Seaman Vikings
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
The Rossville girls and Cair Paravel Latin boys basketball teams got tournament week off to a rousing start with a pair of big wins on Monday.
Rossville opened its girls title bid in the Jefferson County North Invitational with a 60-22 first-round win over the tournament hosts while Cair Paravel's boys rolled to a 64-30 first-round win over West Franklin in the Flint Hills League tournament at Emporia's White Auditorium.
Senior Rylee Dick scored 27 points Monday against JCN to move into the No. 3 spot on Rossville's all-time scoring list. [File photo/TSN]
Lady Bulldawg senior Rylee Dick scored 27 points in Rossville's win over JCN, moving into the No. 3 spot on Rossville's career scoring list with 1,281 points.
Rossville junior Nora Burdiek added 23 points as the Bulldawgs advanced to a 6 p.m. semifinal on Wednesday.
Cair Paravel's boys, playing West Franklin for the second straight game, took control early with a 19-7 first quarter before opening up a 39-16 halftime advantage.
Blaine Durbin led Cair Paravel with 17 points while Lucas Marichal added 14 points and Caleb Cleverson 13 with three 3-pointers.
Now 9-2 on the season, CPLS will play a semifinal at 7:30 p.m. Thursday against Lyndon.
Other area tournament pairings:
TOPEKA INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
BOYS
At Highland Park
Thursday
3:30 p.m. -- Topeka High vs. Shawnee Mission East.
5 -- Lansing vs. Shawnee Mission North.
6:30 -- Topeka West vs. St. Thomas Aquinas.
8 -- Highland Park vs. Wichita Northwest.
Friday
3:30 p.m. -- Topeka High-SM East loser vs. Lansing-SM North loser.
5 -- Topeka West-St. Thomas Aquinas loser vs. High-Wichita Northwest loser.
6:30 -- Topeka High-East winner vs. Lansing-SM North winner.
8 -- Topeka West-St. Thomas Aquinas winner vs. Highland Park-Wichita Northwest winner.
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Fifth place (main gym); Seventh place (South gym).
11:30 -- Third place.
1 p.m. -- Championship.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
KaeVon Bonner
KAEVON BONNER, Seaman
Bonner, a 6-foot-4 senior, had another big week as Seaman boys basketball improved to 8-1 overall and 7-1 in the United Kansas Conference with a pair of victories. Bonner scored 28 points on Tuesday as the Vikings avenged their only loss of the season in a 57-52 win at Topeka West and scored 24 points on 9 of 10 shooting in Friday's 72-50 home win over Leavenworth. Bonner is averaging 30.25 points over his past four games.
Koralee Jones
KORALEE JONES, Highland Park
Jones, a senior, recorded what Highland Park officials have been told is the first quadruple-double in Kansas girls basketball history in last Tuesday's 68-10 Meadowlark Conference victory over Kansas City-Sumner Academy. Jones scored 22 points with 13 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals for the Scots.
JoJo Kingcannon
JOJO KINGCANNON, Highland Park
A junior basketball standout, Kingcannon scored a total 57 points in back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday, including a career-high 35 points in Friday's 80-43 home Meadowlark Conference win over Kansas City-Harmon as he hit 14 of 16 shots with four 3-pointers. On Thursday Kingcannon scored 22 points in the Scots' 76-53 loss at city rival Shawnee Heights.
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Christian Ulsaker's Topeka West Chargers are the No. 1 city seed for this week's Topeka Invitational Tournament at Highland Park. [File photo/TSN]Lansing (3-6) and Shawnee Mission North (6-3) are on the same side of the bracket with Topeka High and SM North and will play a first-round game at 5 p.m.
The Topeka High- SM East winner will face the Lansing-SM North winner in a 6:30 p.m. semifinal on Friday.
Topeka West, 8-2 entering a Tuesday United Kansas Conference home game against Basehor-Linwood, will open its tournament bid at 6:30 p.m. Thursday against St. Thomas Aquinas (3-8).
Host Highland Park (3-7) will close out the first round at 8 p.m. Thursday against Wichita Northwest (5-6), with the Highland Park-Northwest winner advancing to an 8 p.m. semifinal on Friday to face the Topeka West-Aquinas winner.
The tournament will conclude on Saturday, starting with the seventh and fifth-place games at 10 a.m. in separate gyms, followed by the third-place game at 11:30 and the championship contest at 1 p.m.
TOPEKA INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
At Highland Park
Thursday
3:30 p.m. -- Topeka High vs. Shawnee Mission East.
5 -- Lansing vs. Shawnee Mission North.
6:30 -- Topeka West vs. St. Thomas Aquinas.
8 -- Highland Park vs. Wichita Northwest.
Friday
3:30 p.m. -- Topeka High-SM East loser vs. Lansing-SM North loser.
5 -- Topeka West-St. Thomas Aquinas loser vs. High-Wichita Northwest loser.
6:30 -- Topeka High-East winner vs. Lansing-SM North winner.
8 -- Topeka West-St. Thomas Aquinas winner vs. Highland Park-Wichita Northwest winner.
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Fifth place (main gym); Seventh place (South gym).
11:30 -- Third place.
1 p.m. -- Championship.
Hayden boys to compete at Baldwin
Hayden, 4-8 on the season, will compete in the four-school Baldwin Invitational round-robin event this week, opening its tournament bid at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday against Wellsville (5-5).
The Wildcats will play Bishop Seabury (7-2) at 5:30 Friday and will wrap things up 2:30 p.m. Saturday against host Baldwin (9-2).
BALDWIN INVITATIONAL
Tuesday
5:30 p.m. -- Hayden vs. Wellsville.
7 -- Baldwin vs. Bishop Seabury.
Friday
5:30 p.m. -- Hayden vs. Bishop Seabury.
7 -- Baldwin vs. Wellsville.
Saturday
1 p.m. -- Wellsville vs. Bishop Seabury.
2:30 p.m. -- Hayden vs. Baldwin.
Rural boys headed to Pittsburg
Washburn Rural (7-3) will compete this week in the Bill Hanson Memorial Tournament at Pittsburg, opening with a 4 p.m. first-round game on Thursday against Branson, Mo. in Pittsburg's secondary gym.
Also on Rural's side of the tournament bracket are Olathe North and Willard, Mo., who will play at 7 p.m. Thursday.
On the other side of the bracket Webster Groves, Mo. will face Joplin, Mo. and host Pittsburg will take on Wichita West.
The Rural-Branson winner will play the Olathe North-Willard winner in a 4:30 p.m. semifinal on Friday.
The place games will be played on Saturday, capped by the championship game at 2:30 p.m.
BILL HANSON MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
At Pittsburg
Thursday
4 p.m. -- Washburn Rural vs. Branson, Mo. (Mallatt gym).
5:30 -- Webster Groves, Mo. vs. Joplin, Mo. (main gym).
7 -- Olathe North vs. Willard, Mo. (Mallatt gym).
8:30 -- Pittsburg. vs. Wichita West (main gym).
Friday
3 -- Consolation semifinal (Mallatt gym).
4:30 p.m. -- Washburn Rural-Branson winner vs. Olathe North-Willard winner (main gym);
6 -- Consolation semifinal (Mallatt gym).
7:30 -- Pittsburg-Wichita West winner vs. Webster Grove-Joplin winner (main gym).
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Seventh place (Mallatt gym).
11:30 -- Third place (main gym)
1 p.m. -- Fifth place (Mallatt gym).
2:30 p.m. -- Championship game (main gym).
T-Bird boys to compete in Viking Classic
Shawnee Heights, now 7-4, will open competition in the Shawnee Mission West Viking Classic with a 7:30 p.m. Thursday quarterfinal against Blue Valley North (4-4).
Shawnee Heights is coming off a 70-62 non-league road win at Gardner-Edgerton on Saturday.
The T-Birds trailed 35-33 at the half against the Trailblazers but took control with a 20-10 third quarter.
The Shawnee Heights-BV North winner will advance to a 7:30 semifinal on Friday to take on the first-round winner between Glendale, Mo. and Shawnee Mission West.
On the other side of the bracket Andover Central will play Louisburg in the first round and Raymore-Peculiar, Mo. will play Aurora, Mo.
The place games will be played on Saturday, with the title game set for 3 p.m.
SHAWNEE MISSION WEST VIKING CLASSIC
Thursday
3 p.m. -- Andover Central vs. Louisburg, 3 p.m.
4:30 -- Raymore-Peculiar, Mo. vs. Aurora, Mo.
6 -- Glendale, Mo. vs. SM West.
7:30 -- Blue Valley North. vs. Shawnee Heights.
Friday
3 p.m. -- Andover Central-Louisburg loser vs. Raymore-Peculiar, Mo.-Aurora, Mo. loser.
4:30 -- Glendale, Mo.-SM West loser vs Blue Valley North-Shawnee Heights loser.
6 -- Andover Central-Louisburg winner vs. Raymore-Peculiar, Mo.-Aurora, Mo. winner.
7:30 -- Glendale, Mo.-SM West winner vs. Blue Valley North-Shawnee Heights winner.
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Seventh place.
11:30 -- Fifth place.
1 p.m. -- Third place.
2:30 -- Championship game.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Led by junior individual runnerups Brodye Kocher-Munoz and Jadyn Baum, Washburn Rural boys wrestling captured the team championship Saturday in the 34-school Newton Tournament of Champions by two points over the host Railers, 167.5-165.5.
Washburn Rural boys wrestling won the team championship in the 34-school Newton Tournament of Champions on Saturday. [Photo by Washburn Rural Athletics]
B. Kocher-Munoz, now 20-7 on the season, placed second at 150 pounds, dropping a 7-2 decision to Andale's Tristen Cox in the championship match while Baum, 18-4, finished second at 215 pounds, falling 4-0 to undefeated Cooper Reves in the final.
Rural's Josh Hogan was named the coach of the year.
Washburn Rural had six wrestlers place in the top five, with senior 138-pounder Cooper Stivers (26-6) finishing third, , senior 120-pounder Ryder Harrison (16-5) and senior Landen Kocher-Munoz (23-4) both posting fourth-place finishes and sophomore 285-pounder Kaiden Marshall (6-7) finishing fifth.
Seaman placed 21st as a team with 59.5 points, led by seventh-place 157-pounder Brennen Bowers and eighth-place finishers Deegan Frazier at 150 pounds and Henry Reichart at 285 pounds.
Host Trojans win Topeka Invitational championship
Topeka High won the team title in Saturday's 12-school home tournament, out-distancing Summit Christian Academy by a 171-147 margin as five Trojans earned individual titles.
High got titles from freshman 106-pounder Royal Newman (10-1), junior 113-pounder Jose Gomez (11-3), senior 120-pounder Luis Morones (12-2), senior 157-pounder Jordan Stiner (14-3) and senior 165-pounder Rehabiah Williamson (16-3).
The Trojans got a second-place finish from junior 132-pounder Asher Filbeck (13-6) while senior 144-pounder Michael Weatherly and senior 150-pounder Brandon Blancas (15-4) posted third-place finishes.
Highland Park got a third-place finish from senior 132-pounder Samuel Portlock (10-3) while Topeka West got a third-place finish from senior 215-pounder Cortez McCutcheon (20-2).
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman senior Claire LaDuke captured the girls individual championship while the Vikings rallied in the Baker format games to claim the team title in Thursday's Free State Invitational bowling tournament at Lawrence's Royal Crest Lanes.
Claire LaDuke (right) won the individual title in the Free State Invitational with a 677 series, helping lead Seaman to the team championship. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
LaDuke won the individual title with a 677 three-game series, rolling games of 214, 210 and 253 while Seaman took control in the Baker games to win the team championship by a 3,171-3,039 margin over Mill Valley after trailing the Jaguars 2,359-2,315 after the three American Ten Pin games.
Seaman posted a four-game total of 856 in Baker (225, 211, 254, 166), which was 126 pins higher than any other team in the 19-school field.
Backing LaDuke for the Vikings were Kayla Duncan with a 554, Paige Snyder with a 546, Leah Crawford with a 525, Laci Cole with a 512 and Ava Carlson with a 464.
Washburn Rural junior Megan Glinka finished fifth in the Free State Invitational with a 628 series. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Shawnee Heights junior Addison VanMetre finished eighth in the Free State Invitational with a 609 series. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural finished fourth as a team at 2,991, led by junior Megan Glinka, who placed fifth with a 628 series while Shawnee Heights finished seventh, led by junior Addison VanMetre, who placed ninth with a 609 series.
Results from Friday's boys tournament were not immediately available and will be posted on TopSports.news as soon as they become available.
FREE STATE INVITATIONAL
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman girls basketball put together a strong comeback Friday night after falling behind by 11 points in the first half.
But for the second straight game, it wasn't enough, with the Vikings dropping their second United Kansas Conference decision in three days, a 52-46 home loss to Leavenworth.
Seaman senior Maddie Gragg (32) scored 16 points in Friday's 52-46 UKC loss to Leavenworth. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman, which lost 52-38 to De Soto on Wednesday at home, spotted the Pioneers a 27-16 halftime advantage before rallying to get as close as two points with 1:07 remaining, but the Pioneers outscored the Vikings 5-1 down the stretch to hold on for the win.
The Vikings, now 6-4 overall and 6-3 in the UKC, have dropped back-to-back games for the first time since the 2020-2021 season.
"We came out flat and all three games this week we've come out flat,'' said Seaman coach Matt Tinsley, whose Vikings opened the week with a 49-26 conference road win at Topeka West on Tuesday. "You can't dig yourself a hole and then that's just too much energy to come back.
"They'd get a rebound that we have a chance to get and they'd hit a 3 or we'd have a turnover in a critical moment. We're still learning that every possession is so important, especially in a tight game like that. We had no energy in the first half at all. We showed what we can do in the second half, but unfortunately the game is two halves.''
Senior Maddie Gragg led the Vikings with 16 points, 11 in the second half, while junior Cara Beaton added 14 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After avenging its only loss of the season in an emotional five-point United Kansas Conference road win over No. 2-ranked Topeka West on Tuesday, the No. 3 Seaman boys returned to action Friday against a Leavenworth team that entered the night in the throes of a six-game losing streak.
Senior KaeVon Bonner scored 24 points as No. 3-ranked Seaman rolled to a 72-50 UKC win over Leavenworth Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But the Vikings didn't slack off, stretching their winning streak to six games with a 72-50 home UKC romp past the Pioneers.
"It's no disrespect to Leavenworth, but all our guys see is their record and don't know anything about what they're going to bring to the table,'' Seaman coach Craig Cox said. "So coming off of a big win, that human nature letdown is scary.
"So for us to hold it together enough to get the job done and separate ourselves in the second half was good.''
Now 8-1 overall and 7-1 in the UKC, the Vikings led 16-13 at the end of the opening quarter and 30-22 at halftime before turning the game into a rout with a 22-10 third quarter to open up a commanding 52-32 advantage and cruised the rest of the way.
Leavenworth used a box-and-one defense on Seaman senior KaeVon Bonner, but the Viking star still finished with a game-high 24 points while hitting nine of 10 shots from the floor.
"Give Leavenworth a lot of credit for their defensive game plan,'' Cox said. "They came out and showed us that box and one, which we really haven't seen much. We've done some preparation, but until you actually see somebody else do it, it's not the same.
"It gave us an opportunity to see what would work and what wouldn't and I thought we found some stuff there in the third and early fourth quarter that worked.''
Senior Landon Wiltz scored 18 points in Seaman's 72-50 UKC home win over Leavenworth. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Landon Wiltz also had a big night for the Vikings, scoring 18 points while going a perfect five of five from the free throw line.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park senior girls basketball standout Koralee Jones registered a quadruple-double in Tuesday's 68-10 home Meadowlark Conference victory over Kansas City-Sumner.
Highland Park senior Koralee Jones registered a quadruple-double in Tuesday's 68-10 Meadowlark Conference win over Kansas City-Sumner. [File photo/TSN]
Jones scored 22 points with 13 rebounds, 10 steals and 10 assists as Highland Park improved to 3-5 overall and 3-1 in the conference.
Highland Park officials said that they have been told that based on available records and news reports there are no verified instances of a previous Kansas high school girls player officially recording a quadruple-double although there have been several near-misses.
The Scots will be back in action Thursday, playing a non-league game at Shawnee Heights before hosting KC-Harmon on Friday in a Meadowlark Conference contest.
Hayden star junior bowler Kelton Meier opened his 2026 season on Tuesday with a 785 series, including a 300 game. [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
Hayden's Meier bowls perfect 300 game
Hayden junior Kelton Meier, who helped the Wildcats win a Class 4A-1A state bowling championship to end the 2025 season, opened '26 with a spectacular performance on Tuesday in the Hayden quadrangular at Gage Bowl, rolling a 785 series, including a perfect 300 game in his final game of the day.
Meier opened his series with a 227 and rolled a 258 in the second game before achieving perfection in the third game.
Andrew Lee added a 611 series, Reece Renyer a 585, Ashton Litke a 562 and Jason Ahlstedt a 530 as Hayden claimed the team crown over Centennial League foe Manhattan.
Hayden's girls finished second to Manhattan, with Emily Peterson leading the Wildcats with a 457 series.
Manhattan's Cortlynn Millington won the girls individual title with a 720 series, including a 279 game.
Sabres top Highland Park boys
Kansas City-Sumner's boys improved to 5-5 overall and 3-2 in the Meadowlark Conference with a 73-52 Tuesday night road win at Highland Park.
The Scots fell to 2-6 overall and 2-2 in the conference.
Highland Park will play a non-league game at Shawnee Heights on Thursday before hosting KC-Harmon in a Meadowlark contest on Friday.
Seaman girls fall to De Soto in UKC tilt
Coming off a 23-point United Kansas Conference win at Topeka West a night earlier, the No. 10-ranked (Class 5A) Seaman girls dropped a 52-38 home UKC decision to De Soto on Wednesday.
The Vikings trailed the Wildcats 15-7 at the end of the opening quarter and 26-17 at the half.
Seaman got back in the hunt with a 17-13 third quarter but the Wildcats closed with a 13-3 fourth stanza, pulling away at the free throw line.
Senior Maddie Gragg led the Vikings (6-3 overall, 6-2 UKC) with nine points while sophomore Claire Puvogel added eight points and Cara Beaton, Lydia Dreher and Brynn Spencer seven points apiece.
Maddie Leis led De Soto with 20 points.
Seaman will be back at home Friday to host UKC foe Leavenworth.
Lion boys protect Flint Hills lead with win over Osage City
Cair Paravel boys basketball improved to 7-2 overall and a perfect 5-0 in the Flint Hills League with a 51-40 home win over Osage City Tuesday night.
The Lions jumped out to a 13-8 first-quarter lead and led 27-15 at the half.
Osage City used an 18-7 third quarter to get within a point before the Lions closed things out with a 17-7 fourth quarter.
"Huge league win against an extremely talented and well-coached Osage City team,'' CPLS coach Chip Kueffer said in a text.
Senior Lucas Marichal led Cair Paravel with 16 points while Chase Hastert added 13 points and Blaine Durbin 11.
The Lions will travel to West Franklin on Friday.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TREY DONATH, Shawnee Heights -- A junior two-time first-team All-City pick, Donath helped Shawnee Heights win its first-ever boys Class 5A team bowling championship in 2024 and helped the T-Birds return to state last season. Donath rolled a 614 series at the 2025 state meet to finish 28th as Heights finished fifth as a team. Donath shot a 542 series in regional competition as Heights advanced to state with a third-place team finish. Donath shot a 603 series in the city tournament as Shawnee Heights finished second as a team.
ANDREW FAUROT, Washburn Rural --Faurot, a junior, was a second-team All-City selection in 2025 after helping Washburn Rural post a fifth-place team finish in Class 6A and capture city and regional team championships. Faurot shot a 587 in the state tournament after finishing third in 6A regional competition with a 679 series.
Dylan Hunt, Seaman [File photo/TSN]
DYLAN HUNT, Seaman -- A junior, Hunt was a second-team All-City pick last season. Hunt finished fifth in the United Kansas Conference tournament with a 663 three-game series and he posted a sixth-place finish in the city championships with a 649 series before rolling a 618 series in Class 5A regional competition.
Kelton Meier, Hayden [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
KELTON MEIER, Hayden -- Meier, a junior, helped Hayden capture its first-ever state bowling championship, rolling a 604 three-game series to finish 21st as the Wildcats won the title by 95 pins. Meier shot a 633 series in 4A-1A regional competition to finish sixth as Hayden won the regional title by 213 pins. Meier captured the Centennial League individual title with a 675 series as the Wildcats finished second as a team. A first-team All-City pick, Meier finished ninth in the city meet with a 632 series. Meier averaged 213 with a high series of 706 last season and opened the 2026 season on Tuesday in Hayden's quadrangular with a 785 series, capped by a perfect 300 game in his third game.
Henry Schattilly, Shawnee Heights [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
HENRY SCHATTILLY, Shawnee Heights -- After helping Shawnee Heights win its first-ever boys Class 5A team bowling championship in 2024, Schattilly, a senior, helped the T-Birds return to state this past season. Schattilly shot a 579 series at state as Heights finished fifth in the team race. Schattilly rolled a 672 series at regionals to place sixth and lead the T-Birds to a third-place team finish. Schattilly posted an 11th-place finish in the United Kansas Conference tournament with a 625 series as the T-Birds finished second as a team. Schattilly placed third individually in the city tournament with a 658 series for runnerup Shawnee Heights. A first-team All-City selection, Schattilly averaged 212 last season with a high series of 693 and a perfect 300 game.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TUESDAY'S GAMES
Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, Topeka High
Hailey Schmidtlein, Hayden
TOPEKA HIGH (3-5, 0-1 Centennial) at HAYDEN (8-2, 2-0 Centennial)
Hayden is coming off a 38-35 Centennial League win at Washburn Rural last Friday while Topeka High had its three-game winning streak snapped by league foe Manhattan, 67-55. Sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein led Hayden with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, against Rural while senior Lauren Borjon added 8 points with a pair of 3s. Junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton led Topeka High with 21 points against Manhattan while sophomore Hailey Caryl added 17 points with three 3-pointers.
SEAMAN (5-2, 5-1 Centennial) at TOPEKA WEST (1-7, 0-6 Centennial)
Seaman is coming off a 54-12 United Kansas Conference win over Lansing last Friday while Topeka West dropped a 69-36 conference decision at Basehor-Linwood. Junior Brynn Spencer led Seaman with 15 points against Lansing while Baylee Ayres and Lydia Dreher added 10 points. Seaman took a 45-26 win over Topeka West on Dec. 12. The Chargers will be looking to snap a seven-game losing streak.
Koralee Jones, Highland Park
KANSAS CITY-SUMNER (2-6, 2-4 Meadowlark) at HIGHLAND PARK (2-5, 1-2 Meadowlark)
Highland Park dropped a 66-42 Meadowlark Conference decision to Atchison last Friday while KC-Sumner is coming off a 76-7 loss to KC-Wyandotte. Koralee Jones and Zayah Kincaid paced Highland Park with 14 points apiece against Atchison, with Kincaid draining three 3-pointers.
PIPER (6-2, 5-0 UKC) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (6-3, 5-1 UKC)
Shawnee Heights rolled to a 53-22 United Kansas Conference win over Leavenworth last Friday while league-leading Piper is coming off a 69-34 non-league loss to Blue Valley Northwest. T-Bird senior Imani McGlory scored 18 points with four 3-pointers against Leavenworth while juniors Pearmella Carter and KK Emmot scored 12 and 10 points, respectively. Piper handed Shawnee Heights its lone UKC loss on Dec. 9, 50-45.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TUESDAY'S GAMES
Connor Hanika, Hayden
Bryson McComas, Topeka High
TOPEKA HIGH (4-4, 0-1) at HAYDEN (3-7, 0-2)
Both the Trojans and Wildcats will be looking to bounce back from Friday night losses, with Topeka High dropping a 70-63 home Centennial League decision to Manhattan and Hayden dropping its second straight league game, a 79-62 decision at Washburn Rural. Mar'saun Redmond led Topeka High with 16 points against Manhattan while Jalen Aldridge and Bryson McComas added 14 points apiece. Carter Compton scored 20 points for Hayden against Washburn Rural while Connor Hanika added 15 points.
KaeVon Bonner, Seaman
Gad Munganga, Topeka West
SEAMAN (6-1, 5-1) at TOPEKA WEST (7-1, 6-0)
No. 2-ranked (Class 5A) Topeka West will host No. 5 Seaman in a key United Kansas Conference matchup. Seaman senior star KaeVon Bonner is coming off a 42-point performance in Friday's 65-46 UKC win at Lansing while Landon Wiltz added 10 points and Griffin Zuniga 9. West is coming off a 56-45 conference win at Basehor-Linwood, with senior guard Gad Munganga pacing the Chargers with 14 points, including four 3-pointers. Senior Keimani Paul added 12 points and junior Prince Lassiter 10.
JoJo Kingcannon, Highland Park
KANSAS CITY-SUMNER (4-5, 2-2) at HIGHLAND PARK (2-5, 2-1)
Highland Park played No. 2-ranked (Class 4A) Atchison tough in a 57-51 Meadowlark Conference home loss Friday night. Junior JoJo Kingcannon led the Scots with 18 points. Highland Park will be facing a KC-Sumner team that is coming off a 59-40 Meadowlark loss to KC-Wyandotte, a team Highland Park beat earlier in the season.
PIPER (5-3, 3-2) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (4-4, 3-3)
Shawnee Heights jumped out to a 35-5 halftime lead on the way to a 60-24 home United Kansas Conference win last Friday while Piper is coming off a non-league loss to Lincon Prep, Mo. Freshman Quincy Dixon led the T-Birds with 19 points while junior Cam Ross added 18 points and senior Ja'Veon Alston 13.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman senior standout Maddie Gragg reached the 1,000-point scoring milestone early in Tuesday night's United Kansas Conference game at Topeka West and the Vikings took control in the second half en route to a 49-26 win.
Seaman senior Maddie Gragg (32) eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone for her career in Tuesday's 49-26 UKC road win at Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Gragg entered Tuesday's game needing just three points to reach 1,000 points and scored the first four points of the game to reach the milestone a minute into the contest on the way to a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
"She's so unselfish and her role this year is a lot different than it was the last few years,'' Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. "She's taken on that leadership role well and I like that she's bringing the young kids along with her.
"She really doesn't like the attention, but this was a good accomplishment for Maddie and the girls are happy for her, too.''
It took Seaman a lot longer to reach its top form as a team, with the No. 10-ranked (Class 5A) Vikings leading by just four points at the end of the opening quarter (16-12) and by just three points (19-16) at halftime before pulling away after halftime with a dominating performance.
The Vikings, now 6-2 overall and 6-1 in the UKC, scored the first eight points of the second half, building a 27-16 advantage with 6:18 left in the third stanza on a 3-pointer from junior Brynn Spencer.
Seaman led 38-26 at the start of the fourth quarter and pitched a shutout over the final eight minutes, outscoring the Chargers 11-0 to stretch its final advantage to 23 points.
"I had to get into them a little bit at halftime,'' Tinsley said. "And that's just kind of been our thing this year, teams being a little tougher than we are and someone gets in our face and we don't take it right back to them, so I challenged them at halftime pretty good and I'm so proud of how they came back and responded.
"I told them, 'There's no secred to this game. You just have to be stronger than they are and when someone gets in your face you need to accept the challenge because that's what being a competitor is.' ''
Seaman junior Brynn Spencer (top), battling for a loose ball, scored 10 points with a pair of 3-pointers in Tuesday's 49-26 UKC win at Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman freshman Baylee Ayres (23) scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds in Tuesday's 49-26 UKC win at Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
In addition to Gragg's double-double, Spencer and freshman Baylee Ayres also scored 10 points apiece while junior Jaydin Frickey added 9 points. Ayres also grabbed nine rebounds and sophomore Lydia Dreher had eight boards.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
There's no doubt that Seaman's earlier boys basketball game against Topeka West was a low point of the Vikings' 2025-2026 season, really the only low point in what has been an outstanding start.
Playing in front of their home fans on Dec. 12, the Vikings gave up 30 points to West in the opening eight minutes and trailed by 31 points after three quarters en route to a 71-57 loss to the Chargers.
Seaman senior KaeVon Bonner (33) scored a game-high 28 points in Tuesday's 57-52 UKC road win at Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
No. 3-ranked Seaman evened the score in Tuesday's rematch at No. 2 West, leading for most of the opening three quarters before rallying from a four-point deficit early in the fourth quarter to take a 57-52 United Kansas Conference victory.
"We gutted it out,'' Seaman coach Craig Cox said. "I told our players that was probably the thing that stuck out to me the most was getting behind in that fourth quarter and being able to regroup, maintain some composure and find a way to get it done.''
Seaman, now 7-1 overall and 6-1 in the UKC, fell behind 6-0 early in the game, but the Vikings fought back behind senior star KaeVon Bonner to take a 13-12 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
The Vikings led by as many as eight points in the second stanza and took a 29-24 lead to the locker room at halftime, but Topeka West (7-2, 6-1) doubled up Seaman 14-7 in the third quarter to take a 38-36 advantage and scored the first bucket of the fourth quarter to go up by four points at 40-36.
Seaman answered with four straight points to knot things at 40-all and the game was close the rest of the way
West went up 52-50 on a hoop from junior Jasper Phillips with 1:52 remaining, but Seaman ended the game with the final seven points.
After Bonner tied the game at 52, senior Griffin Zuniga put the Vikings ahead to stay with 1:08 left and Bonner, senior Landon Wiltz and senior Matthew McConnaughey hit one of two free throws (Seaman was 11 of 22 on the night) down the the stretch.
Seaman senior Landon Wiltz reacts to a big play in Tuesday's 57-52 UKC win at Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Several players came up big down the stretch on both end of the floor, including Wiltz, who had 6 points, 8 rebounds and a pair of 3-pointers on the night.
"That's what we're going to need,'' Cox said. "As great as KaeVon is, we know those other guys are going to have to take advantage of their opportunities when those opportunites arise and they can help us. I think their confidence is growing and they're feeling real good about their team.''
Bonner, who was coming off a 42-point game at Lansing, scored 28 points Tuesday night while Zuniga added 15.
Bonner said Tuesday's win was huge for the Vikings, especially considering how the earlier game with West went.
"We definitely just wanted it a lot more this game,'' Bonner said. "We knew they beat us that first game and it was pretty embarrassing that first quarter. We just knew we had to get out on them because they shot really well against us, so we got out on them and we just wanted it a lot more (this game).
"We knew they were ranked higher than us and we just wanted this one really bad. I know I made a couple of dumb turnovers and I was getting a little exhausted, but we had people on our team that stepped up and really helped us out toward the end.''
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
CAMRYNN AHRENS, Washburn Rural -- A senior, Ahrens earned second-team All-City recognition for the second straight season in 2025 after helping the Junior Blues post a third-place team finish in the Class 6A state tournament. Ahrens shot a 536 three-game series at state after finishing third in 6A regional competition with a 616 series as the Junior Blues won the regional team crown by 341 pins. Ahrens finished fourth in the Centennial League meet for the team-champion Junior Blues with a 534 series.
Leah Crowford, Seaman [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
LEAH CRAWFORD, Seaman -- Crawford, a sophomore, placed 22nd individually in her first Class 5A state tournament with a 532 series last season, helping Seaman finish third in the team standings. Crawford, who averaged 182 on the season, won a 5A regional individual championship with a 630 series as Seaman captured the team crown by 514 pins, finished eighth in the United Kansas Conference with a 568 series as the Vikings won the team title by 334 pins and shot a 522 series in the city tournament to finish 12th individually for the team-champion Vikings.
Megan Glinka, Washburn Rural [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
MEGAN GLINKA, Washburn Rural -- A junior, Glinka earned first-team All-City honors for the second straight season after placing 26th at state with a 554 series to help Washburn Rural finish third as a team in the 2025 Class 6A state tournament. Glinka recorded a 561 series to place 12th in regional competition for team-champion Rural. Glinka garnered the Centennial League individual championship with a 597 series as the Junior Blues won the team title and shot a 525 in the city tournament to place 11th as Rural finished second as a team. Glinka averaged 191 on the season with a high game of 276 and a high series of 713.
Claire LaDuke, Seaman [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
CLAIRE LADUKE, Seaman -- LaDuke, a senior, placed eighth in the 2025 Class 5A state tournament with a 582 three-game series, helping lead the Vikings to the third-place team trophy. LaDuke was third at regionals with a 581 series as Seaman won the championship by 514 pins. LaDuke finished ninth in the United Kansas Conference with a 558 series as the Vikings won the team title by 334 pins and rolled a 569 series in the city tournament to place fourth as Seaman won the city team title. LaDuke earned first-team All-State honors in Class 5A from the Kansas Bowling Coaches Association, averaging 201 on the season with a high series of 673 and a high game of 257.
Kenzie Lawson, Washburn Rural [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
KENZIE LAWSON, Washburn Rural -- Lawson, a senior, earned first-team All-City honors for the first time in 2025 after helping the Junior Blues post a third-place finish in the Class 6A state tournament. Lawson posted a 10th-place individual finish in the state meet with a 621 three-game series. Lawson rolled a 597 series to place sixth at regionals for team-champion Rural and finished eighth with a 503 series in the Centennial League for team-champion Rural. Lawson shot a 545 series in the city tournament to place ninth as Rural finished second as a team. Lawson averaged 180 on the season.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Six Shawnee County senior football standouts, who all earned spots on TopSports.news' 2025 All-Shawnee County football team, have been invited to play for the East in the 2026 Kansas Shrine Bowl, which will be played on June 27 at Emporia State's Welch Stadium.
Invited to play in the Shrine Bowl are Seaman's Cameron Brian, Washburn Rural's Brody Haas, Rossville's Andre Johnson, Silver Lake's Dayne Johnson, Hayden's Kade Mitchell and Highland Park's Tremaine Savage.
Rossville coach Derick Hammes was named earlier to serve as an assistant coach for the East.
Here's a look at the six local Shrine Bowl picks:
Cameron Brian, Seaman
CAMERON BRIAN, Seaman
A 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior linebacker, Brian was one of six All-Shawnee County Top 22 repeat picks and received All-United Kansas Conference first-team honors for the second straight season. Brian was in on 111 total tackles this past fall with eight tackles for loss, three sacks, one pass interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
BRODY HAAS, Washburn Rural
A 5-foot-11, 195-pound senior linebacker, Haas registered 114 total tackles with 80 solo stops for the 6-4 Junior Blues. Haas recorded 14 tackles for loss with a sack and had two pass interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, while forcing two fumbles and recovering two fumbles and recording eight quarterback pressures.
Andre Johnson, Rossville
ANDRE JOHNSON, Rossville
A 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior fullback/linebacker, Johnson moved up to the All-Shawnee County Top 22 this past season after being a Second 22 pick as a junior. Johnson was in on 133 tackles for the 11-Bulldawgs (74 solo), with two tackles for loss, one sack and one interception. Offensively, Johnson carried the ball 58 times for 365 yards. Johnson was a second-team All-Big East League pick on defense.
Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake
DAYNE JOHNSON, Silver Lake
Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound senior wide receiver/defensive back, was an All-Shawnee County Top 22 repeat selection in 2025 after catching 75 passes for 1,053 yards and eight touchdowns and registering 59 tackles with two pass interceptions. Johnson earned first-team All-Big East League recognition on offense and second-team honors on defense this past fall.
Kade Mitchell, Hayden
KADE MITCHELL, Hayden
Mitchell, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound senior running back/defensive back, was an All-Shawnee County Top 22 repeat pick this past season and was named the Shawnee County co-offensive player of the year. Mitchell carried the ball 106 times for 1,003 yards, caught 23 passes for 471 yards and scored 22 total touchdowns this season for the 12-1 Wildcats while being in on 34 tackles and compiling 372 kickoff and punt return yards as Hayden advanced to its third straight Class 3A title game..
Tremaine Savage, Highland Park
TREMAINE SAVAGE, Highland Park
Savage, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior wide receiver/defensive back, was named the Meadowlark Conference co-defensive player of the year in 2025 after helping lead Highland Park to a 5-1 on-field record and a conference championship. Savage averaged 6.6 tackles per game and registered 15 pass breakups. Offensively, Savage caught six passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns, earning second-team all-conference honors at receiver.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Brooks Ballard
BROOKS BALLARD, Washburn Rural
A 6-foot-2 sophomore boys basketball standout, Ballard connected on 7 of 10 field goal attempts, including six 3-pointers, and went four of four at the free throw line for a career-high 24-point night in Friday's 79-62 home Centennial League victory over Hayden, helping the Junior Blues improve to 7-2 on the season overall and 2-0 in the league.
KaeVon Bonner
KAEVON BONNER, Seaman
Bonner, a 6-foot-4 senior, had a monster week as Seaman boys basketball improved to 6-1 overall and 5-1 in the United Kansas Conference with a pair of road victories. Bonner reached the 1,000-point milestone for his career with a 27-point performance in Wednesday's 60-57 non-league victory at St. James Academy and scored a career-high 42 points in Friday's 65-46 United Kansas Conference win at Lansing.
Cianna Graves
CIANNA GRAVES, Shawnee Heights
After being named Shawnee Heights' Queen of Courts the previous night, the senior 155-pound standout wrestler claimed an individual championship in Saturday's Shawnee Heights Invitational, helping lead the T-Birds to the team championship by a 262-164 margin over Wichita South. Graves, now 18-0 on the season, went 4-0 in the tournament with four pins, in 1 minute, 20 seconds, 1:31, 1:01 and 3:44.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden star wrestlers Jude Krentz and Caleb Menke will face a lot of tough opponents over the 2025-2026 season, but very few any tougher than they see every day in practice when the two Wildcats square off against each other.
Hayden senior Jude Krentz (top) captured the 190-pound title in Saturday's Shawnee Heights Invitational while improving to 15-0 on the season. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Hayden senior Caleb Menke (top) captured the 175-pound title in Saturday's Shawnee Heights Invitational while improving to 16-0 on the season. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And both Krentz, a senior 190-pounder, and Menke, a junior 175-pounder, feel like that regular competition in practice has helped them post a combined 31-0 record this season after both Hayden wrestlers claimed championships in Saturday's Shawnee Heights Invitational.
"It's awesome because we both push each other all the time, all the time,'' said Krentz, who posted a fourth-place finish in Class 4A as a junior.
Menke, a returning state qualifier, agrees.
"Jude, honestly, is probably one of the best training partners that I could ever ask for,'' Menke said. "We push each other every day in practice, sometimes even getting to the point where we get after each other a little bit and get into a couple of scuffles, but at the end of the day it makes us better and we love each other for it.''
Both Krentz and Menke, who helped Hayden's football team advance to the 3A state football championship game for the third straight season, said it takes them awhile to transition from the gridiron into football mode.
But now both Wildcat standouts said they feel like they're ready to make a run at state titles later this winter.
"Normally it probably takes me probably about three weeks because in football you're trying to maintain all your weight and you're trying to stay in shape to where you can go really hard for a short period of time where wrestling you've got to go hard for a long period of time,'' Menke said. "So typically it takes me about three weeks to a month to get ready, but normally after Christmas break I'm good and ready to rock and roll.''
"I'd say it's about one to two, maybe even a three-week progress of just constantly drilling hard, and it's more of a constant movement in wrestling where you always get a few seconds between plays in football,'' said Krentz, named the Shawnee County defensive player of the year in football. "Wrestling is contant, it's in-fighting and you're always pushing the pace.''
And after suffering both of his losses at state in a 42-2 season a year ago, Krentz feels like a state crown is in reach this season.
"It was in reach last year,'' Krentz said. "There were some mental mistakes, little mistakes that can easily be fixed. It's just a matter of pushing through and keep pushing every day instead of getting complacent.''
Both Hayden wrestlers were in top form in Saturday's Shawnee Heights meet, with Menke going 5-0 with four pins en route to improving to 16-0 on the season while Krentz, after receiving a first-round bye, posted two straight wins by fall and a 17-1 technical fall to improve to 15-0.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman senior star KaeVon Bonner scored 42 points Friday night as the No. 5-ranked Vikings rolled to a 65-46 United Kansas Conference road victory over Lansing.
Senior KaeVon Bonner scored a career-high 42 points in Friday's 65-46 UKC win over Lansing. [File photo/TSN]
Bonner, who recently surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career, scored 15 points in the first quarter, followed by seven points in the second quarter, 11 in the third and nine points in the fourth quarter as Seaman improved to 6-1 overall and 5-1 in the UKC.
Seaman jumped out to an 18-8 first-quarter advantage and led 30-16 at the half. The Vikings were still in front by 14 points (48-34) at the end of the third quarter and outscored the Lions 17-12 over the final eight minutes to close out the 19-point win.
The Vikings got 10 points from senior Landon Wiltz and 9 from senior Griffin Zuniga.
Seaman will play a UKC game at Topeka West on Tuesday. The Chargers handed the Vikings their only loss on Dec. 12.
Lady Vikes bounce back with 54-12 UKC rout
After having their four-game winning streak snapped by St. James Academy on Wednesday, Seaman's girls got back on the winning track with a 54-12 United Kansas Conference win at Lansing Friday night.
Now 5-2 overall and 5-1 in the conference, Seaman got 15 points from junior Brynn Spencer, 10 points apiece from sophomore Lydia Dreher and freshman Baylee Ayres and 7 from senior Maddie Gragg, who had 20 points in Wednesday's game against St. James.
The Vikings will play a UKC game at Topeka West on Tuesday. Seaman took a home win over the Chargers on Dec. 12.
Gad Munganga, Topeka West
West boys take 11-point road win over Bobcats
Topeka West ended its three-game week with a 56-45 road United Kansas Conference road victory at Basehor-Linwood Friday night.
After suffering its first loss of the season Monday night at Free State (53-49), the Chargers beat Leavenworth 74-47 on Tuesday before Friday's win that improved West to 7-1 on the season and a perfect 6-0 in the UKC.
Senior Gad Munganga paced Topeka West with 14 points, including four 3-pointers, while senior Keimani Paul added 12 points and junior Prince Lassiter 10 points. Seniors Jay'Veon Traylor and Malakyah Duncan added 9 points apiece for the Chargers.
West led 16-12 after one quarter and 33-24 at the half before the Bobcats cut their deficit to 40-37 at the start of the fourth quarter. The Chargers closed out the win by doubling up the hosts 16-8 in the fourth stanza.
The Chargers will be back at home Tuesday to host city and UKC rival Seaman.
Lucas Marichal, Cair Paravel
Lion boys improve to 6-2 with 50-45 Flint Hills League victory
Cair Paravel Latin's boys improved to 6-2 overall and 4-0 in the Flint Hills League Friday night with a 50-45 league road win over Mission Valley.
Cair Paravel, which has posted three straight wins, got 16 points from senior Lucas Marichal, 15 from senior Drew Fay and 9 points from sophomore Chase Hastert.
Mission Valley (3-6, 1-4) rallied from a 29-22 halftime deficit to take a 37-35 lead into the fourth quarter and the game was tied late before the Lions pulled out the win.
Keegan Hoelting led Mission Valley with 16 points.
Cair Paravel will host Osage City in a Flint Hills League game on Tuesday.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
This past weekend is one that Shawnee Heights senior girls wrestling star Cianna Graves will never forget.
It started Friday night when Graves was selected as Heights' Queen of Courts, not exactly a common occurence for someone in her sport.
Shawnee Heights star senior wrestler Cianna Graves was named Queen of Courts Friday night. [Submitted photo]
And then on Saturday Graves went back to what she knows best, going 4-0 with four pins to win the 155-pound championship in the Shawnee Heights Invitatational while helping lead the T-Birds to the team title.
Graves, also a softball standout for the T-Birds, was nominated by the Shawnee Heights wrestling team as the program's Queen of Courts candidate and then was tapped as one of five finalists in an all-school vote before being named the queen between the Heights' girls and boys basketball games against Leavenworth.
"I was (surprised),'' Graves said. "There were a lot of good girls up this year, so it was an honor and a blessing to be able to be the queen.
"I wasn't even thinking about (winning). I was just happy that I was nominated and excited to do all the Winter Royalty things.''
Used to being in the limelight in both wrestling and softball, Graves said she wasn't rattled by Friday's festitivies.
"I really wasn't nervous, I was just there to have fun,'' Graves said.
But Graves admitted that putting on an evening dress was something new.
"It definitely was, but I think that's why I enjoyed it so much, getting to dress up and be in something a little bit more fun than maybe a singlet,'' she said.
Still dressed in her evening gown after being named Queen of Courts earlier in the night, Ciarra Graves helped set up the wrestling mats for Saturday's Shawnee Heights Invitational. [Submitted photo]
As soon as the boys basketball game was over Graves had to quickly go back into wrestling mode, joining her teammates to help set up the mats for Saturday's Shawnee Heights Invitational while still in her formal attire.
Shawnee Heights senior Cianna Graves went 4-0 with four pins to win the 155-pound title in the Shawnee Heights Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And when Saturday rolled around, Graves, third in Class 5A as a junior, put on another performance fit for a queen, going 4-0 with four pins to claim the 155-pound title and improve to 18-0 on the season.
"I love it so much,'' said Graves, a three-time state placer. "The people, the adrenalin that you get, it's all amazing.''
And now Graves will turn her attention on trying to cap what has already been a memorable senior season with a state title.
"It's the goal,'' she said. "I'm hoping that my hard work that I put in over the summer and continue to put in through this season really pays off in the end.''
Graves was one of seven individual champions in Saturday's Shawnee Heights Invitational as the T-Birds captured the team title by a 262-164 margin over Wichita South.
In addition to Graves, Shawnee Heights got individual titles from freshman 110-pound sophomore Bianca Juarez (15-6 on the season), 115-pound freshman Brinnley Morris (12-2), 125-pound junior Audrey Hinkly (15-6), 135-pound sophomore Olive Jones (21-1), 145-pound senior Olivia Stevens (16-3) and 190-pound junior Brooklyn Binkley (12-6).
Morris went 5-0 with five pins between 16 seconds and 1 minute, 51 seconds while Jones went 3-0 with 27, 49 and 46-second pins.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
FRIDAY'S GAMES
HAYDEN (7-2, 1-0 Centennial) at WASHBURN RURAL (5-2, 1-0 Centennial)
Both defending champion Hayden and perennial Class 6A contender Washburn Rural won their Centennial League openers on Tuesday. The Wildcats took a 53-37 home win over Emporia as sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein scored 14 points and sophomore Blakely Walter 10. The Junior Blues went on the road to beat Junction City, 68-32. Hayden is ranked No. 7 in Class 4A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association and Rural is No. 10 in 6A. Washburn Rural will be playing its third game of the week, dropping a 50-35 non-league decision to Olathe North on Monday.
Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, Topeka High
MANHATTAN (5-2, 0-0 Centennial) at TOPEKA HIGH (3-4, 0-0 Centennial)
Topeka High picked up its third straight win on Tuesday, taking a 65-41 non-league road win at Lawrence as junior Ahysieyrhuajh Rayton scored 29 points, senior Keimara Marshall 15 and senior Trish Short 13. High sophomore Hailey Caryl contributed 8 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists against the Lions. Manhattan is coming off its second loss of the season, dropping a 58-45 non-league decision to Hays.
ATCHISON (3-6, 3-0 Meadowlark) at HIGHLAND PARK (2-4, 1-1 Meadowlark)
Highland Park picked up a Meadowlark Conference forfeit win over Kansas City-Schlagle on Tuesday while Atchison edged KC-Wyandotte in a conference contest, 42-41. Highland Park played Wyandotte earlier in the season, with the Bulldogs taking a 68-52 victory over the Scots.
Pearmella Carter, Shawnee Heights
LEAVENWORTH (4-2, 1-2 UKC) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (5-3, 4-1 UKC)
Shawnee Heights stretched its winning streak to four games on Tuesday, with the T-Birds taking a 64-46 home United Kansas Conference win over De Soto. Junior Pearmella Carter led Heights with 19 points while juniors Sami Baum and Imani McGlory scoring 15 and 13 points, respectively. Leavenworth is coming off a 49-35 home UKC win over Topeka West.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
FRIDAY'S GAMES
Connor Hanika, Hayden
HAYDEN (3-6, 0-1) at WASHBURN RURAL (6-2, 1-0)
Washburn Rural opened defense of its Centennial League championship Tuesday with a 50-45 road win over Junction City, imporoving to 6-2 on the season. Senior Kieffer O'Connor led the Junior Blues with 16 points while senior Simon Rowley added 11. Hayden will be looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking 59-56 home Centennial League loss to Emporia. Senior Connor Hanika scored a game-high 22 points for the Wildcats while junior Carter Compton added 12 points.
Bryson McComas, Topeka High
MANHATTAN (6-1, 0-0) at TOPEKA HIGH (4-3, 0-0)
Topeka High climbed above the .500 level with a 66-65 nailbiter on the road Tuesday night at Lawrence. Friday's game will be the Centennial League opener for both Topeka High and Manhattan. The Indians are coming off a 62-59 overtime win over Hays, stretching its winning streak to six games.
ATCHISON (8-0, 3-0) at HIGHLAND PARK (2-4, 2-0)
Atchison and Highland Park will square off in a game that could go a long ways to deciding the Meadowlark Conference championship. The Scots improved to 2-0 in league play with a 60-32 home win over Kansas City-Schlagle Tuesday night as junior JoJo Kingcannon scored 21 points, going 8 of 11 from the floor with three 3-pointers. Atchison is coming off an 87-32 Meadowlark win over KC-Wyandotte.
LEAVENWORTH (2-4, 1-3) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (3-4, 2-3)
Shawnee Heights will be looking to bounce back from a tough 51-50 United Kansas Conference home loss to De Soto Tuesday night. Junior Cam Ross led the T-Birds with 12 points. Leavenworth is coming off a 74-47 UKC home loss to Topeka West on Tuesday.
Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake
HOLTON (1-7, 1-5) at SILVER LAKE (6-2, 4-0)
Silver Lake posted a 73-61 Big East League victory at St. Marys on Tuesday while Holton picked up its first win of the season, a 57-53 league decision over Riley County. Holton is coached by former Topeka West assistant coach Marco Hunter. Silver Lake is ranked No. 6 in Class 3A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman senior star KaeVon Bonner reached the 1,000-point milestone for his career Wednesday night, leading the No. 5 ranked Vikings to a 60-57 non-league road win at St. James Academy.
Seaman senior KaeVon Bonner scored a game-high 27 points in Wednesday's 60-57 Viking win at St. James Academy, reaching the 1,000-point career scoring milestone. [File photo/TSN]
Bonner, a four-year starters and multi-time TopSports.news All-City and All-United Kansas Conference first-team pick, scored a game-high 27 points as Seaman improved to 5-1 on the season while making its 2026 debut.
The Vikings jumped out to a 17-10 first-quarter lead over the Thunder (5-2) and led 32-26 at the half.
Seaman used a 16-11 third quarter to boost its advantage to 48-37 and held on for the win despite St. James' 20-12 scoring edge over the final eight minutes.
Seniors Griffin Zuniga and Landon Wiltz added 12 and 11 points for the Vikings, who posted their third straight victory.
Grady Ogden scored 20 points and Emmitt Peters 16 for St. James.
Seaman will be back on the road Friday, traveling to Lansing for a United Kansas Conference matchup.
Thunder snaps Lady Vikes' winning streak
St. James Academy dominated the final three quarters of Wednesday's home non-league contest against No. 9-ranked Seaman, rolling to a 54-33 victory while snapping the Vikings' four-game win streak.
Seaman, now 4-2 on the season, led 15-11 at the end of the first quarter, but St. James used a 9-1 second quarter to take a 20-16 halftime advantage.
The Thunder then took control with a 20-9 third-quarter scoring edge and closed out the win with a 14-8 fourth quarter, improving to 5-3 on the season.
Seaman will return to UKC play on Friday, traveling to Lansing.
NOTE: Statistics for city girls basketball teams were compiled by Seaman girls coach Matt Tinsley. The following stats are the first of three statistical reports which will be released during the 2025-2026 season, capped by the season-ending stats.
Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, Topeka High
SCORING
Name, school Gms. Pts. Avg
Rayton, Topeka High 4 88 22.0
Schmidtlein, Hayden 7 130 18.6
Emmot, Shawnee Heights 6 108 18.0
Caryl, Topeka High 1 15 15.0
Gragg, Seaman 5 68 13.6
Anderson, Washburn Rural 5 68 13.6
Marshall, Topeka High 5 63 12.6
McGlory, Shawnee Heights 6 70 11.7
Carter, Shawnee Heights 6 65 10.8
Hall, Topeka West 6 65 10.8
Jones, Highland Park 4 43 10.8
Backman, Cair Paravel 6 59 9.8
Hirschi, Washburn Rural 5 48 9.6
Beaton, Seaman 5 47 9.4
Carlgren, Washburn Rural 5 47 9.4
Sydney Van Dyke, Topeka West
REBOUNDING
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
VanDyke, Topeka West 6 84 14.0
Gragg, Seaman 5 47 9.4
Walker, Washburn Rural 5 45 9.0
Caryl, Topeka High 1 8 8.0
Jones, Highland Park 4 30 7.5
Gotru, Topeka High 5 36 7.2
Carter, Shawnee Heights 6 43 7.2
Hall, Topeka West 6 41 6.8
Dreher, Seaman 5 31 6.2
Anderson, Washburn Rural 5 31 6.2
Schmidtlein, Hayden 7 42 6.0
Vega, Shawnee Heights 6 35 5.8
Marshall, Topeka High 5 29 5.8
Hastert, Cair Paravel 6 34 5.7
Ayres, Seaman 5 25 5.0
Hailey Caryl, Topeka High
ASSISTS
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
Caryl, Topeka High 1 8 8.0
Marshall, Topeka High 5 18 3.6
Beaton, Seaman 5 17 3.4
Gragg, Seaman 5 15 3.0
Rutherford, Washburn Rural 4 12 3.0
Baum, Shawnee Heights 6 16 2.7
Schmidtlein, Hayden 7 18 2.6
Puvogel, Seaman 5 12 2.4
Walker, Washburn Rural 5 12 2.4
Emmot, Shawnee Heights 6 14 2.3
Vega, Shawnee Heights 6 14 2.3
Foster, Hayden 7 14 2.0
Gonzales, Topeka West 5 9 1.8
Backman, Cair Paravel 6 10 1.7
McGlory, Shawnee Heights 6 10 1.7
Hailey Schmidtlein, Hayden
STEALS
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
Schmidtlein, Hayden 7 32 4.6
Gragg, Seaman 5 19 3.8
Marshall, Topeka High 5 17 3.4
Donaldson, Cair Paravel 6 20 3.3
Gonzales, Topeka West 5 16 3.2
Backman, Cair Paravel 6 19 3.2
Caryl, Topeka High 1 3 3.0
Jones, Highland Park 4 12 3.0
Hastert, Cair Paravel 6 17 2.8
Beaton, Seaman 5 14 2.8
Rayton, Topeka High 4 11 2.8
Allen, Topeka West 6 17 2.7
Anderson, Washburn Rural 5 13 2.6
Walter, Hayden 7 18 2.6
VanDyke, Topeka West 6 14 2.3
NOTE: Statistics for city boys basketball teams were compiled by Seaman girls coach Matt Tinsley. The following stats are the first of three statistical reports which will be released during the 2025-2026 season, capped by the season-ending stats.
KaeVon Bonner, Seaman
Malakyah Duncan, Topeka West
SCORING
Name, school Gms. Pts. Avg
Bonner, Seaman 5 130 26.0
Duncan, Topeka West 5 98 19.6
Kingcannon, Highland Park 3 57 19.0
Compton, Hayden 7 121 17.3
Hastert, Cair Paravel 6 98 16.3
Rowley, Washburn Rural 6 97 16.2
Ross, Shawnee Heights 5 80 16.0
Hanika, Hayden 7 104 14.9
Paul, Topeka West 5 74 14.8
MCComas, Topeka High 5 66 13.2
Lassiter, Topeka West 5 65 13.0
Aldridge, Topeka High 5 65 13.0
Zuniga, Seaman 5 62 12.4
Dixon, Shawnee Heights 5 61 12.2
Durbin, Cair Paravel 6 73 12.2
REBOUNDING
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
Fay, Cair Paravel 6 46 7.7
McComas, Topeka High 5 38 7.6
Hastert, Cair Paravel 6 45 7.5
Schmidt, Washburn Rural 6 36 6.0
Durbin, Cair Paravel 6 33 5.5
Lassiter, Topeka West 4 22 5.5
Paul, Topeka West 4 22 5.5
Tourtillott, Hayden 7 35 5.0
Kingcannon, Highland Park 3 15 5.0
Montgomery, Highland Park 3 15 5.0
Zuniga, Seaman 5 25 5.0
Hoytal, Washburn Rural 6 30 5.0
Cleverdon, Cair Paravel 6 29 4.8
Dixon, Shawnee Heights 5 24 4.8
Anderson, Highland Park 3 14 4.7
ASSISTS
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
Anderson, Highland Park 3 19 6.3
Bonner, Seaman 5 31 6.2
Paul, Topeka West 4 20 5.0
Hastert, Cair Paravel 6 28 4.7
Fay, Cair Paravel 6 23 3.8
Kingcannon, Highland Park 3 11 3.7
Hoytal, Washburn Rural 6 20 3.3
Scott, Shawnee Heights 5 16 3.2
Duncan, Topeka West 4 12 3.0
Guest, Topeka High 5 14 2.8
Becker, Hayden 7 18 2.6
Marichal, Cair Paravel 6 15 2.5
McComas, Topeka High 5 12 2.4
Alston, Shawnee Heights 5 12 2.4
Nimz, Washburn Rural 6 14 2.3
STEALS
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
Kingcannon, Highland Park 3 11 3.7
Montgomery, Highland Park 3 9 3.0
Bonner, Seaman 5 15 3.0
Wiltz, Seaman 5 14 2.8
McComas, Topeka High 5 14 2.8
Alston, Shawnee Heights 5 14 2.8
Hanika, Hayden 7 17 2.4
Anderson, Highland Park 3 7 2.3
Duncan, Topeka West 4 9 2.3
Munganga, Topeka West 4 9 2.3
Fay, Cair Paravel 6 12 2.0
Drew, Highland Park 3 6 2.0
Zuniga, Seaman 5 10 2.0
Mitchell, Hayden 7 13 1.9
Becker, Hayden 7 13 1.9
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee County girls high school sports teams may likely remember 2025 as the year of near-misses, with seven county teams finishing second in five different sports while eight individuals/relays posted runnerup finishes.
But the county still had notable accomplishments to celebrate, with local schools capturing a pair of state team championships while local athletes captured four individual state titles.
Class 6A soccer champion Washburn Rural and 3A volleyball champ Silver Lake share the No. 1 spot on the TopSports.news Top 10 list for 2025 while Seaman track star Ryin Miller, who dominated the 5A state track meet with three wins and Highland Park wrestler Makayla Cadet, who captured her school's first girls state crown, hold down the next two spots.
Seaman posted runnerup team finishes in basketball and tennis while Silver Lake finished second in basketball and softball, Hayden was second in soccer and volleyball and Washburn Rural posted a runnerup finish in softball.
Individually, Washburn Rural's Molly Spader, Seaman's Koti Best and Taylie Heston and Shawnee Heights' Isabel Reyes all recorded second-place finishes in state wrestling while Rural's Morgan Ray and Topeka High's Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton were individual runnerups in state track, Seaman's Emma Sweeney was a singles runnerup in state tennis and Washburn Washburn Rural's 4x800-meter relay team also posted a second-place state finish in track.
Here's a look at TopSports.news' Top 10 Shawnee County girls prep stories of 2025:
Washburn Rural girls soccer celebrates its first Class 6A state championship after its 1-0 win over Mill Valley in PKs. [Photo by KSHSAA Covered]
1. TITLE BREAKTHROUGH -- Washburn Rural added the only missing piece from its impressive soccer resume with its first Class 6A state championship. Making their 11th straight Final Four appearance, including four runnerup state finishes, the 19-2-0 Junior Blues broke through with a 1-0 win over Mill Valley, taking the win with a 4-1 edge in penalty kicks. Rural was represented on the All-City first team by 2025 grads Destiny Higgs, Kate Hinck, Addyson Kaberline, Zahra Friess and Madison Lemke and then-junior Dayne Shriver while Junior Blues coach Brian Hensyel was named the city coach of the year.
Silver Lake volleyball capped a 46-1 season with the 2025 Class 3A state championship. [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
1. EAGLES FLY TO STATE CHAMPIONSHIP -- Silver Lake, which went 46-1 and ended its season on a 37-match winning streak, finished off its championship run with a 25-21, 25-19 win over Holton. The Eagles were represented on the All-Shawnee County team by senior Jaiden Wise, juniors Kylie Hanni and Jaylie Whitehead and sophomore Karys Deiter, with Hanni named the county player of the year and Eagles coach Sarah Johnson tapped as the coach of the year.
Seaman's Ryan Miller capped her junior track season with a sweep of the Class 5A 800, 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs in the 2025 state meet. [File photo/TSN]
3. MILLER SHINES -- Seaman superstar runner Ryin Miller capped off her junior track and field season in the 2025 strate track and field championships by sweeping Class 5A state titles in all three of her individual events, taking wins in the 3,200 (10:19.53), 1,600 (4:57.33) and 800-meter (2:11.14) runs at Wichita State. Miller's three wins in 2025 gave her five career titles and came on the heels of a banner 2024 cross country season, which included the fastest five-kilometer run in Kansas history (16:32.62) and a runnerup finish in the 5A state meet (17:26.36).
Highland Park then-junior Makayla Cadet became her school's first girls state wrestling champion in 2025. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
4. A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY -- Highland Park junior Makayla Cadet celebrated her 17th birthday in one of the best ways you could imagine, with a 2025 Class 5A state wrestling championship. Cadet, who went 23-4 on the season, became the first girls wrestler in Highland Park history to win a state championship when she pinned Basehor-Linwood junior Izzy Renfro at the 1:36 mark of the first period in Park City. Cadet's win over Renfro avenged a regional loss to the Bobcat standout.
5. OH SO CLOSE -- After winning state titles a year earlier, Seaman in Class 5A and Silver Lake in 3A both posted runnerup finishes in 2025 in girls basketball. The Vikings ran off 24 straight wins in the 2024-2025 campaign before dropping a 68-61 decision to perennial state champ St. Thomas Aquinas in the title game while Silver Lake, which had to reload after graduating a talented senior class from its 26-0 championship team in 2024, posted a 23-3 record last season, dropping a tight 48-45 decision to Halstead in the 3A final.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee County high schools captured three boys state team titles in 2025 while county athletes combined to earn six individual/relay championships.
Washburn Rural soccer is No. 1 on TopSports.news' list of the Top 10 boys high school sports stories of 2025 after winning its fourth Class 6A state title and first since 2012 while Rural cross country and Hayden bowling also won team championships.
Individually, Washburn Rural's Easton Broxterman is No. 2 on the Top 10 after capping his outstanding high school wrestling career with his third straight Class 6A state championship in 2025 in his fourth straight trip to the state finals.
Other highlights included current Junior Blue seniors Draden Chooncharoen and Liam Morrison celebrating state titles in soccer and track while Broxterman's Junior Blue wrestling teammates, current senior Landen Kocher-Munoz and 2025 grad Kristjan Marshall, both claimed their second individual state titles.
Rural 2025 grad Isaiah Terry and Morrison both captured 6A individual titles and teamed with Chooncharoen and '25 grad Matthew Houser to set a state meet record in the 4x400-meter relay, Rural's second straight state crown in that event.
Here's a look at TopSports.news' Top 10 Shawnee County boys prep stories of 2025:
Washburn Rural soccer celebrates its first Class 6A state championship since 2012 after its 3-2 win over Shawnee Mission East in PKs. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
1. RURAL RULES -- Led by an outstanding senior class, perennial state soccer power Washburn Rural capped a 19-1-1 2025 season with its first Class 6A state championship since 2012, taking a 3-2 win over Shawnee Mission East with a 4-2 edge in penalty kicks. Senior Dylan Willingham ended his high school career with Washburn Rural's single-season and career scoring records.
Washburn Rural wrestling star Easton Broxterman capped his high school career in 2025 with his third straight Class 6A state title and fourth trip to the state finals. [File photo/TSN]
2. MAT MASTER -- Washburn Rural superstar wrestler Easton Broxterman put the capper on one of the top high school careers in Shawnee County history with his third straight Class 6A state championship in his fourth straight trip to the state finals, helping lead the Junior Blues to a third-place team finish in the 6A state tournament in Overland Park. Broxterman, who is wrestling collegiately at Army, finished off a 41-2 senior season with the 145-pound state title.
Washburn Rural cross country celebrates its 2025 Class 6A state championship after winning by a single point over Blue Valley. [Photo courtesy of Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports]
3. STRENGTH IN THE PACK -- Washburn Rural cross country didn't have an individual medalist (top 20) in the 2025 Class 6A state meet at Rim Rock Farm, but the Junior Blues put four runners in the top 28 places to lead the way as Rural captured the team championship by a single point (100-101) over Blue Valley. Rural got a team-high 22nd-place finish from sophomore Henry Laubach while senior Brooks Kehoe was 25th, sophomore Clayton Fink 26th, sophomore Duke Graf 28th, sophomore Jaxson Adams 42nd, senior Wyatt Shorb 52nd and sophomore Brady Meek 84th.
Hayden won its first ever state bowling championship in the 2025 season, winning the Class 4A-1A state crown by a 3,666-3,571 margin over Mulvane. [File photo/TSN]
4. STRIKING GOLD -- Hayden garnered the first state bowling championship in school history, winning the Class 4A-1A state event by a 3,666-3,571 margin over Mulvane as four Wildcats earned individual state medals. Trevor Christy rolled a 698 series to finish third individually while John Strickland finished fifth with a 685, Chase Blaser was seventh with a 676 and Reese Renyer placed 16th with a 636.
Washburn Rural 2025 grad Kristjan Marshall won back-to-back Class 6A state wrestling titles in '24 and '25.'[File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Landen Kocher-Munoz won his second career Class 6A state wrestling title in '25 with his third trip to the state finals. [File photo/TSN]
5. REPEAT FEAT -- Washburn Rural wrestling stars Kristjan Marshall and Landen Kocher-Munoz captured the second Class 6A state titles of their careers in the 2025 state tournament as the Junior Blues finished third as a team. Marshall, a 2025 graduate, won his second straight championship, winning the 157-pound crown to finish off a 37-5 season while then-junior Kocher-Munoz won his second career championship in his third straight state final, winning at 138 pounds to finish 34-3 on the season.
Washburn Rural's Matthew Houser, Liam Morrison, Draden Chooncharoen and Isaiah Terry set the Class 6A state meet record in the 4x400 relay in the 2025 state meet. [File photo/TSN]
6. REPEAT FEAT PART II -- Washburn Rural won the Class 6A state title in the 4x400-meter relay for the second straight season in the final event of the state meet at Wichita State's Cessna Stadium as 2025 grads Matthew Houser and Isaiah Terry and then-juniors Liam Morrison and Draden Chooncharoen set a 6A state meet record in a winning time of 3 minutes, 16.23 seconds. Morrison, Chooncharoen and Terry ran on Rural's state-champion relay in both '24 and '25 while Houser won his first state title.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The names are probably well known to anyone who has followed local sports over the past several years, but a long and growing list of athletes who starred at Shawnee County high schools made a big impact at the college and/or professional level in 2025.
Here's a look at just some of the stars who continued to make their fans proud over the past year:
Junior Jack Bachelor has helped lead Washburn to a 13-0 record and a No. 1 national ranking this season. [File photo/TSN]
JACK BACHELOR, Washburn Rural/Washburn -- A year after helping lead 30-4 Washburn to the NCAA Division II Final Four and earning All-MIAA first-team honors, the 6-foot-2 junior guard has played a major role as the Ichabods are off to a 13-0 start this season while achieving the No. 1 national ranking in D-II. Bachelor, named the MIAA Player of the Week last week, is averaging 16.2 points with 36 3-pointers while hitting 34 of 38 free throws (89.5 percent). Bachelor has a team-high 64 assists with 24 steals.
COREY BALLENTINE, Shawnee Heights/Washburn/Dallas Cowboys -- A 6-foot, 191-pound defensive back, Ballentine is in his seventh season in the NFL and currently on the active roster for the Dallas Cowboys. Ballentine previously played for the New York Giants, New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots. Ballentine has played in 71 games with 11 starts, registering 102 tackles with one interception.
ANNA BECKER, Seaman/Drake -- Becker, a 5-foot-10 freshman guard, has started all 11 games for Division I Drake after helping lead Seaman to a Class 5A state championship as a junior and a runnerup state finish as a senior. Becker is averaging 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Becker was a four-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 selection, a two-time county player of the year and a three-time United Kansas Conference player of the year.
Former Topeka West star Elijah Brooks leads Houston Christian with a 12.3 scoring average. [Houston Christian Athletics]
ELIJAH BROOKS, Topeka West/Houston Christian -- A 6-foot-3 senior guard, the former Mr. Kansas Basketball for Topeka West has started all eight games he's appeared in for the 5-7 Huskies, averaging a team-high12.3 points along with 4.5 rebounds and 25 assists. Brooks, who began his college career at North Dakota, averaged 9.1 points and 3.7 rebounds last season for Houston Christian with a career-high 29-point game.
NIJAREE CANADY, Topeka High/Texas Tech
A senior pitcher/first baseman, the former Topeka High two-time Class 6A state champion was named the 2025 NCAA Division I Pitcher of the Year as a junior in her first season at Texas Tech while also earning first-team All-American honors. Canady, the Big 12 Player of the Year, finished her season with a 34-7 pitching record, a 1.11 earned run average and 319 strikeouts while also leading Tech with 11 home runs and slugging .639. Canady was the two-time Gatorade Player of the Year for the Trojans.
BROOKLYN DELEYE, Washburn Rural/Kentucky -- The former three-sport Washburn Rural star, DeLeye, a 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter, was named a first-team American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America selection for the second straight season. DeLeye helped lead the 30-3 Wildcats to a runnerup finish in the NCAA Tournament, starting all 33 matches with 545 kills while also compiling 279 digs and 42 blocks.
Washburn sophomore linebacker JC Heim ranked second in the nation with 142 tackles this fall, earning second-team All-MIAA honors. [File photo/TSN]
JC HEIM, Washburn Rural/Washburn -- A sophomore linebacker, Heim earned second-team All-MIAA recognition after leading the Ichabods and the MIAA and ranking second in the nation with 142 total tackles, splitting 71 solo and 71 assisted tackles. Heim added seven tackles for loss, an interception, a fumble recovery and two forced fumbles. He was also third in solo tackles in the national rankings.
TEVEN JENKINS, Topeka High/Cleveland Browns -- After starring at Topeka High and earning All-Big 12 honors at Oklahoma State as an offensive lineman, Jenkins, 6-foot-6, 321 pounds, was drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Bears. After playing four seasons with the Bears, Jenkins is in his first season with the Cleveland Browns. An offensive guard, Jenkins has played in 15 games with three starts this season and has played in 60 games in his career with 41 starts.
Washburn senior Belle Kennedy (12) earned first-team All-America honors this fall for the Ichabods. [File photo/TSN]
BELLE KENNEDY, Washburn Rural/Washburn -- A 5-foot-3 senior midfielder, the former Washburn Rural star was named a first-team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches after helping lead Washburn University soccer to its second NCAA Final Four in three seasons. A three-time All-MIAA first-team pick, Kennedy was named the conference defensive player of the year this fall. Kennedy scored 12 goals and had four assists in her career for the Ichabods.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Austin Broadie
AUSTIN BROADIE, Washburn University
A 6-foot senior rightside hitter, Broadie was named a first-team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association after helping lead the Ichabods to a share of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association regular-season title and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The MIAA Player of the Year, Broadie registered 348 kills on the year with a .302 hitting percentage, 72 blocks and 72 digs.
Dillon Claussen
DILLON CLAUSSEN, Washburn University
Claussen, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, scored 21 points with 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocked shots Saturday as No. 2-ranked Washburn men's basketball improved to 11-0 on the season with a 78-72 double-overtime Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association victory over Central Missouri in Lee Arena.
Malakyah Duncan
MALAKYAH DUNCAN, Topeka West
Duncan, a senior basketball standout, scored 23 points Friday, hitting 8 of 11 shots from the floor and 7 of 11 free throws, as No. 4-ranked (Class 5A) Topeka West remained unbeaten with a 71-57 United Kansas Conference road romp past No. 2-ranked Seaman. Duncan scored 17 points earlier in the week as the Chargers posted a 79-44 non-league win over Shawnee Mission West.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural junior boys swimming standout Daniel Allen and Seaman freshman girls basketball player Baylee Ayres 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 2025-2026 school year.
Here's a brief look at the recent accomplishments of Allen and Ayres over the past week.
Daniel Allen, Washburn Rural
DANIEL ALLEN, Washburn Rural
After a season away from high school swimming, Allen has returned to post seven wins and a second-place finish in eight races for Washburn Rural to open the 2025-2026 season.
Allen opened the season in last week's Topeka West Invitational with individual wins in the 200-yard freestyle and 100 butterfly while also swimming on the Junior Blues' winning 200 free relay and runnerup 400 free relay.
Allen followed that up with four wins in Wednesday's Hayden Invitational, winning the 200 individual medley and 100 freestyle and swimming on Rural's winning 200 medley and 200 free relays.
Baylee Ayres, Seaman
BAYLEE AYRES, Seaman
After making her high school debut with four points in a season-opening loss to Piper, Ayres followed that up with a game-high 14 points on Tuesday as Seaman picked up its first victory of the season in a 65-18 United Kansas Conference romp past Lansing.
Ayres, who did not enter the game until the second quarter, connected on 5 of 7 field goal attempts and hit 4 of 6 free throws against the Lions.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West boys basketball coach Christian Ulsaker wasn't happy that his team was outscored 23-6 by Seaman in the fourth quarter of Friday's United Kansas Conference game.
Topeka West senior Keimani Paul scored 15 first-half points in the Chargers' 71-57 UKC road win over No. 2-ranked Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"I told them that fourth quarter's going to give me nightmares tonight,'' Ulsaker said. "I wasn't overly pleased with it and I said, 'Guys, when you come off the bench you guys are not just role players you're part of this team and we've got to make sure we finish the game where we started.'
"But I was pretty happy with the game other than that.''
And thanks to a dominant performance by the Chargers over the first three quarters, the finish was little more than a coaching talking point as No. 4-ranked Topeka West stayed unbeaten with a decisive 71-57 road win over No. 2-ranked Seaman.
Topeka West, now 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the UKC, never trailed on the night after exploding out of the gate with a 30-point opening quarter to take command at 30-11.
The Chargers hit about everything they put up over the first eight minutes, including four 3-pointers.
"We were shooting about 70 percent from the field over the first two games and I said, 'That's pretty unrealistic to maintain,' but I think after watching the film we might still be shooting 70 percent from the field,'' Ulsaker said.
The Chargers' pace slowed down somewhat in the second quarter, but West outscored the Vikings 15-10 to take a huge 45-21 advantage to the locker room at the half as seniors Keimani Paul and Malakyah Duncan combined for 25 points.
West continued to pour it on in the third quarter, leading by as many as 33 points and forcing a running clock over the final eight minutes with a 65-34 advantage.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
As a three-time All-Shawnee County first-teamer and by far Seaman's most experienced player, a lot is expected out of Maddie Gragg.
And the senior star delivered in a big way Friday night, posting game-high totals of 24 points and 16 rebounds to power the No. 7-ranked Vikings to a home 45-26 United Kansas Conference victory over Topeka West.
Seaman senior Maddie Gragg scored 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in Friday's 45-26 UKC win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"I had a talk with her about what a senior leader needs to do and that's what she needs to do,'' Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. "I told her after the game, she played hard on both ends of the floor. She played a full game today, and other girls stepped up, too.''
Topeka West, 1-3 overall and 0-2 in the UKC, jumped out to an 8-5 first-quarter lead, but the Vikings used a 12-2 second quarter to take a 17-10 halftime advantage and continued to pad their advantage in the second half en route to improving to 2-1 overall and in the conference.
Seaman opened up an 11-point advantage (29-18) lead at the end of the third stanza and led by as many as 24 points in the fourth on the way to the 19-point win.
Tinsley said the Viking were trying to play at too frantic of a pace offensively in the first half, but got things under control as the game wore on.
"The first half, I told the girls on a scale of one to 10 our offensive pace was 12 out of 10,'' Tinsley said. "We were highway driving in the city. We were running stop signs, we were hitting parked cars, we were all over the place.
"I threw out that we needed to play at a six or seven out of 10 and slow down the pace down a little bit and be strong with it and you saw that in the second half. We were more in control and our defense and rebounding, that was 12 out of 10. We got after it, and I was really proud of that.''
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Cair Paravel girls matched their win total for all of last season Friday, following up their Waverly Tournament title with a 39-12 romp past Heritage Christian School.
Sophomore London Backman led Cair Paravel with 18 points in Friday's 39-12 win over Heritage Christian. [Photo by Barry Benteman/Special to TSN]
The Lions defeated Waverly and Northeast Kansas Homeschool in the last weekend’s tournament, falling to Burlingame, but winning the event based on defensive points allowed.
“It was a great way to start the year. It got us all pumped and we’re holding that to keep us going,” said sophomore London Backman, who led the Lions with 18 points against Heritage. “I’m so excited for this season to keep on growing.”
The tournament championship was a big accomplishment for a team that didn’t have enough players to practice five-on-five a year ago. The Lions’ roster now consists of 14 players, seven of whom are freshmen.
“Last year we only had six, maybe eight girls, and we were still a strong team. We just struggled with (not having) many people on the bench,” said Backman. “Now it really helps with all that support.”
Backman dropped four three-pointers and directed the offense from the point. Nine Lions got into the scoring column Friday.
“Having the numbers on the bench is so helpful, just having more voices, cheering each other on, just that camaraderie,” said Cair Paravel coach Jayley Barkley. “We have a lot of freshmen, so it is super cool to see almost all of those freshmen got in tonight. It’s just fun to see the joy on their faces. Even when they don’t get in, the encouragement they give on the bench is huge.”
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden, which advanced to the Class 3A state championship game for the third straight season, and 1A finalist Rossville combined for nine of Top 22 spots on TopSports.news' 2025 All-Shawnee County football team while the Wildcats and Bulldawgs swept offensive and defensive player of the year honors.
Kade Mitchell, Hayden
Canann Mitchell, Rossville
Jude Krentz, Hayden
Hayden senior all-purpose standout Kade Mitchell and Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell were named the co-offensive players of the year for 2025 while Hayden senior Jude Krentz was named the defensive player of the year.
Kade Mitchell carried the ball 106 times for 1,003 yards, caught 23 passes for 471 yards and scored 22 total touchdowns while Canann Mitchell rushed for 1,162 yards and 21 touchdowns on 167 carries and completed 123 of 184 passes for 1,771 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Krentz led the Hayden defense with 120 tackles (61 solo) while recording six tackles for loss and picking off two passes.
Hayden's Bill Arnold and Rossville's Derick Hammes were named the co-coaches of the year while Rossville junior lineman Charlie Chance was tapped as the defensive newcomer of the year and Silver Lake freshman quarterback Kipton Kruger was named the offensive newcomer of the year.
Chance was in on 54 tackles with 14 tackles for loss and three sacks while Kruger completed 178 of 252 passes for 2,158 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Kade Mitchell and Krentz are Top 22 repeat selections, along with Seaman senior Cameron Brian, Rossville senior Conner Bush, Silver Lake senior Dayne Johnson and Shawnee Heights senior Aiden Scott.
Hayden, which posted a 12-1 record this fall, is also represented on the Top 22 by seniors Xander Blasing, Connor Hanika and Julian McGivern and junior Mason Becker while Rossville senior Andre Johnson joins Bush and Canann Mitchell on the Top 22 after the Bulldawgs posted an 11-2 record, with both losses coming against state champions.
Washburn Rural, which posted a 6-4 record, is represented on the Top 22 by seniors Jayden Cooper, Brody Haas and John Hoytal and junior Jadyn Baum.
Senior Noah Kobuszewski joins Brian on the first team for Seaman while senior Jayden Waterer joins Dayne Johnson on the Top 22 for Silver Lake and senior AJ Gallegos joins Scott on the first team for Shawnee Heights.
Meadowlark Conference champion Highland Park put senior Tremaine Savage and junior G'Honi Montgomery on the Top 22 while Topeka High is represented by multi-time All-Centennial League selection Malachi Murph
All 10 Shawnee County high schools have representatives on either the Top 22, Second 22 or honorable mention list. Five county teams posted six or more wins this fall and four teams posted at least one win in the playoffs.
TopSports.news selected the 2025 All-Shawnee County team after receiving input from county head coaches.
All-Shawnee County Top 22 capsules:
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The new-era Seaman girls recorded their first win Tuesday, blasting visitor Lansing 65-18 in a home United Kansas Conference contest.
Freshman Baylee Ayres led Seaman with 14 points in Tuesday's 65-18 UKC win over Lansing. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Vikings, who are replacing four starters and a ton of production from last year’s state runnerup, rebounded from a tough loss in the season opener against Piper last Tuesday.
“It’s good to get the smiles again,” Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. “I told the girls, ‘Show me that you learned from the first game. Show me that you learned from the practices we had after that.' And I thought the girls did that tonight. I saw a lot of growth just in those few practices we had and that game.”
The Vikings’ rebuilding effort took a step forward with a big second half. Shots started falling and newcomers got in the groove. Junior Brynn Spencer and freshman Kallie Zurmely combined to knock down five of six attempts from beyond the arc after halftime.
But it was another freshman, Baylee Ayres, who led the Vikings in scoring with 14 after not even playing in the first period. After recording four points in the loss to Piper, Ayers connected on five of seven field goal attempts and four of six free throws against Lansing.
“It’s not a surprise,” Tinsley said of Ayers. “We see her effort in practice. She gave us a nice lift. She brings a lot of energy, she’s athletic, and she plays that to her strengths. She’ll continue to get better with confidence.”
The Vikings were hoping to get right against an opponent who had been blown out in its first two outings. But the Lions hung around for more than 13 minutes before it got away. After Seaman ran out to a 13-2 lead, Lansing fought back. By scoring nine points early in the second quarter, Lansing cut the Seaman lead to 17-13. That point total eclipsed the Lions’ average of 10 points from their first two losses.
Seaman responded to the threat by running off 13 unanswered points to extend its halftime lead to 30-13.
Nine different Vikings scored, with four players tallying at least nine points. But it was the defense that produced the rout. Seaman swarmed the Lions, allowing the visitors just one field goal in the second half. In fact, Lansing was permitted just 20 field goal attempts in the contest, of which they hit just six.
Senior Maddie Gragg (32) scored 12 points for Seaman in Tuesday's 65-18 UKC win over Lansing. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
For senior Maddie Gragg, a key contributor to back-to-back tournament runs, getting the win helped ease the pain of the rocky start.
“It was rough from the beginning,” Gragg said of the ongoing transition. “I think the first game, everybody was just really nervous. But I think this game was definitely better for us because it’s a lower level (of competition) and everyone got to step up to the plate and score and contribute to it.”
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Seaman Vikings' all-senior starting lineup scored all 71 of the team’s points Tuesday in a battle with Lansing that was closer than the 14-point margin would indicate.
Senior Landon Wiltz scored 23 points to lead Seaman in Tuesday's 71-57 UKC home win over Lansing. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Vikings followed up an opening-night win over Piper by downing the Lions 71-57 at Seaman. The home team led from start to finish, but saw its margin cut to three points at the end of the third period. Still leading by just five with 2:39 remaining, the Vikings put the pedal down, outscoring the winless Lions 12-3 the rest of the way.
“I told the guys after the game what I was impressed with was our defensive adjustments,” said Seaman coach Craig Cox. “Once they got into a flow and figured out what was working for them, we were able to play some better help-defense and take away some of those post-entries and make it a little bit tougher on them down the stretch.”
The Vikings struggled to contain Lansing junior Deacon Manthe, a 6-foot-7 forward who drove to find open jumpers and sliced on the baseline to get to the rim. Manthe hit six of seven shots in the first half, but was held scoreless in the third period before hitting three shots to fire the Lansing comeback.
“He’s going to rise up and shoot it over the top of you, and he’s got such a soft touch, he’s a tough kid to guard,” Cox said. “He definitely makes them better at every position.”
Seaman didn’t need senior KaeVon Bonner to repeat his 37-point outburst against Piper. The Vikings got 23 points from Landon Wiltz and 15 from Griffin Zuniga. Carter Brian scored all seven of his points in the first period. And Matthew McConnaughey hit five of six free throws for all of his points.
Senior KaeVon Bonner scored 21 points and dished out 10 assists in Seaman's 71-57 UKC win over Lansing. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
That kind of output from the starters takes pressure off Bonner, who dished out 10 assists to go with his 21 points.
“I think that as we progress, that will become more of what we try to develop, not putting it entirely in (KaeVon’s) hands,” Cox said.
Lansing held Seaman scoreless for the final four minutes of the second period, cutting a 14-point deficit to five. But Wiltz received a pass from Bonner and buried a three-pointer at the buzzer to send Seaman to the locker room with an eight-point lead.
“It was a little closer at the end of the second quarter and then I feel like that three at the end really changed that, gave us momentum,” Wiltz said. “When (KaeVon) drives, you’ve always got to be ready because he’s not looking at you half the time (when he passes to you) so you’ve got to be ready and ready to shoot it down.”
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Daniel Allen
DANIEL ALLEN, Washburn Rural
Allen, a junior, returned to high school swimming after a year away with three wins and a second-place finish in the season-opening Topeka West Invitational last Wednesday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. Allen won the 200-yard freestyle and 100 butterfly individually and swam on the Junior Blues' winning 200 free relay and runnerup 400 free relay.
KaeVon Bonner
KAEVON BONNER, Seaman
A senior basketball standout, Bonner opened the 2025-2026 season with a 37-point performance in last Tuesday's 83-75 home United Kansas Conference victory over No. 2-ranked (Class 5A) Piper. Bonner hit 10 of 18 shots from the field with three 3-pointers while connecting on 14 of 17 free throws.
Malakyah Duncan
MALAKYAH DUNCAN, Topeka West
Duncan, a senior basketball standout, scored a game-high 26 points Friday as Topeka West opened the season with an 81-54 United Kansas Conference home romp past De Soto. Duncan hit 9 of 13 shots from the floor with three 3-pointers for the No. 7-ranked (Class 5A) Chargers.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West boys basketball doesn't necessarily have a go-to player.
Instead, Christian Ulsaker's Chargers have four or five players that can fill that role on any given night, which could make Topeka West a very dangerous team over the course of the 2025-2026 season.
opeka West senior Loc Duncan (12) led all scorers with 26 points Friday as the Chargers opened their season with an 81-54 UKC win over De Soto. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
West's balance was on full display in Friday's 81-54 United Kansas Conference home victory over De Soto, with senior Loc Duncan leading the way with a game-high 26 points while all five West starters cracked double figures.
Junior Prince Lassiter scored 18 points in Friday's 81-54 UKC Topeka West win over De Soto. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka West senior JayVeon Traylor slams home a dunk in Friday's 81-54 Charger win over De Soto. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Junior Prince Lassiter backed Duncan with 18 points, while senior Jay'Veon Traylor added 12 points and seven rebounds, senior Gad Munganga 11 points and senior Keimani Paul 10.
"Thankfully our guys don't have a huge ego,'' Ulsaker said. "I've got guys like Loc standing next to me and he understands that nobody's above the team, so they get what they need to do.
"If it's Kei's night, he's OK with that. If it's Jay'Veon's night he's OK with that. Tonight it was just Loc's night.''
Duncan agreed with his coach that the Chargers have the firepower to share the wealth.
"I absolutely agree with that,'' Duncan said. "Everybody in the whole starting five can get going and it can be anybody's night any given night.
"If teams try to key on me that leaves my other teammates open, to get open easy buckets for them. They can't really key on one person because we've got five guys that can do anything.''
Both Munganga and Duncan hit three 3-pointers apiece as West, currently ranked No. 7 in Class 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, finished with eight 3s as a team.
The Chargers went wire to wire for the victory, opening up a 17-11 first-quarter advantage and taking a 31-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.
West boosted its lead to double-digits at 53-41 by the end of the third quarter and the Chargers turned the game into a rout with a 28-13 fourth quarter.
Senior Brayan Salas led De Soto (0-1, 0-1) with 15 points while senior Dylan Narayan added 10 for the Wildcats.
TOPEKA WEST BOYS 81, DE SOTO 54
De Soto 11 13 17 13 -- 54
Topeka West 17 14 22 28 -- 81
De Soto (0-1, 0-1) – Patterson 3-8 1-2 9, Dickinson 4-11 1-4 9, Narayan 5-6 0-0 10, Salas 7-19 1-3 15, Krier 1-3 0-0 2, Rapp 1-2 3-3 5, Brady 0-2 0-0 0, Morton 1-1 0-0 2, Hastings 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 23-54 6-12 54.
Topeka West (1-0, 1-0) – Munganga 4-9 0-0 11, Traylor 5-8 1-3 12, Duncan 9-13 5-8 26, Paul 3-6 3-3 10, Lassiter 6-8 6-6 16, Ware 1-3 0-2 2, Phillips 0-2 0-0 0, Fox 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 29-50 15-22 81.
3-point goals – De Soto 2 (Patterson 2), Topeka West 8 (Munganga 3, Duncan 3, Traylor, Paul). Total fouls – De Soto 14, Topeka West 13. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- De Soto (pre-game dunk), Munganga, Duncan.
Wildcat girls ride 3-point barrage past Chargers
De Soto made nine 3-pointers on the night, including seven in the first half, en route to a 68-21 UKC romp past Topeka West Friday at West.
Five different Wildcats drained 3-pointers, including four players with multiple treys, as De Soto (1-0 overall, 1-0 UKC) took control early and forced a running block throughout the fourth quarter.
Junior Clare Leis paced De Soto with a game-high 15 points while freshman Maddie Leis added 12 points and junior Katie Bush 10.
Junior Sydney VanDyke led Topeka West (1-1, 0-1) with 10 points and eight rebounds.
DE SOTO GIRLS 68, TOPEKA WEST 21
De Soto 18 27 18 5 -- 68
Topeka West 6 8 6 1 -- 21
De Soto (1-0, 1-9) – C. Leis 6-10 1-2 15, O'Brien 2-4 0-0 6, Cinotto 3-3 1-2 9, Gulley 0-0 2-2 2, Chappel 0-2 0-0 0, M. Leis 4-11 2-3 12, Bush 4-9 2-2 10, Carpenter 2-6 3-4 7, Major 1-3 0-0 3, Stapp 1-3 0-0 2, Johnson 1-1 0-0 2, Green 0-1 0-0 0, Reiswig 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 24-53 11-17 68.
Topeka West (1-1, 0-1) – Sa'Niya Brooks 0-2 0-0 0, VanDyke 3-10 4-8 10, Ogles 1-5 0-0 2, Hall 0-6 1-2 1, McGlory 1-2 0-0 3, Allen 1-3 0-0 3, Sa'Mya Brooks 0-2 0-0 0, Traylor 1-3 0-2 2, Fox 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 7-33 5-14 21.
3-point goals – De Soto 9 (C. Leis 2, O'Brien 2, Cinotto 2, M. Leis 2, Major), Topeka West 2 (McGlory, Allen). Total fouls – De Soto 16, Topeka West 18. Fouled out – Chappel. Technical fouls -- none.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman boys basketball had no problem getting fired up for Tuesday's 2025-2026 season-opener against Piper.
Seaman senior KaeVon Bonner (33), who scored 37 points, celebrates Tuesday's 83-75 season-opening win over No. 2 Piper with his Viking teammates. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
First of all, the Vikings got the chance to play in front of their home fans, with a big, spirited crowd showing up for the United Kansas Conference matchup.
Secondly, Seaman dropped both of its games against the Pirates last season, giving the Vikings some added incentive.
And finally, Piper entered the season with a lofty No. 2 state ranking after finishing third in Class 5A a year ago and second in 2024.
No. 9-ranked Seaman used all of those factors and a huge 37-point performance from senior star KaeVon Bonner to its advantage, rallying from an early deficit to take an 83-75 UKC decision over the Pirates.
"We were definitely fired up,'' Bonner said. "We went 0-2 against them last year and knew they were a good team and they only lost one player, so it was a good warmup game against a very good team, top in the league.
"We heard that they're ranked (second), so we wanted to take that spot and make them respect us. This a good start. We know that we can beat any team now.''
Seaman senior KaeVon Bonner puts up a shot in Tuesday's 83-75 season-opening win over No. 2 Piper. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Bonner, who had scored 32 points in his last time out against Piper, was even better Tuesday, hitting 10 of 18 shot from the field with three 3-pointers and going 14 of 17 at free throw line.
And Bonner also got plenty of help from his teammates, with senior Griffin Zuniga adding 19 points and seniors Landon Wiltz and Cameron Brian 10 points each.
Piper jumped out to 6-0, 12-3 and 15-6 leads in the early going, but the Vikings didn't lose contact, rallying to within 17-15 by the end of the opening quarter and taking a 41-40 lead at the half on a buzzer-beating bucket from Bonner.
The game remained tight through most of the third stanza before Seaman closed the quarter with an 8-2 run to take a 63-56 lead into the final period.
Seaman opened the final eight minutes with a Zuniga 3-pointer and a Bonner hoop to open up a 12-point cushion at 68-56 and the Pirates got no closer than four the rest of the way.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman girls basketball coach Matt Tinsley knew his team was likely to have to deal with considerable growing pains early in the 2025-2026 season.
Junior Cara Beaton (15) led Seaman with 13 points in Tuesday's 64-41 season-opening UKC loss to Piper while Faith McCallop (20) led all scorers with 24 points. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
After all, the Vikings graduated four very talented senior starters off a team that advanced to the Class 5A championship game in back-to-back seasons, including a state title in 2024.
And those youthful struggles showed up in a hurry in No. 6-ranked Seaman's season-opener at Seaman against No. 5 Piper.
Seaman girls basketball coach Matt Tinsley talks to his team during Tuesday's 64-41 UKC loss to Piper. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But after spotting the Pirates a 30-5 advantage midway through the second quarter, Seaman outscored the visitors 36-34 the rest of the night while displaying a lot of positives that Tinsley believes will pay off as the season goes along.
"Take out the first quarter and I think we finally started to breathe after that,'' Tinsley said. "Then we were finally able to relax a little bit. I was just trying to get the girls to relax and calm down. The game looked like it was 100 miles per hour for them, and we expected that.
"A lot of these girls, out of the 12 that played, nine of them that was kind of their first taste of varsity action against a good team.''
The Vikings cut their deficit to from 25 to 17 points by halftime (33-16) and the Vikings got as close as 13 (51-38) early in the fourth stanza before Piper pulled away again down the stretch.
"I told the girls that there's a lot than we can learn from this game,'' Tinsley said. "We've just got to make sure we're taking steps forward and we can't afford to take steps back. This loss is going to be a win for us down the road and I'll be patient with them, but we've got to compete and they're finding out that in varsity basketball you've got to compete for 32 minutes.''
Seaman reeled off 24 straight wins a year ago before losing to St. Thomas Aquinas in the state final while Piper went 18-5 last season with three losses to the Vikings, including the state quarterfinal.
Piper senior Faith McCallop led all scorers with 24 points while junior Cara Beaton paced Seaman with 13 points.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
JADYN BAUM, Washburn Rural
Baum, a junior, earned first-team All-Shawnee County recognition at 190 pounds last season after posting a 28-6 record and a third-place finish in the Class 6A state tournament for Washburn Rural, which finished third as a team. Baum is ranked No. 4 at 190 pounds in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association All-Class rankings and is top-ranked in 6A at 215.
BRENNEN BOWERS, Seaman
A senior 157-pounder, Bowers is currently ranked No. 1 in Class 5A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association in its preseason rankings. Bowers was a 5A state qualifier last season and earned All-Shawnee County honorable mention for the Vikings.
BRODY BROWN, Shawnee Heights
Brown, a junior, is a two-time Class 5A state qualifier and earned second-team All-Shawnee County recognition last season at 138 pounds. Brown is expected to wrestle at 150 pounds this winter and is currently ranked No. 3 in 5A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association in its preseason rankings.
KAYDEN CLELLAND, Silver Lake
A junior 165-pounder, Clelland was a second-team All-Shawnee County selection last season after winning a Class 4A regional championship to qualify for state with a 32-11 record through regional competition.
RYDER FOSTER, Rossville
Foster, a sophomore 106-pounder, is currently ranked No. 5 in Class 3A-1A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association in its second preseason rankings. Foster was a state qualifier as a freshman, posting a fourth-place regional finish.
JOSE GOMEZ, Topeka High
Gomez, a junior, posted a 24-13 record last season at 106 pounds and earned All-Shawnee County first-team recognition. Gomez is currently ranked No. 4 in the Class 6A preseason rankings by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.
RYDER HARRISON, Washburn Rural
Harrison, a senior 120-pounder, was a first-team All-Shawnee County selection last season, posting a 27-15 record for the Junior Blues and finishing sixth in Class 6A. Harrison is ranked No. 4 at 120 pounds in the second of two Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association 6A preseason rankings.
EVAN JOHNSON, Shawnee Heights
Johnson, a senior, received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season and is a three-time Class 5A state qualifier for the T-Birds. Johnson is expected to wrestle at 165 pounds this season and is currently ranked No. 5 in 5A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.
Brodye Kocher-Munoz, Washburn Rural
BRODYE KOCHER-MUNOZ, Washburn Rural
A junior 150-pounder, Kocher-Munoz was a first-team All-Shawnee County selection last season for Washburn Rural, posting a 16-7 record on the season and finishing fourth in Class 6A for the third-place Junior Blues. Munoz is ranked third at 150 pounds in the second of two Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association 6A preseason rankings and 10th in the All-Class rankings.
Landen Kocher-Munoz, Washburn Rural
LANDEN KOCHER-MUNOZ, Washburn Rural
Kocher-Munoz, a senior 138-pounder, captured his second Class 6A state championship last season in his third straight trip to the state finals. Kocher-Munoz posted a 30-3 record, earning All-Shawnee County first-team recognition for a third straight season. Kocher-Munoz is top-ranked in 6A and No. 3 in the All-Class rankings by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.
Jude Krentz, Hayden
JUDE KRENTZ, Hayden
A senior, Krentz earned first-team All-Shawnee County honors last season at 175 pounds last season after earning his third straight trip to the Class 4A state tournament. Krentz posted a 42-2 record en route to a fourth-place state finish and is currently ranked No. 7 in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association All-Class rankings and No. 2 in 4A.
KAIDEN MARSHALL, Washburn Rural
A sophomore 215-pounder, Marshall was named the Shawnee County newcomer of the year last season while also earning all-county first-team recognition. Marshall, who posted a 17-11 record and finished fourth in Class 6A for the third-place Junior Blues, is expected to move up to 285 pounds this season and is ranked No. 4 in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association preseason rankings.
Caleb Menke, Hayden
CALEB MENKE, Hayden
Menke, a junior 157-pounder, was a second-team All-Shawnee County selection last season after qualifying for the Class 4A state meet with a second-place regional finish. Menke is ranked sixth in 4A in the second of two Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association preseason rankings and is 10th-ranked in the All-Class rankings.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Twenty-seven Seaman, Shawnee Heights and Topeka West players earned spots on the All-United Kansas Conference football team, led by four first-team selections.
AJ Gallegos, Shawnee Heights
Nas Williams-Brown, Topeka West
Cameron Brian, Seaman
Hayden Foxhoven, Seaman
Shawnee Heights senior wide receiver AJ Gallegos and Topeka West sophomore all-purpose pick Nas Brown-Williams were named to the All-UKC first-team offense while Seaman senior linebacker Cameron Brian and Viking defensive back Hayden Foxhoven were named to the first-team defense.
Seaman put junior Coy Barta (wide receiver), senior Noah Kobuszewski (tight end) and senior Brogen Brown (line) on the All-UKC second-team offense while Shawnee Heights is represented by senior Aiden Scott (quarterback) and junior Will Skaggs (line).
The T-Birds put seniors Blake Coffman (line), Tyren Parker (defensive back) and Camden Granado (kicker) on the second-team defense while Topeka West is represented by senior Marcus Kirtdoll (line).
Fourteen city players received all-conference honorable mention.
United Kansas Conference Football
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
In Class 5A, you’ve grown accustomed to the Seaman Lady Vikings basketball program being at the top for the last several seasons.
Senior Maddie Gragg is a three-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 selection for Seaman. [File photo/TSN]
The Vikings went 23-2 and won the state championship in 2024 and posted a 24-1 record and finished as the state runnerup last season. Seaman also made the state tournament in 2023, losing in the first round.
Coach Matt Tinsley enters his ninth year at Seaman and 20th overall as a coach. Tinsley put it simply that this season is just as important as the last couple of years.
“We still have Vikes on our jersey,” Tinsley said. “My expectations are not going to change. I understand why some coaches say it’s a rebuilding year. I don’t take it that way because I feel that if you have to say you’re rebuilding, you’re saying that you’ve been knocked down. I think our tradition and culture speaks for itself and I’m never going to use a rebuilding year because you’re just giving yourself an excuse.
“If you wear our jersey, you’re going to play with pride and play the right way. That’s what I’m excited about is seeing the growth in this team. We have some girls that are hungry and they feel like they have something to prove and I love those challenges as a coach too.”
The likes of Anna Becker, Taylin and Jaida Stallbaumer, Ava Esser, the list goes on of great talent to come from the Viking program. How does Tinsley try to fill those shoes to continue that dominance of great players?
“We got to get these kids to understand what their role is going to be on this team and how they can contribute,” he said. “Every kid out here is going to have a chance to show what they can do to help the team. Every day is an evaluation. My college coach always said that every day is a chance to earn your playing time to excel in your role.
"Whereas last year we could give it to Anna, ‘Hey go make a play’, this year, they’re going to have to rely on each other to make sure that we’re getting shots that we want to shoot, understanding our alignment and assignments and understanding time and score.''
Senior Maddie Gragg, whose only lost five games in her high school career, and junior Cara Beaton said they have to lead by example, encourage and push the pace to show the younger players how it’s done to develop good habits.
“We want to keep that legacy going and I think the standards are the same as last year if not higher and you can tell with the practices we’re still practicing the same just with different players,” said Gragg, a three-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick.
“Keep the same intensity as last year, just better attitudes and encouragement,” Beaton said.
Tinsley said he knows with the personnel he has there will be some tweaks made throughout the season and he knows that takes time and he will be patient with the girls on that. He said if they bring the effort and attitude every day to practice and games, they’ll be just fine.
In addition to Gragg, who averaged 13.3 points with 39 3-pointers, Beaton is another player Tinsley has high hopes for running the point guard position after being on the state championship and runnerup teams. Sophomore Lydia Dreher was another name Tinsley mentioned as a solid post player for the Vikes.
“We would like to see some separation in practice, but right now there's a lot of girls that I think can play but we won’t know until game night on how they’re going to respond,'' Tinsley said. "Definitely, our junior class is going to have to take that next step.''
Tinsley said the Vikings' approach this season will be different compared to last year where they had five players that could score 10 points or more a game. He said he will tell the team what they can do versus what they can’t do because that will build their confidence.
“We’re going to be a team that nobody is going to want to play come the end of the season. I feel really good about this team and we’re going to surprise some people,” Tinsley said.
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
Seaman boys basketball remembers its Class 5A sub-state loss to Valley Center at home last season and the Vikings don’t want that to happen again this year.
Seaman senior KaeVon Bonner is a returning two-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick. [File photo/TSN]
“I’m already envisioning that scenario and trying to coach towards that when we get into late February, early March that we’re making the right decisions and not just trying something and hoping it turns out in our favor,'' Seaman coach Craig Cox said. "I really enjoyed last season, but I did not enjoy the way we finished.''
Cox will be in year 15 at the helm of the Vikings' program and wants to see how this senior group will respond when the lights are turned on, especially watching their growth the last couple of years.
The Vikings went 13-8 in 2024-2025 and 9-12 in 2023-2024 after winning the state championship in 2022-2023 with an 18-7 record.
“We’ve got really good team chemistry, they like each other, they support each other, they’re there for each other and that makes our job a lot easier,'' Cox said. "I don’t have to worry about a lot of distractions because they’re good students and come from good families.
“We want an environment where they (players) want to be there and they’re not dreading practice, they’re not scared about what’s going to happen, how much we’re going to have to run. We want to have a good time and try to improve and limit our mistakes and help us be successful on game night.”
Cox mentioned that the Vikings have the potential to be a high scoring team this season, but last year they were easy to score on and they have to tighten that aspect up to have more chances.
“The mistake I made as a coach is thinking we need to help them on offense so that we kind of set aside our defensive drills and when I look back to our really good defensive teams in the past, it’s because we put the time in,'' Cox said.
"Unfortunately, this year with tryouts and our first game on Dec. 2, we don’t have time to do a lot, so we’re going to throw it at them and hopefully as we get to Christmas break and all of those practices and then in mid-season tournament time, we can continually be better defensively.''
Cox said Landon Wiltz, Griffin Zuniga, Matthew McConnaughey and Cameron Brian are players whoe will contribute this season along with senior KaeVon Bonner, who has been a key factor for the Vikings since his freshman year.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
BROOKLYN BINKLEY, Shawnee Heights
A junior, Binkley was a second-team All-Shawnee County pick last season after placing sixth in the Class 5A state tournament and helping Shawnee Heights earn the third-place team trophy in 5A. Binkley is currently ranked No. 4 in 5A at 170 pounds by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association in its preseason rankings.
Emme Blanco, Washburn Rural
EMME BLANCO, Washburn Rural
Blanco, a senior, earned first-team All-Shawnee County honors last season after posting a 35-10 record and finishing fourth in the Class 6A state tournament at 140 pounds. Blanco is ranked No. 6 in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association All-Class preseason rankings at 145 and is ranked third in 6A.
MADI BLANCO, Washburn Rural
A senior, Blanco earned first-team All-Shawnee County recognition for the second straight season after posting a 30-8 record and finishing fourth in the Class 6A state tournament at 135 pounds. Blanco is ranked eighth in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association All-Class preseason rankings at 140 pounds and is ranked No. 3 in 6A.
CONNIE BURNS, Highland Park
Burns, a senior, posted a 22-7 record and was a second-team All-Shawnee County selection last season at 115 pounds after finishing sixth in the Class 5A state tournament in her first season at Highland Park. Burns in ranked No. 5 in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association 5A preseason rankings at 115.
Makayla Cadet, Highland Park
MAKAYLA CADET, Highland Park
Cadet, a senior, captured the Class 5A state championship at 190 pounds last season, capping a 23-4 season for the Scots with the school's first girls state championship. Cadet was named the Shawnee County wrestler of the year for the 2024-2025 season and is ranked No. 2 in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association All-Class preseason rankings and is also ranked second in 5A.
Cianna Graves, Shawnee Heights
CIANNA GRAVES, Shawnee Heights
A senior 155-pounder, Graves is a three-time Class 5A state placer, including a third-place finish last season as Shawnee Heights earned the third-place team trophy in 5A. Graves, who went 39-3 on the season, was an All-Shawnee County first-season repeater. Graves is currently ranked No. 7 in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association All-Class rankings and is No. 3 in 5A.
AVA GUTIERREZ, Shawnee Heights
Gutierrez, a sophomore 100-pounder, earned All-Shawnee County first-team recognition last season after qualifying for the Class 5A state tournament for Shawnee Heights, which posted a third-place team finish in 5A. Gutierrez posted a 19-13 record as a freshman.
AUDREY HINKLY, Shawnee Heights
Hinkly, a junior 120-pounder, was a second-team All-Shawnee County selection last season after placing fourth in the Class 5A state tournament and helping Shawnee Heights earn the third-place team trophy in 5A. Hinkly is currently ranked No. 3 in 5A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.
OLIVE JONES, Shawnee Heights
A sophomore, Jones was named the Shawnee County newcomer of the year last season after qualifying for the Class 5A state tournament at 135 pounds. Jones, who was named to the all-county second team, is expected to wrestle at 140 pounds for the T-Birds this winter and is ranked fifth at that weight by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.
JANIAH MATTHIE-JOHNSON, Washburn Rural
Matthie-Johnson was a Class 6A state qualifier last season as a freshman at 190 pounds, earning All-Shawnee County second-tean recognition, but is expected to wrestle at 155 pounds this season. Matthie-Johnson is currently ranked sixth at 155 in 6A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Jalen Aldridge, Topeka High
JALEN ALDRIDGE, Topeka High
Aldridge, a 6-foot-1 senior, averaged a team-high 12.3 points for Topeka High last season, earning TopSports.news All-Shawnee County honorable mention. Aldridge shot 43 percent on two-point field goal attempts and connected on 26 3-pointers while averaging 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals and shooting 70 percent from the free throw line.
JA'VEON ALSTON, Shawnee Heights
A 5-10 senior point guard, Alston received All-Shawnee County and United Kansas Conference honorable mention last season after helping Shawnee Heights post a 19-4 record en route to a second straight trip to the Class 5A state tournament. A standout defender, Alston averaged 2.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists for the T-Birds as a junior.
Mason Becker, Hayden
MASON BECKER, Hayden
A 5-11 junior guard, Becker was named to the TSN All-Shawnee County Second 10 last season after averaging 10.1 points with 36 3-pointers, while shooting 36 percent from outside the arc. Becker also averaged 2.8 rebounds for the Wildcats. Becker will get a late start on preseason basketball practice after helping lead the Wildcats football team to their third straight Class 3A state championship game Saturday in Hutchinson.
KaeVon Bonner, Seaman
KAEVON BONNER, Seaman
Bonner, a 6-4 senior, is a two-time All-Shawnee County and All-United Kansas Conference first-team pick after being named the Shawnee County co-newcomer of the year and receiving honorable mention as a freshman. Bonner averaged 19 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.9 steals this past season for the 13-8 Vikings while hitting 49 3-pointers and shooting 77 percent from the free throw line.
CALEB CLEVERDON, Cair Paravel Latin
A senior, Cleverdon will be counted on heavily this winter as Cair Paravel looks to improve on last season's 10-11 record. Cleverson averaged 7.6 points last season while connecting on 33 3-pointers and shooting 35 percent from outside the arc. Cleverdon also averaged 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals as a junior.
JAI'MARION COOK, Shawnee Heights
Cook, a 5-9 senior guard, averaged 5.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists last season while helping Shawnee Heights post an 19-4 record and advance to the Class 5A state tournament for the second straight season. Cook connected on 30 3-pointers as a junior while shooting 38 percent from outside the 3-point line.
Jack Donovan, Rossville
JACK DONOVAN, Rossville
A 5-11 senior, Donovan made the All-Shawnee County Top 10 for the second straight season after averaging 18.7 points with 62 3-pointers while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range and 78.4 percent from the free throw line. Donovan helped lead the Bulldawgs to a 16-8 record and a Class 2A state tournament berth last season. Donovan, a first-team All-Big East League pick, is also a standout in golf and football, helping Rossville reach the Class 1A state football title game on Friday in Hutchinson.
Malakyah Duncan, Topeka West
MALAKYAH DUNCAN, Topeka West
Duncan, a 6-4 senior, received second-team All-Shawnee County and All-United Kansas Conference recognition last season after helping lead the Chargers to the Class 5A state tournament, where West lost in the quarterfinals to state champ Kapaun Mt. Carmel. Duncan averaged 11.3 points, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals as a junior while shooting 55 percent on two-point field goal attempts.
ONTARIUS EMMOT, Shawnee Heights
Emmot, a 6-4 senior forward, received TSN All-Shawnee County and All-United Kansas Conference honorable mention last season after helping Shawnee Heights post a 19-4 record and advance to the Class 5A state tournament for the second straight season. Emmot averaged 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists as a junior while draining 29 treys on the season.
Elisha Guest, Topeka High
ELISHA GUEST, Topeka High
A 5-7 senior, Guest received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season after averaging 11.6 points while connecting on 49 3-pointers and shooting 36 percent from outside the arc. Guest also averaged 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals for the Trojans last season.
Connor Hanika, Hayden
CONNOR HANIKA, Hayden
Hanika, a 6-5 senior, received All-Shawnee County second-team honors last season after averaging 10.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals while shooting 48 percent on two-point field goals. Hanika is Hayden's starting quarterback in football, helping the Wildcats reach their third straight Class 3A state championship game.
John Hoytal, Washburn Rural
JOHN HOYTAL, Washburn Rural
A 6-foot-2 senior forward, Hoytal received All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League honorable mention last season after helping the 18-5 Junior Blues win the Centennial League title and advance to the Class 6A state tournament. Hoytal averaged 9.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals last season while shooting 57 percent on two-point field goals and 73 percent from the free throw line.
Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake
DAYNE JOHNSON, Silver Lake
Johnson, a 6-2 senior, helped lead the Eagles to a 20-6 record and a third-place finish in the Class 3A state tournament in 2024-2025. A first-team All-Big East League selection, Johnson moved up to the TSN All-Shawnee County Top 10 last season after being a Second 10 pick as a sophomore. Johnson is a multi-sport standout for the Eagles, earning All-Shawnee County Top 22 honors as a junior.
Lucas Marichal, Cair Paravel
LUCAS MARICHAL, Cair Paravel
A senior, Marichal is a key returner for Cair Paravel Latin, which will by looking to improve on last season's 10-11 record. Marichal averaged 9.0 points a year ago while connecting on 28 3-pointers and shooting 80 percent from the free throw line.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural, which captured the Class 6A state championship, leads the 2025 Topeka All-City boys soccer team with five first-team picks.
The Junior Blues are represented on the 16-member first team, selected by city coaches, by seniors Draden Chooncharoen (midfield), Brandon Hamilton (defense), Liam Morrison (defense) and Dylan Willingham (forward) and junior Brodye Kocher-Munoz (forward) while Rural coach Brian Hensyel was voted the city coach of the year after the Junior Blues posted a 19-1-1 record.
Draden Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural
Brandon Hamilton, Washburn Rural
Liam Morrison Washburn Rural
Dylan Willingham, Washburn Rural
Brodye Kocher-Munoz, Washburn Rural
Hamilton, Morrison and Willingham are all first-team repeat picks.
Shawnee Heights, Topeka High and Topeka West all put three players on the All-City first team, while Cair Paravel Latin and Seaman both put one player on the team.
Camden Granado, Shawnee Heights
Jason Slay, Shawnee Heights
Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights
Shawnee Heights is represented on the All-City team by seniors Camden Granado (forward) and Jason Slay (defense) and junior Mason Haas (midfield), with Granado and Haas first-team repeat picks.
Neri Diaz-Mayorga, Topeka High
Neri Diaz-Mayorga, Topeka High
Topeka High put three players on the All-City team -- seniors Neri Diaz-Mayorga (midfield) and Billy Lutz (goalkeeper) and junior Carlos Acosta-Martinez (midfield).
Lutz is a repeat first-team selection while Diaz-Mayorga made the first team in 2024 for Highland Park.
Valentin Del Real, Topeka West
Diego Gonzalez-Talavera, Topeka West
Giancarlo Valenzuela, Topeka West
Topeka West is represented on the first team by sophomore Valentin Del Real (midfield), junior Diego Gonzalez-Talavera (forward) and senior Giancarlo Valenzuela (midfield), with Del Real and Gonzalez-Talavera first-team repeaters.
Nathan Keys, Cair Paravel
Cody Quy, Seaman
Cair Paravel put senior Nathan Keys (forward) on the All-City team while Seaman is represented by senior Cody Quy (forward).
Willingham was named the Centennial League player of the year this fall for the second straight season while Rural's Chooncharoen, Hamilton, Kocher-Munoz and High's Acosta-Martinez and Diaz-Mayorga were also first-team picks.
Shawnee Heights' Granado was named the United Kansas Conference player of the year while Haas and Slay and Topeka West's Del Real, Gonzalez-Talavera and Valenzuela were all named to the All-United Kansas Conference first team.
2025 TOPEKA ALL-CITY SOCCER
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
BRYNN ANDERSON, Washburn Rural
A 5-foot-11 freshman guard/forward, Anderson has yet to take the basketball court for the Junior Blues, but made an immediate impact in volleyball, earning TopSports.news All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League first-team honors while also being named the county and league newcomer of the year as Washburn Rural won the Centennial League title and advanced to the Class 6A state tournament for the ninth straight season.
SAMI BAUM, Shawnee Heights
A 6-1 junior, Baum will make her high school basketball debut in the 2025-2026 season after joining the T-Birds. Baum, who has been home schooled, played for the Shawnee Heights volleyball team this fall and has extensive experience in club basketball, receiving interest from college recruiters.
Nora Burdiek, Rossville
NORA BURDIEK, Rossville
Burdiek, a 6-0 junior forward, missed 11 games of the 2024-2025 season with an injury, but still earned All-Shawnee County honorable mention and was a third-team All-Class 2A and All-Big-East League honoree after averaging 16.5 points and 12 rebounds for 10-12 Rossville. Burdiek was a first-team All-Shawnee County and 2A All-State pick in volleyball, helping lead the Bulldawgs to the state tournament.
Pearmella Carter, Shawnee Heights
PEARMELLA CARTER, Shawnee Heights
A 5-10 junior, Carter starred at Highland Park the past two seasons before transferring to Shawnee Heights for the 2025-2026 season. Carter was a Second 10 All-Shawnee County selection for the Scots last winter after averaging 19.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.7 steals and 2.1 assists and shooting 50 percent from 2-point field goal range while connecting on 14 3-pointers.
Hailey Caryl, Topeka High
HAILEY CARYL, Topeka High
Caryl, a 5-10 sophomore, received All-Shawnee County Second 10 honors as a freshman after helping Topeka High post a 14-8 record and a nine-win improvement over the 2023-2024 season. Caryl averaged 10.5 points and 8.4 rebounds as a freshman while shooting 58 percent on 2-point field attempts and averaging 2.0 assists and 1.6 steals. Caryl is also a tennis and soccer standout for the Trojans.
KARYS DEITER, Silver Lake
A 5-7 sophomore guard, Deiter earned All-Shawnee County Second 10 recognition for the 23-3 Eagles as a freshman starter, averaging 12.5 points and 4.7 rebounds as Silver Lake overcame big graduation losses from its 2024 Class 3A state championship team to post a runnerup state finish. Deiter was a first-team all-county pick in volleyball this fall after the Eagles won the state title with a 46-1 record, including 37 straight wins to end the season.
Rylee Dick, Rossville
RYLEE DICK, Rossville
A 5-6 senior guard, Dick was a first-team All-2A and All-Big East League pick last season and was an All-Shawnee County second-team selection after averaging 20.4 points with 68 made 3-pointers and 89-percent shooting from the free throw line for the 10-12 Bulldawgs while eclipsing the 1,000-point mark for her career. Dick, who has received all-league, all-county and All-2A recognition three straight seasons, has signed a letter of intent with Division II Rockhurst.
KK Emmot, Shawnee Heights
KK EMMOT, Shawnee Heights
Emmot, a 5-8 junior, moved up to the All-Shawnee County Top 10 last season after earning second-team honors as a freshman. Emmot, who led the T-Birds to a 14-8 record, also earned first-team All-United Kansas Conference honors this past season after averaging 17.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 3.2 assists while connecting on 46 3-pointers.
Maddie Gragg, Seaman
MADDIE GRAGG, Seaman
A 5-10 senior, Gragg was an All-Shawnee County Top 10 selection for the third straight season after helping lead Seaman to a 24-1 record and a runnerup finish in Class 5A. Gragg, also a three-time All-United Kansas Conference first-team pick, averaged 13.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 57 percent on two-point field goal attempts and shooting 83 percent from the free throw line while hitting 39 3-pointers.
Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake
KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake
Hanni, a 5-7 senior guard, led Silver Lake to a 23-3 record and a runnerup finish in the Class 3A state tournament this past season after helping the Eagles post a perfect 26-0 record en route to the 3A state championship in 2024. Hanni was a repeat All-Shawnee County Top 10 selection as well as a repeat first-team all-league pick. A Fort Hays State basketball signee, Hanni is a multi-sport standout, earning first-team all-county honors in golf this fall.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior Player of the Year Camden Granado of conference champion Shawnee Heights led the way as 21 city soccer players earned All-United Kansas Conference recognition, including 11 first-team picks.
Senior Camden Granado, who helped lead Shawnee Heights to the United Kansas Conference championship, has been named the UKC player of the year. [File photo/TSN]
Granado, the leading goal-scorer in Shawnee Heights history, was joined on the first team by Heights junior goalkeeper Alan Arteaga, senior defender Jason Slay and junior midfielder Mason Haas while T-Bird coach Nic Simons was named the UKC coach of the year.
Topeka West put six players on the first team -- junior defender Kameron Ortiz, sophomore defender Makaly Martinez, senior midfielder Giancarlo Valenzuela, sophomore midfielder Valentin Del Real, junior forward Diego Gonzalez-Talavera and senior forward JP Ayella --while Seaman is represented by senior forward Rylan Harris.
Shawnee Heights put senior defender Jack Hall, senior defender Thomas Aragon, senior midfielder Juan Garcia and senior forward Jose Curvelo-Montenegro on the All-UKC second team along with Topeka West senior goalkeeper Gage Kindred Noragon, Seaman senior defender Owen Stewart and Viking senior forward Cody Quy.
Seaman seniors Kaelon Taylor and Jack Walker and Topeka West junior D'Ante Smith-Dilone received honorable mention.
ALL-UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE SOCCER
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Class 3A state champion Silver Lake, 4A runnerup Hayden and state qualifiers Washburn Rural in 6A and Rossville in 2A combined to put 12 players on the TopSports.news 2025 All-Shawnee County volleyball first team.
Shawnee County Player of the Year Kylie Hanni, Silver Lake [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee County Coach of the Year Sarah Johnson, Silver Lake. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Shawnee County Newcomer of the Year Brynn Anderson, Washburn Rural. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Silver Lake, which went 46-1 and ended its season on a 37-match winning streak, is represented on the all-county team by senior Jaiden Wise, juniors Kylie Hanni and Jaylie Whitehead and sophomore Karys Deiter, with Hanni named the county player of the year and Eagles coach Sarah Johnson tapped as the coach of the year.
Hayden, which placed second at state after finishing third in 2024, is represented on the first team by sophomore repeat picks Hailey Schmidtlein and Blakely Walter along with senior Ella Foster, a multi-time all-county selection.
Washburn Rural is represented on the all-county first team by seniors Karsyn Horyna and Stella Kelly and freshman Brynn Anderson, who was named the Shawnee County newcomer of the year after the Junior Blues won the Centennial League championship and advanced to the 6A state tournament for the ninth straight season.
Horyna is a first-team All-Shawnee County repeat pick while Kelly was a second-team pick as a junior.
Rossville junior Nora Burdiek is a first-team all-county repeat pick and is joined on the first team by freshman Kenna Perine.
Rounding out the first team are Cair Paravel Latin senior Karsyn Hastert, Topeka West junior Sydney Van Dyke and Shawnee Heights senior Avery Willey.
All-Shawnee County first-team capsules:
The 2025 All-Shawnee County boys cross country team: Front row, from left -- Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural; Jaxson Adams, Washburn Rural; Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural; Nick Newkirk, Hayden; Connor Baldwin, Hayden. Back row, from left -- coach Matt Swedlund, Washburn Rural; Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural; Duke Graf, Washburn Rural; Max Esquibel, Shawnee Heights; Brody Anderson, Seaman; Conner Bloom, Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Class 6A state champion Washburn Rural put five runners, including three repeaters on the 2025 boys All-Shawnee County cross country team.
Washburn Rural senior Brooks Kehoe is a three-time all-county first-teamer while sophomores Clayton Fink and Henry Laubach are also repeat first-teamers after helping the Junior Blues win the state team title by a single point (100-101) over Blue Valley.
Rural sophomores Jaxson Adams and Duke Graf are first-time All-Shawnee County honorees.
Washburn Rural coach Matt Swedlund was named the county boys coach of the year, sweeping the county girls and boys coach of the year awards.
Seaman two-time city and United Kansas Conference individual champion Brody Anderson is a three-time all-county pick while Hayden senior Connor Baldwin and Shawnee Heights senior Max Esquibel are two-time picks.
Seaman junior Conner Bloom and Hayden sophomore Nick Newkirk round out the first team, selected by local coaches.
All-Shawnee County boys capsules:
