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Created: 11 December 2025

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:

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Before the 2025 season ever started, Washburn University soccer coach Davy Phillips knew his Ichabods had the potential to field a good team this fall.

Washburn soccer celebrated after last Saturday's 3-2 Elite Eight road win over Missouri-St. Louis. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

"From the very beginning we talked as a team that the purpose and the goal of the team was to maximize our potential,'' Phillips said. "And I think the potential in this group has always been there, it was just working to maximinze that.''

And early in the conference season, the Ichabods discovered they could be really, really good.

"Out of conference play you're kind of still figuring out the groove of the team, and the strengths and the weaknesses  of each individual player, but by the time conference started and we tied (Central Oklahoma) and beat (Central Missouri), we were on a roll,'' said senior midfielder Belle Kennedy, the MIAA defensive player of the year and a third-team All-American. There was nothing stopping us once we found our chemistry.''

Washburn freshman Leah Henke, the conference freshman of the year, agreed.

"Coming out first game (of conference) we tied UCO and I think we played really, really good that game,'' Henke said. "And then we beat UCM off of (Mackinly Rohn's) goal very late in the game and it was like, 'Wow, we've got something really special here. We've got everything we need to go far.' ''

And now Washburn, which is in the NCAA Division II Final Four for the second time in three seasons, is just two wins away from being the best. 

"We just keep getting better and better and I think we can go all the way,'' Henke said. "I've felt it from the beginning of the tournament. I think we've just got to play our game, stick to our game model and do what we do best.''

"The cool thing about is the group is I still feel like we're growing,'' Phillips said.

Now 14-3-6 on the season, No. 1 seed Washburn will take on No. 4 seed Franklin Pierce in a 4 p.m. (Central time) national semifinal Thursday in Colorado Springs.

Washburn advanced to the Final Four with a 3-2 road win over Missouri-St. Louis last Saturday in the Elite Eight.

Henke scored the game-winning goal against the Tritons, recording her 12th goal of the season to moved her into fourth place in program history for goals in a single season.

"I didn't really expect all of this to happen, but I'm thankful for it,'' Henke said.

Washburn soccer displayed its NCAA Final Four sign after last Saturday's 3-2 win over Missouri-St. Louis. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

Shaye Taylor and Aubrey Tanksley scored Washburn's first two goals against UMSL while Ichabod freshman goalkeeper Lili Everley came up with five saves and now has 64 saves on the year with a save percentage of 82 percent. 

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By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

Washburn Rural's girls began their 2025-2026 basketball season Monday in the De Soto Hardwood Classic, taking a 46-36 win over Shawnee Mission East.

The start of a new season always brings new faces and new challenges. For the Junior Blues, this season is definitely the case with five freshmen seeing the court on opening night. Along with the five freshmen, there are two juniors and three seniors who provide experience to the young roster. One noticeable absence on opening night was All-State junior Maddie Vickery, who suffered a knee injury over the summer and hopes to return later this season.

Washburn Rural started the game with an 8-0 run, led by junior Brooklyn Rutherford’s five points and senior Ella Hirschi’s 3-pointer. SM East was overwhelmed by Rural’s pressure defense, leading to seven turnovers in the first quarter alone.

SM East was finally able to get on the board with a free throw by junior Lauren Mercer almost five minutes into the game. Rural continued to pressure the Lancers and led 13-5 at the end of the first quarter.

As the second quarter began, SM East was able to adjust to the defensive pressure and outscored the Junior Blues 6-2 over the first five minutes of the second stanza. Both teams traded baskets and Washburn Rural went to the locker room with a 17-13 lead.

The start of the second half mimicked the start of the game, where Rural doubled their lead over the first four minutes of the third quarter, leading 23-15 on buckets by Rutherford, senior Josie Carlgren and freshman Brynn Anderson. The Junior Blues maintained the eight point lead going into the final quarter, leading the Lancers 28-20.

Another 8-0 run to begin the fourth quarter gave Rural their largest lead of the game, 36-20. Carlgren and Hirschi both knocked down 3-pointers and Anderson scored on a pretty spin move in the lane. Both teams had their highest point totals in the fourth quarter with the Junior Blues outscoring the Lancers, 18-16, accounting for the final score of 46-36.

Washburn Rural was led Anderson’s 13 points and five rebounds. Carlgren had eight points and four steals, Rutherford scored seven and senior Hallie Walker scored two points, grabbed six rebounds and had three assists.

SM East was led by senior Talia Augustine’s seven points and five rebounds. Senior Fina Kessler dropped in six points and fellow senior Paige Stanfield also scored six along with eight rebounds.

Washburn Rural advances to the semifinal round on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. where it will face the host school, De Soto, a 55-35 first-round winner over Olathe Northwest.

WASHBURN RURAL 46, SM EAST 36

SM East                5 8 7 16 -- 36

Washburn Rural 13 4 11 18 -- 46

SM East 36 (0-2) -- Kessler 2-5 0-0 6, Eck 1-3 0-0 2, Stanfield 3-13 0-0 6, Kroening 2-4 0-0 5, Reiser 1-4 0-4 2, Beltrame 1-1 0-0 3, Mercer 0-1 3-4 3, Tilgner 0-0 2-4 2, Augustine 1-1 5-8 7, Zahner 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 11-33 10-20 36.

Washburn Rural 46 (1-0) -- Rutherford 3-5 0-0 7, Hirschi 4-6 0-0 11, Walker 0-1 2-2 2, Anderson 5-18 2-2 13, Carlgren 3-11 0-0 8, Smith 1-2 0-0 2, Frost 0-0 0-2 0, Hinck 0-4, 0-2 0, Munson 0-2 1-2 1, Petersen 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 17-51 5-10 46.

3-point goals -- SM East 4 (Kessler 2, Beltrame, Kroening), Washburn Rural 7 (Hirschi 3, Carlgren 2, Rutherford, Anderson). Total Fouls -- SM East 11, Washburn Rural 21. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- none.

Trojans fall to Northwest in OT, 64-60

 Topeka High opened the De Soto Hardwood Classic with a Monday contest against Shawnee Mission Northwest, dropping a 64-60 decision in overtime.

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