By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
State tournament teams Seaman, Washburn Rural and Hayden combined to put 10 players on the TopSports.news 2024 All-Shawnee County volleyball first team, led by Seaman two-time player of the year Maegan Mills.
Seaman, which finished second in Class 5A this fall after winning the state title in 2023, put a county-high four players on the all-county first team, with Mills joined by fellow Viking seniors Campbell Chabot, Ava Esser and Kinley Wilhelm while Viking coach Tatiana Dowling, a Seaman grad, was named the coach of the year for the second straight season after leading her team to a county-best 41-3 record and a county-best state tournament finish.
Hayden, which placed third in the 4A state tournament, is represented on the first team by senior Reagan McGivern and freshmen Hailey Schmidtlein and Blakely Walter, who were named co-Shawnee County newcomers of the year. McGivern is a first-team all-county repeat pick after earning first-team honors at Seaman as a junior.
Washburn Rural is represented on the all-county first team by seniors Layla Collins and Kate Hinck and junior Karsyn Horyna after helping the Junior Blues win the Centennial League championship and advance to the 6A state tournament.
Collins is a first-team All-Shawnee County repeat pick after being a second-team pick as a sophomore.
Shawnee Heights put seniors Kaydence Torrez and Taylor Brees on the first team while Silver Lake is represented by senior Ella Bolan, Rossville by sophomore Nora Burdiek and Topeka High by senior Jo'Mhara Benning.
Torrez and Bolan are first-team repeat picks while Burdiek was named the county newcomer of the year as a freshman.
All-Shawnee County first-team capsules:
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
League-champion Seaman put six players on All-United Kansas Conference football first team, led by UKC offensive player of the year Bryer Finley, a senior wide receiver.
Vikings coach Jared Swafford was named the conference coach of the year after Seaman posted an 8-3 record and advanced to the Class 5A state quarterfinals.
Seaman senior Max Huston was a repeat pick as the All-UKC first-team quarterback while senior Dallas Gardenhire was a first-team pick as an offensive lineman.
Defensively, senior lineman Kaden Jordan and senior defensive back were named to the first team along with junior linebacker Cameron Brian.
Shawnee Heights is represented on the All-UKC first team by junior receiver Tyren Parker, who also voted to the second team as a defensive back.
The top pick for Topeka West was senior Elijah Berg, who was named to the second-team offense as an all-purpose player.
Thirty Seaman, Shawnee Heights and Topeka West players received mention on either the first, second or honorable mention lists.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
City schools dominate the 2024 All-United Kansas Conference boys soccer team, with Seaman, Shawnee Heights and Topeka West combining for 11 first-team selections.
Seaman is represented on the All-UKC first team by senior defenders Bryce Cochran and Dalton Smith, senior midfielder Logan Townsend and senior forward Blake Toyne while Topeka West also put four players on the first team, with the Chargers represented by junior goalkeeper Gage Kindred-Noragon, senior defender Jafet Rodriguez, freshman Valentin Del Real and sophomore forward Diego Gonzalez-Talavera.
Topeka West coach Josh Kutter was selected as the UKC coach of the year.
UKC champion Shawnee Heights put junior defender Jason Slay, sophomore midfielder Mason Haas and junior forward Camden Granado on the first team.
Kansas City-Turner senior forward Brandon Barrera was named the conference player of the year.
Shawnee Heights put junior defender Thomas Aragon, sophomore forward Brayan Diaz and senior forward Jackson Freeman on the All-UKC second team while Seaman senior midfielder Kaelin Loy and Topeka West junior midfielder Giancarlo Valenzuela were also second-team selections.
Seven city players earned all-conference honorable mention.
ALL-UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE SOCCER
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: The college fall letter of intent signing period gets under way this week and TopSports.news will post signing updates as they are received. Email any signing information and signing day pictures to Rick Peterson at
----------------------------------------------
Silver Lake stars Kendra Cook, Ella Bolan and Alana Brewster will sign college letters of intent at 2:45 p.m. Thursday at the school.
Eagles softball star Kendra Cook will sign with Washburn University while Ella Bolan will sign a volleyball letter of intent with Butler County Community College and Alana Brewster will sign with Johnson County Community College.
Cook helped lead the Eagles to a runnerup finish in the Class 3A state softball tournament last spring while Bolan and Brewster helped Silver Lake finish third in the 3A volleyball tournament in 2023 and win a regional title this fall.
West's Jones to sign softball letter with Cloud County
Topeka West senior softball standout Callie Jones will sign a letter of intent with Cloud County on Thursday at Topeka West.
Jones is scheduled to sign her letter of intent at 3:15 p.m. Thursday in Topeka West's Leadership Studies room.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
A whopping nine first-team repeat selections and seven state medalists headline the 2024 All-Shawnee County girls cross country team.
Leading the way are top-five individual state finishers Ryin Miller of Seaman and Rylee Ismert and Payton Fink of Washburn Rural, with Miller, a junior, the Class 5A runnerup and seniors Ismert and Fink finishing third and fifth in 6A.
Hayden senior Elliot Wrench posted a sixth-place finish in 4A while junior Emily Graf placed 14th in 6A and Seaman senior Stella Appelhanz and sophomore Brynn Spencer finished 17th and 18th in 5A.
Miller, Ismert, Fink, Wrench, Graf, Appelhanz and Spencer are all first-team All-Shawnee County repeat picks along with Washburn Rural senior Brooklyn Nolte and Hayden sophomore Sofia Harper.
Earning first-team all-county honors for the first time are Washburn Rural junior Kenzie Maddox and Seaman sophomore Kinley Robinson.
Washburn Rural coach Matt Swedlund was named the girls Shawnee County coach of the year after his Junior Blues swept city, Centennial League and Class 6A regional team titles and tied for the 6A team championship, finishing second to five-time champion Olathe West on a tiebreaker.
All-Shawnee County girls capsules:
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Three state medalists and five first-team repeat picks headline the 2024 All-Shawnee County boys cross country team.
Topeka West senior Adrian Lehman and Seaman junior Brody Anderson finished seventh and ninth individually in the Class 5A state meet while Washburn Rural freshman Henry Laubach finished 14th in 6A in his first state meet.
Lehman and Anderson are both all-county first-team repeat selections along with Shawnee Heights senior Evan Carter, Washburn Rural junior Brooks Kehoe and Rural senior Conner Olsen.
Washburn Rural, which won the city team championship, is also represented on the all-county team by senior Bodie King and freshman Clayton Fink, who helped the Junior Blues qualify for the 6A state meet as a team, while Rural coach Matt Swedlund was named the city boys coach of the year.
Topeka West's senior Mark Wilkie, Hayden junior Connor Baldwin and Shawnee Heights junior Max Esquibel were named to the all-county team for the first time.
All-Shawnee County boys capsules:
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
CONNER BUSH, Rossville
A 5-foot-11, 176-pound junior running back, Bush scored three touchdowns Friday night as Rossville advanced to the second round of the Class 1A football playoffs with a 47-13 win over Wabaunsee. Bush scored TDs on runs of 51, 9 and 25 yards as the Bulldawgs improved to 6-3 on the 2024 season while posting their sixth straight victory.
RYLEE ISMERT, Washburn Rural
Ismert, a senior cross country standout, earned her second straight Class 6A state medal in Saturday's state meet at Rim Rock Farm, posting a career-best third-place individual finish in a five-kilometer time of 18 minutes, 41.30 seconds as the Junior Blues tied Olathe West for the team championship, with the Owls winning their fifth straight state title on a tiebreaker. Ismert won Centennial League and regional titles this fall.
ADRIAN LEHMAN, Topeka West
The Topeka West senior cross country standout posted a Shawnee County-best boys finish of seventh place in Saturday's Class 5A state meet at Rim Rock Farm. Lehman, a two-time state qualifier in his only two seasons of high school cross country, clocked a five-kilometer time of 15 minutes, 49.59 seconds after qualifying for the state meet as an individual.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman senior Maegan Mills has been named the United Kansas Conference volleyball offensive player of the year for the second straight season while Viking coach Tatiana Dowling was a repeat pick as the UKC coach of the year.
Mills was joined on All-United Kansas Conference first team by senior teammate Campbell Chabot, who moved up from the second team.
Shawnee Heights senior Kaydence Torrez was a first-team selection for the second straight season while T-Bird senior Taylor Brees moved up to the first team after being a second-team pick in 2023.
Seaman seniors Ava Esser and Kinley Wilhelm were second-team All-UKC honorees along with Topeka West sophomor Sydney VanDyke.
Lansing junior Avery Sands was named the UKC defensive player of the year and also was a first-team pick, along with De Soto junior Chloe Kmiecik, Lansing sophomore Halle Laincz and Piper senior Abbie Roth.
ALL-UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
The KSHSAA state Class 6A, 5A, 3A cross country meets were contested at Rim Rock Farm on Saturday on a cloudy and wet day. Hayden and Rossville competed in the 4A and 2A state meets at Wamego Country Club.
Class 5A Girls
Last season, Seaman junior Ryin Miller finished third place behind the Salina Central duo of Katelyn Rupe and Kaylie Shultz. This year, the same three competed for the state title and Miller was able to improve on her finish from last season, but came in second to three-time champion, Rupe. Rupe finished first in a five-kilometer time of 17 minutes, 09.77 seconds, followed by Miller in 17:26.36 and Shultz in 18:13.67.
Along with Miller, Seaman had two other state medalists in the 5A race, with senior Stella Applehanz finishing her final race in 17th place with a time of 19:40.39. Sophomore Brynn Spencer finished right behind Appelhanz in eighteenth place with a time of 19:40.68. The Vikings finished sixth as a team.
Final Team Standings:St. James Academy 77, Wichita Kapaun-Mt. Carmel 93, Blue Valley Southwest 97, Wichita Bishop Carroll 112, St. Thomas Aquinas 117, Seaman 147.
Seaman:Ryin Miller (17:26.36, 2nd); Stella Applehanz (19:40.39, 17th); Brynn Spencer (19:40.68, 18th); Kinley Robinson (21:20.54, 58th); Avery Villines (22:23.06, 82nd); Hannah Wempe (22:35.89, 85th); Emma Gonzalez (25:16.09, 93rd).
Class 5A Boys
The Seaman boys were the lone local team to qualify for the 5A state meet, but two other local schools qualified individuals for the race. Topeka West had two runners -- seniors Adrian Lehman and Mark Wilkie - while Shawnee Heights had senior Evan Carter.
Two local runners finished as medalists as West’s Lehman finished in seventh place with a time of 15:49.59 and Seaman junior Brody Anderson finished in ninth place with a time of 15:56.52.
Final Team Standings: Spring Hill 35, Blue Valley Southwest 40, Wichita Kapaun-Mt. Carmel 74, Wichita Bishop Carroll 133, St. James Academy 163, Seaman 223 (8th place).
Seaman:Brody Anderson (15:56.52, 9th); Corbin Murrow (17:29.22, 56th); Conner Bloom (17:33.57, 62nd); Alex Newell (17:55.57, 71st); Drake Spurlock (18:16, 81st); Caleb King (18:44.79, 90th); and Maddox Moore (19:15.15, 95th).
Shawnee Heights:Evan Carter (16:52.97, 31st).
Topeka West :Adrian Lehman (15:49.59, 7th); Mark Wilkie (17:32.28, 60th).
Class 6A Girls
In the closest possible finish in a cross country race, the Olathe West Owls and the Washburn Rural Junior Blues tied with 80 points, but Olathe West won their fifth straight state championship based on the finish of each team’s sixth runner.
The Junior Blues were led by senior medalists Rylee Ismert, who finished third in a time of 18:41.30, and senior Payton Fink, who finished fifth in a time of 18:48.82, while junior Emily Graf finished in 14th with a time of 19:26.24.
Final Team Standings:Olathe West 80, Washburn Rural 80,SM East 84, Mill Valley 112, Olathe North 129.
Washburn Rural:Rylee Ismert (18:41.30, 3rd); Peyton Fink (18:48.82, 5th); Emily Graf (19:26.24, 14th); Brooklyn Nolte (20:10.83, 31st); Kenzie Maddox (20:57.15, 51st); Kate Muir (22:51.61, 91st); Reese Beardslee (23:37.64, 97th).
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Ryin Miller's biggest and toughest cross country meet of the season is on tap Saturday at Rim Rock Farm, but the undefeated Seaman junior star just wants to run her best and will accept the outcome.
Miller finished third in last year's state meet and the two runners who beat her in 2023, Salina Central senior two-time state champ Katelyn Rupe and sophomore Kaylie Shultz are both in the field for Saturday's 10 a.m. 5A race.
Miller, a two-time state champ in track, beat both Central standouts earlier this fall on the same course in the Rim Rock Classic.
"Honestly, I'm just going to go out there with full confidence in myself,'' Miller said about state. "I'm just going to run the best race that I have on that day and if (a title) happens, amazing. Obviously that's what everybody wants to happen for themselves, but if it doesn't happen I'm still going to be incredibly proud of my season regardless.''
Miller said she enjoys the challenge of racing against Rupe and Shultz.
"It's great racing against them,'' Miller said. "They're obviously great competition. It's fun running against them, it's fun to finally kind of have somebody there with you. Always fun, but always hard, too, so it really could be anybody's race. It's just whoever has the best race on the day.''
Seaman qualified its entire team for state with a second-place regional finish behind defending 5A team champ St. James Academy, with Viking sophomore Brynn Spencer and senior Stella Appelhanz finishing eighth and ninth while sophomore Kinley Robinson placed 16th and freshman Avery Villines was 22nd (21:16.6) to round out Seaman's top five.
Seaman's boys also turned in a solid regional performance, earning a state team berth with a third-place team finish and will compete in Saturday's 11:30 a.m. state race.
Junior Brody Anderson led the Vikings with a runnerup individual finish while Seaman also got an 18th-place showing from senior Alex Newell, a 20th-place finish from sophomore Conner Bloom, a 23rd from senior Corbin Murrow and a 25th-place finish from junior Drake Spurlock.
Topeka West qualified seniors Adrian Lehman and Mark Wilkie for state as individuals, with Lehman finishing third while Wilkie placed 12th.
The 5A girls race is scheduled for a 10 a.m. start Saturday while the boys race is set for 11:45 a.m.
CLASS 6A
Senior Rylee Ismert followed up her Centennial League individual cross country title with a Class 6A regional win last week while leading Washburn Rural to the team championship in the Junior Blues' tuneup for Saturday's state meet at Rim Rock Farm.
Ismert took individual honors in last Saturday's 6A regional, one of four Junior Blues in the top eight spots as Rural took the team title by a 45-55 margin over Lawrence Free State.
Rural senior Payton Fink finished third in the regional meet while junior Emily Graf was fifth, senior Brooklyn Nolte eighth and junior Kenzie Maddox 29th to round out the Junior Blues' top five.
Rural's girls have now swept city, league and regional team titles and are on the short list of state title contenders Saturday.
"That's where we want to be, that's the plan,'' Washburn Rural coach Matt Swedlund said at regionals. "We have a few things to figure out. We'll work on tweaking some stuff this week and want to be competing for that title (on) Saturday.''
The Junior Blue boys tied Manhattan for second place with 86 points and finished third on a tiebreaker to garner the final team berth for state.
Freshman Henry Laubach finished third to pace Washburn Rural at regionals while junior Brooks Kehoe finished eighth, senior Bodie King 15th, freshman Clayton Fink 28th and senior Chris Quarles 32nd.
The 6A girls race is scheduled for an 11 a.m. Saturday while the boys race is the final race of the day at 12:30 p.m.
CLASS 4A
Hayden's boys earned a team berth for Saturday's Class 4A state meet at Wamego Country Club with a third-place regional finish, one point behind second-place Baldwin.
Junior Connor Baldwin led the Wildcats with a fifth-place regional finish, while freshman Nick Newkirk finished seventh, senior Jonah Stewart 13th, junior Luke Franklin 22nd and senior Derek Ahlstedt 31st to complete Hayden's scoring runners.
Hayden senior girls standout Elliot Wrench qualified for state as an individual, posting a fourth-place regional finish.
The 4A girls race is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday while the boys race is set for a 12:30 p.m. start.
CLASS 3A
Silver Lake will have a pair of runners in both the boys and girls Class 3A state events Saturday at Rim Rock Farm.
The Eagle boys will be represented by senior Aemon Coffman and sophomore Hunter Rooks in the 10:30 a.m. boys race, with Coffman finishing sixth at regionals while Rooks qualified 15th.
Silver Lake sophomore Alessandra Gerber and senior Tessa Gerber will compete in the 3A girls race at 12 p.m.
Alessandra Gerber posted a sixth-place individual finish at regionals while Tessa Gerber placed 13th to earn a state berth.
CLASS 2A
Rossville's boys posted a second-place regional team finish to punch its ticket for Saturday's Class 2A state meet at Wamego Country Club while Bulldawg sophomore Madelyn Wonnell qualified for the girls state meet as an individual.
Rossville's boys posted a regional team score of 70 points to finish nine points behind Solomon.
Junior Dalton Verschelden led the Bulldawgs with a 16th-place regional showing, while junior Torin Culbertson was 22nd and senior Logan Kufahl 27th to lead Rossville.
Wonnell qualified for state with a 14th-place regional finish.
The 2A girls race is set to start at 10 a.m., with the boys race scheduled for 11:30 a.m.
SHAWNEE COUNTY STATE QUALIFIERS
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Heavy underdog Topeka West had its highlights early in Friday's Class 5A playoff opener, coming up with a fourth-down stop on Seaman's opening drive and tying the game 7-7 early in the second quarter.
But the rest of the night belonged to the host Vikings, who scored the final 58 points to take a 65-7 win on their home field.
"It's playoff time and they know that, too, and the winner's going to continue on and whoever doesn't is done for the season so they came out with plenty of fire and energy,'' Seaman coach Jared Swafford said of the Chargers. "Coach (Trey) Parker and his staff had them ready to go and I thought our kids responded nicely, especially once we got in the flow of the game.''
No. 3 West seed Seaman (7-2), which bounced back from a 42-28 loss to De Soto in its regular-season finale, will be back at home next Friday for a second-round playoff game against No. 11 West seed Valley Center (3-6), which knocked off No. 6 Goddard, 7-6.
Not surprisingly, Seaman's record-setting senior pass and catch combo of quarterback Max Huston and Bryer Finley, powered the Vikings to the 58-point victory, hooking up for five touchdown passes on the night.
Huston completed 10 of 18 passes for 210 yards while Finley had seven catches for 181 yards, including TD receptions of 41, 4, 27, 25 and 32 yards.
"We've been best friends since kindergarten, something like that, and I love this dude,'' Huston said of Finley. "We've got a great connection right now and hope to keep it going on in the playoffs and keep winning games.''
"Our team played really well tonight,'' Finley said. "We came out and handled business like we were supposed to and we're on to next week.''
Seaman also got an 18-yard TD run from junior Kaden McKinney as well as a pair of scoring passes from backup sophomore quarterback Cale Ketter, who hit junior Noah Kobuszewski for an 11-yard TD and sophomore Jack Esser for a 28-yard score.
Topeka West (1-8) tied the game at 7 on a 6-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Josiah Wilke to senior Trey Barr at the 9:43 mark of the second quarter and was still within a touchdown after an interception from senior Alesecio Batson thwarted a Viking scoring threat.
But Seaman recorded a safety on West's ensuing possession and scored three touchdowns over the final 5:11 of the half to take a commanding 37-7 lead.
McKinney rushed for 142 yards on 14 carries while Huston had five attempts for 54 yards and sophomore backup Grady Piper gained 44 yards on five totes.
West's Wilke completed 12 of 36 passes for 74 yards while junior Gad Munganga caught seven passes for 37 yards and sophomore Damon Webb gained 32 yards on 15 carries.
SEAMAN 65, TOPEKA WEST 7
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Six state medalists, including three first-team repeat picks, headline the 2024 All-Shawnee County girls golf team.
Hayden juniors Lauren Borjon and Izzy Glotzbach are both first-team repeaters after helping lead the Wildcats to their second straight Class 4A state team championship while Silver Lake Taylor Zordel is a three-time all-county selection after earning her fourth straight state medal and leading the Eagles to first and second-place team finishes as a junior and senior.
Hayden, which won the 2024 4A crown by 15 strokes, also put senior state medalist Addyson Baer on the seven-member first team while city champion Washburn Rural, which finished third in Class 6A, is represented by seniors Reece Randall and Natalie Peterson and junior Lauren Cox. Randall and Peterson moved up to the All-Shawnee County first team this fall after being second-team picks in 2023.
Borjon placed third, Glotzbach 12th and Baer tied for 16th in 4A while Zordel finished fourth in 3A-1A as both a junior and a senior.
Randall tied for 10th and Peterson tied for 12th in 6A while Cox narrowly missed a state medal, tying for 22nd place.
Named to this year's second team were Washburn Rural senior Colbey Stead and sophomore Kailyn Petersen, Seaman senior Jaycee Zimmerman and Makenna Stuke, Topeka West senior Alex Baxter, Silver Lake junior Kailyn Hanni and Hayden >>Brooke Johnson.
All-Shawnee County first-team capsules:
By NICHOLAS GAINEY
Special to TopSports.news
The Topeka West Chargers' boys soccer season came to a close Thursday night in a 2-0 defeat to the Hays Indians in Class 5A regional championship at Hummer Sports Park.
The matchup was the second of the season between the two teams, with Hays coming out on top 2-0 on Sep. 10.
The 11th-seeded Indians earned a 2-1 win over Bishop Carroll on Monday night, while the third-seeded Chargers downed Goddard 7-0 to set up the rematch.
The teams were unable to be separated for the first 10 minutes of the contest. The Chargers survived an early scare in the fifth minute after Hays earned a corner kick, but a wide-open header from sophomore defender Brecken Otte sailed just over the crossbar.
The match would not remain scoreless for long, as the Indians took the lead in the 10th minute. Following a foul, Ivan Maldonado launched a free kick into the box, where senior Cooper Johnson was waiting to put a right-footed shot into the Charger net.
The situation would go from bad to worse for Topeka West, which gave up possession shortly after the kickoff and were forced to defend an attack from Hays. Just 19 seconds after assisting on his team’s first goal, Maldonado scored the Indians’ second goal to put the visitors in control.
Hays looked to stay aggressive, once again repelling the Charger attack and taking the ball into the hosts’ half of the pitch. The Indians nearly had a third goal in three minutes, but a shot by Henry Speno off a volley hit the crossbar before being corralled by West goalkeeper Gage Kindred-Noragon.
After the onslaught of pressure by the Hays attack, the Chargers settled in and held possession for longer periods of time. Despite the improved offense, West was unable to claw back into the contest, entering halftime with a two-goal deficit.
By NICHOLAS GAINEY
Special to TopSports.news
Using a strong passing attack and a couple of well-placed free kicks, the Topeka West boys soccer team rolled past Goddard 7-0 in the first round of the KSHSAA soccer regionals on Monday night at Hummer Sports Park.
The host Chargers (13-3-1) dominated possession early, but were unable to break the Lion (7-10-0) defense.
Topeka West produced its first serious chance in the 14th minute, with an open shot from freshman Valentin Del Real that forced Goddard goalkeeper Matthew Macy to make an impressive diving save.
About 30 seconds later, the Chargers would break the scoreless deadlock after a pass from D’Ante Smith Dilone’ found Giancarlo Valenzuela for the opening goal of the contest.
After taking the early lead, the goals came quickly for Topeka West.
After his earlier near-miss, Del Real drove through the Lion defense and finished with a goal, giving the Chargers a 2-0 lead in the 24th minute.
A few minutes later, Makaly Martinez was fouled on the left wing, giving Topeka West a free kick in a dangerous position. Martinez took the kick himself, putting the ball out of the reach of Macy in the top right corner to extend the Charger lead to 3-0.
Topeka West would add another goal just before halftime, after Diego Gonzalez-Talavera’s pass found Del Real in the 38th minute for the freshman’s second goal of the opening frame.
The Chargers started the second half quickly, with Gonzalez-Talavera joining the scoring frenzy with an unassisted goal just 30 seconds into the half.
Despite being down 5-0, Goddard continued to play hard, occasionally putting pressure on the Topeka West defense.
In the 44th minute, Goddard’s Kyler Mashaney found himself past the Charger back line, drawing goalkeeper Gage Kindred-Noragon out from the goal. Kindred-Noragon attempted to clear the ball, but it found the feet of Dylan Loerke, whose shot attempt at the wide-open net went wide right.
After the defensive scare, the Charger offense went back to work, with junior Morris Blick extending the lead to 6-0 in the 53rd minute after Del Real threaded a pass through the center of the Goddard defense.
In the 68th minute, Topeka West once again showed off its ability to produce chances from free kicks, with Valenzuela bending a shot into the top left corner of the goal for the Chargers’ final tally.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
(Kickoffs at 7 p.m., unless noted)
THURSDAY'S GAME
Class 2A
GALENA (4-4) at SILVER LAKE (6-2)
6 p.m. kickoff
Silver Lake, the No. 5 Class 2A East seed, will host No. 12 seed Galena in a Halloween Night battle to open the post season. Silver Lake finished second in 2A District 3, ending its regular season with a 29-12 win over Council Grove (5-3) as senior quarterback Dysen Schooler threw for 242 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for a 31-yard TD. Galena ended its regular season with a 36-20 win over Baxter Springs.
FRIDAY'S GAMES
Class 6A
TOPEKA HIGH (4-4) at JUNCTION CITY (4-4)
The Trojans and Centennial League rival Junction City will square off for the second time in four games in the opening round of the Class 6A playoffs. Topeka High was installed as the No. 9 West seed after a 49-24 non-league loss at Pittsburg Friday night while Junction City is the No. 8 seed in the West after a 38-0 league win over Emporia. Junction City took a 50-21 win over Topeka High in Week 6 of the regular season, also at Junction City.
WASHBURN RURAL (3-5) at MAIZE (4-4)
Washburn Rural is the No. 10 seed in Class 6A West and will travel to Maize to face the No. 7 West seed. The Junior Blues are coming off a 56-14 Centennial League road loss at unbeaten Manhattan Friday night. Washburn Rural will be facing a Maize team that has won four straight games, including a 50-0 win over Salina South in Week 8.
Class 5A
TOPEKA WEST (1-7) at SEAMAN (6-2)
Topeka West and Seaman will face off for the second time this season, with the Vikings taking a 53-6 United Kansas Conference win over the Chargers in Week 3. UKC champion Seaman is coming off a 42-28 conference loss to De Soto on Friday while West dropped 58-21 UKC decision to Piper. Seaman is the No. 3 Class 5A West seed while Topeka West is the No. 14 seed.
PITTSBURG (6-2) vs. HIGHLAND PARK (6-2)
At Hummer Sports Park
Highland Park ended up as the No. 8 seed in Class 5A East and drew a tough opening round opponent in No. 9 seed Pittsburg, also 6-2. The Purple Dragons ended their regular season with a 49-24 home non-league decision over Topeka High. Highland Park capped its regular season on Thursday night with a 38-28 Meadowlark Conference victory over Kansas City-Washington.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (2-6) at SPRING HILL (7-1)
Shawnee Heights picked up its second win of the season Friday night, taking a 69-30 United Kansas Conference road decision over Kansas City-Turner, while Spring Hill edged Louisburg, 14-13. Spring Hill is the No. 5 Class 5A East seed whlile Heights is the No. 12 seed. Junior quarterback Aiden Scott completed 23 of 28 passes fo 387 yards and six touchdowns against Turner while Parker Busenitz had seven catches for 142 yards and two TDs and Tyren Parker has six catches for 121 yards and two TDs.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Ryin Miller's biggest cross country meet of the season is obviously next Saturday -- the Class 5A championships at Rim Rock Farm -- but she had definite goals in mind for the 5A regional at Kanza Park.
The Seaman junior star then went out and checked all of those items off the list as the Vikings punched their ticket to state with a solid regional performance on Saturday.
Miller ran away with the individual title in a five-kilometer time of 17 minutes, 6 seconds while Seaman qualified for state as a team with a second-place finish behind defending state champion St. James Academy.
"I wanted to have a good time so it gave me confidence going into state, but the main goal was just to get our team through because it's way more fun with the team obviously,'' Miller said. "I'm happy we were able to do that.
"I know what I had to do to make that happen. I had to get first, which I had full confidence in myself to do that. I'm happy with how I raced, happy with the time, considering that they extended the course, so I'll take that.''
Seaman sophomore Brynn Spencer (19:26.4) and senior Stella Appelhanz (19:33.9) finished eighth and ninth for the Vikings while sophomore Kinley Robinson placed 16th (20:39.2) and freshman Avery Villines was 22nd (21:16.6) to round out Seaman's top five.
"I thought we ran well,'' Seaman coach Rick Brading said. "You just hope nobody will crash on a day like today and we were able to avoid that and our No. 4, Kinley Robinson, had a super good day. It was a good day for her and everybody else was solid.''
St. James placed all of its top five in the top 10 spots on the way to a 30-56 team win over the Vikings.
Seaman's boys also turned in a solid performance, earning a state team berth with a third-place team finish.
Junior Brody Anderson led the Vikings with a runnerup individual finish in 15:42.2 while Seaman also got an 18th-place showing from senior Alex Newell (17:18.9), a 20th-place finish from sophomore Conner Bloom (17:23.3), a 23rd from senior Corbin Murrow (17:36.1) and a 25th-place finish from junior Drake Spurlock (17:43.3).
St. James Academy (42 points) and De Soto (52) swept the top two spots in the team standings while Seaman grabbed the final team berth with 88 points. Basehor-Linwood was fourth with 108 points, one point ahead of Topeka West.
Seaman coach Luke Wiens said he knew the battle for a team berth was going to be tough.
"We expected that, especially coming off city, where West was ahead of us, and then the (United Kansas Conference),'' Wiens said. "We knew West and Basehor were really good teams so we anticipated it was going to be close.
"What I liked was we were really poised early and we were patient with it and we moved up over the course of the race and they took care of business.''
Topeka West qualified seniors Adrian Lehman and Mark Wilkie for state as individuals.
Lehman finished third in 16:16.0 while Wilkie placed 12th in 16:52.0.
The 5A girls race is scheduled for a 10 a.m. start next Saturday at Rim Rock while the boys race is set for 11:45 a.m.
CLASS 5A REGIONAL CROSS COUNTRY
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
(All kickoffs at 7 p.m.)
THURSDAY'S GAME
KC-WASHINGTON (6-1, 4-1 Meadowlark) vs. HIGHLAND PARK (5-2, 4-1 Meadowlark)
At Hummer Sports Park
Highland Park snapped a two-game losing streak with a 70-0 non-league rout over Kansas City-East, Mo. last Thursday at Hummer Sports Park while Kansas City-Washington is coming off a 20-6 Meadowlark Conference victory over KC-Schlagle. Thursday's game could have serious implications on seeding for the Class 5A playoffs, with Washington tied for the No. 2 East seed and Highland Park tied for the No. 7 East seed. The top eight seeds will host games in the first round of the playoffs next week. Scot senior Jamon Wilson has accumulated 1,449 all-purpose yards, including 510 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 45 carries, 16 receptions for 349 yards and three TDs and 565 kick/punt return yards. Sophomore quarterback G'Honi Montgomery has carried the ball 67 times for 590 yards and six TDs while junior Dontrail Fox has completed 48 of 100 passes for 899 yards and 10 TDs.
FRIDAY'S GAMES
DE SOTO (6-1, 5-1 UKC) at SEAMAN (6-1, 6-0 UKC)
Seaman clinched a share of the United Kansas Conference title with a 28-14 win over previously-unbeaten Basehor-Linwood last Friday and can clinch the outright championship with a win over De Soto. The Vikings are currently tied for the No. 2 West Class 5A seed. De Soto rolled to a 67-28 non-league win over Blue Valley Southwest last Friday and the Wildcats are tied for the No. 2 East 5A seed. Seaman senior Max Huston has completed 96 of 151 passes for 1,650 yards and 18 touchdowns and has rushed for 443 yards and seven TDs on 70 attempts. Senior Bryer Finley has 53 receptions for 1,069 yards and 14 TDs while junior Kaden McKinney has carried the ball 94 times for 598 yards and 10 TDs. Junior Carter Brian leads the Vikings with 75 tackles (42 solo) with seven tackles for loss.
PIPER (2-5, 2-4 UKC) vs. TOPEKA WEST (1-6, 1-6 UKC)
At Hummer Sports Park
Topeka West dropped a 57-0 United Kansas Conference decision to Leavenworth last week while Piper took a 51-16 UKC win over Kansas City-Turner. West enters the final game of the regular season tied for the No. 12 seed in Class 5A West.
COUNCIL GROVE (5-2, 1-2 Class 2A District 3) at SILVER LAKE (5-2, 2-1 Class 2A District 3)
Both Silver Lake and Council Grove will be looking to bounce back from losses, with the Eagles dropping a 35-21 Class 2A District 3 decision to undefeated Osage City while Council Grove lost a 22-6 district game to St. Marys. Silver Lake had a four-game win streak snapped by Osage City, which pulled away late in a game that was tied 14-14 at halftime.
HAYDEN (6-1, 3-0 Class 3A District 4) at JEFFERSON WEST (1-6, 0-3 Class 3A District 4)
Hayden clinched the Class 3A District 4 championship last Friday with a 50-16 district win over Perry-Lecompton while Jefferson West posted its first win of the season, taking a 29-6 non-district win over Atchison County. Wildcat senior quarterback Jett Wahlmeier has completed 78 of 114 passes for 1,175 yards and 14 touchdowns while junior Kade Mitchell has carried the ball 60 times for 546 yards, caught 21 passes for 374 yards and scored 16 total touchdowns. Senior Jensen Schrickel has caught 22 passes for 356 yards and scored nine total TDs. Junior Jude Krentz leads Hayden with 68 total tackles (38 solo) while sophomore Mason Becker is 38 of 38 on extra-point attempts.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake in Class 3A and Rossville in 2A opened volleyball postseason in impressive fashion on Monday, with both the Eagles and Bulldawgs going 3-0 to capture regional tournament titles and advance to sub-state competition on Saturday.
Silver Lake posted three straight-set wins to win the 3A regional it hosted while Rossville duplicated that feat in the 2A event at Atchison.
The 27-9 Eagles advanced to a Saturday 3A sub-state at Royal Valley while the 20-14 Bulldawgs will compete in a 2A sub-state at Maranatha Academy in Shawnee.
Silver Lake opened its regional bid with a 25-15, 25-15 win over Sabetha, followeed by a 25-10, 25-13 victory over Riley County and a 25-13, 25-18 win over Perry-Lecompton.
The Eagles are the No. 2 seed for Saturday's Royal Valley sub-state and will play the second match against No. 3 Santa Fe Trail (28-8).
The Silver Lake-Santa Fe Trail winner will take on the winner of the first match between No. 1 Royal Valley (29-7) and No. 4 Marysville (13-19) for the sub-state title, with the winner advancing to the 3A state tournament at Hutchinson Nov. 1-2.
Rossville took a 25-8, 25-17 win over Cair Paravel Latin in its first regional match before taking a 25-2, 25-11 win over Valley Falls and a 25-21, 25-21 win over Maur Hill Mt. Academy.
Cair Paravel went 1-2 on the day, posting a 25-15, 25-16 win over Valley Falls. The Lions dropped a three-set decision to Maur Hill-Mt. Academy, which took a 25-22, 15-25, 25-20 win.
Rossville is the No. 2 seed for the Maranatha Academy sub-state on Saturday and will play the second match of the day aganst No. 3 Pleasant Ridge (21-13).
The winner of that match will play for the sub-state title against the winner of the match between top seed Maranatha Academy (34-6) and No. 4 Jefferson North (16-20).
The sub-state champ will advance to the state tournament Nov. 1-2 at Dodge City.
Other Saturday sub-states involving local schools:
Class 6A at Washburn Rural
Washburn Rural (28-6) is the No. 1 6A West seed and will host a four-school sub-state Saturday.
The Junior Blues will face No. 16 West seed Liberal (4-29) in the 1 p.m. match, followed by a match between No. 8 seed Topeka High (16-18) and No. 9 Free State (13-17).
The two winners will face off at approximately 3 p.m. for the sub-state title, with the winner moving on to the 6A state tournament Nov. 1-2 at Salina.
Class 5A at Seaman
Defending 5A champion Seaman will host a 5A sub-state Saturday, with the 35-2 Vikings the No. 1 West seed.
Seaman will play No. 16 Topeka West (13-21) in the first match of the tournament followed by the other semifinal between No. 8 Emporia (23-12) and No. 9 Maize South (23-13).
The two winners will advance to the sub-state final, with the tournament champion advancing to the 5A state tournament Nov. 1-2 at Salina.
Class 5A at Blue Valley Southwest
Shawnee Heights (17-18) is the No. 8 East seed and will face No. 9 Basehor-Linwood (17-18) in the second match of the day.
The winner will advance to take on the winner between No. 1 seed Blue Valley Southwest (29-5) and No. 16 Kansas City-Turner (9-21).
The sub-state champ will move on to the 5A state tournament Nov. 1-2 at Salina.
Class 5A at St. Thomas Aquinas
Highland Park is the No. 10 East seed (11-12) and will face No. 7 Spring Hill (19-17) in a sub-state semifinal.
The winner of that match will face the semifinal winner between No. 2 Aquinas (27-5) and No. 15 Leavenworth (11-20) for the sub-state title, with the winner advancing to the 5A state tournament Nov. 1-2 at Salina.
Class 4A at Hayden
Hayden, the No. 3 East seed at 27-10, will host a 4A sub-state on Saturday (2 p.m. start).
The Wildcats will face No. 14 Baldwin (10-22) in a semifinal match while No. 6 Paola (21-12) will take on No. 11 Parsons (15-18) in the other semifinal.
The winner of those two matches will play for the sub-state title, with the winner advancing to the 4A state tournament Nov. 1-2 at Hutchinson.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden's girls golf team put itself in position to win a second straight Class 4A state championship in Monday's opening round and left no doubt on Tuesday, pulling away for a 15-stroke victory at Hesston Golf Course.
Hayden took a four-stroke lead over Wellington on Monday and finished the 36-hole event with a four-person score of 698 while Wellington was a distant second at 713 and McPherson finished third at 727.
Junior Lauren Borjon led the Wildcats with a third-place individual finish with a 36-hole total of 157, following up her first-round 76 with an 81 on Tuesday.
Hayden junior Izzy Glotzbach and senior Addyson Baer also earned 4A state medals, with Glotzbach finishing 12th at 171 (89-82) and Baer tying for 16th at 174 (86-88).
Brooke Johnson placed 34th at 196 (102-94), Nora Allphin was 46th at 213 (107-106) and Kellyn Specht finished 52nd at 226 (112-114).
Wamego's Addison Douglass took the individual state championship with a 36-hole total of 142 (70-72).
Silver Lake suffers heartbreaking tiebreaker loss in 3A-1A
Silver Lake, which started Tuesday's final round in third place, rallied to give itself a chance at a second straight Class 3A-1A state championship before finishing second to Pittsburg Colgan on a tiebreaker.
Both the Eagles and Panthers finished with four-person scores of 718, but Colgan won its third state title in four seasons by virtue of a lower fifth score on the second day of the tournament. Goodland finished third at 734.
Senior Taylor Zordel led Silver Lake with a fourth-place individual finish at 164 (86-78), earning her fourth straight state medal, while Kailyn Hanni posted a 13th-place finish at 180 (90-90) and Makenna Miller also earned a state medal with a 14th-place finish at 181 (95-86).
Savannah Wende finished 36th for the Eagles at 193 (101-92), Hope Thornton was 45th at 202 (102-100) and Alyssa Streit placed 54th at 221 (113-108).
Rossville's Elley Sanders, competing as an individual, tied for 38th with a 36-hole total of 197 (94-103).
Seniors Randall, Peterson lead Rural to third-place 6A finish
Seniors Reece Randall and Natalie Peterson ended their high school careers with Class 6A state medals, leading Washburn Rural to a third-place team finish at Hutchinson's Carey Park.
Randall finished with a 36-hole total of 154 (79-75) to tie for 10th place individually while Peterson tied for 12th at 157 (81-76).
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Defending Class 4A state girls golf champion Hayden will take a four-stroke lead into Tuesday's final day of the 2024 state tournament at Hesston Golf Course.
Hayden finished Monday's opening round with a four-person score of 69 over par, while Wellington sits second at plus 73, followed by McPherson at plus 79.
Hayden junior Lauren Borjon finished Day 1 tied for second place individually with a 5-over-par 76, six strokes behind tournament leader Addison Douglas, who carded a 1-under 70.
Wildcat senior Addyson Baer is tied for 14th after a first-round 86 while junior Izzy Glotzbach is tied for 18th after an 89.
Brooke Johnson shot a 102, Nora Allphin a 107 and Kellyn Specht a 112 for Hayden.
The final round of the tournament is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m.
Silver Lake third in 3A-1A
Defending Class 3A-1A state champion Silver Lake will begin the final 18 holes of the state tournament at Emporia Municipal Golf Course in third place, seven strokes off the pace.
The Eagles finished Day 1 with a four-person score of 88 over par, seven strokes behind tournament leader Caney Valley and five strokes behind second-place Pittsburg Colgan.
Senior Taylor Zordel led Silver Lake with an opening-round of 86 and will begin Tuesday's round tied for fifth place.
Junior Kailyn Hanni is tied for 13th after a first-round 90 while Makenna Miller shot a 95, Savannah Wende a 101, Hope Thornton a 102 and Alyssa Streit a 113.
Rossville's Elley Sanders shot a first-round 94 and advanced to the second round of the tournament tied for 26th place.
The 3A-1A state tournament is set for a 10 a.m. start on Tuesday.
Class 6A, 5A state tournaments postponed
Neither the Class 6A state tournament at Hutchinson and the 5A event at Salina completed the opening round on Monday.
Both state tournaments are scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. Tuesday, with the final round scheduled to begin after the competion of Day 1.
All six of Washburn Rural's players completed their first round, with senior Reece Randall shooting a 79, senior Natalie Peterson, junior Lauren Cox an 82 and senior Colbey Stead an 86 to lead the Junior Blues.
Rural was tied for fourth place and in a good position to advance to the final round of competition.
Three of Seaman's six players completed their first round in the 5A state tourney, with senior Anna McLaughlin leading the Vikings with a 91 while Chloe Schmidtlein shot a 97 and Molina Quintana a 105.
Competing as individuals, Shawnee Heights' Lyla Blair shot an 87, Topeka West's Alex Baxter a 94. Shawnee Heights' Lauryn Valdivia a 105 and West's Berlyn Kolean a 113.
The 5A field will be cut to the top six teams and the top individuals after the conclusion of the first round.