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Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame set to add five new members on Monday
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Local sports greats Jerad Head, Trey Lewis, Brenda Stolle, Duane Zlatnik and the late Bob Davis will be inducted into the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame on Monday at Washburn University.
The Topeka Area Sports Commission will host the 20th annual Topeka Shawnee County Hall of Fame induction ceremony from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Washburn's Memorial Union.
Head was a multi-sport star at Hayden and Washburn University before embarking on a long career in professional baseball, including a Major League stint with the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians).
Lewis was a standout at Washburn Rural and earned NCAA Division II All-America honors as a defensive lineman before being drafted by the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons.
Stolle, a Silver Lake graduate, was a standout pitcher for the Emporia State softball team from 1979-81. During that time, she guided the Hornets to a national championship in 1980 and a second-place finish in 1981.
Zlatnik was a star lineman and three-time state wrestling champion at Rossville before becoming a three-year starter in the offensive line for the University of Kansas.
A Topeka West graduate, Davis carved out a legendary broadcasting career, including long stints for the University of Kansas and the Kansas City Royals.
The 2025 Hall of Fame event will feature a luncheon followed by the official program.
Established in 2006, the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame continues its mission to preserve and honor the legacies of those who have significantly advanced athletics in Shawnee County.
Hall of Fame Class of 2025 capsules:
Jerad Head
JERAD HEAD
Head earned All-Class 4A honors in football, basketball and baseball at Hayden and played basketball and baseball at Washburn University before being signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Cleveland Indians in 2006.
Head was promoted to the majors on August 28, 2011 and played in 10 games as a left fielder and pinch hitter.
Head also played Minor League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers and Washington Nationals organizations before ending his playing career in 2013.
He was named as manager of the Auburn Doubledays of the Class A Short Season New York-Penn League in 2016 and managed through 2018.
Trey Lewis
TREY LEWIS
After graduating from Washburn Rural, Lewis played for the Washburn Ichabod football team from 2003-06 as a defensive lineman and became the first Ichabod to be named to the Associated Press Little All-American team since 1963. Lewis was also named to the American Football Coaches Association All-American team after recording 62 tackles as a senior with 36 solo stops, 10 tackles for loss and four sacks.
Lewis finished his career at Washburn with 156 total tackles, including 68 solo stops, 23 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. Lewis was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the 6th round as the 185th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.
He played from 2007-11 for the Falcons, appearing in 31 games.
Brenda Stolle
BRENDA STOLLE
A Silver Lake native, Stolle was a standout pitcher for the Emporia State softball team from 1979-81. Stolle led the Hornets to a national championship in 1980 and a second-place finish in 1981. Her career pitching record was 66-15, and she picked up six saves during her career.
During the 1980 championship season, Stolle compiled an 0.33 earned run average. She received numerous honors, including all-American honors twice, NAIA most valuable player in 1981, and Kansas Female Athlete of the Year from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Stolle was the first female ever inducted into the Emporia State Athletic Hall of Honor in 1988 and was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
Duane Zlatnik
DUANE ZLATNIK
Zlatnik starred in football and wrestling at Rossville before becoming a three-year starter in the offensive line at Kansas.
Zlatnik was a three-time state wrestling champion for the Bulldawgs and finished his career with a 148-13 record and a school-record 110 pins. He was a two-time All-Stater and Kansas Shrine Bowl pick in football.
Zlatnik was an All-Big 12 honoree for the Jayhawks and made 27 consecutive starts at right and left guard.
He is currently an assistant football and wrestling coach at Washburn Rural.
Bob Davis
BOB DAVIS (Inducted posthumously)
A Topeka West graduate, Davis passed away on March 20 at the age of 80 after a legendary career in sports broadcasting.
Davis was the "Voice of the Jayhawks" for more than 30 years before retiring in 2016. Davis called eight KU trips to the Final Four, six football bowl games, including the 2008 Orange Bowl, and thousands of regular-season basketball and football games. Davis was also on the call for the 1988 and 2008 men's basketball national championship victories. In 1997 Davis joined the Kansas City Royals, calling games for radio and television for the franchise for 16 years.
A 48-year veteran of broadcasting in the state of Kansas, Davis was born in Iola and grew up in Topeka, where he graduated from West in 1962. Davis stayed in Topeka to attend Washburn, where he graduated in 1967 with a degree in history.
Davis is a member of numerous Halls of Fame, including the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Prep FB roundup: Hoytal, Roth power Junior Blues to thrilling 31-30 win over Blue Valley
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior quarterback John Hoytal threw for four touchdowns, including three to senior Kellan Roth, capped by the game-tying strike with 7:15 left, as Washburn Rural pulled out a 31-30 non-league win over Blue Valley Friday night at Bowen-Glaze Stadium.
Washburn Rural senior quarterback John Hoytal threw for four touchdowns Friday night as the Junior Blues edged Blue Valley, 31-30. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Senior Kellan Roth caught three touchdown passes in Washburn Rural's 31-30 win over Blue Valley Friday night. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Hoytal connected with Roth for 13 and 9-yard TD strikes before hooking up for the 9-yard score that tied the game at 30-30. Junior Ryan Austin broke the tie with the extra-point kick and the Junior Blues held on the rest of the way to improve to 2-0.
Hoytal also hit junior Gavin Vantuyl for a 15-yard touchdown while Austin kicked a 31-yard field goal in the first half.
Roth's first touchdown of the night put the Junior Blues up 7-0 and Austin's field goal broke a 7-7 tie.
Vantuyl's score at the 1:04 mark of the second quarter put Rural in front 16-14 at the half and Hoytal's 9-yard TD pass to Roth and a subsequent 2-point conversion gave the Junior Blues a 24-22 advantage midway through the third quarter.
Blue Valley regained the lead at 30-24 before the Junior Blues came through with the game-winning points.
Washburn Rural will host Platte County, Mo. next Friday.
Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell ran for two touchdowns and threw for two TDs in Friday's 40-34 win over St. Marys. [File photo/TSN]
Rossville senior Andre Johnson (1) scored the game-winning touchdown in the Bulldawgs' 40-34 win over St. Marys Friday night. [File photo/TSN]
Bulldawgs rally for 40-34 win over Bears
Rossville trailed much of the night and the game was tied with a minute left before senior Andre Johnson scored on a 4-yard run with 55 seconds remaining as the Bulldawgs pulled out a 40-34 Big East road win.
Rossville, now 2-0 overall and in the league, trailed 8-0, 16-6, 22-13 at the half and 28-20 after three quarters before pulling out the win with a 20-point fourth quarter.
Bulldawg senior quarterback Canann Mitchell ran for 56 and 3-yard runs and threw for an 11-yard TD to senior Jack Donovan and a 10-yard TD to senior Cameron Miller.
Johnson had a pair of touchdowns on the night, also scoring on a 3-yard run.
Rossville will be at home next Friday to host 2-0 Nemaha Central.
Ichabods' second-half rally falls short in 41-27 loss to Orediggers
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn Ichabod football team put together a strong second-half rally, but could not overcome a big rushing day from No. 24-ranked Colorado School of Mines, falling 41-27 on Saturday afternoon in Golden, Colo.
Zach Watkins put together a strong second half but fell at Colorado School of Mines 41-27 on Saturday in Golden, Colo. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn and Mines were forced to withstand more than four hours of lightning delays in the second half.
The Ichabods dropped to 1-2 overall while the Orediggers moved to 2-0 on the season.
Mines jumped out to a 27-7 lead at halftime, leaning on a ground attack that piled up 365 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the day.
Washburn struggled to contain the Orediggers' explosive plays, but the Ichabods battled back after the break with 20 second-half points, including a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns that narrowed the deficit.
Quarterback, Logan Madden, playing near his hometown of Arvada, Colo., completed 11 of 17 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns in his first action as an Ichabod.
Justin Lewis added 106 yards through the air on 9 of 20 passing with two scores of his own.
Combined, the duo accounted for all four Ichabod touchdowns, throwing passes to eight different receivers.
