- Details
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
On Tuesday evening, the Seaman Vikings volleyball team hosted a triangular with fellow United Kansas Conference member Shawnee Heights and the top-ranked team in Class 6A, Blue Valley West.
In the first match, the Seaman Vikings faced the Blue Valley West Jaguars. The Vikings were coming off their first defeat since early in the season to St. Thomas Aquinas last Thursday.
Viking coach Tatiana Dowling discussed the team’s preparation for another highly ranked opponent in Blue Valley West.
“I’m proud of the way we bounced back after the Aquinas game,'' Dowling said. "We had intense practices and held each other accountable to make sure we improved before tonight.”
In Set 1, Seaman jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, with all six service points from junior Kinsley Smith.
Blue Valley West battled back to tie the set at 23. After trading points, Seaman senior Maegan Mills had two kills to win the set, 26-24.
In Set 2, both teams traded points, with Seaman having a lead no larger than two points and Blue Valley West went ahead 15-12, leading to Seaman’s first timeout. The Jaguars increased their lead to 21-15 and they closed out the set, winning 25-16.
In the deciding set, each team traded points until the Jaguars stretched the lead to 11-7, causing the Vikings to call a timeout.
Seaman battled back to take the lead, 17-15, which led to the Jaguars using their first timeout. Blue Valley West came back to tie the set at 19. In a repeat of the first set, the teams traded points until it was tied at 24 before Mills duplicated the first set with two kills to win the set and the match, 26-24.
“Our intensity showed in our defense which was really nice to see,” Dowling said.
The Vikings were led by Smith in service points. Mills and senior Campbell Chabot led the team in kills. Chabot and junior Harper Hafenstine led the team in assists while senior Kinley Wilhelm and Chabot were the leaders in digs.
In the second match of the evening, the Thunderbirds of Shawnee Heights played Blue Valley West. The Jaguars were in control from the beginning of the first set, winning 25-14. The second set began with both teams trading points until the Jaguars went on a 4-0 run to take an 18-12 lead. Blue Valley West continued to extend the lead and won the set, 25-14.
The T-birds were led by juniors Jaidyn Euwer and Avery Willey in kills. Senior Taylor Brees and Willey led the team in digs. Senior Kaydence Torrez led in blocks.
In the last match, Seaman took on their UKC rival, Shawnee Heights. The Vikings jumped out to a quick 9-3 lead. The Vikings extended their lead throughout the remainder of the set, winning 25-12.
Set 2 began with the T-Birds taking the lead 14-9, causing the Vikings to take a timeout. Shawnee Heights continued their inspired play, stretching out the lead to 19-13, which led to Seaman taking their final timeout of the set.
The Lady Vikings charged out of the timeout and cut the lead to 21-17, but Shawnee Heights scored four of the final six points of the set, winning 25-19.
The third and deciding set began with both teams trading points until Seaman pulled ahead 11-7. Seaman continued their run by outscoring Shawnee Heights 14-8 to win the set and the match, 25-15.
“The Shawnee Heights match was a little frustrating because we were such a rollercoaster,'' Dowling said. "Great teams play tough all the time, so we will work on making sure we stay intense and focused regardless of the team we are facing.”
Seaman was led by Kinsley Smith with 10 service points; Maegan Mills totaled 22 kills while senior Ava Esser and Campbell Chabot both had nine kills apiece. Chabot and Hafenstine led with 16 and 14 assists, respectively.
Shawnee Heights was led in kills by juniors Reianna Vega and Euwer as well as Torrez. Brees led the T-Birds in digs and Torrez led in blocks.
In the Seaman-Shawnee Heights match, Seaman senior Kinley Wilhelm reached 1,000 digs for her career.
Match results
Seaman def. Blue Valley West 26-24, 16-25, 26-24; Blue Valley West def. Shawnee Heights 25-14, 25-14; Seaman def. Shawnee Heights 25-12, 19-25, 25-15.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
(All kickoffs at 7 p.m.)
THURSDAY'S GAME
KC-EAST, MO. (0-6) vs. HIGHLAND PARK (4-2)
At Hummer Sports Park
Highland Park will be looking to bounce back with a big non-league victory Thursday night against winless Kansas City-East, Mo. after suffering back-to-back road losses at Wichita East and Meadowlark Conferference power Atchison. The Scots are coming off a 62-21 loss to Atchison and will be eyeing a big offensive game Thursday after being outscored 136-27 over its past two games. Highland Park has outscored its foes 201-136 on the eason while East has been outscored 353-43 on the year. Senior running back Jamon Wilson, junior quarterback Dontrail Fox and sophomore running back G'Honi Montgomery have turned in big years for the Scots.
FRIDAY'S GAMES
PERRY-LECOMPTON (2-4, 1-1 Class 3A District 4) at HAYDEN (5-1, 2-0 Class 3A District 4)
Hayden is coming off a big 31-7 Class 3A District 4 road win at Holton last week and is in control of the District 4 race. Perry-Lecompton is also coming off a win, taking a 43-14 decision over Jefferson West. Hayden junior Kade Mitchell has carried the ball 54 times for 507 yards and caught 17 passes for 251 yards while scoring 15 total touchdowns. Senior quarterback Jett Wahlmeier has completed 62 of 95 passes for 934 yards and 11 touchdowns while senior Jensen Schrickel has caught 17 passes for 295 yards and scored seven TDs. Sophomore Mason Becker is 32 of 32 on extra point attempts while senior Jude Krentz leads the Wildcats with 53 tackles (30 solo).
BASEHOR-LINWOOD (6-0, 5-0) at SEAMAN (5-1, 5-0 UKC)
Friday's game is likely to decide the United Kansas Conference championship, with both the Bobcats and Vikings entering the night 5-0 in the conference. Seaman took a 59-34 UKC win at Shawnee Heights last week while Basehor-Linwood took a 44-6 non-league win over Tonganoxie. Seaman has won four straight games since a non-league loss to Class 6A Shawnee Mission East. Viking senior quarterback Max Huston has completed 75 of 121 passes for 1,365 yards and 17 touchdowns and has rushed for 381 yards and four TDs on 51 attempts. Junior Kaden McKinney has carried the ball 84 times for 574 yards and 10 TDs while senior Bryer Finley has caught 43 passes for 879 yards and 13 touchdowns. Junior linebacker Cameron Brian leads Seaman with 60 tackles (31 solo), while recording five tackles for loss.
- Details
By NICHOLAS GAINEY
Special to TopSports.news
In a battle of city rivals, the Topeka High School boys soccer team overcame a halftime deficit to earn a 2-1 victory over Seaman on Tuesday night at Hummer Sports Park.
The Trojans put pressure on the visiting Vikings in the opening minutes, with Antonio Aguirre receiving a through pass and taking the ball down the left side of the penalty box. Aguirre did not get enough power on the ensuing shot attempt, resulting in a save for freshman goalkeeper Landon Geis.
After the initial scare, the Vikings settled in and the two teams traded possession and offensive opportunities.
The momentum shifted in favor of Seaman in the 18th minute, when the Vikings broke away from the Trojan back line and earned a one-on-one opportunity with goalkeeper Billy Lutz, who fouled a Viking attacker outside the box while attempting to clear the ball.
Lutz was initially shown the red card for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity, but the card was downgraded to yellow after further discussion by the referees.
Despite being denied a numerical advantage, Seaman still earned a free kick in a dangerous location.
Kaelin Loy initially approached the ball, but faked a shot attempt to distract the Trojan wall, while Logan Townsend came in and put a powerful strike on the ball to put the Vikings up 1-0.
After trailing at halftime, Topeka High opened the second half with a renewed offensive push.
The Trojans finally equalized the match in the 47th minute, when Ian Martinez played a through ball to Jaime Alvarado, who used his speed to track down the ball near the left post and score on a close-range attempt.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No player or coach necessarily likes a tie and Hayden's soccer team found itself in that situation for the second straight game Tuesday at Hayden.
But after letting a 3-0 lead get away against visiting Shawnee Heights and needing a goal with 95 seconds left in regulation to avoid a loss, veteran Wildcat coach Klaus Kreutzer was't going to complain about Tuesday's 4-4 double-overtime non-league deadlock.
"I tell you, staring at that 4-3, I'll take a tie,'' Kreutzer said. "I feel pretty good about it.''
Hayden (4-6-4) played an 0-0 double OT game at Bonner Springs on Monday before the Wildcats ended their scoreless streak on a free kick from junior Uriel Cruz with 20:20 left in the first half against the T-Birds.
Less than four minutes later (16:25) Hayden doubled its advantage on a goal from junior Aiden Roberts and the Wildcats made it a 3-0 game at the 25:15 mark of the second half on a goal from junior Lane Neuman.
Shawnee Heights (6-5-1) turned the tables on the Wildcats at that point, however, with sophomore Brayan Diaz getting Heights on the board with 23:54 left in regulation before junior Camden Granado scored three straight goals in a nine-minute span, giving the T-Birds a 4-3 lead on a penalty kick with 2:54 left.
Hayden answered with a goal of its own at the 1:35 mark to force OT, with the ball finding the back of the net after a srum in front of the Heights goal and senior Preston Meitner credited with the goal for the Wildcats.
Neither team could find the net in the two 10-minute extra sessions, resulting in the 4-4 deadlock.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Defending state champions Hayden and Silver Lake earned a shot to defend their titles with regional championships on Monday.
The Wildcats tied tournament host McPherson for the team title in the Class 4A regional at Turkey Creek and won on a tiebreaker while Silver Lake posted a 38-stroke win over Jefferson West in the 3A-1A regional at Osage City.
Hayden posted a four-person score of 326 at McPherson, with all of the Wildcats' top four earning top-10 finishes.
Senior Addyson Baer shot a 79 to pace Hayden with a fifth-place individual finish while junior Lauren Borjon was seventh with an 81, junior Izzy Glotzbach eighth with an 82 and sophomore Brooke Johnson ninth with an 84.
The Wildcats also got a 19th-place finish from senior Nora Allphin (95) and a 39th-place finish from junior Kellyn Specht (120) as Hayden punched its ticket to next Monday and Tuesday's 4A state championships at Hesston Golf Course.
Silver Lake dominated the 3A-1A regional at Osage City, posting a four-person score of 356 as senior Taylor Zordel led a one-two-three individual finish for the Eagles.
Zordel carded an 81 for a one-stroke victory over junior teammate Kailyn Hanni (82) while senior Hope Thornton finished third (92).
The Eagles also got a tie for 11th place from sophomore Savannah Wende (101), a tie for 13th from senior Makenna Miller (102) and a 23-place finish from Alyssa Streit (109).
Rossville had a pair of individual state qualifiers, with senior Brinley Pottorf placing 15th (104) and senior Jaymee Woodward tying for 21st (108).
The 3A-1A state tournament will be played next Monday and Tuesday at Emporia Municipal Golf Course.
CLASS 4A REGIONAL