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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Former Silver Lake star Shannon Kruger and former Hayden star Corrinne (Stringer) McGreevy are returning to their alma maters as head coaches, part of a group of 18 new varsity head coaches who have been announced by Shawnee County high schools for the 2023-2024 school year.
Former Hayden star Corrinne (Stringer) McGreevy will take over as the Wildcats' volleyball coach this fall. [File photo/TSN]
Kruger, a former Silver Lake multi-sport standout and a Washburn University Hall of Famer, takes over as the Eagles' head boys basketball coach, while McGreevy is the new Hayden volleyball coach after starring for the Wildcats in that sport.
Former Shawnee Heights All-Stater and Cair Paravel Latin coach Trey Brown is the new boys basketball coach at Hayden. [File photo/TSN]
Joining Kruger as a new head coach for Silver Lake is Colt Rogers, who is taking over as the Eagles' wrestling coach, while former Shawnee Heights star and Cair Paravel Latin coach Trey Brown is Hayden's new boys basketball coach.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Heartland Motorsports Park has been a staple on the NHRA national drag racing schedule since the facility opened in 1989, hosting at least one national event every season except 2020 when Topeka's largest sporting event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But the facility that bills itself as the "House of Speed'' will end hits long and distinguished assocation with the NHRA on Sunday at the conclusion of the 2023 Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor, with event scheduled to move to Odessa, Mo. in 2024.
But while Sunday will be a sad day for Topeka and area drag racing fans, Heartland Motorsports Park, formerly Heartland Park Topeka, will leave behind a proud legacy.
With the final national event set to kick off on Friday, here’s a look back at 15 of the great moments in Topeka drag racing history from the perspective of someone who's had the privilege of attending every national event since the track opened:
Drag racing legend John Force won the Funny Car title at Heartland Motorsports Park in 2021, his track-record 10th Topeka win. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
1. John Force called his Funny Car win at Heartland in 2008 the biggest of his career. That’s saying a lot for a driver who has won 16 championships and an NHRA-record 155 national events as a driver and 22 world championships as an owner with John Force Racing.
What made the 2008 victory stand out for the drag racing legend was that it was Force’s first victory after a serious crash at Dallas in '07 that ended his season and put his career in jeopardy.
“Coming back from that wreck, that race was key,” Force told The Topeka Capital-Journal in an interview. “It showed that I could still drive, that I could still cut it.
"I knew even then my legs were still weak. I struggled just getting in and out of the car, but to get that win after a year of rehab was huge -- to be there and hear those fans scream the way they did.”
2. In 1990 the late Gary Ormsby put Topeka on the national racing map, becoming the first driver in NHRA history to break the 4.9-second and 295 mile-per-hour barriers in his Top Fuel dragster, clicking off a pass of 4.881 seconds at 296.06 mph.
Ormsby, who won the 1989 Top Fuel championship, died after a battle with cancer on Aug. 28, 1991. Ormsby ran his final race at HMP, defeating Lori Johns in a match race.
Ormsby will always be linked with Heartland Park, with the main entrance into the facility named Gary Ormsby Drive after his death.
3. The 1993 Sears Craftsman Nationals at HMP delivered a double dose of history in the Funny Car class when Chuck Etchells and Jim Epler both broke the four-second and 300-mph barriers.
Etchells became the first Funny Car racer to run in the fours with a 4.987 pass while Epler recorded the first 300-mph run with a 300.40 pass.
Former Funny Car star Courtney Force posted the 100th win by a woman in NHRA history at Heartland Motorsports Park in 2014. [Photo by NHRA]
4. Courtney Force topped Cruz Pedregon in the 2014 Funny Car final at HMP to post the 100th event win by a woman in NHRA history.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' 2004 girls soccer team, which dropped just one game on the way to the Class 5A-1A state championship, was picked for the No. 1 spot on the TopSports.news Best of the Best Top 10.
Shawnee Heights, the 2004 Class 5A-1A state champ, is No. 1 on the TSN Best of the Best girls soccer Top 10. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Marc Serrano's Shawnee Heights team went 18-1-1 on the season, beating city rival Topeka West in the 5A-1A state final to earn Heights' lone state soccer championship.
T-Bird legend Jessica Mainz, who also led Heights to a runnerup state finish in '05, finished her T-Bird career with 97 goals and 44 assists before becoming an All-American and two-time MIAA Player of the Year for Washburn University.
Topeka West earned its lone state soccer title in 2001, posting an 18-2-0 record to win the Class 5A-1A championship. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Tim Collins' Topeka West Chargers, who garnered Shawnee County's first-ever girls state soccer championship in 2001, were tapped for the No. 2 spot on the Best of the Best list.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's 2015 Class 6A state championship team, one of 15 Shawnee County state winners, was picked for the No. 1 spot on the TopSports.news Best of the Best Top 10 for boys golf.
Washburn Rural's 2015 boys golf team won the Class 6A state championship on a tiebreaker to finish off an undefeated season. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Jared Goehring's Junior Blues won the 6A state title on a tiebreaker over Blue Valley North, which tied at 296, with a lower fifth score, capping an undefeated season.
Washburn Rural put three players in the top eight places individually, led by fifth-place Lukas McCalla (73).
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's 2014 team, which capped an undefeated season with a dominating performance in the Class 6A state tournament, was tapped for the No. 1 spot on TopSports.news Best of the Best girls golf Top 10.
Washburn Rural's undefeated Class 6A state champions earned the No. 1 spot on the TopSports.news Best of the Best girls golf Top 10. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Jared Goehring's Junior Blues won the '14 6A state championship, played at Topeka Country Club, by a 19-stroke margin over Shawnee Mission East (331-350) to cap their perfect season.
Washburn Rural put five players in the top 14 places individually, led by third-place Carly Rasmussen.
