Seaman Vikings

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news 

Jadyn Baum

JADYN BAUM, Washburn Rural

A junior running back, Baum sailed over the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season Friday night, picking up 182 yards and scoring three touchdowns on 15 carries as 6-3 Washburn Rural advanced to the second round of the Class 6A football playoffs with a 37-0 win over Wichita South at Bowen-Glaze Stadium. Baum scored TDs on 8, 8 and 46 yards against the Titans.

Dillon Claussen

DILLON CLAUSSEN, Washburn University

A 6-foot-8 sophomore, Claussen registered a pair of double-doubles as the No. 2-ranked Washburn men's basketball team opened the season with a pair of wins in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Lakeland, Fla. The Omaha, Neb. native scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in Saturday's 101-53 win over Augusta (Ga.) and had 23 points and 12 rebounds in Sunday's 89-77 win over No. 3-ranked Dallas Baptist.

Henry Laubach

HENRY LAUBACH, Washburn Rural

A sophomore, Laubach led a balanced Washburn Rural cross country team with a 22nd-place individual finish in a five-kilometer time of 16 minutes, 40.66 seconds Saturday at Rim Rock Farm as the Junior Blues captured the Class 6A team championship by a single point, 100-101 over Blue Valley.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman, Shawnee Heights and Topeka all put a player on the All-United Kansas Conference volleyball first team while Seaman senior Kinsley Smith was named the conference defensive player of the year.

Kinsley Smith, Seaman

Smith also earned a spot on the eight-member All-UKC first team along with Shawnee Heights senior Avery Willey and Topeka West junior Sydney Van Dyke.

Avery Willey, Shawnee Heights

Sydney Van Dyke, Topeka West

Shawnee Heights senior Brooke McCabe was named to the All-UKC second team while Seaman senior Addison Sibley, Shawnee Heights junior Clara Morgan and senior Jaidyn Euwer andTopeka West senior Breonnah Keeling and sophomore Kendall Munoz received honorable mention.

Lansing senior Avery Sands was named the UKC offensive player of the year while De Soto senior Kylie Groves was named the setter of the year and Lansing's Whitney Pakenham was voted coach of the year.   

ALL-UNITED KANSAS VOLLEYBALL

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

Hayden, which has advanced to the past two Class 3A state championship games, took the first step towards a third straight title shot with a 70-7 rout over Columbus Friday night at Hayden.

Senior Kade Mitchell (25) rushed for 190 yards on just five attempts and scored four touchdowns in Hayden's 70-7 Class 3A playoff win over Columbus Friday night. [File photo/TSN]

Hayden, the No. 1 3A East seed, improved to 9-0 on the season and will host No. 9 Wellsville (6-3), a 50-0 winner over Parsons, next Friday at 7 p.m. 

The Wildcats jumped out to a 42-7 first-quarter cushion over 2-7 Columbus, the No. 16 East seed, and led 63-7 at the half.

Senior Kade Mitchell had a big night for Hayden, rushing for 190 yards unofficially on just five attempts, including touchdown runs of 51, 42 and 75 yards while also hauling in a 45-yard touchdown pass from Wildcat senior quarterback Connor Hanika.

Senior Xander Blassing had 30 and 35-yard interception returns for TDs as six Wildcats scored touchdowns on the night.

HAYDEN 70, COLUMBUS 7

Columbus (2-7) 7 0 0 0 -- 7

Hayden (9-0)   42 21 7 0 -- 70

Hayden -- Mitchell 51 run (Becker kick)

Hayden -- Blasing 30 interception return (Becker kick)

Hayden -- Mitchell 45 pass from Hanika (Becker kick)

Hayden -- McGivern 4 run (Becker kick)

Columbus -- Dohle 96 kickoff return (Gray kick)

Hayden -- Becker 34 pass from Hanika (Becker kick)

Hayden -- Blasing 35 interception return (Becker kick)

Hayden - Mitchell 42 run (Becker kick)

Hayden - Mitchell 75 run (Becker kick)

Hayden - Branson 39 run (Becker kick)

Hayden - Todwong 14 run (Becker kick)

Individual statistics

RUSHING -- Columbus: Jayden Rodriguez 3-8, Jett Tanner 7-4, Jayden Dohle 4-3, Braun Stone 5-1, Jonas Stover 1-(minus)-5. Hayden: Kade Mitchell 5-190, Kyden Lichtenhauer 5-84, Mason Branson 1-39, Jairus Todwong 3-28, Jackson McGivern 5-24, Evan Huntley 4-15, Callen Powers 3-8, Alex Lopez 1-5, Conner Hanika 1-4, Mason Becker 1-4, Elijah Torrez 1-1.

PASSING -- Columbus: Jett Turner 7-20-5, 72 yards. Hayden -- Conner Hanika 4-6-0, 98 yards.

RECEIVING -- Columbus: Jonas Stover 3-26, Braun Stone 1-20, Jayden Rodriguez 1-15, Cole Howard 1-8, Lemmie Stone 1-3. Hayden: Kade Mitchell 1-45, Mason Becker 1-34, Mahki Kidd 1-13, Xander Blasing 1-6.

PUNTING -- Columbus: Jonas Stover 4-22.25.

Eagles takes 29-8 win over St. Marys in 2A rematch

Silver Lake stretched its win streak to seven games Friday night, opening Class 2A postseason with a 29-8 home win over St. Marys.

The Eagles, who improved to 7-2 overall, beat the Bears for the second time this fall, taking a 21-6 District 3 win on Sept. 26

Silver Lake, the No. 4 East seed in 2A, advances to the second round of the playoffs to face No. 5 seed Sabetha (8-1), a 48-0 winner over No. 12 Humboldt (3-6).  

Rossville routs Mission Valley 71-0 in 1A playoff opener

Class 1A District 2 champion Rossville, the No. 4 East seed and a state semifinalist last fall, opened its 2025 playoff bid with a 71-0 home win over Mission Valley Friday night.

The Bulldawgs took control of the game with a 21-0 first quarter and scored 35 points in the second quarter to open up a 56-0 halftime lead before adding a pair of scores in the third stanza. 

Senior quarterback Canann Mitchell scored on a 41-yard run and threw for a 30-yard TD to Jack Donovan and a 15-yard TD pass to Cameron Miller.

Donovan opened the scoring with a 55-yard run while Landen Lewis scored on 10 and 40-yard runs, Andre Johnson scored on a 6-yard run and Conner Bush scored on a 2-yard run.

The Bulldawgs also got interception returns for touchdowns from Cale Horak and Dalen Dick while Austin Dohrman kicked nine extra points and Cole Graves scored on a 2-point conversion run.

Rossville advances to host No. 5 seed Jefferson County North (8-1), a 30-14 winner over McLouth, next Friday.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural cross country coach Matt Swedlund knew going into Saturday's state cross country meet at Rim Rock that the battle for the Class 6A boys team championship would be close.

Washburn Rural's cross country team celebrates with coach Matt Swedlund Saturday at Rim Rock Farm after learning the Junior Blues had won the Class 6A state championship. [Photo by Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports]

Washburn Rural's cross country team stands on the victory stand Saturday at Rim Rock Farm after winning the Class 6A state cross country title. [Photo by Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports]

It couldn't have been any closer. 

Washburn Rural, top-ranked in the 6A coaches rankings, didn't have an individual medalist (top 20) on Saturday, but the Junior Blues put four runners in the top 28 places to lead the way as Rural captured the team championship by a single point (100-101) over Blue Valley.

Swedlund said at mid-week that he expected a tight race for the title.

"Basically the top five in the rankings are all just points from each other,'' Swedlund told TopSports.news. "There are several teams that have an opportunity (to win the team crown), so you've got to take it.

"We're not taking anything for granted and if you want to end up on the podium (top three teams) you're going to have to run well. We've been fortunate to have some good teams that were in the conversation and when you put yourself in the conversation there is no reason not to make your goal the absolute top. You want to be the best, you want to win, so that's what you shoot for.''

The Junior Blues, who had tied Manhattan at regionals and finished second on a tiebreaker, rode a pack finish on Saturday to its second title under Swedlund, a Washburn Rural alum.

Sophomore Henry Laubach (1598) leads a strong pack finish from Class 6A state champion Washburn Rural Saturday at Rim Rock Farm. [Photo by Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports]

Rural, which finished sixth as a team in the 2024 state meet, got a team-high 22nd-place finish from sophomore Henry Laubach in a five-kilometer time of 16:40.66 while senior Brooks Kehoe was just three spots back in 25th (16:42.83), sophomore Clayton Fink was right behind Kehoe in 26th (16:46.46) and sophomore Duke Graf was 28th (16:47.78).

Sophomore Jaxson Adams rounded out Rural's top five with a 42nd-place finish (17:01.90) while senior Wyatt Shorb was 52nd (17:11.27) and sophomore Brady Meek 84th (17:48.44). 

Olathe West was just 10 points behind Blue Valley in third (110) while Maize (147) and Free State (150) rounded out the top five in the team standings.

Blue Valley Northwest's Jacob D'souza won the individual title in 15:42.50.

Washburn Rural's girls finished seventh as a team with 173 points, led by freshman Alyson Hinck in a time of 19:54.78.

Senior Emily Graf finished 30th (19:58.44), followed by senior Kenzie Maddox in 49th (20:27.71), sophomore Reese Beardslee in 50th (20:29.81), freshman Morgan Munson in 51st (20:33.80), freshman Clara Dixon in 62nd (21:00.06) and freshman Lilly Palmer in 90th (23:18.64).

Manhattan won the girls team championship with 61 points. 

Topeka High sophomore Easton Davis competed in the 6A boys race as an individual, placing 80th (17:42.79)'

Vikings' Spencer posts 16th-place 5A finish

Seaman junior Brynn Spencer earned her second straight Class 5A state medal Saturday at Rim Rock Farm, placing 16th in 19:26.82.

 Seaman junior Brynn Spencer (1575) earned her second straight Class 5A state medal with a 16th-place finish Saturday at Rim Rock Farm. [Photo by Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports]

Spencer, competing as an individual, placed 18th at state as a sophomore.

Seaman senior Brody Anderson placed 33rd in the boys race (16:51.27) while Shawnee Heights senior Max Esquibel finished 50th (17:24.63).

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural cross country coach Matt Swedlund knows that there are multiple teams capable of challenging for the Class 6A boys state team championship Saturday at Rim Rock Farm, north of Lawrence.

Veteran senior Brooks Kehoe, the Centennial League champion, will lead top-ranked Washburn Rural into Saturday's Class 6A state cross country meet at Rim Rock Farm. [File photo/TSN]

But Rural, top-ranked in the 6A coaches rankings, is one of those teams, and Swedlund is excited to see what Saturday holds for his young Junior Blues, who have five sophomores in their state lineup.

"Basically the top five in the rankings are all just points from each other,'' Swedlund said. "There are several teams that have an opportunity (to win the team crown), so you've got to take it.

"We're not taking anything for granted and if you want to end up on the podium (top three teams) you're going to have to run well. We've been fortunate to have some good teams that were in the conversation and when you put yourself in the conversation there is no reason not to make your goal the absolute top. You want to be the best, you want to win, so that's what you shoot for.'' 

Washburn Rural tied Manhattan for last Saturday's regional title at Wichita's Clapp Park, with the Indians taking the team crown on a tiebreaker (highest finishing sixth runner).

Sophomores Duke Graf, Clayton Fink and Henry Laubach finished second, seventh and 12th to lead the Junior Blues while senior Centennial League champion Brooks Kehoe finished 19th and sophomore Jaxson Adams 22nd to round out Rural's top five and senior Wyatt Shorb and sophomore Brady Meek finished 28th and 29th.

Rural finished sixth as a team in last year's state meet, with Laubach finishing 14th to earn a state medal.

Senior Emily Graf, a two-time 6A state medalist, will lead the young Junior Blues into Saturday's state meet at Rim Rock Farm. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn Rural suffered heavy graduation losses off its girls team that finished second in, losing out to Olathe West on a tiebreaker, in last year's state meet, but the Junior Blues, ranked fifth in 6A, earned a trip to state with a strong runnerup regional finish to Centennial champ Manhattan.

Seniors Emily Graf and Kenzie Maddox and sophomore Reese Beardslee return from last year's runnerup Rural team and will be joined on Saturday by freshmen Alyson Hinck, Morgan Munson, Clara Dillon and Lilly Palmer.

Graf led Rural with a fifth-place finish at regionals while Hinck was eighth, Munson ninth, Maddox 16th, Beardslee 17th, Dillon 21st and Palmer 36th.

"You've got some young girls, so you just want them to get out there and run the best that they can and see where you land,'' Swedlund said.

Graf will be shooting for her third 6A state medal, finishing 14th a year ago after a 19th-place showing as a sophomore.

Topeka High sophomore Easton Davis posted a 14th-place regional finish to qualify as an individual for the 6A boys race.

The 6A girls race is scheduled for 10:35 a.m. Saturday while the boys race is slated for 12:20 p.m.

CLASS 5A

Three city standouts qualified as individuals for Saturday's Class 5A state meet at Rim Rock Farm, led by Seaman senior Brody Anderson, a returning state medalist.

Seaman senior Brody Anderson is back at state for his third straight season after finishing second in last week's Class 5A regional at Wichita. [File photo/TSN]

Anderson, a 5A state medalist last season with a ninth-place finish, was the runnerup in last Saturday's regional at Wichita while Shawnee Heights senior Max Esquibel qualified with a 14th-place regional finish at Lawrence.

Seaman junior Brynn Spencer, a returning state medalist, posted a sixth-place individual finish at regionals. [File photo/TSN]

Seaman junior Brynn Spencer will be the lone local runner in the 5A girls race, qualifying as an individual with a sixth-place regional finish in Wichita.

Spencer finished 18th at state as a sophomore.

The 5A boys race is scheduled for 11:10 a.m. Saturday while the girls will run in the final race of the day at 12:55 p.m.

CLASS 4A

Hayden's boys and girls combined for three individual qualifying berths for Saturday's Class 4A state meet at Wamego Country Club.

Sophomore Nick Newkirk and senior Connor Baldwin finished 14th and 15th in the Leonardville 4A regional to earn boys state berths while Hayden junior girls standout Sofia Harper qualified with a 12th-place regional finish.

The 4A girls race is scheduled for 10:35 a.m. Saturday while the boys race is set for a 12:20 p.m. start.

CLASS 3A

Silver Lake's boys earned a team berth for Saturday's Class 3A state meet at Rim Rock Farm, while junior Alessandra Gerber qualified as an individual for the girls race.

Silver Lake earned the final team berth in the 3A regional at Leonardville with a third-place finish, just three points out of second and 16 out of first.

Junior Hunter Rooks led Silver Lake with an eighth-place regional finish while sophomore Carson Kraus finished 20th, senior Brayden Just 27th, sophomore Miles Burgess 28th, junior Lane Ray 29th, senior Joel Heier 38th and senior Zachariah Rodenbaugh 66th. 

Gerber earned a return trip to state with a sixth-place individual finish at regionals.

The 3A boys race is the first race of the day at 10 a.m. Saturday while the 3A girls will run at 11:45 a.m.

CLASS 2A

Rossville junior Madelyn Wonnell earned a return trip to the Class 2A meet at Wamego Country Club with a 14th-place individual finish in the Marion regional.

The 2A girls race is Saturday's final race of the day at 12:55 p.m. 

SHAWNEE COUNTY STATE QUALIFIERS

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAMES

CLASS 6A

Jadyn Baum, Washburn Rural

WICHITA SOUTH (3-5) at WASHBURN RURAL (5-3)

Washburn Rural is the No. 7 Class 6A West seed while Wichita South is No. 10. Washburn Rural, playing without standout senior quarterback John Hoytal, dropped a 43-0 home Centennial League decision to Manhattan last week. Friday's winner will advance to a second-round game to face the winner of Friday's game between No. 2 Wichita Northwest (7-1) and No. 15 Campus (0-8). Game time: 7 p.m. 

TOPEKA HIGH (3-5) at DERBY (5-3)

The Trojans, coming off a 34-12 home non-league loss to Pittsburg, are the No. 11 6A West seed while perennial state contender Derby is the No. 6 seed. The Topeka High-Derby winner will advance to face Friday's winner between No. 3 seed Junction City (6-2) and No. 14 Wichita West (1-7). Game time: 7 p.m.

CLASS 5A

G'Honi Montgomery, Highland Park

DE SOTO (6-2) vs. HIGHLAND PARK (6-2)

At Hummer Sports Park

Coming off a big 42-30 Meadowlark Conference road win over previously-unbeaten Kansas City-Washington, Highland Park is the No. 8 Class 5A East seed while United Kansas Conference stalwart De Soto is seeded No. 9 and coming off a 42-21 UKC home win over Seaman. Highland Park junior G'Honi Montgomery carried the ball 14 times for 292 yards and five touchdowns against Washington and has 633 yards on 55 attempts in five games. Junior JoJo Kingcannon has rushed for 393 yards and four TDs on 26 carries and caught seven passes for 280 yards and three TDs. The Highland Park-De Soto winner will move on to face the winner of Friday's contest between No. 1 seed Basehor-Linwood (8-0) and No. 16 Blue Valley Southwest (0-8). Game time: 6 p.m.

Aiden Scott, Shawnee Heights

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (4-4) at ST. JAMES ACADEMY (7-1)

Shawnee Heights is coming off a 29-16 home United Kansas Conference win over Kansas City Turner and is the No. 11 5A East seed for the playoffs while St. James is the No. 6 seed. The T-Bird-Thunder winner will advance to next week's second round of the playoffs to take on the winner of Friday's game between No. 3 seed Spring Hill (7-1) and No. 14 Kansas City-Harmon (1-7). Shawnee Heights senior quarterback Aiden Scott has completed 181 of 287 passes for 2,767 yards and 23 TDs while senior AJ Gallegos has 61 catches for 860 yards and seven touchdowns. Dayton Vanderpool is the T-Birds' leading tackler with 75 stops (51 solo), including 5.5 tackles for loss. Game time: 7 p.m.

SEAMAN (3-5) at LIBERAL (6-2)

Seaman, coming off a 42-21 United Kansas Conference road loss at De Soto, is the No. 11 5A West seed while Liberal is No. 6. The winner of Friday's game will advance to face the winner of Friday's game between No. 3 Andover (6-2) and No. 14 seed Salina South (1-7). Seaman junior quarterback Cale Ketter has completed 136 of 231 passes for 2,013 yards and 23 touchdowns while Josh Brown has 38 catches for 611 yards and eight TDs and Coy Barta has 33 catches for 558 yards and nine TDs. Sophomore Quentin Moravec has 830 rushing yards and 11 TDs on 147 attempts. Game time: 6 p.m.

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

Top Class 5A East seed Shawnee Heights opened its postseason bid with a 6-1 regional semifinal win over United Kansas Conference rival Basehor-Linwood Tuesday night at the Bettis Family Sports Complex.

 Shawnee Heights senior Camden Granado (left) scored three goals in Tuesday's 6-1 regional win over Basehor-Linwood, becoming Heights' career-leading scorer. [File photo/TSN]

Senior Camden Granado scored a three-goal hat trick for the T-Birds to become Shawnee Heights' all-time career leading scorer while senior Juan Garcia added two goals and senior Wyatt Lindecrantz one.

Garcia also had an assist in the win while junior Mason Haas, senior Sheldon Pokphanh and senior Chase Tofflemire also had assists. 

The T-Birds improved to 15-2-0 on the season, with their only losses coming against 6A power Washburn Rural and fellow 5A power Blue Valley Southwest.

Shawnee Heights advanced to a 6 p.m. Thursday semifinal at Bettis to face No. 9 seed St. Thomas Aquinas (8-8-1), a 3-2 winner over Kansas City-Turner.

Washburn Rural senior Dylan Willingham (middle), Rural's single-season and career scoring leader, scored three goals in Tuesday's 9-1 regional win over Wichita Northwest. [File photo/TSN]

Rural rolls to 9-1 regional win over Wichita Northwest

Washburn Rural improved to 15-1-1 with a 9-1 Class 6A regional semifinal win over 4-12-1 Wichita Northwest Tuesday night at McElroy Field.

Senior Dylan Willingham, Rural's single-season and career-leading scorer, led the Junior Blues with a three-goal hat trick while junior Brodye Kocher-Munoz and senior Brandon Hamilton scored two goals apiece and senior Brody Grogan and junior Myles Didde had one goal each.

Senior Draden Chooncharoen and Didde both had two assists apiece while Willingham, senior Everett Un and senior Drew Moore had one assist each.

Rural, the No. 2 6A West seed, advanced to a 6 p.m. home game Thursday to host No. 7 seed Wichita East (12-5-0), which moved on with a 5-0 win over Junction City.

Cair Paravel advances with 6-2 4A-1A regional romp

Cair Paravel Latin, the No. 5 West seed in Class 4A-1A, advanced to a Thursday regional final with a 6-2 Monday win over No. 12 seed Circle (5-11-1).

The Lions, now 10-6-0, advanced to a 4 p.m. Thursday game at Berean Academy (12-5-1), with Berean advancing with a 3-1 wins over El Dorado. 

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

MONDAY'S GAME

CLASS 4A-1A

CIRCLE (5-10-1) vs. CAIR PARAVEL LATIN (9-6-0)

At Bettis Family Sports Complex

Cair Paravel Latin, the No. 5 seed in the Class 4A-1A West bracket with a 9-6-0 record, will open its postseason bid with a 6 p.m. Monday regional game against Circle (5-10-1). With a win Monday the Lions will advance to a Region 4 regional final on Thursday to face the winner of a Monday game between Berean Academy (10-5-1) and El Dorado (3-11-2).

TUESDAY'S GAMES

CLASS 6A

Dylan Willingham, Washburn Rural

WICHITA NORTHWEST (4-11-1) at WASHBURN RURAL (14-1-1)

Perennial state power Washburn Rural is the No. 2 West seed in Class 6A with a 14-1-1 record and will be at home Tuesday for a 6 p.m. regional semifinal at McElroy Field to host No. 15 seed Wichita Northwest (4-11-1). With a win Tuesday the Centennial League champs will advance to a regional final on Thursday to host the winner of Monday's game at Wichita between No. 10 Junction City (8-7-1) and No. 7 Wichita East (11-5-0). 

Billy Lutz, Topeka High

TOPEKA HIGH (9-5-2) at WICHITA NORTH (10-6-0)

Topeka High is the No. 9 Class 6A West seed with a 9-5-2 record and will go on the road Tuesday to face No. 8 seed Wichita North (10-6-0) in its postseason opener. With a win Tuesday, the Trojans will move on to a regional final on Thursday to face the winner of a regional semifinal between top West seed Wichita Southeast (15-1-0) and No. 16 Derby (3-13-0).

CLASS 5A

Camden Granado, Shawnee Heights

BASEHOR-LINWOOD (3-12-1) vs. SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (14-2-0)

At Bettis Family Sports Complex

An outstanding 14-2-0 regular season earned Shawnee Heights the No. 1 East seed for the Class 5A playoffs. The T-Birds will begin postseason with a 6 p.m. regional semifinal on Tuesday against their United Kansas Conference rival, No. 16 Basehor-Linwood (3-12-1). With a win Tuesday the T-Birds will advance to a regional final on Thursday to host the winner of Tuesday's game between No. 8 seed Kansas City-Turner (6-6-4) and No. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas (7-8-1) at Turner, also a member of the UKC.

Gage Kindred-Noragon, Topeka West

HAYS (7-8-0) vs. TOPEKA WEST (12-2-2)

At Hummer Sports Park

Topeka West earned the No. 3 Class 5A West seed with a 12-2-2 regular season and will open postseason with a 6 p.m. Tuesday regional semifinal against Hays (7-8-0). With a win Tuesday the Chargers will move on to a Thursday regional final to host the winner of Tuesday's game at Salina between No. 6 seed Salina South (11-5-0) and No. 11 Andover Central (8-7-1).

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

 Elise Eckert

ELISE ECKERT, Seaman

A senior, Eckert captured her fourth straight Class 5A state girls golf medal in Emporia, tying for fifth with a 36-hole total of 161 (77-84). Eckert, who won city and United Kansas Conference individual championships and finished second at regionals, led the Vikings to a tie for fifth in the team standings.

 Izzy Glotzbach

IZZY GLOTZBACH, Hayden

Glotzbach, a senior, finished her high school girls golf career with a tie for fifth in the Class 4A state tournament at Hutchinson's Carey Park. Glotzbach, who helped Hayden win the 4A team title as a sophomore and junior, had rounds of 85 and 79 to finish at 164 and lead the Wildcats to a fourth-place team finish. 

Connor Hanika

CONNOR HANIKA, Hayden

Hanika, a senior quarterback, completed 14 of 21 passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers last Friday as the 8-0 Wildcats wrapped up the Class 3A District 4 championship with a 42-0 home victory over Jefferson West. Hanika has now completed 75 of 127 passes for 1,117 yards and 16 touchdowns while throwing just one interception on the season.

The 2025 All Shawnee County girls golf team -- From left: Lauren Cox, Washburn Rural; Kailyn Petersen, Washburn Rural; Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake; Elise Eckert, Seaman; Makenna Stuke, Seaman; Lauren Borjon, Hayden; Izzy Glotzbach, Hayden. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Five state medalists, including three first-team repeat picks, headline the 2025 All-Shawnee County girls golf team.

Hayden seniors Lauren Borjon and Izzy Glotzbach are both three-time first-team all-county selections while Washburn Rural senior Lauren Cox is a first-team repeater.

City and United Kansas Conference team champion Seaman is represented by seniors Elise Eckert and Makenna Stuke on the all-county first team along with Silver Lake senior Kailyn Hanni and Washburn Rural junior Kailyn Petersen.

Hanni, Stuke and Petersen were all second-team all-county selections in 2024 while Eckert earned first-team honors in her first season at Seaman. 

Hanni placed fifth in Class 3A-1A, Glotzbach tied for fifth in 4A and Eckert tied for fifth in 5A while Borjon tied for 12th in 4A and Cox tied for 18th in 6A. 

Eckert and Borjon were both four-time state medalists while Glotzbach and Hanni were both repeat medalists.

Eckert in 5A, Glotzbach in 4A and Hanni in 3A-1A all earned first-team All-State honors from the state's coaches while Borjon was a second-team pick and Stuke earned honorable mention.

Named to this year's second team were Washburn Rural seniors Taryn Jellison, Briley Miles and Peyton Merrick, Hayden junior Brooke Johnson, Seaman juniors Chloe Schmidtlein and Kaitlynn Frye and Silver Lake freshman Avenley Head.

All-Shawnee County first-team capsules:

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

WICHITA -- On a rain soaked Saturday morning, four local teams (Topeka High, Washburn Rural, Seaman, Topeka West) headed to Wichita’s L.W. Clapp Park to run in the Class 5A and 6A regional cross country championships.

In 6A, both the girls and boys teams from Washburn Rural qualified for the state meet and will run next Saturday at Rim Rock Farm north of Lawrence.

Washburn Rural senior Emily Graf finished fifth in Saturday's Class 6A regional at Wichita, leading Rural to a runnerup team finish. [File photo/TSN]

The second-place Washburn Rural girls were led by a fifth-place finish from senior Emily Graf, who finished in a time of 20:19.10. Two freshmen teammates also finished in the top ten -- Alyson Hinck in eighth with a time of 20:34.75 and 

Morgan Munson had a ninth place finish in 20:41.04.

The Washburn Rural boys tied Manhattan with 62 points, but Manhattan finished in first due to the tiebreaker of their sixth runner finishing four places ahead of Washburn Rural’s sixth-place runner.

Rural sophomore Duke Graf finished in second place in a time of 17:38.44 and was joined in the top 10 by fellow sophomore Clayton Fink with a time of 17:51.16.

Topeka High sophomore Easton Davis qualified for state individually based on his 14th-place finish in 18:09.80.

In Class 5A, the Seaman girls and boys will send one runner each to the state meet next Saturday.

Seaman junior Brynn Spencer was sixth in Saturday's Class 5A regional at Wichita, earning a state berth. [File photo/TSN]

Junior Brynn Spencer finished in sixth place with a time of 20:06.18 and commented on running in the rainy conditions,

“Knowing that everyone would be running in the same conditions, I wanted to go out and push the pace as much as I could,'' Spencer said. "All the puddles were fun to run through and I’m just really glad with how I did.”

In looking forward to next week’s state meet, Spencer said, “I’m kind of sad that the whole team didn’t qualify and I’ll have to run by myself, but it’s been a great season with all of them. My main goal for next week is to get a better time and place than last year at state. Coach (Rick) Brading wants me to push for the top 10 and into the elite runners group in our school.”

Seaman senior Brody Anderson finished second individually in Saturday's Class 5A cross country regional at Wichita. [File photo/TSN] 

Seaman senior Brody Anderson finished the boys race in 16:55.76, just 0.07 seconds behind regional champion Daniel Enriquez of Kapaun-Mt. Carmel.

Anderson talked about running the rain-soaked course, “It was a fun day to get out and race, but the conditions never produce fast times and that wasn’t the goal today. Coach (Luke) Wiens and I planned all week to go out today and qualify and put up either one or two points for the team.”

He is aware of what will happen next week, “State will be more strategic and I’ll be fighting for the win.”

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

Silver Lake topped Council Grove 17-8 Friday night to capture the Class 2A District 3 championship while stretching its win streak to six games.

The Eagles improved to 6-2 overall while wrapping up a perfect 4-0 run to the district title.

Silver Lake has been installed as the No. 4 East seed in 2A and will open its postseason bid with a Friday night home game against No. 13 seed St. Marys (3-5).

The Eagles topped the Bears 21-6 on Sept. 26.

The winner of next Friday's game will advance to the second round of the playoffs to face the winner of the game between No. 5 seed Sabetha (7-1) and No. 12 Humboldt (3-5).  

Rossville caps 8-1 regular season

Rossville wrapped up its Class 1A District 2 championship and a 7-1 regular season with a 49-6 Homecoming win over Wabaunsee Friday night.

The Bulldawgs took control of the game with a 21-0 first quarter, getting a 12-yard touchdown run from Conner Bush, an 8-yard TD from Canann Mitchell and a 49-yard TD pass from Mitchell to Cameron Miller.

Rossville tacked on a 9-yard Mitchell run and a 9-yard Jack Donovan run to take a 35-0 halftime advantage.

Bush scored his second TD of the game on an 18-yard run and Landen Lewis scored on a 4-yard to end Rossville's scoring with 4:02 left in the third quarter.

Wabaunsee scored its lone TD with 6:49 left in the game on a 28-yard pass.

Rossville is the No. 4 East seed and will host No. 13 Mission Valley (4-4) at 7 p.m. next Friday.

The Rossville-Mission Valley winner will advance to take on the winner between No. 5 seed Jefferson County North (7-1) and No. 12 McLouth (3-5). With a win over Mission Valley, the Bulldawgs will host the second-round game.

Hayden senior quarterback Connor Hanika threw for three touchdowns to three different receivers Friday night as the Wildcats improved to 8-0 with a 42-0 district win over Jefferson West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Hayden improves to 8-0 with 42-0 district shutout

Hayden continued to roll Friday night in a 42-0 home win over Jefferson West, with the Wildcats improving to 8-0 overall and a perfect 4-0 in Class 3A District 4.

Hayden senior quarterback Connor Hanika threw for three touchdowns, hitting three different receivers for TDs, while senior Jude Krentz ran for a pair of TDs and helped spearhead a defense that blanked the Tigers (6-2 overall, 3-1 in the district).

Hayden senior Jude Krentz ran for a pair of touchdowns and helped the Wildcat defense post a shutout in Friday's 42-0 district win over Jefferson West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

The Wildcats are the No. 1 East seed in 3A and will host No. 16 seed Columbus (2-6) next Friday night (7 p.m. start).

With a win over Columbus, Hayden will advance to a second-round playoff game to host the winner of the game between No. 8 seed Parsons (3-5) and No. 9 Wellsville (5-3).

Washburn Rural to open Class 6A playoff bid at hom

Washburn Rural, 5-3 on the season, earned a first-round home Class 6A playoff game as the No. 7 West seed.

Rural, which dropped a 43-0 Centennial League decision to Manhattan in its regular-season finale, will host No. 10 Wichita South (3-5) next Friday.

The winner of the Washburn Rural-Wichita South game will move on to face the winner of the game between No. 2 seed Wichita Northwest (7-1) and No. 15 Campus (0-8).  

Scots earn share of Meadowlark Conference crown, No. 8 5A East seed

Highland Park remained unbeaten on the field Friday night on the way to earning a share of the Meadowlark Conference championship with a 42-30 road win at previously-unbeaten Kansas City-Washington.

The Scots, 6-2 overall, built a big lead over the Wildcats and held on down the stretch for the win over Washingon, 7-1 on the year.

Highland Park was installed as the No. 8 Class 5A East seed and will be at Hummer Sports Park next Friday to host No. 9 East seed De Soto (6-2).

The Hi Park-De Soto winner will advance to second round of postseason to face the winner of next Friday's game between top seed Basehor-Linwood (8-0) and No. 16 Blue Valley Southwest (0-8).

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

(Allkickoffs at 7 p.m.)

FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAMES

Connor Hanika, Hayden

JEFFERSON WEST (6-1, 3-0 Class 3A District 4) at HAYDEN (7-0, 3-0 Class 3A District 4)

Hayden and Jefferson West will square off for the Class 3A District 4 title Friday night. The Wildcats are coming off a 48-7 district win at Perry-Lecompton last Friday while Jefferson West took a 54-12 non-district win over Atchison County. Hayden senior Kade Mitchell has carried the ball 61 times for 586 yards and has scored 14 total touchdowns while senior quarterback Connor Hanika has completed 61 of 106 passes for 950 yards and 13 TDs. Mahki Kidd has caught 18 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns.

MANHATTAN (5-2, 2-1 Centennial League) at WASHBURN RURAL (5-2, 2-1 Centennial League)

Washburn Rural dropped a 35-20 Centennial League decision at Junction City last Friday after losing standout senior quarterback John Hoytal to an injury in the first half while Manhattan rolled to a 50-0 home league win over Topeka High. Both the Junior Blues and Indians are in line to host a first-round Class 6A West playoff game.

Joseph Kingcannon, Highland Park 

HIGHLAND PARK (5-2, 4-1 Meadowlark) at KC-WASHINGTON (7-0, 5-0 Meadowlark)

Highland Park can earn a share of the Meadowlark Conference championship with a win Friday. Both teams are unbeaten on the field, with Kansas City-Washington coming off a 49-33 Meadowlark win over KC-Schlagle while Highland Park picked up a forfeit win over Kansas City-East, Mo. last Friday. Scot senior quarterback Dontrail Fox has completed 16 of 30 passes for 465 yards and six touchdowns in Hi Park's four on-field games while junior Joseph Kingcannon has gained 380 yards and scored four TDs on just 21 attempts and has caught six passes for 273 yards and three TDs. Junior G'Honi Montgomery has 341 rushing yards and three TDs on 41 carries.

PITTSBURG (3-4) vs. TOPEKA HIGH (3-4)

At Hummer Sports Park

Topeka High will close out its regular season with a non-league game against Pittsburg. The Trojans dropped a 50-0 Centennial League decision at Manhattan last Friday while Pittsburg is coming off a 42-0 win over Chanute. The Trojans and Purple Dragons have one common opponent, with Pittsburg opening its season with a 24-14 victory over Emporia while High took a 13-12 win over the Spartans in its league opener.

Cameron Miller, Rossville

WABAUNSEE (4-3, 3-1 Class 1A District 2) at ROSSVILLE (6-1, 4-0 Class 1A District 2)

Rossville remained unbeaten in the District 2 race with a come-from-behind 36-22 win over Olpe while Wabaunsee has won three straight games, including a 36-21 district win over Mission Valley last Friday. Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell has completed 67 of 103 passes for 981 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for 566 yards and eight TDs on 73 attempts. Conner Bush has carried the ball 36 times for 435 yards and six TDs while Cameron Miller has 24 catches for 398 yards and six TDs and Jack Donovan has 25 catches for 298 yards and two TDs. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Hayden had its two-year Class 4A state championship reign ended by Wamego Tuesday at Hutchinson's Carey Park, but the Wildcats posted a top-four team finish as seniors Izzy Glotzbach and Lauren Borjon ended their high school careers with state medals.

 Izzy Glotzbach, Hayden [File photo/TSN]

Lauren Borjon, Hayden [File photo/TSN]

Glotzbach tied for fifth individually with a 36-hole total of 164 (85-79) while Borjon tied for 12th at 170 (88-82).

Hayden's Brooke Johnson tied for 23rd with a two-day total of 178 (89-89), one stroke out of 20th.

Kellyn Specht finished at 196 (99-97), Morgan Johnson was at 213 (104-109) and Avery Becker at 226 (116-110) for the Wildcats.

Wamego star Addison Douglass won her fourth straight state title by a seven-stroke margin with a 36-hole score of 145 (77-68) as the Red Raiders won the team championship by 40 strokes over Goodland (658-698).

McPherson was third at 701 while Hayden was fourth at 708.

 Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]

Hanni fifth in Class 3A-1A to lead Eagles to fourth-place showing

Silver Lake multi-sport standout Kailyn Hanni closed out her high school golf career with a fifth-place finish in Class 3A-1A Tuesday at Salina Municipal Golf Course.

Hanni posted a 36-hole score of 164, carding rounds of 81 and 83, as Silver Lake, which had placed first and second in the previous two 3A-1A state tournaments, finished fourth as a team at 729. 

The Eagles' Savanah Wende narrowly missed a state medal with a tie for 21st at 184 (93-91) while Silver Lake got a tie for 29th from Avenley Head (99-89 -- 188) and a tie for 36th from Morgan Ackerley (91-102 -- 193) to round out its top four.

Rossville's Elley Sanders, competing as an individual, tied for 36th at 193 (95-98).

Goodland's Allison Cure was the individual state champion at 150 (73-77) as the Cowboys won the team title by a 31-stroke margin over Jefferson West. St. Marys Colgan finished third at 718.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Brody Anderson

BRODY ANDERSON, Seaman

Anderson, a senior cross country standout, won his second straight boys United Kansas Conference individual title Thursday in Kansas City, Kan. while posting his fifth individual victory of the 2025 season. A Class 5A state medalist in cross country and track, Anderson posted a winning five-kilometer time of 15 minutes, 38.30 seconds while leading the Vikings to a runnerup conference team finish.

Jordan Finnesy

JORDAN FINNESY, Washburn University

Finnesy tied a school record with two interceptions while adding nine tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in Saturday's 37-17 MIAA win over Central Missouri in Yager Stadium. Finnesy helped Washburn record a school-record eight turnovers against the Mules en route to snapping a four-game losing streak and picking up the Ichabods' first conference victory of 2025. 

 Molly Gorman

MOLLY GORMAN, Seaman

A senior tennis standout, Gorman earned her fourth straight Class 5A state medal with a sixth-place singles finish Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center. After placing in the 5A state meet in doubles as a freshman and sophomore, Gorman earned singles medals her final two high school seasons for the Vikings, helping Seaman finish second as a team to cap the 2025 season.

The 2025 All-City girls tennis team -- Front, left to right: Julia Katzer, Washburn Rural; Annie Henderson, Washburn Rural; Madilyn Poole, Cair Paravel Latin; Madeline Deters, Topeka High; Emma Sweeney, Seaman; Camryn Lux, Seaman. Back, left to right: Alizah Alvarez-Chedzoy, Washburn Rural; Halle Owen, Washburn Rural; Ava Ritter, Topeka High; Hailey Caryl, Topeka High; Molly Gorman, Seaman; Peyton Henry, Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seven repeat selections and six state medalists, led by Seaman Class 5A singles runnerup Emma Sweeney and four-time state medalist Molly Gorman, headline the 2025 All-City girls tennis team.

Sweeney, a junior, and senior Gorman are both All-City repeat picks along with Seaman senior Peyton Henry and junior Camryn Lux, Topeka High seniors Madeline Deters and Ava Ritter and sophomore Hailey Caryl.

Sweeney swept city, United Kansas Conference and regional titles before her second-place state finish while Gorman earned her fourth state medal -- two doubles, two singles -- with a sixth-place singles finish.

Cair Paravel Latin junior Madilyn Poole earned her first state medal last weekend with a third-place 3A-1A singles finish.

High's Deters earned her second straight 6A medal with a sixth-place singles finish while Henry and Lux placed seventh in 5A doubles as Seaman finished second as a team at state after sweeping city, United Kansas Conference and regional championships. 

Also earning All-City recognition were Washburn Rural city and regional doubles champions Julia Katzer and Halle Owen, both juniors, and Rural No. 2 city doubles champions Alizah Alvarez-Chedzoy, a senior, and sophomore Annie Henderson. The four Rural picks, all state qualifiers, helped the Junior Blues win a 6A regional team championship.

All-City selections are based on finishes in the city meet.

All-City capsules:

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

After finishing sixth in the 2024 Class 5A girls state golf tournament, Seaman put itself in position to improve on that finish with a solid opening day performance Monday at Emporia Municipal.

Elise Eckert, Seaman [File photo/TSN]

The Vikings are in fourth place in the team standings entering Tuesday's final round after posting a four-person score of 354, six strokes behind third-place St. James Academy. Kapaun Mt. Carmel leads the team race by a 321-332 margin over Andover.

Senior Elise Eckert, who is looking for her fourth straight 5A state medal, is tied for third after shooting a 77 in Round 1. Andover's Regan Dusenbery is the tournament leader at 68. 

The Vikings' Makenna Stuke and Chloe Schmidtlein carded 91s Monday and are tied for 16th while Kaitlynn Frye added a 95 and Molly Quintana a 98.

The top 20 individuals after Tuesday's final round will receive state medals while the top three teams will receive trophies.

Shawnee Heights' Lauryn Valdivia shot a 111 and Topeka West's Berlyn Kolean a 113 on Monday and did not advance to Tuesday's final round.

State tournaments at all sites are scheduled to get under way at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. 

Izzy Glotzbach, Hayden [File photo/TSN]

Class 4A at Hutchinson

Two-time defending Class 4A state champion Hayden advanced to Tuesday's final round at Carey Park in fourth place as a team after an opening-round four-person score of 361.

The Wildcats are 25 strokes behind tournament leader Wamego, but Hayden is just two strokes behind third-place McPherson and four strokes behind second-place Wellington. Wamego and Hayden finished one-two in last Tuesday's regional at Shawnee Country Club.

Senior Izzy Glotzbach led Hayden Monday with a first-round 85 and is tied for ninth individually entering Tuesday's final round.

Lauren Borjon shot an 88 in the first round and is tied for 14th while Brooke Johnson is tied for 19th after a first-round 89.

Kellyn Specht had a 99, Morgan Johnson a 104 and Avery Becker a 116 for the Wildcats.

Wamego three-time state champion Addison Douglass holds a one-stroke lead after shooting a 77 on Monday.

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

Rossville scored 22 fourth-quarter points to rally past Olpe 36-22 in a Class 1A District 2 showdown Friday night at Olpe.

Canann Mitchell, Rossville

The Bulldawgs, now 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the district, trailed 16-14 at the end of the third quarter before taking the lead for good on a 34-yard touchdown run from senior quarterback Canann Mitchell and a 2-point conversion pass from Mitchell to senior Cameron Miller, giving Rossville a 22-16 lead.

With 4:26 remaining senior Conner Bush returned an Eagle punt 85 yards for a TD (conversion failed) to give the Bulldawgs a 28-16 lead.

Then, after Olpe (5-2, 3-1) scored on a 25-yard pass, Rossville scored its final TD on an 81-yard run from Mitchell with 1:48 left and Mitchell added a 2-point conversion pass to Andre Johnson to account for the final margin.

Rossville and Olpe were tied 14-14 at the half, with the Bulldawgss getting first-half touchdowns on a 71-yard Bush run and a 32-yard run from senior Jack Donovan.

Rossville will close out its regular season at home Friday against Wabaunsee.

Wildcats remain undefeated with 48-7 district rout at Perry-Lecompton

Hayden improved to 7-0 overall and 3-0 in Class 3A District 4 with Friday's 48-7 road win over Perry-Lecompton (1-6, 0-3).

The Wildcats will be back at home next Friday to host Jefferson West in a showdown for the district title. The Tigers, 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the district, are coming off a 50-12 non-district win over Atchison County.

T-Birds post second straight UKC victory

Shawnee Heights improved to 3-4 overall and 3-3 in the United Kansas Conference with a 42-8 road victory at Lansing Friday night.

Shawnee Heights will be at home on Friday to close out its regular season against Kansas City-Turner. 

Lions pick up second win in 54-13 district win

Cair Paravel Latin notched its second victory of the season Friday, taking a 54-13 Class 1A District 2 road win over Maranatha  Academy.

The Lions, now 2-5 overall and 1-3 in the district, will close out their regular season at Yager Stadium Saturday night against Olpe.

Unbeaten Basehor-Linwood rallies past Seaman, 47-40

Basehor-Linwood improved to 7-0 overall and 6-0 in the United Kansas Conference last Friday night at home, rallying from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take a 47-40 conference victory over Seaman.

The game was tied at 7-all after one quarter and Seaman led 17-14 at the half.

Basehor-Linwood led 24-17 at the start of the fourth quarter before both teams scored 23 points over the final 12 minutes.

Seaman junior Cale Ketter completed 24 of 44 passes for 390 yards and five touchdowns, while junior Coy Barta had five catches for 149 yards and three TDs, junior Jack Becker had eight catches for 85 yards, junior Josh Brown had seven grabs for seven catches for 97 yards and a TD and senior Noah Kobuszewski caught three passes for 53 yards and a score.

Viking sophomore Quentin Moravec carried the ball 17 times for 61 yards. 

The Vikings, who fell to 3-4 overall and 3-3 in the UKC, will travel to De Soto next Friday to close out their regular season.

Leavenworth rolls past Topeka West 56-6 for sixth straight win

Leavenworth posted its sixth straight victory, improving to 6-1 overall and 6-1 in the United Kansas Conference with a 56-6 win over Topeka West Friday night at Hummer Sports Park.

West, now 1-6 overall and 1-6 in the UKC, will close out its regular season next Friday at Piper.

Trojans fall to Centennial League foe Manhattan

Topeka High fell to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the Centennial League with a 50-0 Friday night loss at Manhattan in the Trojans' final league game of the season.

Manhattan improved to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the league entering a game next Friday at Washburn Rural.

Topeka High will be at Hummer Sports Park next Friday to face Pittsburg in a non-league contest.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

It's probably safe to say that nobody in Monday and Tuesday's Class 5A state tournament field has played more rounds at Emporia Municipal Golf Course than Seaman senior Elise Eckert.

Seaman senior Elise Eckert will be shooting for her fourth straight Class 5A state medal this week in Emporia. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

After all, Emporia Municipal was Eckert's home course growing up and through her first three years of high school golf  before her family moved to Topeka prior to this school year after her junior year at Emporia High.

Now Eckert, who was a three-time 5A state medalist for the Spartans, is hoping to use her vast knowledge of the tournament layout to cap her high school career with a run at the state title.

"I'm so glad that state's at Emporia this year,'' Eckert said. "I know where the ins and outs are of the course for sure. But you can't get too comfortable with any course.

"I've played this course a bunch, but you know there's still new spots you haven't seen that you'll find eventually and you've just got to play that day.''   

Eckert followed up her city and United Kansas Conference individual championships with a second-place regional finish last Monday at Shawnee County Club as the Vikings advanced to state as a team with a runnerup finish behind Andover (342-355).

Eckert carded a two-over-par 75 at regionals to finish second behind Regan Dusenbery's two-under 71 while Seaman also got a fourth-place finish from Makenna Stuke (90), a tie for seventh from Kaitlynn Frye (94), a 10th-place finish from Chloe Schmidtlein (96) and a 16th from Molina Quintana (110).

Eckert feels like her game is in pretty good shape entering her final high school state tournament.

"I feel like if I can keep up with what I've been doing right now I think I'll be in pretty good shape for state,'' Eckert said.  

Topeka West senior Berlyn Kolean qualified for state as an individual with a 109 while Shawnee Heights junior Lauryn Valdivia qualified for state as an individual with a 112.

State tournaments at all sites are scheduled to get under way at 9 a.m. on Monday and 10 a.m. on Tuesday after the fields are cut to the top six teams and top individuals.

Junior Kailyn Petersen placed third in last Monday's Class 6A regional to lead Washburn Rural to a runnerup team finish. [File photo/TSN]

Class 6A at Hesston

Washburn Rural girls golf will compete in the Class 6A state tournament for the 20th straight season in Jared Goehring's 20 years as head coach, qualifying for the state meet at Hesston Golf Course with a runnerup finish in last Monday's regional tournament at Sim Park Golf Course.

Rural, which has captured four 6A state titles, posted a four-person score of 335 to finish second behind champion Olathe West (328).

Junior Kailyn Petersen led the Junior Blues with a third-place regional finish, shooting a 79, while Taryn Jellison placd fourth with an 83.

The Junior Blues also got a tie for fifth from Lauren Cox (85), an 11th-place finish from Briley Miles (88), a tie for 14th from Peyton Merrick (92) and a 16th-place showing from Ella Taggart (93).

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The ultimate goal is always to finish first, but Seaman girls tennis still had plenty to celebrate in Saturday's Class 5A state tournament at Kossover Tennis Center.

Andover ruled the day, sweeping the singles, doubles and team championships, but Seaman junior Emma Sweeney posted a runnerup singles finish to lead the way as the tournament-host Vikings finished second as a team, just six points behind the champion Trojans (39-33).

Seaman junior Emma Sweeney earned her third straight Class 5A singles medal Saturday with a career-best runnerup finish as the Vikings finished second as a team. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

"A great weekend,'' Seaman coach Jamie Robinson said. "Of course that's why we wanted to host is we wanted to give an advantage to a team that we thought was going to be one of the best teams in the state, and we were. We proved it.''

And it was a day of breakthroughs for the Vikings, with Sweeney advancing to the title match after finishing fourth as a sophomore, while senior Molly Gorman finished sixth in singles after a 10th-place finish as a junior and the Viking doubles team of senior Peyton Henry and junior Camryn Lux finished seventh to cap their first season as a doubles team.

Sweeney, who captured her third straight 5A state medal, finished her season 30-2, with both losses coming against Andover senior Mia Jaramillo, who took a 6-4, 6-3 decision in Saturday's championship match.

Jaramillo, who beat Sweeney in the third-place match in 2024, jumped out to 3-0 and 5-2 leads in the first set before Sweeney rallied to within 5-4 and Jaramillo went up 5-1 in the second set before Sweeney cut her deficit to 5-3.

"We did the same thing in Olathe, so I was kind of expecting it, but I feel like I pushed through,'' Jaramillo said. "She's a great player, so she did good.

"I felt I had a lot of pressure, but we have a great team, so we all pushed through.''

While obviously upset with her near miss, Sweeney knows that someday soon she'll be proud of her accomplishment.

"I'll be pleased after a little bit,'' Sweeney said. "The goal after last year, and I was surprised I made it (to the semifinals), I made it my new goal to try and win, but it's okay and I'll come back next year even harder.

"This gives me more experience and it gives me the experience of playing in front of a big crowd in a big situation, so I think I'm just going to take what I learned today and it will help me grow and make me work even harder in the offseason.''

"Runnerup is so impressive,'' Robinson said of Sweeney's performance. "She's lost to one person this year and that was Mia, so credit to her. She came to play.

''Emma had a couple of runs, but it just wasn't quite enough, so hey, let's learn from it and grow from it.''

Seaman senior Molly Gorman captured her fourth Class 5A state medal Saturday, finishing sixth in singles at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Gorman, who dropped an 8-1 decision to Eisenhower sophomore Quinn Scheideman in the fifth-place match, capped her prep career with her fourth state medal in as many tries -- two singles, two doubles.

Henry and Lux finished off state with a win, taking an 8-6 win over Bishop Carroll senior Macy Wetta and freshman Leah Jackson in the seventh-place match. 

Wildcats earn third-place 4A team trophy

Hayden singles players Lana Hull and Grace Funk and the doubles team of Sophia Wichman and Avery O'Bray all earned Class 4A state medals on Saturday at Harmon Park in Prairie Village, leading the Wildcats to a third-place team finish.

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

(Allkickoffs at 7 p.m.)

FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAMES

Josiah Wilkie, Topeka West

LEAVENWORTH (5-1, 5-1 UKC) vs. TOPEKA WEST (1-5, 1-5 UKC)

At Hummer Sports Park

Topeka West picked up its first win of 2025 last Friday, rallying for a 42-27 United Kansas Conference victory at Kansas City-Turner, while Leavenworth posted its fifth straight win, a 27-14 UKC decision over De Soto.

Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake

OSAGE CITY (6-0, 2-0 Class 2A District 3) at SILVER LAKE (4-2, 2-0 Class 2A District 3)

Osage City and Silver Lake will square off in a game that is likely to decide the Class 2A District 3 championship. Osage City remained unbeaten last week with a 49-14 district win over St. Marys while Silver Lake ran its winning streak to four straight games with a 42-8 district win over Riley County.

John Hoytal, Washburn Rural [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

WASHBURN RURAL (5-1, 2-0 Centennial League)at JUNCTION CITY (4-2, 2-0 Centennial League)

Washburn Rural will put its three-game winning streak on the line in a game that will give the winner a leg up in the Centennial League race. Washburn Rural is coming off a 38-0 league road win at Emporia while Junction City took a 44-6 league win over Topeka High.

TOPEKA HIGH (3-3, 1-2 Centennial League) at MANHATTAN (4-2, 1-1 Centennial League)

Topeka High is coming off a 44-6 Centennial League loss to Junction City while Manhattan dropped a 40-13 non-league decision to Wichita Northwest last week. The Indians will be looking to keep their Centennial League title hopes alive while the Trojans will be trying to snap a two-game league losing streak.

AJ Gallegos, Shawnee Heights

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (2-4, 2-3 UKC) at LANSING (2-4, 2-3 UKC)

Shawnee Heights posted its biggest win of the season last Friday, riding an outsanding defensive effort to a 20-3 United Kansas Conference road win at city rival Seaman, while Lansing dropped a 44-13 UKC decision to Piper.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

With a pair of dominating victories Friday at Kossover Tennis Center, Seaman junior Emma Sweeney, the No. 2 seed, assured herself of a top-four Class 5A state singles finish for the second straight season.

Seaman junior Emma Sweeney advanced to the Class 5A singles semifinals for the second straight season with a pair of dominant victories Friday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

But after finishing fourth as a sophomore, the Seaman star has her sights on bigger things Saturday.

"Last year I wasn't really expected to make it, so I didn't really know what was going on and not winning my semifinal match, it was OK and it was a learning moment,'' Sweeney said. "But this year I'm really looking forward to taking that step and competing and trying to make it to the championship.''  

Now 29-1 on the season, Sweeney dropped just one game on Friday, posting a 6-0, 6-0 win over St. James Academy's Jenna Peltzer and a 6-1, 6-0 quarterfinal victory over Kapaun Mt. Carmel's Clara Hocker to advance to Saturday's 9 a.m. semifinal.

Sweeney said she felt relaxed for the most part during Friday's matches.

"I had a talk with my mental performance coach the other day and we talked about winning over my nerves and I think after I won them over it helps me play a lot more confident and loose,'' Sweeney said.

Sweeney will face No. 3 seed Allison Munhall of Valley Center in one semifinal while top seed Mia Jaramillo of Andover will face No. 5 seed Kali Keough of Emporia in the other semifinal. 

Seaman senior singles player Molly Gorman and the Viking doubles team of senior Peyton Henry and junior Camryn Lux also assured themselves of state medals while advancing to Saturday's place matches.

Gorman, who lost 6-0, 6-2 to Jaramillo in the singles quarterfinals, can still finish as high as fifth, as can Henry and Lux, who also lost in the doubles quarterfinals.

Viking juniors Kaylyn Hiebsch and Cadence Speer were eliminated Friday, just one win away from advancing to the place rounds.

Seaman coach Jamie Robinson said he was pleased overall with the Vikings' first-day state performance as the team tries to earn a top-three state finish for the second straight season.

"We won the matches we were supposed to win,'' Robinson said. "So far, so good. It could have been a little better, it could have been a lot worse.''

Cair Paravel junior Madilyn Poole advanced to Saturday's Class 3A-1A singles semifinals with a pair of Friday wins. [File photo/TSN] 

Lions' Poole advances to 3A-1A semis

Cair Paravel Latin junior Madilyn Poole, making her second straight Class 3A-1A state appearance, has assured herself of a top-four finish and her first state medal after advancing to Saturday's singles semifinals at the Salina Tennis Center.

Poole, the No. 3 seed, posted a 6-0, 6-1 win in her first match of the day before rallying for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over No. 6 seed Lauren Sleder of Larned in the quarterfinals.

Poole will face No. 2 seed Karli Haase of Ellsworth in a 9 a.m. semifinal Saturday.

Silver Lake junior Evelynn Thompson came within one win of advancing to Saturday's place matches. 

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

BONNER SPRINGS -- Wyandotte County Park provided the backdrop for the 2025 United Kansas Conference cross country meet Thursday. The Seaman girls and boys teams were the top local finishers, with the girls finishing fifth and the boys coming in second while the day was also highlighted by the return of senior star Ryin Miller.

Seaman junior Brynn Spencer was the individual runnerup in Thursday's UKC cross country meet. [File photo/TSN]

In the girls race, Seaman junior Brynn Spencer finished in second place with a time of 19:46.90, behind conference champion Elizabeth Arenas of Piper.

“I was very proud of how I ran today, despite running alone most of the race,'' Spencer said. "I knew there were lots of rolling hills on the course, so my goal was to push up the hills and use the downhills to get some energy back.”

Seaman senior Ryin Miller returned from injury to place third in Thursday's UKC meet in Kansas City, Kan. [File photo/TSN]

Miller, the 2024 Class 5A runnerup and a five-time state champ in track, finished third in the race in a time of 20:36, which was her first race of the season due to an injury. Miller talked about dealing with the prolonged injury and the opportunity to race Thursday.

“This season has been very challenging and the hardest thing I’ve ever had to face as an athlete,'' she said. "There are so many highs and lows in sports, but because of the lows we grow, learn and truly are stronger because of it. I’ve been extremely fortunate with injury in playing four sports.

"Today was great to toe the line and give it all for my team considering that I’ve had zero running-related training. I still have lots of work to do to finish getting totally healthy and increasing my mileage and fitness again.”

Spencer and Miller were both recognzied as first-team All-UKC with their respective finishes.

Seaman senior Brody Anderson won his second straight UKC individual cross country title Thursday. [File photo/TSN]

In the boys race, Seaman senior Brody Anderson won his fifth race of the season in a time of 15:38.30.

“The race went great today and I’m excited to get back-to-back conference individual titles,'' Anderson said. "Coach (Luke) Wiens and I had a plan to get out and do enough to win while feeling great. The course ran well, not my favorite, but I can’t choose where I run and have to adapt to each situation I’m put in.”

With the season coming down to the final two weeks, Anderson talked about the regional race next weekend.

“I feel great going into regionals and trust my fitness and the training of Coach Wiens to put myself in a great spot against a stacked regional,” he said. 

With the victory, Anderson was named first team All-UKC while junior teammate Conner Bloom finished 11th in 17:18.50, garnering second-team All-UKC honors.

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural gave a sendoff to a group of seniors who don’t figure to finish their high school careers anytime soon. The group of 12 seniors dominated Seaman 9-1 in their final regular-season game at McElroy Field, but they figure to host several more games come playoff time.

Senior Dylan Willingham netted four scores and added two assists to lead the rout.

Senior Dylan Willingham had four goals and two assists in Washburn Rural's 9-1 Senior Night win over Seaman Thursday night. [File photo/TSN]

“I love this group,” Willingham said. “We’ve worked really well together, and our chemistry is really tight. We are all really good friends and we all love coming out here and playing together.

“I think as a group we’re a really good team and we have got a shot this year at winning the whole thing.”

Willingham put the Junior Blues up early at 34:11 in the first half. Seaman locked down the net for the next 20 minutes, however, until Willingham scored again.

Even then, the Vikings weren’t going away. Seaman senior Kaelon Taylor broke through the Junior Blue defense to cut the Washburn Rural lead to 2-1.

But at that point, the home team poured it on, scoring three more times in the remaining eight minutes of the period. The Junior Blues came back with four goals in the first 16 minutes of the second period to induce an early exit.

Washburn Rural improved to 11-1-1 with two games remaining – at Hummer Sports Park to face Topeka High next Monday and at Blue Valley North next Thursday.

“Every time we’ve had really successful teams here, we’ve had big, strong, successful senior classes, and this one’s as good as we’ve had,” said Washburn Rural coach Brian Hensyel. “I told the guys before the game that one of the great parts of my job is when you have a really good senior class that make your job easy. 

"They promote being good teammates. They work hard. They buy into what their coaches are telling them. Over a four-year time period, they can really develop into some really good soccer players.'' 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Junior Emma Sweeney has been a star for the Seaman girls tennis team since she stepped on campus.

Seaman junior Emma Sweeney, the No. 2 seed, will be aiming for her third straight Class 5A singles medal in this weekend's state tournament at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Megan Sweeney roots on big sister Emma Sweeney during last Saturday's Class 5A regional tournament at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

And after earning a Class 5A state medal with an 11th-place singles finish as a freshman and turning in a strong fourth-place showing as a sophomore, Sweeney feels like she's in position to take another big step in Friday and Saturday's state meet at Kossover Tennis Center.

Sweeney has put together a banner 27-1 campaign so far with a sweep of city, United Kansas Conference and 5A regional titles and earned the No. 2 seed for this weekend's state event. 

"I'm excited,'' Sweeney said. "I'm nervous, but nerves are good. I've been hitting really good, really loose and just hitting good shots.

"And then from a mental standpoint, I think my head's pretty clear, too.'' 

Seaman is coming off a sweep of city, United Kansas Conference and regional team championships and will be aiming for a second straight 5A team trophy after finishing third a year ago.

"I think we're aiming for third or above,'' Sweeney said. "We got it last year so, I think that's what we're looking for this year, and we've all made it (to state), so if we are all able to make it to the second day and place I think we're putting ourself in a good position.''

Two-time regional champ Sweeney led the way last Saturday at Kossover as the Vikings edged St. James Academy for the regional crown.

Seaman senior Molly Gorman is a three-time Class 5A state medalist entering this weekend's state tournament at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Viking senior Molly Gorman finished second to Sweeney at regionals for the second straight season and will be shooting for her fourth straight state medal.

Gorman finished 10th in 5A singles last season after teaming with Katie Krumins to earn state medals in doubles as a freshman and sophomore.

Gorman is 24-6 on the season and has been installed as the eighth seed for state.

Seaman senior Peyton Henry and junior Camryn Lux finished third at regionals while Viking juniors Kaylyn Hiebsch and Cadence Speer finished fourth.

Henry and Lux are 25-5 on the season and the No. 6 seed for state while Hiebsch and Speer are 22-8 and seeded No. 13.

The 5A state tournament will start at 10:30 a.m. Friday and continue on Saturday with a 9 a.m. start.

Class 6A at Olathe College Boulevard Activity Center

Washburn Rural and Topeka High finished one-two in the Class 6A regional at Wichita while combining for eight state qualifiers for this weekend's state meet at the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe.

Topeka High senior Madeline Deters won a Class 6A regional title last Friday and will be aiming for her second straight state medal this weekend. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn Rural junior Julia Katzer is headed to her second Class 6A state tournament this weekend after advancing in singles last season. [File photo/TSN]

Washburn Rural junior Halle Owen (above) teamed with Julia Katzer to win a Class 6A regional doubles title last Friday. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

The Trojans and Junior Blues swept the regional singles and doubles championships, with Topeka High senior Madeline Deters taking the singles crown and Washburn Rural juniors Julia Katzer and Halle Owen winning the doubles title.

Deters, a three-time state qualifier who placed eighth at state in 2024, is 29-4 this fall and has been installed as the No. 4 seed for state.

Katzer and Owen will take a 25-4 into the state meet and are seeded No. 9. Katzer will be making her second straight state appearance after qualifying in singles a year ago.

Rural also qualified freshman singles player Bridget Hoopes and the doubles team of senior Alizah Alvarez-Chedzoy and sophomore Annie Henderson for state while Topeka High qualified the doubles team of senior Ava Ritter and sophomore Hailey Caryl.

Hoopes (18-5) finished third at regionals and is seeded No. 14 for state while Alvarez-Chedzoy and Henderson (7-2) posted a fifth-place regional finish and are seeded 21st for state.

Caryl and Ritter (24-8) took third at regionals to earn their second straight state berth and are the No. 17 doubles seed.

The first round of state competition will begin at 10:30 a.m. Friday.

Class 4A at Prairie Village Harmon Park Tennis Complex

Hayden will enter the Class 4A state tournament as the defending state champion and is coming off a regional team title Saturday at Marysville while qualifying its entire team for state at the Harmon Park Tennis Complex in Prairie Village.

Wildcat senior Avery O'Bray and sophomore Sophia Wichman won the regional doubles championship and will take an 11-5 record into the state meet as the ninth seed. Wichman teamed with then-senior Emily Sheetz to finish second in the 2024 state meet while O'Bray teamed with Izzy Glotzbach to earn an 11th-place medal.

Hayden freshman Lana Hull (20-8) and senior Grace Funk (5-5) posted third and fourth-place singles finishes at regionals and are seeded No. 11 and No. 12 for state.

Funk is a two-time state medalist, including a ninth-place finish in 2024.

Senior Kinsey Bullock and junior Kaelyn Gerdel (4-8) qualified for state with a fifth-place regional finish and are the 21st seed for this weekend's tournament. 

The first round of state competition will begin at 10:30 a.m. Friday.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman girls golf coach Julie McLaughlin was quick to admit that the Vikings didn't have their best day in Monday's Class 5A regional tournament at Shawnee Country Club.

Seaman senior Elise Eckert finished second in Monday's Class 5A regional with a 75, leading the Vikings to a second-place team finish. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

But the city and United Kansas Conference champs played plenty good enough to earn a berth in next week's state tournament at Emporia with a second-place regional team finish.

"I think we've got some work to do,'' McLaughlin said. "I think we're a little bit disappointed in the outcome. Andover played a heck of a game today, they did great.''

Seaman senior Elise Eckert will be aiming for her fourth Class 5A state medal in next week's state tournament at Emporia. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Led by senior Elise Eckert's runnerup individual finish with a 75, Seaman posted a four-person score of 355 to finish second behind team champion Andover's 342.

Eckert, the city and UKC medalist, turned in a solid two-over-par round, finishing as the runnerup to Andover's Regan Dusenbery, who carded a two-under-par 71.

"I'm definitely feeling a little better after this, '' said Eckert, a three-time 5A state medalist. "I wasn't playing great this weekend, so I'm really glad that I was able to come out here and play better after working on a lot of stuff this weekend.''

"Elise had a strong round. She was right where we needed her to be,'' McLaughlin said.

Seaman senior Makenna Stuke shot a 90 to finish fourth in Monday's Class 5A regional tournament at Shawnee Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman got a fourth-place tie from Makenna Stuke (90), while Kaitlynn Frye tied for seventh (94), Chloe Schmidtlein was 10th (96) and Molina Quintana placed 16th (110).

"We've got a lot of work to do this week, but we're still fully capable,'' McLaughlin said. "We just did not play up to our ability today.''

Topeka West senior Berlyn Kolean qualified for state as an individual with a 109.

Shawnee Heights finished fourth as a team, with T-Bird junior Lauryn Valdivia qualiying for state as an individual with a 112.

The state tournament will be played Monday and Tuesday at Emporia Municipal Golf Course.

CLASS 5A REGIONAL TOURNAMENT

At Shawnee Country Club 

Team scores 

Andover 342, Seaman 355,Basehor-Linwood 418, Piper 463, Shawnee Heights 489.

1. Regan Dusenbery, Andover, 71; 2. Elise Eckert, Seaman, 75;3. Isabel Hawley, Andover, 87; 4. Makenna Stuke, Seaman, 90;5. Grier Hand, Andover, 90; 6. Aubrey Ziolo, Basehor-Linwood, 93; 7. (tie) Kaitlynn Frye, Seaman,and Maren Nelson, 94; 9. Claire Fitzgerald, Basehor-Linwood, 95; 10. Chloe Schmidtlein, Seaman, 96.

Other Seaman -- 16. Molina Quintana, 110. 

Shawnee Heights – 17. Lauryn Valdivia, 112; 21. Elsie Willmann, 120; 24. (tie) Makenna Bryant, 125; 28. Mia Mattox, 132.

Topeka West – 14. (tie) Berlyn Kolean, 109; 24. (tie) Lily Bowen, 125.

Individual state qualifiers -- Georgia Lightfoot, Piper; Berlyn Kolean, Topeka West; Hadley Heim, Piper; Lauryn Valdivia, Shawnee Heights; Kelsey Shull, Emporia.

Washburn Rural girls golf posted a second-place Class 6A regional finish Monday to earn a state berth. [Washburn Rural golf]

Rural earns Class 6A state berth with runnerup regional showing

Monday was business as usual for Washburn Rural girls golf, with the Junior Blues qualifying for the Class 6A state tournament for the 20th straight season in Jared Goehring's 20 years as head coach.

Rural, which has captured four 6A state titles, posted a four-person score of 335 at Sim Park Golf Course to finish second behind champion Olathe West (328).

Washburn Rural junior Kailyn Petersen placed third in Monday's Class 6A regional at Sim Park. [File photo/TSN]

Kailyn Petersen led the Junior Blues with a third-place finish, shooting a 79, while Taryn Jellison placd fourth with an 83.

The Junior Blues also got a tie for fifth from Lauren Cox (85), an 11th-place finish from Briley Miles (88), a tie for 14th from Peyton Merrick (92) and a 16th-place showing from Ella Taggart (93).

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Brody Anderson

BRODY ANDERSON, Seaman

Anderson, a senior cross country standout, won his second straight boys city individual title Saturday at the Shawnee North Community Center while posting his fourth individual victory of the 2025 season. A Class 5A state medalist in cross country and track, Anderson set a course record with a five-kilometer time of 15 minutes, 00.11 seconds.

Madeline Deters

MADELINE DETERS, Topeka High

A senior tennis standout, Deters won her first Centennial League singles championship last Tuesday in Junction City and followed that up with the singles title in Friday's Class 6A regional tournament at Wichita. Deters posted a 6-2, 6-1 final-round win over Emporia's Kali Keough in the Centennial League tournament and took a 6-2, 6-4 win over Junction City's Hannah Micheel in the regional final.

Emily Graf

EMILY GRAF, Washburn Rural

Washburn Rural senior cross country standout Graf won her first city girls individual championship Saturday at the Shawnee North Community Center, leading the Junior Blues to their seventh straight city team title. Coming off a hip injury, Graf clocked winning time of 19 minutes, 18.57 seconds in the city meet.

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

For a second consecutive Saturday, Seaman High School hosted a cross country meet in north Topeka.

Washburn Rural senior Emily Graf won the city individual cross country title Saturday, leading the Junior Blues to their seventh straight team title. [File photo/TSN]

Seaman senior Brody Anderson won his second straight city individual cross country title Saturday. [File photo/TSN]

Last week, it was the Seaman Invitational. This week, the city championships at Shawnee County North Park, with Washburn Rural's girls and boys sweeping the team championships. 

Rural's boys stretched their city meet winning streak to 19 straight seasons while the Junior Blue girls won their seventh straight crown. 

 In the girls race, Washburn Rural senior Emily Graf won the city championship in a time of 19:18.57. It was her first race since the Shufelberger Top City Classic on the third week of September due to an injury.

 “Coming back from a hip injury I’ve had over the past three weeks, it felt great to come out, run and get the win,” Graf said.

Graf was joined by three of her teammates in the top five -- freshman Alyson Hinck (second in 19:38.05), senior Kenzie Maddox (fourth in 19:44.75) and sophomore Reese Beardslee (fifth in 19:57.07). Overall, the Jr. Blues had eleven girls finish in the top 20 to earn city medals.

The only non-Washburn Rural runner to finish in the top five was Seaman junior Brynn Spencer. She was pleased with her third-place finish, where she also finished last week in the Seaman Invitational, but was able to trim almost 25 seconds off her time in the city meet.

“I’m very proud of myself for improving my time from last week and I knew I had a chance to be top three and break up the Washburn Rural girls a little bit,'' Spencer said. "They provide great competition so I wanted to stay up with them throughout the race.”

Spencer was joined by four teammates as medalists -- junior Kinley Robinson (ninth in 21:29.35), junior Hannah Wempe (10th in 21:42.04), junior Jaydin Frickey (16th in 23:23.29) and sophomore Avery Villines (19th in 24:17.54).

Other medalists included Hayden junior Sofia Harper (seventh in 20:34.43), Topeka West freshman Phebe Phelps (12th in 22:34.71), Shawnee Heights freshman Kendall Lewis (15th in 23:04.35) and Topeka senior Breanna Maldonado (20th in 24:28.02). 

In the boys race, Seaman senior Brody Anderson won his fourth race of the season, breaking the course record in a time of 15:00.11.

“I knew after last week, I knew the course was fast. Coach (Luke) Wiens and I were planning to come out, run fast and set a PR,” Anderson said.

Being so close to breaking the fifteen minute barrier was a hope of Anderson.

“I was close to the fourteen mark, I know I’m fit enough to do it, but things happen for a reason.”

Washburn Rural senior Brooks Kehoe finished second in Saturday's city cross country meet, leading the Junior Blues to their 19th straight city team title. [File photo/TSN]

The winning Washburn Rural team had the next four finishers to round out the top five -- senior Brooks Kehoe (second in 16:10.45), sophomore Duke Graf (third in 16:46.96), sophomore Clayton Fink (fourth in 16:52.01) and sophomore Jaxson Adams (fifth in 17:03.47). The Jr. Blues had eight other runners finish in the top twenty as medalists.

Hayden had two runners finish in the top ten -- sophomore Nick Newkirk finished sixth (17:04.74) and senior Connor Baldwin finished seventh (17:06.38).

Shawnee Heights’ senior Max Esquibel finished eighth in a time of 17:07.46.

Seaman had two other medalists -- junior Conner Bloom finished ninth in 17:13.81 and senior Drake Spurlock finished 20th with a time of 17:46.87.

Topeka sophomore Easton Davis finished in 17th in 17:33.64 while junior Ezra Phelps of Topeka West finished 18th with a time of 17:36.33. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Fresh off a sweep of city, United Kansas Conference and Class 5A regional team championships, Jamie Robinson's Seaman girls tennis team will now turns its focus on trying to earn a top-three state finish for the second straight season.

Emma Sweeney won the singles title in Saturday's Class 5A regional at Kossover Tennis Center, helping the Vikings win the team championship. [File photo/TSN]

Seaman senior Molly Gorman finished second in singles in Saturday's Class 5A regional at Kossover Tennis Center, helping the Vikings win the team championship. [File photo/TSN]

The Vikings tuned up for state with a team title in Saturday's regional at Kossover Tennis Center and will be back at Kosover Friday and Saturday for the state meet.

Seaman achieved its goal of qualifying all six of its varsity players for state while edging St. James Academy for the team championship, 22-21.

"That is so huge,'' Robinson said of Seaman's qualifying effort. "And that's something you don't want to take for granted is getting your six in. That's huge for team morale, it's huge for people coming back the next year and we've done it for three, four years in a row, so that's exciting.

 "Everybody's rooting for each other and our parent base is happy and proud and it makes the whole program proud when you take six to state. That is not a given, not even with good teams.''   

Viking junior Emma Sweeney and senior Molly Gorman went one-two in singles while the Vikings' doubles teams of senior Peyton Henry and junior Camryn Lux and juniors Cadence Speer and Kaylyn Hiebsch placed third and fourth.

Sweeney and Gorman advanced to the regional singles final for the second straight season, with Sweeney taking a 6-0, 6-1 win in the final.

After both Seaman doubles teams dropped semifinal matches to St. James Academy, Henry and Lux took a 6-1, 6-3 win in the third-place match.

Topeka West's senior doubles team of Jordan Felsburg and Taryn Gilbert is also headed to state after finishing fifth Saturday with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Piper's Allison Ochs and Aubrey Eidson.

Felsburg and Gilbert are West's first girls state qualifiers since 2021.

Washburn Rural girls tennis poses for a team picture after winning the championship in Friday's Class 5A regional at Wichita. [Submitted photo]

Junior Blues, Trojans finish one-two in 6A regional

Washburn Rural claimed the team title in Friday's Class 6A regional at Wichita's Riverside Tennis Complex by a 15-12 margin over Topeka High while the city schools swept the singles and doubles championships.

Topeka High senior Madeline Deters, the Centennial League champion, won the regional singles title with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Junction City's Hannah Micheel while Washburn Rural juniors Julia Katzer and Halle Owen, the city champs, took the regional doubles crown with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Manhattan's Keylee Schartz and Jackie Hsu.

Rural freshman singles player Bridget Hoopes qualified for state with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Derby's 5 2 Ella Boline and the Junior Blues' doubles team of senior Alizah Chedzoy and sophomore Annie Henderson defeated Derby's Katie Brehm and Karlie Demel in the fifth-place match, 6-1, 6-2.

In addition to Deters, Topeka High qualified its doubles team of senior Ava Ritter and sophomore Hailey Caryl, who posted a third-place regional finish with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Wichita East's Charlotte Docking and Jane Docking.

The 6A state tournament will be played at the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe.

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

On a beautiful night for football, city rivals Seaman and Shawnee Heights squared off in a United Kansas Conference matchup. Host Seaman was honoring its senior class and Shawnee Heights was coming off a tough, 50-48 loss to DeSoto last Friday night. However, Shawnee Heights played its best all-around game of the season, defeating the Vikings, 20-3.

“Kids played outstanding,'' Heights coach Jason Swift said. "That’s one of the best football games I’ve seen from a T-bird team ever. Everybody did their job -- all eleven on offense, defense and the special teams. They were phenomenal and I couldn’t be happier for these guys because they’ve faced adversity.

Following the tough loss to DeSoto last week, Coach Swift was proud of the team’s resolve, “You never know how someone will react when they get knocked down, but our boys got up and is a testament to them and their heart and resiliency.”

Seaman (3-3 overall, 3-2 UKC)  took the opening kickoff and drove right down the field, but were unable to get into the end zone and senior Bryan Hayes kicked a 23-yard field goal to give the Vikings a 3-0 lead. On their ensuing possession, Shawnee Heights (2-4, 2-3) drove into the red zone, but junior wide receiver Javon Williams fumbled following a catch and Seaman took over at their own 18-yard line. Seaman responded to the turnover by driving back down into Thunderbird territory, but Hayes missed a 36-yard field goal attempt.

Following a couple of turnovers by the Vikings (an interception and on downs), the Thunderbirds were able to get on the scoreboard with a 10-yard pass from senior Aiden Scott to fellow senior AJ Gallegos. Senior Camden Granado kicked the extra point and with 4:59 remaining in the first half, Shawnee Heights led, 7-3. After another turnover on downs by Seaman with 2:56 left in the half, Shawnee Heights drove deep into Seaman territory and Granado kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired in the half, giving Heights a 10-3 lead going to the locker room.

As the second half began, Shawnee Heights appeared to be on their way to getting two scores on each side of the halftime break as sophomore Reid Niedfeldt took the opening kickoff 72 yards deep into Seaman territory. However, there was a penalty on the return, nullifying the terrific return. The teams traded punts after lengthy drives and Heights once again entered the red zone, threatening to extend their lead. But Viking senior Mike Hurla intercepted Scott’s pass at the 5-yard-line and returned it all the way to midfield with a little over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. As Seaman began moving the ball, the drive stalled because of a Viking fumble.

Shawnee Heights took the following possession into the fourth quarter and Scott was able to throw his second touchdown pass of the game on a 25-yard pass to Williams. Granado tacked on the extra point, giving the Thunderbirds a commanding 17-3 lead with 9:09 left in the game. 

The ensuing kickoff appeared to be a momentum-shifting play as junior Jack Becker picked up the ball on the 1-yard line and went 93 yards all the way to the Heights 6-yard-line. But there was a holding penalty called, shifting the momentum right back to Heights. Seaman was unable to move the ball and was forced to punt with a little over seven minutes left in the game.

Shawnee Heights was able to run the ball with junior Trone Purvis getting the majority of the carries, milking the clock and forcing Seaman to use all of their timeouts. The Thunderbirds were able to convert two third downs into first downs, eventually taking the clock down to 1:12, when Granado kicked another 31-yard field goal to end the scoring.

Junior Trone Purvis carried the load as the lead running back and his coach was elated with his effort. “Trone probably had more carries tonight than he’s had all season as he stepped in for David Wakes (senior starter). Our offensive line paved the way for him and this was a ‘find a way’ game and our kids found a way to win it."

Shawnee Heights will go on the road to Lansing next Friday while Seaman will travel to face Basehor-Linwood.

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 20, SEAMAN 3

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

(Allkickoffs at 7 p.m.)

THURSDAY NIGHT'S GAME

ATCHISON (3-2, 3-1 Meadowlark) vs. HIGHLAND PARK (3-2, 3-1 Meadowlark)

At Hummer Sports Park

JoJo Kingcannon, Highland Park 

Highland Park will play for the first time in three weeks, returning to action after forfeiting back to back games to Kansas City-Harmon and Wichita East. The Scots will be facing an Atchison team that is coming off an 82-44 Meadowlark Conference loss to KC-Washington. Highland Park senior quarterback Dontrail Fox has completed 9 of 20 passes for 274 yards and 3 touchdowns while junior JoJo Kingcannon has caught 5 passes for 200 yards and 2 TDs. Kingcannon leads the Scots with 293 rushing yards and 4 TDs on 13 carries while junior G'Honi Montgomery has 256 yards and 3 TDs on 32 attempts. 

FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAMES

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (1-4, 1-3 UKC) at SEAMAN (3-2, 3-1 UKC)

Quentin Moravec, Seaman

Aiden Scott, Shawnee Heights

Seaman ran its winning streak to three games last Friday with a 48-8 United Kansas Conference romp past Lansing while Shawnee Heights is coming off a 50-48 UKC heartbreaker to De Soto. Seaman junior quarterback Cale Ketter has completed 82 of 125 passes for 1,118 yards and 15 touchdowns while junior Josh Brown has 22 catches for 303 yards and 6 TDs, junior Coy Barta has 18 catches for 223 yards and 4 TDs and senior Noah Kobuszewski has 19 catches for 300 yards and 2 TDs. Viking junior Quentin Moravec has carried the ball 92 times for 644 yards and 11 TDs. Heights senior quarterback Aiden Scott passed for more than 600 yards last Friday and has completed 127 of 200 attempts for 1,956 yards and 15 touchdowns while junior AJ Gallegos has 40 catches for 601 yards and 3 TDs, while Dallas Owens has 33 catches for 419 yards and 3 TDs and senior Tyren Parker 22 receptions for 500 yards and 3 scores.

HOLTON (3-2, 1-1 Class 3A District 4) at HAYDEN (5-0, 1-0 Class 3A District 4)

Kade Mitchell, Hayden

Rivals Hayden and Holton square off in a key Class 3A District 4 contest Friday night. Hayden rolled to a 51-0 district win over Hiawatha last week while Holton dropped a 27-17 district decision to Jefferson West. Hayden senior quarterback Connor Hanika has completed 40 of 73 passes for 612 yards and 7 touchdowns while senior Kade Mitchell has carried the ball 38 times for 399 yards and has scored nine total TDs and senior Jackson McGivern has 250 yards on 28 carries and scored five total touchdowns. Junior Mason Becker is 24 of 24 on extra point attempts while also scoring two TDs and two 2-point conversions.

JUNCTION CITY (3-2, 1-0 Centennial League) vs. TOPEKA HIGH (3-2, 1-1 Centennial)

At Hummer Sports Park

Zane Smith, Topeka High

Both the Blue Jays and Trojans are coming off losses, with Junction City dropping a 34-28 non-league decision to Hays and Topeka falling to Centennial League foe Washburn Rural, 35-6. Topeka High senior quarterback Zane Smith completed 12 of 26 passes for 284 yards against Washburn Rural while also carrying the ball 17 times for 85 yards. Junior Courtney Sanders caught 5 passes for 192 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown reception. Junction City is 1-0 in the Centennial League race after beating Manhattan 28-14 two weeks ago.

ROSSVILLE (4-1, 2-0 Class 1A District 2) vs. CAIR PARAVEL LATIN (1-4, 0-2 Class 1A District 2)

At Yager Stadium

Conner Bush, Rossville

Defending Class 1A District 2 champ Rossville is off and running in the district race again this fall, improving to 2-0 with a 55-6 win over Mission Valley last week. Cair Paravel is coming off a 53-25 district loss to Wabaunsee. Rossville, which advanced to the 1A semifinals a year ago, opened up a commanding 43-6 halftime lead over the Vikings and cruised the rest of the way. Senior quarterback Canann Mitchell passed for two touchdown and ran for a 52-yard TD in the Rossville win while Conner Bush ran for a pair of TDs. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Of course, Seaman girls tennis coach Jamie Robinson wanted to win Tuesday's United Kansas Conference tournament.

But with Class 5A regional competition just four days away, Robinson also wanted the city-champion Vikings to continue to play well while continuing to build momentum for the Vikings' two biggest tournaments of the season.

Seaman junior Emma Sweeney repeated as the UKC singles champion Tuesday as the Vikings won their fourth straight conference team title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman senior Molly Gorman finished second in UKC singles Tuesday as the Vikings won their fourth straight conference team title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

And Robinson felt like his team did just that, finishing one-two in singles and one-three in doubles on the way to its fourth straight UKC title by a 75-65 margin over De Soto at Kossover Tennis Center.

"You want to continue to build and play well and continue to get better,'' Robinson said. "That's one thing we talk about, is trying to get better every day, and we wanted to build momentum going into regionals and I think we did that.''

Seaman's Peyton Henry (left) and Camryn Lux won the doubles title in Tuesday's UKC tournament. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman junior Emma Sweeney and senior Molly Gorman advanced to the singles final for the second straight season, with Sweeney taking an 8-0 win for her second straight title while Peyton Henry and Camryn Lux took the doubles title with an 8-4 win over De Soto and Kaylyn Hiebsch and Cadence Speer bounced back from a semifinal loss to take an 8-4 win over De Soto in the third-place doubles match.

Topeka West finished fourth as a team, led by a fifth-place doubles finish from seniors Taryn Gilbert and Jordan Felsburg while Shawnee Heights finished eighth.

Seaman, Topeka West, Shawnee Heights and Highland Park will all compete in a Class 5A regional tournament on Saturday at Kossover, vying for state tournament berths.

Seaman won a regional title and posted a third-place finish in 5A last season and Robinson feels like his team is where it needs to be to make another strong postseason run.

"I think we have to be pretty happy where we're at,'' Robinson said. "We have pretty much dominated most of our meets and I think we're peaking at the right time and that's what you want. You want a team to peak right at regionals and go into state with a lot of momentum and that's what I think we're doing.'' 

UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Brody Anderson

BRODY ANDERSON, Seaman

Anderson, a senior cross country standout, posted his third individual victory of the season in Saturday's Seaman Invitational at the Shawnee North Community Center. A Class 5A state medalist in cross country and track, Anderson clocked a winning five-kilometer time of 15 minutes, 25.07 seconds.

Brynn Anderson

BRYNN ANDERSON, Washburn Rural  

A 5-foot-11 freshman, Anderson had a big week for the No. 6-ranked (Class 6A) Washburn Rural volleyball team, helping lead the 16-4 Junior Blues to seven straight victories, including five straight wins in Saturday's Centennial League tournament at Rural as the hosts claimed the league championship while dropping just one set on the day.

Elise Eckert

ELISE ECKERT, Seaman

A senior golf star, Eckert followed up her city championship with the title in last Monday's United Kansas Conference tournament at Shawnee Country Club. A three-time Class 5A state medalist, Eckert shot a 73 to post an eight-stroke victory as Seaman captured its fourth straight UKC title by 52 strokes.

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

On a beautiful morning as the calendar flipped to the second month of the cross country season, Seaman High School hosted the Seaman Invitational at Shawnee North Park.

Brody Anderson, Seaman

Brynn Spencer, Seaman

In the varsity girls race, the Washburn Rural, Seaman and Shawnee Heights teams finished in fourth, fifth and sixth place, respectively.

Washburn Rural had two medalists -- freshmen Clara Dillon finished ninth in a time of 21:47.96 and Lily Palmer finished in 19th with a time of 22:23.98.

Topeka West’s lone runner, freshman Phebe Phelps, finished 16th in a time of 22:09.56.

The top local finisher was Seaman junior Brynn Spencer, who finished third in a time of 20:16.43. Fellow Seaman junior Hannah Wempe earned medalist honors by finishing 17th with a time of 22:18.22.

“I didn’t do as well as I had hoped time-wise, but I knew I had a chance to finish in the top three,'' Spencer said. "So my main goal was to push up toward the front and use my home course advantage.”

Looking ahead to next week’s city meet, Spencer talked about getting to run once again on her home course.

“It will help me since I have one race under my belt here and to know where my advantage points,'' she said. "It will also be helpful to know the parts of the course where I’ll need to push myself more.”

In the varsity boys race, Seaman senior Brody Anderson won his third race of the season, finishing in a time of 15:25.07. After dealing with a heat-related issue last week at Rim Rock, Anderson talked about his plan going into Saturday's race.

“It was a good day. I went out slower than normal, which was the plan, but I wanted to progress through the race and that went well. My hope was to stay healthy through the state meet.”

Anderson was also looking to next week and the city meet, one last time to run at his home course.

“I’m confident after today, but there is good competition throughout the city,'' he said. "I’m hoping to get good work in next week.” 

Washburn Rural finished second as a team and had five medalists. Senior Wyatt Shorb finished ninth in a time of 17:32.10, freshman Julius Wood-Nichols finished 12th with a time of 17:35.85, senior Rylan Rake was 14th with a time of 17:39.03, sophomore Brady Meek was 16th in a time of 17:39.30 and senior Wesley Meek finished 20th with a time of 17:51.88.

Seaman finished third overall and had one other medalist, junior Conner Bloom, who finished eighth in a time of 17:25.55.

Shawnee Heights had one medalist, senior Max Esquibel, who finished sixth with a time 17:24.12.

Topeka West also had one medalist, junior Ezra Phelps, who was 15th, finishing with a time of 17:39.27.

Next week all of the Topeka city schools will return to Shawnee North for the city meet beginning at 9 a.m. for the girls race, following by the boys race at 9:45.

SEAMAN INVITATIONAL

Team Scores & Local Results

Girls Varsity

Piper 40, Blue Valley Northwest 50, Lawrence 59, Washburn Rural 99, Seaman 114, Shawnee Heights 145

(Local team finishes)

4. Washburn Rural

9. Clara Dillon 21:47.96; 19. Lily Palmer 22:23.88; 24. Katherine Wolgast 23:17.42; 25. Harper Tenbrink 23:22.64; 26. Rayauna Huey 23:29.51; 32. Lily McCoy 24:20.79; 39. Lacey Middleton 25:44.98

5. Seaman

3. Brynn Spencer 20:16.43; 17. Hannah Wempe 22:18.22; 28. Avery Villines 23:32.88; 34. Jaydin Frickey 24:49.24; 40. Emma Gonzalez 26:02.90

6. Shawnee Heights

22. Hazel Rondash 23:02.36; 27. Kendall Lewis 23:30.71; 33. Arantza Urbina 24:35.07; 37. Adelaide Davis 25:23.73; 38. Piper Geil 25:24.21

Topeka West

16. Phebe Phelps 22:09.56

Topeka

35. Victoria Reynaga 25:10.58; 36. Breanna Maldonado 25:22.32; 41. Lyzet Cortez-Castro 26:43.92; 42. Maricruz MerriWeather 28:51.54

Boys Varsity

Lawrence 39, Washburn Rural 57, Seaman 82,Piper 94, Shawnee Heights 137, Topeka West 149, Topeka 186

(Local team finishes)

2. Washburn Rural

9. Wyatt Shorb 17:32.10; 12. Julius Wood-Nichols 17:35.85; 14. Rylan Rake 17:39.03; 16. Brady Meek 17:39.30; 20. Wesley Meek 17:51.88; 21. Cohen Thiessen 18:00.99; 22. Gauge Dial 18:04.27; 25. Cadin Stratman 18:13.74

3. Seaman

1. Brody Anderson 15:25.07; 8. Conner Bloom 17:25.55; 24. Drake Spurlock 18:07.36; 33. Emmanuel Armstead 18:45.04; 34. Weston Kennedy 18:51.28; 36. Maddox Moore 18:58.53; 38. Abe Heffley 19:00.42; 46. Camden Dutton 19:39.60

5. Shawnee Heights

6. Max Esquibel 17:24.12; 28. Andrew Schulte 18:28.44; 42. Cash Reitcheck 19:16.09; 43. Ronin Wiggs 19:20.05; 47. Deyton Coufal 19:58.92; 49. Carter Vincent 20:26.52

6. Topeka West

15. Ezra Phelps 17:39.27; 27. Cameron Parrett 18:26.29; 40. Rhys Green 19:04.37; 44. Maks Rodriguez 19:33.68; 55. Mason Gore 22:13.52

7. Topeka

35. Oliver Snethen 18:51.89; 37. Will Toland 18:58.54; 51. Nicholas McDonald 20:55.49; 52. Amir El-Jammal 21:01.21; 54. Matthew Hanes 21:26.50; 56. Sam Stanton 22:17.70; 57. Dexter Lonergan 23:32.99; 58. Salis Bechard 24:23.87; 59. Sebastian Homerding 28:56.17

Girls JV (local results)

Seaman

4. Zoey Gooden 25:37.93; 5. Kennedy Gatewood 25:57.54; 12. Bailey Martin 28:35.17 

Shawnee Heights

6. Natalia Venegas 26:14.04; 10. Alyson Moss 27:48.98; 13. Brooklyn Binkley 29:45.57; 18. Eva Austin 31:24.42 

Topeka West

8. Lily Phelps Roper 26:23.67

Boys JV

Washburn Rural 15, Seaman 73,Lawrence 77, Blue Valley Northwest 85, Piper 127, Shawnee Heights 181

1. Washburn Rural

1. Bennett Wells 18:08.81; 2. Trey Recob 18:22.50; 3. Oliver Haberman 18:28.31; 4. Ayden Mooney 18:47.68; 5. Ethan Koci 19:02.92; 6. Jackson Svaty 19:05.13; 9. Kael Harman 19:19.08; 11. Ethan Lake 19:36.03; 12. Marlon Barrios Martinez 19:55.32; 13. Blake Harader 19:56.70; 15. Dylan Ragsdale 20:03.07; 17. Jackson Buesing 20:07.06; 19. Charles Stones 20:19.82; 22. Thomas Reed 20:24.70; 31. Cole Replogle 20:39.04; 32. Eli Replogle 20:42.11; 34. Cedric Geotz 20:49.61; 38. Asher Denman 20:57.08; 39. Alex Jeffries 20:57.78; 42. Ryan Olsen 21:09.22; 43. Korbin Jones 21:26.23; 44. Avery Knappenberger 21:36.75; 46. Antonio Fernkopf 21:37.19; 47. Ryder McClintock 21:40.16; 51. Jacob Eilert 21:59.14; 60. Ethan Lanier 23:07.38; 77. Zachary Inloes 25:09.88; 80. Jason Hall 26:06.97; 81. Grady Wells 26:07.23; 82. Dylan Weigel 26:24.39; 84. Caleb Pearce 26:29.13

2. Seaman

8. Tate Oliva 19:17.75; 18. Trace La Row 20:17.10; 20. Cody Moses 20:19.84; 24. Stephen Miano 20:27.30; 28. Nick Horton 20:35.07; 29. Max Roark 20:36.16; 40. Eli Mott 20:58.20; 48. Wesley Eckert 21:41.45; 55. Levi Rodecap 22:15.64; 56. Josh Horton 22:20.91; 65. Gabe Ferguson 23:06.22; 67. John Holloway 23:45.83; 68. Davis Yarnell 24:02.82; 76. Aaron Haynes 24:56.39

6. Shawnee Heights

57. Jakob Rowland 22:22.91; 58. Xain Brown 22:23.88; 62. Lennox Garretson 22:39.11; 75. Colton Geil 24:43.94; 87. Jackson Osborne 29:45.39

Topeka West

83. Erich Abbo-Mott 26:28.77; 85. Jack Morgan 26:45.44

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Silver Lake football took control in the second half to extend its win streak to three games Friday night with a 47-7 non-league home win over Baldwin.

Kipton Kruger, Silver Lake

Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake

The 3-2 Eagles trailed 7-6 midway through the second quarter before ending the game with 41 unanswered points to turn the game into a rout.

Senior Bryson Burgos scored on a 7-yard run to give Silver Lake a slim 13-7 halftime advantage before the Eagles outscored the 3-2 Bulldogs 20-0 in the third quarter and 14-0 in the fourth.

Junior Owen Rottinghaus began Silver Lake's big second half with an 80-yard kickoff return before freshman quarterback Kipton Kruger and senior receiver Dayne Johnson connected on touchdown passes of 78, 17 and 4 yards.

Sophomore Jake Workman scored Silver Lake's final TD on a 27-yard run.

Now 3-2 overall, the Eagles will return to Class 2A District 4 play next Friday, traveling to Riley County. 

Silver Lake is 1-0 in the district while Riley County is 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the district.

Rossville improves to 2-0 in 1A district play with 55-6 romp

Rossville improved to 2-0 in the Class 1A District 2 race Friday night with a 55-6 home romp past Mission Valley.

The Bulldawgs, now 4-1 overall, took control with a pair of first-quarter touchdowns, from Landen Lewis on an 8-yard run and from Andre Johnson on a 38-yard run, and scored 29 points in the second quarter to build a huge 43-6 halftime advantage over the Vikings (3-2, 1-1).

Canann Mitchell, Rossville

Conner Bush scored a pair of second-quarter TDs on runs of 52 and 25 yards while quarterback Canann Mitchell  completed a 25-yard TD pass to Cameron Miller and a 35-yard scoring strike to Cale Horak.

Mitchell added a 52-yard touchdown run in the third quarter before Ryder Foster finished the Bulldawgs' scoring with a 29-yard pick six.

Mitchell completed 7 of 8 passes for 125 yards and the twoTDs and carried the ball three times for 61 yards and a touchdown.

Bush scored on both of his carries while Johnson carried the ball four times for 55 yards and a TD and Miller had four catcthes for 80 yards and a score.

Rossville will face Cair Paravel Latin Friday night at Washburn's Yager Stadium.

Unbeaten Hayden routs Hiawatha, 51-0

Hayden opened Class 3A District 4 play with a 51-0 road romp past Hiawatha Friday night, improving to 5-0 on the season.

The Wildcats took control with a 22-point opening quarter and led 29-0 at halftime.

Hayden finished off the rout with a 22-point third quarter to build its final margin.

The Wildcats will be at home next Friday to host Holton in a district game. Holton is 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the district after a 27-17 Friday night loss to Jefferson West. 

Seaman stretches win streak to three games with 48-8 romp past Lansing

Seaman won its third straight United Kansas Conference game Friday night, rolling to a 48-8 road win at Lansing.

The Vikings are now 3-2 overall and 3-1 in the UKC.

Seaman will be at home Friday to face UKC and city rival Shawnee Heights. 

By RICK PETERSON                                                                                                           

TopSports.news

Silver Lake freshman football quarterback Kipton Kruger and Seaman junior tennis star Emma Sweeney have been selected by the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency as the Rising Stars of the Week.

The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the bulk of the 2025-2026 school year.

Here's a brief look at the accomplishments of Kruger and Sweeney over the past week.

Kipton Kruger, Silver Lake

KIPTON KRUGER, Silver Lake

The only starting freshman quarterback at any of the 10 Shawnee County high schools, Kruger has helped lead Silver Lake to back-to-back victories, including a 21-6 Big East League win over St. Marys last Friday.

On the season Kruger has completed 73 of 107 pass attempts (68.2 percent completions) for 753 yards and five touchdowns over the 2-2 Eagles' first four games.

Kruger has also carried the ball 15 times for 81 yards entering Friday's home game against Baldwin. 

Emma Sweeney, Seaman

EMMA SWEENEY, Seaman

Sweeney captured the No. 1 singles title in last Thursday's city championships at Kossover Tennis Center while leading Seaman to the team championship.

Sweeney went 3-0 in the city meet without dropping a game, posting three straight 8-0 wins to help the Vikings win the team title by a 32-28 margin over Washburn Rural.

Sweeney, fourth in Class 5A last season, followed up her city title with a championship in Tuesday's 11-school Topeka West Invitational, helping Seaman win the team crown.

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAMES

(Allkickoffs at 7 p.m.)

John Hoytal, Washburn Rural [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

TOPEKA HIGH (3-1, 1-0 Centennial) at WASHBURN RURAL (3-1, 0-0 Centennial)

Both Topeka High and Washburn Rural are coming off victories, with the Trojans opening Centennial League play wih a 13-12 home win over Emporia while the Junior Blues rolled to a 31-7 non-league road win at Blue Valley Northwest. Friday is Rural's Centennial League opener. Junior Blues senior quarterback John Hoytal threw for three touchdowns against Northwest while junior Jadyn Baum caught a touchdown pass and ran for a TD and senior Brody Haas picked off two passes, returning one for a TD. Topeka High's defense came up big in last week's win over Emporia, including stuffing the Spartans' two-point conversion attempt to preserve the Trojans' one-point lead.

Aiden Scott, Shawnee Heights [File photo/TSN]

DE SOTO (3-1, 3-1 UKC) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (1-3, 1-2 UKC)

Both teams are coming off United Kansas Conference losses, with De Soto dropping a 42-38 nailbiter to undefeated Basehor-Linwood while Shawnee Heights fell 43-29 on the road at Leavenworth. Heights senior quarterback Aiden Scott has completed 95 of 153 passes for 1,330 yards and 12 touchdowns while senior AJ Gallegos has a team-high 28 catches for 391 yards and a pair of TDs and junior Dallas Owens has 27 receptions for 312 yards and two TDs. Senior David Wakes has 281 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 60 attemps. Senior Dayton Vanderpool leads Heights with 36 tackles, including 23 solo stops.

Jackson McGivern, Hayden [File photo/TSN] 

HAYDEN (4-0, 0-0 Class 3A District 4) at HIAWATHA (1-3, 0-1 Class 3A District 4)

Hayden is coming of a 42-7 home win over Wamego, with the Wildcats avenging one of their two defeats in the 2024 season, while Hiawatha opened Class 3A District 4 play with a 12-7 loss to Jefferson West. Hayden senior quarterback Connor Hanika hit Jackson McGivern, Xander Blasing and Kade Mitchell for touchdowns and Hanika also ran for a TD in the Wildcats' win. Junior Mason Becker returned a pass interception for a touchdown and also went 6 for 6 on extra-point kicks.

Quentin Moravec, Seaman [File photo/TSN]

SEAMAN (2-2, 2-1 UKC) at LANSING (2-2, 2-1 UKC)

Seaman won its second straight game last Friday, a 56-6 United Kansas Conference win over Kansas City-Turner, while Lansing took a 36-20 conference win over Topeka West. Seaman sophomore running back Quentin Moravec has carried the ball 70 times for 510 yards and nine touchdowns while junior quarterback Cale Ketter has completed 68 of 102 passes for 892 yards and 11 TDs. Junior Josh Brown has 20 pass receptions for 266 yards and six TDs. Senior Cameron Brian leads the Vikings with 54 tackles, including 28 solo stops and five tackles for loss.

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

The Shawnee Heights soccer team took another step toward accomplishing its goals with a 3-0 defeat of Seaman at Bettis Family Sports Complex Tuesday.

Shawnee Heights senior Jose Curvelo-Montenegro (20) scores one of his two goals in Tuesday's 3-0 UKC win over Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Shawnee Heights senior Jose Curvelo-Montenegro (20) is congratulated after scoring a goal in Tuesday's 3-0 UKC win over Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Since suffering a loss to Washburn Rural in the season opener, the T-Birds have reeled off an eight-game win streak that finds them at the top of the Class 5A standings.

Senior Jose Curvelo-Montenegro received a pass from Camden Granado to punch home the first score of the night 15 minutes into the contest.

Curvelo-Montenegro added an insurance goal just two minutes into the second period on an assist from Sheldon Pokphanh. The T-Birds got a third tally on a corner kick by Thomas Aragon that Nick Prater put in the net.

“I was glad to get two goals after feeling like I’ve been trying. I finally had it,” Curvelo-Montenegro said. “I hope to keep scoring to help the team.”

Coach Nic Simons said Curvelo-Montenegro stepped up when the team needed another scorer to emerge.

“What I think is great about our team is, tonight Jose was able to step in and fill a role when we were having a tough night at the office for some of our guys that do a lot of our scoring,” Simons said. “Jose has been knocking at the door. He’s had a goal here, a goal there, but I think this was the kind of game he needed to gain confidence.

“Jose is a guy that is a little bit flashy. He can get into the minds of the opposing team. Teams have to think about him, and that’s one more weapon that makes us really dangerous this season.”

Shawnee Heights has claimed every United Kansas Conference championship but one since it joined the league. It can add another trophy to the case Thursday with a win at Leavenworth. Simons said winning Thursday will also keep the T-Birds in position for the top seed come playoff time.

“Right now, we’re atop the rankings of the 5A East, which has been our goal,” Simons said. “We want to host all the way to state. There are a lot of good teams out there and we want to think of ourselves as one of those upper-echelon-type teams.”

“It’s great to be 8-1,” Curvelo-Montenegro said. “I’m really happy with this win. We want to keep moving forward and get high up in the rankings.”

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Elise Eckert

ELISE ECKERT, Seaman

A senior golf star, Eckert shot a 2-under-par 68 to win the city individual championship by eight strokes last Monday at Western Hills, leading the Vikings to their first-ever city team title by a 14-stroke margin over runnerup Hayden. Eckert is a three-time Class 5A state medalist.

Molly Gorman

MOLLY GORMAN, Seaman

Gorman, a senior tennis standout, won her second straight city title in No. 2 singles and her third city championship overall, helping lead the Vikings to the city team championship by a 32-28 margin over runnerup Washburn Rural last Thursday at Kossover Tennis Center. Gorman's back to back No. 2 singles titles came after she teamed with Katie Krumins to win the No. 1 doubles title as a sophomore.

Camden Granado

CAMDEN GRANADO, Shawnee Heights

A senior two-sport athlete for the T-Birds, Granado recorded a three-goal hat trick last Monday as Shawnee Heights took a 4-1 United Kansas Conference soccer victory over Topeka West at Hummer Sports Park. Granado has helped Shawnee Heights post seven straight victories since a season-opening loss. Granado also handles placekicking duties for Heights and is 11 of 11 on extra-point attemps. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The only surprise in Monday's United Kansas Conference girls golf tournament at Shawnee Country Club would have been if Seaman hadn't won.

Seaman's girls golf team won its fourth straight UKC girls golf title by 52 strokes Monday at Shawnee Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

After all, the Vikings were coming off a 14-stroke victory in the city tournament and had won the previous three UKC tourneys by an average of 51.7 strokes.

Suffice it to say that were no surprises Monday, with senior Elise Eckert leading a one-two-three individual finish as Seaman won its fourth straight conference championship in an many years in the league by a whopping 52-stroke margin over De Soto (327-359). 

Seaman senior Elise Eckert shot a 73 to take an eight-stroke individual win in Monday's UKC meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman senior Makenna Stuke finished second with an 81 in Monday's UKC meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

City champion Eckert shot a 73 for an eight-stroke win while senior Makenna Stuke was second with an 81 and junior Kaitlynn Frye third with an 84.

The Vikings also got a tie for fourth from junior Chloe Schmidtlein (89) and an 11th-place finish from senior Molina Quintana (96). 

"I felt like overall we had a good solid day,'' Seaman coach Julie McLaughlin said. "There's always room for improvement. All of them were saying there's things they want to work on, but I like where we're sitting right now.

"All we're focusing on is getting stronger mentally, physically and just being ready for that postseason play when it's here.''

Although she was happy to get the league title, Eckert wasn't particularly pleased with Monday's round.

"I especially struggled a bit with my putting today,'' Eckert said. "Everything else was alright, but putting definitely got me today.''

Seaman has two more regular season tournaments before regionals and state and Eckert, a three-time Class 5A state medalist, wants to continue making strides to get ready for her postseason run.

"I definitely need to work on putting more, but I also need to work on some just basic fundamentals with my swing that I can fix on the course, but l just need to practice more to get everything solid,'' she said.

Shawnee Heights finished fourth as a team, with T-Bird junior Lauryn Valdivia tying for seventh with a 92.

Topeka West's Berlyn Kolean tied for 12th with a 98.

UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT 

By VINCE LOVERGINE

TopSports.news

Coming into the week, Hayden volleyball was 14-0 on the season and No.1-ranked in Class 4A.

But on Thursday in a triangular at Emporia, that long winning streak was snapped, with the Wildcats losing to Manhattan and Emporia.

Hayden sophomores Hailey Schmidtlein (22) and Blakely Walter (10) were named to the Seaman Invitational all-tournament team Saturday. [File photo/TSN]

The Wildcats were hoping to avenge those two losses in Saturday's Seaman Invitational, but to open pool play on Saturday, the defending Class 4A state champs, Bishop Miege (0-12), stunned Hayden in three sets, 25-21, 16-25, 26-24. The Stags also beat Hayden in pool play in the state tournament in 2024.

“The girls played hard. As coaches, if they play hard and stick together, that's all we can ask,” Hayden coach Corrinne McGreevy said. “Sometimes, you have to take a loss for what it is. They came out really good. Number 14, she was a stud. She was unstoppable.

"It’s one of those things, you have to brush it off, learn from it. We’re going to see them again, whether it’s Sub-State or State. That’s a great team, those are 50-50 games that go either way.”

Hayden then lost to Lansing in two sets, 25-14, 25-21, before picking up its first win of the day with a sweep over Spring Hill, 25-17, 25-16.

The Wildcats squared off with Maize South (16-1) in the quarterfinals match and that was a battle from both squads.

Hayden lost set one to the Mavericks and trailed 11-10 in set two. The Wildcats went on a little run, going up 13-11. Hayden would extend their lead to 19-14 off a kill from Mallory Tanking on the outside. The Mavs trimmed the deficit to 19-17 but then Avery Holthaus stopped the mimi run with a kill and Hayden led 20-17. 

The Wildcats were up 21-17, Hailey Schmidtlein served, the Hayden starters and bench thought Schmidtlein got her serve in before the back row line, the officials called it out of bounds and shifted the momentum of the match. Maize South would knot the match at 21 and then eventually swept the Wildcats, 25-18, 25-23.

“Maize South is a really good team,” McGreevy said. “Like our team, they know how to stick together… it would boil down to they wanted it and we wanted it to and volleyball is a weird sport. It just boils down to points here, points there and sometimes momentum swings are huge.

"They have that lefty (Ava Stoughton) out there and lefties are hard to block. They got a couple of power swings that threw us off a little bit, but that’s just a part of volleyball. We still regrouped, we still battled and I’m really proud of how they played the whole day because this is a great tournament.”

Hayden's Schmidtlein and Blakely Walter were named to the all-tournament team.

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

LAWRENCE -- On a very warm Saturday morning and afternoon, seven local schools competed in the Rim Rock Farm High School Classic in Lawrence. There were 171 other schools from seven states competing in a total of 10 high school races.

Brynn Spencer, Seaman

Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural

There were C-team races for boys and girls, junior varsity races for boys and girls, and three varsity level races -- Crimson, Blue and Gold.

In the C-team and junior varsity boys races, Washburn Rural finished second in both to Johnston High School from Iowa.

The varsity blue boys race included Silver Lake, Topeka High, Hayden and Rossville. Silver Lake and Topeka High finished in the top 40 teams, 32nd and 35th, respectively.

The varsity blue girls race included Hayden, Silver Lake and Rossville. Hayden’s Sofia Harper was the top local finisher in 39th place with a time of 21:23.03.

The varsity crimson boys race included Shawnee Heights and Topeka West. The top finisher was Max Esquibel of Shawnee Heights, who finished in a time of 18:02.93 to finish in 23rd place.

Shawnee Heights was the only team to compete in the varsity crimson girls race.

The varsity gold boys race was set up to be a great race between Kapaun-Mt. Carmel’s Daniel Enriquez and Seaman’s Brody Anderson. Enriquez ran the second fastest time in Kansas history last weekend at the Southern Stampede in Joplin, Missouri, with a time of 14:43.04. Anderson had run two races in a time of 15:11. 

The start of the race saw Anderson take a substantial lead, but in the final 1,000 meters, he was unable to finish due to heat-related issues.

Washburn Rural finished in 18th place with Brooks Kehoe leading the way with a 69th place finish with a time of 17:19.02. Duke Graf ran a time of 17:23.79 to finish in 78th place.

The varsity gold girls race had Washburn Rural finish in 18th place while Seaman finished in 25th place. Seaman’s Brynn Spencer was the top city finisher in 20:26.84, good for 54th place. Rural was led by Kenzie Maddox, who finished in 58th place with a time of 20:33.15.

Team Scores and Individual Results

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Defending Class 1A District 2 champion Rossville opened defense of its district crown with a 69-0 road romp past Maranatha Christian Academy Friday night.

Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell threw for four touchdowns and ran for a TD in Friday's 69-0 win over Maranatha Academy. [File photo/TSN]

Now 3-1 overall, the Bulldawgs put the game out of reach with a 34-point opening quarter and added 21 points to open up a 55-0 halftime cushion before scoring its final two touchdowns of the night in the third quarter.

Bulldawg senior Jack Donovan set the tone for the night when he returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown.

Senior Conner Bush and senior Canann Mitchell followed Donovan's TD with 51 and 47-yard scores and Mitchell completed a 55-yard touchdown strike to Landen Lewis and a 42-yard scoring pass to senior Cameron Miller to close out the first quarter.

Andre Johnson opened the second-quarter scoring with a 31-yard run and Mitchell followed with an 11-yard TD pass to Lewis and a 27-yard scoring pass to Miller.

Dalen Dick scored on a 20-yard run and Ryder Foster scored from 3 yards out for the Bulldawgs' final touchdown.

Rossville will be at home next Friday to host Mission Valley.

Washburn Rural senior quarterback John Hoytal threw for two touchdowns in Thursday's 31-7 road win over Blue Valley Northwest. [File photo/TSN]

Junior Blues roll to 31-7 road win

Washburn Rural improved to 3-1 on the season, equaling its win total from the 2024 campaign, with a wire-to-wire 31-7 non-league road romp past Blue Valley Northwest Thursday night.

The Junior Blues never trailed after getting a 35-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback John Hoytal to junior Jadyn Baum with 1:10 left in the first quarter.

A 36-yard pass play from Hoytal to junior Gavin Vantuyl set up a 4-yard TD run from Baum that put Washburn Rural in front 14-0 midway through the second quarter.

After Northwest cut its deficit to 14-7 junior Ryan Austin connected on a 28-yard field goal to put the Junior Blues in front 17-7 with 50 seconds left in the half.

By RICK PETERSON                                                                                                           

TopSports.news

Silver Lake junior volleyball standout Kylie Hanni and Seaman sophomore football standout Quentin Moravec have been selected by the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency as the Rising Stars of the Week.

The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the bulk of the 2025-2026 school year.

Here’s a brief look at the accomplishments of Hanni and Moravec over the past week:

 Kylie Hanni, Silver Lake

KYLIE HANNI, Silver Lake

A 5-foot-3 setter, Hanni has helped lead Silver Lake to a 22-1 record and the No. 1 spot in the Kansas Volleyball Association Class 3A state rankings for the last three weeks.

Hanni, who is among the state's assist leaders for all classes, helped Silver Lake post a perfect 5-0 record last Saturday on the way to the championship in the Rossville Invitational, with wins over Holton, Jefferson West, Ottawa, Valley Falls and Wamego, including straight-set wins in four or its five matches on the day.

Hanni and the Eagles, whose lone loss came against 5A Shawnee Heights, followed up the tourney title with Big East League wins over Jefferson West and Sabetha. 

Quentin Moravec, Seaman

QUENTIN MORAVEC, Seaman

Moravec, a 6-foot, 180-pound running back, carried the ball 17 times for 196 yards and two touchdowns last Friday night at Hummer Sports Park as Seaman notched its first victory of the season in a 61-0 United Kansas Conference win  over Topeka West.

Moravec, who has given the Vikings a big lift after an opening-game injury to standout Kaden McKinney, scored on runs of 39 and 44 yards as the Vikings improved to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the UKC.

Through four games Moravec has carried the ball 58 times for 426 yards and six touchdowns. 

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

(Allkickoffs at 7 p.m.)

THURSDAY'S GAMES

Josiah Wilkie, Topeka West

LANSING (1-2, 1-1 UKC) vs. TOPEKA WEST (0-3, 0-3 UKC)

At Hummer Sports Park

Topeka West is coming off a 61-0 United Kansas Conference loss to Seaman while Lansing dropped a 40-15 non-league loss to Tonganoxie last week. Junior running back Damon Webb, senior wide receiver Gad Munganga and sophomore quarterback Josiah Wilkie are top players for Topeka West. Lansing junior quarterback Caden Garcia has completed 28 of 60 passes for 403 yards and 3 TDs while junior running back Jaxon Pollard has rushed for 362 yards and 8 TDs 59 attempts. 

Kellan Roth, Washburn Rural

WASHBURN RURAL (2-1) at BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST (2-1)

Both Washburn Rural and Blue Valley Northwest suffered their first losses of the season last week, with Rural dropping a 60-28 non-league decision to Missouri state champion Platte County and Blue Valley Northwest falling to St. James Academy, 21-7. Northwest junior quarterback Aidan Ihm has completed 46 of 70 passes for 604 yards and 7 touchdowns while senior running back LJ Bowens has carried the ball 40 times for 268 yards and 3 TDs. Senior quarterback John Hoytal and senior wide receiver Kellan Roth are both off to hot starts this fall for Washburn Rural.   

FRIDAY'S GAMES

Kade Mitchell, Hayden

WAMEGO (2-1) at HAYDEN (3-0)

Hayden will get the opportunity to avenge one of its two losses in the 2024 season Friday night against the visiting Red Raiders. Wamego is coming off a 34-8 win over Marysville last Friday while Hayden rolled to a 46-7 road win over Kansas-City Bishop Ward and has now outscored its three opponents by a 123-13 margin. Wamego junior quarterback Logan Fulton has completed 32 of 53 passes for 562 yards and 4 TDs. Seniors Connor Hanika and Kade Mitchell and junior Mason Becker have been key offensive threats for the Wildcats.

Ricardo Dowd, Topeka High

EMPORIA (2-1, 0-0 Centennial) vs. TOPEKA HIGH (2-1, 0-0 Centennial)

At Hummer Sports Park

Both Emporia and Topeka High will be opening Centennial League play Friday night. The Spartans have won their last two games by a 102-6 margin, including a 50-0 non-league romp past Coffeyville last week. The Trojans were shut out 6-0 by Wichita Southeast last Thursday. Topeka High will be looking for a big night from senior quarterback Zane Smith,  while sophomore running back Ricardo Dowd has also been an offensive threat for the Trojans. 

Cale Ketter, Seaman

KANSAS CITY-TURNER (0-3, 0-3 UKC) at SEAMAN (1-2, 1-1 UKC)

Seaman rolled to a 61-0 United Kansas Conference win over Topeka West last Friday while Turner dropped a 56-0 conference decision to Leavenworth. Seaman junior quarterback Cale Ketter has completed 53 of 81 pass attempts for 628 yards and 7 touchdowns, including five against West. Junior running back Quentin Moravec has carried the ball 58 times for 426 yards and 6 TDs while junior Josh Brown has 16 pass receptions for 207 yards and 4 TDs.

 Aiden Scott, Shawnee Heights

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (1-2, 1-1 UKC) at LEAVENWORTH (2-1, 2-1)

Shawnee Heights dropped a 35-22 United Kansas Conference decision to Basehor-Linwood last Friday while Leavenworth rolled to a 56-0 UKC win over KC-Turner. T-Bird senior quarterback Aiden Scott has completed 69 of 116 passes for 921 yards and 9 touchdowns. Senior David Wakes has 217 rushing yards and 3 TDs on 56 attempts while senior AJ Gallegos has caught 19 passes for 234 yards and senior Tyren Parker has 10 catches for 245 yards and 2 touchdows. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman's girls tennis team had put itself in position to win the city championship the previous two seasons, only to fall just short.

Seaman's girls tennis team poses for a picture after winning the city championship Thursday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

And Jamie Robinson's Vikings had to sweat another down-to-the-wire finish again on Thursday at Kossover Tennis Center, but this time Seaman got the job done, earning its first city title since 2015 by a 32-28 margin over Washburn Rural.

"We're happy,'' Robinson said. "This is what our goal was at the beginning of the year, to win city. It kind of got to the point where we didn't want to talk about it. We didn't want to jinx ourselves because we were so pumped up to win city this year. 

"We'd been snakebit in the past and were so close, so it meant a lot to the girls. Look at them, they're excited.''

Seaman junior Emma Sweeney won the city No. 1 singles title Thursday, posting three 8-0 wins on the day. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman senior Molly Gorman won the city No. 2 singles title Thursday for the city champion Vikings. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Viking junior Emma Sweeney rolled to the No. 1 singles title without dropping a game in her three matches on the day, including an 8-0 win over Topeka High's Madeline Deters in the finals, while senior Molly Gorman won her second straght No. 2 singles championship, outlasting Hayden freshman Lena Hull in the title match, 8-7 (7-2 in a tiebreaker).

Seaman also got runnerup doubles finishes from Peyton Henry and Camryn Lux in No. 1 doubles and from Kaylyn Hiebsch and Cadence Speer in the No. 2 bracket.

Sweeney agreed with her coach that the city title meant a lot to the Vikings.

"We talk about it every year,'' Sweeney said. "We're always so close and our coach really wanted it because he'd never won city since he's been coaching. We always talk about it and we were ready.

"It means so much and we're all so excited.''

Washburn Rural put itself in the city title picture with a sweep of the doubles championships.

Washburn Rural's Julia Katzer teamed with Halle Owen to win the city No. 1 doubles title Thursday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn Rural's Halle Owen (left) teamed with Julia Katzer to win the No. 1 doubles city title Thursday. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Julia Katzer teamed with Halle Owen to take an 8-3 win over Seaman's Henry and Lux in the No. 1 final while Alizah Chedzoy and Annie Henderson took an 8-3 win over Seaman's Hiebsch and Speer in the No. 2 title match.

Hayden, the 2024 city champion, finished third as a team with 23 points, one point ahead of fourth-place Topeka High, as the Wildcats posted top-four finishes in all four divisions.

CITY GIRLS TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman's girls tennis team, third in Class 5A a year ago, continues to build momentum for another late-season run, following up last week's city championship with the team title in Tuesday's 11-school Topeka West Invitational at Kossover Tennis Center.

Led by singles champions Emma Sweeney and Molly Gorman, Seaman won Tuesday's championship by a 51-47 margin over Washburn Rural, with the Vikings and Junior Blues repeating their one-two finish from the city meet.

Seaman junior Emma Sweeney won the No. 1 singles championship in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman senior Molly Gorman won the No. 2 singles championship in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational for team champion Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Sweeney, a junior, won the No. 1 singles title with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Olathe West's Lindsay Ruder, avenging a loss to Ruder in the 2024 West tournament, while Gorman, a senior, captured the No. 2 singles championship with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Manhattan's Sally Kastner.

Seaman also got a runnerup doubles finish from Peyton Henry and Camryn Lux in No. 1 doubles and a third-place finish from Kaylyn Hiebsch and Cadence Speer in No. 2 doubles.

"Another good day for the Vikings,'' Seaman coach Jamie Robinson said. "The girls are trusting their shots and especially in singles Molly really played well. I feel like she's struggled a little bit and she had to take eight months off (with an injury) and now she's really getting back to form. That last match was the most comfortable I've ever seen her.

"And Emma really had a big match and she wanted this one, so that was fun to see. That tested her, that challenged her. This was good competition and we're battle tested and that's going to help in the UKC and it's going to help in regionals.''

Washburn Rural, which has put together another strong season despite graduating several key players off its 2024 team, swept the doubles titles in Tuesday's tournament.

Washburn Rural coach Michelle Rose talks to Rural No. 1 doubles players Halle Owen and Julia Katzer during Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN] 

Rural juniors Julia Katzer and Halle Owen won the No. 1 doubles championship with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Seaman's Henry and Lux. Katzer and Owen also faced Henry and Lux in the city championship match, with Rural taking an 8-3 win.

Washburn Rural junior Julia Katzer returns a shot during the No. 1 doubles final in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn Rural junior Halle Owen returns a shot during the No. 1 doubles final in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Alizah Chedzoy and Annie Henderson followed up their city title in No. 2 doubles with the championship in Tuesday's tournament, with Rural taking a 6-1, 6-3 decision in the finals.

TOPEKA WEST INVITATIONAL TENNIS

By VINCE LOVERGINE

TopSports.news

Seaman hit the pitch on a wet and rainy Tuesday night against United Kansas Conference foe Piper and the Vikings captured its third win of the campaign, 3-1.

Cody Quy (1) scored Seaman's first goal in Tuesday's 3-1 UKC win over Piper. [File photo/TSN]

Rylan Harris () scored Seaman's go-ahead goal in Tuesday's 3-1 UKC win over Piper. [File photo/TSN]

The Pirates would get started quickly as Chri Htoo scored from just outside the top of the box at the 3:04 mark of the match.

Coach Ty Hurla talked about how he didn't have to say much to his players about going down early, they knew the task at hand.

“When they scored that first goal, it was more so on them (players) because it was so early. It’s one of those things where you can’t let that get into your head, keep up the energy, bring our efforts up… when it’s that early it’s on them, you have to figure that out yourself,’ Hurla said.

After that, both teams had great opportunities to score but both goalkeepers made saves to keep the score 1-nil headed into halftime.

The Vikings came out a different group in the second half, attacking Piper early and often and it paid off. Seaman forward Cody Quy evened the score with 33:35 left in the match off a free kick just outside the right side of the box.

Senior forward Rylan Harris didn’t let that tie stand for too long, taking it long down the left side of the Piper bench and hitting the back of the net just about two minutes later with 31:47 left in the match.

By VINCE LOVERGINE

TopSports.news

A United Kansas Conference soccer tilt on Monday night between Shawnee Heights and Topeka West featured both teams coming into the match with one combined loss.

While it’s still early in the year, this game could hold title implications later down the road and Shawnee Heights knew that coming in.

The T-Birds then went out and took advantage of the opportunity, riding a three-goal hat trick from senior Camden Granado to a 4-1 win over the Chargers at Hummer Sports Park.

Senior Camden Granado (left) had a three-goal hat trick to lead Shawnee Heights to a 4-1 road win over Topeka West Monday night. [File photo/TSN]

“Our guys have been thinking and working all season toward not just tonight but just the idea of league championship wins and give it up to Topeka West, what an effort playing down a couple of guys, they’re a great team,” Shawnee Heights head coach Nic Simons said. “We are embracing this idea that we’re never satisfied... we are going to continue to have this championship mentality and I think our guys showed that, keeping their composure tonight and kept the pressure on and I think that’s what’s a great hallmark out of this group.

"They have learned their lessons early. We’ve scheduled (Washburn) Rural, (Lawrence) Free State, all of these good teams early so that we can be ready for a big stage like tonight.”

Granado said Monday was a statement win for the T-Birds.

“We had this match circled on our calendars for a long time and a couple of other matches before this. After we get past those first couple of matches, it’s all focused on this and coming out of this game with a win, knowing this game could determine the league,” Granado said.

The Chargers were issued two red cards in the game which made it 11 vs. 9.

Simons said when that happens, it changes the momentum and gameplan.

“It was super hard,” Simons said. “We talked to our guys before the game that this in many ways was like a playoff game… the first 25 to 30 minutes or so, it played out just like a postseason game. I think both teams were kind of playing like not to make a mistake rather than exploit opportunities.

"It was a shame that some stuff outside of our control changed the dynamic of the game. I don’t want anything to take away from what otherwise would’ve been an incredible game, come down to a photo type finish at the end. I got to give our guys a lot of credit because they held their composure in obviously a tough situation and I think for that, they earned the victory.”

The Chargers had allowed just four goals on the season but gave up three in the first half alone to the Thunderbirds.

Shawnee Heights moved to 6-1 on the campaign and are winners of six in a row.

After a free kick that hit a Chargers hand in the box, a penalty kick followed from Granado scoring the game's first goal with 19:36 left in the first half.

Almost five minutes after that, the T-Birds had a great presence, attacking in Topeka West territory and Nick Prater booted one in the back of the net, making it 2-nil.

Granado would strike again off his right foot into the left side of the goal off another penalty kick with 8:29 left in the first half.

Topeka West junior Diego Gonzalez-Talavera put the Chargers on the board with a penalty kick of his own with 34 minutes left in the match.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Austin Broadie, Washburn University 

AUSTIN BROADIE, Washburn University

A 6-foot senior outside hitter, Broadie helped lead No. 9-ranked Washburn volleyball to a perfect 3-0 record in the Central Missouri tournament on Friday and Saturday in Warrensburg, Mo. as the Ichabods improved to 11-0 on the season. Broadie registered a career-high 25 kills in Washburn's final match of the weekend, a five-set thriller over Ouachita Baptist.

Dayne Johnson

DAYNE JOHNSON, Silver Lake

Johnson, a senior standout on both sides of the ball for the Silver Lake football team, helped lead the way Friday night as the Eagles picked up their first win of the season, a 19-6 home Big East League decision over Perry-Lecompton. A multi-sport standout, Johnson caught 17 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown from freshman quarterback Kipton Kruger against the Kaws.

Cale Ketter

CALE KETTER, Seaman

Ketter, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound junior quarterback, completed 12 of 15 passes for 278 yards and five touchdowns Friday night as Seaman picked up its first win of the season, a 61-0 United Kansas Conference romp past Topeka West at Hummer Sports Park. Ketter hit Josh Brown for 18 and 32-yard touchdown, Noah Kobuszewski for a 78-yard score, Jayden Evans for a 39-yard strike and Coy Barta for a 27-yard TD.