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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Longtime Silver Lake volleyball coach Sarah Johnson doesn't sit around counting victories.
Silver Lake volleyball coach Sarah Johnson watches her Eagles during last Thursday's quadrangular at Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
If she did, Johnson probably wouldn't consistently put together one of the state's toughest schedules for her Class 3A Eagles.
"I talk to the girls about that,'' Johnson said. "We've got to get uncomfortable so we're comfortable in uncomfortable situations in game time.''
Throughout her tenure at Silver Lake, the only head coaching job she's ever held, Johnson has loaded up with Class 6A, 5A and 4A opponents, figuring those tests will help get the Eagles ready for crunch time.
"I love playing these high caliber girls and great coaches and schools,'' Johnson said after Silver Lake faced reigning 5A state champion Seaman, former 6A champ Manhattan and former 5A champ Shawnee Heights last Thursday at Seaman.
"It gets us in those crummy situations and we've got to figure it out early in the season so we know how to handle it come sub-state, state time.''
It's an approach that's made Johnson one of the state's most successful coaches and the Eagles one of the state's most successful programs over her 17-year tenure.
Despite the perennially challenging schedule, Johnson surpassed the 500-win career milestone with last Tuesday night’s home Big East League sweep of Jefferson West and Hiawatha while Silver Lake has won 3A championships in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018 during her tenure while making nine state appearances.
And being ready for postseason has always been more of priority for Johnson than having a glossy regular-season record.
"I feel like we're shifting with KSHSAA with how we're setting up postseason,'' Johnson said. "We're changing things this year. We're taking baby steps to hopefully get to a better postseason format but until then give me all the losses you can. I don't care because it's going to make us a better team and we're going to be able to finish strong at the end of the season.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University football took No. 5-ranked Colorado School of Mines down to the final seconds Saturday in a 31-28 loss at Yager Stadium.
Highland Park product Tre Richardson had 168 all-purpose yards, including an 85-yard touchdown reception, in Washburn's 31-28 loss to No. 5-ranked Colorado School of Mines on Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
And while the loss was tough to take for the 0-2 Ichabods, WU coach Craig Schurig felt like his team took major steps from its season-opening loss to Emporia State.
"I felt like we were more consistent on the offensive side of the ball,'' Schurig said. "We got a nice running game going and we got the ball in the hands of people who can do something with it and had some other near misses, too.
"I thought we showed some resiliency and we're dangerous if we can get some first downs and keep getting touches to guys. We saw that, and we didn't get enough points but we moved the ball much better and more consistently and defensively we toughened up when we had to and that was good to see. We gave ourselves a chance.''
WU quarterback Hayden Clark agreed.
"It was a close game,'' Clark said. "That's a good team and we played better than we did last week. We're improving each week and we've just got to connect on the little things and it will just make a big difference. This was a 3-point difference game.''
The Ichabods trailed 24-21 at the half after the Orediggers, the national runnerup the past two seasons, connected on a 47-yard field goal from Matthew Eich as time expired in the second quarter.
Colorado School of Mines went up 31-21 with a nine-play 80-yard drive in the third quarter but Washburn got back in the hunt with 10:43 left to play on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Keller Hurla to Maury Sullivan.
The Orediggers advanced the ball into Washburn territory on its ensuing possession but the drive stalled on a fourth-down pass incompletion, with Braylon Alexander breaking up the attempt.
Washburn was forced to punt the ball back away with 3:28 left in the game and CSM picked up one first down before being forced to punt after Jordan Finnesy and C.J. Callaghan combined to make a stop on a 3rd-and-3 play for only a 1-yard gain.
The Ichabods took over on their own 19 and moved the ball into Oredigger territory with a pair of 20-yard-plus passes from Clark to Keller and Sullivan.
A key play came when Clark connected with Sullivan for what potentially could have been the game-winning TD after the Orediggers jumped offsides, but the officials blew the play dead before the score.
"He said if (the defender's) unabated they try to protect the quarterback,'' Schurig said. "But we would have liked for it not to be (blown dead). You do the hard count, you want them to jump, you want the free play. Every offense has it, but (the official) felt like he was unabated.''
With time running out, the Ichabods' Trenton Brehm attempted a 44-yard field goal attempt which came up low and short and the Orediggers were able to take a kneel down on the final play to close out the victory.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park improved to 2-0 overall and in the Meadowlark Conference with a 42-0 road rout over Kansas City-Sumner Friday night.
Scot junior quarterback Dontrail Fox went 9 of 16 in the passing game for 112 yards and three touchdowns while Highland Park rushed for 231 yards on 37 attempts as sophomore G'honi Montgomery picked up 78 yards on 15 attemps and senior Jamon Wilson gaining 75 yards on nine carries.
Highland Park senior Jamon Wilson had 151 rushing and receiving yards and returned a punt 59 yards for a TD in the Scots' 42-0 win over KC-Sumner. [File photo/TSN]
Wilson caught seven passes for 76 yards and also returned a punt return for a 59-yard touchdown, one of three punt-return TDs for the Scots.
Highland Park also got an 80-yard punt return from senior CJ Brown and a 23-yard score from junior Genesis Cooper.
Senior Ricky Crawford led the Highland Park with nine tackles, including five solo stops.
Highland Park will be back on the road next Friday against Meadowlark Conference foe KC-Schlagle.
SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 35, SEAMAN 7 -- Seaman (1-1) and Shawnee Mission East (1-1) were tied at 7-7 before the Lancers took control of the non-league contest with the final 28 points of the night.
Seaman scored its lone touchdown on a touchdown pass from quarterback Max Huston to Kaden McKinney.
The Vikings will play their home opener next Friday, hosting Topeka West in a United Kansas Conference contest.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman junior Brody Anderson is in just his second year of high school cross country after opting to play soccer as a freshman.
But while you could make a case that another year of cross country might have sped up Anderson's development in the sport, the Viking standout doesn't regret that decision in the least.
Seaman junior Brody Anderson (276) won the individual title in Saturday's Joe Schrag Invitational, his second straight win to open the 2024 season. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I'm honestly kind of glad that I didn't (run as a freshman),'' Anderson said. "I'm glad I played soccer because it made me realize that I didn't love it as much and when track rolled around I was like, 'I've got something good and I'd like to build on it.' ''
Late start of not, Anderson has already carved out an impressive career for the Vikings, setting a five-kilometer school record and running in the Class 5A state meet last fall and opening the 2024 season with back-to-back individual titles.
After winning last week at Manhattan, Anderson followed that up with a 21-second win in Saturday's Joe Schrag Invitational at Kanza Park, clocking a five-kilometer time of 15 minutes, 17.05 seconds.
"It's been really fun and all the work and practices have been hard, difficult and you just go out and kill the workouts,'' Anderson said. "It's great to have everything pay off here in my races, and I just try to be the best I can be.''
Now Anderson just wants to build on his fast start.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After opening her junior cross country season with the fourth-fastest five-kilometer time in Kansas history last week at Manhattan, Seaman star Ryin Miller set her sights on a higher goal in Saturday's Joe Schrag Invitational at Kanza Park -- the state record.
Seaman junior cross country star Ryin Miller moved into the top spot on Kansas' all-time five-kilometer list in Saturday's Joe Schrag Invitational with a time of 16:32.62. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Miller then went out and shattered that mark by more than 13 seconds in a blazing time of 16 minutes, 32.62 seconds while winning her third straight Schrag Invitational title by 2 minutes, 28 seconds.
With Saturday's performance Miller moved past one of the most accomplished runners in Kansas history, former Girard superstar Cailie Logue of Girard, who clocked a time of 16:45.75 at Baldwin in 2016 before going on to earn multiple All-American honors and Big 12 Conference titles for Iowa State.
Miller said she upgraded her goals after eclipsing the 17-minutes mark for the first time in her career at Manhattan's Warner Park to taking a run at Logue's record on a Kanza Park course that is regarded as one of the state's faster layouts.
"It definitely became a goal today,'' Miller said. "I'm trying to enjoy it now because I know that Twilight's still tonight (in Olathe) so it could easily go down tonight but it was definitely a goal. That was on my mind for sure.''
As it turned out, Miller's record time easily held up, with Salina Central stars Katelyn Rupe and Kaylie Shultz, who finished ahead of Miler in the 2023 Class 5A state meet, finishing one-two in the Twilight event in 16:52.70 and 17:28.50.
Saturday's Schrag race was Miller's from the opening gun, with Miller jumping out to an early lead and steadily building on it the rest of the way, with junior Eva Garlich of Lee's Summit West a distant runnerup in 19:13.87.
"The goal was just to get after it,'' Miller said. "I wanted a fast mile and obviously you've just got to race the middle and then I knew the last mile was going to hurt but you've just got to push through and that was kind of the plan, to go out hard and try to keep it.''
While Miller entered Saturday thinking about Logue's mark, veteran Seaman coach Rick Brading said he and Miller didn't discuss it.
