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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman senior Brody Anderson is coming off an outstanding cross country season last fall, winning his second straight city and United Kansas Conference individual titles and finishing a strong second in Class 5A regional competition to qualify for his third straight state meet.

Seaman senior Brody Anderson posted individual wins in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters in Friday's season-opening Topeka High Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

But the season didn't end the way the Viking star had envisioned, with Anderson putting himself in position for a state title before collapsing multiple times in the closing stages of the race and struggling to a 33rd-place finish.

But while that was a tough pill to swallow, it also made him even more determined entering his final high school track season, which he opened Friday with dominating victories in the boys 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs in the Topeka High Invitational at Hummer Sports Park.  

"Rim Rock, my legs gave out for the second time at state, when I was in second, close behind with like 400 (meters) left to go,'' Anderson said. "It was disappointing, obviously, but it just creates more of a drive for me to pick myself back up and that's what running's about, honestly.

"You're going to have the lows, but it's how you pick yourself up from that. For the first couple of weeks it left a sour taste in my mouth but as I kept going I felt stronger in my training and I put together a lot of consistent weeks and that just helped with my mindset.''

Anderson said he couldn't wait to get another season under way on Friday.    

"I like to break the rust for sure and the first meet just backs all my training that I've done so I definitely always enjoy the first meet, cross country or track,'' he said. "But this one, being my last track season, is special.''

Anderson opened his day with a 24-second win in the 1,600 meters in a time of 4 minutes, 23.82 seconds and followed that up with a win by more than 36 seconds in the 3,200 in 9:27.73.

Both of those times were within seconds of the Seaman school records, which Anderson will be taking aim on in upcoming meets.

"I'm ready to get them and I'm fit enough to,'' Anderson said. "And when the right day comes it will happen. I'm positive. Coach (Luke) Wiens helps me a lot with that and to have the mindset to let things come natural.''

Other meet highlights:

• Highland Park junior Rayshon Pollard swept the titles in the boys 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 16.02 in the highs and 43.28 in the 300s.

Pollard also finished third in the long jump with a best of 20 feet, 5.50 inches.

Hayden junior Sofia Parker won the girls 200 and 400-meter dashes in Friday's Topeka High Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

• Hayden junior Sofia Harper was a double champion in the girls division, winning the 200-meter dash in 27.00 seconds and the 400 in 62.39 seconds.

• Hayden junior Kelton Meier won the boys javelin championship by more than 49 feet, registering an outstanding throw of 197 feet, 2 inches.

Topeka High senior Adam Humphrey finished first in the boys discus with a throw of 131 feet, 3 inches.

• Hayden junior Alana Mitchell and Topeka High senior Jayana Washington went one-two in the girls long jump, with Mitchell winning the title by just three-quarters of an inch over Washington.

Mitchell jumped 16 feet, 3 inches while Washington had a best of 16-2.25.

Topeka West senior Jayden Lindsey won the 200 and finished second in the 400 in Friday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

• Topeka West senior Jayden Lindsey won the boys 200-meter dash in 22.50 seconds and finished second in the 400 in 52.40 seconds.

• Highland Park senior Jurnee Cole finished second in the girls 100-meter dash (12.72) and 200 (27.34) and third in the 400 (66.88).

• Topeka High freshman Marchayla White won the girls 100-meter hurdles (17.97) while Seaman sophomore Avery Villines won the 300 hurdles (58.40).

Hayden junior Brynn Spencer (5) posted second-place finishes in the girls 1,600 and 3,200 in Friday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

• Seaman junior Gage Geiger won the boys 800 meters (2:12.42) while Brynn Spencer finished second in the girls 1,600 meters (5:34.34) and the 3,200 (11:52.82). 

 TOPEKA HIGH INVITATIONAL

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By VINCE LOVERGINE

TopSports.news

Seaman softball opened its 2026 season with two convincing run-rule United Kansas Conference wins over city rival Topeka West Thursday at Hummer Sports Complex.

 

From start to finish Thursday the Vikings came out swinging early and often, taking the first game 14-1 and the nightcap 16-1 in three innings.

Seaman began the first game up 2-0 and the Vikings started a rally with no outs in the top of the second.

 

Senior Addison Sibley had a run-scoring single, senior Kinsley Smith had a two RBI triple and then the Vikings would score another run on a fielder’s choice from junior Acey Thompson, with the Vikings leading 6-0 after two.

Seaman would score another four runs in the top of the third, thanks to a two RBI double from junior Natalee Simpson, followed by an RBI double by senior Claire Watkins. Seaman led 10-0 at that point.

 

Topeka West couldn’t get much going against sophomore Kynnedi Kitzman in the circle. The Chargers did get runners at second and third, but Kitzman got out of the jam. Kitzman finished with six strikeouts on 88 pitches.

The Chargers would get on the board after a bases loaded walk to senior Samantha Stegman, but that would be it for Topeka West.

In the top of the fifth Seaman would score four more runs on five hits, ending the game by way of the mercy rule.

“I knew we brought back a lot of a lot of kids in the lineup from last year’s team and so I kind of knew what we could do, but you always have those first-game jitters and what are we going to be like and how are we going to fit together and are we where we need to be in the lineup,'' Seaman coach Daniel Ruda said.

"Tonight hopefully answered some questions but it was the best I could ask for, for a start to the season.''

In game two the Vikings put up six runs in the first inning. Seaman got five walks, two hit-by-pitches and a two-RBI triple from Kitzman that started the scoring and the rout was on.

 

Seaman scored seven more runs in the second inning on a variety of hits, including a sac fly, leading 13-0.

The Vikings combining for 29 runs and allowed just one run in eight combined innings.

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By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

Baseball, more than any other American sport, connects the modern to the past. The 2026 Rossville baseball team began adding another chapter to the 100-plus year story of baseball in the town’s iconic Joe Campbell Field Thursday.

Rossville baseball opened its 2026 season in the newly renovated Joe Campbell Field. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Neither game of the doubleheader with Jefferson West went particularly well. The Bulldawgs, several of whom were competing at the state basketball tournament just two weeks earlier, scuffled on the mound and failed to produce much offense. Rossville dropped the twinbill by scores of 10-2 and 10-1.

Thursday’s games were the first in the newly renovated facility. At over 100 years old, the grandstand was in dire need of repair. Thanks to the generosity of fans of the stadium and the high school Bulldawgs – one donor in particular – significant recent improvements preserved the historic features of the ballpark.

“I noticed that the old grandstand was getting in disrepair, and I told the city council that we needed to start getting ready because we were going to either have to put a bunch of money in it or tear it down and put up a modern one, because at some point it was going to become a safety hazard,” said Rossville mayor Jim Meyer. “I put band-aids on it over the years, but it was going to need something more significant.”

The city owns the ballpark and leases it to the school as well as other users. The restoration effort was sparked by a Facebook post by the Rossville Community Foundation which asked if the community would prefer to renovate the facility or build something new.

“The overwhelming support was to restore the existing structure and try to do it in a historically pertinent way,” said Myron Leinwetter, vice president of the foundation. “The city, like most small communities, does not have extra funds lying around for big projects like this. So, the community foundation decided that since donations can come to us, we volunteered to start a designated fund for the baseball stadium, and all of the donations came into that.”

The original all-wood structure was a result of an $8,000 bond issue passed in 1922 to purchase land and develop a ballpark on eight acres purchased by the City of Rossville. At the time, baseball was an integral part of nearly every American town and a quality ballpark was naturally a part of the original plan, which included 400 trees, a bandstand and shelter, a tourist campground, children’s playground and picnic area. The field was first utilized on June 8, 1924.

Perhaps the most famous game played at the stadium was a meeting between local players and the touring Kansas City Monarchs on August 3, 1925. The legendary Negro League club was on its way to a Negro World Series crown and included Topekan Dink Mothell. While the Monarchs won, the score was a respectable 4-1.

The field boasts the only historic all-wood grandstand in Kansas one of just a few historic wooden grandstands remaining in the U.S. It served as the setting for scenes in the 2016 film Town Teams: Bigger than Baseball.

Fixing up the old ballpark was not going to be cheap.

“The whole thing is made out of wood. So, the main support beam structures were literally rotting away,” Leinwetter said. “Another thing that was big was the actual seating. It was built in 1924, so it was definitely not ADA accessible. It wasn’t even particularly spectator friendly. We wanted to change some of that so it would be a lot safer for people to get in and out of the grandstands.”

The final cost of the project exceeded the initial projection of about $100,000. While the Rossville Community Foundation worked hard to raise funds for the project, it wouldn’t have been possible without a sizeable donation and technical support from Bruce and Theresa McPherson, operators of McPherson Contractors, Inc.

“Bruce’s dad was actually the mayor of Rossville when the city bought all the ground for the baseball diamond and the surrounding park,” Meyer said. “When he heard about the project, he wanted to see to it that it was remodeled rather than torn down, and that it was done well. They did a really good job. It’s been there for over 100 years, and it’s going to last another 100.”

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