Silver Lake Eagles
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Hayden and Rossville's boys and the Silver Lake girls got their midseason tournament week off to a good start with Tuesday night wins.
Senior Cameron Miller scored 23 points in Rossville's 63-54 win over Jefferson West Tuesday night in the Valley Falls tournament. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden's boys opened the Baldwin Invitational with a 62-39 win over Wellsville while Rossville's boys topped Jefferson West 63-54 in the first round of the Valley Falls Invitational and the top-ranked (Class 3A) Silver Lake girls rolled to a 61-28 win over Paola in the quarterfinals of the Burlington Invitational.
Hayden took control of its first game in the round-robin Baldwin event with a 23-4 first quarter and led by a commanding 43-12 halftime margin over Wellsville.
The Wildcats will play Bishop Seabury, a 64-35 first-round loser to Baldwin, at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Rossville advanced to the Valley Falls Invitational semifinals on Friday with Tuesday's win over Jeff West as senior Cameron Miller scored 23 points, Jakoby McDonnell 16 and Jack Donovan 13 against the Tigers.
The Bulldawgs will face Christ Prep at 6 p.m. Thursday.
The undefeated Silver Lake girls rolled past Paola 61-28 to set up a 3:30 p.m. Thursday semifinal against Girard.
Silver Lake's boys dropped an 82-69 quarterfinal Burlington Invitational decision to Paol, falling to 8-3 on the season.
The Eagles will play an 8:15 p.m. consolation game on Thursday against Girard, a 53-27 first-round loser to Sabetha.
Cair Paravel Latin's girls dropped a 54-41 first-round decision to Lyndon in the Flint Hills League Tournament at Emporia's White Auditorium.
Cair Paravel led 14-8 at the end of the first quarter and 25-21 at the half before Lyndon took control with an 18-6 third quarter.
KellyAnn Chada led the Lions with 14 points while London Backman added 11 points and Karsyn Hastert 9.
CPLS will face West Franklin at 3 p.m. Friday.
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
The Rossville girls and Cair Paravel Latin boys basketball teams got tournament week off to a rousing start with a pair of big wins on Monday.
Rossville opened its girls title bid in the Jefferson County North Invitational with a 60-22 first-round win over the tournament hosts while Cair Paravel's boys rolled to a 64-30 first-round win over West Franklin in the Flint Hills League tournament at Emporia's White Auditorium.
Senior Rylee Dick scored 27 points Monday against JCN to move into the No. 3 spot on Rossville's all-time scoring list. [File photo/TSN]
Lady Bulldawg senior Rylee Dick scored 27 points in Rossville's win over JCN, moving into the No. 3 spot on Rossville's career scoring list with 1,281 points.
Rossville junior Nora Burdiek added 23 points as the Bulldawgs advanced to a 6 p.m. semifinal on Wednesday.
Cair Paravel's boys, playing West Franklin for the second straight game, took control early with a 19-7 first quarter before opening up a 39-16 halftime advantage.
Blaine Durbin led Cair Paravel with 17 points while Lucas Marichal added 14 points and Caleb Cleverson 13 with three 3-pointers.
Now 9-2 on the season, CPLS will play a semifinal at 7:30 p.m. Thursday against Lyndon.
Other area tournament pairings:
TOPEKA INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
BOYS
At Highland Park
Thursday
3:30 p.m. -- Topeka High vs. Shawnee Mission East.
5 -- Lansing vs. Shawnee Mission North.
6:30 -- Topeka West vs. St. Thomas Aquinas.
8 -- Highland Park vs. Wichita Northwest.
Friday
3:30 p.m. -- Topeka High-SM East loser vs. Lansing-SM North loser.
5 -- Topeka West-St. Thomas Aquinas loser vs. High-Wichita Northwest loser.
6:30 -- Topeka High-East winner vs. Lansing-SM North winner.
8 -- Topeka West-St. Thomas Aquinas winner vs. Highland Park-Wichita Northwest winner.
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Fifth place (main gym); Seventh place (South gym).
11:30 -- Third place.
1 p.m. -- Championship.
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Christian Ulsaker's Topeka West Chargers are the No. 1 city seed for this week's Topeka Invitational Tournament at Highland Park. [File photo/TSN]Lansing (3-6) and Shawnee Mission North (6-3) are on the same side of the bracket with Topeka High and SM North and will play a first-round game at 5 p.m.
The Topeka High- SM East winner will face the Lansing-SM North winner in a 6:30 p.m. semifinal on Friday.
Topeka West, 8-2 entering a Tuesday United Kansas Conference home game against Basehor-Linwood, will open its tournament bid at 6:30 p.m. Thursday against St. Thomas Aquinas (3-8).
Host Highland Park (3-7) will close out the first round at 8 p.m. Thursday against Wichita Northwest (5-6), with the Highland Park-Northwest winner advancing to an 8 p.m. semifinal on Friday to face the Topeka West-Aquinas winner.
The tournament will conclude on Saturday, starting with the seventh and fifth-place games at 10 a.m. in separate gyms, followed by the third-place game at 11:30 and the championship contest at 1 p.m.
TOPEKA INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
At Highland Park
Thursday
3:30 p.m. -- Topeka High vs. Shawnee Mission East.
5 -- Lansing vs. Shawnee Mission North.
6:30 -- Topeka West vs. St. Thomas Aquinas.
8 -- Highland Park vs. Wichita Northwest.
Friday
3:30 p.m. -- Topeka High-SM East loser vs. Lansing-SM North loser.
5 -- Topeka West-St. Thomas Aquinas loser vs. High-Wichita Northwest loser.
6:30 -- Topeka High-East winner vs. Lansing-SM North winner.
8 -- Topeka West-St. Thomas Aquinas winner vs. Highland Park-Wichita Northwest winner.
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Fifth place (main gym); Seventh place (South gym).
11:30 -- Third place.
1 p.m. -- Championship.
Hayden boys to compete at Baldwin
Hayden, 4-8 on the season, will compete in the four-school Baldwin Invitational round-robin event this week, opening its tournament bid at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday against Wellsville (5-5).
The Wildcats will play Bishop Seabury (7-2) at 5:30 Friday and will wrap things up 2:30 p.m. Saturday against host Baldwin (9-2).
BALDWIN INVITATIONAL
Tuesday
5:30 p.m. -- Hayden vs. Wellsville.
7 -- Baldwin vs. Bishop Seabury.
Friday
5:30 p.m. -- Hayden vs. Bishop Seabury.
7 -- Baldwin vs. Wellsville.
Saturday
1 p.m. -- Wellsville vs. Bishop Seabury.
2:30 p.m. -- Hayden vs. Baldwin.
Rural boys headed to Pittsburg
Washburn Rural (7-3) will compete this week in the Bill Hanson Memorial Tournament at Pittsburg, opening with a 4 p.m. first-round game on Thursday against Branson, Mo. in Pittsburg's secondary gym.
Also on Rural's side of the tournament bracket are Olathe North and Willard, Mo., who will play at 7 p.m. Thursday.
On the other side of the bracket Webster Groves, Mo. will face Joplin, Mo. and host Pittsburg will take on Wichita West.
The Rural-Branson winner will play the Olathe North-Willard winner in a 4:30 p.m. semifinal on Friday.
The place games will be played on Saturday, capped by the championship game at 2:30 p.m.
BILL HANSON MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
At Pittsburg
Thursday
4 p.m. -- Washburn Rural vs. Branson, Mo. (Mallatt gym).
5:30 -- Webster Groves, Mo. vs. Joplin, Mo. (main gym).
7 -- Olathe North vs. Willard, Mo. (Mallatt gym).
8:30 -- Pittsburg. vs. Wichita West (main gym).
Friday
3 -- Consolation semifinal (Mallatt gym).
4:30 p.m. -- Washburn Rural-Branson winner vs. Olathe North-Willard winner (main gym);
6 -- Consolation semifinal (Mallatt gym).
7:30 -- Pittsburg-Wichita West winner vs. Webster Grove-Joplin winner (main gym).
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Seventh place (Mallatt gym).
11:30 -- Third place (main gym)
1 p.m. -- Fifth place (Mallatt gym).
2:30 p.m. -- Championship game (main gym).
T-Bird boys to compete in Viking Classic
Shawnee Heights, now 7-4, will open competition in the Shawnee Mission West Viking Classic with a 7:30 p.m. Thursday quarterfinal against Blue Valley North (4-4).
Shawnee Heights is coming off a 70-62 non-league road win at Gardner-Edgerton on Saturday.
The T-Birds trailed 35-33 at the half against the Trailblazers but took control with a 20-10 third quarter.
The Shawnee Heights-BV North winner will advance to a 7:30 semifinal on Friday to take on the first-round winner between Glendale, Mo. and Shawnee Mission West.
On the other side of the bracket Andover Central will play Louisburg in the first round and Raymore-Peculiar, Mo. will play Aurora, Mo.
The place games will be played on Saturday, with the title game set for 3 p.m.
SHAWNEE MISSION WEST VIKING CLASSIC
Thursday
3 p.m. -- Andover Central vs. Louisburg, 3 p.m.
4:30 -- Raymore-Peculiar, Mo. vs. Aurora, Mo.
6 -- Glendale, Mo. vs. SM West.
7:30 -- Blue Valley North. vs. Shawnee Heights.
Friday
3 p.m. -- Andover Central-Louisburg loser vs. Raymore-Peculiar, Mo.-Aurora, Mo. loser.
4:30 -- Glendale, Mo.-SM West loser vs Blue Valley North-Shawnee Heights loser.
6 -- Andover Central-Louisburg winner vs. Raymore-Peculiar, Mo.-Aurora, Mo. winner.
7:30 -- Glendale, Mo.-SM West winner vs. Blue Valley North-Shawnee Heights winner.
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Seventh place.
11:30 -- Fifth place.
1 p.m. -- Third place.
2:30 -- Championship game.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Led by junior individual runnerups Brodye Kocher-Munoz and Jadyn Baum, Washburn Rural boys wrestling captured the team championship Saturday in the 34-school Newton Tournament of Champions by two points over the host Railers, 167.5-165.5.
Washburn Rural boys wrestling won the team championship in the 34-school Newton Tournament of Champions on Saturday. [Photo by Washburn Rural Athletics]
B. Kocher-Munoz, now 20-7 on the season, placed second at 150 pounds, dropping a 7-2 decision to Andale's Tristen Cox in the championship match while Baum, 18-4, finished second at 215 pounds, falling 4-0 to undefeated Cooper Reves in the final.
Rural's Josh Hogan was named the coach of the year.
Washburn Rural had six wrestlers place in the top five, with senior 138-pounder Cooper Stivers (26-6) finishing third, , senior 120-pounder Ryder Harrison (16-5) and senior Landen Kocher-Munoz (23-4) both posting fourth-place finishes and sophomore 285-pounder Kaiden Marshall (6-7) finishing fifth.
Seaman placed 21st as a team with 59.5 points, led by seventh-place 157-pounder Brennen Bowers and eighth-place finishers Deegan Frazier at 150 pounds and Henry Reichart at 285 pounds.
Host Trojans win Topeka Invitational championship
Topeka High won the team title in Saturday's 12-school home tournament, out-distancing Summit Christian Academy by a 171-147 margin as five Trojans earned individual titles.
High got titles from freshman 106-pounder Royal Newman (10-1), junior 113-pounder Jose Gomez (11-3), senior 120-pounder Luis Morones (12-2), senior 157-pounder Jordan Stiner (14-3) and senior 165-pounder Rehabiah Williamson (16-3).
The Trojans got a second-place finish from junior 132-pounder Asher Filbeck (13-6) while senior 144-pounder Michael Weatherly and senior 150-pounder Brandon Blancas (15-4) posted third-place finishes.
Highland Park got a third-place finish from senior 132-pounder Samuel Portlock (10-3) while Topeka West got a third-place finish from senior 215-pounder Cortez McCutcheon (20-2).
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park senior girls basketball standout Koralee Jones registered a quadruple-double in Tuesday's 68-10 home Meadowlark Conference victory over Kansas City-Sumner.
Highland Park senior Koralee Jones registered a quadruple-double in Tuesday's 68-10 Meadowlark Conference win over Kansas City-Sumner. [File photo/TSN]
Jones scored 22 points with 13 rebounds, 10 steals and 10 assists as Highland Park improved to 3-5 overall and 3-1 in the conference.
Highland Park officials said that they have been told that based on available records and news reports there are no verified instances of a previous Kansas high school girls player officially recording a quadruple-double although there have been several near-misses.
The Scots will be back in action Thursday, playing a non-league game at Shawnee Heights before hosting KC-Harmon on Friday in a Meadowlark Conference contest.
Hayden star junior bowler Kelton Meier opened his 2026 season on Tuesday with a 785 series, including a 300 game. [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
Hayden's Meier bowls perfect 300 game
Hayden junior Kelton Meier, who helped the Wildcats win a Class 4A-1A state bowling championship to end the 2025 season, opened '26 with a spectacular performance on Tuesday in the Hayden quadrangular at Gage Bowl, rolling a 785 series, including a perfect 300 game in his final game of the day.
Meier opened his series with a 227 and rolled a 258 in the second game before achieving perfection in the third game.
Andrew Lee added a 611 series, Reece Renyer a 585, Ashton Litke a 562 and Jason Ahlstedt a 530 as Hayden claimed the team crown over Centennial League foe Manhattan.
Hayden's girls finished second to Manhattan, with Emily Peterson leading the Wildcats with a 457 series.
Manhattan's Cortlynn Millington won the girls individual title with a 720 series, including a 279 game.
Sabres top Highland Park boys
Kansas City-Sumner's boys improved to 5-5 overall and 3-2 in the Meadowlark Conference with a 73-52 Tuesday night road win at Highland Park.
The Scots fell to 2-6 overall and 2-2 in the conference.
Highland Park will play a non-league game at Shawnee Heights on Thursday before hosting KC-Harmon in a Meadowlark contest on Friday.
Seaman girls fall to De Soto in UKC tilt
Coming off a 23-point United Kansas Conference win at Topeka West a night earlier, the No. 10-ranked (Class 5A) Seaman girls dropped a 52-38 home UKC decision to De Soto on Wednesday.
The Vikings trailed the Wildcats 15-7 at the end of the opening quarter and 26-17 at the half.
Seaman got back in the hunt with a 17-13 third quarter but the Wildcats closed with a 13-3 fourth stanza, pulling away at the free throw line.
Senior Maddie Gragg led the Vikings (6-3 overall, 6-2 UKC) with nine points while sophomore Claire Puvogel added eight points and Cara Beaton, Lydia Dreher and Brynn Spencer seven points apiece.
Maddie Leis led De Soto with 20 points.
Seaman will be back at home Friday to host UKC foe Leavenworth.
Lion boys protect Flint Hills lead with win over Osage City
Cair Paravel boys basketball improved to 7-2 overall and a perfect 5-0 in the Flint Hills League with a 51-40 home win over Osage City Tuesday night.
The Lions jumped out to a 13-8 first-quarter lead and led 27-15 at the half.
Osage City used an 18-7 third quarter to get within a point before the Lions closed things out with a 17-7 fourth quarter.
"Huge league win against an extremely talented and well-coached Osage City team,'' CPLS coach Chip Kueffer said in a text.
Senior Lucas Marichal led Cair Paravel with 16 points while Chase Hastert added 13 points and Blaine Durbin 11.
The Lions will travel to West Franklin on Friday.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TUESDAY'S GAMES
Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, Topeka High
Hailey Schmidtlein, Hayden
TOPEKA HIGH (3-5, 0-1 Centennial) at HAYDEN (8-2, 2-0 Centennial)
Hayden is coming off a 38-35 Centennial League win at Washburn Rural last Friday while Topeka High had its three-game winning streak snapped by league foe Manhattan, 67-55. Sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein led Hayden with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, against Rural while senior Lauren Borjon added 8 points with a pair of 3s. Junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton led Topeka High with 21 points against Manhattan while sophomore Hailey Caryl added 17 points with three 3-pointers.
SEAMAN (5-2, 5-1 Centennial) at TOPEKA WEST (1-7, 0-6 Centennial)
Seaman is coming off a 54-12 United Kansas Conference win over Lansing last Friday while Topeka West dropped a 69-36 conference decision at Basehor-Linwood. Junior Brynn Spencer led Seaman with 15 points against Lansing while Baylee Ayres and Lydia Dreher added 10 points. Seaman took a 45-26 win over Topeka West on Dec. 12. The Chargers will be looking to snap a seven-game losing streak.
Koralee Jones, Highland Park
KANSAS CITY-SUMNER (2-6, 2-4 Meadowlark) at HIGHLAND PARK (2-5, 1-2 Meadowlark)
Highland Park dropped a 66-42 Meadowlark Conference decision to Atchison last Friday while KC-Sumner is coming off a 76-7 loss to KC-Wyandotte. Koralee Jones and Zayah Kincaid paced Highland Park with 14 points apiece against Atchison, with Kincaid draining three 3-pointers.
PIPER (6-2, 5-0 UKC) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (6-3, 5-1 UKC)
Shawnee Heights rolled to a 53-22 United Kansas Conference win over Leavenworth last Friday while league-leading Piper is coming off a 69-34 non-league loss to Blue Valley Northwest. T-Bird senior Imani McGlory scored 18 points with four 3-pointers against Leavenworth while juniors Pearmella Carter and KK Emmot scored 12 and 10 points, respectively. Piper handed Shawnee Heights its lone UKC loss on Dec. 9, 50-45.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TUESDAY'S GAMES
Connor Hanika, Hayden
Bryson McComas, Topeka High
TOPEKA HIGH (4-4, 0-1) at HAYDEN (3-7, 0-2)
Both the Trojans and Wildcats will be looking to bounce back from Friday night losses, with Topeka High dropping a 70-63 home Centennial League decision to Manhattan and Hayden dropping its second straight league game, a 79-62 decision at Washburn Rural. Mar'saun Redmond led Topeka High with 16 points against Manhattan while Jalen Aldridge and Bryson McComas added 14 points apiece. Carter Compton scored 20 points for Hayden against Washburn Rural while Connor Hanika added 15 points.
KaeVon Bonner, Seaman
Gad Munganga, Topeka West
SEAMAN (6-1, 5-1) at TOPEKA WEST (7-1, 6-0)
No. 2-ranked (Class 5A) Topeka West will host No. 5 Seaman in a key United Kansas Conference matchup. Seaman senior star KaeVon Bonner is coming off a 42-point performance in Friday's 65-46 UKC win at Lansing while Landon Wiltz added 10 points and Griffin Zuniga 9. West is coming off a 56-45 conference win at Basehor-Linwood, with senior guard Gad Munganga pacing the Chargers with 14 points, including four 3-pointers. Senior Keimani Paul added 12 points and junior Prince Lassiter 10.
JoJo Kingcannon, Highland Park
KANSAS CITY-SUMNER (4-5, 2-2) at HIGHLAND PARK (2-5, 2-1)
Highland Park played No. 2-ranked (Class 4A) Atchison tough in a 57-51 Meadowlark Conference home loss Friday night. Junior JoJo Kingcannon led the Scots with 18 points. Highland Park will be facing a KC-Sumner team that is coming off a 59-40 Meadowlark loss to KC-Wyandotte, a team Highland Park beat earlier in the season.
PIPER (5-3, 3-2) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (4-4, 3-3)
Shawnee Heights jumped out to a 35-5 halftime lead on the way to a 60-24 home United Kansas Conference win last Friday while Piper is coming off a non-league loss to Lincon Prep, Mo. Freshman Quincy Dixon led the T-Birds with 19 points while junior Cam Ross added 18 points and senior Ja'Veon Alston 13.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Six Shawnee County senior football standouts, who all earned spots on TopSports.news' 2025 All-Shawnee County football team, have been invited to play for the East in the 2026 Kansas Shrine Bowl, which will be played on June 27 at Emporia State's Welch Stadium.
Invited to play in the Shrine Bowl are Seaman's Cameron Brian, Washburn Rural's Brody Haas, Rossville's Andre Johnson, Silver Lake's Dayne Johnson, Hayden's Kade Mitchell and Highland Park's Tremaine Savage.
Rossville coach Derick Hammes was named earlier to serve as an assistant coach for the East.
Here's a look at the six local Shrine Bowl picks:
Cameron Brian, Seaman
CAMERON BRIAN, Seaman
A 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior linebacker, Brian was one of six All-Shawnee County Top 22 repeat picks and received All-United Kansas Conference first-team honors for the second straight season. Brian was in on 111 total tackles this past fall with eight tackles for loss, three sacks, one pass interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
BRODY HAAS, Washburn Rural
A 5-foot-11, 195-pound senior linebacker, Haas registered 114 total tackles with 80 solo stops for the 6-4 Junior Blues. Haas recorded 14 tackles for loss with a sack and had two pass interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, while forcing two fumbles and recovering two fumbles and recording eight quarterback pressures.
Andre Johnson, Rossville
ANDRE JOHNSON, Rossville
A 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior fullback/linebacker, Johnson moved up to the All-Shawnee County Top 22 this past season after being a Second 22 pick as a junior. Johnson was in on 133 tackles for the 11-Bulldawgs (74 solo), with two tackles for loss, one sack and one interception. Offensively, Johnson carried the ball 58 times for 365 yards. Johnson was a second-team All-Big East League pick on defense.
Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake
DAYNE JOHNSON, Silver Lake
Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound senior wide receiver/defensive back, was an All-Shawnee County Top 22 repeat selection in 2025 after catching 75 passes for 1,053 yards and eight touchdowns and registering 59 tackles with two pass interceptions. Johnson earned first-team All-Big East League recognition on offense and second-team honors on defense this past fall.
Kade Mitchell, Hayden
KADE MITCHELL, Hayden
Mitchell, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound senior running back/defensive back, was an All-Shawnee County Top 22 repeat pick this past season and was named the Shawnee County co-offensive player of the year. Mitchell carried the ball 106 times for 1,003 yards, caught 23 passes for 471 yards and scored 22 total touchdowns this season for the 12-1 Wildcats while being in on 34 tackles and compiling 372 kickoff and punt return yards as Hayden advanced to its third straight Class 3A title game..
Tremaine Savage, Highland Park
TREMAINE SAVAGE, Highland Park
Savage, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior wide receiver/defensive back, was named the Meadowlark Conference co-defensive player of the year in 2025 after helping lead Highland Park to a 5-1 on-field record and a conference championship. Savage averaged 6.6 tackles per game and registered 15 pass breakups. Offensively, Savage caught six passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns, earning second-team all-conference honors at receiver.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman senior star KaeVon Bonner scored 42 points Friday night as the No. 5-ranked Vikings rolled to a 65-46 United Kansas Conference road victory over Lansing.
Senior KaeVon Bonner scored a career-high 42 points in Friday's 65-46 UKC win over Lansing. [File photo/TSN]
Bonner, who recently surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career, scored 15 points in the first quarter, followed by seven points in the second quarter, 11 in the third and nine points in the fourth quarter as Seaman improved to 6-1 overall and 5-1 in the UKC.
Seaman jumped out to an 18-8 first-quarter advantage and led 30-16 at the half. The Vikings were still in front by 14 points (48-34) at the end of the third quarter and outscored the Lions 17-12 over the final eight minutes to close out the 19-point win.
The Vikings got 10 points from senior Landon Wiltz and 9 from senior Griffin Zuniga.
Seaman will play a UKC game at Topeka West on Tuesday. The Chargers handed the Vikings their only loss on Dec. 12.
Lady Vikes bounce back with 54-12 UKC rout
After having their four-game winning streak snapped by St. James Academy on Wednesday, Seaman's girls got back on the winning track with a 54-12 United Kansas Conference win at Lansing Friday night.
Now 5-2 overall and 5-1 in the conference, Seaman got 15 points from junior Brynn Spencer, 10 points apiece from sophomore Lydia Dreher and freshman Baylee Ayres and 7 from senior Maddie Gragg, who had 20 points in Wednesday's game against St. James.
The Vikings will play a UKC game at Topeka West on Tuesday. Seaman took a home win over the Chargers on Dec. 12.
Gad Munganga, Topeka West
West boys take 11-point road win over Bobcats
Topeka West ended its three-game week with a 56-45 road United Kansas Conference road victory at Basehor-Linwood Friday night.
After suffering its first loss of the season Monday night at Free State (53-49), the Chargers beat Leavenworth 74-47 on Tuesday before Friday's win that improved West to 7-1 on the season and a perfect 6-0 in the UKC.
Senior Gad Munganga paced Topeka West with 14 points, including four 3-pointers, while senior Keimani Paul added 12 points and junior Prince Lassiter 10 points. Seniors Jay'Veon Traylor and Malakyah Duncan added 9 points apiece for the Chargers.
West led 16-12 after one quarter and 33-24 at the half before the Bobcats cut their deficit to 40-37 at the start of the fourth quarter. The Chargers closed out the win by doubling up the hosts 16-8 in the fourth stanza.
The Chargers will be back at home Tuesday to host city and UKC rival Seaman.
Lucas Marichal, Cair Paravel
Lion boys improve to 6-2 with 50-45 Flint Hills League victory
Cair Paravel Latin's boys improved to 6-2 overall and 4-0 in the Flint Hills League Friday night with a 50-45 league road win over Mission Valley.
Cair Paravel, which has posted three straight wins, got 16 points from senior Lucas Marichal, 15 from senior Drew Fay and 9 points from sophomore Chase Hastert.
Mission Valley (3-6, 1-4) rallied from a 29-22 halftime deficit to take a 37-35 lead into the fourth quarter and the game was tied late before the Lions pulled out the win.
Keegan Hoelting led Mission Valley with 16 points.
Cair Paravel will host Osage City in a Flint Hills League game on Tuesday.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
FRIDAY'S GAMES
HAYDEN (7-2, 1-0 Centennial) at WASHBURN RURAL (5-2, 1-0 Centennial)
Both defending champion Hayden and perennial Class 6A contender Washburn Rural won their Centennial League openers on Tuesday. The Wildcats took a 53-37 home win over Emporia as sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein scored 14 points and sophomore Blakely Walter 10. The Junior Blues went on the road to beat Junction City, 68-32. Hayden is ranked No. 7 in Class 4A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association and Rural is No. 10 in 6A. Washburn Rural will be playing its third game of the week, dropping a 50-35 non-league decision to Olathe North on Monday.
Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, Topeka High
MANHATTAN (5-2, 0-0 Centennial) at TOPEKA HIGH (3-4, 0-0 Centennial)
Topeka High picked up its third straight win on Tuesday, taking a 65-41 non-league road win at Lawrence as junior Ahysieyrhuajh Rayton scored 29 points, senior Keimara Marshall 15 and senior Trish Short 13. High sophomore Hailey Caryl contributed 8 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists against the Lions. Manhattan is coming off its second loss of the season, dropping a 58-45 non-league decision to Hays.
ATCHISON (3-6, 3-0 Meadowlark) at HIGHLAND PARK (2-4, 1-1 Meadowlark)
Highland Park picked up a Meadowlark Conference forfeit win over Kansas City-Schlagle on Tuesday while Atchison edged KC-Wyandotte in a conference contest, 42-41. Highland Park played Wyandotte earlier in the season, with the Bulldogs taking a 68-52 victory over the Scots.
Pearmella Carter, Shawnee Heights
LEAVENWORTH (4-2, 1-2 UKC) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (5-3, 4-1 UKC)
Shawnee Heights stretched its winning streak to four games on Tuesday, with the T-Birds taking a 64-46 home United Kansas Conference win over De Soto. Junior Pearmella Carter led Heights with 19 points while juniors Sami Baum and Imani McGlory scoring 15 and 13 points, respectively. Leavenworth is coming off a 49-35 home UKC win over Topeka West.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
FRIDAY'S GAMES
Connor Hanika, Hayden
HAYDEN (3-6, 0-1) at WASHBURN RURAL (6-2, 1-0)
Washburn Rural opened defense of its Centennial League championship Tuesday with a 50-45 road win over Junction City, imporoving to 6-2 on the season. Senior Kieffer O'Connor led the Junior Blues with 16 points while senior Simon Rowley added 11. Hayden will be looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking 59-56 home Centennial League loss to Emporia. Senior Connor Hanika scored a game-high 22 points for the Wildcats while junior Carter Compton added 12 points.
Bryson McComas, Topeka High
MANHATTAN (6-1, 0-0) at TOPEKA HIGH (4-3, 0-0)
Topeka High climbed above the .500 level with a 66-65 nailbiter on the road Tuesday night at Lawrence. Friday's game will be the Centennial League opener for both Topeka High and Manhattan. The Indians are coming off a 62-59 overtime win over Hays, stretching its winning streak to six games.
ATCHISON (8-0, 3-0) at HIGHLAND PARK (2-4, 2-0)
Atchison and Highland Park will square off in a game that could go a long ways to deciding the Meadowlark Conference championship. The Scots improved to 2-0 in league play with a 60-32 home win over Kansas City-Schlagle Tuesday night as junior JoJo Kingcannon scored 21 points, going 8 of 11 from the floor with three 3-pointers. Atchison is coming off an 87-32 Meadowlark win over KC-Wyandotte.
LEAVENWORTH (2-4, 1-3) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (3-4, 2-3)
Shawnee Heights will be looking to bounce back from a tough 51-50 United Kansas Conference home loss to De Soto Tuesday night. Junior Cam Ross led the T-Birds with 12 points. Leavenworth is coming off a 74-47 UKC home loss to Topeka West on Tuesday.
Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake
HOLTON (1-7, 1-5) at SILVER LAKE (6-2, 4-0)
Silver Lake posted a 73-61 Big East League victory at St. Marys on Tuesday while Holton picked up its first win of the season, a 57-53 league decision over Riley County. Holton is coached by former Topeka West assistant coach Marco Hunter. Silver Lake is ranked No. 6 in Class 3A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TUESDAY'S GAMES
EMPORIA (4-4, 0-0) at HAYDEN (6-2, 0-0)
The Spartans and Wildcats will open Centennial League play on Tuesday, with Hayden opening defense of the league title it captured last season. The Wildcats dropped a 38-36 non-league decision at Shawnee Heights last Friday, Hayden's second straight loss after six straight wins to start the season. Sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein led Hayden with 16 points against the T-Birds while senior Lauren Borjon added 11 points. Emporia is coming off a 32-25 win over Circle.
KK Emmot, Shawnee Heights
DE SOTO (2-3, 1-1) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (4-3, 3-1)
Shawnee Heights climbed above .500 with a 38-36 non-league win over Hayden last Friday at home. T-Bird junior KK Emmot scored 9 of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning free throws with 2.9 seconds remaining. Shawnee Heights has now won three straight games after starting the season 1-3. De Soto dropped a 45-34 United Kansas Conference decision to Seaman to close out its pre-holiday slate.
WABAUNSEE (5-1, 2-1) at CAIR PARAVEL (3-3, 0-2)
Cair Paravel Latin ended its 2025 slate with a tight 40-37 Flint Hills League decision to Chase County while Wabaunsee is also coming off a loss, dropping a 68-37 league game to Osage City. London Backman leads CPLS with a 9.8 scoring average while Karsyn Hastert pulls down 5.7 rebounds per game.
Addaline Hall, Topeka West
TOPEKA WEST (1-5, 0-4) at LEAVENWORTH (3-2, 1-2)
Topeka West will be looking for its first United Kansas Conference victory Tuesday night at Leavenworth. Senior Addaline Hall leads the Chargers with a 10.8 scoring average while junior Sydney VanDyke averages 8.8 points and leads the city of Topeka in rebounding with 14.0 per game and in blocked shots with a 3.8 average.
Brynn Anderson, Washburn Rural
WASHBURN RURAL (4-2, 0-0) at JUNCTION CITY (1-4, 0-0)
Washburn Rural will be playing its second game of 2026 in as many nights, opening Centennial League play against the Blue Jays after dropping a 50-35 non-league decision to Olathe North Monday night. Junior Blue freshman Brynn Anderson scored 14 first-half points with three 3-pointers against Olathe North, but sat out the second half after an injury late in the first half. Senior Hallie Walker had 9 points and 5 rebounds for Rural.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TUESDAY'S GAMES
Connor Hanika, Hayden
EMPORIA (8-0, 0-0) at HAYDEN (3-5, 0-0)
Hayden is coming off a 79-60 non-league loss at Shawnee Heights on Friday while Emporia remained undefeated with a 73-38 non-league romp past Circle. Both the Wildcats and Spartans will be opening Centennial League play Tuesday. Senior Connor Hanika led Hayden with 20 points against Shawnee Heights while junior Mason Becker added 17 points.
Cam Ross, Shawnee Heights
DE SOTO (2-3, 0-2) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (3-3, 2-2)
Shawnee Heights evened its record at 3-3 with a 79-60 home win over Hayden last Friday while De Soto closed out 2025 with a 56-40 loss to Seaman on Dec. 19. Junior Cam Ross led Shawnee Heights with 28 points and four 3-pointers against Hayden while senior Ja'Veon Alston added 19 points with a pair of 3-pointers.
WABAUNSEE (5-1, 3-0) at CAIR PARAVEL (4-2, 2-0)
Cair Paravel Latin is off to a solid start, including a 60-39 Flint Hills League win over Chase County on Dec. 19, and faces a tough test Tuesday against a Wabaunsee team that is also unbeaten in league play after a 63-56 win over Osage City to close out 2025. Sophomore Chase Hastert leads Cair Paravel with a 16.3 scoring average and also pulls down 7.5 rebounds a game.
Keimani Paul, Topeka West
TOPEKA WEST (5-1, 4-0) at LEAVENWORTH (2-3, 1-2)
Topeka West will be looking to bounce back Tuesday after the No. 2-ranked (Class 5A) Chargers dropped a 53-49 non-league game at 6A Free State Monday night. Senior Keimani Paul led West with 19 points and four 3-pointers against the Firebirds while senior Malakyah Duncan added 12 points. Leavenworth dropped a 66-36 United Kansas Conference decision to Basehor-Linwood last Friday.
WASHBURN RURAL (5-2, 0-0) at JUNCTION CITY (4-2, 0-0)
Washburn Rural stretched its winning streak to four games with a 68-53 non-league win at Olathe West on Saturday while Junction City has won three straight games after a 56-53 win over Shawnee Mission North last time out. Sophomore Brooks Ballard scored 21 points with six 3-pointers in the Junior Blues' win over Olathe West. Tuesday's game is the Centennial League opener for both Rural and Junction City.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee County girls high school sports teams may likely remember 2025 as the year of near-misses, with seven county teams finishing second in five different sports while eight individuals/relays posted runnerup finishes.
But the county still had notable accomplishments to celebrate, with local schools capturing a pair of state team championships while local athletes captured four individual state titles.
Class 6A soccer champion Washburn Rural and 3A volleyball champ Silver Lake share the No. 1 spot on the TopSports.news Top 10 list for 2025 while Seaman track star Ryin Miller, who dominated the 5A state track meet with three wins and Highland Park wrestler Makayla Cadet, who captured her school's first girls state crown, hold down the next two spots.
Seaman posted runnerup team finishes in basketball and tennis while Silver Lake finished second in basketball and softball, Hayden was second in soccer and volleyball and Washburn Rural posted a runnerup finish in softball.
Individually, Washburn Rural's Molly Spader, Seaman's Koti Best and Taylie Heston and Shawnee Heights' Isabel Reyes all recorded second-place finishes in state wrestling while Rural's Morgan Ray and Topeka High's Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton were individual runnerups in state track, Seaman's Emma Sweeney was a singles runnerup in state tennis and Washburn Washburn Rural's 4x800-meter relay team also posted a second-place state finish in track.
Here's a look at TopSports.news' Top 10 Shawnee County girls prep stories of 2025:
Washburn Rural girls soccer celebrates its first Class 6A state championship after its 1-0 win over Mill Valley in PKs. [Photo by KSHSAA Covered]
1. TITLE BREAKTHROUGH -- Washburn Rural added the only missing piece from its impressive soccer resume with its first Class 6A state championship. Making their 11th straight Final Four appearance, including four runnerup state finishes, the 19-2-0 Junior Blues broke through with a 1-0 win over Mill Valley, taking the win with a 4-1 edge in penalty kicks. Rural was represented on the All-City first team by 2025 grads Destiny Higgs, Kate Hinck, Addyson Kaberline, Zahra Friess and Madison Lemke and then-junior Dayne Shriver while Junior Blues coach Brian Hensyel was named the city coach of the year.
Silver Lake volleyball capped a 46-1 season with the 2025 Class 3A state championship. [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
1. EAGLES FLY TO STATE CHAMPIONSHIP -- Silver Lake, which went 46-1 and ended its season on a 37-match winning streak, finished off its championship run with a 25-21, 25-19 win over Holton. The Eagles were represented on the All-Shawnee County team by senior Jaiden Wise, juniors Kylie Hanni and Jaylie Whitehead and sophomore Karys Deiter, with Hanni named the county player of the year and Eagles coach Sarah Johnson tapped as the coach of the year.
Seaman's Ryan Miller capped her junior track season with a sweep of the Class 5A 800, 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs in the 2025 state meet. [File photo/TSN]
3. MILLER SHINES -- Seaman superstar runner Ryin Miller capped off her junior track and field season in the 2025 strate track and field championships by sweeping Class 5A state titles in all three of her individual events, taking wins in the 3,200 (10:19.53), 1,600 (4:57.33) and 800-meter (2:11.14) runs at Wichita State. Miller's three wins in 2025 gave her five career titles and came on the heels of a banner 2024 cross country season, which included the fastest five-kilometer run in Kansas history (16:32.62) and a runnerup finish in the 5A state meet (17:26.36).
Highland Park then-junior Makayla Cadet became her school's first girls state wrestling champion in 2025. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
4. A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY -- Highland Park junior Makayla Cadet celebrated her 17th birthday in one of the best ways you could imagine, with a 2025 Class 5A state wrestling championship. Cadet, who went 23-4 on the season, became the first girls wrestler in Highland Park history to win a state championship when she pinned Basehor-Linwood junior Izzy Renfro at the 1:36 mark of the first period in Park City. Cadet's win over Renfro avenged a regional loss to the Bobcat standout.
5. OH SO CLOSE -- After winning state titles a year earlier, Seaman in Class 5A and Silver Lake in 3A both posted runnerup finishes in 2025 in girls basketball. The Vikings ran off 24 straight wins in the 2024-2025 campaign before dropping a 68-61 decision to perennial state champ St. Thomas Aquinas in the title game while Silver Lake, which had to reload after graduating a talented senior class from its 26-0 championship team in 2024, posted a 23-3 record last season, dropping a tight 48-45 decision to Halstead in the 3A final.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Jack Bachelor
JACK BACHELOR, Washburn University
A junior guard, Bachelor was named the MIAA Player of the Week after averaging 19.5 points, 4.5 assists and 2.0 rebounds as No. 1-ranked Ichabod men's basketball went 2-0 with victories over two top-five teams. The former Washburn Rural star went 8 of 13 from 3-point range and 9 of 10 from the free thow line as WU improved to 13-0, scoring 20 points against Lubbock Christian and 19 against West Texas A&M. Bachelor's first basket of the game against West Texas A&M pushed him over the career 1,000-point mark and he now has 1,017 career points.
Madi Blanco
MADI BLANCO, Washburn Rural
Blanco, a senior, won the 140-pound championship in Saturday's 35-school Ladycat Classic wrestling tournament, improving to 13-1 on the season as Washburn Rural captured the team title by a 184.5-147 margin over host Basehor-Linwood. Blanco battled back from a 7-2 deficit in the championship match to record a second-period pin.
Kailyn Hanni
KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake
Hanni, who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career, was named the Most Valuable Player in the Flurry In Flush girls basketball tournament at Rock Creek after Silver Lake clinched the tournament championship with a 72-44 win over Eudora on Saturday. Hanni helped the Eagles go 4-0 on the week, including a 69-53 regular-season win over Rossville, a 56-38 win over Hesston, a 62-41 win over Hays and Saturday's win over Eudora.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake sophomore girls basketball standout Karys Deiter and Topeka West junior basketball standout Prince Lassiter 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 recent accomplishments of Deiter and Lassiter over the past week.
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake
KARYS DEITER, Silver Lake
A 5-foot-6 sophomore, Deiter has helped lead No. 2-ranked (Class 3A) Silver Lake to a perfect 4-0 start in basketball after playing a major role this fall as the Eagles won the state championship in volleyball.
Deiter scored a team-high 18 points on Tuesday as Silver Lake posted a 69-53 win over rival Rossville, the Eagles' fourth straight double-digit victory.
Deiter hit 6 of 13 shots from the field with two 3-pointers and went 4 of 4 from the free throw line in Tuesday's victory.
Prince Lassiter, Topeka West
PRINCE LASSITER, Topeka West
The lone underclassman in Topeka West's starting lineup, the 6-foot-6 junior has scored between 9 and 18 points in all four games for the No. 2-ranked (Class 5A) Chargers this season as West has posted a 4-0 record with four straight double-digit wins.
Lassiter opened the season with 18 points in an 81-54 win over De Soto, had 11 points in a 79-44 win over Shawnee Mission West, 11 points in a 71-57 win over Seaman and had 9 points in Tuesday's 72-62 victory over Piper.
As a sophomore Lassiter helped Topeka West advance to the 5A state tournament.
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Silver Lake girls looked so good in the first half, the fact Rossville made the second half tense is a credit to both teams. Silver Lake ultimately won 69-53, but the War on 24 revealed the talent on both sides of the rivalry.
Silver Lake sophomore Karys Deiter (23) puts up a shot over Rossville's Nora Burdiek (22) and Shailee Hubbell (21) in Tuesday's 69-53 Silver Lake win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Eagles dominated the second period, reeling off 18 straight points before Rossville finally scored with 2:06 before halftime. Prior to the drought-ending basket, Silver Lake led 33-9 and appeared headed for a blowout win. Seven Eagles got in the scoring column in the first half, which the home team led 41-15.
But it was Rossville’s turn after halftime to light up the scoreboard. Behind eight third-quarter points from Rylee Dick and Nora Burdiek, the Bulldawgs outscored the Eagles 20-9 to get back into the game.
“We came out pretty slow and they came out good, and it was hard for us to wake back up and find our groove again,” said Silver Lake senior Kailyn Hanni. “But props to Rylee and Nora. They played really well that second half.”
Rossville pulled to within 10 points with 4:40 remaining in the game but could draw no closer. Burdiek and Dick finished with 23 and 20 points, respectively, but they couldn’t match the balanced scoring of Silver Lake.
Silver Lake senior Kailyn Hanni scored 12 points in Tuesday's Silver Lake 69-53 win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Silver Lake sharpshooters Karys Dieter and Savanah Wende dropped in 18 and 17 points, respectively, with Hanni adding 12.
“Rossville is a team that we knew we were going to get their best shot,” said Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter. “We talked at halftime that it’s a 0-0 ballgame in the third quarter, and (Rossville) played with a lot of confidence and punched us in the mouth that third quarter.
“Now, with that said, I am proud of how we responded. Fortunately, we made a lot of shots that second half that helped us extend the lead. But they forced us to get better that second half.”
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
A barnburner befitting the War on 24 went the way of host Silver Lake Tuesday 71-68, with Dayne Johnson – a fixture in the rivalry – bouncing back from a miserable first half to lead all scorers with 21 points.
Senior Dayne Johnson (2) led Silver Lake with 21 points in Tuesday's 71-68 win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Johnson hit just one of seven attempts in the first half and was visibly frustrated by his inability to get untracked. His teammates picked up the slack, giving the Eagles a 19-12 lead after one period.
Junior Camden Kruger (0) gave Silver Lake scored 18 points in Tuesday's 71-68 War on 25 win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
“Dayne’s a great player, but I feel like we have so many players who can make plays, many players who can do the right play at the right time,” said junior Camden Kruger, who chipped in 10 points in the first half to lead Silver Lake. “I think that a big thing that we focus on in our program is adversity. We had to know that we were going to respond as a team and how we’re going to do it together.”
With Johnson struggling, Rossville roared back to close the half trailing just 33-31. Seniors Cameron Miller and Jack Donovan tossed in 11 points apiece in the first half.
Silver Lake came out on fire after the half with Johnson leading the way. The senior attacked the rim onnearly every possession, and scored 12 of the Eagles’ 24 points to build a 57-50 lead.
But Rossville just wouldn’t back down. With their backs to the wall, Rossville hit three three-pointers in the final couple of minutes of the game to cut the lead to 71-68 before time ran out.
“No surprise,” Silver Lake coach Shannon Kruger said of Rossville. “They’re really good. They’ve got really good players, they’re well coached and they’ve got the combination of skill with just super competitive.”
The Eagles got 21 points – 18 in the second half – from Johnson and 18 from Camden Kruger. Hunter Rooks and Joel Miller added 10 apiece. Silver Lake hit an efficient 24-45 from the field and 15-21 from the line.
“I thought a lot of guys played well,” Shannon Kruger said. “A lot of these guys contributed last year with, you know, a couple of minutes here or there. We have to have these guys who were JV guys last year, quote-unquote, step up. And man, a lot of them did tonight.”
“I’ll be honest, it was probably the worst half of my life,” Johnson said. “I was a little down on myself, but my teammates made plays, kept us in it, and then second half I got back in my rhythm and made some plays.
“This rivalry, I think it’s the best in Kansas. Both communities show out every game. The stands were packed, the fans were loud, and it was just a great game.”
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden, which advanced to the Class 3A state championship game for the third straight season, and 1A finalist Rossville combined for nine of Top 22 spots on TopSports.news' 2025 All-Shawnee County football team while the Wildcats and Bulldawgs swept offensive and defensive player of the year honors.
Kade Mitchell, Hayden
Canann Mitchell, Rossville
Jude Krentz, Hayden
Hayden senior all-purpose standout Kade Mitchell and Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell were named the co-offensive players of the year for 2025 while Hayden senior Jude Krentz was named the defensive player of the year.
Kade Mitchell carried the ball 106 times for 1,003 yards, caught 23 passes for 471 yards and scored 22 total touchdowns while Canann Mitchell rushed for 1,162 yards and 21 touchdowns on 167 carries and completed 123 of 184 passes for 1,771 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Krentz led the Hayden defense with 120 tackles (61 solo) while recording six tackles for loss and picking off two passes.
Hayden's Bill Arnold and Rossville's Derick Hammes were named the co-coaches of the year while Rossville junior lineman Charlie Chance was tapped as the defensive newcomer of the year and Silver Lake freshman quarterback Kipton Kruger was named the offensive newcomer of the year.
Chance was in on 54 tackles with 14 tackles for loss and three sacks while Kruger completed 178 of 252 passes for 2,158 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Kade Mitchell and Krentz are Top 22 repeat selections, along with Seaman senior Cameron Brian, Rossville senior Conner Bush, Silver Lake senior Dayne Johnson and Shawnee Heights senior Aiden Scott.
Hayden, which posted a 12-1 record this fall, is also represented on the Top 22 by seniors Xander Blasing, Connor Hanika and Julian McGivern and junior Mason Becker while Rossville senior Andre Johnson joins Bush and Canann Mitchell on the Top 22 after the Bulldawgs posted an 11-2 record, with both losses coming against state champions.
Washburn Rural, which posted a 6-4 record, is represented on the Top 22 by seniors Jayden Cooper, Brody Haas and John Hoytal and junior Jadyn Baum.
Senior Noah Kobuszewski joins Brian on the first team for Seaman while senior Jayden Waterer joins Dayne Johnson on the Top 22 for Silver Lake and senior AJ Gallegos joins Scott on the first team for Shawnee Heights.
Meadowlark Conference champion Highland Park put senior Tremaine Savage and junior G'Honi Montgomery on the Top 22 while Topeka High is represented by multi-time All-Centennial League selection Malachi Murph
All 10 Shawnee County high schools have representatives on either the Top 22, Second 22 or honorable mention list. Five county teams posted six or more wins this fall and four teams posted at least one win in the playoffs.
TopSports.news selected the 2025 All-Shawnee County team after receiving input from county head coaches.
All-Shawnee County Top 22 capsules:
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake sophomore Kendrick VandeVelde, senior Dayne Johnson and junior Owen Rottinghaus and Rossville senior Conner Bush received All-Big East League first-team football recognition for the 2025 season.
Conner Bush, Rossville
Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake
VandeVelde was named to the first-team offensive line, while Johnson was a first-team pick at wide receiver and Rottinghaus the all-league returner after helping lead Silver Lake to a 7-3 record.
Bush was named to the All-Big East first-team defense at defensive back after helping the 11-2 Bulldawgs advance to the Class 1A state championship game.
Silver Lake's Johnson (defensive back) and senior Jayden Waterer (linebacker) were named to the all-league second team as were Rossville junior Charlie Chance (offensive lineman), senior Jack Donovan (defensive back) and senior Andre Johnson (linebacker).
Rossville and Silver Lake combined for 12 honorable mention picks.
2025 ALL-BIG EAST LEAGUE FOOTBALL
First team offense
Line -- Caleb McCrory, sr., Holton; Hendryx Wahl, sr., Nemaha Central; Holden Edelman, jr., Sabetha; Camden Wittwer, jr., Sabetha; Kendrick VandeVelde, so., Silver Lake.
Quarterback -- Carter Hajek, sr., Nemaha Central.
Running back -- Will Voos, sr., Sabetha; Korleone Holz, sr., St. Marys.
Tight end -- Reid Mitchell, sr., Sabetha.
Wide receiver -- Brody Schwinn, jr., Jefferson West; Dayne Johnson, sr., Silver Lake.
First team defense
Line -- Osiris Unruh, sr., Jefferson West; Danny Childress, jr., Nemaha Central; Kyler Ganstrom, sr., Nemaha Central; Holden Edelman, jr., Sabetha; Roger Browning, sr., St. Marys.
Linebacker -- Cael Frazier, sr., Holton; Jack Macke, sr., Nemaha Central; Amos Brakenhoff, sr., Perry-Lecompton.
Defensive back -- Caleb Strathman, sr., Nemaha Central; Conner Bush, sr., Rossville; Griffin Cumpton, sr., Royal Valley; Curtis Fitzgerald, jr., Sabetha.
All-purpose -- Cole Menold, sr., Sabetha.
Kicker -- Jayton Meyer, jr., Sabetha.
Punter -- Jayton Meyer, jr., Sabetha.
Returner -- Owen Rottinghaus, jr., Silver Lake.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
JADYN BAUM, Washburn Rural
Baum, a junior, earned first-team All-Shawnee County recognition at 190 pounds last season after posting a 28-6 record and a third-place finish in the Class 6A state tournament for Washburn Rural, which finished third as a team. Baum is ranked No. 4 at 190 pounds in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association All-Class rankings and is top-ranked in 6A at 215.
BRENNEN BOWERS, Seaman
A senior 157-pounder, Bowers is currently ranked No. 1 in Class 5A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association in its preseason rankings. Bowers was a 5A state qualifier last season and earned All-Shawnee County honorable mention for the Vikings.
BRODY BROWN, Shawnee Heights
Brown, a junior, is a two-time Class 5A state qualifier and earned second-team All-Shawnee County recognition last season at 138 pounds. Brown is expected to wrestle at 150 pounds this winter and is currently ranked No. 3 in 5A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association in its preseason rankings.
KAYDEN CLELLAND, Silver Lake
A junior 165-pounder, Clelland was a second-team All-Shawnee County selection last season after winning a Class 4A regional championship to qualify for state with a 32-11 record through regional competition.
RYDER FOSTER, Rossville
Foster, a sophomore 106-pounder, is currently ranked No. 5 in Class 3A-1A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association in its second preseason rankings. Foster was a state qualifier as a freshman, posting a fourth-place regional finish.
JOSE GOMEZ, Topeka High
Gomez, a junior, posted a 24-13 record last season at 106 pounds and earned All-Shawnee County first-team recognition. Gomez is currently ranked No. 4 in the Class 6A preseason rankings by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.
RYDER HARRISON, Washburn Rural
Harrison, a senior 120-pounder, was a first-team All-Shawnee County selection last season, posting a 27-15 record for the Junior Blues and finishing sixth in Class 6A. Harrison is ranked No. 4 at 120 pounds in the second of two Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association 6A preseason rankings.
EVAN JOHNSON, Shawnee Heights
Johnson, a senior, received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season and is a three-time Class 5A state qualifier for the T-Birds. Johnson is expected to wrestle at 165 pounds this season and is currently ranked No. 5 in 5A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.
Brodye Kocher-Munoz, Washburn Rural
BRODYE KOCHER-MUNOZ, Washburn Rural
A junior 150-pounder, Kocher-Munoz was a first-team All-Shawnee County selection last season for Washburn Rural, posting a 16-7 record on the season and finishing fourth in Class 6A for the third-place Junior Blues. Munoz is ranked third at 150 pounds in the second of two Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association 6A preseason rankings and 10th in the All-Class rankings.
Landen Kocher-Munoz, Washburn Rural
LANDEN KOCHER-MUNOZ, Washburn Rural
Kocher-Munoz, a senior 138-pounder, captured his second Class 6A state championship last season in his third straight trip to the state finals. Kocher-Munoz posted a 30-3 record, earning All-Shawnee County first-team recognition for a third straight season. Kocher-Munoz is top-ranked in 6A and No. 3 in the All-Class rankings by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.
Jude Krentz, Hayden
JUDE KRENTZ, Hayden
A senior, Krentz earned first-team All-Shawnee County honors last season at 175 pounds last season after earning his third straight trip to the Class 4A state tournament. Krentz posted a 42-2 record en route to a fourth-place state finish and is currently ranked No. 7 in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association All-Class rankings and No. 2 in 4A.
KAIDEN MARSHALL, Washburn Rural
A sophomore 215-pounder, Marshall was named the Shawnee County newcomer of the year last season while also earning all-county first-team recognition. Marshall, who posted a 17-11 record and finished fourth in Class 6A for the third-place Junior Blues, is expected to move up to 285 pounds this season and is ranked No. 4 in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association preseason rankings.
Caleb Menke, Hayden
CALEB MENKE, Hayden
Menke, a junior 157-pounder, was a second-team All-Shawnee County selection last season after qualifying for the Class 4A state meet with a second-place regional finish. Menke is ranked sixth in 4A in the second of two Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association preseason rankings and is 10th-ranked in the All-Class rankings.
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
After a third-place Class 3A state finish and a 20-6 record last season for Silver Lake boys basketball, there’s no sugar coating that the goal is to top what the Eagles accomplished. Not to mention, that was the first state tournament appearance for the Eagles since 2017.
Shannon Kruger's Silver Lake Eagles will be looking to improve on last season's third-place state finish this winter. [File photo/TSN]
Shannon Kruger enters year number three with Silver Lake and immediately flipped the script in putting the Eagles back to being a winning program. It was back in the 2018-2019 season where their last winning season occurred.
As the Big East League takes shape, Kruger said it’ll be a loaded conference again. He believes the Eagles will be up there but they have to earn it.
They lost five seniors from last year's team, but Kruger likes the young talent his team has and hopes to give them the opportunity to see more minutes at the varsity level.
“It’s a part of the culture that’s being established, it’s ongoing, we haven’t gotten there yet but the guys at the senior level the last two years have really bought into everything we’re coaching,'' Kruger said. "We talk about it all the time, 'It’s not what we do, it’s how we do it,' … and there’s a lot of high level competition for those spots and it trickles down.''
Kruger said with this season's group, they’re athletic but not very tall. However, they’re going to play fast to make up for that on both sides of the ball.
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
There’s no question that over the last few years, Silver Lake girls basketball has been one of the best programs in Class 3A.
In 2025, the Eagles were the state runnerups. In 2024, they won it all, in 2023 they took fourth, in 2022, they took third and in 2021 they made an appearance as well.
Two-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick Kailyn Hanni is back for her senior season for perennial Class 3A contender Silver Lake. [File photo/TSN]
It’s Year 6 for coach Kyle Porter and he’s just as excited to begin another journey and make a run to the state tournament once again.
The Eagles have a sign in the old gymnasium that says 'Championship Habits, Championship Communication, Championship Shape,' that helps lay the foundation in the first week of practices on who Silver Lake want to be.
“We’re not a team that is openly vocal, we struggle to communicate at times with our teammates and we have to constantly reinforce and require them to use their voice, to use their body language to create energy themselves because in times of adversity, it’s easy to go silent, easy to get siloed up and we have to come together as a team,” Porter said.
“We’re going to be pretty similar to how we’ve been in years past. We want to get easy baskets in transition when we can. We want to attack through the paint… and we want to do the opposite on defense.”
Star senior guard Kailyn Hanni has been a focal point of this program for several years now and stepping into her final season, Porter can’t wait to see what this year can bring for her.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Jalen Aldridge, Topeka High
JALEN ALDRIDGE, Topeka High
Aldridge, a 6-foot-1 senior, averaged a team-high 12.3 points for Topeka High last season, earning TopSports.news All-Shawnee County honorable mention. Aldridge shot 43 percent on two-point field goal attempts and connected on 26 3-pointers while averaging 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals and shooting 70 percent from the free throw line.
JA'VEON ALSTON, Shawnee Heights
A 5-10 senior point guard, Alston received All-Shawnee County and United Kansas Conference honorable mention last season after helping Shawnee Heights post a 19-4 record en route to a second straight trip to the Class 5A state tournament. A standout defender, Alston averaged 2.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists for the T-Birds as a junior.
Mason Becker, Hayden
MASON BECKER, Hayden
A 5-11 junior guard, Becker was named to the TSN All-Shawnee County Second 10 last season after averaging 10.1 points with 36 3-pointers, while shooting 36 percent from outside the arc. Becker also averaged 2.8 rebounds for the Wildcats. Becker will get a late start on preseason basketball practice after helping lead the Wildcats football team to their third straight Class 3A state championship game Saturday in Hutchinson.
KaeVon Bonner, Seaman
KAEVON BONNER, Seaman
Bonner, a 6-4 senior, is a two-time All-Shawnee County and All-United Kansas Conference first-team pick after being named the Shawnee County co-newcomer of the year and receiving honorable mention as a freshman. Bonner averaged 19 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.9 steals this past season for the 13-8 Vikings while hitting 49 3-pointers and shooting 77 percent from the free throw line.
CALEB CLEVERDON, Cair Paravel Latin
A senior, Cleverdon will be counted on heavily this winter as Cair Paravel looks to improve on last season's 10-11 record. Cleverson averaged 7.6 points last season while connecting on 33 3-pointers and shooting 35 percent from outside the arc. Cleverdon also averaged 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals as a junior.
JAI'MARION COOK, Shawnee Heights
Cook, a 5-9 senior guard, averaged 5.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists last season while helping Shawnee Heights post an 19-4 record and advance to the Class 5A state tournament for the second straight season. Cook connected on 30 3-pointers as a junior while shooting 38 percent from outside the 3-point line.
Jack Donovan, Rossville
JACK DONOVAN, Rossville
A 5-11 senior, Donovan made the All-Shawnee County Top 10 for the second straight season after averaging 18.7 points with 62 3-pointers while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range and 78.4 percent from the free throw line. Donovan helped lead the Bulldawgs to a 16-8 record and a Class 2A state tournament berth last season. Donovan, a first-team All-Big East League pick, is also a standout in golf and football, helping Rossville reach the Class 1A state football title game on Friday in Hutchinson.
Malakyah Duncan, Topeka West
MALAKYAH DUNCAN, Topeka West
Duncan, a 6-4 senior, received second-team All-Shawnee County and All-United Kansas Conference recognition last season after helping lead the Chargers to the Class 5A state tournament, where West lost in the quarterfinals to state champ Kapaun Mt. Carmel. Duncan averaged 11.3 points, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals as a junior while shooting 55 percent on two-point field goal attempts.
ONTARIUS EMMOT, Shawnee Heights
Emmot, a 6-4 senior forward, received TSN All-Shawnee County and All-United Kansas Conference honorable mention last season after helping Shawnee Heights post a 19-4 record and advance to the Class 5A state tournament for the second straight season. Emmot averaged 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists as a junior while draining 29 treys on the season.
Elisha Guest, Topeka High
ELISHA GUEST, Topeka High
A 5-7 senior, Guest received All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season after averaging 11.6 points while connecting on 49 3-pointers and shooting 36 percent from outside the arc. Guest also averaged 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals for the Trojans last season.
Connor Hanika, Hayden
CONNOR HANIKA, Hayden
Hanika, a 6-5 senior, received All-Shawnee County second-team honors last season after averaging 10.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals while shooting 48 percent on two-point field goals. Hanika is Hayden's starting quarterback in football, helping the Wildcats reach their third straight Class 3A state championship game.
John Hoytal, Washburn Rural
JOHN HOYTAL, Washburn Rural
A 6-foot-2 senior forward, Hoytal received All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League honorable mention last season after helping the 18-5 Junior Blues win the Centennial League title and advance to the Class 6A state tournament. Hoytal averaged 9.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals last season while shooting 57 percent on two-point field goals and 73 percent from the free throw line.
Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake
DAYNE JOHNSON, Silver Lake
Johnson, a 6-2 senior, helped lead the Eagles to a 20-6 record and a third-place finish in the Class 3A state tournament in 2024-2025. A first-team All-Big East League selection, Johnson moved up to the TSN All-Shawnee County Top 10 last season after being a Second 10 pick as a sophomore. Johnson is a multi-sport standout for the Eagles, earning All-Shawnee County Top 22 honors as a junior.
Lucas Marichal, Cair Paravel
LUCAS MARICHAL, Cair Paravel
A senior, Marichal is a key returner for Cair Paravel Latin, which will by looking to improve on last season's 10-11 record. Marichal averaged 9.0 points a year ago while connecting on 28 3-pointers and shooting 80 percent from the free throw line.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
BRYNN ANDERSON, Washburn Rural
A 5-foot-11 freshman guard/forward, Anderson has yet to take the basketball court for the Junior Blues, but made an immediate impact in volleyball, earning TopSports.news All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League first-team honors while also being named the county and league newcomer of the year as Washburn Rural won the Centennial League title and advanced to the Class 6A state tournament for the ninth straight season.
SAMI BAUM, Shawnee Heights
A 6-1 junior, Baum will make her high school basketball debut in the 2025-2026 season after joining the T-Birds. Baum, who has been home schooled, played for the Shawnee Heights volleyball team this fall and has extensive experience in club basketball, receiving interest from college recruiters.
Nora Burdiek, Rossville
NORA BURDIEK, Rossville
Burdiek, a 6-0 junior forward, missed 11 games of the 2024-2025 season with an injury, but still earned All-Shawnee County honorable mention and was a third-team All-Class 2A and All-Big-East League honoree after averaging 16.5 points and 12 rebounds for 10-12 Rossville. Burdiek was a first-team All-Shawnee County and 2A All-State pick in volleyball, helping lead the Bulldawgs to the state tournament.
Pearmella Carter, Shawnee Heights
PEARMELLA CARTER, Shawnee Heights
A 5-10 junior, Carter starred at Highland Park the past two seasons before transferring to Shawnee Heights for the 2025-2026 season. Carter was a Second 10 All-Shawnee County selection for the Scots last winter after averaging 19.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.7 steals and 2.1 assists and shooting 50 percent from 2-point field goal range while connecting on 14 3-pointers.
Hailey Caryl, Topeka High
HAILEY CARYL, Topeka High
Caryl, a 5-10 sophomore, received All-Shawnee County Second 10 honors as a freshman after helping Topeka High post a 14-8 record and a nine-win improvement over the 2023-2024 season. Caryl averaged 10.5 points and 8.4 rebounds as a freshman while shooting 58 percent on 2-point field attempts and averaging 2.0 assists and 1.6 steals. Caryl is also a tennis and soccer standout for the Trojans.
KARYS DEITER, Silver Lake
A 5-7 sophomore guard, Deiter earned All-Shawnee County Second 10 recognition for the 23-3 Eagles as a freshman starter, averaging 12.5 points and 4.7 rebounds as Silver Lake overcame big graduation losses from its 2024 Class 3A state championship team to post a runnerup state finish. Deiter was a first-team all-county pick in volleyball this fall after the Eagles won the state title with a 46-1 record, including 37 straight wins to end the season.
Rylee Dick, Rossville
RYLEE DICK, Rossville
A 5-6 senior guard, Dick was a first-team All-2A and All-Big East League pick last season and was an All-Shawnee County second-team selection after averaging 20.4 points with 68 made 3-pointers and 89-percent shooting from the free throw line for the 10-12 Bulldawgs while eclipsing the 1,000-point mark for her career. Dick, who has received all-league, all-county and All-2A recognition three straight seasons, has signed a letter of intent with Division II Rockhurst.
KK Emmot, Shawnee Heights
KK EMMOT, Shawnee Heights
Emmot, a 5-8 junior, moved up to the All-Shawnee County Top 10 last season after earning second-team honors as a freshman. Emmot, who led the T-Birds to a 14-8 record, also earned first-team All-United Kansas Conference honors this past season after averaging 17.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 3.2 assists while connecting on 46 3-pointers.
Maddie Gragg, Seaman
MADDIE GRAGG, Seaman
A 5-10 senior, Gragg was an All-Shawnee County Top 10 selection for the third straight season after helping lead Seaman to a 24-1 record and a runnerup finish in Class 5A. Gragg, also a three-time All-United Kansas Conference first-team pick, averaged 13.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 57 percent on two-point field goal attempts and shooting 83 percent from the free throw line while hitting 39 3-pointers.
Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake
KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake
Hanni, a 5-7 senior guard, led Silver Lake to a 23-3 record and a runnerup finish in the Class 3A state tournament this past season after helping the Eagles post a perfect 26-0 record en route to the 3A state championship in 2024. Hanni was a repeat All-Shawnee County Top 10 selection as well as a repeat first-team all-league pick. A Fort Hays State basketball signee, Hanni is a multi-sport standout, earning first-team all-county honors in golf this fall.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Twelve Shawnee County volleyball standouts have earned All-State recognition from the Kansas Volleyball Asssociation, led by six first-team selections.
Class 3A state champion Silver Lake put 5-foot-3 junior setter Kylie Hanni, 5-5 junior libero Jaylie Whitehead and 5-8 senior outside hitter Jaiden Wise on the Class 3A All-State first team while Sarah Johnson was named the 3A coach of the year after leading the Eagles to a 46-1 record and 37 straight wins to end the season.
Kylie Hanni, Silver Lake [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Jaylie Whitehead, Silver Lake [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Jaiden Wise [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
Sarah Johnson, Silver Lake. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Silver Lake 5-5 sophomore outside hitter Karys Deiter was named to the 3A second team while 5-10 senior middle hitter Paige Heiman received honorable mention.
Hailey Schmidtlein, Hayden [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
Blakely Walter, Hayden [File photo/TSN]
Hayden, which placed second at state in 4A after finishing third in 2024, is represented on the 4A All-State first team by 5-11 sophomore rightside hitter/middle blocker Hailey Schmidtlein and 5-9 sophomore setter Blakely Walter.
Senior 5-4 libero Ella Foster and 6-0 junior outside hitter Mallory Tanking were named to the all-state second team while 5-6 sophomore outside hitter Sophia Wichman received honorable mention.
Nora Burdiek, Rossville [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Rossville 5-10 junior outside hitter Nora Burdiek earned first-team 2A All-State honors after helping lead the Bulldawgs to a state tournament berth.
Washburn Rural 5-11 freshman outside hitter Brynn Anderson was named to the All-6A second team after helping lead the Junior Blues to a ninth straight state tournament berth this fall.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Class 3A state champion Silver Lake, 4A runnerup Hayden and state qualifiers Washburn Rural in 6A and Rossville in 2A combined to put 12 players on the TopSports.news 2025 All-Shawnee County volleyball first team.
Shawnee County Player of the Year Kylie Hanni, Silver Lake [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee County Coach of the Year Sarah Johnson, Silver Lake. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Shawnee County Newcomer of the Year Brynn Anderson, Washburn Rural. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Silver Lake, which went 46-1 and ended its season on a 37-match winning streak, is represented on the all-county team by senior Jaiden Wise, juniors Kylie Hanni and Jaylie Whitehead and sophomore Karys Deiter, with Hanni named the county player of the year and Eagles coach Sarah Johnson tapped as the coach of the year.
Hayden, which placed second at state after finishing third in 2024, is represented on the first team by sophomore repeat picks Hailey Schmidtlein and Blakely Walter along with senior Ella Foster, a multi-time all-county selection.
Washburn Rural is represented on the all-county first team by seniors Karsyn Horyna and Stella Kelly and freshman Brynn Anderson, who was named the Shawnee County newcomer of the year after the Junior Blues won the Centennial League championship and advanced to the 6A state tournament for the ninth straight season.
Horyna is a first-team All-Shawnee County repeat pick while Kelly was a second-team pick as a junior.
Rossville junior Nora Burdiek is a first-team all-county repeat pick and is joined on the first team by freshman Kenna Perine.
Rounding out the first team are Cair Paravel Latin senior Karsyn Hastert, Topeka West junior Sydney Van Dyke and Shawnee Heights senior Avery Willey.
All-Shawnee County first-team capsules:
The 2025 All-Shawnee County girls cross country team: Front row, from left -- Reese Beardslee, Washburn Rural; Emily Graf, Washburn Rural; Clara Dillon, Washburn Rural; Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural; Sofia Harper, Hayden. Back row, from left -- coach Matt Swedlund, Washburn Rural; Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural; Morgan Munson, Washburn Rural; Brynn Spencer, Seaman; Ryin Miller, Seaman. Not pictured: Ali Gerber, Silver Lake. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Five first-team repeat selections headline the 10-member 2025 All-Shawnee County girls cross country team.
Leading the way are four-time all-county pick Ryin Miller of Seaman and three-time selections Emily Graf of Washburn Rural, Sofia Harper of Hayden and Brynn Spencer of Seaman along with repeat honoree Kenzie Maddox of Washburn Rural.
Spencer, a junior, finished a county-best 16th in the Class 5A state meet.
Earning first-team all-county honors for the first time are Silver Lake junior Ali Gerber, Washburn Rural sophomore Reese Beardslee and Junior Blue freshmen Clara Dillon, Alyson Hinck and Morgan Munson.
Washburn Rural coach Matt Swedlund was named the girls Shawnee County coach of the year after his Junior Blues captured the city team championship and were the only county girls school to qualify for state as a team.
All-Shawnee County girls capsules:
REESE BEARDSLEE, Washburn Rural -- Beardslee, a sophomore, earned her first All-Shawnee County first-team honor after placing fifth individually in the city meet for the team-champion Junior Blues, 11th in the Centennial League, 17th in Class 6A regional competition and 50th at state. Beardslee had a five-kilometer personal-best of 19 minutes, 57 seconds.
CLARA DILLON, Washburn Rural --A freshman, Dillon posted an eighth-place finish in the city meet for the team-champion Junior Blues before finishing 18th in the Centennial League meet, 21st in Class 6A regional competition and 62nd in the state meet. Dillon had a five-kilometer personal-best of 21 minutes, 43 seconds.
Ali Gerber, Silver Lake [Submitted photo/Silver Lake cross country]
ALI GERBER, Silver Lake --Gerber, a junior, earned All-Shawnee County first-team honors for the first time after receiving honorable mention as a sophomore. Gerber placed sixth in a Class 3A regional meet to earn an individual berth for last Saturday's state meet at Rim Rock Farm and placed 35th at state with a five-kilometer time of 21 minutes, 21.43 seconds.
EMILY GRAF, Washburn Rural --A three-time first-team All-Shawnee County pick, Graf garnered the individual championship in the city meet for the team-champion Junior Blues before finishing eighth in the Centennial League, fifth in a Class 6A regional meet and 30th at state. Graf clocked a season-best five-kilometer time of 19 minutes, 10 seconds.
SOFIA HARPER, Hayden --Harper, a junior, is a first-team All-Shawnee County pick for the third straight season. Harper posted a seventh-place individual finish in the city championships, placed 16th in the Centennial League meet and 12th in Class 4A regional competition to earn a state berth. Harper was 44th at state and had a season-best five-kilometer time of 20 minutes, 22 seconds.
ALYSON HINCK, Washburn Rural -- The Washburn Rural freshman was the individual runnerup in the city meet for the team-champion Junior Blues and placed sixth in the Centennial League, eighth in Class 6A regional competition and a team-high 25th in the state meet. Hinck posted a season-best five-kilometer time of 19 minutes, 37 seconds.
KENZIE MADDOX, Washburn Rural -- Maddox, a senior, is a first-team All-Shawnee County repeater after receiving honorable mention as a sophomore. Maddox finished fourth this fall in the city meet before placing 14th in the Centennial League, 16th in a Class 6A regional and 49th in the 6A state meet. Maddox has a personal-best time of 18 minutes, 47 seconds.
RYIN MILLER, Seaman -- A three-time Class 5A state medalist and four-time All-Shawnee County first-team pick, Miller only competed in one meet as a senior due to injury, but finished third in the United Kansas Conference behind two all-staters despite no training since July 3rd. Miller finished second in Class 5A as a junior after a third-place finish as a sophomore. Miller, who has won five state titles in track, has a personal-best five-kilometer time of 16minutes, 32 seconds.
MORGAN MUNSON, Washburn Rural -- A freshman, Munson placed sixth in the city meet for team-champion Washburn Rural before placing 10th in the Centennial League meet, ninth in Class 6A regional competition and 51st in the state championships. Munson had a season-best five-kilometer time of 20 minutes, 10 seconds.
BRYNN SPENCER, Seaman -- A three-time All-Shawnee County first-team selection, the Seaman junior finished third in the city meet, second in the United Kansas Conference, sixth in Class 5A regional competition and 16th at state for her second straight state medal. Spencer clocked a five-kilometer season-best of 19 minutes, 26 seconds.
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
The last time Silver Lake and Sabetha football met was back in 2023 in the Class 2A regionals and Sabetha took that game, 45-34. Fast forward two years later and the Blue Jays handed Silver Lake another loss in the regional round on Friday night, 28-16.
Silver Lake freshman quarterback Kip Kruger passed for 283 yards and two TDs in Friday's 28-16 Class 2A playoff loss to Sabetha. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Dayne Johnson caught 13 passes for 167 yards and a TD in Silver Lake's 28-16 loss to Sabetha. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
“I just told them I’m proud of them and I love them,” Silver Lake coach Logan Pegram said. “What kids sacrifice in today’s society is so much to be a part of a football program like ours. We ask a lot of time of them, we ask them to do things that are abnormal in society today, to see them hurt as a coach and a leader of young men is probably the biggest pain to see that hurt, but I just told the how much I love them, I care about them and how proud I am of them because we started the season 0-2 and they responded with seven almost eight weeks of hard-nose grinding football.”
Sabetha has now won four straight against the Eagles in the playoffs, dating back to 2015 and 2017.
The Eagles controlled much of the first half but throughout the game, the Blue Jays run game was too much to handle. In fact, the Blue Jays did not attempt a pass in the game.
Senior William Voos led the Sabetha rushing attack with 24 carries for 191 yards and two touchdowns.
“Their program prides themselves on grinding you down and I felt like the first half we responded to that well but in the second half I think they just got some big plays,'' Pegram said. "Credit goes to them and their coaching staff and their community, hats off to them,”
This game at least stat-wise showed it could’ve been a defensive battle and it played out like that in the first half. Out of the nine games coming into Friday, the Eagles held their opponents to one score in six of them.
The Blue Jays were just as good, recording four shutouts and had three games with one score.
Sabetha’s defense forced two straight three and outs of Silver Lake and the Eagles only had one first down in the first quarter.
The game's first score would come from Silver Lake freshman quarterback Kipton Kruger, on a screen pass to senior Dayne Johnson for 22-yards, which almost was negated after a penalty flag was picked up, making it 7-0 with 8:22 left in the half. That was Johnson’s eighth of the season.
The Eagles couldn’t get the ground game going, totaling just 28 yards, but the Silver Lake passing attack was working. The screen passes to Johnson, the Blue Jays couldn’t figure out, and check down throws to Dom Monhollon.
Kruger in that first half went 18-19 passing for 148 yards and Johnson had eight catches for 88 yards in that first half alone.
Kruger went a perfect 18-18 until an incomplete pass on a third and nine on their own 10 to Johnson forcing a fourth down, but then the Eagles missed the field goal to keep the score, 7-0 at halftime.
“I think we were controlling the game pretty well,” Pegram said. “I felt like we were taking advantage of what the defense gave us and we were just trying to find space out there but Kipton did a great job of that. The first half it felt like we played really well and the second half I felt like the momentum got back on their side and we were trying to get over that hump to get it back on our side, had that turnover so just some things didn’t go our way tonight.”
It remained 7-7 until the third quarter where Sabetha started with possession and drained nearly nine minutes of the clock, as junior quarterback Micah Lang went off the line to the right and punched in the score.
Silver Lake would then take over, running 12 plays for 70-yards into the fourth quarter. Kruger found senior Grady Bergmann, but dropped the pass on third and four after getting popped by a Sabetha defender to force a fourth down. Junior Mason VanVactor nailed a field goal to make it, 10-7 Silver Lake.
But then, the wheels fell off for the Eagles. On the ensuing kickoff, Sabetha’s Cole Menold ran 83 yards to the 4-yard line, followed by a Voos touchdown as the Blue Jays took a 14-10 lead.
“I think that kick return and right after that I think on the next possession we had a fumble and then they got a big chunk play so just a couple of haymakers that landed and we didn’t respond really well to that adversity,” Pegram said.
Still about 10 minutes left in the game, Silver Lake looked to respond, but the Eagles fumbled near mid-field, and Sabetha recovered.
The Blue Jays would then score on another Lang QB sneak from four yards out to make it a 21-10 game. Sabetha would tack on another score after a turnover on downs from Silver Lake, Voos got loose for 38 yards, pushing it to 28-10.
Kruger did throw an interception in the end zone but followed it up a couple of minutes later with a 11-yard pass to senior Joel Miller and that’s where the game ended, 28-16.
Kruger finished 30-35 for 283 yards with two passing touchdowns.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAMES
CLASS 6A
Jadyn Baum, Washburn Rural
WASHBURN RURAL (6-3) at WICHITA NORTHWEST (8-1)
Washburn Rural, the No. 7 Class 6A West seed, advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a 37-0 home win over No. 10 Wichita South last Friday while No. 2 seed Wichita Northwest routed No. 15 Campus, 57-14. Rural junior running back Jadyn Baum went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season in the Junior Blues' win over Wichita South while scoring three touchdowns. Northwest senior quarterback Jaylen Mason has completed 98 of 148 passes for 1,487 yards and 17 touchdowns while senior Augie Fast has carried the ball 103 times for 1,119 yards and 21 TDs. The winner of Friday's game will advance to the 6A quarterfinals to face the winner of Friday's game between No. 6 seed Derby (6-3) and No. 3 Junction City (7-2). Derby beat Topeka High 49-0 last week while Junction City rolled to a 55-7 win over Wichita West. Game time: 7 p.m.
CLASS 3A
Xander Blasing, Hayden
WELLSVILLE (6-3) at HAYDEN (9-0)
Hayden, the No. 1 East seed in Class 3A, opened postseason with a 70-7 home win over No. 16 Columbus last Friday while No. 9 Wellsville shut out No. 8 Parsons, 50-0. Wildcat senior quarterback Connor Hanika has completed 79 of 133 passes for 1,218 yards and 18 touchdowns while senior Kade Mitchell has carried the ball 78 times for 764 yards and has scored 17 total TDs. Senior Jude Krentz leads Hayden with 76 tackles (43 solo) and six tackles for loss while Xander Blasing has 59 stops (43 solo) and seven tackles for loss. Wellsville junior quarterback Pete Dorsey has completed 47 of 89 passes for 886 yards and 10 touchdowns while junior Armond Graves has 938 rushing yards and 16 TDs on 118 carries. The winner of Friday's game will move on to the 3A quarterfinals to face the winner of Friday's game between No. 5 East seed Jefferson West (7-2) at No. 4 seed Prairie View (8-1). Jeff West opened postseason with a 45-6 win over Anderson County while Prairie View rolled to a 48-6 win over Burlington. Game time: 7 p.m.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Class 3A state champion Silver Lake and 2A state qualifier Rossville combined for three first-team spots on the All-Big East League volleyball team, selected by league coaches.
Kylie Hanni, Silver Lake [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
Jaylie Whitehead, Silver Lake [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Nora Burdiek, Rossville [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Silver Lake is represented on the all-league first team by junior setter Kylie Hanni and junior libero Jaylie Whitehead while Rossville put junior outside hitter Nora Burdiek on the first team.
Silver Lake senior outside hitter Jaiden Wise and Rossville freshman setter Kenna Perine were named to the all-league second team and Lake senior middle hitter Paige Heiman and Rossville junior libero Ady Henry were third-team picks.
Silver Lake sophomore Karys Deiter received all-league honorable mention.
ALL-BIG EAST LEAGUE VOLLEYBALL
First team
Nora Burdiek, jr. OH, Rossville; Kylie Hanni, jr. S, Silver Lake; Jaylie Whitehead, jr. L, Silver Lake;Kiwe Miller, so. OH, Royal Valley; Addison Schwinn, sr. MH, Jefferson West; Macie Corcoran, jr. OH, Perry-Lecompton.
Second team
Jaiden Wise, sr. OH, Silver Lake; Khloe Black, so. OH, Holton; Macy Holthaus, so. OH, Nemaha Central; Harriet Dean, jr. S, Jefferson West; Audrey Holle, so. OH, Riley County; Kenna Perine, fr. S, Rossville.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Eight Shawnee County standouts from Class 3A state champion Silver Lake, 4A runnerup Hayden and 2A participant Rossville have earned All-State Tournament recognition from the Kansas Volleyball Association.
Kylie Hanni, Silver Lake [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
Jaylie Whitehead, Silver Lake [Photo by Jesse Bruner /Special to TSN]
Jaiden Wise, Silver Lake [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Silver Lake, which completed a 46-1 season with the 10th state volleyball championship in school history Saturday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena, is represented on the All-3A state tourney team by 5-foot-3 junior setter Kylie Hanni, 5-5 junior libero Jaylie Whitehead and 5-8 senior outside hitter Jaiden Wise.
Ella Foster, Hayden [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Hailey Schmidtlein, Hayden [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
Mallory Tanking, Hayden [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
Blakely Walter, Hayden [File photo/TSN]
Hayden, 33-10 after a three-set loss to Andale in the championship match at Hutchinson, is represented on the All-4A state tournament team by 5-4 senior libero Ella Foster, 5-11 sophomore rightside hitter/middle blocker Hailey Schmidtlein, 6-0 junior outside/rightside hitter Mallory Tanking and 5-9 sophomore setter Blakely Walter.
Schmidtlein and Walter earned all-state tournament honors for the second straight season.
Nora Burdiek, Rossville [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]]
Rossville 5-11 junior outside hitter Nora Burdiek was named to the 2A all-state tournament team after leading the Bulldawgs to a 1-2 record in pool play at Dodge City.
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
HUTCHINSON --Silver Lake's fourth volleyball match of the season against Holton Saturday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena ended the same way the previous three had, but this time Lake's 25-21, 25-19 win over the Wildcats clinched the state's biggest prize for the Eagles -- a Class 3A state championship.
Silver Lake volleyball poses for a team picture after winning the 2025 Class 3A state championship Saturday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena. [Photo by Charles Spurlock/TSN]
Silver Lake's seniors accept the Class 3A championship trophy after Saturday's 25-21, 25-19 win over Holton in the title match. [Photo by Charles Spurlock/TSN]
Saturday's win in the title match put the capper on a 46-1 Silver Lake season, which ended with a 37-match winning streak.
“This feels so good and even more for the girls,'' said Silver Lake coach Sarah Johnson, who won her fifth state title while leading the Eagles to the 10th championship in school history. "They’re deserving and have worked so hard. We had the right group of girls out there to make it happen and I’m so proud of them.
"I wasn’t expecting only one loss throughout the season. We try to play tough teams and play in tournaments with good competition. The girls didn’t let themselves get rattled in matches and could adjust quickly in the moment. They have a belief in themselves and a confidence in one another and that was huge for us today.”
Top seed Silver Lake defeated Heston, Ellsworth and Wichita Trinity in pool play on Thursday and advanced to the championship match with a 25-22, 26-24 semifinal win over Hoisington.
Holton made a surprising run to the title match from the No. 6 seed, defeating second-seeded Riverton, third-seeded Hoisington and seventh seeded Osage City in pool play on Thursday. The Wildcats then defeated fourth-seeded Wichita Trinity 23-25, 25-23, 25-20 in the semifinal on Saturday morning.
Silver Lake senior Jaiden Wise celebrates a kill with her teammates in Saturday's Class 3A championship match against Holton. [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
The opening set of the final began as a back-and-forth affair with neither team having a lead larger than two, when Holton went ahead 12-10. Silver Lake responded with a 6-1 run to take a 16-13 lead, forcing a timeout by Holton. Lady Eagle seniors Jaiden Wise, Paige Heiman and Paige Winsor had huge kills during the decisive run.
Holton had to take its final timeout when Silver Lake extended the lead to 21-17. The Lady Wildcats battled back with three straight points, trimming the Eagle lead to 21-20, leading to the first timeout by Silver Lake.
Silver Lake sophomore Karys Deiter spikes the ball in Saturday's Class 3A title match against Holton. [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
Silver Lake junior Kylie Hanni (22) attempts a block in Saturday's Class 3A state championship match against Holton. [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
After Holton tied the set at 21, Silver Lake scored four straight, behind the outstanding hitting of sophomore Karys Deiter, closing out the first set, 25-21.
Set two began with Holton jumping out to a 4-1 lead, but two blocks by Heiman cut the Wildcat lead to 4-3. Holton took their first timeout of the second set when Silver Lake tied the score at 8.
A kill and block by Winsor put the Lady Eagles up 11-9, but the Lady Wildcats came back to tie the set at 12. Silver Lake then ran off four straight points, taking a 16-12 lead, causing Holton to take their final timeout.
Wise had a huge solo block, then a kill to give Silver Lake a 20-14 lead. The teams traded points and Silver Lake won the championship on a kill by Winsor, 25-21, 25-19, giving the Eagles their first championship since 2018.
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
Silver Lake sophomore volleyball standout Karys Deiter and Highland Park junior football standout G'Honi Montgomery 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 recent accomplishments of Deiter and Montgomery.
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake
KARYS DEITER, Silver Lake
Deiter has helped lead Silver Lake volleyball to a 44-1 record and 35 straight victories as the Eagles have advanced to the Class 3A state semifinals Saturday in Hutchinson.
Deiter and Silver Lake captured 3A regional and sub-state championships last week to garner the No. 1 seed for the state tournament.
The Eagles opened their bid for Silver Lake's 10th state title with three straight-set pool play victories on Thursday to claim the Pool I crown and move into the semifinals.
G'Honi Montgomery, Highland Park
G'HONI MONTGOMERY, Highland Park
A running back, Montgomery rushed for 292 yards and five touchdowns on just 14 carries, averaging 20.9 yards per carry, in last Friday's 42-30 road victory at Kansas City-Washington.
With the win over the previously-unbeaten Wildcats, the 6-2 Scots earned the Meadowlark Conference championship.
Montgomery has now rushed for 633 yards and nine touchdowns on 55 attempts in five games entering Friday's Class 5A playoff game against De Soto.
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
After finishing third in last year's Class 4A state tournament, No. 6 seed Hayden is back in the title hunt after a perfect 3-0 day Friday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
Corrinne McGreevy's Wildcats, 32-9 on the season, claimed the Pool II championship with three straight-set victories.
Hayden volleyball is headed to the Class 4A state semifinals Saturday after a perfect 3-0 record in pool play at the Hutchinson Sports Arena. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden opened its day with a 25-16, 25-19 win over No. 3 seed McPherson and then knocked off No. 2 Clay Center, 25-14, 26-24 before clinching the pool championship with a 25-20, 25-13 win over No. 7 seed Buhler in the Wildcats' final match of the day.
Hayden will now face Pool I runnerup Paola (27-10) in the semifinals, with the Panthers advancing on a tiebreaker despite a 1-2 record in pool play.
No. 1 seed and Pool II champion Andale (34-1) will face Pool I runnerup Clay Center (40-3) in the other semifinal.
The championship and third-place matches will begin 25 minutes after the conclusion of the final semifinal.
Rural comes up short in bid for 6A semifinals
After splitting its first two matches Friday, No. 4 seed Washburn Rural pushed two-time defending Class 6A state champ and top seed Mill Valley to three sets in the Junior Blues' final pool match of the day at the Tony's Pizza Event Center in Salina before Mill Valley escaped with a 25-27, 25-18, 25-17 win.
Mill Valley, 2-1 on the day, advanced to Saturday semifinals as the Pool I runnerup while Washburn Rural ended its season with a 31-9 record on the year.
Bulldawgs go 1-2 in 2A pool play
No. 8 seed Rossville split its first two Class 2A state pool play matches at Dodge City's United Wireless Arena and went to three sets in its final match against No. 5 seed Hillsboro, but came up short in its bid to advance to Saturday's semifinals.
The Bulldawgs dropped a 25-12, 25-13 decision to top seed and undefeated Ellinwood in its opening match before taking a 19-25, 25-19, 25-15 victory over No. 4 Humboldt.
After dropping a 25-20 first-set decision to Hillsboro Rossville answered with a 25-15 win in the second set, but the Trojans took the match with a hard-earned 26-24 win in the third set.
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
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.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Perennial Class 3A volleyball contender Silver Lake will be the team to beat in this week's state tournament at Hutchinson Sports Arena, earning the top seed in the eight-team field with a sparkling 41-1 record on the season.
Silver Lake volleyball celebrates its Class 3A sub-state title Saturday at Silver Lake. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
In the brand new state tournament format installed by the Kansas State High School Activities Association, the 3A field will play its three pool matches on Thursday before a day off on Friday and the semifinals, championship and third-place matches on Saturday.
Silver Lake sophomore Karys Deiter spikes the ball during Saturday's Class 3A sub-state tournament at Silver Lake. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Sarah Johnson's Eagles will open their state bid at 11 a.m. Thursday with a Pool I match against No. 8 seed Hesston (26-12).
Silver Lake junior Jaylie Whitehead makes a return during Saturday's Class 3A sub-state tournament at Silver Lake. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
After a match off, Silver Lake will return to the court at 1 p.m. to face No. 5 seed Ellsworth (32-8) before closing out pool play with a 3 o'clock match against No. 4 Wichita Trinity (28-5).
On the other side of the 3A bracket are No. 2 seed Riverton (36-4), No. 3 Hoisington (36-4), No. 6 Holton (34-9) and No. 7 Osage City (27-12).
The top two finishers in both pools will advance to 9 a.m. semifinals on Saturday, followed by the championship and third-place matches.
CLASS 3A VOLLEYBALL
At Hutchinson Sports Arena
THURSDAY'S POOL PLAY
Pool I
10 a.m. -- Wichita Trinity (4: 28-5) vs. Ellsworth (5: 32-8).
11 -- Silver Lake (1: 41-1) vs. Hesston (8: 26-12).
12 p.m. -- Wichita Trinity vs. Hesston.
1 -- Silver Lake vs. Ellsworth.
2 -- Ellsworth vs. Hesston.
3 -- Silver Lake vs. Wichita Trinity.
Pool II
10 a.m. -- Hoisington (3: 36-4) vs. Holton (6: 34-9).
11 -- Riverton (2: 36-4) vs. Osage City (7: 27-12).
12 p.m. -- Hoisington vs. Osage City.
1 -- Riverton vs. Holton.
2 -- Holton vs. Osage City.
3 -- Riverton vs. Hoisington.
SATURDAY
9 a.m -- Semifinals.
(Championship and third-place matches 25 minutes after conclusion of last semifinal).
Washburn Rural volleyball is the No. 4 seed for the Class 6A state volleyball tournament, with the Junior Blues looking for their ninth state title. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Eight-time champ Rural No. 4 seed in Class 6A
Eight-time Class 6A state champion Washburn Rural will be making its ninth straight state appearance, earning the No. 4 seed for Friday and Saturday's state event at Tony's Pizza Event Center in Salina with a 30-7 record.
Kevin Bordewick's Junior Blues will open Pool I play in Friday's first match of the day at 10 a.m., facing No. 5 seed Olathe West (26-7).
Washburn Rural's Brynn Anderson has turned in a banner freshman season, helping lead the Junior Blues to a ninth straight Class 6A state tournament berth. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
After a match break, Washburn Rural will face No. 8 seed Free State (20-12) at 12 p.m. before closing out pool play at 3 p.m. against top seed Mill Valley (31-4).
On the other side of the 6A bracket are No. 2 seed Blue Valley West (30-4), No. 3 Wichita Northwest (30-6), No. 6 Manhattan (27-8) and No. 7 Olathe Northwest (28-9).
The top two finishers in both pools will advance to 1 p.m. semifinals on Saturday, followed by the championship and third-place matches.
CLASS 6A VOLLEYBALL
At Tony's Pizza Events Center, Salina
FRIDAY'S POOL PLAY
Pool I
10 a.m. -- Washburn Rural (4: 30-7) vs. Olathe West (5: 26-7).
11 -- Mill Valley (1: 31-4) vs. Free State (8: 20-12).
12 p.m. -- Washburn Rural vs. Free State.
1 -- Mill Valley vs. Olathe West.
2 -- Olathe West vs. Free State.
3 -- Mill Valley vs. Washburn Rural.
Pool II
10 a.m. -- Wichita Northwest (3: 30-6) vs. Manhattan (6: 27-8).
11 -- Blue Valley West (2: 30-4) vs. Olathe Northwest (7: 28-9).
12 p.m. -- Wichita Northwest vs. Olathe Northwest.
1 -- Blue Valley West vs. Manhattan.
2 -- Manhattan vs. Olathe Northwest.
3 -- Blue Valley West vs. Wichita Northwest.
SATURDAY
1 p.m -- Semifinals.
(Championship and third-place matches 25 minutes after conclusion of last semifinal).
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Veteran Silver Lake volleyball coach Sarah Johnson expected her team to be good this fall, but she is quick to admit that she never really expected the 41-1 record that the Eagles will take into this week's Class 3A state tournament at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
Silver Lake volleyball celebrates a point in last Saturday's Class 3A sub-state tournament at Silver Lake. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Now the aim for top-seeded Silver Lake is to finish off its dream season with the school's 10th state title and first since 2018.
"I honestly wasn't expecting this record at this point in the season, however, I did have very high hopes for this squad,'' Johnson said. "My first feeling of, 'this team has the potential to go far,' was this summer at the Mokan volleyball tournament at Washburn University.
"We came out first at that tourney with some tough competition. There is just something special about them. They are all bought in, willing to give their all, okay with being held accountable, and have a love and respect for one another cheering the other one on.''
Silver Lake's only loss came against 5A sub-state finalist Shawnee Heights in its 10th match of the season and the Eagles have reeled off 32 straight wins entering 3A pool play Thursday.
"Leadership and unity is definitely part of it,'' Johnson said of the Eagles' success. "A good sign of leadership is the ability to listen. I feel that they are all open to each other's ideas and feedback. They take it and learn from it. A big thing I've seen with this group leading to the success they've had thus far is the ability to not get rattled.
"We talk about getting uncomfortable in practices so when we are faced with uncomfortable situations in matches, it's familiar and we are comfortable. They have that calm confidence that helps them in those tough situations.''
Johnson knows that the Eagles are likely to encounter some of those tough situations in a 3A field that includes five teams with at least 33 wins and all eight with at least 26.
But the Silver Lake coach knows her team is extrememly capable of answering the challenge.
"Yes, this weekend will be tough,'' Johnson said. "Our goal is to keep at it like we have all year -- limit our own errors, not let a team go on runs and adjust to different players/teams quickly and efficiently without getting rattled.
"(We want to) continue rising to the occasion and competing at a high level physically and mentally.''
In the brand new state tournament format installed by the Kansas State High School Activities Association, the 3A field will play its three pool matches on Thursday before a day off on Friday and the semifinals, championship and third-place matches on Saturday.
Silver Lake sophomore Karys Deiter spikes the ball during last Saturday's Class 3A sub-state tournament at Silver Lake. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Silver Lake junior Jaylie Whitehead makes a return during last Saturday's Class 3A sub-state tournament at Silver Lake. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
The Eagles will open their state bid at 11 a.m. Thursday with a Pool I match against No. 8 seed Hesston (26-12). After a match off, Silver Lake will return to the court at 1 p.m. to face No. 5 seed Ellsworth (32-8) before closing out pool play with a 3 o'clock match against No. 4 Wichita Trinity (28-5).
On the other side of the 3A bracket are No. 2 seed Riverton (36-4), No. 3 Hoisington (36-4), No. 6 Holton (34-9) and No. 7 Osage City (27-12).
The top two finishers in both pools will advance to 9 a.m. semifinals on Saturday, followed by the championship and third-place matches.
CLASS 3A VOLLEYBALL
At Hutchinson Sports Arena
THURSDAY'S POOL PLAY
Pool I
10 a.m. -- Wichita Trinity (4: 28-5) vs. Ellsworth (5: 32-8).
11 -- Silver Lake (1: 41-1) vs. Hesston (8: 26-12).
12 p.m. -- Wichita Trinity vs. Hesston.
1 -- Silver Lake vs. Ellsworth.
2 -- Ellsworth vs. Hesston.
3 -- Silver Lake vs. Wichita Trinity.
Pool II
10 a.m. -- Hoisington (3: 36-4) vs. Holton (6: 34-9).
11 -- Riverton (2: 36-4) vs. Osage City (7: 27-12).
12 p.m. -- Hoisington vs. Osage City.
1 -- Riverton vs. Holton.
2 -- Holton vs. Osage City.
3 -- Riverton vs. Hoisington.
SATURDAY
9 a.m -- Semifinals.
(Championship and third-place matches 25 minutes after conclusion of last semifinal).
Eight-time Class 6A state champion Washburn Rural will be making its ninth straight state tournament appearance this weekend in Salina. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural takes aim on ninth Class 6A state crown
Eight-time Class 6A state champion Washburn Rural will be looking for title No. 9 this weekend in its ninth straight state appearance.
The 30-7 Junior Blues earned the No. 4 seed for Friday and Saturday's 6A event at Tony's Pizza Event Center in Salina with a 30-7 record.
Six of Rural's seven losses have come against state tournament teams in 6A, 5A and 4A, while the seventh defeat came at the hands of a Gardner-Edgerton team that played in a 6A sub-state final.
And now Washburn Rural coach Kevin Bordewick, who has led the Junior Blues to all eight of their state titles and ranks No. 2 on Kansas' all-time wins list, is hoping his team can step up its game even more this weekend.
"It's all about raising your level of play and your level of intensity, your mental toughness, and all those factors go into it,'' Bordewick said. "But we still have to be us. We can't be somebody we're not.
"The greatest teams make the routine plays more often than just making great plays and if we can just make routine plays more often than the other team we should be alright.''
The Junior Blues will open Pool I play in Friday's first match of the day at 10 a.m., facing No. 5 seed Olathe West (26-7), and Bordewick said he wants all of his team's focus to be on that match against an Owls team that defeated Rural 15-25, 25-19, 25-22 early in the season.
"We're just worried about Olathe West,'' he said. "We haven't really talked about any other teams yet. We did not feel like we played well against them, but they had a lot to do with that, too, when we played them way back in early Sept.
Brynn Anderson has turned in a banner freshman season, helping lead the Junior Blues to a ninth straight Class 6A state tournament berth. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
"I think overall, when you put everything together, we've come a really long way. We expect a lot out of ourselves and we have standards that people strive to get to and I think they've done that. They've continued what we've had for several years really, really well. I'm pretty proud of all of them.''
After a match break after facing Olathe West, Washburn Rural will face No. 8 seed Free State (20-12) at 12 p.m. before closing out pool play at 3 p.m. against top seed and two-time defending state champ Mill Valley (31-4).
On the other side of the 6A bracket are No. 2 seed Blue Valley West (30-4), No. 3 Wichita Northwest (30-6), No. 6 Manhattan (27-8) and No. 7 Olathe Northwest (28-9).
The top two finishers in both pools will advance to 1 p.m. semifinals on Saturday, followed by the championship and third-place matches.
CLASS 6A VOLLEYBALL
At Tony's Pizza Events Center, Salina
FRIDAY'S POOL PLAY
Pool I
10 a.m. -- Washburn Rural (4: 30-7) vs. Olathe West (5: 26-7).
11 -- Mill Valley (1: 31-4) vs. Free State (8: 20-12).
12 p.m. -- Washburn Rural vs. Free State.
1 -- Mill Valley vs. Olathe West.
2 -- Olathe West vs. Free State.
3 -- Mill Valley vs. Washburn Rural.
Pool II
10 a.m. -- Wichita Northwest (3: 30-6) vs. Manhattan (6: 27-8).
11 -- Blue Valley West (2: 30-4) vs. Olathe Northwest (7: 28-9).
12 p.m. -- Wichita Northwest vs. Olathe Northwest.
1 -- Blue Valley West vs. Manhattan.
2 -- Manhattan vs. Olathe Northwest.
3 -- Blue Valley West vs. Wichita Northwest.
SATURDAY
1 p.m -- Semifinals.
(Championship and third-place matches 25 minutes after conclusion of last semifinal).
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 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
Washburn Rural will make its traditional trip to the Class 6A state volleyball tournament next week after a dominating performance in Saturday's sub-state tourney on the Junior Blues' home court.
Washburn Rural earned its ninth straight trip to the Class 6A state volleyball tournament with a pair of straight-set wins Saturday at Rural. [Washburn Rural Athletics]
Rural, the No. 1 6A West seed, punched its ticket to the state tournament at Salina's Tony's Pizza Event Center with a 25-11, 25-4 semifinal win over No. 16 Wichita West and a 25-11, 25-21 win over No. 8 seed Maize in the championship match.
Now 30-6 on the season, the Junior Blues will be making their ninth straight state tournament appearance and their 27th in 31 seasons under coach Kevin Bordewick, who has led Rural to eight state titles and ranks No. 2 on Kansas' all-time career victory list.
Washburn Rural was ranked No. 5 in the final Kansas Volleyball Association 6A state rankings.
Hayden volleyball poses for a team picture after capturing a Class 4A sub-state title Saturday at Hayden. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Wildcats survive three-set final to earn return trip to Class 4A state
Hayden, the No. 4 Class 4A East seed, was pushed to three sets by No. 5 seed Eudora but outlasted the Cardinals, 25-23, 24-26, 25-20 Saturday at the Bueltel Activity Center to earn a return trip to next week's state tournament at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
Hayden senior Reese Huscher spikes the ball during Saturday's Class 4A sub-state at Hayden. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Hayden senior Ella Foster sets the ball during Saturday's Class 4A sub-state tournament at Hayden. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Hayden reached the championship match with a 25-7, 25-10 semifinal win over No. 13 Labette County while Eudora survived a three set semifinal with No. 12 seed Ottawa, taking a 20-25, 25-10, 25-19 win over the Cyclones.
Now 29-9 on the season, Hayden finished third in last year's state tournament and was ranked No. 3 in the final KVA state rankings.
Silver Lake volleyball celebrates its Class 3A sub-state title Saturday at Silver Lake. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Top-ranked Eagles top Riley County to take 3A sub-state crown
Silver Lake, the No. 1 Class 3A East seed and ranked No. 1 by the KVA for seven straight weeks, fought off Riley County in Saturday's sub-state final on the Eagles' home court to advance to next week's state tournament at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
Silver Lake volleyball celebrates a point during Saturday's Class 3A sub-state tournament at Silver Lake. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Now 41-1 on the season, Silver Lake dropped the first set to No. 3 sub-state seed Riley County, 25-23, but rallied to take 25-21 and 25-15 wins in the next two sets to garner the title.
Silver Lake took a 25-12, 25-9 semifinal win over No. 4 Perry-Lecompton while Riley County needed three sets to knock off No. 2 Nemaha Central, 21-25, 25-19, 25-18.
Rossville volleyball poses for a team picture after earning a Class 2A state tournament berth Saturday at Rossville. [Rossville volleyball]
Bulldawgs advance to 2A state with back-to-back thrillers
Tournament host and top sub-state seed Rossville was pushed to three sets in both its semifinal and championship matches, but the Bulldawgs survived both sets to advance to next week's Class 2A state tournament in Dodge City.
Rossville volleyball celebrates a point during Saturday's Class 2A sub-state tournament at Rossville. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Rossville junior Nora Burdiek spikes the ball during Saturday's Class 2A sub-state tournament at Rossville. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Rossville, ranked No. 7 in the final KVA 2A state rankings, outlasted No. 4 Cair Paravel Latin, 27-25, 19-25, 25-20 in the semifinals before rallying from a first-set loss against No. 2 Maur Hill-Mt. Academy in the sub-state final to take a 22-25, 25-23, 25-12 win.
Maur Hill-Mt. Academy advanced to the final with a 25-16, 27-25 semifinal win over Kansas City Christian.
The Bulldawgs will take a 28-13 record into the state tournament.
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
Silver Lake earned the No. 1 spot in Class 3A in the final Kansas Volleyball Association state ranking, the Eagles' seventh straight week atop the rankings.
Silver Lake earned the top spot in Class 3A in the final 2025 Kansas Volleyball Association state rankings, the Eagles' seventh straight week at No. 1 [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake, 36-1 at the time of the rankings, is joined in the rankings by fellow Shawnee County schools Washburn Rural, Hayden and Rossville.
Hayden (26-8) maintained the No. 3 spot in 4A, while Washburn Rural (28-6) moved up a spot to No. 5 in 6A and Rossville (23-13) remained No. 7 in 2A.
Kansas Volleyball Association State Rankings
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
Silver Lake and Rossville's volleyball teams both took their first steps to state tournament berths with Class 3A and 2A regional championships Monday night.
Kylie Hanni and the Silver Lake Eagles will host a Class 3A sub-state volleyball tournament on Saturday. [File photo/TSN]
Nora Burdiek and Rossville volleyball will host a Class 2A sub-state on Saturday. [File photo]
The Eagles and Bulldawgs will now host sub-state tournaments on Saturday, vying for berths in next week's state tournaments at Hutchinson (3A) and Dodge City (2A).
Silver Lake, top-ranked in 3A, rolled to three straight regional wins Monday night on its home court, taking a 25-9, 25-8 win over Council Grove, a 25-16, 25-11 win over Hiawatha and a 25-11, 25-18 win over Pleasant Ridge to wrap up the regional crown.
The Eagles will host 3A sub-state No. 1 at 2 p.m. on Saturday, facing Perry-Lecompton in one semifinal while Nemaha Central will face Riley County in the other semi. The two winners will meet for the sub-state title.
Rossville hosted a 2A regional Monday and the Bulldawgs went a perfect 3-0 with a 25-10, 25-8 win over McLouth, a 25-13, 25-8 victory over Central Heights and a 25-9, 25-14 win over Mission Valley.
The Bulldawgs will host 2A sub-state No. 2 on Saturday, taking on Cair Paravel Latin in a semifinal match while Maur Hill-Mt. Academy will square off against Kansas City Christian in the other semifinal. The two winners will play for the sub-state championship.
Cair Paravel went 2-1 in Monday's 2A regional at Jefferson North, posting a 26-24, 19-25, 26-24 win over Horton and a 25-16, 25-16 win over Atchison County before dropping a 25-16, 25-23 match to Jefferson North.
Washburn Rural, the No. 1 Class 6A West seed, will be aiming for its ninth straight state berth in a Saturday sub-state at Rural. [File photo/TSN]
Class 6A sub-state at Washburn Rural
Perennial state power Washburn Rural will be looking for its 27th Class 6A state tournament berth in Kevin Bordewick's 31st year as head coach and ninth straight when Rural hosts a sub-state tournament (1 p.m. start) on Saturday.
The Junior Blues, the No. 1 West seed at 28-6, will open their sub-state bid with a semifinal match against Wichita West (5-29) while Maize (16-20) will face Wichita East (5-28) in the other semifinal before the two winners face off in the championship match.
The sub-state champion will advance to next week's Class 6A state tournament at the Tony's Pizza Event Center in Salina.
Hailey Schmidtlein and Hayden volleyball will host a Class 4A sub-state tournament on Saturday. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Class 4A sub-state at Hayden
Hayden, third in Class 4A a year ago, will host a sub-state tournament on Saturday (1 p.m. start) in the Bueltel Activity Center, vying for a return trip to state next week at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
The Wildcats, 26-9 on the season and the No. 4 East seed, will play Labette County (12-22) in a semifinal match while No. 5 seed Eudora (25-10) will take on Ottawa (12-20) in the other semifinal.
The two semifinal winners will square off in the sub-state championship match.
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.
