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Editor's note: Shawnee County varsity coaches in all fall sports are encouraged to report their game/event results by email to
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By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
The 2023 cross country season began Saturday for Seaman, Topeka High and Topeka West in the Manhattan Invitational on a warm day on the Labor Day Weekend.
Seaman's Ryin Miller opened her sophomore cross country season with a second-place individual finish in Saturday's Manhattan Invitational. [File photo/TSN]
In the boys varsity race, Seaman led the three city schools with three top-20 finishers on the way to a fourth-place team finish.
Sophomore Brody Anderson finished fifth in a time of 17 minutes, 06.7 seconds, sophomore Jack Walker finished ninth in a time of 17:27.1 and senior Jack Pekarek finished 20th in a time of 18:09.5
Topeka West had two runners finish in the top 20, with Elijah Phelps 17th in 17:57.6 and Adrian Lehman 19th in 18:06.3
Topeka High’s top finisher was Levi McGee, who finished in 38th place (19:25.6).
In the girls varsity race, Seaman led the three local schools with three top-20 finishers while finishing fourth as a team.
Sophomore Ryin Miller finished second individually with a time of 19:29.1; while Stella Applehanz finished eighth in 21:15.2 and freshman Brynn Spencer 16th in 21:51.1.
Topeka West sophomore Payton Rice finished seventh in a time of 21:15.1.
Topeka High’s Juliahnna Savage finished 29th with a time of 22:58.7.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman's football team, looking to take a step forward after last fall's 4-4 record, got its season off to a rousing start Friday night at Seaman, with the Vikings rolling to a 76-6 United Kansas Conference victory.
Seaman senior Tristen Berg (2) celebrates his first-quarter pick-six Friday night against Topeka West. Berg put Seaman ahead to stay in a 76-6 UKC romp. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Jared Swafford put the game away early on, scoring 33 points in the first quarter, including a pick-six by senior Tristen Berg on Topeka West's opening possession.
Seaman went on to open up a commanding 61-6 lead at halftime on the way to the 70-point romp.
Seaman junior quarterback Max Huston (7) had a hand in six touchdowns in Friday night's 76-6 UKC win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Viking standout junior quarterback Max Huston had a hand in six Seaman touchdowns on the night, throwing for five TDs and running for another score.
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Silver Lake senior Blake Redmond set the tone for a wild first half of football Friday night when he took the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown.
The Eagles went on to hold on to defeat visitor Riley County, 40-24, with Silver Lake avenging a first-round loss to the Falcons in the 2022 Class 2A playoffs.
Blake Redmond
Tanner Martin
The two teams lit up the scoreboard in the first 21 minutes of play, with Silver Lake clinging to a 26-18 advantage. By that point, Redmond had already found paydirt on a reception and a run from scrimmage to go with his kickoff return.
But every time the Eagles seemed to distance themselves from the Falcons, the visitors responded.
A safety, followed by touchdowns on the ground and through the air by Riley County quarterback Eli Harmison kept the game close.
“We prepared for what they were going to do, but we would like to take care of stopping the pass a little bit better,” said Silver Lake second-year head coach Logan Pegram.
To open the second half, Riley County marched 67 yards in 7:30 to pull to within 26-24. But with the ball in the red zone and a chance to take the lead, Harmison was picked off by Silver Lake defensive back Eli Barnes to preserve the Eagle lead.
Two plays later, Redmond added a fourth score of the game, racing 38 yards to pad the Silver Lake lead.
On the game, Silver Lake senior quarterback Tanner Martin rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 133 yards and another score.
“We have a lot of guys returning who have played multiple years, and it really does show when we’re out there,” Redmond said of the Eagles’ senior leaders. “It felt amazing coming in the locker room and celebrating being 1-0. Our first five games are going to be tough games, so it’s great to get off to a good start.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Bill Arnold reached a rare milestone Friday night, posting his 200th win as a high school football coach in Hayden's 41-7 road win at Olpe in the 2023 season-opener.
Hayden's Bill Arnold posted his 200th career win as a head football coach Friday night in the Wildcats' 41-7 win over Olpe. [File photo/TSN]
"It just means you're getting old,'' Arnold told TopSports.news earlier in the week.
Arnold is now 200-65 as he begins his 24th season as a head coach and his 17th season at Hayden after an earlier stint at Scott City.
Arnold, who has coached Hayden to state championships in both football and baseball, said he looks at the 200-win achievement as a testament to the teams he's been fortunate enough to coach.
I don't look at it as any type of personal thing,'' Arnold said. "I look at it more that as a head coach I've been involved in two really good programs and I've had a lot of good players and a lot of good assistant coaches right along with me.''
Arnold has averaged 8.6 wins a year over his 23 full seasons.
"I think it keeps you young a little bit, but I feel old sometimes,'' Arnold said. "High school is ever-changing, too. The game has changed just not at the NFL or the college level but it's a trickle down effect to the high school level and society has changed a lot, too.''
But through all the changes, Arnold said he is still enjoying himself.
"I like what I do,'' he said. "It's fun. It becomes a way of life. I've been fortunate to have great family support. It takes a special person to be a coach's wife and I got lucky in that aspect of it.
"And both my kids, they've undersood everything that goes into it and all three of them have been there to support me all the way through.''
Arnold's wife, Mickey, is a Hayden grad and been a long-time member of the school staff while son Grant Arnold played for his dad at Hayden and is currently a member of his coaching staff while daughter Kalie played volleyball for the Wildcats.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Wichita East's football team moved the ball up and down the field against Washburn Rural Friday night, finishing with an unofficial total of 426 offensive yards, including 244 passing yards from senior quarterback Daeonte' Mitchell.
But the Junior Blue defense came up big play after big play to help turn the tide, including a late-game blocked extra point by senior JC Heim that proved to the difference in Washburn Rural's 26-25 season-opening win at Bowen-Glaze Stadium.
Washburn Rural senior JC Heim came up with a game-saving blocked extra point and also starred on offense and defense in Friday's 26-25 win over Wichita East. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
"I got it with my full hand,'' Heim said. "It was a lucky block though. Originally I started on the left side, but then I was like, I'm going to try something new.' So I came from the right and I took the right angle and it just happened that God gave me a block.It was awesome.''
Washburn Rural senior Jaren Heim (27) scores on a pick six in Friday's 26-25 win over Wichita East. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Senior Jaren Heim had a 24-yard pick six for the Junior Blues while JC Heim and junior Lafayette Thompson also picked off passes and Rural also recovered a fumble and took advantage of a botched punt snap as Rural held on for the win.
"We still have a lot to work on but I think what makes us special is we didn't give up and that was important this game,'' JC Heim said. "We all gang tackled and one big play didn't affect us and we went to the next play.
"I knew they were going to bring out speed. I knew their quarterback was a great player and I knew their defense was going to be tough and it was going to be a great game.''
