- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's football team put together an outstanding 9-3 season last fall while advancing to the NCAA national playoffs.
In announcing Washburn's 2022 recruiting class on Wednesday, coach Craig Schurig said that success opened some recruiting doors for the Ichabods, who announced the signing of 24 high school players.
"I think with some of the guys it really helped open the door and they said, 'Hey this is a team we can with and go to the national playoffs and things like that,' '' Schurig said. "So I think that was an advantage.''
Washburn signed players from six states, including 10 Kansans and four Topekans.
"We try to recruit the state very hard, obviously,'' Schurig said. "Usually you're on those guys early. You see them in camps and you're very well-versed with them.''
Washburn football coach Craig Schurig announced a 24-player signing class on Wednesday, including players from six states. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights offensive lineman Orrin Busenitz, who has been selected to play in the 2022 Kansas Shrine Bowl, was one of three T-Birds and four city products to sign with Washburn University on Wednesday. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Shawnee Heights products Dawson Block (5-foot-10, 190-pound defensive back/long snapper), Orrin Busenitz (6-2, 290 offensive lineman) and Ja'Leveyn January (5-11, 175 defensive back) all signed with the Ichabods along with Seaman placekicker Gavin Wilhelm (6-5, 165).
The Ichabods also signed several area standouts, including Riley County receiver Trey Harmison (6-1, 175), Lawrence safety Avion Nelson (6-2, 195), Wabaunsee quarterback Cade Oliver (6-2, 190) and Holton punter Jake Zeller (6-1, 170).
Washburn signed five players out of Georgia, four from Missouri, two from Texas and Ohio and one from Nebraska.
"We probably have more out of state guys than we've had in a while,'' Schurig said. "Some of that I think had to do with our indoor facility. We have some dual (athletes). Some of the guys will probably double up (in football and track and field) and we tried to use that indoor to its best recruiting advantage that we could.
"I like the overall athleticism of the class.''
The Ichabods signed six players who are projected as linebackers and six as defensive backs along with four wide receivers, three offensive linemen, two defensive linemen, one quarterback, one punter and one placekicker.
"Probably the biggest thing with this class is (it's) more skill guys or speed guys than we've had in the past,'' Schurig said. "Line of scrimmage guys we signed a few really good ones but it wasn't in numbers.
"We really tried to add to our depth secondary-wise and linebacker-wise. We had quite a few seniors at the linebacker position and some guys over the last couple of years in the secondary.''
Washburn football signing capsules:
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Sophomore Brennon Dodge scored 19 points and hit five 3-pointers as Shawnee Heights rode a big fourth quarter to a 56-46 non-league road victory Tuesday night over Tonganoxie, which is No. 10-ranked in Class 4A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.
Tonganoxie (8-6) led 31-29 at the half and took a 42-38 advantage into the fourth quarter before Shawnee Heights, which improved to 10-2, took control with an 18-4 scoring edge over the final eight minutes.
Shawnee Heights senior Brennon Dodge scored 19 points with five 3-pointers in the T-Birds' 56-46 win at Tonganoxie Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
Senior point guard Jarin Sanders added 10 points for Shawnee Heights and senior Carter Olson scored nine points and pulled down 11 rebounds while hitting all three of his free throw attempts.
Tonganoxie (8-6) had three double-figure scorers in the loss.
Shawnee Heights will host De Soto on Friday.
HIGHLAND PARK 55, EMPORIA 53 -- Highland Park, ranked No. 4 in 5A by the KBCA, survived its second straight two-point Centennial League decision Tuesday night, taking a 55-53 road victory at Emporia.
The Scots also had a two-point game last Friday, topping Hayden, 62-60.
Highland Park will travel to Seaman on Friday.
CAIR PARAVEL LATIN 76, KANSAS CITY CHRISTIAN 53 -- Cair Paravel Latin improved to 10-3 on the season, posting a 76-53 victory over Kansas City Christian.
Senior Noah Hastert powered the Lions to the victory, scoring 20 points.
Cair Paravel will travel to Marais des Cynges Valley on Friday.
OSAGE CITY 76, SILVER LAKE 59 -- Osage City, which is No. 8-ranked in 3A by the KBCA, took control with a 26-10 first quarter Tuesday night and never looked back, improving to 14-1 on the season.
Silver Lake, which fell to 5-8, was much more competitive the rest of the way, with Osage holding just a 50-49 scoring edge over the final three quarters, but the early deficit was too much for the Eagles to overcome.
Senior Carson Johnson scored a career-high 18 points for Silver Lake while junior Kamryn Kaniper added 11 points.
Junior Landon Bass scored 30 points for Osage City.
Silver Lake will travel to St. Marys on Friday.
ST. MARYS 67, ROSSVILLE 38 -- St. Marys, ranked No. 2 in 2A by the KBCA, improved to 10-3 with Tuesday night's decisive victory over Rossville.
Rossville, which fell to 2-12 on the season, got 18 points from junior Kade Perine while Francesco Patrizi added 10 points.
The Bulldawgs will travel to Wabaunsee on Friday.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After giving up 80 points and suffering a 17-point loss in its season-opener against Junction City, Seaman's boys basketball team played much better against the Blue Jays the second time around.
But that is likely to be of little consolation to the Vikings after suffering a heartbreaking 66-64 overtime Centennial League loss Tuesday night at Seaman.
Seaman, which fell to 7-6 overall and 6-4 in the league, held a slight lead in the final seconds in both regulation and overtime, but Junction City senior standout Howard Johnson came through for the Blue Jays in both instances, sending the game to overtime with a bucket with 11 seconds remaining and draining a game-winning 3-pointer with just over six seconds left in the OT.
"We had some opportunities that unfortunately we didn't take advantage of,'' Seaman coach Craig Cox said. "Our shot selection wasn't real good in the first half and I thought we made a pretty good adjustment and started attacking more and that helped us.''
Seaman senior Dreighton Griess came off the bench to score 19 points in Tuesday's 66-64 overtime loss to Junction City Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
Tuesday's game was tight throughout, with Seaman's biggest lead five points while Junction City's biggest advantage was a brief seven-point lead in the third quarter.
The game included nine ties and 11 lead changes, with the final two coming over the final 40 seconds in OT.
Junction City (10-3, 7-2) led 13-11 after the first quarter and 26-25 at the half before the game was tied 40-all at the end of the third quarter and 58-all at the end of regulation after Seaman missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw situation with 4.2 seconds left.
Senior Dreighton Griess led Seaman with 19 points while seniors Mateo Human and Ty Henry added 16 and 12 points for the Vikings.
"Dreighton Griess came off the bench and gave us a big boost with his offense and defense,'' Cox said. "Our effort in the second half is what you need to be competitive against the top teams in the league.''
Senior Terrance Tedder scored a game-high 21 points for Junction City, ranked No. 10 in Class 6A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, while Johnson added 16 points, with 12 coming in the fourth quarter and overtime..
Seaman will be back at home Friday to host Highland Park in a Centennial League contest.
JUNCTION CITY BOYS 66, SEAMAN 64 (OT)
Junction City 13 13 14 18 8 -- 66
Seaman 11 14 15 18 6 -- 64
Junction City (10-3, 7-2) – Tedder 7-12 6-8 21, Clark 3-9 0-1 8, Johnson 4-6 7-8 16, Fadiga 1-2 0-0 2, Butler-Lawson 4-8 0-1 8, Sellers 1-2 0-0 2, Baker 2-4 0-0 6, Rowell 1-1 1-2 3, Adguzi-Addo 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-44 14-20 66.
Seaman (7-6, 6-4) -- Hyman 7-12 2-4 16, Henry 6-10 0-0 12, Bonner 3-8 0-0 7, Wilhelm 2-6 0-0 4, Davis 3-6 0-0 6, Griess 7-15 4-4 19. Totals 28-57 6-8 64.
3-point goals – Junction City 6 (Clark 2, Baker 2, Tedder, Johnson), Seaman 2 (Bonner, Griess). Total fouls – Junction City 13, Seaman 19. Fouled out – none.
- Details
By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
Washburn's women’s basketball entered its Tuesday night game against No. 23 Missouri Western on a four-game winning streak and was looking to close out its homestand with a win that would put the Ichbods above .500 for the first time all season.
However, all momentum was stopped early on as the Griffons completed a start-to-finish 80-47 MIAA win over the Ichabods, marking the biggest loss of the year for Washburn.
“I don’t know if I want to watch much film on this one,'' Washburn coach Ron McHenry said. "I got to watch film on Rogers State and catch onto this next game because we got to put this behind us pretty quickly.''
The loss moved the Ichabods to 9-10 on the year and 7-6 in conference play heading into a three-game road trip.
“Give them credit, they are one of the best defensive teams in the league and one of the best offensive teams in the league and that’s why they are pretty good,” McHenry said.
Senior Hunter Bentley scored 10 points to lead Washburn in Tuesday's 80-47 loss to No. 23-ranked Missouri Western Tuesday night. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
Washburn senior Shae Sanchez scored nine points in Tuesday's 80-47 MIAA loss to Missouri Western. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/TSN]
Washburn got hit with a long-range offensive attack from the Griffons to open the game as they knocked down three triples in the first three minutes. Two of those came from sophomore Brionna Budgetts, who had 13 points in the first five minutes for Missouri Western.
That number was good enough to outscore the Ichabods, who managed only 12 points in the quarter, led by senior guard Hunter Bentley’s five, as Washburn trailed 21-12 after one.
“They got a little better start than I was hoping,” McHenry said. “Our reaction to it was, we got rattled and we couldn’t kind of catch it back.”
The trend continued in the second quarter, with slow offensive production from the Ichabods coupled with turnover problems, resulting in easy baskets on the other end for the Griffons. The lead grew to as many as 18 points at the 2:48 point in the second quarter spurred nearly 58 percent shooting from Missouri Western in the half.
A five-point burst by Bentley in back-to-back possessions cut into the lead, but the Ichabods still trailed 40-23 heading into halftime.
The lead for the Griffons quickly grew to well over 20 points, reaching as many as 26 in the third quarter. A 3-pointer from senior guard Shae Sanchez for Washburn brought the lead down to 21 at the 2:40 mark in the quarter.
Turnovers and defensive problems persisted for the Ichabods as they trailed 59-33 at the end of the third quarter.
With a deficit hovering around 30 points each team emptied its bench just a few minutes into the quarter. The bench of Missouri Western continued what the starters had done and grew the lead to as many as 35 points.
“They average 79 and give up 59. So that is not far from what they did tonight and that is what they do,” McHenry said. “They got a good basketball team, should have just performed a little better against them and maybe got into our game and we didn’t do that.”
Bentley was the only Washburn player in double figures, finishing with 10 points and two assists. Sanchez added nine points for the Ichabods.
The Ichabods will travel to Rogers State on Thursday.
MISSOURI WESTERN 80, WASHBURN 47
Missouri Western 21 19 19 21 -– 80
Washburn 12 11 10 14 -- 47
Missouri Western (17-3, 11-3)
Cunningham 4-12 0-2 8, Evans 3-3 0-2 6, Clarke 5-7 4-5 15, Budgetts 6-9 4-5 19, Cunningham 3-5 2-2 8, Haggard 4-7 1-2 11, Fultz 2-4 0-0 4, Bonilla 2-6 1-1 5, Gray 0-3 0-0 0, Knapp 1-3 0-0 2, Weishaar 0-1 0-0 0, Bala 1-2 0-0 2, Cobb 0-0 0-0 0, Schomp 0-0 0-0 0, Freemyer 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 31-63 12-19 80.
Washburn (9-10, 7-6)
Cassaday 1-3 0-0 2, Gamble 2-8 0-0 5, Bentley 4-14 0-0 10, Barrientos 3-6 0-0 6, Doebele 1-4 2-4 4, Sanchez 4-11 0-0 9, Oliver 2-6 0-0 4, Dewey 1-1 1-2 3, Chapman 0-1 0-0 0, Sanz 0-0 0-0 0, Fulks 0-2 0-0 0, Glatczak 0-1 1-2 1, Schieferecke 0-0 1-2 1, Johnson 1-1 0-0 2, Willey 0-0 0-0 0, Broadie 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-58 5-10 47.
3-point shots – Missouri Western: 6-13 (Clarke 1-1, Budgetts 3-4, Cunningham 0-1, Haggard 2-4, Bonilla 0-1, Weishaar 0-1, Bala 0-1). Washburn 4-15 (Gamble 1-3, Bentley 2-4, Barrientos 0-1, Sanchez 1-5, Fulks 0-1, Glatczak 0-1). Rebounds – Missouri Western 42 (Cunningham 11), Washburn 36 (Doebele 7). Assists – Missouri Western 14 (Cunningham 4), Washburn 8 (Bentley, Doebele, Oliver 2). Turnovers – Missouri Western 13, Washburn 18. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – None.
- Details
By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
On Tuesday night Topeka West and Washburn Rural boys basketball were in action for a rematch of the first game of the season for both teams, which saw the Chargers take a 69-57 Centennial League win back on Dec. 3.
This game would be no different, as Topeka West claimed a 56-42 road win propelled by a 24-1 second quarter, moving to 13-1 on the season as the final month of regular-season play begins.
Senior Elijah Brooks led Topeka West with 21 points in Tuesday's 56-42 win over Washburn Rura. [File/TSN]
Junior Xavier Alexander scored 16 points with three 3-pointers in Tuesday's 56-42 win at Washburn Rural. [File photo/TSN]
On the other end, the Junior Blues fell to 6-7 on the year and 5-4 in league play.
Forty-two points were the second-fewest allowed this season by the Chargers, much to the delight of coach Rick Bloomquist.
“I was really pleased with how we handled this basketball game,” Bloomquist said. “Our defense had to turn into our offense and I thought we pressed real well and got our hands in passing lanes real well.”
The first quarter was as even as possible, with the score knotted at 11 after eight minutes.
Junior Jack Bachelor scored two buckets and knocked down two free throws in the quarter to lead the Junior Blues.
“I think they had a great gameplan for how to neutralize Elijah (Brooks) with the zone,'' Bloomquist said. "It’s the first time we have seen a true well-coached zone all year.
:"Once we started rolling and got more consistent and got to the paint we did better.”
On the other end Chargers junior Xavier Alexander knocked in six points as well, including one 3-pointer.
The game flipped in the second quarter as Topeka West’s defense picked up to as high of levels as it has all season, holding Washburn Rural to just one point.
Offensively the Chargers were just as effective, scoring 24 in the quarter. They were led by an inside attack of senior Brooks and junior Malachi Berg, who each had eight in the quarter to give Topeka West a 35-12 halftime lead.
“We just knew we had to play with high energy on the defensive end,'' Brooks said. "Coming into their place you gotta be jacked up (because) every play (can) shift momentum, so we knew we had to just lock in defensively and try to limit them from the inside-out game.''
Out of halftime, the defense of Topeka West loosened and Washburn Rural senior Brock Howard was able to take advantage down low, with three baskets in the first four minutes.
Alexander continued to shoot well from the outside for the Chargers, knocking down two 3-pointers in the same time.
Topeka West’s defense picked up again, forcing turnovers and holding the Junior Blues to two points in the final four minutes to lead 47-22 after three quarters.
Some early scoring from Washburn Rural capped off by a 3-pointer from Bachelor at the 5:20 mark pulled the game within 20. Five more from Bachelor had the game down to 13 with less than three minutes left.
Brooks then took over for Topeka West, scoring three layups in a 66-second span to put the game out of reach.
“I feel great, and I feel like we are definitely clicking, and we can play to do anything, that’s the biggest thing,'' Brooks said. "Anything a team throws at us we are ready for, everybody is going to step up.''
Brooks led Topeka West with 21 points while Alexander and Berg were in double figures with 16 and 11, respectively.
“Washburn Rural is very disciplined, and coach (Kevin) Muff want’s to control the ball and control the game,” Bloomquist said. “We responded, if we didn’t respond it would have been a 35-37 game, and I’m not sure we would have won,”
Bachelor had 16 points to pace the Junior Blues, while the next highest scorer was Howard with six.
Both team's next games will be at home, with Washburn Rural taking on Hayden Friday and the Chargers playing host to Manhattan next Tuesday.
WASHBURN RURAL BOYS 42, TOPEKA WEST 56
Topeka West 11 24 12 9 -- 56
Washburn Rural 11 1 10 20 -- 42
Washburn Rural (6-7, 5-4 ) – Kidd 2 0-0 5, Morris 1 0-0 3, Bowen 0 0-0 0, Hirschi 0 0-0 0, Bachelor 4 6-6 16, Durst 1 1-2 3, JC Heim, 0 0-0 0, Conklin 2 0-0 5, Ross 2 0-0 4, Howard 3 0-0 6. Totals 15 7-8 42.
Topeka West (13-1, 9-1 ) – Austin 2 2-4 8, Robinson 0 0-0 0, Foy 0 0-0 0, Brooks 8 4-8 21, Thompson 0 0-0 0, Alexander 5 3-4 16, Berg 5 1-3 11, Noonoo 0 0-0 0, Bearman 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 10-19 56.
3-point goals – Washburn Rural 5 (Bachelor 2, Kidd, Morris, Conklin). Topeka West 6 (Alexander 3, Austin 2, Brooks). Total fouls – Washburn Rural 16, Topeka West 8. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.
