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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Topeka High girls soccer coach Derek Snook pretty know what he has in his nine-member senior class and two-time All-City pick Avery Zimmerman, a junior.
But the Trojans still entered Monday's 2023 season-opener with some question marks and took a big step towards answering those questions in a 9-0 non-league romp past rival Topeka West at Hummer Sports Park.
Junior Avery Zimmerman (2) had four goals and an assist in Monday's 9-0 Topeka High season-opening win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka High freshman Raelee Shipley (10), controlling the ball off her body, scored two goals and had an assist in her high school debut Monday, a 9-0 win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Zimmerman powered the Trojans with four goals and an assist and the Trojans also got a goal and two assists from senior Cierra Carranza and a goal and an assist from senior Haley Carpenter and a shutout in goal from senior Keira Trupp.
But Topeka High also got a pair of goals and an assist from freshman Raelee Shipley and a goal from sophomore Alexa Aguirre.
It all added up to an impressive opener for Snook's Trojans.
"Obviously it's really good to get a win and come back out in our first competition of the year and seeing where we are,'' Snook said. "Playing against each other (in practice) we were a little bit unsure. We kind of know, because we have so many seniors, what they can do, but how are we going to step up and replace the seniors we lost from last year.
"I thought we did a really good job, especially the younger ones, coming through. It was good to get everybody in the game and to see kind of what we have to work with.''
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
League champion Highland Park dominated balloting for the 2023 All-Meadowlark Conference boys basketball team, led by player of the year Bo Aldridge.
Aldridge, a 6-foot-4 senior, helped lead the Scots to a 24-1 record and a third-place finish in the Class 5A state tournament.
Highland Park senior Bo Aldridge has been named the Meadowlark Conference player of the year. [File photo/TSN]
Highland Park senior Tre Richardson was named the Meadowlark Conference defensive player of the year. [File photo/TSN]
Highland Park coach Mike Williams has been named the Meadowlark Conference coach of the year after leading the Scots to a 24-1 record and a third-place finish in the Class 5A state tournament. [File photo/TSN]
Joining Aldridge on the All-Meadowlark first team is teammate Tre Richardson, who was also named the league defensive player of the year.
Aldridge averaged 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists while Richardson averaged 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Highland Park coach Mike Williams was selected as the Meadowlark Conference coach of the year after leading the Scots to a second staight state tournament berth.
Senior Jahmir Kingcannon and sophomore Jacorey Robinson were named to the all-conference team while senior Quentin Adams received honorable mention.
ALL-MEADOWLARK CONFERENCE BOYS BASKETBALL
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Mara Bare
MARA BARE, Washburn Rural
A senior, Bare placed fifth in the 200-yard freestyle and sixth in the 500 free in the 2022 Class 6A state meet, earning second-team All-State honors. Bare helped lead Washburn Rural to its 19th straight city team title last season, placing second in the 200 freestyle and the 500 free and swimming on Rural's runner-up 200 medley and 400 free relays. Bare also helped the Junior Blues win the Centennial League team championship, taking second in the 200 free and 500 free and earning first-team all-league honors.
Breann Devlin
BREANNA DEVLIN, Topeka High
Devlin, a senior, turned in an outstanding season for Topeka High in her first year as a high school one-meter diver last spring, placing fourth in the Class 6A state meet. Devlin swept the city and Centennial League diving championships in 2022 while setting Topeka High school records for the six-dive and 11-dive events.
Joslynn Grace
JOSLYNN GRACE, Seaman
Grace, a sophomore, earned three Class 5A-1A state medals last season, helping the Vikings finish fourth as a team in 5A-1A. Grace finished fifth in the 200-yard individual medley and swam on Seaman's third-place 200 medley and 400 free relays. Grace finished second in the city meet in the 200 individual medley and the 100 butterfly and swam on the Vikings' winning 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays. Grace placed third in the 200 IM and the 100 butterfly in the Centennial League meet and swam on Seaman's winning 200 medley and 400 free relays, earning first-team all-league recognition.
Kiersten Harris
KIERSTEN HARRIS, Washburn Rural
Harris, a senior, helped Washburn Rural stretch its city-meet winning streak to 19 years in 2022, placing second in the 100 breastsroke and third in the 200 individual medley and swimming on the Junior Blues' second-place 200 medley and 400 free relays. Harris finished 16th in the 100 breastroke in the Class 6A state meet.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior goalkeeper Hailey Beck helped Washburn Rural post a runnerup finish in the Class 6A state tournament last season. [File photo/TSN]
HAILEY BECK, Washburn Rural
Beck, a senior goalkeeper, helped 17-3-1 Washburn Rural win the Centennial League championship and finish second in the Class 6A state tournament last season, earning All-Centennial League second-team recognition and All-City honorable mention. Beck has signed a letter of intent with Washburn University. Beck was also a multi-time state qualifier in tennis.
LAILAH BENZ, Shawnee Heights
A sophomore midfielder, Benz earned first-team All-City honors as a freshman for the 13-5-0 T-Birds and was also a first-team All-United Kansas Conference selection. Benz earned All-Class 5A honorable mention from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association last season.
Cair Paravel Latin sophomore Zahra Friess (3) earned All-4A-1A first-team honors as a freshman. [File photo/TSN]
ZAHRA FRIESS, Cair Paravel Latin
As a freshman, Friess helped lead Cair Paravel to a fourth-place finish in the Class 4A-1A state tournament last spring, with the Lions posting a 15-5-0 record. Friess earned All-4A-1A first-team honors from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association in 2022 and was a first-team All-City and All-Kaw Valley Conference pick.
KATE HINCK, Washburn Rural
Hinck was an immediate contributor for Washburn Rural last spring as a freshman, earning first-team All-City and All-Centennial League recognition at forward. Hinck helped the Junior Blues post a 17-3 record on the way to the Centennial League championship and a runnerup finish in the Class 6A state tournament. Hinck was a starter for Rural's basketball team that finished second in 6A last week.
Cair Paravel junior Katherine Keys helped lead the Lions to a fourth-place finish in the Class 4A-1A state tournament last spring. [File photo/TSN]
KATHERINE KEYS, Cair Paravel Latin
A junior forward, Keys helped 15-5-0 Cair Paravel advance to the Class 4A-1A final four last season en route to a fourth-place state finish. Keys earned a first-team spot on the All-City team for the second straight season and was also a first-team All-Kaw Valley Conference selection.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
State champions Easton Broxterman, Landen Kocher-Munoz and Jaxson Thomas headline the TopSports.news 2023 All-Shawnee County boys wrestling team.
EASTON BROXTERMAN
LANDEN KOCHER-MUNOZ
JAXSON THOMAS
TONY PENA
Washburn Rural sophomore Broxterman, a two-time state finalist, won the Class 6A 113-pound state title while his freshman teammate, Kocher-Munoz, won the 120-pound crown in his first state tournament and Seaman senior Thomas won the 5A 285-pound championship after jumping up two weight divisions for his final high school season.
Washburn Rural put a county-high six wrestlers on the all-county first team, with Broxterman selected as the wrestler of the year and Kocher-Munoz named newcomer of the year.
Seaman coach Tony Pena was named the TSN Shawnee County coach of the year after leading the Vikings to the United Kansas Conference team title in his first season as Seaman's head coach.
Broxterman, 49-3 on the season, won his first individual state championship after finishing second at 106 pounds as a freshman, taking the title with a 12-4 major decision over Junction City junior Ezekiel Witt in the finals. Witt defeated Broxterman in the 106-pound title match in 2022.
Kocher-Munoz capped a 37-5 freshman season with an 11-4 decision over Olathe East sophomore Aiden Stewart in the 120-pound final while Thomas, 46-5 on the season, avenged a regional loss in the championship match, pinning Blue Valley Southwest senior Tarin Forsyth in the second period.
The TopSports.news all-county team is based in part on selections made by the seven Topeka head coaches as well as at large selections for county schools Rossville and Silver Lake.
Also earning All-Shawnee County first-team honors for Rural were senior 126-pounder Henri McGivern (19-5), junior 138-pounder Blaine Baird (37-19), junior 157-pounder Brody Byrne (39-13) and junior 190-pounder Chase Calhoon (14-11).
Shawnee Heights put six wrestlers on the All-Shawnee County first team, led by senior multi-time 5A state placer Sean Wunder.
Wunder, who posted a 43-4 record on the season, finished third at 215 pounds after posting a fourth-place finish at 195 pounds as a junior.
Also named to the all-county first team for the T-Birds were freshman 106-pounder Tristan Buce (22-18), junior 132-pounder Andrew Bonebrake (37-12), senior 150-pounder Nick Freeland (41-10) and junior 175-pounder Allen Baughman (40-14).
Rossville is represented on the first team by Class 3A-1A state placers Paxton Willett and Jacob Carver while Topeka West's Mason Vickers and Topeka High's Jaxson Johnson also earned first-team spots.
Willett, a freshman, finished third at 157 pounds to finish his season 30-9 while senior Carver (24-5) finished fourth at 285 pounds after a runnerup state finish as a junior.
Rossville senior Jacob Carver posted a fourth-place finish in the Class 3A-1A state tournament at 285 pounds after a second-place finish as a junior. [Submitted]
Vickers, a senior, earned first-team recognition at 144 pounds while Johnson, a senior, was the first-team pick at 165 pounds. Vickers went 27-6 on the season while Johnson posted a 17-12 record.
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY BOYS WRESTLING
