By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The names are probably well known to anyone who has followed local sports over the past several years, but a long and growing list of athletes who starred at Shawnee County high schools made a big impact at the college and/or professional level in 2025.
Here's a look at just some of the stars who continued to make their fans proud over the past year:
Junior Jack Bachelor has helped lead Washburn to a 13-0 record and a No. 1 national ranking this season. [File photo/TSN]
JACK BACHELOR, Washburn Rural/Washburn -- A year after helping lead 30-4 Washburn to the NCAA Division II Final Four and earning All-MIAA first-team honors, the 6-foot-2 junior guard has played a major role as the Ichabods are off to a 13-0 start this season while achieving the No. 1 national ranking in D-II. Bachelor, named the MIAA Player of the Week last week, is averaging 16.2 points with 36 3-pointers while hitting 34 of 38 free throws (89.5 percent). Bachelor has a team-high 64 assists with 24 steals.
COREY BALLENTINE, Shawnee Heights/Washburn/Dallas Cowboys -- A 6-foot, 191-pound defensive back, Ballentine is in his seventh season in the NFL and currently on the active roster for the Dallas Cowboys. Ballentine previously played for the New York Giants, New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots. Ballentine has played in 71 games with 11 starts, registering 102 tackles with one interception.
Former Topeka West star Elijah Brooks leads Houston Christian with a 12.3 scoring average. [Houston Christian Athletics]
ELIJAH BROOKS, Topeka West/Houston Christian -- A 6-foot-3 senior guard, the former Mr. Kansas Basketball for Topeka West has started all eight games he's appeared in for the 5-7 Huskies, averaging a team-high12.3 points along with 4.5 rebounds and 25 assists. Brooks, who began his college career at North Dakota, averaged 9.1 points and 3.7 rebounds last season for Houston Christian with a career-high 29-point game.
NIJAREE CANADY, Topeka High/Texas Tech
A senior pitcher/first baseman, the former Topeka High two-time Class 6A state champion was named the 2025 NCAA Division I Pitcher of the Year as a junior in her first season at Texas Tech while also earning first-team All-American honors. Canady, the Big 12 Player of the Year, finished her season with a 34-7 pitching record, a 1.11 earned run average and 319 strikeouts while also leading Tech with 11 home runs and slugging .639. Canady was the two-time Gatorade Player of the Year for the Trojans.
BROOKLYN DELEYE, Washburn Rural/Kentucky -- The former three-sport Washburn Rural star, DeLeye, a 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter, was named a first-team American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America selection for the second straight season. DeLeye helped lead the 30-3 Wildcats to a runnerup finish in the NCAA Tournament, starting all 33 matches with 545 kills while also compiling 279 digs and 42 blocks.
Washburn sophomore linebacker JC Heim ranked second in the nation with 142 tackles this fall, earning second-team All-MIAA honors. [File photo/TSN]
JC HEIM, Washburn Rural/Washburn -- A sophomore linebacker, Heim earned second-team All-MIAA recognition after leading the Ichabods and the MIAA and ranking second in the nation in tackles with 142 total tackles, splitting 71 solo and 71 assisted tackles. Heim added seven tackles for loss, an interception, a fumble recovery and two forced fumbles. He was also third in solo tackles in the national rankings.
TEVEN JENKINS, Topeka High/Cleveland Browns -- After starring at Topeka High and earning All-Big 12 honors at Oklahoma State as an offensive lineman, Jenkins, 6-foot-6, 321 pounds, was drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Bears. After playing four seasons with the Bears, Jenkins is in his first season with the Cleveland Browns. An offensive guard, Jenkins has played in 15 games with three starts this season and has played in 60 games in his career with 41 starts.
Washburn senior Belle Kennedy (12) earned first-team All-America honors this fall for the Ichabods. [File photo/TSN]
BELLE KENNEDY, Washburn Rural/Washburn -- A 5-foot-3 senior midfielder, the former Washburn Rural star was named a first-team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches after helping lead Washburn University soccer to its second NCAA Final Four in three seasons. A three-time All-MIAA first-team pick, Kennedy was named the conference defensive player of the year this fall. Kennedy scored 12 goals and had four assists in her career for the Ichabods.
TANNER NEWKIRK, Hayden/Colorado -- The former Hayden state champ in cross country and track, Newkirk began his collegiate career at Kansas before transferring to Colorado for the 2025 cross country season. Newkirk placed 25th in the Big 12 championships for the third-place Buffs and finished 36th in the NCAA Mountain Regional to help Colorado qualify for the NCAA National Championships with a fourth-place finish.
DESMOND PURNELL, Hayden/Kansas State -- A 6-foot, 232-pound senior linebacker, the former Hayden football star led Kansas State with 72 tackles (51 solo) and also recorded 8.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and two pass interceptions while earning All-Big 12 honorable mention. Purnell was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week after helping lead the Wildcats to 41-28 win over Texas Christian University.
TRE RICHARDSON, Highland Park/Vanderbilt -- Richardson, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound junior wide receiver/kick returner, is in his first season at Vanderbilt after earning All-MIAA and All-America honorable mention for Washburn in 2024. Richardson has helped Vanderbilt post a 10-2 record entering the Dec. 31 Reliaquest Bowl in Tampa, Fla. Richardson has caught 40 passes for 679 yards and six touchdowns while returning 14 kicks for 371 yards and rushing for 58 yards on eight attempts. Richardson leads Vanderbilt with 1,108 all-purpose yards.
Washburn junior Taylor Rottinghaus (5) earned second-team All-MIAA recognition for the third straight season this fall. [File photo/TSN]
TAYLOR ROTTINGHAUS, Shawnee Heights/Washburn -- Rottinghaus, a 5-foot-6 junior defensive specialist/libero, earned All-MIAA second-team volleyball honors for a third straight season after helping Washburn post a 27-5 record and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after earning a share of the MIAA regular-season championship. Rottinghaus finished her season with 468 digs, 121 assists and 30 service aces.
Former Washburn Rural star Taylor Russell earned All-America honorable mention this fall for Missouri Western volleyball. [File photo/TSN]
TAYLOR RUSSELL, Washburn Rural/Missouri Western -- A former Washburn Rural state champ, Russell helped lead Missouri Western to a second straight NCAA Tournament berth this fall as a junior, earning AVCA All-American honorable mention for the second straight season as well as earning All-MIAA first-team honors. The right-side hitter recorded 315 kills on .269 hitting with 66 blocks and 58 digs.
RYAN ZEFERJAHN, Seaman/Los Angeles Angels -- A 2016 Seaman graduate and former first-team All-Big 12 pitcher for the Jayhawks, Zeferjahn spent the entire 2025 Major League season with the Los Angeles Angels, posting a 6-5 record with a 4.74 earned run average in 61 relief appearances and one start. Zeferjahn, a former third-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox, struck out 73 batters in 57 innings.
