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By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights came up one goal short against perennial soccer power St. Thomas Aquinas Thursday, bowing out of the Class 5A playoffs in a regional final.
Shawnee Heights senior Camden Granado battles for the ball in Thursday's 1-0 Class 5A regional loss to St. Thomas Aquinas. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The teams battled through a scoreless first half on a cold night at Bettis Family Sports Complex. Fifteen minutes into the second period, the Saints’ Brody Siebert charged into the T-Bird defense and was flipped over on a high-speed collision in the penalty area. The senior then punched a penalty kick past the Shawnee Heights’ goalkeeper for a 1-0 advantage that ended up being the game's only goal.
The Saints narrowly avoided permitting the T-Birds to tie it up, but Shawnee Heights came up empty on several attempts.
“(Our guys) executed what we wanted to execute. But we just couldn’t come up with finding the back of the net tonight,” said Shawnee Heights coach Nic Simons. “When you play a team like Aquinas who is battle tested, game in and game out, in the (Eastern Kansas League), you’ve got to make those plays.
“And the frustrating thing about soccer is you can dominate a game at times and get great chances and still not score. That’s kind of where we were at tonight. For the last 25 minutes, I thought we had the run of play, and we just couldn’t find the back of the net. We were, quite honestly, inches away from putting that ball in tonight. It was just a close, evenly matched game.”
Among the T-Birds who came up empty Thursday was senior Camden Granado, who on Tuesday became Shawnee Heights’ single-season record-holder for goals with 36. Granado notched a hat trick in a win against Basehor-Linwood to claim the record. Granado became the school’s career scoring leader earlier in the season.
“I’ll give Aquinas credit,” Simons said. “I think they frustrated us at our game. Free kicks, corners, set pieces in general. I thought they played very similar to us and defended it well. We had some great chances. There were a couple that we headed to the keeper or headed wide or just couldn’t get on the tail end of it that were there.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It's been a rare occasion that Washburn Rural soccer has had to come from behind this fall.
Washburn Rural soccer poses for a team picture after winning a Class 6A regional title Thursday at McElroy Field. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Thursday was one of those occasions, with Wichita East drawing first blood eight minutes into the Class 6A regional final.
But the Junior Blues responded just like Rural coach Brian Hensyel hoped they would, scoring three unanswered goals to advance to next Monday's 6A state quarterfinal with a 3-1 win over the Blue Aces at McElroy Field.
"We haven't been behind much all year,'' Hensyel said. "In fact, until last Thursday at Blue Valley North when we went down 1-0, we'd probably been behind less than 20 minutes all year, so maybe that was a good experience for us, falling behind and having to come back and play a really good game to win that one.
"Wichita East is a good team, we knew that. They'd been on a run and most of their losses were early, so they were hot and we knew it was going to be a tough game.''
No. 7 West seed Wichita East, which finished its season 12-6-0, jumped on top 1-0 at the 32:01 mark of the opening half on a goal from senior David Rodriguez, but Washburn Rural (16-1-1) pulled even less than three minutes later when senior Dylan Willingham found the back of the net off an assist from senior Drew Moore.
Washburn Rural junior Brodye Kocher-Munoz (9) celebrates his go-ahead goal with teammate Drew Moore in Thursday's 3-1 Class 6A regional win over Wichita East. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Dylan Willingham (19) scored a pair of goals in Thursday's 3-1 Class 6A regional win over Wichita East. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
The game was still knotted 1-1 at the half, but junior Brodye Kocher-Munoz put Washburn Rural ahead to stay just 5:01 into the second half and Willingham, Rural's single-season and career scoring leader, added his second goal with 6:15 remaining to account for the final margin.
"They got a nice early goal, I loved our quick response, and then at halftime we said we've just got to get back to the things we do well,'' Hensyel said. "And then two of the guys that have been big for us all year obviously, Dylan and Brodye Kocher-Munoz, were both great with two goals.''
Kocher-Munoz also had an assist on the night as Washburn Rural extended its unbeaten streak to 15 games (14 wins, one tie) while snapping Wichita East's nine-game winning streak.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAMES
CLASS 6A
Jadyn Baum, Washburn Rural
WICHITA SOUTH (3-5) at WASHBURN RURAL (5-3)
Washburn Rural is the No. 7 Class 6A West seed while Wichita South is No. 10. Washburn Rural, playing without standout senior quarterback John Hoytal, dropped a 43-0 home Centennial League decision to Manhattan last week. Friday's winner will advance to a second-round game to face the winner of Friday's game between No. 2 Wichita Northwest (7-1) and No. 15 Campus (0-8). Game time: 7 p.m.
TOPEKA HIGH (3-5) at DERBY (5-3)
The Trojans, coming off a 34-12 home non-league loss to Pittsburg, are the No. 11 6A West seed while perennial state contender Derby is the No. 6 seed. The Topeka High-Derby winner will advance to face Friday's winner between No. 3 seed Junction City (6-2) and No. 14 Wichita West (1-7). Game time: 7 p.m.
CLASS 5A
G'Honi Montgomery, Highland Park
DE SOTO (6-2) vs. HIGHLAND PARK (6-2)
At Hummer Sports Park
Coming off a big 42-30 Meadowlark Conference road win over previously-unbeaten Kansas City-Washington, Highland Park is the No. 8 Class 5A East seed while United Kansas Conference stalwart De Soto is seeded No. 9 and coming off a 42-21 UKC home win over Seaman. Highland Park junior G'Honi Montgomery carried the ball 14 times for 292 yards and five touchdowns against Washington and has 633 yards on 55 attempts in five games. Junior JoJo Kingcannon has rushed for 393 yards and four TDs on 26 carries and caught seven passes for 280 yards and three TDs. The Highland Park-De Soto winner will move on to face the winner of Friday's contest between No. 1 seed Basehor-Linwood (8-0) and No. 16 Blue Valley Southwest (0-8). Game time: 6 p.m.
Aiden Scott, Shawnee Heights
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (4-4) at ST. JAMES ACADEMY (7-1)
Shawnee Heights is coming off a 29-16 home United Kansas Conference win over Kansas City Turner and is the No. 11 5A East seed for the playoffs while St. James is the No. 6 seed. The T-Bird-Thunder winner will advance to next week's second round of the playoffs to take on the winner of Friday's game between No. 3 seed Spring Hill (7-1) and No. 14 Kansas City-Harmon (1-7). Shawnee Heights senior quarterback Aiden Scott has completed 181 of 287 passes for 2,767 yards and 23 TDs while senior AJ Gallegos has 61 catches for 860 yards and seven touchdowns. Dayton Vanderpool is the T-Birds' leading tackler with 75 stops (51 solo), including 5.5 tackles for loss. Game time: 7 p.m.
SEAMAN (3-5) at LIBERAL (6-2)
Seaman, coming off a 42-21 United Kansas Conference road loss at De Soto, is the No. 11 5A West seed while Liberal is No. 6. The winner of Friday's game will advance to face the winner of Friday's game between No. 3 Andover (6-2) and No. 14 seed Salina South (1-7). Seaman junior quarterback Cale Ketter has completed 136 of 231 passes for 2,013 yards and 23 touchdowns while Josh Brown has 38 catches for 611 yards and eight TDs and Coy Barta has 33 catches for 558 yards and nine TDs. Sophomore Quentin Moravec has 830 rushing yards and 11 TDs on 147 attempts. Game time: 6 p.m.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 2-ranked Washburn volleyball hits the road this weekend for a 6 p.m. Friday MIAA match at No. 23-ranked Missouri Western and a 3 p.m. Saturday match at Northwest Missouri.
No. 2-ranked Washburn volleyball will go on the road this weekend to face No. 23 Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri. [File photo/TSN]
Missouri Western is the only team that has beaten Washburn in the Ichabods' 21 matches on the season, but WU coach Chris Herron said his team's full focus is on continuing to play well and not even talking about trying to avenge the earlier 3-1 loss to the Griffons in Whiting Fieldhouse.
"We don't look at that in any way, shape or form,'' Herron said. "I don't talk about it like that and we don't address it like that. We just address it as this is how we're going at this game, this is what we've got to do against this person and so on and so forth. There's none of that (revenge factor) for us because here's the deal. If you're looking at it like that with them you forget you play the next day, too, so then you use all your energy on that one and not save some for the next one.
"Here's what we know. Every team that we play from now on is good, so we're going to have to play well and if we don't play well we're going to get beat. I just think that you have to take that approach.''
The Ichabods enter the week with a 20-1 record overall and a 9-1 mark inside the MIAA while riding an eight-match and 24-set winning streak after sweeping No. 25 Emporia State last Friday.
But Herron said the streaks are another non-topic for the Ichabods.
"I haven't mentioned it once,'' he said. "I don't talk about a winning streak, I don't talk about sweeps. That's never a conversation that we have in our gym because then that becomes the focus instead of getting better.
"I think individually every kid can get better and if you get better as an individual our team gets better.''
Missouri Western enters Friday's match with a seven-match winning streak and a 16-5 record overall while Northwest Missouri is 8-11 after losing last time out.
Washburn remains ranked No. 2 in the AVCA poll, the highest ranking for the program since Sept. 18, 2022 when the Ichabods were also ranked No. 2.
Austin Broadie leads the Washburn offense with 231 kills (3.40 per set) while hitting .361, third best on the team. She has started all 21 matches and also has logged 45 blocks with 47 digs. The senior has 11 double-digit kill matches.
Bella Limback is slashing a team-high .521 with 135 kills (2.05 per set) while playing and starting in all 21 matches. She has also added 73 blocks (1.11 per set), also team high, and served 10 aces. She has hit over .400 in all but four matches this season with three double-digit kill efforts. She leads the nation in hitting percentage.
Alex Dvorak is second on the team with 72 blocks (1.09 per set) on the season while starting all 21 matches. Offensively she has made 136 kills (2.06 per set) along with hitting .467, second best on the team. The senior ranks third in the nation and second in the MIAA in hitting percentage.
Corinna McMullen has started all 21 matches this season and leads Washburn with 442 assists (6.60 per set). She has also chipped in a team-high 27 service aces while ranking second on the team with 176 digs (2.63 per set). The senior has delivered 12 matches of 20-plus assists and seven double-doubles.
Libero Taylor Rottinghaus leads the team with 277 digs (4.07 per set). She has chipped in 85 assists while serving 24 aces, second most on the team. The junior has two matches making at least 20 digs. double-figure dig matches.
Washburn leads the nation with a .307 team hitting percentage, the only team in the nation hitting over .300.
The Ichabods are 11th nationally and second among MIAA teams with 2.52 blocks per set.
On the defensive side Washburn is limiting opponents to a .126 hitting percentage, good for 11th nationally and first in the MIAA.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Top Class 5A East seed Shawnee Heights opened its postseason bid with a 6-1 regional semifinal win over United Kansas Conference rival Basehor-Linwood Tuesday night at the Bettis Family Sports Complex.
Shawnee Heights senior Camden Granado (left) scored three goals in Tuesday's 6-1 regional win over Basehor-Linwood, becoming Heights' career-leading scorer. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Camden Granado scored a three-goal hat trick for the T-Birds to become Shawnee Heights' all-time career leading scorer while senior Juan Garcia added two goals and senior Wyatt Lindecrantz one.
Garcia also had an assist in the win while junior Mason Haas, senior Sheldon Pokphanh and senior Chase Tofflemire also had assists.
The T-Birds improved to 15-2-0 on the season, with their only losses coming against 6A power Washburn Rural and fellow 5A power Blue Valley Southwest.
Shawnee Heights advanced to a 6 p.m. Thursday semifinal at Bettis to face No. 9 seed St. Thomas Aquinas (8-8-1), a 3-2 winner over Kansas City-Turner.
Washburn Rural senior Dylan Willingham (middle), Rural's single-season and career scoring leader, scored three goals in Tuesday's 9-1 regional win over Wichita Northwest. [File photo/TSN]
Rural rolls to 9-1 regional win over Wichita Northwest
Washburn Rural improved to 15-1-1 with a 9-1 Class 6A regional semifinal win over 4-12-1 Wichita Northwest Tuesday night at McElroy Field.
Senior Dylan Willingham, Rural's single-season and career-leading scorer, led the Junior Blues with a three-goal hat trick while junior Brodye Kocher-Munoz and senior Brandon Hamilton scored two goals apiece and senior Brody Grogan and junior Myles Didde had one goal each.
Senior Draden Chooncharoen and Didde both had two assists apiece while Willingham, senior Everett Un and senior Drew Moore had one assist each.
Rural, the No. 2 6A West seed, advanced to a 6 p.m. home game Thursday to host No. 7 seed Wichita East (12-5-0), which moved on with a 5-0 win over Junction City.
Cair Paravel advances with 6-2 4A-1A regional romp
Cair Paravel Latin, the No. 5 West seed in Class 4A-1A, advanced to a Thursday regional final with a 6-2 Monday win over No. 12 seed Circle (5-11-1).
The Lions, now 10-6-0, advanced to a 4 p.m. Thursday game at Berean Academy (12-5-1), with Berean advancing with a 3-1 wins over El Dorado.
