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Re-built Viking girls see positives in season-opening loss to Piper
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman girls basketball coach Matt Tinsley knew his team was likely to have to deal with considerable growing pains early in the 2025-2026 season.
Junior Cara Beaton (15) led Seaman with 13 points in Tuesday's 64-41 season-opening UKC loss to Piper while Faith McCallop (20) led all scorers with 24 points. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
After all, the Vikings graduated four very talented senior starters off a team that advanced to the Class 5A championship game in back-to-back seasons, including a state title in 2024.
And those youthful struggles showed up in a hurry in No. 6-ranked Seaman's season-opener at Seaman against No. 5 Piper.
Seaman girls basketball coach Matt Tinsley talks to his team during Tuesday's 64-41 UKC loss to Piper. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But after spotting the Pirates a 30-5 advantage midway through the second quarter, Seaman outscored the visitors 36-34 the rest of the night while displaying a lot of positives that Tinsley believes will pay off as the season goes along.
"Take out the first quarter and I think we finally started to breathe after that,'' Tinsley said. "Then we were finally able to relax a little bit. I was just trying to get the girls to relax and calm down. The game looked like it was 100 miles per hour for them, and we expected that.
"A lot of these girls, out of the 12 that played, nine of them that was kind of their first taste of varsity action against a good team.''
The Vikings cut their deficit to from 25 to 17 points by halftime (33-16) and the Vikings got as close as 13 (51-38) early in the fourth stanza before Piper pulled away again down the stretch.
"I told the girls that there's a lot than we can learn from this game,'' Tinsley said. "We've just got to make sure we're taking steps forward and we can't afford to take steps back. This loss is going to be a win for us down the road and I'll be patient with them, but we've got to compete and they're finding out that in varsity basketball you've got to compete for 32 minutes.''
Seaman reeled off 24 straight wins a year ago before losing to St. Thomas Aquinas in the state final while Piper went 18-5 last season with three losses to the Vikings, including the state quarterfinal.
Piper senior Faith McCallop led all scorers with 24 points while junior Cara Beaton paced Seaman with 13 points.
Four Silver Lake, Rossville players earn All-Big East first-team football recognition
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.
TopSports.news’ boys wrestlers to watch in 2025-2026
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.
