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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Highland Park Alumni Association will host its 2024 Hall of Fame and Sports Wall of Honor induction ceremony at 4 p.m. Saturday in the high school library.
Chauncey McBride, a 1988 Highland Park graduate, and 2002 Hi Park grad Grant Gould will be inducted into the Highland Park Sports Wall of Honor while Valerie Patterson, a 1973 Highland Park graduate, and the late Susan (Gresham) Guffey, a 1966 grad, will be inducted into the school's Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame biographies:
Valerie Patterson
Hall of Fame
Valerie Patterson
Educator (Class of 1973)
Valerie was born and raised in Topeka as one of four children Vickie, Lori and Melvin Jr. of Melvin Sr. and Maxine Patterson where they lived in the eastern part of the Oakland community. Val graduated from Highland Parking High school in 1973 as well as all of her siblings. She attended Topeka Public Schools beginning at Washington Elementary, Dawson and State Street Elementary Schools, transitioning to Holliday Junior High and then went on to Highland Park High School. While at Highland Park she was involved in cheerleading, volleyball and track and field as well as serving on the Human Relations Board. Valerie was named Highland Park’s Homecoming Queen in 1973.
After graduating from Highland Park in 1973 she attended Emporia State University where she received a Bachelor of Secondary Education with an emphasis in Physical Education in 1977 and received her Master’s in Administration in 1996. Valerie’s entire career has been spent working in the Topeka Public School District. She stated that she thoroughly enjoyed Teaching Physical Education at Highland Park Central Elementary, Lowman Hill Elementary and at Highland Park High School. While teaching she coached at both Highland Park Junior High and Highland Park High School that gave her added pleasure to her career. In 1996 the world of administration grabbed hold of her and she served from 1996 – 2015 at Topeka West High School, Highland Park Central, Topeka Public School Administration, Highland Park High School, Quincy Elementary and finally at Topeka High School.
Over the years she has received various awards, honors and recognitions that include Topeka Public School’s Administrator of the Year in 1996, Commencement Speaker for Topeka West’s Class of 2000, City of Topeka’s Human Relations Commission’s Black History Month Honoree in 2005, Emporia State University’s Bridge Builder’s Forum, Leadership Greater Topeka Class of 2002, Topeka Public School’s First African American Female Coach 2024 as part of the Brown v Board of Education 70th year celebration.
Valerie is retired and enjoys spending time with her daughter, Simone throughout the 33 years of her life. In addition she has three niece’s Courtney Starnes (Corey), Chelsey Sudduth and MacKenzi Patterson who stay busy with their kids, hobbies and college. She admits that at her age she also has a great niece Cami and nephew Christian who enjoy the things she enjoyed the most -Sports!!! She states that she is so proud and blessed for her family! She does love Flowers, Flowers, and Flowers - both inside and outside. When she is not watching or attending sporting events or handling her flowers, she is spending time renovating the Patterson family home for its next generation. Valerie’s community involvement continues with her teaching Sunday school at New Mount Zion Baptist Church, participates in Commit to Community Service Projects with her Sorority- Delta Sigma Theta, and is a board member of the Topeka Public Schools Foundation and recently served as their past president. When she finds down time, she enjoys watching HGTV, a variety of movies and tons of sports.
Susan Guffey
Hall of Fame
Susan (Gresham) Guffey
Philanthropist (Class of 1966)
The late Susan (Gresham) Guffey dreamed big and showed it, taking each and every opportunity she could find as a teen. As a Scot at Highland Park High School in the 1960s, she took part in as many clubs as possible. She cheered on the sidelines for the football and basketball teams as part of the Pep Club and Bonnie Lassie Drill Team, acted in school plays alongside her thespian friends, and spoke up for her classmates as part of the Student Congress. Susan served as a member of the Highlander yearbook and Bagpiper newspaper staffs, selling ads and leading as editor during her senior year of high school. Her efforts and leadership earned her a seat in Quill and Scroll, the international honor society for high school journalists. In opening her eyes to the world, Susan helped host international students as part of the American Field Service student organization.
After graduating in 1966 from Highland Park, Susan served in the Navy for a couple of years as a photographer. She then returned to Topeka to work as a reporter and photographer for local papers, before getting a position with the Associated Press. Her work and experiences took her all over the world. She was briefly married to Thomas Guffey and had a son Sean. Susan later married Gene Priestman, a veteran she had met during her military career who had founded the Scitor Corporation, a prominent defense and national security contractor. The couple’s work frequently took them around the world. Her son shared that “They were happy, friendly people.” The couple lived a quiet happy life in their later years frequently donating to various causes, such as animal shelters, libraries, children’s museums and numerous startup nonprofit businesses. After her husband’s death, Susan kept up the couple’s philanthropic efforts with intermittent donations to Highland Park High School over the past decade. Former principal Dale Cushinberry recalled that he met her as she toured the school. When she asked how she could help, he said the school had a goal of having every student read three modern novels. Cushinberry said the problem was that the school didn’t have three modern novels. The next week, he received a check to meet that need, and then some. Other gifts followed, one for $200,000.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Former Washburn Rural star Belle Kennedy feels like the vibe among the Ichabod soccer team is starting to feel a lot like it did last season when WU posted a runnerup finish in the NCAA Division II national tournament.
Washburn junior midfielder Belle Kennedy (12) leads the 9-2-2 Ichabods with three game-winning goals. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
And that could spell continued bad news for future opponents of the Ichabods, who have not suffered a loss over their last 11 games entering MIAA road games against Central Missouri and Fort Hays State this weekend.
Washburn opened its season with back-to-back non-conference losses but have not allowed a goal since, establishing a school-record shutout streak while improving to 9-2-2 overall and 6-0-1 in the MIAA.
The Ichabods, who cracked the top 15 in the latest USC National poll, will make the trip to Warrensburg, Mo. to battle the Jennies in a 6 p.m. Friday contest before heading to Hays to face the Tigers in a 2 p.m. contest on Sunday.
The Ichabods remain in a tie for second place in the MIAA with Central Missouri with 19 points, three points behind Missouri Western.
"It feel like it's the same rhythm as last year where we struggled a little bit in the beginning but throughout this season we're getting to the point where we're approaching it like each game could predict where we end up within the national poll, within the MIAA,'' said Kennedy, a returning All-MIAA first-team pick who is tied for 19th nationally with three game-winning goals.
"It's not necessarily like we're taking it more serious, but we're making our journey more specific. In the beginning it's more about figuring out, 'OK, how do we want to play this year? Do we want to play a certain style? Do we want to switch our style?' And right now we've figured out our style, we're narrowing it down and perfecting it more so that each game we're getting better and better.''
Kennedy, a junior midfielder, said the Washburn hot streak has been fueled by its defense.
"Our defense is insane,'' Kennedy said. "You could put any forward against our defense and we are still strong. We're really resilient. The beginning of the year was a little rough but it always is when you're still trying to figure everything out, but at this point now, we can handle any forward and any duo or any three sets of forwards they put against us.''
Kennedy is also very proud of how her former Washburn Rural teammate, Hailey Beck, is performing for the Ichabods in her first season as WU's starting goalkeeper.
Beck is tied for first nationally with 10 shutouts posted in goal. Beck's 0.313 goals against average is good for fifth in Division II and her 0.879 save percentage ranks 15th in the country.
"I'm very, very proud,'' Kennedy said of Beck. "She's done an incredible job, honestly, stepping up and taking on the role of being our goalkeeper. She's been doing amazing.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After four previous double-overtime ties, Hayden's boys soccer team looked as if it might be headed towards another deadlock Wednesday.
But this time the Wildcats found a way to get the game-winner, with senior Preston Meitner scoring off a pass from junior Aiden Roberts with 5:17 left in the second 10-minute extra session to give Hayden a 2-1 non-league win over Leavenworth on Senior Night at Hayden.
Hayden senior Preston Meitner (13) scored the game-winning goal in Wednesday's 2-1 double-overtime soccer win over Leavenworth. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Hayden coach Klaus Kreutzer admitted that the Wildcats, who finished the regular season at 5-7-4, were getting a little tired of the string of OT contests.
"It takes its toll, but having said that, it shouldn't come to that,'' Kreutzer said. "You've got to do the work early and we had opportunities.''
But Kreutzer said Wednesday's come-from-behind victory should give Hayden momentum entering Class 4A-1A regionals next week.
"At least we ended the season on a good note, so I'm feeling good about what we're going to do next week,'' Kreutzer said.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's soccer team achieved one of its goals for the 2024 season Tuesday night at McElroy Field, extending its Centennial League title streak to 30 seasons (outright or shared) with a 4-0 win over Topeka High.
But there is still work to be done according to Rural coach Brian Hensyel.
Junior Draden Chooncharoen had a goal and an assist in Washburn Rural's 4-0 Centennial League title-clenching win over Topeka High Tuesday night. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"Every year we want to win the league championship because if you do it means you've kept the streak going, but it also means you've won some games and if you win all your league games and you win the league you're setting yourself up for good stuff in the playoffs,'' Hensyel said.
"So Step 1 we wanted to win tonight because we obviously want to keep that league championship here, but honestly for seeding we're trying to win both games this week and finish on a good note and try to play as many games at home (in postseason) as possible.''
Washburn Rural, now 11-2-2 overall and capping a perfect 5-0 Centennial League run, scored the only goal it would need at the 17:43 mark of the first half on a goal from junior Drew Moore and added goals from juniors Dylan Willingham at the 11:27 mark and Draden Chooncharoen with 5:27 left in the half to take a commanding 3-0 halftime advantage.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden's girls golf team put itself in position to win a second straight Class 4A state championship in Monday's opening round and left no doubt on Tuesday, pulling away for a 15-stroke victory at Hesston Golf Course.
Hayden took a four-stroke lead over Wellington on Monday and finished the 36-hole event with a four-person score of 698 while Wellington was a distant second at 713 and McPherson finished third at 727.
Hayden's girls golf team poses with its championship trophy after winning the Class 4A state tournament by 15 strokes Tuesday at Hesston. [Submitted photo]
Junior Lauren Borjon led the Wildcats with a third-place individual finish with a 36-hole total of 157, following up her first-round 76 with an 81 on Tuesday.
Hayden junior Izzy Glotzbach and senior Addyson Baer also earned 4A state medals, with Glotzbach finishing 12th at 171 (89-82) and Baer tying for 16th at 174 (86-88).
Brooke Johnson placed 34th at 196 (102-94), Nora Allphin was 46th at 213 (107-106) and Kellyn Specht finished 52nd at 226 (112-114).
Wamego's Addison Douglass took the individual state championship with a 36-hole total of 142 (70-72).
Silver Lake girls golf poses for a team picture after finishing second in the Class 3A-1A state tournament on a tiebreaker Tuesday at Emporia. [Silver Lake Athletics]
Silver Lake suffers heartbreaking tiebreaker loss in 3A-1A
Silver Lake, which started Tuesday's final round in third place, rallied to give itself a chance at a second straight Class 3A-1A state championship before finishing second to Pittsburg Colgan on a tiebreaker.
Both the Eagles and Panthers finished with four-person scores of 718, but Colgan won its third state title in four seasons by virtue of a lower fifth score on the second day of the tournament. Goodland finished third at 734.
Senior Taylor Zordel led Silver Lake with a fourth-place individual finish at 164 (86-78), earning her fourth straight state medal, while Kailyn Hanni posted a 13th-place finish at 180 (90-90) and Makenna Miller also earned a state medal with a 14th-place finish at 181 (95-86).
Savannah Wende finished 36th for the Eagles at 193 (101-92), Hope Thornton was 45th at 202 (102-100) and Alyssa Streit placed 54th at 221 (113-108).
Rossville's Elley Sanders, competing as an individual, tied for 38th with a 36-hole total of 197 (94-103).
Washburn Rural girls golf poses for a team picture after its third-place finish in the Class 6A state tournament Tuesday at Hutchinson. [Washburn Rural golf]
Seniors Randall, Peterson lead Rural to third-place 6A finish
Seniors Reece Randall and Natalie Peterson ended their high school careers with Class 6A state medals, leading Washburn Rural to a third-place team finish at Hutchinson's Carey Park.
Randall finished with a 36-hole total of 154 (79-75) to tie for 10th place individually while Peterson tied for 12th at 157 (81-76).
