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Shawnee Heights, Washburn Rural, Cair Paravel advance to regional soccer finals
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Top Class 5A East seed Shawnee Heights opened its postseason bid with a 6-1 regional semifinal win over United Kansas Conference rival Basehor-Linwood Tuesday night at the Bettis Family Sports Complex.
Shawnee Heights senior Camden Granado (left) scored three goals in Tuesday's 6-1 regional win over Basehor-Linwood, becoming Heights' career-leading scorer. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Camden Granado scored a three-goal hat trick for the T-Birds to become Shawnee Heights' all-time career leading scorer while senior Juan Garcia added two goals and senior Wyatt Lindecrantz one.
Garcia also had an assist in the win while junior Mason Haas, senior Sheldon Pokphanh and senior Chase Tofflemire also had assists.
The T-Birds improved to 15-2-0 on the season, with their only losses coming against 6A power Washburn Rural and fellow 5A power Blue Valley Southwest.
Shawnee Heights advanced to a 6 p.m. Thursday semifinal at Bettis to face No. 9 seed St. Thomas Aquinas (8-8-1), a 3-2 winner over Kansas City-Turner.
Washburn Rural senior Dylan Willingham (middle), Rural's single-season and career scoring leader, scored three goals in Tuesday's 9-1 regional win over Wichita Northwest. [File photo/TSN]
Rural rolls to 9-1 regional win over Wichita Northwest
Washburn Rural improved to 15-1-1 with a 9-1 Class 6A regional semifinal win over 4-12-1 Wichita Northwest Tuesday night at McElroy Field.
Senior Dylan Willingham, Rural's single-season and career-leading scorer, led the Junior Blues with a three-goal hat trick while junior Brodye Kocher-Munoz and senior Brandon Hamilton scored two goals apiece and senior Brody Grogan and junior Myles Didde had one goal each.
Senior Draden Chooncharoen and Didde both had two assists apiece while Willingham, senior Everett Un and senior Drew Moore had one assist each.
Rural, the No. 2 6A West seed, advanced to a 6 p.m. home game Thursday to host No. 7 seed Wichita East (12-5-0), which moved on with a 5-0 win over Junction City.
Cair Paravel advances with 6-2 4A-1A regional romp
Cair Paravel Latin, the No. 5 West seed in Class 4A-1A, advanced to a Thursday regional final with a 6-2 Monday win over No. 12 seed Circle (5-11-1).
The Lions, now 10-6-0, advanced to a 4 p.m. Thursday game at Berean Academy (12-5-1), with Berean advancing with a 3-1 wins over El Dorado.
Topeka West soccer avenges 2024 playoff loss with 6-2 regional romp past Hays
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It was a cold, rainy and windy night at Hummer Sports Park Tuesday night.
But nothing could rain on Topeka West soccer's parade to a Class 5A regional final as the Chargers rolled to a 6-2 win over Hays, avenging a season-ending loss to the Indians in the 2024 playoffs.
Junior JP Ayella (right) scored a pair of goals Tuesday in Topeka West's 6-2 Class 5A regional win over Hays at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Tuesday was a much different story for West, now 13-2-2 on the season, with senior JP Ayella finding the back of the net just 1 minute, 45 seconds into the game, the beginning of a 3-0 start for the Chargers, who will host Salina South at 6 p.m. Thursday at Hummer.
The Chargers' early offensive explosion -- three goals in the first 6:13 -- was a welcome sight for Topeka West coach Josh Kutter, whose team had been blanked 2-0 in last season's playoff contest and managed just one goal in a 1-0 tournament victory over the Indians early this season.
"That was really big,'' Kutter said. "We know that we're capable of putting the ball in the back of the net and we always know that we want to get off quick, but that confidence, it carries you through a game, so having that confidence and that energy that they had for the entire game was really important.''
"Starting fast helps us advance and gets our hopes up and all, so I was really glad I was able to get that first goal quick,'' Ayella said. "Overnight I was thinking, 'Man, we have to win,' because you're going to feel so bad if you don't win and the season's done like that, so my emotions were high and I was like, 'We've got to win.' ''
Topeka West junior Diego Gonzalez-Talavera (9) is congratulated by his teammates after scoring his first of two goals in the Chargers' 6-2 Class 5A regional win over Hays Tuesday night at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
West junior Diego Gonzalez-Talavera made it a 2-0 game at the 36:16 mark of the opening half and just 2:31 later junior D'Ante Smith Dilone scored to put the Chargers in command at 3-0.
A game-by-game look at city soccer regional matchups
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
MONDAY'S GAME
CLASS 4A-1A
CIRCLE (5-10-1) vs. CAIR PARAVEL LATIN (9-6-0)
At Bettis Family Sports Complex
Cair Paravel Latin, the No. 5 seed in the Class 4A-1A West bracket with a 9-6-0 record, will open its postseason bid with a 6 p.m. Monday regional game against Circle (5-10-1). With a win Monday the Lions will advance to a Region 4 regional final on Thursday to face the winner of a Monday game between Berean Academy (10-5-1) and El Dorado (3-11-2).
TUESDAY'S GAMES
CLASS 6A
Dylan Willingham, Washburn Rural
WICHITA NORTHWEST (4-11-1) at WASHBURN RURAL (14-1-1)
Perennial state power Washburn Rural is the No. 2 West seed in Class 6A with a 14-1-1 record and will be at home Tuesday for a 6 p.m. regional semifinal at McElroy Field to host No. 15 seed Wichita Northwest (4-11-1). With a win Tuesday the Centennial League champs will advance to a regional final on Thursday to host the winner of Monday's game at Wichita between No. 10 Junction City (8-7-1) and No. 7 Wichita East (11-5-0).
Billy Lutz, Topeka High
TOPEKA HIGH (9-5-2) at WICHITA NORTH (10-6-0)
Topeka High is the No. 9 Class 6A West seed with a 9-5-2 record and will go on the road Tuesday to face No. 8 seed Wichita North (10-6-0) in its postseason opener. With a win Tuesday, the Trojans will move on to a regional final on Thursday to face the winner of a regional semifinal between top West seed Wichita Southeast (15-1-0) and No. 16 Derby (3-13-0).
CLASS 5A
Camden Granado, Shawnee Heights
BASEHOR-LINWOOD (3-12-1) vs. SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (14-2-0)
At Bettis Family Sports Complex
An outstanding 14-2-0 regular season earned Shawnee Heights the No. 1 East seed for the Class 5A playoffs. The T-Birds will begin postseason with a 6 p.m. regional semifinal on Tuesday against their United Kansas Conference rival, No. 16 Basehor-Linwood (3-12-1). With a win Tuesday the T-Birds will advance to a regional final on Thursday to host the winner of Tuesday's game between No. 8 seed Kansas City-Turner (6-6-4) and No. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas (7-8-1) at Turner, also a member of the UKC.
Gage Kindred-Noragon, Topeka West
HAYS (7-8-0) vs. TOPEKA WEST (12-2-2)
At Hummer Sports Park
Topeka West earned the No. 3 Class 5A West seed with a 12-2-2 regular season and will open postseason with a 6 p.m. Tuesday regional semifinal against Hays (7-8-0). With a win Tuesday the Chargers will move on to a Thursday regional final to host the winner of Tuesday's game at Salina between No. 6 seed Salina South (11-5-0) and No. 11 Andover Central (8-7-1).
