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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Nothing came easy for Topeka West in Friday night's home United Kansas Conference matchup with Kansas City-Turner, but Charger coach Trey Parker wouldn't have expected anything different.
Topeka West celebrates its first win of the 2024 season, a 32-20 decision over Kansas City-Turner Friday night at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson]
And although the game between two teams who were looking for their first win of the season was still in doubt until the final two and a half minutes, Parker's Chargers found a way to crack into the victory column, riding a big night from sophomore running back Damon Webb to take a 32-20 victory at Hummer Sports Park.
Now 1-5 overall and in the UKC, Topeka West had to overcome some missteps along the way, including having a touchdown called back and just under 100 yards in penalties, but the Chargers persevered for the breakthrough win.
"We're just grateful for it, but I was just saying a minute ago, it's the epitome of Topeka West,'' Parker said. "We've got good stuff going and then we take five steps back.
"And that's on and off the field, but I hope this is a precursor of what's to come for us down the road, that we fight through adversity and we know how to fight and finish and win.''
Parker said it made him feel good to be able to see the Chargers celebrate after a win.
"Like I said before, this is what we do it for,'' he said. "Obviously you want to win, but when these guys put in so much work I'm just happy that they get to see the fruits of their labor at the end of the day.
"It's been a rough season to this point and we know it's not over, but this brings that joy back to get us through the rest of the year.''
Topeka West coach Trey Parker congratulates Damon Webb (left) and Emmanuel Newman after Friday's 32-20 UKC win over KC-Turner. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Webb was catalyst for the Chargers, finishing his career-best night with 192 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries while freshman quarterback Josiah Wilke threw for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Both teams moved the ball in the first half, but the score remained scoreless until Wilke found senior Alesecio Batson for a 28-yard touchdown strike at the 1:33 mark of the second quarter.
The Chargers were pushed back 15 yards for their extra-point attempt after being whistled for a dead-ball personal foul after the score and missed the extra point, but West went to halftime with the 6-0 advantage.
West had a 24-yard Treyvion Barr touchdown run wiped out by a penalty early in the thrid quarter and ended up turning the ball over on downs.
But the Chargers forced a turnover by Turner (0-6, 0-5) off a sack by senior Eadrian Cooper and returned the ball to the Bears' 32-yard-line, setting up Webb's first TD of the night on a 4-yard run with 3:53 left in the third quarter (run failed) to give West a 12-0 advantage.
"I was trying to get (Webb) to play football last year and he finally came out this year and I told him, 'Kid, you're a stud,' and he's finally starting to come into his own,'' Parker said. "We're just proud of the progression he's making in his first year playing high school football and we don't know what's to come for him.''
Parker also had praise for Wilke, who has taken over as West's full-time quarterback.
"That's the thing we love about him, he keeps his composure under any circumstances,'' Parker said. "When guys in the huddle are saying this is going on and that they look to him and he's 15 years old and he tells them, 'Hey, calm down, relax.' ''
Turner fought back to get within 12-6, 18-14 and 24-20 with 5:03 remaining but Topeka West finally put the Bears away with a 17-yard Webb run and Barr 2-point conversion with just 2:37 remaining.
Turner senior George Erickson rushed for 114 yards on 11 carries, including a 62-yard touchdown run.
Topeka West will return to action next Friday with a UKC road game at Leavenworth.
TOPEKA WEST 32, KC-TURNER 20
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's football team got its starting quarterback, Sam Van Dyne, back last week after the sophomore missed the Ichabods' first four games after a freak practice injury less than a week before the Ichabods' season-opener.
Washburn sophomore quarterback Sam Van Dyne returned from a knee injury with a three-touchdown passing performance against Northwest Missouri last Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Now Van Dyne and the 1-4 Ichabods will be looking to get their mojo back over the second half of the 2024 season, which begins with Saturday night's 7 p.m. MIAA road contest against Fort Hays State at Lewis Field.
Van Dyne threw for three touchdowns in last Saturday's 51-34 home loss to Northwest Missouri as he returned from a knee injury (MCL).
"I think the first quarter I was definitely a little rusty -- a couple of mental errors on my part -- but after that I thought I played a pretty good game,'' Van Dyne said. "Still a couple of silly things that I did that I probably shouldn't of, but I thought after I kind of got over that rustiness and kind of found a groove it felt like I was just playing football again.''
Washburn coach Craig Schurig gave Van Dyne high marks for his performance against the Bearcats.
"I thought he did tremendous,''Schurig said. "You knew he was going to be a little off on timing and that kind of stuff and he was going against a really good defense. Northwest puts a lot of pressure on you with their front and they're very aggressive with their coverages but I thought he handled it well.
"He's obviously very intelligent and very poised and when he's on and he's making some of those throws it's very tough to cover and I think he handled himself great.''
The best news for Van Dyne, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound Liberty, Mo. native, was that he said he's feeling great physically.
"Three weeks ago I'm thinking, 'My knee feels great, I'm ready to play,' and my knee feels 100 times better than it did three weeks ago and I think it will just continue to feel better and I'll continue to feel better with it,'' he said. "I'm still getting used to wearing a brace, I haven't had to do that before, but just getting back into a groove with my teammates has been good, too.''
And Schurig feels like Van Dyne, who threw for over 2,000 yards as a freshman, will continue to make strides.
"I think he will continue to improve,'' Schurig said. "The passing game is all timing and as that continues to improve that should be more and more efficient for us.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University volleyball will begin a run of five straight road matches with MIAA contests against Fort Hays State on Friday at 6 p.m. and against No. 3-ranked Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Washburn junior Corinna McMullen (12) celebrates a service ace with her teammates during Tuesday's 3-2 MIAA win over Emporia State at Lea Arena. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods are 12-3 on the year overall and 3-2 in the MIAA after finishing off a homestand with a 3-2 MIAA win over Emporia State on Tuesday night.
Senior Jalyn Stevenson is Washburn's team leader with 173 kills (3.04 per set) while hititng .241 across her 15 starts. She is also second on the squad in digs with 169 and in aces with 13.
Stevenson is ninth in the MIAA in kills and 16th in kills per set while ranking 19th in total digs. The senior has six double-doubles on the year and 10 matches with 10-plus kills. She ranks 20th in program history with 1,164 career kills. She will move into 19th with five more kills. She is also 14th on the program charts in aces and 22nd in digs. She needs 47 digs to reach the top 20 in that category.
Alex Dvorak is third on the team with 117 kills while hitting .384, the second highest mark on the team. She has started all 15 matches and leads the team with 74 total blocks. The junior is 31st in the nation and third in the MIAA in hitting percentage and she is 20th in the nation and second among MIAA players in blocks per set. She has hit over .300 in 12 of 15 matches.
Shawnee Heights product Taylor Rottinghaus has a team-high 266 digs across 15 matches. She has chipped in 60 assists and served 11 aces. The sophomore is eighth in the MIAA in digs per set while ranking seventh among conference players in total digs.
Corinna McMullen paces Washburn with 340 assists through 15 matches and is third on the team with 130 digs while serving a team-high 23 aces. The junior is 10th in the MIAA in assists per set, ninth in total assists and fourth in aces. She has five double-doubles on the year and three matches with at least 30 assists.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn Ichabod women's soccer team return to Yager Stadium this weekend to welcome Missouri Southern Lions and Pittsburg State Gorillas for MIAA conference play.
Junior Belle Kennedy (12) scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in last Friday's 3-0 MIAA Washburn win over previously-unbeaten Nebraska-Kearney. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn sophomore goalkeeper Hailey Beck ranks among the national leaders with six shutouts this fall. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods, ranked No. 22 in the latest USC National poll, will face the Lions at 6 p.m. on Friday before battling Pittsburg State for the first time in the Gorillas' history on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Washburn is 5-2-2 so far in the 2024 season and has shut out its last seven opponents with five straight victories. The Ichabods are currently tied for third place in the MIAA with a 2-0-1 record.
Washburn played only one game last week, a 3-0 road win over previously-unbeaten Nebraska-Kearney, which entered the match 4-0-4.
The Ichabods scored the only goal they would need on a shot from former Washburn Rural star Belle Kennedy early in the second half against the Lopers and Khloe Schuckman and Jadyn Allen also added goals in the victory.
Schuckman's goal was her second of the season and the 27th of her career.
Sophomore goalkeeper Hailey Beck, a Washburn Rural product, is tied for fourth nationally with six shutouts posted in goal. Beck is also 24th in goals against average with a 0.455 mark.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural seniors Emerie Catlin and Izzy Haggard followed up their city and Centennial League doubles championships with a Class 6A regional title Thursday at Wichita's Riverside Tennis Complex, leading the Junior Blues to the team crown.
Washburn Rural's girls tennis team receives its Class 6A regional championship trophy Thursday in Wichita. [Washburn Athletics]
Washburn Rural seniors Emerie Catlin (left) and Izzy Haggard completed a sweep of city, Centennial League and Class 6A regional doubles titles on Thursday in Wichita. [File photo/TSN]
Catlin and Haggard, who will take a 21-4 record into next weekend's 6A state tournament, capped their regional title run with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Wichita Southeast seniors Mallory Martinez and Lauren Ounaphom in the championship match.
Washburn Rural senior Carolina Chedzoy qualified for her second straight Class 6A state tournament with a runnerup regional finish Thursday at Wichita. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural's Julia Katzer earned a berth in the Class 6A state tennis tournament with a fifth-place regional singles finish Thursday in Wichita. [File photo/TSN]
Michelle Rose's Junior Blues also qualified both of its singles players for state, with senior Carolina Chedzoy posting a second-place finish and Julia Katzer finishing fifth.
Chedzoy dropped a 6-3, 6-2 decision to Junction City sophomore Hannah Micheel in the singles final while Katzer posted a 6-2, 6-2 win over Wichita North's Lena Nguyen in the fifth-place match.
Topeka High junior Madeline Deters earned the second Class 6A state berth of her career with a third-place regional singles finish Thursday at Wichita. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka High's Hailey Caryl (left) and Ava Ritter qualified for the Class 6A state tournament with a fifth-place regional finish Thursday at Wichita. [Submitted photo]
Topeka High qualified three players for state, with junior Madeline Deters finishing third at regionals in singles and the doubles team of junior Ava Ritter and freshman Hailey Caryl taking fifth in doubles.
Deters posted a 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 win over Manhattan junior Keylee Schartz in the third-place singles match while Ritter and Caryl took a 6-4, 6-2 win over Manhattan's Kennedy McCarty and Lia Nickerson in the fifth-place doubles match.
Manhattan won the team title by a 17-13 win over Junction City while Manhattan was third with 10 points and Topeka High fourth with eight points as Centennial League schools swept the top four spots.
The 6A state tournament will be contested at Prairie Village's Harmon Park Tennis Complex on Oct. 18-19.
The remaining Shawnee County teams will compete for state berths in regional competition Friday and Saturday.
Shawnee Heights and Topeka West will compete in a 5A regional on Friday at Harmon Park while Seaman and Highland Park will compete in a 5A regional on Saturday at Bonner Springs.
Hayden compete in a 4A regional on Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center while Cair Paravel Latin and Rossville will participate in a 3A-1A regional Friday and Saturday at Marysville.
CLASS 6A REGIONAL
