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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Topeka Junior Golf Association wrapped up its 2022 tournament Tuesday at Cypress Ridge, crowning eight champions.
Avery Scott (left) won the 15-17-year-old girls title in the TJGA City Tournament while Mallory Nelson (middle) finished second and Raegan Petersen third. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Peyton Wright (right) was the TJGA city champion in the 13-14 girls division while Kailyn Petersen finished second. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Addison Fechter (right) was the TJGA city champ in the 12 and under division by a stroke over Avenley Head. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Lane Workman (left) won the 15-17 boys title in the TJGA City Tournament while Bryce Badsky (middle) was second and Hayden Glynn third. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Ayden Valdivia (right) was the TJGA city champion in the boys 13-14 division, while Evan Jones (middle) was second and Peyton Goehring third. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Brody Buessing (right) won the TJGA city title in the 11-12 boys division while Jaxon Leonardi (left) finished second and Easton Moulin third. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Landon Lentz (middle) was the TJGA city champ in the 9-10 boys division while Callen Baldwin (left) and Jase Head third. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Nikhil Rao (left) and Parker Borjon finished first and second in the TJGA boys 8 and under division. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
On the girls side Washburn Rural senior Avery Scott won the 15-17-year-old title while Peyton Wright won the 13-14 division and Addison Fechter was the champ in the 12 and under division.
Santa Fe Trail junior standout Lane Workman was the champion in the boys 15-17 division while Ayden Valdivia was the 13-14 champ, Brody Buessing won the 11-12 division, Landon Lentz was the 9-10 champ and Nikhil Rao won the 8 and under title.
Scott recorded a 36-hole score of 159, while Wright had a winning 18-hole total of 101 and Fechter shot an 18-hole score of 114.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
OTTAWA -- Linemen are used to laboring in anonymity.
But former Shawnee Heights offensive lineman Orrin Busenitz generated enough attention during his T-Bird career to earn a spot on the East team, which will face the West in Saturday night's Kansas Shrine Bowl at Pittsburg State University.
Former Shawnee Heights standout lineman Orrin Busenitz (56) is playing center for the East in Saturday's Kansas Shrine Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I was extremely excited because I knew it was a big opportunity to represent my team and do some good for the kids in the hospitals,'' said the 6-foot-2, 295-pound Busenitz. "All the good that the Shriners do here I wanted to be a part of that.''
Only 39 players get the opportunity to play for the East and Busenitz said he was somewhat surprised to get the call to play in Kansas' premier all-star football game.
"I was a little bit (surprised), but I knew I was definitely good enough to be considered one of these top guys out here,'' Busenitz said.
Busenitz will play offensive center for the East, a position he played as a junior for Shawnee Heights before playing guard as a senior.
Busenitz will use this week's training camp at Ottawa University and Saturday night's game to help him get ready for the next step in his career at hometown Washburn University.
"I just liked the environment and the campus,'' Busenitz said of his decision to sign with the Ichabods. "They've been one of the top programs in the country in recent years and they have great facilities and great coaches, great people and I just wanted to be part of that.''
Busenitz is one of four former Shawnee Country standouts who will play for the East in Saturday night's game, which will kick off at 7 p.m. at Carnie Smith Stadium.
Former Rossville stars Torrey Horak and Corey Catron will play quarterback and slotback for the East while Seaman grad Casen Stallbaumer is playing linebacker.
Horak will play his college football at Central Missouri while Catron will play at Bethel and Stallbaumer at Emporia State.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman's
A solid case could be made for several candidates to garner the top spot inTopSports.news' Top 10 Best of the Best Coaches list for women's basketball, including three coaches who won three or more state championships.
But after winning three state titles and reaching five state championship games in Kansas' largest class and going on to a long career as a NCAA Division I assistant, the nod for No. 1 goes to former Washburn Rural coach Bill Annan.
Bill Annan led Washburn Rural to three Class 6A girls state basketball titles before moving on to the Division I level as an assistant coach. [Oklahoma State Athletics]
Former Silver Lake coach Loren Ziegler led the Eagles to five girls state basketball titles. [Silver Lake Schools]
Former Hayden coach Rick Strecker led the Wildcats to three girls basketball ttiles and five state crowns overall. [Submitted photo]
Former Silver Lake coach Loren Ziegler garnered the No. 2 position after winning five 3A titles over a 33-year span while former Hayden coach Rick Strecker ended up No. 3 after winning three 4A championships.
Former Topeka West coach Mike Goehring, who won 6A and 5A titles and also posted a runner-up finish in 6A, earned the No. 4 position while current Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick rounds out the top five, leading the Junior Blues to two 6A championships since 2019, including the 2022 title.
Strecker earned the No. 1 spot in the Reader's Choice poll, while Goehring finished No. 2 and current Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells No. 3 in balloting by TSN readers
Nine members of the Best of the Best Coaches list earned at least one state championship, with five winning multiple titles.
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 Seaman coach Ron Vinduska, former Shawnee Heights coach Mark Henry and former Topeka High coach Ted Juneau hold down the No. 6, No. 7 and No. 8 Best of the Best spots, with all three coaches earning state championships.
No. 9 on the Best of the Best list is former Hayden coach Doug Finch, who led the Wildcats to a state title and a pair of runner-up finishes, while former Topeka High coach Hannah Alexander closes out the top 10 after leading the Trojans to four straight 6A semifinal berths, with a pair of state runner-up finishes..
Here's a look at the Top 10 and Readers Choice Awards:
TSN TOP 10 BEST OF THE BEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACHES
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Two of the most recognizable names in Kansas high school sports ended up No. 1 and No. 2 on the TopSports.news Best of the Best Coaches list for men's basketball.
Ben Meseke coached Hayden to six state basketball titles and 12 state championships overall. [MacfeeSports.com]
Ken Darting has coached five teams to state boys basketball championships, including four at Highland Park. [File photo/TSN]
The late Willie Nicklin compiled over 500 career basketball wins and led Topeka High to a pair of state titles. [Submitted photo]
Current Seaman basketball coach Craig Cox has led five teams to state championships in basketball and baseball, including the Class 5A basketball title this past season. [File photo/TSN]
Former Hayden coach Ben Meseke, who led the Wildcats to six state basketball championships and a Shawnee County-high 12 state titles overall, earned the No. 1 spot by the narrowest of margins over former Silver Lake and Highland Park state championship coach Ken Darting, who coached the Eagles and Scots to five state basketball titles and six championships overall, and is still adding to his coaching legacy as the current Shawnee Heights coach.
Both Meseke and Darting are members of multiple halls of fame, including the Topeka Shawnee County Hall of Fame, as is the late Willie Nicklin, a Topeka High coaching legend who earned the No. 3 position on the Best of the Best list.
Current Seaman coach Craig Cox, who coached two state championship basketball and baseball teams at Shawnee Heights and added a third state basketball title at Seaman this past season, holds down the No. 4 spot while former Highland Park coach Randy Springs, who won a pair of state titles and a Grand State championship with the Scots, rounds out the top five.
Cox also earned the No. 1 spot in the Reader's Choice poll, edging out Darting and Nicklin in balloting by TSN readers.
Eight members of the Best of the Best Top 10 earned at least one state championship, with six winning multiple titles.
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.
The late Bob Bodenheimer, who led Shawnee Heights to back-to-back Class 5A state championships in the 1980s, ended up No. 6 on the Best of the Best Coaches list, followed by former Hayden coaches Ted Schuler and Ken Bueltel, former Washburn Rural coach Larry Longhofer and current Topeka West coach Rick Bloomquist 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 MEN'S BASKETBALL COACHES
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
OTTAWA -- Former Rossville football star Corey Catron was a late addition to the East roster for Saturday's Kansas Shrine Bowl at Pittsburg State University, getting the call earlier this month.
But it only took the two-time Class 2A state champion a matter of seconds to jump at the chance.
Former Rossville star Corey Catron takes a quick water break during Sunday night's East practice for Saturday night's Kansas Shrine Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I wouldn't miss this for anything,'' Catron said during Sunday evening's East practice session at Ottawa University. "This is great.
"I get to wear the Rossville helmet one more time and I wouldn't miss that chance for anything, honestly.''
A big bonus for the 5-foot-8, 166-pound Catron, who will play a slotback posision for the East, is that he gets to play one last time with former teammate and close friend Torrey Horak and his coach at Rossville, Derick Hammes, who is an assistant coach for the East.
"That's also going to be real fun, hanging out with those two one last time this week,'' Catron said.
Catron, who rushed for 1,315 yards and 26 touchdowns as a senior, is counting on this week's East training camp to help get him ready to report to Bethel College in Newton, Kansas later this summer.
"Especially with these two and three-a-days it will help getting in shape because I haven't ran as much as I should have,'' Catron said with a smile. "It will help a lot, definitely, especially with the heat this week.''
Catron feels like Bethel, a member of the KCAC, will be a good fit for him.
"Hanging out with some of the players that were down there when I showed up was kind of cool, and just being at a smaller college, not a real big D-II or anything, just felt right for me,'' Catron said.
But before launching his college career, Catron is eager to add his name to Rossville's Shrine Bowl legacy.
"Having your name up there with all the great Rossville guys, that's awesome because there's been a lot of people who have gone through Rossville that's done a great job,'' said Catron, who was named the Topeka Shawnee County Most Inspirational Male Athlete earler this summer. "I'm real excited.''
Catron is one of four Shawnee Country products who will play for the East in Saturday night's game, which will kick off at 7 p.m. at Carnie Smith Stadium.
Horak is playing quarterback for the East while Seaman grad Casen Stallbaumer is playing linebacker and Shawnee Heights grad Orrin Busenitz offensive center.
Horak will play his college football at Central Missouri while Stallbaumer is headed to Emporia State and Busenitz to Washburn.
Topeka High lineman Danny Saili was also selected to play in the game, but was a late withdrawal.
