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Details: Created: 31 October 2025

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

A 2025 football season full of disappointments, challenges and triumphs for Highland Park came to a close Friday.

The Scots fought from start to finish, but were ultimately defeated by De Soto 49-16 at Hummer Sports Park in the opening round of the Class 5A East playoffs.

Junior G'Honi Montgomery returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and also rushed for 76 yards in Highland Park's 49-16 Class 5A playoff loss to De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

The Scots’ only two losses in the regular season were contests forfeited as the fallout of a fight in the third game of the year. But they bounced back to vanquish rival Atchison, then to knock off undefeated Kansas City-Washington to claim the Meadowlark Conference title.

For a program on the rise, there was plenty to be proud of. The lopsided defeat to De Soto didn’t define the Scots’ season, coach Jermaine Monroe said.

“When you plan a whole summer, you don’t expect or plan for those things to happen. But that adversity, I think it just made us stronger,” Monroe said. “We became a stronger team during that break. We put way more focus on our sportsmanship. And we knew that, together, we were going to stand together as a family throughout any situation.”

Highland Park was the higher seed, but faced a team with an identical 6-2 record and which features a no-frills, straightforward attack. The Wildcats bolted to a 14-0 lead in the first period before the Scots could get their offense in gear. The home team began moving the ball late in the first period, but failed to reach the end zone and fell into a 28-0 hole.

Junior G’Honi Montgomery electrified the crowd when he took a pitch on a reverse on a kickoff and raced 90 yards for the Scots’ first score. Highland Park trailed 28-8 at halftime, but showed it was still in the fight by stopping De Soto on back-to-back possessions.

Late in the fourth period, Rayshon Pollard produced another Highland Park highlight on a 78-yard scoop-and-score.

But in the end, the Wildcats pounded out 316 yards on the ground to just 45 in the air.

“We haven’t faced a lot of opponents who run a smashmouth offense like that,” Monroe said. “They stay true to like six plays. We knew exactly everything they were going to run. Our boys knew it, but just to be able to stay on the field with a team that could sustain that for the whole game, it’s just a different grind that we’ve got to get used to.”

Montgomery led the Scots with 76 yards on 14 rugged carries. The Scots mustered just 45 yards passing and 88 yards rushing. But Monroe was pleased with the effort.

“Our boys fought to the end,” Monroe said. “The playmakers who we expect to make plays made plays. Our line did a great job, opened up some holes for our running backs. And our defense, the heart they left on the field, they gave everything they had. The boys never gave up. And the sportsmanship of both teams … that’s the type of stuff that I’m going to remember.”

DE SOTO 49, HIGHLAND PARK 16

Details: Created: 31 October 2025

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Coming off back-to-back losses and playing its second straight game without injured senior quarterback John Hoytal, Washburn Rural was looking to get back on track in Friday's Class 6A West playoff opener against Wichita South in Bowen-Glaze Stadium.

And a quick start on both sides of the ball was just what the doctor ordered as the No. 7-seeded Junior Blues rode a 21-0 first-quarter lead to a 37-0 shutout over the visiting Titans.

Washburn Rural junior Jadyn Baum rushed for just under 200 yards and three touchdowns in Friday's 37-0 Class 6A playoff win over Wichita South. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

Washburn Rural junior Jadyn Baum (right) celebrates a touchdown with teammate Peyton Goehring in Friday's 37-0 Class 6A playoff win over Wichita South. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

"We knew coming into it that we were going to have to rely offensively on the run game and we knew the defense was going to have to set the tone and kind of shorten the field for us,'' Washburn Rural coach Steve Buhler said. "Offensively, I think the kids did a really nice job of doing what we've been working on as far as the game preparation.

"Win and advance. We didn't get a chance to do this last year, to move on in the playoffs, so the kids were excited about what they're doing and we get that feeling we had two years ago and three years ago and we get that hunger back about trying to go deeper into the playoffs.''

With Friday's win Washburn Rural improved to 6-3 and advanced to a second-round 6A matchup at No. 2 seed Wichita Northwest, 8-1 on the season.

Offensively, Rural junior running back Jadyn Baum soared past the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season with 182 yards on 15 attempts while the Junior Blues' defense pitched the shutout while limiting the 3-6 Titans to 53 total yards.

Junior Ryker Petersen intercepted a pass to set up Washburn Rural's first touchdown in Friday's 37-0 Class 6A playoff win over Wichita South. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

An interception by Rural junior Ryker Petersen ended Wichita South's game-opening drive and led to an 8-yard Baum touchdown run with 8:30 left in the first quarter (Ryan Austin kick).

The Junior Blues recovered a South fumble on the Titans' ensuing possession and Rural found the end zone four plays later on Baum's second 8-yard TD of the night (Austin kick) to put the hosts up 14-0 at the 6:47 mark of the first.

Senior TJ Minikwu (right) celebrates a touchdown with teammate Kellan Roth in Friday's 37-0 Class 6A playoff win over Wichita South. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

With just 12 seconds remaining in the quarter Washburn Rural senior TJ Minikwu scored on a 5-yard run (Austin kick) to hike the Junior Blues' lead to 21-0.

The pace slowed in the second quarter but the Junior Blues took a 27-0 lead midway through the quarter on a 17-yard TD strike from junior Gavin Vantuyl to senior Nate Selm (kick failed).

Baum scored his third touchdown of the night on a 46-yard gallop (Austin kick) with 2:05 left in the third quarter and Austin capped Rural's scoring early in the fourth stanza with a 25-yard field goal.

Next up for the Junior Blues is next week's road test at Wichita Northwest, which advanced with a 57-14 win over Campus Friday night.

"They're exceptional,'' Buhler said of the Grizzlies. "You get to this round and everybody on the West side is so good and so well-rounded everything's going to be a dogfight and you have to be willing to play four full quarters and keep your nose in it the whole time.''

WASHBURN RURAL 37, WICHITA SOUTH 0

Details: Created: 31 October 2025

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The Washburn Ichabod football team will hit the road on Saturday to take on Missouri Western, looking to bounce back from a 13-10 heartbreaking overtime loss to Fort Hays State last week.

"We talk about our seven-day season and the game is the end of that,'' Washburn coach Zach Watkins said. "We close the chapter after the game and Sunday we move on to the next opponent and try to get better from the film and learn, but this one was a little bit harder to move on from.

"You have some games that are easy to move on from, win or loss, and some are tough to move on from. This is one of the tougher ones, but the guys have done a great job of responding this week and are ready to go against another good opponent but another game that we've got to play well to win.''

Topekan Ky Thomas (8) rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown in last Saturday's 13-10 overtime loss to Fort Hays State. [File photo/TSN]

Former Topeka High star Ky Thomas, who rushed for 95 yards and scored the Ichabods' lone touchdown against the Tigers, agreed with his coach that WU's focus has to be on bouncing back.

"We have to take what we can from that game and learn from it and move on to the next seven-game season as coach Watkins says,'' said Thomas, who has scored four touchdowns over the past three games. "We'll take it one day at a time and get just get better as the season goes on.''

Washburn will take a 2-6 overall record and 1-5 MIAA mark into Saturday's 2 p.m. game while the Griffons are also 2-6 and 1-5.

Saturday's game will mark the second season in a row the Ichabods and Griffons have played in St. Joseph, with the Ichabods winning last year's matchup, 24-16.

The Griffons are coming off a 19-12 road win over Missouri Southern last Saturday.

Sophomore linebacker JC Heim leads the MIAA and is third in the national rankings in tackles per game with 12.6 stops while junior L.J. Minner Jr. is fourth in the MIAA with 9.6 tackles per game.

Senior Jordan Finnesy's 239 career tackles rank 16th on the NCAA D2 active chart and he is 16th on the D2 active solo tackles chart with 146.

Senior punter Jake Zeller is fifth on the NCAA D2 active punting average chart at 41.8 and he is seventh in total punt yards (6,479).

Zeller is second in the MIAA and ninth in the national rankings in punting average at 42.6 and Zeller is second on the Ichabod all-time punting average chart at 41.8 and ninth in total yards at 6,479.

Details: Created: 31 October 2025

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Saturday's Nov. 1 season-opener against Augusta (Ga.), followed by a Sunday game against Dallas Baptist in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Lakeland, Fla., marks the earliest that Washburn University men's basketball coach Brett Ballard has ever had a team open its season.

And by Monday Ballard will know if the early start was more of a good or bad thing for the No. 2-ranked Ichabods, who are coming off a 30-4 season and an NCAA Division II semifinal appearance.

Junior guard Jack Bachelor is a top returner for Washburn men's basketball after earning first-team All-MIAA recognition last season. [File photo/TSN]

"If we go win two games, absolutely I'll be really happy about this scheduling,'' Ballard said. "If we don't, I'll be wishing we had more practices.

"This Hall of Fame event has always been early. It's the first time we've played in it and it's a great opportunity. I would prefer probably another week or so of practice to really put our best product out there, but everybody's in the same boat, everybody got the same amount of practices.''

Both Augusta and Dallas Baptist were NCAA Regional teams last season and DBU, like the Ichabods, reached the NCAA Final Four in Evansville. Dallas Baptist was ranked No. 3 in the NABC preseason poll.

Ballard feels like his team has done a good job in preseason to get ready for the early tests.

"We've had good practices and we're close to where we need to be and this will be a good opportunity to see where we're at,'' he said. "Big picture, if you win great, you learn from it. If you lose, you learn a lot from it.''

The No. 2 preseason ranking is the highest for the Ichabods since being picked No. 2 in the 2012-13 preseason poll.

The Ichabods are coming off one of the best seasons in program history with the NCAA Final Four appearance, an NCAA Central Regional Championship and an MIAA regular season title with a 30-4 overall record after going 17-2 in MIAA play.

Washburn was ranked No. 1 in the nation last season for five consecutive weeks and finished tied for fourth in the 2025 NABC final poll after spending the entire season ranked in the top 10.

The Ichabods were picked atop the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media Polls. In the MIAA Coaches Poll, Washburn received 13 of 14 first-place votes and the Ichabods received 23 of 25 first-place votes in the Media Poll.

Junior Jack Bachelor has started 45 of 64 career games as an Ichabod, averaging 12. 6 points. The former Washburn Rural star ranks third all-time at Washburn in assist average at 4.8, fourth in career free throw percentage at .828 and seventh in career assists with 304.

Bachelor started all 34 games last season, averaging 13.6 points and earning NABC second-team all-district honors, first-team All-MIAA and All-MIAA defensive honors.

Senior Sam Ungashick has started 30 of 55 career games as an Ichabod, averaging 8.1 points for his career. Ungashick is a career 34 percent shooter from 3-point range, hitting 57 of 170 attempts.

Senior Brady Christiansen has played in 93 career games with 31 starts, averaging 6.6 points and 6.2 rebounds. Christiansen ranks 11th in career rebounds in program history with 577.

Dillon Claussen played in 34 games last season as a freshman, averaging 7.4 and 3.9 rebounds while adding 25 blocks and 15 steals. Claussen tied a career-high with 17 points against Lenoir-Rhyne in the NCAA national quarterfinal on 7 of 7 shooting.

The Ichabods will have to replace starters Andrew Orr, Jacob Hanna, Brayden Shorter and Michael Keegan off last year's team, but along with the returners, Washburn has added four experienced transfers.

Bryson Smith averaged 11.4 points with a team-high 131 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game for Northeastern State last season while starting all 29 games. Smith previously averaged 14.8 points at Dallas College North Lake where he helped his team claim the NJCAA Men's Basketball National Championship.

Isaiah Saams-Hoy started all 28 games at Alaska Fairbanks in 2024-25, leading the team in points (455), points per game (16.3), assists (99), steals (44) and blocks (29).

Jeremiah Jones led Mary (S.D.) in scoring in 2024-25, averaging 11.9 points while recording 85 steals, including eight steals in a single game to set a school record.

Marcus Glock is a transfer from Northwest Missouri, where he started 19 of 28 games and averaged 9.1 points and 2.5 rebounds while hitting a team-high 51 3-pointers and shooting 42 percent from deep.

Smith, who came in over the summer to work with his new teammates, said he feels like that has helped him jell with his fellow Ichabods.

"That helped a lot, actually,'' Smith said. "Just coming to a new team can be very nerve-wracking. There's a lot of new faces and new personalities and I feel like that month of us being here practicing built the team bond better and we got closer together.

"So when we came back on campus for school we already knew each other, so it definitely helped.''

Details: Created: 31 October 2025

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural cross country coach Matt Swedlund knows that there are multiple teams capable of challenging for the Class 6A boys state team championship Saturday at Rim Rock Farm, north of Lawrence.

Veteran senior Brooks Kehoe, the Centennial League champion, will lead top-ranked Washburn Rural into Saturday's Class 6A state cross country meet at Rim Rock Farm. [File photo/TSN]

But Rural, top-ranked in the 6A coaches rankings, is one of those teams, and Swedlund is excited to see what Saturday holds for his young Junior Blues, who have five sophomores in their state lineup.

"Basically the top five in the rankings are all just points from each other,'' Swedlund said. "There are several teams that have an opportunity (to win the team crown), so you've got to take it.

"We're not taking anything for granted and if you want to end up on the podium (top three teams) you're going to have to run well. We've been fortunate to have some good teams that were in the conversation and when you put yourself in the conversation there is no reason not to make your goal the absolute top. You want to be the best, you want to win, so that's what you shoot for.''

Washburn Rural tied Manhattan for last Saturday's regional title at Wichita's Clapp Park, with the Indians taking the team crown on a tiebreaker (highest finishing sixth runner).

Sophomores Duke Graf, Clayton Fink and Henry Laubach finished second, seventh and 12th to lead the Junior Blues while senior Centennial League champion Brooks Kehoe finished 19th and sophomore Jaxson Adams 22nd to round out Rural's top five and senior Wyatt Shorb and sophomore Brady Meek finished 28th and 29th.

Rural finished sixth as a team in last year's state meet, with Laubach finishing 14th to earn a state medal.

Senior Emily Graf, a two-time 6A state medalist, will lead the young Junior Blues into Saturday's state meet at Rim Rock Farm. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn Rural suffered heavy graduation losses off its girls team that finished second in, losing out to Olathe West on a tiebreaker, in last year's state meet, but the Junior Blues, ranked fifth in 6A, earned a trip to state with a strong runnerup regional finish to Centennial champ Manhattan.

Seniors Emily Graf and Kenzie Maddox and sophomore Reese Beardslee return from last year's runnerup Rural team and will be joined on Saturday by freshmen Alyson Hinck, Morgan Munson, Clara Dillon and Lilly Palmer.

Graf led Rural with a fifth-place finish at regionals while Hinck was eighth, Munson ninth, Maddox 16th, Beardslee 17th, Dillon 21st and Palmer 36th.

"You've got some young girls, so you just want them to get out there and run the best that they can and see where you land,'' Swedlund said.

Graf will be shooting for her third 6A state medal, finishing 14th a year ago after a 19th-place showing as a sophomore.

Topeka High sophomore Easton Davis posted a 14th-place regional finish to qualify as an individual for the 6A boys race.

The 6A girls race is scheduled for 10:35 a.m. Saturday while the boys race is slated for 12:20 p.m.

CLASS 5A

Three city standouts qualified as individuals for Saturday's Class 5A state meet at Rim Rock Farm, led by Seaman senior Brody Anderson, a returning state medalist.

Seaman senior Brody Anderson is back at state for his third straight season after finishing second in last week's Class 5A regional at Wichita. [File photo/TSN]

Anderson, a 5A state medalist last season with a ninth-place finish, was the runnerup in last Saturday's regional at Wichita while Shawnee Heights senior Max Esquibel qualified with a 14th-place regional finish at Lawrence.

Seaman junior Brynn Spencer, a returning state medalist, posted a sixth-place individual finish at regionals. [File photo/TSN]

Seaman junior Brynn Spencer will be the lone local runner in the 5A girls race, qualifying as an individual with a sixth-place regional finish in Wichita.

Spencer finished 18th at state as a sophomore.

The 5A boys race is scheduled for 11:10 a.m. Saturday while the girls will run in the final race of the day at 12:55 p.m.

CLASS 4A

Hayden's boys and girls combined for three individual qualifying berths for Saturday's Class 4A state meet at Wamego Country Club.

Sophomore Nick Newkirk and senior Connor Baldwin finished 14th and 15th in the Leonardville 4A regional to earn boys state berths while Hayden junior girls standout Sofia Harper qualified with a 12th-place regional finish.

The 4A girls race is scheduled for 10:35 a.m. Saturday while the boys race is set for a 12:20 p.m. start.

CLASS 3A

Silver Lake's boys earned a team berth for Saturday's Class 3A state meet at Rim Rock Farm, while junior Alessandra Gerber qualified as an individual for the girls race.

Silver Lake earned the final team berth in the 3A regional at Leonardville with a third-place finish, just three points out of second and 16 out of first.

Junior Hunter Rooks led Silver Lake with an eighth-place regional finish while sophomore Carson Kraus finished 20th, senior Brayden Just 27th, sophomore Miles Burgess 28th, junior Lane Ray 29th, senior Joel Heier 38th and senior Zachariah Rodenbaugh 66th.

Gerber earned a return trip to state with a sixth-place individual finish at regionals.

The 3A boys race is the first race of the day at 10 a.m. Saturday while the 3A girls will run at 11:45 a.m.

CLASS 2A

Rossville junior Madelyn Wonnell earned a return trip to the Class 2A meet at Wamego Country Club with a 14th-place individual finish in the Marion regional.

The 2A girls race is Saturday's final race of the day at 12:55 p.m.

SHAWNEE COUNTY STATE QUALIFIERS

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Scots see star-crossed season end with 49-16 Class 5A playoff loss to De Soto

Junior Blues set tone early, advance in Class 6A playoffs with 37-0 romp past Titans

Washburn football looking to rebound against Griffons after OT heartbreaker

No. 2-ranked Washburn men's basketball to kick off season in Hall of Fame Classic

State XC preview: Washburn Rural boys, girls team qualifiers lead local contingent to state

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