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By ANDREW GILL
TopSports.news
Transitioning from teacher and coach to athletic director at a high school with more than 1,200 students presents a sizeable challenge in and of itself.
Factor in the COVID-19 pandemic, and the challenge of leading 22 sports programs becomes that much greater.
In the wake of the craziness brought by the year 2020, Steve Bushnell received a uniform response to the announcement that he was to take over as Seaman High School’s athletic director: 'What a terrible year to become an administrator.' But that’s not how Bushnell sees it.
“The way I look at it is maybe it was a blessing. Maybe I’m in this position because I can handle these challenges and I’m not going to shy away from the leadership we need in order for us to get through these trying times,” Bushnell said.
Steve Bushnell is in his first year as Seaman's athletic director after coaching the Vikings to nine state baseball titles. [Seaman Schools]
Bushnell taught and coached in the Seaman district for 29 years before becoming athletic director after the retirement of longtime Viking A.D. Brad Dietz following the 2019-20 school years. In his 22 seasons as head baseball coach, he won an astonishing nine Class 5A state championships.
After his promotion was announced in early 2020, his senior-loaded squad looked poised to defend their 2019 title and end Bushnell’s coaching career with a second career three-peat.
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Silver Lake had no answer for Rock Creek standout Dawson Zenger in Wednesday's Burlington Invitational boys semifinal, with Zenger scoring a game-high 30 points as the Mustangs rolled to a 59-37 victory over the Eagles.
Silver Lake trailed by just a 12-10 margin at the end of the first quarter, but Rock Creek used an 18-11 second quarter to take a 30-21 halftime lead and then put the Eagles away with a 20-8 third quarter.
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Shawnee Heights swept the team titles in Wednesday's Topeka West triangular at West Ridge Lanes, with the T-Bird boys winning by a 2,311-2,198 margin over West while Heights' girls took a 1,939-1,841 victory over the Chargers.
Shawnee Heights' Aidan VanMetre took boys individual honors with a three-game series of 620 while Topeka West's Megan Wood was the girls champion with a 596 series.
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Washburn Rural bounced back from a 13-point loss in the opening round of the Basehor-Linwood Invitational to rout Olathe North 64-38 in a Wednesday consolation game.
The Junior Blues, who will play for fifth at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, dropped a 62-49 decision to Olathe West on Monday, but took control early on against Olathe North, doubling the Eagles up 14-7 in the first quarter and taking a 31-19 halftime advantage.
Washburn Rural finished off the rout with a 33-19 scoring edge after the break.
Joe Berry
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park boys basketball coach Michael Williams is quick to admit that the early portion of the 2020-21 season wasn’t what he expected for his Scots, who were coming off a 15-8 record and a trip to the Class 5A state tournament last season.
But after an inconsistent start, Highland Park enters this week’s Topeka Invitational Tournament at Topeka High on a high note after topping Topeka West 57-54 in overtime last Friday, with the Scots handing the Chargers their first loss.
“It was kind of getting to us mentally a little bit and we were looking around at each other and kind of questioning some things,’’ said Williams, whose team improved to 3-3 with the win over West. “I think a game like (last Friday) can kind of help our mindset and to get back on track.
