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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Legendary Silver Lake coach CJ Hamilton has announced his retirement as a teacher and the Eagles' head football coach, ending a 47-year career as the winningest coach in Kansas high school football history.
C.J. Hamilton
Hamilton's retirement was announcted in a statement by the Silver Lake school district on Monday.
Hamilton started his coaching career in 1973, spent the 1977-78 seasons at Washburn University and returned to his alma mater in 1979.
Hamilton is continuing to recover from a leg injury that occurred during a farming accident two years ago and an injury that hampered his ability to fully engage in the Eagles' football program during the 2021 season.
“Coach Hamilton has impacted the lives of countless students and athletes over his tenure at Silver Lake,” Silver Lake superintendent Brad Womack said in Monday's statement. “He embodies everything it means to be a Silver Lake Eagle and the commitment he has made to our district and our community will be felt for generations to come.
:To say we are thankful for the time, effort and love coach Hamilton has given to our students and our community, doesn’t even begin to express the gratitude we have for him.”
Hamilton finishes his career at Silver Lake as the all-time winningest coach in school and state history with a 447-98 record.
Under Hamilton’s leadership, the Silver Lake football program has played for the state title 18 times, winning eight of those games.
The Eagles have played in the post season 40 of his 47 years and won the Mid-East League championship 39 times.
During his tenure, Hamilton also served as the baseball coach, first-ever softball coach in 1989 and the assistant coach to many different sports.
In addition to the many accomplishments on the field, Coach Hamilton also received the Coach Bill Snyder Family/Sunflower Chapter of the National Football Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award this past summer.
Hamilton is a member of the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
GIRLS
100 METERS
Reed, Highand Park 12.6
Nichols, Shawnee Heights 12.7
Rezac, Rossville 12.96
Benz, Shawnee Heights 13.06
Anderson, Shawnee Heights 13.15
Highland Park sophomore Victoria Reed is the Shawnee County leader in the girls 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
200 METERS
Reed, Highland Park 26.5
Rezac, Rossville 26.79
Fredrickson, Washburn Rural 27.29
Nichols, Shawnee Heights 27.1
Benz, Shawnee Heights 27.44
Rottinghaus, Shawnee Heights 27.2
400 METERS
Reed, Highland Park 59.98
Rottinghaus, Shawnee Heights 61.43 (61.3)
Becker, Seaman 63.37
Foster, Rossville 63.89
Fredrickson, Washburn Rural 64.0
800 METERS
Druse, Seaman 2:19.70
Ismert, Washburn Rural 2:32.5
Fink, Washburn Rural 2:32.6
Farmer, Silver Lake 2:35.17
Foster, Rossville 2:36.73
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news plans to compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2022 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
BOYS
100 METERS
Smith, Shawnee Heights 10.27
Reed, Highland Park 10.5
Richardson, Highland Park 10.5
Peoples, Topeka High 10.6
Lee, Topeka West 10.94
Highland Park junior Tre Richardson is the Shawnee County leader in the 200 and 400-meter dashes. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
200 METERS
Richardson, Highland Park 21.6
Smith, Shawnee Heights 21.8
January, Shawnee Heights 22.4
Renfro, Silver Lake 22.67
Schrickel, Hayden 23.18
400 METERS
Richardson, Highland Park 50.54
Blankenship, Topeka High 52.3
Newkirk, Hayden 53.31
January, Shawnee Heights 53.4
Stegman, Hayden 54.19
800 METERS
Newkirk, Hayden 1:57.99
B. Moore, Seaman 2:05.9
Esquibel, Shawnee Heights 2:07.0
Haddock, Washburn Rural 2:07.9
Wilson, Topeka West 2:08.88
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Emmerson Cope
EMMERSON COPE, Washburn Rural
Cope, a junior, had a big day last Tuesday as Washburn Rural took a 1-0, 8-1 Centennial League softball sweep over defending Class 6A state champion Topeka High. Cope posted a pair of complete-game pitching victories while recording a total of 15 strikeouts. At the plate Cope hit a pair of home runs and two doubles and knocked in four runs in the second game.
Jaycee Ginter
JAYCEE GINTER, Washburn University
Ginter, a sophomore pitcher/outfielder, helped the Ichabod softball team boost its winning streak to 16 straight games with weekend MIAA sweeps over Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State as the Ichabods improved to 36-11. Ginter boosted her pitching record to 23-3 with a pair of wins, including a 5-0 shutout victory over Pittsburg State. At the plate the former Shawnee Heights star and multi-time state champ had eight hits in the four games with five runs batted in.
Makinsey Jones
MAKINSEY JONES, Topeka West
A junior, Jones posted individual wins in the girls high jump and the triple jump in last Friday's Manhattan Invitational track and field meet. Jones won the high jump with a clearance of 5 foot, 4 inches and won the triple jump at 34-7. Jones is the Shawnee County leader in both events this spring.
Tanner Newkirk
TANNER NEWKIRK, Hayden
A senior, Newkirk broke the Hayden school record in the boys 1,600-meter run in last Wednesday's Little KU track and field meet at Lawrence, clocking a winning time of 4 minutes, 14.43 seconds. Newkirk also posted a second-place finish in the 800 meters, running a Shawnee County-best time of 1:57.99. Newkirk is the boys Shawnee County leader in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs.
Kinsey Perine
KINSEY PERINE, Rossville
Perine, a sophomore, hit three home runs in last Monday's 10-1, 9-8 doubleheader softball sweep over rival Silver Lake. Perine accounted for three of the Bulldawgs' six total homers on the day and also added a double for Rossville. The Bulldawgs finished the week with a sweep over St. Marys, improving to 12-0 on the season.
Alex Valdivia
ALEX VALDIVIA, Shawnee Heights
A junior, Valdivia captured the individual championship in last Monday's United Kansas Conference tournament at Lake Shawnee, carding an 18-hole score of 69. Valdivia led the way as Shawnee Heights won the team championship by a 18-stroke margin over runner-up De Soto. Valdivia is a returning All-Shawnee County pick and Class 5A individual state medalist.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University baseball hit a pair of doubles in the top of the ninth to take its first lead of Saturday's game and then closed it out with a double play to capture the come-from-behind 2-1 MIAA win at Emporia State.
The Ichabods (27-14, 17-10 MIAA) have now won six of their nine MIAA series this season.
Tyler Clark-Chiapparelli delivered a game-winning double in Washburn's 2-1 win at Emporia State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Hornets (16-25, 10-17 MIAA) made some noise in their first at bat and had runners on second and third, but Washburn starter John Cross escaped the inning with back-to-back strikeouts.
ESU threatened again in the bottom of the third as the first three batters reached base with two singles and a hit by pitch. Cross struck out the next two batters on three straight pitches and got out of the inning unscathed with a third consecutive strikeout.
The first run of the game was scored in the fifth by the Hornets. ESU hit a one-out triple and then loaded the bases with a hit by pitch and walk and plated a run on a sacrifice fly.
Washburn Rural product Dalton Huggins took over on the mound and on the first pitch ended the inning with a flyout.
After retiring the Hornets in order in the bottom of the sixth, the Ichabods got things going in the seventh.
Brett Ingram recorded Washburn's first hit of the day with a single to left field and then advanced to second on an error.
With two outs, Tyler Clark-Chiapparelli drew a walk and Easton Brucehit a bloop single that dropped in shallow left field, allowing Ingram to score the tying run.
The Washburn defense turned its second double play of the afternoon with a 3-6-3 double play and Huggins wrapped up the seventh with a strikeout.
With the game still knotted up at one run apiece, Huggins kept it there in the bottom of the eighth with a 1-2-3 inning that included two strikeouts.
In the top of the ninth, Ingram ripped a one-out double down the left field line to get a runner in scoring position.
After recording the second out of the frame, Emporia State's starter, Noah Geekie, was pulled to face Clark-Chiapparelli. On the seventh pitch of his at bat, Clark-Chiapparelli hit a double of his own to left center to drive in the go-ahead run.
Rane Pfeifer was called on to close the game and got a groundout for the first out. The Hornets got a man on with a bunt single, but it was quickly erased with a game-ending 4-6-3 double play, Washburn's third double play of the afternoon.
Emporia State out hit Washburn, 8-4, as the Ichabods did not get a hit until the seventh. Ingram went 2 for 4 and scored both of Washburn's runs. Clark-Chiapparelli had a double, walk and RBI.
Cross received a no-decision in his first start of the year as he went 42/3 innings and allowed one run on six hits with two walks and a season-high seven strikeouts.
Huggins (3-0) earned the win as he worked 31/3 scoreless innings and surrendered only one single while striking out four. Pfeifer threw nine pitches in the ninth and received his first save of the year.
The Ichabods are scheduled to play at Northwest Missouri for a non-conference game on Tuesday afternoon before heading to Rogers State next weekend, April 22-24.
