Highland Park Scots
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
THURSDAY'S GAME
(Kickoff at 7 p.m.)
MANHATTAN (4-2, 2-0 Centennial) vs. TOPEKA HIGH (1-5, 0-2 Centennial)
At Hummer Sports Park
Manhattan has won four straight games since an 0-2 start to the season while Topeka High is fighting a five-game losing streak. The Indians are coming off a 51-6 Centennial League win over Emporia while Topeka High dropped a 41-12 league decision to Junction City. Manhattan junior quarterback Mclain Aslin has completed 30 of 56 passes for 362 yards and six touchdowns and carried the ball 81 times for 576 yards and seven TDs. Senior Joseph Mortensen has carried the ball 32 times for 343 yards and six TDs.
FRIDAY'S GAMES
(Allkickoffs at 7 p.m.)
Jadyn Baum, Washburn Rural
JUNCTION CITY (2-4, 2-1 Centennial) at WASHBURN RURAL (3-3, 2-0 Centennial )
Junction City is coming off a 41-12 Centennial League victory over Topeka High last Friday while Washburn Rural dropped a 14-7 decision at Millard West, Neb. Senior Jadyn Baum is one of the state's premier running backs for the Junior Blues.
Nas Williams-Brown, Topeka West
BASEHOR-LINWOOD (4-2, 4-2 UKC) vs. TOPEKA WEST (1-5, 1-5 UKC)
At Hummer Sports Park
Basehor-Linwood posted a 42-20 United Kansas Conference decision over Lansing while Topeka West dropped a 57-0 UKC decision to Spring Hill. Junior Nas Williams-Brown is a top player for the Chargers.
DE SOTO (6-0, 6-0 UKC) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (1-5, 1-5 UKC)
Shawnee Heights, which is in the midst of a five-game losing streak, dropped a 59-28 United Kansas Conference decision to undefeated Spring Hill last Friday while De Soto remained unbeaten with a 45-6 UKC win over Turner. Shawnee Heights senior quarterback Kolby Kutscher has completed 82 of 142 passes for 1,269 yards and 14 touchdowns while sophomore Fletcher Terrell has caught 35 passes for 757 yards and 11 touchdowns. T-Bird senior Trone Purvis has carried the ball 107 times for 562 yards and eight touchdowns.
CHASE COUNTY (4-2, 2-1 8-Man I District 3) vs. CAIR PARAVEL LATIN (4-2, 2-1 8-Man I District 3)
At Seaman
Cair Paravel is coming off a tough 54-50 district road loss at Lyndon while Chase County blanked district foe Northern Heights, 46-0. Cair Paravel senior Cole Haubold has carried the ball 53 times for 596 yards and 14 touchdowns and leads the Lions with 58 tackles (39 solo) with 11 tackles for loss. Junior quarterback Chase Hastert has completed 25 of 49 passes for 512 yards and nine touchdowns and carried the ball 46 times for 411 yards and four TDs.
Jairus Todwong, Hayden
HAYDEN (2-4, 2-0 3A District 3) at SANTA FE TRAIL (4-2, 1-1 3A District 3)
Hayden posted its second straight Class 3A District 3 win last Friday, a 42-13 romp past Perry-Lecompton, while Santa Fe Trail is coming off a 48-6 district loss to Baldwin. Sophomore Jairus Todwong leads Hayden with 494 yards and four touchdowns on 55 carries while senior Mason Becker has carried the ball 32 times for 279 yards and four rushing TDs. Junior quarterback Ryker Tetuan has completed 49 of 100 passes for 435 yards and senior Logan Power has caught 24 passes for 258 yards.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Rossville, last season's Class 1A state runnerup, opened Distict 2 play Friday night with a 49-0 home romp past Wabaunsee.
Junior quarterback Landen Lewis ran for four touchdowns and threw for a TD as the Bulldawgs improved to 4-2 on the season.
Lewis ran for 17, 2, 9 and 9-yard TDs and hit Cale Horak for a 23-yard score while Cael Horgan opened Rossville's scoring with for a 1-yard TD and Gavin Sumner scored the final TD on a 1-yard plunge.
Austin Dohrman kicked five extra points and the Bulldawgs got a 2-point conversion on a pass from Cole Graves to Michael Cooney.
Rossville led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and 28-0 at the half before adding 21 points in the second half to complete the shutout.
The Bulldawgs will travel to Mission Valley on Friday to face the 1-5 Vikings, who are coming off a 48-6 district loss to St. Marys
Eagles remain unbeaten with 89-0 district rout
Silver Lake continued its dominant 2026 season Friday night, improved to 6-0 Friday with a 89-0 home Class 2A District 3 rout over Maranatha Academy.
The Eagles will travel to Holton Friday night for a Big East League game.
Holton is 1-5 after a 43-0 loss to Nemaha Central.
Lions drop 54-50 district thriller to Tigers
Cair Paravel Latin gave host Lyndon a battle down to the wire Friday, falling 54-50 in an Eight-Man I District 3 game.
The Lions, now 4-2, will host Chase County in a district matchup Friday at Seaman.
Chase County is coming off a 46-0 district victory over Northern Heights.
Vikings stretch winning streak to four games
Seaman posted its fourth straight United Kansas Conference victory Friday night, rolling to a 55-0 road rout over Leavenworth.
The Vikings, 4-2 overall and in the UKC, will face a tough test Friday, going on the road to face 6-0 Spring Hill.
The Broncos are coming off of a 57-0 win over Topeka West.
Scots get back on track with 26-6 road win
Highland Park picked up its second victory of the season Friday night, posting a 26-6 Meadowlark Conference win at Kansas City-Harmon.
Now 2-4 on the year, Highland Park will be back at Hummer Sports Park on Saturday to host KC-Schlagle in a 12 p.m. Meadowlark game.
The Stallions are 2-4 on the season after a 30-26 loss to Atchison.
T-Birds fall 59-28 at Piper
Shawnee Heights fell to 1-5 overall and in the United Kansas Conference Friday night, dropping a 59-28 decision at Piper.
The T-Birds will be back at home Friday, hosting 6-0 De Soto in a conference matchup.
The Wildcats are coming off a 45-6 UKC win over Turner.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's cross country team turned in a dominating performance in Saturday's city championships at Shawnee Heights, sweeping the top three individual places in both the girls and boys events while rolling to the team titles.
Sophomore Alyson Hinck (right) captured her first city girls cross country title for team-champion Washburn Rural on Saturday at Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural junior Duke Graf reacts as he crosses the finish line to win the city boys cross country title Saturday at Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I'm happy with it for sure,'' Rural coach Matt Swedlund said. "City is a good start to championship racing. You kind of get in the mindset and this is when you start talking about trophies and wanting to be our best in October, so this is a nice start to that process.''
Rural sophomore Alyson Hinck won the girls title in a five-kilometer time of 19 minutes, 32.7 seconds while junior Duke Graf took control early in the boys race on the way to a win in 16:42.6.
Rural sophomore Morgan Munson (19:35.8) and junior Reese Beardslee (19:47.3) finished second and third behind Hinck in the girls race, while freshman Kenadee Booher (21:14.7) was fifth and freshman Avery Kennedy (21:32.3) sixth to round out the Junior Blues' top five as Rural captured the team title by a 17-40 margin over Seaman.
Hinck earned her first city individual girls title after finishing second as a freshman. She ran with the top four runners for much of the race before pulling away down the stretch to win by 3.1 seconds over teammate Munson.
"I just wanted to stick with the people in front and not to go out too hard,'' said Hinck, also a state medalist in the 800 meters in track as a freshman. "I definitely locate where I need to start to kick.''
Hinck said a highlight of the day was Rural's one-two-three finish.
"That's so much fun,'' she said. "I'm so happy to run with my teammates and finish with them. It was a blast.''
Juniors Jaxson Adams (16:57.2) and Clayton Fink (17:05.8) posted second and third-place finishes behind Graf for the Junior Blues in the boys race while sophomore Julius Wood-Nichols (17:15.4) finished fifth and senior Bennett Wells (17:19.5) sixth to complete the top five scoring runners for Washburn Rural, which won the title by a 17-59 margin over Seaman.
Graf, who had finished third in the city meet as a sophomore before helping Rural win the Class 6A title, took the lead early in Saturday's race and ended up winning by nearly 15 seconds.
"I kind of had the mentality of either come with me or don't,'' Graf said of his strategy. "It seemed to work pretty well. I went out pretty hard the first mile and got a good gap and kind of just held.
"I fell off a little bit towards the end, but overall, first place, I'm pretty happy with it.''
Seaman's girls got a fourth-place individual finish from senior Brynn Spencer (20:07.8) while senior Kinley Robinson (21:46.9) placed seventh, freshman Brinley Cochran (21:57.2) eighth, freshman Morgan Ranson (22:22.6) 10th and senior Hannah Wempe (22:59.5) 11th.
Freshman Charlotte Richards (23:12.1) led third-place Shawnee Heights with a 12th-place finish while junior Emily Womack (23:14.2) paced fourth-place Topeka High with a 13th-place finish.
Sophomore Trindon Jones (17:10.7) paced the runnerup Seaman boys with a fourth-place finish while sophomore Weston Kennedy (17:23.6) finished seventh.
Hayden junior Nick Newkirk (17:43.3) finished 10th.
Washburn Rural, Topeka High and Hayden will compete in the Centennial League meet next Saturday at Kanza Park while Seaman, Shawnee Heights and Topeka West will run in the United Kansas Conference meet at De Soto on Thursday and Highland Park will compete in the Meadowlark Conference meet at Atchison on Thursday.
CITY CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
FRIDAY'S GAMES
(Allkickoffs at 7 p.m.)
Mason Becker, Hayden
PERRY-LECOMPTON (3-2, 1-1 3A District 3) at HAYDEN (1-4, 1-0 3A District 3)
Hayden picked up its first win of the season last Friday, opening Class 3A District 3 play with a 32-21 home win over Baldwin. Perry-Lecompton picked up a district win by forfeit over KC-Bishop Ward last Friday. Hayden senior Mason Becker scored 19 of the Wildcats 31 points against Baldwin and has rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns on 27 attempts on the season. Sophomore Jairus Todwong leads the Wildcats with 493 yards and four touchdowns on 54 carries. Junior quarterback Ryker Tetuan, who missed the Baldwin game with an injury, has completed 42 of 91 pass attempts for 376 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Landon Power has 18 catches for 174 yards.
Nas Williams-Brown, Topeka West
SPRING HILL (5-0, 5-0 UKC) at TOPEKA WEST (1-4, 1-4 UKC)
Topeka West dropped a 50-8 United Kansas Conference road decision at Leavenworth last Friday and faces another tough test this week against undefeated Spring Hill. Spring Hill stayed unbeaten last Friday with a 76-35 UKC win over Shawnee Heights. West junior Nas Williams-Brown has established himself as one of the top offensive threats in the conference.
WABAUNSEE (2-3, 0-0 1A District 2) at ROSSVILLE (3-2, 0-0 1A District 2)
Rossville is coming off a big 47-20 Big East League win at Royal Valley last Friday and opens Class 1A District 2 play this week. Bulldawg junior Landen Lewis had a hand in six touchdowns against Royal Valley, running for four TDs and passing for a pair of scores. Lewis has completed 65 of 93 passes on the season for 831 yards and nine touchdowns and has carried the ball 84 times for 572 yards and 12 TDs. Cael Horgan has 21 catches for 296 yards and a TD while Cale Horak has 13 catches for 255 yards and three TDs and Dalen Dick has 17 catches for 177 yards and two TDs. Wabaunsee is coming off an 18-14 loss to Jackson Heights.
CAIR PARAVEL (4-1, 1-0 8-Man I District 3) at LYNDON (2-2, 1-0 8-Man I District 3)
Cair Paravel Latin is off to a quick start in its return to the Eight-Man ranks, improving to 4-1 on the season and 1-0 in Eight-Man I District 3 with last week's 54-6 romp past Pleasanton. Lyndon is coming off a 56-14 rout over Northern Heights. Cair Paravel senior Cole Haubold has rushed for 453 yards and 11 touchdowns on 38 attempts while junior quarterback Chase Hastert has completed 18 of 32 passes for 353 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 318 yards and four TDs on 36 attempts. Haubold has been in on 42 tackles (25 solo) with eight tackles for loss.
JoJo Kingcannon, Highland Park
HIGHLAND PARK (1-4, 1-2 Meadowlark) at KC-HARMON (3-2, 1-1 Meadowlark)
Highland Park returns to Meadowlark Conference play Friday night and will be looking to bounce back after dropping a 52-0 non-league decision to Blue Valley Southwest last week. The Scots are led by senior quarterback JoJo Kingcannon, who has been forced to shoulder must of the offensive load after the loss of Shawnee County Top 22 running back G'Honi Montgomery in the second game of the season.
Cale Ketter, Seaman
SEAMAN (3-2, 3-2 UKC) at LEAVENWORTH (3-2, 3-2 UKC)
Seaman stretched its winning streak to three games last Friday with a 62-0 home United Kansas Conference romp past KC-Turner. Leavenworth is also coming off a win, taking a 50-8 UKC decision over Topeka West. Seaman senior quarterback Cale Ketter has completed 94 of 146 passes for 1,546 yards and 18 touchdowns while senior Coy Barta has 34 receptions for 747 yards and seven TDs. Junior Quentin Moravec has carried the ball 68 times for 521 yards and five TDs.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park football has fought through a series of setbacks over the first five games of the 2026 season, falling to 1-4 on the year after a 52-0 non-league loss to Blue Valley Southwest Friday night at Hummer Sports Park.
Highland Park's football team takes the field for Friday's Senior Night game against Blue Valley Southwest. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"Going into this year with all the seniors that we had on our roster from the start we had a lot of hopes, but everything you could think of that can hurt a season, at least the first half of the season, has happened to our team,'' Highland Park coach Jermaine Monroe said.
The Scots suffered a huge blow the second week of the season when they lost returning All-Shawnee County Top 22 pick G'Honi Montgomery for the season with a knee injury, and Highland Park's travails have continued since then.
‘’G'Honi is a huge loss,'' Monroe said. "We base the offense around G'Honi and then we're working from there, but now we have some young guys that need to step up. They are doing great things in practice and now we're calling their number and these are the guys that are going to be the future of the program and I'm looking forward to that.''
And with three straight Meadowlark Conference contests coming up, Monroe is confident his Scots can end the regular season with a bang.
"We knew playing against a team like this that's a real quality opponent is going to prepare us for our games when we get back to our league games, so we're looking forward to those,'' Monroe said.
Blue Valley Southwest entered Friday's game winless after wading through a brutal Eastern Kansas League schedule, but the T-Wolves came out firing on all cylinders, putting the game out of reach with a 32-point first quarter.
Southwest boosted its lead to a commanding 45-0 advantage at halftime and a running clock was used throughout the second half.
Highland Park will travel to Kansas City-Harmon for a Meadowlark Conference contest next Friday.
BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST 52, HIGHLAND PARK 0
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
(Allkickoffs at 7 p.m.)
FRIDAY'S GAMES
Jadyn Baum, Washburn Rural (26)
EMPORIA (2-2, 0-1 Centennial) at WASHBURN RURAL (2-2, 1-0 Centennial)
Washburn Rural opened Centennial League play with a 34-7 win over city rival Topeka High at Hummer Sports Park last Friday while Emporia dropped a 32-6 Centennial League game against Junction City. Washburn Rural senior star running back Jadyn Baum carried the ball 34 times for 180 yards and three touchdowns against the Trojans. Emporia sophomore quarterback Cael Claibourn has completed eight of 18 passes for 234 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 289 yards and five TDs on 26 attempts. Spartan senior Ben Collins has 414 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 75 attempts.
Jairus Todwong, Hayden
BALDWIN (3-1, 1-0 3A District 3) at HAYDEN (0-4, 0-0 3A District 3)
Hayden, which has advanced to the Class 3A state championship game three straight seasons, will open Class 3A District 3 competition Friday night. The Wildcats are coming off a 49-28 loss to St. Mary's South Side, Mo. last Friday while Baldwin opened district play with a 28-0 shutout victory over Perry-Lecompton. Hayden sophomore Jairus Todwong carried the ball 18 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns against St. Mary's while senior Logan Power had seven catches for 88 yards. Bulldawg senior quarterback Bryis Alford has completed 28 of 48 passes for 439 yards and four touchdowns and carried the ball 40 times for 345 yards and eight TDs.
Cale Ketter, Seaman
TURNER (0-4, 0-4) at SEAMAN (2-2, 2-2)
Seaman has won two straight games since an 0-2 start, including a 41-17 United Kansas Conference victory over Lansing last Friday, while Turner is still looking for its first win of the season after a 56-7 non-league loss to Leavenworth. Seaman senior quarterback Cale Ketter has completed 80 of 130 passes for 1,322 yards and 12 touchdowns while senior Coy Barta has caught 30 passes for 685 yards and five TDs. Junior running back Quentin Moravec has carried the ball 59 times for 418 yards and four TDs. Bryson Fehr has 50 tackles for the Vikings (30 solo), with six tackles for loss.
BV SOUTHWEST (0-4) vs. HIGHLAND PARK (1-3)
At Hummer Sports Park
Highland Park dropped a 12-6 Meadowlark Conference nailbiter on the road to Kansas City-Sumner Academy last Friday while Blue Valley Southwest remained winless with a 41-28 loss to traditional state power Bishop Miege. Senior JoJo Kingcannon has been the go-to guy for Highland Park, which lost senior star G'Honi Montgomery to a season-ending injury in the second game of the season. Blue Valley Southwest junior quarterback Michael Dunn has completed 64 of 129 passes for 824 yards.
Trone Purvis, Shawnee Heights
SPRING HILL (4-0, 4-0 UKC) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (1-3, 1-3 UKC)
Shawnee Heights will be looking to bounce back from a 58-40 United Kansas Conference road loss to Topeka West while Spring Hill remained unbeaten with a 24-0 conference win over Basehor-Linwood. T-Bird senior quarterback Kolby Kutscher has completed 46 of 85 passes for 760 yards and eight touchdowns while sophomore Fletcher Terrell has caught 17 passes for 366 yards and six TDs. Senior Trone Purvis has carried the ball 74 times for 413 yards and five touchdowns.
CAIR PARAVEL LATIN (3-1, 0-0 8-Man-I District 3) vs. PLEASANTON (2-2, 1-0 8-Man-I District 3)
At Veritas Christian, Lawrence
Cair Paravel surpassed is 2025 win total with a 54-8 romp past Rural Vista last Friday and will host Pleasanton in a Eight-Man Division I District 3 contest at Veritas Christian School in Lawrence. Pleasanton is coming off a 38-36 win over Northern Heights. Cair Paravel senior Cole Haubold has carried the ball 21 times for 331 yards and seven touchdowns while leading the Lions with 32 tackles (20 solo) and seven tackles for loss. Junior quarterback Chase Hastert has completed seven of 18 passes for 215 yards and four TDs and has 234 rushing yards and four TDs on 24 carries.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West's volleyball team bounced back from a pair of United Kansas Conference losses a night earlier to sweep Wednesday's USD 501 triangular at Highland Park, with the Chargers taking straight-set wins over the Scots and Topeka High.
West topped Highland Park 25-20, 25-18 in its first match of the night before taking a 25-15, 25-18 win over Topeka High while improving to 10-15 of the season and taking top honors in the 501 triangular for the second straight season.
Topeka West senior Sydney VanDyke spikes the ball in Wednesday's USD 501 volleyball triangular at Highland Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
West senior star Sydney VanDyke said the Chargers get even more fired up than usual when they get the opportunity to face their district rivals.
"I think so,'' VanDyke said. "It's a lot more competitive and we try our hardest against both teams to win. We all want to beat each other.''
Topeka West celebrates a point in Wednesday's USD 501 volleyball triangular at Highland Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And VanDyke was proud of how the Chargers bounced back from Tuesday's losses.
"I thought we played great,'' VanDyke said. "We definitely improved since yesterday and we came together more as a team today.
"I think we'll take these matches into next week and the following weeks to improve ourselves over the rest of the season.''
West coach Alyx Nash agreed with VanDyke that the 501 triangular is one the Chargers circle on their schedule.
"One thousand percent,'' Nash said. "And it's always tough coming in here because you've got a triangle of rivals and two good coaches on the other side of the net no matter if its Highland Park or Topeka High and the girls obviously have friendships so they're trying to rival each other and battle each other through the net.
"It's always a fun meet, but we always know we've got to prepare for it because at any point in time it can be anybody's game.''
Hi Park battled the Chargers to a five-point first-set loss before getting five kills and an ace from VanDyke in the second-set win.
West trailed Topeka High 2-0 and 3-2 early in the first set before rallying for 8-3 and 10-4 leads and rolling the rest of the way.
The Chargers never trailed in the second set after building 4-0 and 6-1 leads out of the gate.
Topeka High senior Campbell Dawson (20) goes up for a kill in Wednesday's USD 501 volleyball triangular at Highland Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Bridget Bargmann's Topeka High team bounced back from the West loss to take a 25-11, 25-18 win over Highland Park as senior Campbell Dawson was a force at the net for the Trojans.
Topeka High improved to 5-12 with the win while Isaach Johnson's Scots dipped to 10-13.
Match results
Topeka West def. Highland Park, 25-20, 25-18; Topeka West def. Topeka High, 25-15, 25-18; Topeka High def. Highland Park, 25-11, 25-18.
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Topeka West soccer team kept pace at the top of the state standings by taking care of business against city foe Highland Park Monday.
The Chargers improved to 8-1 on the season with a 9-1 blasting of the Scots at Hummer Sports Park.
Junior Makaly Martinez (11) registered a three-goal hat trick in Topeka West's 9-1 win over Highland Park Monday at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka West junior Makaly Martinez broke the ice just two minutes in with a shot past the Highland Park keeper. Martinez paced the onslaught with a three-goal hat trick.
Junior Valentin Del Real scored a pair of goals in Topeka West's 9-1 romp past Highland Park Monday at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Fellow junior Valentin Del Real notched two more goals for Topeka West. In all, six Chargers found the back of the net.
Topeka West trails only Kapaun Mt. Carmel in the Class 5A West Regional standings.
Junior Camilo Garcia was one of six players that scored a goal in Topeka West's 9-1 win over Highland Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Junior center midfielder Camilo Garcia said the chemistry of this Topeka West team has helped it become one of the best in Class 5A.
“Some of us have been playing together since we were younger, so there’s a lot of chemistry, and then you add in new players to keep building,” Garcia said. “It feels great working as a team, moving the ball, creating chances, and then you have to just put it in the back of the net like we did tonight.”
Junior Jose Rivera Carrillo (5) is congratulated by Highland Park junior teammate Ronaldo Mijares after scoring on a penalty kick in Monday's 9-1 loss to Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The only score permitted by the Chargers on Monday came as a result of a penalty kick. Junior Jose Rivera Carrillo crossed up the Topeka West keeper on the short shot for the Scots’ lone tally.
Topeka West coach Josh Kutter took advantage of the lopsided score to give experience to reserves.
“It’s really good as you get to this middle to latter part of the season and guys are starting to get banged up, you need players ready to go off the bench who can keep a high level of play,” Kutter said.
“Having some of those guys get experience at the game level, not just practicing with the varsity but playing that varsity game, that builds confidence in them so that we’re ready with that sub when needed.”
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake, Shawnee County's lone undefeated football team, improved to 4-0 with Friday's 61-14 road win at Oskaloosa.
Kipton Kruger, Silver Lake
Eagle sophomore quarterback Kipton Kruger completed 14 of 22 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns while junior Dominic Monhollon carried the ball five times for 48 yards and two TDs and senior Jett Ross caught five passes for 83 yards.
The Eagles jumped out to a 20-0 first-quarter lead and tacked on 27 points in the second quarter to take a 47-0 halftime cushion.
Silver Lake boosted its lead to 61-0 in the third quarter before Oskaloosa scored all of its 14 points in the fourth stanza.
The Eagles will host 0-4 West Franklin on Friday.
Cale Ketter, Seaman
Vikings post second straight rout
After an 0-2 start to the season, Seaman is back at .500 after a 41-17 United Kansas Conference road win at Lansing.
The Vikings have outscored their past two opponents by an 103-24 margin.
Seaman senior quarterback Cale Ketter completed 20 of 32 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns while senior Coy Barta seven passes for 142 yards and a touchdown and senior Josh Brown had five catches for 78 yards and a TD.
Junior Quentin Moravec carried the ball 12 times for 90 yards and a score while senior Grady Piper had 13 carries for 33 yards and three TDs.
Seaman led 13-3 at the end of the first quarter and led 20-3 at the half before outscoring the 1-3 Lions by a 21-14 margin in the second half.
Seaman will be back at home Friday, hosting UKC foe Turner (0-4) in the Vikings' Homecoming Contest.
Landen Lewis, Rossville
Dawgs roll to 43-7 win over Reno County
Junior quarterback Landen Lewis threw for three touchdowns and ran for a TD Friday night as Rossville improved to 2-2 with a 43-7 home win over Reno County Home School.
Lewis connected with Cale Horak for 30 and 53-yard touchdown passes and hit Kelton Lacock for an 8-yard TD while also running for a 6-yard score.
The Bulldawgs also got two TDs from Cael Horgan, who ran for 59 and 1-yard scores.
Julian Goj kicked five extra points while Michael Cooney added a 2-point conversion.
Rossville jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and scored 22 points in the second quarter to open up a 36-0 halftime time advantage before scoring its final TD in the third quarter.
The Bulldawgs will travel to 3-1 Royal Valley on Friday.
Lions improve to 3-1 with 54-6 rout
Cair Paravel Latin surpassed its 2025 victory total on Friday, improving to 3-1 with a 54-6 romp past Rural Vista at Seaman.
Back in the Eight-Man ranks after two seasons in 11-man football, the Lions are off and running this fall.
Cair Paravel will host 2-2 Pleasanton on Friday at Veritas Christian School in Lawrence.
Highland Park drops tight game at KC-Sumner
Highland Park came up on the short end of a low-scoring Meadowlark Conference game Friday night, with Kansas City-Sumner Academy taking a 12-6 home win.
Highland Park fell to 1-3 and 1-2 in the conference while the Sabres improved to 3-1.
The Scots will host 0-4 Blue Valley Southwest Friday at Hummer Sports Park.
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Hayden Wildcats outlasted a field full of ranked teams to win the Seaman Invitational volleyball tournament on Saturday, besting Lansing in the championship match.
Hayden's volleyball team poses for a team picture after winning Saturday's Seaman Invitational. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Hayden volleyball celebrates its Seaman Invitational championship Saturday. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Although the Wildcats fell to Class 4A rival Bishop Miege in pool play, they got by Seaman 25-22, 25-23 in their semifinal match. The Wildcats then took down the fifth-ranked team in Class 5A, Lansing, 25-20, 25-22 to take home the trophy.
“I’m so proud of them. Overall, they played so awesome,” said Hayden coach Corrinne McGreevy.” “This team plays so hard. They always have grit. Whenever they get faced with adversity, they stick together.”
The adversity McGreevy alluded to was the defeat at the hands of Bishop Miege, 25-17, 22-25, 25-13.
“They’re a fantastic team,” McGreevy said of the Stags. “It’s always a really good match between us. We competed well against them, especially in that second game. In the third game, I think we got a little bit in our own way, and sometimes that happens.
“I told the girls (after the loss to Miege) that you just gotta shake it. And they did. We take second, we come over here and win it. With sports, that’s the beauty of it.”
Mallory Tanking (11), Hayden's lone senior, helped lead the Wildcats to the championship in Saturday's Seaman Invitational. [Photo by Brent Maycock/TSN]
“This is so fun! I love playing with these girls,” Hayden’s lone senior, Mallory Tanking, said of winning the tournament. “We love each other and we play for each other, no matter what.”
The tournament featured Bishop Miege and Hayden, Class 4A’s first- and second-ranked teams; Garden City, the fifth-ranked team in 6A; and Bishop Carroll and Lansing, 5A’s fourth- and fifth-ranked teams.
“This tournament is awesome,” McGreevy said. “There are so many really, really good teams here and its really good volleyball all day. It just helps us prepare for sub-state and then hopefully on to state.”
Tanking is one of several Wildcats who return from the 2025 4A state runners-up. She said the Seaman Invitational proved the team has a high ceiling once again.
“I feel like this was really good experience for the postseason,” Tanking said. “This told us we can compete with anyone and we can come back from anything.”
Seaman surprised the field by emerging from its pool on top of Garden City, Lansing and Kansas City’s Maranatha Christian Academy. The Vikings lost a three-set fight with Maranatha but emerged ahead of the other 2-1 teams.
After falling to Hayden in the semifinal battle, Seaman lost to Bishop Miege, 25-18, 25-14 in the third-place match.
Seaman junior Lydia Dreher (left) sets the ball in Saturday's Seaman Invitational while freshman teammate Kamryn Carlson (13), an all-tournament pick, stands by. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
“I feel like we really battled today, and I think we made a lot of strides in the right direction,” said Seaman coach Tatiana Dowling. “Obviously, there is still plenty to work on, but that’s exactly where you want to be in this part of the season: battling, starting to put some things together, and understanding what you need to work on so that you can get better for future games.
“We battled some of the best teams in the state out there, and we’ve got two freshmen, three sophomores and a senior on the floor at one time. This should tell them that they can play with anybody.”
Junior Hailey Schmidtlein (right) was named to the Seaman Invitational all-tournament team after helping lead the Wildcats to the tournament championship. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Hayden and Seaman each placed a player on the All-Tournament Team. Representing Hayden was junior Hailey Schmidtlein. For Seaman, freshman Kamryn Carlson won tournament honors.
SEAMAN INVITATIONAL
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
(Allkickoffs at 7 p.m.)
THURSDAY'S GAME
Fletcher Terrell, Shawnee Heights [File photo/TSN]
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (1-2, 1-2) vs. TOPEKA WEST (0-3, 0-3)
At Hummer Sports Park
Shawnee Heights is coming off a 62-7 United Kansas Conference road loss at Seaman last Friday while Topeka West dropped a 42-14 UKC decision at Lansing. Shawnee Heights senior quarterback Kolby Kutscher has completed 39 of 68 passes for 673 yards and six touchdowns while sophomore Fletcher Terrell has caught 15 passes for 537 yards and five TDs. Senior Trone Purvis has carried the ball 45 times for 229 yards and two TDs. Junior Malachi Lee leads the T-Birds with 27 tackles (20 solo). Topeka West junior quarterback Josiah Wilkie has completed 33 of 63 passes for 372 yards and two TDs. Junior Nas Williams-Brown has rushed for 269 yards and two TDs on 25 carries while senior Micah Emerson has 11 catches for 197 yards and three TDs. Sophomore Payson Skelton leads the Chargers with 22 tackles.
FRIDAY'S GAMES
Jadyn Baum, Washburn Rural [Photo by Doug Walker/TSN]
TOPEKA HIGH (1-2, 0-0) vs. WASHBURN RURAL (1-2, 0-0)
At Hummer Sports Park
The Trojans and Junior Blues will square off Friday in the Centennial League opener for both schools. Both the Trojans and Junior Blues will be looking to bounce back from losses, with Topeka High dropping a 46-19 road decision at Wichita Southeast and Washburn Rural falling at home to undefeated Wichita Bishop Carroll, 34-23. The Junior Blues were within five points in the fourth quarter despite losing both of their senior quarterbacks, Gavin Vantuyl and Gabriel Taylor, to injuries. Rural star senior running back Jadyn Baum finished the night with 208 rushing yards and 74 and 70-yard TDs on 23 carries. Senior Courtney Sanders is a top player for Topeka High.
ST. MARY'S SOUTH SIDE, Mo. (2-2) at HAYDEN (0-3)
After three straight games on the road, Hayden wil play its home-opener against its second straight out-of-state opponent. At halftime Hayden will officially re-name its stadium Tom Stringer Family Stadium in honor of the Wildcats' legendary football coach, who passed away in 2025. Hayden is coming off a 57-12 loss at Missouri power St. Pius X, 4-0 on the season. South Side, located in St. Louis, is coming off a 42-7 loss to undefeated Jackson, Mo.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake continued its red-hot start to the 2026 season Friday night, improving to 3-0 with a 55-21 home Big East League romp past previously-unbeaten Jefferson West.
Silver Lake sophomore quarterback Kipton Kruger (8) threw for 364 yards and five TDs in Friday's 55-21 romp past Jefferson West. [File photo/TSN]
Jeff West, now 2-1, led 14-7 at the end of the first quarter, but the rest of the night belonged to Silver Lake, which outscored the Tigers 48-7 over the final three quarters.
Silver Lake outscored Jeff West 14-0 in the second quarter to take a 21-14 halftime advantage and then broke the game open with two unanswered TDs in the third quarter and outscored the Tigers 20-7 in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore quarterback Kipton Kruger completed 22 of 34 passes for 364 yards and five touchdowns for Silver Lake, which improved to 3-0 in the Big East League race.
Eagle senior Owen Rottinghaus had seven catches for 121 yards and three TDs.
Senior JoJo Kingcannon (3) rushed for 345 yards Friday night, leading Highland Park to a 50-34 Meadowlark Conference win over Atchison. [File photo/TSN]
Kingcannon powers Scots to first win
Senior quarterback JoJo Kingcannon rushed for 345 yards on 29 carries Friday night, leading Highland Park to a 50-34 Meadowlark Conference victory over Atchison as the Scots improved to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the conference.
Kingcannon also passed for 31 yards while Highland Park got 146 rushing yards on 13 carries from Rashon Pollard.
Highland Park will travel to Kansas City-Sumner Academy for a Meadowlark matchup next Friday.
Dawgs fall to Falcons in 20-15 thriller
Rossville took a 15-14 lead over Big East League foe Riley County with 7:05 remaining in Friday's home game before the Falcons scored the game-winning touchdown with 4:09 left to take the 20-15 win.
After a scoreless first quarter Riley County took a 7-0 lead with 7:58 left before halftime.
The Bulldawgs cut their halftime deficit to 7-3 on a 27-yard Julian Goj field goal with 1:14 left before the break.
The score remained that way until the two teams combined for 25 points in the fourth quarter.
Rossville took a brief 9-7 advantage with 10:03 remaining on a 13-yard run from senior Cael Horgan (kick failed), but Riley County answered 1:21 later on a 35-yard run to go up 14-9.
The Bulldawgs took the 15-14 lead on a 49-yard pass from junior Landen Lewis to Horgan (2-point conversion failed), before Riley County scored the game-winning TD.
Rossville, now 1-2, will be back at home Friday to host 2-1 Reno County Home School, which is coming off a 35-34 win over Hugoton.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka High had to fight through a considerable amount of frustration in Monday's Highland Park volleyball triangular, but the Trojans ended the night on a high note, picking up their first win of the 2026 season.
Topeka High celebrates a service ace from senior volleyball standout Campbell Dawson (20) during Monday's triangular at Highland Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
High dropped a 25-19, 25-10 decision to Centennial League rival Junction City in its first match before bouncing back to take a 25-23, 25-15 win over USD 501 rival Highland Park.
"I'm proud of them, they finally bounced back,'' Topeka High coach Bridget Bargmann said. "We're young. We only have a couple of returners, so other than that, we have an all new team.
"It's a brand new group of girls, so there's growing pains, but that's part of coaching. There's bright spots and then there's not so bright spots, positives and not so positives.''
Topeka High junior Sophia Brown (3) celebrates a service ace Tuesday at Highland Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Trojans, now 1-6, got things off to a rousing start, getting a couple of early service aces from junior Sophia Brown and a kill from sophomore Simone Holloway to open up an 8-1 lead, but Junction City quickly turned the tables en route to the six-point first-set win.
The Blue Jays then went wire to wire for the sweep in the second set after opening up an 8-0 advantage and scoring the final four points to close out the 25-10 win and cap a 2-0 night.
Highland Park, which dropped a 25-11, 25-15 to Junction City in its opening match, took the first set against Topeka High down to the wire and led as late as 23-22 after strong serving from senior Evelyn Cortez before the Trojans scored the final three points, including two aces from junior Masyn Chard.
Topeka High junior Alaina Ramirez sets the ball during Tuesday's volleyball triangular at Highland Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Trojans never trailed in the second set, opening up a 9-4 lead on a Holloway kill and going up 17-9 after a pair of service aces from junior Aliana Ramirez and a kill from Brown.
Topeka High senior Campbell Dawson goes up for a spike in Monday's win over Highland Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka High went on to close out the 10-point win while getting a dominating hitting performance from senior Campbell Dawson.
Match results
Junction City def. Highland Park, 25-11, 25-15; Junction City def. Topeka High, 25-19, 25-10; Topeka High def. Highland Park, 25-23, 25-15.
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
Seaman hosted United Kansas Conference foe Basehor-Linwood in its home opener Friday night, and after keeping the game close throughout most of the first half, the Bobcats pulled away in the second half for a dominant 55-20 victory.
Seaman junior Quentin Moravec rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown in Friday's 55-20 UKC loss to Basehor-Linwood. [File photo/TSN]
Basehor-Linwood, ranked No. 5 this week in the Class 5A KFBCA poll, received the opening kickoff and scored a touchdown on an eight-play drive as senior running back Peter Rodriguez bulldozed his way into the end zone on a 13 yard run, giving the Bobcats a 7-0 lead.
Seaman’s first possession was promising as the Vikings were able to move the ball down the field.
Junior running back Quentin Moravec broke loose on a 54-yard run, taking the ball inside the 5-yard-line, but there was a penalty on the play for a block in the back. The drive stalled and eventually the Vikings turned the ball over on downs, giving the Bobcats the ball near midfield.
Basehor-Linwood took advantage of the good field position and senior place kicker Colin Zimbleman kicked a 26-yard field goal to give the Bobcats a 10-0 lead late in the first quarter.
The Vikings continued to drive the ball down the field on the Bobcats and finally were able to put points on the board as Moravec scored on a 37-yard run down the sideline, cutting the Basehor lead to 10-7.
However, Basehor-Linwood responded with a five minute drive that culminated in the second touchdown of the night for Rodriguez, giving the Bobcats a 17-7 lead.
Seaman had a time consuming drive of its own and was able to get inside the Bobcat 10-yard-line with under 15 seconds left in the first half.
On the ensuing first-down play, senior quarterback Cale Ketter attempted a pass to the end zone, but Bobcat senior Lex Stanion stepped in front of the pass, intercepted it and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the half.
Zimbleman’s extra point was good and Basehor-Linwood took a commanding 24-7 lead into halftime.
The second half began with Seaman scoring a touchdown in the first 90 seconds on a 51-yard pass from Ketter to fellow senior wide receiver Josh Brown. Junior place kicker Oscar Serrano made the extra point, cutting the Bobcat lead to 24-14.
Basehor-Linwood continued to move the ball with relative ease, but the drive stalled and the Bobcats had to settle for another field goal. Zimbleman connected on a 38-yard field goal, making the score 27-14.
Following an interception by Ketter, the Bobcats scored another touchdown, as Rodriguez punched it in from a yard out, extending the lead to 34-14.
Rodriguez capped off his tremendous night with his fourth touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter, giving the Bobcats a 41-14 lead. The Bobcat running back, who started due to an injury to original starter Gavin Mitchell, finished the night with 35 carries for 262 yards.
Seaman concluded their scoring on a weaving, 45-yard touchdown catch by senior wide receiver Jack Becker from Ketter, making the score 41-20 with eight minutes remaining in the game.
Basehor-Linwood finished the scoring with a touchdown run from junior running back Thomas Schubert and a 91-yard interception return by junior defensive back Clay Weber, giving the Bobcats the 55-20 victory.
Seaman (0-2, 0-2) was led by Moravec with 112 yards rushing and a touchdown while Ketter threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns.
The Vikings will host Shawnee Heights (1-1, 1-1), who were defeated by Leavenworth 37-29 in overtime, next Friday at 7:00.
BASEHOR-LINWOOD 55, SEAMAN 20
Basehor-Linwood (2-0, 2-0) 10 14 10 21 - 55
Seaman (0-2, 0-2) 0 7 7 6 - 20
Basehor-Linwood -- Rodriguez 13 run (Zimbleman kick)
Basehor-Linwood -- Zimbleman 26 yard FG
Seaman -- Moravec 37 run (Zimbleman kick)
Basehor-Linwood -- Rodriguez 2 run (Zimbleman kick)
Basehor-Linwood -- Stanion 100 interception return (Zimbleman kick)
Seaman -- Brown 51 pass from Ketter (Serrano kick)
Basehor-Linwood -- Zimbelman 38 yard FG
Basehor-Linwood -- Rodriguez 1 run (Zimbleman kick)
Basehor-Linwood -- Rodriguez 3 run (Zimbleman kick)
Seaman -- Becker 45 pass from Ketter (kick failed)
Basehor-Linwood -- Schubert 1 run (Zimbleman kick)
Basehor-Linwood -- Seber 91 interception return (Zimbleman kick)
Individual statistics
Rushing -- Basehor-Linwood: Rodriguez 35-262, Schubert 7-31, Parr 2-20, Richmond 5-15, Forshey 2-0. Seaman: Moravec 17-112, Piper 6-49, Ketter 1-12.
Passing -- Basehor-Linwood: Forshey 5-9-0, 39 yards; Richmond 2-3-0, 36. Seaman: Ketter 15-29-4, 206.
Receiving -- Basehor-Linwood: Duckworth 2-37, Parr 3-34, Essary 2-4. Seaman: Becker 5-79, Brown 3-75, Barta 4-39, Stallbaumer 1-16, Moravec 2-(minus)-3.
Punting -- Seaman: Cheney 2-44.5, Dunback 1-65.0.
Cair Paravel improves to 2-0 with 60-14 romp
Cair Paravel Latin improved to 2-0 Friday night with a 60-14 victory over 0-2 Stanton County at Yager Stadium, with the Lions equaling their win total from last season.
The Lions have now out-scored their opposition 106-14 over their first two games while giving new head coach Randall Bond wins in his first two games.
Cair Paravel will travel to Troy next Friday.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Cair Paravel Latin volleyball gets very few opportunities to square off against any of its fellow Topeka schools.
And when the Lions got that chance Thursday night they took full advantage, sweeping Topeka West and Highland Park at West.
Cair Paravel Latin volleyball celebrates its 33-31 first-set victory over Topeka West, the start of a sweep over West and Highland Park Thursday night at West. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Lions, now 3-3 on the season, opened their night with a 33-31, 25-23 win over triangular host Topeka West before completing the sweep with a 25-9, 25-17 win over Highland Park.
Cair Paravel coach Craig Congdon said the Lions get fired up for the rare chance to face a city rival.
"This is the only night on the season we do,'' Congdon said. "Our league is all small schools that are all 35 (minutes) to an hour around Topeka, so this is the only time all season we get to play any of the city teams. We've been in this T-West tri and quad for years and it's fun, so we love getting to play T-West and Hi Park.
"It's a chance to stay in town to have fans and friends who usually don't get to travel. It's really neat.''
Cair Paravel junior standout London Backman agreed.
"Both excitement and nerves come in, but I think excitement always overrules it whenever we play,'' Backman said. "Honestly, it was really amazing. I could not have done it without any of the other girls. They really have the energy and they bring it every single day.
"We have all our seniors that are always doing something to encourage one another and we also couldn't have done it without God. He always gives us the strength to push through each and every set, especially the one that we went to like 33.''
Cair Paravel volleyball celebrates a service ace during Thursday's Topeka West triangular. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The first set of the CPLS-West match was a marathon, with numerous ties and lead changes. Both the Lions and Chargers had multiple match points before Cair Paravel scored the final three points to take the 33-31 win.
Cair Paravel jumped out to 15-5 and 19-9 leads in the second set but Topeka West battled back to take 20-19 and 21-20 leads before the Lions rallied to close out the match with a 25-23 victory.
"That Topeka West match was one of the craziest I've ever coached,'' Congdon said. "For the first set to go 33-31 and for it to be tight for both teams to have multiple game-point chances and the other team to just fight back that was incredible.
"Then in the second set we were dominating them and then the middle of the game they dominated us and they were up, 21-20. I thought there's no way our girls come back from being so far up and then down, but it shows the heart and courage our girls have.''
The Lions dominated their first set against Highland Park, jumping out to a 21-8 and allowing just one point the rest of the set on the way to the 16-point win.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
When Highland Park football coach Jermaine Monroe was approached with the possibility of renewing the Scots' rivalry with fellow USD 501 school Topeka High this season it was one of the easiest decisions he'll ever make.
"There were four different schools that were possibilities and when it was presented to me at the time and I saw the first name was Topeka High, I said, 'It's got to be that,' '' Monroe said. "I don't even remember who the other three schools were, but it's something that we always have to play each other.
"I do believe the leagues that we're in are fit for us, but we have to always play each other.''
Topeka High coach Jason Filbeck is also excited for the renewal of the rivalry, which will open the 2026 season at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Hummer Sports Park.
"I'm not from here, but I know what it means,'' Filbeck said. "Everywhere I've been there's been a crosstown rival and I think the kids are very excited to play them. Some of them are their friends from middle school because of the way Topeka is built, so the kids are pumped up.''
Highland Park returns a strong nucleus of players from last year's team that went 5-1 on the field, with G'Honi Montgomery and JoJo Kingcannon headlining a 19-member senior class
The Scots return 10 three-year starters and two four-year starters.
G'Honi Montgomery returns for his senior season at Highland Park after earning All-Shawnee County Top 22 honors last season. [File photo/TSN]
A 5-foot-10, 180-pound running back, Montgomery earned All-Shawnee County and All-Meadowlark Conference first-team honors last fall.
Montgomery carried the ball 69 times for 704 yards (10.2 yards per carry) as a junior, caught 10 passes for 128 yards and scored 12 total touchdowns while compiling 1,268 all-purpose yards.
Senior JoJo Kingcannon will take over as Highland Park's starting quarterback this fall after starring in a variety of roles as a junior. [File photo/TSN]
Kingcannon, a 6-foot, 190-pound quarterback/defensive back, played receiver, running back and quarterback as a junior, scoring from all three positions, and will be the Scots' starting quarterback this fall.
Kingcannon received All-Shawnee County honorable mention for the Scots in 2025, catching 10 passes for 338 yards and rushing for 408 yards on 32 attempts.
Seniors Tayseaun Rouser, Tavion Johnson and Shawnee Heights transfer Zyhir Foster will be counted on to anchor Highland Park's offensive line while Jaiden Smith, Ka'Sioun Drew and Lorenzo Sullivan-Sowell are top receivers.
Defensively, senior Rayshon Pollard is a four-year starter in the defensive backfield and is joined by veterans Drew, Montgomery and Kingcannon.
A three-time all-league honoree, Pollard was in on 22 tackles last season with three sacks and two interceptions.
Topeka High's Courtney Sanders, a senior wide receiver, was a second-team All-Centennial League selection for the second straight season and received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last fall for the Trojans.
Senior Courtney Sanders is a top returner for Topeka High, earning second-team All-Centennial League recognition the past two seasons. [File photo/TSN]
A junior running back, Ricardo Dowd was a second-team All-Centennial League selection last season as a sophomore while also receiving All-Shawnee County honorable mention.
Trey Lutz, a senior defensive lineman, received All-Shawnee County honorable mention for the second straight season and also received All-Centennial League honorable mention last season.
Other top returners for Topeka High include seniors Isaac Roman-Chavez, Art Jones and Devin Ponte and juniors Jones Erby and Marion Collins.
Senior Asher Filbeck, the coach's son, and sophomore Kadyn Lucas have been battling it out in preseason for the starting quarterback spot after the graduation of Zane Smith.
FRIDAY'S GAMES
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
There's always a certain amount of excitement surrounding a season-opener.
And the fact that Topeka High football got to kick off 2026 against USD 501 rival Highland Park, renewing a long-standing rivalry after an absence of several seasons, made Thursday night even more special for the Trojans.
Senior Courtney Sanders scored three touchdowns Thursday night to power Topeka High to a 33-6 season-opening win over Highland Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
And High took full advantage of its opportunity, opening up a 26-0 halftime lead on the way to a 33-6 win over the Scots at Hummer Sports Park.
"We had alumni coming out here and everybody else coming out to support us on both sides,'' said High senior standout Courtney Sanders, who scored three touchdowns on a run, a pass reception and a punt return to power the Trojans. "A 501 school, a rivalry game, I had to show out, I had to.''
Topeka High senior lineman Devin Ponte agreed that it was a special night for the Trojans.
"With all the talk leading up to it I was just excited to show that we were truly the better team tonight,'' Ponte said.
Junior Marion Collins scored Topeka High's first touchdown in Thursday's 33-6 season-opening win over Highland Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High recovered a fumble on Highland Park's first play from scrimmage and went ahead to stay at the 9:38 mark of the opening quarter on a 6-yard run from junior Marion Collins (kick failed).
High coach Jason Filbeck credited the Trojan defense for setting the tone for the night.
"Our defense does that and they did it last year, too,'' Filbeck said. "They get us good field position and give us opportunities, so credit to the defense.''
The rest of the half belonged to Sanders, who made the score 13-0 on an 18-yard TD pass from senior quarterback Asher Filbeck (Saamir Triplett kick) with 3:42 left in the opening half.
Sanders scored on a 40-yard run with two minutes left in the half (kick failed) and turned in the most exciting play of the night when he returned a 60-yard punt from Highland Park's JoJo Kingcannon 94 yards for a touchdown with 1:11 remaining (Triplett kick) to give the Trojans their 26-0 halftime advantage.
"He (JoJo Kingcannon) had a good punt right there and it just went over my head, but I went and go it,'' Sanders said. "It was too close to the end zone and I didn't want to put my team in that particular situation so I had to at least get some yards.
"I didn't know I was going to get the touchdown, but it was open and I cashed it in.''
"He's electric,'' Jason Filbeck said of Sanders. "If the kid was 200 pounds I'd have every school in the world calling me. He's unbelievably talented with the ball.''
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note:TopSports.news will post preview stories for all 10 Shawnee County high school football programs over the coming days, leading into the opening games of the 2026 season on Sept. 3 and 4.
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Highland Park has already put together the most dramatic turnaround in city football history, reeling off four straight winning seasons after snapping an eight-year, 65-game losing streak.
Coach Jermaine Monroe has led Highland Park football to four straight winning seasons, including the Meadowlark Conference title last fall. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But Jermaine Monroe's Scots still have loftier goals ahead.
After the Scots finally tasted victory in 2022 on the way to a breakout 6-3 campaign, Highland Park has followed that up with 7-3, 6-3 and 6-3 campaigns the past three seasons, including the school's first Meadowlark Conference championship last fall, and is setting its sights on taking its next step this fall.
"From the start I said that it takes a community to change a program around and now it takes a community to maintain this level of success,'' said Monroe, who is 26-21 at Highland Park and 67-46 as a head coach. "But these guys we have here now, they're not satisfied with just a winning season. We want to go deep into the playoffs.
"We want to face those big teams and be prepared for them, which is why in our opening weeks we added tougher teams, bigger schools so it could prepare us for playoff time. That was the main plan going into it and our boys were asking for it, too.''
The Scots' revamped slate is highlighted by a season-opening contest on Sept. 3 against USD 501 rival Topeka High at Hummer Sports Park, with Hi Park and High playing for the first time in several seasons.
"It's an old-school rivalry that is deep in the roots of our players and their parents and grandparents and they know important the rivalry is,'' Monroe said. "To be able to bring that back to our community is huge because we used to always be able to play each other.
"Everybody wanted it. We have to always play each other.''
Highland Park returns a strong nucleus of players from last year's team that went 5-1 on the field, with G'Honi Montgomery and JoJo Kingcannon headlining a 19-member senior class
The Scots return 10 three-year starters and two four-year starters.
G'Honi Montgomery returns for his senior season at Highland Park after earning All-Shawnee County Top 22 honors last season. [File photo/TSN]
A 5-foot-10, 180-pound running back, Montgomery earned All-Shawnee County and All-Meadowlark Conference first-team honors last fall.
Montgomery carried the ball 69 times for 704 yards (10.2 yards per carry) as a junior, caught 10 passes for 128 yards and scored 12 total touchdowns while compiling 1,268 all-purpose yards.
Senior JoJo Kingcannon will take over as Highland Park's starting quarterback this fall after starring in a variety of roles as a junior. [File photo/TSN]
Kingcannon, a 6-foot, 190-pound quarterback/defensive back, played receiver, running back and quarterback as a junior, scoring from all three positions, and will be the Scots' starting quarterback this fall.
Kingcannon received All-Shawnee County honorable mention for the Scots in 2025, catching 10 passes for 338 yards and rushing for 408 yards on 32 attempts.
Seniors Tayseaun Rouser, Tavion Johnson and Shawnee Heights transfer Zyhir Foster will be counted on to anchor Highland Park's offensive line while Jaiden Smith, Ka'Sioun Drew and Lorenzo Sullivan-Sowell are top receivers.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Jones Project’s executive director, Damon Parker, a two-time state wrestling champion as an athlete and a five-time state champ as a coach, is always looking for new mountains to climb.
So after Parker and the Advisors Excel/The Jones Project team completed the equivalent of a climb to the top of Mount Everest over 36 hours last weekend in Steamboat Springs, Colo., they have already turned the page to the next big project: the launching of The Jones Project’s Leadership Academy, a free eight-week program open to students selected from each of the 10 Shawnee County high schools.
The Jones Project, named in honor of the late Josh Jones, a native Topekan who served as a vice-president at Advisors Excel before passing away in March of 2021, provides free mental health programming to secondary students, providing assistance to students who are struggling while emphasizing the importance of specific mental health interventions already in place at schools.
In its first four years The Jones Project has reached more than 115,000 students from 267 different stages. In 2023 TJP created an endowment for The Jones Family Scholarship, which has since provided scholarships to six Kansas high school graduates who are studying to become mental health professionals.
The 29029 climb in Steamboat, Colorado kicked off Year 5.
"It's an event where you start at the base of a mountain and you climb it to the summit and then you ride a gondola back down to the bottom and then you do that over and over and over again,'' Parker said. "This year at Steamboat we had to climb 14 times in 36 hours. If you do that then you've reached the vertical gain of Mount Everest.
"The Jones Project and Advisors Excel has had a team that's worked together on this and done it as a fundraiser every year. This is one of the two big fundraisers that keeps The Jones Project afloat. This year we've really made a push on it so that we can use this campaign to fund The Leadership Academy.''
Parker, who has coached the Rural girls to four state titles and coached the Junior Blues to the 2021 boys championship, has served as the executive director of The Jones Project since its inception after being approached by Advisors Excel co-owner Cody Foster.
"He and I had met several times and when he presented the vision he had for The Jones Project to me, I saw it as an opportunity to still work with young people but to do it on a much larger scale and to be able to help kids that were falling through the cracks. Many of them were in a truly under-served population,'' Parker said. "And it was like, 'How do you say no to the opportunity to do something like that?'
"I loved teaching, it was wonderful, and I'm still in education, I just have a bigger classroom now. Every year TJP has evolved and we've become more effective with what we've done. It took awhile to find out where those needs were and exactly what kids needed. It started off with just a mental health and suicide prevention talk, but now we do talks on bullying prevention, student leadership, culture building, you name it. We’ve talked to athletic teams in the locker room before competitions, strength and conditioning programs, and summer STUCO camps. Wherever there is a school or student organization that needs a speaker, we can help fill that gap.”
Parker said the Leadership Academy represents another major step forward.
"If we can take a couple of students from each high school in the Shawnee County area and we can give them real, actionable leadership skills, that is going to instantly impact the organization of which they are a part. Whether it's the basketball team, the debate team, or the marching band is inconsequential. We’re helping them improve their building culture because now we're taking those kids and we're teaching them how to bring up those younger kids,'' Parker said.
"And when the younger kids are learning from those older kids they realize, 'This is how you do it, this is how you treat people,’ and then they carry that forward with them throughout their remaining time in high school.”
The Leadership Academy is now taking applications and will begin meeting in mid-September.
"I'll be reaching out to basically every coaching and A.D. contact in my rolodex saying, 'Hey, we're doing this thing and it's definitely something that you want your kids to be involved in,' '' Parker said.
"We're going to start taking applications now and then the first week in September is when we're going to announce who is accepted into the program. And then we're going to get it kicked off. We will absolutely be up and rolling with students by mid-September, so they’ll want to get in their applications as soon as possible. This is the start of something HUGE here in Shawnee County.''
Students can use the website www.TopekaLeadershipAcademy.org to apply.
For more information email Coach Parker at
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: TopSports.news' list of the top Shawnee County football players to watch in 2026, based on performances in the 2025 season, will be updated as needed after practice begins on Aug. 17 and more information is received from county coaches.
RYAN AUSTIN, Washburn Rural
A 6-foot-2, 170-pound senior, Austin was named the All-Centennial League first-team place-kicker last season for the 6-4 Junior Blues. Austin also received All-Shawnee County honorable mention as a junior.
Coy Barta, Seaman [File photo/TSN]
COY BARTA, Seaman
A senior wide receiver, Barta earned second-team TopSports.News All-Shawnee County and second-team All-United Kansas Conference recognition last season for the 3-6 Vikings. Barta caught 38 passes for 642 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior.
Jadyn Baum, Washburn Rural [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
JADYN BAUM, Washburn Rural
A senior running back, Baum helped lead Washburn Rural to a 6-4 record and the second round of the Class 6A state playoffs last fall, earning TSN All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League first-team recognition after carrying the ball 139 times for 1,262 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 9.1 yards per attempt. Baum also won a 6A state wrestling championship at 215 pounds.
Mason Becker, Hayden [File photo/TSN]
MASON BECKER, Hayden
A first-team TSN All-Shawnee County pick, Becker, a 6-foot, 160-pound senior, was a perfect 100 percent on extra-point kicks last season, was two of two on field goals, carried the ball 32 times for 438 yards, caught 13 passes for 224 yards, had nine kickoff returns for 121 yards, scored nine touchdowns and was in on 30 tackles with five pass interceptions for the 12-1 Wildcats, the Class 3A runnerup. Becker is also a basketball and baseball standout for the Wildcats.
Josh Brown, Seaman [File photo/TSN]
JOSH BROWN, Seaman
Brown, a junior wide receiver, was a second-team All-Shawnee County selection for the 3-6 Vikings last season. Brown caught 40 passes for 627 yards and eight touchdowns over the 2025 season.
STEVEN CANTRELL, Washburn Rural
A senior defensive end, Cantrell is a top returner for Washburn Rural after earning first-team All-Centennial League recognition as a junior for the 6-4 Junior Blues. Cantrell also received All-Shawnee County honorable mention.
CHARLIE CHANCE, Rossville
A senior offensive/defensive lineman, Chance was named the Shawnee County defensive newcomer of the year last season for the Bulldawgs, who posted an 11-2 record and finished second in Class 1A. Chance was in on 54 tackles with 14 tackles for loss and three sacks, earning second-team all-county and All-Big East honors.
CADE DANIELSON, Washburn Rural
Danielson, a senior outside linebacker, will be counted on to be a team leader for the Junior Blues this fall after helping Washburn Rural post a 6-4 record and reach the second round of the Class 6A playoffs in 2025.
Ricardo Dowd, Topeka High [File photo/TSN]
RICARDO DOWD, Topeka High
Dowd, a junior running back, was a second-team All-Centennial League selection last season for the 3-6 Trojans as a sophomore while also receiving All-Shawnee County honorable mention.
MYLES FISHER, Silver Lake
A senior offensive/defensive lineman, Fisher received second-team All-Shawnee County honors and All-Big East League honorable mention last season after helping Silver Lake post a 7-3 record. Fisher was in on 73 tackles for the Eagles.
Chase Hastert, Cair Paravel [Photo by Barry Benteman/Special to TSN]
CHASE HASTERT, Cair Paravel Latin
Hastert, a junior quarterback/linebacker/defensive back, is a top returner for Cair Paravel after taking over as the Lions' starting quarterback last fall. The Lions, coming off a 2-6 season, return to the Eight-Man ranks this fall after playing 11-man the past two seasons. Hastert is also a basketball and golf standout for the Lions, earning first-team All-County honors in golf.
COLE HAUBAULD, Cair Paravel Latin
Haubauld, a senior running back/linebacker, earned All-Shawnee County honorable mention as well as All-Flint Hills League recognition as an offensive guard and linebacker last season for the 2-6 Lions and is expected to play running back on offense for CPLS this fall. Cair Paravel returns to Eight-Man Division I competition this season.
CALE HORAK, Rossville
Horak, a junior, received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season as Rossville posted an 11-2 record and finished second in Class 1A. Horak caught 15 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore while also registering 21 tackles (16 solo).
CAEL HORGAN, Rossville
A senior, Horgan earned All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season as Rossville posted an 11-2 record and finished second in Class 1A. Horgan caught seven passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore while also registering 37 tackles (21 solo) with three interceptions.
EVAN HUNTLEY, Hayden
A 6-foot-1, 195-pound junior fullback/inside linebacker, is a top returner on both sides of the ball for a Hayden team that posted a 12-1 record and finished second in Class 3A for the third straight season last fall.
ALEX HUSTON, Seaman
A senior linebacker, Huston received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season for the 3-6 Vikings. Huston was in on 106 tackles as a junior, including 61 solo stops.
AMIR JONES, Washburn Rural
Jones, a senior linebacker, received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season after helping Washburn Rural post a 6-4 record and advance to the second round of the Class 6A playoffs.
Cale Ketter, Seaman [File photo/TSN[
CALE KETTER, Seaman
Ketter, a senior quarterback, was a second-team All-Shawnee County selection last season for the 3-6 Vikings. Ketter completed 136 of 231 pass attempts for 2,013 yards and 23 touchdowns in eight games.
JoJo Kingcannon, Highland Park [File photo/TSN]
JOJO KINGCANNON, Highland Park
A 6-foot, 190-pound senior quarterback/defensive back, Kingcannon played receiver, running back and quarterback as a junior, scoring from all three positions. Kingcannon received All-Shawnee County honorable mention for the Scots, who went 5-1 on the field, catching 10 passes for 338 yards and rushing for 408 yards on 32 attempts. Kingcannon earned second-team all-county recognition in basketball.
Kipton Kruger, Silver Lake [File photo/TSN]
KIPTON KRUGER, Silver Lake
A 5-foot-11, 165-pound sophomore quarterback, Kruger was named the Shawnee County offensive newcomer of the year last fall after completing 178 of 252 passes for 2,158 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Eagles. Kruger was a second-team All-Shawnee County pick and received All-Big East honorable mention. Kruger is also a basketball and baseball standout for the Eagles.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: TopSports.news' list of the top city boys soccer players to watch in 2026, based on performances in the 2025 season, will be updated as needed after practice begins on Aug. 17 and more information is received from county coaches.
CARLOS ACOSTA-MARTINEZ, Topeka High
Acosta-Martinez, a senior midfielder, is a top returner for the Trojans after earning first-team All-City and All-Centennial League recognition last season as Topeka High posted a 9-6-2 record.
ALAN ARTEAGA, Shawnee Heights
A senior goalkeeper, Arteaga was a first-team All-United Kansas Conference selection last fall for the 15-3-0 T-Birds while also receiving All-City honorable mention.
Judah Congdon, Cair Paravel Latin [Photo by Jan Pabitzky/Special to TSN]
JUDAH CONGDON, Cair Paravel Latin
A senior forward/midfielder, Congdon received All-City honorable mention last season after registering 14 goals and 24 assists for the 11-7-0 Lions, who advanced to the Class 4A-1A state quarterfinals.
Valentin Del Real, Topeka West [File photo/TSN]
VALENTIN DEL REAL, Topeka West
Del Real, a junior midfielder, is a two-time All-City first-team honoree while also earning All-United Kansas Conference first-team recognition for the Chargers, who went 13-3-2 on the season.
BRAYAN DIAZ, Shawnee Heights
Diaz is expected to be a key contributor for the T-Birds this fall after missing the entire 2025 campaign with an injury.
MYLES DIDDE, Washburn Rural
A senior midfielder, Didde scored the game-tying goal in last season's Class 6A state championship game before the 19-1-1 Junior Blues went on to win the state title in penalty kicks. Didde will serve as a Rural team captain this fall.
Diego Gonzalez-Talavera, Topeka West [File photo/TSN]
DIEGO GONZALES-TALAVERA, Topeka West
A senior forward, Gonzales-Talavera is a two-time All-City and All-United Kansas Conference first-team honoree for Topeka West, which is coming off of a 13-3-2 record.
Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights [File photo/TSN]
MASON HAAS, Shawnee Heights
Haas, a senior midfielder, earned first-team All-City and All-United Kansas Conference recognition for the second straight season in 2025 for the T-Birds, 15-3-0 last season.
KALEB HOLMES, Seaman
A senior defender, Holmes is a key returner for the Vikings, 8-9-0 in 2025, after receiving All-City honorable mention as a junior.
Brodye Kocher-Munoz, Washburn Rural [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
BRODYE KOCHER-MUNOZ, Washburn Rural
Kocher-Munoz, a senior forward, helped lead Junior Blues to a 19-1-1 record and the Class 6A state championship last fall. A team captain, Kocher-Munoz was a first-team All-City and All-Centennial League honoree as a junior.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
In advance of the 2026-2027 school year, the Community Unite Foundation plans to distribute more than 500 backpacks and school supplies to local students during the Dale Cushinberry Community Kickoff on Saturday, Aug. 8, at Eisenhower Middle School.
The Community Unite Foundation, co-founded by local sports icons Kyle Weems and Michael Wilhoite, is teaming up with Topeka Public Schools and Sparkwheel for the event, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Eisenhower.
Kyle Weems and the Community Unite Foundation will hold a backpack/school supplies giveaway on Aug. 8 at Eisenhower Middle School for local students. [File photo/TSN]
Weems, who has co-hosted the highly successful Big Kev Give Back Camp with fellow Highland Park graduate Wilhoite for the past five years, said the backpack giveaway is another perfect way to give back to the community the two Topeka Shawnee County Hall of Famers love.
"We're a little over 500 backpacks, plus supplies,'' Weems said. "I have things being delivered to my mom's house every day, my house every day, so it's been good.''
Weems said that the Aug. 8 event is open to all Topeka students.
"It's open to the community and it's first-come, first-serve,'' Weems said. "Our vision way back when we started the Community Unite Foundation, Mike and I and the rest of the people on our board, one of the things we wanted to do was not just the camp but we wanted to do something educational, and this is right up that alley.
"Obviously, basketball for myself and football for Mike has opened up so many different doors, so many different avenues over the course of our lives and we're forever greatful for that, but we also needed that push when it came to the classroom. We needed the support from guys like coach (Ken) Darting and all of our teachers there at Highland Park and Mr. Dale Cushinberry.''
Weems said that it was a no-brainer to name the backpack giveaway after Cushinberry, a Hall of Fame Athlete and former longtime Highland Park principal.
"With the educational piece we felt it was perfect to be able to give flowers to Cush while he's still here, he's still healthy, he's still present and be able to acknowlege him and show him love,'' Weems said.
Weems said that organizers are hopeful that the backpack giveaway can benefit families that may be in need.
"Being able to do this may kind of take the burden off some of these parents that need a little help financially right now with our economy and the way things are with inflation,'' Weems said. "It really hits home for us and it just goes back to one of my dad's visions and that was being present in our community if we had the chance and we do, so we're just trying to hit it head on.''
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After a year out of football, former Highland Park and Washburn University standout Michael Wilhoite is back in the NFL with the Denver Broncos.
Former Highland Park and Washburn standout Michael Wilhoite, who was back in Topeka last month to co-host his annual youth camp, has rejoined the Denver Broncos coaching staff as a defensive assistant. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Multiple Denver news outlets have reported that the Broncos have added former assistant Wilhoite to their coaching staff as a defensive assistant.
Wilhoite, who previously coached outside linebackers for the Broncos, was let go in March of 2025 after an incident at the Denver airport, but all criminal chargers were eventually dropped, opening the door for Wilhoite's return.
A member of the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame, Wilhoite put together a seven-year NFL career as a linebacker with San Francisco and Seattle, including a Super Bowl appearance, before coaching in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers and Broncos.
Wilhoite was back in Topeka last month to co-host the Mental Performance And Wellness Night and Big Kev Give Back lineup at Washburn along with close friend and fellow Hall of Famer Kyle Weems.
"Over my past year being out of work and being out of sports I spent a lot of time on myself and therapy and on mental performance and just growing and learning and gaining new tools for myself to help me stay confident in those times of lapses, those times of insecurity, those times of questioning,'' Wilhoite said during his return to Topeka. "I've been able to find different tools to help me to continue to move forward in a positive manner.
"I'm out of football for a year and that was tough. That had essentially become my identity and that had become who I was -- football coaching -- and that being taken away it kind of stripped me of that with it. It got tough, so I went and sought out help and it changed my life. It gave me perspective that I hadn't had before in my life.''
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Big Kev Give Back Camp took another step forward in Year 5, drawing more than 100 participants while hosting a two-day event for the first time Thursday and Friday at Washburn University.
Topeka Shawnee County Hall of Famers Kyle Weems and Michael Wilhoite co-hosted the camp while numerous other current and former local players and coaches were also on hand to serve as instructors.
Kyle Weems interacts with a young camper during Friday's Big Kev Give Back Camp at Washburn University. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Michael Wilhoite instructs campers during Friday's Big Kev Give Back Camp at Washburn University. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"We were well over 100,'' Weems said. "At the beginning of this week we were like in the 60 range and we had people signing up at 3 in the morning, we had people signing up at 9. We get a lot of walkups and we hit it head on.
"You don't realize how much goes into something like this until you actually do it, but it's been great.''
The 2026 camp kicked off on Thursday night with the first Mental Performance And Wellness Night, followed by the traditional basketball/football camp on Friday.
The Big Kev Give Back camp is named in honor of Kyle's father, the late Kevin Weems, a former Drury and Washburn University basketball player who envisioned the local stars returning to Topeka to help inspire the youth of Topeka.
Weems and Wilhoite are both Highland Park graduates, who went on to highly successful college and pro careers.
Weems earned All-America and Missouri Valley Player of the Year basketball honors for Missouri State before embarking on a 13-year pro career overseas while Washburn product Wilhoite put together a seven-year NFL career as a linebacker with San Francisco and Seattle, including a Super Bowl appearance, before coaching in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos.
Wilhoite said he felt it was very important to add the Mental Performance And Wellness Night to the Big Kev Give Back lineup after devoting much of his past year to concentrating on the mental side of sports.
"I'm out of football for a year and that was tough,'' Wilhoite said. "That had essentially become my identity and that had become who I was -- football coaching -- and that being taken away it kind of stripped me of that with it.
"It got tough, so I went and sought out help and it changed my life. It gave me perspective that I hadn't had before in my life. And when I learned this side, it was like, 'I want to give this back. This should be given to everybody.' Everybody should know the importance of the mind and mental health and mental performance.''
Weems agreed.
"I want to give credit to my brother Mike for coming up with this idea and I was all for it,'' Weems said. "It was good to be able to get it out there and let people understand what it is, what it's about, that it's a safe place.
"Mike and I have been blessed, to be about to live out our dreams, but at the same we're not perfect and everybody needs help. This is something that's positive and something that we wanted to bring to our city.''
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Star Silver Lake point guard Kailyn Hanni, named Miss Kansas Basketball by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association after leading the Eagles to their second Class 3A state championship in three seasons, has been selected as TopSports.news' Shawnee County winter girls senior athlete of the year for the 2025-2026 season.
Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake
The 5-foot-7 Hanni was also named the Shawnee County Player of the Year as a senior after helping lead the Eagles to a 28-1 record, earning all-county first-team honors for the third time.
Hanni finished her high school career with 1,404 points, 585 assists, 563 rebounds and 339 steals, finishing No. 1 on Silver Lake's all-time list in assists and steals and finishing No. 3 in career scoring.
Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake
Hanni also set a single-game scoring record with 39 points and a single-game assist mark with 12, reaching that total on three occasions.
Hanni was a four-sport standout for Silver Lake, helping the Eagles win the 3A state softball title this past spring while also helping the Eagles win a state golf championship during her career and placing third in the 3A javelin in track and field as a senior.
The Silver Lake star will play collegiately at Fort Hays State.
Other winter girls athlete of the year finalists
Emme Blanco, Washburn Rural
EMME BLANCO | Washburn Rural
SPORT: Wrestling
Blanco posted a runnerup finish at 145 pounds in the 2026 Class 6A state tournament, helping lead Washburn Rural to a second straight third-place state team finish. Blanco, who captured Centennial League and regional championships, posted a 40-4 record on the season en route to earning a first-team berth on the All-Shawnee County team for the second straight season.
Makayla Cadet, Highland Park
MAKAYLA CADET | Highland Park
SPORT: Wrestling
A two-time All-Shawnee County first-team selection, Cadet advanced to the 190-pound Class 5A state championship match as a junior and senior, winning the 5A state title as a junior and finishing second as a senior while posting a 23-3 record on the season. Cadet also received all-county honorable mention in softball.
Rylee Dick, Rossville
RYLEE DICK | Rossville
SPORT: Basketball
Dick put together an outstanding four-year career for the Bulldawgs, leading Rossville to a Class 2A state tournament berth as a senior, the Bulldawgs' first state appearance in 20 seasons. Dick averaged 20.6 points over the 2025-2026 season, finishing her career with 1,578 points to rank No. 2 on Rossville's all-time scoring list. She received first-team All-Big East League and All-Shawnee County honors.
Maddie Gragg, Seaman
MADDIE GRAGG | Seaman
SPORT: Basketball
Gragg was a four-time All-Shawnee County and All-United Kansas Conference first-team pick for Seaman, helping the Vikings win the Class 5A state championship her sophomore season and post a runnerup state finish as a junior. Gragg averaged 12.4 points and 7.0 rebounds over the 2025-2026 campaign while hitting 32 3-pointers.
Cianna Graves, Shawnee Heights
CIANNA GRAVES | Shawnee Heights
SPORT: Wrestling
A four-time Class 5A state medalist and repeat All-Shawnee County pick, Graves saved her best for last, winning the 155-pound state championship as a senior to cap a 35-2 season. Also a United Kansas Conference and 5A regional champion, Graves helped lead Shawnee Heights to a third-place 5A team finish for the second straight season. Graves was also a standout catcher in softball, earning all-county first-team honors.
Claire LaDuke, Seaman
CLAIRE LADUKE | Seaman
SPORT: Bowling
LaDuke finished third in the 2026 Class 5A state tournament with a 688 three-game series as Seaman rolled to the team championship by a huge 358-pin margin over Emporia. A first-team All-City pick, LaDuke also helped the Vikings sweep city, United Kansas Conference and 5A regional team titles. LaDuke finished fourth in the city tournament, fifth in the UKC and third at regionals.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will take a look at all of the senior finalists for the 2025-2026 Shawnee County High School Sports Awards from the fall, winter and spring seasons, followed by the athletes of the year for all three seasons and the overall outstanding girls and boys athletes of the year.
Emme Blanco, Washburn Rural
EMME BLANCO | Washburn Rural
SPORT: Wrestling
Blanco posted a runnerup finish at 145 pounds in the 2026 Class 6A state tournament, helping lead Washburn Rural to a second straight third-place state team finish. Blanco, who captured Centennial League and regional championships, posted a 40-4 record on the season en route to earning a first-team berth on the All-Shawnee County team for the second straight season.
Makayla Cadet, Highland Park
MAKAYLA CADET | Highland Park
SPORT: Wrestling
A two-time All-Shawnee County first-team selection, Cadet advanced to the 190-pound Class 5A state championship match as a junior and senior, winning the 5A state title as a junior and finishing second as a senior while posting a 23-3 record on the season. Cadet also received all-county honorable mention in softball.
Rylee Dick, Rossville
RYLEE DICK | Rossville
SPORT: Basketball
Dick put together an outstanding four-year career for the Bulldawgs, leading Rossville to a Class 2A state tournament berth as a senior, the Bulldawgs' first state appearance in 20 seasons. Dick averaged 20.6 points over the 2025-2026 season, finishing her career with 1,578 points to rank No. 2 on Rossville's all-time scoring list. She received first-team All-Big East League and All-Shawnee County honors.
Maddie Gragg, Seaman
MADDIE GRAGG | Seaman
SPORT: Basketball
Gragg was a four-time All-Shawnee County and All-United Kansas Conference first-team pick for Seaman, helping the Vikings win the Class 5A state championship her sophomore season and post a runnerup state finish as a junior. Gragg averaged 12.4 points and 7.0 rebounds over the 2025-2026 campaign while hitting 32 3-pointers.
Cianna Graves, Shawnee Heights
CIANNA GRAVES | Shawnee Heights
SPORT: Wrestling
A four-time Class 5A state medalist and repeat All-Shawnee County pick, Graves saved her best for last, winning the 155-pound state championship as a senior to cap a 35-2 season. Also a United Kansas Conference and 5A regional champion, Graves helped lead Shawnee Heights to a third-place 5A team finish for the second straight season. Graves was also a standout catcher in softball, earning all-county first-team honors.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Now in its fifth year, the Big Kev Give Back Camp, a dual basketball/football camp on the campus of Washburn University, has grown by leaps and bounds.
And Topeka Shawnee County Hall of Famers Kyle Weems and Michael Wilhoite, who launched the camp in 2021, feel like they're still just getting started.
Topeka sports legends Michael Wilhoite and Kyle Weems will co-host the fifth annual Big Kev Give Back Camp June 25-26 at Washburn University. [Photo courtesy of BKgiveback.com]
"Each year we've gotten more volunteers, we've gotten a few more signups,'' Weems said. "And it definitely has room to grow. I'm a firm believer that there's always room to improve, so I'm just excited for yet another year of the Big Kev Give Back.''
"I agree wholeheartedly,'' Wilhoite said. "I just think that more and more people and organizations and entities are going to continue to get involved as they see that this is legit and they see that this isn't a one-hit wonder. I think we continue to move forward and continue to show that this is something that we want to do for the rest of our lifetimes and give back to our hometown and our city.''
Weems and Wilhoite are both Highland Park graduates, who went on to highly successful college and professional careers.
Weems earned All-America and Missouri Valley Player of the Year basketball honors for Missouri State before embarking on a pro career overseas that spanned more than a decade.
Wilhoite put together a seven-year NFL career as a linebacker with San Francisco and Seattle, including a Super Bowl appearance, before coaching in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos.
The camp was inspired by the wishes of Kyle's father, the late Kevin Weems, a former Drury and Washburn University player who envisioned the two local stars returning to the community that helped raise them to help inspire the youth of Topeka about the potential path sports can provide for them.
The 2026 camp, held in conjunction with Washburn University, will kick off on Thursday, June 25, with a brand new event from 6 to 8:30 p.m., followed by the traditional basketball/football camp from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, June 26.
The first Mental Performance And Wellness Night, open to student-athletes 12 and over, parents, coaches and athletic staff, will be held in Washburn's Petro Allied Health Center (above Lee Arena) and will focus on confidence, resilience, stress management and life beyond sports.
"Over my past year being out of work and being out of sport I spent a lot of time on myself and therapy and on mental performance and just growing and learning and gaining new tools for myself to help me stay confident in those times of lapses, those times of insecurity, those times of questioning,'' Wilhoite said.
"I've been able to find different tools to help me to continue to move forward in a positive manner and I'm just excited to share that with this city because I think something that gets overlooked so much in sport is the mind and the heart and where our soul set is.''
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Over the coming weeks The Jones Project and A1 Lock&Key will sponsor TopSports.news' series of stories recognizing the top senior Shawnee County athletes from the recently completed 2025-2026 school year.
TSN will name girls and boys finalists for the fall, winter and spring seasons, followed by the announcement of the girls and boys athletes of the year for all three seasons.
The project will culminate with the announcement of the overall outstanding girls and boys Shawnee County athletes for 2025-2026.
Six Shawnee County girls teams captured state championships in five sports in '25-26, including a Silver Lake sweep of the Class 3A volleyball, basketball and softball crowns, while Hayden won 4A basketball and put together an undefeated 4A-1A run in soccer and Seaman won the 5A bowling championship by a 358-pin margin.
Washburn Rural's boys won Class 6A team titles in cross country, soccer and baseball while Shawnee Heights won its second 5A state bowling championship in three seasons.
Individually, 10 Shawnee County athletes captured individual state titles, including Washburn Rural senior Cody Spangler in 6A boys bowling, Rural senior Landen Kocher-Munoz in 6A boys wrestling, Seaman senior Brody Anderson in 5A boys track and field and Shawnee Heights senior Cianna Graves in 5A girls wrestling.
TSN will also recognize Washburn University female and male athletes of the year for '25-26 after the Ichabods put together a banner season that included a string of NCAA Tournament appearances.
Next up: The top 10 girls fall finalists.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden, which posted a perfect season on the way to the Class 4A-1A girls state championship this spring, dominates the TopSports.news 2026 All-City girls soccer team.
The Wildcats, who wrapped up the state title with a 1-0 win over Rose Hill, put a city-high four players on the first team while sweeping the individual awards.
Three-time Hayden All-City first-team pick Carsyn Broxterman has been named the city player of the year for 2026. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden freshman Emma Slyter has been named the city soccer newcomer of the year after helping the undefeated Wildcats win the Class 4A-1A state title. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden senior Carsyn Broxterman, a three-time first-team selection, was named the city player of the year while freshman Emma Slyter was tapped for the newcomer of the year honor and Wildcat coach Klaus Kreutzer was selected as the coach of the year.
Joining Broxterman and Slyter on the All-City first team are seniors Reese Huscher and Kellyn Specht.
Washburn Rural senior Dayne Shriver earned first-team All-City soccer honors for the second straight season. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural, which posted a third-place state finish in 6A, put senior repeat pick Dayne Shriver on the first team along with senior Allie Schroeder and sophomore Ellie Vogel.
Seaman, which earned a share of the championship in the United Kansas Conference, is represented on the All-City team by seniors Ava Huston and Savannah Nelson and junior Julia Molleker.
Topeka West junior Micah Williams is a three-time All-City soccer first-team pick. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights juniors Nina Bolanos and Brylee Garner both earned first-team berths while Topeka West junior Micah Williams earned her third straight first-team honor in her first season with the Chargers and Cair Paravel Latin senior Kelly Ann Chada rounds out the top team.
ALL-CITY 2026 GIRLS SOCCER
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Class 3A state champion Silver Lake put a county-high four players on the 2026 TopSports.news All-Shawnee County softball first team, while Seaman senior Aubrey Warren and Washburn Rural junior Oliva Koch were named the co-players of the year and Rossville freshman Kenna Perine was named the newcomer of the year.
Seaman senior Aubrey Warren has been named the co-Shawnee County softball player of the year. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural junior Olivia Koch has been named the co-Shawnee County softball player of the year for 2026. [File photo/TSN]
Rossville freshman Kenna Perine has been selected as the 2026 Shawnee County softball newcomer of the year. [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake, which finished off a 28-4 season with a 4-0 win over Southeast-Saline in the state championship game, is represented on the all-county first team by seniors Kailyn Hanni and Paige Heiman, junior Riley Mohler and sophomore Saylor Liggatt while Eagles coach Nick Hamilton received Shawnee County coach of the year recognition for the third straight season.
Warren was named the United Kansas Conference player of the year for the second straight season while Koch was a repeat pick as the Centennial League player of the year.
London Backman, Topeka High
Topeka High, which finished third in 6A, is represented on the first team by sophomore London Backman and juniors Campbell Dawson and Kenslee Young while 2A quarterfinalist Rossville put senior Brooke Springer and sophomore Nora Mitchell on the first team.
Joining Koch on the first team for Washburn Rural are senior Henley Rapp and junior Justice McBurney while Warren is joined on the first team by Seaman teammate Lydia Dreher.
Shawnee Heights put seniors Addison Cooper and Cianna Graves on the first team while Hayden is represented by junior Emberly Connell and sophomore Blakely Walter.
Backman, Hanni, Warren, Koch and Rapp are all all-county first-team repeat picks.
2026 ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY SOFTBALL
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural senior player of the year Aidan Newbery headlines the TopSports.news 2026 All-Shawnee County baseball team.
Washburn Rural senior catcher Aidan Newbery has been named the Shawnee County Player of the Year after helping lead Rural to the Class 6A state championship. [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/TSN]
Newbery, a catcher, helped lead the Junior Blues to the Class 6A state championship last Saturday in Wichita, Rural's first baseball state championship in 74 years.
Newbery, who was also named the Centennial League player of the year, is joined on the all-county first team by senior teammates Austin Ditch and Nate Selm and junior Tyler Edmiston while Washburn Rural coach Jay Mastin was named the coach of the year after the Junior Blues posted a 22-9 record, capped by a 4-3 win over Free State in the 6A title game.
Connor Hanika, Hayden
Kade Mitchell, Hayden
Class 4A runnerup Hayden (21-6) is represented on the first team by seniors Connor Hanika, Kade Mitchell and Aiden Roberts and junior Caleb Menke while 5A runnerup Shawnee Heights (21-10) put seniors Brody Cooper and Cayden Lindsay on the all-county team and T-Bird sophomore Gabe Escobar has been tapped as the county newcomer of the year.
Brody Cooper, Shawnee Heights
Silver Lake, the 3A runnerup at 18-12, put senior Drew Womack on the first team while Rossville (25-5), third in 2A-1A, is represented by the senior trio of Jacoby McDonnell, Canann Mitchell and Cameron Miller and Seaman put juniors Axton Brewer and Beau Jessop on the first team.
Brewer, Ditch, Menke, Miller, Canann Mitchell, Kade Mitchell and Selm are all first-team All-Shawnee County repeat picks while Cooper, Edmiston, Hanika, Roberts and Womack move up from the second team and Lindsay received honorable mention last season.
Axton Brewer, Seaman
Brewer received 5A All-State first-team honors from Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches while Womack was a first-team pick in 3A and Miller and Canann Mitchell earned first-team honors in 2A-1A.
Canann Mitchell, Rossville
Newbery was a second-team pick in 6A, Jessop a second-team selection in 5A, Hanika and Kade Mitchell second team in 4A and McDonnell second team in 2A-1A.
2026 ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY BASEBALL
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
State champions Brody Anderson of Seaman, Christian Hartman-Babb of Washburn Rural and Landen Lewis of Rossville headline the 2026 All-Shawnee County boys track and field team.
Brody Anderson posted a state championship and two runnerup finishes in the Class 5A state track meet. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural junior Christian Hartman-Babb won the Class 6A state 100 meters title and finished second in the 200. [File photo/TSN]
Rossville sophomore Landen Lewis won the 2026 Class 2A-1A state title in the javelin. [Submitted photo]
Anderson, a senior, won the Class 5A 800 meters in a 5A meet-record time of 1 minute, 52.08 seconds after finishing second in the 3,200 (9:05.70) and the 1,600 (4:12.48) earlier in the meet.
Junior Hartman-Babb won the 6A 100-meter dash in 10.59 seconds and finished second on a photo-finish in the 200 (21.40) while sophomore Lewis captured the 2A javelin championship at 181-9.
Anderson finished his season as the Shawnee County leader in the 800, the 1,600 (4:08.2 converted from mile) and 3,200 while Hartman-Babb led the county in the 100 (10.36) and 200 and Lewis had a county-best performance of 202-9 in the javelin.
Washburn Rural senior Brooks Kehoe finished second in the Class 6A 1,600 meters in last week's state meet. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Brooks Kehoe was the 6A runnerup in the 1,600 (4:22.04) while the Silver Lake foursome of senior Thomas Fisher, junior Owen Rottinghaus, senior Joel Miller and senior Braxton Rupp finished second in the 4x100 relay (43.14) and the Eagles' Rottinghaus, Fisher, Miller and sophomore Jake Workman placed third in the 4x400 relay (3:28.56).
Shawnee Heights senior Jason Slay finished third in the 5A 400 (49.51) and teamed with senior Xavier Fisher and juniors Dallas Owens and Mason Haas to place fourth in 4x400 relay (3:25.32).
Anderson, Hartman-Babb, Kehoe, Miller and Rupp are all first-team All-Shawnee County repeat picks along with Seaman junior high-jump state placer Jack Esser and Washburn Rural seniors Draden Chooncharoen and Liam Morrison.
Chooncharoen and Morrison missed the postseason with injuries, but the two ran on back-to-back 4x400 state-champion relay teams in 2024 and 2025, including a 6A state meet record in '25, while Morrison also won the 300 hurdles in '25.
Washburn Rural senior Liam Morrison won three Class 6A state titles during his high school career. [File photo/TSN]
Also earning spots on the all-county first team were Rural sophomore Zach Hancock, Rossville junior Charles Chance, Cair Paravel senior Lucas Marichal, Hayden junior Kelton Meier, Highland Park senior Termaine Savage and Washburn Rural junior Cohen Thiessen.
Highland Park senior Termaine Savage earned a Class 5A state medal in the 400-meter dash. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Thiessen, Hancock, Marichal and Savage were state medalists while Meier was a state qualifier.
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY 2026 BOYS TRACK AND FIELD
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee County girls track and filed athletes came up short in their bids for state titles in the 2026 Kansas Track and Field Championships last weekend in Wichita, but the local contingent still had plenty to celebrate, including multiple top-three finishes and 13 total top-eight medal showings in four classes overall.
Washburn Rural senior Morgan Ray finished second in the Class 6A javelin event for the second straight season. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Hayden junior Sofia Harper was the Class 4A runnerup in the 400-meter dash. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Morgan Ray was the state runnerup in the Class 6A javelin at 145 feet, 1 inch, while Hayden junior Sofia Harper finished second in the 4A 400-meter dash while posting a top time of 58.83.
Washburn Rural junior Kailyn Petersen placed fourth in the Class 6A discus for the second straight season. [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake junior Ali Gerber was a double medalist in the Class 3A state track meet. [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake senior multi-sport star Kailyn Hanni posted a third-place finish in the 3A javelin (129-7) while Washburn Rural junior repeat 6A medalist Kailyn Petersen was fourth in the discus (133-2), Seaman freshman Baylee Ayres was fourth in the 5A high jump (5-foot-2) and Silver Lake junior Ali Gerber finished fourth in the 3A 400 (58.75) while also teaming with Eagle teammates Kinley Weber, Jaylie Whitehead and Karys Deiter to place fifth in the 4x400-meter relay (4:09.64).
Washburn Rural freshman Alyson Hinck (3) earned a pair of Class 6A state medals in her first state track meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural freshman Alyson Hinck posted a fifth-place finish in the 6A 800 (2:18.43) while Shawnee Heights freshman Tanesia Johnson earned medals with sixth-place finishes in both the 5A 100 and 200-meter dashes.
Washburn Rural's Ray and Petersen and senior state medalists Emily Graf and Kenzie Maddox are all all-county repeat picks along with Seaman juniors Kinley Robinson and Brynn Spencer, Topeka High senior Keimara Marshall and Silver Lake's Gerber and Deiter.
Also earning spots on the first team are Hayden junior Alana Mitchell, Silver Lake junior Addy Just and Washburn Rural freshman Clara Dillon, who all earned state medals, along with seniors Jurnee Cole of Highland Park, Jayana Washington of Topeka High and Journey Manhart of Silver Lake.
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY 2026 GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
GIRLS
100 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 12.27
Ciera Hartz, Topeka High 12.51
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 12.57
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 12.59
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 12.63
200 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 25.13
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 26.04
Sofia Harper, Hayden 26.40
Ciera Hartz, Topeka High 26.48
Jaylie Whitehead, Silver Lake 26.72
Ali Gerber, Silver Lake
400 METERS
Ali Gerber, Silver Lake 58.48
Sofia Harper, Hayden 58.83
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 59.07
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 60.13
Julia Molleker, Seaman 61.88
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural (3)
800 METERS
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 2:16.83
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 2:20.45
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 2:20.86
Ryin Miller, Seaman 2:23.65
Itzel Woods, Topeka High 2:31.24
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural
1,600 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 5:13.49
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 5:14.04
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 5:15.09
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 5:17.54
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 5:22.98
3,200 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 11:06.46
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 11:18.10
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 11:27.63
Reese Beardslee, Washburn Rural 11:34.94
Lily McCoy, Washburn Rural 14:09.97
100-METER HURDLES
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 15.70
Rylee Dick, Rossville 16.44
Marchayla White, Topeka High 17.74
Megan Alderson, Washburn Rural 18.14
Kaylyn Smith, Topeka West 18.23
300-METER HURDLES
Rylee Dick, Rossville 50.00
Marchayla White, Topeka High 51.34
Megan Alderson, Washburn Rural 51.60
Journey Manhart, Silver Lake 53.33
Avery Villines, Seaman 54.18
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 49.60
Silver Lake 49.63
Washburn Rural 50.53
Seaman 51.42
Topeka West 52.33
4x400-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 4:06.84
Silver Lake 4:07.17
Topeka High 4:10.27
Seaman 4:11.72
Topeka West 4:26.38
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 9:58.99
Topeka High 10:39.23
Seaman 11:17.22
Silver Lake 11:18.38
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
BOYS
100 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 10.36
Malachi Murph, Topeka High 10.91
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 10.96
Emmitt Hochstedler, Seaman 10.98
Israel Edmonds, Washburn Rural 11.02
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural
200 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 21.40
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 22.30
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 22.34
Joel Miller, Silver Lake 22.59
Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High 22.60
400 METERS
Jason Slay, Shawnee Heights 48.85
Termaine Savage, Highland Park 49.89
Draden Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural 50.25
Joel Miller, Silver Lake 50.68
Thomas Fisher, Silver Lake 51.28
Brody Anderson, Seaman
800 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 1:52.08
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 1:56.64
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 1:56.96
Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights 2:02.62
Everett Un, Washburn Rural 2:03.26
1,600 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 4:08.2 (mile converted to meters)
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 4:20.32
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 4:24.35
Nick Newkirk, Hayden 4:27.18
Duke Graf, Washburn Rural 4:32.87
3,200 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 9:05.70
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 9:23.61
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural 9:24.34
Jaxson Adams, Washburn Rural 9:42.46
Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural 9:42.94
110-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 14.07
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 15.31
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 15.49
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 15.54
De'sean Lunkins, Topeka High 15.85
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural
300-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 37.61
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 41.72
Jackson Tuckwin, Washburn Rural 42.01
Kellan Parcaro, Seaman 42.03
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 42.09
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 42.20
Washburn Rural 42.77
Highland Park 42.80
Silver Lake 42.95
Seaman 43.03
4x400-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 3:21.82
Shawnee Heights 3:21.91
Silver Lake 3:28.28
Highland Park 3:28.48
Topeka West 3:29.56
4x800-METER RELAY
Seaman 8:16.32
Washburn Rural 8:16.60
Shawnee Heights 8:24.81
Silver Lake 8:35.28
Topeka High 9:09.82
HIGH JUMP
Jack Esser, Seaman 6-4
Bryson Burgos, Silver Lake 6-0
Archer Greene, Seaman 5-10
Creighton Frisby, Washburn Rural 5-8
Sebastian Kingcade, Washburn Rural 5-8
Cody Quy, Seaman 5-8
POLE VAULT
Keygan Breault, Silver Lake 12-0
Sam Bruntz, Silver Lake 11-6
Luke Deering, Washburn Rural 11-6
Sawyer Hermesch, Silver Lake 10-0
Desmond Grindol, Washburn Rural 10-0
LONG JUMP
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 21-2.25
Josh Brown, Seaman 21-0.50
Owen Rottinghaus, Silver Lake 21-0
Joel Miller, Silver Lake 20-8
Lucas Marichal, Topeka High/CPLS 20-7.25
TRIPLE JUMP
Lucas Marichal, Topeka High/CPLS 42-9.25
Cody Quy, Seaman 42-8.50
Bryson Burgos, Silver Lake 42-2.50
Camden Kruger, Silver Lake 41-7.75
Abe Heffley, Seaman 40-5.25
SHOT PUT
Charles Chance, Rossville 50-5
Amir Bass, Shawnee Heights 48-4.25
Sam Scott, Washburn Rural 47-7
Adrian Shuler, Shawnee Heights 46-7
Kelton Meier, Hayden 46-2,50
DISCUS
Zachary Hancock, Washburn Rural 163-4
Myles Fisher, Silver Lake 158-3
Sam Garner, Shawnee Heights 156-4
Adam Humphrey, Topeka High 148-8
Kelton Meier, Hayden 142-10
JAVELIN
Landon Lewis, Rossville 202-9
Kelton Meier, Hayden 196-6
Jackson Haas, Hayden 175-11
Andre Johnson, Rossville 170-5
Dylan Tjachman, Washburn Rural 169-11
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
WICHITA -- The final day of the 2026 Kansas state track and field championships got underway on Saturday morning with the final track preliminary races as the 100 meters started at 8:30 a.m. on the campus of Wichita State University and due to two lengthy weather-related suspensions, the meet finally concluded around 11 p.m. Saturday night.
The marathon final day of competition produced three local boys state champions, with Washburn Rural junior Christian Hartman-Babb winning the Class 6A 100-meter dash, Seaman senior Brody Anderson winning the 5A 800 and Rossville sophomore Landen Lewis earning the title in the 2A javelin.
Seaman senior Brody Anderson ended his high school career with the Class 5A state 800 meters championship Saturday night in Wichita. [File photo/TSN]
Anderson capped his outstanding track and cross country career for the Vikings with his first career state title after finishing second to Kapaun Mt. Carmel star Daniel Enriquez in the 3,200 and 1,600 earlier in the weekend.
After finishing finished second in the 3,200 meters Friday morning, Anderson finished second to Enriquez again in the 5A boys 1,600 meters with a time of 4 minutes,12.48 seconds.
Following Saturday's first weather delay, the duo faced one another again in the 800 meters.
In a race where 15 of the 18 runners had qualifying times under two minutes, the competition was going to be at a high level.
Anderson didn’t go immediately to the lead and after the first 400 meters, sitting in fifth place.
“I went into the race trying to play it tactical to see how the field spread out before I made my move, rather than taking the race from the lead like I did in the 3,200 and 1,600 races,'' Anderson said. "After 400 meters, I was trapped against the rail, but I found a gap and took off and never looked back.”
He came all the way back and won the race in a personal best time of 1:52.08, finishing ahead of junior Nathan Webb of Valley Center (1:52.78) and Enriquez (1:52.99).
All three of the runners broke the state meet record in 5A, but it will be Anderson’s name that goes into the record books.
“It feels amazing to wrap up the last race of my high school career with a victory and state title,'' Anderson said. "I’m so grateful for all of my coaches and family that helped me reach this point.”
Washburn Rural junior Christian Hartman-Babb won the Class 6A 100-meter dash and finished second in the 200 Saturday in Wichita. [File photo/TSN]
Hartman-Babb was the first local state champion with his victory in the 6A boys 100 meters.
He finished the final in a winning time of 10.59 seconds after qualifying early on Saturday morning with a time of 10.63.
Hartman-Babb returned later after the first weather delay for the 6A boys 200 race, where he finished second to senior Nicolas Cabral of Olathe East by only 0.003 seconds (21.397 to 21.400).
The third local state champ was Rossville's Lewis, who won the 2A javelin title with a throw of 181 feet, 9 inches.
His championship throw came on his fourth attempt, which was 18 feet further than any of his other attempts during the competition.
Lewis had a long wait for his title, with the 2A event originally scheduled for Friday evening before being pushed back to Saturday by weather. Then the event was delayed further by Saturday's inclement weather before finally being contested.
Saturday's other Shawnee County medalists:
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 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
BOYS
100 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 10.36
Malachi Murph, Topeka High 10.91
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 10.96
Emmitt Hochstedler, Seaman 10.98
Israel Edmonds, Washburn Rural 11.02
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural
200 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 21.78
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 22.30
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 22.34
Joel Miller, Silver Lake 22.59
Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High 22.60
400 METERS
Jason Slay, Shawnee Heights 48.85
Termaine Savage, Highland Park 49.89
Draden Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural 50.25
Joel Miller, Silver Lake 50.94
Thomas Fisher, Silver Lake 51.28
Brody Anderson, Seaman
800 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 1:53.34
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 1:56.64
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 1:58.65
Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights 2:02.62
Everett Un, Washburn Rural 2:03.26
1,600 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 4:08.2 (mile converted to meters)
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 4:20.32
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 4:24.35
Nick Newkirk, Hayden 4:27.18
Duke Graf, Washburn Rural 4:32.87
3,200 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 9:11.63
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 9:23.61
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural 9:24.34
Jaxson Adams, Washburn Rural 9:42.46
Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural 9:42.94
110-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 14.07
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 15.31
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 15.54
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 15.53
De'sean Lunkins, Topeka High 15.85
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural
300-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 37.61
Jackson Tuckwin, Washburn Rural 42.01
Kellan Parcaro, Seaman 42.03
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 42.09
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 43.26
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 42.20
Washburn Rural 42.77
Highland Park 42.80
Seaman 43.03
Silver Lake 43.28
4x400-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 3:21.82
Shawnee Heights 3:21.91
Silver Lake 3:28.28
Highland Park 3:28.48
Topeka West 3:29.56
4x800-METER RELAY
Seaman 8:16.32
Washburn Rural 8:16.60
Shawnee Heights 8:24.81
Silver Lake 8:35.28
Topeka High 9:09.82
HIGH JUMP
Jack Esser, Seaman 6-4
Bryson Burgos, Silver Lake 6-0
Archer Greene, Seaman 5-10
Creighton Frisby, Washburn Rural 5-8
Sebastian Kingcade, Washburn Rural 5-8
Cody Quy, Seaman 5-8
POLE VAULT
Keygan Breault, Silver Lake 12-0
Sam Bruntz, Silver Lake 11-6
Luke Deering, Washburn Rural 11-6
Sawyer Hermesch, Silver Lake 10-0
Desmond Grindol, Washburn Rural 10-0
LONG JUMP
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 21-2.25
Josh Brown, Seaman 21-0.50
Owen Rottinghaus, Silver Lake 21-0
Joel Miller, Silver Lake 20-8
Lucas Marichal, Topeka High/CPLS 20-7.25
TRIPLE JUMP
Cody Quy, Seaman 42-8.50
Lucas Marichal, Topeka High/CPLS 42-3.25
Bryson Burgos, Silver Lake 42-2.50
Camden Kruger, Silver Lake 41-7.75
Abe Heffley, Seaman 40-5.25
SHOT PUT
Charles Chance, Rossville 50-5
Amir Bass, Shawnee Heights 48-4.25
Sam Scott, Washburn Rural 47-7
Adrian Shuler, Shawnee Heights 46-7
Kelton Meier, Hayden 46-2,50
DISCUS
Zachary Hancock, Washburn Rural 163-4
Myles Fisher, Silver Lake 158-3
Sam Garner, Shawnee Heights 156-4
Adam Humphrey, Topeka High 148-8
Kelton Meier, Hayden 142-10
JAVELIN
Landon Lewis, Rossville 202-9
Kelton Meier, Hayden 196-6
Jackson Haas, Hayden 175-11
Dylan Tjachman, Washburn Rural 169-11
Andre Johnson, Rossville 170-5
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 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
GIRLS
100 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 12.27
Ciera Hartz, Topeka High 12.51
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 12.57
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 12.59
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 12.63
200 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 25.41
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 26.04
Sofia Harper, Hayden 26.40
Ciera Hartz, Topeka High 26.48
Jaylie Whitehead, Silver Lake 26.72
400 METERS
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 59.07
Ali Gerber, Silver Lake 59.19
Sofia Harper, Hayden 59.44
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 60.13
Julia Molleker, Seaman 61.88
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural (3)
800 METERS
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 2:16.83
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 2:20.45
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 2:20.86
Ryin Miller, Seaman 2:23.65
Itzel Woods, Topeka High 2:31.24
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural
1,600 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 5:13.49
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 5:14.04
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 5:15.09
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 5:17.54
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 5:22.98
3,200 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 11:06.46
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 11:18.10
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 11:27.63
Reese Beardslee, Washburn Rural 11:34.94
Lily McCoy, Washburn Rural 14:09.97
100-METER HURDLES
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 15.70
Rylee Dick, Rossville 16.44
Marchayla White, Topeka High 17.74
Megan Alderson, Washburn Rural 18.14
Kaylyn Smith, Topeka West 18.23
300-METER HURDLES
Rylee Dick, Rossville 50.00
Marchayla White, Topeka High 51.34
Megan Alderson, Washburn Rural 51.60
Journey Manhart, Silver Lake 53.33
Avery Villines, Seaman 54.18
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 49.60
Silver Lake 50.29
Washburn Rural 50.53
Seaman 51.42
Topeka West 52.33
4x400-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 4:06.84
Silver Lake 4:07.17
Topeka High 4:10.27
Seaman 4:11.72
Topeka West 4:26.38
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 9:58.99
Topeka High 10:39.23
Seaman 11:17.22
Silver Lake 11:18.38
9By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Sixty-seven individual qualifiers in 83 events are set to represent Shawnee County in Friday and Saturday's state track and field championships in and around Wichita State's Cessna Stadium while county teams are also qualified to compete in 19 total relays.
Big-school 3,200-meter runs as well as field event competition are scheduled to get under way at 7:45 a.m. Friday, followed by preliminaties in Class 6A, 5A, 4A.
Competition will resume on Saturday, with field events at 8 a.m. and running events at 8:30.
Shawnee County athletes to watch:
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural
• Washburn Rural junior Christian Hartman-Babb swept the 100 and 200-meter titles in last Friday's Class 6A regional and ran the leadoff leg on the Junior Blues' winning 4x400-meter relay team.
Hartman-Babb recorded 6A fastest 100 regional time (10.36 seconds) and tied for the fastest time in the 200 (21.83).
Brody Anderson, Seaman
• Seaman senior Brody Anderson finished third in the Class 5A 800 meters last season and is qualified in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 this weekend.
Anderson is likely to go head to head with Kapaun Mt. Carmel star Daniel Enriquez in all three events and is ranked No. 2 based on regional times in the 1,600 (4:15.23), fifth in the 800 (1:55.12) and eighth in the 3,200 (9:29.78).
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural
• Washburn Rural senior Brooks Kehoe helped lead the Junior Blues to the Class 6A state cross country championship last fall and won the 1,600 and 3,200 meters in last Friday's regional meet.
Kehoe is ranked No. 10 in the 1,600 (4:26.88) and No. 12 (9:52.39) in the 3,200 based on regional performances.
Morgan Ray, Washburn Rural
• Washburn Rural senior Morgan Ray placed second in the Class 6A girls javelin a season ago and is expected to challenge for the title again this weekend.
Ray captured the regional championship in her specialty with a throw of 141 feet, 6 inches and is ranked third in 6A based on regional throws.
• Shawnee Heights freshman girls sprinter Tanesia Johnson has been a star since she stepped on Heights' campus and is expected to be a factor in the 100 and 200 this weekend.
Johnson ranks No. 4 in 5A in the 100 (12.34) and 200 (25.41) based on regional times.
• Rossville's Landen Lewis and Hayden's Kelton Meier are expected to contend for state boys javelin titles this weekend.
Lewis is the No. 1 Class 2A thrower in the state at 181-8 based on regional performances while Meier ranks No. 2 in 4A at 190-7.
SHAWNEE COUNTY STATE TRACK AND FIELD QUALIFIERS
BOYS
Class 6A
Topeka High -- Adam Humphrey (discus), De'sean Lunkins (110 hurdles), Malachi Murph (100), 4x100 relay.
Washburn Rural -- Jaxson Adams (3,200), Christian Hartman-Babb (100, 200), Zachary Hancock (discus), Brooks Kehoe (1,600, 3,200), Sam Scott (shot put), Dylan Tajchman (javelin), Cohen Thiessen (800, 1,600), 4x400 relay, 4x800 relay.
Class 5A
Highland Park -- Termaine Savage (400), 4x100 relay.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Brody Anderson
BRODY ANDERSON, Seaman
A senior track star, Anderson posted a distance triple in Thursday's United Kansas Conference meet at Turner. Anderson won the 1,600 meters in 4 minutes, 30.93 seconds, the 800 in a personal-record time of 1:53.34 and finished his night wiith a victory in the 3,200 in 9:48.57.
Audrey Appuhn
AUDREY APPUHN, Washburn Rural
Appuhn, a senior, closed out her competitive swimming career with a pair of individual wins in the Centennial League meet Thursday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium, giving her eight career individual league titles in eight attempts. Appuhn won the 200-yard individual medley in 2 minutes, 19.72 seconds and the 100 backstroke in 1:02.29 while also teaming with Ava Von Lintel, Stella Berry and Sophie Heinen to win the 400 free relay (4:20.55).
Caleb Cleverdon
CALEB CLEVERDON, Cair Paravel Latin
A senior golfer, Cleverdon took a four-stroke individual victory with a 73 in the Flint Hills League tournament, leading the Lions to a 32-stroke victory (338-372) over Lyndon in the team standings. Cleverdon followed that up with a runnerup finish in Monday's Class 2A regional, shooting a 71 to tie for the championship and losing in a playoff. Cleverdon led the Lions to a state berth with a second-place team finish.
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 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
GIRLS
100 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 12.27
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 12.57
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 12.59
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 12.66
Adriana Raub, Washburn Rural 12.75
200 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 25.83
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 26.04
Ciera Hartz, Topeka High 26.48
Jaylie Whitehead, Silver Lake 26.72
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 26.82
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High
400 METERS
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 59.07
Ali Gerber, Silver Lake 59.19
Sofia Harper, Hayden 59.44
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 60.13
Julia Molleker, Seaman 61.88
800 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 2:20.86
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 2:21.50
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 2:23.63
Ryin Miller, Seaman 2:23.65
Clara Dillon, Washburn Rural 2:33.45
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural
1,600 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 5:13.49
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 5:14.04
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 5:15.78
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 5:17.54
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 5:22.98
3,200 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 11:06.46
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 11:18.36
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 11:27.63
Reese Beardslee, Washburn Rural 11:34.94
Lily McCoy, Washburn Rural 14:09.97
100-METER HURDLES
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 15.70
Rylee Dick, Rossville 16.44
Marchayla White, Topeka High 17.74
Megan Alderson, Washburn Rural 18.14
Kaylyn Smith, Topeka West 18.23
300-METER HURDLES
Rylee Dick, Rossville 50.00
Marchayla White, Topeka High 51.34
Megan Alderson, Washburn Rural 51.60
Journey Manhart, Silver Lake 53.33
Avery Villines, Seaman 54.18
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 49.60
Silver Lake 50.29
Washburn Rural 50.55
Seaman 51.63
Topeka West 52.33
4x400-METER RELAY
Silver Lake 4:09.56
Topeka High 4:10.27
Washburn Rural 4:11.18
Seaman 4:20.94
Topeka West 4:26.38
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 10:12.53
Topeka High 10:39.23
Seaman 11:17.22
Silver Lake 11:18.38
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 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
BOYS
100 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 10.43
Malachi Murph, Topeka High 10.91
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 10.96
Emmitt Hochstedler, Seaman 10.98
Israel Edmonds, Washburn Rural 11.02
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural
200 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 21.78
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 22.30
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 22.38
Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High 22.60
Joel Miller, Silver Lake 22.65
400 METERS
Jason Slay, Shawnee Heights 49.89
Draden Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural 50.25
Termaine Savage, Highland Park 50.61
Joel Miller, Silver Lake 50.94
Thomas Fisher, Silver Lake 51.28
Brody Anderson, Seaman
800 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 1:53.34
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 1:56.64
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 1:59.79
Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights 2:02.62
Everett Un, Washburn Rural 2:03.26
1,600 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 4:08.2 (mile converted to meters)
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 4:20.32
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 4:24.35
Nick Newkirk, Hayden 4:27.18
Duke Graf, Washburn Rural 4:32.87
3,200 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 9:11.63
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 9:23.61
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural 9:24.34
Jaxson Adams, Washburn Rural 9:42.46
Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural 9:42.94
110-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 14.07
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 15.31
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 15.54
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 15.71
De'sean Lunkins, Topeka High 15.85
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural
300-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 37.61
Kellan Parcaro, Seaman 42.03
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 42.09
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 43.26
Colin Miller, Silver Lake 43.41
4x100-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 42.77
Topeka High 42.90
Seaman 43.27
Silver Lake 43.28
Topeka High 43.52
4x400-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 3:21.82
Shawnee Heights 3:23.24
Silver Lake 3:28.28
Highland Park 3:28.48
Topeka High 3:33.40
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 8:21.93
Shawnee Heights 8:33.62
Seaman 8:34.58
Silver Lake 8:57.48
Topeka High 9:09.82
HIGH JUMP
Jack Esser, Seaman 6-4
Bryson Burgos, Silver Lake 6-0
Archer Greene, Seaman 5-10
Creighton Frisby, Washburn Rural 5-8
Sebastian Kingcade, Washburn Rural 5-8
Cody Quy, Seaman 5-8
POLE VAULT
Keygan Breault, Silver Lake 12-0
Sam Bruntz, Silver Lake 11-6
Luke Deering, Washburn Rural 11-6
Sawyer Hermesch, Silver Lake 10-0
Desmond Grindol, Washburn Rural 10-0
LONG JUMP
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 21-2.25
Josh Brown, Seaman 21-0.50
Owen Rottinghaus, Silver Lake 21-0
Joel Miller, Silver Lake 20-8
Lucas Marichal, Topeka High/CPLS 20-7.25
TRIPLE JUMP
Bryson Burgos, Silver Lake 42-2.50
Camden Kruger, Silver Lake 41-7
Lucas Marichal, Topeka High/CPLS 40-11
Abe Heffley, Seaman 40-5.25
De'drian Keeling, Topeka West 40-3.75
SHOT PUT
Amir Bass, Shawnee Heights 47-11
Sam Scott, Washburn Rural 47-7
Kelton Meier, Hayden 46-2,50
Charles Chance, Rossville 46-0
Brogen Brown, Seaman 45-10.75
DISCUS
Zachary Hancock, Washburn Rural 163-4
Sam Garner, Shawnee Heights 156-4
Myles Fisher, Silver Lake 151-3
Adam Humphrey, Topeka High 146-8
Kelton Meier, Hayden 142-10
JAVELIN
Landon Lewis, Rossville 202-9
Kelton Meier, Hayden 196-6
Jackson Haas, Hayden 175-3
Dylan Tjachman, Washburn Rural 167-4
Andre Johnson, Rossville 166-5
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 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
BOYS
100 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 10.43
Malachi Murph, Topeka High 10.91
Israel Edmonds, Washburn Rural 11.02
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 11.04
Courtney Sanders, Topeka High 11.10
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural
200 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 21.78
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 22.30
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 22.38
Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High 22.60
Joel Miller, Silver Lake 22.65
400 METERS
Jason Slay, Shawnee Heights 49.89
Draden Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural 50.25
Joel Miller, Silver Lake 50.94
Thomas Fisher, Silver Lake 51.28
Xavier Fisher, Shawnee Heights 51.34
Brody Anderson, Seaman
800 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 1:53.37
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 1:56.64
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 1:59.79
Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights 2:02.62
Everett Un, Washburn Rural 2:03.26
1,600 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 4:08.2 (mile converted to meters)
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 4:20.32
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 4:24.35
Nick Newkirk, Hayden 4:27.18
Duke Graf, Washburn Rural 4:32.87
3,200 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 9:11.63
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 9:23.61
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural 9:24.34
Jaxson Adams, Washburn Rural 9:42.46
Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural 9:42.94
110-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 14.07
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 15.31
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 15.54
De'sean Lunkins, Topeka High 15.85
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 15.88
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural
300-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 37.61
Kellan Parcaro, Seaman 42.03
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 42.09
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 43.26
Colin Miller, Silver Lake 43.41
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 42.92
Washburn Rural 43.17
Seaman 43.27
Silver Lake 43.28
Topeka High 43.52
4x400-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 3:21.82
Shawnee Heights 3:23.24
Silver Lake 3:28.28
Highland Park 3:28.48
Topeka High 3:33.55
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 8:21.93
Seaman 8:34.58
Silver Lake 8:57.48
Topeka High 9:09.82
Rossville 9:14.36
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 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
GIRLS
100 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 12.36
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 12.57
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 12.60
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 12.66
Adriana Raub, Washburn Rural 12.75
200 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 25.83
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 26.04
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 26.82
Ciera Hartz, Topeka High 26.48
Sofia Harper, Hayden 26.88
400 METERS
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 59.07
Ali Gerber, Silver Lake 59.19
Sofia Harper, Hayden 59.44
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 60.34
Julia Molleker, Seaman 61.88
800 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 2:20.86
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 2:21.50
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 2:23.63
Ryin Miller, Seaman 2:23.65
Clara Dillon, Washburn Rural 2:33.45
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural
1,600 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 5:13.49
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 5:14.04
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 5:15.78
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 5:17.54
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 5:22.98
3,200 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 11:06.46
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 11:18.36
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 11:27.63
Reese Beardslee, Washburn Rural 11:34.94
Lily McCoy, Washburn Rural 14:09.97
100-METER HURDLES
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 15.70
Rylee Dick, Rossville 16.77
Marchayla White, Topeka High 17.74
Megan Alderson, Washburn Rural 18.14
Kaylyn Smith, Topeka West 18.23
300-METER HURDLES
Rylee Dick, Rossville 50.00
Marchayla White, Topeka High 51.34
Megan Alderson, Washburn Rural 51.60
Journey Manhart, Silver Lake 53.33
Avery Villines, Seaman 54.18
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 49.60
Silver Lake 50.29
Washburn Rural 51.46
Seaman 51.63
Topeka West 52.33
4x400-METER RELAY
Silver Lake 4:09.56
Topeka High 4:10.27
Washburn Rural 4:11.18
Seaman 4:20.94
Topeka West 4:27.08
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 10:12.53
Topeka High 10:39.23
Seaman 11:17.22
Silver Lake 11:18.38
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman boys tennis continued its late-season run on Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center, with the Vikings capturing their second tournament championship over three days.
Seaman captured a Class 5A regional championship Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center after winning the UKC title two days earlier. [Submitted photo]
After capturing the United Kansas Conference title on Thursday, Seaman won Saturday's Class 5A regional title by a 20-17 margin over Piper, advancing all six of its players to Friday's 5A state tournament at Andover.
"It was a gutsy effort from everybody,'' Seaman coach Jamie Robinson said. "They really came to play, so that was fun to watch as a spectator and a coach.
"This is the second year in a row we're going to take all six to state and I think we learned a lot from last year.''
After finishing second in the UKC tournament, sophomore singles player Camden Dutton added a runnerup regional finish to lead the Vikings.
The Vikings also got a third-place singles finish from Kenton Myrick and third and fourth-place doubles finishes from the teams of Owen Stewart and Dayton Schneider and Aaron Sampson and Cooper Hopeck.
Sophomore Camden Dutton led regional champion Seaman with a runnerup singles finish Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Dutton dropped a 6-1, 7-5 decision to Piper's Blake Taylor in the singles final while Myrick, a freshman, earned his first trip to state with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) win over Bonner Springs' Deion Cruse in the third-place match.
Dutton will take an 18-11 into state while Myrick is 22-7.
Seniors Schneider and Stewart (22-6) met teammates Hopeck and Sampson (23-9) in the third-place doubles match for the second straight tournament, with Stewart and Schneider taking a 6-4, 6-1 decision.
Topeka West sophomore Collin McGee earned a second straight state tournament berth with a runnerup regional doubles finish. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka West junior Zander Rice teamed with Collin McGee to post a runnerup doubles finish in Saturday's Class 5A regional. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka West got a runnerup doubles finish from Collin McGee and Zander Rice, who dropped a tight 6-4, 6-4 decision to Piper's Johnny Vogel and Baird Greenamyre in the title match after also playing the Pirates' duo in the UKC final.
McGee, a sophomore, earned his second straight 5A state berth and McGee and Rice, a junior, will take a 28-10 record into the state tournament.
CLASS 5A BOYS REGIONAL TENNIS
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural rode its dominance in the distance events and superior depth to a sweep of the team titles in Friday's Joe Schrag City Championship at Hummer Sports Park.
Rural posted a total of 16 event wins on the night (eight girls, eight boys) and had top-three finishes in 25 events (13 girls,12 boys) en route to a 216-135.5 win over Silver Lake for the Junior Blue girls and a 200-131 victory over the Eagle boys in the team standings.
Washburn Rural track had eight individual wins and 12 top-three finishes en route to the boys city championship Friday at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural track and field had eight individual wins and 12 top-three finishes en route to the boys city championship Friday at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"This is definitely the beginning of postseason and we want to perform well here at the city meet,'' Rural coach Keith Wetzel said. "We like to keep the city trophies in our case and use that to propel us into league and regional and state.
"We put an emphasis on this meet. We want to be the best in the city and we make it a goal that we want to continue to have success at this meet.''
Highlights for the Rural boys included a sweep of all three relays, along with wins in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters and second and third-place finishes in the 800.
Washburn Rural senior Brooks Kehoe won two gold medals and also posted a third-place finish in Friday's city meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Rural senior Brooks Kehoe won the 1,600 meters in 4 minutes, 26.64 seconds, teamed with Jackson Svaty, Everett Un and Christian Hartman-Babb to win the 4x400 relay (3:23.02) and posted a third-place finish in the 800 (2:00.51).
Hartman-Babb, a junior, won the 100-meter dash in 10.55 seconds before teaming with Paxton Johnson, Caleb Schwartz and Carter Frost to win the 4x100 (43.17) and ending the meet with the 4x400 victory.
Sophomore Henry Laubach won the city title in the 3,200 meters for team-champion Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Sophomore Henry Laubach turned in a dominating win in the 3,200 (9:32.10) while the Junior Blues also got wins from Luke Deering in the pole vault (11 feet, 6 inches), Zachary Hancock in the discus (153-0) and the team of Everett Un, Wesley Meek, Julius Wood-Nichols and Eli Replogle in the 4x800 (8:36.89).
Senior Emily Graf won the 1,600 and 800-meter runs in Friday's city track and field meet as Washburn Rural's girls won the team title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
On the girls side, Rural got a pair of individual wins from senior Emily Graf and junior Kailyn Petersen, with Graf winning the 1,600 (5:13.49) and the 800 (2:25.28) and Petersen winning the shot put (34-2) and discus (123-8) titles.
Rural's girls swept the throws and the distance races, with senior Morgan Ray winning the javelin title with a throw of 142-8 and senior Kenzie Maddox winning the 3,200 in 11:26.03.
The Junior Blues also picked up a win in the 4x800 relay (10:32.31) from the foursome of Quinn Nolte, Payton Rice, Morgan Munson and Clara Dillon while Natalie Ferguson finished first in the pole vault (8-0).
"It has been a solid day,'' Wetzel said. "We have some injuries so we've asked some people to step in, to fill in, to step up and we've been fortunate that they've done that for the most part and some young kids, both boys and girls have stepped in and given us a boost.''
Other top performances:
• Silver Lake, the smallest school in the field, turned in solid runnerup team finishes in both the girls and boys divisions.
The Eagle girls picked up three event wins and 11 top-three finishes while the Lake boys won a pair of events and placed top three in 13 of 18 events.
Silver Lake's Ali Gerber crosses the finish line for the win in the girls 4x400-meter relay in Friday's city meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Ali Gerber won the girls triple jump for the second straight season (34-10.25) and teamed with Kinley Weber, Jaiden Wise and Jaylie Whitehead for a win in the 4x400 relay (4:09.56), with Gerber running the anchor leg.
Addy Just notched the third win of the day for the Silver Lake girls in the long jump (16-9.25) while the boys got wins from Joel Miller in the 200 (22.65) and Bryson Burgos in the triple jump (40-7.50).
• Keimari Marshall and Marchayla White were both double individual champions for Topeka High's girls while Marshall also added a relay victory in her final city meet.
Marshall won the 100 (12.57) and 400 (59.07) and also ran on the Trojans' winning 4x100 relay (49.60) along with Kaeanna Copeland, Jayana Washington and Ciera Hartz.
White swept the girls hurdles titles, winning the 100-meter event in 17.74 seconds and the 300s in 51.34.
Seaman freshman Baylee Ayres cleared a personal-record 5-foot-5 to win the girls high jump in Friday's city meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Seaman freshman Baylee Ayres made an impressive city meet debut, winning the girls high jump with a personal-record jump of 5 feet, 5 inches, winning the event by five inches.
Seaman senior Brody Anderson won the city title in the boys 800 meters by six seconds in 1:53.65 Friday. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Brody Anderson continued his outstanding senior season for the Seaman boys, winning the 800 by more than six seconds in 1:53.65.
The Vikings also got victories from Kellan Parcaro in the 300 hurdles (43.14) and Jack Esser in the high jump (6-4).
• Other individual winners included Highland Park's Jurnee Cole in the girls 200 (26.32) and Rayshon Pollard in the boys long jump (20-5.25), Shawnee Heights' Jason Slay in the boys 400 (49.89), Heights' Amir Bass in the boys shot put (47-11), Hayden's Kelton Meier in the boys javelin (186-8) and Topeka High's De'sean Lunkins in the boys 110 hurdles (15.85).
JOE SCHRAG CITY CHAMPIONSHIP
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 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
BOYS
100 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 10.43
Malachi Murph, Topeka High 10.91
Israel Edmonds, Washburn Rural 11.02
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 11.04
Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High 11.15
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural
200 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 21.78
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 22.30
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 22.38
Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High 22.60
Courtney Sanders, Topeka High 22.66
400 METERS
Draden Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural 50.25
Jason Slay, Shawnee Heights 50.71
Joel Miller, Silver Lake 50.94
Xavier Fisher, Shawnee Heights 51.34
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 51.43
Brody Anderson, Seaman
800 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 1:53.37
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 1:56.64
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 1:59.62
Everett Un, Washburn Rural 2:03.26
Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights 2:03.30
1,600 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 4:08.2 (mile converted to meters)
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 4:20.32
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 4:24.35
Nick Newkirk, Hayden 4:33.03
Duke Graf, Washburn Rural 4:33.71
3,200 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 9:11.63
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 9:23.61
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural 9:24.34
Jaxson Adams, Washburn Rural 9:44.54
Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural 9:57.60
110-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 14.07
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 15.31
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 15.54
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 16.10
De'sean Lunkins, Topeka High 16.22
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural
300-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 37.61
Kellan Parcaro, Seaman 42.03
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 42.09
Colin Miller, Silver Lake 43.41
Michael Ruelas, Seaman 43.46
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 42.92
Seaman 43.27
Washburn Rural 43.27
Topeka High 43.52
Silver Lake 43.77
4x400-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 3:21.82
Shawnee Heights 3:24.59
Silver Lake 3:30.04
Seaman 3:35.19
Topeka High 3:35.43
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 8:21.93
Seaman 8:34.58
Silver Lake 8:57.48
Topeka High 9:09.82
Topeka West 9:29.28
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
With the city, United Kansas Conference, Class 5A regional and state meets coming up over the next four weeks, Seaman senior track star Brody Anderson and Viking distance coach Luke Wiens decided to limit Anderson to one event in Friday's Bob Camien/Claudia Welch Relays at Seaman.
Seaman senior Brody Anderson set a meet record in the boys 1,600 meters in Friday's Bob Camien/Claudia Welch Relays at Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But Anderson made the most of that one race, setting a meet record in the boys 1,600 meters in a time of 4 minutes, 10.66 seconds.
"Coach Wiens and I were talking earlier this week and we just wanted to keep the mind in a good space,'' Anderson said. "I feel good enough to race. It's just you don't want to overdo it and make something feel bad going into championship season here next week.
"I want to run my best then and do what I can do and I don't want to jeopardize anything.''
Wamego's Peyton Parker stayed right with Anderson for the first half of Friday's race before Anderson took control over the final two laps to win in more than four seconds, with Parker second in 4:15.24.
"I could feel him on my hip behind me, which kind of pushed me,'' Anderson said. "I saw my splits afterwards and I somewhat got lazy on the backstretch and that's something I need to work on.
It's very fixable. I went into the last lap having so much left in me and I just closed pretty hard.''
Next up for Anderson, who ran a 4:06 mile in a recent showcase meet, is next Friday's Joe Schrag City Invitational at Hummer Sports Park.
Other meet highlights:
• Washburn Rural senior Brooks Kehoe and sophomore Henry Laubach, who helped lead the Junior Blues to the Class 6A state cross country championship last fall, posted a one-two finish in the boys 3,200 meters.
Kehoe won the event in 9 minutes, 23.61 seconds while Laubach was right behind in 9:24.34.
Rural's Colin Thiessen finished third in the 800 meters in 1:59.62.
Washburn Rural senior Morgan Ray won the girls javelin title in Friday's Bob Camien/Claudia Welch Relays at Seaman with a throw of 147-5. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
• Washburn Rural senior Morgan Ray, a 6A state runnerup as a junior, turned in a dominating victory in the girls javelin.
Ray won with a top throw of 147 feet, 5 inches, winning by more than 14 feet.
Ray's junior teammate, Kailyn Petersen, finished second in the discus at 122-9.
• Topeka High's girls 4 x100-meter relay team of Caeanna Copeland, Keimara Marshall, Jayanna Washington and Marchayla White finished third in a time of 50.18 seconds.
Washington also finished third in the long jump with a leap of 17-10.
• Washburn Rural junior sprinter Christian Hartman-Babb posted a third-place finish in the boys 200-meter dash, clocking a time of 21.81 seconds.
BOB CAMIEN/CLAUDIA WELCH SEAMAN RELAYS
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural swept the doubles championships in Thursday's city boys tennis tournament at Kossover Tennis Center to lead the Junor Blues to a third straight city team title.
Washburn Rural tennis swept the doubles titles on the way to its third straight city team title Thursday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural seniors Cale Deutscher and Dylan Willingham captured the No. 1 doubles title with an 8-3 win over Topeka West's Collin McGee and Zander Rice while Junior Blues seniors Ben Tryhus and Kieffer O'Connor repeated as the No. 2 doubles champs with an 8-3 decision in the final as Rural captured the team championship by a 30-27 margin over Seaman.
Cair Paravel Latin swept the singles titles, with senior Drew Fay topping 2025 champion Tres Lassiter of Topeka High in the No. 1 final and freshman Jonah Arnold capturing the No. 2 crown in his first city meet.
Deutscher and Willingham's title came after a tiebreaker loss to Cair Paravel in the 2025 final.
Washburn Rural seniors Cale Deutscher (left) and Dylan Willingham won the city title in No. 1 doubles Thursday to lead the Junior Blues to their third straight city team title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I think we just put in the work in the offseason and it just helped us to push through this year,'' Deutscher said about Thursday's win. "We played good tennis today.''
"Being a senior, you want to end it off on the right foot and we did it,'' Willingham said. "I think we've got some good momentum going forward and that's good because we're going into league and regionals and state.''
The Junior Blues also got a third-place finish in No. 1 singles from Greyson Jones and a runnerup finish in No. 2 singles from Jaxon Whitehead to outdistance Seaman, which posted four top-four finishes, including a second-place showing in No. 2 doubles.
Thursday's Rural title was a tuneup for next Monday's Centennial League tournament, followed by Class 6A regional and state meets.
"I think the team's definitely doing good,'' Deutscher said. "We put in a lot of work in practice every day and a lot of us stay after, too, after our regular time. We've all been coming together really well.''
Cair Paravel senior Drew Fay won the city title in No. 1 singles Thursday after winning the No. 1 doubles championship as a junior. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Fay captured his second straight city championship, with an interesting twist.
Fay teamed with Eric Buchenau to win the No. 1 city doubles title as a junior on the way to a runnerup Class 3A-1A state finish before switching back to singles this spring and earning the No. 1 singles crown with an 8-3 win over High standout Lassiter.
Fay said he got the day off to a somewhat slow start in the quarterfinals before picking up steam as the day went on.
"It was honestly my fault,'' said Fay, who has played 13 matches over the past three days. "I didn't warm up before this so I was slowly getting better as it went on.''
Fay admitted that going from doubles back to singles did take some time.
"Especially over the summer it took awhile to even remember how to play singles,'' Fay said. "It was like re-learning almost, so it's been kind of tough, but I feel like I've gotten back to it now.
"I think I've been progressing all season, so hopefully I hit my climax when state comes around and just keep improving.''
CITY BOYS TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
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 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
GIRLS
100 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 12.46
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 12.60
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 12.72
Adriana Raub, Washburn Rural 12.75
Jaiden Wise, Silver Lake 12.83
200 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 26.11
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 26.81
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 26.82
Sofia Harper, Hayden 27.00
Julia Molleker, Seaman 27.23
400 METERS
Sofia Harper, Hayden 59.75
Ali Gerber, Silver Lake 60.07
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 60.34
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 61.03
Brynn Scheid, Seaman 62.93
800 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 2:20.86
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 2:23.63
Ryin Miller, Seaman 2:23.65
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 2:24.26
Clara Dillon, Washburn Rural 2:33.45
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural
1,600 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 5:14.21
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 5:17.54
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 5:26.49
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 5:28.35
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 5:39.04
3,200 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 11:06.46
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 11:36.26
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 11:36.97
Reese Beardslee, Washburn Rural 12:05.94
100-METER HURDLES
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 15.70
Rylee Dick, Rossville 16.77
Marchayla White, Topeka High 17.76
Ravaya Smith, Washburn Rural 18.88
Kennedy Gatewood, Seaman 19.13
300-METER HURDLES
Rylee Dick, Rossville 50.00
Journey Manhart, Silver Lake 54.13
Avery Villines, Seaman 55.36
Amy Hill, Silver Lake 56.03
Grace Funk, Hayden 56.44
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 50.77
Silver Lake 51.06
Washburn Rural 51.79
Seaman 52.03
Topeka West 52.33
4x400-METER RELAY
Silver Lake 4:11.03
Topeka High 4:13.96
Washburn Rural 4:18.21
Shawnee Heights 4:29.41
Seaman 4:31.03
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 10:47.80
Topeka High 11:13.01
Silver Lake 11:30.83
