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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It was going to take a special opportunity to lure Perry-Lecompton defensive coordinator Jared Swafford away from his hometown high school, but Seaman fit that bill.
Swafford, who helped the Kaws reach the Class 3A state championship game the past two seasons, was approved by the USD 345 school board Monday night as the Vikings' new head football coach, taking over for Glenn O'Neil, who resigned after five seasons at Seaman to accept a position at Dodge City.
The 37-year-old Swafford, a 2002 Perry-Lecompton graduate, has also served as the Kaws' head boys basketball the past seven seasons, posting a 92-63 record. Swafford's Kaws have posted five straight winning seasons in basketball, including back-to-back 3A state berths in 2018 and 2019 (third place).
"It's always going to be difficult when it's your hometown but I felt like I was ready for a different opportunity in the right opportunity presented itself and I've heard nothing but good things about Seaman High School,'' Swafford said.
"When that chance came aong it felt right through the interview process and meeting some of the people that work there and I have no reservations at all. I love the opportunity.''
New Seaman head football coach Jared Swafford (left) chats with Rossville's Derick Hammes during last week's Junior Combine at Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Swafford, who played collegiately at Emporia State, has been on Perry-Lecompton's coaching staff since 2009 and started as a para-professional before teaching business and technology.
"I had a couple of different jobs (out of college) and realized I wanted to get into coaching and reached out to Coach (Mike) Paramore in one of the local camps that he was running and it got to the point that where he asked me if I would have interest in joining the staff maybe,'' Swafford recalled. "I said, 'Absolutely!' ''
Now Swafford is eager to take the next step in his coaching career at Seaman.
"You've got a blue-collar community and you've got a community that's fully invested in their programs, all their programs,'' Swafford said. "The facilities are great, you've got great prople in the administration and it's hard to turn down that kind of an opportunity.''
Swafford will be taking over a Seaman team that posted a 7-2 record last fall, earning the No. 1 East seed in 5A before losing to Blue Valley Southwest, 27-21.
"I'm very excited,'' Swafford said. "I'm just ready to get things going and ready to meet the kids and get in there and watch them work and build relationships.''
Swafford and his wife, Jamie, have three sons -- Chase, Cash and Jett.
O'Neil posted a 26-22 record at Seaman, including an 8-3 record in Year 1 and last fall's 7-2 campaign.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The red-hot Washburn baseball team has earned the No. 5 seed for next weekend's MIAA Championship Tournament and will put a five-game winning streak on the line at No. 4 seed Pittsburg State in a best-two-of-three quarterfinal series starting at 6 p.m. Friday.
Washburn swept Northwest Missouri (20-14, 9-7) to end the regular season at 19-20 overall and 18-15 in the MIAA.
The Gorillas finished the regular season 26-13 overall and 21-12 in conference play to earn the No. 4 seed and have split four games. The Ichabods took two out of three in Pittsburg in March before falling in a single non-conference game at Falley Field on April 6.
The series will begin with Game 1 on Friday followed by Game 2 on Saturday at 3 p.m. If necessary the third game will be on Sunday, May 16 at 1 p.m.
Former Hayden standout Andrew Schmidtlein had four hits in Washburn's doubleheader sweep at Northwest Missouri Friday, including a 3-run homer and three doubles. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
This season the MIAA Tournament quarterfinals will played at the campus sites of the top-four seeded teams in a best two-out-of-three series.
The winners then advance to Warren Turner Field in Joplin, Mo. (May 20-22), where the semifinals and championship will take place in a double-elimination format.
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Washburn golf is headed to the NCAA Championship later this month after rallying for a fourth-place regional finish Saturday in Kansas City, Mo. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior Andrew Beckler and sophomore Griffin Mott led the way with final-round 67s as No. 18-ranked Washburn University's golf team rallied in Saturday's final round of the NCAA Central/Midwest Regional at Shoal Creek Golf Club in Kansas City, Mo. to place fourth as a team and earn a berth in the NCAA Championship later this month.
Washburn started the day sixth as a team but rallied to earn the fourth and final Championship berth and are headed to its first NCAA Championship since the 2011-2012 season.
WU moved up four spots over the final two days of the tournament and closed out the regional tournament just two strokes behind third-place Arkansas Tech and four strokes behind second-place Indianapolis. The Ichabods shot 13 over par in the opening round, but improved to 4 over in the second round and 1 under par Saturday's third round to claw their way back.
Beckler, recently named the MIAA player of the year, finished the tournament tied for third place at 3 under par with a 54-hole title of .210 while Mott, also an All-MIAA pick, tied for sixth with an even-par 213.
Ian Trebilcock tied for 17th after a final-round 69 while Dawson Wills tied for 59th and Jackson Wexler 83rd.
Beckler is a Washburn Rural graduate and was an individual and Class 6A team champion for the Junior Blues.
The Ichabods will compete in the NCAA Championship May 17-21 at the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Very little has been routine for Washburn Rural's track and field team for the past season and a half.
First, like everybody else, the Junior Blues had the 2020 season wiped out by COVID-19 and then Rural began the current campaign without a home track to train or compete on while work wrapped up on a resurfacing project.
But for the past two weeks Rural has had a brand spanking new track to prepare on, and Friday night at Hummer Sports Park Keith Wetzel's Junior Blues had something else to celebrate, sweeping the team championships in the Joe Schrag City Invitational.
Rural's girls won by a 177.5-131-point margin over Topeka West while the Junior Blues won the boys division by a 164-116 margin over Hayden.
"These kids needed some good vibes and they've been resilient, not only last year in losing a season, but with not having a facility the first part of the season,'' Wetzel said. "They've handled it very, very well, extremely maturely, and just continued to get better each day.''
Washburn Rural senior Keely Wagner (right) and sophomore teammate Madeline Carter placed 1-2 in the 3,200 meters, helping the Junior Blues win the girls team title in Friday's Joe Schrag City Invitational. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Rural girls got a big early boost with a 1-2-3 finish in the 1,600 meters, led by senior Keely Wagner, who destroyed her previous personal best with a win in 5 minutes, 18:26 seconds while Rural sophomore Madeline Carter was second in 5:24.06 and junior Sydney Laster third in 5:43.95.
"I've run in windy and hot conditions the last three weeks, so it was nice to get a really good day," Wagner said. "No wind, no sun really. It was a good day. It was a pretty big (personal-record) goal for us and each lap, it was like, 'Don't slow down.' I just felt really good, better than I thought I was going to feel."
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural had the depth and Seaman the star power in Friday's city girls swimming and diving championships at the Capitol Federal Natatorium.
Despite winning just one event -- Ellie Armstrong's victory in one-meter diving -- the Junior Blues rolled to their 18th straight team championship by a 536-433 margin over Seaman while Seaman freshman twin sisters Avery and Tauren Walz both won four gold medals as the Vikings won seven events overall.
Seaman freshman Avery Walz captured four gold medals in Friday's city's girls swimming championships, including individual wins in the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman freshman Tauren Walz captured four gold medals in Friday's city's girls swimming meet, including individual wins in the 50 freestyle and the 100 butterfly. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
