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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
After taking over as Topeka West's interim football coach for the final three games of the 2022 season, Trey Parker knew West is where he wanted to be.
Trey Parker
Now, after waiting out a long hiring and approval process, the former Washburn University standout is ready to go full bore after being approved Thursday night as the Chargers' head coach by the USD 501 school board.
"We're excited,'' said the 28-year-old Parker. "I've had kids asking every single day, "Are you the head coach?' I said, 'I don't know,' but now that it's official when kids ask me I can say, 'Yes I am, so now what are you going to do with that? I'm ready to hit the ground running. Are you going to follow me, are we going to run together?' ''
Parker becomes Topeka West's third head coach in less than a year after former Charger coach Ryan Kelly stepped down last spring and Russell Norton stepped aside just six games into his first season.
Parker, who was Norton's defensive coordinator, stepped in as West's interim coach last season and said that he believes that experience will benefit him moving forward.
"I think one of the biggest things about being a coach is building relationships and I think with that foundation that I was able to build with the kids last year that was a big milestone already that I had above other competitors that wanted the job, just simply because it's hard to build a relationship out of scratch,'' Parker said. "For me to have experience with the kids, that was monumental.''
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
SILVER LAKE – Hayden baseball coach Bill Arnold saw his team start the season the best way it could have in a non-league twinbill sweep over Silver Lake on Thursday night.
Hayden run-ruled the Eagles, 14-0, in Game 1 of the season-opener and followed that stellar performance with a 10-2 victory in Game 2.
Hayden baseball coach Bill Arnold talks to his Wildcats after a season-opening twinbill sweep at Silver Lake. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
It would be hard to have a better start to the year than Hayden's sophomore right-handed pitcher Cooper Grace in the season opener.
Grace tossed five innings of perfect baseball in the first game, with Grace striking out 10 batters while only allowing five balls to be put into play (3 groundouts, 2 flyouts).
"Coop pitched well and was ahead in the count from the beginning," Arnold said. "He was really locked in. We made some nice plays, routine plays when (Silver Lake) put the ball in play. It was nice."
Grace handled the middle and bottom parts of the order. Batters four through nine went a combined 0-9 with nine strikeouts. The top three batters for Silver Lake went 0-6 with a strikeout.
Hayden's bats looked in midseason form in the opening game. However, with Hayden's limited time to practice and get live at-bats before the season's first pitch, it was important for the Wildcats to put the ball in play.
Hayden did that with 14 runs on the board and 11 hits while getting on base with five walks.
"I was really pleased because we were actually able to hit, I mean, we've got some work in the cage outside, but we've had minimal live at-bats," Arnold said. "I was happy with how the first game went. Obviously, we made some mistakes that I think we will get better at, but in the long haul, pretty pleased."
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Hayden girls soccer coach Klaus Kreutzer knows that things are going to get tougher in a hurry, but Thursday's season-opening 10-0 non-league road win over Topeka West was a good start.
Hayden senior Briahna Barnett (7) and Topeka West freshman Taryn Gilbert race to a loose ball in the Wildcats' 10-0 non-league win over the Chargers at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Hayden freshman Kellyn Specht (8) and Topeka West freshman Cecylia Boyd (10) and junior Sophia Geist (11) try to save ball from going out of bounds in Thursday's 10-0 Hayden win at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I felt pretty good about it,'' Kreutzer said. "We're a pretty young team. We've got six or seven freshmen on the team and I thought they performed well.
"It's good to get (the opener) out of the way and I think we've got some things we can work on.''
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Seaman girls swim team returns a lot of the pieces from its fourth place finish a year ago with one new component, new head coach Daryl Halsey. Halsey and the Vikings placed third at the Topeka West Girls Invitational meet at Capitol Federal Natatorium on Thursday, highest among the five Topeka schools to compete.
Seaman's Avery Walz picked up three gold medals in Thursday's season-opening Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman's Joslynn Grace reacts to her time in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Halsey coached the Seaman team 10 years ago before moving from Topeka. A decade later, he inherits a talented crew.
Halsey said the Vikings graduated a good senior class last year but noted that several of the strongest swimmers returned.
Led by state medalists Avery and Tauren Walz and Joslynn Grace, the Vikings accumulated 279 points in the meet, trailing Lansing with 417 and McPherson with 368.
“I think this is an amazing group of girls,” Halsey said. “I think we have a lot of potential and think it’s going to be a really good year overall.
“We returned some girls who are stepping up into those leadership roles now that they’re a little bit older themselves, and they are able to show the younger swimmers what it’s all about. In that sense, I’m incredibly lucky.”
The Walz twins, who each collected four medals at the state meet a year ago, were the Vikings’ top scorers on Thursday. Avery Walz won the 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard freestyle events while Tauren Walz placed first in the 50-yard freestyle and second in the 100-yard butterfly.
Grace claimed second place in both the 200-yard individual medley and 100 breastroke. Last year, she finished fifth in the 200-yard individual medley at state. She has high expectations for herself and her team this year.
“I feel like I’ve grown because I’ve been training a lot,” Grace said. “I really want our team to get a plaque (by finishing in the top three) at state this year. And I would like to get a medal in both my events because last year I only medaled in one.”
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Seaman senior Zach Jowers was afforded a rare opportunity in Thursday's season-opening Topeka West Invitational track and field meet and took full advantage.
Seaman senior Zach Jowers goes almost completely under water on his final water jump in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational 2,000-meter steeplechase event but quickly recovered to post a victory by just over 17 seconds. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
A dripping wet Zach Jowers of Seaman emerges from the water jump on his final lap en route to a win in the 2,000-meter steeplechase in 7:09.20. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Very few Kansas high school athletes get the chance to compete in the steeplechase -- an event that combines distance running with clearing obstacles, including one with a pit filled with water -- but meet host Topeka West added the 2,000-meter steeplechase as an exhibition event to give athletes a chance to qualify for next month's Kansas Relays.
Jowers jumped at the chance and took control early on the way to a 17-second win in the boys race in a time of 7 minutes, 09.20 seconds at Hummer Sports Park.
"Ever since I saw it in the eighth grade at the KU Relays I was like, 'Hey coach, when I get to high school I've got to run that at least once,' '' Jowers said. "This was the once.''
Jowers and his teammates spent mimimal time getting ready for Thursday's event and he admitted it was a quick baptism in the meet.
"Jumping over the water, I was not ready,'' he said.
But it was also an experience Jowers will never forget.
"It was a ton of fun,'' he said. "I don't think I've ever smiled that much during a race and probably never will again.''
In late June, after graduating from Seaman, Jowers will get the chance to take advantage of another rare opportunity when he reports to the United States Air Force Academy after recently getting the word that he had been accepted to the Academy.
"That's been a dream for a long time, at least since middle school and probably beforehand,'' he said. "My dad was in the military (Army) and looking up to him growing up it's always been a dream of mine to join the military and I thought this would be a great way to do it.''
While he is looking forward to starting the next chapter in his life, Jowers is also looking forward to making the most of the last couple of months of his high school career, particularly with the Vikings' track team.
"The school part I'm definitely ready to be done with, I think everyone is, and track, we're just starting up, but we've got a great group of guys and it's been a lot of fun so far and I think it's going to keep going that way,'' he said.
Other meet highlights:
Topeka West senior Lenny Njoroge flashes the No. 1 sign after a dominating victory in the 1,600 meters in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
• Topeka West boys star Lenny Njoroge spent most of his junior track season rounding back into state after recovering from a broken leg he suffered midway through his sophomore season in a club soccer match.
But Njoroge opened his senior track campaign in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational in tip top shape and flashed the form that has made him one of the state's premier distance runners, dominating the 1,600 and 3,200-meter races.
Njoroge, a state medalist in cross country and track, won by nearly 14 seconds in the 1,600 and the 3,200, clocking a winning time of 4:29.84 in the 1,600 and came back later in the evening to post a winning time of 9:45.51 in the 3,200.
"I feel so much stronger,'' Njoroge said. "I've been training all winter long just to get this. Last track season I really didn't have a great state meet so I've been hungry since winter on the training.
"I'm really strong and hopefully I keep feeling strong as the season goes on. We have some better competition coming up.''
Topeka West also got wins from senior Jacob Reimer in the discus (129 feet, 10 inches) and from Alesecio Batson in the triple jump (43-11.50).
• Seaman's Bethany Druse, the reigning Class 5A 800 meters champion, opened her senior season with an 11-second win, clocking a winning time of 2:27.08.
In addition to her win in the 800, Druse anchored the Vikings' 4x400 relay team to a win in 4:24.94.
Druse teamed with Taylin Stallbaumer, Jaida Stallbaumer and Taylie Heston in the relay win.
T. Stallbaumer also finished second in the 100 hurdles (17.40) and the 300 hurdles (53.38).
• Seaman swept the girls throwing events, including a pair of wins from Anna Domann.
Domann won the shot put at 33-1.50 and the discus at 114-6 while Ally Trier won the javelin title with a top throw of 121-10.
Topeka West senior Makinsey Jones won the long jump and triple jump and finished second in the high jump in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
• Topeka West's Makinsey Jones turned in an impressive season-opener, winning a pair of events and finishing second in a third.
Jones won the long jump with a best of 16 feet, 4.75 seconds and the triple jump at 33-8.50 and finished second in the high jump at 5-2.
• Seaman's boys finished second by a 14-point margin to Manhattan in the team race (133.333-119.333), with the Vikings winning two events on the day.
Seaman got wins from Brody Anderson in the 800 (2:07.83) and from Aaron Merritt in the 110-meter hurdles (15.71).
Highland Park senior Tre Richardson soars to a win in the long jump in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
• Highland Park senior Tre Richardson won the long jump with a leap of 22-11.50 and finished third in the triple jump at 43-2.50 after earning state medals in both those events as a junior.
Richardson is the defending 5A champion in the 200-meter dash but did not run that event on Thursday.
Topeka High freshman Keimara Marshall won the girls 100-meter dash in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
• Topeka High freshman Keimara Marshall won the girls 100 in 13.17 seconds and also helped the Trojans post a runnerup finish in the 4x100 relay (53.43) and she placed fourth in the 200 (27.65).
Topeka High's foursome of Jaziah Mack, V'Ante Peoples, Logan Murray and Malachi Murph won the 4x100 relay in 44.20.
TOPEKA WEST INVITATIONAL
