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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It was a cold, rainy and windy night at Hummer Sports Park Tuesday night.
But nothing could rain on Topeka West soccer's parade to a Class 5A regional final as the Chargers rolled to a 6-2 win over Hays, avenging a season-ending loss to the Indians in the 2024 playoffs.
Junior JP Ayella (right) scored a pair of goals Tuesday in Topeka West's 6-2 Class 5A regional win over Hays at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Tuesday was a much different story for West, now 13-2-2 on the season, with senior JP Ayella finding the back of the net just 1 minute, 45 seconds into the game, the beginning of a 3-0 start for the Chargers, who will host Salina South at 6 p.m. Thursday at Hummer.
The Chargers' early offensive explosion -- three goals in the first 6:13 -- was a welcome sight for Topeka West coach Josh Kutter, whose team had been blanked 2-0 in last season's playoff contest and managed just one goal in a 1-0 tournament victory over the Indians early this season.
"That was really big,'' Kutter said. "We know that we're capable of putting the ball in the back of the net and we always know that we want to get off quick, but that confidence, it carries you through a game, so having that confidence and that energy that they had for the entire game was really important.''
"Starting fast helps us advance and gets our hopes up and all, so I was really glad I was able to get that first goal quick,'' Ayella said. "Overnight I was thinking, 'Man, we have to win,' because you're going to feel so bad if you don't win and the season's done like that, so my emotions were high and I was like, 'We've got to win.' ''
Topeka West junior Diego Gonzalez-Talavera (9) is congratulated by his teammates after scoring his first of two goals in the Chargers' 6-2 Class 5A regional win over Hays Tuesday night at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
West junior Diego Gonzalez-Talavera made it a 2-0 game at the 36:16 mark of the opening half and just 2:31 later junior D'Ante Smith Dilone scored to put the Chargers in command at 3-0.
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The 2025 All Shawnee County girls golf team -- From left: Lauren Cox, Washburn Rural; Kailyn Petersen, Washburn Rural; Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake; Elise Eckert, Seaman; Makenna Stuke, Seaman; Lauren Borjon, Hayden; Izzy Glotzbach, Hayden. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Five state medalists, including three first-team repeat picks, headline the 2025 All-Shawnee County girls golf team.
Hayden seniors Lauren Borjon and Izzy Glotzbach are both three-time first-team all-county selections while Washburn Rural senior Lauren Cox is a first-team repeater.
City and United Kansas Conference team champion Seaman is represented by seniors Elise Eckert and Makenna Stuke on the all-county first team along with Silver Lake senior Kailyn Hanni and Washburn Rural junior Kailyn Petersen.
Hanni, Stuke and Petersen were all second-team all-county selections in 2024 while Eckert earned first-team honors in her first season at Seaman.
Hanni placed fifth in Class 3A-1A, Glotzbach tied for fifth in 4A and Eckert tied for fifth in 5A while Borjon tied for 12th in 4A and Cox tied for 18th in 6A.
Eckert and Borjon were both four-time state medalists while Glotzbach and Hanni were both repeat medalists.
Eckert in 5A, Glotzbach in 4A and Hanni in 3A-1A all earned first-team All-State honors from the state's coaches while Borjon was a second-team pick and Stuke earned honorable mention.
Named to this year's second team were Washburn Rural seniors Taryn Jellison, Briley Miles and Peyton Merrick, Hayden junior Brooke Johnson, Seaman juniors Chloe Schmidtlein and Kaitlynn Frye and Silver Lake freshman Avenley Head.
All-Shawnee County first-team capsules:
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Elise Eckert
ELISE ECKERT, Seaman
A senior, Eckert captured her fourth straight Class 5A state girls golf medal in Emporia, tying for fifth with a 36-hole total of 161 (77-84). Eckert, who won city and United Kansas Conference individual championships and finished second at regionals, led the Vikings to a tie for fifth in the team standings.
Izzy Glotzbach
IZZY GLOTZBACH, Hayden
Glotzbach, a senior, finished her high school girls golf career with a tie for fifth in the Class 4A state tournament at Hutchinson's Carey Park. Glotzbach, who helped Hayden win the 4A team title as a sophomore and junior, had rounds of 85 and 79 to finish at 164 and lead the Wildcats to a fourth-place team finish.
Connor Hanika
CONNOR HANIKA, Hayden
Hanika, a senior quarterback, completed 14 of 21 passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers last Friday as the 8-0 Wildcats wrapped up the Class 3A District 4 championship with a 42-0 home victory over Jefferson West. Hanika has now completed 75 of 127 passes for 1,117 yards and 16 touchdowns while throwing just one interception on the season.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
MONDAY'S GAME
CLASS 4A-1A
CIRCLE (5-10-1) vs. CAIR PARAVEL LATIN (9-6-0)
At Bettis Family Sports Complex
Cair Paravel Latin, the No. 5 seed in the Class 4A-1A West bracket with a 9-6-0 record, will open its postseason bid with a 6 p.m. Monday regional game against Circle (5-10-1). With a win Monday the Lions will advance to a Region 4 regional final on Thursday to face the winner of a Monday game between Berean Academy (10-5-1) and El Dorado (3-11-2).
TUESDAY'S GAMES
CLASS 6A
Dylan Willingham, Washburn Rural
WICHITA NORTHWEST (4-11-1) at WASHBURN RURAL (14-1-1)
Perennial state power Washburn Rural is the No. 2 West seed in Class 6A with a 14-1-1 record and will be at home Tuesday for a 6 p.m. regional semifinal at McElroy Field to host No. 15 seed Wichita Northwest (4-11-1). With a win Tuesday the Centennial League champs will advance to a regional final on Thursday to host the winner of Monday's game at Wichita between No. 10 Junction City (8-7-1) and No. 7 Wichita East (11-5-0).
Billy Lutz, Topeka High
TOPEKA HIGH (9-5-2) at WICHITA NORTH (10-6-0)
Topeka High is the No. 9 Class 6A West seed with a 9-5-2 record and will go on the road Tuesday to face No. 8 seed Wichita North (10-6-0) in its postseason opener. With a win Tuesday, the Trojans will move on to a regional final on Thursday to face the winner of a regional semifinal between top West seed Wichita Southeast (15-1-0) and No. 16 Derby (3-13-0).
CLASS 5A
Camden Granado, Shawnee Heights
BASEHOR-LINWOOD (3-12-1) vs. SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (14-2-0)
At Bettis Family Sports Complex
An outstanding 14-2-0 regular season earned Shawnee Heights the No. 1 East seed for the Class 5A playoffs. The T-Birds will begin postseason with a 6 p.m. regional semifinal on Tuesday against their United Kansas Conference rival, No. 16 Basehor-Linwood (3-12-1). With a win Tuesday the T-Birds will advance to a regional final on Thursday to host the winner of Tuesday's game between No. 8 seed Kansas City-Turner (6-6-4) and No. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas (7-8-1) at Turner, also a member of the UKC.
Gage Kindred-Noragon, Topeka West
HAYS (7-8-0) vs. TOPEKA WEST (12-2-2)
At Hummer Sports Park
Topeka West earned the No. 3 Class 5A West seed with a 12-2-2 regular season and will open postseason with a 6 p.m. Tuesday regional semifinal against Hays (7-8-0). With a win Tuesday the Chargers will move on to a Thursday regional final to host the winner of Tuesday's game at Salina between No. 6 seed Salina South (11-5-0) and No. 11 Andover Central (8-7-1).
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University soccer showed off its resiliency and depth Sunday in Yager Stadium as the Ichabods stretched their unbeaten streak to 11 games with a 2-1 MIAA victory over Fort Hays State.
The Ichabods, now 10-2-3 overall and 7-0-2 in the conference, never trailed after freshman Bricelyn Betts scored her first career goal with 11:49 left in the opening half off an assist from sophomore Sam Searcey, but the Tigers (3-10-1, 1-7-1) squared the match just 1:39 into the second half on a goal from Chaley French.
The game remained tied for just over 30 minutes until junior Kylie Hinrichs recorded her first career goal for the game-winner, with Searcey again providing the assist, and the Ichabods were able to hold on the rest of the way.
Washburn freshman Bricelyn Betts is mobbed by her teammates after scoring the Ichabods' first goal in Sunday's 2-1 win over Fort Hays State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn freshman Kylie Hinrichs delivers the game-winning goal in the Ichabods' 2-1 win over Fort Hays State Sunday in Yager Stadium. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
For the second straight game Washburn scored the game-winning goal in the final 15 minutes.
"The resiliency of this group, they just stay so committed to the process day-in and day-out, training, games,'' Washburn coach Davy Phillips said. "Teams have to beat us. They truly have to beat us and there'll be a moment here and there in games where they might get a goal, but takes a lot to beat us.
"Credit the girls, they find a way. We are going to need that down the stretch here. We're going to need big moments late in games and knowing they can produce them is comforting and should give us confidence in these tight games down the stretch."
