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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka High senior diving star Jaxon Cowdin has been playing a little bit of catchup while working through a lingering ankle injury he suffered last summer.
Topeka High senior Jaxon Cowdin won the diving title in Tuesday's Topeka High Invitational. [File photo/TSN]
But with his bid for a fourth straight city title coming up on Thursday, followed by Centennial League and Class 6A state competition, Cowdin served notice in Tuesday's Topeka High Invitational at the Capitol Federal Natatorium that he's rounding into form just in time for his stretch run.
In his first 11-dive competition of the season, Cowdin bested the field of nine divers with a score of 394.00, while Free State's Gavin McIntosh was second with a score of 351.75.
"It's more like a test of for one, stamina, and two, consistency, and three, who's got all their stuff put together,'' Cowdin said. "You see a lot of dudes crash and burn on 11 dives. I felt pretty decent, but there's still a lot to clean up.''
Cowdin hurt his ankle back on July 3rd, but his recovery from that injury has last a lot longer than he ever expected.
"It was not healing and it was bad for like a couple of months and then I finally started doing stuff on it, rehabbing it and everything like that and it's almost back to 100 percent now,'' Cowdin said.
Cowdin felt like he was a little bit behind at the start of the season, but is feeling good about where he is now.
"I think (the injury) definitely played a factor, but now that I'm starting to really kind of get into my groove of things, everything's getting better,'' he said.
Nex up is Thursday's city meet and Cowdin's shot at a perfect four for four city run.
"I really try not to think about it a whole lot,'' Cowdin said. "I try not to psych myself up or make myself nervous and I don't think I'm going to be nervous going into it at all.
"We're going to see what happens and obviously I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure I don't get beat, but if I do, hopefully it's by one of my teammates.''
Topeka High's Dawson Blankenship posted a win in the 100-yard butterfly in Tuesday's 12-school Topeka High Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka High also got a win from Dawson Blankenship in the 100-yard butterfly in 59.04 seconds while Blankenship posted a third-place finish in the 200 individual medley (2:25.96).
Lawrence Free State won the team championship by a 538-339 win over Lawrence, with Seaman third with 243 points.
Peyton Holmes anchors Seaman's 200-yard free relay to a win in Tuesday's Topeka High Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman's foursome of Kinser Barbosa, Jeremiah Moylan, Theron Carlson and Peyton Holmes posted a win in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:36.03 while Barbosa finished third in the 100 freestyle (51.96) and third in the 100 backstroke (1:03.33).
Hayden finished sixth as a team, one point ahead of Topeka High (188-187).
Palmer Heskett finished fourth for the Wildcats in the 200 IM (2:29.52) while Ryan Carson was fourth in the 100 butterfly (1:03.79).
Thursday's city meet at Cap Fed will get under way at 1:30 p.m.with the diving competition, followed by swimming competition at 5 p.m.
TOPEKA HIGH INVITATIONAL
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Even the casual local football fan knows the name Ky Thomas, but it may have been awhile since you've heard as much about the former Topeka High legend.
Former Topeka High superstar running back Ky Thomas is back home for his final collegiate season, transferring to Washburn University. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
That will change this fall, with the 6-foot, 200-pound running back coming home to play his final collegiate season for Zach Watkins' Ichabods after previous stops at Minnesota, Kansas and, most recently, Kent State
"It feels good, it feels great,'' Thomas told TopSports.news. "Coach Watkins, speaking to him and seeing his vision that he had for this offseason and the season and for me moving forward and everything he has planned, it was easy to trust and easy to come back home and be a part of this.''
A 2020 Topeka High graduate, Thomas finished his prep football career for the Trojans in 2019 as the city's all-time rushing leader and the No. 2 rusher in state history with 7,703 yards, including 3,009 yards as a senior, when he was named the Gatorade Player of the Year.
Thomas began his college career at Minnesota, where as a redshirt freshman he led the Gophers with 824 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 166 carries and capped his Minnesota career with 144 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, earning offensive most valuable player honors in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix.
Former Kansas running back Ky Thomas scored a pair of TDs in the 2022 Liberty Bowl. [Photo by Sarah Carson/Special to TSN]
Thomas then transferred to Kansas for the 2022 season, rushing for 162 yards and two touchdowns on 53 carries while catching five passes for 39 receiving yards and a TD. Thomas scored two touchdowns, on a 29-yard pass reception and a 2-yard run, in Kansas’ 55-53 triple-overtime loss to Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Kameron Badura
KAMERON BADURA, Rossville
A senior, Badura scored 21 points Saturday as Rossville downed Perry-Lecompton 49-41 to cap off its championship run in the Valley Falls Invitational. Badura averaged 17 points in the tournament as the Bulldawgs went 3-0 on the week to improve to 8-3 on the season.
Mason Becker
MASON BECKER, Hayden
Becker, a sophomore, scored 20 points with five 3-pointers on Saturday as the Wildcats won the tournament championship in the Baldwin Invitational with a 63-49 win over the host Bulldogs. Becker helped Hayden cap a 3-0 run in the tournament as the Wildcats improved to 7-5 on the season.
Kailyn Hanni
KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake
A junior guard, was named the Most Outstanding Player in last week's Burlington Invitational after helping lead Silver Lake to the tournament championship. Hanni scored 22 points in the Eagles' 70-60 win over Labette County in the championship game and scored 64 points in the tournament for the Eagles, No. 3-ranked in Class 3A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' boys wrestling team bested a 21-school field on Saturday to win the team championship in the Gerald Sadowski Tournament at Holton.
Hayden junior Jude Krentz remained undefeated on the season while earning the 175-pound title in the Gerald Sadowski Tournament at Holton. [File photo/TSN]
The T-Birds got a title from sophomore Brody Brown and six top-three finishes on the way to winning the title by a 188.5-177 margin over Spring Hill.
Brown, now 24-6 on the season, clinched the 138-pound championship with a second-period pin (3:54) over Colton Ball of Chapman.
Shawnee Heights also got third-place individual finishes from freshman Mason Moore (126), sophomore Dallas Owens (132), junior Gavin Hartman (150), junior Evan Johnson (157) and senior Kael Westgate (165).
Topeka High finished sixth as a team with 124 points, getting an individual title from senior Nick Davis at 165 pounds. Davis, now 21-2, recorded a 17-1 technical fall over Brodie Pipkin of Spring Hill.
The Trojans also got third-place finishes from sophomore Jose Gomez (106) and senior Cooper Martin (190).
Hayden posted an eighth-place team finish (76.5 points), led by junior 175-pounder Jude Krentz.
Krentz, now a perfect 29-0 on the season, earned the 175 title with a pin at the 2:30 mark over Nick Allen of Rock Creek.
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--By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Topeka West will host the 2025 Capital City Classic girls basketball tournament Thursday through Saturday, with Highland Park, Shawnee Heights, Topeka West and Washburn Rural all taking part in the event.
Sophomore Pearmella Carter and the 7-1 Highland Park girls will compete in this week's Capital City Classic at Topeka West. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights (6-4 on the season) will open the tournament at 3:15 p.m. Thursday against Blue Valley (3-7).
City rivals Highland Park (7-1) and host Topeka West (1-8) are on the same side of the bracket with Heights and Blue Valley and will play a first-round game at 6:30 p.m.
The Highland Park-West and Shawnee Heights-Blue Valley winners will play a 6:30 p.m. semifinal on Friday.
On the other side of the bracket, Lawrence (5-4) will take on Shawnee Mission West (1-6) in a 4:45 p.m. first-round game while Washburn Rural (5-3) will face Lawrence Free State (3-6) at 8 o'clock.
Rural is ranked No. 6 in Class 6A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association while Lawrence is No. 10 in 6A.
The Lawrence-SM West winner will face the Washburn Rural-Free State winner in an 8 o'clock Friday night semifinal.
The tournament will conclude on Saturday, starting with the third and seventh-place games at 10 a.m. in separate gyms, followed by the fifth-place and championship contests at 11:30 a.m. in separate gyms.
CAPITAL CITY CLASSIC
At Topeka West
Thursday
3:15 p.m. -- Shawnee Heights vs. Blue Valley.
4:45 -- Lawrence vs. Shawnee Mission West.
6:30 -- Highland Park vs. Topeka West.
8 -- Washburn Rural vs. Free State.
Friday
3:15 p.m. -- Lawrence-SM West loser vs. Washburn Rural-Free State loser.
4:45 -- Highland Park-Topeka West loser vs. Shawnee Heights-Blue Valley loser.
6:30 -- Highland Park-Topeka West winner vs. Shawnee Heights-Blue Valley winner.
8 -- Lawrence-SM West winner vs. Washburn Rural-Free State winner.
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Third place (main gym); Seventh place (auxiliary gym).
11:30 -- Championship (main gym); Fifth place (auxiliary gym).
Senior Millie Ramsey and 10-0 Hayden will compete this week in the Lady Cat Invitational at El Dorado. [File photo/TSN]
Undefeated Hayden to compete in El Dorado
Hayden, No. 3-ranked in Class 4A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association and 10-0 on the season, is the top seed for the 32nd annual Lady Cat Classic in El Dorado Thursday through Saturday.
Hayden will open its tournament bid at 6 p.m. Thursday against the host team, El Dorado, which is 1-7 on the season.
With a win the Wildcats will advance to a 7:45 p.m. semifinal on Friday to face the first-round winner between Gardner-Edgerton (5-4) and Goddard (4-6).
On the other side of the bracket Kapaun Mt. Carmel (7-3) will play a first-round game against Mill Valley (5-5) while Maize South (8-1) will face Augusta (3-5). Those two winners will play a 6 p.m. semifinal on Friday.
