Cair Paravel Lions

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Senior quarterback John Hoytal threw for four touchdowns, including three to senior Kellan Roth, capped by the game-tying strike with 7:15 left, as Washburn Rural pulled out a 31-30 non-league win over Blue Valley Friday night at Bowen-Glaze Stadium.

Washburn Rural senior quarterback John Hoytal threw for four touchdowns Friday night as the Junior Blues edged Blue Valley, 31-30. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

Senior Kellan Roth caught three touchdown passes in Washburn Rural's 31-30 win over Blue Valley Friday night. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN] 

Hoytal connected with Roth for 13 and 9-yard TD strikes before hooking up for the 9-yard score that tied the game at 30-30. Junior Ryan Austin broke the tie with the extra-point kick and the Junior Blues held on the rest of the way to improve to 2-0.

Hoytal also hit junior Gavin Vantuyl for a 15-yard touchdown while Austin kicked a 31-yard field goal in the first half.

Roth's first touchdown of the night put the Junior Blues up 7-0 and Austin's field goal broke a 7-7 tie.

Vantuyl's score at the 1:04 mark of the second quarter put Rural in front 16-14 at the half and Hoytal's 9-yard TD pass to Roth and a subsequent 2-point conversion gave the Junior Blues a 24-22 advantage midway through the third quarter.

Blue Valley regained the lead at 30-24 before the Junior Blues came through with the game-winning points.

Washburn Rural will host Platte County, Mo. next Friday.

Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell ran for two touchdowns and threw for two TDs in Friday's 40-34 win over St. Marys. [File photo/TSN]

Rossville senior Andre Johnson (1) scored the game-winning touchdown in the Bulldawgs' 40-34 win over St. Marys Friday night. [File photo/TSN]

Bulldawgs rally for 40-34 win over Bears

Rossville trailed much of the night and the game was tied with a minute left before senior Andre Johnson scored on a 4-yard run with 55 seconds remaining as the Bulldawgs pulled out a 40-34 Big East road win.

Rossville, now 2-0 overall and in the league, trailed 8-0, 16-6, 22-13 at the half and 28-20 after three quarters before pulling out the win with a 20-point fourth quarter.

Bulldawg senior quarterback Canann Mitchell ran for 56 and 3-yard runs and threw for an 11-yard TD to senior Jack Donovan and a 10-yard TD to senior Cameron Miller.

Johnson had a pair of touchdowns on the night, also scoring on a 3-yard run.

Rossville will be at home next Friday to host 2-0 Nemaha Central.

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

A good serve in a high school volleyball match can travel 50 miles per hour or faster. A good spike at the net can move even faster. Advanced players put spin on the ball to make it move in the air similar to a baseball pitcher. During each play, the volleyball is passed around to players darting in different directions to execute plays designed to hammer the ball at the opponent.

Cair Paravel senior Karsyn Hastert has become a multi-sport star for the Lions despite losing the sight in her left eye as a two-year-old. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]

You better have your eye on the ball and your head on a swivel if you’re going to excel.

The nature of the sport makes what Cair Paravel Latin School’s Karsyn Hastert does remarkable.

Before her second birthday, the CPLS senior was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, an eye cancer that tends to plague small children. She had a surgery as a two-year old that cost her the sight in her left eye. She spent a lot of her earliest years in hospitals and doctors’ offices.

But from the minute she was old enough to play with her peers, Hastert was determined to not let the impairment slow her down.

“I don’t have a lot of memories of it. I think I was always trying to prove myself, that I wanted to just be normal when I was younger,” Hastert recalled. “I wanted to be as good as everyone else. So, I never really thought of it as a disadvantage because I was always telling myself 'I’m normal. I’m normal. I’m normal.’ ”

Cair Paravel senior volleyball star Karsyn Hastert listens to Lions coach Craig Congdon during Thursday's Topeka West quadrangular. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]

Hastert is not normal on the volleyball court. She is a standout for the Lions, a middle hitter who leads with intensity and positivity. Last year, she was one of just four players to receive unanimous all-conference honors from the Flint Hills League. Cair Paravel coach Craig Congdon said he is often asked by opposing coaches about Hastert’s eyes.

“They come up and say ‘Wait, does she have a visual impairment?’” Congdon recounted. “And they all say, ‘We can’t believe it.’ Usually, the other teams don’t realize it until they’re shaking hands and then suddenly they go, ‘Wait a second, that girl just killed us.’”

Congdon says there isn’t much he could do to prevent Hastert’s vision from being a problem. He says even if he could, the senior leader wouldn’t need the help.

“I don’t have to do anything to put her in positions to fight. She’s always going to do that herself,” Congdon said. “She is such a fierce competitor. I don’t know if, growing up, she felt like she had to make up for something. What she does is just incredible.”

Congdon admits he wasn’t always sure Hastert would play at such a high level.

“I’ve coached Karsyn for all of her high school career, so freshman year was the first time I interacted with her,” Congdon said. “It was then that I noticed something different about that eye, so I asked her dad, and he said she had a disease when she was a kid and lost it. I thought, ‘Oh, well, she’s surely not going to be able to judge balls in the air.’ And boy, she tracks the ball better than any of the other players I’ve had.”

“It’s all I’ve ever known,” Hastert said. “It’s not like I randomly lost it. I’ve always seen like this, so for me it’s just normal. When I don’t make a play, I never blame it on my eyes. I just think ‘I should have got there quicker.’ ”

The 5-foot-10 senior admits the visual impairment probably causes her more problems on the basketball court, where she is a post player. Volleyball has always been her best sport. She has not made decisions about college yet, but is open to the thought of playing at the next level.

Prior to this season, Hastert was hesitant to let others know about her visual impairment. But as a senior, she has decided to share her story.

“I’m more open to people knowing about it now than before, because when I was younger, I was really insecure about it,” Hastert said. “Before this year, I probably, just because of embarrassment, didn’t want people to think about it. But now I can say I wouldn’t want it any other way. I think it’s who I am and it’s part of my testimony, so I am willing to talk about it.

“I hope that, if someone has a story that’s similar, I can be an encouragement that they can be able to play. There are so many kids out there who have cancer or disabilities that don’t have to let that be a restriction. I think (my message to others) would be ‘You don’t need to worry about being normal. You can embrace who you are.’ ”

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

FRIDAY'S GAMES

(All kickoffs at 7 p.m.)

Shawnee Heights senior quarterback Aiden Scott threw for 428 yards and four touchdowns in last Friday's 51-41 loss to Washburn Rural. [File photo/TSN]

Topeka West junior Damon Webb is one of the area's top running backs. [File photo/TSN]

TOPEKA WEST (0-1, 0-1 UKC) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (0-1, 0-0 UKC)

Topeka West opened its season with a home 47-12 United Kansas Conference loss to De Soto while Shawnee Heights dropped a 51-41 home non-league decision to city rival Washburn Rural. Heights senior quarterback Aiden Scott completed 30 of 52 passes for 428 yards and four touchdowns against Rural while senior David Wakes carried the ball 21 times for 67 yards, senior Tyren Parker caught seven passes for 172 yards and two TDs and senior AJ Gallegos caught 10 passes for 113 yards. Top players for Topeka West include senior lineman Logan Hunninghake, senior wide receiver Gad Munganga and junior running back Damon Webb.

Junior running back G'Honi Montgomery rushed for 113 yards in Highland Park's 32-6 win at KC-Wyandotte last Friday. [File photo/TSN]

KC-SUMNER (0-1, 0-1 Meadowlark) vs. HIGHLAND PARK (1-0, 1-0 Meadowlark)

At Hummer Sports Park 

Highland Park opened its quest for a fourth straight winning season with a 32-6 Meadowlark Conference road win at Kansas City-Wyandotte while KC-Sumner is coming off a 62-20 Meadowlark loss to KC-Washington. Highland Park junior running back G'Honi Montgomery rushed for 113 yards on 12 carries while junior JoJo Kingcannon had 103 yards on just four attempts and senior quarterback Dontrail Fox threw for a TD. Defensively junior Rayshon Pollard had seven tackles with two sacks.

OSAGE CITY (1-0, 0-0 Flint Hills) vs. CAIR PARAVEL LATIN (1-0, 1-0 Flint Hills)

At Yager Stadium, Washburn University

Cair Paravel rolled to a 60-14 Flint Hills League win over West Franklin in its 2025 opener at Washburn's Yager Stadium while Osage City opened with a 41-13 non-league win over Olpe. The Lions opened up a 20-0 first-quarter lead, led 26-8 at halftime and 52-8 at the start of the fourth quarter. Cair Paravel is one win away from equaling its win total in a 2-7 season last fall in its first season in the 11-man ranks.

SM EAST (1-0) at SEAMAN (0-1)

Seaman dropped a 33-22 United Kansas Conference home decision to Piper in its 2025 season-opener and will go outside league play to host Class 6A Shawnee Mission East Friday night. The Lancers are 1-0 after a 31-28 win over Olathe Northwest. Seaman junior quarterback Cale Ketter completed 30 of 42 passes for 192 yards against Piper while sophomore Quentin Moravec rushed for 112 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries and junior Josh Brown caught 10 passes for 74 yards.

Junior Jadyn Baum (26) rushed for 84 yards and scored two touchdowns in Washburn Rural's 51-41 season-opening win over Shawnee Heights. [File photo/TSN]

BLUE VALLEY (1-0) at WASHBURN RURAL (1-0) 

Washburn Rural outlasted city rival Shawnee Heights 51-41 at Heights last week while Blue Valley opened with a 28-21 win over Blue Valley Southwest. Rural senior quarterback John Hoytal completed 11 of 20 passes for 201 yards and a pair of touchdowns while senior TJ Minikwu was 28 for 77 yards rushing and junior Jadyn Baum picked up a game-high 84 yards on 12 attempts. Minikwu and Baum scored two TDs apiece, while senior Nate Selm also had two TDs, including a 47-yard return of an onsides kick attempt.

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

The Cair Paravel Latin volleyball team took down two Topeka public school teams and then measured itself against the defending Class 2A champion Thursday at the Topeka West quadrangular.

Cair Paravel volleyball celebrates its victory over Topeka West in Thursday's Topeka West volleyball quadrangular. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]

Cair Paravel junior Karsyn Hastert prepares to spike the ball in Thursday's Topeka West volleyball quadrangular. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]

Maranatha Christian Academy from Shawnee, winners of the 2A title a year ago, swept through the field Thursday night, never giving up more than 16 points in a game.

Cair Paravel won what wound up being the tightest battle of the evening in their opening match with Topeka West. The Lions edged the Chargers, 25-19, 25-22.

“We’re a young team. We start two freshmen,” Cair Paravel coach Craig Congdon said. “I saw some girls grow in ways that I haven’t seen them play. I saw them compete. And it’s fun playing against local teams. Highland Park has really improved. They’re coming out with a lot more fire than in past years.”

Coach Isaach Johnson talks to his Highland Park volleyball team during Thursday's Topeka West quadrangular. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]

Highland Park did not win a game, but it received a lot of praise for how competitive the Scots were in each match.

“Having more competitive teams to play against really helps us to be able to outshine the other teams in (the Meadowlark) League, which is our first goal,” said second-year coach Isaach Johnson. “Ultimately, we don’t want Highland Park to just stay at the same level forever. For the last two years, we’ve tried to continue to include more competitive teams (on the schedule). And it’s already shown that, whereas two years ago against a team like Topeka West where Highland Park was losing 25-0, now we’re actually having competitive games. So, this is a great way for us to be prepared against high level of play.”

Topeka West defeated Highland Park in their final match of the evening, sending the Chargers home on a high note.

Topeka West junior Sydney VanDyke serves the ball during Thursday's Topeka West quadrangular. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]

“This is always a very fun home quad for us to kick off on,” said Charger coach Alyx Nash. “I’m kind of sad the way we competed tonight. That was definitely not the team that you will usually see in purple and the way we are expecting to play this year. But we had a lot of good competition tonight and saw some good things to build on.”

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights' soccer teamused its speed and attacking style to post eight scores in the first half against Cair Paravel Latin Monday at the Bettis Family Sports Complex, taking an 8-0 non-league win.

Senior Camden Granado sliced through the Lions’ defense for four goals to lead the T-Birds.

The game gave the T-Birds a boost of confidence going into a match versus Topeka High on Thursday at Hummer Sports Park. For Class 2A Cair Paravel, it was a chance to challenge itself against a much bigger school.

Defeating Cair Paravel was another step in the journey for the T-Birds who bounced back with a win last Thursday over Free State after dropping the season opener at Washburn Rural.

“Opening with Rural, that was a pretty tough way to open the season,” Shawnee Heights coach Nic Simons said. “But we bounced back really well against a great Free State team, and it was great to see us come out tonight and kind of take care of some things and get things where we want going into Thursday against Topeka High.”

The Lions held Shawnee Heights off the board for the first five minutes of the game. But once Granado got rolling, the T-Birds took command. They netted four goals in the next nine minutes, three of them off the foot of the senior captain.

“To score as many goals as we did in the first half just gives us confidence in our offense,” Granado said. “I can’t take the credit because (my teammates) did great getting me the ball. We did great just making passes in order to move the ball up the field.”

“Some of the creativity on the offensive side of the field is kind of what I’ve been wanting to see,” Simons said. “And I think our ability to push the ball up the field is something that we’re going to need to bring on Thursday.

Once the T-Birds were comfortably in the lead, Simons began substituting liberally.

“It’s good for us to get some guys some experience,” Simons said. “We played quite a few sophomores off our bench tonight and it was incredible to see some of those guys step on the field and give us some great minutes.

“We knew coming into the season that we could have a good team. Almost everybody played varsity last year,” Granado said. “It’s just living up to those expectations. Obviously, we have goals that are going to come later in the season, but it’s just working towards them every game and making sure that every game matters.”

Though the score wasn’t what the Lions would have liked, they had several near misses that kept things interesting. Coach Mark Congdon believed trying to match the speed and intensity of the 5A T-Birds was a good learning experience.

“We’ve got more experience than we usually do, but we’re still starting several freshmen and sophomores,” Congdon said. “They were a little bit shell-shocked – this was a pace of play they hadn’t experienced before. They were chasing their tails most of the night.

“We played a team last night that is struggling and having a down year, so we mercy-ruled somebody last night, and tonight we get mercy-ruled. So, it was great to see both sides of the spectrum, to learn things like how to play with class no matter what the score is.”

Congdon said he expects this to be the best team the Lions have fielded in the last several years. Playing a powerful opponent early in the season can be to their benefit.

“That’s great soccer. How can we mimic that?” Congdon said. “I told the guys, 'You learn from your opponent. What made them so difficult to defend? What were the passes that broke our backs? What things can we take into the rest of our season and copy them?’ ”

Congdon noted a goal scored by Cair Paravel senior Nathan Keys that was wiped out by an offside penalty.

“This is the first game Nathan Keys was shut out since 2023,” Congdon said. “He scored in every game last year, and in our first three games this year. That (call) was unfortunate because I thought he might keep his streak going.”

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 8, CAIR PARAVEL 0

Cair Paravel (2-2-0)          0 X — 0

Shawnee Heights (2-1-0) 8 X — 8

Shawnee Heights — Goals: Granado 4, Curvelo-Montenegro 2, Lindecrantz, Retana. Assists: Lilly. Shutout: Arteaga.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Rossville volleyball stretched its winning streak to seven matches with a dominating performance in Saturday's Rossville Invitational, with the Bulldawgs posting five straight-set victories to claim the tournament championship.

Rossville volleyball is now 7-0 on the 2025 season after winning its invitational tournament on Saturday with a 5-0 day. [Rossville volleyball]

Rossville, which was ranked No. 10 in the Kansas Volleyball Association Class 2A preseason state rankings, opened its day with a 25-11, 25-21 win over Waverly, followed by a 25-14, 25-23 win over Baldwin, a 25-20, 25-17 victory over Iola and a 25-19, 25-15 win over Iola before winning the tournament title with a 25-19, 25-19 win over Burlington.

Dani Dodge's Bulldawgs got a dominating performance at the net from junior Nora Burdiek, who registered double-digit kills in all five matches.

Burdiek had 11 kills against Waverly, 15 against Baldwin, 14 versus Iola, 12 against Wellsville and 12 kills in the Bulldawgs' final match win over Burlington. 

Burdiek now has 90 kills on the season for the 7-0 Bulldawgs after posting 26 kills in a pair of Big East League wins over Sabetha earlier in the week.

Rossville also got a big day from freshman setter Kenna Perine on Saturday, with Perine contributing 117 assists in her five matches.

Perine registered 27 assists against Waverly, 21 against Baldwin, 24 against Iola, 21 against Wellsville and 24 against Burlington.

Perine had a total of 35 assists in her high school debut on Tuesday against Sabetha and now has 152 assists on the year.

Junior G'Honi Montgomery rushed for 113 yards on 12 carries in Friday's 32-6 Highland Park win at KC-Wyandotte. [File photo/TSN]

Scots roll to 32-6 season-opening win over Bulldawgs

Highland Park football began its quest for a fourth straight winning season Friday night with a 32-6 Meadowlark Conference road win over Kansas City-Wyandotte. 

Scot junior G'Honi Montgomery rushed for 113 yards on just 12 attempts against Wyandotte while junior JoJo Kingcannon had 103 yards on just four carries.

Senior quarterback Dontrail Fox had 22 passing yards and a touchdown for Hi Park.

Defensively, junior Rayshon Pollard led the Scots with seven tackles while also recording a pair of sacks.

Highland Park will be at Hummer Park Friday to host KC-Sumner Academy in a Meadowlark Conference contest (7 p.m. kickoff). 

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

(All kickoffs at 7 p.m.)

THURSDAY'S GAME

Jason Filbeck begins his second season at Topeka High Thursday night after leading the Trojans to a 4-5 mark last fall. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

WICHITA WEST vs. TOPEKA HIGH

At Hummer Sports Park

Jason Filbeck begins his second season as Topeka High's head coach after leading the Trojans to a 4-5 record last fall, including four straight wins to open the season. High returns a solid group of returners to build around this season , returning four starters on offense and eight on defense. Senior defensive back Malachi Murph has received All-Centennial League first-team recognition the past two seasons and was an All-Shawnee County Second 22 honoree last fall while quarterback Zane Smith, linebacker Rock Williamson and defensive lineman Trey Lutz received All-Centennial League and All-Shawnee County honorable mention in 2024. Wichita West posted a 2-7 record in 2024, including a 52-19 season-opening loss to Topeka High. The Trojans will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak Thursday night. Two of Topeka High's first three games are Thursday night contests, with the Trojans hosting Wichita Southeast on Sept. 18.

FRIDAY'S GAMES

Silver Lake senior Dayne Johnson (11) is a returning All-Shawnee County Top 22 pick. [File photo/TSN]

Rossville senior Conner Bush helped the Bulldawgs advance to the Class 1A semifinals last season. [File photo/TSN]

SILVER LAKE at ROSSVILLE

For the second straight season the Bulldawgs and Eagles will open the 2025 season with one of the state's most storied rivalries. Rossville is coming off an 8-4 record a year ago and advanced to the Class 1A state semifinals while Silver Lake went 7-3. The Eagles took a 33-26 overtime win over the Bulldawgs in last year's opener. Rossville returns TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 pick Conner Bush (senior running back/defensive back) and All-Shawnee County Second 22 honorees Jack Donovan (senior wide receiver/defensive back) and Andre Johnson (senior running back/linebacker) to build around. Silver Lake senior wide receiver/safety Dayne Johnson received TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 honors a year ago after catching 51 passes for 835 yards and nine touchdowns and picking off six passes on defense. Junior lineman Myles Fisher and sophomore lineman Kendrick Vande Velde received all-county honorable mention last season while senior safety Grady Bergmann received All-Big East honorable mention.

 Washburn Rural senior running back TJ Minikwu earned All-Centennial League recognition last fall. [File photo/TSN]

Shawnee Heights senior quarterback Aiden Scott passed for more than 3,000 yards last fall. [File photo/TSN]

WASHBURN RURAL at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS

City rivals Washburn Rural and Shawnee Heights will both be looking to bounce back this fall after tough 2024 campaigns. Rural went 3-6 a year ago, including a 42-21 win over Shawnee Heights, while Heights went 2-7. Washburn Rural senior running back TJ Minikwu received first-team All-Centennial League recognition last season while senior quarterback John Hoytal, senior wide receiver Kellan Roth, senior defensive lineman Ayden Crosswhite and senior linebacker Jordy Heim were second-team all-league picks. Senior offensive lineman Jayden Cooper, junior running back Jadyn Baum, junior linebacker Brody Haas and senior linebacker Elijah Gaines received all-league honorable mention and Minikwu, Cooper, Baum, Hoytal, Roth, Crosswhite, Heim, Haas, Gaines, senior Sammy Brumley and senior Dylan Tajchman all received All-Shawnee County honorable mention. Leading the T-Bird returning cast are senior quarterback Aiden Scott and senior wide receiver/defensive back Tyren Parker, who both were TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 picks a year ago. Scott, who was named the county offensive newcomer of the year last fall, completed 190 of 317 passes for 3,102 yards and 32 touchdowns while Parker caught 50 passes for 946 yards with 11 touchdowns and was in on 48 tackles with a pair of interceptions. Scott has committed to Washburn and Parker to Kansas. 

Senior linebacker Jude Krentz led Hayden with 132 tackles last fall, earning All-Shawnee County Top 22 honors. [File photo/TSN]

EUDORA at HAYDEN  

Hayden went 11-2 and finished second in Class 3A for the second straight season last fall while Eudora is coming off a 4-5 season, including a 35-7 season-opening loss to the Wildcats. Headlining the list of Hayden returners are senior running back/defensive back Kade Mitchell and senior fullback/linebacker Jude Krentz, who were both TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 honors last season. Mitchell rushed for 808 yards on 104 carries last fall and scored 26 total touchdowns while Krentz led the Wildcats with 132 tackles (75 solo). Other top senior returners include quarterback Connor Hanika, center/defensive lineman Julian McGivern, running back/linebacker Jackson McGivern, tight end/linebacker Xander Blasing, offensive tackle Jackson Haas, offensive guard Andrew Rohr and linebacker Logan Saenz. 

Topeka West junior Damon Webb is one of the area's top returning running backs. [File photo/TSN]

DE SOTO at TOPEKA WEST

At Hummer Sports Park

Trey Parker begins his third full season as head coach at Topeka West after taking over on an interim basis in 2022. The Chargers will be looking to take a step forward this fall after three straight 1-8 seasons. Topeka West faces a tough task Friday night, with De Soto coming off a 7-2 season last fall. De Soto took a 56-6 season-opening win over West last season. Top returners for Topeka West include senior lineman Logan Hunninghake, senior wide receiver Gad Munganga, junior lineman Dorian Rhoten Jr. and junior running back Damon Webb Jr. Webb carried the ball 17 times for 192 yards and three touchdowns in last fall's 32-20 United Kansas Conference win over Kansas City-Turner. The Chargers also return sophomore quarterback Josiah Wilke, who took over as West's starter the second half of the 2024 season.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Editor's note: TopSports.news will post preview stories for all 10 Shawnee County high school football programs over the coming days, leading into the opening games of the 2025 season on Sept. 4 and 5.

                                                                       ----------------------------------------

After posting a 9-3 record and advancing to the Eight-Man Division I state semifinals in 2023, Doug Bonura's Cair Paravel Latin football team had to, in many ways, learn a whole new game last fall as the young Lions began the transition into the 11-man ranks.

Doug Bonura's Cair Paravel Latin Lions will be looking to make big strides this fall in the Lions second season of 11-man football. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

And for a team that graduated nine seniors from '23 and had only 19 total players last season, it wasn't a big shock that the Lions struggled to a 2-7 record.

But Bonura said the Lions gained a ton of experience from playing a schedule chock full of traditional small-school powers and are ready to make strides this fall.

"It was a big change coming into that and playing good teams is helpful in that because it exposes your weaknesses really quickly, especially having such a young team,'' Bonura said. "Last year we had three returning starters and a total of four returning lettermen.

"This year I have eight returning starters per side, which is really helpful. They're young, but they've had a year of experience and learning, 'Oh, that's what it is,' and this year I think they'll be like, "Oh, that's not so bad.' ''

Even though making the switch to 11-man football has been a challenge, Bonura said his team has embraced the change.

"I think they love 11-man because there's some things about 11-man that are nice compared to 8-man,'' Bonura said. "There's just more things you can do, but you also have more bodies to deal with and that's a challenge for a small school.''

Top senior returners for the Lions include fullback/linebacker Tobias Bonura, wide receiver/defensive back Luke Budden, offensive lineman/linebacker Caleb Cleverdon, tight end/defensive end Oliver Ellis and wide receiver/defensive back Lucas Marichal.

Bonura received TopSports.news All-Shawnee County honorable mention in 2024.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Jadyn Baum, Washburn Rural

JADYN BAUM, Washburn Rural

A junior running back, Baum received All-Centennial League and TopSports.news All-Shawnee County honorable mention last fall and has the potential to be one of the top backs in the county this season. Baum was also a first-team all-county pick in wrestling last season, posting a third-place finish in the Class 6A state tournament at 190 pounds.

GRADY BERGMANN, Silver Lake

A senior, Bergmann will serve as a team captain for the Eagles this season and could be a starter on both sides of the ball for Silver Lake, which is coming off a 7-3 campaign. Bergmann received All-Big East honorable mention as a defensive back in 2024.

Xander Blasing, Hayden

XANDER BLASING, Hayden

A 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior tight end/linebacker, Blasing received All-Shawnee County Second 22 recognition last season as Hayden posted an 11-2 record and advanced to the Class 3A state championship game for the second straight season. Blasing was in on 67 tackles (39 solo) with nine tackles for loss, two interceptions, a fumble recovery and a touchdown. 

TOBIAS BONURA, Cair Paravel Latin

Bonura will be looking to provide senior leadership for a Cair Paravel Latin team which is coming off a 2-7 2024 season in the Lions' first season in 11-man football (Class 1A). Bonura received All-Flint Hills second-team recognition at running back last fall and also received All-Shawnee County honorable mention.

Cameron Brian, Seaman

CAMERON BRIAN, Seaman

Brian, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior linebacker, was named to the All-Shawnee County Top 22 last season and named the county defensive newcomer of the year. Brian was also a first-team All-United Kansas Conference selection after registering 112 tackles with 10 tackles for loss for the 8-3 Vikings.

BROGEN BROWN, Seaman

A 6-1, 240 senior, Brown is a returning starter at offensive guard for Seaman, earning All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season after helping the Vikings go 8-3 and capture the United Kansas Conference title in 2024.

Conner Bush, Rossville

CONNER BUSH, Rossville

A 5-foot-11, 176-pound senior running back/defensive back, Bush received All-Shawnee County Top 22 recognition last fall after helping power the Bulldawgs to an 8-4 record and the Class 1A semifinals. Bush rushed for 690 yards and 10 touchdowns last season and also was in on 120 tackles with nine tackles for loss. Bush received All-Big East honorable mention.

JACK DONOVAN, Rossville

A senior wide receiver/defensive back, Donovan earned second-team All-Shawnee County recognition last season and earned All-Big East honorable mention after helping the Bulldawgs post an 8-4 record and reach the Class 1A semifinals. Donovan is also a standout for the Bulldawgs in both golf and basketball, earning first-team All-Shawnee County recognition in both sports.

MYLES FISHER, Silver Lake

Fisher, a junior, received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season after helping Silver Lake post a 7-3 record in the Eagles' first season in the Big East League.

AJ GALLEGOS, Shawnee Heights

A 5-9, 150 senior wide receiver, Gallegos received All-Shawnee County Second 22 and All-United Kansas Conference second-team recognition last fall for the 2-7 T-Birds. Gallegos caught 51 passes for 842 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior.

Connor Hanika, Hayden

CONNOR HANIKA, Hayden

Hanika, a 6-5, 190 senior, is in line to take over as the Wildcats' starting quarterback this fall after backing up Jett Wahlmeier last season. Hanika helped lead Hayden to the Class 3A state final as a sophomore after an injury to Wahlmeier and Hanika, who received all-county honorable mention, caught 24 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns last season as Hayden went 11-2 and returned to the title game.

Jordy Heim, Washburn Rural

JORDY HEIM, Washburn Rural

A senior linebacker, Heim earned second-team All-Centennial League recognition for the 3-6 Junior Blues last season and received All-Shawnee County honorable mention. 

John Hoytal, Washburn Rural

JOHN HOYTAL, Washburn Rural

Hoytal, a senior, took over as Washburn Rural's starting quarterback last fall, earning second-team All-Centennial League recognition and All-Shawnee County honorable mention. Hoytal was also a standout for the Rural basketball team, helping the Junior Blues reach the Class 6A state tournament.

ANDRE JOHNSON, Rossville

A 6-0, 211 senior fullback/linebacker, Johnson was a Second 22 All-Shawnee County selection last season after helping lead Rossville to an 8-4 record and the Class 1A state semifinals. Johnson received All-Big East honorable mention. 

Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake

DAYNE JOHNSON, Silver Lake

Johnson, a 6-2, 175 senior wide receiver/defensive back, earned All-Shawnee County Top 22 recognition last season for the 7-3 Eagles and was a first-team All-Big East selection on both offense and defense. Johnson caught 51 passes for 835 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024 and also picked off six passes on defense.

Noah Kobuszewski, Seaman

NOAH KOBUSZEWSKI, Seaman

Kobuszewski, a 6-4, 240 senior tight end, received All-Shawnee County Second 22 recognition last fall for the 8-3 Vikings, who captured the United Kansas Conference championship. Kobuszewski compiled 325 receiving yards and a touchdown as a junior.

Jude Krentz, Hayden

JUDE KRENTZ, Hayden

A 5-foot-8, 180-pound senior linebacker, Krentz was an All-Shawnee County Top 22 pick last season after registering 132 tackles for the 11-2 Wildcats, who advanced to the Class 3A championship game for the second straight season. Krentz also rushed for 128 yards on 21 attempts.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Hailey Caryl, Topeka High

HAILEY CARYL, Topeka High

A sophomore, Caryl teamed with Ava Ritter to advance to the Class 6A state tournament in doubles last fall. Caryl and Ritter finished fourth in the city meet in No. 1 doubles, third in the Centennial League meet in doubles and fifth in 6A regional competition to advance to state.

Madeline Deters, Topeka High

MADELINE DETERS, Topeka High

Deters, a senior, earned a Class 6A state medal last season, posting an eighth-place singles finish. Deters placed third in the city meet in No. 1 singles, second in singles in the Centennial Laague tournament and third in 6A regional competition. Deters also qualified for state as a sophomore.

Grace Funk, Hayden

GRACE FUNK, Hayden

A senior, Funk has earned Class 4A state singles medals in three straight seasons for the Wildcats. Funk posted a career-best ninth-place singles finish last fall to help the Wildcats win the 4A team title. Funk finished second in the city meet in No. 2 singles and placed fifth in singles in the Centennial League tournament and third at regionals.

Molly Gorman, Seaman

MOLLY GORMAN, Seaman

Gorman, a senior, switched to singles last fall after earning back-to-back Class 5A doubles state medals as a freshman and sophomore. Gorman helped Seaman win United Kansas Conference and regional team titles with perfect team scores. Gorman was the city champion in No. 2 singles and also placed second in singles in UKC and regional competition before finishing 10th at state as the Vikings finished third as a team.

Peyton Henry, Seaman

PEYTON HENRY, Seaman

Henry, a senior, teamed with graduated senior Sydney Chinn last season to post a 12th-place state finish in Class 5A doubles. Henry and Chinn swept United Kansas Conference and regional doubles titles after finishing third in the city tournament in No. 1 doubles. Henry and Chinn helped thv Vikings record perfect team scores at league and regionals.

KAYLYN HIEBSCH, Seaman

Hiebsch, a junior, teamed with Camryn Lux to finish second in the city meet in No. 2 doubles and Hiebsch and Lux also finished second in doubles in the United Kansas Conference and regional tournaments as the Vikings won team titles in both tournaments with perfect team scores. 

Julia Katzer, Washburn Rural

JULIA KATZER, Washburn Rural 

Katzer, a junior, qualified for the Class 6A state tournament in singles last season, earning her state berth with a fifth-place regional finish while helping the Junior Blues win a regional team title. Katzer finished third in No. 2 singles in the city meet. 

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

CARLOS ACOSTA-MARTINEZ, Topeka High

Acosta-Martinez, a junior, was a second-team All-Centennial League selection last season for the Trojans while also earning All-City honorable mention.

Draden Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural

DRADEN CHOONCHAROEN, Washburn Rural

A senior midfielder, Chooncharoen received first-team All-Centennial League honors last fall as the 15-3-3 Junior Blues won their 30th straight league title (outright or shared) on the way to a third-place finish in the Class 6A state tournament. Chooncharoen also received All-6A and All-City honorable mention and is a two-time 6A state track champion in the 4x400-meter relay.

Miles Cook, Washburn Rural

MILES COOK, Washburn Rural

Cook, a senior goalkeeper, helped 15-3-3 Washburn Rural win its 30th straight Centennial League championship (outright or shared) en route to a third-place finish in Class 6A. Cook received second-team Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association All-6A and All-Centennial recognition as well as All-City honorable mention.

JUDAH CONGDON, Cair Paravel Latin

A junior, Congdon earned All-Class 4A-1A honorable mention from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association last season and also received All-City honorable mention. 

Valentin Del Real, Topeka West

VALENTIN DEL REAL, Topeka West

Del Real, a sophomore midfielder, had a big freshman season for the Chargers last fall as Topeka West posted a breakout 13-4-1 campaign. Del Real earned first-team All-City recognition and also was a first-team All-United Kansas Conference pick. 

NERI DIAZ, Highland Park

Diaz, a senior midfielder, earned first-team All-City recognition for Highland Park in the 2024 season and was one of the top players in the Meadowlark Conference.

Juan Garcia, Shawnee Heights

JUAN GARCIA, Shawnee Heights

A senior, Garcia received All-Class 5A honorable mention from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association last season while also receiving All-City honorable mention. 

Diego Gonzalez-Talavera, Topeka West

DIEGO GONZALES-TALAVERA, Topeka West

A junior forward, Gonzales-Talavera helped lead the 13-4-1 Chargers to a breakout season in 2024, earning All-City and All-United Kansas Conference first-team recognition.

Camden Granado, Shawnee Heights

CAMDEN GRANADO, Shawnee Heights

Granado, a senior forward, received All-Class 5A honorable mention from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association last season while also earning first-team All-City and All-United Kansas Conference recognition. Granado was also a standout kicker for the T-Bird football team last fall. 

Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights

MASON HAAS, Shawnee Heights

Haas, a junior midfielder, received All-Class 5A honorable mention from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association last season while also earning first-team All-City and All-United Kansas Conference recognition.

Brandon Hamiton, Washburn Rural

BRANDON HAMILTON, Washburn Rural

A senior defender, Hamilton received second-team All-Class 6A honors from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association while also earning first-team All-City and All-Centennial League recognition for the 15-3-3 Junior Blues, who finished third in 6A after winning their 30th straight league championship (outright or shared).

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Nora Burdiek, Rossville

NORA BURDIEK, Rossville

A junior outside hitter, Burdiek was a first-team TopSports.news All-Shawnee County and first-team Kansas Volleyball Association All-Class 2A selection last fall after recording 491 kills, 368 digs and 22 blocks for the 22-18 Bulldawgs. Burdiek was also an All-Big East second-team selection in as a sophomore after being named the Shawnee County newcomer of the year as a freshman in 2023. Burdiek is also one of 2A's top basketball players, receiving all-county recognition the past two seasons.

Campbell Dawson, Topeka High

CAMPBELL DAWSON, Topeka High

Dawson, a junior, turned in a solid sophomore season for an improving Topeka High program last season, with the Trojans posting a 17-19 record. Dawson, who is entering her third season as a varsity player, earned second-team TSN All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League recognition as a sophomore. Also a standout for Topeka High in softball, Dawson helped the Trojans advance to the Class 6A state tournament. 

Ella Foster, Hayden

ELLA FOSTER, Hayden

A senior libero, Foster helped lead the Wildcats to a 32-12 record and a third-place finish in the Class 4A state tournament last fall. Foster was a second-team TSN All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League selection last season while also receiving All-Class 4A honorable mention from the Kansas Volleyball Association. Foster is a multi-sport athlete for the Wildcats, also playing basketball and soccer.

Harper Hafenstine, Seaman

HARPER HAFENSTINE, Seaman

A senior, Hafenstine is a leading returner for Seaman, which has advanced to the Class 5A state championship match the past two seasons, including the state championship in 2023. Hafenstine received TSN All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season after helping the Vikings post a 41-3 record on the year.

KYLIE HANNI, Silver Lake

Hanni is a returning junior standout for traditional Class 3A state power Silver Lake. Hanni was named to the TSN All-Shawnee County second team following the 2024 season while also earning All-Big East League second-team recognition.

KARSYN HASTERT, Cair Paravel Latin

Hastert, a senior, has earned second-team TSN All-Shawnee County honors the past two seasons for the Lions after receiving all-county honorable mention as a freshman. Hastert is also a basketball standout for Cair Paravel Latin, earning all-county recognition.

Karsyn Horyna, Washburn Rural (21)

KARSYN HORYNA, Washburn Rural

Horyna, a senior, earned a first-team berth on the TSN All-Shawnee County team last season after helping the 31-8 Junior Blues win the Centennial League championship and advance to the Class 6A state tournament. In addition to receiving her all-county honor Horyna was a second-team All-Centennial selection.

Reese Huscher, Hayden

REESE HUSCHER, Hayden

A senior, Huscher earned TSN All-Shawneee County second-team recognition last fall after helping the Wildcats post a 32-12 record and a third-place finish in the Class 4A state tournament. Huscher received All-Centennial League honorable mention. Huscher was also a member of Hayden's basketball team that finished third in 4A and the Wildcat soccer team that was the 4A-1A state runnerup.

Stelly Kelly, Washburn Rural

STELLA KELLY, Washburn Rural 

Kelly, a senior, earned a second-team berth on the TSN All-Shawnee County team last season after helping the 31-8 Junior Blues win the Centennial League championship and advance to the Class 6A state tournament. In addition to receiving her all-county recognition Kelly was a second-team All-Centennial selection.

 Hailey Schmidtlein, Hayden

HAILEY SCHMIDTLEIN, Hayden

A sophomore middle blocker/outside hitter, Schmidtlein helped lead 32-12 Hayden to a third-place finish in Class 4A last fall, receiving All-State Tournament and second-team Class 4A All-State honors from the Kansas Volleyball Association. Schmidtlein, who registered 440 kills and 242 digs, was a first-team TSN All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League pick and named the county co-newcomer of the year. Schmidtlein also helped Hayden finish third in 4A basketball and second in 4A-1A soccer.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The 2024-2025 sports year was full of near-misses for Shawnee County boys teams, with Hayden bowling the lone team to garner a championship in a school year that included seven top-three state trophy finishes in six sports.

But individually there was plenty to celebrate, most notably for Washburn Rural on the wrestling mat and track as seven Junior Blues combined for all six county titles

Following is a pick by pick look at the TopSports.news Top 10 county boys prep stories of '24-'25:

Washburn Rural 2025 grad Easton Broxterman won his third straight Class 6A state wrestling title in his fourth straight trip to the state finals. [File photo/TSN]

1. DOMINATING FINISH TO DOMINATING CAREER -- Washburn Rural superstar wrestler Easton Broxterman put the capper on one of the top high school careers in Shawnee County history with his third straight Class 6A state championship in his fourth straight trip to the state finals, helping lead the Junior Blues to a third-place team finish in the 6A state tournament in Overland Park. Broxterman, who will wrestle collegiately at Army, finished off a 41-2 senior season with the 145-pound state title.

Hayden captured the school's first-ever state bowling title in 2025. [File photo/TSN]

2. ROLLING TO HISTORY --Hayden garnered the first state bowling championship in school history, winning the Class 4A-1A state event by a 3,666-3,571 margin over Mulvane as four Wildcats earned individual state medals. Trevor Christy rolled a 698 series to finish third individually while John Strickland finished fifth with a 685, Chase Blaser was seventh with a 676 and Reese Renyer placed 16th with a 636.

Washburn Rural 2025 grad Kristjan Marshall won back-to-back Class 6A state wrestling titles in '24 and '25.'[File photo/TSN] 

 Washburn Rural senior to be Landen Kocher-Munoz won his second Class 6A state wrestling titles in '25.'[File photo/TSN]

3. REPEAT FEAT --Washburn Rural wrestling stars Kristjan Marshall and Landen Kocher-Munoz captured the second Class 6A state titles of their careers as the Junior Blues finished third as a team. Marshall, a senior, won his second straight championship, winning the 157-pound crown to finish off a 37-5 season while Kocher-Munoz, a junior, won his second career championship in his third straight state final, winning at 138 pounds to finish 34-3 on the season.

Washburn Rural's Matthew Houser, Liam Morrison, Draden Chooncharoen and Isaiah Terry set the Class 6A state meet record in the 4x400 relay in the 2025 state meet. [File photo/TSN]

4. REPEAT FEAT PART II --Washburn Rural won the Class 6A state title in the 4x400-meter relay for the second straight season in the final event of the state meet at Wichita State's Cessna Stadium as senior Matthew Houser, junior Liam Morrison, junior Draden Chooncharoen and senior Isaiah Terry set a 6A state meet record in a winning time of 3 minutes, 16.23 seconds. Morrison, Chooncharoen and Terry ran on Rural's state-champion relay in both '24 and '25 while Houser won his first state title. 

5. DOUBLING THEIR PLEASURE --In addition to helping Washburn Rural set a Class 6A state meet 4x400 relay record in the 2025 state meet, senior Isaiah Terry and junior Liam Morrison both doubled up with their first career individual state titles. Terry won the 400-meter dash in 47.92 seconds while Morrison won the 300 hurdles in 37.68 seconds. Terry and Morrison also both have a pair of state wins as part of the Junior Blues' 4x400 relay, giving them three career state golds.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

How successful was the 2021-22 sports year for Shawnee County high schools? Good enough that girls and boys individuals/teams deserve their own lists.

First up is TopSports.news' look at the county girls year in review, which will be followed by a look at the boys successes of the past year.

Shawnee County schools claimed three state girls team championships and several others came up just short while 10 county standouts claimed individual titles in four different sports.

While a case can always be made for any number of stories to sit at the top of the list, here's one opinion on the Top 10 Shawnee County girls prep stories of '21-'22: 

 Topeka High celebrates its second straight Class 6A state softball title after last Friday's 2-1 win over Washburn Rural. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]

1. TROJAN RERUN -- After claiming the school's first Class 6A state softball championship in 2021, Topeka High made it two titles in a row last Friday against a familiar foe, with the Trojans edging past city and Centennial League rival Washburn Rural, 2-1, in the championship game. After leading High to a perfect 25-0 record as a junior, Stanford signee NiJaree Canady came up big again in the pitching circle and at the plate last weekend, leading the Trojans to the title.

Washburn Rural won its second Class 6A state basketball championship since 2019, taking a 40-23 win over Derby in the state final. [Submitted]

2. RURAL RULES --Washburn Rural's girls basketball team celebrated a 6A state championship for the second time since 2019, completing a 23-2 season with a 40-23 romp past Derby in the state final at Wichita State's Koch Arena. And while the basketball crown was the lone title for the Lady Blues in '21-'22, they threatened in sport after sport, finishing second in the state in golf, soccer, wrestling and softball and turning in strong cross country, volleyball and bowling campaigns.

Topeka West junior Kadence Jeffries ended her high school swimming career with a sweep of the Class 5A-1A 200 and 500 freestyle events for the third straight season. [File photo/TSN]

3. CHARGER IN CHARGE --The only thing that stopped Topeka West swimming star Kadence Jeffries during a dominating high school career was COVID-19. After sweeping the 200-yard freestyle and 500 free Class 5A-1A state titles as a freshman, Jeffries had her sophomore season wiped out by the pandemic beore returning to sweep the same two events as both a junior and senior to complete a six for six performance in state individual events. Seaman sophomore Avery Walz joined Jeffries as a 5A-1A state champ this past season, winning the 100-yard breaststroke and earning four state medals overall as the Vikings finished fourth as a team.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural, which captured its first-ever Class 6A girls state championship this spring, put a city-high six players on the 15-member 2025 All-City girls soccer first team.

The All-City team is based on recommendations and voting from city coaches.

Rural is represented on the All-City first team by seniors Destiny Higgs, Kate Hinck, Addyson Kaberline, Zahra Friess and Madison Lemke and junior Dayne Shriver while Junior Blues coach Brian Hensyel was named the city coach of the year

Higgs, Hinck and Kaberline are all first-team repeat picks after helping Washburn Rural post a 19-2 rcord, capped by a 1-0 win over Mill Valley in penalty kicks (4-1). 

Destiny Higgs, Washburn Rural

Kate Hinck, Washburn Rural

Addyson Kaberline, Washburn Rural

Zahra Friess, Washburn Rural

Madison Lemke, Washburn Rural

Dayne Shriver, Washburn Rural

Seaman, which advanced to the 5A state quarterfinals, is represented on the All-City team by seniors Anna Becker and Maegan Mills and junior Ava Golightley, with Becker a repeat pick and Mills receiving honorable mention in 2024.

Anna Becker, Seaman

Ava Golightley, Seaman 

Hayden, which advanced to the 4A-1A championship game before losing in double overtime to Bishop Miege, put junior Carsyn Broxterman and senior Camryn McDonald on the All-City first team, with Broxterman a repeat selection and McDonald moving up to the first team after receiving honorable mention in 2024. 

Carsyn Broxterman, Hayden

Camryn McDonald, Hayden

Shawnee Heights senior Izzy Van Fleet is a repeat first-team selection while T-Bird senior Bayli Benson was voted to the first team after receiving honorable mention a year ago.

Izzy Van Fleet, Shawnee Heights

Bayli Benson, Shawnee Heights

Rounding out the All-City first team are Highland Park sophomore Micah Williams and Topeka High junior Natalie Barnes.

 Micah Williams, Highland Park

 Natalie Barnes, Topeka High

Williams is a two-time All-City pick while Barnes earned All-City recognition for the first time after helping Topeka High reach the 6A quarterfinals.

ALL-CITY GIRLS SOCCER 2025

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural, which captured three Class 6A state championships, including a state-meet record, headlines the 2025 All-Shawnee County boys track and field team.

Isaiah Terry, Washburn Rural

Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural

Matthew Houser, Liam Morrison, Draden Chooncharoen, Isaiah Terry, Washburn Rural

Rural senior Isaiah Terry won the 6A state title in the 400-meter dash in 47.92 seconds and junior Liam Morrison won the 300 hurdles in 37.68 before Morrison and Terry teamed with senior Matthew Houser and junior Draden Chooncharoen for a 6A meet-record time of 3:16.23 in the 4x400 relay.

Peyton Holmes, Seaman

Bryce Cochran, Seaman

Brody Anderson, Seaman

Seaman senior Peyton Holmes was the 5A runnerup in the 100 dash (10.82) while Viking senior Bryce Cochran finished third in the 400 (48.85) and Seaman junior Brody Anderson placed third in the 800 (1:55.52).

Ben Roeder, CPLS/Topeka High

Senior Ben Roeder, who competed for Cair Paravel Latin in postseason after running for Topeka High in the regular season, finished third in the 2A 400 (49.37).

Silver Lake's foursome of seniors Trent Rollenhagen and Evan Scheid and juniors Joel Miller and Braxton Rupp posted a third-place finish in the 3A 4x100 relay (42.57).

Jensen Schrickel, Hayden

Despite missing the state meet after an injury at regionals, Hayden senior multi-time state champion Jensen Schrickel earned All-City honors for the fourth straight season.

In addition to its state champions, Washburn Rural put seniors Braylon Badger, Ben Buesing, Connor Olsen and Chris Quarles, junior Brooks Kehoe and sophomore Christian Hartman-Babb on the All-City team.

Adrian Lehman and Mark Wilkie, Topeka West

Topeka West is represented on the All-City team by senior distance standouts Adrian Lehman and Mark Wilkie, who were both 5A state medalists, while Shawnee Heights senior Liam Benz and Seaman sophomore Jack Esser were also state medalists.

All-Shawnee County picks were based on meeting minimum performance standards as well as coaches' recommendations and postseason performances.

ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY 2025 BOYS TRACK AND FIELD

The 2025 All-Shawnee County boys golf team: From left -- Jack Donovan, Rossville; Higgins Hawks, Washburn Rural; Tadd Armstrong, Washburn Rural; Tagan Monasmith, Washburn Rural; Tagen Rodriguez, Hayden; James Kuta, Hayden. Not pictured: Mateo Garcia, Hayden. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

First-team repeat selections Tadd Armstrong of Washburn Rural, Jack Donovan of Rossville and Hayden's James Kuta and Tagen Rodriguez headline the 2025 All-Shawnee County boys golf team. 

Seniors Armstrong and Kuta finished one-two in the city tournament, with Armstrong winning the title in a playoff, while Kuta and Rodriguez, a junior, both posted top-10 finishes in the Class 4A state tournament as Hayden finished second as a team and Donovan was a regional champion as a junior and earned a sixth-place tie in 2A-1A, his second straight state medal

Washburn Rural, which won its 15th straight city team championship, is also represented on the All-Shawnee County team by senior Tagan Monasmith and junior Higgins Hawks while Hayden also put junior Mateo Garcia on the first team.

All-Shawnee County capsules:

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

WICHITA -- Washburn Rural's boys claimed three state championships to highlight championship Saturday for the Shawnee County contingent in the state track and field championships at Wichita State. 

Washburn Rural celebrates after setting the Class 6A state meet record in the 4x400 relay Saturday night in Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn Rural's Matthew Houser, Liam Morrison, Draden Chooncharoen and Isaiah Terry set the Class 6A state meet record in the 4x400 relay Saturday night in Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Senior Isaiah Terry won the 400-meter dash, followed by junior Liam Morrison's win in the 300 hurdles and wrapping things up with a record-setting performance by senior Matthew Houser, Morrison, junior Draden Choonchareon and Terry in the 4x400-meter relay.

Terry started Rural's late-meet gold medal haul with his win in the 400 in 47.92 seconds.

Washburn Rural senior Isaiah Terry won the Class 6A state title in the 400-meter dash in 47.92. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

"It felt great,'' Terry said. "I switched up my stride a little bit and decided to go back to my roots... and felt way better. I actually got off fast this time and the rest was history.

''I'm so ectstatic after last year when I absolutely did horrible and got fifth place, the worst day of my life. Ever since sophomore year when I said I would quit cross country and start running track all year around I've been dreaming of moments like this and it feels good for it to come true.''

Washburn Rural junior Liam Morrison (3779) ran on Rural's record-setting Class 6A 4x400 relay after winning the title in the 300 hurdles Saturday in Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Morrison followed with the state championship in the 300 hurdles with a time of 37.68. He also finished sixth earlier in the day in the 110 hurdles with a time of 14.52.

“I feel great with the (personal record) in the state championship race,'' Morrison said. "The 110 didn’t go as I wanted, but I definitely knew it would be a great opportunity to show that I deserve to be here. I know what I can do and I’m happy that I was able to go out and do it.”

Houser, Morrison, Chooncharoen and Terry then went out and captured Rural's second straight state championship in the 4x400 in a meet record time of 3:16.23. 

"After our league meet at Junction (City) we saw the time we got and we were like, 'We can definitely do this, we can get this record,' '' Chooncharoen said. "My teammates, we push each other every day. Everyone did their part and it was amazing.''

Houser came on board this season as Rural's leadoff runner, joining returners Morrison, Chooncharoen and Terry from the 2024 state winners.

"We've been training all season since the start so we could try to get this record because that was our mindset all year,'' Houser said. "I've been training all summer and winter with Isaiah so I could get better for this exact reason and I guess it helped out at the end.'' 

Saturday's other county medalists:

• Senior Peyton Holmes of Seaman finished second in the Class 5A 100 meters in a time of 10.82 seconds after placing sixth in Friday's long jump.

Seaman senior Peyton Holmes (3767) finished second in the Class 5A 100 dash Saturday in Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

“I was really hoping to get first,'' Holmes said. "Second is good and my goal was to get in the top three. I thought I had it for a little bit, but he (Jack Guthridge) is really tough.”

• Seaman junior Brody Anderson finished third in a tough 5A 800 meters field in a time of 1:55.52.

Seaman junior Brody Anderson (3760) posted a third-place finish in the Class 5A 800 meters Saturday in Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Anderson battled on the second lap and held on for the third-place finish.

“I don’t think I could have done it if I hadn’t prepared all week with the help of coach (Luke) Wiens,'' Anderson said. "Every rep this week, I simulated the race situation and it set me up to be where I wanted to be today.”

• Senior Bryce Cochran of Seaman finished third in the 5A 400 meters with a time of 48.85.

Seaman senior Bryce Cochran (3763) finished third in the Class 5A 400 while Shawnee Heights senior Liam Benz (3733) was seventh Saturday in Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

“I feel awesome and I got a little emotional after the race seeing that all the hard work pay off,'' Cochran said. "To do what I dreamed of after not even making it to state last year, I’m just appreciative of everyone that’s worked with me in the offseason to get me here. I’m just proud of myself.”

• Senior Adrian Lehman of Topeka West finished fourth in the 1,600 meters with a time of 4:16.70.

Topeka West senior Adrian Lehman (3785) posted a fourth-place finish and set a West school record in Saturday's Class 5A state meet in Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Lehman broke the 50-year-old West school record of 4:17.7 set by Bill Myers in 1975.

"(That's) two school records this season, not bad for only his second season of high school track,'' West coach Donnie Palmer said of Lehman.

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

WICHITA - On Day 1 of the KSHSAA State Track Meet at Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium, several local boys competed in preliminary races in an attempt to qualify for the finals on Saturday. There were also some field event finals on Friday.

Qualifiers for Saturday’s Finals

Senior Ben Roeder of Cair Paravel qualified fifth in the Class 2A 400 meters with a time of 50.40 seconds.

Senior Evan Scheid of Silver Lake qualified second in the 3A 200 meters in a time of 22.32 seconds.

Silver Lake’s 4x100-meter relay team (Brandon Rupp, Evan Scheid, Joel Miller and Trent Rollenhagen) qualified fourth in 43.46 seconds.

Seaman senior Bryce Cochran qualified fifth in the 5A 400 meters in a time of 49.04 seconds.

Shawnee Heights senior Liam Benz qualified seventh in the 400 meters with a time of 49.86 seconds.

Washburn Rural senior Braylon Badger qualified fifth in the 300 meter hurdles in a time of 40.40 seconds.

Washburn Rural junior Liam Morrison qualified second in the 110 meter hurdles in a time of 14.64 seconds. He also qualified third in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 40.05 seconds.

Washburn Rural senior Isaiah Terry qualified fourth in the 400 meters in a time of 49.32 seconds.

Washburn Rural junior Draden Chooncharoen competes in the Class 6A 4x400 relay prelims Friday night in Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn Rural’s 4x400 meter relay team (Matthew Houser, Liam Morrison, Draden Choonchareon, Isaiah Terry) qualified second with a time of 3:22.61.

Medalists from Friday’s Finals

Seaman senior Peyton Holmes finished sixth in the Class 5A long jump Friday in Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman senior Peyton Holmes finished sixth in the 5A long jump with a distance of 22 feet, 1 inch.

Topeka West senior Adrian Lehman finished fifth in Friday's Class 5A 3,200 meters at Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Topeka West senior Adrian Lehman finished fifth in the 6A 3,200 meters with a time of 9:18.60.

Washburn Rural junior Brooks Kehoe finished fifth in Friday's Class 6A 3,200 meters at Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn Rural junior Brooks Kehoe finished fifth in the 3,200 meters with a time of 9:20.97.

The remaining events will be contested beginning Saturday morning at 8:30 with the preliminaries for the 100 meters for girls and boys. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Wamego won its third straight Class 4A team championship Wednesday at Newton's Sand Creek Station.

But it took a strong finish for the Red Raiders to survive a second-day rally from Hayden, with Wamego finishing with a three-stroke victory over the Wildcats (621-624) after starting the day with a seven-stroke advantage.

Hayden senior James Kuta finished fourth in the Class 4A state golf tournament, leading the Wildcats to a second-place team finish. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]

"Early in the round, it did not look good,'' Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson told KSHSAA Covered. "We got down pretty big. But the fact that we stormed back and took the lead there on the second nine was fun.

"Credit Wamego. We didn't blow it. They stepped up."

Despite the fact that the Wildcats' title bid came up short, Reynoldson said he was extremely proud of his team.

"What I love about this group is it's hard to get them to go home before dark,'' Reynoldson said. "It's 6 o'clock and I'm heading home and they're still working. They really wanted this and to come up short hurts."

Senior James Kuta led Hayden with a fourth-place individual finish at 152 (77-75) while senior Tagen Rodriguez finished ninth at 156 (81-75). 

Lions finish fourth in Class 2A

Cair Paravel Latin finished fourth as a team in the Class 2A state tournament at the Turkey Creek Golf Course in McPherson.

Cair Paravel junior Caleb Cleverdon for sixth individually at 155 (76-79).

Rossville junior Jack Donovan tied Cleverdon for sixth place at 155 (76-79) Bulldawg senior Jonathan Hart tied for 15th at 162 (78-84) to earn a state medal.