News - Top Sports News - The top sports news from Topeka & Shawnee County.

Details: Created: 10 October 2025

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

On a beautiful night for football, city rivals Seaman and Shawnee Heights squared off in a United Kansas Conference matchup. Host Seaman was honoring its senior class and Shawnee Heights was coming off a tough, 50-48 loss to DeSoto last Friday night. However, Shawnee Heights played its best all-around game of the season, defeating the Vikings, 20-3.

“Kids played outstanding,'' Heights coach Jason Swift said. "That’s one of the best football games I’ve seen from a T-bird team ever. Everybody did their job -- all eleven on offense, defense and the special teams. They were phenomenal and I couldn’t be happier for these guys because they’ve faced adversity.

Following the tough loss to DeSoto last week, Coach Swift was proud of the team’s resolve, “You never know how someone will react when they get knocked down, but our boys got up and is a testament to them and their heart and resiliency.”

Seaman (3-3 overall, 3-2 UKC) took the opening kickoff and drove right down the field, but were unable to get into the end zone and senior Bryan Hayes kicked a 23-yard field goal to give the Vikings a 3-0 lead. On their ensuing possession, Shawnee Heights (2-4, 2-3) drove into the red zone, but junior wide receiver Javon Williams fumbled following a catch and Seaman took over at their own 18-yard line. Seaman responded to the turnover by driving back down into Thunderbird territory, but Hayes missed a 36-yard field goal attempt.

Following a couple of turnovers by the Vikings (an interception and on downs), the Thunderbirds were able to get on the scoreboard with a 10-yard pass from senior Aiden Scott to fellow senior AJ Gallegos. Senior Camden Granado kicked the extra point and with 4:59 remaining in the first half, Shawnee Heights led, 7-3. After another turnover on downs by Seaman with 2:56 left in the half, Shawnee Heights drove deep into Seaman territory and Granado kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired in the half, giving Heights a 10-3 lead going to the locker room.

As the second half began, Shawnee Heights appeared to be on their way to getting two scores on each side of the halftime break as sophomore Reid Niedfeldt took the opening kickoff 72 yards deep into Seaman territory. However, there was a penalty on the return, nullifying the terrific return. The teams traded punts after lengthy drives and Heights once again entered the red zone, threatening to extend their lead. But Viking senior Mike Hurla intercepted Scott’s pass at the 5-yard-line and returned it all the way to midfield with a little over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. As Seaman began moving the ball, the drive stalled because of a Viking fumble.

Shawnee Heights took the following possession into the fourth quarter and Scott was able to throw his second touchdown pass of the game on a 25-yard pass to Williams. Granado tacked on the extra point, giving the Thunderbirds a commanding 17-3 lead with 9:09 left in the game.

The ensuing kickoff appeared to be a momentum-shifting play as junior Jack Becker picked up the ball on the 1-yard line and went 93 yards all the way to the Heights 6-yard-line. But there was a holding penalty called, shifting the momentum right back to Heights. Seaman was unable to move the ball and was forced to punt with a little over seven minutes left in the game.

Shawnee Heights was able to run the ball with junior Trone Purvis getting the majority of the carries, milking the clock and forcing Seaman to use all of their timeouts. The Thunderbirds were able to convert two third downs into first downs, eventually taking the clock down to 1:12, when Granado kicked another 31-yard field goal to end the scoring.

Junior Trone Purvis carried the load as the lead running back and his coach was elated with his effort. “Trone probably had more carries tonight than he’s had all season as he stepped in for David Wakes (senior starter). Our offensive line paved the way for him and this was a ‘find a way’ game and our kids found a way to win it."

Shawnee Heights will go on the road to Lansing next Friday while Seaman will travel to face Basehor-Linwood.

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 20, SEAMAN 3

Details: Created: 10 October 2025

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

For a football team with Class 3A state championship aspirations, Hayden knows there's still work to be done.

But the Wildcats gave a glimpse of what could be ahead in Friday's 53-22 Class 3A District 4 romp past traditional state power Holton at Hayden.

Senior quarterback Connor Hanika threw for three touchdowns in Hayden's 53-22 district win over Holton Friday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

"Overall it was good,'' said Hayden coach Bill Arnold. "We came out and did some nice things on both sides of the ball. I'm a little disappointed we weren't quite as consistent as what I would have liked to have been.

"At the same time I'm happy with the progress that we're making, but we're not done. We've still got a ceiling to get to and that's what I challenged them with after the game. We've got to get better in practice. Our practices need to be cleaner than what they have been, but I'm happy with their effort.''

Hayden senior standout Kade Mitchell agreed with his coach that the Wildcats can still get a lot better moving forward.

"There's plenty of room to grow,'' Mitchell said. "As you saw there, we kind of settled down towards the second half and gave up way too many big plays in the second half. We've got to come together and finish games.

"We've got a lot of room to grow on defense and offense.''

Now 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the district, Hayden led by just a 7-6 margin a play into the second quarter, but turned the game into a rout with 29 unanswered points in the second quarter to build a 36-6 halftime advantage and eventually went up 53-14 before Holton (3-3, 1-2) added a late TD.

Mitchell, a 5-foot-9, 180 pound senior, had a game-high 128 rushing yards and 1 and 8 yards on 16 attempts and also scored a third TD on a 9-yard pass from senior quarterback Connor Hanika.

Hayden senior Xander Blasing had a 23-yard touchdown reception in Friday's 53-22 district win over Holton. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Hanika, 6-6, 195, went 15 of 22 through the air for 205 yards and three TDs -- a 23-yard TD to senior Xander Blasing, a 21-yard scoring strike to senior Jude Krentz and the 9-yard TD to Mitchell.

Junior Mason Becker scored on a 27-yard run, kicked a 40-yard field goal and was six of six on extra points in Friday's 53-22 Hayden district win over Holton. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

The Wildcats also got a 5-yard touchdown run from senior Jackson McGivern to open the night's scoring, while junior Mason Becker scored Hayden's final TD on a 27-yard run, kicked a 40-yard field goal and went 6 of 6 on extra-point kicks.

Holton got a 1-yard TD plunge and a 17-yard run from senior Cael Frazier and a 48-yard TD run from senior Korban Wilson, who had 95 yards on 14 carries. Frazier had 85 yards on 18 attempts.

Hayden will travel to Perry-Lecompton next Friday while Holton will be at home to host Hiawatha.

HAYDEN 53, HOLTON 22

Details: Created: 10 October 2025

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Fresh off a bye week, the Washburn University football team will be back in action Saturday when the Ichabods travel to Pittsburg State for a 2 p.m. MIAA contest.

Washburn sophomore linebackers JC Heim (9) and L.J. Minner Jr. rank one-two in the MIAA in tackles entering Saturday's 2 p.m. game at Pittsburg State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

The Ichabods are 1-4 this season and looking for their first conference win after falling 31-24 last time out to Nebraska-Kearney in Topeka.

Pittsburg State is 4-2 overall and 3-1 in MIAA play after topping Nebraska-Kearney in its last game, 23-6. The Gorillas are ranked 15th in the AFCA Coaches Poll and seventh in the d2football.com poll.

Ichabod coach Zach Watkins said the bye week came at a good time for the Ichabods, who have lost four games in a row but have played back to back one-possession contests against Central Oklahoma and Kearney.

"It came at a really good time,'' Watkins said. "We got some guys back from injury and the MIAA's a grind every week, so it kind of gives you that mid-year break. But we did not take the week off. We practiced and we got better and did academics and did all the stuff it takes and it was a really good productive week for us.''

Washburn sophomore linebacker JC Heim leads the MIAA tackles with 13.6 per game and sophomore L.J. Minner Jr. is second with 10.2 tackles per game, with the duo ranking second and 13th, respectively, in the NCAA Division II national rankings.

Jordan Finnesy's 222 career tackles rank 19th on the NCAA D-II active chart and he is 15th on the D-II active solo tackles chart with 136.

Jake Zeller is fourth on the NCAA D-II active punting average chart at 41.7 and he is seventh in total punt yards (5,746). Zeller is second in the MIAA and 14th in the national rankings in punting average at 42.3 yards per punt.

Chase Allen-Jackman's six touchdown receptions lead the MIAA and is 11th in the NCAA D-II ranks.

D.J. Bell is second in the MIAA and 25th in the nation in all-purpose yards at 128.6 yards per game.

Watkins knows the Ichabods will need to be at their best to upset the Gorillas on the road, but said his team looks forward to the challenge.

"It's the MIAA, another ranked team, another tough place to play, another well-coached team, but that's why you want to play in the MIAA because you get those kind of games every week and you get to compete with guys who are as good as you or better than you each week, and that's what you want as a competitor,'' Watkins said.

Zahmari Palode-Gary leads a one-two Pittsburg State rushing punch in rushing at 75 yards per game and Cleo Chandler, Jr. averages 71 yards per game.

Details: Created: 10 October 2025

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights setter Clara Morgan is closing in on 1,000 assists in her high school volleyball career. She figures to eclipse the mark this weekend at a tournament in Manhattan, overcoming significant obstacles along the way.

Shawnee Heights junior Clara Morgan is on the brink of reaching the 1,000-assist mark for her career. [Submitted photo]

The fact that Morgan is just halfway through her junior season puts the accomplishment in a special light. Starting on varsity since her freshman year has allowed her to rack up a lot of assists early in her career.

Making the feat all the more impressive is that Morgan plays in a 6-2 set, a Shawnee Heights tradition that rotates two setters instead of relying upon just one. Because she is not the team’s sole setter, Morgan has to make the most of her opportunities.

The third obstacle Morgan has overcome is the most significant. Her father passed away when she was nine years old.

“Losing him, he was a really big guy on sports, so he was like my dad but also my coach,” said Morgan, who is also a member of the T-Bird softball team. “I really relied on him. So, him passing, I really grieved with it, but I know he’s left me some good key lessons, and he’s always in the back of my head. When I’m playing, I’ll think of him and everything he taught me.

“I wish he could have seen this. He was never big on volleyball. When I was young, I was big on softball. But if he saw me now, I think he’d be really proud of me.”

Morgan said she finds support in two sources: her faith and her mother.

Before every game, the junior writes Bible verses on her taped wrists. Her go-to verse: Psalm 37:24, which she personalizes.

“‘Though she falls, she will not fail because the Lord supports her with his hand.’ I think that verse really helps especially in volleyball because it’s a game full of mistakes,” Morgan said. “I think, if you make a mistake, I can look down at my wrist and think He’s there to catch me.

“When things get hectic or people are yelling a lot of things at you, I can look down at my wrist and just say the verse in my head and it helps.”

The youngest of four children, Morgan praises her mother, Darlene Morgan, for her support on and off the court.

“When she can’t make a game, I totally understand, as the only parent in the household,” Morgan said. “She does a great job and when she can’t make it, she will send me a prayer over text, and I know she will be watching on Facebook.”

Junior Clara Morgan has overcome personal obstacles to become a standout for Shawnee Heights volleyball. [Submitted photo]

As the T-Birds’ setter, Morgan serves as an extension of her coach, Sami (McHenry) Kearney, a former standout at Shawnee Heights and Washburn in her own right.

“(Coach) is not on the court with you, so I get to help everyone stay calm and tell the hitters what they’re running,” Morgan said. “You’re basically giving instructions of what you think the coach would do if she was in there.”

Morgan’s coach put the junior’s assist total in perspective.

“One thousand assists as a junior is a huge deal,” Kearney said. “That means she is averaging over 300 assists per season and averaging about 10 assist per game. We haven’t had this accomplishment at Shawnee Heights since 2019.

“Because we run a 6-2, she’s in the game about two-thirds of the time, where other setters getting 1,000 assists are the only setter in their games. So, for her to reach this as a junior is a huge accomplishment. It shows how good she is and how she makes us all better because of it.”

Details: Created: 09 October 2025

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

It's been a tough three weeks for Highland Park's football team.

But it was smiles all around after the Scots, playing their first game since Sept. 19, rolled to a 42-18 Homecoming win over Meadowlark Conference rival Atchison Thursday night at Hummer Sports Park.

Highland Park senior quarterback Dontrail Fox got the Scots started with a 73-yard touchdown pass in Thursday's 42-18 win over Atchison. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Junior JoJo Kingcannon had another big night Thursday as Highland Park remained undefeated on the field in a 42-18 win over Atchison. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

"It felt great,'' said Highland Park coach Jermaine Monroe, who picked up his first win over Atchison in five tries. "We had two weeks off, so we kind of treated it like it was the end of the season. We analyzed everything, we made some adjustments and changes and we were really competitive in practice.

"I think (the layoff) made us stronger. We went through some situations that were tough, that we could not control, but we learned from it and we bounced back from it and got stronger. And it put us in a position to be mentally stronger this game.''

The Scots, who improved to 4-2 overall and 4-1 in the conference, had been forced to forfeit its previous two games in the wake of a Week 3 onfield altercation with Kansas City-Schlagle, but after forcing an Atchison punt on the Phoenix' opening possession, it took Highland Park just five plays to strike for a 73-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Dontrail Fox to junior JoJo Kingcannon (conversion run failed) and the hosts never looked back.

Junior G'Honi Montgomery helped lead Highland Park to a 42-18 win over Atchison Thursday night at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Highland Park made it a 14-0 late in the opening quarter on 2-yard run from junior G'Honi Montgomery and a two-point conversion pass from Kingcannon to senior Tremaine Savage and Atchison (3-3, 3-2) got no closer the rest of the night.

Highland Park's defense stops Atchison in Thursday's 42-18 win over the Phoenix. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

The Scots took a 20-6 advantage to the locker room at the half after a 57-yard TD from Fox to Montgomery and scored three plays into the second half on a 52-yard pass from Fox to Savage and capitalized on an Atchison fumble with a 55-yard highlight-film run from senior Genesis Cooper and a two-point conversion pass from Fox to Montgomery to put the game out of reach at 34-6 with 7:14 left in the third quarter.

"Coming back on the field and really getting that chemistry back, it feels good,'' Cooper said. "This (a win over Atchison) gets a monkey off our back and that feels good.''

The Phoenix scored a pair of fourth-quarter TDs to get within 34-18 before Fox scored on a 31-yard run and Kingcannon hit sophomore Lorenzo Sullivan-Sowell with a two-point conversion pass to account for the final score.

"We got the lead and kept the lead and then when it got down to within two minutes left, that's when the smiles started happening and it was like, 'This thing's really about to happen,' so it's amazing,'' Monroe said.

Page 46 of 1012