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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
LAWRENCE – Topeka High baseball’s 9-0 Class 6A state quarterfinal loss to Derby was a lot closer than the scoreboard indicated, and that’s what made the loss sting worse for the Trojans at the University of Kansas’ Hoglund Ballpark on Thursday afternoon.
Topeka High's baseball team huddles up after having their 2023 season ended in a 9-0 Class 6A state tournament loss to Derby Thursday in Lawrence. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Topeka High junior pitcher Nate Plankinton limited to just one run over four innings before the Panthers pulled away for a 9-0 Class 6A state tournament win Thursday. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
The losing result wasn’t what Topeka High (16-7) was searching for after making its first appearance in the Class 6A tournament since 1947. But after a 76-year hiatus from the state tournament, the Trojans provided themselves with a surge of optimism for next year’s program and beyond.
“They have nothing to hang their heads about,” Topeka High coach Cody Miller said. “I’m very proud of them. It was a huge year for us. It was the next step for us to get here where we are today. Derby has knocked us out two years in a row now.
“We were talking in the dugout with our juniors while feeling bad for our seniors about us wanting to get back here next year and knock those guys out. This is something to build on.”
In Thursday's loss, Topeka High had Derby right where they wanted for four innings. The Trojans had limited the Panthers to just one run before the fifth inning.
Topeka High’s best opportunity for offensive damage came in the bottom of the third inning when the Trojans stranded junior Isaiah Kincade after a walk and junior Matthew Genrich after his single.
Through three innings, Topeka High had at least one runner on the basepaths but couldn’t drive in a run. Then, with four opportunities to put a run on the board, they couldn’t break through against Derby pitcher and Cowley College baseball commit Mitchell Johnson.
Johnson, whose fastball varied between 87-90 mph and a dropping curveball in the 75-77 mph range, was tough for Topeka High to crack.
“We had our chances there with the 1-0 game going into the fifth,” Miller said. “We had runners in scoring position a few times against (Johnson). Obviously, he’s a very good pitcher. We had our chances against him, though. They won’t have Mitchell Johnson next year.”
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By KYLE MANTHE
Special to TopSports.news
There is no replacement for experience, and when state tournament time comes around, more times than not that will show, for good or bad.
Washburn Rural softball (20-3) is not lacking in experience as the No. 4-seeded Junior Blues began a fifth straight Class 6A state tournament appearance with a 5-2 win over No. 5 Shawnee Mission North (18-5) on Thursday afternoon.
Senior Kaci Bath makes contact on a home run in Washburn Rural's 5-2 win over Shawnee Misssion North in the Class 6A state softball tournament Thursday. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Emmerson Cope picked up a complete-game pitching victory in Thursday's Class 6A state tournament win over SM North Thursday. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
“It's that first step of coming out and immediately the first inning getting out on top and really showing what we have here at state.” said Washburn Rural coach Liz Stover. “I’m really proud of how they came out and delivered right off the bat.”
In addition to experience, the Lady Blues have new contributors that were not on last season's state runner-up team, as all five hits in Rural’s quarterfinal win came from seniors or from freshman shortstop Reagan Chapman who drove in a game-high three runs.
“I know she’s crazy nervous but she’s been killing it all season and I know that her teammates really respect her.” Stover said. “She had timely hitting at its finest and she’s hot right when we need her to be in the postseason tournament.”
A win for Washburn Rural sets up a semifinal matchup against No. 1 Olathe Northwest (23-0) on Friday at 11 a.m.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Hayden has tapped Topekan Trey Brown, who coached Cair Paravel Latin last season, to take over the Wildcats' boys basketball program.
Trey Brown, who coached at Cair Paravel Latin this past season, has been named head boys basketball coach at Hayden. [File photo/TSN]
The 24-year-old Brown replaces Dwayne Paul, who recently resigned after two seasons at Hayden to accept the head coaching position at Free State.
"Hayden has had so many great coaches and great players and the list goes on and on,'' Brown told TopSports.news. "They have such a great tradition and I felt like it was an opportunity that I had to at least try for and see what happened.
"It's a great community and a school that plays in a great league and plays great teams and gets to play in a great atmosphere. My goal was always to have the opportunity to coach in the Centennial League. I think it's one of the best leagues in Kansas if not the best, so I felt like this was a great opportunity for me to get to coach at a school that has no much tradition and a school where you can compete at a very high level.''
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- No. 8 seed Shawnee Heights dug itself a 2-0 hole in the bottom of the third inning against No. 1 seed Bishop Carroll in Thursday's Class 5A state softball tournament at Wilkins Stadium.
But just as quickly as they fell behind, the 16-7 T-Birds answered with a clutch three-run rally in their next at bat to take the lead and rode a two-hit pitching gem from sophomore left-hander Grace Proctor the rest of the way en route a 4-2 upset over Bishop Carroll, which suffered only its second loss in 23 games on the year.
Shawnee Heights celebrates a run in Thursday's 4-2 win over top seed Bishop Carroll in the Class 5A state softball tournament. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Shawnee Heights sophomore Grace Proctor threw a two-hitter with eight strikeouts in the T-Birds' 4-2 Class 5A state tournament win over Bishop Carroll Thursday. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
"I think we did a great job of answering back,'' Shawnee Heights coach Tara Griffith said. "They scored and then we answered right back and I'm really proud of that because that's something we've worked on all year long.
"We only have two girls that have ever been to a state tournament before, maybe three with golf, so this is a very good experience for them and for them to come out like they did, I'm just so proud of them.''
Bishop Carroll scored its only two runs of the game in the third when junior Anistyn Marcotte was hit by a pitch and came home on two-out inside-the-park home run from senior Kory Schoenfeld.
Proctor got out of the innning with a strikeout, one of her eight in the game, and then Shawnee Heights went to work in the top of the fourth to take the lead to stay.
Juniors Alaryce Millard and Karlyn Bowman came up with big RBI doubles for Shawnee Heights, which also took advantage of two Bishop Carroll errors.
Shawnee Heights sophomore Taylor Brees runs the bases in Thursday's 4-2 Class 5A state tournament win over Bishop Carroll. {Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Sophomore Taylor Brees, who singled, junior Audrey Schulte, who reached on an error, and Millard all scored for the T-Birds.
"As soon as we answered back, right after they scored those runs, right when we answered back I knew that we were going to do good,'' Proctor said. "We had it.''
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
A year ago, Cair Paravel Latin made history as the smallest school in the state with a girls soccer team reached the Class 4-1A Final Four.
Due in part to an unfortunate draw, the Lions came one game short of matching that feat Tuesday, losing to defending state champion Bishop Miege 6-1 at Bettis Sports Complex.
Cair Paravel junior Katherine Keys (left) celebrates the Lions' lone goal with teammate Zahra Friess in Tuesday's 6-1 Class 4A-1A quarterfinal soccer loss to Biship Miege. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Cair Paravel sophomore Zahra Friess (3) races towards the ball in Tuesday's 6-1 Class 4A-1A state quarterfinal loss to Bishop Miege. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Bishop Miege towers over the 4-1A classification, winning every state championship since Hayden claimed the title in 2015. For Cair Paravel, finishing with the best record in the East Regional turned out to be a curse. It gave the Lions the top seed but forced them to face Miege in the quarterfinals.
Miege entered the playoffs with a record of just 9-7. But those losses were to 5A powerhouses St. James Academy and St. Thomas Aquinas and four 6A schools. Due to the number of losses they took during the regular season, the Stags entered the playoffs as the sixth seed.
“We were really hoping that we wouldn’t have to play them until state,” said Katherine Keys, who recorded the Lions’ lone goal 10 minutes into the second half. “But that’s how the cookie crumbled, I guess. We knew that was going to be a tough opponent and they proved themselves to be so.
“We were hopeful going into the game. We knew we were a good team, and we knew we had a chance. (Coach Doug) Woolery kept telling us that we’re the strongest team he’s ever coached, so we were hopeful.”
“Credit goes to them. Their level of play is pretty advanced,” Woolery said. “It makes sense when you have the toughest schedule in the state.”
