- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news has finished its tour of preseason football practices at all 10 Shawnee County high schools and will post preview stories over the coming days leading into the opening games of the 2023 season Sept. 1.
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Shawnee Heights' football team is coming off solid back-to-back 5-5 seasons in 2021 and 2022, but with a big nucleus of returning players to build around, T-Bird coach Jason Swift said its time to take another step this fall.
This fall, Jason Swift's Shawnee Heights football team will be looking to improve on the 5-5 record the T-Birds have posted the past two seasons. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"We need to build off of it,'' said Swift, whos is starting his 21st season as Heights' head coach. "The majority of our nucleus from last year is back. I thought we started out the season strong last year. We had some big wins and and that was a credit to our kids, just working hard and being prepared for the moment.''
Swift said the key to making strides in '23 is a stronger second half of the season.
"We kind of slid off at the end,'' Swift said of the '22 season. "I don't know if it was complacency, wear and tear, depth or whatever, but we definitely started better than I thought we could have finished. And I think the kids agree with that, too, if you take the last two years.
"Our senior class would probably say their sophomore year we probably finished stronger than their junior year. The good news is we've got the majority back.''
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news has finished its tour of preseason football practices at all 10 Shawnee County high schools and will post preview stories over the coming days leading into the opening games of the 2023 season Sept. 1.
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Although 4-4 Seaman ended the 2022 football season with three straight losses, the mood in the Viking camp is decidedly upbeat entering the '23 campaign.
Seaman football coach Jared Swafford is expecting big things out of his Vikings in his third year at the school. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"We didn't have the consistency down the stretch that we had hoped we would see,'' Seaman coach Jared Swafford said. "Some of that was some youth in some places and the deficiencies fall on me, but our guys have had a great offseason and I think we've got those things where we felt like maybe we fell off a little bit corrected now and we're excited about where we're at.''
Swafford feels like the Vikings' work this summer has set the foundation for what could be a breakout year this fall.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Stella Appelhanz
STELLA APPELHANZ, Seaman
A junior, Appelhanz is a two-time All-Shawnee County selection. Appelhanz turned in a very consistent second half of the 2022 season, placing in the top 10 in the Seaman Invitational as well as the city, United Kansas Conference and Class 5A regional meets. Appelhanz placed 20th in the 5A state meet, earning All-State honors.
Payton Fink
PAYTON FINK, Washburn Rural
Fink continued to star as a sophomore following an outstanding freshman season, never finishing lower than seventh place. Fink was the individual champion in the city, Centennial League and Class 6A regional meets and earned All State honors with her fifth-place finish at the Class 6A state meet, leading the Junior Blues to a third-place team finish.
Tessa Gerber
TESSA GERBER, Silver Lake
A junior, Gerber earned a first-team spot on the All-Shawnee County team last season on the strength of a strong performance in the Class 3A state meet. Gerber posted a 21st-place finish at state in a personal-record time of 20:46.81. Gerber posted a seventh-place finish in 3A regional competition and placed seventh in the Mid-East League meet.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Editor's note: TopSports.news has finished its tour of preseason football practices at all 10 Shawnee County high schools and will post preview stories over the coming days leading into the opening games of the 2023 season Sept. 1.
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Considering some of the players Rossville graduated from the group that claimed two straight Class 2A state titles in 2020 and 2021, Derick Hammes' Bulldawgs' turned in a very respectable 5-5 record a year ago.
Derick Hammes has coached Rossville to five state football championships. [File photo/TSN]
But 5-5 isn't up to the Bulldawgs' extremely lofty standards and Rossville will be looking for much more this fall.
"Obviously it didn't feel like we want it to, so in that regard we feel like we've got to take a step forward,'' said Hammes, who has led Rossville to five state titles over the past nine seasons.
Hammes said he feels like this year's team, particularly this year's senior class, is determined to help the Bulldawgs return to the level of success they have grown accustomed to.
"I think they're motivated to and that's always a challenge from year to year is that when you go into our gym we have all the banners and things like that and we tell our kids, 'Make your mark as a senior,' '' Hammes said. "And how we recognize that is pretty cool and I think each one of our senior class tries to make sure they live up to that and they try to make their mark and put something on our walls.''
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Aiden Amis
AIDEN AMIS, Hayden
A senior, Amis earned All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season, qualifying for the Class 4A state meet with a 14th-place finish in regional competition. Amis posted a 13th-place finish in the city meet.
Jackson Esquibel
JACKSON ESQUIBEL, Shawnee Heights
A senior, Esquibel placed eighth individually in the Class 5A state meet last fall and earned medals in every 2022 meet he competed in, including runnerup finishes in the United Kansas Conference and regional meets. Esquibel helped lead ShawneeHeights to a 5A regional team championship. Esquibel was the 5A 3,200 meters champ in track and was second in the 1,600.
MAX GUTIERREZ, Washburn Rural
A junior, Gutierrez is a top varsity returner for a Washburn Rural team that earned a 16th straight city team title and a team berth for the Class 6A state meet last tall. Gutierrez finished 19th in the city meet.
JARED JOHNSON, Silver Lake
Johnson, a junior, was a Class 3A state qualifier last fall, earning his state berth with a 13th-place finish in regional competition. Johnson moved into the top 20 on Silver Lake's all-time list and earned All-Mid-East League honors.
Hayden Keller
HAYDEN KELLER, Washburn Rural
A senior, Keller earned first-team All-Shawnee County honors last season. A highlight for Keller was his ninth-place finish at the city meet, which helped secure the Junior Blues' 16th straight city team title. Keller also helped Washburn Rural earn a team berth for the Class 6A state meet.
CONNER OLSEN, Washburn Rural
Olsen, a junior, is a top varsity returner for a Washburn Rural team that earned a 16th straight city team title and a team berth for the Class 6A state meet last fall. Olsen placed 16th in the city meet.
JACK WALKER, Seaman
A sophomore, Walker was a Class 5A state qualifier in the 1,600 meters in track and will be counted on to be a factor for the Vikings this fall. Walker placed 23rd in the United Kansas Conference meet.
