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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Jaxon Cowdin got into diving almost by accident, but the Topeka High senior will end his high school career in this week's Class 6A state meet as the most accomplished one-meter diver in school, something he's very proud of.
Topeka High senior Jaxon Cowdin won his third straight Centennial League diving title last Thursday, the lone city champion. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Cowdin credits older sister Maisie for helping getting him into the sport.
"She was a lifeguard over at one of the pools and I used to go there like all day and would dive off the diving boards and swim all the time, so she was like, 'Hey, you should probably go try dive,' Cowdin said. "So I came out for it and like the first two or three weeks I ended up breaking the school record and ended qualifying for state. So I'm pretty glad I did it.''
Fast forward to four years later and Cowdin has won four straight city diving titles and won his third straight Centennial League championship last Thursday.
"I think it's a cool thing for Topeka High School history,'' Cowdin said. "I think I've done something that very people can say that they've done, so I have a lot of pride in that.''
Now Cowdin is setting his sights this weekend at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatics Center on the one thing that's eluded him -- a state medal.
Cowdin, along with senior teammates Dominic and Malachi Delgado, will compete in the preliminaries and semifinals on Thursday, with the finals on Saturday.
"Probably the ultimate goal is going and getting a medal,'' Cowdin said. "I feel like I've come pretty close in the past three years but I've always been just short.
"I think I'm definitely more focused this year than I have been in past years and I think it's been especially good with the twins kind of riding up on me recently. I think that's definitely led to better competition.''
The three-day state meet will get under way with Thursday's diving prelims and semis, with the 6A event at 9:30 a.m. and 5A-1A at 4:30 p.m.
The 6A swimming preliminaries will start at 9 a.m. on Friday, with the 5A-1A prelims following at 4 p.m.
Championship 6A finals will get under way at 9 a.m. Friday, followed by the 5A-1A finals at 4 o'clock.
Senior Luke Lemke will compete in four events for Washburn Rural in the Class 6A state swimming meet. [File photo/TSN]
City champion and Centennial League runner up will be well-represented in the 6A state meet, with senior Luke Lemke (200-yard individual medley, 100 backstroke), sophomore Andres Morao-Jaspe (200 IM, 500 free) and freshman Thomas Appuhn (200 IM, 100 backstroke) all qualifying in two individual events while freshman Castle Wallace is qualified in the 100 breaststroke.
The Junior Blues are also qualified in the 200 medley relay, 200 free relay and 400 free relay.
Shawnee Heights senior Truman Brede was the lone city gold medalist in last Tuesday's UKC swimming championships. [File photo/TSN]
In 5A-1A Seaman senior Peyton Holmes (50 free, 100 free) and sophomore Kinser Barbosa (200 free, 100 butterfly) are both qualified in two individual events, as are Shawnee Heights seniors Truman Brede (200 free, 100 backstroke) and Evan Hoobler (100 butterfly, 100 breaststroke).
Hayden senior Palmer Heskett is an individual qualifier in the 200 IM while both Seaman and Hayden are qualified in the 200 medley and 400 free relays.
STATE SWIMMING/DIVING SCHEDULE
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake's boys outlasted Rossville Monday night for a 66-63 Big East League win on the Eagles' home floor, avenging an earlier loss to the rival Bulldawgs.
Junior Dayne Johnson led Silver Lake with 31 points in Monday's 66-63 win over Rossville. [File photo/TSN]
The game was tight throughout, with Rossville leading 15-13 at the end of the first quarter before Silver Lake used a 19-12 second quarter to go up 32-27 at the half.
It was still a five-point game at the start of the fourth quarter (47-42) before the Eagles held off the Bulldawgs down the stretch.
Junior Dayne Johnson led the 14-4 Eagles to their fourth straight win with a game-high 31 points while Jared Johnson and Brody Deiter added 11 points each, with J. Johnson hitting three 3-pointers.
Junior Jack Donovan led 12-6 Rossville with 20 points (three 3-pointers) while Cameron Miller added 18 points with three 3s and Kameron Badura had 12 points.
Eagle girls roll to 38-point victory over rivals
Silver Lake's girls dominated the first half Monday night on the way to a 58-20 Big East League win over rival Rossville at Silver Lake.
The 16-2 Eagles outscored the 8-10 Bulldawgs 17-4 in the first quarter and then used a 20-2 second quarter to take a huge 37-6 cushion to the locker room at the half.
Silver Lake increased its advantage to 56-16 at the end of the third quarter, forcing a running clock the rest of the way.
Freshman Karys Deiter led the Eagles with a game-high 19 points while Taylor Zordel added 13 points and Ella Bolan 12.
Junior Rylee Dick led Rossville with 13 points.
Junior Simon Rowley scored a game-high 18 points Monday night as Washburn Rural posted a 65-39 road win over Emporia. [File photo/TSN]
Rural boys clinch share of Centennial crown with 65-39 romp
Washburn Rural's boys rode a monster first half to a 65-39 Centennial League road win at Emporia Monday night, with the clinching at least a share of the league championship with three games remaining.
The Junior Blues put the game away by halftime, hitting 11 3-pointers en route to opening up a commanding 41-18 lead at the break after leading by as many as 29 points.
Rural cooled off a little in the second half but still connected on 13 of 28 3s on the night.
Junior Simon Rowley scored 16 of his game-high 18 points in the first half, going 4 of 4 from 3-point range.
Senior Kaden Ballard hit three 3-pointers in the first half on the way to a 12-point night while freshman Brooks Ballard canned a pair of first-half treys.
With Monday's win the Junior Blues improved to 13-4 overall and 7-0 in the league, holding a full three-game lead over Junction City in the league race.
Washburn Rural will be at home Friday to host Hayden in a Centennial League tilt.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Koti Best
KOTI BEST, Seaman
A senior wrestler, Best returned from an injury to claim the 125-pound championship and reach the 100-win milestone for her career in Saturday's Class 5A West regional at Seaman. Now 17-2 on the season, Best went 4-0 on the day with none of her matches lasting longer than 1 minute, 25 seconds, including pins in 25 seconds, 30 seconds and 1:02.
KaeVon Bonner
KAEVON BONNER, Seaman
Bonner, a 6-foot-3 junior guard, scored 26 points last Tuesday as No. 7-ranked Seaman took a 68-66 home United Kansas Conference win over No. 8-ranked Shawnee Heights. Bonner scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and went 12 of 15 at the free throw line as Seaman improved to 12-4 on the season.
Jaxon Cowdin
JAXON COWDIN, Topeka High
A senior swimmer/diver, Cowdin captured his third straight Centennial League championship in one-meter diving last Thursday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. Cowdin dominated the competition en route to a winning 11-dive score of 428.75. Cowdin's third league title came on the heels of his fourth straight city title.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights, top-ranked in the most recent Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association Class 5A rankings, posted a strong runnerup team finish in Saturday's 5A East Regional at Bonner Springs, qualifying 12 wrestlers for state.
Junior Cianna Graves improved to 35-2 on the season while winning the 150-pound title for Shawnee Heights in Saturday's Class 5A East regional. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Madison Freeland (left) won the 140-pound Class 5A regional title Saturday at Bonner Springs. [File photo/TSN]
Heights finished the regional tournament with 215.5 points, while the T-Birds' United Kansas Conference rival, Basehor Linwood, took first with 234.5 points.
Shawnee Heights got individual regional championships from 125-pound senior Reece Taylor, 140-pound senior Madison Freeland and 135-pound junior Cianna Graves while freshman Ava Gutierrez (100) and senior Isabel Reyes (130) advanced to the regional finals, finishing second.
Taylor, No. 1 ranked in 5A at 125, improved to 33-3 with her regional title, posting a 1 minute, 18 second pin over Blue Valley Southwest senior Brynn Lowe in the final.
Freeland, No. 5-ranked at 140, is 28-6 on the season after recording a 3:25 pin over Bonner Springs junior Nevaeh Brown in her final while Graves, 35-2 and top-ranked at 155, took a 4-2 win over Bonner Springs junior Addison Voges in the regional championship match.
Sophomore Audry Hinkly (120) and junior Olivia Stevens (145) posted third-place finishes while freshman Olive Jones (135) and sophomore Brooklyn Binkley (170) placed fourth, junior Mara Grau-Jones (235) fifth, freshman Halle Hill (110) sixth and junior Shelby Watson (190) seventh.
Highland Park finished 10th as a team while qualifying five wrestlers for state.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After advancing to the Class 6A-5A state championship match as a sophomore, the last two seasons have been a bit of a nightmare for Seaman girls wrestling star Koti Best.
Seaman senior Koti Best returned from an injury Saturday to win the 125-pound title in the Class 5A West regional at Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
A four-time state qualifier and two-time state placer, Best missed a big chunk of her junior season with concussion issues although she did return -- briefly -- in time for state.
"I wrestled the first round and I got re-concussed,'' Best lamented.
Best was back at full strength for the start of the current campaign, but was forced to the sidelines again after suffering a dislocated shoulder in the Newton tournament.
"It was not a good time,'' Best said. "I was so scared. I was like, 'I can't lose my season two years in a row.' ''
Seaman senior Koti Best reached the 100-win milestone in Saturday's Class 5A West regional en route to the 125-pound title. [Seaman Athletics]
Fortunately, that didn't happen, with Best returning to action with a dominant performance in Saturday's 5A West regional tournament at Seaman while capturing the 125-pound title and reaching the 100-win career milestone during the tournament.
"It's been so frustrating because I was so close and then I just kept getting shot down and shot down and hurt and hurt, but it motivated me a lot,'' Best said.
And Best got through regionals without any further damage to her shoulder.
"I felt very good,'' she said. "My shoulder was a little bit sore, but that's expected.''
Best, now 17-2 on the season, went 4-0 on the day with none of her matches lasting more than 1 minute, 25 seconds.
Best posted 30-second, 1:02 and 25-second pins to reach the championship match before defeating Great Bend freshman Micah Ellegood in a final that was halted at the 1:25 mark due to an injury to Ellegood that occurred during a Best takedown.
"I felt so awful, I felt so bad,'' said Best, who was leading 9-2 when the match was stopped.
"We've been there and I don't want to see anybody ever get hurt,'' said Seaman coach Jordan Best, Koti's father. "That's not how we want to win matches. It's unfortunate, but I hope she makes a quick recovery and I know she can bounce back. She's going to be a stud.''
Best will now look forward to her final state meet Feb. 28-March 1 at Park City's Hartman Arena as one of seven state qualifiers for the Vikings.
Seaman senior Taylie Heston was the 120-pound runnerup in Saturday's Class 5A West Regional. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman senior 120-pounder Taylie Heston (29-7) also advanced to the regional finals before she dropped 2-1 four-overtime decision to Emporia junior Kensley Medrano.
Seaman, which finished sixth as a team, also got fourth-place finishes from senior 110-pounder Natalie Smith (26-9) and 130-pound junior Makenna Stuke (23-13) and sixth-place finishes from freshman 115-pounder Avery Villines (13-16) and senior 190-pounder Abagail Soppe (11-9) and a seventh-place showing from freshman Savannah Rivera (11-24).
"Actually that's a little bit more than I envisioned happening, so it's a good day,'' Seaman coach Jordan Best said. "We had some girls that themselves didn't think they would actually make the state tournament that made it so that's awesome.''
Topeka West qualified two wrestlers for state, with sophomore 235-pounder Monica Stewart (12-13) finishing sixth and sophomore 170-pounder Haylee Jessepe (6-12) finishing eighth.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel won the regional team title by a 218.5-180.5 margin over Hays.
CLASS 5A WEST GIRLS REGIONAL WRESTLING
