- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Twenty-nine Washburn Rural and Topeka High football players have received All-Centennial League recognition, including 10 first-team selections.
Jadyn Baum, Washburn Rural
John Hoytal, Washburn Rural
Rural is represented on the first team by senior offensive line Jayden Cooper, senior quarterback John Hoytal, junior running back Jadyn Baum, senior wide receiver Nate Selm, junior defensive lineman Steven Cantrell, senior linebacker Jordy Heim, senior defensive back Brody Haas, junior kicker Ryan Austin and junior punter Gavin Vantuyl.
Topeka High is represented on the first team by senior Malichi Murph, a repeat pick at defensive back.
Rural second-team selections include junior offensive lineman Nick Loughney, senior running back TJ Minikwu, senior defensive linemen Sammy Brumley and Ayden Crosswhite, senior linebacker Elijah Gaines and senior defensive back Austin Ditch.
High second-team honorees include senior offensive lineman Jeremiah Lopez Arreola, sophomore running back Ricardo Dowd, junior wide receiver Courtney Sanders, senior defensive lineman Adam Humphrey and senior linebacker Rock Williamson.
2025 ALL-CENTENNIAL LEAGUE FOOTBALL
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Daniel Allen
DANIEL ALLEN, Washburn Rural
Allen, a junior, returned to high school swimming after a year away with three wins and a second-place finish in the season-opening Topeka West Invitational last Wednesday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. Allen won the 200-yard freestyle and 100 butterfly individually and swam on the Junior Blues' winning 200 free relay and runnerup 400 free relay.
KaeVon Bonner
KAEVON BONNER, Seaman
A senior basketball standout, Bonner opened the 2025-2026 season with a 37-point performance in last Tuesday's 83-75 home United Kansas Conference victory over No. 2-ranked (Class 5A) Piper. Bonner hit 10 of 18 shots from the field with three 3-pointers while connecting on 14 of 17 free throws.
Malakyah Duncan
MALAKYAH DUNCAN, Topeka West
Duncan, a senior basketball standout, scored a game-high 26 points Friday as Topeka West opened the season with an 81-54 United Kansas Conference home romp past De Soto. Duncan hit 9 of 13 shots from the floor with three 3-pointers for the No. 7-ranked (Class 5A) Chargers.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Daniel Allen, Washburn Rural
DANIEL ALLEN, Washburn Rural -- A junior, Allen was a multiple Class 6A state medalist as a freshman in 2024 before taking a year away from high school swimming. Allen finished seventh in the 500-yard freestyle in the 2024 state meet and was part of Washburn Rural's third-place 200 free relay team. Allen won four gold medals in the 2024 city meet (200 individual medley, 100 breaststroke, 200 medley relay and 400 free relay) and was second in the 200 IM and part of the winning 400 free relay team in the Centennial League meet.
Thomas Appuhn, Washburn Rural
THOMAS APPUHN, Washburn Rural -- Appuhn, a sophomore, was a first-team All-City honoree last season, swimming on Washburn Rural's winning 200-yard medley and 400 free relays in the city meet while also finishing second in the 200 individual medley and second in the 100 backstroke. Appuhn swam on the Junior Blues' runnerup 200 medley and 400 free relay teams in the Centennial League meet and placed third in the 100 backstroke.
Kinser Barbosa, Seaman
KINSER BARBOSA, Seaman -- A junior, Barbosa was the 2025 city champion in the 200-yard freestyle and as a member of the Vikings' winning 200 free relay last season while finishing second in the 100 butterfly and 200 medley relay. Barbosa finished third in the United Kansas Conference in the 100 butterfly and the 100 breaststroke and swam on the Vikings' second-place 200 medley relay and third-place 200 free relay.
THERON CARLSON, Seaman -- Carlson opened his 2025-2026 season in last Wednesday's Topeka West Invitational, helping the Vikings post a fifth-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay and an eighth-place showing in the 400 free relay while finishing sixth in the 50 freestyle and the 100 free.
JOSH HOCHARD, Seaman -- Hochard, a second-team All-City selection in 2025, Hochard opened his season in last Wednesday's Topeka West Invitational, swimming on Seaman's fifth-place 200-yard medley relay.
ALEXANDER JEFFRIES, Washburn Rural -- Jeffries finished fourth in the 200-yard freestyle in the season-opening Topeka West Invitational last Wednesday and added an eighth-place finish in the 100 breaststroke.
JOSEPH JENSEN, Washburn Rural -- A second-team All-City selection last season, Jensen swam on Washburn Rural's winning 200-yard free relay in the season-opening Topeka West Invititional last Wednesday while also posting a seventh-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100 freestyle.
QUINTEN JESSOP, Washburn Rural -- Jessop opened the 2025-2026 season with a strong performance in the Topeka West Invitational, swimming on Rural's winning 200-yard medley relay team and second-place 400 free relay. Jessop also finished eighth in the 50 freestyle and the 500 free.
PATRICK LUKE, Hayden -- Luke, a second-team All-City selection last season, anchored the Wildcats' fifth-place team in the 200-yard freestyle relay in last Wednesday's season-opening Topeka West Invitational.
Andres Morao-Jaspe, Washburn Rural
ANDRES MORAO-JASPE, Washburn Rural -- Morao-Jaspe, a junior, was an All-City repeater after winning four gold medals in the 2025 city meet as Rural won its sixth straight city team title. Morao-Jaspe won the 200-yard individual medley and the 500 freestyle and swam on the winning 200 medley and 400 free relays. Morao-Jaspe finished second in the Centennial League in the 500 free and third in the 200 individual medley and swam on Rural's second-place 200 medley and 400 free relays.
- Details
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Cair Paravel cheer squad is back on top!
The Lions cheerleaders claimed their fourth state championship in five years, returning to the top of the Class 2A podium after placing second a year ago. To do so, they had to knock off four-time defending Class 3A champ Rossville, which dropped down to 2A for the first time this year.
Cair Paravel cheer celebrates its fourth KSHSAA state cheer championship in five years Nov. 21 at the Stormont Vail Events Center. [Photo by Jan Pabitzky/Special to TSN]
Cair Paravel cheer poses for a team picture after winning its fourth KSHSAA state cheer championship in five years Nov. 21. [Photo by Jan Pabitzky/Special to TSN]
Cair Paravel’s elementary students took to the school’s hallways last Friday to celebrate the cheer squad who paraded through the hallways displaying their latest trophy. The school’s upper grades rallied in the gymnasium to celebrate the squad’s fourth state title – still the school’s only trophies since it earned KSHSAA membership in 2020.
Last year, the Lions placed second to Oskaloosa, snapping their string of three wins in as many attempts. At this year’s competition on Nov. 21 at Stormont Vail Events Center, the Lions got by Rossville to reclaim the title.
“When we got second place last year, I think that really sparked a fire in us,” said Cair Paravel coach Courtney Bond. “I had a meeting with Coach Edye (Sack) and our returning seniors, and we talked about what we needed to do so that doesn’t happen again. We talked about song changes, choreography changes, adding different props and those kinds of things. We watched a lot of film. And I think the girls were just hungrier this year than ever before.”
“I think we all kept a pretty good attitude about (finishing second in 2024),” said senior Logan Johnson. “We just came back wanting that win our senior year. We focused on keeping a great mindset that, win or lose, this does not define us. We added some extra practices this year and worked with our choreographer a little bit more to just have some more help.”
Taking second place after a run of championships caused the Lions to reevaluate and adjust their priorities.
“Losing last year sort of made us more easy-going this year,” senior Maddy Freund said. “I think all of us were not as stressed this year.”
“We changed our focus this year,” Bond said. “Instead of a championship being our focus, we focused on bettering our skills competing against ourselves, viewing our abilities as a gift from God and using this performance as a form of praise and thanksgiving to Him.”
Reclaiming the crown got significantly tougher when Rossville moved to 2A. The Bulldawgs were the 3A champs from 2021-2024.
“We’ve always had the utmost respect for Rossville as they are the most dominant program across all the classes in the state,” Bond said. “They were the four-time 3A champs and had literally never lost before in person (Rossville did not win the virtual competition held during the pandemic).”
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University women's basketball achieved its biggest victory over a nationally-ranked team in more than 10 years on Saturday in Lee Arena, with the Ichabods taking a 67-64 MIAA thriller over No. 3 Fort Hays State, 67-64.
Washburn celebrates its 67-64 win over No. 3-ranked Fort Hays State Saturday in Lee Arena. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Getting a combined 46 points from seniors Yibari Nwidadah and Gabi Giovannetti, the Ichabods handed the Tigers their first loss of the season while ending a 10-game Fort Hays State winning streak in the series.
"It was a big one and I think it was a real testament to the work these seniors have done because when we need them down the stretch they just seem to keep showing up and now the confidence is coming that they've earned and they've worked really hard for,'' Washburn coach Lora Westling said.
"It was just a great team win and that's what we've been about this week.''
Nwidadah notched her first double-double of the season with 24 points and 10 rebounds while Giovannetti scored 22 points with three assists and three 3-pointers and senior Payton Sterk contributed six points and five assists.
"Every day I'm just trying to be as dominant as I can,'' Nwidadah said. "I know that's my role on this team, so doing that I think makes our team as successful as we can be.''
It was a game of runs early on with Washburn, now 6-2 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA, throwing the first punch as the Ichabods led 8-1 after an inside bucket from Nwidadah.
Fort Hays State (7-1, 1-1) answered with the next 18 points in the game to lead 19-8. The Ichabods finished the opening quarter by scoring the final four points as they weathered the storm while shooting 4 of 18 from the field.
The Tigers opened the second quarter by extending the lead back to 11 points at 28-17 with 6:28 to play, but shots started to fall for Washburn, which put together an 8-0 run that included two buckets by Britany Kogbara inside.
The game was tied in the final minute of the second quarter after a 3-pointer by Giovannetti and the Ichabods entered the locker room leading 35-32 after Nwidadah converted an and-one in the final seconds of the half.
Fort Hays State quickly tied the game up in the third quarter, but Washburn had an answer with baskets from Nwidadah and Giovannetti.
In the final three minutes of the quarter the duo combined for eight straight points to give the Ichabods a double-digit lead for the first time at 51-40 with 1:41 to play in the third. Sterk beat the buzzer on a jumper to keep the lead at 10 (55-45) heading to the fourth.
The first four points in the fourth came from Fort Hays State and the Tigers continued to cut away, with the lead at just two points at the 4:49 mark.
Minutes later Giovannetti got three the old fashioned way, stretching the lead to five. The basket was matched with a 5-0 run for Fort Hays State to tie the game with 44 seconds remaining.
Out of a timeout Nwidadah got a layup to fall inside and on the other end would come up with a block to help secure the second ranked victory of the season for Washburn.
"We talked a lot about staying the course,'' Nwidadah said. "I think in any basketball game it's a game of runs, so we just had to stop their runs as much as we could and fight back as well.''
Even though Washburn is just two games into the conference season, Giovannetti said Saturday's win should give the Ichabods confidence moving forward.
"I've never beat Fort Hays the whole time I've been here, so it gives us a lot of confidence,'' Giovannetti said. "We just have a lot of confidence within our team and a lot of confidence in each other.''
