By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The best news about the 2021 high school sports year for Shawnee County high schools was that there was one.
COVID-19 wreaked havoc on 2020, resulting in an early end to state basketball tournaments, the cancellation of all spring sports and forcing wholesale delays and contingency plans through the fall of '20.
But by the time the calendar hit '21 there was a return to some sense of normalcy.
A decision by the USD 501 school board kept Highland Park, Topeka High and Topeka West wrestling teams off the mats through the entire '20-'21 campaign, but when practice started in November for '21-'22 the Scots, Trojans and Chargers were back in action.
Shawnee County prep teams took full advantage of their opportunities to compete in '21, with county schools winning five state boys and girls team championships and county athletes combining for 16 individual titles.
Here's a look at TopSports.news' top 10 Shawnee County boys prep stories of 2021, with the girls top 10 coming up next::
Rossville's football team hoists the Class 2A state championship trophy last month after winning its second straight title and fifth since 2014. [File photo/TSN]
1. DAWG DAYS -- Derick Hammes’ Rossville Bulldawgs captured their second straight Class 2A state football championship and an amazing fifth title since 2014, capping a second straight 13-0 season with a 32-12 win over Beloit in the state final. The Bulldawgs overcame some adversity along the way, including an injury to star senior quarterback Torrey Horak which kept him out of multiple games, but star running back Corey Catron took over at QB and the Bulldawgs didn't miss a beat, outscoring its opposition 611-111 on the season.
Washburn Rural's wrestling team captured its first-ever Class 6A boys state team championship in 2021, also the first ever for a Topeka school. [File photo/TSN]
2. DATE WITH DESTINY -- After knocking on the door with a pair of Class 6A runner-up finishes, Washburn Rural's wrestling team knocked the door down, rolling to the first-ever team championship by a Topeka school by a commanding 159.5-112 margin over Olathe North. The Junior Blues clinched the title before the final round, putting a whopping five wrestlers in the finals and getting individual championships from Jonathan Morrison, Jacob Tangpricha and Bishop Murray (more on that below) and runner-up finishes from Austin Fager and David Huckstep.
Bishop Murray won his third Class 6A state individual title last season while helping lead Washburn Rural to the Class 6A state team title. [File photo/TSN]
3. THRICE AS NICE -- Washburn Rural wrestling standout Bishop Murray captured the third Class 6A individual state championship of his carreer, joining former Highland Park star and multi-time Olympian Melvin Douglas as the only city wrestlers to win three state titles while helping lead the Junior Blues to their historic team championship. Murray won the 120-pound title to cap a 29-1 senior season while posting four top-three state finishes.
Shawnee Heights' Jeremiah Smith won three Class 5A state titles in the 2021 Class 5A state track meet. [File photo/TSN]
4. IMPRESSIVE FIRST IMPRESSION -- After having his freshman track and field season wiped out by COVID-19, Shawnee Heights' Jeremiah Smith established himself as one of the state's best early last spring when he broke T-Bird legend Marcel Carter's school-record in the 100-meter dash. Smith went on to capture three Class 5A individual state titles in the State Track and Field Championships, winning the 110-meter hurdles in 14.74 seconds, the 100 dash in 10.52 and the 200 dash in 21.92.
Washburn Rural's Jacob Tangpricha repeated as a Class 6A state wrestling champion last season. [File photo/TSN]
5. TANG-RIFIC -- After wrestling on Washburn Rural's junior varsity team most of his freshman season, Jacob Tangpricha became an immediate star for the Junior Blues, winning back to back individual state championships and helping lead Rural to the Class 6A team title last season. After winning the 106-pound 6A crown as a sophomore Tanpricha won at 113 pounds as a junior, posting a record of 33-2 last season. The wrestler that took over for Tangpricha at 106 pounds, Jonathan Morrison, won the state title in that division in '21, going 29-3 on the year.
Cair Paravel Latin's football team capped a perfect 11-0 season with the KCAA state championship. [File photo/TSN]
6. NO TAMING THE LIONS -- Cair Paravel Latin, which will compete in the Kansas State High School Activities Association Eight-Man ranks next football season, turned in the most dominant season in school history this past fall, posting an 11-0 record and capturing the Kansas Christian Athletic Association state championship while outscoring its opponents by a 624-94 margin. The Lions capped their season with a 64-16 victory over St. Mary's Academy in the KCAA championship game.
Alex Sherer became Rossville's first-ever state tennis champion last spring, winning the Class 3A-1A singles title. [File photo/TSN]
7. ONE FOR THE BOOKS -- After competing for Hayden during the '21 boys regular season as a co-op player, senior Alex Sherer competed for Rossville in postseason and became the Bulldawgs' first-ever state tennis champion when he won the Class 3A-1A state singles title. Sherer survived a marathon three-set, two-tiebreaker match with Wichita Collegiates' Nick Grabon in the championship match, taking a 6-7 (8-10), 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) win.
Washburn Rural's boys soccer team posted a 19-1-0 record this past fall, finishing second in Class 6A. [File photo/TSN]
8. JUST SHORT OF PERFECTION -- Washburn Rural's powerhouse boys soccer team turned in another dominant season this past fall, winning 19 straight games and stretching its Centennial League championship string to 27 straight titles (outright or shared) before dropping a heartbreaking 1-0 overtime decision to Olathe West in the Class 6A state championship game.
Rick Bloomquist's Topeka West boys basketball team advanced to the state championship game for only the third time in school history last season, finishing second to Maize. [File photo/TSN]
9. CHARGERS CHARGE TO 5A FINAL -- Topeka West's boys basketball team turned in an outstanding 21-3 season in '20-'21, winning the Centennial League championship and advancing to the Class 5A state championship for only the third time in school history before dropping a 55-43 decision to Maize. The Chargers' postseason run came after veteran coach Rick Bloomquist was diagnosed with cancer late in the regular season. Bloomquist was declared cancer free late last spring.
Washburn Rural star senior hurdler Marquel Russell captured the Class 6A state title in the 110-meter hurdles in the 2021 state meet. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden's Jake Muller captured the Class 4A state 300-meter hurdles title in the 2021 state track meet. [File photo/TSN]
10. BACK ON TRACK -- While Shawnee Heights' Jeremiah Smith was the ringleader, he was just part of an outstanding state performance by Shawnee County boys track and field athletes, who returned to state after a year's absence due to COVID. Rossville's Woody Rezac won the Class 3A 200-meter dash and finished second in the 100 while Washburn Rural's Marquel Russell won the 6A 110-meter hurdles, Rural's Zsamar Zipple was the 6A long jump winner and Hayden's Jake Muller won the 4A 300-meter hurdles championship. Silver Lake's Brogan Renfro also also turned in a banner state performance, capturing four 3A medals.
Next up: TopSports.news' list of the Top 10 Shawnee County girls high school sports stories of 2021.
