Seaman Vikings

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Alex Baxter 

ALEX BAXTER, Topeka West

A senior golf standout, Baxter shot an 87 to win her first United Kansas Conference individual championship last Tuesday at Lakw Shawnee after finishing third in the conference tournament as a sophomore and second as a junior. Baxter's UKC title came a day after Baxter shot an 88 to tie for eighth place in the city championships.

Maegan Mills

MAEGAN MILLS, Seaman

The Seaman senior was voted the Most Valuable Player in Saturday's seven-school Seaman Invitational volleyball tournament after helping lead the Vikings to the team championship with a perfect 6-0 record. Mills helped Seaman, the defending Class 5A state champion, win all six of its matches in the round-robin event in straight sets as the Vikings improved to 21-1 on the season.

 Ryin Miller

RYIN MILLER, Seaman

A junior cross country star, Miller won her fourth individual championship in as many starts this fall on Saturday, posting a five-kilometer time of 17 minutes, 14.1 seconds to win the Gold Division title in the prestigious multi-state Rim Rock Classic at Rim Rock Farm, north of Lawrence. Miller topped two-time Class 5A state champion Katelyn Rupe of Salina Central by just over three seconds (17:17.4).

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Conner Bush

CONNER BUSH, Rossville

A 5-foot-11, 176-pound junior, Bush scored three touchdowns and a 2-point conversion in Rossville's 43-0 Class 1A District 2 victory over Mission Valley Friday night. Bush scored on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Tayson Horak, a 74-yard run and a 30-yard interception return as Rossville improved to 2-3 overall and 2-0 in the district. 

Layla Collins

LAYLA COLLINS, Washburn Rural

Collins, a 6-foot senior, was a force at the net throughout Saturday's Centennial League volleyball tournament at Topeka High, helping lead the Junior Blues to a perfect 5-0 record and a fourth straight league championship. Collins helped Rural win the Class 6A state title as a sophomore and was a first-team All-Shawnee County pick as a junior as Rural qualified for state. 

Bryer Finley 

BRYER FINLEY, Seaman

A 6-foot-5, 190-pound senior, Finley caught 12 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns in last Friday's 43-22 United Kansas Conference victory over Lansing. Finley caught touchdown passes of 14, 12 and 78 yards from Max Huston as the Vikings improved to 4-1 overall and remained unbeaten in the UKC. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman girls tennis coach Jamie Robinson wanted to use Monday's United Kansas Conference meet to build momentum for Class 5A regional competition later this week.

Seaman's girls tennis team poses for a team picture after winning its third straight United Kansas Conference championship Monday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

And the Vikings did just that, posting a perfect team score to win their third straight UKC title.

"That certainly helped our confidence going into regionals,'' Robinson said. "We take a lot of pride in winning the conference and we came up just short with the city so this helps and now we're looking forward to regionals and getting all of our top six to state.''

Seaman finished one-two in both singles and doubles to win the championship by a lopsided 74-52 margin over runnerup De Soto.

Sophomore Emma Sweeney won the singles championship in Monday's United Kansas Conference meet, helping Seaman win its third straight conference title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman junior Molly Gorman was the singles runnerup in Monday's United Kansas Conference tournament for the team-champion Vikings. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Sophomore Emma Sweeney took an 8-3 victory over junior Molly Gorman in the singles final while senior Sidney Chinn and sophomore Peyton Henry rallied from a 4-1 deficit to top Viking teammates Camryn Lux and Katlyn Hiebsch for the doubles championship.

Seaman senior Sidney Chinn (left) and sophomore Peyton Henry won the doubles title in Monday's United Kansas Conference tennis meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman's Camryn Lux (right) and Katlyn Hiebsch finished second in doubles in Monday's United Kansas Conference meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Topeka West finished fifth as a team while Shawnee Heights finished seventh while getting a fourth-place doubles finish from Izzy Van Fleet and Mackenzie Mertel in their first tournament as doubles partners.

Seaman will compete in a Saturday 5A regional at Bonner Springs while Topeka West and Shawnee Heights will compete in a Friday 5A regional at Harmon Park in Overland Park.

UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

The Seaman Invitational cross country meet took place on a warm Saturday morning at Shawnee North Community Park with teams from Lawrence High, Piper, Shawnee Heights, Topeka High, Topeka West, Washburn Rural and Seaman competing.

Seaman junior Ryin Miller captured her fifth straight individual cross country title in Saturday's Seaman Invitational. [Photo by Charles Spurlock/TSN]

Girls varsity

Seaman junior Ryin Miller continued her amazing season with her fifth straight victory with a five-kilometer time of 17 minutes, 21.5 seconds.

Miller commented on the race: “I was happy with it. Our course definitely isn’t an easy course, but I was a little bummed with my time. The goal was to have fun and we had Homecoming last night, so my legs didn’t feel the best today. I was still happy with my effort and pushing through.”

The Lady Vikings finished 1-2-3 individually, with sophomore Brynn Spencer second in 19:37.96 and senior Stella Applehanz third in 19:47.47. Overall, Seaman placed five runners in the top 10.

Topeka West placed both of its runners in the top 15, with senior Chloe Phelps in 12th (21:49.78) and junior Payton Rice in 14th (21:52.85).

Topeka High’s top two finishers were sophomore Juliahanna Savago in 15th (22:47.09) and freshman Emma Womack in 16th (22:50.74).

Shawnee Heights placed two runners in the top 20 -- senior Elizabeth Hogan finished in 18th (22:54.58) and sophomore Abigail Lewis in 19th (22:57.45).

Washburn Rural’s top two finishers were junior Michka Mejia in 21st (23:10.6) and freshman Reese Beardslee in 22nd (23:16.05). 

Final team standings

Seaman 22,Lawrence 64, Piper 66, Washburn Rural 101, Topeka High 103

Seaman:Ryin Miller (17:21.5, 1st); Brynn Spencer (19:37.96, 2nd); Stella Applehanz (19:47.47, 3rd); Kinley Robinson (21:41.98, 7th); Avery Villines (21:44.36, 9th); Hannah Wempe (21:51.24, 13th); Abigail Cooper (22:58.06, 20th); Emma Gonzalez (24:16.52, 26th).  

Shawnee Heights:Elizabeth Hogan (22:54.58, 18th); Abigail Lewis (22:57.45, 19th); Kinsley Mohan (24:41.57, 28th); Adelaide Davis (25:20.43, 30th). 

Topeka High:Juliahanna Savago (22:47.09, 15th); Emma Womack (22:50.74, 16th); Victoria Reynaga (24:07.92, 25th); Kimberly Cortez (29:10.08, 34th); Mackynzie Murray (31:34.84, 35th).

Topeka West:Chloe Phelps (21:49.78, 12th); Payton Rice (21:52.85, 14th).

Washburn Rural:Michka Mejia (23:10.6, 21st); Reese Beardslee (23:16.05, 22nd); Jazlyn Badger (23:48.72, 23rd); Kailey Dorzweiler (24:54.79, 29th); Harper Tenbrink (25:27.74, 31st).

Seaman junior Brody Anderson notched his third individual cross country title of the season in Saturday's Seaman Invitational. [File photo/TSN]

Topeka West senior Adrian Lehman was the individual runnerup in Saturday's Seaman Invitational. [Photo by Charles Spurlock/TSN]

Boys varsity

Local schools swept the top three places in the boys varsity race. Junior Brody Anderson of Seaman finished first with a time of 15:44.35 while senior Adrian Lehman of Topeka West was second with a time of 16:22.02 and freshman Henry Laubach of Washburn Rural was third in a time of 16:42.04.

Saturday was Anderson's third victory in five races and he discussed his thoughts on the race: “I think the race went well. The goal today was to finish the race after last week at Rim Rock where my legs gave me trouble. I kept it smooth and went out more conservatively than normal and felt good overall.”

Seaman also had three other runners finish in the top 20. Sophomore Conner Bloom finished 15th (17:36.17), senior Alex Newell finished 16th (17:36.45) and senior Corbin Morrow finished 19th (17:50.18).

By Todd Fertig

TopSports.news

The connection between Seaman quarterback Max Huston and receiver Bryer Finley turned a tight battle with Lansing into a rout Friday night at Seaman.

Seaman senior quarterback Max Huston threw for 349 yards and three touchdowns in Friday's 43-22 UKC win over Lansing. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]

Seaman senior Bryer Finley hauls in one of his three touchdown passes in Friday's 43-22 UKC win over Lansing. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/TSN]

Huston hit Finley 12 times for 298 yards and three touchdowns in a 43-22 victory that was much closer than the final score would indicate.

Tied with Seaman at 15-15 at the half, Lansing seized a 22-15 lead midway through the third period. From that moment on, it was all Vikings.

“In the first half it was awfully close and a really good game, really back and forth. Then in the second half we were able to start making some plays and get on a roll,” said Seaman coach Jared Swafford. “I think it was just the excitement of our kids, to pick each other up instead of putting each other down. It was that belief that we were going to get some things figured out.”

The Vikings opened the game with a Huston 14-yard touchdown throw to Finley. But Lansing responded with two touchdowns to go up 15-7. A 22-yard touchdown run by the Vikings’ Kaden McKinney tied it at halftime.

A second touchdown pass from Lansing’s Jaxon Pollard put the Lions ahead in the third quarter. Pollard was not the quarterback the Vikings had prepared for. Lansing played the entire game without Reid Oakley, their highly accomplished senior quarterback.

“We had no idea that (Oakley) wasn’t going to be playing,” Swafford said. “We prepared all week like he was going to play. It’s very unfortunate (for Lansing). He’s a very good player.”

Normally the team’s tailback, Pollard tried to do it all for Lansing. He carried 22 times for 82 yards in addition to trying to attack Seaman through the air.

“Pollard is also a heck of a player, but he was playing out of position tonight,” Swafford said. “They did some good things with him that sort of put us in a bind, that we weren’t quite ready for. But give him a lot of credit. He did a heck of a job.”

The Vikings picked off Pollard to close the first half. In the second half, they forced Lansing into passing situations and intercepted Pollard four more times, which completely changed the game.

“We had to win some battles up front to put them behind the chains and force them to have to throw the ball,” Swafford said.

Finley had four receptions for 106 yards in the first half. But in the second half, he completely took over the game. Lansing had no answer for him.

“Bryer is very dynamic,” Swafford said. “He’s a dude, and we knew he was going to be a dude for us this year. It just took us some time to get clicking on offense. He’s a heck of a player for us and we love the heck out of him.”

“He’s been my best friend since kindergarten, and we have a great connection,” Finley said of the chemistry with Huston. “I was just seeing green out there. I was running my routes hard, seeing green, and we connected for a lot of good completions.”

Seaman junior Kaden McKinney (9) ran for 129 yards and three TDs in Friday's 43-22 UKC win over Lansing. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]

Huston and McKinney kept the Viking ground game churning. McKinney ran for 129 yards and three touchdowns while Huston added 78 more yards on the ground.

By RICK PETERSON                                                                                                           

TopSports.news

Seaman junior cross country star Ryin Miller and Highland Park sophomore football standout G'Honi Montgomery have been selected by the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency as the Rising Stars of the Week.

The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the bulk of the 2024-2025 school year.

Here’s a brief look at the accomplishments of Miller and Montgomery over the past week:

Seaman junior Ryin Miller has been named the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency female Rising Star of the Week after posting her fourth straight individual win of the season in last Saturday's Rim Rock Classic. [File photo/TSN]

RYIN MILLER, Seaman

Miller won her fourth individual championship in as many starts this fall last Saturday, posting a five-kilometer time of 17 minutes, 14.1 seconds to win the Gold Division title in the prestigious multi-state Rim Rock Classic at Rim Rock Farm, north of Lawrence.

Miller topped two-time Class 5A state champion Katelyn Rupe of Salina Central by just over three seconds (17:17.4).

Earlier in the season the Seaman junior notched individual wins in the Manhattan Invitational, the Joe Schrag Invitational and the Shufelberger Top City Classic, setting an all-time girls state five-kilometer record in the Schrag meet at Kanza Park. 

Highland Park sophomore G'Honi Montgomery has been named the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency male Rising Star of the Week after rushing for 157 yards and scoring three touchdowns in a 48-0 Meadowlark Conference victory over KC-Harmon last Friday. [File photo/TSN]

G'HONI MONTGOMERY, Highland Park

Montgomery continued his outstanding sophomore season for the Scots in last Friday's 48-0 Meadowlark Conference victory over Kansas City-Harmon at Hummer Sports Park as Highland Park improved to a perfect 4-0 on the season.

Montgomery gained 157 yards on just six rushing attempts, including touchdown runs of 22, 26 and 62 yards.

Montgomery and the Scots posted their fourth straight shutout against Harmon and have now outscored their opponents by a 174-0 margin. 

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

(All kickoffs at 7 p.m.)

THURSDAY NIGHT'S GAME

BASEHOR-LINWOOD (4-0, 4-0 UKC) vs. TOPEKA WEST (0-4, 0-4 UKC)

At Hummer Sports Park

Still looking for its first win of the 2024 season, Topeka West faces another tough United Kansas Conference test Thursday night, with league-leading Basehor-Linwood visiting Hummer Sports Park to face the Chargers. Topeka West is coming off a 63-0 UKC loss to Lansing while Basehor-Linwood took a 21-7 league win over De Soto. Bobcat junior quarterback Carson Dixon has completed 37 of 74 passes for 496 yards and seven touchdowns while senior Nick Doering has carried the ball 76 times for 425 yards and seven TDs.

FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAMES

Topeka High senior Tevante Ewing rushed for 169 yards in last Friday's 47-14 Centennial League win over Emporia. [File photo/TSN]

WASHBURN RURAL (1-3, 0-0 Centennial) vs. TOPEKA HIGH (4-0, 1-0 Centennial)

At Hummer Sports Park

Topeka High will be looking to extend its winning streak to five games while Washburn Rural, a Class 6A semifinalist last season, will be aiming to snap a three-game non-league losing streak to teams that are a combined 12-1 on the season. Washburn Rural, coming off a 49-23 loss to undefeated Blue Valley Northwest, will be playing its Centennial League opener Friday night while Topeka High opened league play last week with a 47-14 road win over Emporia. Topeka High senior Tevante Ewing rushed for 169 yards on 13 attempts while junior Zane Smith completed five of eight passes for 191 yards and Savon Carter caught two passes for 144 yards. Washburn Rural junior quarterback John Hoytal completed 23 of 32 throws for 235 yards against Northwest while junior receiver Kellan Roth hauled in 11 of Hoytal’s throws for 99 yards and a score. Sophomore Jadyn Baum exploded for an 80-yard touchdown run and junior TJ Minikwu blasted in from 10 yards out for another score.

Hayden junior Kade Mitchell (25) has rushed for 296 yards and scored six touchdowns this fall. [File photo/TSN]

HIAWATHA (1-3, 0-1 Class 3A District 4) at HAYDEN (3-1, 0-0 Class 3A District 4)

Hayden, the Class 3A runnerup a year ago, is coming off a 31-28 non-league loss at Wamego last Friday while Hiawatha opened Class 3A District 4 play with a 21-0 win over Jefferson West. Hayden will open district competition Friday night. Wildcat senior quarterback  Jett Wahlmeier has completed 41 of 57 pass attempts for 619 yards and seven touchdowns while junior running back Kade Mitchell has carried the ball 33 times for 296 yards and six touchdowns. Senior Jensen Schrickel has caught 13 passes for 220 yards and scored five touchdowns.

Seaman senior quarterback Max Huston has passed for 806 yards and 12 touchdowns this fall for the 3-1 Vikings. [File photo/TSN]

LANSING (3-1, 3-0 UKC) at SEAMAN (3-1, 3-0 UKC)

Friday's game will match up United Kansas Conference co-leaders Lansing and Seaman, who are both a perfect 3-0 in league play. Seaman is coming off a 49-0 win over Kansas City-Turner while Lansing rolled to a 62-0 win over Topeka West. Seaman senior quarterback Max Huston has completed 47 of 85 passes for 806 yards and 12 touchdowns while junior Kaden McKinney has carried the ball 40 times for 235 yards and five TDs while senior Bryer Finley has caught 21 passes for 382 yards and eight TDs. Lansing senior Reid Oakley has completed 46 of 93 passes for 798 yards while sophomore Jaxon Pollard has carried the ball 61 times for 379 yards and five TDs.

WABAUNSEE (1-3, 0-1 Class 1A District 2) vs. CAIR PARAVEL LATIN (1-3, 0-1 Class 1A District 2)

At Yager Stadium

Cair Paravel will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak after opening Class 1A District 2 play last Friday with a 46-22 loss to Mission Valley. Wabaunsee is also 1-3 and 0-1 in the district after a 14-7 loss to Olpe last week. Cair Paravel will be playing its second home game of the season at Washburn University's Yager Stadium. Top players for the Lions include senior quarterback Jase Pavlik and senior running back Ben Roeder.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman's girls tennis team came within a point of capturing the team championship in Tuesday's 12-school Topeka West Invitational at Kossover Tennis Center.

Seaman junior Molly Gorman won the Topeka West Invitational title in No. 2 singles Tuesday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman sophomore Emma Sweeney finished second in No. 1 singles in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Junior Molly Gorman won the No. 2 singles title and sophomore Emma Sweeney finished second in No. 1 singles to lead the way as the Vikings finished second to Olathe West in the team race by a 44-43 margin.

The Vikings also got a fifth-place finish in No. 2 doubles from Cameron Lux and KatlynHiebsch and a sixth-place finish in No. 1 doubles from Sidney Chinn and Peyton Henry.

Washburn Rural sophomore Julia Katzer posted a runnerup finish in No. 2 singles in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn Rural, which finished fifth as a team, was led by sophomore Julia Katzer's runnerup finish in No. 2 singles while senior Carolina Chedzoy finished fifth in No. 1 singles.

City champions Emerie Catlin and Izzy Haggard, both seniors, placed third in No. 1 doubles.

Seaman, Shawnee Heights and Topeka West will all compete in next Monday's United Kansas Conference meet at Kossover while Washburn Rural will travel to Junction City next Monday for the Centennial League meet.

TOPEKA WEST INVITATIONAL

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Coming off a tough 2-1 non-league loss at Hayden on Monday, Seaman's struggles continued over the opening 12 minutes-plus of Tuesday's home United Kansas Conference contest against Shawnee Heights, with the Vikings spotting the T-Birds an early 2-0 advantage.

Junior Kaelon Taylor scored just before halftime to put Seaman in front 4-2 on the way to a 6-3 UKC soccer win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman senior Bradley Williamson attempts to control the ball in Tuesday's 6-3 UKC soccer win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

But Seaman got things turned around in a hurry, scoring four straight first-half goals on the way to a 6-3 league triumph, improving to 6-3-0 overall and 4-1-0 in the UKC while handing Shawnee Heights its first league defeat.

Viking senior Kaelin Loy, who contributed two goals an an assist said getting right back in action was a good way to bounce back from Monday's disappointing loss.

"It was very disappointing because that's an in-town rival, but I think it was good that we came back right away,'' Loy said. "We were angry and we were hungry for a win and to play Heights right after was really nice.''

Shawnee Heights junior Camden Granado (6) scored a goal in Tuesday's 6-3 UKC loss to Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Shawnee Heights (3-4-0, 3-1-0) needed barely a minute to get on the scoreboard with a goal from junior Jason Slay and the T-Birds made it a 2-0 game at the 27:17 mark of the opening half on a goal from junior Camden Granado.

But that seemed to be the wakeup call that Seaman was looking for, with the Vikings needing just 52 seconds to get on the board with a goal from senior Blake Toyne.

Senior Logan Townsend tied things up at the 14:33 mark and Loy broke the tie with the first of his two goals on the night with 3:34 left in the half before junior Kaelon Taylor ended the first-half scoring onslaught at the 1:42 mark.

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

The Rim Rock Classic, one of the largest cross country meets in the region, took place on Friday evening with four races followed by eight races on Saturday at Rim Rock Farm. There were over 3,000 runners from Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Iowa and Texas participating in the two-day event.

Seaman junior Ryin Miller won the Girls Gold title Saturday in the prestigious Rim Rock Classic, her fourth win of the season. [Photo by Charles Spurlock/TSN]

Seaman junior Ryin Miller (front, right) won the gold medal in Saturday's Rim Rock Classic. [Photo by Charles Spurlock/TSN]

The highlight of the races on Saturday for the local schools occurred during the Girls Gold varsity race where Seaman junior Ryin Miller continued her winning ways by leading from start to finish in a five kilometer time of 17 minutes, 14.1 seconds, leading her team to a 15th-place finish.

Washburn Rural senior Payton Fink posted a 10th-place finish in the Rim Rock Classic Girls Gold race on Saturday at Rim Rock Farm. [Photo by Charles Spurlock/TSN]

The Washburn Rural girls finished in sixth place, only one point from fifth. The Junior Blues were led by senior Payton Fink, who finished in 10th place with a time of 18:32.9. Rylee Ismert, also a medalist, finished in 23rd with a time of 19:12.9 while Emily Graf just missed out on the medals with a 26th-place finish of 19:22.7.

Seaman coach Rick Brading discusssed his team’s performance: “We ran very well. We were hopeful that Ryin could pull it off, but we wanted to see our fourth and fifth runners get some improvement today and they did. Sophomores Kinley Robinson and Hannah Wempe ran really well. Senior Stella Applehanz also had the best race of her career today.”

Miller, winning her fourth race of the season, said, “I felt like I ran really smart. Usually when she (Salina Central senior Katelyn Rupe) gets too far ahead, it gets to me. I wanted to stick with her, so I pushed the pace. I like to lead because that’s what makes me run the best and feel the most confident. So that was my goal and I just tried to hang on at the end because they (Rupe and sophomore teammate Kaylie Shultz) were coming hard at the end. I was happy with how it went.”

In the Boys Gold race, Seaman junior Brody Anderson was a medalist, finishing 23rd, with a time of 16:16.7, leading Seaman to a 24th- place team finish. The Washburn Rural boys finished in 21st place.

Seaman coach Luke Wiens discussed his team’s performance: “I really liked our competitiveness. We got out aggressive, maybe too aggressive, but I really liked their heart. If we’re too aggressive, it’s a lot easier to tone that back, rather than to take someone who is not aggressive and make them aggressive. We’re not there yet, but I thought it was a big step forward.”

There were several other great performances from local schools throughout the two-day event.

The Boys Gold JV race on Friday evening saw Washburn Rural finish in second place as a team with two runners in the top ten -- senior Anderson Leinwetter finished in fifth while junior Wyatt Shorb finished in 10th. The Seaman boys finished in 13th place.

Both C Team races on Friday saw success from both Washburn Rural teams -- the boys finished first, while the girls finished second. The Seaman boys finished the C Team race in 11th place.

In the Saturday JV races, Seaman’s girls finished in sixth place, while the Shawnee Heights girls finished in 14th place. In the boys race, Shawnee Heights finished in 14th, Hayden finished in 23rd and Topeka High finished in 25th.

The remaining varsity races on Saturday saw two medalists in the boys races.

Topeka West senior Adrian Lehman finished second in Saturday's Rim Rock Classic Crimson division. [File photo/TSN]

Topeka West senior Adrian Lehman finished second with a time of 16:12.2 and Shawnee Heights senior Evan Carter finished 22nd in a time of 17:02.2. In the girls races, senior Elliot Wrench of Hayden was a medalist, finishing in 16th with a time of 20:39.7.  

 By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Topeka High improved to a perfect 4-0 on the season Friday night, riding a 27-point second quarter to a 47-14 road victory at Emporia's Welch Stadium in the Trojans' Centennial League opener.

Topeka High junior quarterback Zane Smith had a big game Friday night as the Trojans improved to 4-0 with a 47-14 Centennial League road win over Emporia. [File photo/TSN]

After a scoreless first quarter, Topeka High got on the scoreboard just 43 seconds into the second period on a 25-yard run from Courtney Sanders (Jayden Norman kick).

The Trojans added to their advantage just over two minutes later when Zane Smith connected with Saron Carter for a 78-yard touchdown strike and Smith scored on a 9-yard run midway through the quarter (Norman kick) to put High in front 20-0 and Norman ended the second-quarter onslaugt with a 24-yard TD strike from Smith just 1:08 before halftime (Norman kick).

Carter scored on a 29-yard run early in the second half and Robert Dingle tacked on an 11-yard TD run midway through the third quarter (Norman kick) before Tevante Ewing ended the Trojans' scoring midway through the final stanza (Norman kick).

Emporia scored both of its touchdowns in the final quarter, including the Spartans' final TD with just 1:20 remaining.

Ewing rushed for 169 yards on 13 attempts while Smith completed five of eight passes for 191 yards and Carter caught two passes for 144 yards.

Topeka High will host city and Centennial League rival Washburn Rural next Friday at Hummer Sports Park.

TOPEKA HIGH 47, EMPORIA 14

Topeka High (4-0, 1-0) 0 27 13 7 -- 47

Emporia (0-4, 0-1)        0 0 0 14 -- 14

Topeka High -- Sanders 25 run (Norman kick)

Topeka High -- Carter 78 pass from Smith (conversion failed)

Topeka High -- Smith 9 run (Norman kick)

Topeka High -- Norman 24 pass from Smith (Norman kick)

Topeka High -- Carter 29 run (conversion failed)

Topeka High -- Dingle 11 run (Norman kick)

Emporia -- Crowell 1 run (B’Hymer kick) 

Topeka High -- Ewing 1 run (Norman kick)

Emporia -- Crowell 1 run (B’Hymer kick) 

Individual statistics

Rushing -- Topeka High: Ewing 13-169, Smith 2-22, Sanders 2-23, Carter 1-29, Dingle 1-11. Emporia -- Crowell 20-61, Gray 8-13, Telfer 5-15, LeBlanc 1-(minus)-3).

Passing -- Topeka High: Smith 5-8-1, 191 yards. Emporia: Gray 7-14-0, 69; Seidl 2-3-0, 40. 

Receiving -- Topeka High: Carter 2-144, Ewing 2-23, Norman 1-24.  Emporia -- Crowell 1-4, Arndt 3-32, Seidl 1-9, Kirk 2-2, Gardner 1-48, Franklin 1-14.

WAMEGO 31, HAYDEN 28 -- Brody Graber kicked a game-winning 27-yard field goal to cap Wamego's comeback in a 31-28 win over Hayden in a non-league game at Wamego.

Hayden, which fell to 3-1, led 7-0 after a 16-yard pass from Jett Wahlmeier to Jensen Schrickel (Mason Becker kick) and the Wildcats led 14-7 after Conner Hanika found Schrickel for a 50-yard score on a double pass (Becker kick).

Hayden led 14-7 at the half but Wamego (3-1) opened the second half with a 99-yard kickoff return from Jackson Supps. 

Hayden broke the tie on a 7-yard TD run from Jackson McGivern (Becker kick) and after a Wildcat interception, Wahlmeier found Kade Mitchell for a 40-yard TD (Becker kick) to put Hayden in front by a 28-14 margin.

The fourth quarter started with Hayden still in front 28-14 but Wamego got a big spark on a 3rd and long play when sophomore quarterback Logan Fulton picked up an errant snap in the end zone and found Tate Warren down the sideline for a 21-yard first down.

Wamego then marched down the field for a 7-yard Warren TD to get within seven points and then the Red Raiders tied the game at 28 on a 12-yard Warren TD with 4:59 remaining after Wamego recovered a Hayden fumble.

After getting the ball back Wamego took the lead on Graber's field goal. Hayden completed two passes on its final drive before running out of time.

Unofficially, Wahlmeier passed for 156 yards and a touchdown while Mitchell rushed for 53 yards on 10 attempts and Schrickel caught four passes for 93 yards and two TDs.

Wamego's Warren carried the ball 28 times for 148 yards and Fulton passed for 232 yards.

Hayden will host Hiawatha next Friday.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Saturday was a long, but very productive day for the Seaman volleyball team.

The 21-1 Vikings, defending Class 5A state champion, dominated its Seaman Invitational with a perfect 6-0 record in the seven-school round-robin event while winning 12 straight sets and pushing their winning streak to 21 matches.

Seaman posed for a team picture after going 6-0 on the day to win the championship in Saturday's Seaman Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman opened its day with a 25-14, 25-19 win over Lansing before taking a 25-22, 25-14 win over city rival Hayden, a 25-10, 25-15 victory over Bishop Carroll, a 25-19, 25-18 win over Spring Hill, a 25-16, 25-19 triumph over Bishop Miege and a 25-14, 25-17 win over Maize South.

"I feel really good about today,'' Seaman coach Tatiana Dowling said. "I think that there's a lot of talented teams here and the girls really stepped up and played together and it was awesome to see. It was a lot of fun.

"I think that they're really playing their best volleyball together. I think that they love each other, which is a huge deal, and they respect each other and they want to play well for each other. A lot of these girls have been on varsity since their freshman year, so to see them get to have this type of success at the end of their Seaman careers I think is really cool.''

Seaman senior Ava Esser (21) celebrates a kill with her teammates during Saturday's Seaman Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman senior Maegan Mills (23) was named the MVP of Saturday's Seaman Invitational volleyball tournament. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Viking senior Maegan Mills was named the tournament most valuable player by virtue of receiving the most points in all-tournament balloting by opposing coaches while seniors Kinley Wilhelm, Campbell Chabot and Ava Esser received all-tournament honorable mention.

Hayden, the smallest school in the field, also had plenty to celebrate on Saturday, with the Wildcats finishing second in the tournament with a 5-1 record.

The Wildcats' lone loss came against champion Seaman and Hayden survived three three-set matches.

"Overall, I am so proud of our team because a lot of times in volleyball it's a game of momentum and we would call time out when we got down and say, 'Hey, it's heart right now and you either want it or you don't,' '' Hayden coach Corrinne McGreevy said. "And they would come out of that time out and they wanted it and they worked for it, they came together as a team and the momentum shifted and they just didn't give up on each other. It was awesome.''

Hayden, now 21-2 on the season, picked up its first win of the tournament over two-time defending 4A state champion Bishop Miege (25-22, 25-23) and the Wildcats also earned wins over Maize South (25-16, 25-18), Spring Hill (18-25, 25-21, 26-24), Lansing (25-27, 25-16, 27-25) and Bishop Carroll (17-25, 25-22, 25-14).

Hayden freshman Hailey Schmidtlein (right), an All-Tournament pick, is congratulated by her teammates after a kill in Saturday's Seaman Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Hayden senior Reagan McGivern (4) earned All-Tournament recognition after helping the Wildcats post a 5-1 record in Saturday's Seaman Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Hayden senior Reagan McGivern and freshman Hailey Schmidtlein were named to the all-tournament team and junior Ella Foster, senior Bella Reid and freshman Blakely Walter received honorable mention.

SEAMAN INVITATIONAL

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

(All kickoffs at 7 p.m.)

FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAMES

Washburn Rural junior quarterback John Hoytal and the Junior Blues will try to snap a two-game losing streak in Friday's non-league home game against Blue Valley Northwest. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST (3-0) at WASHBURN RURAL (1-2)

Washburn Rural, which has dropped two straight road games, faces another tough non-league test Friday night against undefeated Blye Valley Northwest. The Junior Blues are coming off a 49-20 loss at Platte County, Mo. while the Huskies took a 27-24 decision over St. James Academy. Northwest senior quarterbacks Ford Bevins and Nathan Baxter have combined to go 25 of 38 passing for 428 yards and six touchdowns while junior L.J. Bowen has carried the ball 53 times for 329 yards and two TDs. Senior Trevor Garlington has 11 pass receptions for 257 yards and two TDs. Washburn Rural got defensive touchdowns from juniors Jordy Heim and Elijah Gaines against Platte County and a 76-yard TD pass from junior John Hoytal to senior Blake Recinos, but the Junior Blues couldn't keep pace with the undefeated Pirates.

Senior Jamon Wilson has helped lead Highland Park to a perfect 3-0 record to open the 2024 season. [File photo/TSN]

KC-HARMON (1-2, 0-2 Meadowlark) vs. HIGHLAND PARK (3-0, 3-0 Meadowlark)

At Hummer Sports Park

Two streaks will be on the line for Highland Park in Friday's Meadowlark Conference game against Harmon. The Scots will be looking for their fourth straight win while also trying to extend their shutout streak after outscoring their first three conference opponents by a 126-0 margin. Highland Park is coming off a 32-0 win over KC-Schlagle while Harmon dropped a 45-0 decision to KC-Washington last Friday. Harmon senior quarterback Mikey Hammer has completed 13 of 39 passes for 203 yards and a touchdown while sophomore Adrian Fernandez has carred the ball 25 times for 167 yards and two TDs. Highland Park junior quarterback Dontrail Fox has completed 17 of 38 passes for 276 yards and five TDs while senior Jamon Wilson has carried the ball 22 times for 275 yards and compiled 605 all-purpose yards and scored seven total TDs. Sophomore G'Honi Montgomery has 247 rushing yards and a TD on 35 attempts.

Topeka High junior quarterback Zane Smith has helped the Trojans get off to a 3-0 start this fall. [File photo/TSN]

TOPEKA HIGH (3-0, 0-0 Centennial) at EMPORIA (0-3, 0-0 Centennial)

At Welch Stadium

Topeka High and Emporia will open Centennial League play Friday night. Topeka High improved to a perfect 3-0 on the season in last Friday's weather-shortened 26-0 non-league road win over Wichita Southeast, the Trojans' third straight win over members of the Wichita City League. Topeka High led 13-0 when the game was delayed for approximately an hour due to lightning and added to its advantage with a 45-yard TD pass from junior Zane Smith to senior Saron Carter and led 26-0 at the half when the game was called due to the inclement weather. Carter led the Trojans' attack with three TDs on the night. Emporia is coming off a 30-20 non-league loss to Coffeyville and the Spartans have been outscored 126-45 on the year. Topeka High has outscored its first three foes by a 105-33 margin.

Shawnee Heights junior David Wakes has rushed for 275 yards and two touchdowns this fall. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]

LEAVENWORTH (1-2, 1-2 UKC) at Shawnee Heights (1-2, 1-1 UKC)

Shawnee Heights is coming off a tough 42-35 home United Kansas Conference loss to Basehor-Linwood last Friday while Leavenworth picked up its first win of the season, a 51-6 UKC romp past KC-Turner. Shawnee Heights junior quarterback Aiden Scott has completed 61 of 105 passes for 918 yards and eight touchdowns while junior AJ Gallegos has caught 20 passes for 249 yards and three TDs and Tyren Parker has 15 catches for 265 yards and three TDs. Junior David Wakes has 275 rushing yards and two TDs on 52 carries while junior Royce Daniels leads the Shawnee Heights defense with 36 tackles, including 17 solo stops. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Hayden moves back to Class 4A for the 2024-2025 school year in all sports except football in the latest classifications released by the Kansas State High school Activities Association on Thursday while Rossville will move down to 2A.

Hayden is back in its accustomed spot in 4A after a brief stint in 3A while longtime 3A school Rossville moves down to 2A in all sports except football. Hayden is a 3A school in football while Rossville is in its first season in 1A on the gridiron.

Hayden, with 333 students is the third smallest 4A school in the state while Rossville is the fourth largest 2A school with 170 students.

The other eight Shawnee County high schools remained in the same classifications -- Washburn Rural and Topeka High in 6A, Seaman, Shawnee Heights, Topeka West and Highland Park in 5A, Silver Lake in 3A and Cair Paravel Latin in 2A.

KSHSAA 2024-2025 CLASSIFICATIONS 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Hayden girls tennis coach Christy Sheetz had very little doubt that Thursday's race for the city championship would go down to the wire.

Hayden poses for a picture after winning the city girls team tennis championship Thursday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

And that's exactly what happened, with the come-from-behind win from the Wildcats' No. 2 doubles team of Izzy Glotzbach and Avery O'Bray in the final match of the night clinching Hayden's second city team title in three seasons by a 32-29 margin over Seaman. Washburn Rural finished third with 26 points.

"It always that way,'' Sheetz said of the close battle. "It's the way the scoring is, so you have to anticipate that it's going to be really, really tight and especially with Seaman and Washburn Rural. We're the little guy coming in.''

Hayden took a one-point margin into the No. 2 doubles final, but the Wildcats needed a win by Glotzbach and O'Bray to hold off the Vikings and got down early before rallying for an 8-4 win over Seaman's Kaylyn Hiebsch and Camryn Lux.

Hayden also got a city title from senior star Ainzley Zulueta in No. 1 singles while senior Emily Sheetz and freshman Sophia Wichman posted a second-place finish in No. 1 doubles and junior Grace Funk finished second in No. 2 singles.

"I feel really good about where the girls are right now,'' Christy Sheetz said. "We have three dual-sport athletes on our top six. We've got a volleyball player (Wichman), we've got a golfer in Izzy Glotzbach and Grace Funk also does debate so it's kind of a chess match sometimes putting partners together and figuring out where things are.

"Having Ainzley Zulueta back (after missing her junior season) is a huge part of it, Emily Sheetz coming on with a new partner who's a freshman, that was really, really important and Grace Funk doing what she did in the No. 2 singles spot but this last match (the No. 2 doubles final) was pretty amazing.'' 

Hayden senior Ainzley Zulueta won the city title in No. 1 singles on Thursday, helping the Wildcats capture the team championship. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN] 

Zulueta, a two-time Class 4A state singles champion, took an 8-0 win over Seaman sophomore Emma Sweeney in the No. 1 singles final, capping a dominating day.

Zulueta had to sit out her junior high school season due to an eligibility issue after attending an out-of-state tennis academy but returned to win the third city title of her career.

"I'm glad to be back,'' Zulueta said. "It's nice to be with the team again, traveling and all of that. I kind of missed it. That was the thing I missed most.''

Washburn Rural seniors Izzy Haggard (right) and Emerie Catlin won the city No. 1 doubles title Thursday at Kossover Tennis Center after winning the No. 2 crown in 2023. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn Rural seniors Emerie Catlin and Izzy Haggard, who won the city No. 2 doubles title in 2023, won the No. 1 doubles championship on Thursday with an 8-6 win over E. Sheetz and Wichman.

Catlin and Haggard trailed 3-0 at the start of the match before rallying to claim the championship.

"We just weren't being aggressive at the net and then we clicked and started being aggressive,' Catlin said.

"We got down a little bit and she (Catlin) helped pick us up,'' Haggard said.

Haggard and Catlin have been doubles partners throughout their high school careers and Haggard said it felt good to win the No. 1 title in the duo's final city meet.

"It's a good feeling,'' she said. "I think it's the best we've ever played together.''

Seaman junior Molly Gorman won the city title in No. 2 singles Thursday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Junior Molly Gorman won the No. 2 singles title for Seaman, taking an 8-4 win over Funk, while the Vikings also got a third-place finish in No. 1 doubles from Sidney Chinn and Peyton Henry.

CITY GIRLS TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

The Seaman volleyball team, ranked No. 3 in Class 5A, hosted a triangular on Tuesday with United Kansas Conference rivals Piper and Lansing.

Seaman improved to 15-1 while running its win streak to 15 matches with UKC sweep Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]

After slow starts to begin each set, Seaman won its first match of the night, taking a 25-21, 25-13 win over Piper.

The opening set was back and forth, with Seaman taking a 9-5 lead before Piper came back to take a 10-8 lead. Seaman regained the lead at 19-16, forcing a Piper timeout, before the Vikings closed out the first set, 25-21.

Set 2 began as a repeat of the first with no team building a lead more than two points. Seaman was able to extend its lead to 13-9, which caused Piper to use a timeout. Seaman continued its scoring surge with three straight service points from junior Kinsley Smith, stretching the lead to 18-11. Seaman finished out the second set and the match, winning 25-13.

The Lady Vikes were led in service points by Kinsley Smith and senior Kinley Wilhelm. Seniors Maegan Mills and Ava Esser led the team in kills. Senior Maggie Moulden led in blocks, while senior Campbell Chabot and junior Harper Hafenstine led in assists. Wilhelm and Mills led the Vikings in digs.

In the final match of night, Seaman battled the Lions from Lansing. After a great start in Set 1, the second set was a close battle, but the Vikings swept the Lions, 25-15, 25-23.

Set one saw the Lady Vikes start aggressively, both offensively and defensively, taking an 11-5 lead. Seaman extended the lead to 17-10, forcing Lansing to take their final timeout of the set. The Lady Vikes finished off the set, winning 25-15.

In Set 2 Lansing jumped out to a 7-3 lead, but the Lady Vikes charged back to take a 10-8 lead, causing a Lansing timeout. The remainder of the set saw neither team have a lead larger than two points. The Vikings held on to win the set and the match, 25-23.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman's girls tennis team tuned up for Thursday's city tournament with a strong showing in Tuesday's Washburn Rural Invitational at Kossover Tennis Center, led by sophomore singles champion Emma Sweeney.

Seaman sophomore Emma Sweeney captured the singles championship in Tuesday's Washburn Rural Invitational tennis tournament. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Sweeney claimed the singles title with an 8-2 win over Maize senior Rylee Frye in the championship match while the Vikings also got a third-place singles finish from junior Molly Gorman as well as a second-place doubles finish from senior Sidney Chinn and sophomore Peyton Henry and a fifth-place doubles finish from Cameron Lux and Katlyn Hiebsch.

Viking junior Molly Gorman earned a win by injury default over Emporia junior Kali Keough in the third-place singles match while Chinn and Henry dropped an 8-2 decision to Washburn Rural seniors Izzy Haggard and Emerie Catlin in the doubles final while Lux and Hiebsch took an 8-4 win over Maize in the fifth-place doubles match.

"I was more than pleased,'' Seaman coach Jamie Robinson said. "I thought we competed well and we won the matches we needed to win to get some good seeds at city.''

Senior doubles champions Izzy Haggard and Emerie Catlin of Washburn Rural celebrate a point in Tuesday's Washburn Rural Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Haggard and Catlin's doubles championship paced host Washburn Rural in Tuesday's meet.

"I thought they played with a lot of confidence today and it really showed,'' Washburn Rural coach Brad Johnston said. "They were being aggressive and finishing points early, some of the stuff we've worked on after our first few matches.''

The Junior Blues also got fifth and sixth-place finishes Tuesday from senior Carolina Chedzoy and sophomore Julia Katzer, with Chedzoy taking an 8-5 win in the fifth-place match.

Washburn Rural enters Thursday's city tournament as the defending champion, topping Seaman by a 31-28 margin in 2023 while Hayden finished third with 23 points.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman's girls claimed their third straight United Kansas Conference golf team championship in as many tries in Tuesday's league meet at Lake Shawnee while Topeka West senior Alex Baxter got over the hump for the UKC individual title after a pair of near misses.

Baxter shot an 87 to take medalist honors while Seaman dominated the rest of the top five en route to a huge 56-stroke margin over runnerup Basehor-Linwood (372-428) in the team race.

Topeka West senior Alex Baxter shot an 87 to win the individual championship in Tuesday's United Kansas Conference tournament at Lake Shawnee. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Baxter knew Tuesday was her last chance to claim an individual UKC title and she wanted to do whatever she could to close the deal.

"I'm pretty excited,'' Baxter said. "My sophomore year I placed third here, my junior year I placed second and I was hoping my senior year I would place first, which I accomplished.''

After finishing third as a sophomore and second as a junior, Topeka West senior Alex Baxter shot an 87 to win the individual championship in Tuesday's United Kansas Conference tournament at Lake Shawnee. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Senior Jaycee Zimmerman finished second in Tuesday's United Kansas Conference golf tournament with an 88, helping Seaman win its third straight league team title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Baxter trailed for much of the day but was able to come from behind on her back nine (Lake Shawnee's front nine) for the win, taking a one-stroke victory over Seaman senior Jaycee Zimmerman, the 2023 conference champion. 

"I got a pep talk from my coaches (Richard Mariani and Lynn Riney) and I had to just toughen up and keep going at it,'' Baxter said.

Junior Makenna Stuke shot an 89 to finish third individually for team champion Seaman in Tuesday's United Kansas Conference golf tournament. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

The Vikings put all six of their golfers in the top 14 spots, with junior Makenna Stuke shooting an 89 to finish in third place while sophomore Katelynn Frye was fourth (97), senior Anna McLaughlin tied for fifth (98), sophomore Chloe Schmidtlein tied for 10th (106) and junior Molina Quintana tied for 14th (110). 

Seaman had finished a distant third as a team in Monday's city tournament at Western Hills, 63 strokes behind champion Washburn Rural, but the Vikings cut 17 strokes off their team score on Tuesday.

It was a good team win today, and I am proud of our girls,'' Seaman coach Julie McLaughlin said. "We really struggled in the city tournament yesterday, and our golfers were pretty down, so this was a solid victory to be able to bounce back and lower our scores some today on a challenging course.

"We still have some work to do to get our scores where we want them to be as we get deep into the season, but we feel like today was a boost to our morale.'' 

Shawnee Heights senior Lyla Blair tied for fifth individually with a 98 while T-Bird sophomore Lauryn Valdivia finished 13th (109). 

UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Madeline Deters

MADELINE DETERS, Topeka High

A junior tennis standout, Deters won the No. 1 singles championship in last Wednesday's Topeka High Invitational at Kossover Tennis Center. Deters posted a perfect 4-0 record in the tournament, capped by a 6-3, 6-1 win over Olathe East's Mia Huttenmueller in the title match. Deters improved to 14-2 on the season.

Bryer Finley

BRYER FINLEY, Seaman

Finley, a senior wide receiver, caught four touchdown passes from Max Huston in Friday's weather-shortened 53-6 United Kansas Conference win over Topeka West. Finley scored on pass receptions of 53, 18, 65 and 34 yards in the win over Topeka West, helping the Vikings improve to 2-1 on the season.

Camden Granado

CAMDEN GRANADO, Shawnee Heights

A junior soccer and football player, Granado scored a pair of goals to help Shawnee Heights pick up its first soccer win of the season last Tuesday, a 4-2 United Kansas Conference win over De Soto, and he contributed an assist in Thursday's 4-2 UKC win over Piper. The T-Birds' placekicker, Granado went five of five on extra points in Friday's 42-35 loss to Basehor-Linwood. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

A year after having its decade-long city championship run ended by Hayden, Washburn Rural was back in its familiar spot on Monday at Western Hills as seniors Natalie Peterson and Reece Randall posted a one-two individual finish to lead the Junior Blues to an 10-stroke team victory over the Wildcats in the city event.

Washburn Rural's girls golf team poses for a team picture after posting a 10-stroke victory in Monday's city tournament at Western Hills. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

"It was definitely a goal that we had set before the season started,'' Rural coach Jared Goehring said of Monday's city title. "The girls had a little bit of a sour taste left in their mouth after last year and I thought they stepped up and performed well today, especially there towards the top with Natalie and Reece leading us.''

Washburn Rural senior Natalie Peterson won the individual title in Monday's city tournament with a 77, leading the way as the Junior Blues took a 10-stroke win in the team race. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn Rural senior Reece Randall posted a second-place finish with a 78 in Monday's city tournament at Western Hills. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

For the first time in her career Peterson led Washburn Rural in Monday's event, taking medalist honors with a 77 while Randall was a stroke back in second place.

"I just tried to stay on a par streak and didn't really focus on if I had a bad hole or not,'' Peterson said. "It just makes me feel comfortable to be myself and try my best.'' 

Washburn Rural also got a tie for sixth from sophomore Kailyn Petersen (84) and an eighth-place finish from junior Lauren Cox (87) to round out the Junior Blues' top four.

Goehring is hopeful that the city title was the start of a strong late-season push for the Junior Blues. 

"We definitely have the potential,'' Goehring said. "Any of our six girls can go low for us. We've seen two career rounds by two different players (Peterson and Randall) this year on our roster so we kind of have the mentality that we want to continue to build our depth going into (Centennial) League next week, going into the Lawrence invite at Eagle Bend and then towards the end of year at Stagg Hills in regionals.''

Hayden senior Addyson Baer shot an 80 to finish third in Monday's city tournament at Western Hills. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN] 

Hayden junior Izzy Glotzbach shot an 81 to finish fourth in Monday's city tournament at Western Hills. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Hayden senior Addyson Baer posted a third-place with an 80 to lead the Wildcats while junior Izzy Glotzbach carded an 81 to place fourth and junior Lauren Borjon tied for sixth with an 84.

Seaman finished third in the team standings with a score of 389, led by junior Makenna Stuke, who tied Topeka West senior Alex Baxter for eighth place with an 88.

Seaman senior Jaycee Zimmerman finished 10th in the city tourney with an 89.

Actually, Washburn Rural and Peterson won a pair of titles on Monday, with the Junior Blues winning the championship in the Topeka West Invitational, which was held in conjunction with the city meet, and Peterson taking individual honors.

Emporia junior Elise Eckert was top non-city finisher in the West Invitational, placing fifth with an 82.

Seaman, Shawnee Heights and Topeka West will be right back in action on Tuesday, competing in the United Kansas Conference tournament at Lake Shawnee. 

The Centennial League tournament will be held next Monday at Shawnee Country Club.

CITY TOURNAMENT