Topeka High Trojans
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Jaxon Cowdin got into diving almost by accident, but the Topeka High senior will end his high school career in this week's Class 6A state meet as the most accomplished one-meter diver in school, something he's very proud of.
Topeka High senior Jaxon Cowdin won his third straight Centennial League diving title last Thursday, the lone city champion. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Cowdin credits older sister Maisie for helping getting him into the sport.
"She was a lifeguard over at one of the pools and I used to go there like all day and would dive off the diving boards and swim all the time, so she was like, 'Hey, you should probably go try dive,' Cowdin said. "So I came out for it and like the first two or three weeks I ended up breaking the school record and ended qualifying for state. So I'm pretty glad I did it.''
Fast forward to four years later and Cowdin has won four straight city diving titles and won his third straight Centennial League championship last Thursday.
"I think it's a cool thing for Topeka High School history,'' Cowdin said. "I think I've done something that very people can say that they've done, so I have a lot of pride in that.''
Now Cowdin is setting his sights this weekend at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatics Center on the one thing that's eluded him -- a state medal.
Cowdin, along with senior teammates Dominic and Malachi Delgado, will compete in the preliminaries and semifinals on Thursday, with the finals on Saturday.
"Probably the ultimate goal is going and getting a medal,'' Cowdin said. "I feel like I've come pretty close in the past three years but I've always been just short.
"I think I'm definitely more focused this year than I have been in past years and I think it's been especially good with the twins kind of riding up on me recently. I think that's definitely led to better competition.''
The three-day state meet will get under way with Thursday's diving prelims and semis, with the 6A event at 9:30 a.m. and 5A-1A at 4:30 p.m.
The 6A swimming preliminaries will start at 9 a.m. on Friday, with the 5A-1A prelims following at 4 p.m.
Championship 6A finals will get under way at 9 a.m. Friday, followed by the 5A-1A finals at 4 o'clock.
Senior Luke Lemke will compete in four events for Washburn Rural in the Class 6A state swimming meet. [File photo/TSN]
City champion and Centennial League runner up will be well-represented in the 6A state meet, with senior Luke Lemke (200-yard individual medley, 100 backstroke), sophomore Andres Morao-Jaspe (200 IM, 500 free) and freshman Thomas Appuhn (200 IM, 100 backstroke) all qualifying in two individual events while freshman Castle Wallace is qualified in the 100 breaststroke.
The Junior Blues are also qualified in the 200 medley relay, 200 free relay and 400 free relay.
Shawnee Heights senior Truman Brede was the lone city gold medalist in last Tuesday's UKC swimming championships. [File photo/TSN]
In 5A-1A Seaman senior Peyton Holmes (50 free, 100 free) and sophomore Kinser Barbosa (200 free, 100 butterfly) are both qualified in two individual events, as are Shawnee Heights seniors Truman Brede (200 free, 100 backstroke) and Evan Hoobler (100 butterfly, 100 breaststroke).
Hayden senior Palmer Heskett is an individual qualifier in the 200 IM while both Seaman and Hayden are qualified in the 200 medley and 400 free relays.
STATE SWIMMING/DIVING SCHEDULE
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Koti Best
KOTI BEST, Seaman
A senior wrestler, Best returned from an injury to claim the 125-pound championship and reach the 100-win milestone for her career in Saturday's Class 5A West regional at Seaman. Now 17-2 on the season, Best went 4-0 on the day with none of her matches lasting longer than 1 minute, 25 seconds, including pins in 25 seconds, 30 seconds and 1:02.
KaeVon Bonner
KAEVON BONNER, Seaman
Bonner, a 6-foot-3 junior guard, scored 26 points last Tuesday as No. 7-ranked Seaman took a 68-66 home United Kansas Conference win over No. 8-ranked Shawnee Heights. Bonner scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and went 12 of 15 at the free throw line as Seaman improved to 12-4 on the season.
Jaxon Cowdin
JAXON COWDIN, Topeka High
A senior swimmer/diver, Cowdin captured his third straight Centennial League championship in one-meter diving last Thursday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. Cowdin dominated the competition en route to a winning 11-dive score of 428.75. Cowdin's third league title came on the heels of his fourth straight city title.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake's boys outlasted Rossville Monday night for a 66-63 Big East League win on the Eagles' home floor, avenging an earlier loss to the rival Bulldawgs.
Junior Dayne Johnson led Silver Lake with 31 points in Monday's 66-63 win over Rossville. [File photo/TSN]
The game was tight throughout, with Rossville leading 15-13 at the end of the first quarter before Silver Lake used a 19-12 second quarter to go up 32-27 at the half.
It was still a five-point game at the start of the fourth quarter (47-42) before the Eagles held off the Bulldawgs down the stretch.
Junior Dayne Johnson led the 14-4 Eagles to their fourth straight win with a game-high 31 points while Jared Johnson and Brody Deiter added 11 points each, with J. Johnson hitting three 3-pointers.
Junior Jack Donovan led 12-6 Rossville with 20 points (three 3-pointers) while Cameron Miller added 18 points with three 3s and Kameron Badura had 12 points.
Eagle girls roll to 38-point victory over rivals
Silver Lake's girls dominated the first half Monday night on the way to a 58-20 Big East League win over rival Rossville at Silver Lake.
The 16-2 Eagles outscored the 8-10 Bulldawgs 17-4 in the first quarter and then used a 20-2 second quarter to take a huge 37-6 cushion to the locker room at the half.
Silver Lake increased its advantage to 56-16 at the end of the third quarter, forcing a running clock the rest of the way.
Freshman Karys Deiter led the Eagles with a game-high 19 points while Taylor Zordel added 13 points and Ella Bolan 12.
Junior Rylee Dick led Rossville with 13 points.
Junior Simon Rowley scored a game-high 18 points Monday night as Washburn Rural posted a 65-39 road win over Emporia. [File photo/TSN]
Rural boys clinch share of Centennial crown with 65-39 romp
Washburn Rural's boys rode a monster first half to a 65-39 Centennial League road win at Emporia Monday night, with the clinching at least a share of the league championship with three games remaining.
The Junior Blues put the game away by halftime, hitting 11 3-pointers en route to opening up a commanding 41-18 lead at the break after leading by as many as 29 points.
Rural cooled off a little in the second half but still connected on 13 of 28 3s on the night.
Junior Simon Rowley scored 16 of his game-high 18 points in the first half, going 4 of 4 from 3-point range.
Senior Kaden Ballard hit three 3-pointers in the first half on the way to a 12-point night while freshman Brooks Ballard canned a pair of first-half treys.
With Monday's win the Junior Blues improved to 13-4 overall and 7-0 in the league, holding a full three-game lead over Junction City in the league race.
Washburn Rural will be at home Friday to host Hayden in a Centennial League tilt.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights, top-ranked in the most recent Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association Class 5A rankings, posted a strong runnerup team finish in Saturday's 5A East Regional at Bonner Springs, qualifying 12 wrestlers for state.
Junior Cianna Graves improved to 35-2 on the season while winning the 150-pound title for Shawnee Heights in Saturday's Class 5A East regional. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Madison Freeland (left) won the 140-pound Class 5A regional title Saturday at Bonner Springs. [File photo/TSN]
Heights finished the regional tournament with 215.5 points, while the T-Birds' United Kansas Conference rival, Basehor Linwood, took first with 234.5 points.
Shawnee Heights got individual regional championships from 125-pound senior Reece Taylor, 140-pound senior Madison Freeland and 135-pound junior Cianna Graves while freshman Ava Gutierrez (100) and senior Isabel Reyes (130) advanced to the regional finals, finishing second.
Taylor, No. 1 ranked in 5A at 125, improved to 33-3 with her regional title, posting a 1 minute, 18 second pin over Blue Valley Southwest senior Brynn Lowe in the final.
Freeland, No. 5-ranked at 140, is 28-6 on the season after recording a 3:25 pin over Bonner Springs junior Nevaeh Brown in her final while Graves, 35-2 and top-ranked at 155, took a 4-2 win over Bonner Springs junior Addison Voges in the regional championship match.
Sophomore Audry Hinkly (120) and junior Olivia Stevens (145) posted third-place finishes while freshman Olive Jones (135) and sophomore Brooklyn Binkley (170) placed fourth, junior Mara Grau-Jones (235) fifth, freshman Halle Hill (110) sixth and junior Shelby Watson (190) seventh.
Highland Park finished 10th as a team while qualifying five wrestlers for state.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka High's girls avenged an earlier six-point loss to Manhattan with a 64-52 home Centennial League win over the Indians Friday night.
Freshman Hailey Caryl led Topeka High with 22 points in Friday's 64-52 Centennial League win over Manhattan Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
Freshman Hailey Caryl led the Trojans with 22 points, going 7 of 7 from the field, and also contributed 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.
Sophomore Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton added 18 points, with a pair of 3pointers, while junior Keimara Marshall had 12 points with 8 rebounds and senior Jo'Mhara Benning had 5 points and 13 rebounds.
Topeka High, which dropped a 60-54 decision to the Indians on Feb. 5, improved to 10-7 overall and 3-4 in the Centennial League while Manhattan fell to 10-6, 3-3.
Indians trip Trojan boys in OT
Looking for its second straight win, Topeka High's boys took Manhattan to overtime Friday night at High before dropping a 73-66 decision to the Indians.
Manhattan improved to 6-10 while Topeka High fell to 1-16.
Junior Simon Rowley led Washburn Rural with 18 points in Friday's 64-58 Centennial League win at Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
Junior Blues protect Centennial lead with 64-58 win at Junction City
Washburn Rural's boys strengthened their hold on the Centennial League lead with a 64-58 win at Junction City Friday night.
Junior Simon Rowley led the Junior Blues with 18 points while Amare Jones had 14 points, senior Kaden Ballard 12 points and junior John Hoytal nine.
Rural, which won its third straight game, improved to 12-4 overall and a perfect 6-0 in the league while the Blue Jays fell to 10-6, 3-3.
Senior Kate Hinck led Washburn Rural with 17 points in Friday's 71-13 Centennial League win at Junction City. [File photo/TSN]
Rural girls take 71-13 Centennial road win over Blue Jays
Ten Washburn Rural players cracked the scoring column, including three double-figure scorers, as the Junior Blues rolled to a 71-13 Centennial League win at Junction City.
Senior Kate Hinck led the Junior Blues with 17 points, followed by Maddie Vickery with 16 points and Gracie Hayes with 12 points on four 3-pointers.
Rural built a 45-8 halftime lead and a running clock was used throughout the second half.
Senior Kamoni Ford led Topeka West with 13 points in Friday's 69-46 UKC win over Leavenworth. [File photo/TSN]
West boys roll to 69-46 UKC road win over Leavenworth
Four Topeka West players cracked double figures Friday night as the Chargers improved to 10-6 on the season with a 69-46 United Kansas Conference road victory at Leavenworth.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Junior Octavian McFadden led Topeka High with 18 points in Tuesday's 65-60 Centennial League win at Hayden. [File photo/TSN]
MANHATTAN at TOPEKA HIGH
Topeka High, 1-15 overall, 1-5 in the Centennial League, picked up its first win of the season on Tuesday, posting a 65-60 road decision over No. 4-ranked (Class 4A) Hayden. Junior Octavian McFadden led the Trojans with a game-high 18 points while junior Elisha Guest added 15 points with three 3-pointers and junior Bryson McComas had 13 points. Manhattan (5-10, 2-3) is coming off a 74-45 loss at Washburn Rural on Tuesday. Game time: 7:30 p.m.
Shawnee Heights senior Jaret Sanchez (3) has scored 39 and 38 points in his last two games for the 13-3 T-Birds. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
DE SOTO at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS
Shawnee Heights, No. 8-ranked in Class 5A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, is coming off a tough 68-66 United Kansas Conference loss at No. 7 Seaman Tuesday night, with the Vikings falling to 13-3 overall and 9-3 in the conference. Senior Jaret Sanchez scored 39 points against Seaman after scoring 38 points in his previous game. Senior Deacon Pomeroy added 13 points for the T-Birds. De Soto (9-6, 6-5) is coming off a 55-46 UKC win over Basehor-Linwood Tuesday. Game time: 7:15 p.m.
EMPORIA at HAYDEN
Hayden, ranked No. 4 in Class 4A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, is coming off a 65-60 Centennial League loss to Topeka High Tuesday night while Emporia, No. 9 in 5A, dropped a 69-66 overtime league decision to Junction City. Junior Connor Hanika led the Wildcats with 16 points against Topeka High. The Wildcats and Spartans will be playing for the third time this season, with Emporia taking 60-44 and 61-56 wins in the first two games. Game time: 7:45 p.m.
Shawnee Heights senior Jaret Sanchez (3) has scored 39 and 38 points in his last two games for the 13-3 T-Birds. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
WASHBURN RURAL at JUNCTION CITY
Washburn Rural is coming off a 74-45 home Centennial League romp past Manhattan on Tuesday, with the Junior Blues improving to 11-4 overall and a perfect 5-0 in the league. Junior John Hoytal led Washburn Rural with 18 points against Manhattan while senior Amare Jones and junior Simon Rowley added 14 points apiece. Junction City (10-5, 3-2) is coming off a 69-66 overtime league win over Emporia on Tuesday. Rural took a 59-56 home win over the Blue Jays on Jan. 30. Game time: 7:30 p.m.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Sophomore Maddie Vickery scored a game-high 27 points in Washburn Rural's 58-28 win over Manhattan Tuesday night. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
WASHBURN RURAL at JUNCTION CITY
Washburn Rural, ranked No. 6 in Class 6A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, is 11-4 overall and 4-1 in the Centennial League after a 58-28 home league win over Manhattan on Tuesday. Sophomore Maddie Vickery led Washburn Rural with 27 points, going 9 of 10 at the free throw line, while senior Kate Hinck had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Junction City dropped a 61-14 decision to league-leading Hayden last Friday. Game time: 6 p.m.
Sophomore Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton scored 19 points in Topeka High's 55-49 loss at Hayden Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
MANHATTAN at TOPEKA HIGH
Topeka High, 9-7 overall, 2-4 in the Centennial League, is coming off a 55-49 league loss at top-ranked (Class 4A) and league-leading Hayden on Tuesday, the Trojans' third straight loss, while Manhattan (10-5, 3-2) dropped a 58-28 league game at Washburn Rural. Sophomore Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton led Topeka High with 19 points while freshman Hailey Caryl added 10 points against Hayden. Game time: 6 p.m.
Shawnee Heights sophomore KK Emmot (1) scored 18 points in Tuesday's 64-54 loss to unbeaten Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
DE SOTO at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS
Shawnee Heights is 11-5 overall and 8-4 in the United Kansas Conference after a 64-54 UKC road loss to undefeated and top-ranked (Class 5A) Seaman on Tuesday. Sophomore KK Emmot led Shawnee Heights with 18 points against Seaman while senior Kaydence Torrez added 13 points and junior Reianna Vega 12. De Soto is 11-4 overall and 7-4 after a 46-43 loss to Basehor-Linwood. Game time: 5:45 p.m.
Freshman Hailey Schmidtlein (2) scored 19 points in Hayden's 55-49 Centennial League win over Topeka High Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
EMPORIA at HAYDEN
Hayden, top-ranked in Class 4A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, improved to 14-1 overall and a perfect 6-0 in the Centennial League on Tuesday with a 55-49 league win over Topeka High. Freshman Hailey Schmidtlein led the Wildcats with 19 points against the Trojans while senior Millie Ramsey added 17 points and senior Brylee Meier 10. Emporia dropped a 62-29 league decision to Manhattan last Friday. Game time: 6:15 p.m.
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The rebuilding of the Washburn Rural boys swim team took another step Thursday as it placed second in the Centennial League Championship at Capitol Federal Natatorium.
A loaded Manhattan team ran away with all three relays and eight of nine individual events to rack up 500 points. Washburn Rural finished second with 425.
Topeka High senior Jaxon Cowdin won his third straight Centennial League diving title Thursday, the lone city champion. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
The lone gold medal claimed by anyone not from Manhattan came in the one-meter diving competition, won by Topeka High senior Jaxon Cowdin.
Cowdin dominated Thursday's competition en route to a 428.75-299.50 victory over teammate Roland Weaver, with the Topeka High standout adding a third straight Centennial League title to his four city championships.
"I think it's a cool thing for Topeka High School history,'' Cowdin said of Thursday's accomplishment. "I think I've done something that very few people can say they've done, so I have a lot of pride in that.''
Last year’s Washburn Rural team, which placed third in in Class 6A, was dominated by seniors. The team is rebuilding this season, with a number of freshmen and sophomores swimming in key positions.
“We put people into events they’d never been in before, hoping to find some slots where we could beat (Manhattan),” Washburn Rural coach Bob Burdick said. “But they had a really good night tonight, and (Manhattan coach Alex Brown) had some time drops that even he didn’t expect. So, they took away some of those points. They ended up beating us by 75, which is sort of like a touchdown and a field goal.
“But I’m OK with this, second place this year. It was good experience, and we had an opportunity to build for next year.”
Washburn Rural senior Luke Lemke finished second in four events in Thursday's Centennial League swimming meet, helping Rural post a runnerup team finish. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Sophomore Andres Morao-Jaspe helped lead Washburn Rural to a runnerup team finish in the Centennial League meet. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Castle Wallace finished second in the 100 breaststroke for Centennial League runnerup Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
While no Washburn Rural swimmers took home gold medals, they claimed several silvers. Luke Lemke led the Junior Blues by taking second in the 200 yard individual medley and the 100 yard backstroke. He also anchored two Washburn Rural relay teams that took second. Andres Morao-Jaspe took second in the 500 yard freestyle. Castle Wallace placed second in the 100 yard breaststroke.
Topeka High's Dawson Blankenship posted a second-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly in Thursday's Centennial League meet. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High’s Dawson Blankenship took second in the 100 yard butterfly.
Washburn Rural has qualified just one senior – Lemke – for individual events at the state meet. It has also qualified sophomore Morao-Jaspe and freshmen Wallace and Thomas Appuhn. Additionally, several seniors will swim on the relay teams that Washburn Rural sends to state.
“This was really powerful that we’ve come so far as a team,” Lemke said. “I was quite scared going into this year because we lost all of our heavy hitters. We pulled through and I’m extremely proud of all my men.”
CENTENNIAL LEAGUE SWIMMING/DIVING
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
It might have been cold outside, but it definitely was not cold inside the Ken Bueltel Center Tuesday as the Class 4A No. 1-ranked Hayden girls would go up against Topeka High.
Freshman Hailey Schmidtlein (2) tied for game-high honors with 19 points in Hayden's 55-49 win at Hayden Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Millie Ramsey had 11 of her 17 points in the second half in Hayden's 55-49 win over Topeka High. [File photo/TSN]
And although the Wildcats would trail much of the game, Hayden took control down the stretch to pull out a 55-49 Centennial League victory.
The Trojans would get off to a hot start by going up 15-11 to end the first and the game would go back and fourth but ending the first half would be all Trojans.
The Trojans were led by sophomore guard Ahsieryrhuajh Rayton, who scored 11 of her 19 in the first half.
After making some changes at halftime Hayden would finish the third quarter still trailing 42-40 but would out-score the Trojans 14-13 in the third and 15-7 in the fourth to pull out the 6-point win.
The Wildcats got big nights from freshman Hailey Schmidtlein, who would tie for game-high scoring honors with Rayton with 19 points, and senior Amelia Ramsey, who would score 17 points with 11 of those coming after halftime.
“This was a hard fought game, they have a lot of talent and their two guards were hot and they have added some things down low,'' Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson said. "They will be a tough out for anybody come postseason. I was really proud of our girls for coming back and getting the win.
“Hailey allowed us to get out in transition, Millie did what Millie does. She is a force in the paint, gets offensive and defensive rebounds, has a soft touch around the rim. Brylee (Meier), Norma (Greco) and Bella (Reid), all our seniors played really well tonight.”
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman's girls and Washburn Rural's Logan Glinka earned bragging rights in Friday's Topeka Shawnee County Bowling Championships at Gage Bowl for the second straight season, with the Vikings repeating as the girls team champion and Glinka winning his second straight individual boys title.
Seaman's girls bowling team won its second straight city team title on Friday at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural's boys bowling team won the 2025 city team title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman freshman Kayla Duncan and sophomore Paige Snyder went one-two in the girls individual race and Glinka's Rural boys team rounded out the city champions.
Seaman's girls won the team title by a 3,000-2,949 margin over Washburn Rural, including the four Baker format games, as Duncan won the individual championship with a 623 series while 2024 champion Snyder was second with a 607 series.
Washburn Rural, third as a team in 2024, took the boys team title by a 3,505-3,398 margin over Shawnee Heights, including the Baker games.
Glinka led the way for the Junior Blues, riding a first-game 278 to a 734 series and the individual title by a 72-pin margin over teammate Tyler Faurot, who rolled a 662 series.
Glinka's winning total on Friday was five pins better than his winning series of 729 in the 2024 city meet, following up his 278 with 232 and 224 games.
"I had a good look all day,'' Glinka said. "The third game I struggled in the end, but I'm really happy how I bowled. Obviously I wanted to go back to back.''
Glinka was also thrilled that Rural could claim the team crown.
"I was proud of our team,'' he said. "Last year I felt like I did well, but the rest of my team struggled a little bit, but I felt like this year the whole team did great.
"We were really positive, had a lot of energy. I was extremely proud of my team.''
Snyder improved her 2024 winning score of 606 by a pin on Friday, but Duncan stole the show in her first city meet, putting together scores of 203, 235 and 185 to take individual honors and lead the Vikings to the team repeat.
"I think its going pretty well,'' Duncan said about the 2025 season. "We really are good at keeping each other's spirits up, especially if one gets down, and I just think it's just a good team overall.
"We're very happy overall.''
City girls bowling medalists, right to left: Kayla Duncan, Seaman; Paige Snyder, Seaman; Addison VanMetre, Shawnee Heights; Claire LaDuke, Seaman; Claire LaDuke, Seaman; Ashley Lee, Hayden. Not pictured: Ashley Billups, Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Shawnee Heights' Addison VanMetre finished third individually with a 570 series, followed by Seaman's Claire LaDuke (569), Rural's Ashley Billups (562) and Hayden's Ashley Lee (554) to round out the top six girls finishers.
City boys bowling medalists, right to left: Logan Glinka, Washburn Rural; Tyler Faurot, Washburn Rural; Henry Schattilly, Shawnee Heights; Donovan Davis, Shawnee Heights; Jackson Keller, Washburn Rural; Dylan Hunt, Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Boys runnerup Shawnee Heights got third and fourth-place finishes from Henry Schattilly (658) and Donovan Davis (657) while Washburn Rural's Jackson Keller finished fifth (650) and Seaman's Dylan Hunt finished sixth (649).
TOPEKA SHAWNEE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS
BY ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's boys and girls wrestling teams took runnerup finishes at the Centennial League Championships Saturday at Topeka High.
The Manhattan girls defeated Washburn Rural 42-38 in the opening dual round. Manhattan and Washburn Rural won the rest of their respective duals, which helped the Tribe secure its first Centennial League championship in girls history.
Washburn Rural's Emmerson Blanco won the 140-pound championship in Saturday's Centennial League wrestling tournament. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural's Ashley Schwarz won the 155-pound championship in Saturday's Centennial League wrestling tournament. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
“We knew it was going to be tough coming in,” Washburn Rural girls head coach Damon Parker said. “Coach (Shawn) Bammes and that crew over in Manhattan have done a fantastic job with their girls. Looking at it on paper, we knew it was going to be a real tough matchup for us … We knew we were going to have our hands full and we were going to have to be at our absolute best and we weren’t in that first dual today. We wrestle that dual 100 times, we win 50 and they win 50.
"It was a lot of fun. We are absolutely not letting the fact that they finished four points above us in that one dual cloud how well our kids wrestled today.”
Washburn Rural’s girls had won four straight Centennial League titles (2020-2024) coming into Saturday. While not taking home the league championship stings for the Washburn Rural group, the optimism is high for its program for the remainder of the season.
“It’s been such a blast,” Parker said. “I’m sure I say something like this every year, but I don’t remember having this much fun coaching. I’m not sure this team is equipped to win a state championship this year, but I also remember saying the same thing last year. It’s all about who shows up when it matters. There’s no team that’s more dangerous than the team that doesn’t care whether they win or lose. We do not place any kind of value on them as human beings on how they do out there on the match. And I think that bleeds over to the way they wrestle.”
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's girls basketball ended last week with a disappointing loss to Shawnee Heights in the championship game of the Capital City Classic, with the Junior Blues letting a 16-point lead get away.
Sophomore Maddie Vickery led Washburn Rural with 22 points in Friday's 65-44 Centennial League win over Topeka High. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
But, fortunately for the seventh-ranked (Class 6A) Junior Blues, they had three opportunities this week to wipe that bad taste out of their mouths and took full advantage, posting three double-digit wins, capped by a 65-44 Centennial League romp past No. 10-ranked Topeka High Friday at Rural.
"I thought it was (good) for us,'' Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said of the busy week, "because I thought every game we saw a little bit of improvement, culminating in tonight because T-High's really good.
"I thought defensively we were more locked in on what we should do, especially in the first half, and offensively I know everything looks better when you're hitting shots, but we were moving, we were more in a rhythm and even when we were shooting from outside it was comfortable, we weren't forcing anything. Everything was just a little more fluid.''
Washburn Rural, now 10-4 overall and 3-1 in the league, was never seriously threatened after scoring the first 16 points of the night and leading 23-2 before ending the first quarter with a 23-6 advantage.
The Junior Blues continued to pour it on the Trojans in the second quarter, using a 26-15 scoring edge to take a commanding 49-21 advantage to the locker room at the half.
Rural increased its lead to as many as 35 in the third stanza and finished the quarter with a 63-32 lead to force a running clock throughout the fourth quarter.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Even though Washburn Rural's boys entered Friday's home game as the Centennial League leader against a Topeka High team that was still looking for its first win, Junior Blues coach Alex Hutchins, whose team was coming off a 22-point non-league loss, had concerns.
Junior Simon Rowley scored a game-high 21 points Friday night as Washburn Rural improved to 10-4 with a 79-41 win over Topeka High. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
But the Junior Blues quickly put their coach's worries at ease, scoring the first seven points of the night and building a double-digit lead by the end of the first quarter on the way to a 79-41 rout over the Trojans.
"We had the winter crowning ceremony and the pep rally and kind of a spirit week and you kind of combine that with the taste that we had in our mouths Tuesday (after a 70-48 loss to Blue Valley), there was some concern coming in, but we really just thought it was going to come down to defense and guarding,'' Hutchins said.
"We felt like if we let them be comfortable offensively and just traded baskets all night that's when they could get pretty dangerous, so I thought our guys did a pretty good job on the defensive end of kind of holding them down and taking control.''
Rural, now 10-4 overall and 4-0 in the league, opened up a 21-10 first-quarter advantage after leading by as many as 13 points and never looked back.
TopSports.news
The Cair Paravel Lions boys basketball team never looked back after a 24-point first quarter on its way to a 69-50 victory over the Maranatha Christian Eagles on Tuesday night at Cair Paravel Latin School.
Lucas Marichal led Cair Paravel with 19 points in the Lions' 69-50 win over Maranatha Academy Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
The contest started as a scoring duel between Maranatha’s Daniel Dean and Cair Paravel’s Lucas Marichal, with Dean tallying the 3-11 Eagles’ first five points as the visitors took an early 5-2 lead.
Marichal answered with his first of four 3-pointers of the night, and following a free throw from Dean, the Cair Paravel junior made consecutive baskets to give the Lions (6-8) a 9-6 lead they would not relinquish.
The 3-point barrage continued for the Lions, with triples from Chase Hastert and Judah Congdon before Marichal knocked down another shot from behind the arc to give Cair Paravel a 24-17 advantage after the first quarter.
The Lions showed off their defensive prowess in the second quarter, allowing only six points off three Maranatha field goals.
Hastert and Caleb Cleverdon hit 3-pointers in the frame for Cair Paravel, while Jase Pavlik recorded his first five points of the evening in the quarter as the Lions took a 38-23 lead into halftime.
After the break Pavlik and Cleverdon found baskets in the first minute of the third quarter, extending the lead to 19 and forcing a quick timeout from the Eagles.
The Lions pushed the lead as high as 21, but a pair of baskets from Dean and a 3-pointer from Joe Allen brought the deficit back to 13 as Cair Paravel held a 46-33 lead midway through the third quarter.
Any sign of a comeback was quickly put to rest, as Marichal knocked down another 3-pointer and Blaine Durbin added a pair of baskets, with the Lions leading 55-38 after three quarters.
Cair Paravel finished the game with a balanced offensive attack, with five points from Marichal and four from Pavlik in the fourth quarter.
Senior Billy Lanich added a layup in the closing seconds to seal the 19-point victory for the Lions. Marichal led all scorers with 19 points for Cair Paravel.
Pavlik recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Hastert added 10 points off the bench.
The Lions shot just over 48 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Eagles, 34-18.
Dean led Maranatha with 18 points on 7-10 shooting while also pulling down six rebounds. Pennbrook Shaver tallied 14 points, while center Luke Shrader scored nine points with six rebounds.
Cair Paravel coach Chip Kueffer was impressed with all aspects of his team’s performance in the win.
“I think defense always leads to offense,'' Kueffer said. "We were really focused defensively on (Maranatha’s Owen Smail and Luke Shrader), both of those guys can get 25 a night,” Kueffer said. “We really just focused on making them uncomfortable, picking them up at halfcourt, and then offensively, you don’t have anything to think about.”
Despite a significant size disadvantage, Cair Paravel grabbed 16 more rebounds than Maranatha, and the effort did not go unnoticed by Kueffer.
“We’re giving up a lot of size, and they play their hearts out,” Kueffer said of his squad. “Everybody has to do their part to defend and rebound. If you’re on the floor, you’re rebounding. If you’re on the floor, you’re defending, no excuses. So I was glad to see that out of everybody today.”
Cair Paravel will be back in action on Thursday against Eskridge-Mission Valley. The Lions will look to avenge a 50-48 loss on Jan. 21.
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Topeka High girls cruised to a 65-29 home Centennial League win over Emporia Tuesday in what will be a tune-up for a rugged stretch of games.
Junior Trish Short scored 10 points to help Topeka High take a 65-29 Centennial League win over Emporia Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Trojans don’t have long to relish the blowout of the Spartans. They hit the road Wednesday for a makeup game at Manhattan, then they face Washburn Rural, the seventh-ranked team in Class 6A class, followed by Hayden, the top-ranked team in 4A.
But for one night, they can enjoy it.
The Trojans ripped off an 18-0 run to open the game, holding the Spartans scoreless for nearly six minutes. Leading Topeka High in scoring was junior Ahsieryrhuajh Rayton with 20 points. Freshman Hailey Caryl added 12 points and junior Trish Short 10.
“We played hard, and we played together,” said Short. “Usually when we blow teams out, we let off the gas a little bit. But today we played hard throughout the whole four quarters. We know that no matter who we play, we have to play to our level. We can’t lower to other people’s level.”
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Topeka High boys remain on the hunt for win number one of the season. They battled Emporia at Topeka High Tuesday night, but came up short, falling 65-42.
Junior Bryson McComas led Topeka High with 15 points in Tuesday's 65-42 loss to Emporia. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Trojans stuck around, even cutting the Spartans’ lead to just five points early in the third period. But the visitors eventually pulled away, outscoring Topeka High 32-17 in the second half.
The outcome was a disappointment after the Trojans’ arrow was trending up for a couple of weeks.
The Trojans battled valiantly in the Topeka Invitational Tournament, losing two of the three games in overtime. They hung close to Seaman, the eighth-ranked team in Class 5A.
But every time they tried to make a run at Emporia Tuesday, the Spartans responded.
“I think we took a step back today, and I don’t know why,” Topeka High coach Geo Lyons said. “We played some great ball in those three games in the TIT. Our guys really felt like they let three games get away. Then we faced a tough Seaman team and, if you take the second quarter away, we win the other three quarters.
“So, I thought we had a great couple of days of practice coming into this matchup. But for whatever reason we didn’t play to the best of our ability. We ran into a buzz saw in that Emporia team.”
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Anna Becker
ANNA BECKER, Seaman
Becker, a senior guard, was named the Most Valuable Player in last week's Glacier's Edge Tournament at Emporia after helping lead the undefeated and top-ranked (Class 5A) Vikings to the tournament championship. The Drake signee scored 47 points in Seaman's three victories, including 21 points with 4 3-pointers in Saturday's 63-50 win over No. 2 ranked (6A) Derby in the title game.
Jaxon Cowdin
JAXON COWDIN, Topeka High
A senior, Cowdin captured his fourth straight city one-meter diving championship last Thursday at the Capitol Federal Natatiorium while helping the Trojans swimming/diving team post a second place team finish. Cowdin won the the city diving title with a six-dive score of 253.15 and also finished fifth in the 50-yard free and swam on High's second-place 200-yard free relay and third-place 200 medley relay.
KK EMMOT, Shawnee Heights
Emmot, a sophomore, scored a career-high 36 points on Saturday as Shawnee Heights rallied from a 16-point deficit late in the first half to take a 59-54 win over No. 5-ranked (Class 6A) Washburn Rural in the championship game of the Capital City Classic at Topeka West. Emmot 75 points in the T-Birds' three games on the week, scoring 14 in a 54-47 OT win over Blue Valley and 25 points in a 65-32 win over Topeka West.
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Rewind to a year ago and the Hayden boys where in the same position as Topeka High found itself in Tuesday night as the Wildcats entered the game on a 12-game losing streak and would leave by beating the Trojans 57-42.
Junior Elisha Guest scored 15 points with three 3-pointers in Topeka High's 65-60 Centennial League win over Hayden. [File photo/TSN]
Fast forward to Tuesday as Topeka High would be the team needing a win and the Trojans would find just that, picking up their first win of the season with a 65-60 road Centennial League victory over Class 4A No. 4-ranked Hayden .
The start of the game would be in favor of the Wildcats as they would get off to the hot start with a 14-12 lead at the end of the first quarter and take a 33-27 lead into halftime, led by junior Connor Hanika, who would have 12 of his team high 16 points at halftime.
High would come out of halftime fighting as they would be down 54-47 at the end of three with a huge momentum swing right at the buzzer when junior Elisha Guest would hit a 3 to end the third and help his team get hot going into the fourth.
The Trojans would out-score the Wildcats 18-6 in the fourth to rally for the 5-point victory.
The Trojans would get a big night from Topeka West transfer Guest, who would score 15 points.
Guest, who spent the last 2 seasons at West made the move to High over the summer and has been a huge help for coach Geo Lyons and the Trojans.
“He is a basketball junkie, he is a gym rat, he is the kid I talk to the most,'' Lyons said. "He watches a lot of film, he is a sponge and wants to absorb as much as he can. We do a lot of film sessions one on one, and he has came in and helped push the guys that where here before he got here. He has been a great spark for us coming over from West.''
“It has been crazy,'' Guest said. "The pressure, the challenge of coming in and starting, I am glad to be doing it. I love basketball.”
Junior Octavian McFadden led Topeka High with a game-high 18 points in Tuesday's 65-60 Centennial League win at Hayden. [File photo/TSN]
The Trojans also got a big night from junior Octavian McFadden, who would lead all scorers with 18 points.
“I am proud of my teammates, all my points came off of assists from my teammates,'' McFadden said. "Coach just kept telling us we were right there and remained calm and kept telling us we were right there. Every game we’ve been there and then we slipped, but this one we started slipping and big guys came in and made big plays, and defense led to offense.”
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- The Topeka High Trojans dominated the Wichita South Titans through three quarters Saturday, but had to hang on over the final eight minutes to capture fifth place in the Glacier’s Edge Tournament in Emporia. The Trojans improved to 8-4 on the season with a 51-45 decision over the Titans.
Sophomore Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton scored 19 points to lead Topeka High in Saturday's 51-45 win over Wichita South. [File photo/TSN]
As you might expect from a game starting at 11 o'clock on a Saturday morning, both teams started slow and the first point was scored with 4:00 remaining in the first quarter on a free throw by Wichita South freshman Auhmari Gary. The Trojans responded and closed the quarter on an 11-6 run to lead 11-7.
As the second quarter began, the Trojans continued their defensive intensity and held the Titans to 2-19 shooting from the field for the entire half for 11 percent. The Trojans took a commanding lead to the half at 30-13, with sophomore Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton leading the way for the Trojans with 13 points in the first half and junior Keimara Marshall dropping in 9 points.
By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
After playing the final game of the first round of the Glacier’s Edge Tournament at Emporia High School on Thursday, the Topeka High Lady Trojans played the first game of the afternoon on Friday.
Sophomore Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton scored 24 points in Friday's 84-45 Topeka High win over Wichita Northwest. [File photo/TSN]
In a contest that was never in doubt, the Trojans defeated the Wichita Northwest Grizzlies, 84-45.
The victory propelled the Trojans, now 7-4 on the season, into the fifth-place game Saturday morning at 11 a.m., where they will face the Wichita South Titans.
The first eight minutes were dominated by the Trojans. Sophomore Aysieyrhuajh Rayton scored 11, freshman Hailey Caryl scored 6 and sophomore Keimara Marshall 5 to give Topeka High a commanding 26-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
It was more of the same in the second stanza as the Lady Trojans tallied 29 points in the quarter, led by Marshall’s 12 points while junior Trish Short and Caryl each scored 6 as Topeka led 55-27 at the half.
The third quarter saw the Trojans outscore the Grizzlies 25-5. Rayton tallied 10 points followed by Short’s 5 points. The lead at the end of the quarter was 80-32, causing the running clock to be used during the fourth quarter.
