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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka baseball legend Ken Berry has always considered himself a story-teller, a trait he figures was passed along by his late father.
Lifelong Topekan Ken Berry on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" in May, 1967 with Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle. [Photo Submitted]
Ken Berry's third novel, "His Last Run,'' is available now. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And the 81-year-old former American League All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner and longtime minor league manager and coach is not done telling his stories.
Berry, who still gives individual baseball/softball lessons, recently finished his third novel, "His Last Run,'' after earlier writing seven children's books.
"I'm kind of like my dad,'' Berry said. "When I was growing up my dad was a story teller, and whether it was true or whether he just made it up or something, he could tell a good story. I probably inherited that from him.
"And in junior high I started reading books. I had never had a book in my hand before and I found a book that looked like something I might like and started reading it and I liked it so well that the next day I went back and got another one, the next day I went back and got another one and I would read almost a book a day all the way through high school.''
While Berry turned his complete focus on baseball through an 11-year playing career and his long coaching career, he never got over his love for the written word and launched his own writing career in 2011.
"You'll get into a book and you're thinking, 'OK, I know what's going to happen down the road,' '' Berry said. "I can visualize where (the author's) headed or whatever. And it's just something where I like putting scenarios together and see how I can get them to work out where maybe it keeps people guessing.''
After his string of children's books, Berry wrote his first novel, "Twin Snipers,'' followed by "Comeback'' and now "His Last Run,'' which is available now.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TOPEKA WEST (0-1, 0-1) at SEAMAN (1-0, 1-0)
Senior Kaeden Bonner scored a game-high 15 points as Seaman took a 56-35 win over Lansing in the Vikings' UKC debut last Friday at Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Tuesday's game pits a pair of 2022 Class 5A state qualifiers against each other in Tuesday's 7:15 p.m. contest, with Seaman winning the state title a year ago while West lost a quarterfinal game to St. James Academy. Seaman ran its winning streak to 12 games with a 56-35 home United Kansas Conference victory over Lansing last Friday while Topeka West dropped a tight 58-52 UKC decision to Basehor-Linwood. Senior Kaeden Bonner scored a game-high 15 points to lead Seaman against Lansing while junior Holden Finley added nine points and senior Trey Parsel and sophomore Bryer Finley seven apiece. Topeka West put up a fight on the road against perennial 5A power Basehor-Linwood, including a 34-34 tie at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Bobcats took control down the stretch.
BONNER SPRINGS (1-0) at HIGHLAND PARK (0-0)
Senior Ketraleus Aldridge is a top returner for Highland Park, which is coming off an 18-5 season and a Class 5A state tournament berth. [File photo/TSN]
Highland Park, a Class 5A state qualifier last season, opens its 2022-2023 season against Bonner Springs. The Scots, ranked No. 3 in 5A in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association preseason rankings, are loaded with experience, led by senior Bo Aldridge, who averaged 18.7 points and 8.1 rebounds a year ago for 18-5 Hi Park. Also back are seniors Tre Richardson (10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals), Jahmir Kingcannon (10.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 38 3-pointers) and Quentin Adams (6 points, 2.8 assists, 1.9 steals). The Scots will play two straight non-league games before beginning their first seaon in the Meadowlark Conference. Bonner Springs opened its season with a 79-45 non-league win over Labette County.
PIPER (1-0, 1-0) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (0-1, 0-1)
Shawnee Heights opened its season with a 59-46 United Kansas Conference loss to De Soto, which played for the Class 5A state championship last season, while Piper opened with a 79-56 UKC win over Leavenworth. Sophomore Jaret Sanchez scored 14 points to lead the T-Birds against De Soto but was the lone Heights player to score more than seven points. The Pirates are coached by former Shawnee Heights coach Steve Wallace, who led the T-Birds to the 5A state title in 2017.
ST. MARY'S ACADEMY (2-0) at TOPEKA HIGH (0-2)
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TOPEKA WEST (0-1, 0-1) at SEAMAN (1-0, 1-0)
Seaman's Anna Becker opened her sophomore season with 15 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's 63-32 season-opening win over Lansing. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman opened its first season in the United Kansas Conference with a 62-32 win over Lansing last Frdiay night while Topeka West dropped a 52-36 decision to Basehor-Linwood in its UKC debut. Freshman Maddie Gragg scored a game-high 17 points in her high school debut for Seaman while Viking sophomore Anna Becker registered a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
BONNER SPRINGS (1-0) at HIGHLAND PARK (0-0)
Highland Park opens its season Tuesday after taking steps forward last season in a 4-17 season. The Scots return a solid nucleus from that team, led by sophomore Amelia Ramsey. Ramsey averaged 9.2 points and 10.2 rebounds, which led the city of Topeka, while shooting 59 percent from 2-point range and 72 percent from the free throw line as a freshman. Ramsey received All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League honorable mention last season. Bonner Springs opened its season with a 56-45 win over Labette County last Friday.
Shawnee Heights' Emari Doby opened her senior season with 24 points in last Friday's 54-50 loss to De Soto. [File photo/TSN]
PIPER (1-0, 1-0) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (0-1, 0-1)
Shawnee Heights dropped a tight 54-50 United Kansas Conference decision to De Soto in last Friday's season-opener while Piper, a new UKC member this season, is coming off a 49-47 conference win over Leavenworth. Senior Emari Doby scored 24 points against De Soto while junior Breezy Canady and senior Abby Fleischer scored nine and eight points, respectively, for the T-Birds.
Senior star Kiki Smith and the Topeka High girls are 1-1 on the season after a 50-19 romp past Valley Center last Saturday. [File photo/TSN]
TOPEKA HIGH (1-1) vs. BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST (1-0)
At De Soto Hardwood Classic
Class 6A stalwarts Blue Valley Northwest and Topeka High will square off in Tuesday's opening round of the De Soto Hardwood Classic. Topeka High, which has qualified for the Class 6A
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Anna Becker
ANNA BECKER, Seaman
Becker, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, recorded a double-double as the No. 9-ranked (Class 5A) Seaman's girls basketball team opened its first season in the United Kansas Conference with a 62-32 win over No. 3 Lansing. Becker finished the night with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Vikings.
Addison Broxterman
ADDISON BROXTERMAN, Washburn Rural
Broxterman, a senior, became the 10th Kansas high school girls wrestler to record 100 careet victories on Saturday in the Leavenworth Girls Challenger. A two-time Class 6A state runner-up, Broxterman went 5-0 to win the 125-pound championship, including a 21-second pin in the finals, helping Rural win the team title.
Riccardo Corazza
RICCARDO CORAZZA, Shawnee Heights
A junior foreign exchange student from Milan, Italy, Corazza made his debut for the Shawnee Heights boys swimming team in last Wednesday's Topeka West Invitational with a victory in the 50-yard freestyle (22.33 seconds) and also swam on Heights' winning 200 free relay (1:35.27). Corazza finished second in the 100 free (50.88) and swam on the T-Birds' third-place 200 medley relay (1:42.72).
Rylee Dick
RYLEE DICK, Rossville
A freshman, Dick made her high school debut with a 24-point performance, including four 3-pointers, as Rossville rolled to a 58-30 season-opening girls basketball non-league victory at Atchison last Friday night.
Maddie Gragg
MADDIE GRAGG, Seaman
A 5-foot-9 freshman, Gragg scored a game-high 17 points in her high school basketball career as No. 9-ranked (Class 5A) Seaman rolled to a 62-32 United Kansas Conference win over No. 3 Lansing. Gragg went 8 of 14 from the field and 1 of 2 from the free throw line in the Vikings' UKC debut.
Luke Perkins
LUKE PERKINS, Shawnee Heights
An eight-time Class 5A-1A state medalist, Perkins opened his senior swimming season with two individual victories and a relay win in last Wednesday's Topeka West Invitational. Perkins won the 200-yard individual medley (2:07.53) and the 100 butterfly (54.73) and swam on the T-Birds' winning 200 free relay (1:35.27) and third-place 200 medley relay (1:42.72).
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior star Addison Broxterman reached the coveted 100-win mark for her career as Washburn Rural girls' wrestling team dominated Saturday's Leavenworth Girls Challenger.
Broxterman, a two-time state finalist, won the 125-pound title en route to becoming the 10th wrestler in Kansas high school girls wrestling to reach the century mark for victories.
Washburn Rural senior Addison Broxterman became the 10th girls high school wrestler in Kansas to record 100 career wins on Saturday in the Leavenworth Girls Challenger, winning the 125-pound division with a 5-0 day. [Submitted Photo]
Broxterman, 5-0 on the year, capped her day with a 21-second win by fall over Blue Springs South's Maddie Tally.
Broxterman was one of four tournament champions for the Junior Blues, who won the team title in the 14-school tournament by a 283.5-152.5 margin over Leavenworth.
Also winning indiviual championships for the Junior Blues were junior 105-pounder Kristen Rezac, 140-pound junior Laiken Clark and 155-pound junior Raya Eilert while Rural got second-place finishes from freshman Molly Spader (100), sophomore Delaney Hill (105), sophomore Maddy Blow (115), senior Ammi Miller (120) and senior Alexis Fredrickson (130).
Annie Gallegos finished third in the 130-pound division and junior Sophia Ross was third at 235.
Rural boys the runner-up in Leavenworth Challenger
Lawrence and Washburn Rural battled it out for the team championship in Saturday's Leavenworth Challenger, with the Lions claiming the top spot by a 287-267 margin over the Junior Blues, the two-time defending Class 6A state champion.
Rural got individual championships from sophomore Easton Broxterman at 113 pounds, freshman Landen Kocher-Munoz at 120, senior Henri McGiven at at 126, junior Blaine Baird at 138 and junior Brody Byrne at 157 pounds.
Broxterman, Kocher-Munoz, McGivern and Byrne went 5-0 on the day while Baird went 4-0.
Rural's Joe Clark won the title in the 175-pound 'B' bracket, going 5-0 on the day.
Shawnee Heights' girls won the team championship in the Emporia Invitational by a 137-115 margin over Chanute. [Submitted photo]
Heights girls win Emporia team title
