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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will recognize Shawnee County's all-time best teams in 21 sports as part of our Best of the Best project. The project continues with boys track and field and readers will have the opportunity to vote for teams in that sport through August 5, with the top teams in all categories announced in late July and August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best, click on https://take.quiz-maker.com/poll4880338x001842f6-151 while email votes/nominations will be also accepted at
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Topeka High earned Shawnee County's first boys state track and field championship way back in 2016, the first of 14 state titles won by five county schools over 99 years
High leads county schools with six state titles, with five of those coming by 1973 before the Duke Tibbs-led Trojans ended High's 40-year title drought with the Class 6A title in 2013.
Topeka High won its sixth state track and field team title in 2022, ending a 40-year championship dought. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
The 1980s were also a golden decade for county schools, with Topeka West, Washburn Rural and Shawnee Heights combining for five championships in a six-year span.
Joe Schrag's Topeka West boys track and field team won its second straight Class 6A state title in 1984. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Jerry Beardslee's Washburn Rural won its first Class 5A boys track and field championship in 1984. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Mike Nash's Shawnee Heights' boys track and field team scored 86 points on the way to the Class 5A state title in 1989. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Joe Schrag coached Topeka West to back-to-back 6A crowns in 1983 and '84, with sprint star Mark Pickens and state-champion high jump and long jump champ Sharrieff Hazim leading the '84 Chargers while Pickens and distance state champs Rob Hays and Jeff Shelar all winnning state titles in West's '85 title run.
Jerry Beardslee's Washburn Rural team joined West as a state team champ in '84, with the Junior Blues taking the 5A title by a slim 63-58 margin over Kapaun Mt. Carmel as the Junior Blues posted a pair of relay wins and Anthony Dulan went 23 feet, 3.75 inches to take the long jump title.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will recognize Shawnee County's all-time best teams in 21 sports as part of our Best of the Best project. The project continues with girls track and field and readers will have the opportunity to vote for teams in that sport through August 4, with the top teams in all categories announced in late July and August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best, click on https://take.quiz-maker.com/poll4879452x35D7492D-151 while email votes/nominations will be also accepted at
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Eight different Shawnee County high schools have won state team titles in girls track and field, including six with multiple championships.
And while this summer's TopSports.news Best of the Best project is all about teams it's also an opportunity to take a trip down memory lane and remember some of the outstanding track and field performers in county history, names like Jocelyn Bentley, Lori Green, Marge Eddy, Julie Howerton, Karissa Owens, Akilah Carter, Mandy and Mindy Wilson, Shannon Parr, Alex Ferguson, Nannette Lee and Carla Marney.
Shawnee Heights won the first of the school's three girls track and field team championships in 1974. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Topeka High's girls track and field team won its first of two straight state team championships in 1974. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Marney swept the shot put, discus and softball throw to help Shawnee Heights win the Class 3A state title in 1974 while Lee earned three gold medals (two relays and an individual win) the same season as Topeka High won the 5A-4A championship and Lee won another title in '75 as the Trojans won their second straight team crown.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will recognize Shawnee County's all-time best teams in 21 sports as part of our Best of the Best project. The project continues with boys tennis and readers will have the opportunity to vote for teams in that sport through August 3, with the top teams in all categories announced in late July and August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best, click on https://take.quiz-maker.com/poll4878079xb26e4657-151 while email votes/nominations will be also accepted at
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Shawnee County has produced 11 boys state championship tennis teams, beginning with Washburn Rural's Class 5A championship team in 1988 and continuing through Topeka West's 5A title earlier this spring.
But while readers have plenty of worthy candidates to choose from, picking the team that will be at the top of the list promises to be a tricky task.
Kevin Hedberg's 2005 Washburn Rural boys tennis team swept the Class 6A singles, doubles and team championships, the Junior Blues' third straight team title. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Tommy and Blake Hunter went one-two in singles as Hayden captured the Class 4A team championship in 2014. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
The list of possibles includes any of Kevin Hedberg's three Washburrn Rural teams that put together a 6A three-peat from 2003-2005, capped by a sweep of the singles, doubles and team championships in '05 as Drew Hanson was crowned the singles champ and Sumeet Patel and Trevor Hedberg won the doubles title.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks TopSports.news will recognize Shawnee County's all-time best teams in 21 sports as part of our Best of the Best project. The project continues with girls tennis and readers will have the opportunity to vote for teams in that sport through August 2, with the top teams in all categories announced in late July and August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best, click on https://take.quiz-maker.com/poll4877986x8cA04ebD-151 while email votes/nominations will be also accepted at
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The Kansas State High School Activities Association didn't begin holding state tournaments in girls tennis until 1985, and Shawnee County made an immediate impact, with Corey Wilson's Topeka West team earning the Class 6A team title in the first year of state events.
Hayden captured its first girls state tennis team championship in 2022, sweeping the singles, doubles and team titles. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
That West championship was the beginning of a long record of success for local teams, who have won six team titles, including Hayden's dominant run in the 2022 4A state meet, while also posting numerous runnerup team finishes.
Topeka West leads the way with three state crowns, with Wilson's Chargers adding 6A titles in 1987 and '94.
West won the '85 championship by a 59-52 margin over Wichita Southeast as Stacy Cook and Diana Gaither winning the state doubles crown in an all-West final over teammates Amy Bybee and Andrea Hazlett.
The Chargers also topped the 6A standings in '87, with state doubles champs Tonna Rieger and Morgan Dietz leading the way as West topped Shawnee Mission East by a 39-34 margin, and Meg Griffin won the 6A singles title in '94 as West took a 29-24 decision over runnerup Garden City.
Washburn Rural earned its first of two 6A team titles in '90, with Bob Gladfelter's Junior Blues taking state on a tiebreaker over Manhattan as Danielle Knipp finished third in singles and
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
The name Elijah Brooks is familiar to basketball fans around Topeka, and after departing from Topeka West to play Division 1 basketball at North Dakota, the Charger product is continuing to build a solid on-the-court resume after having a strong freshman season.
Elijah Brooks
The high school record for Brooks speaks for itself.
He was named Mr. Basketball in Kansas for the 2021-22 season, finished as the all-time leading scorer in Topeka West history with 1,450 points and holds the single-game scoring record with 43 points.
It didn't take long for Brooks to earn a spot in the starting five for the Fighting Hawks. Brooks turned heads and impressed the North Dakota basketball staff enough to play in 27 games in the 2022-2023 campaign.
Brooks credits the teaching from Topeka West coach Rick Bloomquist for setting him up for Division I success.
According to Brooks, how practices, weights and conditioning developmental plans at North Dakota are set is similar to how Bloomquist runs his practices at Topeka West.
"I'm sure he pulled bits and pieces out of college practices because it's similar to what we do in North Dakota," Brooks said. "He's a great coach and knows what he's talking about. He trusted me with everything. The weight room aspect of his coaching got me prepared for the next level.
"I was stronger than most of the incoming freshmen and was one of the top five strongest dudes on the team. He pushed me in the weight room, was big on my development throughout high school, and got me ready for college."
