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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Rossville will induct its 2025 Athletic Hall of Fame class on Friday night in conjunction with its Homecoming football game against Wabaunsee.
The Rossville Athletic Hall of Fame is dedicated to the outstanding athletes and coaches who, through their athletic achievements, have brought honor to themselves, their school, and their community.
The class of 2025 includes the late Arica (Shepard) Ahlvers, Mick Keller, Monte Mitchell and the Bulldawgs' 2000 state championship softball team.
Hall of Fame capsules:
ARICA (SHEPARD) AHLVERS
A 2005 Rossville graduate, Ahlvers was a two-time Kansas Volleyball Association All-State volleyball player for Rossville. She helped lead her team to a third-place finish in Class 3A in 2004. Ahlvers holds two records at RHS and continued her volleyball career at Emporia State University. While at ESU, she was a three-time AVCA All-American, four-time All-MIAA honoree and the Hornets' record-holder for single-season and career kills, kills per set, double-figure kill matches and 20-plus kill matches. She was inducted into the ESU Hall of Fame in 2020.
MICK KELLER
Keller was the head baseball coach at Rossville from 1979-2006. He is Rossville’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 336-238. He had 14 state qualifying teams, which included Rossville’s first state baseball championship in 1991. He had three runnerup team finishes in 1985, 1986, and 1997, 49 all-league players and 55 All-State and honorable mention players. He also coached football and basketball during his teaching career at RHS from 1978-2013.
MONTE MITCHELL
A 1997 Rossville graduate, Mitchell was an all-league and All-State catcher in 1997 and 1998. He was a Kansas Baseball Coaches Association All-Star, a top 15 player in all classes and USA Today High School All-American in 1998. He continued his baseball career at Butler Community College from 1999-2000, where he was the team captain and made the All-Jayhawk Conference team in 2000. Next, he took his career to Division I Nicholls State University in 2001-2002. There, he was named to the All-Southland Conference team in 2002 with 101 career starts.
ROSSVILLE 2000 SOFTBALL TEAM
After falling one game short of a championship in 1999, Rossville won the the 2000 Class 2-1A state softball championship. The state champion team members include Erin Catron, Shayla Catron, Lena Cooper, Kayla Copeland, Ashley Dick, Laci Dick (first-team All-Mid-East League), Melissa Ebert, Jennifer Foster, Jamie Gall (first-team All-Mid-East League), Holly Gentry (All-Mid-East League honorable mention), Jozi Lutackes, Emily Napier, Jaime Robb, and Courtney Templer, who pitched all three state games as a freshman. The team was led by head coach Wendi Horak and assistant coaches Nanny Matthias and the late Jess Adams.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Like virtually all freshmen, quarterback Logan Madden began his collegiate career towards the bottom of the Washburn Ichabods' depth chart.
Washburn redshirt freshman quarterback Logan Madden earned his first college start last Saturday, helping lead the Ichabods to a 37-17 home MIAA win over Central Missouri. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
But after using a redshirt campaign to get accustomed to college football, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Arvada, Colo. native worked his way into a chance to get on the field for the Ichabods this fall and has made the most of that opportunity, earning his first start in last Saturday's 37-17 MIAA win over Central Missouri in Yager Stadium.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake earned the No. 1 spot in Class 3A in the final Kansas Volleyball Association state ranking, the Eagles' seventh straight week atop the rankings.
Silver Lake earned the top spot in Class 3A in the final 2025 Kansas Volleyball Association state rankings, the Eagles' seventh straight week at No. 1 [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake, 36-1 at the time of the rankings, is joined in the rankings by fellow Shawnee County schools Washburn Rural, Hayden and Rossville.
Hayden (26-8) maintained the No. 3 spot in 4A, while Washburn Rural (28-6) moved up a spot to No. 5 in 6A and Rossville (23-13) remained No. 7 in 2A.
Kansas Volleyball Association State Rankings
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By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The renaissance of Topeka West boys soccer continued Tuesday as the Chargers defeated De Soto for the first time since joining the United Kansas Conference and claimed a 12th victory that should be important for playoff seeding.
Topeka West sophomore Camilo Garcia (17) scored the game-winning goal in Tuesday's 2-1 UKC win over De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Chargers followed up their breakthrough 13-3-1 season a year ago – their best in over a decade – by beating De Soto 2-1 Tuesday at Hummer Sports Park to improve to 12-2-2.
“I’m very proud of this team for the way they’re coming together and finishing the regular season strong,” Topeka West coach Josh Kutter said. “We played well as a team. We’re playing together with everyone on the same page, moving in the same direction.”
The two schools deadlocked in a scoreless first half but came out firing in the second. Junior Kameron Ortiz tallied the game’s first goal, which he celebrated with a roundoff backflip, six minutes into the second half.
De Soto tried to swing the momentum at 28:46 when Gabe Carillo blasted a long score to tie the game, 1-1. But Topeka West struck back just two minutes later. Charger sophomore Camilo Garcia took a pass in traffic in front of the De Soto goal and snuck a shot past the Wildcats’ goalkeeper. The Chargers held De Soto scoreless the final 26 minutes to preserve the 2-1 lead.
Kutter said he was not concerned when his team lost the lead.
“We know that we can find the goal. We know that we have offensive players that can create and score. Having that is calming,” Kutter said. “We know that right after a goal is the most dangerous time, when emotions are high. So the key is staying calm, staying collected and having confidence.
“I think our boys controlled the game pretty well. They didn’t get nervous. They knew they could get it back.”
Topeka West senior goalkeeper Gage Kindred Noragon helped the Chargers improve to 12-2-2 with Tuesday's 2-1 UKC win over De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka West senior goalkeeper Gage Kindred-Noragon reflected on the team’s growth since his freshman year, when wins were scarce.
"It’s very emotional to see how far we’ve come,” Kindred-Noragon said. “Ever since freshman year, it’s just gone up from there. I think we can go to state. I see this team as family. Tons of memories have been made here and I think this team can go far.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake and Rossville's volleyball teams both took their first steps to state tournament berths with Class 3A and 2A regional championships Monday night.
Kylie Hanni and the Silver Lake Eagles will host a Class 3A sub-state volleyball tournament on Saturday. [File photo/TSN]
Nora Burdiek and Rossville volleyball will host a Class 2A sub-state on Saturday. [File photo]
The Eagles and Bulldawgs will now host sub-state tournaments on Saturday, vying for berths in next week's state tournaments at Hutchinson (3A) and Dodge City (2A).
Silver Lake, top-ranked in 3A, rolled to three straight regional wins Monday night on its home court, taking a 25-9, 25-8 win over Council Grove, a 25-16, 25-11 win over Hiawatha and a 25-11, 25-18 win over Pleasant Ridge to wrap up the regional crown.
The Eagles will host 3A sub-state No. 1 at 2 p.m. on Saturday, facing Perry-Lecompton in one semifinal while Nemaha Central will face Riley County in the other semi. The two winners will meet for the sub-state title.
Rossville hosted a 2A regional Monday and the Bulldawgs went a perfect 3-0 with a 25-10, 25-8 win over McLouth, a 25-13, 25-8 victory over Central Heights and a 25-9, 25-14 win over Mission Valley.
The Bulldawgs will host 2A sub-state No. 2 on Saturday, taking on Cair Paravel Latin in a semifinal match while Maur Hill-Mt. Academy will square off against Kansas City Christian in the other semifinal. The two winners will play for the sub-state championship.
Cair Paravel went 2-1 in Monday's 2A regional at Jefferson North, posting a 26-24, 19-25, 26-24 win over Horton and a 25-16, 25-16 win over Atchison County before dropping a 25-16, 25-23 match to Jefferson North.
Washburn Rural, the No. 1 Class 6A West seed, will be aiming for its ninth straight state berth in a Saturday sub-state at Rural. [File photo/TSN]
Class 6A sub-state at Washburn Rural
Perennial state power Washburn Rural will be looking for its 27th Class 6A state tournament berth in Kevin Bordewick's 31st year as head coach and ninth straight when Rural hosts a sub-state tournament (1 p.m. start) on Saturday.
The Junior Blues, the No. 1 West seed at 28-6, will open their sub-state bid with a semifinal match against Wichita West (5-29) while Maize (16-20) will face Wichita East (5-28) in the other semifinal before the two winners face off in the championship match.
The sub-state champion will advance to next week's Class 6A state tournament at the Tony's Pizza Event Center in Salina.
Hailey Schmidtlein and Hayden volleyball will host a Class 4A sub-state tournament on Saturday. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Class 4A sub-state at Hayden
Hayden, third in Class 4A a year ago, will host a sub-state tournament on Saturday (1 p.m. start) in the Bueltel Activity Center, vying for a return trip to state next week at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
The Wildcats, 26-9 on the season and the No. 4 East seed, will play Labette County (12-22) in a semifinal match while No. 5 seed Eudora (25-10) will take on Ottawa (12-20) in the other semifinal.
The two semifinal winners will square off in the sub-state championship match.
