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By KEVIN HASKIN
TopSports.news
Kevin Haskin
Musings at the mid-month:
-- Hey April, what did you give up to trade rain to May?
-- Or was it a three-way deal in which March dealt you unseasonably cold days to be named later?
-- Missed that in the Transactions blurb For Scoreboard.
-- Miss Scoreboard, for that matter.
-- Lance Leipold has been good at saying the right things, though I genuinely applaud what he recently advocated during a Hawk Talk segment.
-- The new Kansas football coach spoke of unpolished gems he recruited to Buffalo.
-- You better if situated there. MAC school, cold weather, NFL city, no tradition …
-- Name-brand chicken wings only go so far, especially when replicated quite well in every college town in America.
-- Leipold mentioned the inspiration football recruits draw from fewer stars attached to their recruiting bios.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
As it was for athletes across the nation, the spring of 2020 was a tough one for Topeka High sisters Zoe and Adisyn Caryl.
The Caryls had been set to play softball together for the first time in their careers for a talented Trojan team before COVID-19 wiped out the entire season.
"It was sad,'' Adisyn Caryl said. "When we found that out, I think we sat on our beds crying for about a week. It was just so upsetting.''
But while the spring of '20 was a nightmare, '21 has been the type of season the Caryls had dreamed about, with senior Zoe and sophomore Adisyn capitalizing on their one season together with monster regular seasons for a Topeka High team that will take a perfect 20-0 record into Tuesday's Class 6A regional tournament at Hummer Sports Park.
"I've always been looking forward to playing with (Zoe),'' said Adisyn, the Trojans' shortstop. "We always talked about it, so once we finally got to do it, and since we have been so successful as a team, it's like, 'Well, this is what we've been waiting for.'
"At least I knew that I still had one year with (Zoe) and I had some teammates that didn't get any (seasons) with their siblings so I appreciated that. When we got through basketball and they finally said we were going to be able to play softball we were so excited and we're just making the most out of it.''
Sisters Adisyn Caryl (left) and Zoe Caryl have helped lead Topeka High's softball team to a 20-0 record this spring. [Submitted]
Zoe, Topeka High's catcher, agreed.
"I would have had two years to play with her but instead I just get the one and I'm lucky that I have this year,'' Zoe said. ''It's better than nothing at all.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Saturday's Class 3A-1A state championship match was a challenge from start to finish for Rossville senior tennis star Alex Sherer.
Of course, challenge is also the best word to sum up Sherer's high school career as a whole.
But after waiting four years just to get a chance to play in a state tournament, Sherer was more than willing to put in a little extra court time, surviving a marathon three-set, two-tiebreaker championship match to take a 6-7 (10-8 tiebreaker), 6-4, 7-6 (7-4 tiebreaker) victory over Wichita Collegiate junior Nick Grabon at Wichita's Riverside Tennis Club.
"This was the goal, this was the hope and we got it done,'' Sherer said. "It wasn't easy, but we got there.''
Rossville senior Alex Sherer displays his championship bracket after claiming the Class 3A-1A state singles championship Saturday in Wichita. [Twitter]
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
With some cooperation from Mother Nature, Shawnee County high school teams in baseball, softball and soccer will get the opportunity to vie for state tournament berths this week.
Here's a look at regional pairings in those sports:
SHAWNEE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL REGIONAL PAIRINGS
BASEBALL
CLASS 6A
West Regional 3
At Manhattan
Games Tuesday — Topeka High (6: 14-6) vs. Junction City (11: 9-11), 2 p.m.; Manhattan (3: 16-4) vs. Hutchinson (14: 6-14), 4 p.m.; Championship, 6 p.m.
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Hayden's Gus Glotzbach (left) and Michael Sandstrom posted a second-place Class 4A state doubles finish Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Michael Sandstrom and Gus Glotzbach's bid for the Class 4A doubles championship came up short Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center, but there was plenty for the Hayden underclass duo to feel good about.
After surviving a marathon three-set semifinal match, Sandstrom, a junior, and sophomore Glotzbach gave McPherson seniors Brennan Gipson and Conner Glazner their toughest match of the state tournament in a 6-2, 6-3 loss in the championship match.
And despite the loss, Sandstrom and Glotzbach were decidedly upbeat after the match.
"I'm excited for next year,'' Sandstrom said. "I'm excited where we finished off. It's tough not getting that last win, but it's definitely a good finish for the year.''
Glotzbach agreed.
"Runner-up to the championship definitely exceeds our expectations,'' he said.
Hayden junior Michael Sandstrom returns a shot during Saturday's Class 4A state tournament at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Hayden sophomore Gus Glotzbach teamed with Michael Sandstrom to finish second in Class 4A doubles Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
It took a gutsy semifinal performance for Hayden just to reach the championship match, with Sandstrom and Glotzbach bouncing back from a 7-5 first-set loss to Circle seniors Noah Allison and Drew Middleton to advance with 6-4 and 6-3 victories the next two sets.
"That was a huge boost in confidence,'' Sandstrom said.
