Shawnee Heights Thunderbirds

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

AUSTIN BEAN, Hayden

A senior, Bean helped Hayden post a runnerup team finish in the Class 4A state tournament last season, earning second-team All-Shawnee County recognition. Bean finished 10th in the 2025 city championships with a 27-hole score of 127 and shot a 78 in the Centennial League tournament. He tied for 12th in 4A regional competition with an 81 as the Wildcats finished second as a team. 

CALEB CLEVERDON, Topeka High/Cair Paravel Latin

Cleverdon, a senior, competed for Topeka High during the regular season before competing for High's co-op partner, Cair Paravel, in postseason. Cleverdon tied for sixth in the Class 2A state tournament with a 36-hole total of 155 (76-79), leading the Lions to a fourth-place team finish. A second-team All-Shawnee County pick, Cleverdon finished 10th in a 2A regional (83) for team champion CPLS. 

Jack Donovan

JACK DONOVAN, Rossville

A senior, Donovan was a first-team All-Shawnee County pick for the second straight season last spring after earning a state medal for the second straight year with a tie for sixth in the Class 2A state event with a 36 hole score of 155 (76-79). Donovan was a 2A regional medalist, shooting a Rossville school-record 68 to win the individual championship by 12 strokes.

Peyton Goehring

PEYTON GOEHRING, Washburn Rural

Goehring is a top senior returner for Washburn Rural, which captured its 15th straight city team championship last season and advanced to the Class 6A state tournament as a team with a third-place team finish. Goehring carded a 27-hole score of 129 in the city tournament, missing the top 10 by two strokes and shot a 78 in the Centennial League tournament and finished 23rd at regionals.

Higgins Hawks

HIGGINS HAWKS, Washburn Rural

Hawks, a senior, earned his first All-Shawnee County first-team honor for the Junior Blues last season. Hawks tied for fifth in the city tournament with a 27-hole score of 124 as Rural won its 15th straight city championship. Hawks shot an 80 at regionals to tie for 10th as the Junior Blues earned a Class 6A team berth with a third-place finish and tied for 36th at state with a 36-hole score of 156 (75-81).

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural three-time Class 6A state champion and four-time finalist Landen Kocher-Munoz headlines the TopSports.news 2026 All-Shawnee County boys wrestling team.

TopSports.news' All-Shawnee County team is based on overall records, postseason results and city coaches' All-City selections.

Landen Kocher-Munoz, Washburn Rural [Photo by Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports]

Kocher-Munoz was named the Shawnee County wrestler of the year after winning the 144-pound championship to wrap up a 39-4 season as Washburn Rural a third-place team finish.

Jadyn Baum, Washburn Rural [File photo/TSN]

Kocher-Munoz is one of eight Washburn Rural wrestlers to earn spots on the All-Shawnee County team, including junior 215-pound state champ Jadyn Baum, who went 29-4 on the season. 

Also earning all-county first-team honors for Rural were 106-pound freshman Hayden Broxterman (36-16), 113-pound freshman Andrew Peterson (26-11), 120-pound senior Ryder Harrison (28-7), 138-pound senior Cooper Stivers (34-7), 150-pound junior Brodye Kocher-Munoz (31-8) and sophomore 285-pounder Kaiden Marshall (19-4).

Harrison, Stivers, Brodye Kocher-Munoz, Landen Kocher-Munoz, Baum and Marshall are all first-team repeat picks.

Andrew Peterson, Washburn Rural [File photo/TSN]

Ryder Harrison, Washburn Rural [File photo/TSN]

Peterson, named the Shawnee County newcomer of the year, Harrison and Stivers all advanced to 6A championship matches and posted second-place finishes while Brodye Kocher-Munoz finished third and Broxterman and Marshall fifth in 6A.

Jude Krentz, Hayden [File photo/TSN]

 Paxton Willett, Silver Lake [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]

Hayden senior Jude Krentz (40-4) was the 4A runnerup at 190 pounds and is an all-county first-team repeat pick while Silver Lake senior Paxton Willett (41-11) was the 3A-1A state runnerup at 190 pounds.

 Krentz is joined on the all-county first-team by Wildcat junior 175-pounder Caleb Menke (41-5) while Silver Lake senior 120-pounder Bryce Cormier (33-10) joins Willett on the first team.

Cormier posted a third-place state finish in 3A-1A while Menke finished fourth in 4A.

Seaman put junior 150-pounder Deegan Frazier (38-12), senior 165-pounder Landen Miller (35-14) and junior 285-pounder Henry Reichart (41-14) on the All-Shawnee County first team, with Frazier and Reichart both posting third-place finishes in the 5A state tournament. 

Hayden coach Jacob Torrez was named the Shawnee County coach of the year after also being picked by his city coaching counterparts as the City Coach of the Year.

ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY BOYS WRESTLING

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Class 5A senior state champion Cianna Graves headines the TopSports.news 2026 All-Shawnee County girls wrestling team while third-place teams Heights and Washburn Rural combined for 12 spots on the first team.

Cianna Graves, Shawnee Heights [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]

TopSports.news' All-Shawnee County team is based on overall records, postseason results and city coaches' All-City selections.

Graves, the Shawnee County wrestler of the year, is a four-time state medalist and capped her career with the state championship at 155 pounds, finishing off a 35-2 season.

Brinnley Morris, Shawnee Heights [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]

Olive Jones, Shawnee Heights [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]

Graves was one of three T-Bird state champions, with freshman Brinnley Morris (21-3) winning the 120-pound title title and sophomore Olive Jones (39-1) taking the 135-pound crown as Shawnee Heights earned the third-place team trophy for the second straight season.

Morris was tapped as the Shawnee County newcomer of the year.

Lacey Middleton, Washburn Rural [File photo/TSN]    

Emme Blanco, Washburn Rural [File photo/TSN] 

Elia Smith, Washburn Rural [File photo/TSN]

Washburn Rural put a county-high seven wrestlers on the TSN All-Shawnee County first team, led by the senior Class 6A state runnerup trio of 125-pounder Lacey Middleton (39-7), 145-pounder Emme Blanco (40-4) and 170-pounder Elia Smith (35-4), who led the Junior Blues to a third-place team finish for the second straight season in 6A after Rural won back-to-back state titles in 2023 and 2024.

In addition to the three second-place finishers, Rural also put freshman 105-pounder Aliyah Tangpricha, senior 140-pounder Madi Blanco, junior 190-pounder Lily Davis and sophomore 235-pounder Emma Mehl on the first team. 

Tangpricha (30-6) and Madi Blanco (40-5) both placed third in 6A while Davis (37-12) finished sixth and Mehl (25-16) was a state qualifier.

Madi Blanco and Smith are both three-time first-team all-county honorees while Middleton and Emme Blanco are repeat picks.

Shawnee Heights also put senior 145-pounder Olivia Stevens and sophomore 110-pounder Bianca Juarez on the all-county first team.

A multi-time state medalist, Stevens (33-6) finished third at 145 pounds and Juarez (26-14) was a state qualifier. 

Shawnee Heights' Chad Parks was named the county coach of the year after the T-Birds won the United Kansas Conference championship and finished second at regionals before their third-place finish at state.

Makayla Cadet, Highland Park [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/TSN]

Highland Park senior 190-pounder Makayla Cadet (23-3) is a first-team repeat all-county honoree, posting a runnerup 5A state finish this past season after winning the state championship as a junior.

Nora Mitchell, Rossville [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]

Rounding out the all-county first team are Rossville sophomore 105-pounder Nora Mitchell and junior 145-pounder Madelyn Wonnell.

Mitchell (37-12) was the 3A-1A runnerup and and Wonnell (38-6), a two-time state medalist, finished third this past season after finishing fifth as a sophomore.

ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY GIRLS WRESTLING

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Four city players earned spots on the All-United Kansas Conference girls basketball first team, led by senior three-time first-team pick Maddie Gragg of Seaman and Shawnee Heights junior repeat honoree KK Emmot.

Maddie Gragg, Seaman

KK Emmot, Shawnee Heights 

Pearmella Carter, Shawnee Heights

Sydney VanDyke, Topeka West

Also earning All-UKC first-team recognition were Shawnee Heights junior Pearmella Carter and Topeka West junior Sydney VanDyke. Carter was a first-team pick in her first season at Heights after previously being named the Meadowlark Conference player of the year at Highland Park while VanDyke received All-UKC honorable mention as a sophomore.

Bob Wells, Shawnee Heights

Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells was named the UKC coach of the year after leading the T-Birds to the conference championship and a fourth-place finish in Class 5A in his final season before retiring.

Shawnee Heights senior Imani McGlory was a second-team All-UKC pick.

Seaman junior Cara Beaton and Brynn Spencer received all-conference honorable mention along with Shawnee Heights junior Sami Baum and senior Reianna Vega and Topeka West junior Patience Allen.

ALL-UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE GIRLS BASKETBALL

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

City players earned four of the seven spots on the All-United Kansas Conference boys basketball first team, led by Seaman UKC player of the year KaeVon Bonner.

Seaman senior KaeVon Bonner was named the UKC player of the year while earning all-conference first-team honors for the third straight season. [File photo/TSN]

Bonner, a senior, led the Vikings to a third-place finish in the Class 5A state tournament, earning All-UKC first-team honors for the third straight season.

Malakyah Duncan, Topeka West 

Keimani Paul, Topeka West

Cam Ross, Shawnee Heights

Bonner is joined on the first team by Topeka West seniors Malakyah Duncan and Keimani Paul and Shawnee Heights junior Cam Ross.

Duncan moved up to the first team after earning second-team recognition in 2025 while Paul received honorable mention a year ago.

Duncan and Paul helped lead Topeka West to a fourth-place finish in 5A while Ross helped Heights advance to the 5A state tournament for the third straight season.

Christian Ulsaker, Topeka West

Second-year Topeka West coach Christian Ulsaker was picked as the UKC coach of the year after his Chargers won the conference championship on a tiebreaker over Seaman. 

Seaman senior Landon Wiltz, West junior Prince Lassiter and Heights freshman Quincy Dixon earned second-team honors while Viking senior Griffin Zuniga, T-Bird seniors Ja'Veon Alston, JaiMarion Cook and Aiden Scott and West senior Jay'Veon Traylor all earned honorable mention. 

ALL-UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE BOYS BASKETBALL

By JUSTIN BURKHARDT

TopSports.news

WICHITA -- The Shawnee Heights Lady T-Birds faced off against the Hays Indians in a Class 5A girls semifinal matchup Friday at Koch Arena, but playing without junior starter Pearmella Carter proved to be a major challenge.

Junior Sami Baum led Shawnee Heights with 21 points in Friday's 66-41 Class 5A semifinal loss to Hays. [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]

The T-Birds struggled to get anything going offensively or defensively and were out-rebounded 40-22 in a 66-41 loss.

Carter’s absence was felt throughout the night, particularly in the post.

“Her being out was definitely a factor,” said Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells. “She’s been one of our post defenders all year, and we had girls playing post that hadn’t played much post defense throughout the season. They had a couple really good post players, and we knew that coming in.

"We tried to give them some help and do some things for them, but obviously it wasn’t enough with the way they were scoring inside and outside. It was a tall task for us tonight.”

The T-Birds also could not find their rhythm from beyond the arc, finishing just 1 for-17 from 3-point range. Their lone three came in the third quarter from Sami Baum.

“It was just one of those nights where we had a couple misses early and it kind of got in our heads,” Wells said. “Then we just kept missing and couldn’t get it going from the perimeter.

"Even some of our layups and point-blank shots were missing. It was just a struggle for us all the way around.”

Shawnee Heights dug itself into an early hole when Hays opened the game on a 9 0 run. The T-Birds didn’t record their first points until the four-minute mark of the first quarter when Imani McGlory made a free throw.

Heights was outscored 9-6 the rest of the quarter and trailed 18-7 after one. The second quarter followed a similar script. Hays began the period with another 8-0 run before Baum finally scored for the T-Birds.

The struggles continued as Hays’ Jenna Schmeidler scored nine straight points, helping the Indians take a commanding 35-13 lead into halftime.

Hays never let up in the second half.

Baum tried to spark Shawnee Heights with 11 of her team-high 21 points in the third quarter, but the T-Birds couldn’t string together the defensive stops needed to close the gap.

Hays led 49-24 after three quarters and remained firmly in control.

By JUSTIN BURKHARDT

TopSports.news

WICHITA -- The Shawnee Heights Lady T-Birds took the court against No. 1 seed Andover early Saturday morning in the Class 5A girls third-place game, marking the final game of Heights' coach Bob Wells’ long career.

After falling to Hays 66-41 in the semifinal, Heights looked to turn the page and finish the season with a win and a third-place trophy, but the Trojans didn't let that happen, taking control down the stretch for a 71-55 win.

Shawnee Heights junior KK Emmot scored 27 points in Saturday's 71-55 loss to Andover in the Class 5A third-place game. [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]

For three quarters, the T-Birds showed the fight that had defined their season -- rebounding, hustling and scoring their way into a tight contest.

Heights led at halftime and trailed by just one point heading into the fourth quarter.

Shawnee Heights got the game off to a strong start when senior Reianna Vega scored the game’s first basket. Andover answered quickly, but the T-Birds kept pace.

T-Bird junior guard KK Emmot had a big first quarter, scoring her eighth point before knocking down a three pointer at the buzzer to cut Heights' deficit to 15-13 at the end of the opening period.

Andover struck first in the second quarter, but Heights responded.

Senior Imani McGlory attacked the rim, drew a foul, and knocked down both free throws to tie the game at 20.

Junior Sami Baum followed with a basket to give Heights the lead, and Vega added a three to push the T-Birds ahead, 25-20.

Andover’s Bella Bouddhara stopped the run with a basket, but Baum answered with a three at the buzzer, sending Shawnee Heights into halftime with a 31-23 lead.

The Trojans came out firing in the third quarter, opening with back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game at 31 and forcing Heights to call a timeout.

Emmot responded out of the break, driving to the rim for an and-one to put Heights back in front 34-31. Andover continued to battle back.

Grier Hand scored inside and, after a turnover, Bouddhara knocked down a three to give the Trojans the lead.

Emmot answered with another three to make it 41-39. Bouddhara then split a pair of free throws, and Emmot followed by hitting two of her own to cut the deficit to one.

McGlory later drove to the basket for a three-point play, tying the game at 44 and keeping the T-Birds within striking distance.

Emmot added two more free throws with 23 seconds left in the quarter to give Heights a 48-47 lead.

But Bouddhara answered again, hitting a shot to send Andover into the fourth quarter with a 49-48 advantage.

The final quarter belonged to Bouddhara and the Trojans.

Bouddhara scored 14 of her game-high 32 points in the fourth as Andover pulled away.

The Trojans outscored Shawnee Heights 22-7 in the period and forced 11 T-Bird turnovers to secure the 71-55 victory.

Despite the loss, Heights received a standout performance from Emmot, who scored a team-high 27 points and was perfect from the free-throw line, going 15 for 15.

As a team, Shawnee Heights shot an impressive 25 of 28 from the line, good for 89 percent.

“I told the girls all season long I never ever questioned their effort, and that's something I'm really, really proud of,” Wells said. “They play their hardest, and they give their best effort. They did the things that we asked them to do. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t.”

By JUSTIN BURKHARDT

TopSports.news

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Class 5A No. 3 girls seed Shawnee Heights faced No. 6 seed Basehor-Linwood for the third time this season Wednesday at Kansas City Kansas Community College, but this time the stakes were much higher, with the United Kansas Conference rivals squaring off in the state tournament.

Junior KK Emmot led Shawnee Heights with 18 points in Wednesday's 61-47 Class 5A quarterfinal win over Basehor-Linwood. [File photo/TSN] 

Shawnee Heights, making its first state appearance since 2011, faced adversity almost immediately, but overcame the loss of a key player to advance to Friday's 5A semifinal with a 61-47 quarterfinal win over the Bobcats.

Just 49 seconds into the game, junior starter Pearmella Carter drove to the basket, was fouled, and went down hard. Carter had to be helped off the court by trainers and did not return to the game.

Losing their top rebounder and second-leading scorer forced the T-Birds to quickly adjust.

“For us to overcome adversity that happens 49 seconds into the game with Mella going out — and she’s been our top rebounder and our second-leading scorer all year long — for the girls to come through that was huge,” Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells said. “That’s what we told them. We led for most of the first half, and they just had to believe in themselves and believe they could do it.

"Everybody just kind of pulled together and got the job done.”

Senior Reianna Vega scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds in Wednesday's 61-47 Shawnee Heights win over Basehor-Linwood. [File photo/TSN]

Senior Reianna Vega said the team leaned on each other after the early injury.

“Coach kept telling us to play together as a team,” Vega said. “We’ve been through adversity a lot of times, and we’ve gotten this far. We can’t give up now, so we had to keep fighting.”

Late in the first quarter, Shawnee Heights knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:34 remaining to take a 15-12 lead.

Basehor-Linwood responded by drawing a foul at the buzzer and hitting both free throws to trim the lead to 15-14 after one quarter.

Scoring slowed early in the second quarter, but senior Imani McGlory eventually broke through with her first basket to make it 17-14.

The T-Birds followed with a 6-0 run while Basehor-Linwood struggled to finish at the rim.

However, the Bobcats answered by closing the half on a 7-0 run to take a 25-21 lead into the locker room at the half Shawnee Heights shot just 3 of 16 from the field in the quarter.

Vega came alive in the second half, scoring all 16 of her points after halftime.

Shawnee Heights repeatedly tried to regain the lead, but Basehor-Linwood continued to answer.

With 2:10 left in the third quarter, junior KK Emmot scored to tie the game at 36.

Emmot then knocked down a 3-pointer to give the T-Birds a brief lead, but Basehor-Linwood finished the quarter on a 5-0 run to go up 41-39 heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter belonged to Shawnee Heights.

The T-Birds opened the period on a 7–0 run. Vega tied the game at 41 with a basket, Emmot followed with a 3-pointer, and Vega scored again to make it 46-41.

Emmot and Vega added four more points before McGlory scored five straight to extend the lead to 57-45 with 1:05 remaining.

Freshman Bijoy Schmidt sealed the victory with two free throws with 37 seconds left as Shawnee Heights secured the 14-point win and advanced to the state semifinals on Friday at Wichita's Koch Arena.

The T-Birds shot 7 of 9 from the field in the fourth quarter and outscored Basehor-Linwood 22-6 in the final period.

“We tried to get things slowed down a little bit offensively so we could run some sets and be more under control,” Wells said about the fourth-quarter turnaround.

“Then we started getting shots that we’re capable of hitting instead of trying to run so much and taking shots that weren’t our best looks.”

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

WICHITA -- The Shawnee Heights T-Birds hung with the top-seeded team in Class 5A for as long as they could.

But eventually, two-time defending state champion Kapaun Mt. Carmel pulled away, their size, experience and depth just too much. The T-Birds’ season ended with a 53-38 loss in the quarterfinals in Wichita.

Shawnee Heights senior JaiMarion Cook led the T-Birds with 11 points in Tuesday's Class 5A 53-38 loss to Kapaun Mt. Carmel. [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]

Shawnee Heights knew it had its hands full when it was seeded eighth in the bracket. Kapaun Mt. Carmel has followed up its back-to-back state titles with a 26-0 season thus far.

The T-Birds trailed just 12-10 after one period. But the Crusaders quickly hit on seven as their lucky number. They put together two 7-0 runs in the second period, then added another 7-0 run in the third period.

Heights slowed the Kapaun offense to a grind, giving up just 28 points in the first half. When the T-Birds scored first in the third period, they trailed just 28-20. But the eighth seed just couldn’t generate enough offense to pull off an upset. Shawnee Heights hit just 13-38 field goal attempts.

“We had a game plan. The kids tried to execute. They did execute – Kapaun had two-thirds of their average points,” Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting said. “At halftime, we were down 10 and in the game. But they got a couple of runs there.”

Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s height posed a problem for the T-Birds. The T-Birds were out-rebounded, 33-20.

The Crusaders got a handful of second-chance buckets on offensive rebounds while locking down the paint at the other end.

“It’s not a surprise if you look at (both teams’) records,” Darting said. “If you look out on the floor, the size and the athleticism. Just physically, they’re just better at every position.

“I always tell the kids, ‘Make sure you get beat, not lose. And when you get beat, it’s just because you weren’t good enough.' ”

Shawnee Heights advanced to the tournament by amassing a 15-8 regular-season record, then defeating De Soto and Leavenworth in sub-state. But that résumé was deemed only eighth best in the bracket, forcing the T-Birds into the dreaded 1-8 matchup.

“We lost eight games coming in. Seven of those eight are in the 5A or 6A tournament, and the eighth one is De Soto, who we eliminated,” Darting said. “So that shows you that we could probably play with just about every team in this tournament. We just got the draw we did.”

Senior Jaimarion Cook led the T-Birds in his final game with 11 points. Two other seniors – Ja’Veon Alston and Aiden Scott – also played their final games Tuesday.

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

Ken Darting’s retirement plans are on hold, at least for a few more days.

Ken Darting, who has coached three high schools to state tournament berths, including five state champions, will close out its Hall of Fame career in this week's Class 5A state tournament. [File photo/TSN]

After back-to-back trips to the Class 5A state tournament in 2024 and 2025 and the graduation of significant players, you might not have expected Darting's Shawnee Heights T-Birds to be back in the dance this year.

“I know one that wouldn’t have expected that,” Darting said with a laugh after his T-Birds defeated Leavenworth Friday in the sub-state final game. The T-Birds survived graduations, injuries, suspensions and midseason player defections to punch their ticket for another state tournament.

Going to state has become a family tradition for the Dartings. This will be the 15th tournament for a Darting-coached team, spread across stints at Silver Lake, Highland Park and Shawnee Heights. Darting’s high school resume is interrupted by a decade spent coaching at Kansas State and Allen County Community College. But still, trips to state have been an important part of their lives. The Dartings cherish the memories from nine appearances in state title games, five which ended in championships.

This year’s state tournament will hold special significance as it will be Darting’s last. The tournament has been a place for him to reconnect with friends made during his lengthy career.

“Last year at the state tournament, we had just lost, and there’s 17 coaches from all over the state that came to our locker room,” Darting recalled. “I sat there and visited for an hour with them, those 17 different guys that came to talk. And that’s fun. I look forward to getting to do that again this year. You know, usually I want to go hide, to go out that hole and sneak out. But to see those former players and old coaches is a fun deal.”

Had his current T-Birds not qualified for the tournament, Darting said the sendoff given by the Shawnee Heights community was sufficient. But another trip to state will provide a chance to celebrate his retirement with other friends.

“Already this year, I’ve got calls from all over, from coaches that I knew 30 years ago,” Darting said. “And I’m proud of how many opposing coaches have sent me notes or come to see me for my last game. That means you did something.”

Still, Darting isn’t looking at the tournament as a farewell tour, but a business trip.

“You say, ‘Oh, it’s just another game.' But things like that, when you stop and think about it, when you get to this point, you’d like to go out as good as you can go out,” Darting said. “I’m not one that is holding myself hostage to a state championship. But whatever it is that we’re good enough to do, I want to do that.”

The tournament takes on a slightly different look this year. Rather than playing the quarterfinal round at the location of the semifinal and final games, KSHSAA has grouped teams in regional locations based on proximity for the higher-seeded teams, regardless of classification.

Shawnee Heights (17-8) will face top-seeded and two-time defending Class 5A state champion Kapaun Mt. Carmel at Koch Arena in Wichita at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The T-Birds face a tough task in the opening round, but Darting will remain dedicated to this year’s team until the final whistle. His feeling for this current group shows in his eyes.

“I think when they’re that age, yeah, celebrate, go on,” Darting said as he watched the current group celebrate their sub-state championship Friday. “They don’t even know it yet, but they’re gonna see in life, 10, 20 years from now, they’re gonna say, ‘Oh wow, was that fun?’ And when it’s a team that shouldn’t get it done and it gets done, that makes it even more special.”

Darting is invested not just in this current roster of T-Birds but what happens after he’s gone. He spoke passionately about freshmen Quincy Dixon, Fletcher Terrell and Sam Becker, each of whom played a significant role in reaching the tournament.

“I care so much about whoever takes over this job, because these kids deserve it,” Darting said. “There are a lot of good kids on the way up. I wanted to make sure that I left this program better for the next guy than I found it.”

TUESDAY'S OTHER STATE QUARTERFINALS

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Granted, my jury is still out on the state's new quarterfinal format, but this remains my favorite week of the high school sports season, and for what it's worth -- and it's not much -- here's my take on all 14 of this week's state basketball tournaments across the state.

If I didn't pick your team don't fret because it could bode well for you.

If I did pick the team/teams you root for, I hope it's not a jinx.

By Saturday evening we'll know, and win or lose it promises to be a fun week.

CLASS 6A BOYS

Finalists -- Shawnee Mission South (1: 24-1) vs. Mill Valley (2: 22-3).

Champion -- Shawnee Mission South. The Raiders' lone loss on the season was a 69-66 decision to Mill Valley and those two teams could meet again in Saturday's championship game. I give SM South a slight edge in a rematch.

Other contenders -- No. 3 seed Olathe North is 21-4 and is capable of beating any team in the field.

CLASS 6A GIRLS

Finalists -- Wichita Heights (1: 24-0) vs. Shawnee Mission South (2: 21-3).

Champion -- Shawnee Mission South. Wichita Heights has passed each and every test it has faced this season, but I give South a very narrow edge in a championship game matchup.

Kansas coaching legend Ron Slaymaker's Topeka High girls are on a roll entering their Class 6A quarterfinal matchup with Derby. [File photo/TSN]   

Other contenders --The winner of the quarterfinal game between No. 2 seed Derby (22-3) and No. 7 Topeka High (17-8) could mount a title charge. No. 5 seed Olathe South (20-5) has five losses to out-of-state teams and perennial 6A contender Blue Valley North (20-5), the No. 6 seed, also has a shot at the crown.

Senior Malakyah Duncan cuts down the nets after Topeka West's win over Bishop Carroll in a Class 5A sub-state final. [File photo/TSN]

CLASS 5A BOYS

Finalists -- Kapaun Mt. Carmel (1: 25-0) vs. Topeka West (3: 22-3).

Champion -- Kapaun Mt. Carmel. The Crusaders are the two-time defending champion and the team to beat again after running off 25 straight wins this winter, but Topeka West, which lost to KMC in the quarterfinals a year ago, has the firepower to challenge for the title.

Other contenders --The winner of the quarterfinal game between No. 4 seed Maize South (21-4) and No. 5 Seaman (21-4) could definitely make a run at the title as could perennial state contender Piper (18-7), which has split games with Topeka West this season.

CLASS 5A GIRLS

Finalists -- Andover (1: 23-1) vs. Hays (2: 23-1).

Champion -- Hays. The Indians' lone loss came against Class 3A power Silver Lake, the only blemish on a dominating season, while Andover will be looking for its first title under former Topeka High coach Hannah Alexander.

Other contenders -- No. 3 seed Shawnee Heights (21-4) is making its first state appearance since 2011 and has the talent to go all the way as could the winner of the quarterfinal game between No 4 seed Maize South (21-4) and No. 5 St. James Academy (20-5).  

CLASS 4A BOYS

Finalists -- Rock Creek (1: 25-0) vs. McPherson (7: 16-9).

Champion -- Rock Creek. The Mustangs have turned in a dominant season and there's no reason to believe they can't close out a perfect season. 

Other contenders -- No. 2 seed Atchison is also unbeaten in 25 games on the season while No. 5 seed Andale (18-5) is a longshot contender for the crown.

Sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein and the Hayden girls are the No. 4 seed for the Class 4A state tournament with a 19-6 record. [File photo/TSN]

CLASS 4A GIRLS

Finalists -- Wellington (1: 22-1) vs. Rock Creek (2: 22-3).

Champion -- Rock Creek. The Mustangs have put together a string of impressive victories this season, including a win over Class 3A contender Silver Lake.

Other contenders --You can never count out perennial state champion Bishop Miege, the No. 6 seed this season at 17-8. The quarterfinal winner between No. 4 seed Hayden (19-6) and No. 5 seed Andale (17-6) could also make a run at the championship.

CLASS 3A BOYS

Finalists -- Wichita Collegiate (1: 24-1) vs. Hesston (2: 24-2).

Champion -- Wichita Collegiate. Collegiate's lone defeat on the season came against two-time defending Class 5A state champ Kapaun Mt. Carmel, which is a perfect 25-0 on the season.

Other contenders -- The quarterfinal winner between No. 4 seed Holcomb (21-5) and No. 5 Silver Lake (20-6) is capable of winning the championship while No. 3 seed Pratt is an impressive 21-3.

Senior Kailyn Hanni and the Silver Lake girls enter the Class 3A state tournament with a 25-1 record after winning the state crown in 2024 and advancing to the championship game last season. [File photo/TSN]

CLASS 3A GIRLS

Finalists -- Halstead (1: 25-0) vs. Silver Lake (2: 25-1).

Champion -- Silver Lake. The Eagles won the championship in 2024 and were the runnerup a year ago. Halstead is a perfect 25-0 on the season, but it's hard to pick against Silver Lake.

Other contenders -- Holcomb, the No. 3 seed at 24-2, is likely to give Silver Lake a tough semifinal test if both teams get past their quarterfinal openers.

CLASS 2A BOYS

Finalists -- Sterling (1: 25-0) vs. Berean Academy (2: 22-2).

Champion -- Sterling. The Black Bears appear to be a good bet to close out a perfect season.

Other contenders -- No. 7 seed Rossville (17-7) has the talent and experience to knock off Berean in the quarterfinals and make a run at the crown. Other contenders include No. 5 seed St. Marys (19-7) and No. 6 St. Marys Colgan (18-7), a traditional state title contender.

CLASS 2A GIRLS

Finalists -- Eureka (4: 22-2) vs. Moundridge (2: 23-2).

Champion -- Moundridge. I give Moundridge a slight edge in a balanced field loaded with contenders.

Other contenders -- No. 8 seed Rossville (15-10) is capable of knocking off top seed and 25-1 Ellinwood in the quarterfinals while No. 3 seed St. Marys Colgan (23-2) and No. 6 Sacred Heart (22-4) are defintely title threats.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Saturday night probably wasn't one of the Shawnee Heights' girls best performances of the season.

But it was definitely the most important.

Shawnee Heights junior KK Emmot accepts the Class 5A sub-state trophy after Saturday's 60-47 win over Pittsburg. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Fighting off the upset bid by Pittsburg, Shawnee Heights pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 60-47 win in Saturday's Class 5A sub-state final at Heights, with the T-Birds earning their first state tournament appearance since 2011 as veteran coach Bob Wells picked up career win 350, all at Heights.

"You never know about the nerves of these kids and I told them from the very beginning, 'No. 1, you have to earn this and there's going to be some adversity and we're going to have to fight through that and you have to be mentally tough enough to do it,' '' Wells said. "And thank goodness we were.''

Shawnee Heights' girls basketball team poses for a team picture after clinching its first Class 5A state tournament berth since 2011 Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Improving to 21-4 on the season, Heights advances to a 5A state quarterfinal game on Wednesday, with the pairings to be announced after the conclusion of all Saturday's sub-state finals.

Pittsburg (16-9) jumped out to an early 6-2 lead but Shawnee Heights answered with an 11-0 run, including a pair of 3-pointers from senior Imani McGlory and a trey from junior Sami Baum.

The T-Birds never trailed the rest of the night, but Pittsburg was within two points (29-27) at the half after fighting back from a 24-11 deficit and the Dragons were still within five (46-41) at the start of the fourth quarter.

But Shawnee Heights took control down the stretch, outscoring Pittsburg 14-6 over the final eight minutes, with the final score matching the T-Birds' biggest lead of the game.

McGlory led Shawnee Heights with a team-high 21 points and four 3-pointers, putting an exclamation point on a memorable night.

Shawnee Heights senior Imani McGlory is presented with a banner commemorating her 1,000-point milestone Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

McGlory entered the night needing seven points to surpass the 1,000-point scoring milestone for her career and got that out of the way on a hoop with 15 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.

McGlory said she was aware of how many points she needed to reach 1,000 and said it was good to get the milestone out of the way early in the game.

 Senior Imani McGlory scored 21 points with four 3-pointers in Shawnee Heights' 60-47 sub-state win over Pittsburg Saturday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

"It was good,'' she said. "Then I didn't have to worry about it the rest of the game and just play basketball.''

McGlory said she felt like the T-Birds did a good job of keeping their composure even when Pittsburg threatened their lead.

"It's just another game and you've got to work through all the adversity throughout the game and just play hard,'' McGlory said. 

Senior Reianna Vega scored 15 of her 19 points in the second half Saturday as Shawnee Heights pulled away for a 60-47 win over Pittsburg. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Senior Reianna Vega was right behind McGlory with 19 points (two 3s), giving the T-Birds a big lift with 15 second-half points, including the first seven of the third quarter.

"I was really struggling the first half, and it was kind of getting to me and I knew that some of the other girls weren't doing too well, so I flipped the switch in the locker room and all of a sudden I started making (shots),'' Vega said. "And I started making it in warmups, so I knew I could do it.''

"They've done that all year,'' Wells said of McGlory and Vega. "These girls are all so capable. That's what makes it so fun.'' 

By RICK PETERSON                                                                                                          

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights freshman state champion wrestler Brinnley Morris and Hayden junior boys bowling standout Reece Renyer 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 Morris and Renyer.

Brinnley Morris, Shawnee Heights 

BRINNLEY MORRIS, Shawnee Heights

Morris capped her freshman wrestling season with the Class 5A 120-pound state championship last Saturday in Park City.

Morris, who finished the season 21-3 dominated Salina Central’s Natalia Garcia wire-to-wire, leading 15-4 in the second period before ending the match with a pin. 

One of three state champions for the T-Birds, Morris helped Shawnee Heights post a third-place team finish for the second straight season.

Reece Renyer, Hayden 

REECE RENYER, Hayden

A junior boys bowler, Renyer rolled his first perfect 300 game in the second game in last Wednesday's Class 4A-1A regional tournament at Gage Bowl.

Renyer finished third individually with a 652 series to help lead the Wildcats to the team championship by a 3,413-3,297 margin over Ottawa.

Renyer followed his regional performance up with a 698 series in Friday's state tournament at Wichita's Bowlero Northrock, posting an eighth-place individual finish.  

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

The Shawnee Heights T-Birds punched their ticket for a third straight trip to the Class 5A State Tournament – in coach Ken Darting’s final season – by holding off Leavenworth 66-56 despite playing shorthanded and relying on reserves to carry a heavy load.

Shawnee Heights accepts the Class 5A sub-state trophy after Friday's 66-56 win over Leavenworth. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]

The T-Birds got out to a double-digit lead in a sluggish first half. They then had to old off a Leavenworth surge in a frenetic second half. Having trailed by as many as 18-points, the Pioneers clawed to within seven midway through the fourth period.

But Darting’s veteran guards and a couple of freshmen showed poise under pressure to close out the game.

Senior JaiMarion Cook scored 17 points Friday as Shawnee Heights earned a third straight trip to the Class 5A state tournament with a 66-56 win over Leavenworth. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]  

Ja'Veon Alston scored 17 points in Friday's 66-56 Shawnee Heights win over Leavenworth. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN] 

JaiMarion Cook started the game hot, scoring eight points to give the T-Birds a 12-3 lead in the first four minutes. In the fourth quarter, it was Ja’Veon Alston who took over the game. He hit all three of his shots from the field and scored 10 points in the final period. Cook and Alston each scored 17 points to lead Shawnee Heights.

“I just came in and did my thing, tried to calm the team down, stay focused so we could fight through adversity,” Alston said. “As a point guard, I think their role should be to get any shooter open that’s on the court. Find the right person, get them open. A point guard doesn’t really take a lot of shots sometimes, but today, I had to step up for my team. Sometimes as the point guard, you have to take it in your hands.”

The T-Birds got 14 points from freshman Quincy Dixon and 11 from senior Aiden Scott, and freshman Fletcher Terrell helped handle the ball in crunch time.

Reserves Malachi Lee and Jacob Halloran stepped up to play significant minutes in the paint because junior Cam Ross – normally one of the team’s most productive players – was suspended for the game. Darting said the plan is for Ross to rejoin the team for the next upcoming practice and be a full participant at the state tournament.

“You know, it’s a cliché, ‘Next man up.’ But it’s real,” Darting said. “And if you don’t coach the team that way, somebody’s gonna turn a knee or sprain an ankle, or get kicked off (the team), or somebody’s gonna be in foul trouble. So you’ve got to have guys ready. Now, you don’t replace people with the same amount of athletic talent. But we have people that fit in, do the one or two things that they can do and do them consistently, and to me, that’s fun.”

Shawnee Heights makes its third trip to state in the past three years. The T-Birds failed to advance past the opening round in either tournament.

“It feels amazing to go three times, back-to-back-to-back,” Alston said. “I know every game is a challenge. It’s hard to get to the next round. You’ve got to be ready to go first round, take care of business. The crowd is crazy. You’ve got to tune it out, just play your game.”

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

For three quarters Tuesday night, Shawnee Heights' boys flirted with a semifinal collapse until a freshman put the T-Birds on his back and ensured they would survive their home sub-state match with De Soto, 49-37.

When his team needed someone to step up, freshman Quincy Dixon ripped off 13-straight points to make sure that Shawnee Heights, and retiring coach Ken Darting, would play again Friday.

Shawnee Heights freshman Quincy Dixon scored a game-high 19 points in Tuesday's 49-37 sub-state win over De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

With Shawnee Heights clinging to a 33-31 lead, Dixon converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 5.4 seconds left in the third period. The freshman continued that theme, scoring two more three-point plays in the fourth quarter. Then Dixon hit four consecutive free throws to seal the win. Dixon hit 7-7 free throws on the night while the rest of the team hit just 6-14.

“From Day 1, Quincy’s been a senior-plus,” Darting said. “He’s the guy that takes over when nobody’s scoring. If he doesn’t have to score, he’ll distribute. He’s a mature basketball player.”

“Whatever my team needs me to be, I’ll be,” Dixon said. “If I need to be the leader, if I need to pick guys up, or if I need to follow the seniors, or if I need to lead the seniors, I’ll do whatever for my team to win.”

The fourth-seeded T-Birds got all they wanted from the 13 seed. Shawnee Heights came out sluggish, shot poorly and turned the ball over often in the first half. The home team trailed 14-10 after one period and 25-21 at the half. In the first half, Shawnee Heights hit just 8-23 attempts while allowing the Wildcats to shoot 10-17 from the field.

“In practice and in every other game, we always talk about adversity and how we’re going to bounce back, don’t let it get in our heads,” Dixon said. “Tonight, we had adversity, we bounced back. We just played together, we all stepped up and I think we all did our part.”

The T-Birds locked in at the defensive end, holding De Soto to just six points in the third period, and just six more in the fourth. That allowed Dixon’s 13-point spree to turn the tables.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural earned nine of 11 spots on the 2026 All-City boys swimming and diving team, led by Class 6A state champion Daniel Allen, after the Junior Blues capturned their seventh straight city team championship.

The 2026 All-City boys swimming first team -- Front, from left: Alexander Jeffries, Washburn Rural; Davin Potts, Washburn Rural; Braeden Montgomery, Washburn Rural; Benjamin Allen, Washburn Rural; Andres Morao-Jaspe, Washburn Rural. Back, from left: Kinser Barbosa, Seaman; Daniel Allen, Washburn Rural; Thomas Appuhn, Washburn Rural; Zain Chaudhry, Washburn Rural; Castle Wallace, Washburn Rural; Will Stewart, Topeka High. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

The 2026 All-City boys swimming and diving second team -- Front row, from left: Quenten Jessop, Washburn Rural; Henry Sterling, Cair Paravel/Hayden; William Toland, Topeka High; Wyatt Ratteree, Topeka High; Jackson Wills, Topeka High; Owen Gann, Shawnee Heights. Back row, from left: Patrick Luke, Hayden; Joseph Jensen, Washburn Rural; Miller Reid, Hayden; Camp LeDuc, Seaman; Theron Carlson, Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN] 

Allen capped his junior season with the state title in the 100-yard butterfly while also placing third in the 100 backstroke and swimming on the Junior Blues' fourth-place 200 medley relay and seventh-place 200 free relay.

Sophomore Thomas Appuhn also earned four medals in the state meet, posting fourth-place finishes in the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke and swimming on Rural's fourth-place 200 medley relay and seventh-place 200 free relay.

Junior Andres Morao-Jaspe and sophomore Castle Wallace also earned 6A state medals as Washburn Rural placed sixth as team and are joined on the All-City team by Benjamin Allen, Zain Chaudhry, Alexander Jeffries, Braeden Montgomery and Davin Potts. 

Appuhn, Morao-Jaspe and Wallace are all first-team All-City repeat honorees while D. Allen made the team as a freshman before sitting out his sophomore high school season.

Seaman's Kinser Barbosa and Topeka High's Will Stewart are also repeat first-team All-City selections.

All-City capsules:

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Jack Donovan

JACK DONOVAN, Rossville

A senior boys basketball player, Donovan scored 47 points on Friday as Rossville opened postseason with a 90-28 Class 2A sub-state home quarterfinal victory over McLouth. A returning All-Shawnee County pick, Donovan hit 17 of 28 shots on the night with nine 3-pointers while also going 4 of 4 at the free throw line and topping the 40-point mark for the second time this season.

Brecken Garrett

BRECKEN GARRETT, Washburn Rural

Garrett, a junior boys bowler, shot a 739 three-game series last Wednesday in a Class 6A regional tournament at Royal Crest Lanes in Lawrence to capture the individual championship and lead the Junior Blues to the team title by a 3,614-3,341 margin over Mill Valley. Garrett bowled games of 216, 258 and 265. 

Cianna Graves 

CIANNA GRAVES, Shawnee Heights

A senior 155-pound girls wrestler, Graves captured her first Class 5A individual state championship Saturday in Park City, capping a 35-2 season with a second-period pin in the title match while helping lead the T-Birds to a third-place team finish for the second straight season. Graves finished her high school career as a four-time state medalist. 

By NATHAN SWAFFAR

Topsports.news

PARK CITY -- Saturday had the chance to be special for the Shawnee Heights girls wrestling program. 

With three chances at state titles, multiple prospects for medal finishes and a possible top-three team finish, the only question was if the T-Birds could capitalize on the opportunity. 

In the end, not only was the day nearly perfect, it was historical.

Shawnee Heights senior star Cianna Graves reacts while having her hand raised as the Class 5A 155-pound state champion Saturday in Park City. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN] 

Shawnee Heights senior Cianna Graves accepts the Class 5A third-place team trophy Saturday in Park City. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]

The T-Birds saw senior Cianna Graves, sophomore Olive Jones and freshman Brinnley Morris all capture individual titles en route to a third-place team finish for Shawnee Heights (141.5 points) for the second straight year as Basehor-Linwood (200.5) and Kapaun Mt. Carmel (157) finished first and second, respectively.  

“Three state champions is a record for us,” Shawnee Heights coach Chad Parks said. “We’ve had two in the past, we’ve never had three at once, so that was really awesome. Even the girls that didn’t get on the podium, they wrestled really, really well.” 

The three champs in one day was a program-wide record as well, and Graves got the party started. 

A senior, Graves (35-2) finally captured the 155-pound state title that eluded her for three years when she pinned Basehor-Linwood’s Falasteen Shalabi in the second period.

After two state medals as an freshman and sophomore and a third-place finish last year, the triumph brought Graves to tears immediately after the whistle blew. 

“I feel like I put in a lot of hard work and the people who have helped me get there, just getting to see their faces, I hope they know they played a part in it,” Graves said. 

The four-time state medalist led 1-0 after an escape point. However, Graves saw her opportunity when Shalabi chose to be on bottom in the second period.  

“I’ve wrestled her before in neutral, I knew we were going to be moving around and there was going to be a lot of pushing back and forth,” Graves said. “When she chose bottom, that’s my place to be.” 

But the T-Birds’ fun was just getting started. 

Shawnee Heights freshman Brinnley Morris celebrates her 120-pound state title Saturday in Park City. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN] 

Freshman Brinnley Morris (21-3) captured Shawnee Heights’ second title of the day a little while later at 120 pounds.

She physically dominated Salina Central’s Natalia Garcia wire-to-wire, leading 15-4 in the second period before she ended things early with a pin. 

“[Physicality] that’s kind of what we did all year at practice, summer conditioning, just making sure we could keep up the strength and endurance to dominate the whole time,” Morris said.  

And finally, a little bit later with a chance to go three for three in title matches, sophomore Olive Jones (39-1) capped off the day for Shawnee Heights as she captured the 135-pound title with a second-period victory by fall over Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Grace Hare.

Shawnee Heights sophomore Olive Jones gains the upper hand en route to the 135-pound Class 5A state championship Saturday in Park City. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN] 

Jones qualified for state last year, but failed to find the podium. Parks said that lit a fire for her that burned for a year.  

“She said, ‘I’m never going to feel that again. I’m never going to let that happen again,’ ” Parks said. “And she has absolutely worked her tail off. She’s calm, collected all the time and she comes out and attacks.” 

By JUSTIN BURKHARDT

TopSports.news

No. 2 East girls seed Shawnee Heights opened postseason play in dominant fashion Wednesday night at home, defeating No. 15 seed Kansas City-Sumner 89-15 in the first round of the Class 5A sub-state playoffs.

Shawnee Heights senior Imani McGlory scored 35 points in Wednesday's 89-15 sub-state win over KC_Sumner. [File photo/TSN]

Shawnee Heights set the tone early with suffocating defense, forcing 18 turnovers in the first half and holding Sumner to just one point in the opening quarter.

The T-Birds came out firing offensively, jumping out to a 19-1 lead in the first quarter. Sumner’s first basket came with 1:28 left in the quarter on a free throw from Mila Sims.

Heights kept the momentum rolling in the second quarter as junior Pearmella Carter and junior KK Emmot continued the offensive push. Emmot was perfect from the field in the first half, shooting 5 for 5.

Senior Reianna Vega and Carter combined for a quick 10-0 run, with Vega scoring four points and Carter adding six. Senior Imani McGlory then knocked down a 3-pointer -- part of her game-high 35 points -- to stretch the lead to 36-1. Sumner managed back-to-back baskets before Vega answered with a 3-pointer to make it 39-5.

McGlory then connected on back-to-back threes to give her 15 points before halftime as Shawnee Heights entered the break leading 45–5.

“That was something we really wanted to emphasize -- playing solid defense, not giving up drives, moving our feet, and playing without our hands,” said Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells. “I thought they did a good job of it for the most part.”

McGlory caught fire in the third quarter. After scoring on a layup to start the half, she followed with three consecutive 3-pointers and scored 18 straight points to extend the T-Birds’ lead to 63-5.

“When she starts shooting the ball and it goes in, it barely even touches the net,” Wells said. “There was a lot of that tonight. She was shooting the ball great and feeling great. Her teammates wanted to get her the ball, and that was a lot of fun to see.”

McGlory, who entered the night needing 42 points to reach 1,000 for her career, said her teammates encouraged her to stay aggressive.

“I try to get locked in in the locker room before the game,” McGlory said. “My teammates kept telling me to shoot, especially coming out of halftime. My goal was to try to get at least 30 points tonight so hopefully it’ll be easier next game.

"I feel like the feeling will be way better if I get my 1,000 and we win sub-state on the same night.”

Shawnee Heights led 77-9 after the third quarter, triggering a running clock in the fourth.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights' girls ended a decade long league championship drought Friday at Seaman, with the T-Birds clinching their first United Kansas Conference title with a 54-41 win over the Vikings in a packed house on Seaman's Senior Night.

KK Emmot led Shawnee Heights with a game-high 19 points Friday as the T-Birds wrapped up the UKC title with a 54-41 win at Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Heights improved to 19-4 overall and 15-1 in the UKC with its eighth straight victory, with the T-Birds wrapping up the No. 2 Class 5A East sub-state seed.

"I'm super proud for these girls to get the league and super proud for them to come in tonight and play the way they did because this is an incredible atmosphere and Seaman played their hearts out,'' said veteran Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells, who is retiring after the current season. "They did everything they could to get us down and try to get us where we weren't playing at our best.

"We had some girls that stepped up and did what they needed to do.''

Shawnee Heights led Seaman by only a 14-12 count at the end of the first quarter, but broke the game open with a 21-10 second quarter, opening up a 35-22 halftime advantage.

The T-Birds made that 13-point lead hold up the rest of the way, with Heights and Seaman both scoring 19 points in the second half.

Wells said that Friday's tough game and the atmosphere was good for the T-Birds, resembling what Heights is likely to face in postseason.

"That's what we needed and the girls even commented during the JV boys game that, 'Man, this game's going crazy right now,' '' Wells said. "It was a great atmosphere and I'm just proud that our girls came out and after a slow start, we kind of kicked it into gear a little bit and made some things happen.''

Pearmella Carter scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds in Shawnee Heights' 54-41 win over Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN] 

Junior KK Emmot scored a game-high 19 points to lead three T-Birds in double figures, with junior Pearmella Carter adding 15 points and senior Reianna Vega 14.

Junior Brynn Spencer led Seaman with 13 points in Friday's 54-41 loss to Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Junior Brynn Spencer paced Seaman (10-13, 8-9) with 13 points, including three 3-pointers, while junior Cara Beaton added 10 points.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

After a painfully slow start, Seaman's boys basketball team took care of business on the court with a 78-53 Senior Night romp past United Kansas Conference and city rival Shawnee Heights Friday night at Seaman.

Seaman senior star KaeVon Bonner scored 38 points Friday night as the Vikings wrapped up a 19-4 regular season with a 78-53 Senior Night win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Seaman coach Craig Cox was honored Friday night for his outstanding coaching career after the Vikings' 78-53 UKC win over city rival Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Then, after that emotional win, the Vikings and the Seaman community made sure that they gave retiring Seaman coach Craig Cox a fitting farewell in the final regular-season game of his outstanding coaching career.

The night got off to an inauspicious beginning for Seaman when Shawnee Heights roared to a 13-point lead and an 11-point advantage at the start of the second stanza.

But Seaman, which improved to 19-4 overall and 14-2 in the UKC, responded in front of a huge home crowd to bury the T-Birds with a 25-3 second quarter, opening up a 40-29 halftime advantage and cruising to the big win.

"I told our guys at the end of the first quarter, I said, 'You know they're running on high and I don't think it's going to stay there. Let's try to change the tempo and see if we can slow down their momentum,' '' Cox said. 

"We went to the zone and they had good looks and fortunately for us they didn't make them and then we rebounded really well in our zone and that turned things around. Then I thought we did a better job in the second quarter on the offensive end.''

Shawnee Heights (15-8, 10-6) was still within 12 points (56-44) at the end of the third quarter before senior KaeVan Bonner and the Vikings turned the game into a rout with a 22-9 scoring edge over the final eight minutes.

Bonner had a huge 38-point night, with 14 field goals, a pair of 3-pointers and an 8 of 9 performance at the free throw line, while fellow senior Griffin Zuniga added 10 points.

Junior Cam Ross led Shawnee Heights with 16 points in Friday's 78-53 UKC loss at Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Freshman Quincy Dixon had 14 points in Friday's 78-53 Shawnee Heights loss at Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Junior Cam Ross led Shawnee Heights with 16 points while freshman Quincy Dixon added 14 points and senior JaiMarion Cook 11 for the T-Birds.

Retiring Seaman basketball coach Craig Cox poses with his five seniors during a post-game recognition ceremony. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

After the game the spotlight turned to Cox, who has turned in an outstanding coaching career at Shawnee Heights, Washburn Rural and now Seaman, leading all three teams to state tournament appearances and coaching Heights to Class 5A state titles in 2000 and 2002 and Seaman to the state crown in 2022. 

Cox also coached Heights to a pair of state baseball championships before turning his attention to basketball.

A post-game video was played featuring messages from a host of Cox's former players, including PGA star and U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland and current Los Angeles Angels pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn, as well as tributes from many of Cox's coaching counterparts, co-workers and family members.

"It was amazing to see so many people contribute to (that video) and the memories that pop into your head as you see each face and hear their comments,'' Cox said. "I'm really overwhelmed by the whole event.''

Cox had made the decision to retire after the current season months ago and said he feels good about the fact that he's stepping away at the right time.

"Bob Chipman (Washburn University coaching legend) made the comment after he retired, he said, 'You'll know when you know,' '' Cox said. "And I just felt like 39 years had been amazing. Being a (physical education) teacher is phenomenal, but now I have an opportunity to go look at some other things.

"I just kind of had that feeling that the timing (was right). This year's been great as far as the regular season. I couldn't even of thought of it going this well and that's even with a couple of ugly ones that we had along the way.''

Cox had kept the news of his retirement under wraps as much as possible over the season, wanting the focus to remain on his team.

"I wanted it to be for these guys,'' Cox said. "It's their senior year and that's why I'm so happy that my wife, with Travis Brown (Seaman athletic director), made the decision to do my part afterwards so they had their Senior Night and the focus was on them.

"They had the phenomenal game and were able to celebrate a big win over a quality team.'' 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman's girls bowling team added a Class 5A regional team title to its city and United Kansas Conference crowns Tuesday at Gage Bowl, with the Vikings taking the regional championship by a 2,958-2,904 margin over Emporia.

Claire LaDuke (facing) celebrates a strike with her Seaman teammates during Tuesday's Class 5A regional at Gage Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Shawnee Heights also earned a berth for next week's state tournament at Wichita, finishing third as a team at 2,831.

Highland Park will also have a competitor in the girls state tournament, with Ra'Lynn Divers qualifying as an individual.

Claire LaDuke led the champion Vikings with a third-place individual finish, shooting a 565 three-game series while Seaman also got a sixth-place individual finish from Paige Snyder, who shot a 555 series.

The Vikings also got a 12th-place individual finish from Laci Cole (521), a 13th showing from Leah Crawford (516) and a 16th from Kayla Duncan (493) while Ava Carlson shot a 448.

Shawnee Heights bowling coach Scott Mercer talks to his girls team during Tuesday's Class 5A regional at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Addison VanMetre shot a 544 series to pace third-place Shawnee Heights with a seventh-place individual finish while the T-Birds' Lauryn Valdivia placed 11th (522), Emma Wederski was 14th (509), Tatum Simpson was 18th (482) and Bailey Liby was 19th (459). Reese Bell rounded out the T-Bird lineup with a 441 series.

Highland Park's Divers shot a 456 series to garner the fifth individual qualifying berth for state.

The city boys 5A contingent will also be well-represented at state, led by Shawnee Heights, which finished second as a team by a 3,417-3,275 margin to United Kansas Conference rival De Soto while Seaman and Highland Park combined for three individual qualifiers.

Evan Jones finished fifth with a 650 series to lead Shawnee Heights to a second-place team finish in Tuesday's Class 5A bowling regional at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Evan Jones shot a 650 series to pace Shawnee Heights with a fifth-place individual finish while the T-Birds also got a seventh-place finish from Braden Evans (637), a ninth from Trey Donath (622), and a 14th-place showing from Henry Schattilly (637). Chevy Stallbaumer added a 581 and Kaden Evans a 523 for Heights.

Seaman's Garrett Shaw shot a 666 series to tie for second and finish third on a tiebreaker in Tuesday's Class 5A regional at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman finished fourth as a team to miss a state team berth by one spot, but the Vikings got a second-place tie (third on a tiebreaker) from Garrett Shaw, who shot a 666 to earn the second individual qualifying berth.

Highland Park earned a pair of individual state berths, with Kayden King shooting a 638 to earn the third individual qualifying spot for staate and Isaac Barnes shooting a 617 to place 10th and earn the fourth individual qualifying berth.      

CLASS 5A REGIONAL BOWLING

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Daniel Allen

DANIEL ALLEN, Washburn Rural

Allen, a junior swimming star, won a Class 6A state championship in Saturday's Class 6A state meet in the 100-yard butterfly in a personal-record time of 50.85 seconds and earned four state medals overall as Rural finished sixth as a team. Allen finished third in the 100 backstroke (53.38) and swam on the Junior Blues' fourth-place 200 medley relay (1:40.31) and seventh-place 200 free relay (1:30.97). 

Thomas Appuhn

THOMAS APPUHN, Washburn Rural

A sophomore swimming standout, Appuhn earned four state medals in Saturday's Class 6A state meet, helping Washburn Rural post a sixth-place state finish as a team. Appuhn finished fourth in the 200-yard individual medley in 1 minute, 58.59 seconds, was fourth in the 100 backstroke in 54.71 seconds and swam on the Junior Blues' fourth-place 200 medley relay (1:40.31) and seventh-place 200 free relay (1:30.97).

Megan Glinka   

MEGAN GLINKA, Washburn Rural

Glinka, a junior bowler, won the girls individual championship in Thursday's Centennial League tournament at Manhattan with a three-game series of 610, winning the title by 37 pins. Glinka, who rolled games of 193, 204 and 213, helped lead the Junior Blues to the Centennial League team title by a 2,881-2,758 margin over runnerup Junction City.

By JUSTIN BURKHARDT

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights boys basketball extended their winning streak to four games Saturday afternoon with a dominant 80-33 victory over Pittsburg in coach Ken Darting’s final regular-season home game.

Junior Cam Ross led Shawnee Heights with a game-high 21 points in Saturday's 80-33 win over Pittsburg. [File photo/TSN]

The T-Birds came out firing, opening the contest on a 9-0 run.

Senior Ja’Veon Alston scored four of those early points, setting the tone on both ends of the floor.

Pittsburg finally got on the board with a 3-pointer two minutes into the first quarter, but Cam Ross and Alston answered immediately to push the Heights lead to 13-3.

Alston’s defensive intensity created multiple turnovers, leading to easy scoring opportunities. He added his eighth point of the quarter as the T-Birds stretched the advantage to 15.

The Thunderbirds closed the first quarter on a 10-4 run, with Ross scoring five of those points, to take a commanding 30-9 lead.

Ross finished with a game-high 21 points, 15 of which came in the first half.

“I have to credit our defense mainly that allowed me to get to the basket and score,” Ross said. “My point guard, Javion, plays really good defense. He was able to force turnovers and find me slashing to the basket, and just having each other’s back on defense and offense.”

Darting emphasized the team’s defensive identity.

“We're defensive oriented, and we don't have a lot of offensive talent, but if we play the game right and we take the shots we can make, then we're good, because the defense is consistent,” Darting said. “We knew nothing about Pittsburg, so we came in with a mindset of going to get them and figure things out. I thought we did exactly what we needed to do going into playoffs.”

Senior Jaimarion Cook sparked a huge second-quarter surge.

The T Birds went on a 17-0 run midway through the period that carried to halftime, with Cook scoring 10 of his 18 points during the stretch.

Heights entered the locker room with a 51-18 advantage. The second half brought more of the same.

The T-Birds outscored the Dragons 23-7 in the third quarter, highlighted by a 21-0 run.

Sophomore Malachi Lee scored all eight of his points during that burst, including six straight, as the lead ballooned to 74-25, triggering a running clock in the fourth quarter.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural led the way with 12 state qualifiers for the Class 6A state wrestling tournament as all nine Shawnee County teams qualified at least one competitor for state, with 11 individual regional champions.

Leading Rural to a third-place 6A regional team finish were regional champions Landen Kocher-Munoz, a senior 144-pounder, and junior 215-pounder Jadyn Baum.

Silver Lake led the Shawnee County contingent with a county-high five regional champions and a county-best runnerup regional team finish in 3A-1A, with the Eagles getting regional titles from senior 120-pounder Bryce Cormier, senior 138-pounder Garret Holmes, senior 157-pounder Jayden Waterer, senior 190-pounder Paxton Willett and sophomore 285-pounder Carter Spreer.

Shawnee Heights qualified 10 wrestlers for the 5A state tournament, led by freshman 113-pound regional champion Jacob Bonebrake and 150-pound junior champ Brody Brown while Hayden got 4A regional titles from junior 175-pounder Caleb Menke and senior 190-pounder Jude Krentz.  

Here's a look at Saturday's regional tournaments involving Shawnee County high schools:

Washburn Rural senior 144-pounder Landen Kocher-Munoz, a two-time Class 6A state champion and a three-time state finalist, won a regional title Saturday at Wichita North. [File photo/TSN]

Kocher-Munoz, Baum power Rural to third-place regional showing

Regional champions Landen Kocher-Munoz and Jadyn Baum led 12 Class 6A qualifiers for perennial state contender Washburn Rural, which finished third as a team in the 6A West regional at Wichita North.

Kocher-Munoz, a senior two-time state champion and three-time state finalist, won the regional title at 144 pounds to improve to 35-4 on the season.

Kocher-Munoz, a defending state champion, capped his regional title run with a 13-5 major decision over Manhattan senior Cameron Coonrod (42-5).

Baum, a junior 215-pounder, improved to 25-4 on the season with a 16-1 technical fall over Wichita South senior Jayden Kirk (28-5). Baum posted a third-place state finish in 2025 as a sophomore. 

Washburn Rural got runnerup regional finishes from 113-pound freshman Andrew Peterson (23-10), 120-pound senior Ryder Harrison (25-6), 138-pound senior Cooper Stivers (31-6) and junior Brodye Kocher-Munoz (27-7) while Rural senior Brenner Beninga (175) qualified fourth for state, freshman Hayden Broxterman (106), junior Gavin Homeyer (190) and sophomore Kaiden Marshall (285) placed fifth, sophomore Owen Dowell (132) was sixth at regionals and sophomore Caleb Schwartz (165) seventh.

Topeka High will be represented at state by senior 157-pounder Jordan Stiner and junior 175-pounder Landon Snyder, who both posted eighth-place regional finishes.

Maize won the team title in the 6A West Regional with 272.5 points, followed by Manhattan with 251 points and Rural with 223.5 points. Topeka High placed 16th as a team with 29 points.

The 6A state meet will be contested Friday and Saturday at the Advent Health Sports Park in Overland Park.

T-Birds qualify 10 for 5A state meet

Shawnee Heights placed fourth as a team in Saturday's Class 5A East regional at Lansing while qualifying 10 wrestlers for this weekend's state tournament in Park City.

The T-Birds got regional championships from 113-pound freshman Jacob Bonebrake and 150-pound junior Brody Brown.

Bonebrake improved to 17-1 with a 3 minute, 37-second pin over Blue Valley Southwest junior Caden Magdefran (19-8) in the 113-pound regional final while Brown improved to 33-6 with a 5:27 win by fall over De Soto junior Eli Anderson (27-15).

Evan Johnson, a 175-pound senior (32-8) posted a runnerup regional finish while sophomore Mason Moore (126), freshman Markis Owens (157) and junior Jaiden Converse (165) qualified for state with sixth-place regional finishes, junior Dallas Owens (138) and sophomore Carter Kamanda (144) placed seventh and sophomore Reid Niedfeldt (132) and junior Landyn Bafford (285) qualified eighth.

Highland Park will be represented at state by senior 175-pounder Philiciono Rice (14-19) and junior 165-pounder Joshua Hernandez-Torres (15-15), with Rice placing seventh and Hernandez-Torres eighth at regionals.

Basehor-Linwood won the 5A East regional team crown with 266 points while Heights was fourth with 156.5 points and Highland Park 16th with 17 points.

The 5A state tournament will be held Friday and Saturday in Park City.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights girls basketball protected its share of the United Kansas Conference lead with a 64-51 road win at Basehor-Linwood Tuesday night, the T-Birds' sixth straight win.

Senior KK Emmot (1) scored 21 points Tuesday night as Shawnee Heights improved to 17-4 with a 64-51 UKC win at Basehor-Linwood. [File photo/TSN]

KK Emmot led four T-Birds in double figures with 21 points, including four 3-pointers, as Shawnee Heights improved to 17-4 overall and 13-1 in the conference.

Heights also got 17 points from junior Pearmella Carter, 13 from senior Reianna Vega and 11 points from senior Imani McGlory.

The T-Birds led 15-10 at the end of the opening quarter, 34-25 at the halftime break and 50-35 after three quarters before cruising the rest of the way.

Shawnee Heights will travel to Kansas City-Turner on Friday for a UKC contest.

T-Bird boys take 57-56 thriller over Bobcats

Shawnee Heights boys survived a last-second shot from Basehor-Linwood to take a 57-56 United Kansas Conference road victory over the Bobcats on Tuesday.

With the win the T-Birds improved to 13-7 overall and 9-5 in the UKC and have now won four out of their last five games.

Shawnee Heights will travel to Kansas City-Turner on Friday for a UKC game before hosting Pittsburg on Saturday in a non-league tilt. 

Junior Prince Lassiter led Topeka West with 22 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 78-54 win over De Soto. [File photo/TSN]

West boys roll to 78-54 UKC victory at De Soto

Topeka West improved to 17-3 overall and 12-2 in the United Kansas Conference with a 78-54 Tuesday night road win at at De Soto.

West took control from the opening tipoff, outscoring the Wildcats 27-8 in the first quarter.

The Chargers led 45-27 at the half before opening up a 64-40 margin at the start of the final period.

Junior Prince Lassiter led Topeka West with a game-high 22 points while also grabbing eight rebounds.

Seniors Malakyah Duncan and Gad Munganga added 16 and 14 points, respectively, with both Chargers connecting on four 3-pointers as West hit 10 treys as a team.

Brandon Serna led De Soto (7-12, 4-9) with 11 points.

De Soto tops West girls, 70-41

De Soto's girls romped to a 70-41 United Kansas Conference home victory over Topeka West Tuesday night.

De Soto improved to 10-9 overall and 7-6 in the conference while Topeka West fell to 5-15, 2-12.

Pirates knock off UKC-leading Seaman, 59-50

Piper avenged an earlier United Kansas Conference loss to Seaman Tuesday night, taking a 59-50 home win over the Vikings.

The Vikings suffered only their second UKC loss, dropping to 16-4 overall and 11-2 in the conference.

Piper improved to 14-6 overall and 10-3 in the UKC, winning for the seventh time over its last eight games.

Seaman will be at home Friday to host Basehor-Linwood in a UKC matchup.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Emme Blanco

EMME BLANCO, Washburn Rural

Blanco, a senior girls wrestling standout, captured the 145-pound championship in Saturday's Class 6A West regional at Wichita South, improving to 37-3 on the season. After receiving a first-round bye, Blanco posted 32-second, 1:13 and 5:35 wins by fall, including a third-period pin over Garden City freshman Aria Cordes in the title match. 

Jack Donovan

JACK DONOVAN, Rossville

A senior basketball standout, Donovan scored a total of 61 points in two Rossville wins on the week as the Bulldawgs improved to 12-6 on the season. Donovan scored 21 points in Tuesday's 75-43 Big East League win over Royal Valley and then scored a career-high 40 points, with six 3-pointers and a 4 of 4 performance at the free throw line in Friday's 95-48 non-league victory over Abilene.  

Cianna Graves

CIANNA GRAVES, Shawnee Heights

Graves, a senior girls wrestling star, won the 155-pound championship in Saturday's Class 5A East wrestling regional at Bonner Springs as Shawnee Heights finished second as a team and qualified all 14 of its competitors for state. Now 31-2 on the season, Graves received a first-round bye and then went 3-0 with 1:35 and 1:56 pins and a 5-1 decision over Bonner Springs senior Addison Vogel.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights' girls wrestling team turned in a strong performance in Saturday's Class 5A East regional at Bonner Springs, posting a runnerup team finish while advancing all 14 competitors to the state tournament Feb. 27-28 at Park City.

Shawnee Heights sophomore Olive Jones (top) won the 135-pound championship in Saturday's Class 5A East regional. [File photo/TSN] 

Shawnee Heights senior Cianna Graves won the 155-pound championship in Saturday's Class 5A East regional. [File photo/TSN]

The T-Birds, ranked No. 3 in 5A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association, got individual regional championships from 135-pound sophomore Olive Jones and 155-pound senior Cianna Graves and put four other wrestlers in the finals, finishing second to top-ranked Basehor-Linwood by a 275-212.5 margin.

Jones improved to 35-1 on the season with a 1 minute, 25-second win by pin over Basehor-Linwood sophomore Willow Rademacher (30-10) in the 135 final while Graves improved to 31-2 with a 5-1 decision over Bonner Springs senior Addison Vogel (25-3) at 155.

The T-Birds got second-place finishes from freshman 120-pounder Brinnley Morris (17-3), junior 125-pounder Audrey Hinkly (25-12), senior 145-pounder Olivia Stevens (29-5) and junior 190-pounder Brooklyn Binkley (20-11) while sophomore Bianca Juarez (110 pounds) posted a third-place finish.

Freshmen Makynzie Allen (100) and Stella Engel (235) qualified with fourth-place regional finishes while freshman Raelyn Kelly (130) finished fifth, senior Shelby Watson (170) sixth, sophomores Halle Hill (115) and Evelyn Ruby (140) seventh and freshman Carmarra Smith (105) eighth.

Highland Park senior Makayla Cadet, the defending 5A state champion at 190 pounds, earned a shot to defend her title with a third-place regional finish. Cadet is 20-2 on the season.   

Washburn Rural senior Emme Blanco won the Class 6A West 145-pound regional title Saturday at Wichita South, helping Rural finish third as a team. [File photo/TSN]

 Washburn Rural senior Elia Smith won the 170-pound title in Saturday's Class 6A West regional at Wichita South for the third-place Junior Blues. [File photo/TSN]

Rural regional champs Blanco, Smith lead 13 Junior Blues 6A qualifiers

Washburn Rural seniors Emme Blanco and Elia Smith captured individual regional championships in the Class 6A West regional Saturday at Wichita South, powering the Junior Blues to a third-place team finish with 13 state qualifiers.

Blanco, now 37-3 on the season, won the 145-pound title with a 5:35 pin in the finals over Garden City freshman Aria Cordes while Smith, 32-3, earned a 4-1 decision over Derby senior Chloe Spears (36-6) in the 170-pound regional final.

The Junior Blues got third-place regional finishes from 125-pound senior Lacey Middleton (36-6), 140-pound senior Madi Blanco (35-4) and freshman 155-pounder Raella Ebanez (31-8) while freshman 105-pounder Aliyah Tangpricha (25-5), freshman 135-pounder Alea Estep (21-16), 190-pound junior Lily Davis (33-10) and sophomore Emma Mehl (24-14) placed fourth.

Junior Dixie Day (120) qualified for state with a sixth-place regional finish while freshman Ashlyn Johnson (110) finished seventh and freshman Hadley Rosenbaum (100) and junior Rylee-Jade Ebanez (130) placed eighth.

Topeka High freshman 235-pounder Kya Dawkins qualified for state with a seventh-place regional finish while senior 170-pounder Taniza Huggins advanced with an eighth-place finish.

The 6A state tournament will be contested Feb. 27-28 at the AdventHealth Sports Park in Overland Park.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Cair Paravel Latin boys basketball completed a wire to wire 10-0 run to the Flint Hills League regular-season championship on Tuesday night, posting a 61-41 home win over Council Grove.

The Lions also won the Flint Hills League midseason tournament.

Lucas Marichal led the way with 17 points as Cair Paravel wrapped up a perfect Flint Hills League record with Tuesday's 61-41 win over Council Grove. [File photo/TSN]

Now 17-2 overall with 14 straight victories, the Lions took control of Tuesday's game with a 25-9 first quarter. 

Cair Paravel led 38-18 at the half and the two teams battled to a 23-23 scoring stalemate over the final two quarters.

Lucas Marichal led Cair Paravel with 17 points while Chase Hastert added 14 points with three 3-pointers and Blaine Durbin had 12 points.

The Lions will host Heritage Christian on Friday.

CPLS girls take 36-31 victory

London Backman led the way with 13 points, including three 3-pointers, as Cair Paravel's girls took a tight 36-31 Flint Hills League decision over Council Grove Tuesday on the Lions' home court.

Cair Paravel led 9-6 at the end of the first quarter and 16-11 at the half before going in front 27-20 through three quarters.

Council Grove held an 11-9 scoring edge over the final eight minutes but Cair Paravel was able to hold on for the win, improving to 9-10 on the season.

Karsyn Hastert added nine points and Avery Rosenow seven points for the Lions.

Rural boys drop 63-54 Centennial League tilt to Manhattan

Washburn Rural dropped its third straight single-digit game on Tuesday, with Manhattan taking a home 63-54 Centennial League decision over the Junior Blues.

Rural fell to 9-8 overall and 2-3 in the league while Manhattan improved to 12-5 overall and 4-1 in the league.

The Junior Blues will be at home Friday to host Junction City in a Centennial League contest.

Manhattan tops Lady Blues, 67-45

Manhattan girls basketball rolled to a 67-45 home Centennial League win over Washburn Rural Tuesday night.

Washburn Rural fell to 11-6 overall and 2-3 in the league.

Scots roll to 26-point Meadowlark Conference win

Highland Park's boys posted their second straight win Tuesday night, taking a 48-22 Meadowlark Conference road decision over Kansas City-Schlagle.

The Scots, now 5-14, have outscored their past two foes by a 116-41 margin.

Highland Park's girls took a 2-0 forfeit win over Schlagle.

Cameron Miller scored 26 points Tuesday in Rossville's 75-43 win over Royal Valley. [File photo/TSN] 

Bulldawg boys continue hot streak

Rossville boys basketball has now won six out of its last seven games after a 75-43 Big East League rout Tuesday night at Royal Valley.

The Bulldawgs, now 11-6 overall and 6-4 in the league, took control with a 45-23 first-half onslaught and used a 25-15 third quarter to force a running clock over the final eight minutes.

Senior Cameron Miller paced Rossville with 26 points while Jack Donovan added 21 points and Jakoby McDonnell 11.

Rossville will be at home Friday to host Abilene.

Senior Rylee Dick scored 24 points to pace Rossville to a 63-37 win over Royal Valley Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]

Dick, Burdiek power Rossville past Royal Valley

Senior Rylee Dick scored 24 points and junior Nora Burdiek 21 points as Rossville's girls took a 63-37 Big East League road win at Royal Valley.

Rossville has now won three straight games, improving to 9-8 on the season and 4-6 in the league.

The Bulldawgs will be at home Friday to host Abilene.

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

Trailing 37-36 after three periods, the Shawnee Heights girls exploded for a 17-0 run to pull away from guest Seaman 60-42 Tuesday. It was just the T-Birds’ second win over Seaman in the last 13 meetings.

Shawnee Heights junior Pearmella Carter scored 12 of her 23 points in the fourth quarter Tuesday as the T-Birds pulled away for a 60-42 UKC win over Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Fueling the decisive run was Shawnee Heights junior Pearmella Carter, who scored 12 of her 23 points in the fourth quarter. Carter hit all six shots she attempted in the crucial final period.

“We made a few slight adjustments on some things we were doing, and it opened some passing lanes and some driving lanes,” said Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells. “And then, all of a sudden, we were feeling a lot better about moving and catching and shooting, getting the ball inside to Pearmella. She did a great job. when she couldn’t muscle it up there, she kicked it out and then we started hitting some threes.

“You know how momentum goes. One person hits them. Then they all started smiling, and they all started hitting.”

The Vikings led by as much as seven points in the second period. The T-Birds clawed back to take the lead briefly in the third period, but Seaman clung to a lead going into the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to seven third-quarter points by Cara Beaton, who led the Vikings with 12.

Junior KK Emmot (1) scored 14 points in Shawnee Heights' 60-42 home UKC win over Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Seaman has thoroughly dominated the rivalry for the past decade, a fact that made the win all the more enjoyable for the T-Birds.

“It’s huge,” Wells said. “I told the girls we could not take Seaman for granted no matter what their record was. They can really shoot the ball. You let them hit some threes and start feeling good about themselves. It took us a little fortitude to come back and really change things and make the game go a different way.”

Shawnee Heights juniors Pearmella Carter and KK Emmot both reached the 1,000-point milestone for their careers Tuesday at Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]

Carter’s huge fourth quarter led her past a milestone. Carter and fellow junior KK Emmot both eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for their careers Tuesday.

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights did everything right to shut down high-scoring Seaman guard KaeVon Bonner for three periods.

Seaman senior star KaeVon Bonner (33) scored 22 points Tuesday as the Vikings took control down the stretch for a 56-47 UKC road win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

The Vikings’ senior averages about 25 points per game. So when the host T-Birds held Bonner to just four points through 24 minutes of action Tuesday, they had reason to feel good about their 37-34 lead. But a set play out of the break sprung Bonner for an open look from three, and he buried it. It was the spark that started a fire.

Bonner torched Shawnee Heights for 16 points – all of the Vikings’ points – over the next 3:10, and all of a sudden Seaman led 50-40. Seaman held on to win 56-47 to improve to 14-3 on the season.

Seaman coach Craig Cox described the play that started the run.

“One of my assistants, Paul Muzzy, suggested that we go to a set play that gets (KaeVon) a look, and it was a great call and we executed it and he popped off the screen and knocked down the shot,” Cox said. “And then it was no looking back. Just an unbelievable fourth quarter.”

For three periods, Shawnee Heights senior Ja’Veon Alston went toe-to-toe with Bonner, harassing him with on-ball defense and scoring 13 points to Bonner’s four.

“They were doubling (Bonner) some when he was starting to attack,” Cox said. “They were bringing help defense, and (Alston) did a really good job of pressuring him, held him to four points until then. Then he was able to finally get it going and show how he can take over a game and dominate like that.  I’m just really proud of him keeping his composure and coming through when we needed it.”

Bonner hit four straight attempts to start the run. Then, after missing a shot, the senior dropped a long triple, which he followed moments later with a three-point play.

“Once I hit that first three, I knew I was starting to feel it and the energy, the crowd … that first shot started it off,” Bonner said.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Leah Crawford

LEAH CRAWFORD, Seaman

A sophomore bowler, Crawford shot a 661 three-game series to capture the girls individual title in Friday's city championships at Gage Bowl. Crawford rolled games of 224, 211 and 226 to take individual honors by 36 pins as Seaman rolled to its third straight city team championship by a 3,293-2,970 margin over Washburn Rural.

Cianna Graves

CIANNA GRAVES, Shawnee Heights

Graves, a senior girls wrestling star, won the United Kansas Conference championship at 155 pounds while also recording the 100th pin of her career on Saturday at Piper as No. 3-ranked (Class 5A) Shawnee Heights claimed the team championship by a 179.5-163 margin over top-ranked Basehor-Linwood. Now 28-2 on the season, Graves went 3-0 on the day with three pins.

Caleb Menke

CALEB MENKE, Hayden

Menke, a 175-pound junior wrestling standout, reached the 100-win milestone on Thursday at Royal Valley, a rare accomplishment for an underclassmen, and followed that up with the 175-pound championship in Saturday's Centennial League tournament at Washburn Rural, posting a 5-0 record on the day, including a 55-second pin and a 15-0 technical fall.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights' girls regained the United Kansas Conference wrestling championship Saturday at Piper, with the Class 5A No. 3-ranked T-Birds topping No. 1 Basehor-Linwood by a 179.5-163 margin.

Shawnee Heights senior Olivia Stevens (left) reached the 100-win milestone in Saturday's UKC wrestling tournament while T-Bird senior Cianna Graves registered her 100th career pin. [Photo courtesy of Shawnee Heights wrestling]

The T-Birds garnered five individual conference titles while posting 10 top-three finishes.

Shawnee Heights got gold-medal performances from freshman 120-pounder Brinnley Morris, junior 125-pounder Audrey Hinkly, sophomore 130-pounder Olive Jones, senior 145-pounder Olivia Stevens and senior 155-pounder Cianna Graves.

Stevens, 27-4 on the season, and Graves, 28-2, both reached career milestones on Saturday, with Graves reaching 100 pins for her career while Stevens notched her 100th career victory.

Shawnee Heights also got runnerup UKC finishes from sophomore Bianca Juarez (110), senior Shelby Watson (170) and junior Brooklyn Binkley (190) while sophomore Halle Hall (115) and freshman Raelyn Kelly (130) placed third.

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

The Shawnee Heights girls hit 23 field goals in their 59-11 United Kansas Conference win over Lansing Friday. But the first bucket was the most important.

T-Birds make Senior Night special for injured captain Tayler Hanshaw. [Photo by Kirk Hockman/Special to TSN] 

As part of the T-Birds’ Senior Night celebration, senior Tayler Hanshaw made her first start of the season. Wearing a brace on her right knee, Hanshaw jogged to the offensive end after Lansing conceded the opening jump ball. Hanshaw was fed a pass on the right block, which she laid in for her first, and only, score of the season.

Hanshaw was a key member of last year’s T-Birds that were knocked out in a Class 5A sub-state finals. She figured to be a leader for coach Bob Wells’ team in her senior season. But an injury ended her season just as it was beginning.

“Over the summer I put in a lot of work, going to the gym every day,” Hanshaw recalled. “But, like, 20 minutes into the first practice I was doing a defensive drill and I just stepped wrong and (my knee) popped. I was very disappointed because I was really looking forward to this season.”

A torn ACL deprived Hanshaw of her senior season, and deprived Shawnee Heights of an important player.

“It was really sad, especially the way it happened on that very first day of tryouts,” said fellow senior Reianna Vega. “We knew it was going to affect us a lot because she was one of our point guards and she shot a lot of threes. Knowing she wasn’t going to be back for the rest of the season, we knew we had to step up and do what we had to do to fill her spot.”

Hanshaw surrendered her position on the floor, but she wasn’t going to give up her influence on the team, which, with the win over Lansing, is now 14-4.

“I still wanted to be in that captain role,” Hanshaw said. “I knew I wasn’t going to give that up. So, I came to practice every day. I showed up to every game. I sat on the bench and supported the team. Even though I couldn’t play, I still wanted to be there for them.”

The T-Birds were able to play everyone in the romp over Lansing. Junior KK Emmot led Heights with 14 points, followed by senior Imani McGlory and Vega, who added 11 apiece. Nine T-Birds scored in the game.

Hanshaw appreciated the opportunity to get in the game, to score a bucket, and to be recognized in the post-game ceremony as one of the T-Birds’ four seniors.

“It was really exciting to go out there and even being able to shoot because I didn’t know if I would be able to do that,” Hanshaw said. “I’m really glad it worked out because I have a lot of family that came to support me.”

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

JaiMarion Cook had a night shooting the basketball he won’t soon forget. The senior connected on all seven three-pointers he attempted Friday against Lansing to lead the T-Birds to a 73-52 win on Shawnee Heights’ Senior Night.

Shawnee Heights senior JaiMarion Cook hit seven 3-pointers in Friday's 73-52 win over Lansing. [File photo/TSN]i

Cook swished the game’s first shot to trigger a 12-0 run to open the game. The T-Birds hit their first five shots, and nine of 11 attempts in the first period to bolt to a 23-5 lead. Cook did most of the damage, hitting four 3-pointers, barely grazing the rim on any of his attempts.

Shawnee Heights stretched that lead to 38-12 at the half, with Cook hitting another 3-pointer.

The senior buried Shawnee Heights’ first two shot attempts of the second half to give him seven 3-pointers in the first 18 minutes of the game. Only late in the third period did he finally miss a shot – a tough reverse on a drive through traffic. The senior finished with 23 points to lead all scorers.

“I felt it before I even walked out of the locker room,” Cook said. “It just felt like, when we embraced each other on the middle of the court before the game…it was like something was in the air.”

Though he kept connecting, Cook didn’t worry about his perfect streak.

“It’s not about a streak,” Cook said. “I just told myself, ‘Keep shooting. You’re on fire right now.’ ”

At times this season, Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting has lamented his team’s offensive limitations. He smiled when discussing the team’s blistering start and Cook’s perfect night from behind the arc.

“When I’m disappointed, I’m usually disappointed with effort, because our margin of error is so that we have to be perfect,” Darting said. “We can’t make mistakes. But we can shoot it, if we take our time to get what we call ‘gold shots.’ That’s a shot you can make.”

NOTE: Statistics for city girls basketball teams were compiled by Seaman girls coach Matt Tinsley. The following stats are the second of three statistical reports which will be released during the 2025-2026 season, capped by the season-ending stats. Topeka West statistics were not available.

Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, Topeka High

SCORING

Name, school                    Gms.  Pts.    Avg

Rayton, Topeka High           13      307     23.6

Schmidtlein, Hayden            13      230     17.7

Emmot, Shawnee Heights    16      275     17.2

Caryl, Topeka High                10      152     15.2

Anderson, Washburn Rural   13       190    14.6

McGlory, Shawnee Heights   15       194    12.9

Gragg, Seaman                      13       163    12.5

Marshall, Topeka High           14       158    11.3

Carter, Shawnee Heights       15        163   10.9

Kincade, Highland Park          13        137   10.5

Beaton, Seaman                     11        114    10.4

Jones, Highland Park              13        134    10.3

Carlgren, Washburn Rural      14        143    10.2

Hirschi, Washburn Rural         14        130      9.3

Backman, CPLS                        13        115     8.8

REBOUNDING

Name, school                    Gms.   Total    Avg.

Caryl, Topeka High                10      116       11.6

Walker, Washburn Rural        14      124         8.9

Gragg, Seaman                      13      105         8.1

Schmidtlein, Hayden              13        92         7.1 

Carter, Shawnee Heights        12        84         7.0

Jones, Highland Park              13        88         6.8

Dreher, Seaman                      13        83         6.4

Vega, Shawnee Heights          13       74          5.7

Gotru, Topeka High                13        72         5.5

Anderson, Washburn Rural     13        71         5.5

Marshall, Topeka High             14       76          5.4 

Watts, Hayden                          13       70         5.4                  

Carlgren, Washburn Rural        14        74         5.3

Barnett, Highland Park             12        60         5.0 

Walter, Hayden                         13        60        4.6

Baum, Shawnee Heights            13       60        4.6

Hailey Caryl, Topeka High

ASSISTS

Name, school                     Gms.   Total    Avg.

Caryl, Topeka High                10          69       6.9

Jones, Highland Park             13          42       3.2

Beaton, Seaman                    11           35      3.2

Gragg, Seaman                      13           41     3.2

Marshall, Topeka High           14           42      4.0

Emmot, Shawnee Heights      13           35      2.7

Baum, Shawnee Heights         13          34      2.6

Foster, Hayden                        13          30      2.3

Cosey, Highland Park              13          30      2.3

Anderson, Washburn Rural     13          29      2.2

Schmidtlein, Hayden               13          28      2.2

Vega, Shawnee Heights           13          28     2.2

Rayton, Topeka High                13          28     2.2

Rutherford, Washburn Rural     13          28     2.2

Watts, Hayden                           13          26     2.0

Kincade, Highland Park             13          26     2.0

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman's girls and Washburn Rural's boys earned bragging rights in Friday's third annual Topeka Shawnee County Bowling Championships at Gage Bowl, with the Vikings winning their third straight girls team championship and Rural repeating as the boys champion.

Seaman girls bowling won its third straight city title Friday at Gage Bowl, putting four bowlers in the top six places individually. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn Rural won its second straight city bowling team title Friday at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Individually, Seaman sophomore Leah Crawford shot a 661 three-game series to win the girls title by 36 pins while Topeka High junior Adrian Meraz Jara shocked the boys field with a 700 to win by 16 pins.

Seaman's girls won the team title by a 3,293-2,970 margin over Washburn Rural, including the four Baker format games, as the Vikings put four bowlers in the top six.

"The girls have really been pretty solid all year,'' Seaman coach Bob Benoit said. "When they get to striking they seem to feed off of each other. I'm really pleased with where they're at. We've just got to clean up the spares.

"Their morale's really good. There's no drama with the girls. It's a real pleasure to coach them.'' 

Washburn Rural junior Megan Glinka and Seaman junior Paige Snyder tied for second with 625 series, with Glinka taking second on a tiebreaker with a 256 high game while Snyder had a high game of 235.

Seaman's Claire LaDuke finished fourth with a 613 series while the Vikings' Ava Carlson finished sixth with a 559 series.

Seaman sophomore Leah Crawford won the city girls individual bowling title Friday at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]

Crawford bowled games of 224, 211 and 226 as she broke through for the title in her second city meet.

"Last year at the city meet I placed 12th and it was not my best day,'' Crawford said. "I was very surprised with how I did today.

"Normally when I come to Gage I get very nervous because it's not my favorite place to bowl. So I was pretty impressed with how I did and I was trying to keep my head up the whole entire day.''

Washburn Rural took its second straight boys team title by a 3,517-3,474 margin over Shawnee Heights, including the Baker games, as Matthew Richard led the Junior Blues with a runnerup individual finish with a 684 series.

The Junior Blues also got a seventh-place finish from Jackson Keller (644), a ninth from Andrew Faurot (633) and a 10th-place showing from Cody Spangler (631).

"The titles are nice to have, but we're always looking for improvement each time out as we get closer and closer to the end of the season,'' Washburn Rural coach Jo Ricard said. "We know that there's definitely the potential there for them, and it's a matter of staying focused the whole way through the whole time.

"It's not just only about strikes, but also when that spare piece is there you've got to hit your spares and stay focused on that. And that includes Baker. If you're rolling through the first five frames and we're hot and on, we've got to stay focused. That's something obviously we continue to work on constantly because looking ahead we know how tough our regional is going to look like.'' 

Boys runnerup Shawnee Heights put four bowlers in the top six, with Trey Donath third (683), Chevy Stallbaumer fourth (669), Evan Jones fifth (664) and Henry Schattilly sixth (645). Kelton Meier finished eighth (638) for third-place Hayden.

Topeka High's Adrian Meraz Jara won the city boys bowling title with a 700 series. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]

 But the star of the day was Merez Jara, who shattered his previous personal best by about 170 pins with games of 212, 255 and 233.

"I hadn't been close to that at all,'' Merez Jara said. "The closest I got was like 530. I didn't think I was ever going to get this high.''

In fact, Friday was the first time Merez Jara had placed in a meet.

"I have never placed, ever,'' he said. "I'm just shocked because I would have never expected to be up there.'' 

TOPEKA SHAWNEE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights' boys and Seaman's girls captured the United Kansas Conference team championships Wednesday at Lansing while Heights' Henry Schattilly and Kaden Evans posted a one-two boys individual finish.

Senior Henry Schattilly shot a 761 series Wednesday to win the UKC individual title for team champion Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]

Seaman won the girls team title by a 3,019-2,907 margin over Shawnee Heights, while the T-Bird boys took top honors by a 3,652-3,534 margin over Lansing.

Schattilly shot a banner 761 three-game series with games of 245, 269 and 247 to take the boys individual title while Evans was second with a 707 series, including a first-game 289. Heights' Chevy Stallbaumer posted a 10th-place finish with 658 series, including a 259. 

Seaman sophomore Leah Crawford finished fourth individually to lead Seaman to the UKC team title. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]

Seaman's girls rode its balance to the girls team championship, with Leah Crawford finishing fourth (596), Claire LaDuke fifth (590), Paige Snyder seventh (551) and Ava Carlson 10th (536).

Crawford had a high game of 225.

Reese Bell paced girls runnerup Shawnee Heights with a third-place individual finish (610) while Emma Wederski finishing eighth (542).

Bell had a consistent series with games of 204, 200 and 206 while Wederski had a high game of 209.

Shawnee Heights, Seaman and Topeka West will all compete in a 5A regional tournament next Tuesday at Gage Bowl, with the boys competing at 9 a.m., followed by the girls at 12:30 p.m.

UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE BOWLING

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University football coach Zach Watkins announced a diverse 34-member high school recruiting class on Wednesday, including five city products.

Washburn football coach Zach Watkins announced a 2026 recruiting class on Wednesday that includes 34 high school players and 17 transfers who are already on campus. [File photo/TSN]

"Our staff did a tremendous job of identifying what we needed on the roster and going out and identifying the kids that fit those needs,'' said Watkins, who will be starting his second season as WU's head coach in 2026. "We've been recruiting these guys since February of '25, so to see a full year of recruiting come to fruition and the kids all signed is very satisfying.''

Watkins also confirmed that Washburn, which is coming off a 3-8 campaign, has picked up 17 transfers who are currently enrolled at WU for the spring semester.

"We got hired last year and had a month to recruit,'' Watkins said. "This year we had a year to recruit. We signed 34 high school kids and 17 transfers who are here on campus right now and they started in January. They're the most talented group of transfers we've ever brought in here at Washburn.

"Those transfers provide immediate help and immediate depth and then like I said from Day 1 when we got hired as a staff, we're going to be a high school-based recruiting program. We're going to recuit Topeka, we're going to recruit Kansas, the Midwest and branch out from there and the 34 kids we signed really filled the needs we have and the depth we needed to create, we got that done in this class.''     

Washburn Rural's Jordy Heim (6-foot-1, 220 pounds) and John Hoytal (6-3, 200) signed on Wednesday along with Hayden's Kade Mitchell (5-9, 175), Shawnee Heights' Aiden Scott (6-5, 200) and Topeka West's Logan Hunninghake (6-2, 250).

John Hoytal, Washburn Rural

Kade Mitchell, Hayden

Kade Mitchell, Hayden

Hoytal, Mitchell and Scott earned TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 honors this past fall while Heim was a Second 22 all-county honoree and Hunninghake earned all-county honorable mention.

Hoytal played quarterback for Washburn Rural but is projected as a tight end in college while Mitchell is a running back, Scott a quarterback, Heim a linebacker and Hunninghake an offensive lineman.

"The kids we got from Topeka we're really excited about,'' Watkins said. 

The Washburn recruiting class includes 11 players that played at Kansas high schools along with 12 Missouri prep products, seven from Texas, three from Florida and one from Nebraska.

There's also diversity among position groups, with eight players projected as defensive backs, six defensive linemen and five offensive linemen, four wide receivers, three linebackers and running backs, two tight ends, two punter/kickers and one quarterback.

Washburn recruiting capsules:

By VINCE LOVERGINE

TopSports.news

No. 6-ranked (Class 5A) Shawnee Heights girls basketball picked up win No. 13 on the season Tuesday night, rolling to a 68-3 United Kansas Conference home win over Kansas City-Turner.

Junior Pearmella Carter scored a game-high 15 points in Tuesday's 68-3 Shawnee Heights UKC win over KC-Turner. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

“We talked about keeping the bar high and executing and doing the things that we need to work on and not just do whatever we want and just run around, but get some good out of this,” T-Bird coach Bob Wells said.

“There were some things out there that even tonight showed up that we need to work on and the girls were made aware of that after the game and when we took them out of the game that we have to finish this But we’ll take a win any time we can get it.”

Shawnee Heights created a lot of turnovers leading to easy buckets in transition and just never looked back. The three points for Turner are the second lowest total they’ve had this season after scoring two against Basehor-Linwood earlier this year.

SHHS dominated from the jump and did not let off the gas pedal.

Junior Pearmella Carter scored the team's first four points, leading the team to a 10-0 run and a timeout by Turner with 6:16 left in the first quarter.

That was the start of a 35-0 run to begin the game, led by Carter with 11 of the team's first 17 points. Senior Imani McGlory and junior KK Emmot hit one each from distance and the rout was on.

Turner scored its first basket with seven minutes left in the second quarter by Alyasia Ollie. Wells emptied his bench with 6:30 left in the quarter, leaving McGlory out there as the only starter, but then the starters came back in the game for the last 2:30 left of the half.

Heights took a 48-point lead into the break, 51-3. In the third quarter it was more of the same, as Emmott scored five straight pushing the score to 59-3 and Wells emptied the bench again.

Wells would then bring the starters back out to start the fourth quarter but then the bench came back at the 4:45 mark and finished the game, as a running clock was used throughout the final stanza.

Wells said he kept bringing back the starters because it was to help them keep their head in the game.

“We were working on some different rotations if a player is hurt or sick, foul trouble, things like that and see different kids out there playing with each other,” Wells said.

Sophomore Aniya Karlyle caught the attention of Wells in this game, taking advantage of her playing time off the bench.

“She came in and did a very good job of rebounding and she’s a kid that’s really starting to come on,'' Wells said. "And a few other kids did some nice things, too. They just need to get that varsity experience with a few more people on the court.''

Junior KK Emmot scored 11 points in Shawnee Heights' 68-3 UKC rout over KC-Turner Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Carter led all scorers with 15 points, Emmot had 11 points, senior Reianna Vega had 10 and McGlory finished with nine points.

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 68, KC-TURNER 3

KC-Turner                0 3 0 0 – 3

Shawnee Heights 35 16 12 5 – 68

KC Turner (3-12) -- Chavez 0 0-4 0, Berry 0 0-2 0, Olsen 0 0-2 0, Ollie 1 1-2 3, High 0 0-2 0.

Shawnee Heights (13-4) -- Emmot 3 3-3 11, Brees 2 0-0 4, Aubrey Hamilton 2 0-0 4, McGlory 4 0-0 9, Schmidt, 1 2-2 4, Pierce 2 0-0 5, Allie Hamilton 0 0-2 0 Carter 7 1-2 15, Baum 1 2-2 4, Karlyle 1 0-0 2, Vega 5 0-0 10.

3-point goals -- Shawnee Heights 4 (Emmot 2, McGlory, Pierce). Total fouls -- KC Turner 11, Shawnee Heights 12. Fouled out -- none.

By VINCE LOVERGINE

TopSports.news

Kansas City-Turner kept things close most of the way Tuesday night at Shawnee Heights until the fourth quarter when the T-Birds opened the flood gates en route to a 76-54 United Kansas Conference win.

Shawnee Heights freshman Quincy Dixon scored a game-high 20 points in Tuesday's 76-54 UKC win over KC-Turner. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

“The finish of the final quarter was dominating and we did it with defense,” Heights coach Ken Darting said. “What we’re not grasping is that when you’re basically playing five guys for 32 minutes, you have to play 100 percent all the time and nothing less. We have to get more help off the bench or we’re going to be in trouble.”

Junior Cam Ross scored 18 points in Shawnee Heights' 76-54 UKC win over KC-Turner Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Junior Cam Ross had himself a nice first quarter drilling a triple early on to push the T-Birds to a 5-0 lead, and senior JaiMarion Cook made it 10-5 before Ross had a steal and went coast to coast, threw down a dunk with one hand with a defender all over him. He then would hit a three late in the quarter to make it 17-7 and SHHS led 19-10 after one.

The Bears would go on a 9-0 run to begin the second quarter after Xaire Davis hit a three to make it 20-19. Shawnee Heights would quickly regain the lead after freshman Quincy Dixon converted an and-one opportunity.

The lead would get back to five after another Cook three from the left wing but Darion McBride tied the game at 28 for Turner after he, too, converted an and-one and that's where the game stood at halftime, 28-28. 

The game would go back and forth for a little bit in the third quarter but then the T-Birds built a lead once again thanks to senior Ja’Veon Alston and Dixon, creating a 10-2 run and forcing the Bears into a timeout at 43-35.

After another Ross dunk and a Aiden Scott buzzer-beating layup, Shawnee Heights led by 10, 47-37 going into the fourth.

The Bears would bring its deficit down to seven after a Cedric Scott three, but after that Turner committed several turnovers leading to transition points along with fastbreak opportunities and the lead grew to 63-47 before Turner called another timeout.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Editor's note: TopSports.news will post letter of intent signing updates as they are received. Email any signing information and signing day pictures to Rick Peterson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

                               ----------------------------------------------

Hayden senior golf stars Lauren Borjon and Izzy Glotzbach signed college letters of intent with Iowa Western Community College Tuesday at Hayden.

Lauren Borjon, Hayden

Izzy Glotzbach, Hayden

Both Borjon and Glotzbach were three-time All-Shawnee County selections and helped lead Hayden to back-to-back Class 4A state state championships in 2023 and 2024 before a fourth-place finish this past fall.

Borjon earned her fourth straight medal in the 2025 4A state meet with a tie for 12th, was the runnerup in the city tourney, fifth in the Centennial League, eighth at regionals and was a second-team All-State pick in 4A.

Glotzbach Glotzbach tied for fifth in the 4A state tournament after finishing third in the city tournament, fourth in the Centennial League, tying for second at regionals and earning first-team All-4A recognition.

Aiden Scott, Shawnee Heights

AJ Gallegos, Shawnee Heights

T-Bird standouts to sign college football letters

Four Shawnee Heights football seniors are scheduled to sign college football letters of intent on Wednesday at Heights.

Aiden Scott will sign a letter of intent with Washburn University while AJ Gallegos will sign with Baker, Blake Coffman with Emporia State and Camden Granado with Iowa Western Community College.

Scott and Gallegos were All-Shawnee County Top 22 picks last fall while Coffman and Granado received honorable mention.

T-Bird star Tyren Parker signed earlier with Kansas and enrolled at the school for the spring semester.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Daniel Allen

DANIEL ALLEN, Washburn Rural

Allen, a junior boys swimmer, captured four gold medals in Thursday's Topeka City Swimming Championships at the Capitol Federal Natatorium as Washburn Rural extended its city championship streak to seven straight with a dominating 609-371 margin over Seaman. Allen won individual titles in the 100-yard butterfly (52.22 seconds) and 100 backstroke (52.82) and swam on the Junior Blues' winning 200 medley relay (1:41.75) and 400 free relay (3:24.55) teams. 

BRYNN ANDERSON, Washburn Rural

A freshman basketball standout, Anderson was named the Most Valuable Player in the Glaciers Edge Tournament at Emporia after scoring a game-high 20 points in the championship game as Washburn Rural captured the tournament title with a 48-42 win over Wichita Southeast. Anderson hit 5 of 10 shots from the field, including a 3-pointer, and went 9 of 10 at the free throw line for the 10-4 Junior Blues. 

Madi Blanco  

MADI BLANCO, Washburn Rural

Blanco, a girls wrestling star, went 3-0 on the day with three pins to capture the 140-pound championship in Saturday's 20-school Washburn Women's Invitational. Blanco, a two-time Class 6A state medalist, needed just 37 seconds in the championship match to win the title after beginning the day with 1:31 and 2:14 pins. Blanco was ranked No. 3 in 6A and No. 5 in the All-Class rankings by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.

NOTE: Statistics for city boys basketball teams were compiled by Seaman girls coach Matt Tinsley. The following stats are the second of three statistical reports which will be released during the 2025-2026 season, capped by the season-ending stats.

KaeVon Bonner, Seaman

SCORING

Name, school                    Gms.  Pts.  Avg

Bonner, Seaman                     14   345   24.6

Kingcannon, Highland Park    14   274   19.6

Ross, Shawnee Heights           13   249   19.2

Compton, Hayden                   15   239   15.9

Hanika, Hayden                       15   230   15.3

Paul, Topeka West                   14    202   14.4

Rowley, Washburn Rural         10    144   14.4

Duncan, Topeka West              14   196    14.0

McComas, Topeka High           14   196    14.0

Durbin, Cair Paravel                  13   181    13.9   

Lassiter, Topeka West               14   191     13.6

Marichal, Cair Paravel               13   177     13.6

Aldridge, Topeka High              14   172     12.3

Hastert, Cair Paravel                  13   158     12.2

Ballard, Washburn Rural            12   145     12.1

Bryson McComas, Topeka High

REBOUNDING

Name, school                       Gms.   Total    Avg.

McComas, Topeka High           14      111      7.9

Durbin, Cair Paravel                  13      100      7.7

Fay, Cair Paravel                        13        90      6.9

Hanika, Hayden                         15      101      6.7

Hoytal, Washburn Rural             12       74       6.2

Hastert, Cair Paravel                   13       78       6.0

Lassiter, Topeka West                 14       83       5.9

Zuniga, Seaman                          14       76       5.4

Schmidt, Washburn Rural           12        63      5.3

Scott, Shawnee Heights              13        66      5.1

Kidd, Hayden                              15        76       5.1

Paul, Topeka West                       14        64       4.6

Dixon, Shawnee Heights             12        45       4.5

Tourtillott, Hayden                      15        60       4.0

Bonner, Seaman                          14        56       4.0

Chase Hastert, Cair Paravel [Photo by Barry Benteman/Special to TSN]

ASSISTS

Name, school                       Gms.       Total    Avg.

Hastert, Cair Paravel                   13          75      5.8

Bonner, Seaman                         14          73      5.2

Fay, Cair Paravel                          13          59      4.5

Hoytal, Washburn Rural              12          47      3.9

Guest, Topeka High                     14          52      3.7

Duncan, Topeka West                  14          49      3.5

Traylor, Topeka West                    14          49      3.5

Paul, Topeka West                        14          48      3.4

Mitchell, Hayden                          15           47     3.1

Marichal, Cair Paravel                   13           38     2.9

McComas, Topeka High                14           40     2.9

Cook, Shawnee Heights                13           34     2.6

Scott, Shawnee Heights                13           33     2.5

Nimz, Washburn Rural                  12           30     2.5 

Luarks, Topeka High                     14           34     2.4

Hanika, Hayden                            15           36     2.4

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

After jumping out to an early 17-4 lead in Thursday's final first-round game in the Capital City Classic, Shawnee Heights girls hit a temporary road block, with Lawrence battling all the way back to tie the game at the end of the first quarter and take a four-point lead midway through the second quarter.

Junior star KK Emmot scored 29 points with seven 3-pointers in Shawnee Heights' 74-61 Capital City Classic win over Lawrence. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

But after a somewhat stern talking to from veteran T-Bird coach Bob Wells, Shawnee Heights righted its ship en route to a 74-61 victory over the Lions at Topeka High.

"They did (respond),'' Wells said. "It's kind of one of those deals where it is what it is because they're like everybody else in town, fighting the flu and fighting different kinds of stuff and we just had to battle through it.

"And you could tell that sometimes our shots were point-blank misses and I just told them to slow down and be stronger, understand where you're at right now with everything and just be strong and take it up with a little more force and finish, and thank goodness we started doing that.''  

Now 11-3 with 10 straight wins, Shawnee Heights advanced to a 7:30 p.m. semifinal Friday to face Derby, a 65-57 first-round winner over tournament host Topeka High.

T-Bird junior KK Emmot had a big night, scoring a game-high 29 points with seven 3-pointers to key the Shawnee Heights victory.

"After we kind of got pretty much like punched in the mouth, as we would say, we realized we had to step it up and start hitting shots and start playing defense,'' Emmot said. 

"We just had to adjust. That's the game of basketball, adjusting to it.''

Shawnee Heights rallied to take a 37-34 halftime lead and never trailed in the second half even though the 6-6 Lions got within three midway through the third quarter, with the T-Birds opening up a 15-point advantage down the stretch.

Shawnee Heights senior Imani McGlory scored 15 points with three 3-pointers in Thursday's 74-61 win over Lawrence. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Senior Imani McGlory backed Emmot with 15 points, including three 3-pointers, while junior Sami Baum added 11 points and senior Reianna Vega 10.

Junior post Cami Nauholz led Lawrence with 20 points and 14 rebounds while sophomore Macyn Ramsay added 17 points with five treys and senior Jada Baars-Turner scored 13 points.

Lawrence will play a 4:30 p.m. consolation game on Friday against Topeka High, a 65-57 first-round loser to Derby.

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 74, LAWRENCE 61

Lawrence               17 17 15 12  -- 61

Shawnee Heights 17 20 20 17  -- 74

Lawrence (6-6) – Juelsgaard 2-7 0-0 5, Doleman 3-8 0-0 4, Nauholz 7-16 6-6 20, Ramsay 6-8 0-0 17, Baars-Turner 5-8 1-1 13, Barber 0-2 0-0 0, Simmons 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-49 7-7 61. 

Shawnee Heights (11-3) – Emmot 10-21 2-3 29, McGlory 6-14 0-0 15, Carter 2-10 2-4 7, Baum 5-11 0-0 11, Vega 4-9 1-1 10, Brees 0-0 0-0 0, Hamilton 0-1 0-0 0, Schmidt 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 27-65 7-9 74.

3-point goals – Lawrence 8 (Ramsay 5, Baars-Turner 2, Juelsgaard), Shawnee Heights 13 (Emmot 7, McGlory 3, Carter, Baum, Vega). Total fouls – Lawrence 11, Shawnee Heights 10. Fouled out – Juelsgaard. Technical fouls -- none.

Topeka High junior star Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton scored 37 points and reached the 1,000-point scoring milestone in Thursday's 65-57 loss to Derby. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Rayton scores 37, reaches 1,000-point milestone in Trojan loss

Thursday was a bittersweet night for Topeka High junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton and the Trojans.

Rayton scored 37 points and surpassed the 1,000-point career milestone for Topeka High, but the Trojans were unable to get over the hump against No. 3-ranked (Class 6A) Derby, dropping a 65-57 first-round decision to the Panthers.

"We started off slow, but we fought,'' Rayton said. "We fought our way back in and it might have been a loss, but it was a good loss because we fought our hardest.''

"They were going on runs and we'd come right back, several times,'' Topeka High coach Ron Slaymaker said. "I was very proud of that because it's very easy to fold your tent and go home.''

Rayton, who scored 33 points in a Tuesday night win over Atchison, surpassed that total with Thursday's 37-point explosion, hitting four 3-pointers among her 14 field goals while hitting five of eight free throws.

Rayton said reaching 1,000 points was a goal she's had since early in her career.

"It was a goal since freshman year, to get my 1,000 points before I'm a senior and I did it my junior year,'' she said.

"She's an athlete, she's got a lot of skills and she's got a great future ahead of her,'' Slaymaker said.

Topeka High sophomore Hailey Caryl scored 13 points in Thursday's 65-57 Capital City Classic first-round loss to Derby. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Freshman Hailey Caryl added 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Topeka High, but no other Trojan had more than three points.

Derby (12-2) rode a balanced attack to Thursday's win, with junior Ahsia Fox scoring 13 points, sophomore Alex Dinsmore 11 points and senior Macayla Askew and junior Maya Harris 10 apiece.

The Panthers never trailed, with just two ties in the opening quarter, and led 18-11 at the end of the first, 29-24 and 46-40 at the start of the final stanza.

Topeka High made numerous runs at the Panthers, getting within a point in the third quarter, but the Trojans were hampered by 20 turnovers on the night.

Topeka High will play a 4:30 p.m. consolation game on Friday against Lawrence, which dropped a 74-61 first-round decision to Shawnee Heights. 

The Trojans beat the Lions 65-47 on Jan. 6.

DERBY 65, TOPEKA HIGH 57

Derby            18 11 17 19  -- 65

Topeka High 11 13 16 17  -- 57

Derby (12-2) – Demel 2-5 2-2 7, Fox 6-16 1-2 13, Dinsmore 5-9 0-0 11, Graham 2-7 1-1 6, Askew 5-11 0-0 10, Watie 0-1 0-0 0, Clingan 0-2 0-0 0, Gutzmer 0-0 0-0 0, Carter 4-6 0-0 8, Harris 3-9 1-2 10. Totals 27-66 6-7 65. 

Topeka High (5-7) – Short 0-1 1-2 1, Marshall 0-6 1-2 1, Rayton 14-27 5-8 37, Caryl 2-5 9-12 13, Gotru 1-2 0-0 2, Triplett 1-1 0-0 3, Whayne 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-42 16-24 57.

3-point goals – Derby 11 (Harris 3, Damel, Dinsmore, Graham), Topeka High 5 (Rayton 4, Triplett). Total fouls – Derby 23, Topeka High 14. Fouled out – Short. Technical fouls -- none.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Derby bested Shawnee Heights in every way, shape and form in Friday night's Capital City Classic semifinal at Topeka High, with the Panthers ending the T-Birds' 10-game winning streak with a dominating 80-44 victory.

Junior KK Emmot led Shawnee Heights with 11 points in Friday's 80-44 semifinal loss to Derby in the Capital City Classic. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Now the T-Birds want to flush that disappointing performance as quickly as possible with Shawnee Heights now set to face Garden City in Saturday's 1 p.m. third-place game.

"We've got to let it go and we've got to learn from it,'' Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells said. "They just came out and they were more physically prepared and more mentally prepared than we were. Kudos to them. They gave it to us every which way they could and there wasn't a lot we could do about it for awhile.''

Wells said the key for the T-Birds now is to make sure they return to the form that has allowed them to post a glossy 11-4 record on the season.

"We can't turn one loss into two and tomorrow's an important game,'' Wells said. "There's a lot of big games coming towards the end of the season in this last month and it starts tomorrow.''

No. 3-ranked (Class 6A) Derby, now 13-2 on the season, ended the first quarter with a commanding 24-8 record and went to the locker room at the half with a 50-20 cushion after a 26-12 second quarter onslaught by the Panthers.

Derby led 68-36 at the end of the third quarter to force a running clock the rest of the way.

Senior Macayla Askew led Derby with a game-high 22 points while senior Karlie Demel had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds and sophomore Sarai Graham also scored 11 points.

Junior KK Emmot led Shawnee Heights with 11 points while junior Pearmella Carter added 10 points and seven rebounds.

Derby will face Wichita Heights, a 57-42 semifinal winner over Garden City, in Saturday's 2:30 p.m. championship game.

DERBY 80, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 44

Shawnee Heights 8 12 16 8  -- 44

Derby                    24 26 18 12  -- 80

Shawnee Heights (11-4) – Emmot 3-11 4-5 11, McGlory 2-6 4-4 9, Carter 5-9 0-0 10, Baum 0-2 1-2 1, Vega 1-6 1-4 3, Brees 0-1 0-0 0, Aubrey Hamilton 0-0 2-2 2, Schmidt 1-2 0-2 3, Allie Hamilton 1-2 0-0 3, Karylye 1-2 0-2 2. Totals 14-41 12-21 44.

Derby (13-2) – Demel 4-6 2-2 11, Fox 3-6 2-3 8, Dinsmore 3-5 0-0 6, Graham 3-9 3-4 11, Askew 9-17 4-4 22, Watie 0-1 0-0 0, Clingan 0-2 0-0 0, Gutzmer 0-2 0-0 0, Brownlee 0-0 1-2 1, Carter 1-4 0-0 2, Harris 4-7 0-0 9, Vanmeter 3-3 0-1 8, Bohaty 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 30-62 14-19 80. 

3-point goals – Shawnee Heights 4 (Emmot, McGlory, Schmidt, Allie Hamilton), Derby 6 (Graham 2, NA 2, Harris, Demel). Total fouls – Derby 22, Shawnee Heights 16. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- none.

Trojans hold off Lions for 75-72 Capital City Classic win

Topeka High girls basketball posted an 18-point road win over Lawrence on Jan. 6, but Trojan coach Ron Slaymaker fully expected Friday's rematch with the Lions in the Capital City Classic on High's home floor to be much tougher.

And it was, with the Lions leading at some point in each of the first three quarters, but the Trojans survived the test to advance to Saturday's 11:30 a.m. fifth-place game with a 75-72 win.

"They played (Shawnee) Heights yesterday and played them well until late,'' Slaymaker said. "They got beat late and I was like, 'Gosh, those girls are better.' We knew it wasn't going to be easy.

"We tried to make it easy and then we tried to make it hard. I wasn't sure what team was out there, but we found a way.''

Junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton led 6-7 Topeka High with 30 points, including five 3-pointers, while senior Keimara Marshall had 17 points and senior Sasha Gotru 12 points.

Junior post player Cami Nauholz registered a double-double for 6-7 Lawrence with 29 points and 15 rebounds while freshman Marley Doleman and sophomore Macyn Ramsay both added 19 points with five 3s apiece.

Topeka High will now face city rival Seaman at 11:30 a.m. in the fifth-place game.

TOPEKA HIGH 75, LAWRENCE 72

Lawrence      20 15 21 16  -- 72

Topeka High 22 18 21 14  -- 75

Lawrence (6-7) -- Juelsgaard 0-7 0-0 0, Doleman 7-9 0-0 19, Barber 2-5 0-2 5, Nauholz 10-24 8-9 29, Ramsay 7-13 0-1 19, Simmons 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-58 8-12 72 

Topeka High (6-7) – Short 2-5 1-1 5, Marshall 8-14 0-0 17, Rayton 10-21 5-6 30, Caryl 3-5 1-2 7, Gotru 4-6 4-4 12, Triplett 0-1 0-0 0, Whayne 1-2 2-4 4. Totals 28-54 13-17 75.

3-point goals – Lawrence 12 (Doleman 5, Ramsay 5, Nauholz, Barber), Topeka High 6 (Rayton 5, Marshall). Total fouls – Lawrence 14, Topeka High 13. Fouled out – Barber. Technical fouls -- none.

Seaman gets back on track with 30-point win over Scots

Seaman snapped a three-game losing streak Friday in a 62-32 Capital Classic romp past city rival Highland Park.

"It was good to smile again,'' Seaman coach Matt Tinsley said. "For a number of reasons we needed to win this game. It's been a tough week for us, so it was good to see the girls out having fun and smiling.

"We've just got to stick with what we're doing. We're still growing and the girls are still learning through it. It's going to be like that through this season, but I'm proud of them for coming back today.''

Now 7-5 on the season, Seaman jumped out in from 21-6 by the end of the first quarter and then hit the Scots (4-10) with a 17-3 second quarter to take a commanding 38-9 advantage at the half.

Seaman held a 52-21 lead after three quarters to force a running clock over the final eight minutes.

Junior Brynn Spencer, who was celebrating her birthday, led Seaman with 12 points on four first-quarter 3-pointers.

Spencer was the only double-figure scorer for the Vikings, but all 11 Seaman players who saw action cracked the scoring column.

Senior Koralee Jones scored a game-high 15 points for Highland Park (4-10).

Highland Park will play Lawrence at 10 a.m. Saturday in the seventh-place game of the Capital City Classic while Seaman will play Topeka High in the fifth-place game at 11:30 a.m.

SEAMAN 62, HIGHLAND PARK 32

Highland Park 6 3 12 11 -- 32

Seaman       21 17 14 10  -- 62

Highland Park (4-10) -- Cosey 3-14 0-0 8, Kincade 2-15 0-2 6, Barnett 1-5 1-2 3, Sanders 0-0 0-0 0, Atkins 6-12 3-8 15, Cameron 0-1 0-0 0, Inyard 0-3 0-0 0, Jones 6-12 3-8 15. Totals 12-53 4-12 32.  

Seaman (7-5) – Dreher 3-5 0-0 6, Spencer 4-11 0-0 12, Beaton 3-9 0-1 7, Ayres 2-3 0-0 4, Gragg 3-6 0-0 7, Frickey 2-4 1-1 6, Ketron 2-3 0-0 4, Bruns 2-4 0-0 4, Alfen 0-2 0-0 0, Puvogel 4-9 0-0 10, Zurmely 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 17-49 7-12 48.

3-point goals – Highland Park 4 (Cosey 2, Kincade 2), Seaman 7 (Spencer 4, Gragg, Frickey, Beaton). Total fouls – Highland Park 9, Seaman 11. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- none.

CAPITAL CITY CLASSIC

Friday's scores

Seaman 62, Highland Park 32

Topeka High 75, Lawrence 72

Wichita Heights 57, Garden City 42

Derby 80, Shawnee Heights 44

Saturday's games

10 a.m. -- Highland Park vs. Lawrence (seventh place) 

11:30 -- Seaman vs. Topeka High (fifth place)

1 p.m. -- Garden City vs. Shawnee Heights (third place)

2:30 -- Wichita Heights vs. Derby (championship)

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural swimming ran its string of Topeka City Boys Championships to seven Thursday, running away with the city meet at Capitol Federal Natatorium.

Washburn Rural boys swimming celebrates in the Capitol Federal Natatorium pool Thursday after winning its seventh straight city team title. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]

The Junior Blues were so dominant they claimed all but two of the 11 All-City first-team slots. They racked up 609 points, topping Seaman with 371.

The performance prompted second-year coach Bob Burdick to say that the rebuild from a Class 6A State third-place finish in 2024 is ahead of schedule.

“We lost a lot of seniors (from 2024), and they were really fast seniors. So, we had a rebuild year last year,” Burdick said. “That rebuild went way faster than expected because we got a lot of great swimmers. We’re going to lose 12 seniors this year, but we’re still looking just as solid next year because of all the new freshmen and sophomores coming in as well as the team that will return.

“They’ve got a great attitude and they’ve meshed totally as a team. We don’t have anybody with ego problems or anything like that. So that’s carrying the whole team.”

Daniel Allen won two individual events and swam on two winning relays as Washburn Rural dominated Thursday's city championships. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Braeden Montgomery was a double individual champion Thursday and swam on a winning relay as Washburn Rural won its seventh straight city team title. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN] 

Daniel Allen and Braeden Montgomery led the Junior Blues by taking first in two individual events while Thomas Appuhn, Castle Wallace and Davin Potts each collected one win.

Seaman's Kinser Barbosa won the 50 and 100-yard freestyle in Thursday's city swimming meet. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Kinser Barbosa highlighted the Seaman performance by taking first in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle races.

“I was able to push past my limits and break those benchmarks in my individuals and was able to maintain it in both relays too. So, I feel great,” Barbosa said. “This is a special meet where you get to compete with your friends, but also where everyone has that great mindset to push past your limits. Each race is a great race because they all have the same mindset.”

Will Stewart was named to the All-City first team for placing second in two events and for also helping lead Topeka High relay teams to two third-place finishes.

Allen returned to the Junior Blues for his junior year after devoting last season solely to club competition. Burdick knew what he was getting in Allen because, as a freshman, he placed seventh at the state meet in the 500-yard freestyle and also contributed to a relay team that placed third at state.

“Adding Daniel is the anchor for the relays, so we know we’re going to be strong there, but we also have a lot of good swimmers supporting him,” Burdick said. “His attitude is really great for the team. That helps motivate a lot of people and gives us a great role model in the pool.”

By JUSTIN BURKHARDT

TopSports.news

The No. 2-ranked Topeka West Chargers, coming off a Topeka Invitational Tournament championship and winners of five straight games, would welcome crosstown rival Shawnee Heights T-Birds on Friday and rallied down the stretch to take a 67-57 United Kansas Conference win.

Junior Prince Lassiter scored 22 points to lead Topeka West in Friday's 67-57 UKC win over Shawnee Heights. [File photo/TSN]

The Chargers would get the game started with junior Prince Lassiter getting to the rim for the first basket of the game and they would follow that up with senior Keimani Paul hitting a 3-pointer to make it 5-0 West right away.

Ken Darting's Heights team would get on the board when senior Jaimarion Cook would find the hoop to make it 5-2 West and would go on a 6-0 run with junior Cam Ross scoring five of his game-high 26 points to make it 10-10.

West would answer with a 9-0 run of its own to make it 19-10 before Ross found the basket to kill the run.

West would then go on a 10-0 run to make it 29-14 as the T-Birds would battle foul trouble and Ross on the bench with three fouls.

Heights would out-score the Chargers 8-3 in the final minutes of the half to go into halftime chasing West, 32-22.

At halftime Heights would be in huge foul trouble, with four players that had three or more fouls.

The third quarter would see each team counter each other before the T-birds would go on an 18-0 run, with Ross scoring 11 points and tying the game and taking the lead and freshman Quincy Dixon would hit a 3 at the buzzer to give the T-Birds a four-point lead going into the fourth quarter after out-scoring the Chargers 24-10 in the third.

But that would be all the T-Birds would have in the gas tank as they would come out in the fourth quarter flat.

The Chargers would get things started with a Lassiter corner 3-pointer. Heights' Ross would answer with a basket but that would be all as the Chargers would go on a Paul-led 12-0 run in which he would score five of his 20 points in the fourth to help his team put the game away.

“He's a Topeka West stalwart,'' Topeka West coach Christian Ulsaker said. "The kid is a basketball coach's dream. The kid just does everything in his power we ask of him. He is 6-foot-6, long, lanky, but can seize the court really well, cuts well. And he's just growing, and in terms of basketball knowledge. So it's really fun to see.''

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights' bowling team celebrated its Senior Day with a sweep of all four championships in Wednesday's five-school competition at Gage Bowl.

Senior Chevy Stallbaumer captured the boys individual title in Wednesday's five-school Shawnee Heights meet at Gage Bowl with a 688 series as the T-Birds also won the team title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Senior Chevy Stallbaumer, who rolled a perfect 300 game last week, followed that up with a 688 three-game series on Wednesday to take boys individual honors by 40 pins as the T-Birds took the team title by 145 pins (2,545-2,400) over United Kansas Conference foe Basehor-Linwood.

Shawnee Heights sophomore Emma Wederski reacts to a strike during her final-game 257 Wednesday at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TopSports.news]

It was also a big day for Shawnee Heights sophomore Emma Wederski, who took top honors in the girls division with a 587 series as the T-Birds took the team championship by 113 pins (2,245-2,132) over Basehor-Linwood.

Stallbaumer's 688 series topped the 676 series he recorded in last Thursday's meet in Lawrence when he rolled his 300, with the T-Bird standout on target from the outset on Wednesday, bowling a 222 in his opening game before following that up with a 209 and finishing with his best game of the day, a 257.

"I felt great today,'' Stallbaumer said. "Everything kind of clicked. I missed a spare my first frame, but I kind of just shrugged it off my shoulder. There's nothing you can do. When you miss a spare you miss a spare and you get back up and you keep on pushing.''

Stallbaumer said his perfect game has just served as motivation for the remainder of the 2026 season.

"It definitely motivated me a lot,'' Stallbaumer said of his 300 game. "That's just going to keep me motivated throughout the whole season.''

Stallbaumer wasn't on the top six when Heights won the Class 5A state title in 2024 but played a major role last season as the T-Birds advanced to state and he feels like the team can contend to be among the state's elite again this season. 

"I feel like we can definitely progress as a team and just see how this season plays out,'' he said. "I feel like we can (contend). There's no doubt in my mind we can.''

Heights' Kaden Evans finished third individually in Wednesday's meet with a 621 series (203-214-204) while Evan Jones also topped the 600 mark with a 611, including a high game of 231.

Wederski began her day with games of 168 and 162 before catching fire in the third game with eight straight strikes out of the gate on the way to a 257.

Wederski said her team and a big crowd at Gage kept her going. 

"My team was hyping me up, along with the crowd and that really helped, and I was pretty proud of myself,'' Wederski said. "No one gets to see what we do in practices. We hype each other up during practices and having a crowd adds to the joy of it.

"Today was packed. I think this was the most packed we've seen it this season so far.''

And now Wederski just wants to build off Wednesday's success as the season goes along.  

"This is my first season on varsity, so it's a whatever happens happens kind of thing and I'm just taking one meet, one day at a time,'' she said.

Shawnee Heights put three bowlers in the girls top five, with Addison VanMetre finishing third with a 577, just one pin out of second and 10 pins behind Wederski, while Reese Bell placed fourth with a 547.

Bell had a high game of 228 while VanMetre had three games between 184 and 204.

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS INVITATIONAL

At Gage Bowl

Girls

Team scores

Shawnee Heights 2,245, Basehor-Linwood 2,132, Lawrence Free State 1,903, Leavenworth 1,752, Lawrence 1,751. 

Individual results

1. Emma Wederski, Shawnee Heights, 587;2. Elly Findley, Basehor-Linwood, 587; 3. Addison VanMetre, Shawnee Heights, 577; 4. Reese Bell, Shawnee Heights, 547;5. Kayleigh Ussery, Basehor-Linwood, 525.

Other Shawnee Heights -- Lauryn Valdivia 510, Tatum Simpson 484, Bailey Liby 434. 

Boys

Team scores

Shawnee Heights 2,545, Basehor-Linwood 2,400, Lawrence 2,386, Lawrence Free State 2,304, Leavenworth 2,196.

Individual results

1. Chevy Stallbaumer, Shawnee Heights, 688; 2. Graesyn Hoss, 648; 3. Kaden Evans, Shawnee Heights, 621; 4. Liyam Southammavong, Lawrence, 617; 5. Thomas Futtrell, Lawrence Free State, 616.

Other Shawnee Heights --Evan Jones 611, Henry Schattilly 586, Trey Donath 531, Nathan Burnett 520.

 Rural girls roll to quadrangular win

Led by individual runnerup Megan Glinka, Washburn Rural's girls took the team championship in Tuesday's Rural quadrangular at West Ridge Lanes.

Glinka, a junior, led the Junior Blues with a 637 series as Rural won the team title by a 2,194-2,068 margin over Centennial League rival Emporia, while Manhattan was third at 2,046 and Junction City fourth at 1,963.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights senior Chevy Stallbaumer became the second city boys bowler to roll a perfect 300 game this season in Thursday's De Soto quadrangular at Royal Crest Lanes in Lawrence.

Stallbaumer bowled the 300 in his second game after opening with a 203 and he finished off his 676 three-game series with a 173.

Shawnee Heights' Evan Jones finished third individually with a 686 series while Stallbaumer placed fourth and Seaman's Garrette Shaw was fifth with a 647.

Jones bowled games of 203, 246 and 237.

De Soto won the boys team title with a 2,679 total while Heights was second at 2,588, Seaman third at 2,513 and Bonner Springs fourth at 1,981.

Seaman swept the top four places in the girls individual standings, led by sophomore individual champion Leah Crawford with a 655 three-game series, en route to the team title by a 2,531-2,137 margin over Shawnee Heights.

Seaman's Kayla Duncan was second with a 640 series while Paige Snyder was third at 632 and Claire LaDuke fourth with a 591.

Crawford rolled games of 241, 181 and 233 while Duncan had a high game of 255, Snyder a 235 and LaDuke a 229. 

Shawnee Heights' Reese Bell was fifth individually with a 573, including a high game of 247.

Hayden star junior bowler Kelton Meier registered a personal-record 791 series in Wednesday's bowling quadrangular at Gage Center, including a 280 game. [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]

Meier dominates bowling quad with 791 series

Hayden junior Kelton Meier, who bowled a 300 game in his season-opener, continued his blistering start to the 2026 bowling season with a personal-best 791 three game series in Wednesday's Shawnee Heights bowling quadrangular at Gage Center.

Kansas City-Turner's boys finished first as a team with a 2,590 total, followed by Shawnee Heights at 2,454, Hayden at 2,436 and Topeka West at 1,992.

Shawnee Heights' Trey Donath finished third individually with a 645 series while Hayden's Reece Renyer placed fifth with a 617.

Addison Van Metre, Shawnee Heights

Shawnee Heights won the girls team title by 430 pins with a 2,140 team score, led by junior individual champion Addison VanMetre with a 593 series.

Hayden's girls were second at 1,710, Turner third at 1,683 and Topeka West fourth at 1,323.

Shawnee Heights' Emma Wederski finished second individually with a 525 series and the T-Birds got a third-place finish from Reese Bell with a 524 as Heights swept the top three places. Heights' Bailey Liby finished fifth with a 483 series.

Paige Snyder, Seaman

Snyder, Seaman girls post quadrangular wins

Seaman's girls posted a 268-pin win in Wednesday's bowling quadrangular at West Ridge while Viking junior Paige Snyder took top individual honors with a 656 three-game series.

Seaman won the team championship by a 2,417-2,149 margin over Emporia while Washburn Rural was third with a 1,793 total and De Soto fourth at 1,690.

Snyder won the girls individual title by 28 pins over De Soto's Avery Lovegren while Seaman's Leah Crawford was third with a 623.