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By KEVIN HASKIN
TopSports.news
Musings at the mid-month:
• Just cut the crap.
• That’s what all of us have been saying about the Chiefs receivers.
• Yet the crap escalated with a Patrick Mahomes flare-up after the Chiefs’ loss to the Bills.
• Kadarius Toney, looking and thinking like a kid wanting to gain an edge in the school sack race, didn’t bother to check the scrimmage line.
• The refs threw a flag wiping out Toney’s TD off a dazzling backward pass from Travis Kelce. Yet suddenly, the refs were wrong.
• We all know the refs were right. Warning. No warning. Glance to the side judge. No glance. Whatever. Toney lined up offside.
• Stop with excuses. The Chiefs lack discipline. They lack firepower. They lack hands. They lack their previous play-caller. They lack their previous mystique.
• They are mortal, and in this case, mortal means they’re mired among a pack of AFC teams looking to reach the Super Bowl.
• So, cut the crap. If the Chiefs really must “clean up” things, to use a worn expression from Andy Reid, do it.
• Take accountability. You’ve spent too much time wasting the talents of a surprisingly stout defense, a generational quarterback and a gifted, but Swiftly aging, tight end.
• As presumptive favorites in their last four games, the Chiefs can go on a run and salvage their season with a hot streak.
• But their minds better be on how to go about it.
• Broken record for this space but when high schools struggle to find those to officiate events, the problem will affect every level of every sport.
• By all means, however, go ahead, rant incessantly about officiating on social media. That should improve things.
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By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Highland Park's girls, ranked No. 7 in Class 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, jumped out to a 33-4 first-quarter lead over Kansas City-Wyandotte Friday night and never looked back, posting an 85-17 Meadowlark Conference win at Highland Park.
The Lady Scots allowed just one point in the second quarter to take a 56-5 lead into halftime and rolled from there en route to the 68-point win.
Junior Amelia Ramsey scored 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Highland Park's 85-17 win over Wyandotte Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Coach Rob Brown's Highland Park girls improved to 3-0 with Friday's 85-17 Meadowlark Conference win over KC-Wyandotte. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
“I’m excited for us to get our first conference win, that’s a big deal for us,'' Highland Park coach Rob Brown said. "I feel like the girls played the right way from start to finish. We are 3-0 going into Christmas break, we are going to have good practices during the break and keep grinding.”
The Lady Scots got big nights again from junior Ameila Ramsey and freshman Pearmella Carter.
“I’m excited about these two,'' Brown said. "Mella being a freshman and Millie being a veteran, she has been a great leader in helping Mella transition to high school ball and you can see she is starting to get comfy.”
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Topeka High boys basketball team erupted for 76 points – 70 in the first three periods – to run away from Bonner Springs 76-48 at Topeka High Friday.
The victory sent the 3-3 Trojans into the holiday break on a high note.
Senior Miguel Villegas scored 25 points to lead Topeka High to a 76-48 win over Bonner Springs Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
Junior Da'Mykel Hales scored 20 points in Topeka High's 76-48 win over Bonner Springs Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
“This is a great win. We talked about how important this game was to set us up for the rest of the season,” Topeka High coach Geo Lyons said. “As we go into break and get healthy and pick up some momentum, this was a must win for everything we want to accomplish down the line.”
Lyons admitted that, while he had a feeling his team stood a good chance to get the victory, he had no idea it would be by a 28-point margin.
“We’ve been on the other side of that twice this season,” Lyons said. “So, for that to happen, for it to be a home game for us, with the great fan support behind us, it was just tremendous.
“The energy – I really believe today everybody played for one another and for the name on the front of the jersey. This one gives you goose bumps.”
The hot hand of senior Miguel Villegas sparked a stunning 20-0 run in the second quarter that turned a deficit into a lopsided 17-point halftime lead for the Trojans.
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Topeka High girls basketball team – made up entirely of freshmen and sophomores – came of age Friday with a come-from-behind 40-33 non-league win over Bonner Springs at High.
Sophomore Keimara Marshall (12) scored 18 points in Topeka High's come-from-behind 40-33 win over Bonner Springs Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
Freshman Ahsieryrhuajh Rayton led Topeka High with 18 points in Friday's 40-33 non-league win over Bonner Springs. [File photo/TSN]
For the young Trojans, going into the break with their second victory of the season felt significant.
“This is special. I think this is motivation going into January,” Topeka High coach Brittney Redmond said. “If you look at our record, I think it’s very deceiving. We’ve played ranked team after ranked team. I think we finally had the chance to put somebody away, and that’s what we did.''
The Trojans fell into deep deficits multiple times in the game only to eventually catch the visiting Braves.
Topeka High fell behind by nine early in the fourth period and that’s when the Trojans made their move.
The Trojans went on an 18-2 run to close out the game, with 11 of those points coming from sophomore Keimara Marshall.
“I just told them, ‘Do not quit,’ ” Redmond said. “Our zone press is probably one of the best I’ve seen, and I told them ‘We’re not going away from it.’ ”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
In his heart, veteran Shawnee Heights boys basketball coach Ken Darting believes his T-Birds could be undefeated right now.
But after dropping a pair of single-digit games to open the season, Heights has bounced back with a vengeance, reeling off three straight United Kansas Conference wins, including an 85-37 home rout over Leavenworth Friday night.
Shawnee Heights senior Dylan Sanchez, applying defensive pressure Friday night, scored a game-high 14 points with four 3-pointers in the T-Birds' 85-37 UKC rout over Leavenworth Friday night. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Sophomore Da'Quan Lee (15) goes up for a shot in Shawnee Heights' 85-37 UKC win over Leavenworth Friday night. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"The big thing of it is we didn't get down,'' Darting said of the early losses. "That's what you worry about with a young team, 'Oh, we've already lost two, we're done.' But we won two really tough games against (Topeka) West and at Basehor and I'm proud of them because we did stay the course.''
Shawnee Heights dominated Friday's game from start to finish, scoring the first 13 points and steadily adding to its advantage throughout the game.
The T-Birds led 25-9 at the end of the quarter and took a huge 51-22 lead to the locker room at the half.
