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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Six champions County football standouts and two local coaches have been selected to play in the 51st annual Kansas Shrine Bowl, which will be played June 29 in Emporia at Welch Stadium.
Hayden's Carter Charvat and Finn Dunshee, Rossville Barrett Lietz, Seaman's Callen Barta, Shawnee Heights' Christian Gonzales and Washburn Rural's JC Heim have been selected to play for the East while Shawnee Heights coach Jason Swift and Washburn Rural coach Steve Buhler have been named to serve as assistant coaches for the East.
Charvat, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound lineman and Dunshee, a 5-10, 185-pound running back, helped lead Hayden to a 12-1 record and a runnerup finish in Class 3A in the 2023 season.
Rossville's Lietz is a 6-1, 235-pound lineman while Seaman's Barta is a 6-2, 180-pound receiver/defensive back, Shawnee Heights' Gonzales a 6-1, 270-pound lineman and Rural's JC Heim a 6-3, 220-pound linebacker.
Lietz started as a sophomore on the Bulldawgs' Class 2A state championship team in 2021 and helped Rossville post a 5-4 record in '23 while Barta, a Kansas State recruit, helped lead Seaman to a 6-5 record and the 5A quarterfinals this past fall, Gonzales helped Heights post an 8-3 record and the 5A quarterfinals and Heim helped lead Rural to an 11-1 record and the 6A semifinals.
All six local players were named to the TopSports.news All-Shawnee County Top 22 for the 2023 season, with Heim named the county defensive player of the year.
Shawnee County Shrine Bowl selections at a glance:
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
With the start of a new year just a few days away, it's natural to get excited about the future.
But while we look ahead to 2024, it’s also important that we don't forget those we lost in 2023.
In '23 we said goodbye to Kansas City Chiefs greats Otis Taylor and Ed Budde as well as sports legends such as Jim Brown and Dick Butkus (football), Brooks Robinson (baseball) and Willis Reed and Bobby Knight (basketball), but the losses were also felt close to home.
Frank Walton, best known for a highly-successful run with Topeka West football, passed away at the age of 81 just eight days into 2023 while Seaman cross country and track and field legend Bob Camien passed away on Sept. 3rd at the age of 76.
The year was also marked by the passing of well-known local youth coach Billy Weber on Sept. 30 at the age of 55 and the tragic passing of former Hayden standout athlete Kyra Bauer on Dec. 1 at just 22 years old.
Here’s a brief look at the legacy the four Topeka sports figures left:
FRANK WALTON
Frank Walton, who had a highly-successful 16-year run as Topeka West's football coach and later coached at Topeka High, passed away in January after a battle with cancer. [Facebook photo]
Walton, who passed away at the age of 81 after a battle with lung cancer, took over a struggling Topeka West football program and led the Chargers to 12 winning seasons in a 16-year run from 1977-1992, posting an 89-56 record and posting at least six wins 10 times.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee County girls high school sports teams enjoyed another oustanding year in 2023, with county schools capturing five state team championships in four different sports in four different classifications while local athletes also added a pair of individual titles.
That across-the-board success made it nearly impossible to narrow down TopSports.news' list of the top Shawnee County girls stories to just 10, and even harder to decide which accomplishments deserve to be at the top of the list, but here goes.
Seaman celebrates its first-ever state volleyball championship after a 25-19, 25-22 win over St. Thomas Aquinas in the 2023 championship match. [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
1. VIKING MAGIC -- After back-to-back fourth-place state finishes, Seaman's volleyball team was determined to make a statement in the Class 5A state tournament. Tatiana Dowling's Vikings accomplished that goal in dominant fashion, capping a perfect 5-0 weekend with a 25-19, 25-22 win over defending champion St. Thomas Aquinas in the championship match, with Seaman claiming its first state volleyball title in school history. The state run included five consecutive straight-set victories for the Vikings, who capped a 38-6 season while avenging a 3-0 dual loss to Aquinas earlier in October. Seaman juniors Maegan Mills and Reagan McGivern and senior Brooklyn Gormley were all named to the All-5A State Tournament team while Mills was named the 5A player of the year by the Kansas Volleyball Association.
Washburn Rural wrestling coach Damon Parker hoists senior star Addi Broxterman in the air after her pin in the third-place match clinched the 2023 state title for the Junior Blues. [Photo by Brian Turrel/Wyandotte Daily]
2. SETTING THE STANDARD -- Damon Parker's Washburn Rural Junior Blues continued to set the standard for all Kansas high school girls wrestling programs in 2023, with Rural winning its third team title in the four seasons that girls wrestling has been an official sport in the state. The Junior Blues had their two-year title reign snapped in 2022, finishing second to Dodge City, but Rural bounced back to win the Class 6A-5A title in 2023 by a 153-141 margin over Garden City as nine Junior Blues earned state medals.
Rossville softball celebrates its 2023 state championship after its 2-0 win over Santa Fe Trail in the title game. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
3. DIAMOND QUEENS -- Rossville's softball team rode the arm of senior pitcher Brinley Dyche to the 2023 Class 3A state championship, with the Bulldawgs claiming their first state softball title since 2000 with a 2-0 win over Santa Fe Trail in the championship game. Dyche picked up all three pitching victories for Rossville in its state title run as the Bulldawgs avenged a
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NOTE: Statistics for city boys basketball teams were compiled by Seaman girls coach Matt Tinsley. The following stats are the first of three statistical reports which will be released during the 2023-2024 season, capped by the season-ending stats.
Highland Park senior Tamir Anderson leads the city in scoring and 3-point field goals. [File photo/TSN]
SCORING
Name, school Gms. Pts. Avg
Anderson, Highland Park 3 74 24.7
Robinson, Highland Park 3 60 20.0
Bonner, Seaman 4 79 19.8
Sanchez, Shawnee Heights 5 91 18.2
Colboch, Hayden 5 81 16.2
Hales, Topeka High 6 91 15.2
Williams, Highland Park 3 41 13.7
B. Finley, Seaman 4 54 13.5
Dodge, Shawnee Heights 5 66 13.2
Foy, Topeka West 6 76 12.7
Everhart, Cair Paravel 6 75 12.5
Chambers, Topeka West 6 74 12.3
Ballard, Washburn Rural 5 58 11.6
Villegas, Topeka High 6 67 11.2
Taylor, Highland Park 3 33 11.0
Shawnee Heights junior Jaret Sanchez leads the city in rebounding with a 9.8 average. [File photo/TSN]
REBOUNDING
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
Sanchez, Shawnee Heights 5 49 9.8
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NOTE: Statistics for city girls basketball teams were compiled by Seaman girls coach Matt Tinsley. The following stats are the first of three statistical reports which will be released during the 2023-2024 season, capped by the season-ending stats.
Highland Park junior Amelia Ramsey is the city leader in scoring and rebounding entering 2024. [File photo/TSN]
SCORING
Name, school Gms. Pts. Avg
Ramsey, Highland Park 3 66 22.0
Meier, Hayden 5 80 16.0
Vickery, Washburn Rural 5 75 15.0
Canfield, Washburn Rural 2 29 14.5
McGlory, Topeka West 6 86 14.3
Becker, Seaman 5 68 13.6
Emmot, Shawnee Heights 5 67 13.4
Rayton, Topeka High 5 66 13.2
Broils, Highland Park 3 38 12.7
T. Stallbaumer, Seaman 5 62 12.4
Carter, Highland Park 3 33 11.0
Gragg, Seaman 5 53 10.6
Fulton, Hayden 5 53 10.6
Greco, Hayden 5 46 9.2
Vega, Shawnee Heights 5 44 8.8
REBOUNDING
Name, school Gms. Total Avg.
Ramsey, Highland Park 3 45 15.0
