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The 2024 All-City girls bowling team: From left -- Paige Snyder, Seaman; Megan Glinka, Washburn Rural; Megan Wood, Topeka West; Brenna Rutschmann, Topeka West; Cheyenne Turkin, Seaman. Not pictured: Claire Ireland, Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The 2024 girls All-City bowling team is a mix between some of the city's most experienced high school bowlers and two promising newcomers.
Senior Claire Ireland earned a Class 6A state medal for the second straight season, helping Washburn Rural finish second as a team. [File photo/TSN]
The All-City team, selected by city coaches, includes senior first-team repeaters Claire Ireland of Washburn Rural, Cheyenne Turkin of Seaman and Brenna Rutschmann and Megan Wood of Topeka West, while the six-member team is rounded out by Seaman freshman Paige Snyder and Washburn Rural freshman Megan Glinka.
Ireland, Turkin, Rutschmann and Wood all earned state individual medals during their high school careers and Snyder medaled in her first state meet as four of the six first-team picks earned state medals in the 2024 state meet.
Ireland and Glinka helped Washburn Rural finish second as a team in the Class 6A state tournament while Snyder and Turkin helped Seaman post a third-place finish in 5A.
All-City capsules:
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman, which has made a state-record 19 straight state tournament appearances, opened its 2024 campaign with a doubleheader sweep over United Kansas Conference opponent Topeka West Friday on a cold day at Hummer Sports Park.
Senior right-hander Kaiden Griffin took the first-game pitching victory for Seaman in a 17-0 decision over Topeka West on Friday. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman senior Holden Finley reaches base in the Vikings' 17-0 first-game win over Topeka West and picked up the pitching victory in a 14-0 second-game victory. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Vikings ended both games early by run rule, taking a 17-0 win in a three-inning first game and a 14-0 five-inning decision in the nightcap.
Seaman senior Kaiden Griffin drew the first-game start for the Vikings and went the distance to pick up the pitching win.
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Two girls soccer teams with high expectations for the season battled each other, and the elements, to a 0-0 double-overtime tie in their opening games Friday at the Sunflower Soccer Complex.
Hayden sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Borjon kept Cair Paravel soccer off the scoreboard as the Wildcats and Lions battled to an 0-0 double-overtime tie Friday. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
Cair Paravel senior Katherine Keys (1) advances the ball as Hayden senior Mary Burenheide gives chase in Friday's 0-0 double-overtime tie between the Lions and Wildcats. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
Hayden and Cair Paravel were both hampered by a 20-30 mile per hour wind from the north that didn’t provide any decisive impact on the game other than to produce a lot of goose bumps and cramps. In the end, both coaches found enough positives to be happy with the result.
“The conditions were kind of tough on offense,” said Hayden coach Klaus Kreutzer. “The wind makes it more difficult, but we did some things to make it difficult for ourselves. I thought we looked good defensively. We just didn’t take enough shots on goal. We looked for layups instead of taking a jump shot.”
Cair Paravel started the game with the wind at its back but produced just one shot on goal in the first half. The Lions nearly knocked home a couple of shots in in the second overtime, but Hayden held on to preserve the tie.
Cair Paravel junior Zahra Friess controls the ball in Friday's 0-0 soccer tie with Hayden. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
Hayden sophomore Ella Foster (1) advances the ball against Cair Paravel in Friday's 0-0 double-overtime tie. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
“It seemed like we played better against the wind than we did with it for whatever reason. We took a couple of good shots at the end of the game and were like, ‘Where were those in the first half,’ ” said Cair Paravel coach Doug Woolery. “But I feel like we got lucky, too, because they had some missed opportunities.
“For our first game, I was very pleased with our play. It’s hard to play in the wind. I felt like Klaus did a good job of preparing his team to defend against us.”
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Seaman's Aaron Merritt opted not to go out for football last fall for the first time in his high school career, putting all his dedication into getting ready for his senior track and field campaign.
Seaman standout Aaron Merritt opened his senior track season with three individual wins in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman Aaron Merritt clears a hurdle en route to a win in the 110-meter highs in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
That decision paid immediate dividends Thursday, with Merritt turning in three impressive individual wins and helping the Vikings notch a school record in a relay in the season-opening Topeka West Invitational at Hummer Sports Park.
"I quit football with the intention that all my energy would go towards track,'' Merritt said. "I joined the Topeka Blazers and ran for them all summer and I ran a couple of indoor meets over the winter and did pretty well in both of them.''
But Thursday's West meet was Merritt's first real test and he passed with flying colors.
"I've been anticipating this meet since I decided to quit football,'' Merritt said. "This outdoor season's going to be my season.''
Merritt opened his day with a win in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.90 seconds and he came right back to win the 100 dash in 10.77 and later in the meet he added a victory in the 200 in 22.08.
In the only event he didn't win, Merritt teamed with Jacob Anderson, Bryce Cochran and Tad McGee to set a Seaman school record in the 4x100 relay with a second-place finish in 43.23.
"I was hoping for some greatness but today blew my mind,'' Merritt said. "I thought I did awesome today.''
Now Merritt just wants to build on his great start over the rest of the 2024 season.
"From last year my progressions have gone way up and I absolutely have more in the tank if I progressed this much in the offseason,'' Merritt said.
Other meet highlights:
Seaman's Brody Anderson won the boys 800 meters title in the Topeka West Invitational for the second straight season Thursday at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman's Michael Hurla won the boys 300 hurdles title Thursday in the Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Seaman sophomore Brody Anderson won the boys 800 for the second straight season, clocking a time of 2:01.23 to win by more than three seconds, while the Vikings, who finished second in the team standings to Manhattan, also got an individual win from Michael Hurla in the 300-meter hurdles (42.11).
Topeka High freshman Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton (4) prepares to take the baton from teammate Jayana Washington (right) as the Trojans post a win in the 4x100 relay in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Topeka High freshman Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton made her high school debut with a pair of gold medals.
Rayton won the girls triple jump with a best of 34 feet, 4 inches and also teamed with Latrice Hysten, Keimara Marshall and Jayana Washington to win the 4x100 reay in 52.78 seconds, with Rayton running the anchor leg.
Rayton also posted a third-place finish in the long jump with a best of 16-2.
Marshall finished second in the 100-meter dash (13.21) and the 200 (27.37).
Topeka High's Malachi Murph finished second in the boys 100 (11.18) and 200 (23.05) while the Trojans' Jaxon Cowdin was the runnerup in the 110 hurdles (16.21) and the 300 hurdles (43.28).
• Highland Park's Majesty Grace recorded the Scots' lone win on the day, taking a victory in the girls 100-meter hurdles by nearly a second in 18.68. Seaman's Jaida Stallbaumer made it a sweep of the girls hurdles races with a win in the 300 lows by more than two seconds in 50.62.
• Seaman's girls took wins in two of the three relays, with Taylie Heston, Brynn Spencer, Kinley Robinson and Savannah Sampson winning the 4x800 relay in 10:44.41 and Heston, Stallbaumer, Ally Steiner and Ryin Miller winning the 4x400 event by nearly nine seconds in 4:20.94.
• Seaman's Maggie Lesmeister won the girls javelin event by more than two feet, recording a top throw of 107 feet, 11 inches.
• Manhattan won the boys team championship by a 229-130 margin over Seaman while the Indians won the girls title by a 207-148 margin over Emporia.
TOPEKA WEST INVITATIONAL
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' Ryan Schmidt has accomplished about everything a coach can accomplish in his 25-year run as the T-Birds' head baseball coach.
Now the Heights veteran just wants to add a few more highlights before bringing his long tenure to an end later this spring.
Ryan Schmidt will end his 25-year run as Shawnee Heights' baseball coach at the conclusion of the 2024 season. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The 54-year-old Schmidt, who has coached the T-Birds to a pair of Class 5A state championships as Heights' head coach while also having a hand in two other state titles as an assistant under Craig Cox, will retire as a coach and teacher at the end of the current school year.
"It's time to maybe turn it over to younger guys to come up and bring their energy,'' said Schmidt, who has coached multiple players who went on to play professional baseball.
"We still have a lot of energy as a coaching staff and I love our coaches, but I just kind of made up my mind that after 25 years as a head coach and 31 years at Shawnee Heights and 31 years in the baseball program it just felt right.''
Schmidt said the thing he'll miss the most is the relationships he's built with his players and assistant coaches, including longtime assistant Derek Pomeroy.
"I've always let our coaches coach and I couldn't do it without coach Pom,'' Schmidt said. "His knowledge is incredible and every relationship is what I'll miss, but especially with the coaches.''
Ryan Schmidt (left) has been part of four Class 5A state baseball championships at Shawnee Heights, two as a head coach and two as an assistant. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The goal now is to end the '24 season with one more trip to the 5A state tournament at Wichita State's Eck Stadium.
"Absolutely, that's our main goal,'' Schmidt said. "That's what we want. We want that this year for these guys.''
