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Created: 28 July 2022

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Kevin Neal Jr. will no doubt have some tough decisions to make over the coming years.

Washburn senior defensive back Kevin Neal Jr. received All-MIAA honorable mention last season for the 9-3 Ichabods. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

But deciding to return for his sixth and final year in the Washburn University football program wasn't one of them.

"It was a relatively easy decision,'' Neal said during this week's MIAA Media Day at Kansas City, Mo. "I love football so much and not playing the COVID year and then still having that extra year left I really wanted to utilize that last year because I love my teammates so much.''

The fact that the Ichabods are coming off a breakthrough 9-3 campaign that ended with a trip to the NCAA Playoffs also made the decision to come back a no-brainer for the 6-foot-1, 200-pound defensive back, who earned All-MIAA honorable mention last season.

The Ichabods return 73 lettermen, including 19 starters -- nine offense, seven defense, three special teams -- entering the 2022 season.

 "I think we can be better,'' said Neal, a Platte City, Mo. native. "Last year definitely set the tone for what we can do and I feel like this offseason we've been training more as being the hunted and not the hunter and I think that's given us an extra edge to try to get us a conference championship.''

Neal is part of a 20-man group of seniors/graduate students that will be counted on to provide leadership for the Ichabods' underclassmen and newcomers.

"We definitely lost a lot of key pieces from last season,'' Neal said. "That senior class was really big, but overall I think our class will be really good at taking the younger guys and brining them up with us and I feel like we've been pretty good leaders for the team. I think we're going to be really good.''

Neal has played in 33 career games with 24 starts, making 148 tackles, including 5.0 tackles for loss.

A year ago Neal recorded 64 tackles with 49 solo stops and a game-saving interception in a win over MIAA champion Northwest Missouri State.

Neal, who compiled 16 tackles, including two tackles for loss, in Washburn's playoff game against Harding, said that the key now is to end his WU career with a bang this fall.

"I feel like I've put a lot of time in for the program and did a lot of good things for the program,'' Neal said. "With this last year I just want to have everything come to fruition. That's the goal, for sure.''

Washburn will open fall camp on Aug. 8 and will open its season at Yager Stadium on Sept. 1 against Lincoln. 

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Created: 28 July 2022

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Topeka tennis legend Kevin Hedberg, who retired this spring after 43 years of high school coaching, earned the No. 1 position on TopSports.news' Top 10 Best of the Best Shawnee County Coaches tennis list.

Retiring Washburn Rural tennis coach Kevin Hedberg led the Junior Blues to five state team championships and 24 top-three state finishes over a legendary 43-year high school coaching career. [File photo/TSN]

Hayden tennis coach James Sandstrom has led the Wildcat boys to four Class 4A state team titles and 16 top-three state finishes overall in boys and girls tennis. [Submitted]

Corey Wilson

Connie Robertson 

Hedberg coached at Washburn Rural the past 32 seasons after an 11-year stint at Seaman, leading the Junior Blues to a Class 6A girls state title in 1993 and boys state championships in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007.

A member of the Topeka Tennis Association Hall of Fame, Hedberg coached singles and doubles champions in both boys and girls tennis while coaching 24 teams (boys and girls combined) to top-three state team finishes. 

Current Hayden boys coach and former Wildcat girls coach James Sandstrom holds down the No. 2 spot on the Best of the Best list, coaching Hayden to Class 4A boys state championships in 2004, 2005, 2004 and 2019 and 16 teams that have posted top-three finishes in the state tournament, including four state runner-up teams (boys and girls combined).

Former Topeka West coach Corey Wilson, former Hayden coach Connie Robertson and current Topeka West coach Kurt Davids round out the top five on the Best of the Best Top 10.

Sandstrom, Hedberg and Wilson also earned the top three places in the Reader's Choice poll, with Sandstrom claiming the No. 1 spot, followed by Hedberg and Wilson in balloting by TSN readers.

A five-person panel of current and past sports media professionals with more than 150 years of combined experience met to help determine the final Best of the Best Top 10.

Former Washburn Rural state championship coach Bob Gladfelter is No. 6 on the Best of the Best list, followed by Topeka High state champ John MacDonald, former Topeka High coach Larry Reid, Hayden girls coach Christy Sheetz and former Shawnee Heights coach Mike Bass to round out the Top 10..

Here's a look at the Top 10 and Readers Choice Awards:

TSN TOP 10 BEST OF THE BEST TENNIS COACHES

Read more …

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Created: 27 July 2022

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Towards the end of James Letcher Jr.'s monster 2021 football season for Washburn University, the All-American receiver/returner was unsure if he would return for the 2022 campaign.

Washburn star receiver/returner James Letcher Jr. will return for his final season this fall after earning five All-America honors in 2021. [Photo by Phil Anderson/Special to TSN]

Letcher went through Senior Day activities for the Ichabods and hinted after Washburn's NCAA Playoff loss to Harding that his college career may have been over.

But after doing considerable soul-searching, it only took Letcher a matter of weeks to decide he needed to return to Washburn for one last go-around this fall.

"I think it took a couple of weeks,'' Letcher said during Tuesday's MIAA Media Day in Kansas City, Mo. "I wanted to take my time and make the right decision for me and my family. I talked to God, I talked to my parents and I talked to a couple of family members about what they thought.

"It was all up to me at the end of the day, but with the input I got it helped me make the decision to come back.''

The 5-foot-8, 165-pound Letcher, who earned All-America honors from five different organizations last fall, also studied his NFL Draft prospects before deciding that pro football could wait a year.

"I don't know if too many people know, but I'm definitely wanting to go to the NFL,'' Letcher said. "I tell people all the time, 'I'm going to the NFL.' But with COVID a lot of players had another extra year, just like I did, so last year the draft class was super, super deep with a lot of receivers and that was the biggest point that made me come back.''

Last fall Letcher led Washburn with 68 receptions for 927 yards and 10 touchdowns for the 9-3 Ichabods, earning All-MIAA first-team honors as a wide receiver and a returner as well as being named the MIAA Special Teams Player of the Year after returning 24 kickoffs for 685 yards and two touchdowns, tying an Ichabod single-season record, and averaging 13.18 yards per punt return.

Now Letcher, who has already earned his bachelor's degree in law enforcement, is turning all his attention on making sure that he and the Ichabods have another big season this fall.

"If I have as good of a year or better than the year I had last year I think everything with me personally and the NFL will take care of itself,'' the former Piper star said. "I'm not too worried about individual stats. As long as we do good as a team, I feel like that will also take care of me as well and whoever else on the team that would like to go to the NFL.''

Letcher knows that as one of the MIAA's most recognizable stars, opposting teams will be putting even more attention on him this season, and he's fine with that.

"I love it., I love it,'' he said. "Especially coming from Kansas we get overlooked a lot, so I've always had that chip on my shoulder that I've got to prove people wrong, that I've got to do things right and I've got to make the big play. 

"I've got a lot of friends around the conference and even last year they talked about me being the guy they talked about, 'We've got to get him, we've got to make sure we have an eye on him at all times.' I kind of got used to it last year and I know they're going to be on me even more this year, but that's fine because if they double me I know Peter (Afful) or Collin (Wilson) or anybody else on the team is going to get open.''

The Ichabods, picked No. 4 in the MIAA preseason polls, will open fall camp on Aug. 8 and will open the 2022 season on Sept. 1 at Yager Stadium against Lincoln.

"I'm looking forward to it,'' Letcher said. "I'm excited for myself and I'm excited for my team and I'm ready to get going.''

Details

Created: 27 July 2022

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Former Seaman coach Rod Garman, who coached Seaman to the 2018 Class 5A-1A boys state championship, earned the No. 1 position on TopSports.news' Top 10 Best of the Best Shawnee County Coaches swimming and diving list.

Rod Garman

Elaine Pardee

Chet Laney

Jeff Handley

Seaman's championship season capped an impressive three-year climb for Garman's Vikings, who finished eighth in 2016 and fifth in 2017 before winning the 2018 title by 150 points.

Garman continues to be heavily involved in the sport as an administrator for the Kansas State High School Activities Association.   

Former Washburn Rural coach Elaine Pardee, who was the Junior Blues' first swimming coach, holds down the No. 2 spot on the Best of the Best list, followed by the late Chet Laney, a legendary coach at Topeka High.

Former Washburn Rural and Seaman coach Jeff Handley and former Hayden head coach and current assistant Laura Schmidt round out the top five on the Top 10.

Current Topeka High coach Kenneth Bennett was a decisive winner in the Reader's Choice poll, while Garman and Schmidt finished second and third in balloting by TSN readers.

A five-person panel of current and past sports media professionals with more than 150 years of combined experience met to help determine the final Best of the Best Top 10.

Former Topeka High coach Gunner Kelly is No. 6 on the Best of the Best list, followed by Topeka West Hall of Famer Ed Poort, Seaman coach Bernie Tuck, Bennett and former Hayden coach Stephanie Stark to round out the Top 10..

Here's a look at the Top 10 and Readers Choice Awards:

TSN TOP 10 BEST OF THE BEST SWIMMING COACHES

Read more …