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By RICK PETERSON 
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks, TopSports.news will recognize Shawnee County's all-time coaching greats in 14 sports as part of our Best of the Best project. Readers will have the opportunity to vote through July 15, with the Top 10 in all categories announced in July and August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best football coach click on https://poll-maker.com/poll4393106xD36C490c-138 while email votes/nominations will be also accepted at
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Retiring Silver Lake legend C.J. Hamilton has to be considered the man to beat in TopSports.news' Best of the Best Coaches project for football.
C.J. Hamilton, the winningest coach in Kansas history, was inducted into the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. [File photo]
Derick Hammes has coached Rossville to five state football championships, including undefeated titles the past two seasons. [File photo/TSN]
Ron Bowen guided Washburn Rural to three Class 5A state football championships and a runner-up finish in 6A during his 23-year tenure at the school. [Submitted]
Hayden football coach Bill Arnold led the Wildcats to the Class 4A state championship in 2008. [File photo/TSN]
After all, Hamilton is Kansas' all-time leader with 447 career victories while coaching eight Eagle teams to state championships and a total of 18 Silver Lake teams that reached the state championship game.
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By RICK PETERSON
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks, TopSports.news will recognize Shawnee County's all-time coaching greats in 14 sports as part of our Best of the Best project. Readers will have the opportunity to vote through July 15, with the Top 10 in all categories announced in July and August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best cross country coach click on http://poll-maker.com/poll4392753x29f689d3-138 while email votes/nominations will be also accepted at
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Some of the most recognizable names in Shawnee Country sports history -- Meseke, Schrag, Strecker, Camien, Brading, Shufelberger -- coached cross country in Topeka, making it extremely tough to decide which one belongs at the top of TopSports.news Best of the Best Coaches list.
![Kathy Strecker coached six state championship cross country teams at Hayden and is the current coach at Rockhurst University. [Twitter]](/images/aa-images/KathyStrecker.jpeg)
Kathy Strecker coached six state championship cross country teams at Hayden and is the current coach at Rockhurst University. [Twitter]
Topeka West legend Joe Schrag coached eight state championship teams in cross country and track and field. [Submitted]
Ben Meseke
Matt Swedlund
Hayden's Ben Meseke and Kathy Strecker combined for an amazing 12 state team cross country championships while Topeka West's Joe Schrag won four titles over a span of three decades and former Seaman coaches Bob Karr and Bob Camien and current Viking coach Rick Brading made Seaman a perennnial city and Class 5A state contender.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks, TopSports.news will recognize Shawnee County's all-time coaching greats in 14 sports as part of our Best of the Best project. Readers will have the opportunity to vote through July 15, with the Top 10 in all categories announced in July and August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best bowling coach click on http://poll-maker.com/poll4392750xeeD34191-138 while email votes/nominations will be also accepted at
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Topeka has long been regarded as a bowling town.
And since the Kansas State High School Activities Association launched bowling as an official high school sport in 2005, the Capital City has continued to add to that legacy, with Topeka notching eight state team championships and seven individual state crowns.
Former PBA star Bob Benoit has coached Seaman to three Class 5A-1A state bowling championships, including a sweep of the boys and girls titles in 2022. [Pininterest.com]
Geoff Poston coached Seaman to boys and girls state bowling titles before starting the Ottawa University bowling program. [Photo/Ottawa University]
Shawnee Heights captured the city's first state team title when Nick Harris' T-Bird girls won the Class 5A-1A championship in 2010 while Geoff Poston led Seaman to boys and girls state championships before launching Ottawa University's college program and Mike Thompson won girls and boys championships at Topeka West.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks, TopSports.news will recognize Shawnee County's all-time coaching greats in 14 sports as part of our Best of the Best project. Readers will have the opportunity to vote through July 15, with the Top 10 in all categories announced in July and August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best Men's Basketball Coach click on https://linkto.run/p/2CHKQYK7 while email votes/nominations will be also accepted at
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Who is the greatest men's basketball coach in Shawnee County history?
Former Hayden coach Ben Meseke coached Hayden to 12 state titles in basketball and cross country. [Macfeesports.com]
Ken Darting has coached five teams to state boys basketball championships, including four at Highland Park. [File photo/TSN]
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]
The late Willie Nicklin compiled over 500 career basketball wins and led Topeka High to a pair of state titles. [Submitted photo]
Is it former Hayden coach Ben Meseke, who led the Wildcats to six state titles, including a perfect season in 1983, or is it former Silver Lake and Highland Park coach and current Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting, who coached five state championship teams, including a 25-0 season at Hi Park in 2007?
It's also impossible to overlook Hall of Fame legends like Willie Nicklin (Topeka High) and Ken Bueltel (Hayden) or Randy Springs (Highland Park), who coached the Scots to a pair of state titles and a win in the only Grand State Tournament.
Current Seaman coach Craig Cox has three career boys basketball titles, including the first boys crown in school history this past season, while both Cox and Bob Bodenheimer won a pair of state championships at Shawnee Heights.
There are 11 candidates listed to pick from at https://linkto.run/p/2CHKQYK7 while readers also have the option of writing in a name.
Vote as many times as you wish, with the only requirement that eligible candidates must have been a head or assistant coach in Shawnee County at one of the county's 10 high schools.
Final selections will be based on reader vote as well as input from TSN contributors and current and past local sports media professionals.
Votes will be accepted through July 15 before TSN publishes our Best of the Best lists in July and August.
NEXT UP: Bowling (Poll will be posted on June 30).
Related Stories and Videos
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks, TopSports.news will recognize Shawnee County's all-time coaching greats in 14 sports as part of our Best of the Best project. Readers will have the opportunity to vote through July 15, with the Top 10 in all categories announced in July and August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best Women's Basketball Coach click on https://linkto.run/p/90HCOVC1 while email votes/nominations will be also accepted at
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There may not be a clearcut favorite when it comes down to picking the top women's high school basketball coach in Shawnee County history.
Loren Ziegler coached Silver Lake to five state girls basketball titles over three decades. [Silver Lake Schools]
Kevin Bordewick coached Washburn Rural to a second Class 6A state basketball and his ninth state title overall in the 2021-2022 season. [File photo/TSN]
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]
Hayden Hall of Famer Rick Strecker coached the Wildcats to three girls state basketball championships. [File photo/TSN]
Or to look at it another way, there's a whole bunch of favorites.
Former Silver Lake coach Loren Ziegler coached the Eagles to five state crowns over three decades, one of five former or current county coaches who have won multiple state championships.
Bill Annan coached Washburn Rural to three Class 6A state titles before going on to a long and continuing career at the Division I level while Rick Strecker coached Hayden to three 4A state titles and Mike Goehring (Topeka West) and Kevin Bordewick (Washburn Rural) have won two state titles.
Bordewick, who won his second basketball championship this past season, also served as an assistant coach on all three of Annan's title teams in addition to winning seven state volleyball titles.
There are 11 candidates listed to pick from at https://linkto.run/p/90HCOVC1 while readers also have the option of writing in a name.
Vote as many times as you wish, with the only requirement that eligible candidates must have coached as a head coach or assistant at one of the county's 10 high schools.
Final selections will be based on reader vote as well as input from TSN contributors and current and past local sports media professionals.
Votes will be accepted through July 15 before TSN publishes our Best of the Best lists in July and August.
NEXT UP: Men's basketball (ballot will be posted on June 29).
