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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Once the 2021 high school football season gets under way this fall, linemen will go back to doing their jobs in relative obscurity.
But Monday's Battle of the Bigs at Shawnee Heights was all about the guys up front, with more than 80 linemen from eight city and area schools taking part in the event.
Participating athetes from Shawnee Heights, Topeka West, Washburn Rural, Royal Valley, Santa Fe Trail, Blue Valley, Basehor-Linwood and Lansing took part in the 40-yard scoop and score, tractor tire flip, pro agility drill, 10-yard sled pull, 185-pound bench press for reps, medicine ball toss, 10-yard sled drive, pursuit drill and obstacle course, with players competing as teams and individuals.
Shawnee Heights lineman Garrett Peery goes through a drill during Monday's Battle of the Bigs at Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"The reality is all summer the seven on sevens are going on so all the skill kids get to play -- the quarterbacks, the D-backs, the receivers -- but the linemen don't get to do anything fun,'' Shawnee Heights coach Jason Swift said. "So what we wanted to do is we wanted to put on an event where linemen only could participate.
"It's a non-contact event and it's a great way to build unity and team bonding with your line. Line coaches usually show up to be a part of it. The linemen as teammates, they're together pushing each other, so it's just a good day for them to compete against each other whether as an individual or a team, pick up a T-shirt and eat a lot of hot dogs and chips.''
Shawnee Heights' Matthew Etzel finishes off the obstacle course in Monday's Battle of the Bigs at Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Dawson Block, a Shawnee Heights lineman, runs an agility drill in Monday's Battle of the Bigs at Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
A lot of Shawnee Heights' skill position players were still on hand Monday, albeit in a different role.
"Today is all about the linemen,'' Swift said. "All of our skill guys, they're the volunteers today.''
| 2021 LINEMAN CHALLENGE - Final Standings | ||||||||||
| Monday, June 21, 2021 | ||||||||||
| 1st Place | 2nd Place | |||||||||
| School: | Blue Valley | School: | Shawnee Heights | |||||||
| Players | Grade | Pts | Players | Grade | Pts | |||||
| 1 | Levi Bittel | Sr | 213 | 1 | Matthew Etzel | Sr | 203 | |||
| 2 | Nick Herzog | Sr | 213 | 2 | Garett Peery | Sr | 200 | |||
| 3 | Andrew Long | Sr | 205 | 3 | Alex Dawkins | So | 191 | |||
| 4 | Gianni Scavuzzo | Sr | 198 | 4 | Dawson Block | Sr | 189 | |||
| 5 | Jack Cecil | Sr | 185 | 5 | Caleb Seelbach | So | 183 | |||
| Total | 1014 | Total | 966 | |||||||
| 3rd Place | 4th Place | |||||||||
| School: | Basehor-Linwood | School: | Washburn Rural | |||||||
| Players | Grade | Pts | Players | Grade | Pts | |||||
| 1 | Peyton McGee | Sr | 198 | 1 | Packson Bettis | So | 196 | |||
| 2 | Pete Best | Sr | 186 | 2 | Lukas Hanks | Jr | 185 | |||
| 3 | Jordan Johnson | Sr | 186 | 3 | Shane Sexton | Jr | 173 | |||
| 4 | Dalton Harris | Sr | 184 | 4 | Zach Franco | Jr | 151 | |||
| 5 | Logan Gall | Jr | 181 | 5 | Andrew Holman | So | 150 | |||
| Total | 935 | Total | 855 | |||||||
| Player | Grade | School | Bench | Sled Push | Pro-Ag | Throw | Obst | Sled Pull | 40 yd | Pursuit | Tire Flip | Total | |
| Levi Bittel | Sr | BVHS | 25 | 21 | 23 | 18 | 20 | 29 | 24 | 23 | 30 | 213 | |
| Nick Herzog | Sr | BVHS | 23 | 21 | 25 | 17 | 23 | 28 | 23 | 23 | 30 | 213 | |
| Andrew Long | Sr | BVHS | 16 | 21 | 24 | 16 | 24 | 29 | 24 | 22 | 29 | 205 | |
| Matthew Etzel | Sr | SHHS | 15 | 19 | 23 | 15 | 25 | 27 | 24 | 25 | 30 | 203 | |
| Garett Peery | Sr | SHHS | 20 | 19 | 21 | 18 | 24 | 26 | 24 | 18 | 30 | 200 | |
| Peyton McGee | Sr | BLHS | 5 | 20 | 27 | 15 | 23 | 27 | 27 | 24 | 30 | 198 | |
| Gianni Scavuzzo | Sr | BVHS | 20 | 21 | 24 | 13 | 16 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 28 | 198 | |
| Packson Bettis | So | WRHS | 8 | 26 | 26 | 14 | 17 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 28 | 196 | |
| Alex Dawkins | So | SHHS | 11 | 17 | 23 | 17 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 29 | 191 | |
| Dawson Block | Sr | SHHS | 14 | 19 | 24 | 13 | 17 | 24 | 26 | 22 | 30 | 189 |
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Jeff Stromgren is retiring as Washburn University's golf coach after nine years leading the program.
WU athletic director Loren Ferré announced the retirement of Stromgren, formerly a state-championship coach at Washburn Rural, on Monday.
"Jeff has done a great job leading the program over the last nine years," Ferré said in a statement. "From success on the course and in the classroom coaching All-MIAA, All-Region players, including an NCAA Division II Player of the Year, and the postseason tournament appearances, he has been very successful and we wish him the best in his retirement and we're going to miss him."
Jeff Stromgren has announced his retirement as Washburn University's golf coach after nine seasons. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Stromgren began his stint at Washburn prior to the 2012-13 season and the Ichabods are coming off one of the best seasons in program history with a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
While at Washburn Stromgren has coached 75 players who have been named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll as well as 13 all-MIAA golfers, 11 team tournament wins, eight individual tournament champions, seven NCAA appearances and most recently a MIAA Golfer of the Year and the Jack Nicklaus NCAA Division II Golfer of the Year in senior Andrew Beckler.
Prior to joining the Ichabod coaching staff, Stromgren won three Class 6A state titles at Washburn Rural (1997, 2005, 2008) and 17 city titles.
His Junior Blues teams finished in the top five in state 15 times and he had 25 league and 21 regional titles in his career. He was city coach of the year 19 times and state coach of the year in 2005.
Stromgren coached more than 30 players who went on to play college golf, including nine who played at NCAA Division I schools.
Stromgren is a 1979 Washburn graduate and was named the Ichabod men's basketball team most valuable player following the 1978-79, season earning all-CSIC honors as a senior.
Ferré said a national search will begin immediately.
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Former Topeka West stars Marque Wilkerson and Trevion Alexander ended their high school careers with a bang, helping lead the Blue to a 125-106 romp past the Gold in Saturday's Kansas Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Game at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina.
Wilkerson and Alexander, who led the Chargers to a runner-up finish in the Class 5A state tournament this past season, combined for 32 points and 20 rebounds as the Blue opened up a commanding 55-38 halftime advantage and cruised the rest of the way.
Wilkerson led six players in double figures for the Blue with a team-high 20 points and also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds while Alexander added 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Former Topeka West star Marque Wilkerson scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Blue rolled to a 125-106 win in Saturday's KBCA All-Star Game at Salina. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka West product Trevion Alexander had 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Blue in Saturday's KBCA All-Star Game at Salina. [File photo/TSN]
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Recent Topeka West graduates Trevion Alexander and Marque Wilkerson, who helped lead the Chargers to the Class 5A state championship game in 2020-21, are scheduled to play one last high school game in Saturday's 2021 Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Boys All-Star Game at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina.
The KBCA boys game is scheduled to tip off at 6:30 p.m., following the 4:45 girls game. Alexander and Wilkerson are scheduled to play for the Blue team.
Saturday's games will be live-streamed at kwucoyotes.com/live.
Topeka West coach Rick Bloomquist is also set to be honored Saturday, receiving the KBCA's Don Jones Courage Award.
Topeka West senior Trevion Alexander is scheduled to play in Saturday's KBCA Boys All-Star Game in Salina. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka West senior Marque Wilkerson and teammate Trevion Alexander will play in the KBCA All-Star game Saturday in Salina. [File photo/TSN]
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opeka High junior NiJaree Canady has been named Gatorade Kansas Softball Player of the Year after leading the Trojans to a 25-0 record and the Class 6A state championship. [File photo/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NiJaree Canady has piled up honor after honor during her junior year in basketball and softball for Topeka High and added arguably the biggest of them all on Friday when she was named the Kansas Gatorade Softball Player of the Year.
An All-Stater in both basketball and softball, Canady's Gatorade honor comes after she helped lead the Trojan to a perfect 25-0 season and High's first-ever Class 6A softball championship this spring.
The Gatorade award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field.
As the state winner, Canady, Topeka High's first Gatorade softball winner, is now a finalist for the Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year award to be announced later this month.
Canady was a star for the Trojans as both a pitcher and hitter en route to earning Centennial League and All-Shawnee County player of the year honors.
Canady compiled a 21-0 record in the pitching circle with a miniscule 0.26 earned run average while striking out 226 batters in 107.2 innings. Canady turned in three complete-game pitching wins in the 6A state tournament, striking out 16 batters in all three games and not allowing an earned run.
