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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Seaman's baseball team entered Tuesday's Class 5A regional tournment on the verge of history, but Viking coach Trent Oliva and his team were only focused on the present.
Seaman senior Bryson Vawter (left) and the Vikings celebrate their state-record 19th straight state baseball berth Tuesday at Seaman after a 4-2 win over Lansing. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
As it turned out the proud Vikings took care of both ends of the equation, capturing the regional title with a 4-2 championship-game win over Lansing while setting a state record with their 19th straight trip to the state tournament.
"We had not talked about it,'' Oliva said of the state record. "We hadn't talked about the number or anything like that. We just go out and just keep trying to do things the way we know how to do them.''
Seaman, which will take an 18-4 record into next Thursday's state tournament at Wichita State's Eck Stadium, rolled to the regional final with a 12-0 win in four and a half innings over Kansas City-Washington and rode a four-run first inning and clutch pitching from senior Bryson Vawter and sophomore Max Huston to the win over Lansing (14-8), which had handed the Vikings one of their four losses earlier in the year.
With the regional title Seaman moved into sole possession of the state record over Kansas City-Wyandotte, which had a streak of 18 straight state appearances.
"I think this is just a staple of our program,'' Vawter said. "We're just the ones that carry it on and hopefully we can do it next year. It's just the standard that they set the 18 years before us, that you've got to make it to Wichita.
"We carried it on tonight, played well, and this field has some good memories on it for us.''
Seaman never trailed in the final after a big first inning, but the Lions got within two runs in the third and had the tying run at home plate in the top of the seventh beore the Vikings turned a game-ending double play off a lineout.
"This time of the year they're going to be close and you're going to have to go out and make plays,'' Oliva said. "We were able to do that and score four there in the first inning and make that hold up throughout.
"Vawter did a great job and kind of battled through a little bit of adversity in the middle of the game, toughened up and goes through six and then Max does a good job coming in there and we were able to make some plays behind him,'' Oliva said.
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
The Highland Park girls soccer team played itselt into a Class 5A regional playoff spot on Tuesday after a convincing 5-0 victory in Monday's play-in match against Meadowlark Conference foe Washington at Hummer Sports Park.
Highland Park freshman Dana Chavarria Delacruz (center) recorded a three-goal hat trick in Monday's 5-0 win over KC-Washington at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Highland Park's soccer team celebrates Monday's 5-0 Class 5A play-in win over KC-Washington at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
The Scots snapped their four-game losing streak at the right time.
After facing some struggles near the end of the regular season, Highland Park (6-10-0) defeated Washington for the second time this season and is locked in for a playoff match Tuesday night against St. James Academy.
It's been an up-and-down season for Highland Park, with many lessons learned along the way. However, with most of the squad learning how to play the game of soccer this campaign, they've been rewarded for their hard work with a match in the postseason.
"Overall, most of our senior class has three years of playing experience, while some of the team had never played before until this year," Highland Park coach Colin Moriarty said. "Earlier in the season, we also dealt with many injuries. So we are still figuring out how things work with this team.
"Once we got to the middle of the season, things started clicking, and our confidence started growing. With what we dealt with and how young we are, we may have gotten two wins in the past, but we are growing now.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Junior Rich Helmbold shot a 78 to win the individual championship as Cair Paravel Latin earned a 29-stroke victory in the team race in Monday's Class 2A boys golf regional at Fort Scott's Woodland Hills Golf Course.
Cair Paravel Latin golf is headed to the Class 2A state tournament at Hesston next week after winning a regional championship by 29 strokes. [Submitted photo]
All of the Lions' top four players finished in the top eight Monday, with junior Simon Everhart placing sixth with an 89, sophomore Jase Pavlik seventh with an 90 and freshman Caleb Cleverdon eighth with a 93.
Cair Paravel finished with a four-man score of 350 while St. Marys Colgan finished second at 379 and Lyndon third at 396.
Cair Paravel's players competed for Topeka High during the regular season as part of a co-op agreement before competing in 2A in postseason.
The Lions will compete in the state tournament next Monday and Tuesday in Hesston at the Hesston Golf Course.
Washburn Rural golf earned a team berth for next week's Class 6A state tournament in Newton with a runnerup team finish in Monday's regional at Manhattan. [Twitter/Washburn Rural golf]
Rural earns 6A berth with runnerup finish
Washburn Rural placed all of its top four players in the top 10 in Monday's Class 6A regional tournament at Manhattan Country Club en route to a second-place team finish and a berth in next week's state tournament at Newton.
Rural senior Bryan Tyrell tied for fourth with a 79 to lead the Junior Blues while senior Tyler Baumchen was a stroke back with an 80, tying for seventh individually.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It was an ugly day for Monday's Class 5A regional tournament at Lake Shawnee Golf Course, but a pretty finish for the Shawnee Heights golf team.
Shawnee Heights' golf team poses for a picture after winning Monday's Class 5A regional tournament at Lake Shawnee. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Shawnee Heights seniors Alex Valdivia (right) and Tyler Lincoln went one-two individually to help lead the T-Birds to Monday's Class 5A regional golf championship. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seniors Alex Valdivia and Tyler Lincoln went one-two individually to lead four T-Birds in the top 10 as Jane Yi's team overcame awul conditions to roll to the team championship by a whopping 26-stroke margin (314-340) over Emporia.
Monday's tournament was played in a steady to heavy rain, but Shawnee Heights was up to the challenge en route to claiming the top qualifying berth for next Monday and Tuesday's state tournament in McPherson.
"I'm definitely very proud of what they did in these conditions,'' Yi said. "It wasn't letting up and then it finally did, and it's hard to play when it's wet and then the rough was really thick.
"The kids were really trying to stay in the fairway and not get in the rough and it they did they'd bite the bullet and go, 'OK, now I'm playing for bogey.' They were doing a really good job of playing smart.''
After bogeying his first two holes of the day, Valdivia, the two-time United Kansas Conference champ, rallied to shoot a two-over-par 72 and earn medalist honors by two strokes over teammate Lincoln, the 2023 Topeka City champ.
"I usually kind of struggle a little bit in the rain so I just kind of played smart and was able to put a decent score up,'' Valdivia said.
Valdivia said it was an advantage to be playing on a Lake Shawnee course he's very familiar with.
"I play here a decent amount of time so I just kind of stuck to what I've always done here,'' he said. "I still have a couple of things to work on. I didn't hit my irons great but I was just getting it up there pretty close and getting up and down or getting a two-putt.
"I played pretty smart and I just didn't put myself in any big danger where I could get a double or anything like that.''
Shawnee Heights also got a tie for fifth from senior Aiden Jones, who shot an 83, while junior Jensen Crawford tied for ninth with an 85 to round out the T-Birds' top four finishers.
Junior Zackary Hohman added an 87 and senior Tanner Zerger a 93 for the T-Birds, who claimed the regional championship after finishing second in last week's UKC and city tournaments.
Topeka West junior Myles Alonzo made it a one-two-three individual finish by city golfers, finishing third with a 79.
Alonzo, a returning state medalist, qualified for state as an individual as did Seaman junior Zach Weir, who tied for ninth with an 85.
The state tournament will be played at McPherson's Turkey Creek Golf Course and Yi said Monday's performance was a momentum-booster for the T-Birds heading to state.
"It's definitely huge momentum,'' Yi said. "I've got four seniors on this team and the other two are juniors, and for my four seniors, this is huge. They wanted to make it as a whole team to state.
"So playing this well and scoring this low together as a team is great momentum for us for next week.''
Although players had to battle through miserable conditions, Yi said she was glad that they were able to get the regional in.
"I was watching (the weather) since yesterday and I''d rather get it in because the thing is they were all hyped up and ready to go today,'' Yi said. "And when you delay sometihing like that it kind of throws off the groove in a sense.
"Even though it was Mother's Day we came out yesterday and they worked on their game. So they were ready to go and I would have been more disappointed if we didn't get it in.''
CLASS 5A REGIONAL GOLF
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West, which captured its first-ever Class 5A state team championship Saturday at Arkansas City, headlines the 2023 All-City boys tennis team, with all six Chargers earning spots on the 14-member team.
The 2023 All-City boys tennis team -- Front, from left: Dylan Dodge, Washburn Rural; Gus Glotzbach, Hayden; Joseph Luke, Hayden; Jake Emmons, Shawnee Heights; Carter Cool, Topeka West; James Maag, Topeka West; Cayden Weybrew, Topeka West. Back, from left: Kiefer Von Lintel, Washburn Rural; Keegan Knudtson, Washburn Rural; Dylan Willingham, Washburn Rural; Mason Casebeer, Washburn Rural; Ian Cusick, Topeka West; Miles Cusick, Topeka West; Caden McGee, Topeka West. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
All six Topeka West players earned 5A state medals, led by senior twin brothers Ian and Miles Cusick, who won their second straight state doubles championship and earned 5A medals for the third straight season.
West senior Carter Cool finished seventh at state in singles while juniors Caden McGee and Caleb Weybrew finished ninth in doubles and junior James Maag placed 11th in singles.
The All-City team includes a total of 11 state medalists, including three-time 4A state medalist Gus Glotzbach of Hayden.
Glotzbach, a senior, teamed with junior Joseph Luke to finish fifth in 4A doubles after finishing second at state as a sophomore and a junior, while Luke medaled for the second straight season.
Washburn Rural senior Mason Casebeer placed ninth in 6A singles on Saturday, his second state medal, while Junior Blue senior Kiefer Von Lintel and freshman Dylan Willingham finished 12th in doubles.
Rural, which won a regional team title, is also represented on the All-City team by junior Dylan Dodge and freshman Keegan Knudtson.
Also earning a spot on the All-City team was Shawnee Heights singles player Jake Emmons, who placed third in the city tournament in No. 1 singles to earn his All-City berth.
All-City tennis capsules:
