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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
How successful was the 2021-22 sports year for Shawnee County high schools? Good enough that girls and boys individuals/teams deserve their own lists.
First up is TopSports.news' look at the county girls year in review, which will be followed by a look at the boys successes of the past year.
Shawnee County schools claimed three state girls team championships and several others came up just short while 10 county standouts claimed individual titles in four different sports.
While a case can always be made for any number of stories to sit at the top of the list, here's one opinion on the Top 10 Shawnee County girls prep stories of '21-'22:
Topeka High celebrates its second straight Class 6A state softball title after last Friday's 2-1 win over Washburn Rural. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
1. TROJAN RERUN -- After claiming the school's first Class 6A state softball championship in 2021, Topeka High made it two titles in a row last Friday against a familiar foe, with the Trojans edging past city and Centennial League rival Washburn Rural, 2-1, in the championship game. After leading High to a perfect 25-0 record as a junior, Stanford signee NiJaree Canady came up big again in the pitching circle and at the plate last weekend, leading the Trojans to the title.
Washburn Rural won its second Class 6A state basketball championship since 2019, taking a 40-23 win over Derby in the state final. [Submitted]
2. RURAL RULES -- Washburn Rural's girls basketball team celebrated a 6A state championship for the second time since 2019, completing a 23-2 season with a 40-23 romp past Derby in the state final at Wichita State's Koch Arena. And while the basketball crown was the lone title for the Lady Blues in '21-'22, they threatened in sport after sport, finishing second in the state in golf, soccer, wrestling and softball and turning in strong cross country, volleyball and bowling campaigns.
Topeka West junior Kadence Jeffries ended her high school swimming career with a sweep of the Class 5A-1A 200 and 500 freestyle events for the third straight season. [File photo/TSN]
3. CHARGER IN CHARGE -- The only thing that stopped Topeka West swimming star Kadence Jeffries during a dominating high school career was COVID-19. After sweeping the 200-yard freestyle and 500 free Class 5A-1A state titles as a freshman, Jeffries had her sophomore season wiped out by the pandemic beore returning to sweep the same two events as both a junior and senior to complete a six for six performance in state individual events. Seaman sophomore Avery Walz joined Jeffries as a 5A-1A state champ this past season, winning the 100-yard breaststroke and earning four state medals overall as the Vikings finished fourth as a team.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NiJAREE CANADY, Topeka High
Canady starred in the pitching circle and at the plate in the Class 6A state softball tournament, ending her high school career with a second straight state championship. The Stanford signee pitched in all three games for the 22-3 Trojans, including a complete-game four-hitter in the Trojans' 2-1 victory over city rival Washburn Rural in last Friday's state championship game. Canady had a home run and a double in the Trojans' 9-0 semifinal win over Wichita Northwest.
Adisyn Caryl
ADISYN CARYL, Topeka High
A junior, Caryl helped lead Topeka High to its second straight Class 6A state softball championship. Caryl had six hits in the state tournament, including two doubles and a home run, as the Trojans capped a 22-3 season with a 2-1 victory over Washburn Rural in last Friday's championship game. Caryl advanced to state in three sports -- tennis, basketball and softball -- for the second straight year and is a three-time state qualifier in tennis and basketball.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Tanner Newkirk's performance in last weekend's state track and field championships may not have been the best ever.
Affter all, there have now been 111 boys and 50 girls state meets contested in Kansas, with many of the greatest athletes in state history putting their talents on display.
Hayden senior Tanner Newkirk finishes off his victory in Saturday's Class 4A 1,600 meters at Cessna Stadium, setting his second 4A state-meet record. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Hayden senior Tanner Newkirk begins his final lap of the Class 4A 800 meters Saturday at Cessna Stadium. Newkirk won the event in 1:55.00, his third state title of the state meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But there's no doubt that the Hayden senior superstar left an indelible mark on the state meet, which was his goal in only his second and final state appearance.
The Kansas signee won all three of his individual events en route to pulling off the distance triple while setting a pair of Class 4A state meet records and adding a fourth state medal in a relay.
"I feel like in my career before this year there was a little something missing,'' Newkirk said. "I mean one state title and no track titles, so I wanted to come out here and just show people what I'm made of off this track season and just end it with a bang. I've been on a really good roll this track season and I'm really happy to end it off in this way.''
After earning a pair of state medals as a freshman, Newkirk missed his sophomore track season due to COVID-19 and was forced to pull out of the state meet the day of the meet his junior season with an injury.
"Last year thinking about it feels really bad, but now it's a great comeback story, really,'' Newkirk said. "It really added to the hunger that I had for this meet.
"It just feels so good after not being able to run her last year to make my legacy what it really should be and show everyone that I really am a great runner.''
Newkirk set the tone for his huge weekend in Friday's meet-opening 3,200-meter run when he steadily pulled away for a decisive win in 8 minutes, 58.88. seconds, moving to No. 5 all-time in Kansas in the event and demolishing the 4A state meet record by nearly 27 seconds.
After running an impressive 1:57 split Saturday morning to help Hayden post a fifth-place finish in the 4 x 800 relay (8:30.60), Newkirk added another dominating, state-meet record performance in the 1,600 in 4:12.25 before finishing off his individual sweep with a gutsy win in the 800 late Saturday afternoon in 1:55.00 -- Newkirk's fourth race between 800 and 3,200 meters in approximately 34 hours.
"I was definitely tired, but when you get out there in the adrenalin I felt good and I knew this triple crown was going to be a really special thing that kind of added to my legacy, so I really wanted to go get it,'' Newkirk said. "I was hurting after the first lap but I think that was a really fast second lap so I was really happy that I was able to do that and come away with (the triple).''
Newkirk was overcome with joy after the 800 but said he was also overcome with relief after finishing what he set out to do.
"I'm really relieved,'' Newkirk said. "I'm more relieved than anything to be done for the weekend.
"You've got one more race left and nothing to lose and really not too much expectations. I tried not to get too nervous because there's really nothing you can do about it when you're in my position, but I was like, 'Last race, give it all you got and let's end it on a win. You don't want to end it on a loss.' ''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Highland Park junior multi-sport star Tre Richardson will probably never love track and field, but it is the sport that brought him his first state championship.
After a near miss in the Class 5A triple jump earlier in the day, Richardson took no chances in Saturday's 200-meter dash, winning in 22.32 seconds to earn his third state medal of the weekend.
Highland Park junior Tre Richardson crosses the finish line with the Class 5A state championship in the 200-meter dash Saturday at Cessna Stadium. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Highland Park junior Tre Richardson soared to a second-place finish in the Class 5A triple jump Saturday at Cessna Stadium. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Richardson won the 200 after finishing second in the triple jump Saturday and finishing fifth in the long jump on Friday.
Not bad for a sport he's not particularly fond of.
"Everybody knows I don't like track,'' Richardson said. "I do it because I know I'm good at it and it's good to see people watch me run and cheering, but I strongly dislike track.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- For the second straight season Seaman junior Bethany Druse was stuck inside in Lane 1 to start Saturday's Class 5A 800 meters race.
This time Druse stayed in the same spot, jumping out to an early lead en route to her first state championship, clocking a time of 2:19.00 to post a 1.6 second-win over Spring Hill's Vienna Lahner.
Seaman junior Bethany Druse takes command early in the Class 5A girls 800 meters Saturday on the way to the state title in 2:19.00. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"Last year I got boxed in and I was in lLne 1,'' said Druse, who had finished fifth. "So when I found out I was Lane 1 this year I saw it as a second chance. My goal was to get out fast and stay fast, and I believe I did that.''
