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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
BROOKLYN BINKLEY, Shawnee Heights
A junior, Binkley was a second-team All-Shawnee County pick last season after placing sixth in the Class 5A state tournament and helping Shawnee Heights earn the third-place team trophy in 5A. Binkley is currently ranked No. 4 in 5A at 170 pounds by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association in its preseason rankings.
Emme Blanco, Washburn Rural
EMME BLANCO, Washburn Rural
Blanco, a senior, earned first-team All-Shawnee County honors last season after posting a 35-10 record and finishing fourth in the Class 6A state tournament at 140 pounds. Blanco is ranked No. 6 in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association All-Class preseason rankings at 145 and is ranked third in 6A.
MADI BLANCO, Washburn Rural
A senior, Blanco earned first-team All-Shawnee County recognition for the second straight season after posting a 30-8 record and finishing fourth in the Class 6A state tournament at 135 pounds. Blanco is ranked eighth in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association All-Class preseason rankings at 140 pounds and is ranked No. 3 in 6A.
CONNIE BURNS, Highland Park
Burns, a senior, posted a 22-7 record and was a second-team All-Shawnee County selection last season at 115 pounds after finishing sixth in the Class 5A state tournament in her first season at Highland Park. Burns in ranked No. 5 in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association 5A preseason rankings at 115.
Makayla Cadet, Highland Park
MAKAYLA CADET, Highland Park
Cadet, a senior, captured the Class 5A state championship at 190 pounds last season, capping a 23-4 season for the Scots with the school's first girls state championship. Cadet was named the Shawnee County wrestler of the year for the 2024-2025 season and is ranked No. 2 in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association All-Class preseason rankings and is also ranked second in 5A.
Cianna Graves, Shawnee Heights
CIANNA GRAVES, Shawnee Heights
A senior 155-pounder, Graves is a three-time Class 5A state placer, including a third-place finish last season as Shawnee Heights earned the third-place team trophy in 5A. Graves, who went 39-3 on the season, was an All-Shawnee County first-season repeater. Graves is currently ranked No. 7 in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association All-Class rankings and is No. 3 in 5A.
AVA GUTIERREZ, Shawnee Heights
Gutierrez, a sophomore 100-pounder, earned All-Shawnee County first-team recognition last season after qualifying for the Class 5A state tournament for Shawnee Heights, which posted a third-place team finish in 5A. Gutierrez posted a 19-13 record as a freshman.
AUDREY HINKLY, Shawnee Heights
Hinkly, a junior 120-pounder, was a second-team All-Shawnee County selection last season after placing fourth in the Class 5A state tournament and helping Shawnee Heights earn the third-place team trophy in 5A. Hinkly is currently ranked No. 3 in 5A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.
OLIVE JONES, Shawnee Heights
A sophomore, Jones was named the Shawnee County newcomer of the year last season after qualifying for the Class 5A state tournament at 135 pounds. Jones, who was named to the all-county second team, is expected to wrestle at 140 pounds for the T-Birds this winter and is ranked fifth at that weight by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.
JANIAH MATTHIE-JOHNSON, Washburn Rural
Matthie-Johnson was a Class 6A state qualifier last season as a freshman at 190 pounds, earning All-Shawnee County second-tean recognition, but is expected to wrestle at 155 pounds this season. Matthie-Johnson is currently ranked sixth at 155 in 6A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.
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By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
Brandon McDonnell said one thing he thought about, and even brought up to his team when he took the head coaching job three years ago, was why should Rossville boys basketball be two easy wins on anyone's schedule?
Rossville senior Jakoby McDonnell helped the Bulldawgs reach the Class 2A state tournament last season. [File photo/TSN]
“I wanted to make sure that we would be the ones that people look at the schedule and say, ‘Oh we play Rossville, it’s going to be tough for us.' We wanted to switch it around,” senior Jakoby McDonnell said.
This past season, Rossville finished 16-8 and made it to the state tournament before losing in the first round to Ell-Saline. That was the Bulldawgs' first state tournament appearance since 2011.
“They want that again,'' said Brandon McDonnell, a former Topeka High standout and Topeka West assistant. "For us to go down there and play at Bramlage, that was an experience in itself. It was amazing and that’s all I can say. For these guys, especially this group this year that are seniors, they were freshmen when I got hired.
"To see this development, and to see what has transpired as they get older, their IQ becomes a little wiser, getting bigger, taller and stronger, you’re seeing the benefits that we’ve worked so hard to get.”
McDonnell won seven games in his first season as a head coach and has won a combined 31 games the last two campaigns. Before that, the last time Rossville had double-digit wins was the 2016-2017 season.
Brock Bush, Tayson Horack, Cam Budura were some key pieces Rossville lost to graduation off last year's team, but McDonnell said the kids understand how much work goes into what they’re building and they had more numbers turn out this year than his first year on the job.
As the football team prepares for its state championship game on Friday, Rossville has been short-handed for the start of preseason practice, but he’s thrilled for some of those guys to take home some hardware this weekend and incorporate them after football season.
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By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
Injuries were the story to be told about the Rossville girls basketball team last season, with three key players missing extended time.
Fortunately, it's a new clean slate this year with a lot of returners hopeful of making a state tournament run, something the Bulldawgs have not had since 2006 when they took third.
Rylee Dick returns for her senior season for Rossville after earning All-Class 2A recognition last season. [File photo/TSN]
Junior Nore Burdiek (22) is a top returner for Rossville girls basketball after missing 11 games with an injury a year ago. [File photo/TSN]
It’s year two of the Derek Dick era with the Rossville girls after ending last season at 10-12 and Dick will build this year's team around his senior daughter, Rylee Dick, an All-Class 2A first-team selection last season, and junior standout Nora Burdiek.
“We had the best first week of practice that I’ve ever had in my 16 years of coaching and we’re really excited to get going,” Dick said.
Something coach Dick doesn’t want to do this season is take things for granted.
“I was really excited going into last year and I thought we were going to have a great year,'' Derek Dick said. "We have a talented group right now, so I need to do a better job of enjoying it and enjoying the ride and not living or dying on every play every game.
"Sports are big here at Rossville and I want to make sure that every kid that goes through here looks back with good and positive memories.''
Burdiek is back from injury and coming off an All-State season in volleyball while Rylee Dick is looking to end her prep career with a banner campaign after signing with Division II Rockhurst and Maggie Sanders and Lily Mitchell are among the other Bulldawgs who have stood out in the early going.
Coach Dick said he has noticed that the girls who helped Rossville's volleyball team qualify for the 2A state tournament realize this is their last go round in basketball, too, and said the sense of urgency is at an all-time high. On top of that, Dick said that he could see some freshman contributing and earning some minutes this season, too.
The scrappiness will be the key ingredient for this Bulldawgs team and Dick said they’ve been very connected on the defensive end.
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By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
After a third-place Class 3A state finish and a 20-6 record last season for Silver Lake boys basketball, there’s no sugar coating that the goal is to top what the Eagles accomplished. Not to mention, that was the first state tournament appearance for the Eagles since 2017.
Shannon Kruger's Silver Lake Eagles will be looking to improve on last season's third-place state finish this winter. [File photo/TSN]
Shannon Kruger enters year number three with Silver Lake and immediately flipped the script in putting the Eagles back to being a winning program. It was back in the 2018-2019 season where their last winning season occurred.
As the Big East League takes shape, Kruger said it’ll be a loaded conference again. He believes the Eagles will be up there but they have to earn it.
They lost five seniors from last year's team, but Kruger likes the young talent his team has and hopes to give them the opportunity to see more minutes at the varsity level.
“It’s a part of the culture that’s being established, it’s ongoing, we haven’t gotten there yet but the guys at the senior level the last two years have really bought into everything we’re coaching,'' Kruger said. "We talk about it all the time, 'It’s not what we do, it’s how we do it,' … and there’s a lot of high level competition for those spots and it trickles down.''
Kruger said with this season's group, they’re athletic but not very tall. However, they’re going to play fast to make up for that on both sides of the ball.
- Details
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
There’s no question that over the last few years, Silver Lake girls basketball has been one of the best programs in Class 3A.
In 2025, the Eagles were the state runnerups. In 2024, they won it all, in 2023 they took fourth, in 2022, they took third and in 2021 they made an appearance as well.
Two-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick Kailyn Hanni is back for her senior season for perennial Class 3A contender Silver Lake. [File photo/TSN]
It’s Year 6 for coach Kyle Porter and he’s just as excited to begin another journey and make a run to the state tournament once again.
The Eagles have a sign in the old gymnasium that says 'Championship Habits, Championship Communication, Championship Shape,' that helps lay the foundation in the first week of practices on who Silver Lake want to be.
“We’re not a team that is openly vocal, we struggle to communicate at times with our teammates and we have to constantly reinforce and require them to use their voice, to use their body language to create energy themselves because in times of adversity, it’s easy to go silent, easy to get siloed up and we have to come together as a team,” Porter said.
“We’re going to be pretty similar to how we’ve been in years past. We want to get easy baskets in transition when we can. We want to attack through the paint… and we want to do the opposite on defense.”
Star senior guard Kailyn Hanni has been a focal point of this program for several years now and stepping into her final season, Porter can’t wait to see what this year can bring for her.
