Shawnee Heights Thunderbirds

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

(Allkickoffs at 7 p.m.)

FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAMES

Josiah Wilkie, Topeka West

LEAVENWORTH (5-1, 5-1 UKC) vs. TOPEKA WEST (1-5, 1-5 UKC)

At Hummer Sports Park

Topeka West picked up its first win of 2025 last Friday, rallying for a 42-27 United Kansas Conference victory at Kansas City-Turner, while Leavenworth posted its fifth straight win, a 27-14 UKC decision over De Soto.

Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake

OSAGE CITY (6-0, 2-0 Class 2A District 3) at SILVER LAKE (4-2, 2-0 Class 2A District 3)

Osage City and Silver Lake will square off in a game that is likely to decide the Class 2A District 3 championship. Osage City remained unbeaten last week with a 49-14 district win over St. Marys while Silver Lake ran its winning streak to four straight games with a 42-8 district win over Riley County.

John Hoytal, Washburn Rural [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

WASHBURN RURAL (5-1, 2-0 Centennial League)at JUNCTION CITY (4-2, 2-0 Centennial League)

Washburn Rural will put its three-game winning streak on the line in a game that will give the winner a leg up in the Centennial League race. Washburn Rural is coming off a 38-0 league road win at Emporia while Junction City took a 44-6 league win over Topeka High.

TOPEKA HIGH (3-3, 1-2 Centennial League) at MANHATTAN (4-2, 1-1 Centennial League)

Topeka High is coming off a 44-6 Centennial League loss to Junction City while Manhattan dropped a 40-13 non-league decision to Wichita Northwest last week. The Indians will be looking to keep their Centennial League title hopes alive while the Trojans will be trying to snap a two-game league losing streak.

AJ Gallegos, Shawnee Heights

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (2-4, 2-3 UKC) at LANSING (2-4, 2-3 UKC)

Shawnee Heights posted its biggest win of the season last Friday, riding an outsanding defensive effort to a 20-3 United Kansas Conference road win at city rival Seaman, while Lansing dropped a 44-13 UKC decision to Piper.

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

BONNER SPRINGS -- Wyandotte County Park provided the backdrop for the 2025 United Kansas Conference cross country meet Thursday. The Seaman girls and boys teams were the top local finishers, with the girls finishing fifth and the boys coming in second while the day was also highlighted by the return of senior star Ryin Miller.

Seaman junior Brynn Spencer was the individual runnerup in Thursday's UKC cross country meet. [File photo/TSN]

In the girls race, Seaman junior Brynn Spencer finished in second place with a time of 19:46.90, behind conference champion Elizabeth Arenas of Piper.

“I was very proud of how I ran today, despite running alone most of the race,'' Spencer said. "I knew there were lots of rolling hills on the course, so my goal was to push up the hills and use the downhills to get some energy back.”

Seaman senior Ryin Miller returned from injury to place third in Thursday's UKC meet in Kansas City, Kan. [File photo/TSN]

Miller, the 2024 Class 5A runnerup and a five-time state champ in track, finished third in the race in a time of 20:36, which was her first race of the season due to an injury. Miller talked about dealing with the prolonged injury and the opportunity to race Thursday.

“This season has been very challenging and the hardest thing I’ve ever had to face as an athlete,'' she said. "There are so many highs and lows in sports, but because of the lows we grow, learn and truly are stronger because of it. I’ve been extremely fortunate with injury in playing four sports.

"Today was great to toe the line and give it all for my team considering that I’ve had zero running-related training. I still have lots of work to do to finish getting totally healthy and increasing my mileage and fitness again.”

Spencer and Miller were both recognzied as first-team All-UKC with their respective finishes.

Seaman senior Brody Anderson won his second straight UKC individual cross country title Thursday. [File photo/TSN]

In the boys race, Seaman senior Brody Anderson won his fifth race of the season in a time of 15:38.30.

“The race went great today and I’m excited to get back-to-back conference individual titles,'' Anderson said. "Coach (Luke) Wiens and I had a plan to get out and do enough to win while feeling great. The course ran well, not my favorite, but I can’t choose where I run and have to adapt to each situation I’m put in.”

With the season coming down to the final two weeks, Anderson talked about the regional race next weekend.

“I feel great going into regionals and trust my fitness and the training of Coach Wiens to put myself in a great spot against a stacked regional,” he said. 

With the victory, Anderson was named first team All-UKC while junior teammate Conner Bloom finished 11th in 17:18.50, garnering second-team All-UKC honors.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman girls golf coach Julie McLaughlin was quick to admit that the Vikings didn't have their best day in Monday's Class 5A regional tournament at Shawnee Country Club.

Seaman senior Elise Eckert finished second in Monday's Class 5A regional with a 75, leading the Vikings to a second-place team finish. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

But the city and United Kansas Conference champs played plenty good enough to earn a berth in next week's state tournament at Emporia with a second-place regional team finish.

"I think we've got some work to do,'' McLaughlin said. "I think we're a little bit disappointed in the outcome. Andover played a heck of a game today, they did great.''

Seaman senior Elise Eckert will be aiming for her fourth Class 5A state medal in next week's state tournament at Emporia. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Led by senior Elise Eckert's runnerup individual finish with a 75, Seaman posted a four-person score of 355 to finish second behind team champion Andover's 342.

Eckert, the city and UKC medalist, turned in a solid two-over-par round, finishing as the runnerup to Andover's Regan Dusenbery, who carded a two-under-par 71.

"I'm definitely feeling a little better after this, '' said Eckert, a three-time 5A state medalist. "I wasn't playing great this weekend, so I'm really glad that I was able to come out here and play better after working on a lot of stuff this weekend.''

"Elise had a strong round. She was right where we needed her to be,'' McLaughlin said.

Seaman senior Makenna Stuke shot a 90 to finish fourth in Monday's Class 5A regional tournament at Shawnee Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman got a fourth-place tie from Makenna Stuke (90), while Kaitlynn Frye tied for seventh (94), Chloe Schmidtlein was 10th (96) and Molina Quintana placed 16th (110).

"We've got a lot of work to do this week, but we're still fully capable,'' McLaughlin said. "We just did not play up to our ability today.''

Topeka West senior Berlyn Kolean qualified for state as an individual with a 109.

Shawnee Heights finished fourth as a team, with T-Bird junior Lauryn Valdivia qualiying for state as an individual with a 112.

The state tournament will be played Monday and Tuesday at Emporia Municipal Golf Course.

CLASS 5A REGIONAL TOURNAMENT

At Shawnee Country Club 

Team scores 

Andover 342, Seaman 355,Basehor-Linwood 418, Piper 463, Shawnee Heights 489.

1. Regan Dusenbery, Andover, 71; 2. Elise Eckert, Seaman, 75;3. Isabel Hawley, Andover, 87; 4. Makenna Stuke, Seaman, 90;5. Grier Hand, Andover, 90; 6. Aubrey Ziolo, Basehor-Linwood, 93; 7. (tie) Kaitlynn Frye, Seaman,and Maren Nelson, 94; 9. Claire Fitzgerald, Basehor-Linwood, 95; 10. Chloe Schmidtlein, Seaman, 96.

Other Seaman -- 16. Molina Quintana, 110. 

Shawnee Heights – 17. Lauryn Valdivia, 112; 21. Elsie Willmann, 120; 24. (tie) Makenna Bryant, 125; 28. Mia Mattox, 132.

Topeka West – 14. (tie) Berlyn Kolean, 109; 24. (tie) Lily Bowen, 125.

Individual state qualifiers -- Georgia Lightfoot, Piper; Berlyn Kolean, Topeka West; Hadley Heim, Piper; Lauryn Valdivia, Shawnee Heights; Kelsey Shull, Emporia.

Washburn Rural girls golf posted a second-place Class 6A regional finish Monday to earn a state berth. [Washburn Rural golf]

Rural earns Class 6A state berth with runnerup regional showing

Monday was business as usual for Washburn Rural girls golf, with the Junior Blues qualifying for the Class 6A state tournament for the 20th straight season in Jared Goehring's 20 years as head coach.

Rural, which has captured four 6A state titles, posted a four-person score of 335 at Sim Park Golf Course to finish second behind champion Olathe West (328).

Washburn Rural junior Kailyn Petersen placed third in Monday's Class 6A regional at Sim Park. [File photo/TSN]

Kailyn Petersen led the Junior Blues with a third-place finish, shooting a 79, while Taryn Jellison placd fourth with an 83.

The Junior Blues also got a tie for fifth from Lauren Cox (85), an 11th-place finish from Briley Miles (88), a tie for 14th from Peyton Merrick (92) and a 16th-place showing from Ella Taggart (93).

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

For a second consecutive Saturday, Seaman High School hosted a cross country meet in north Topeka.

Washburn Rural senior Emily Graf won the city individual cross country title Saturday, leading the Junior Blues to their seventh straight team title. [File photo/TSN]

Seaman senior Brody Anderson won his second straight city individual cross country title Saturday. [File photo/TSN]

Last week, it was the Seaman Invitational. This week, the city championships at Shawnee County North Park, with Washburn Rural's girls and boys sweeping the team championships. 

Rural's boys stretched their city meet winning streak to 19 straight seasons while the Junior Blue girls won their seventh straight crown. 

 In the girls race, Washburn Rural senior Emily Graf won the city championship in a time of 19:18.57. It was her first race since the Shufelberger Top City Classic on the third week of September due to an injury.

 “Coming back from a hip injury I’ve had over the past three weeks, it felt great to come out, run and get the win,” Graf said.

Graf was joined by three of her teammates in the top five -- freshman Alyson Hinck (second in 19:38.05), senior Kenzie Maddox (fourth in 19:44.75) and sophomore Reese Beardslee (fifth in 19:57.07). Overall, the Jr. Blues had eleven girls finish in the top 20 to earn city medals.

The only non-Washburn Rural runner to finish in the top five was Seaman junior Brynn Spencer. She was pleased with her third-place finish, where she also finished last week in the Seaman Invitational, but was able to trim almost 25 seconds off her time in the city meet.

“I’m very proud of myself for improving my time from last week and I knew I had a chance to be top three and break up the Washburn Rural girls a little bit,'' Spencer said. "They provide great competition so I wanted to stay up with them throughout the race.”

Spencer was joined by four teammates as medalists -- junior Kinley Robinson (ninth in 21:29.35), junior Hannah Wempe (10th in 21:42.04), junior Jaydin Frickey (16th in 23:23.29) and sophomore Avery Villines (19th in 24:17.54).

Other medalists included Hayden junior Sofia Harper (seventh in 20:34.43), Topeka West freshman Phebe Phelps (12th in 22:34.71), Shawnee Heights freshman Kendall Lewis (15th in 23:04.35) and Topeka senior Breanna Maldonado (20th in 24:28.02). 

In the boys race, Seaman senior Brody Anderson won his fourth race of the season, breaking the course record in a time of 15:00.11.

“I knew after last week, I knew the course was fast. Coach (Luke) Wiens and I were planning to come out, run fast and set a PR,” Anderson said.

Being so close to breaking the fifteen minute barrier was a hope of Anderson.

“I was close to the fourteen mark, I know I’m fit enough to do it, but things happen for a reason.”

Washburn Rural senior Brooks Kehoe finished second in Saturday's city cross country meet, leading the Junior Blues to their 19th straight city team title. [File photo/TSN]

The winning Washburn Rural team had the next four finishers to round out the top five -- senior Brooks Kehoe (second in 16:10.45), sophomore Duke Graf (third in 16:46.96), sophomore Clayton Fink (fourth in 16:52.01) and sophomore Jaxson Adams (fifth in 17:03.47). The Jr. Blues had eight other runners finish in the top twenty as medalists.

Hayden had two runners finish in the top ten -- sophomore Nick Newkirk finished sixth (17:04.74) and senior Connor Baldwin finished seventh (17:06.38).

Shawnee Heights’ senior Max Esquibel finished eighth in a time of 17:07.46.

Seaman had two other medalists -- junior Conner Bloom finished ninth in 17:13.81 and senior Drake Spurlock finished 20th with a time of 17:46.87.

Topeka sophomore Easton Davis finished in 17th in 17:33.64 while junior Ezra Phelps of Topeka West finished 18th with a time of 17:36.33. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Fresh off a sweep of city, United Kansas Conference and Class 5A regional team championships, Jamie Robinson's Seaman girls tennis team will now turns its focus on trying to earn a top-three state finish for the second straight season.

Emma Sweeney won the singles title in Saturday's Class 5A regional at Kossover Tennis Center, helping the Vikings win the team championship. [File photo/TSN]

Seaman senior Molly Gorman finished second in singles in Saturday's Class 5A regional at Kossover Tennis Center, helping the Vikings win the team championship. [File photo/TSN]

The Vikings tuned up for state with a team title in Saturday's regional at Kossover Tennis Center and will be back at Kosover Friday and Saturday for the state meet.

Seaman achieved its goal of qualifying all six of its varsity players for state while edging St. James Academy for the team championship, 22-21.

"That is so huge,'' Robinson said of Seaman's qualifying effort. "And that's something you don't want to take for granted is getting your six in. That's huge for team morale, it's huge for people coming back the next year and we've done it for three, four years in a row, so that's exciting.

 "Everybody's rooting for each other and our parent base is happy and proud and it makes the whole program proud when you take six to state. That is not a given, not even with good teams.''   

Viking junior Emma Sweeney and senior Molly Gorman went one-two in singles while the Vikings' doubles teams of senior Peyton Henry and junior Camryn Lux and juniors Cadence Speer and Kaylyn Hiebsch placed third and fourth.

Sweeney and Gorman advanced to the regional singles final for the second straight season, with Sweeney taking a 6-0, 6-1 win in the final.

After both Seaman doubles teams dropped semifinal matches to St. James Academy, Henry and Lux took a 6-1, 6-3 win in the third-place match.

Topeka West's senior doubles team of Jordan Felsburg and Taryn Gilbert is also headed to state after finishing fifth Saturday with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Piper's Allison Ochs and Aubrey Eidson.

Felsburg and Gilbert are West's first girls state qualifiers since 2021.

Washburn Rural girls tennis poses for a team picture after winning the championship in Friday's Class 5A regional at Wichita. [Submitted photo]

Junior Blues, Trojans finish one-two in 6A regional

Washburn Rural claimed the team title in Friday's Class 6A regional at Wichita's Riverside Tennis Complex by a 15-12 margin over Topeka High while the city schools swept the singles and doubles championships.

Topeka High senior Madeline Deters, the Centennial League champion, won the regional singles title with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Junction City's Hannah Micheel while Washburn Rural juniors Julia Katzer and Halle Owen, the city champs, took the regional doubles crown with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Manhattan's Keylee Schartz and Jackie Hsu.

Rural freshman singles player Bridget Hoopes qualified for state with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Derby's 5 2 Ella Boline and the Junior Blues' doubles team of senior Alizah Chedzoy and sophomore Annie Henderson defeated Derby's Katie Brehm and Karlie Demel in the fifth-place match, 6-1, 6-2.

In addition to Deters, Topeka High qualified its doubles team of senior Ava Ritter and sophomore Hailey Caryl, who posted a third-place regional finish with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Wichita East's Charlotte Docking and Jane Docking.

The 6A state tournament will be played at the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe.

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

On a beautiful night for football, city rivals Seaman and Shawnee Heights squared off in a United Kansas Conference matchup. Host Seaman was honoring its senior class and Shawnee Heights was coming off a tough, 50-48 loss to DeSoto last Friday night. However, Shawnee Heights played its best all-around game of the season, defeating the Vikings, 20-3.

“Kids played outstanding,'' Heights coach Jason Swift said. "That’s one of the best football games I’ve seen from a T-bird team ever. Everybody did their job -- all eleven on offense, defense and the special teams. They were phenomenal and I couldn’t be happier for these guys because they’ve faced adversity.

Following the tough loss to DeSoto last week, Coach Swift was proud of the team’s resolve, “You never know how someone will react when they get knocked down, but our boys got up and is a testament to them and their heart and resiliency.”

Seaman (3-3 overall, 3-2 UKC)  took the opening kickoff and drove right down the field, but were unable to get into the end zone and senior Bryan Hayes kicked a 23-yard field goal to give the Vikings a 3-0 lead. On their ensuing possession, Shawnee Heights (2-4, 2-3) drove into the red zone, but junior wide receiver Javon Williams fumbled following a catch and Seaman took over at their own 18-yard line. Seaman responded to the turnover by driving back down into Thunderbird territory, but Hayes missed a 36-yard field goal attempt.

Following a couple of turnovers by the Vikings (an interception and on downs), the Thunderbirds were able to get on the scoreboard with a 10-yard pass from senior Aiden Scott to fellow senior AJ Gallegos. Senior Camden Granado kicked the extra point and with 4:59 remaining in the first half, Shawnee Heights led, 7-3. After another turnover on downs by Seaman with 2:56 left in the half, Shawnee Heights drove deep into Seaman territory and Granado kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired in the half, giving Heights a 10-3 lead going to the locker room.

As the second half began, Shawnee Heights appeared to be on their way to getting two scores on each side of the halftime break as sophomore Reid Niedfeldt took the opening kickoff 72 yards deep into Seaman territory. However, there was a penalty on the return, nullifying the terrific return. The teams traded punts after lengthy drives and Heights once again entered the red zone, threatening to extend their lead. But Viking senior Mike Hurla intercepted Scott’s pass at the 5-yard-line and returned it all the way to midfield with a little over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. As Seaman began moving the ball, the drive stalled because of a Viking fumble.

Shawnee Heights took the following possession into the fourth quarter and Scott was able to throw his second touchdown pass of the game on a 25-yard pass to Williams. Granado tacked on the extra point, giving the Thunderbirds a commanding 17-3 lead with 9:09 left in the game. 

The ensuing kickoff appeared to be a momentum-shifting play as junior Jack Becker picked up the ball on the 1-yard line and went 93 yards all the way to the Heights 6-yard-line. But there was a holding penalty called, shifting the momentum right back to Heights. Seaman was unable to move the ball and was forced to punt with a little over seven minutes left in the game.

Shawnee Heights was able to run the ball with junior Trone Purvis getting the majority of the carries, milking the clock and forcing Seaman to use all of their timeouts. The Thunderbirds were able to convert two third downs into first downs, eventually taking the clock down to 1:12, when Granado kicked another 31-yard field goal to end the scoring.

Junior Trone Purvis carried the load as the lead running back and his coach was elated with his effort. “Trone probably had more carries tonight than he’s had all season as he stepped in for David Wakes (senior starter). Our offensive line paved the way for him and this was a ‘find a way’ game and our kids found a way to win it."

Shawnee Heights will go on the road to Lansing next Friday while Seaman will travel to face Basehor-Linwood.

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 20, SEAMAN 3

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights setter Clara Morgan is closing in on 1,000 assists in her high school volleyball career. She figures to eclipse the mark this weekend at a tournament in Manhattan, overcoming significant obstacles along the way.

Shawnee Heights junior Clara Morgan is on the brink of reaching the 1,000-assist mark for her career. [Submitted photo]

The fact that Morgan is just halfway through her junior season puts the accomplishment in a special light. Starting on varsity since her freshman year has allowed her to rack up a lot of assists early in her career.

Making the feat all the more impressive is that Morgan plays in a 6-2 set, a Shawnee Heights tradition that rotates two setters instead of relying upon just one. Because she is not the team’s sole setter, Morgan has to make the most of her opportunities.

The third obstacle Morgan has overcome is the most significant. Her father passed away when she was nine years old.

“Losing him, he was a really big guy on sports, so he was like my dad but also my coach,” said Morgan, who is also a member of the T-Bird softball team. “I really relied on him. So, him passing, I really grieved with it, but I know he’s left me some good key lessons, and he’s always in the back of my head. When I’m playing, I’ll think of him and everything he taught me.

“I wish he could have seen this. He was never big on volleyball. When I was young, I was big on softball. But if he saw me now, I think he’d be really proud of me.”

Morgan said she finds support in two sources: her faith and her mother.

Before every game, the junior writes Bible verses on her taped wrists. Her go-to verse: Psalm 37:24, which she personalizes.

“‘Though she falls, she will not fail because the Lord supports her with his hand.’ I think that verse really helps especially in volleyball because it’s a game full of mistakes,” Morgan said. “I think, if you make a mistake, I can look down at my wrist and think He’s there to catch me.

“When things get hectic or people are yelling a lot of things at you, I can look down at my wrist and just say the verse in my head and it helps.”

The youngest of four children, Morgan praises her mother, Darlene Morgan, for her support on and off the court.

“When she can’t make a game, I totally understand, as the only parent in the household,” Morgan said. “She does a great job and when she can’t make it, she will send me a prayer over text, and I know she will be watching on Facebook.”

Junior Clara Morgan has overcome personal obstacles to become a standout for Shawnee Heights volleyball. [Submitted photo]

As the T-Birds’ setter, Morgan serves as an extension of her coach, Sami (McHenry) Kearney, a former standout at Shawnee Heights and Washburn in her own right.

“(Coach) is not on the court with you, so I get to help everyone stay calm and tell the hitters what they’re running,” Morgan said. “You’re basically giving instructions of what you think the coach would do if she was in there.”

Morgan’s coach put the junior’s assist total in perspective.

“One thousand assists as a junior is a huge deal,” Kearney said. “That means she is averaging over 300 assists per season and averaging about 10 assist per game. We haven’t had this accomplishment at Shawnee Heights since 2019.

“Because we run a 6-2, she’s in the game about two-thirds of the time, where other setters getting 1,000 assists are the only setter in their games. So, for her to reach this as a junior is a huge accomplishment. It shows how good she is and how she makes us all better because of it.”

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

(Allkickoffs at 7 p.m.)

THURSDAY NIGHT'S GAME

ATCHISON (3-2, 3-1 Meadowlark) vs. HIGHLAND PARK (3-2, 3-1 Meadowlark)

At Hummer Sports Park

JoJo Kingcannon, Highland Park 

Highland Park will play for the first time in three weeks, returning to action after forfeiting back to back games to Kansas City-Harmon and Wichita East. The Scots will be facing an Atchison team that is coming off an 82-44 Meadowlark Conference loss to KC-Washington. Highland Park senior quarterback Dontrail Fox has completed 9 of 20 passes for 274 yards and 3 touchdowns while junior JoJo Kingcannon has caught 5 passes for 200 yards and 2 TDs. Kingcannon leads the Scots with 293 rushing yards and 4 TDs on 13 carries while junior G'Honi Montgomery has 256 yards and 3 TDs on 32 attempts. 

FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAMES

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (1-4, 1-3 UKC) at SEAMAN (3-2, 3-1 UKC)

Quentin Moravec, Seaman

Aiden Scott, Shawnee Heights

Seaman ran its winning streak to three games last Friday with a 48-8 United Kansas Conference romp past Lansing while Shawnee Heights is coming off a 50-48 UKC heartbreaker to De Soto. Seaman junior quarterback Cale Ketter has completed 82 of 125 passes for 1,118 yards and 15 touchdowns while junior Josh Brown has 22 catches for 303 yards and 6 TDs, junior Coy Barta has 18 catches for 223 yards and 4 TDs and senior Noah Kobuszewski has 19 catches for 300 yards and 2 TDs. Viking junior Quentin Moravec has carried the ball 92 times for 644 yards and 11 TDs. Heights senior quarterback Aiden Scott passed for more than 600 yards last Friday and has completed 127 of 200 attempts for 1,956 yards and 15 touchdowns while junior AJ Gallegos has 40 catches for 601 yards and 3 TDs, while Dallas Owens has 33 catches for 419 yards and 3 TDs and senior Tyren Parker 22 receptions for 500 yards and 3 scores.

HOLTON (3-2, 1-1 Class 3A District 4) at HAYDEN (5-0, 1-0 Class 3A District 4)

Kade Mitchell, Hayden

Rivals Hayden and Holton square off in a key Class 3A District 4 contest Friday night. Hayden rolled to a 51-0 district win over Hiawatha last week while Holton dropped a 27-17 district decision to Jefferson West. Hayden senior quarterback Connor Hanika has completed 40 of 73 passes for 612 yards and 7 touchdowns while senior Kade Mitchell has carried the ball 38 times for 399 yards and has scored nine total TDs and senior Jackson McGivern has 250 yards on 28 carries and scored five total touchdowns. Junior Mason Becker is 24 of 24 on extra point attempts while also scoring two TDs and two 2-point conversions.

JUNCTION CITY (3-2, 1-0 Centennial League) vs. TOPEKA HIGH (3-2, 1-1 Centennial)

At Hummer Sports Park

Zane Smith, Topeka High

Both the Blue Jays and Trojans are coming off losses, with Junction City dropping a 34-28 non-league decision to Hays and Topeka falling to Centennial League foe Washburn Rural, 35-6. Topeka High senior quarterback Zane Smith completed 12 of 26 passes for 284 yards against Washburn Rural while also carrying the ball 17 times for 85 yards. Junior Courtney Sanders caught 5 passes for 192 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown reception. Junction City is 1-0 in the Centennial League race after beating Manhattan 28-14 two weeks ago.

ROSSVILLE (4-1, 2-0 Class 1A District 2) vs. CAIR PARAVEL LATIN (1-4, 0-2 Class 1A District 2)

At Yager Stadium

Conner Bush, Rossville

Defending Class 1A District 2 champ Rossville is off and running in the district race again this fall, improving to 2-0 with a 55-6 win over Mission Valley last week. Cair Paravel is coming off a 53-25 district loss to Wabaunsee. Rossville, which advanced to the 1A semifinals a year ago, opened up a commanding 43-6 halftime lead over the Vikings and cruised the rest of the way. Senior quarterback Canann Mitchell passed for two touchdown and ran for a 52-yard TD in the Rossville win while Conner Bush ran for a pair of TDs. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Of course, Seaman girls tennis coach Jamie Robinson wanted to win Tuesday's United Kansas Conference tournament.

But with Class 5A regional competition just four days away, Robinson also wanted the city-champion Vikings to continue to play well while continuing to build momentum for the Vikings' two biggest tournaments of the season.

Seaman junior Emma Sweeney repeated as the UKC singles champion Tuesday as the Vikings won their fourth straight conference team title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman senior Molly Gorman finished second in UKC singles Tuesday as the Vikings won their fourth straight conference team title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

And Robinson felt like his team did just that, finishing one-two in singles and one-three in doubles on the way to its fourth straight UKC title by a 75-65 margin over De Soto at Kossover Tennis Center.

"You want to continue to build and play well and continue to get better,'' Robinson said. "That's one thing we talk about, is trying to get better every day, and we wanted to build momentum going into regionals and I think we did that.''

Seaman's Peyton Henry (left) and Camryn Lux won the doubles title in Tuesday's UKC tournament. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman junior Emma Sweeney and senior Molly Gorman advanced to the singles final for the second straight season, with Sweeney taking an 8-0 win for her second straight title while Peyton Henry and Camryn Lux took the doubles title with an 8-4 win over De Soto and Kaylyn Hiebsch and Cadence Speer bounced back from a semifinal loss to take an 8-4 win over De Soto in the third-place doubles match.

Topeka West finished fourth as a team, led by a fifth-place doubles finish from seniors Taryn Gilbert and Jordan Felsburg while Shawnee Heights finished eighth.

Seaman, Topeka West, Shawnee Heights and Highland Park will all compete in a Class 5A regional tournament on Saturday at Kossover, vying for state tournament berths.

Seaman won a regional title and posted a third-place finish in 5A last season and Robinson feels like his team is where it needs to be to make another strong postseason run.

"I think we have to be pretty happy where we're at,'' Robinson said. "We have pretty much dominated most of our meets and I think we're peaking at the right time and that's what you want. You want a team to peak right at regionals and go into state with a lot of momentum and that's what I think we're doing.'' 

UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Brody Anderson

BRODY ANDERSON, Seaman

Anderson, a senior cross country standout, posted his third individual victory of the season in Saturday's Seaman Invitational at the Shawnee North Community Center. A Class 5A state medalist in cross country and track, Anderson clocked a winning five-kilometer time of 15 minutes, 25.07 seconds.

Brynn Anderson

BRYNN ANDERSON, Washburn Rural  

A 5-foot-11 freshman, Anderson had a big week for the No. 6-ranked (Class 6A) Washburn Rural volleyball team, helping lead the 16-4 Junior Blues to seven straight victories, including five straight wins in Saturday's Centennial League tournament at Rural as the hosts claimed the league championship while dropping just one set on the day.

Elise Eckert

ELISE ECKERT, Seaman

A senior golf star, Eckert followed up her city championship with the title in last Monday's United Kansas Conference tournament at Shawnee Country Club. A three-time Class 5A state medalist, Eckert shot a 73 to post an eight-stroke victory as Seaman captured its fourth straight UKC title by 52 strokes.

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

On a beautiful morning as the calendar flipped to the second month of the cross country season, Seaman High School hosted the Seaman Invitational at Shawnee North Park.

Brody Anderson, Seaman

Brynn Spencer, Seaman

In the varsity girls race, the Washburn Rural, Seaman and Shawnee Heights teams finished in fourth, fifth and sixth place, respectively.

Washburn Rural had two medalists -- freshmen Clara Dillon finished ninth in a time of 21:47.96 and Lily Palmer finished in 19th with a time of 22:23.98.

Topeka West’s lone runner, freshman Phebe Phelps, finished 16th in a time of 22:09.56.

The top local finisher was Seaman junior Brynn Spencer, who finished third in a time of 20:16.43. Fellow Seaman junior Hannah Wempe earned medalist honors by finishing 17th with a time of 22:18.22.

“I didn’t do as well as I had hoped time-wise, but I knew I had a chance to finish in the top three,'' Spencer said. "So my main goal was to push up toward the front and use my home course advantage.”

Looking ahead to next week’s city meet, Spencer talked about getting to run once again on her home course.

“It will help me since I have one race under my belt here and to know where my advantage points,'' she said. "It will also be helpful to know the parts of the course where I’ll need to push myself more.”

In the varsity boys race, Seaman senior Brody Anderson won his third race of the season, finishing in a time of 15:25.07. After dealing with a heat-related issue last week at Rim Rock, Anderson talked about his plan going into Saturday's race.

“It was a good day. I went out slower than normal, which was the plan, but I wanted to progress through the race and that went well. My hope was to stay healthy through the state meet.”

Anderson was also looking to next week and the city meet, one last time to run at his home course.

“I’m confident after today, but there is good competition throughout the city,'' he said. "I’m hoping to get good work in next week.” 

Washburn Rural finished second as a team and had five medalists. Senior Wyatt Shorb finished ninth in a time of 17:32.10, freshman Julius Wood-Nichols finished 12th with a time of 17:35.85, senior Rylan Rake was 14th with a time of 17:39.03, sophomore Brady Meek was 16th in a time of 17:39.30 and senior Wesley Meek finished 20th with a time of 17:51.88.

Seaman finished third overall and had one other medalist, junior Conner Bloom, who finished eighth in a time of 17:25.55.

Shawnee Heights had one medalist, senior Max Esquibel, who finished sixth with a time 17:24.12.

Topeka West also had one medalist, junior Ezra Phelps, who was 15th, finishing with a time of 17:39.27.

Next week all of the Topeka city schools will return to Shawnee North for the city meet beginning at 9 a.m. for the girls race, following by the boys race at 9:45.

SEAMAN INVITATIONAL

Team Scores & Local Results

Girls Varsity

Piper 40, Blue Valley Northwest 50, Lawrence 59, Washburn Rural 99, Seaman 114, Shawnee Heights 145

(Local team finishes)

4. Washburn Rural

9. Clara Dillon 21:47.96; 19. Lily Palmer 22:23.88; 24. Katherine Wolgast 23:17.42; 25. Harper Tenbrink 23:22.64; 26. Rayauna Huey 23:29.51; 32. Lily McCoy 24:20.79; 39. Lacey Middleton 25:44.98

5. Seaman

3. Brynn Spencer 20:16.43; 17. Hannah Wempe 22:18.22; 28. Avery Villines 23:32.88; 34. Jaydin Frickey 24:49.24; 40. Emma Gonzalez 26:02.90

6. Shawnee Heights

22. Hazel Rondash 23:02.36; 27. Kendall Lewis 23:30.71; 33. Arantza Urbina 24:35.07; 37. Adelaide Davis 25:23.73; 38. Piper Geil 25:24.21

Topeka West

16. Phebe Phelps 22:09.56

Topeka

35. Victoria Reynaga 25:10.58; 36. Breanna Maldonado 25:22.32; 41. Lyzet Cortez-Castro 26:43.92; 42. Maricruz MerriWeather 28:51.54

Boys Varsity

Lawrence 39, Washburn Rural 57, Seaman 82,Piper 94, Shawnee Heights 137, Topeka West 149, Topeka 186

(Local team finishes)

2. Washburn Rural

9. Wyatt Shorb 17:32.10; 12. Julius Wood-Nichols 17:35.85; 14. Rylan Rake 17:39.03; 16. Brady Meek 17:39.30; 20. Wesley Meek 17:51.88; 21. Cohen Thiessen 18:00.99; 22. Gauge Dial 18:04.27; 25. Cadin Stratman 18:13.74

3. Seaman

1. Brody Anderson 15:25.07; 8. Conner Bloom 17:25.55; 24. Drake Spurlock 18:07.36; 33. Emmanuel Armstead 18:45.04; 34. Weston Kennedy 18:51.28; 36. Maddox Moore 18:58.53; 38. Abe Heffley 19:00.42; 46. Camden Dutton 19:39.60

5. Shawnee Heights

6. Max Esquibel 17:24.12; 28. Andrew Schulte 18:28.44; 42. Cash Reitcheck 19:16.09; 43. Ronin Wiggs 19:20.05; 47. Deyton Coufal 19:58.92; 49. Carter Vincent 20:26.52

6. Topeka West

15. Ezra Phelps 17:39.27; 27. Cameron Parrett 18:26.29; 40. Rhys Green 19:04.37; 44. Maks Rodriguez 19:33.68; 55. Mason Gore 22:13.52

7. Topeka

35. Oliver Snethen 18:51.89; 37. Will Toland 18:58.54; 51. Nicholas McDonald 20:55.49; 52. Amir El-Jammal 21:01.21; 54. Matthew Hanes 21:26.50; 56. Sam Stanton 22:17.70; 57. Dexter Lonergan 23:32.99; 58. Salis Bechard 24:23.87; 59. Sebastian Homerding 28:56.17

Girls JV (local results)

Seaman

4. Zoey Gooden 25:37.93; 5. Kennedy Gatewood 25:57.54; 12. Bailey Martin 28:35.17 

Shawnee Heights

6. Natalia Venegas 26:14.04; 10. Alyson Moss 27:48.98; 13. Brooklyn Binkley 29:45.57; 18. Eva Austin 31:24.42 

Topeka West

8. Lily Phelps Roper 26:23.67

Boys JV

Washburn Rural 15, Seaman 73,Lawrence 77, Blue Valley Northwest 85, Piper 127, Shawnee Heights 181

1. Washburn Rural

1. Bennett Wells 18:08.81; 2. Trey Recob 18:22.50; 3. Oliver Haberman 18:28.31; 4. Ayden Mooney 18:47.68; 5. Ethan Koci 19:02.92; 6. Jackson Svaty 19:05.13; 9. Kael Harman 19:19.08; 11. Ethan Lake 19:36.03; 12. Marlon Barrios Martinez 19:55.32; 13. Blake Harader 19:56.70; 15. Dylan Ragsdale 20:03.07; 17. Jackson Buesing 20:07.06; 19. Charles Stones 20:19.82; 22. Thomas Reed 20:24.70; 31. Cole Replogle 20:39.04; 32. Eli Replogle 20:42.11; 34. Cedric Geotz 20:49.61; 38. Asher Denman 20:57.08; 39. Alex Jeffries 20:57.78; 42. Ryan Olsen 21:09.22; 43. Korbin Jones 21:26.23; 44. Avery Knappenberger 21:36.75; 46. Antonio Fernkopf 21:37.19; 47. Ryder McClintock 21:40.16; 51. Jacob Eilert 21:59.14; 60. Ethan Lanier 23:07.38; 77. Zachary Inloes 25:09.88; 80. Jason Hall 26:06.97; 81. Grady Wells 26:07.23; 82. Dylan Weigel 26:24.39; 84. Caleb Pearce 26:29.13

2. Seaman

8. Tate Oliva 19:17.75; 18. Trace La Row 20:17.10; 20. Cody Moses 20:19.84; 24. Stephen Miano 20:27.30; 28. Nick Horton 20:35.07; 29. Max Roark 20:36.16; 40. Eli Mott 20:58.20; 48. Wesley Eckert 21:41.45; 55. Levi Rodecap 22:15.64; 56. Josh Horton 22:20.91; 65. Gabe Ferguson 23:06.22; 67. John Holloway 23:45.83; 68. Davis Yarnell 24:02.82; 76. Aaron Haynes 24:56.39

6. Shawnee Heights

57. Jakob Rowland 22:22.91; 58. Xain Brown 22:23.88; 62. Lennox Garretson 22:39.11; 75. Colton Geil 24:43.94; 87. Jackson Osborne 29:45.39

Topeka West

83. Erich Abbo-Mott 26:28.77; 85. Jack Morgan 26:45.44

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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAMES

(Allkickoffs at 7 p.m.)

John Hoytal, Washburn Rural [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

TOPEKA HIGH (3-1, 1-0 Centennial) at WASHBURN RURAL (3-1, 0-0 Centennial)

Both Topeka High and Washburn Rural are coming off victories, with the Trojans opening Centennial League play wih a 13-12 home win over Emporia while the Junior Blues rolled to a 31-7 non-league road win at Blue Valley Northwest. Friday is Rural's Centennial League opener. Junior Blues senior quarterback John Hoytal threw for three touchdowns against Northwest while junior Jadyn Baum caught a touchdown pass and ran for a TD and senior Brody Haas picked off two passes, returning one for a TD. Topeka High's defense came up big in last week's win over Emporia, including stuffing the Spartans' two-point conversion attempt to preserve the Trojans' one-point lead.

Aiden Scott, Shawnee Heights [File photo/TSN]

DE SOTO (3-1, 3-1 UKC) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (1-3, 1-2 UKC)

Both teams are coming off United Kansas Conference losses, with De Soto dropping a 42-38 nailbiter to undefeated Basehor-Linwood while Shawnee Heights fell 43-29 on the road at Leavenworth. Heights senior quarterback Aiden Scott has completed 95 of 153 passes for 1,330 yards and 12 touchdowns while senior AJ Gallegos has a team-high 28 catches for 391 yards and a pair of TDs and junior Dallas Owens has 27 receptions for 312 yards and two TDs. Senior David Wakes has 281 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 60 attemps. Senior Dayton Vanderpool leads Heights with 36 tackles, including 23 solo stops.

Jackson McGivern, Hayden [File photo/TSN] 

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

Hayden is coming of a 42-7 home win over Wamego, with the Wildcats avenging one of their two defeats in the 2024 season, while Hiawatha opened Class 3A District 4 play with a 12-7 loss to Jefferson West. Hayden senior quarterback Connor Hanika hit Jackson McGivern, Xander Blasing and Kade Mitchell for touchdowns and Hanika also ran for a TD in the Wildcats' win. Junior Mason Becker returned a pass interception for a touchdown and also went 6 for 6 on extra-point kicks.

Quentin Moravec, Seaman [File photo/TSN]

SEAMAN (2-2, 2-1 UKC) at LANSING (2-2, 2-1 UKC)

Seaman won its second straight game last Friday, a 56-6 United Kansas Conference win over Kansas City-Turner, while Lansing took a 36-20 conference win over Topeka West. Seaman sophomore running back Quentin Moravec has carried the ball 70 times for 510 yards and nine touchdowns while junior quarterback Cale Ketter has completed 68 of 102 passes for 892 yards and 11 TDs. Junior Josh Brown has 20 pass receptions for 266 yards and six TDs. Senior Cameron Brian leads the Vikings with 54 tackles, including 28 solo stops and five tackles for loss.

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

The Shawnee Heights T-Birds agonized over letting their Homecoming game slip away Friday in a wild shootout. De Soto made up a 14-point deficit in the final eight minutes to win 50-48, leaving the T-Birds lingering on the field dazed and disappointed afterward.

Shawnee Heights senior quarterback Aiden Scott threw for 607 yards and three touchdowns in Friday's 50-48 loss to De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Shawnee Heights senior AJ Gallegos caught 14 passes for 218 yards and a TD in Friday's 50-48 loss to De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

The contrasting styles of the teams produced a frenetic outburst of offense. Shawnee Heights filled the air with passes that covered 607 yards, while De Soto pounded its way to 333 yards rushing.

The T-Birds held a 48-34 advantage with 7:55 remaining, but let the Wildcats regain the momentum on an 80-yard scoring pass on the very next play. De Soto scored a game-tying touchdown with 1:53 remaining and rushed for a two-point conversion to take the lead.

Shawnee Heights’ last chance was thwarted by a Wildcat interception with 1:00 left.

Following the game, T-Bird coach Jason Swift stood at midfield, hands on his head, trying to express his pride in his team, and the disappointment he shared with them.

“I don’t think I could be prouder of the kids,” Swift said. “They left it all out on the field tonight. One play on either side of the ball, or on special teams, could have been the difference in the game.

“So, it’s hard. (De Soto is) a good football team. But I thought we played our best football tonight.”

The T-Birds dipped to 1-4 on the season with the loss. Swift said the team feels it let a big opportunity slip away against an opponent who is contending for a United Kansas Conference title.

“I’m heartbroken for them,” Swift said. “We had a chance. We had the kids in the position to win, but we didn’t finish them. Our kids never quit for one second, and that’s what you’ve got to love about them. It’s their resiliency, and they’re going to come back next week and we’re going to go on.”

The offensive numbers produced by both teams are staggering.

Shawnee Heights quarterback Aiden Scott threw for 607 yards on 31 completions. A.J. Gallegos, crowned Homecoming king prior to the game, caught 14 passes for 218 yards. Tyren Parker hauled in six passes for 171 yards. Kicker Camden Granado nailed field goals of 30 and 29 yards and blasted several kickoffs out of the back of the end zone.

Swift said it’s hard to celebrate the outstanding performances in defeat, but said they should not be overlooked.

“Some of the plays we make, they’re going to remember for the rest of their lives,” Swift said. “Just phenomenal. It’s not routine plays. It’s plays where their heart and determination makes the great catch, makes the great run, or makes that great stop. That’s something they need to be proud of.”

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Both Washburn Rural volleyball coach Kevin Bordewick and Shawnee Heights coach Sami Kearney know that their teams still have plenty to work on as they get deeper into the 2025 season.

But both Bordewick and Kearney also had plenty to feel good about after Thursday's triangular at Shawnee Heights.

Senior Karsyn Horyna (21) celebrates the final point in Washburn Rural's three-set win over Shawnee Heights Thursday night. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

For Bordewick, the biggest positive was that his No. 6-ranked Junior Blues were able to come through when it counted the most to cap a 2-0 night with a hard-earned three-set 25-14, 19-25, 25-23 victory over Shawnee Heights in the final match of the night.

"Shawnee Heights is a good team,'' said Bordewick, whose team is now 11-4 on the season. "They've played some tough competetion and they've scored some points on some of the top teams in the state in 5A and 6A. I knew that for years, forever, they have been feisty and scrappy and that's exactly what they have right there.

"Not taking anything away from Shawnee Heights at all, I think we can play better, but the good news is we fought through adversity and we found a way to win.''

And although she was disappointed that her T-Birds came up just short against Rural, Kearney was thrilled with the way her team battled throughout the night en route to a 1-1 split against Class 6A foes Blue Valley Northwest and Rural, with Heights taking a 27-25, 25-21 win over the Huskies to avenge a recent loss before taking the Junior Blues down to the wire after rebounding from an 11-point first-set loss.

"Other nights we might have just stopped playing and we didn't stop playing,'' said Kearney, whose T-Birds are 12-13. "I was very proud. This is probably one of the better games I've seen and felt with my team and that was a good time to turn it on. If not for a couple of mistakes here and there we would have had it.

"Rural's a great team, I will always admire them. They work hard, they're fast and quick, but I was happy to see that we can get up to the competition and we played really well tonight. I don't like losing, but I'm happy with how we played.''

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

On Tuesday evening, three teams from the United Kansas Conference competed in a volleyball triangular hosted by Shawnee Heights.

The T-Birds dominated the action, sweeping Kansas City-Turner and Piper in straight sets.

Shawnee Heights senior Avery Willey goes up for a kill in Tuesday's UKC volleyball sweep over KC-Turner and Piper. [File photo/TSN]

In the opening match, Shawnee Heights played the Turner Bears.

Following an opening set where Shawnee Heights jumped out to an early lead and extended it throughout the set, the Thunderbirds jumped out to another early 7-0 lead in second set, thanks to three attacks from senior Avery Willey.

After Turner broke through on the scoreboard, Heights extended its lead to 12-1, causing the Bears to take their first timeout.

The T-birds only allowed four more points in the set, to finish the dominating sweep, 25-9, 25-5.

In the final match of the evening, Shawnee Heights played the Piper Pirates.

The start of the match saw the T-birds exhibit dominance at the net from senior Brooke McCabe and junior Brooklyn Hummer with blocks and attacks, giving Heights an early 6-0 lead.

Piper battled back and trailed just 8-7 when T-Bird coach Sami Kearney called the T-birds first timeout.

“We are a really good team, but sometimes we can sometimes play to our opponent,” Kearney said.

Following a 9-5 run by Heights, Piper called their final timeout, trailing 17-12. The teams traded points for the remainder of the set, with Shawnee Heights winning, 25-17.

The second set went back and forth with neither team having a lead larger than two points until Willey had a service winner, giving Heights the lead at 14-11.

Willey commented about her team’s start in both matches.

“I thought we started off slow, but we picked it up and found our rhythm,” she said.

Piper cut the lead to 16-15, but Heights scored the final nine points -- with eight coming from the serves of senior Addison Gonzalez -- to finish off the match, 25-15.

Shawnee Heights will be back in action on Thursday night, hosting a triangular with Washburn Rural and Blue Valley Northwest.

Match results

Shawnee Heights defeated KC-Turner, 25-9, 25-5; Piper defeated KC-Turner, 25-13, 25-14; Shawnee Heights defeated Piper, 25-17, 25-15

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

The Shawnee Heights soccer team took another step toward accomplishing its goals with a 3-0 defeat of Seaman at Bettis Family Sports Complex Tuesday.

Shawnee Heights senior Jose Curvelo-Montenegro (20) scores one of his two goals in Tuesday's 3-0 UKC win over Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Shawnee Heights senior Jose Curvelo-Montenegro (20) is congratulated after scoring a goal in Tuesday's 3-0 UKC win over Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Since suffering a loss to Washburn Rural in the season opener, the T-Birds have reeled off an eight-game win streak that finds them at the top of the Class 5A standings.

Senior Jose Curvelo-Montenegro received a pass from Camden Granado to punch home the first score of the night 15 minutes into the contest.

Curvelo-Montenegro added an insurance goal just two minutes into the second period on an assist from Sheldon Pokphanh. The T-Birds got a third tally on a corner kick by Thomas Aragon that Nick Prater put in the net.

“I was glad to get two goals after feeling like I’ve been trying. I finally had it,” Curvelo-Montenegro said. “I hope to keep scoring to help the team.”

Coach Nic Simons said Curvelo-Montenegro stepped up when the team needed another scorer to emerge.

“What I think is great about our team is, tonight Jose was able to step in and fill a role when we were having a tough night at the office for some of our guys that do a lot of our scoring,” Simons said. “Jose has been knocking at the door. He’s had a goal here, a goal there, but I think this was the kind of game he needed to gain confidence.

“Jose is a guy that is a little bit flashy. He can get into the minds of the opposing team. Teams have to think about him, and that’s one more weapon that makes us really dangerous this season.”

Shawnee Heights has claimed every United Kansas Conference championship but one since it joined the league. It can add another trophy to the case Thursday with a win at Leavenworth. Simons said winning Thursday will also keep the T-Birds in position for the top seed come playoff time.

“Right now, we’re atop the rankings of the 5A East, which has been our goal,” Simons said. “We want to host all the way to state. There are a lot of good teams out there and we want to think of ourselves as one of those upper-echelon-type teams.”

“It’s great to be 8-1,” Curvelo-Montenegro said. “I’m really happy with this win. We want to keep moving forward and get high up in the rankings.”

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The only surprise in Monday's United Kansas Conference girls golf tournament at Shawnee Country Club would have been if Seaman hadn't won.

Seaman's girls golf team won its fourth straight UKC girls golf title by 52 strokes Monday at Shawnee Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

After all, the Vikings were coming off a 14-stroke victory in the city tournament and had won the previous three UKC tourneys by an average of 51.7 strokes.

Suffice it to say that were no surprises Monday, with senior Elise Eckert leading a one-two-three individual finish as Seaman won its fourth straight conference championship in an many years in the league by a whopping 52-stroke margin over De Soto (327-359). 

Seaman senior Elise Eckert shot a 73 to take an eight-stroke individual win in Monday's UKC meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman senior Makenna Stuke finished second with an 81 in Monday's UKC meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

City champion Eckert shot a 73 for an eight-stroke win while senior Makenna Stuke was second with an 81 and junior Kaitlynn Frye third with an 84.

The Vikings also got a tie for fourth from junior Chloe Schmidtlein (89) and an 11th-place finish from senior Molina Quintana (96). 

"I felt like overall we had a good solid day,'' Seaman coach Julie McLaughlin said. "There's always room for improvement. All of them were saying there's things they want to work on, but I like where we're sitting right now.

"All we're focusing on is getting stronger mentally, physically and just being ready for that postseason play when it's here.''

Although she was happy to get the league title, Eckert wasn't particularly pleased with Monday's round.

"I especially struggled a bit with my putting today,'' Eckert said. "Everything else was alright, but putting definitely got me today.''

Seaman has two more regular season tournaments before regionals and state and Eckert, a three-time Class 5A state medalist, wants to continue making strides to get ready for her postseason run.

"I definitely need to work on putting more, but I also need to work on some just basic fundamentals with my swing that I can fix on the course, but l just need to practice more to get everything solid,'' she said.

Shawnee Heights finished fourth as a team, with T-Bird junior Lauryn Valdivia tying for seventh with a 92.

Topeka West's Berlyn Kolean tied for 12th with a 98.

UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Defending Class 1A District 2 champion Rossville opened defense of its district crown with a 69-0 road romp past Maranatha Christian Academy Friday night.

Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell threw for four touchdowns and ran for a TD in Friday's 69-0 win over Maranatha Academy. [File photo/TSN]

Now 3-1 overall, the Bulldawgs put the game out of reach with a 34-point opening quarter and added 21 points to open up a 55-0 halftime cushion before scoring its final two touchdowns of the night in the third quarter.

Bulldawg senior Jack Donovan set the tone for the night when he returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown.

Senior Conner Bush and senior Canann Mitchell followed Donovan's TD with 51 and 47-yard scores and Mitchell completed a 55-yard touchdown strike to Landen Lewis and a 42-yard scoring pass to senior Cameron Miller to close out the first quarter.

Andre Johnson opened the second-quarter scoring with a 31-yard run and Mitchell followed with an 11-yard TD pass to Lewis and a 27-yard scoring pass to Miller.

Dalen Dick scored on a 20-yard run and Ryder Foster scored from 3 yards out for the Bulldawgs' final touchdown.

Rossville will be at home next Friday to host Mission Valley.

Washburn Rural senior quarterback John Hoytal threw for two touchdowns in Thursday's 31-7 road win over Blue Valley Northwest. [File photo/TSN]

Junior Blues roll to 31-7 road win

Washburn Rural improved to 3-1 on the season, equaling its win total from the 2024 campaign, with a wire-to-wire 31-7 non-league road romp past Blue Valley Northwest Thursday night.

The Junior Blues never trailed after getting a 35-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback John Hoytal to junior Jadyn Baum with 1:10 left in the first quarter.

A 36-yard pass play from Hoytal to junior Gavin Vantuyl set up a 4-yard TD run from Baum that put Washburn Rural in front 14-0 midway through the second quarter.

After Northwest cut its deficit to 14-7 junior Ryan Austin connected on a 28-yard field goal to put the Junior Blues in front 17-7 with 50 seconds left in the half.

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

(Allkickoffs at 7 p.m.)

THURSDAY'S GAMES

Josiah Wilkie, Topeka West

LANSING (1-2, 1-1 UKC) vs. TOPEKA WEST (0-3, 0-3 UKC)

At Hummer Sports Park

Topeka West is coming off a 61-0 United Kansas Conference loss to Seaman while Lansing dropped a 40-15 non-league loss to Tonganoxie last week. Junior running back Damon Webb, senior wide receiver Gad Munganga and sophomore quarterback Josiah Wilkie are top players for Topeka West. Lansing junior quarterback Caden Garcia has completed 28 of 60 passes for 403 yards and 3 TDs while junior running back Jaxon Pollard has rushed for 362 yards and 8 TDs 59 attempts. 

Kellan Roth, Washburn Rural

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

Both Washburn Rural and Blue Valley Northwest suffered their first losses of the season last week, with Rural dropping a 60-28 non-league decision to Missouri state champion Platte County and Blue Valley Northwest falling to St. James Academy, 21-7. Northwest junior quarterback Aidan Ihm has completed 46 of 70 passes for 604 yards and 7 touchdowns while senior running back LJ Bowens has carried the ball 40 times for 268 yards and 3 TDs. Senior quarterback John Hoytal and senior wide receiver Kellan Roth are both off to hot starts this fall for Washburn Rural.   

FRIDAY'S GAMES

Kade Mitchell, Hayden

WAMEGO (2-1) at HAYDEN (3-0)

Hayden will get the opportunity to avenge one of its two losses in the 2024 season Friday night against the visiting Red Raiders. Wamego is coming off a 34-8 win over Marysville last Friday while Hayden rolled to a 46-7 road win over Kansas-City Bishop Ward and has now outscored its three opponents by a 123-13 margin. Wamego junior quarterback Logan Fulton has completed 32 of 53 passes for 562 yards and 4 TDs. Seniors Connor Hanika and Kade Mitchell and junior Mason Becker have been key offensive threats for the Wildcats.

Ricardo Dowd, Topeka High

EMPORIA (2-1, 0-0 Centennial) vs. TOPEKA HIGH (2-1, 0-0 Centennial)

At Hummer Sports Park

Both Emporia and Topeka High will be opening Centennial League play Friday night. The Spartans have won their last two games by a 102-6 margin, including a 50-0 non-league romp past Coffeyville last week. The Trojans were shut out 6-0 by Wichita Southeast last Thursday. Topeka High will be looking for a big night from senior quarterback Zane Smith,  while sophomore running back Ricardo Dowd has also been an offensive threat for the Trojans. 

Cale Ketter, Seaman

KANSAS CITY-TURNER (0-3, 0-3 UKC) at SEAMAN (1-2, 1-1 UKC)

Seaman rolled to a 61-0 United Kansas Conference win over Topeka West last Friday while Turner dropped a 56-0 conference decision to Leavenworth. Seaman junior quarterback Cale Ketter has completed 53 of 81 pass attempts for 628 yards and 7 touchdowns, including five against West. Junior running back Quentin Moravec has carried the ball 58 times for 426 yards and 6 TDs while junior Josh Brown has 16 pass receptions for 207 yards and 4 TDs.

 Aiden Scott, Shawnee Heights

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (1-2, 1-1 UKC) at LEAVENWORTH (2-1, 2-1)

Shawnee Heights dropped a 35-22 United Kansas Conference decision to Basehor-Linwood last Friday while Leavenworth rolled to a 56-0 UKC win over KC-Turner. T-Bird senior quarterback Aiden Scott has completed 69 of 116 passes for 921 yards and 9 touchdowns. Senior David Wakes has 217 rushing yards and 3 TDs on 56 attempts while senior AJ Gallegos has caught 19 passes for 234 yards and senior Tyren Parker has 10 catches for 245 yards and 2 touchdows. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman's girls tennis team had put itself in position to win the city championship the previous two seasons, only to fall just short.

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

And Jamie Robinson's Vikings had to sweat another down-to-the-wire finish again on Thursday at Kossover Tennis Center, but this time Seaman got the job done, earning its first city title since 2015 by a 32-28 margin over Washburn Rural.

"We're happy,'' Robinson said. "This is what our goal was at the beginning of the year, to win city. It kind of got to the point where we didn't want to talk about it. We didn't want to jinx ourselves because we were so pumped up to win city this year. 

"We'd been snakebit in the past and were so close, so it meant a lot to the girls. Look at them, they're excited.''

Seaman junior Emma Sweeney won the city No. 1 singles title Thursday, posting three 8-0 wins on the day. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman senior Molly Gorman won the city No. 2 singles title Thursday for the city champion Vikings. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Viking junior Emma Sweeney rolled to the No. 1 singles title without dropping a game in her three matches on the day, including an 8-0 win over Topeka High's Madeline Deters in the finals, while senior Molly Gorman won her second straght No. 2 singles championship, outlasting Hayden freshman Lena Hull in the title match, 8-7 (7-2 in a tiebreaker).

Seaman also got runnerup doubles finishes from Peyton Henry and Camryn Lux in No. 1 doubles and from Kaylyn Hiebsch and Cadence Speer in the No. 2 bracket.

Sweeney agreed with her coach that the city title meant a lot to the Vikings.

"We talk about it every year,'' Sweeney said. "We're always so close and our coach really wanted it because he'd never won city since he's been coaching. We always talk about it and we were ready.

"It means so much and we're all so excited.''

Washburn Rural put itself in the city title picture with a sweep of the doubles championships.

Washburn Rural's Julia Katzer teamed with Halle Owen to win the city No. 1 doubles title Thursday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn Rural's Halle Owen (left) teamed with Julia Katzer to win the No. 1 doubles city title Thursday. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Julia Katzer teamed with Halle Owen to take an 8-3 win over Seaman's Henry and Lux in the No. 1 final while Alizah Chedzoy and Annie Henderson took an 8-3 win over Seaman's Hiebsch and Speer in the No. 2 title match.

Hayden, the 2024 city champion, finished third as a team with 23 points, one point ahead of fourth-place Topeka High, as the Wildcats posted top-four finishes in all four divisions.

CITY GIRLS TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman's girls tennis team, third in Class 5A a year ago, continues to build momentum for another late-season run, following up last week's city championship with the team title in Tuesday's 11-school Topeka West Invitational at Kossover Tennis Center.

Led by singles champions Emma Sweeney and Molly Gorman, Seaman won Tuesday's championship by a 51-47 margin over Washburn Rural, with the Vikings and Junior Blues repeating their one-two finish from the city meet.

Seaman junior Emma Sweeney won the No. 1 singles championship in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman senior Molly Gorman won the No. 2 singles championship in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational for team champion Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Sweeney, a junior, won the No. 1 singles title with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Olathe West's Lindsay Ruder, avenging a loss to Ruder in the 2024 West tournament, while Gorman, a senior, captured the No. 2 singles championship with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Manhattan's Sally Kastner.

Seaman also got a runnerup doubles finish from Peyton Henry and Camryn Lux in No. 1 doubles and a third-place finish from Kaylyn Hiebsch and Cadence Speer in No. 2 doubles.

"Another good day for the Vikings,'' Seaman coach Jamie Robinson said. "The girls are trusting their shots and especially in singles Molly really played well. I feel like she's struggled a little bit and she had to take eight months off (with an injury) and now she's really getting back to form. That last match was the most comfortable I've ever seen her.

"And Emma really had a big match and she wanted this one, so that was fun to see. That tested her, that challenged her. This was good competition and we're battle tested and that's going to help in the UKC and it's going to help in regionals.''

Washburn Rural, which has put together another strong season despite graduating several key players off its 2024 team, swept the doubles titles in Tuesday's tournament.

Washburn Rural coach Michelle Rose talks to Rural No. 1 doubles players Halle Owen and Julia Katzer during Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN] 

Rural juniors Julia Katzer and Halle Owen won the No. 1 doubles championship with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Seaman's Henry and Lux. Katzer and Owen also faced Henry and Lux in the city championship match, with Rural taking an 8-3 win.

Washburn Rural junior Julia Katzer returns a shot during the No. 1 doubles final in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn Rural junior Halle Owen returns a shot during the No. 1 doubles final in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Alizah Chedzoy and Annie Henderson followed up their city title in No. 2 doubles with the championship in Tuesday's tournament, with Rural taking a 6-1, 6-3 decision in the finals.

TOPEKA WEST INVITATIONAL TENNIS

By VINCE LOVERGINE

TopSports.news

A United Kansas Conference soccer tilt on Monday night between Shawnee Heights and Topeka West featured both teams coming into the match with one combined loss.

While it’s still early in the year, this game could hold title implications later down the road and Shawnee Heights knew that coming in.

The T-Birds then went out and took advantage of the opportunity, riding a three-goal hat trick from senior Camden Granado to a 4-1 win over the Chargers at Hummer Sports Park.

Senior Camden Granado (left) had a three-goal hat trick to lead Shawnee Heights to a 4-1 road win over Topeka West Monday night. [File photo/TSN]

“Our guys have been thinking and working all season toward not just tonight but just the idea of league championship wins and give it up to Topeka West, what an effort playing down a couple of guys, they’re a great team,” Shawnee Heights head coach Nic Simons said. “We are embracing this idea that we’re never satisfied... we are going to continue to have this championship mentality and I think our guys showed that, keeping their composure tonight and kept the pressure on and I think that’s what’s a great hallmark out of this group.

"They have learned their lessons early. We’ve scheduled (Washburn) Rural, (Lawrence) Free State, all of these good teams early so that we can be ready for a big stage like tonight.”

Granado said Monday was a statement win for the T-Birds.

“We had this match circled on our calendars for a long time and a couple of other matches before this. After we get past those first couple of matches, it’s all focused on this and coming out of this game with a win, knowing this game could determine the league,” Granado said.

The Chargers were issued two red cards in the game which made it 11 vs. 9.

Simons said when that happens, it changes the momentum and gameplan.

“It was super hard,” Simons said. “We talked to our guys before the game that this in many ways was like a playoff game… the first 25 to 30 minutes or so, it played out just like a postseason game. I think both teams were kind of playing like not to make a mistake rather than exploit opportunities.

"It was a shame that some stuff outside of our control changed the dynamic of the game. I don’t want anything to take away from what otherwise would’ve been an incredible game, come down to a photo type finish at the end. I got to give our guys a lot of credit because they held their composure in obviously a tough situation and I think for that, they earned the victory.”

The Chargers had allowed just four goals on the season but gave up three in the first half alone to the Thunderbirds.

Shawnee Heights moved to 6-1 on the campaign and are winners of six in a row.

After a free kick that hit a Chargers hand in the box, a penalty kick followed from Granado scoring the game's first goal with 19:36 left in the first half.

Almost five minutes after that, the T-Birds had a great presence, attacking in Topeka West territory and Nick Prater booted one in the back of the net, making it 2-nil.

Granado would strike again off his right foot into the left side of the goal off another penalty kick with 8:29 left in the first half.

Topeka West junior Diego Gonzalez-Talavera put the Chargers on the board with a penalty kick of his own with 34 minutes left in the match.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman girls golf is the three-time defending United Kansas Conference champion and has produced multiple Class 5A state medalists over the years, but entering Monday's City Championships at Western Hills the Vikings had never won a city team title in the 13-year history of the event.

Julie McLaughlin's Vikings made up for lost time on Monday as senior individual champion Elise Eckert powered Seaman to a 14-stroke victory over Hayden (341-355) while 11-time city champ Washburn Rural finished third (361).

Seaman girls golf poses for a team picture Monday at Western Hills after winning its first-ever city team championship. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

"This is pretty special, this is something,'' McLaughlin said of the city title. "I had hoped last year we would make a run for it and we just came out and didn't play very well.

"We've come in second a few times and that was exciting, that was great, but this is something I've wanted to see them do for a long time now.''

Seaman senior Elise Eckert shot a two-under-par 68 to win the city girls golf title by eight strokes Monday at Western Hills. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Eckert, a three-time 5A state medalist at Emporia before transferring to Seaman this fall, shot a sizzling two-under-par 68 to take the city individual title by an eight-stroke margin over Hayden senior Lauren Borjon.

"I felt pretty comfortable all day,'' Eckert said. "I started off my round with a double (bogey), so it was kind of rough, but I feel like I was able to quickly pick it up and get myself back in competition.''

Eckert said McLaughlin pointed out to the Vikngs that Seaman had never won the city meet, which made Monday's title run special.

"My coach went over that in the van before we came here,'' Eckert said. "It feels great to help them out with that. I like that I am able to be a part of this team, and with some good girls, too.''

Eckert said she was able to fit in quickly with her new team this fall.

"It didn't really take long because I knew most of the girls beforehand,'' Eckert said. "I had played with them before and they just really accepted me and it was amazing.''

Makenna Stuke finished fifth with an 89 to help Seaman win its first city team title Monday at Western Hills. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

The Vikings also got top-10 finishes from Makenna Stuke, fifth with an 89, Chloe Schmidtlein, seventh with a 91, and Kaitlynn Frye, who tied for eighth with a 93.

Hayden senior Lauren Borjon shot a 76 Monday to finish second in the city tournament at Western Hills. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Hayden senior Izzy Glotzbach shot an 82 Monday to finish third in the city tournament at Western Hills. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Borjon's 76 was good enough for her second career runnerup finish in the city meet while her Hayden senior teammate, Izzy Glotzbach, finished third with an 82. Borjon also finished second in 2023, leading the Wildcats to the city team championship.

Senior Lauren Cox finished fourth with an 85 to lead Washburn Rural in Monday's city tournament at Western Hills. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN] 

Third-place Washburn Rural was led by senior Lauren Cox, who placed fourth with an 85, while Kailyn Petersen was sixth with a 90 and Briley Miles and Ella Taggart tied for eighth with 93s. 

Seaman also won the championship in the Topeka West Invitational, held in conjunction with the city tournament, by a  five-stroke margin over Baldwin. 

Seaman, Shawnee Heights and Topeka West will compete in next Monday's UKC meet at Shawnee Country Club while Hayden and Washburn Rural will compete in next Monday's Centennial League tournament at Junction City.

TOPEKA CITY GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Hayden, ranked No. 2 in Class 3A by the Kansas Football Coaches Association, improved to 3-0 Friday night with a 46-7 road win at Kansas City Bishop Ward.

The Wildcats took control from the outset, building a 25-0 first-quarter lead and taking a 32-0 advantage to the locker room at halftime.

Hayden led 39-0 at the end of the third quarter before both teams scored TDs in the fourth quarter.

The Wildcats will be at home next Friday, hosting a Wamgo team that handed Hayden one of its two losses in 2024.

Senior quarterback John Hoytal attempts a pass in Friday's 60-28 home loss to Missouri power Platte County. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN] 

Platte County pulls away for 60-28 win over Blues

Washburn Rural scored touchdowns against powerhouse Platte County, a defending Missouri state champion, but the Pirates, who improved to 4-0, rolled up 60 points in a 60-28 win over the Junior Blues at Bowen-Glaze Stadium.

Washburn Rural senior Nate Selm scores a touchdown in Friday's 60-28 loss to Platte County, Mo. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

Now 2-1 on the season, Washburn Rural will travel to Blue Valley Northwest next Friday for a non-league contest. 

Rossville suffers first loss, 56-28 to Thunder

After a 2-0 start with thrilling wins over Silver Lake and St. Marys, Rossville fell to undefeated Nemaha Central Friday night, 56-28.

The Bulldawgs, now 2-1 overall and in the Big East League, scored in every quarter against last season's Class 2A runnerup Nemaha Central, but the 3-0 Thunder scored 14 points in all four quarters.

Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to senior Cameron Miller and also scored on a 4-yard run, while the Bulldawgs also got a 4-yard run from senior Jack Donovan and a 6-yard run from senior Andre Johnson.

The Bulldawgs will travel to Maranatha Christian Academy next Friday. 

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

THURSDAY'S GAME

(Kickoff at 7 p.m.)

Zane Smith, Topeka High

WICHITA SOUTHEAST (1-1) at TOPEKA HIGH (2-0)

Topeka High will be playing its second Thursday night game in the first three weeks of the season and will be looking to start the season 3-0 after beginnning the 2024 season 4-0. The Trojans are coming off a 28-20 come-from-behind road win over Wichita Heights while Wichita Southeast lost 33-6 to Bishop Carroll last week. Senior quarterback Zane Smith is off to a hot start this fall for Topeka High while sophomore running back Ricardo Dowd is in the midst of a breakout season.

FRIDAY'S GAMES

(Highland Park-KC Schlagle kickoff at 4 p.m.)

(All other kickoffs at 7 p.m.)

G'Honi Montgomery, Highland Park

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

At Hummer Sports Park

The undefeated Scots will play the first game of a city doubleheader at Hummer Sports Park, kicking off at 4 p.m. Highland Park has yet to be tested thus far, rolling to Meadowlark Conference wins over Kansas City-Wyandotte and last week's 44-16 victory over KC-Sumner. Schlagle is coming off a 44-0 win over Wyandotte last week. Scot junior JoJo Kingcannon has rushed for 247 yards on just nine carries while junior G'Honi Montgomery has rushed for 187 yards on 26 carries. Montgomery scored three touchdowns last week, including a pair of kickoff returns for TDs.

SEAMAN (0-2, 0-1) vs. TOPEKA WEST (0-2, 0-2)

At Hummer Sports Park

Seaman and Topeka West will play the second game of Friday's twinbill at Hummer Sports Park, with the Vikings and Chargers both looking for their first victories in the United Kansas Conference contest. Seaman is coming off a 41-21 non-league loss to Shawnee Mission East while Topeka West dropped a 76-35 UKC decision to Shawneee Heights. Seaman junior quarterback Cale Ketter has completed 41 of 66 passes for 348 yards and two TDs while sophomore Quentin Moravec has carried the ball 40 times for 227 yards and four scores. West sophomore quarterback Josiah Wilkie completed 19 of 46 passes for 323 yards and three TDs against Shawnee Heights. Jayden Lindsay accounted for 155 yards receiving while Gad Munganga added 125 yards receiving.

Kellan Roth, Washburn Rural

PLATTE COUNTY, MO. (3-0) at WASHBURN RURAL (2-0)

Washburn Rural is coming off a thrilling 31-30 come-from-behind non-league win over Blue Valley last Friday while Platte County rolled to a 46-7 win over Fort Osage, Mo. The Pirates went 14-0 and captured a Missouri state title in 2024 and have outscored their first three opponents by a 156-37 margin this season. Rural quarterback John Hoytal threw for four TDs last week, including three to senior Kellan Roth. Junior Ryan Austin kicked a 31-yard field goal and the game-winning extra point against Blue Valley. 

Canann Mitchell, Rossville

NEMAHA CENTRAL (2-0, 1-0) at ROSSVILLE (2-0, 2-0)

Rossville pulled out its second straight nail-biting Big East League win last Friday, edging St. Marys, 40-34, while Nemaha Central topped Big East League foe Silver Lake, 42-7. Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell has completed 26 of 45 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns and carried the ball 33 times for 219 yards and three TDs. Senior Cameron Miller has caught 11 passes for 152 yards and two TDs.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Topeka High tennis came up short in its three Topeka High Invitational championship matches Wednesday at Kossover Tennis Center en route to a third-place team finish.

Topeka High senior Madeline Deters finished second in No. 1 singles in Wednesday's Topeka High Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Hailey Caryl (left) celebrates Topeka High's No. 1 doubles semifinal victory with teammate Ava Ritter in Wednesday's Topeka High Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

And although Trojan coach Duane Pomeroy would have loved for his team to claim a title or two or three, he had zero complaints about High's performance.

"I was really happy with how we worked today,'' Pomeroy said. "All of them did a great job.''

Topeka High's Madeline Deters dropped an 8-5 decision to Emporia's Kali Keough in the No. 1 singles final, while High's Hailey Caryl and Ava Ritter also dropped a close match in the No. 1 doubles final, with Emporia's Peyton Chanlee and Kinsley Hines prevailing, 8-6.

Topeka High's No. 2 doubles team of Astra Fizell (left) and Sasha Gotru finished second in Wednesday's Topeka High Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

The Trojans' No. 2 doubles team of Sasha Gotru and Astra Fizell also advanced to the championship match, falling 8-2 to Emporia's Alexa Tovar and Chelsea Mendez.

"It's amazing that we've got Sasha, that had never played tennis before the first day of practice,'' Pomeroy said.

Caryl and Ritter rallied from a 7-2 deficit to win their semifinal match over Junction City in a tiebreaker.

"My one doubles, the way they came back was the best they've ever played, that five-game stretch plus the tiebreaker, each game they just got more and more confident,'' Pomeroy said. 

Deters showed her mettle in the singles final, rallying from 4-1 and 7-3 deficits to challenge Keough late.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights volleyball has faced an uphill battle in the early stages of the 2025 season while wading through a tough schedule, including a matchup with defending Class 5A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas.

Shawnee Heights volleyball celebrates a point in Tuesday's UKC volleyball sweep at Topeka West. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]

But T-Bird coach Sami Kearney is pleased with the progress her team has made, including Shawnee Heights' first sweep of the season in Tuesday's Topeka West triangular.

Shawnee Heights senior Avery Willey goes up for a kill in Tuesday's UKC volleyball sweep at Topeka West. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]

Now 6-6 on the season, the T-Birds dominated their first two United Kansas Conference matches of the year, rolling to a 25-12, 25-15 win over Seaman and a 25-13, 25-13 victory over Topeka West.

"I feel like we're moving in the right direction,'' Kearney said. "We've just played some tough teams, and I don't think you'll get better as a team if you don't play good teams, so I want that challenge and they accept that challenge and we're just getting better every week it feels like, so I just want to keep moving up with them.

"It's always about records, but at the same time we've got to go play good teams to make it to state, so we might as well get started and see what we need to get to and it's a good goal for us to try to reach.''

Senior Avery Willey, who had a big night Tuesday, agreed with her coach that the T-Birds are improving all the time.

"I think we've played some great teams and the losses are fine because we played great volleyball and we're just going to get better from it,'' Willey said. "Playing bad teams all year is not going to help us get better so I'm glad we get to play those really good teams.''

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Topeka West's boys soccer team went 3-0 on the week to claim the championship in the Salina South Invitational.

The Chargers, now 4-0, finished off their title run with a 3-2 win over tournament host Salina South in Saturday's championship game.

Diego Gonzalez-Talavera was named the tournament Most Valuable Player after helping lead Topeka West to the championship in the Salina Invitational. [File photo/TSN]

West got goals from JP Ayella, Valentin Del Real and Morris Blick against Salina South, while Ayella, Makaly Martinez and Giancarlo Valenzuela were credited with assists.

The Chargers scored all three of their goals in the opening half and West held on for the win despite two second-half goals by the Cougars. 

West reached the final with an 8-0 first-round win over Salina Central on Tuesday and a 1-0 win over Hays in Thursday's semifinal. 

Diego Gonzalez-Talavera scored four goals with one assist against Central while Blick had a brace with two goals. Camilo Garcia and D'Ante Smith-Dilone both had a goal and an assist for the Chargers while additional assists were provided by Ayella and Del Real.

Gage Kindred-Noragon was in goal behind Valenzuela Kameron Ortiz, Navi Lopez, Martinez and Neko Juarez for the shutout.

Ortiz scored the game-winning goal against Hays on a corner kick from Del Real. Kindred-Noragon was in goal for a team effort in another shutout.

Gonzalez-Talavera was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament while Del Real and Valenzuela were named to the all-tournament team.

Eckert, Vikings claim titles in Seaman Invitational 

Elise Eckert carded a 74 to win the individual championship by five strokes in Thursday's Seaman Invitational girls golf tournament at Village Greens, leading the Vikings to the team championship by 22 strokes.

Elise Eckert, Seaman   

Eckert was a three-time Class 5A state medalist for Emporia before moving to Topeka for her senior year.

The Vikings won the team title with a four-person score of 328 as Makenna Stuke finished fourth with an 84 and Chloe Schmidtlein and Kaitlynn Frye both shot 85s to tie for fifth place.

Hayden senior Izzy Glotzbach finished second with a 79 while Wildcat senior Lauren Borjon was third with an 81 as Hayden finished third as a team.

Washburn Rural finished second in the team standings, with Lauren Cox tying for fifth individually with an 85 while Kailyn Petersen placed eighth (86), Briley Miles ninth (89) and Peyton Merrick 10th (90).

Hayden's volleyball team poses for a team picture after winning Saturday's Baldwin tournament and improving to 12-0 on the season. [Hayden volleyball]

Hayden volleyball rolls to Baldwin Invitational championship

Top-ranked (Classs 4A) Hayden is 12-0 on the season after capturing the championship in Saturday's Baldwin Invitational. 

Hayden finished third in 4A last season.

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights outlasted Topeka West in a wild romp Friday at Heights that saw 16 touchdowns and 111 total points scored. The T-Birds picked up their first victory of the season, 76-35 over the Chargers.

Senior quarterback Aiden Scott threw for three touchdowns and ran for two TDs in Shawnee Heights' 76-35 UKC win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Every time Shawnee Heights appeared to gain a commanding lead, the Chargers seemed to hit for a big play that kept the fires burning on both sides. The T-Birds continued to attack, even once reserves were inserted in the lineup. Eight different T-Birds found the end zone in the game.

“The whole sideline was going crazy as some of those guys who don’t get to play got out there,” senior quarterback Aiden Scott said. “Just seeing their faces light up when everyone scores. It’s amazing – our team atmosphere. We’re all for each other.”

David Wakes scored the first two touchdowns of the night in Shawnee Heights' 76-35 UKC win over Topeka West Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Shawnee Heights took a 22-0 lead in the first period. But the Chargers took to the air in the second period and made things interesting. Quarterback Josiah Wilkie directed a touchdown drive to cut the T-Bird lead to 22-8. Later in the quarter, Topeka West took advantage of an interception deep in Shawnee Heights territory to convert a second touchdown drive, making the score 28-14.

Shawnee Heights junior Christian Labrador scored two touchdowns, including a 50-yard interception return, in Shawnee Heights' 76-35 UKC win over Topeka West Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Shawnee Heights responded with 20 unanswered points in the final 3:16 of the period to go up 48-14 at the intermission. But even then, the Chargers didn’t fold. Wilkie hit on two long scoring passes to receiver Jayden Lindsay, and Nas Williams-Brown scored on a 72-yard scamper.

Shawnee Heights coach Jason Swift praised the Chargers for their effort, and said there was plenty for his team to like as well.  

“I saw a lot of kids get a chance to play,” Swift said. “We had some injuries coming into tonight. So, a lot of kids were, hey, this is your first night playing Friday night football. And I thought they did well. Did we make some mistakes? Yeah, we did. That’s part of being a kid. On Friday nights, the game goes a lot faster than it does on any other day. But our kids never quit. So, sure, we can improve on some stuff, but, you know, anytime you win a football game, it’s great.”

The T-Birds, who never punted, were only prevented from reaching the end zone on two possessions. Scott threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more.

For the Chargers, Wilkie completed 19 of 46 passes for 323 yards. Lindsay accounted for 155 yards receiving while Gad Munganga added 125 yards receiving.

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

FRIDAY'S GAMES

(All kickoffs at 7 p.m.)

Shawnee Heights senior quarterback Aiden Scott threw for 428 yards and four touchdowns in last Friday's 51-41 loss to Washburn Rural. [File photo/TSN]

Topeka West junior Damon Webb is one of the area's top running backs. [File photo/TSN]

TOPEKA WEST (0-1, 0-1 UKC) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (0-1, 0-0 UKC)

Topeka West opened its season with a home 47-12 United Kansas Conference loss to De Soto while Shawnee Heights dropped a 51-41 home non-league decision to city rival Washburn Rural. Heights senior quarterback Aiden Scott completed 30 of 52 passes for 428 yards and four touchdowns against Rural while senior David Wakes carried the ball 21 times for 67 yards, senior Tyren Parker caught seven passes for 172 yards and two TDs and senior AJ Gallegos caught 10 passes for 113 yards. Top players for Topeka West include senior lineman Logan Hunninghake, senior wide receiver Gad Munganga and junior running back Damon Webb.

Junior running back G'Honi Montgomery rushed for 113 yards in Highland Park's 32-6 win at KC-Wyandotte last Friday. [File photo/TSN]

KC-SUMNER (0-1, 0-1 Meadowlark) vs. HIGHLAND PARK (1-0, 1-0 Meadowlark)

At Hummer Sports Park 

Highland Park opened its quest for a fourth straight winning season with a 32-6 Meadowlark Conference road win at Kansas City-Wyandotte while KC-Sumner is coming off a 62-20 Meadowlark loss to KC-Washington. Highland Park junior running back G'Honi Montgomery rushed for 113 yards on 12 carries while junior JoJo Kingcannon had 103 yards on just four attempts and senior quarterback Dontrail Fox threw for a TD. Defensively junior Rayshon Pollard had seven tackles with two sacks.

OSAGE CITY (1-0, 0-0 Flint Hills) vs. CAIR PARAVEL LATIN (1-0, 1-0 Flint Hills)

At Yager Stadium, Washburn University

Cair Paravel rolled to a 60-14 Flint Hills League win over West Franklin in its 2025 opener at Washburn's Yager Stadium while Osage City opened with a 41-13 non-league win over Olpe. The Lions opened up a 20-0 first-quarter lead, led 26-8 at halftime and 52-8 at the start of the fourth quarter. Cair Paravel is one win away from equaling its win total in a 2-7 season last fall in its first season in the 11-man ranks.

SM EAST (1-0) at SEAMAN (0-1)

Seaman dropped a 33-22 United Kansas Conference home decision to Piper in its 2025 season-opener and will go outside league play to host Class 6A Shawnee Mission East Friday night. The Lancers are 1-0 after a 31-28 win over Olathe Northwest. Seaman junior quarterback Cale Ketter completed 30 of 42 passes for 192 yards against Piper while sophomore Quentin Moravec rushed for 112 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries and junior Josh Brown caught 10 passes for 74 yards.

Junior Jadyn Baum (26) rushed for 84 yards and scored two touchdowns in Washburn Rural's 51-41 season-opening win over Shawnee Heights. [File photo/TSN]

BLUE VALLEY (1-0) at WASHBURN RURAL (1-0) 

Washburn Rural outlasted city rival Shawnee Heights 51-41 at Heights last week while Blue Valley opened with a 28-21 win over Blue Valley Southwest. Rural senior quarterback John Hoytal completed 11 of 20 passes for 201 yards and a pair of touchdowns while senior TJ Minikwu was 28 for 77 yards rushing and junior Jadyn Baum picked up a game-high 84 yards on 12 attempts. Minikwu and Baum scored two TDs apiece, while senior Nate Selm also had two TDs, including a 47-yard return of an onsides kick attempt.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Veteran Silver Lake volleyball coach Sarah Johnson was happy with the way her Class 3A Eagles battled in five of six sets in Thursday's Shawnee Heights quadrangular against the 5A T-Birds, 6A Manhattan and 5A Seaman.

Silver Lake senior Paige Winsor spikes the ball in Thursday's match against Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

And Johnson was even happier with the way her Eagles bounced back after hitting their only stumbling block of the night.  

After dropping a tight 25-23 decision in its first set of the night against Shawnee Heights, Silver Lake got steamrolled 25-12 by the T-Birds in the match-clinching second set.

But that was the top-ranked (3A) Eagles' only loss, with Silver Lake, now 10-1, rebounding to take a 25-20, 25-23 win over Seaman and a 25-16, 25-19 win over Manhattan, handing the seventh-ranked (6A) Indians their lone loss.

Silver Lake senior Paige Heiman (15) blocks a spike attempt in Thursday's match against Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

"Overall, I'm very pleased,'' Johnson said. "There were a couple of moments at the beginning of the night that didn't go our way and we weren't playing like ourselves. We were a completely different team that Shawnee Heights match, especially that second set, than we were against Manhattan.

"I was really happy to see these girls just like level up. They were ready for the competition and they gave it their all and it was all of them on the court. I couldn't find a weakness, a weak girl, and I was really proud of all of them on the court. They didn't get down on themselves and I really see this crew as that kind of team. They're going to have errors, we're okay with it, and then we rally back.''

Junior setter Kylie Hanni was also proud of her team's performance, particularly after the loss to Heights.

"We did a good job of forgetting our mistakes and we just really pushed through it and I'm really happy with how it ended,'' Hanni said.

"This (playing bigger schools) really gives us a challenge and it always makes us better because we learn what we need  to work on and just facing good competition is really good for us.''

Shawnee Heights senior Jadyn Euwer makes a return in Thursday's Shawnee Heights volleyball quadrangular. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Host Shawnee Heights also went 2-1 in the quadrangular and came within a third-set Manhattan rally of a perfect night.

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights' soccer teamused its speed and attacking style to post eight scores in the first half against Cair Paravel Latin Monday at the Bettis Family Sports Complex, taking an 8-0 non-league win.

Senior Camden Granado sliced through the Lions’ defense for four goals to lead the T-Birds.

The game gave the T-Birds a boost of confidence going into a match versus Topeka High on Thursday at Hummer Sports Park. For Class 2A Cair Paravel, it was a chance to challenge itself against a much bigger school.

Defeating Cair Paravel was another step in the journey for the T-Birds who bounced back with a win last Thursday over Free State after dropping the season opener at Washburn Rural.

“Opening with Rural, that was a pretty tough way to open the season,” Shawnee Heights coach Nic Simons said. “But we bounced back really well against a great Free State team, and it was great to see us come out tonight and kind of take care of some things and get things where we want going into Thursday against Topeka High.”

The Lions held Shawnee Heights off the board for the first five minutes of the game. But once Granado got rolling, the T-Birds took command. They netted four goals in the next nine minutes, three of them off the foot of the senior captain.

“To score as many goals as we did in the first half just gives us confidence in our offense,” Granado said. “I can’t take the credit because (my teammates) did great getting me the ball. We did great just making passes in order to move the ball up the field.”

“Some of the creativity on the offensive side of the field is kind of what I’ve been wanting to see,” Simons said. “And I think our ability to push the ball up the field is something that we’re going to need to bring on Thursday.

Once the T-Birds were comfortably in the lead, Simons began substituting liberally.

“It’s good for us to get some guys some experience,” Simons said. “We played quite a few sophomores off our bench tonight and it was incredible to see some of those guys step on the field and give us some great minutes.

“We knew coming into the season that we could have a good team. Almost everybody played varsity last year,” Granado said. “It’s just living up to those expectations. Obviously, we have goals that are going to come later in the season, but it’s just working towards them every game and making sure that every game matters.”

Though the score wasn’t what the Lions would have liked, they had several near misses that kept things interesting. Coach Mark Congdon believed trying to match the speed and intensity of the 5A T-Birds was a good learning experience.

“We’ve got more experience than we usually do, but we’re still starting several freshmen and sophomores,” Congdon said. “They were a little bit shell-shocked – this was a pace of play they hadn’t experienced before. They were chasing their tails most of the night.

“We played a team last night that is struggling and having a down year, so we mercy-ruled somebody last night, and tonight we get mercy-ruled. So, it was great to see both sides of the spectrum, to learn things like how to play with class no matter what the score is.”

Congdon said he expects this to be the best team the Lions have fielded in the last several years. Playing a powerful opponent early in the season can be to their benefit.

“That’s great soccer. How can we mimic that?” Congdon said. “I told the guys, 'You learn from your opponent. What made them so difficult to defend? What were the passes that broke our backs? What things can we take into the rest of our season and copy them?’ ”

Congdon noted a goal scored by Cair Paravel senior Nathan Keys that was wiped out by an offside penalty.

“This is the first game Nathan Keys was shut out since 2023,” Congdon said. “He scored in every game last year, and in our first three games this year. That (call) was unfortunate because I thought he might keep his streak going.”

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 8, CAIR PARAVEL 0

Cair Paravel (2-2-0)          0 X — 0

Shawnee Heights (2-1-0) 8 X — 8

Shawnee Heights — Goals: Granado 4, Curvelo-Montenegro 2, Lindecrantz, Retana. Assists: Lilly. Shutout: Arteaga.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Friday's city showdown between Washburn Rural and Shawnee Heights featured enough big plays to fill a couple of highlight reels and more than a few miscues by both teams.

But when the dust finally settled after nearly three hours, the visiting Junior Blues had prevailed in a 51-41 shootout.

Washburn Rural celebrates after Friday night's 51-41 win at Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

The tone for the night was set when Rural and Heights traded 64 and 73-yard touchdowns over the opening three minutes and the pace barely slowed the rest of the night in the non-league battle between the two longtime city rivals.

"It was a typical first ballgame,'' Washburn Rural coach Steve Buhler said. "Cramps on cool weather, lots of great plays, great athletes on the field, big plays in big games, guys stepped up. We've been talking about that, who were going to be the guys to step up?''

After trailing 14-7 at the 4:47 mark of the opening quarter, Washburn never trailed after scoring 20 straight points to build a 27-14 advantage with 5:26 left in the first half.

But Shawnee Heights, which trailed by as many as 16 points, clawed back time and time again to get as close as three on multiple occasions and the game wasn't officially decided until Junior Blue senior Nate Selm fielded a T-Bird onsides kick attempt and rambled 47 yards for the night's final TD with 14 seconds remaining.  

"Nate Selm, a great baseball player, and he showed it on that last play,'' Buhler said. "He scooped that thing up on that hop and he was gone.

"It was great to see that and one thing we've been preaching already is the idea of being persistent and staying with it and playing through and I was really happy with our kids. There were times where we could of just kind of let off the gas a little bit and been upset about some things, but our guys played through a lot of mistakes and kept playing hard and that's what we've been preaching all fall.''

Selm, who caught a 31-yard touchdown pass earlier in the game, had an idea of what he wanted to do on the onsides attempt, beginning with making he sure he caught the ball.

"You've got to,'' Selm said. "I was just kind of reacting. I saw it come off his foot and I was just like, 'There's no one coming to get me and I might as well take this one to the house.'

"I watch You Tube videos and knew the rule that you can go get it before 10 yards and I saw that little gap and took off.''

Selm said that Rural knew it was going to have to come up with big plays to hold off a talented Shawnee Heights team.

"A crazy game,'' Selm said. "Heights is really good and their offense can score and those dudes are all really good. They can throw the ball and catch the ball. They've got a ton of great athletes. Aiden Scott (Heights' star quarterback), I grew up with him and he can heave the ball, man.''

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

(All kickoffs at 7 p.m.)

THURSDAY'S GAME

Jason Filbeck begins his second season at Topeka High Thursday night after leading the Trojans to a 4-5 mark last fall. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

WICHITA WEST vs. TOPEKA HIGH

At Hummer Sports Park

Jason Filbeck begins his second season as Topeka High's head coach after leading the Trojans to a 4-5 record last fall, including four straight wins to open the season. High returns a solid group of returners to build around this season , returning four starters on offense and eight on defense. Senior defensive back Malachi Murph has received All-Centennial League first-team recognition the past two seasons and was an All-Shawnee County Second 22 honoree last fall while quarterback Zane Smith, linebacker Rock Williamson and defensive lineman Trey Lutz received All-Centennial League and All-Shawnee County honorable mention in 2024. Wichita West posted a 2-7 record in 2024, including a 52-19 season-opening loss to Topeka High. The Trojans will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak Thursday night. Two of Topeka High's first three games are Thursday night contests, with the Trojans hosting Wichita Southeast on Sept. 18.

FRIDAY'S GAMES

Silver Lake senior Dayne Johnson (11) is a returning All-Shawnee County Top 22 pick. [File photo/TSN]

Rossville senior Conner Bush helped the Bulldawgs advance to the Class 1A semifinals last season. [File photo/TSN]

SILVER LAKE at ROSSVILLE

For the second straight season the Bulldawgs and Eagles will open the 2025 season with one of the state's most storied rivalries. Rossville is coming off an 8-4 record a year ago and advanced to the Class 1A state semifinals while Silver Lake went 7-3. The Eagles took a 33-26 overtime win over the Bulldawgs in last year's opener. Rossville returns TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 pick Conner Bush (senior running back/defensive back) and All-Shawnee County Second 22 honorees Jack Donovan (senior wide receiver/defensive back) and Andre Johnson (senior running back/linebacker) to build around. Silver Lake senior wide receiver/safety Dayne Johnson received TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 honors a year ago after catching 51 passes for 835 yards and nine touchdowns and picking off six passes on defense. Junior lineman Myles Fisher and sophomore lineman Kendrick Vande Velde received all-county honorable mention last season while senior safety Grady Bergmann received All-Big East honorable mention.

 Washburn Rural senior running back TJ Minikwu earned All-Centennial League recognition last fall. [File photo/TSN]

Shawnee Heights senior quarterback Aiden Scott passed for more than 3,000 yards last fall. [File photo/TSN]

WASHBURN RURAL at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS

City rivals Washburn Rural and Shawnee Heights will both be looking to bounce back this fall after tough 2024 campaigns. Rural went 3-6 a year ago, including a 42-21 win over Shawnee Heights, while Heights went 2-7. Washburn Rural senior running back TJ Minikwu received first-team All-Centennial League recognition last season while senior quarterback John Hoytal, senior wide receiver Kellan Roth, senior defensive lineman Ayden Crosswhite and senior linebacker Jordy Heim were second-team all-league picks. Senior offensive lineman Jayden Cooper, junior running back Jadyn Baum, junior linebacker Brody Haas and senior linebacker Elijah Gaines received all-league honorable mention and Minikwu, Cooper, Baum, Hoytal, Roth, Crosswhite, Heim, Haas, Gaines, senior Sammy Brumley and senior Dylan Tajchman all received All-Shawnee County honorable mention. Leading the T-Bird returning cast are senior quarterback Aiden Scott and senior wide receiver/defensive back Tyren Parker, who both were TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 picks a year ago. Scott, who was named the county offensive newcomer of the year last fall, completed 190 of 317 passes for 3,102 yards and 32 touchdowns while Parker caught 50 passes for 946 yards with 11 touchdowns and was in on 48 tackles with a pair of interceptions. Scott has committed to Washburn and Parker to Kansas. 

Senior linebacker Jude Krentz led Hayden with 132 tackles last fall, earning All-Shawnee County Top 22 honors. [File photo/TSN]

EUDORA at HAYDEN  

Hayden went 11-2 and finished second in Class 3A for the second straight season last fall while Eudora is coming off a 4-5 season, including a 35-7 season-opening loss to the Wildcats. Headlining the list of Hayden returners are senior running back/defensive back Kade Mitchell and senior fullback/linebacker Jude Krentz, who were both TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 honors last season. Mitchell rushed for 808 yards on 104 carries last fall and scored 26 total touchdowns while Krentz led the Wildcats with 132 tackles (75 solo). Other top senior returners include quarterback Connor Hanika, center/defensive lineman Julian McGivern, running back/linebacker Jackson McGivern, tight end/linebacker Xander Blasing, offensive tackle Jackson Haas, offensive guard Andrew Rohr and linebacker Logan Saenz. 

Topeka West junior Damon Webb is one of the area's top returning running backs. [File photo/TSN]

DE SOTO at TOPEKA WEST

At Hummer Sports Park

Trey Parker begins his third full season as head coach at Topeka West after taking over on an interim basis in 2022. The Chargers will be looking to take a step forward this fall after three straight 1-8 seasons. Topeka West faces a tough task Friday night, with De Soto coming off a 7-2 season last fall. De Soto took a 56-6 season-opening win over West last season. Top returners for Topeka West include senior lineman Logan Hunninghake, senior wide receiver Gad Munganga, junior lineman Dorian Rhoten Jr. and junior running back Damon Webb Jr. Webb carried the ball 17 times for 192 yards and three touchdowns in last fall's 32-20 United Kansas Conference win over Kansas City-Turner. The Chargers also return sophomore quarterback Josiah Wilke, who took over as West's starter the second half of the 2024 season.

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

The Washburn Rural boys soccer team, eager to build upon its third-place finish in last year’s Class 6A state tournament, flexed its muscle Tuesday. The Junior Blues handled Shawnee Heights 6-0 at McElroy Field in the season opener for both teams.

Washburn Rural senior Dylan Willingham (19) scored a pair of goals in Tuesday's 6-0 season-opening win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

The Junior Blues ambushed the visiting T-Birds out of the gate, putting a goal on the board just six minutes into the season. Liam Morrison headed a free kick from fellow senior Brandon Hamilton inside the right post to get the ball rolling.

Senior Dylan Willingham gave the Junior Blues a commanding 2-0 lead with a free kick off a red-card penalty just before the intermission.

‘Everybody was excited to play our first game,” said Washburn Rural coach Brian Hensyel. “Playing a city school, a rival school, a lot of kids know each other. So, we knew it would be a high energy game early. Both teams really were playing hard.

“The first goal was a great goal for us just to kind of gain the momentum. It was a pretty even game up until the red card and the second goal.”

With the T-Birds playing short-handed for most of the night – they incurred a second red card early in the second half – Washburn Rural was able to substitute liberally and focus on fundamentals.

“We have a big senior class, a lot of guys who have experience, but we have guys coming off the bench who haven’t played a lot of varsity minutes,” Hensyel said. “So, when you get an opportunity to do that, we want to give them that extra experience.

“Once we got that advantage, we talked about just calming down and, you know, not just smashing the ball forward. ‘Can we pass it a little bit? Can we make them work?’”

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Six Shawnee County schools earned Top 10 spots in the Kansas Volleyball Association's preseason state rankings released Wednesday.

Hayden tops the county contingent with a No. 2 ranking in Class 4A while perennial state contender Washburn Rural holds down the No. 5 spot in 6A.

Hayden, which won a Class 4A sub-state title before posting a third-place state finish, is ranked No. 2 in Class 4A in the KVA Preseason State Rankings. [File photo/TSN]

Seaman and Shawnee Heights are ranked No. 8 and 9, respectively, in 5A while Silver Lake is ranked No. 8 in 3A and Rossville is ranked No. 10 in 2A.

Seaman was the 5A runnerup last season while Hayden finished third in 4A and Washburn Rural was a state qualifier in 6A.

Current classifications for the rankings are based on enrollments from the 2024-25 school year.

The rankings will be adjusted when the updated KSHSAA classifications are released at the end of September. 

Kansas Volleyball Association Preseason Rankings

CLASS 6A

1. Mill Valley

2. Blue Valley West

3. Olathe West

4. Blue Valley North

5. Washburn Rural

6. Gardner-Edgerton

7. Manhattan

8. Olathe North

9. Wichita Northwest

10. Olathe South

CLASS 5A

1. St. Thomas Aquinas

2. Blue Valley Southwest

3. St. James Academy

4. Maize South

5. Kapaun Mt. Carmel

6. Lansing

7. Bishop Carroll

8. Seaman

9. Shawnee Heights

10. Great Bend

CLASS 4A

1. Bishop Miege

2. Hayden

3. Rock Creek

4. Clay Center

5. McPherson

6. Andale

7. Eudora

8. Concordia

9. Holton

10. Buhler

CLASS 3A

1. Halstead

2. Nemaha Central

3. Hoisington

4. Beloit

5. Neodesha

6. Royal Valley

7. Girard

8. Silver Lake

9. Frontenac

10. Riverton

CLASS 2A

1. Ellinwood

2. Valley Heights

3. Inman

4. Sedgwick

5. Maranatha Christian

6. Oakley

7. Wichita-Central Christian Academy

8. Hillsboro

9. Doniphan West

10. Rossville

CLASS 1A Division I

1. Little River

2. Centralia

3. Clifton-Clyde

4. Rock Hills

5. Goessel

6. South Gray

7. Spearville

8. Pretty Prairie

9. Greeley County

10. Rawlins County

CLASS 1A Division II

1. Hanover

2. Ingalls

3. Marais des Cygnes Valley

4. Lebo

5. Wheatland-Grinnell

6. Argonia

7. Attica

8. Cheylin

9. Linn

10. Dighton

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Editor's note: TopSports.news has finished its tour of preseason football practices at all 10 Shawnee County high schools and will post preview stories over the coming days leading into the opening games of the 2025 season on Sept. 4 and 5.

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

After graduating 20 of 22 starters from its 2023 team that went 8-3, Shawnee Heights went through some definite growing pains last fall in a 2-7 campaign.

But one thing veteran T-Bird coach Jason Swift said he never had to worry about, no matter the score, was that he was going to get his team's best effort.

Veteran Shawnee Heights football coach Jason Swift and the experienced T-Birds will be looking for a big turnaround this fall. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

And with 40 returning lettermen, including nine returning starters on offense, seven on defense and a standout specialist, Swift is counting on that effort to produce dividends this fall.

"I'll give testament to last year's team, they practiced hard every single week and they played hard no matter what adversity that we faced in the season,'' said Swift, who is starting his 23rd season at Heights. "Truthfully, all three aspects of the game -- offense, defense, special teams -- shined. One thing we couldn't do was just put it all together for four quarters, and if we could have, I think the record would have been a little bit different.

"But the thing that's great is that the kids that played so hard last year, the majority of them are back here on the field this year and they've got nine games of experience. So, when the lights go on on Friday nights, they're not going to be as bright this year.''

Leading the T-Bird returning cast are senior quarterback Aiden Scott (6-foot-5, 205 pounds) and senior wide receiver/defensive back Tyren Parker (6-3, 190), who both were TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 picks a year ago.

Senior Aiden Scott returns to quarterback Shawnee Heights after passing for 3,102 yards and 32 touchdowns last fall. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Scott, who was named the county offensive newcomer of the year last fall, completed 190 of 317 passes for 3,102 yards and 32 touchdowns as a junior while Parker caught 50 passes for 946 yards with 11 touchdowns and was in on 48 tackles with a pair of interceptions. Scott has committed to Washburn and Parker to Kansas. 

Other top returners on offense include senior running back David Wakes (5-10, 190), senior wide receiver AJ Gallegos (5-10, 160), senior offensive lineman Henry Schattilly (6-3, 300) and junior offensive linemen Amir Bass (5-9, 265), Will Skaggs (6-3, 270) and Jude Haverkamp (6-2, 260).

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Four years ago Orrin Busenitz started his college football career on the bottom rung of the Washburn University football ladder after a standout career at Shawnee Heights.

Former Shawnee Heights standout Orrin Busenitz, a former walk-on, has worked his way up the depth chart for Washburn football to become a mainstay on the offensive line. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

But through hard work and perseverance, the 6-foot-2, 295-pound junior right guard has progressed from walk-on status to becoming a mainstay on the Ichabods' offensive line, earning the respect of his coaches and teammates along the way.

"Since his freshman year he came in and earned himself a spot and passed guys up with his work ethic,'' Washburn first-year head coach Zach Watkins said. "He's what our 'Be The Standard' culture is all about because he sets a high standard in everything he does.

"At this level you've got guys who are 6-2 and you've got guys who are 6-7, but when you've got guys that work hard and do everything right and are a great teammate and student, you're eventually going to be on the field doing something.''

Busenitz said that despite challenges along the way he's very proud of what he's been able to accomplish at Washburn.

"The COVID year kind of messed everything up and I'm a little bit undersized, so I had to go the walk-on route,'' said Busenitz, who played in the Kansas Shrine Bowl after his senior season for the T-Birds. "This is always where I wanted to be. It was always a good, successful program and I'm just kind of a homebody.

"My philosophy, even in middle school and high school, has always been just to try and out-work everybody else and eventually good things will happen.''

After redshirting as a true freshman, Busenitz suffered a setback his second season when he broke his hand during fall camp. Busenitz fought back to earn some special team work later in the season before cracking the Ichabods' starting lineup last fall. 

"That second year, with the hand and some life stuff, it all kind of got pretty tough and it was all starting to pile up a little bit, but hey, the hungry dogs, they run faster, so it just pushed me even further,'' Busenitz said.

"That third year I got my shot and was a starter and am hoping to keep that spot.''

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Jadyn Baum, Washburn Rural

JADYN BAUM, Washburn Rural

A junior running back, Baum received All-Centennial League and TopSports.news All-Shawnee County honorable mention last fall and has the potential to be one of the top backs in the county this season. Baum was also a first-team all-county pick in wrestling last season, posting a third-place finish in the Class 6A state tournament at 190 pounds.

GRADY BERGMANN, Silver Lake

A senior, Bergmann will serve as a team captain for the Eagles this season and could be a starter on both sides of the ball for Silver Lake, which is coming off a 7-3 campaign. Bergmann received All-Big East honorable mention as a defensive back in 2024.

Xander Blasing, Hayden

XANDER BLASING, Hayden

A 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior tight end/linebacker, Blasing received All-Shawnee County Second 22 recognition last season as Hayden posted an 11-2 record and advanced to the Class 3A state championship game for the second straight season. Blasing was in on 67 tackles (39 solo) with nine tackles for loss, two interceptions, a fumble recovery and a touchdown. 

TOBIAS BONURA, Cair Paravel Latin

Bonura will be looking to provide senior leadership for a Cair Paravel Latin team which is coming off a 2-7 2024 season in the Lions' first season in 11-man football (Class 1A). Bonura received All-Flint Hills second-team recognition at running back last fall and also received All-Shawnee County honorable mention.

Cameron Brian, Seaman

CAMERON BRIAN, Seaman

Brian, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior linebacker, was named to the All-Shawnee County Top 22 last season and named the county defensive newcomer of the year. Brian was also a first-team All-United Kansas Conference selection after registering 112 tackles with 10 tackles for loss for the 8-3 Vikings.

BROGEN BROWN, Seaman

A 6-1, 240 senior, Brown is a returning starter at offensive guard for Seaman, earning All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season after helping the Vikings go 8-3 and capture the United Kansas Conference title in 2024.

Conner Bush, Rossville

CONNER BUSH, Rossville

A 5-foot-11, 176-pound senior running back/defensive back, Bush received All-Shawnee County Top 22 recognition last fall after helping power the Bulldawgs to an 8-4 record and the Class 1A semifinals. Bush rushed for 690 yards and 10 touchdowns last season and also was in on 120 tackles with nine tackles for loss. Bush received All-Big East honorable mention.

JACK DONOVAN, Rossville

A senior wide receiver/defensive back, Donovan earned second-team All-Shawnee County recognition last season and earned All-Big East honorable mention after helping the Bulldawgs post an 8-4 record and reach the Class 1A semifinals. Donovan is also a standout for the Bulldawgs in both golf and basketball, earning first-team All-Shawnee County recognition in both sports.

MYLES FISHER, Silver Lake

Fisher, a junior, received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season after helping Silver Lake post a 7-3 record in the Eagles' first season in the Big East League.

AJ GALLEGOS, Shawnee Heights

A 5-9, 150 senior wide receiver, Gallegos received All-Shawnee County Second 22 and All-United Kansas Conference second-team recognition last fall for the 2-7 T-Birds. Gallegos caught 51 passes for 842 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior.

Connor Hanika, Hayden

CONNOR HANIKA, Hayden

Hanika, a 6-5, 190 senior, is in line to take over as the Wildcats' starting quarterback this fall after backing up Jett Wahlmeier last season. Hanika helped lead Hayden to the Class 3A state final as a sophomore after an injury to Wahlmeier and Hanika, who received all-county honorable mention, caught 24 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns last season as Hayden went 11-2 and returned to the title game.

Jordy Heim, Washburn Rural

JORDY HEIM, Washburn Rural

A senior linebacker, Heim earned second-team All-Centennial League recognition for the 3-6 Junior Blues last season and received All-Shawnee County honorable mention. 

John Hoytal, Washburn Rural

JOHN HOYTAL, Washburn Rural

Hoytal, a senior, took over as Washburn Rural's starting quarterback last fall, earning second-team All-Centennial League recognition and All-Shawnee County honorable mention. Hoytal was also a standout for the Rural basketball team, helping the Junior Blues reach the Class 6A state tournament.

ANDRE JOHNSON, Rossville

A 6-0, 211 senior fullback/linebacker, Johnson was a Second 22 All-Shawnee County selection last season after helping lead Rossville to an 8-4 record and the Class 1A state semifinals. Johnson received All-Big East honorable mention. 

Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake

DAYNE JOHNSON, Silver Lake

Johnson, a 6-2, 175 senior wide receiver/defensive back, earned All-Shawnee County Top 22 recognition last season for the 7-3 Eagles and was a first-team All-Big East selection on both offense and defense. Johnson caught 51 passes for 835 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024 and also picked off six passes on defense.

Noah Kobuszewski, Seaman

NOAH KOBUSZEWSKI, Seaman

Kobuszewski, a 6-4, 240 senior tight end, received All-Shawnee County Second 22 recognition last fall for the 8-3 Vikings, who captured the United Kansas Conference championship. Kobuszewski compiled 325 receiving yards and a touchdown as a junior.

Jude Krentz, Hayden

JUDE KRENTZ, Hayden

A 5-foot-8, 180-pound senior linebacker, Krentz was an All-Shawnee County Top 22 pick last season after registering 132 tackles for the 11-2 Wildcats, who advanced to the Class 3A championship game for the second straight season. Krentz also rushed for 128 yards on 21 attempts.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Brody Anderson, Seaman 

BRODY ANDERSON, Seaman

Anderson, a senior, earned All-Shawnee County first-team recognition for the second straight season after winning city and United Kansas Conference individual titles and finishing second in Class 5A regional competition and ninth in the 5A state meet. Anderson broke his own school record with a five-kilometer time of 15 minutes, 17 seconds. Anderson was also an all-county pick in track, finishing third in the 5A 800 meters in the 2025 state meet.  

Connor Baldwin, Hayden

CONNOR BALDWIN, Hayden

A senior, Baldwin was a first-team All-Shawnee County selection last fall after posting a ninth-place individual finish in the city meet, a 13th-place showing in the Centennial League and a fifth-place finish in Class 4A regional competition. Baldwin capped his junior season with a 28th-place finish in the 4A state championships.

CONNER BLOOM, Seaman

A junior, Bloom received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last fall. Bloom finished 19th in the city meet, 15th in the United Kansas Conference and 20th in a Class 5A regional as the Vikings earned a team berth for the 5A state meet. Bloom finished 62nd at state. 

EASTON DAVIS, Topeka High 

Davis, a sophomore, received All-Shawnee County honorable mention as a freshman. Davis finished 15th in the city meet, 22nd in the Centennial League and 31st in Class 6A regional competition.

MAX ESQUIBEL, Shawnee Heights

A senior, Esquibel was a first-team All-Shawnee County selection last fall after finishing 11th in the city meet and 11th in the United Kansas Conference. Esquibel posted a 28th-place finish in Class 5A regional competition.

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

CARLOS ACOSTA-MARTINEZ, Topeka High

Acosta-Martinez, a junior, was a second-team All-Centennial League selection last season for the Trojans while also earning All-City honorable mention.

Draden Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural

DRADEN CHOONCHAROEN, Washburn Rural

A senior midfielder, Chooncharoen received first-team All-Centennial League honors last fall as the 15-3-3 Junior Blues won their 30th straight league title (outright or shared) on the way to a third-place finish in the Class 6A state tournament. Chooncharoen also received All-6A and All-City honorable mention and is a two-time 6A state track champion in the 4x400-meter relay.

Miles Cook, Washburn Rural

MILES COOK, Washburn Rural

Cook, a senior goalkeeper, helped 15-3-3 Washburn Rural win its 30th straight Centennial League championship (outright or shared) en route to a third-place finish in Class 6A. Cook received second-team Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association All-6A and All-Centennial recognition as well as All-City honorable mention.

JUDAH CONGDON, Cair Paravel Latin

A junior, Congdon earned All-Class 4A-1A honorable mention from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association last season and also received All-City honorable mention. 

Valentin Del Real, Topeka West

VALENTIN DEL REAL, Topeka West

Del Real, a sophomore midfielder, had a big freshman season for the Chargers last fall as Topeka West posted a breakout 13-4-1 campaign. Del Real earned first-team All-City recognition and also was a first-team All-United Kansas Conference pick. 

NERI DIAZ, Highland Park

Diaz, a senior midfielder, earned first-team All-City recognition for Highland Park in the 2024 season and was one of the top players in the Meadowlark Conference.

Juan Garcia, Shawnee Heights

JUAN GARCIA, Shawnee Heights

A senior, Garcia received All-Class 5A honorable mention from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association last season while also receiving All-City honorable mention. 

Diego Gonzalez-Talavera, Topeka West

DIEGO GONZALES-TALAVERA, Topeka West

A junior forward, Gonzales-Talavera helped lead the 13-4-1 Chargers to a breakout season in 2024, earning All-City and All-United Kansas Conference first-team recognition.

Camden Granado, Shawnee Heights

CAMDEN GRANADO, Shawnee Heights

Granado, a senior forward, received All-Class 5A honorable mention from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association last season while also earning first-team All-City and All-United Kansas Conference recognition. Granado was also a standout kicker for the T-Bird football team last fall. 

Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights

MASON HAAS, Shawnee Heights

Haas, a junior midfielder, received All-Class 5A honorable mention from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association last season while also earning first-team All-City and All-United Kansas Conference recognition.

Brandon Hamiton, Washburn Rural

BRANDON HAMILTON, Washburn Rural

A senior defender, Hamilton received second-team All-Class 6A honors from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association while also earning first-team All-City and All-Centennial League recognition for the 15-3-3 Junior Blues, who finished third in 6A after winning their 30th straight league championship (outright or shared).

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Nora Burdiek, Rossville

NORA BURDIEK, Rossville

A junior outside hitter, Burdiek was a first-team TopSports.news All-Shawnee County and first-team Kansas Volleyball Association All-Class 2A selection last fall after recording 491 kills, 368 digs and 22 blocks for the 22-18 Bulldawgs. Burdiek was also an All-Big East second-team selection in as a sophomore after being named the Shawnee County newcomer of the year as a freshman in 2023. Burdiek is also one of 2A's top basketball players, receiving all-county recognition the past two seasons.

Campbell Dawson, Topeka High

CAMPBELL DAWSON, Topeka High

Dawson, a junior, turned in a solid sophomore season for an improving Topeka High program last season, with the Trojans posting a 17-19 record. Dawson, who is entering her third season as a varsity player, earned second-team TSN All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League recognition as a sophomore. Also a standout for Topeka High in softball, Dawson helped the Trojans advance to the Class 6A state tournament. 

Ella Foster, Hayden

ELLA FOSTER, Hayden

A senior libero, Foster helped lead the Wildcats to a 32-12 record and a third-place finish in the Class 4A state tournament last fall. Foster was a second-team TSN All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League selection last season while also receiving All-Class 4A honorable mention from the Kansas Volleyball Association. Foster is a multi-sport athlete for the Wildcats, also playing basketball and soccer.

Harper Hafenstine, Seaman

HARPER HAFENSTINE, Seaman

A senior, Hafenstine is a leading returner for Seaman, which has advanced to the Class 5A state championship match the past two seasons, including the state championship in 2023. Hafenstine received TSN All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season after helping the Vikings post a 41-3 record on the year.

KYLIE HANNI, Silver Lake

Hanni is a returning junior standout for traditional Class 3A state power Silver Lake. Hanni was named to the TSN All-Shawnee County second team following the 2024 season while also earning All-Big East League second-team recognition.

KARSYN HASTERT, Cair Paravel Latin

Hastert, a senior, has earned second-team TSN All-Shawnee County honors the past two seasons for the Lions after receiving all-county honorable mention as a freshman. Hastert is also a basketball standout for Cair Paravel Latin, earning all-county recognition.

Karsyn Horyna, Washburn Rural (21)

KARSYN HORYNA, Washburn Rural

Horyna, a senior, earned a first-team berth on the TSN All-Shawnee County team last season after helping the 31-8 Junior Blues win the Centennial League championship and advance to the Class 6A state tournament. In addition to receiving her all-county honor Horyna was a second-team All-Centennial selection.

Reese Huscher, Hayden

REESE HUSCHER, Hayden

A senior, Huscher earned TSN All-Shawneee County second-team recognition last fall after helping the Wildcats post a 32-12 record and a third-place finish in the Class 4A state tournament. Huscher received All-Centennial League honorable mention. Huscher was also a member of Hayden's basketball team that finished third in 4A and the Wildcat soccer team that was the 4A-1A state runnerup.

Stelly Kelly, Washburn Rural

STELLA KELLY, Washburn Rural 

Kelly, a senior, earned a second-team berth on the TSN All-Shawnee County team last season after helping the 31-8 Junior Blues win the Centennial League championship and advance to the Class 6A state tournament. In addition to receiving her all-county recognition Kelly was a second-team All-Centennial selection.

 Hailey Schmidtlein, Hayden

HAILEY SCHMIDTLEIN, Hayden

A sophomore middle blocker/outside hitter, Schmidtlein helped lead 32-12 Hayden to a third-place finish in Class 4A last fall, receiving All-State Tournament and second-team Class 4A All-State honors from the Kansas Volleyball Association. Schmidtlein, who registered 440 kills and 242 digs, was a first-team TSN All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League pick and named the county co-newcomer of the year. Schmidtlein also helped Hayden finish third in 4A basketball and second in 4A-1A soccer.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news 

Last month former Shawnee Heights and Washburn University standout Phil Frost was the top qualifier and went wire to wire in the tournament to win his first Topeka Golf Association City Match Play championship. 

Phil Frost captured his first TGA City Stroke Play championship Monday at Topeka Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

After winning the TGA City Match Play title last month, Phil Frost added the City Stroke Play championship on Monday at Topeka Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

On Monday at Topeka Country Club, Frost proved he could also come from behind, rallying from a two-stroke deficit at the start of the day to win his first TGA City Stroke Play title by a single stroke over first and second-round leader Jeremiah Nelson and 2024 champion Myles Alonzo with a 213 54-hole score.

Jeremiah Nelson tied for second place in the 2025 TGA City Stroke Play tournament with a 54-hole score of 214. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

 Former Topeka West star Myles Alonzo used a final-round 73 to tie for second place in the 2025 TGA City Stroke Play tournament with a 54-hole score of 214. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Frost carded a final-round 76 while Nelson, also a Washburn golf alum, shot a 79 and finished in a tie for second with 2024 City Stroke Play champ Myles Alonzo, a former Topeka West star, who shot a final-round 73.

Frost took the lead on the seventh hole when he holed a 117-yard approach shot but his victory was not secure until Nelton narrowly missed a birdie putt on the final hole that could have forced a sudden death playoff.

"I was able to finish it off, but it was a struggle'' Frost said. "The back nine was a challenge. After I holed out on seven I told myself, 'Just stay calm and keep playing, don't let this get you out of your rhythm.' Then it became a challenge afterwards, but I was able to hold on.

"That (No. 7) got me the lead and that got me to 1-under-par. Then we both (Frost and Nelson) went back and forth on the way in. I was able to make a putt when I needed to make a putt.''

Washburn Rural and Washburn University alum Hayden Beck shot a tournament-low 72 Monday in the final round of the TGA City Stroke Play championship at Topeka Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn Rural and Washburn University alum Hayden Beck carded a tournament-low 72 on Monday to finish at 216 and tie for fourth place with Adam Head and Brian Walker.

Tyler Baumchen, Blake Buessing and Jason Buessing all tied for seventh at 218 while Zach Vandervoort rounded out the top 10 at 220.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

When high school football practice for the 2025 season kicks off across Kansas on August 18, linemen will go back to laboring in relative obscurity.

But Tuesday's eighth annual Battle of the Bigs lineman challenge at Shawnee Heights was all about the men in the trenches.

Approximately 70 linemen representing six city and area high schools took part in the Battle of the Bigs, competing in  nine non-contact drills/activities while vying for individual and team prizes.

"I love it,'' Shawnee Heights coach Jason Swift said of the annual event. "The most unappreciated players on a football team are the linemen and we do this solely to celebrate the linemen for everything they do.

"They play a sport that they don't get noticed in unless something bad happens, so tonight we want to make it where we get to watch them do great things. It's good for them for unity and coming together as a team and having fun.''

Washburn Rural senior Ayden Crosswhite won the individual championship with 224 points, while Blue Valley seniors Chase Blandi (212 points) and Samuel Kiles (207) finished second and third and Shawnee Heights seniors Royce Daniels and Blake Coffman tied for fourth place (206 points).

Blue Valley won the team title with 1,015 points while Washburn Rural was second (991) and Shawnee Heights third (987).

 Top 10 individuals

1. Ayden Crosswhite, sr., Washburn Rural, 224 points

2. Chase Blandi, sr., Blue Valley, 212 points

3. Samuel Kiles, sr., Blue Valley, 207 points

4. (tie) Royce Daniels, sr., Shawnee Heights, 206 points

4. (tie) Blake Coffman, sr., Shawnee Heights, 206 points

6. Austin Jordan, jr., Eudora, 204 points

7. Marx Marx, sr., Eudora, 203 points  

8. Chase Metz, jr., Blue Valley, 202 points

9. Steven Cantrell, jr., Washburn Rural, 201 points

10. Ethan Winter, sr., Eudora, 200 points

Team standings (top three)

1. Blue Valley, 1,015 points

2. Washburn Rural, 991 points

3. Shawnee Heights, 987 points.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Linemen, football's unsung heroes, will be in the spotlight on Tuesday, July 8, when Shawnee Heights hosts its eighth annual "Battle of the Bigs'' lineman challenge (5:30 p.m. start).

Linemen will be able to compete as individuals and as a school in nine different non-contact events. Food and T-shirts will be provided for all participants. Cost is $25 and walk-ups are welcome. Contact Shawnee Heights football coach Jason Swift at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with questions.

The "Battle of the Bigs'' is billed as an opportunity for offensive and defensive linemen to have fun over the summer in a non-contact competition. 

Appoximately 90 linemen representing nine city and area high schools took part in the 2024 Battle of the Bigs.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The top Shawnee County athletes from the class of 2025 are getting ready to embark on their college careers while offseason preparations for the 2025-2026 school year are well under way.

But it's also important to remember the accomplishments that made the '24-'25 campaign a special one for county athletes and teams.

Shawnee County schools claimed three state girls team championships and seven others came up just short over the past school year while three county standouts combined to claim five individual titles in three different sports.

While a case can always be made for any number of stories to sit at the top of the list, here's just one opinion on the Top 10 county girls prep stories of '24-'25.

 Washburn Rural soccer celebrates its first Class 6A state championship after a 1-0 win over Mill Valley in PKs. [Photo by KSHSAA Covered]

1. HISTORIC BREAKTHROUGH -- Washburn Rural, already well established as one of the state's premier girls soccer programs, added the only missing piece from its impressive resume with its first Class 6A state championship on May 31 in Wichita. Making their 11th straight Final Four appearance, including four runnerup state finishes, the Junior Blues broke through with a 1-0 win over Mill Valley, taking the win with a 4-1 edge in penalty kicks as senior Madison Lemke came up huge in goal for Brian Hensyel's 19-2-0 Rural team.

Seaman junior Ryin Miller won three gold medals in the 2025 Class 5A state track meet at Wichita, giving her five wins in her career. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

2. MILLER TIMES --Seaman superstar runner Ryin Miller capped off her junior track and field season by sweeping Class 5A state championships in her three individual events, taking wins in the 3,200 (10:19.53), 1,600 (4:57.33) and 800-meter (2:11.14) runs at Wichita State. Miller's three wins in 2025 gave her five career titles and came on the heels of a banner cross country season last fall, which included the fastest five-kilometer run in Kansas history (16:32.62) and a runnerup finish in the 5A state meet (17:26.36) by the Viking four-sport athlete.

Hayden senior Ainzley Zulueta earned her third Class 4A singles title last fall, leading the Wildcats to their second team title in three seasons. [File photo/TSN]

3. ZULUETA, WILDCATS BACK ON TOP --After sitting out her junior high shool tennis season due to KSHSAA eligibility guidelines, Zulueta returned to the courts last fall and turned in a dominating postseason performance (eight straight 6-0, 6-0 wins in regional and state competition) en route to her third Class 4A singles championship in as many tries while leading Hayden to its second team title in three seasons by a 40-28 margin over McPherson. In addition to Zulueta's title, Christy Sheetz's Wildcats got a runnerup doubles finish from senior Emily Sheetz and freshman Sophia Wichman, a ninth-place singles finish from junior Grace Funk and an 11th-place doubles showing from juniors Izzy Glotzbach and Avery O'Bray.

Hayden's girls golf team captured its second straight Class 4A state championship last fall by 15 strokes over Wellington. [Submitted photo]

4. REPEAT FEAT --Hayden rolled to its second straight Class 4A girls golf team championship last fall, posting a 698-713 win over Wellington at Hesston as three Wildcats earned individual medals. Junior Lauren Borjon paced Hayden with a third-place state finish (76-81 -- 157) while junior Izzy Glotzbach tied for 12th (89-82 -- 171) and senior Addyson Baer tied for 16th (86-88 -- 174). Glotzbach helped the Wildcats win state titles in tennis and golf three days apart. 

Highland Park junior Makayla Cadet has her hand raised as the Class 5A 190-pound state champ last winter. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]

5. A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY --Highland Park junior Makayla Cadet celebrated her 17th birthday in one of the best ways you could imagine last winter, with a Class 5A state wrestling championship. Cadet, who went 23-4 on the season, became the first girls wrestler in Highland Park history to win a state championship when she pinned Basehor-Linwood junior Izzy Renfro at the 1:36 mark of the first period in Park City. Cadet's win over Renfro avenged a regional loss to the Bobcat standout.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news 

Phil Frost has carved out an impressive golf career, starring at Shawnee Heights and Washburn University, where he also had a stint as the Ichabods' head coach, while also playing professionally on the Prairie Golf Tour.

Phil Frost captured his first TGA City Match Play championship Sunday at Cypress Ridge Golf Course. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Phil Frost topped Patrick Golden 4 and 3 in Sunday's TGA City Match Play championship at Cypress Ridge Golf Course. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

And on Sunday Frost added another accomplishment to his resume, capturing his first Topeka Golf Association City Match Play championship at Cypress Ridge Golf Course with a 4 and 3 decision over Patrick Golden.

"It's just fun to get out and play a lot of golf,'' Frost said. "I haven't played much competitive golf in the last 20-some years and I just started getting back into it the last three years and it's fun to get out and feel the juices flowing again.''

Sunday's win capped a wire-to-wire run for Frost after he earned the top seed in qualifying last week.

"You know everyone's coming after the No. 1 guy, so it's difficult to go out there and play when that's the situation,'' Frost said.  "For the most part I had a lot of good shots and luckily it was match play so we didn't have to keep score and that made it a lot easier.

"If you (hit a bad shot) you can just pick up and go on to the next hole.''

Patrick Golden was the runnerup in Sunday's TGA City Match Play championship at Cypress Ridge Golf Course. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Golden advanced to the championship match as the No. 10 seed after winning the  championship in the President's Flight in 2024.

"It was obviously windy, as it has been the last couple of days, and Phil just hits it so solid down the middle,'' Golden said. "I struggled a little bit, we both did, but he was the better player today, so hat's off to Phil.''

And although he came up short in his title bid, Golden was proud of his tournament performance overallk.

"I had a good week,'' he said. "I was actually really happy with my whole week. I made a lot of birdies this week and today I just didn't when it mattered. But overall I had a great week.''

Jerry Kruger, the championship runnerup in 2024, won the President's Flight title with a 3 and 2 decision over Kevin Boyle. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural, which captured its first-ever Class 6A girls state championship this spring, put a city-high six players on the 15-member 2025 All-City girls soccer first team.

The All-City team is based on recommendations and voting from city coaches.

Rural is represented on the All-City first team by seniors Destiny Higgs, Kate Hinck, Addyson Kaberline, Zahra Friess and Madison Lemke and junior Dayne Shriver while Junior Blues coach Brian Hensyel was named the city coach of the year

Higgs, Hinck and Kaberline are all first-team repeat picks after helping Washburn Rural post a 19-2 rcord, capped by a 1-0 win over Mill Valley in penalty kicks (4-1). 

Destiny Higgs, Washburn Rural

Kate Hinck, Washburn Rural

Addyson Kaberline, Washburn Rural

Zahra Friess, Washburn Rural

Madison Lemke, Washburn Rural

Dayne Shriver, Washburn Rural

Seaman, which advanced to the 5A state quarterfinals, is represented on the All-City team by seniors Anna Becker and Maegan Mills and junior Ava Golightley, with Becker a repeat pick and Mills receiving honorable mention in 2024.

Anna Becker, Seaman

Ava Golightley, Seaman 

Hayden, which advanced to the 4A-1A championship game before losing in double overtime to Bishop Miege, put junior Carsyn Broxterman and senior Camryn McDonald on the All-City first team, with Broxterman a repeat selection and McDonald moving up to the first team after receiving honorable mention in 2024. 

Carsyn Broxterman, Hayden

Camryn McDonald, Hayden

Shawnee Heights senior Izzy Van Fleet is a repeat first-team selection while T-Bird senior Bayli Benson was voted to the first team after receiving honorable mention a year ago.

Izzy Van Fleet, Shawnee Heights

Bayli Benson, Shawnee Heights

Rounding out the All-City first team are Highland Park sophomore Micah Williams and Topeka High junior Natalie Barnes.

 Micah Williams, Highland Park

 Natalie Barnes, Topeka High

Williams is a two-time All-City pick while Barnes earned All-City recognition for the first time after helping Topeka High reach the 6A quarterfinals.

ALL-CITY GIRLS SOCCER 2025

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

State tournament qualifiers Silver Lake, Seaman, Shawnee Heights, Washburn Rural and Topeka High combined to earn 15 of 16 spots on the 2025 TopSports.news All-Shawnee County softball first team.

Silver Lake, the Class 3A runnerup for the second straight season, put four players on the first team, including Shawnee County player of the year Kendra Cook, while 5A state qualifiers Seaman and Shawnee Heights combined for six first-teamers and 6A state runnerup Washburn Rural and fellow 6A state qualifier Topeka High combined for five first-teamers.

Kendra Cook, Silver Lake

Topeka High freshman London Backman and Hayden freshman Blakely Walter were named the co-county newcomers of the year while Washburn Rural coach Joy Marie Galliart and Silver Lake coach Nick Hamilton share the county coach of the year award for the second straight year.

London Backman, Topeka High

Blakely Walter, Hayden

Cook is joined on the All-Shawnee County first team by Eagle seniors Taylor Zordel and Kira Lowrey and junior Kailyn Hanni after Silver Lake recorded a 25-7 record.

Taylor Zordel, Silver Lake

Kira Lowrey, Silver Lake

Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake

Seaman put seniors Kaelyn O'Rourke, Raegan McConnell and Anna McLaughlin and junior Aubrey Warren on the first team after the Vikings posted a 20-9 record, including a 3-2 17-inning loss to Maize South in the opening round of the 5A state tournament.

Kaelyn O'Rourke, Seaman

Raegan McConnell, Seaman

Anna McLaughlin, Seaman

Aubrey Warren, Seaman

Washburn Rural, which went 22-8 and advanced to the 6A championship game before dropping an 8-7 decision to Olathe West, put Centennial League player of the year Olivia Koch, a sophomore, on the all-county first team along with juniors Henley Rapp and Reagan Chapman.

Olivia Koch, Washburn Rural

Reagan Chapman, Washburn Rural

Henley Rapp, Washburn Rural

Shawnee Heights, which posted a 20-7 record and dropped a 3-2 decision to eventual 5A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas in the first round of the 5A state tournament, is represented by seniors Taylor Brees and Grace Proctor.

Taylor Brees, Shawnee Heights

Grace Proctor, Shawnee Heights

State qualifier Topeka High put Backman and senior Jo'Mhara Benning on the all-county first team while Hayden senior Keira Carswell rounds out the all-county squad.

Jo'Mhara Benning, Topeka High

Keira Carswell, Hayden

2025 ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY SOFTBALL

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Fourteen Shawnee County standouts have received All-State recognition from the Kansas Softball Coaches Association, including nine first-team picks.

Silver Lake put four players on the All-Class 3A first team after advancing to the state championship game for the second straight season while state qualifiers Seaman and Shawnee Heights combined for four first-team All-5A selections and state runnerup Washburn Rural put sophomore standout Olivia Koch on the All-6A first team.

Kendra Cook, Silver Lake

 Kira Lowrey, Silver Lake

Taylor Zordel, Silver Lake

Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake

Silver Lake is represented on the All-3A first team by senior pitcher Kendra Cook, senior infielders Kira Lowrey and Taylor Zordel and junior outfielder Kailyn Hanni.

Kaelyn O'Rourke, Seaman

Raegan McConnell, Seaman

Grace Proctor, Shawnee Heights

Taylor Brees, Shawnee Heights

Seaman put senior pitcher Kaelyn O'Rourke and senior catcher Raegan McConnell on the All-5A team while Shawnee Heights is represented by senior pitcher Grace Proctor and senior infielder Taylor Brees. 

Olivia Koch, Washburn Rural

Washburn Rural's Koch made the All-6A team as an outfielder after being named the Centennial League player of the year this spring.

Seaman junior infielder Aubrey Warren and senior outfielder Anna McLaughlin were named to the All-5A second team.

Topeka High sophomore outfielder Campbell Dawson and freshman infielder Landon Backman received All-6A honorable mention after helping the Trojans make it to the state tournament.

Hayden senior catcher Keira Carswell received honorable mention in 4A.