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Created: 27 December 2025

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

Shawnee County high schools captured three boys state team titles in 2025 while county athletes combined to earn six individual/relay championships.

Washburn Rural soccer is No. 1 on TopSports.news' list of the Top 10 boys high school sports stories of 2025 after winning its fourth Class 6A state title and first since 2012 while Rural cross country and Hayden bowling also won team championships.

Individually, Washburn Rural's Easton Broxterman is No. 2 on the Top 10 after capping his outstanding high school wrestling career with his third straight Class 6A state championship in 2025 in his fourth straight trip to the state finals.

Other highlights included current Junior Blue seniors Draden Chooncharoen and Liam Morrison celebrating state titles in soccer and track while Broxterman's Junior Blue wrestling teammates, current senior Landen Kocher-Munoz and 2025 grad Kristjan Marshall, both claimed their second individual state titles.

Rural 2025 grad Isaiah Terry and Morrison both captured 6A individual titles and teamed with Chooncharoen and '25 grad Matthew Houser to set a state meet record in the 4x400-meter relay, Rural's second straight state crown in that event. 

Here's a look at TopSports.news' Top 10 Shawnee County boys prep stories of 2025:

Washburn Rural soccer celebrates its first Class 6A state championship since 2012 after its 3-2 win over Shawnee Mission East in PKs. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]

1. RURAL RULES -- Led by an outstanding senior class, perennial state soccer power Washburn Rural capped a 19-1-1 2025 season with its first Class 6A state championship since 2012, taking a 3-2 win over Shawnee Mission East with a 4-2 edge in penalty kicks. Senior Dylan Willingham ended his high school career with Washburn Rural's single-season and career scoring records.

Washburn Rural wrestling star Easton Broxterman capped his high school career in 2025 with his third straight Class 6A state title and fourth trip to the state finals. [File photo/TSN]

2. MAT MASTER -- Washburn Rural superstar wrestler Easton Broxterman put the capper on one of the top high school careers in Shawnee County history with his third straight Class 6A state championship in his fourth straight trip to the state finals, helping lead the Junior Blues to a third-place team finish in the 6A state tournament in Overland Park. Broxterman, who is wrestling collegiately at Army, finished off a 41-2 senior season with the 145-pound state title.

Washburn Rural cross country celebrates its 2025 Class 6A state championship after winning by a single point over Blue Valley. [Photo courtesy of Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports]

3. STRENGTH IN THE PACK -- Washburn Rural cross country didn't have an individual medalist (top 20) in the 2025 Class 6A state meet at Rim Rock Farm, but the Junior Blues put four runners in the top 28 places to lead the way as Rural captured the team championship by a single point (100-101) over Blue Valley. Rural got a team-high 22nd-place finish from sophomore Henry Laubach while senior Brooks Kehoe was 25th, sophomore Clayton Fink 26th, sophomore Duke Graf 28th, sophomore Jaxson Adams 42nd, senior Wyatt Shorb 52nd and sophomore Brady Meek 84th. 

Hayden won its first ever state bowling championship in the 2025 season, winning the Class 4A-1A state crown by a 3,666-3,571 margin over Mulvane. [File photo/TSN]

4. STRIKING GOLD -- Hayden garnered the first state bowling championship in school history, winning the Class 4A-1A state event by a 3,666-3,571 margin over Mulvane as four Wildcats earned individual state medals. Trevor Christy rolled a 698 series to finish third individually while John Strickland finished fifth with a 685, Chase Blaser was seventh with a 676 and Reese Renyer placed 16th with a 636.

Washburn Rural 2025 grad Kristjan Marshall won back-to-back Class 6A state wrestling titles in '24 and '25.'[File photo/TSN] 

 Washburn Rural senior Landen Kocher-Munoz won his second career Class 6A state wrestling title in '25 with his third trip to the state finals. [File photo/TSN]

5. REPEAT FEAT -- Washburn Rural wrestling stars Kristjan Marshall and Landen Kocher-Munoz captured the second Class 6A state titles of their careers in the 2025 state tournament as the Junior Blues finished third as a team. Marshall, a 2025 graduate, won his second straight championship, winning the 157-pound crown to finish off a 37-5 season while then-junior Kocher-Munoz won his second career championship in his third straight state final, winning at 138 pounds to finish 34-3 on the season.

Washburn Rural's Matthew Houser, Liam Morrison, Draden Chooncharoen and Isaiah Terry set the Class 6A state meet record in the 4x400 relay in the 2025 state meet. [File photo/TSN]

6. REPEAT FEAT PART II -- Washburn Rural won the Class 6A state title in the 4x400-meter relay for the second straight season in the final event of the state meet at Wichita State's Cessna Stadium as 2025 grads Matthew Houser and Isaiah Terry and then-juniors Liam Morrison and Draden Chooncharoen set a 6A state meet record in a winning time of 3 minutes, 16.23 seconds. Morrison, Chooncharoen and Terry ran on Rural's state-champion relay in both '24 and '25 while Houser won his first state title.

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Created: 26 December 2025

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

The names are probably well known to anyone who has followed local sports over the past several years, but a long and growing list of athletes who starred at Shawnee County high schools made a big impact at the college and/or professional level in 2025.

Here's a look at just some of the stars who continued to make their fans proud over the past year:

Junior Jack Bachelor has helped lead Washburn to a 13-0 record and a No. 1 national ranking this season. [File photo/TSN]

JACK BACHELOR, Washburn Rural/Washburn -- A year after helping lead 30-4 Washburn to the NCAA Division II Final Four and earning All-MIAA first-team honors, the 6-foot-2 junior guard has played a major role as the Ichabods are off to a 13-0 start this season while achieving the No. 1 national ranking in D-II. Bachelor, named the MIAA Player of the Week last week, is averaging 16.2 points with 36 3-pointers while hitting 34 of 38 free throws (89.5 percent). Bachelor has a team-high 64 assists with 24 steals.

COREY BALLENTINE, Shawnee Heights/Washburn/Dallas Cowboys -- A 6-foot, 191-pound defensive back, Ballentine is in his seventh season in the NFL and currently on the active roster for the Dallas Cowboys. Ballentine previously played for the New York Giants, New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots. Ballentine has played in 71 games with 11 starts, registering 102 tackles with one interception.

ANNA BECKER, Seaman/Drake -- Becker, a 5-foot-10 freshman guard, has started all 11 games for Division I Drake after helping lead Seaman to a Class 5A state championship as a junior and a runnerup state finish as a senior. Becker is averaging 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Becker was a four-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 selection, a two-time county player of the year and a three-time United Kansas Conference player of the year.   

Former Topeka West star Elijah Brooks leads Houston Christian with a 12.3 scoring average. [Houston Christian Athletics]

ELIJAH BROOKS, Topeka West/Houston Christian -- A 6-foot-3 senior guard, the former Mr. Kansas Basketball for Topeka West has started all eight games he's appeared in for the 5-7 Huskies, averaging a team-high12.3 points along with 4.5 rebounds and 25 assists. Brooks, who began his college career at North Dakota, averaged 9.1 points and 3.7 rebounds last season for Houston Christian with a career-high 29-point game.

NIJAREE CANADY, Topeka High/Texas Tech

A senior pitcher/first baseman, the former Topeka High two-time Class 6A state champion was named the 2025 NCAA Division I Pitcher of the Year as a junior in her first season at Texas Tech while also earning first-team All-American honors. Canady, the Big 12 Player of the Year, finished her season with a 34-7 pitching record, a 1.11 earned run average and 319 strikeouts while also leading Tech with 11 home runs and slugging .639. Canady was the two-time Gatorade Player of the Year for the Trojans.

BROOKLYN DELEYE, Washburn Rural/Kentucky -- The former three-sport Washburn Rural star, DeLeye, a 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter, was named a first-team American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America selection for the second straight season. DeLeye helped lead the 30-3 Wildcats to a runnerup finish in the NCAA Tournament, starting all 33 matches with 545 kills while also compiling 279 digs and 42 blocks.

Washburn sophomore linebacker JC Heim ranked second in the nation with 142 tackles this fall, earning second-team All-MIAA honors. [File photo/TSN]

JC HEIM, Washburn Rural/Washburn -- A sophomore linebacker, Heim earned second-team All-MIAA recognition after leading the Ichabods and the MIAA and ranking second in the nation with 142 total tackles, splitting 71 solo and 71 assisted tackles. Heim added seven tackles for loss, an interception, a fumble recovery and two forced fumbles. He was also third in solo tackles in the national rankings.

TEVEN JENKINS, Topeka High/Cleveland Browns -- After starring at Topeka High and earning All-Big 12 honors at Oklahoma State as an offensive lineman, Jenkins, 6-foot-6, 321 pounds, was drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Bears. After playing four seasons with the Bears, Jenkins is in his first season with the Cleveland Browns. An offensive guard, Jenkins has played in 15 games with three starts this season and has played in 60 games in his career with 41 starts.

Washburn senior Belle Kennedy (12) earned first-team All-America honors this fall for the Ichabods. [File photo/TSN]

BELLE KENNEDY, Washburn Rural/Washburn -- A 5-foot-3 senior midfielder, the former Washburn Rural star was named a first-team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches after helping lead Washburn University soccer to its second NCAA Final Four in three seasons. A three-time All-MIAA first-team pick, Kennedy was named the conference defensive player of the year this fall. Kennedy scored 12 goals and had four assists in her career for the Ichabods.

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Created: 24 December 2025

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

A former soccer standout at Cair Paravel and Emporia State is pursuing a lifelong dream as a member of the Guatemalan national team. It’s been an arduous journey for the 2019 high school graduate, but her determination and faith have been rewarded.

Former Cair Paravel and Emporia State soccer star Hannah (Woolery) Mondi celebrates a big play for the Guatemalan national team. [Submitted photo from Hannah Mondi]

Hannah Mondi née Woolery played her first game with the Guatemalan team on December 1, a 4-1 win over Bermuda in Guatemala City. She will play three matches in the coming months that could lead to a berth in next year’s eight-team Concacaf Championship, which will ultimately produce four of the participants in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil in 2027

“I talked recently to my brother about it because I remember when we were little kids watching the men’s World Cup in Brazil (in 2014),” Mondi said. “That was the first one we were old enough to soak in and understand. And now I’m playing in qualifiers to play for a World Cup in Brazil. Little me would be just overwhelmed and would not believe that I actually got to do that.”

Mondi was born in Guatemala and spent the first six years of her life there before moving with her family to the United States. The daughter of Cair Paravel soccer coach Doug Woolery helped transform the Topeka private school’s team into the state title contender it has become, then enjoyed an All-American career at Emporia State, where she remains the college’s all-time assist leader.

Hannah (Woolery) Mondi (back row, left) said that playing for Guatemala's national team is an "overwhelming feeling.'' [Submitted photo from Hannah Mondi]

“Playing in Guatemala for the national team is just a very overwhelming feeling,” said Mondi, who retains dual citizenship in both Guatemala and the U.S. “Guatemala means so much to me. That’s where I was born. That’s where my first memories are. That’s where I got married. So it’s always had such a special place in my heart.

“I couldn’t believe it when I got to step on that field and see my relatives in the stands. All my mom’s family is down there. They had a big banner with my name on it. That was the first time that I got to play in front of them. I had about 30 people come to the game. It meant so much to be able to represent them. Especially my grandpa. He played for the Guatemalan National Team when he was younger, and he’s such a big soccer guy. I know it meant a lot for him to see me play for Guatemala.”

It’s an accomplishment that could easily not have happened.

In the spring of 2022, while a junior at Emporia State, Mondi tried out for the Guatemalan national team and was told she had a spot. But before she was able to complete the qualification process, the coaching staff was relieved. By the time the next group of coaches were ready to bring her down, it was in the heart of her fourth college season. She declined the invitation because she didn’t want to miss a critical part of the season.

Next up, Mondi tried to join a professional club in Austria, but they wanted her to come in the spring of 2024, when she was student teaching to earn her degree. She considered that offer seriously, but ultimately decided not to delay her graduation. Still, the prospect of playing in Europe was a motivator.

“After I (committed to) the Austrian team, I was practicing with a goal. I had a team to go on,” Mondi said. “But probably two weeks before I was supposed to go to join them, they told me that they were just going to recruit European players for that season. I had spent that whole summer preparing (to play in Austria), so obviously that was kind of a blow.

“But I realized through it that I still had the dream and I still wanted to play. But I had no knowledge of how to get in touch with teams and how to put myself out there. I was on my own and I thought, 'I will just keep on practicing and keep trying.’ But that takes a lot of physical and mental toughness to do that, practicing and working out by yourself without any motivators.”

Her next offer, in December 2024, was equally poorly timed.

“I ended up finding an agent. He wanted to put me a Mexico team. But their season started the same week that I was going to get married. I said, 'I want to get married and I want to enjoy my wedding,' ” said Mondi, who married January 10 of this year. “We had all these things planned. The coach told my agent he would think about bringing me in later, but he didn’t respond.”

Newly married with a degree, it would have been easy to think that the soccer door of her life had closed.

“It’s been so difficult to keep the dream alive,” Mondi said. “It was a series of ups and downs, but God is faithful. Without that keeping me going, I probably would have given up a long time ago. But He provided an opportunity finally and it felt like a big answer to prayer. If I hadn’t gone through all that, I wouldn’t be the player that I have become.”

To permit herself the opportunity to pursue a soccer career, Mondi works as a substitute teacher in Lawrence, De Soto and Eudora. She credits her husband, Caleb Mondi, a football player at Lawrence High School and Emporia State, with helping her stay on track during those challenging stretches.

“He’s been so supportive and great about it,” Mondi said of her husband. “There have definitely been times when I say, 'Maybe soccer isn’t it. Maybe I should just give it up.' And he said, 'No you should keep going.'

“He really understands the discipline of it all. He knows my training is really important. He knows when I need to push or when to lay back.”

In 2025, Mondi tried to re-insert herself into the pipeline for the Guatemalan national team but would have to try out with yet another new group of coaches. That opportunity finally came in October. She went for a tryout, then was asked to stay to help the team prepare for the Central American Games.

“They asked me to stay for another week to bond with the girls even though I wasn’t eligible to play on the team back in October,” said Mondi, who watched four of the team’s Central American Games matches. “It felt kind of like a college recruitment trip. You practice with the team and do everything they do, but I wasn’t on the roster and couldn’t suit up for the games. They wanted to see how I melded with the girls.”

With her knowledge of Spanish and familiarity with the country, Mondi connected quickly with her new teammates.

“We were confined for 15 days together and we didn’t really leave the compound,” Mondi said. “They were so welcoming and so kind. A lot of the girls are actually American in some capacity. I’m the only American who was actually born in Guatemala. So there are a lot of English speakers.”

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Created: 22 December 2025

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Jack Bachelor

JACK BACHELOR, Washburn University

A junior guard, Bachelor was named the MIAA Player of the Week after averaging 19.5 points, 4.5 assists and 2.0 rebounds as No. 1-ranked Ichabod men's basketball went 2-0 with victories over two top-five teams. The former Washburn Rural star went 8 of 13 from 3-point range and 9 of 10 from the free thow line as WU improved to 13-0, scoring 20 points against Lubbock Christian and 19 against West Texas A&M. Bachelor's first basket of the game against West Texas A&M pushed him over the career 1,000-point mark and he now has 1,017 career points.

Madi Blanco

MADI BLANCO, Washburn Rural

Blanco, a senior, won the 140-pound championship in Saturday's 35-school Ladycat Classic wrestling tournament, improving to 13-1 on the season as Washburn Rural captured the team title by a 184.5-147 margin over host Basehor-Linwood. Blanco battled back from a 7-2 deficit in the championship match to record a second-period pin.

Kailyn Hanni 

KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake

Hanni, who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career, was named the Most Valuable Player in the Flurry In Flush girls basketball tournament at Rock Creek after Silver Lake clinched the tournament championship with a 72-44 win over Eudora on Saturday. Hanni helped the Eagles go 4-0 on the week, including a 69-53 regular-season win over Rossville, a 56-38 win over Hesston, a 62-41 win over Hays and Saturday's win over Eudora.

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