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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University standout safety Jordan Finnesy has gone through just about everything a player can experience in his previous five years with the Ichabods.
Washburn senior safety Jordan Finnesy (1) is looking to cap his six-year Ichabod career with a banner 2025 season. [File photo/TSN]
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Plainville native began his time in Topeka with a 2020 season wiped out by COVID-19, was part of a WU team that advanced to the NCAA Playoffs in 2021 and helped the Ichabods post a solid 7-4 campaign in 2022. But his career also included a season-ending injury in 2023 and back-to-back losing seasons the past two years.
And now, with his sixth and final year in an Ichabod uniform coming up, Finnesy is determined to do everything he can to end things with a bang.
"It's been great,'' said Finnesy, a third-team All-MIAA pick last fall while ranking as the Ichabods' second-leading tackler with 89 stops (49 solo), 3.5 tackles for loss and a pass interception. "A lot of ups, a lot of downs and I'm still here kicking it and working, so it's just been a great experience overall. I love the city of Topeka and all of the coaches that I've been blessed to be able to play for.
"It's just been a great experience and a great growing experience as well. A lot of downs, but you can't grow if you don't have those and experience different things like that, so I'm just grateful for my time here and I'm looking forward to making the most of what I have left.''
Washburn is coming off a 3-8 season last fall, but after a productive summer, Finnesy thinks the Ichabods are ready to bounce back in a big way in their first season under Zach Watkins, WU's former defensive coordinator.
"It's gone great,'' he said. "We had our best attendance by far since I've been here at Washburn. Just the energy levels are off the charts, the buy-in, the commitment, the just wanting to be here and work with your teammates and with your brothers. It's been awesome to see and it's been awesome to be a part of.
"I'm honestly kind of sad that this is my last summer of it, but I definitely made the most of it and I think that this fall we will see dividends from that work this summer.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
CARLOS ACOSTA-MARTINEZ, Topeka High
Acosta-Martinez, a junior, was a second-team All-Centennial League selection last season for the Trojans while also earning All-City honorable mention.
Draden Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural
DRADEN CHOONCHAROEN, Washburn Rural
A senior midfielder, Chooncharoen received first-team All-Centennial League honors last fall as the 15-3-3 Junior Blues won their 30th straight league title (outright or shared) on the way to a third-place finish in the Class 6A state tournament. Chooncharoen also received All-6A and All-City honorable mention and is a two-time 6A state track champion in the 4x400-meter relay.
Miles Cook, Washburn Rural
MILES COOK, Washburn Rural
Cook, a senior goalkeeper, helped 15-3-3 Washburn Rural win its 30th straight Centennial League championship (outright or shared) en route to a third-place finish in Class 6A. Cook received second-team Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association All-6A and All-Centennial recognition as well as All-City honorable mention.
JUDAH CONGDON, Cair Paravel Latin
A junior, Congdon earned All-Class 4A-1A honorable mention from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association last season and also received All-City honorable mention.
Valentin Del Real, Topeka West
VALENTIN DEL REAL, Topeka West
Del Real, a sophomore midfielder, had a big freshman season for the Chargers last fall as Topeka West posted a breakout 13-4-1 campaign. Del Real earned first-team All-City recognition and also was a first-team All-United Kansas Conference pick.
NERI DIAZ, Highland Park
Diaz, a senior midfielder, earned first-team All-City recognition for Highland Park in the 2024 season and was one of the top players in the Meadowlark Conference.
Juan Garcia, Shawnee Heights
JUAN GARCIA, Shawnee Heights
A senior, Garcia received All-Class 5A honorable mention from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association last season while also receiving All-City honorable mention.
Diego Gonzalez-Talavera, Topeka West
DIEGO GONZALES-TALAVERA, Topeka West
A junior forward, Gonzales-Talavera helped lead the 13-4-1 Chargers to a breakout season in 2024, earning All-City and All-United Kansas Conference first-team recognition.
Camden Granado, Shawnee Heights
CAMDEN GRANADO, Shawnee Heights
Granado, a senior forward, received All-Class 5A honorable mention from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association last season while also earning first-team All-City and All-United Kansas Conference recognition. Granado was also a standout kicker for the T-Bird football team last fall.
Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights
MASON HAAS, Shawnee Heights
Haas, a junior midfielder, received All-Class 5A honorable mention from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association last season while also earning first-team All-City and All-United Kansas Conference recognition.
Brandon Hamiton, Washburn Rural
BRANDON HAMILTON, Washburn Rural
A senior defender, Hamilton received second-team All-Class 6A honors from the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association while also earning first-team All-City and All-Centennial League recognition for the 15-3-3 Junior Blues, who finished third in 6A after winning their 30th straight league championship (outright or shared).
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Former Washburn Rural star Brooklyn DeLeye, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter, scored eight points on seven kills and a block Sunday in San Jose, Costa Rica as the U.S. Women's U21 National Team completed its undefeated run to the gold medal in the NORCECA Women’s Pan American Cup with a 25-18, 25-14, 25-13 win over Chile.
Former Washburn Rural star Brooklyn DeLeye (7) helped lead the U.S. U21 team to the Pan Am Cup championship Sunday in Costa Rica. [Photo by NORCECA]
The U.S. finished the tournament without losing a set in its five matches and won its third straight Pan Am title after winning in 2022 and 2023.
The U.S. finished with large margins in kills (42-15), blocks (10-2) and aces (8-2) in the title match.
The U.S. hit .516 for the match with 42 kills and just nine hitting errors in 64 attacks, while limiting Chile to a .000 hitting percentage on the same number of attacks.
In Set 1 DeLeye led all players with five points on four kills and a block and had back-to-back kills in the second set to put the U.S. in front 8-3.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's football team will be looking to use the MIAA preseason polls as motivation after being picked No. 9 in both the coaches and preseason media polls that were released Monday by the conference office at the MIAA Football Media Day hosted Emporia State.
Washburn senior safety Jordan Finnesy, first-year head coach Zach Watkins and junior offensive lineman Jakobe Harmon addressed the MIAA media Monday at Emporia State. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Ichabods, coming off a 3-8 season (2-7 in the MIAA) will open the 2025 season under first-year head coach Zach Watkins on Aug. 30, hosting former MIAA foe Truman State in Yager Stadium (1 p.m.). The Ichabods will open conference play on Sept. 6 at home against Northwest Missouri (1 p.m.).
The Ichabods were 2-5 in games decided by less than 10 points last season.
"(The polls) are based off of last year and nobody knows what each team is doing behind the scenes,'' Watkins said. "It's a good talking point that I will address with our team and let them know that it doesn't matter what that says.
"All that matters is if you execute and if we play well on Saturdays.''
The Ichabods were 2-5 in games decided by less than 10 points last season
The Ichabods are slated to have six starters returning on offense and eight on defense as well as three on special teams for the upcoming season.
Watkins was named the 38th head coach in program history on Nov. 26, 2024 becoming the first Ichabod alumnus to fill the top spot on the Ichabod sidelines in more than 30 years after spending the previous 11 seasons as the co-defensive coordinator on the Ichabod coaching staff.
Defending conference champion Central Oklahoma, 12-2 overall and 8-1 in the MIAA, was tapped as the preseason favorite in the coaches' poll, receiving seven of 10 first-place votes, while Pittsburg State (8-3, 7-2) topped the media poll.
Emporia State (7-4, 5-4) was picked fifth in the MIAA coaches poll and sixth in the media poll. The Hornets will open their season on Aug. 28 at Welch Stadium against non-conference foe Minot State (7 p.m.).
2025 MIAA FOOTBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Central Oklahoma [7] – 78 points
2. Pittsburg State [3] – 75 points
3. Fort Hays State – 62 points
4. Central Missouri – 57 points
5. Emporia State – 50 points
6. Northwest Missouri – 41 points
7. Missouri Western – 29 points
8. Nebraska Kearney – 28 points
9. Washburn – 21 points
10. Missouri Southern – 9 points
[#] - Number of First Place Votes
2025 MIAA FOOTBALL PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
1. Pittsburg State [13] – 310 points
2. Central Oklahoma [18] – 307 points
3. Fort Hays State [2] – 271 points
4. Central Missouri [1] – 239 points
5. Northwest Missouri – 215 points
6. Emporia State – 167 points
7. Nebraska Kearney – 120 points
8. Missouri Western – 107 points
9. Washburn – 88 points
10. Missouri Southern – 46 points
[#] - Number of First Place Votes
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By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
It may seem remarkable that a kid who grew up in Gove, Kansas would eventually play Major League Baseball. But according to Bobby Randall, it’s not quite as unlikely as it seems today.
Former Major Leaguer and Division I coach Bobby Randall will be inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday at Washburn University. [Submitted photo/Kansas Sports Hall of Fame]
When Randall was drafted out of high school by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1966, he wasn’t unique.
“It was a time when small towns played baseball,” Randall said. “We played baseball fall and spring, didn’t have football. So, all those little towns played baseball, while a lot of the big schools didn’t have school baseball.
“The year that I was drafted, Ron Schueler, from a town called Catherine, over by Hays, was drafted. And Bill Russell from Pittsburg was drafted. All three of us small town Kansas kids were drafted that same year.”
Randall eventually reached the major leagues, became a Division I head coach, and is now a Kansas Sports Hall of Famer. With nine other inductees, he will be enshrined in a ceremony at Washburn University on Aug. 2.
Growing up in Gove wasn’t the obstacle it might seem. It was, in fact, a great place to grow up, Randall said.
“In Gove, they would turn the lights on at the baseball field and the whole town would come and sit in their cars around the fence and watch the game,” Randall recalled. “If you got a basehit, they would honk. It was like having 40,000 people at Yankee Stadium. That’s what it felt like to us.
“Baseball was an important part of the culture. It’s changed now. There is no small-town baseball anymore. That is sad.”
Randall said baseball games – pickup or organized – were rare in Gove. He said he never played more than 25 games in a season. Most of his training came from playing catch with his father or throwing the ball against the garage.
“I had no idea (the Dodgers) were going to draft me. I didn’t know anybody had been watching me,” Randall said. “If you’ve got talent, they will find you. There’s umpires, other coaches, people spread the word. Those scouts have their ear to the ground and it’s rare that a stone gets unturned.”
Randall turned down the Dodgers to attend Kansas State.
“I didn’t think I was ready to play professional baseball coming from a town of 300 people. I’d never played on a grass infield,” Randall said. “I just thought ‘I need to go to college.’ I didn’t have any dreams of playing in the major leagues. I wanted to play professionally just because I wanted to keep playing baseball. But I knew that going to college was the wise thing for me to do.
“I was not offered much of a bonus, so it was easy to turn that down. I had a partial scholarship to K-State. I figured, if I’m any good, I can go there and get better, then sign out of college.”
Randall didn’t get much of an opportunity at K-State until his junior season. He made the most of it, batting .390 and earning All-Big Eight honors.
