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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The guy that didn't know anything about volleyball when he was nudged into the sport more than three decades ago is on the verge of reaching one of Kansas' greatest milestones in Saturday's Centennial League tournament at Junction City.
Veteran Washburn Rural volleyball coach Kevin Bordewick is one win away from reaching the 1,000th-win milestone in his career. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural coaching legend Kevin Bordewick, who has led the Junior Blues to nine Class 6A state championships in two sports, will enter Saturday's six-school round-robin volleyball event with an overall career record of 999-261 and needs just one win to become just the third coach in Kansas high school volleyball history to join the 1,000 victory club.
And Bordewick, who got his start at Class 1A Randolph-Blue Valley in the late 1980s, might have never been a volleyball coach at all if it hadn't come as part of a package deal that also allowed him to fulfill his goal of becoming a head basketball coach.
"They decided to make a change with the girls position in basketball and asked me if I wanted to do that,'' Bordewick said. "I said, 'Sure,' and they said, 'Alright, it's yours, but you've got to do volleyball and you've got to be the head girls track coach as well.' ''
By his own admission, Bordewick's volleyball knowledge at that point was restricted to watching his sister play the sport.
"My sister played it in high school (at Macksville) and I know she was pretty good at it, but that's all I knew,'' Bordewick said. "I didn't know anything about it.''
Bordewick, a Kansas State graduate, went to work trying to change that and after back-to-back sub-.500 records his first two seasons, he had a breakthough year with the Rams and has never experienced another losing season.
"Two out of the three were losing seasons but the last year we won 20 matches or so,'' Bordewick said. "That first year, I'll never forget. I bet I spent three or four hours just on a practice plan because I needed to make sure that they knew I knew what I was talking about and trying to do, even though I didn't.
"I at least kind of faked my way through the knowledge part, but it's like anything, you're constantly learning.''
Bordewick credits former Kansas State volleyball coach Scott Nelson and former Kansas coach Frankie Albitz for their generosity in helping him learn the game.
"I'll never forget Scott Nelson, who was the head volleyball coach at K-State, and then Frankie Albitz at KU, I called them up and they were so helpful and invited me to their camps over the summer,'' Bordewick said. "I got to be on the floor and they said, 'You want to know anyhing, you just let us know.' Their players helped at both places and I'm going, "Here's D-I college coaches helping a first-year 1A coach,' and I was like, 'How cool is that?' ''
From Randolph-Blue Valley Bordewick moved on to a two-year stint as boys basketball coach at Oskaloosa before then-Washburn Rural girls basketball coach Bill Annan, Bordewick's longtime fast-pitch softball buddy, talked him into applying for a job at Rural.
Bordewick served as the Junior Blues' volleyball assistant to Penny Lane for two seasons before taking over as Rural's head coach in 1995 when Lane became the school's athletic director.
The Junior Blues posted a 22-10 record in Bordewick's first season as head coach at the school and Rural has gone on to post a 952-221 record with 23 state tournament appearances, 20 final-four finishes and seven Class 6A state championships.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Former Shawnee Heights standout Christian Clark has found a home in Washburn University's defensive backfield, with the 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior playing in 21 games with 15 starts at cornerback.
Former Shawnee Heights standout Christian Clark (25) came up with a key interception for Washburn in last Saturday's 38-31 overtime win at Missouri Western. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
But Clark hasn't forgotten his roots as a running back and would love to get a chance to re-live those days.
"I do miss being a running back, I' m not going to lie,'' Clark said. "I'm hoping I get to show off my running back skills at some point throughout the season on an interception or a fumble recovery, whatever it is, but I definitely miss being a running back and scoring touchdowns.''
However, Clark also embraces his role for the Washburn defense since joining the Ichabods for the 2019 season after a year at William Penn (Iowa).
"I think it just keeps me engaged every single play because playing corner, all it takes is one play to give up a touchdown so you've got to bring it every play, you can't take plays off,'' he said.
"Personally it just makes me have to become more of a competitor and really just have to embrace those one on one battles I have throughout the game.''
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
It’s no secret that the Shawnee Heights boys’ soccer team has been rolling through the United Kansas Conference this year.
The Thunderbirds advanced to 6-0 in United Kansas Conference play after a 3-0 shutout over Piper Tuesday night at the Bettis Family Sports Complex.
Shawnee Heights senior Jordan Garvin (9) scored a pair of goals in Tuesday night's 3-0 UKC win over Piper. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Shawnee Heights junior Jack Martin had a goal and an assist in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Piper. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The six wins in the conference have all come in a row and Shawnee Heights has looked like a force to be reckoned with.
In the six-game win streak, Heights has shut out four opponents and has outscored its United Kansas Conference foes, 17-3.
Offensively, Shawnee Heights had stellar production from Jordan Garvin and Jack Martin in the win versus Piper. Garvin had two goals while Martin had a goal and an assist. Going into the contest, Piper had only allowed three goals in the previous four games.
“We knew coming into today that Piper was going to be a solid team with a dangerous attack,” Shawnee Heights coach Nic Simons said. “Piper at times made us look silly defensively in the first half. I think we did a good job of adjusting in the second half. Our center backs and outside backs did a great job in particular with making those adjustments.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- History. Seaman's girls golf team captured its first-ever league team championship Tuesday at Dub's Dread Golf Club and accomplished that long-awaited feat in dominating fashion, marking its first appearance in the United Kansas Conference tournament with a 51-stroke victory while putting four players in the top five individually.
Seaman's girls golf team won its first-ever league team title on Tuesday, winning the United Kansas Conference crown by 51 strokes. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman senior Lois Deeter makes an approach shot in Tuesday's United Kansas Conference tournament. Deeter shot an 85 to take a seven-shot individual win. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman sophomore Jaycee Zimmerman shot a 92 Tuesday to finish second in the United Kansas Conference tournament. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman senior star Lois Deeter and sophomore Jaycee Zimmerman went one-two in the individual standings while sophomore Anna McLaughlin placed fourth and junior Avery Samuelson fifth.
"I'm thrilled for them,'' Seaman coach Julie McLaughlin said. "I thought we had a pretty good chance but we had to come out and play the game and see what would happen.
"It was a tough course, a great challenge, and the girls hung in there and they kept at it and they got it done.''
Deeter made a little history of her own, earning her second league championship in two different leagues in the only two league meets of her career. Tuesday's win followed Deeter's Centennial League title as a freshman in 2019.
Deeter didn't have one of her best days, but still shot an 85 to win by seven strokes over teammate Zimmerman, who carded a 92.
"I hadn't ever played this golf course,'' Deeter said. "It is tough. There's a lot of blind shots and I had no idea where I was going and there's a couple of holes where I found out that' not where the hole is.''
Deeter has two more regular-season tournaments remaining, including a return trip to Kansas City on Wednesday to play at Sunflower Hills, and said she'll use that time to get ready for Class 5A postseason.
"Hopefully I'll get my bad tournaments out of the way,'' Deeter said.
Fourth-place McLaughlin shot a 96 on Tuesday while Samuelson was right behind in fifth with a 97.
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By DR. KARISSA NIEHOFF, Chief Executive Officer of the National Federation of State High School Associations
and BILL FAFLICK, Executive Director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association
There’s an unfortunate trend continuing in Kansas and across the nation that must be stopped: the bad behavior of coaches, parents and fans at high school athletic events.
We’ve all seen it: the yelling, harassing, berating, disrespecting and even physically assaulting high school referees, umpires and other officials during and after games. And oftentimes, the harassment continues on social media. Perhaps you’ve witnessed it firsthand or even been one of those offenders yourself.
Not only is this behavior unacceptable and embarrassing, but it’s also having serious consequences on the future of high school sports.
That’s because another unfortunate trend is sweeping the nation: a critical shortage of high school officials in every state. The #1 reason? You guessed it: Coaches, parents and fans mistreating officials.
National surveys of officials report alarming statistics:
55% of officials say verbal abuse from coaches, parents and fans is the No. 1 reason they quit.
59% don't feel respected.
57% think sportsmanship is getting worse.
84% feel officials are treated unfairly by spectators.
46% have felt unsafe or feared for their safety due to spectator, coach, adminnistrator or player behavior.
