hayden junior Jude Krentz won regional championships in Saturday's 4A tournament at Tonganoxie as Silver Lake posted a third-place team finish and Hayden finished sixth.
Krentz won the 175-pound championship while improving to 38-0 on the season while Clelland won the 165-pound title, improving to 32-11.
Silver Lake got runnerup finishes from junior Jayden Waterer (144) and senior Trent Rollenhagen (175), thirds from freshman Carter Spreer (215) and senior Trent Harris (157) and fourths from junior Garrett Holmes (132) and freshman Kendrick Vande Velde (285).
In addition to Krentz, Hayden got second-place finishes from sophomore Caleb Menke (157) senior Broderick Desch (190) and a third from senior Hunter Diederich (285).
The 4A state tournament will be held Friday and Saturday at the Tony's Pizza Events Center in Salina (9 a.m. starts both days).
