- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's nationally-ranked volleyball team completed a 36-0 reguar season Saturday, posting a 4-0 record to capture the championship in the Emporia Invitational.
Now the real work begins.
"That's exactly what we talked about, that this doesn't mean anything, really, because the reason you play the regular season is to get ready for the postseason because that's what people remember,'' Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said.
"We're only worried about practice on Monday, getting better at some thing on Monday.''
Washburn Rural, currently No. 8 in the AVCA/USA Today national rankings, cruised through the Emporia tournament, posting wins over Maize (25-8, 25-15), Lawrence (25-11, 25-11) and Free State (25-21, 25-14) before clinching the championship with a 25-10, 25-14 win over host Emporia.
Washburn Rural's volleyball team congratulates senior McKenna Schuler (12) after a kill in Saturday's Emporia Invitational. The Junior Blues went 4-0 in the tournament to complete a 36-0 regular season. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But as good as the Junior Blues have been in recording the first perfect regular season in Bordewick's 27 years as Rural's coach, he firmly believes his team can still reach another level.
"I do, and they think that, too,'' Bordewick said. "They know that they can play better. We gave up too many easy points. We can sharpen some things up.
"We're not striving for perfection, but we want to be excellent in what we do and we've got another gear or two. I know we do.''
As it has all season, Rural got a big performance Saturday from juniors Brooklyn DeLeye and Taylor Russell and sophomore Jada Ingram at the net, while setters Zoe Canfield, a sophomore, and senior Katelynn Brogan were nearly flawless in getting the ball to Rural's hitting stars.
"I normally just try to concentrate on getting the ball into the vicinity of where they need it and then based on whatever they say on adjustments I try my best to make them,'' Canfield said.
"I love setting,'' Brogan said. "Being able to set to hitters that you know are going to do their job and put the ball away, it just brings joy to you. When you're setting to hitters that don't put it away you kind of get frustrated because you feel like it's your fault, but when the hitter puts it away you kind of look back and you're like, "They couldn't have done that if I didn't set it.' ''
Rural, which is 932-218 with seven Class 6A state championships under Bordewick, will host a 6A sub-state tournament on Saturday, with the winner advancing to the state tournament at Salina Oct. 29-30. Sub-state pairings will be determined on Monday.
"I think we just need to focus on getting better each day at practice and the rest will take care of itself,'' Canfield said.
"I'm excited,'' Brogan said. "We have one week until sub-state and we're going to work our tail off during that week and do what we've been doing the whole season.''
Seaman posted a 2-2 record in the Emporia tournament despite being without senior standout Drew Baxter.
The Vikings, who posted a 23-10 regular-season record, beat Shawnee Mission North (25-20, 25-10) and Lawrence (25-21, 25-21) and dropped matches to Free State, which took a 25-22, 25-13 decision and Bishop Carroll, which posted a 25-19, 17-25, 25-20 victory over the Vikings.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural junior Madeline Carter and Hayden senior Tanner Newkirk claimed Centennial League individual cross country championships Saturday at Milford State Park while Rural's girls captured the team title in a tight three-school battle that was decided by five points.
Madeline Carter
Tanner Newkirk
Carter won the girls individual title in a five-kilometer time of 18 minutes, 43.3 seconds, leading a 1-2-3 Rural finish for the third straight week as the Junior Blues won the team championship by a 50-52 margin over Manhattan while Seaman was third with 55 points.
Rural senior Khloi Bird finished second in a time of 19:14.7 while freshman Payton Fink was third in 19:22.1.
Freshman Joslynn Grace paced third-place Seaman with a sixth-place individual finish in 19:53.1 while senior Emma Schultz finished ninth for the Vikings in 20:03.7.
Newkirk, the defending Class 4A state champion, posted a 27-second individual win in the Centennial League boys race, clocking a time of 15:49.1.
Washburn Rural's boys finished second to Manhattan in the team race (32-72), with senior Alex Holmes pacing the Junior Blues with a third-place finish in 16:21.9, while the Junior Blues also got a 10th-place finish from sophomore Hayden Keller in 17:01.5
Seaman senior Jace Moore placed ninth to lead the Vikings to a fourth-place team finish, clocking a time of 16:57.4.
CENTENNIAL LEAGUE CROSS COUNTRY
Girls
Team scores
Washburn Rural 50, Manhattan 52, Seaman 55, Emporia 94, Junction City 98, Hayden 170.
Individual results
1. Carter, Washburn Rural, 18:43.3; 2. Bird, Washburn Rural, 19:14.7; 3. Fink, Washburn Rural, 19:22.1; 4. Pickering, Manhattan, 19:38.5; 5. Willhite, Emporia, 19:50.7; 6. Grace, Seaman, 19:53.1; 7. Jobity, Manhattan, 20:00.9; 8. York, Junction City, 20:01.0; 9. Schultz, Seaman, 20:03.7; 10. Henningson, Manhattan, 20:06.2.
Other Washburn Rural -- 20. Laster, 20:47.3; 24. Gutierrez, 21:14.5; 25. Ismert, 21:48.8; 30. Nolte, 22:51.4.
Other Seaman -- 12. Becker, 20:15.7; 13. Appelhanz, 20:23.7; 15. Druse, 20:31.2; 23. Spurlock, 21:09.7.
Hayden -- 22. Wrench, 21:05.8; 35. Wolff, 23:24.8; 38. Newkirk, 23:56.5; 40. Schmidtlein, 24:07.2; 41. Doyle, 24:37.3; 46. Haas, 26:30.4.
Topeka West -- 25. A.Phelps, 21:37.8; 42. C. Phelps, 24:46.4; 43. Jefferies, 25:00.2; 45. Richardson, 26:12.8.
Topeka High -- 39. Zuniga, 24:04.4; 44. Cabral, 25:10.9; 47. Ludlum, 28:19.7.
Boys
Team scores
Manhattan 32, Washburn Rural 72, Junction City 87, Seaman 97, Hayden 114, Emporia 133, Topeka West 190, Topeka High 221.
Individual results
1. Newkirk, Hayden, 15:49.1; 2. Mosier, Manhattan, 16:16.2; 3. Holmes, Washburn Rural, 16:21.9; 4. Bowyer, Manhattan, 16:27.9; 5. Knopp, Manhattan, 16:40.8; 6. Atkins, Junction City, 16:46.6; 7. Laudie, Emporia, 16:41.7; 8. Bryant, Manhattan, 16:52.1; 9. Moore, Seaman, 16:57.4; 10. Keller, Washburn Rural, 17:01.5.
Other Washburn Rural -- 11. Haddock, 17:18.1; 23. Johnson, 17:54.5; 25. Fink, 18:05.2; 26. Dial, 18:05.6; 29. Patel, 18:13.3.
Other Seaman -- 17. Appelhanz, 17:37.2; 21. Stuke, 17:53.0; 22. Swaim, 17:53.4; 28. Newell, 18:10.2; 30. Jowers, 18:15.0; 33. Buckley, 18:22.8.
Other Hayden -- 15. Amis, 17:30.1; 27. Rochford, 18:07.9; 35. Moore, 18:33.3; 36. Muller, 18:39.2; 41. Padilla, 18:44.8.
Topeka West -- 20. Wilson, 17:52.9; 37. Phelps, 18:39.7; 43. Padilla, 19:08.7; 44. Maag, 19:13.8; 46. Wilkie, 19:35.8; 49. Cook, 19:54.0; 54. Clark, 22:00.9.
Topeka High -- 34. Storrer, 18:25.8; 42. Christopher, 18:55.6; 47. Campbell, 19:36.4; 48. Cowdin, 19:51.3; 50. Brown, 19:58.9; 52. Solis Carlos, 20:55.3; 53. Cassell, 20:56.8.
Highland Park -- 51. Aguirre, 20:50.6.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Like most any high school tennis player who picks up a racket, Hayden freshman Ainzley Zulueta dreamed of winning a state championship some day.
But even Zulueta wasn't quite sure that title would come quite this early.
"I was hoping to get to state and win it, but I wasn't expecting myself to,'' Zulueta said in a phone interview. "I was just kind of setting a standard and hoping I could reach it.
"Winning it kind of feels surreal, so it feels really good right now.''
The Hayden phenom capped an impressive season and an even more impressive run through the Class 4A state tournament Saturday at Winfield's T.H. Vaughan Tennis Center, claiming the 4A singles title with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Bishop Miege freshman Breanna Quigley in the championship match.
![Hayden freshman singles standout Ainzley Zulueta won the Class 4A state championship in her first state meet Saturday at Winfield. [Photo courtesy of Jeff Jacobsen/Action Images]](/images/aa-images/Ainzleystate.jpg)
Hayden freshman singles standout Ainzley Zulueta won the Class 4A state championship in her first state meet Saturday at Winfield. [Photo courtesy of Jeff Jacobsen/Action Images Photography]
Zulueta, who finished the season 35-5, said she fought her nerves both Friday and Saturday, but it didn't show, with Zulueta dropping just five games in her four matches at state.
"I was probably more nervous today, especially since it was the semifinals,'' she said. "I really wanted to prove myself and I think I did pretty well with that even though it was really cold so it was a bit tough, but I somehow got through it.''
Zulueta dropped an early-season match to Quigley, but came back to take decisive wins over the Miege standout the past two weeks in regional and state competition and said her familiarity with her opponent helped.
"It really did because I knew how to play her and I knew how to win,'' Zulueta said. "I just hit all the shots that I could that I knew could damage her.
"Playing her so many times before in the USTA tournaments also helped to bring up my confidence when playing her.''
Zulueta advanced to the final with a 6-0, 6-2 semifinal win over Wellington's Kami Reichenberger.
Emily Sheetz (left) and Lauren Sandstrom posted a seventh-place doubles finish in the Class 4A state tournament. [Submitted]
Hayden also got a seventh-place doubles finish from sophomore Lauren Sandstrom and freshman Emily Sheetz, with Sandstrom and Sheetz taking a 9-4 decision over Wellington's Ashlyn Gerten and Kadynce Aufdengarten in the seventh-place match.
Hayden tied for second as a team and finished third on a tiebreaker in the Class 4A state tennis tournament. [Submitted]
Hayden tied for second as a team, taking home the third-place trophy on a tiebreaker.
McPherson won the team championship with 44 points, followed by Wellington and Hayden with 25.
"I got really excited when they said our name because it was kind of between a few teams for second and third,'' Zulueta said.
RURAL EIGHTH AS A TEAM IN 6A
Senior singles player Sheriden Wichman and junior doubles players Kate Fritz and Meredith Kucera posted ninth-place finishes Saturday at Wichita's Riverside Tennis Center to lead Washburn Rural to an eighth-place team finish in Class 6A.
Wichman, who earned her second state medal, took a 9-3 win over Shawnee Mission South's Livia Andriole in her final match while Fritz and Kucera took a 9-4 win over Garden City's Sage Riggs and Sydney Nanninga.
Topeka High's Adisyn Caryl and Haley Carpenter won a doubles match at state, but did not place.
Manhattan's Jillian Harkin won the 6A singles championship.
SHERER NINTH IN 3A-1A STATE MEET
Rossville junior Alivia Sherer placed ninth in singles in the Class 3A-1A state tournament Saturday at Maize South.
Sherer took a 9-8 (7-2 tiebreaker) victory over Marysville's Shea Kramer in the ninth-place match.
Sherer became the first girls state tennis medalist in Rossville history.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- Seaman tennis stars Grace Unruh and Lauren Sweeney finished their final doubles match together and almost immediately burst into tears.
But it was the happiest of tears, the kind of tears that come with completing a perfect 36-0 season with a Class 5A state doubles championship.
"I think both of us worked so hard for this and we wanted it so bad,'' Unruh said. "It's just a reflection of all the hard work and the hours that we've spent.
"I'll be crying for days.''
Impressive from the get go this season after posting a fourth-place state finish a year ago, Unruh, a senior, and junior Sweeney were even better Saturday on the Emporia High courts and got better as the day went on, capped by a 6-2, 6-1 win over Andover Central's Maya Chon and Bryer Geoffroy in the championship match.
Sweeney said the tears came from pure joy.
"I would say it's a lot of joy,'' Sweeney said. "It's fun, it's joy. It's good, I like the feeling.''
Seaman senior Grace Unruh is congratulated by family and friends and Unruh and doubles partner Lauren Sweeney won the Class 5A doubles championship Saturday at Emporia. [Photo by Rick Peterson]
Junior Lauren Sweeney receives a hug from Seaman High principal Dr. Laura Lyons after Sweeney and Grace Unruh won the Class 5A state doubles title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Seaman duo actually started their semifinal match a little slow, falling behind 3-0 in the first set against Andover's Brooke Walker and Anna Jittawait, but Unruh and Sweeney rebounded to take a 6-4 first-set decision and then advanced to the finals with a 6-3 second-set win.
"We got down and we weren't playing with energy and we were kind of making stupid errors but when we started coming back we were like, 'This is it, there's no second chances here.' and I think that was huge motivation,'' Unruh said. "We didn't want to be in that spot we were in last year.''
"We knew what we had to do,'' Sweeney said. "We just had to slowly get going and make smart decisions and that's what we did. We just had to get our energy up. Once we get our energy up, it's huge.''
Unruh and Sweeney also lost the first game of the championship match and led just 3-2 before sweeping the final three games to take the 6-2 win. The Seaman team jumped in front of Chon and Geoffroy 4-0 in the second set and was never seriously threatened.
"This was the goal,'' Unruh said. "I never imagined it being an undefeated state title, but it feels so good. I wouldn't have wanted to end it any other way with any other person on the court with me.''
Sweeney said the only downside to the state tournament was the realization that she'll never play another high school match with Unruh.
"I'm very sad,'' she said. "I literally love her so much, on and off the court. We're best friends and playing with her means so much to me.''
Jamie Robinson, who took over as Seaman's coach this fall, said that he knew early on that Unruh and Sweeney could be state champs.
"Absolutely,'' Robinson said. "They are so disciplined and so driven. They push each other, too.''
Seaman also got an 11th-place finish from junior singles player Nina Del-Zio, who took a 9-2 win over Annabelle Aldrete of Maize South in her final match.
Seaman finished fifth as a team with 22 points while Andover won the team championship with 46 points.
- Details
By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
After a walk-off win the week before Washburn football returned to action Saturday at Yager Stadium to face No.2 ranked Northwest Missouri State University in a game between top-five MIAA teams that was both an offensive struggle and defensive battle.
It was the Ichabods who came out on top, with a 17-16 comeback victory late to knock off the undefeated Bearcats and move to 5-2 overall and 4-0 at home on the year.
“I’m really proud of them, the kids stuck together and it is hard, the schedule we have had six games in a row with, those teams are quality teams,” Washburn coach Craig Schurig said of the Ichabods' recent stretch.
The Bearcats dominated possession early, with an 18-play drive in the first quarter that went over 80 yards but resulted in no points after a missed field goal. Offensively, the Ichabods were slow to get started after an injury to senior quarterback Mitch Schurig on the first possession of the game.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Kellen Simoncic helped Washburn knock off No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri after entering the game after senior Mitch Schurig was injured. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
“I’ve been here two years and I felt like I was ready for it,'' said freshman Kellen Simoncic, who replaced Schurig (concussion protocol). "It was a little overwhelming at the start, but Mitch has been such a good leader and example of how to prepare,”
Midway through the second quarter Simoncic got the offense moving on a 13-play drive, setting up a 36-yard field goal by freshman kicker Trenton Brehm, putting the first points on the board.
Washburn senior Malick Fall moves in to sack Northwest Missouri quarterback Mike Hohensee Saturday at Yager Stadium. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The ensuing drive highlighted the stout defensive effort from Washburn, as senior defensive end Malick Fall picked up his second sack of the half and junior safety Peyton Lane recorded an interception in the end zone to end the drive and half.
After allowing Northwest Missouri into the end zone for the first time midway through the third quarter, the Ichabods responded with a touchdown drive of their own, capped off by a 15-yard catch by senior wide receiver James Letcher Jr. from Simoncic.
A third and goal sack from Fall the following drive would keep the Bearcats out of the end zone and set up another missed field goal early in the fourth quarter.
“I wasn’t thinking of anything crazy, I wasn’t trying to do anything extra, just trying to do my job and things fell my way,” said Fall.
An interception from Simoncic set up Northwest Missouri with good field position which they used to pound the ball into the end zone and take a four-point lead.
However, the Washburn offense remained unfazed and moved down the field to reclaim the lead on a 15-yard touchdown catch and run by sophomore Taylon Peters from Simoncic.
“You just try to take every drive like it’s 0-0 and just start over,'' Simoncic said. "We just tried to stay calm, and when adversity struck I think we took it head on and capitalized when we needed to.''
Washburn junior Kevin Neal Jr. is congratulated by teammates after sealing the Ichabods' 17-16 win over No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri with a late interception. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Bearcats' desperate attempt to score was cut short by junior defensive back Kevin Neal Jr., who hauled in an interception with eight seconds left to seal the win.''
“Back-to-back weeks our kids figured out a way to come through, and defense played outstanding all game and our offense had just enough,” said Craig Schurig.
WASHBURN 17, NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE 16
NORTHWEST MISSOURI (5-1, 5-1) 0 0 7 9
WASHBURN (5-2, 5-2) 0 3 7 7
Second quarter
Washburn –- Brehm 36 FG, 4:39.
Third quarter
Northwest Missouri -- Davis 4 pass from Hohensee (Lammel kick), 5:08.
Washburn -– Letcher Jr. 15 pass from Simoncic (Brehm kick), 1:16.
Fourth quarter
Northwest Missouri -– McKeller 1 yard rush (Lammel kick), 4:15.
Washburn -- Peters 15 pass from Simoncic (Brehm kick), 0:48.
Northwest Missouri – Simoncic safety, 0:05.
Individual statistics
Rushing -- Northwest Missouri: McKeller 30-166, Green 6-31, Moya 2-14, Tatum 2-0. Washburn: Willis 7-25, Peters 10-17, Williams, 1-4, Letcher Jr. 1-2.
Passing -- Northwest Missouri: Hohensee 22-32-2, 217 yards. Washburn: Simoncic 15-29-1, 157; Schurig 2-3-0, 33.
Receiving -- Northwest Missouri: Tatum 8-59, McKeller 5-58, Donadelle 3-35, Davis 2-24. Washburn: Letcher Jr. 6-59, Williams 5-64, Peters 3-31, Simmons 2-28.
Punting -- Northwest Missouri: Williams 3-119. Washburn: Spiker 4-137.
Tackles -- Northwest Missouri: Smith 4 solo-0 assist-4 total, Strambler 4-0-4, Nimmers 2-2-4, Anderson 2-2-4. Washburn: Barnett-Kruger 6-3-9, Fall 6-3-9, Neal Jr. 3-3-6, Lane 5-1-6.
Attendance – 4,820
