Topeka West Chargers

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Carsyn Broxterman 

CARSYN BROXTERMAN, Hayden

A junior soccer standout, Broxterman scored the game's only goal 41 seconds into the second half Friday at Hayden, lifting the Wildcats to a 1-0 victory over Cair Paravel Latin, the Class 4A-1A state runnerup last season.  

Reagan Chapman

REAGAN CHAPMAN, Washburn Rural

Primarily a shortstop earlier in her high school softball career, Chapman opened her junior season with a no-hit pitching performance in Friday's 7-0 win over Centennial League rival Topeka High. Chapman struck out six batters while her bid for a perfect game was spoiled by a single hit batter.

Kate Hinck

KATE HINCK, Washburn Rural

Hinck, a senior soccer star, scored three goals and had three assists on the week as Washburn Rural opened its 2025 season with a pair of shutout wins. Hinck scored a goal and had two assists in Tuesday's 5-0 win over Olathe South and scored two goals and had an assist in Friday's 3-0 win over Kapaun Mt. Carmel.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Two-time senior player of the year Ja'Corey Robinson headlines the 2025 TopSports.news All-Shawnee County boys basketball team.

Highland Park senior Ja'Corey Robinson has been named the TSN Shawnee County boys basketball player of the year for the second straight season. [File photo/TSN] 

Robinson was a repeat pick as the Shawnee County player of the year after leading the Scots to a 24-1 record and a second-place finish in the Class 5A state tournament, the Scots' third straight top-three state finish.

Robinson and senior teammate Mikey Williams are two of the five All-Shawnee County Top 10 repeat picks along with Shawnee Heights senior Jaret Sanchez, Seaman junior KaeVon Bonner and Rossville junior Jack Donovan.

Shawnee Heights senior Deacon Pomeroy, Washburn Rural senior Amare Jones and Silver Lake junior Dayne Johnson all moved up to Top 10 after being named to the Second 10 in 2024 while Hayden senior James Kuta and Washburn Rural junior Simon Rowley round out the all-county team.

 Washburn Rural junior Simon Rowley has been named the TSN Shawnee County boys basketball newcomer of the year. [File photo/TSN]

Rowley was also named the county newcomer of the year after helping 18-5 Washburn Rural win the Centennial League championship and advance to the Class 6A state tournament.

Highland Park coach Mike Williams has been named the Shawnee County boys coach of the year for the third straight season after leading the Scots to a 24-1 record and a runnerup state finish. [Photo by Mac Moore/KSHSAA Covered]

Highland Park's Mike Williams was named the county coach of the year for the third straight season, leading the Scots to a 71-4 record over the past three years.

All-Shawnee County capsules:

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman senior Anna Becker has been tapped as the TopSports.news 2025 All-Shawnee County girls basketball player of the year after helping lead the Vikings to back-to-back championship games in Class 5A.

Seaman senior Anna Becker, a four-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick, has been named the county player of the year after helping lead the Vikings to a second-place Class 5A state finish. [File photo/TSN]

A four-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick and three-time United Kansas Conference player of the year, Becker helped Seaman post a 24-1 record and a second-place finish behind St. Thomas Aquinas as a senior after the Vikings won the Class 5A state title in 2024.

Becker is one of five repeat picks on the All-Shawnee County Top 10 along with Hayden senior Millie Ramsey, Seaman junior Maddie Gragg, Silver Lake junior Kailyn Hanni and Washburn Rural sophomore Maddie Vickery.

Ramsey and Gragg are three-time all-county Top 10 selections.

Also earning All-Shawnee County Top 10 spots are Washburn Rural senior Kate Hinck, Topeka High junior Keimara Marshall, Trojan sophomore Ahsyierhuajh Rayton, Shawnee Heights sophomore KK Emmot and Hayden freshman Hailey Schmidtlein.

Hayden freshman Hailey Schmidtlein has been named the Shawnee County girls basketball newcomer of the year while also earning Top 10 honors. [File photo/TSN]

Schmeidtlein, who helped Hayden post a third-place state finish in Class 4A, was also named the Shawnee County newcomer of the year, while Topeka High coach Ron Slaymaker was named the county coach of the year.

Topeka High's Ron Slaymaker has been named the Shawnee County girls basketball coach of the year after leading the Trojans to a nine-win improvement in his first season. [File photo/TSN]

The 88-year-old Slaymaker, a Kansas coaching legend and High's third coach in four seasons, led the Trojans to a nine-win improvement in the 2024-2025 campaign, with Topeka High posting a 14-8 record. 

All-Shawnee County capsules:

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

City schools combined to win 10 events in Friday's season-opening Topeka West Invitational at Hummer Sport Park, with Seaman's girls leading the way with five wins en route to a runnerup team finish behind Manhattan.

Seaman junior Ryin Miller won three gold events in Friday's Topeka West Invitational at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman junior Ryin Miller, the reigning Gatorade Kansas Track and Field Athlete of the Year, was a double individual winner in the girls 1,600-meter run (4 minutes, 59.08) and the 800 (2:17.80) while also running on the Vikings' winning 4x400 relay (4:15.33).

Seaman also got wins in the girls 4x100 relay (51.94) and from senior Grace Jowers in the pole vault (10 feet, 6 inches) while sophomore Brynn Spencer posted runnerup individual finishes in the 1,600 (5:39.41) and the 3,200 (12:25.66).

Topeka High junior Keimara Marshall won the 400-meter dash in Friday's Topeka West Invitational at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Topeka High junior Keimara Marshall won the girls 400-meter dash (62.21) and finished second in the 100 (12.45) helped the Trojans finish second in the 4x100 relay (52.51), while sophomore Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton was second in the long jump (18-0.25) and the triple jump (38-2.25) and also ran on the 4x100 relay.

Seaman junior Brody Anderson (middle) and Topeka West senior Adrian Lehman (right) finished one-two in the boys 1,600 in Friday's Topeka West Invitational and Lehman won the 3,200. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

On the boys side, Seaman junior Brody Anderson led a one-two-three city finish in the 1,600 meters, winning in 4:29.71 while Topeka West senior Adrian Lehman was second (4:31.81) and Charger senior Mark Wilkie third (4:32.21).

Lehman and Wilkie came back later in the meet to go one-two in the 3,200, with Lehman finishing first in 10:09.76 and Wilkie taking second in 10:12.39.

Topeka High senior Ben Roeder won the boys 400-meter dash in Friday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Topeka High senior Ben Roeder won the 400 dash in 51.91 while Seaman sophomore Quinton White won the pole vault with a clearance of 9 feet. 

TOPEKA WEST INVITATIONAL

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Through her first three seasons of high school swimming, Seaman's Joslynn Grace was surrounded by talented older teammates.

Seaman senior Joslynn Grace posted first and second-place individual finishes in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

But after the Vikings lost a talented senior class, including twin sisters Tauren and Avery Walz, from last year's team that posted a third-place finish in Class 5A-1A, Grace is being counted on to lead the way in the pool and as a leader as Seaman enters the 2025 campaign.

"I was a little nervous at first, but it's really fun to get to be with more of the team I feel like,'' Grace said. "I was really close to the twins and now I'm like branching out and I get to meet a lot of people and cheer them all on, so it's been a lot of fun.''

Grace got her season off to a solid start on Thursday in the 16-school Topeka West Invitational at the Capitol Federal Natatorium, posting a win and a second-place individual finish while also helping the Vikings to a pair of top-six relay finishes.

Grace, a returning multi-event 5A-1A state medalist, won the 200-yard individual medley in a time of 2 minutes, 15.84 seconds and finished second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:10.72.

Grace also teamed with Reagan Greig, Lizzie Gould and Megan Strobel to finish fifth in the 200 medley relay (2:13.96) and with Greig, Gould and Strobel to finish sixth in the 200 free relay (2:05.02) as the Vikings finished fourth as a team with 234 points.

Seaman senior Joslynn Grace looks up at the scoreboard after her 200 IM victory in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

"I thought today was pretty good,'' Grace said. "I wish my IM would have been a little bit faster, but I was pretty happy with it.''

Now Grace, who plans to swim collegiately at Nebraska-Kearney with older sister Gabby, is setting her sights on finishing her high school career with a bang.

"I definitely would like to medal in both my events again and maybe get like second-team All-State or first-team All-State,'' Grace said. "That would be really cool.''   

Seaman also got a third-place finish from Strobel in the 500 freestyle (7:10.03) and a third from Sydney Thoman in one-meter diving (152.75).

Hayden tied for fifth as a team with 191 points, led by Maddie Gregg and Kaylee Gregg, who finished one-two in diving. M. Gregg won with a score of 179.90 while K. Gregg was right behind her sister at 178.00. 

The Wildcats also got a fourth-place finish in the 400 free relay from Kaelyn Gerdel, Kelly Ann Chada, Lilly Charvat and Esa Herrera in 4:47.88.

Shawnee Heights senior Ashtynn Landry posted a pair of top-four finishes in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Shawnee Heights finished seventh as a team (164), getting a third-place finish from senior Ashtynn Landry in the 200 freestyle in 2:14.46.

Landry also finished fourth in the 100 freestyle (1:01.17) while sophomore Kaitlyn Aldridge was fourth in the 200 IM (2:35.22).   

TOPEKA WEST INVITATIONAL

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman junior Brody Anderson won city and UKC cross country titles last fall and is a returning All-Shawnee County pick in track. [File photo/TSN]

BRODY ANDERSON, Seaman

A junior distance standout, Anderson was an All-Shawnee County first-team pick in track last spring and in cross country in the fall. Anderson won city and United Kansas Conference individual titles in cross country before posting a ninth-place finish in the Class 5A state meet. Anderson finished his sophomore track season ranked No. 2 in Shawnee County in the 800 (1:57.78) and the 1,600 (4:27.60).

PAYTON BERRY-BRIGGS, Shawnee Heights

Berry-Briggs, a senior sprinter, was a first-team All-Shawnee County honoree last season, placing third in the Class 5A 200-meter dash (22.27). Berry ranked No. 2 in the county in the 200 (21.79), third in the 100 (10.80) and third in the 400 (49.95). 

DRADEN CHOONCHAROEN, Washburn Rural 

Chooncharoen, a junior, is a returning Class 6A state champion, running on the Junior Blues' winning 4x400 relay team (3:19.56) and earning a spot on the 2024 All-Shawnee County first team.

BRYCE COCHRAN, Seaman

A senior, Cochran earned All-Shawnee County first-team recognition for the second straight season in 2024 after a solid spring for the Vikings in the sprints and jumps. Cochran ran on Seaman's 4x100-meter relay team that finished second in the Class 5A state meet in a time of 42.50 seconds. He also ranked fourth in the county last season in the triple jump (40-9). 

PEYTON HOLMES, Seaman

Holmes, a senior, earned All-Shawnee County first-team recognition in 2023 and 2024 and ranked No. 1 in Shawnee County in the long jump with a season-best of 23 feet, 4.50 inches. Holmes placed sixth in Class 5A in the long jump and also ran on Seaman's 4x100-meter relay team that finished second in the Class 5A state meet in a time of 42.50 seconds.

Topeka West senior Adrian Lehman is a standout distance runner, placing seventh in Class 5A cross country last fall. [File photo/TSN]

ADRIAN LEHMAN, Topeka West

Lehman, a senior, is a standout distance runner for Topeka West and coming off a breakout cross country season this past fall. Lehman posted a city-best seventh-place finish in the Class 5A boys state meet after finishing second in the city meet and third in the United Kansas Conference. Last track season Lehman ranked third in the county in the 3,200 (10:02.36) and fifth in the 1,600 (4:34.21).

By Todd Fertig

TopSports.news

The Topeka High girls soccer team relied upon a mix of returners and new contributors to open the season with a 5-0 win over Topeka West at Hummer Sports Park Tuesday.

Topeka High freshman Emma Schell (left) celebrates an early goal with teammate Paty Acosta-Salas in the Trojans' 5-0 win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Freshman Emma Schell scored right out of the gate in her debut with the Trojans, punching a breakaway past the Charger goalkeeper at 38:43 of the first half. She scored again off a rebound just seven minutes later.

Topeka High junior Dana Chavarria Delacruz (22) celebrates a first-half goal in the Trojans' 5-0 win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

The Trojans got a goal from Dana Chavarria Delacruz later in the period to go to the intermission leading 3-0.

“We graduated a lot of players from last year, but I knew we had some ability to attack coming back,” Topeka High coach Derek Snook said. “The biggest thing was whether we were going to meld together the way we needed to and communicate the best we could.”

Having gained a commanding lead, Snook went deep into the bench, but the Trojans continued to pour it on, getting two goals from Natalie Barnes in the second half.

Junior captain Raelee Shipley (10) advances the ball in Topeka High's 5-0 win over Topeka West Tuesday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Junior captain Raelee Shiplee knew that the Trojans needed to get a game under their belts in order to know what to work on.

“We just had to come out with intensity and communication,” Shiplee said. “After the first game, I think we learned how each other plays. So, I think it will help us more along the road during other games to know how each other plays.”

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural three-time Class 6A state champion and four-time finalist Easton Broxterman headlines the TopSports.news 2025 All-Shawnee County boys wrestling team.

Shawnee County wrestler of the year Easton Broxterman ended his high school career with three Class 6A state titles and four straight trips to the 6A championship match. [Photo by Mac Moore/KSHSAA Covered]

County wrestler of the year Broxterman, who won the 144-pound championship to wrap up a 37-2 season, is joined on the All-Shawnee County team by two-time Washburn Rural state champions Kristjan Marshall and Landen Kocher-Munoz as the Junior Blues finished third as a team.

Washburn Rural senior Kristjan Marshall won his second straight Class 6A state title in 2025. [Photo by Mac Moore/KSHSAA Covered]

Washburn Rural junior Landen Kocher-Munoz won his second Class 6A state title in his third straight state final in 2025. [Photo by Mac Moore/KSHSAA Covered] 

Marshall, a senior, won the 157-pound championship to cap a 33-5 season with his second straight title while junior L. Kocher-Munoz won his second state title in his third straight trip to the finals, winning the 138-pound crown with a 30-3 record.   

Washburn Rural wrestling coach Josh Hogan has been named the Shawnee County coach of the year after three Rural wrestlers won state titles and Rural finished third as a team. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]

Washburn Rural, which finished third in the 6A team standings, put a county-high nine wrestlers on the all-county first team, while Rural's Josh Hogan was named the county coach of the year and freshman 215-pounder Kaiden Marshall was selected as newcomer of the year.

The TopSports.news all-county team is based in part on selections made by the seven Topeka head coaches as well as at large selections for county schools Rossville and Silver Lake.

Also earning All-Shawnee County first-team honors for Rural in addition to the three state champions were 120-junior Ryder Harrison (27-15), senior 126-pounder Walker Doyal (28-14), junior 132-pounder Cooper Stivers (26-8), sophomore 150-pounder Brodye Kocher-Munoz (16-7), sophomore 190-pounder Jadyn Baum (28-6) and K. Marshall (17-11).

Topeka High and Hayden both put two wrestlers on the all-county first team.

Topeka High is represented by 106-pound sophomore Jose Gomez (24-13) and 165-pound senior Nick Davis (40-7) while Hayden is represented by 175-pound junior Jude Krentz (42-2) and 285-pound senior Hunter Diederich (24-10). 

Shawnee Heights is represented on the first team by 113-pound sophomore Jacob Reyes (15-14).

ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY BOYS WRESTLING

 By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Class 5A state champion Makayla Cadet of Highland Park headines the TopSports.news 2025 All-Shawnee County girls wrestling team while third-place teams Washburn Rural and Shawnee Heights combined for 13 spots on the first team.

TopSports.news picked the All-Shawnee County team based in part on city coaches' picks for the All-City team while also adding at-large selections.

Highland Park junior Makayla Cadet has been named the Shawnee County wrestler of the year after winning the Class 5A 190-pound state title. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]

County wrestler of the year Cadet, a junior, won the Class 5A state championship at 190 pounds, becoming Highland Park's first-ever girls state champion while posting a 23-4 record on the season.   

Washburn Rural senior Molly Spader posted a runnerup Class 6A state finish for the second straight season, leading Rural to a third-place team finish. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn Rural put seven wrestlers on the TSN All-Shawnee County first team, led by senior Molly Spader (37-6), who posted a runnerup Class 6A state finish for the second straight season to lead the Junior Blues to a third-place team finish in 6A after winning back-to-back state titles. 

In addition to Spader, Washburn Rural is represented on the all-county team by senior 115-pounder Maddy Blow (35-11), junior 120-pounder Lacey Middleton (37-9), junior 135-pounder Madison Blanco (30-8), junior 140-pounder Emme Blanco (35-10), junior 170-pounder Elia Smith (36-8) and sophomore 235-pounder Justice McBurney (15-7).

Smith placed third in 6A while Blow, Middleton, M. Blanco and E. Blanco all placed fourth at state and McBurney posted a sixth-place finish.

Spader and Blow are three-time first-team all-county selections while M. Blanco and Smith are first-team repeat picks and Middleton and E. Blanco moved up from the second team.

Shawnee Heights senior Isabel Reyes posted a second-place Class 5A state finish at 130 pounds, helping the T-Birds finish third as a team. [File photo/TSN]

Shawnee Heights, which earned the third-place team trophy in 5A, is represented on the all-county first team by senior Isabel Reyes (37-3), the 5A runnerup at 130 pounds, along with freshman 100-pounder Ava Gutierrez (19-13), senior 125-pounder Reece Taylor (37-4), senior 140-pounder Madison Freeland (32-7), junior 145-pounder Olivia Stevens (35-10) and junior 155-pounder Cianna Graves (39-3).

Taylor, Freeland and Graves finished third in 5A while Stevens finished fourth.    

Shawnee Heights' Chad Parks was named the county coach of the year after the T-Birds posted a program-best third as a team.

Seaman senior Taylie Heston was the 120-pound runnerup in Class 5A. [File photo/TSN]

Seaman senior Koti Best was the 125-pound runnerup in Class 5A. [File photo/TSN]

Seaman put senior state 120-pound runnerup Taylie Heston (32-8) and senior 130-pound runnerup Koti Best (20-3) on the All-Shawnee County first team, along with 110-pound senior Natalie Smith (28-11).

Best was a two-time state finalist will Heston is an all-county first-team repeat pick.

Rounding out the all-county first team are Silver Lake senior 110-pounder Karley Holmes (40-12) and Rossville 145-pounder Madelyn Wonnell (34-11).

Holmes posted a third-place finish in 4A while Wonnell finished fifth in 3A-1A after helping the Bulldawgs win the 3A-1A state team championship in 2024.  

ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY GIRLS WRESTLING

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Three-time conference player of the year Anna Becker of Seaman leads three city players on the All-United Kansas Conference girls basketball first team while Viking coach Matt Tinsley is a repeat pick as the UKC coach of the year.

 Seaman senior Anna Becker has received UKC player of the year recognition for the third straight season. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]

Seaman coach Matt Tinsley, who led the Vikings to a third straight UKC title and a second-place finish in Class 5A, has been named the conference coach of the year. [File photo/TSN]

Becker, a senior, was named co-player of the year with De Soto senior Makenzie Farmer and is joined on the first team by junior teammate Maddie Gragg, a first-team repeater.

Seaman junior Maddie Gragg has received All-UKC first-team recognition for the third straight season. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]

Shawnee Heights sophomore KK Emmot has been named to the All-UKC first team. [File photo/TSN]

Shawnee Heights sophomore KK Emmot also earned a spot on the first team after being a second-team selection as a freshman. 

Seaman seniors Ava Esser and Kinley Wilhelm were named to the All-UKC second team along with Shawnee Heights junior Reianna Vega and Topeka West junior Imani McGlory.

Seaman senior Jaida Stallbaumer received all-conference honorable mention as did Shawnee Heights seniors Kaydence Torrez and Taylor Brees and Topeka West sophomore Sydney VanDyke.

ALL-UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE GIRLS BASKETBALL

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

 Anna Becker

ANNA BECKER, Seaman

Becker, a senior guard, capped her banner four-year high school basketball career with a game-high 28 points in Saturday's 68-61 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas in the Class 5A girls state championship game. Becker, a Drake signee, hit 4-7 3-pointers and dished out five assists as the Vikings finished a 24-1 season. Becker had 49 points in the tournament.

Kailyn Hanni

KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake

Hanni, a junior guard, scored a game-high 19 points and hit 7 of 8 free throws in Saturday's 48-45 loss to Halstead in the Class 3A girls state championship game. Hanni's big game in the finals came after she scored 28 points (15 made free throws) with 6 assists and 4 rebounds in the Eagles' 65-58 semifinal victory over Hesston.

Dayne Johnson

DAYNE JOHNSON, Silver Lake

A junior, Johnson registered a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday's Class 3A boys third-place game, leading the Eagles to a 63-51 win over Galena. Johnson scored 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds on Friday as Silver Lake fell 66-60 to Goodland in the state semifinals.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

City players earned three of the seven spots on the All-United Kansas Conference boys basketball first team, led by Shawnee Heights co-UKC player of the year Jaret Sanchez.

 Shawnee Heights senior Jaret Sanchez has been named the UKC co-player of the year. [File photo/TSN]

Sanchez, a senior who helped Shawnee Heights advance to the Class 5A state tournament for a second straight season, shares the player of the year honor with Piper senior PJ Moore.

Sanchez and Seaman junior KaeVon Bonner are first-team All-UKC repeat picks while Shawnee Heights senior Deacon Pomeroy moves up to the first team after being a second-team selection in 2024.

Seaman junior KaeVon Bonner is a repeat pick on the All-UKC first team. [File photo/TSN]

Shawnee Heights senior Deacon Pomeroy has been named to the All-UKC first team. [File photo/TSN]

Topeka West junior Malakyah Duncan and Seaman senior Bryer Finley earned second-team recognition while Shawnee Heights juniors Jaeveon Alston and Ontarius Emmot and Topeka West seniors Kamoni Ford and Jalen Foy and Charger junior Keimani Paul all received honorable mention.

Piper coach Steve Wallace, whose Pirates finished third in 5A, was named the conference coach of the year.

ALL-UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE BOYS BASKETBALL

By Rick Peterson

TopSports.news

EMPORIA -- Top seed and undefeated Highland Park got everything it wanted from No. 8 Andover Central in Thursday's Class 5A boys state tournament opener at White Auditorium, but senior Mikey Williams made sure that the Scots lived to see another day.

Senior Mikey Williams scored a game-high 33 points in Thursday's 65-56 Class 5A state tournament win over Andover Central. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Williams scored a career-high 33 points, including an amazing 7 of 7 performance from 3-point range as Highland Park advanced to Friday's 4 p.m. semifinal with a 65-56 win over Central.

"I just knew going into it I had to step up,'' Williams said. "We know we rely on Ja'Corey (Robinson) and Jamon (Wilson) and all our other guys to step up, but I know in every game I can't just rely on another guy I know I've got to step up and do it for myself and do it for my team and do whatever it takes to get us to the next round and that's what I had to do.''

The Jaguars trailed by just a 24-22 margin at the end of the first quarter and led 35-33 at halftime before the Scots rallied in the third stanza for a 61-56 advantage.

Hi Park went up by 10 (56-46) on a Williams hoop with 6:19 remaining, but the Jaguars cut their deficit to two (58-56) at the 3:20 mark before the Scots ended the game with a 7-0 run.

The Scots also got 14 points (7 of 9 shooting) and a game-high eight rebounds from senior Isaiah Kelley.

Andover Central, which stayed in the hunt with a 10 of 21 performance from 3-point range, was led by Jayden Brown with 17 points (4 of 8 3s) while Jace Jefferson added 12 points on four treys and Jason Adler also had 12 points.

Highland Park advanced to the state semifinals for the third straight season to face last year's runnerup, Piper, a 70-52 winner over Shawnee Heights.    

HIGHLAND PARK  BOYS 65, ANDOVER CENTRAL 56

Andover Central 22 13 11 10 -- 56

Highland Park     24 9 18 14 -- 65

Andover Central (14-9) -- Brown 5-13 3-6 17, Degarmo 1-5 0-0 3, Jefferson 4-7 0-0 12, Meschke 1-2 1-2, Adler 5-10 2-4 12, Neal 0-0 0-0 0, Archibald 0-0 0-0 0, Balke 1-5 0-0 2, Stupka 3-7 0-0 7, Inslee 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-49 6-12 56.

Highland Park (23-0) -- Wilson 0-4 1-2 1, Hales 0-2 0-0 0, Kelley 7-9 0-1 14, Williams 12-14 2-6 33, Robinson 1-5 5-6 7, Brown 0-0 2-2 2, Jones 1-2 0-1 2, Kingcannon 3-4 0-0 6, Montgomery 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-40 10-18 65.

3-point shots -- Andover Central 10-21 (Brown 4-8, Jefferson 4-6, Degarmo 1-1, Stupka 1-3, Balke 0-3), Highland Park 7-10 (Williams 7-7, Robinson 0-2, Hales 0-1). Total fouls -- Andover Central 21, Highland Park 17. Fouled out -- Degarmo, Adler. Technical fouls -- Robinson.

Shawnee Heights senior Jaret Sanchez led the T-Birds with 16 points in Thursday's 70-52 Class 5A state tournament loss to Piper. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

PIPER BOYS 70, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 52 --After spotting Piper a 13-point halftime advantage, Shawnee Heights gave itself a chance to win Thursday's first-round game before a disasterous start to the fourth quarter ended the T-Birds' hopes.

No. 5 seed Piper, now 20-3, opened up a 21-12 first-quarter advantage and boosted its lead to 39-26 at the halftime break.

But Shawnee Heights (19-4) came to life in the third quarter, outscoring the Pirates 22-11 to get within two points (50-48) at the beginning of the fourth period.

The T-Birds then had an opportunity to take the lead, but missed back-to-back 3-pointers and turned the ball over on its next possession as the Pirates scored the first 15 points of the quarter to put Shawnee Heights away.

"We went out and we fought and 'O' (Ontarius Emmot) was shooting a wide open three to go ahead and misses it and gets a rebound and shoots it again and gets it blocked and they go down and hit a three, so instead of being up one, we're down five,'' Heights coach Ken Darting said. "And when you've played that hard to get back in it... we just got emotionally drained and tired, physically tired.

"But you can't spot a good team that much and come back.''

Heights went scoreless over the first five minutes of the quarter and was outscored 22-4 over the final eight minutes as Piper took its third straight win over the T-Birds this season and fourth straight dating back to last year's first-round state game.

Phillip Moore led Piper with 18 points while Isaiah Sayles added 16 points and Derrick Jackson 10 as the Pirates shot 60.9 percent from the field, including a nine of 15 performance from 3-point range.

By RICK PETERSON 

TopSports.news

It's been an outstanding 2024-2025 high school basketball season for Shawnee County teams, with 10 of 20 making it to state tournaments in five different classifications.

Now we wait to see how many of those teams can achieve the ultimate goal of a state championship on Saturday.

For what it's worth -- and it's not much -- here's my take on what we could see in all 14 of this week's state  tournaments across the state.

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

If I did pick the team/teams you root for, good luck.

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

CLASS 6A BOYS

Finalists -- Shawnee Mission Northwest (4: 19-3) vs. Wichita Heights (3: 20-2).

Champion -- Wichita Heights. I give Heights, the 6A runnerup the past two seasons, a very slight edge in what could be a repeat of the 2024 title game, won by Northwest to cap a 25-0 season.

Other contenders -- Shawnee Mission South is the top seed at 21-1, with its lone loss coming against SM Northwest, while Derby is also 21-1 and the No. 2 seed. Washburn Rural (6: 18-4) is certainly capable of knocking off Wichita Heights while Derby could get a big test from No. 7 Olathe North (16-6). 

CLASS 6A GIRLS

Finalists -- Blue Valley North (3: 18-4) vs. Olathe South (4: 18-4). 

Champion -- Blue Valley North. It's worth noting that although North has lost four times, but none of those four losses came against Kansas teams. The Mustangs finished third last season after winning the championship in 2023.

Other contenders -- It's been an up and down season for Washburn Rural (6: 16-6) but never count out a Kevin Bordewick team in postseason. The Hall of Fame coach has led Washburn Rural to three straight 6A championship games (title in 2022, runnerup in 2023 and 2024) and the Junior Blues have won a pair of championships since 2019. Derby is the top seed at 19-3 and the pre-tournament team to beat.

Highland Park standout Ja'Corey Robinson and the 22-0 Scots will be looking for a Class 5A state title this week after back-to-back third-place finishes. [File photo/TSN]

CLASS 5A BOYS

Finalists -- Highland Park (1: 22-0) vs. Kapaun Mt. Carmel (2: 19-3).

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Highland Park's boys basketball team has put together an amazing run of success over the past three seasons, advancing to the Class 5A state tournament all three years while posting a 65-8 overall record, including a 47-3 mark over the past two campaigns.

Highland Park boys basketball celebrates its Class 5A sub-state championship after Saturday's 53-35 win over Bashor-Linwood. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

But there's a feeling of emptiness that remains for those closest to the Scot program after back-to-back heartbreaking semifinal losses to the eventual state champions the past two years.

Two years ago Highland Park led virtually the entire game against Andover before the Trojans pulled out a 55-54 win with a late 7-0 run. The drama continued last season when Kapaun Mt. Carmel outlasted the Scots in overtime, 67-64.

Highland Park bounced back both seasons for dominating wins in the third-place game, but that provided little consolation to the Scots.

And now the Scots' main focus -- really their only focus -- is on doing everything they can to wipe that bad taste out of their mouths with a state title run this week in Emporia's White Auditorium.

"I feel like the last three or so years we get down there and I'm not saying we were playing bad but I feel like we could have played a little better,'' Highland Park coach Mike Williams said. "So we are really, really focused on wanting to get to state and kind of show a little bit of the essence that we saw tonight.

"I like our prep, I like what we're doing going into it and we're looking forward to next week.''

Scot senior standout Ja'Corey Robinson agreed.

"We've got some fire under us,'' Robinson said. "We're trying to go out with a win. We're tired of getting third place. We're trying to finish it all out and win a state championship.''

Highland Park, which has had only three single-digit games all season, enters this year's state tournament as the top seed with a perfect 22-0 record and will face off with No. 8 Andover Central (14-8) at 2 p.m. Thursday in the opening game of the 5A boys event.

Highland Park made it back to the state tournament with a 53-35 romp past Basehor-Linwood in Saturday's sub-state final at Hi Park.

Senior Mikey Williams led the Scots with a game-high 18 points, including three 3-pointers, against the Bobcats, while Robinson added 15 points.

The Highland Park-Andover Central winner will advance to a 4 p.m. semifinal on Friday to face the first-round winner between No. 4 seed Shawnee Heights (19-3) and No. 5 Piper (19-3).

"We're just making it a point to come out every day in the state tournament with the same fire and the same juice and the same fire that we've had throughout this whole season so we can end up hoisting the state championship trophy,'' Mikey Williams said. "

The Shawnee Heights-Piper first-round contest at 4 p.m. Thursday is a rematch of last year's first-round game that saw Piper close with a 14-1 run to pull out a 72-71 win on the way to a runnerup state finish.

Heights and Piper will be playing for the third time this season, with the Pirates winning the first two games. 

Shawnee Heights earned its second straight state berth under Ken Darting with a 49-42 sub-state win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday.

On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 seed and defending champion Kapaun Mt. Carmel (19-3) will play a 6 p.m. first-round game against No. 7 Topeka West (14-8) and No. 3 Andover (19-3) will face No. 6 Bonner Springs (18-4) at 8 o'clock, with the winners playing an 8 p.m. Friday semifinal.

Topeka West is making its first state tournament appearance under coach Christian Ulsaker after making it to state with an 81-54 home win over Valley Center in Saturday's sub-state final. 

Here's a team-by-team glance at the other first-round games involving Shawnee County teams:

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Trevor Christy

TREVOR CHRISTY, Hayden

Christy, a senior, posted a third-place individual finish in last Thursday's Class 4A state bowling championships at Wichita's Bowlero Northrock, helping lead Hayden to its first-ever state bowling team title. Christy finished third with a 698 series, bowling games of 244, 239 and 215 as the Wildcats won the team championship by 95 pins (3,666-3,571) over Mulvane.

Jalen Foy  

JALEN FOY, Topeka West

A senior guard, Foy scored 40 points in two Class 5A sub-state victories on the week as Topeka West boys basketball advanced to the Class 5A state tournament. Foy scored 19 points with a pair of 3-pointers in a 69-63 overtime semifinal win over Bishop Carroll and had 21 points while hitting 8 of 10 free throws in Saturday's 81-54 home win over Valley Center in the sub-state championship game.

Emily Lee

EMILY LEE, Hayden 

Lee, a senior bowler, earned her second straight Class 4A-1A state medal last Thursday at Wichita's Bowlero Northrock, bowling a 551 series to place fourth individually. A regional champion, Lee bowled games of 188, 203 and 160 as the Wildcats finished sixth as a team. Lee posted an 11th-place state finish as a junior in 2024. 

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

A spot in the Class 5A state tournament was on the line as the Topeka West Chargers hosted the Valley Center Hornets on Saturday night. It was a tight contest over the first 16, but in the second half Topeka West picked up the defensive pressure and won the game in dominating fashion, 81-54.

Senior Jalen Foy scored a game-high 21 points in Saturday's 81-54 Class 5A sub-state win over Valley Center. [File photo/TSN] 

Senior Kamoni Ford scored 15 points in Saturday's 81-54 Topeka West Class 5A sub-state win. [File photo/TSN]

The Chargers will travel to Emporia for Thursday’s first round of the 5A state tournament.

“The team was focused tonight, listening and following the game plan,'' first-year Topeka West coach Christian Ulsaker said.

As the game began, it seemed that Topeka West was going to run away with the contest, jumping out to an 8-0 lead in the first 2:30 of the game, forcing Valley Center to call a timeout. However, Valley Center responded with a 5-0 run of its own, cutting the Chargers lead to 8-5. The quarter ended with the Hornets having the lead, 18-16, thanks to four 3-pointers in the quarter.

The second quarter matched the intensity of the first quarter. Valley Center extended its lead to four points early in the quarter, but Topeka West responded by scoring six straight points to take the lead, 22-20. For the rest of the first half, both teams traded baskets and the Chargers took a one point lead to the locker room, 33-32.

"In the first quarter, Valley Center came out aggressive and hit four 3-pointers and we were able to adjust and take that away in the second quarter, but we still only led 33-32 at the half,'' Ulsaker said.

The complexion of the game changed in the third quarter. On offense, the Chargers made a change as noted by  Ulsaker. “We moved Keimani Paul inside and moved Kamoni Ford outside and told Keimani to attack when he caught the ball in the short corner,'' Ulsaker said.

Defensively, the Chargers got into the passing lanes, forcing eight turnovers, which led to multiple layups in transition. West out-scored the Hornets 24-9 and took a commanding 57-41 lead into the final quarter.

By Todd Fertig

TopSports.news

The Topeka West boys had to go to overtime to defeat 12th-seeded Bishop Carroll Wednesday night at home, but they advanced with a 69-63 win. And they got a surprise when it was over.

Several minutes after the conclusion of the sub-state semifinal contest, another cheer went up from the Topeka West crowd when it was announced the Chargers would host another playoff game. Due to Valley Center’s upset of Seaman, fifth-seeded Topeka West will host 13th-seeded Valley Center Saturday with a trip to state on the line.

Senior Jalen Foy scored 19 points in Wednesday's 69-63 Topeka West overtime win over Bishop Carroll. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

First-year Topeka West coach Christian Ulsaker and the Chargers will play for a Class 5A sub-state title on Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

“I got to go in there and say, “Well boys, I gotta tell you seniors, this isn’t your last home game,’ and their faces all lit up,” Topeka West coach Christian Ulsaker said.

The Chargers had to fight back from a fourth-quarter deficit to send the game to overtime.

“Basketball is a game of runs and that’s how it goes,” Ulsaker said. “Our guys did not pack it in. Down six in the fourth quarter with four minutes left, some teams couldn’t deal with that pressure. I’m very lucky to have some seniors and juniors that understand what it takes to win basketball games. That’s the great thing about playing in the (United Kansas Conference). We’re used to these kinds of nights.”

Senior Jalen Foy scored 12 of his 19 points in the fourth period and overtime. Also making a huge second half impact off the bench was Jay’veon Traylor. The junior hit all four of his shot attempts and provided 11 second-half points.

“I felt like the fourth quarter, when we got there, it was a little rough, and then we started to pick it up,” Foy said. “We all just contributed in our own way. None of us thought it was one man bigger than the other. It was all just playing as a team.”

Ulsaker praised Foy for his leadership and character.

“He is very tough minded and has thick skin,” Ulsaker said. “We’ve had a lot of talks about what we need from him, not only on the basketball court but off of it, being a leader for some of these guys.”

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

In the locker room following their victory this past Friday night at Shawnee Heights, Seaman girls coach Matt Tinsley wrote 20-0 on the dry erase board. He then quickly erased it and wrote 0-0.

Senior Anna Becker scored 27 points in Tuesday's 59-42 Seaman sub-state win over Topeka West. [File photo/TSN]

That was the mindset the Vikings had as they began this ‘new’ season against cross-town opponent Topeka West Tuesday night in the semifinal round of the Class 5A sub-state playoffs.

The Seaman Lady Vikings continued their undefeated season with a 59-42 victory over the Topeka West Chargers. There were moments where Seaman’s offense was sluggish, but other moments where they had excellent execution.

"We are better when the ball moves to the side, back to the top and to the opposite side. The best thing to do against any defense is to always move and be hard to guard,” Tinsley commented after the game.

For the first five-plus minutes of the contest, the teams traded baskets and the Lady Vikings and Chargers were tied at 11 with 2:20 left in the quarter. Topeka West took their first and only lead of the game,13-11, following two free throws by junior Imani McGlory with 1:37 remaining in the quarter.

Seaman outscored Topeka West 6-0 to end the first quarter, taking a 17-13 lead to the second stanza. 

The Lady Vikes extended their run to 15-0 over the first four minutes of the second quarter to double-up the Chargers, 26-13. With a little over four minutes left in the first half, hit a 3-pointer to finally stop the run. The defensive pressure applied by Seaman was the difference as the Vikings held Topeka West to only two field goals in the quarter and led 30-18 at halftime.

“Their zone had us standing and we need to get better ball movement and player movement. We were just settling, one pass and a shot, and when you’re not hitting, it doesn’t look very good,” Tinsley said about the first half. 

The Lady Vikes came out of the locker room and executed better on offense. They hit four 3-pointers -- one by junior Maddie Gragg, one by senior Kinley Wilhelm and two by senior Anna Becker plus a free throw from senior Ava Esser -- outscoring the Chargers 13-4 over the first four minutes of the third quarter. The Vikings took a commanding 53-30 lead into the final quarter.

Tinsley commented about their aggressiveness coming out of the locker room after the halftime break, “Our third quarter offense was good against their man and zone defenses. But credit Topeka West, they played hard and hit some shots.” 

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

Parirings have been finalized for this week's sub-state high school basketball tournaments, with 12 city teams earning home court advantage for at least the semifinals of sub-state competition, which begins Tuesday and continues through Saturday.

Both Washburn Rural (Class 6A), Highland Park (5A) and Seaman (5A) teams, Shawnee Heights' boys (5A) and Hayden's girls (4A) could all stay at home through both rounds of sub-state competition.

Topeka High's girls (6A), Topeka West's boys (5A), Shawnee Heights' girls (5A) and Hayden's boys (4A) will be at home for at least the sub-state semifinals.

Both Silver Lake and Rossville teams and the Cair Paravel Latin boys have already posted first-round sub-state wins to advance to semifinals.

Silver Lake's girls and boys will compete in the Class 3A Hiawatha sub-state while Rossville and the CPLS boys will compete in the Class 2A Valley Heights sub-state.

Here's a look at sub-state tournaments involving Shawnee County teams:

Senior Kaden Ballard and the Washburn Rural boys will open their bid for a Class 6A state tournament berth with a home semifinal game against Wichita West Tuesday night. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

CLASS 6A BOYS

West sub-state No. 3 -- Centennial League champion Washburn Rural (16-4) is the No. 3 West seed and will host No. 14 Wichita West (4-16) a 6 p.m. Tuesday semifinal.

The Washburn Rural-Wichita West winner will advance to a Friday night 7 p.m. sub-state final to face the semifinal winner between No. 6 seed Junction City (13-7) and No. 11 Manhattan (6-14).

Senior standout Kate Hinck and the Washburn Rural girls are the No. 3 West seed for the Class 6A sub-state tournament. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

CLASS 6A GIRLS

West sub-state No. 3 -- Washburn Rural, second in 6A the past two years after winning the title in 2022, is the No. 3 West seed and will host No. 14 Lawrence Free State (3-17) in a 7 p.m. Wednesday semifinal.

The Washburn Rural-Free State winner will advance to a 5 p.m. Saturday sub-state championship game to face the semifinal winner between No. 6 seed Manhattan (13-7) and No. 11 Maize (5-15).

CLASS 6A GIRLS

West sub-state No. 2 --Topeka High, the No. 7 West seed at 13-7, will host No. 10 Wichita South (8-12) Wednesday for a 6 p.m. sub-state semifinal. 

The winner of that game will advance to a 5 p.m. Saturday final to meet the winner of the semifinal between No. 2 seed Wichita Heights (17-3) and No. 15 Dodge City (1-19).

CLASS 5A GIRLS

East sub-state No. 2 -- Shawnee Heights is the No. 7 East seed at 13-7 and will host No. 10 Basehor-Linwood (10-10) in a 7 p.m. Tuesday semifinal. The T-Birds beat the Bobcats twice during the regular season in the United Kansas Conference.

The winner of that game will advance to a 7 p.m. Friday final to face the winner of the semifinal between No. 2 seed Piper (16-4) and No. 15 Kansas City-Harmon (6-14).

East sub-state No. 3 -- Highland Park (16-4) is the No. 3 East seed and will host No. 14 seed Kansas City-Washington (6-14) in a 7 p.m. semifinal on Tuesday. Hi Park owns a pair of Meadowlark Conference wins over the Wildcats this season.

The Highland Park-Washington winner will advance to a 7 p.m. Friday sub-state final to face the semifinal winner between No. 6 Aquinas (13-7) and No. 11 Pittsburg (10-10).

Undefeated Seaman begins defense of its Class 5A state title Tuesday against city rival Topeka West. [File photo/TSN]

West sub-state No. 2 --Defending Class 5A state champion Seaman is the No. 2 West seed with a perfect 20-0 record and will host city and United Kansas Conference rival Topeka West, the No. 15 West seed at 6-14, in a 7 p.m. Tuesday semifinal.

The Seaman-West winner will advance to Friday's 7 p.m. sub-state final to face the winner of the semifinal between No. 7 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (15-5) and No. 10 Valley Center (10-10).

CLASS 5A BOYS