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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's girls have put together a banner 2021 cross country season, and an even more impressive October.
On Saturday at the 4 Mile Creek Resort in Augusta, the Junior Blues will be aiming to end the year with a bang in the Class 6A state meet.
Rural's girls have been on a roll, including a sweep of city, Centennial League and regional team titles and four straight 1-2-3 individual finishes from junior Madeline Carter, senior Khloi Bird and freshman Payton Fink.
But Rural faces an even bigger challege on Saturday in the 12 p.m. 6A girls race, but coach Matt Swedlund believes his Junior Blues are up to the task and can challege for a top-three team finish.
"Olathe West is a very good team,'' Swedlund said. "On paper it is hard to find a way to beat them. Of course, the race isn't run on paper; we always approach races knowing everyone is beatable. Olathe North, Blue Valley Northwest and Manhattan are all good teams. We believe we will be competitive with these schools in the battle for a podium spot.
"There are several very good teams in 6A and we are one of them. Our girls have had a lot of success over the past five weeks but the competition at the state meet is obviously “next level.” We are prepared and ready to run our best race. I believe if we do that, we’ll give ourselves a great chance to be on the podium.''
Washburn Rural's Madeline Carter (left), Khloi Bird and Payton Fink have posted a 1-2-3 individual finish in four straight meets entering Saturday's state meet. [File photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Carter also ranks as a top contender individually after putting together a string of individual wins this fall and earning an eighth- place finish in the 2020 state meet.
"Madeline has really been running strong this season, which is giving her a ton of confidence going into the state meet,'' Swedlund said. "She is going to go out and put herself and her team in the best possible position to be successful.''
Washburn Rural also qualified as a team for the 10:40 a.m. 6A boys race, finishing third in last week's 6A regional meet at Milford State Park as senior Alex Holmes finished third individually and sophomore John Hayden Keller sixth to pace the Junior Bljues.
Topeka High junior Michael Christopher earned a state berth as an individual with a 21st-place finish.
NEWKIRK LOOKING TO REPEAT IN 4A
Hayden senior star Tanner Newkirk will be looking for a fouth straight state medal and a second straight title in Saturday's 11:20 a.m. 4A boys race at Wamego Country Club.
Newkirk is coming off a dominating win in last week's 4A regional meet at the Kanza Park Course, winning by 54 seconds in a five-kilometer time of 15 minutes, 16.67 seconds to lead Hayden to a second-place team finish and a state team berth.
Hayden senior Tanner Newkirk posted a 54-second win in last Saturday's Class 4A regional cross country meet and will be looking to win a second straight state title on Saturday. [File photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I think I'm in my best shape of the season and the work has obviously paid off,'' Newkirk said after his regional win. "(Saturday) I felt really good and I was able to come out here and do really well.''
Now Newkirk will be looking for another big day in his final state meet.
"I'm really excited, I'm ecstatic,'' he said. "I'm looking to maybe set the course record and just run a really fast last cross country race.''
Sophomore Aiden Amis added an eighth-place individual finish for the Wildcats at regionals while senior Ryan Rochford narrowly missed a top-10 finish, taking 12th.
Hayden also qualified its girls team for state with a third-place regional finish, led by freshman Elliot Wrench's runner-up individual finish.
The Wildcats also got a 10th-place finish from sophomore Elaina Wolff.
The 4A girls race is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.
Hayden is one of the most successful cross country programs in 4A history, with the Wildcat girls winning seven state team titles and the Hayden boys winning five state championships. Hayden's boys also won a 3A title.
SEAMAN GIRLS, T-BIRD DUO CHASING TOP 5A FINISHES
Coming off strong regional performances last week at the Kanza Park course, Seaman's girls team and Shawnee Heights boys standouts Kory Sutton and Jackson Esquibel lead the city contingent into Saturday's state meet at 4 Mile Creek Resort.
Rick Brading's Seaman girls have been strong all season and are coming off a perfect team score at regionals en route to a 15-77 win over Leavenworth.
Junior Bethany Druse, ninth at state as a sophomore, led the way for the Vikings with a runner-up individual finish while freshmen Joslynn Grace and Stella Appelhanz finished third and fourth followed by senior Emma Schultz in fifth and freshman Anna Becker in sixth to round ouf Seaman's top five.
Now the Vikings will be shooting for a top-three finish at state.
"We think we've got a shot at a trophy,'' Brading said. "That's where we feel like we're at. I think you've got Mill Valley and Aquinas and St. James and us and St. James are very similar. It will be exciting.''
Seaman junior Bethany Druse finished second individually as the Vikings posted a perfect team score in last Saturday's Class 5A regional meet. [File photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Shawnee Heights junior Kory Sutton (right) and T-Bird sophomore Jackson Esquibel are coming off a 1-2 Class 5A regional finish entering Saturday's state meet. [File photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Shawnee Heights' Sutton, a junior, and Esquibel, a sophomore, appear to be strong contenders for high state finishes in the boys race after going 1-2 at regionals to lead the T-Birds to a second-place team finish.
Heights also got an 11th-place finish from junior Andrew Emerson.
Seaman's boys earned the final team berth for state with a third-place finish.
Senior standout Jace Moore led the Vikings, finishing fourth individually, while Seaman used a pack finish of 13-14-15-16 to earn its team berth.
Topeka West had a pair of individual state qualifiers, with senior Anna Phelps placing 10th in the girls race while senior Louis Wilson finished eighth in the boys race.
The 5A girls race is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, with the boys race set for 11:20 a.m.
LIONS SENDING BOYS, GIRLS TEAMS TO 1A STATE
Cair Paravel Latin will be represented by both its boys and girls teams in Saturday's 1A state meet at the Sand Plum Nature Trail in Victoria.
The Lion boys qualified for state with a third-place regional finish at Centrailia, just six points out of first, while Cair Paravel's girls also finished third at regionals.
Junior Jonah Eckert and senior Blake Reynolds placed 10th and 11th for the Cair Paravel boys at regionals while senior Zach Clark finished 16th.
Freshman Zahra Lewis finished 10th to lead the Cair Paravel girls while sophomore Katherine Keys placed 14th and senior Jaley Barkley 19th.
The 1A boys race is set for a 10:40 a.m. start, with the girls to follow at noon.
FOSTER, TENEYCK EARN 3A STATE BERTHS
Rossville junior Amelia Foster and Silver Lake senior Cameron TenEyck earned individual state berths for Saturday's 3A state meet at Wamego Country Club out of the highly-competitive Sabetha regional.
TenEyck, who placed sixth at state a year ago, posted a third-place individual finist at regionals while Foster punched her ticket to the state meet with an eighth-place finish regional finish.
The 3A boys is scheduled for 10:40 a.m. Saturday, with the girls race to follow at noon.
SHAWNEE COUNTY STATE XC QUALIFIERS
Class 6A
Topeka High -- Boys: Michael Christopher, jr.
Washburn Rural -- Girls: Khloi Bird, sr.; Madeline Carter, jr.;Payton Fink, fr.; Christine Gutierrez, jr.; Rylee Ismert, fr.; Sydney Laster, so.; Brooklyn Nolte, fr. Boys: Easton Dial, jr.; Grayson Fink, jr.; Spencer Haddock, sr.; Alex Holmes, sr.; Davin Johnson, jr.; John Hayden Keller, so.; Ishaan Patel, sr.
Class 5A
Seaman -- Girls: Stella Appelhanz, fr.; Anna Becker, fr.; Bethany Druse, jr.; Joslynn Grace, fr.; Brooke Polter, so.; Emma Schultz, sr.; Leah Spurlock, so. Boys: Anson Appelhanz, sr.; Ryan Buckley, sr.; Zach Jowers, jr.; Jace Moore, sr.; Alexander Newell, fr.; Landon Stuke, jr.; Adrian Swaim, so.
Shawnee Heights -- Boys: Stephen Carter, fr.; Mason Deitcher, so.; Andrew Emerson, jr.; Jackson Esquibel, so.; Alex Lehmann, sr.; Landon Staniec, so.; Kory Sutton, jr.
Topeka West -- Girls: Anna Phelps, sr. Boys: Louis Wilson, sr.
Class 4A
Hayden -- Girls: Catherine Doyle, jr.; Hayden Haas, jr.; Ryann Newkirk, fr.; Riley Schmidtlein, sr.; Elaina Wolff, so.; Elliot Wrench, fr. Boys: Aiden Amis, so.; Nick Lloyd, jr.; Zach Moore, so.; Jake Muller, jr.; Tanner Newkirk, sr.; Nick Padilla, sr.; Ryan Rochford, sr.
Class 3A
Rossville -- Girls: Amelia Foster, jr.
Silver Lake -- Boys: Cameron TenEyck, sr.
Class 1A
Cair Paravel Latin -- Girls: Jaley Barkley, sr.; Amelia Bowling, so.; Katherine Keys, so.; Zahra Lewis, fr.; Cecilia Richards, fr. Boys: Jacob Bowling, sr.; Zach Clark, sr.; Jonah Eckert, jr.; James Keys, sr.; Bryson Leon, fr.; Blake Reynolds, sr.; Nathan Walker, sr.
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
The message was clear from Shawnee Heights soccer coach Nic Simons, that he couldn’t be prouder of the fight the T-Birds put up this fall.
This year’s Heights team posted the best regular-season record in school history, won the United Kansas Conference championship and was able to have the opportunity to chase a state title.
Although the T-Birds' season ended with Thursday's 5-0 loss to perennial state power St. Thomas Aquinas at the Bettis Family Sports Complex, Simons made sure his team didn’t get discouraged.
”I’ve said it numerous times to anyone who would listen, this is a special group,'' Simons said. "We’ve played through a lot of adversity.''.
Shawnee Heights' soccer team, 15-3 on the year, leaves the field Thursday night after a 5-0 regional loss to perennial state power St. Thomas Aquinas. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
With injuries and a tough schedule, the T-Birds still managed to have an extraordinary amount of success.
“This isn’t an excuse, but not one game this year did we have all eleven starters. With all of that, their accomplishments are amazing,'' Simons remarked.
The Saints and Thunderbirds were both playing against Mother Nature on Thursday as a rainstorm, cold weather and high winds didn't help either team.
In the first half, Heights limited the Saints to one goal, while Isaac Wilson, Jake Loy and Jordan Garvin had terrific performances in the first half.
In the second half, St. Thomas Aquinas went on a roll. In the first 10 minutes of the second half, Aquinas kicked in one goal that would give the Saints momentum.
The momentum carried by the Saints would lead to three more goals.
“If they (St. Thomas Aquinas) aren’t in the state championship, I’d be surprised,'' Simons said. "Coach (Craig) Ewing has conditioned those guys very well.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No matter how talented a soccer team is or how good its record is, there's almost always going to be at least one postseason game where that team is going to have to dig deep to keep their season going.
Thursday was one of those games for undefeated Washburn Rural, with the Junior Blues advancing to next Tuesday's Class 6A state quarterfinals with a 1-0 win over Wichita East in a 6A regional final on a cold, rainy, windy night at McElroy Field.
"Like I just told them, in every playoff run there are tough games,'' Washburn Rural coach Brian Hensyel said. "Once you get past the first round the games are going to be tight and everybody who's left has found ways to win games.
"We expected a tough game today and we're just glad to advance. We didn't play our best but we played good enough to win.''
Washburn Rural soccer coach Brian Hensyel talks to his Junior Blues after Thursday's 1-0 win over Wichita East in a regional final. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
After a scoreless first half the 17-0-0 Junior Blues got the only goal of the night on an own goal off a corner kick from sophomore Benett Hallauer early in the second half.
"Wichita East is a great program,'' Hensyel said. "Last year we had to beat an undefeated Wichita East in the quarters and we had a really tough game with them here three years ago, so they're a traditional team who's used to winning and we knew they'd come in here and play well,
"They had a good plan to kind of lock in on defense and I didn't think we played great in the first half. We didn't have much energy in the first half. The second half against the wind was outstanding. We moved the ball pretty well and created a set play and got a goal off of it.''
While scoring opportunities were limited for Washburn Rural they were basically nil for Wichita East, which finished its season 9-8-1.
"The best part was when the wind picked up and the pressure was on, our defense didn't allow a shot basically the entire game,'' Hensyel said. "We basically, in terrible conditions, didn't give a team a shot and that's pretty tough to do.''
Senior Wyatt Arnold posted the shutout in goal for the Junior Blues.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Now in his 21st season as a high school soccer coach, Hayden's Klaus Kreutzer has seen all kinds of weather conditions.
But on the misery scale, Kreutzer couldn't remember many days that rivaled Thursday's conditions at the Sunflower Soccer Complex for the Class 4A-1A regional final between the Wildcats and Independence.
Moar of the game was played in a driving rain, with a 14-mile-per-hour wind and the temperature hovering around the 50-degree mark.
Fortunately for the Wildcats, they made the most of the awful conditions, advancing to next Tuesday's state quarterfinals with a 4-0 win over the Bulldogs.
"I'd say today was in the top two,'' Kreutzer said when asked to rate the worst conditions his teams have played in. "We gave (Independence) the opportunity to not play, but they're on fall break and everybody was going someplace so they wanted to just play and get it done with.''
Hayden scored all four of its goals in the first half to put the game away and with the win safely tucked away, Kreutzer said it was probably good to get the game in the books.
"Now we'll have a few days rest and some time to recup,'' Kreutzer said.
Hayden's soccer team celebrates Thursday's 4-0 win over Independence in a Class 4A-1A regional final. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Pushed to penalty kicks in Monday's 1-0 regional win over Cair Paravel Latin, Hayden took care of business early against Independence.
"That was pretty important and that's why I took the wind, simply for a confidence factor and just feeling a little bit better'' Kreutzer said. "It was big for us and you could tell it lifted everybody up.''
Junior Chris Hayes scored the only goal the 13-5-0 Wildcats would need early in the game and junior Jake Muller followed with a second goal shortly thereafter.
Later in the half Hayes added a second goal before junior Nick Padilla ended Hayden's scoring.
"It was very important to boost our confidence and relieve the pressure off our defense,'' Hayes said of Hayden's quick start.
Senior goalkeeper Gabe Rankey picked up the shutout in goal, coming up with a couple of key second-half saves.
"We always trust Gabe back in the net because he's such a good goalie and we have faith in him,'' Hayes said. "He's the backbone of our team.''
And like Kreutzer, Hayes was happy to put Thursday's game behind him.
"I told (coach) that this was one of the most miserable games I've that I've played in my life, but hey, it was fun so that's all I can ask for,'' Hayes said.
The state quarterfinal pairings will be determined after the conclusion of all the regional finals.
HAYDEN 4, INDEPENDENCE 0
Independence (11-5-2) 0 0 -- 0
Hayden (13-5-0) 4 0 -- 4
Hayden -- Goals: Chris Hayes 2, Jake Muller, Nick Padilla. Shutout: Gabe Rankey.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's volleyball team knows that its perfect 38-0 record and No. 8 national ranking won't mean a whole lot to opponents once the Junior Blues step on the court this weekend for the Class 6A state tournament at Tony's Pizza Events Center in Salina.
But the Junior Blues are also confident that if they perform at the level they have all season they're going to be hard to beat.
And after close calls the past two seasons -- a runner-up finish in 2019 and a third-place showing a year ago -- Rural is bound to be highly-motivated to get the job done this time around.
"We all have been working so hard for it, so we're definitely so motivated this year because we have an amazing team and we just know that if we play our best, then really no team can stand with us,'' Washburn Rural junior star Brooklyn DeLeye said.
Washburn Rural's volleyball team will take a 38-0 record and No. 8 national ranking into this weekend's Class 6A state tournament at Salina. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
On the flip side, veteran Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said there are several teams in the talented 6A field capable of knocking off the Junior Blues "if we don't show up and play the way we should.''
Washburn Rural, which will be shooting for the eighth state title in program history, dominated last Saturday's sub-state tournament at Rural, taking a 25-10, 25-10 win over city rival Topeka High in the semifinals before winning the championship with a 25-5, 25-9 win over Garden City.
Rural is the No. 1 seed for the state tournament and will open its state bid at 4:30 p.m. Friday with a Pool I match against No. 8 seed Olathe Northwest (24-11), which took a three-set semifinal win over the Junior Blues a year ago on the way to a second-place finish.
The Junior Blues will then face No. 5 seed Shawnee Mission Northwest (31-8) at 6:30 p.m. before closing out pool play with an 8:30 match against No. 4 seed Hutchinson (33-5).
Wichita Northwest is the No. 2 seed at 39-1 and is in Pool II along with No. 6 seed and defending state champ Blue Valley West (28-9), No. 3 seed Blue Valley North (35-2) and No. 7 seed Free State (24-9).
"I really think Blue Valley North and Blue Valley West are very good and Olathe Northwest has been playing really well right now, and then kind of the sleeper is Shawnee Mission Northwest,'' Bordewick said.
DeLeye and fellow junior Taylor Russell have played key roles for Rural in the state tournament the past two two seasons while senior Katelynn Brogan, junior Katie Borough and sophomores Zoe Canfield and Jada Ingram are also battle-tested at state.
Washburn Rural has posted wins this season over four of the other seven schools in the state field.
The top two finishers in both pools will advance to 1 p.m. semifinals on Saturday, followed by the championship and third-place matches.
CLASS 6A STATE VOLLEYBALL
At Tony's Pizza Events Center, Salina
