Washburn University softball Ichabods boosted its win streak to four games Friday with a 12-1, 6-0 sweep at Fort Hays State.
Shawnee Heights Thunderbirds
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Kaitlyn Aldridge
KAITLYN ALDRIDGE, Shawnee Heights
A junior swimming standout, Aldridge won the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 1 minute, 11.39 seconds and finished second in the 100 backstroke in 1:11.31 in Thursday's Topeka High Invitational at the Capitol Federal Natatorium while also swimming on the T-Birds' third-place 200 free relay (2:03.17) and fourth-place 200 medley relay (2:21.17). Aldridge also posted an individual win and runnerup finish in last Tuesday's meet.
Brody Anderson
BRODY ANDERSON, Seaman
Anderson, a senior cross country and track star, shattered the Seaman school record in the boys 1,600 meters by nearly six seconds in Thursday's Jerry Beardslee Invitational at Washburn Rural. Anderson clocked a winning time of 4 minutes, 11.94 seconds and came back later in the day to win the 800 in 1:56.49 giving him four victories in four races on the season.
Taylor Brees
TAYLOR BREES, Washburn University
A freshman outfielder, Brees had a big weekend as Washburn University softball posted a pair of MIAA doubleheader road sweeps at Nebraska-Kearney (9-1, 4-0) and Fort Hays State (12-1, 6-0). Brees went 7 of 13 at the plate in the four games with six runs batted in and five runs scored. Brees went 5 of 6 in Friday's wins over Fort Hays State with five RBI and four runs scored.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Rossville was the first school to give Brandon McDonnell the opportunity to be a head basketball coach and he's cherished his four years there, leading the Bulldawgs to back-to-back Class 2A state tournament berths the past two seasons.
Brandon McDonnell has been selected as Shawnee Heights' new boys basketball coach after leading Rossville to back-to-back Class 2A state berths. [File photo/TSN]
But the chance to move up to the 5A level in his hometown of Topeka was too good to pass up, with McDonnell tapped to replace retiring local legend Ken Darting as Shawnee Heights' new boys coach.
"For your first head coaching job and then to have such a great group of kids, it's obviously hard to leave that,'' McDonnell said about leaving Rossville. "For the four years I've been embraced by our players and it's been a Godsend, so obviously this is not an easy choice by any means, but at the end of the day I always explore opportunity and at this particular moment my name was just kind of out there for this (Shawnee Heights) job.
"When your name's out there, you know there's people that kind of want your leadership and your expertise and your mentorship and you always want to pursue something that you think you'll be a good fit for, so that's what happened here.''
A former Topeka High standout and assistant at Topeka West, McDonnell said it has always been in the back of his mind to someday land a head coaching job in his hometown.
"One hundred percent,'' said McDonnell, who played collegiately at Baker. "Nothing against Rossville, I loved it out there, but it was always a thing for me to come back and coach in the city where I played in, where I grew up.''
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Monday was a night of firsts for the Shawnee Heights girls soccer team.
After a loss and a tie to open the season, the T-Birds picked up their first win of the year while scoring their first goals of 2026 in a 3-0 shutout over city rival Topeka High at Hummer Sports Park, while Heights assistant Josiah Juarez, filling in for veteran T-Bird coach Nic Simons, picked up win No. 1 as a head coach.
Shawnee Heights junior Morgan Robinson scored two goals Monday as the T-Birds picked up their first win with a 3-0 shutout over city rival Topeka High. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Juarez was running the show Monday while Simons missed the game to be with his wife and newborn child, born over the weekend.
"I was just a little bit nervous -- it comes with the game -- but that's the exciting part, especially with us needing a win,'' Juarez said. "And I'm just excited we got it done tonight.''
The T-Birds didn't miss a beat under Juarez, taking a 2-0 halftime lead on a pair of goals from junior standout Morgan Robinson and adding a third goal on a shot from junior Nina Bolanos in the second half.
Robinson scored the only goal the T-Birds would need 5:50 into the game off a corner kick from Bolanos.
Shawnee Heights junior Nina Bolanos (2) had a goal and an assist in Monday's 3-0 win over city rival Topeka High. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Robinson scored her second goal with 19:39 left in the opening half to give the T-Birds their two-goal halftime advantage before Bolanos wrapped up the scoring with 8:33 remaining.
Senior MacKenzie Mertel picked up the shutout in goal for the T-Birds.
Shawnee Heights girls soccer assistant Josiah Juarez picked up his first win as a head coach in Monday's 3-0 T-Bird win over Topeka High. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I thought we were (solid) for the most part,'' Juarez said. "We kept our game plan and just executed it really well and continued to do it throughout the whole game.''
The 2026 All-City girls bowling team: From left -- Addison Van Metre, Shawnee Heights; Paige Snyder, Seaman; Claire LaDuke, Seaman; Leah Crawford, Seaman; Megan Glinka, Washburn Rural; Kenzie Lawson, Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
If the 2026 All-City girls bowling team looks familiar, there's a very good reason: All six first-team members are repeat selections.
Seaman juniors Paige Snyder of Seaman and Megan Glinka of Washburn Rural are three-time first-team All-City picks while Seaman senior Claire LaDuke and sophomore Leah Crawford, Washburn Rural senior Kenzie Lawson and Shawnee Heights junior Addison Van Metre are repeat selections.
LaDuke, Crawford and Snyder all posted top-eight individual finishes as Seaman won the Class 5A state championship by a whopping 358 pins while individual runnerup Glinka and Lawson helped lead Washburn Rural to a second-place 6A state finish and Van Metre earned her second straight 5A individual medal.
All-City capsules:
The 2026 All-City boys bowling team: From left -- Evan Jones, Shawnee Heights; Henry Schattilly, Shawnee Heights; Chevy Stallbaumer, Shawnee Heights; Brecken Garrett, Washburn Rural; Cody Spangler, Washburn Rural; Kelton Meier, Hayden. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights put seniors Henry Schattilly and Chevy Stallbaumer and junior Evan Jones on the 2026 All-City boys bowling team after the T-Birds captured their second Class 5A state team title in three seasons.
Schattilly and Hayden junior Kelton Meier are both first-team repeat All-City selections while Washburn Rural senior Cody Spangler, the 2026 6A state individual champion, is joined on the first team by junior teammate Brecken Garrett, a regional champion.
Jones, Meier and Stallbaumer joined Spangler, a two-time All-City first-teamer, as state medalists.
Meier and Stallbaumer both bowled 300 games during the regular season while Spangler and Schattilly also have career perfect games.
All-City capsules:
BRECKEN GARRETT, Washburn Rural -- A first-time All-City pick, Garrett capped his junior season with a 619 series in the Class 6A state tournament as the Junior Blues finished fifth as a team. Garrett captured a regional individual title for team-champion Washburn Rural with a 739 series, putting together games of 216, 258 and 265. Garrett rolled a 608 series in the city meet as Rural claimed the team title and he recorded a 529 series in the Centennial League meet.
EVAN JONES, Shawnee Heights -- A junior, Jones helped lead Shawnee Heights to its second Class 5A team championhip in three seasons, posting a 10th-place individual finish with a 693 series (242, 224, 227) as the T-Birds took the team title by a 3,727-3,624 margin over Bishop Carroll. Jones finished fifth in the city tournament with 664 series, rolled a 641 in the United Kansas Conference tournament and finished fifth at regionals with a 650 series.
KELTON MEIER, Hayden --Meier, a junior All-City repeat pick, posted a sixth-place individual finish in the Class 4A-1A state tournament with a 717 series (254-268-195) as Hayden finished fifth as a team. Meier placed eighth in the city meet with a 638 series, rolled a 573 in the Centennial League tournament and finished second in a 4A-1A regional with a 682 series. As a sophomore Meier helped Hayden capture its first-ever state bowling team championship.
HENRY SCHATTILLY, Shawnee Heights --A senior, Schattilly shot a 640 series in the Class 5A state tournament as Shawnee Heights won its second state team championship in three seasons by a 3,727-3,624 margin over Bishop Carroll. Schattilly won the United Kansas Conference title with a 761 series (245, 269, 247), finished sixth in the city meet (645) and 14th at regionals (637). Schattilly helped the T-Birds win their first-ever boys 5A team bowling championship in 2024.
CODY SPANGLER, Washburn Rural -- Spangler capped his high school career with a Class 6A state individual championship, putting together games of 245, 223 and 288 to win with a 756 three-game series. Spangler finished 10th with a 631 series in the city tournament for the team-champion Junior Blues, finished eighth in 6A regional competition for team champion Washburn Rural with a 648 series and rolled a 565 series in the Centennial League tournament.
CHEVY STALLBAUMER, Shawnee Heights -- Stallbaumer, a senior, helped lead Shawnee Heights to the Class 5A state team championship by a 3,727-3,624 margin over Bishop Carroll. Stallbaumer rolled a 738 series to lead the T-Birds with a sixth-place individual finish, putting together games of 255, 237 and 246. Stallbaumer placed fourth in the city tournament with a 669 series, finished 10th in the United Kansas Conference with a 659 for the team-champion T-Birds and rolled a 581 series at regionals.
ALL-CITY BOYS BOWLING
FIRST TEAM
Brecken Garrett, jr., Washburn Rural; Evan Jones, jr., Shawnee Heights; Kelton Meier, jr., Hayden; Henry Schattilly, sr., Shawnee Heights; Cody Spangler, sr., Washburn Rural; Chevy Stallbaumer, sr., Shawnee Heights.
SECOND TEAM
Trey Donath, jr., Shawnee Heights; Kaden Evans, sr., Shawnee Heights; Andrew Faurot, jr., Washburn Rural; Jackson Keller, sr., Washburn Rural; Reece Renyer, jr., Hayden; Garrett Shaw, sr., Seaman.
By RICK PETERSON
Freshman Taylor Brees went 5 for 6 with five RBI and four runs scored in Friday's twinbill sweep at Fort Hays State. [File photo/TSN]
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
A cold windy night at the Bettis Family Sports Complex Tuesday night did not fare too well for the Shawnee Heights baseball team, as the bats went cold in a 6-2 United Kansas Conference loss to Basehor-Linwood.
Basehor-Linwood jumped out to a 2-0 lead after a couple of RBI singles but Heights also hurt itself, committing two errors in the inning and four total in the game.
In the first two innings Shawnee Heights went three up, three down, including three strikeouts.
The Bobcats led 3-0 in the top of the third inning and began the inning reaching base with an error that opened the door to score two more runs, pushing the advantage to 5-0.
SHHS made a pitching change in the middle of the inning, replacing starter Cambren Floberg for Keaven Ortiz.
“I told Cam, 'You come out here and there’s just days you don’t have it. It happens to all of us. Let it go and it’s about the next time you go on the mound. It’s over with and you can’t fix it,' ” Heights coach Jason Brown said. “He threw strikes, a little unlucky behind him, a lack of focus there but I think he’ll be fine come his next outing.”
The T-Birds went one-two-three in the third despite starting inning with an infield hit. After a double play and a strikeout, any momentum vanished.
Basehor-Linwood took a 6-0 lead in the fourth, and yet again, Heights went one-two-three, ending the inning with a double play.
Through five innings the T-Birds had just two hits, but in the sixth they were able to scratch one across the board as Makade Orton ripped an RBI single into right before being thrown out trying to advance to second base.
Thomas Smith for Shawnee Heights came in at the top of the sixth and retired all six batters he faced to give the T-Birds some hope.
After Steven Zimbelman completed six innings, striking out seven, allowing two walks and one earned run, his brother Colin Zimbelman came on in relief.
The T-Birds loaded the bases with no outs, giving Heights some life at a comeback.
Cayden Lindsay grounded into a double play to push across one run, making it 6-2, and Michael Lilly couldn’t keep the rally going, striking out swinging to end the game.
“We walked on here and we were sleep walking and you can’t do that,” Brown said. “You have to show up and be ready to go every time you step on the field. We tell our players there are three facets to the game, you swing it well, you pitch it well and take care of it behind our pitcher and two of those three we did not do.
“The good thing about this game is the two guys that we brought in relief, we hadn’t thrown them yet this year and us as a coaching staff we found out that some of them are ready. So that was a positive to take something out of this game. We have a lot of baseball left and I think this will wake them up and when you step on the field, you can’t take any days off.”
BASEHOR-LINWOOD 6, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 2
Basehor-Linwood (3-3) 212 100 0 -- 6 5 1
Shawnee Heights (4-2) 000 001 1 -- 2 4 4
W -- S. Zimbelman L -- Floberg. 2B – Basehor-Linwood: Kiernan.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights junior Clara Sobba posted a pair of individual wins to pace city swimmers in Tuesday's Topeka High Invitational at the Capitol Federal Natatorium.
Shawnee Heights' Clara Sobba posted a pair of individual victories in Tuesday's Topeka High Invitational swimming meet at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Sobba won the 50-yard freestyle in 28.04 seconds and captured the 100 freestyle in 1 minute, 01.65 while also helping the T-Birds finish second in the 200 free relay (2:04.55) and third in the 200 medley relay (2:22.16).
Shawnee Heights' Kaitlyn Aldridge (left) won the 100-yard butterfly and finished second in the 100 backstroke in Tuesday's Topeka High Invitational at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka High senior Hara Del Castillo won the 100-yard backstroke in Tuesday's Topeka High Invitational at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Sobba was one of three city champions in Tuesday's meet, with Shawnee Heights junior Kaitlyn Aldridge winning the 100-yard butterfly in 1:11.46 and Topeka High senior Hara Del Castillo winning the 100 backstroke in 1:09.81.
Del Castillo was the runnerup behind Sobba in the 50 free in 28.69 while Aldridge finished second to Del Castillo in the 100 backstroke in 1:10.77.
Aldridge and Sobba teamed with Gracelyn New and Jayde Kinsch for the runnerup finish in the 200 free relay and teamed with Kinsch and Lainey Herrera for the third-place finish in the 200 medley relay.
Topeka High's Mackenzie Caryl finished second in one-meter diving with a score of 138.70.
Manhattan ran away with the team title by a 677-454 margin over Junction City while Shawnee Heights placed third (213), Topeka High fourth (76) and Topeka West fifth (44).
TOPEKA HIGH INVITATIONAL
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
DRAYDEN ACCOSTA, Topeka High
A senior, Accosta earned second-team TopSports.news All-Shawnee County recognition for the second straight season and was named to the All-Centennial League second team as a utility player.
Isaac Ansley, Washburn Rural
ISAAC ANSLEY, Washburn Rural
A senior pitcher, Ansley earned first-team TSN All-Shawnee County recognition last season and was a second-team All-Centennial League pick after helping lead Washburn Rural to a 15-12 record and a Class 6A state tournament berth.
Mason Becker, Hayden
MASON BECKER, Hayden
Becker, a junior, earned second-team TSN All-Shawnee County and Centennial League recognition last season after helping the Wildcat post a 23-1 record.
Axton Brewer, Seaman
AXTON BREWER, Seaman
A junior, Brewer was a TSN All-Shawnee County first-team pick, earned All-United Kansas Conference first-team recognition as a pitcher and designated hitter and was a Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches All-Class 5A first-team honoree at designated hitter and a second-team pitcher.
BRADY DEUTSCH, Hayden
Deutsch, a senior catcher, was a second-team All-Centennial League pick for the league-champion Wildcats, who went 23-1 last season. Deutsch receive All-Shawnee County honorable mention.
Austin Ditch, Washburn Rural
AUSTIN DITCH, Washburn Rural
A senior infielder, Ditch was a first-team TSN All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League pick last spring after helping Washburn Rural post a 15-12 record and advance to the Class 6A state tournament.
TYLER EDMISTON, Washburn Rural
Edmiston, a junior pitcher, was a second-team All-Centennial League and All-Shawnee County selection last season for the 15-12 Junior Blues, who earned a berth in the Class 6A state tournament.
Cambren Floberg, Shawnee Heights
CAMBREN FLOBERG, Shawnee Heights
Floberg, a senior, was named the United Kansas Conference pitcher of the year last season after helping the 21-8 T-Birds advance to the Class 5A state tournament. Floberg received second-team All-Class 5A honors from the Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches.
CAEL HORGAN, Rossville
A junior, Horgan was a first-team All-Big East pick last spring after helping Rossville advance to the Class 2A-1A state tournament in 2025.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
When I first covered Gary Woodland back in 1998, it sometimes seemed like success came easy for the Shawnee Heights multi-sport star.
I saw Woodland lead the T-Birds to Class 5A state basketball championships in 2000 and 2002 while he also captured three city boys golf titles.
Woodland also turned in an impressive basketball season for Washburn before opting to concentrate on golf and prior to high school Woodland was also a baseball star, which his father, Dan, told me might have been Gary's best sport.
Of course, it wasn't easy then -- with Woodland's success a combination of talent and an incredible work ethic and support system -- and it certainly isn't easy now, with Woodland batting through brain surgery and an ongoing battle with post-traumatic stress disorder that would have ended the careers of most athletes long ago.
But Woodland proved in Sunday's Houston Open that he still has what it takes to win, coming through with an emotional five-stroke victory -- his fifth tour win and first since his three-stroke 2019 U.S. Open triumph.
It was a victory for the ages, and should provide inspiration for those inside and out of sports in a time that good news seems to be increasingly harder to come by.
The 41-year-old Woodland's emotions bubbled over after he sank his final putt and especially when he engaged in a long, tearful hug with Gabby, his wife and mother of the couple's three children.
“We play an individual sport out here, but I wasn’t alone today,” Woodland told NBC after his win at 21-under-par. “I got a lot of people behind me, my team, my family and this golf world.
"Anybody that’s struggling with something, I hope they see me and don’t give up. Just keep fighting.”
Woodland received his brain tumor diagnosis in May of 2023 and underwent brain surgery later in the year to remove part of the tumor.
And just recently Woodland went public to discuss his battle with PTSD, which is related to his brain surgery. Woodland received the PGA Tour Courage Award last month.
Sunday's victory moved Woodland to No. 51 in the world, his highest ranking in five years, and punched his ticket to the upcoming Masters.
“Today was a good day, but I’m going to keep fighting,” Woodland told NBC after setting the tournament scoring record. “I’ve got a big fight ahead of me, and I’m going to keep going. But I’m proud of myself right now.”
The rest of the world, and particularly his hometown of Topeka, should be proud, too.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
London Backman, Topeka High
LONDON BACKMAN, Topeka High
A sophomore infielder who attends Cair Paravel Latin and plays for the Trojans through a co-op agreement, Backman received TopSports.news All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League first-team recognition and was named the co-county and co-Centennial League newcomer of the year last season after helping 19-10 Topeka High advance to the Class 6A state tournament before dropping an 8-1 quarterfinal decisiont to 6A champ Olathe West. Backman received All-Class 6A honorable mention by the Kansas Softball Coaches Association.
Adda Boleski, Washburn Rural
ADDA BOLESKI, Washburn Rural
Boleski, a sophomore infielder, was an All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League second-team pick a year ago as a freshman after helping the Junior Blues post a 22-8 record and a second-place finish in the Class 6A state tournament, with Washburn Rural dropping an 8-7 decision to Olathe West in the championship game.
Reagan Chapman, Washburn Rural
REAGAN CHAPMAN, Washburn Rural
A senior pitcher/third baseman, Chapman was named to the TSN All-Shawnee County first team for the third straight season after helping lead the Junior Blues to a 22-8 record and a runnerup finish in Class 6A last spring, with Rural dropping an 8-7 decision to Olathe West in the championship game. Chapman was a first-team All-Centennial League honoree.
JOSIE CARLGREN, Washburn Rural
Carlgren, a senior outfielder, is a top returner for Washburn Rural, which posted a 22-8 record and finished second in the Class 6A state tournament last season, dropping an 8-7 decision to Olathe West in the title game. Carlgren received All-Shawnee County and All-Centennial League honorable mention in 2025.
Falyn Clurman, Rossville
FALYN CLURMAN, Rossville
Clurman, a sophomore pitcher, was a second-team All-Shawnee County honoree last season as a freshman for the Bulldawgs, who posted a 17-12 record in 2025. The Bulldawgs were a Class 2A-1A regional runnerup to state champion Oskaloosa.
ADDISON COOPER, Shawnee Heights
Cooper, a senior outfielder, was a first-team All-United Kansas Conference selection and a second-team All-Shawnee County pick last spring after helping Shawnee Heights post a 20-7 record and advance to the Class 5A state tournament in 2025. The T-Birds dropped a 3-2 state quarterfinal decision to eventual state champion St. Thomas Aquinas.
Campbell Dawson, Topeka High
CAMPBELL DAWSON, Topeka High
A junior pitcher/outfielder, was a first-team All-Centennial League selection and second-team All-Shawnee County pick last spring after helping the 19-10 Trojans advance to the Class 6A state tournament before dropping an 8-1 quarterfinal decision to 6A state champ Olathe West. Dawson received All-Class 6A honorable mention by the Kansas Softball Coaches Association.
LYDIA DREHER, Seaman
Dreher, a sophomore pitcher, was a second-team All-Shawnee County selection and a second-team All-United Kansas Conference pick as a freshman last season after helping the Vikings earn a berth in the Class 5A state tournament. Dreher helped Seaman post a 20-9 record last spring, with the Vikings dropping a 3-2 17-inning decision to Maize South in the state quarterfinals.
Cianna Graves, Shawnee Heights
CIANNA GRAVES, Shawnee Heights
A senior catcher, Graves received second-team All-Shawnee County recognition in 2025 after helping Shawnee Heights post a 20-7 record and advance to the Class 5A state tournament before the T-Birds dropped a 3-2 state quarterfinal decision to eventual 5A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas. Graves is also a 2026 5A state wrestling champion.
Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake
KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake
Hanni, a senior left-fielder, earned first-team All-Shawnee County and first-team All-Big East League recognition last spring for the second straight season after helping Silver Lake post a 25-7 record and a runnerup finish in the Class 3A state tournament for the second straight season, with the Eagle falling 2-1 to Frontenac in nine innings. Hanni was named to the All-Class 3A first team by the Kansas Softball Coaches Association. Hanni also led Silver Lake to the 3A state basketball title this past season.
Oliva Koch, Washburn Rural
OLIVIA KOCH, Washburn Rural
A junior pitcher/outfielder, Koch was named to the TSN All-Shawnee County first team and was named the Centennial League player of the year last season after helping lead Washburn Rural to a 22-8 record and a runnerup finish in the Class 6A state tournament, with the Junior Blues dropping an 8-7 decision to Olathe West in the state title game. Koch was named to the All-Class 6A first team by the Kansas Softball Coaches Association.
Carly McAllister, Hayden
CARLEY McALLISTER, Hayden
McCallister, a sophomore, received second-team TSN All-Shawnee County recognition a year ago as a freshman while also receiving All-Centennial League second-team honors.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Five city swimming and diving teams opened the 2026 season in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational, with a sweep of the top three places in one-meter diving pacing the local contingent.
Hayden's Avery Rosenow won the diving event with a score of 173.75, while Topeka High's Mackenzie Caryl placed second at 138.75 and Seaman's Madiylyn Typer was third at 105.40.
Shawnee Heights' Clara Sobba posted a third-place finish in the 100 freestyle in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Another city highlight was turned in by Shawnee Heights' Clara Sobba, who posted a third-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 1:01.71, while Topeka High's Hara Del Castillo was fifth in 1:04.50.
Seaman's Riley Strother helped the Vikings finish fifth in the 200 medley relay in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman's Riley Strother, Lizzie Gould, Jenna Zimmerman and Ava Carlson finished fifth in the 200 medley relay in 2:18.32.
Hayden's Kaelyn Gerdel posted a pair of top-five individual finishes in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Hayden's Kaelyn Gerdel placed fifth in the 200 freestyle (2:15.92) while Seaman's Strother was fifth (2:51.05) and Topeka High's Avery Skinner sixth (2:51.97) in the 200 individual medley.
Topeka High's Hara Del Castillo swims to a fifth-place finish in the 100 backstroke in Thursday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
High's Del Castillo added a fifth-place finish in the 100 backstroke (1:11.58) while Hayden's Gerdel placed fourth in the 100 breastroke (1:19.41) and the Wildcats' Lilly Charvat was sixth in the 100 breaststroke (1:23.55).
TOPEKA WEST INVITATIONAL
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Senior co-players of the year KaeVon Bonner of Seaman and Dayne Johnson of Silver Lake headline the 2026 TopSports.news All-Shawnee County boys basketball team.
KaeVon Bonner, Seaman
Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake
Bonner is a three-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick after leading the Vikings to a 23-5 record and a third-place finish in the Class 5A state tournament while Johnson was an all-county repeat pick after leading the Eagles to a second straight third-place state finish in 3A and ending his high school career as Silver Lake's all-time leading scorer, eclipsing the record previously held by the legendary Lon Kruger.
Rossville senior Jack Donovan is a three-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 honoree and is joined on the first time by Rossville senior point guard Jakoby McDonnell after the Bulldawgs advanced to the Class 2A state tournament for the second straight season.
Topeka West, which won the United Kansas Conference championship in a tiebreaker over Seaman and placed fourth in Class 5A is represented on the all-county top 10 by seniors Malakyah Duncan and Keimani Paul and junior Prince Lassiter.
Also earning Top 10 honors were Hayden senior Connor Hanika, Shawnee Heights junior Cam Ross and Topeka High senior Bryson McComas.
Quincy Dixon, Shawnee Heights
Shawnee Heights freshman Quincy Dixon was named the county newcomer of the year after averaging 12.4 points and helping the T-Birds advance to the Class 5A state tournament.
Chip Kueffer, Cair Paravel Latin
Robbie Sanders, Topeka High
Cair Paravel's Chip Kueffer and Topeka High's Robbie Sanders were named the Shawnee County co-coaches of the year after leading their teams to 12-win improvements in 2025-2026.
Kueffer led CPLS to a 22-3 record, including 19 straight wins and the Flint Hills League championship while first-year coach Sanders led Topeka High to a 13-11 record in '25-'26 after the Trojans posted just one win in the previous season.
All-Shawnee County capsules:
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights softball opened its season Wednesday with a home United Kansas Conference doubleheader sweep over De Soto.
Senior Cianna Graves had a two-run double in Shawnee Heights' 8-7 come-from-behind second-game win over De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
After taking the first game 6-0 over the Wildcats, the T-Birds mounted a comeback in Game 2 to take an 8-7 extra-inning victory.
“The girls did a really good job of making an adjustment to their swings,'' Shawnee Heights coach Tara Griffith said. "They were getting us out early with those pop-ups.
"We made some adjustments and started swinging down a little bit and that helped us out a lot and we started getting more line drives and then just getting singles and kind of pushing people around.
De Soto took a 4-0 lead in the first inning of the nightcap and Shawnee Heights couldn’t find much of anything in the first couple of innings.
The T-Birds didn’t have a runner go past second until the fifth inning.
SHHS was able to get runners on with leadoff walks, errors committed by the Wildcats or two- out singles, but nothing came of it.
In the top of the fourth, De Soto led off with a single. After struggling with her command, T-Bird junior Kaelyn Fisher was pulled after giving up another single to push the De Soto lead to five and junior Haven Ellenburg replaced Fisher.
Shawnee Heights’ bats woke up in the bottom of the fifth and the T-Birds put some runs on the board.
It started with a leadoff walk from senior Aubrey Hamilton. Senior Addison Cooper had a base knock, giving Heights runners at first and second with one out.
After a fielder’s choice to advance the runners, the two-out rally began.
Senior catcher Cianna Graves nearly hit a three-run home run to left center, slugging a two-RBI double, making the score 5-2.
Jaiden Euwer helped Shawnee Heights softball sweep UKC foe De Soto Wednesday [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Jaidyn Euwer blooped one down the right-field line, resulting in a triple and another run for Heights.
De Soto made a pitching change, but that didn’t stop Shawnee Heights.
Ellenburg knocked in a run of her own on a single, making it a 5-4 ball game.
After trading runs in the sixth inning, De Soto pushed its lead back to two at 7-5 with a run in the top half of the seventh.
In the bottom half of the frame, the T-Birds tied the ballgame, beginning with a Graves leadoff single.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake senior point guard Kailyn Hanni has been tapped as the TopSports.news 2026 All-Shawnee County girls basketball player of the year after leading the Eagles to their second Class 3A state championship in three seasons.
Silver Lake senior Kailyn Hanni has been named the TopSports.news Shawnee County girls player of the year after leading the Eagles to their second Class 3A state title in three seasons. [File photo/TSN]
A three-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick, Hanni helped lead Silver Lake to a 28-1 record and a third straight trip to the 3A state championship game, with the Eagles sandwiching titles in 2024 and this past season around a second-place finish in 2025.
Hanni is one of five repeat picks on the All-Shawnee County Top 10, including four-time honoree Maddie Gragg of Seaman, junior repeat selections KK Emmot of Shawnee Heights and Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton of Topeka High and sophomore repeat pick Hailey Schmidtlein of Hayden.
Schmidtlein helped lead Hayden to the 4A state championship while Emmot helped Shawnee Heights post a fourth-place state finish in 5A and Rayton helped Topeka High advance to the state quarterfinals in 6A.
Also earning All-Shawnee County Top 10 spots are Rossville senior Rylee Dick, Shawnee Heights junior Pearmella Carter, Topeka High sophomore Hailey Caryl, Silver Lake sophomore Karys Deiter and Washburn Rural freshman Brynn Anderson.
Anderson was also named the Shawnee County newcomer of the year, while state-champion coaches Kyle Porter of Silver Lake and Carvel Reynoldson of Hayden were named the co-county coaches of the year.
All-Shawnee County capsules:
Brynn Anderson, Washburn Rural
BRYNN ANDERSON, Washburn Rural -- Anderson was named an All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick and the Shawnee County newcomer of the year for 2025-2026 after averaging 14.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals and canning 41 3-pointers for the Junior Blues. Anderson was also a first-team all-county selection in volleyball.
Pearmella Carter, Shawnee Heights
PEARMELLA CARTER, Shawnee Heights -- After starring for two seasons at Highland Park, the 5-foot-9 junior had a big season in her first year at Shawnee Heights, helping the 22-6 T-Birds win their first United Kansas Conference championship and post a fourth-place finish in Class 5A in Heights' first trip to state since 2011. Carter, a second-team all-county pick as a sophomore, averaged 12.3 points and 8.1 rebounds for Heights while shooting 56 percent from the field on two-point attempts.
Hailey Caryl, Topeka High
HAILEY CARYL, Topeka High -- A 5-foot-10 sophomore, Caryl moves up to the All-Shawnee County Top 10 this season after being a Second 10 pick as a freshman. Caryl averaged 14.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists this past season while shooting 57 percent from the field from two-point range, helping lead the Trojans to a 17-9 record, the Centennial League championship and a quarterfinal berth in the Class 6A state tournament.
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake
KARYS DEITER, Silver Lake -- Deiter, a 5-foot-6 sophomore, helped Silver Lake post a 28-1 record and win the Class 3A state championship this past season. Deiter moves up to the All-Shawnee County first team this season after being a Second 10 pick as a freshman and also earned first-team All-Big East honors. Deiter was also an all-county pick in volleyball after helping Silver Lake win the 3A state title.
Rylee Dick, Rossville
RYLEE DICK, Rossville -- Dick, a 5-foot-8 senior, helped lead the Bulldawgs to a Class 2A state tournament berth for the first time in 20 years this past season, averaging 20.6 points on the season. A unanimous All-Big East League selection, Dick finished her high school career with 1,578 points, which ranks No. 2 on Rossville's all-time list. Dick scored 31 points in Rossville's quarterfinal state loss to Ellinwood.
KK Emmot, Shawnee Heights
KK EMMOT, Shawnee Heights -- Emmot, a 5-foot-8 junior, is a two-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 pick after earning second-team honors as a freshman. Emmot, who helped lead the T-Birds to a 22-6 record, the United Kansas Conference title and a fourth-place Class 5A finish, earned first-team All-United Kansas Conference honors for the second straight season after averaging 16.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 3.0 assists while connecting on 67 3-pointers and shooting 82 percent from the free throw line.
Maddie Gragg, Seaman
MADDIE GRAGG, Seaman -- A 5-10 senior, Gragg is an All-Shawnee County Top 10 selection for the fourth straight season. Gragg, also a four-time All-United Kansas Conference first-team pick, averaged 12.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.4 steals while hitting 32 3-pointers. Gragg helped the Vikings win the Class 5A state championship in 2024 and finish second in 2025.
Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake
KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake -- Hanni, a 5-7 senior, was named the Shawnee County player of the year after leading Silver Lake to a 28-1 record and the Class 3A state championship this past season. Hanni also played a major role in the Eagles' 26-0 state championship run in 2024 and a runnerup state finish in 2025. Hanni is a three-time All-Shawnee County Top 10 selection as well as an All-Big East first-team pick.
Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, Topeka High
AHSIEYRHUAJH RAYTON, Topeka High --Rayton, a 5-7 junior All-Shawnee County repeat pick, averaged a city-high 23.6 points on the season for the 17-9 Trojans while also averaging 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals and shooting 52 percent from two-point range and 37 percent on 3-point attempts. Rayton helped the Trojans win the Centennial League championship and advance to the Class 6A state tournament.
Hailey Schmidtlein, Hayden
HAILEY SCHMIDTLEIN, Hayden --Schmidtlein, a 6-0 sophomore, earned first-team All-Shawnee County recognition for the second straight season after helping lead the Wildcats to a 22-6 record and Hayden's first Class 4A state championship since 2004. Schmidtlein averaged 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.7 steals, 2.5 assists and 2.0 blocked shots.
2025 TSN ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY GIRLS BASKETBALL
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Tuesday's 2026 Shawnee Heights girl soccer season-opener didn't go the T-Birds' way, with a string of injuries derailing Heights in a 3-0 home non-league loss to Lawrence at the Bettis Family Sports Complex.
Shawnee Heights junior Nina Bolanos (left) battles Lawrence's Maggie Wagner for the ball in Tuesday's 3-0 T-Bird loss to the Lions. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Heights entered its season-opener with a couple of players already nursing minor injuries and the situation got a lot worse Tuesday, with T-Bird junior standouts Morgan Robinson, Nina Bolanos and Brylee Garner all leaving the game with injuries.
But if there was a bright spot for Nic Simons' T-Birds, it was that none of the injuries appeared to be series and that they happened early in the year and not in crunch time at the end of the season.
"If I'm going to get bit by the injury bug I'd rather have it Game 1 then going into the postseason,'' Simons said. "Like I said to the kids, this is 10 out of 10 times not the speech that I'd be having after the game, but you know what, a little adversity to start the season is not necessarily bad for us.''
Robinson, one of Heights' top offensive threats, left the game at the 24:08 mark of the opening half and Garner was in and out of the game before calling it a night in the second half and Bolanos left the game late in the game with an ankle injury.
Shawnee Heights was still able to go into halftime locked in a scoreless deadlock before the 1-0 Lions took control in the second half.
Senior Stella Comparato scored the only goal Lawrence would need just 2:32 into the second half and Comparato added a second goal at the 23:59 mark and freshman Layla Simmons scored the Lions' final goal with 18:57 remaining.
Shawnee Heights struggled to mount much offense in the game, finishing with just one shot on goal.
"Obviously, losing Morgan early, that's a killer and losing Nina late obviously didn't help us at all,'' Simons said.
The T-Birds will return to action on Thursday, hosting Lawrence Free State at Bettis, before Heights has a week off to try to get back to full strength.
LAWRENCE 3, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 0
Lawrence (1-0) 0 3 -- 3
Shawnee Heights (0-1) 0 0 -- 0
Lawrence-- Goals: Stella Comparato 2, Layla Simmons. Shutout: Lillian Poteete. Redcard: Sidra Besson.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Kaitlyn Aldridge, Shawnee Heights
KAITLYN ALDRIDGE, Shawnee Heights
A junior, Aldridge earned All-City first-team honors for the second straight season in 2025, winning the city title in the 500-yard freestyle, placing second in the 100 butterfly and helping Shawnee Heights win the 200 free relay and finish third in the 400 free relay. Aldridge placed fourth in the United Kansas Conference in the 100 fly and fifth in the 500 free and swam on the T-Birds' fourth-place 400 free relay. Aldridge competed in the Class 5A-1A state meet.
Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural
AUDREY APPUHN, Washburn Rural
Appuhn, a senior three-time All-City honoree, placed in multiple events in the Class 6A state meet for the third straight season last spring, taking third in the 100-yard breaststroke and sixth in the 200 freestyle to lead Rural to an 11th-place team finish. Appuhn won four golds in the city meet (200 free, 100 breast, 200 medley relay, 400 free relay) as Rural won its 22nd straight team title and four golds in the Centennial League meet (200 free, 100 breast, 200 medley relay, 400 free relay). Appuhn was a second-team All-State honoree in 6A in 2025.
Hara Del Castillo, Topeka High
HARA DEL CASTILLO, Topeka High
A senior, Del Castillo earned All-City honors for the third straight season in 2025 as the Trojan junior finished second in the city meet in the 100-yard backstroke and third in the 100 freestyle. Del Castillo won Centennial League titles in the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke and swam on the Trojans' fourth-place 200 medley relay. Del Castillo competed in the 6A state meet last season.
KAILYN GERDEL, Hayden
Gerdel, a junior was an All-City second-team pick last season after placing third in the city meet in the 200-yard freestyle and swimming on the Wildcats' runnerup 200 medley and 200 free relays. Gerdel finished third in the Centennial League in the 200 freestyle and swam on Hayden's second-place 200 medley and 200 free relays.
Sophie Heinen, Washburn Rural
SOPHIE HEINEN, Washburn Rural
Heinen, a senior, finished second in the 500-yard freestyle in the city meet and also swam on the Junior Blues' winning 200 medley and 400 free relays. Heinen finished second in the Centennial League in the 500 freestyle and swam on Rural's winning 200 medley and 400 free relays. Heinen swam on the Junior Blues' 11th-place 200 medley and 400 free relays at state.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
AUSTIN BEAN, Hayden
A senior, Bean helped Hayden post a runnerup team finish in the Class 4A state tournament last season, earning second-team All-Shawnee County recognition. Bean finished 10th in the 2025 city championships with a 27-hole score of 127 and shot a 78 in the Centennial League tournament. He tied for 12th in 4A regional competition with an 81 as the Wildcats finished second as a team.
CALEB CLEVERDON, Topeka High/Cair Paravel Latin
Cleverdon, a senior, competed for Topeka High during the regular season before competing for High's co-op partner, Cair Paravel, in postseason. Cleverdon tied for sixth in the Class 2A state tournament with a 36-hole total of 155 (76-79), leading the Lions to a fourth-place team finish. A second-team All-Shawnee County pick, Cleverdon finished 10th in a 2A regional (83) for team champion CPLS.
Jack Donovan
JACK DONOVAN, Rossville
A senior, Donovan was a first-team All-Shawnee County pick for the second straight season last spring after earning a state medal for the second straight year with a tie for sixth in the Class 2A state event with a 36 hole score of 155 (76-79). Donovan was a 2A regional medalist, shooting a Rossville school-record 68 to win the individual championship by 12 strokes.
Peyton Goehring
PEYTON GOEHRING, Washburn Rural
Goehring is a top senior returner for Washburn Rural, which captured its 15th straight city team championship last season and advanced to the Class 6A state tournament as a team with a third-place team finish. Goehring carded a 27-hole score of 129 in the city tournament, missing the top 10 by two strokes and shot a 78 in the Centennial League tournament and finished 23rd at regionals.
Higgins Hawks
HIGGINS HAWKS, Washburn Rural
Hawks, a senior, earned his first All-Shawnee County first-team honor for the Junior Blues last season. Hawks tied for fifth in the city tournament with a 27-hole score of 124 as Rural won its 15th straight city championship. Hawks shot an 80 at regionals to tie for 10th as the Junior Blues earned a Class 6A team berth with a third-place finish and tied for 36th at state with a 36-hole score of 156 (75-81).
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural three-time Class 6A state champion and four-time finalist Landen Kocher-Munoz headlines the TopSports.news 2026 All-Shawnee County boys wrestling team.
TopSports.news' All-Shawnee County team is based on overall records, postseason results and city coaches' All-City selections.
Landen Kocher-Munoz, Washburn Rural [Photo by Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports]
Kocher-Munoz was named the Shawnee County wrestler of the year after winning the 144-pound championship to wrap up a 39-4 season as Washburn Rural a third-place team finish.
Jadyn Baum, Washburn Rural [File photo/TSN]
Kocher-Munoz is one of eight Washburn Rural wrestlers to earn spots on the All-Shawnee County team, including junior 215-pound state champ Jadyn Baum, who went 29-4 on the season.
Also earning all-county first-team honors for Rural were 106-pound freshman Hayden Broxterman (36-16), 113-pound freshman Andrew Peterson (26-11), 120-pound senior Ryder Harrison (28-7), 138-pound senior Cooper Stivers (34-7), 150-pound junior Brodye Kocher-Munoz (31-8) and sophomore 285-pounder Kaiden Marshall (19-4).
Harrison, Stivers, Brodye Kocher-Munoz, Landen Kocher-Munoz, Baum and Marshall are all first-team repeat picks.
Andrew Peterson, Washburn Rural [File photo/TSN]
Ryder Harrison, Washburn Rural [File photo/TSN]
Peterson, named the Shawnee County newcomer of the year, Harrison and Stivers all advanced to 6A championship matches and posted second-place finishes while Brodye Kocher-Munoz finished third and Broxterman and Marshall fifth in 6A.
Jude Krentz, Hayden [File photo/TSN]
Paxton Willett, Silver Lake [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
Hayden senior Jude Krentz (40-4) was the 4A runnerup at 190 pounds and is an all-county first-team repeat pick while Silver Lake senior Paxton Willett (41-11) was the 3A-1A state runnerup at 190 pounds.
Krentz is joined on the all-county first-team by Wildcat junior 175-pounder Caleb Menke (41-5) while Silver Lake senior 120-pounder Bryce Cormier (33-10) joins Willett on the first team.
Cormier posted a third-place state finish in 3A-1A while Menke finished fourth in 4A.
Seaman put junior 150-pounder Deegan Frazier (38-12), senior 165-pounder Landen Miller (35-14) and junior 285-pounder Henry Reichart (41-14) on the All-Shawnee County first team, with Frazier and Reichart both posting third-place finishes in the 5A state tournament.
Hayden coach Jacob Torrez was named the Shawnee County coach of the year after also being picked by his city coaching counterparts as the City Coach of the Year.
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY BOYS WRESTLING
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Class 5A senior state champion Cianna Graves headines the TopSports.news 2026 All-Shawnee County girls wrestling team while third-place teams Heights and Washburn Rural combined for 12 spots on the first team.
Cianna Graves, Shawnee Heights [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]
TopSports.news' All-Shawnee County team is based on overall records, postseason results and city coaches' All-City selections.
Graves, the Shawnee County wrestler of the year, is a four-time state medalist and capped her career with the state championship at 155 pounds, finishing off a 35-2 season.
Brinnley Morris, Shawnee Heights [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]
Olive Jones, Shawnee Heights [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]
Graves was one of three T-Bird state champions, with freshman Brinnley Morris (21-3) winning the 120-pound title title and sophomore Olive Jones (39-1) taking the 135-pound crown as Shawnee Heights earned the third-place team trophy for the second straight season.
Morris was tapped as the Shawnee County newcomer of the year.
Lacey Middleton, Washburn Rural [File photo/TSN]
Emme Blanco, Washburn Rural [File photo/TSN]
Elia Smith, Washburn Rural [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural put a county-high seven wrestlers on the TSN All-Shawnee County first team, led by the senior Class 6A state runnerup trio of 125-pounder Lacey Middleton (39-7), 145-pounder Emme Blanco (40-4) and 170-pounder Elia Smith (35-4), who led the Junior Blues to a third-place team finish for the second straight season in 6A after Rural won back-to-back state titles in 2023 and 2024.
In addition to the three second-place finishers, Rural also put freshman 105-pounder Aliyah Tangpricha, senior 140-pounder Madi Blanco, junior 190-pounder Lily Davis and sophomore 235-pounder Emma Mehl on the first team.
Tangpricha (30-6) and Madi Blanco (40-5) both placed third in 6A while Davis (37-12) finished sixth and Mehl (25-16) was a state qualifier.
Madi Blanco and Smith are both three-time first-team all-county honorees while Middleton and Emme Blanco are repeat picks.
Shawnee Heights also put senior 145-pounder Olivia Stevens and sophomore 110-pounder Bianca Juarez on the all-county first team.
A multi-time state medalist, Stevens (33-6) finished third at 145 pounds and Juarez (26-14) was a state qualifier.
Shawnee Heights' Chad Parks was named the county coach of the year after the T-Birds won the United Kansas Conference championship and finished second at regionals before their third-place finish at state.
Makayla Cadet, Highland Park [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/TSN]
Highland Park senior 190-pounder Makayla Cadet (23-3) is a first-team repeat all-county honoree, posting a runnerup 5A state finish this past season after winning the state championship as a junior.
Nora Mitchell, Rossville [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
Rounding out the all-county first team are Rossville sophomore 105-pounder Nora Mitchell and junior 145-pounder Madelyn Wonnell.
Mitchell (37-12) was the 3A-1A runnerup and and Wonnell (38-6), a two-time state medalist, finished third this past season after finishing fifth as a sophomore.
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY GIRLS WRESTLING
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Four city players earned spots on the All-United Kansas Conference girls basketball first team, led by senior three-time first-team pick Maddie Gragg of Seaman and Shawnee Heights junior repeat honoree KK Emmot.
Maddie Gragg, Seaman
KK Emmot, Shawnee Heights
Pearmella Carter, Shawnee Heights
Sydney VanDyke, Topeka West
Also earning All-UKC first-team recognition were Shawnee Heights junior Pearmella Carter and Topeka West junior Sydney VanDyke. Carter was a first-team pick in her first season at Heights after previously being named the Meadowlark Conference player of the year at Highland Park while VanDyke received All-UKC honorable mention as a sophomore.
Bob Wells, Shawnee Heights
Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells was named the UKC coach of the year after leading the T-Birds to the conference championship and a fourth-place finish in Class 5A in his final season before retiring.
Shawnee Heights senior Imani McGlory was a second-team All-UKC pick.
Seaman junior Cara Beaton and Brynn Spencer received all-conference honorable mention along with Shawnee Heights junior Sami Baum and senior Reianna Vega and Topeka West junior Patience Allen.
ALL-UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE GIRLS BASKETBALL
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
City players earned four of the seven spots on the All-United Kansas Conference boys basketball first team, led by Seaman UKC player of the year KaeVon Bonner.
Seaman senior KaeVon Bonner was named the UKC player of the year while earning all-conference first-team honors for the third straight season. [File photo/TSN]
Bonner, a senior, led the Vikings to a third-place finish in the Class 5A state tournament, earning All-UKC first-team honors for the third straight season.
Malakyah Duncan, Topeka West
Keimani Paul, Topeka West
Cam Ross, Shawnee Heights
Bonner is joined on the first team by Topeka West seniors Malakyah Duncan and Keimani Paul and Shawnee Heights junior Cam Ross.
Duncan moved up to the first team after earning second-team recognition in 2025 while Paul received honorable mention a year ago.
Duncan and Paul helped lead Topeka West to a fourth-place finish in 5A while Ross helped Heights advance to the 5A state tournament for the third straight season.
Christian Ulsaker, Topeka West
Second-year Topeka West coach Christian Ulsaker was picked as the UKC coach of the year after his Chargers won the conference championship on a tiebreaker over Seaman.
Seaman senior Landon Wiltz, West junior Prince Lassiter and Heights freshman Quincy Dixon earned second-team honors while Viking senior Griffin Zuniga, T-Bird seniors Ja'Veon Alston, JaiMarion Cook and Aiden Scott and West senior Jay'Veon Traylor all earned honorable mention.
ALL-UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE BOYS BASKETBALL
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- The Shawnee Heights Lady T-Birds faced off against the Hays Indians in a Class 5A girls semifinal matchup Friday at Koch Arena, but playing without junior starter Pearmella Carter proved to be a major challenge.
Junior Sami Baum led Shawnee Heights with 21 points in Friday's 66-41 Class 5A semifinal loss to Hays. [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]
The T-Birds struggled to get anything going offensively or defensively and were out-rebounded 40-22 in a 66-41 loss.
Carter’s absence was felt throughout the night, particularly in the post.
“Her being out was definitely a factor,” said Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells. “She’s been one of our post defenders all year, and we had girls playing post that hadn’t played much post defense throughout the season. They had a couple really good post players, and we knew that coming in.
"We tried to give them some help and do some things for them, but obviously it wasn’t enough with the way they were scoring inside and outside. It was a tall task for us tonight.”
The T-Birds also could not find their rhythm from beyond the arc, finishing just 1 for-17 from 3-point range. Their lone three came in the third quarter from Sami Baum.
“It was just one of those nights where we had a couple misses early and it kind of got in our heads,” Wells said. “Then we just kept missing and couldn’t get it going from the perimeter.
"Even some of our layups and point-blank shots were missing. It was just a struggle for us all the way around.”
Shawnee Heights dug itself into an early hole when Hays opened the game on a 9 0 run. The T-Birds didn’t record their first points until the four-minute mark of the first quarter when Imani McGlory made a free throw.
Heights was outscored 9-6 the rest of the quarter and trailed 18-7 after one. The second quarter followed a similar script. Hays began the period with another 8-0 run before Baum finally scored for the T-Birds.
The struggles continued as Hays’ Jenna Schmeidler scored nine straight points, helping the Indians take a commanding 35-13 lead into halftime.
Hays never let up in the second half.
Baum tried to spark Shawnee Heights with 11 of her team-high 21 points in the third quarter, but the T-Birds couldn’t string together the defensive stops needed to close the gap.
Hays led 49-24 after three quarters and remained firmly in control.
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- The Shawnee Heights Lady T-Birds took the court against No. 1 seed Andover early Saturday morning in the Class 5A girls third-place game, marking the final game of Heights' coach Bob Wells’ long career.
After falling to Hays 66-41 in the semifinal, Heights looked to turn the page and finish the season with a win and a third-place trophy, but the Trojans didn't let that happen, taking control down the stretch for a 71-55 win.
Shawnee Heights junior KK Emmot scored 27 points in Saturday's 71-55 loss to Andover in the Class 5A third-place game. [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]
For three quarters, the T-Birds showed the fight that had defined their season -- rebounding, hustling and scoring their way into a tight contest.
Heights led at halftime and trailed by just one point heading into the fourth quarter.
Shawnee Heights got the game off to a strong start when senior Reianna Vega scored the game’s first basket. Andover answered quickly, but the T-Birds kept pace.
T-Bird junior guard KK Emmot had a big first quarter, scoring her eighth point before knocking down a three pointer at the buzzer to cut Heights' deficit to 15-13 at the end of the opening period.
Andover struck first in the second quarter, but Heights responded.
Senior Imani McGlory attacked the rim, drew a foul, and knocked down both free throws to tie the game at 20.
Junior Sami Baum followed with a basket to give Heights the lead, and Vega added a three to push the T-Birds ahead, 25-20.
Andover’s Bella Bouddhara stopped the run with a basket, but Baum answered with a three at the buzzer, sending Shawnee Heights into halftime with a 31-23 lead.
The Trojans came out firing in the third quarter, opening with back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game at 31 and forcing Heights to call a timeout.
Emmot responded out of the break, driving to the rim for an and-one to put Heights back in front 34-31. Andover continued to battle back.
Grier Hand scored inside and, after a turnover, Bouddhara knocked down a three to give the Trojans the lead.
Emmot answered with another three to make it 41-39. Bouddhara then split a pair of free throws, and Emmot followed by hitting two of her own to cut the deficit to one.
McGlory later drove to the basket for a three-point play, tying the game at 44 and keeping the T-Birds within striking distance.
Emmot added two more free throws with 23 seconds left in the quarter to give Heights a 48-47 lead.
But Bouddhara answered again, hitting a shot to send Andover into the fourth quarter with a 49-48 advantage.
The final quarter belonged to Bouddhara and the Trojans.
Bouddhara scored 14 of her game-high 32 points in the fourth as Andover pulled away.
The Trojans outscored Shawnee Heights 22-7 in the period and forced 11 T-Bird turnovers to secure the 71-55 victory.
Despite the loss, Heights received a standout performance from Emmot, who scored a team-high 27 points and was perfect from the free-throw line, going 15 for 15.
As a team, Shawnee Heights shot an impressive 25 of 28 from the line, good for 89 percent.
“I told the girls all season long I never ever questioned their effort, and that's something I'm really, really proud of,” Wells said. “They play their hardest, and they give their best effort. They did the things that we asked them to do. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t.”
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Class 5A No. 3 girls seed Shawnee Heights faced No. 6 seed Basehor-Linwood for the third time this season Wednesday at Kansas City Kansas Community College, but this time the stakes were much higher, with the United Kansas Conference rivals squaring off in the state tournament.
Junior KK Emmot led Shawnee Heights with 18 points in Wednesday's 61-47 Class 5A quarterfinal win over Basehor-Linwood. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights, making its first state appearance since 2011, faced adversity almost immediately, but overcame the loss of a key player to advance to Friday's 5A semifinal with a 61-47 quarterfinal win over the Bobcats.
Just 49 seconds into the game, junior starter Pearmella Carter drove to the basket, was fouled, and went down hard. Carter had to be helped off the court by trainers and did not return to the game.
Losing their top rebounder and second-leading scorer forced the T-Birds to quickly adjust.
“For us to overcome adversity that happens 49 seconds into the game with Mella going out — and she’s been our top rebounder and our second-leading scorer all year long — for the girls to come through that was huge,” Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells said. “That’s what we told them. We led for most of the first half, and they just had to believe in themselves and believe they could do it.
"Everybody just kind of pulled together and got the job done.”
Senior Reianna Vega scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds in Wednesday's 61-47 Shawnee Heights win over Basehor-Linwood. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Reianna Vega said the team leaned on each other after the early injury.
“Coach kept telling us to play together as a team,” Vega said. “We’ve been through adversity a lot of times, and we’ve gotten this far. We can’t give up now, so we had to keep fighting.”
Late in the first quarter, Shawnee Heights knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:34 remaining to take a 15-12 lead.
Basehor-Linwood responded by drawing a foul at the buzzer and hitting both free throws to trim the lead to 15-14 after one quarter.
Scoring slowed early in the second quarter, but senior Imani McGlory eventually broke through with her first basket to make it 17-14.
The T-Birds followed with a 6-0 run while Basehor-Linwood struggled to finish at the rim.
However, the Bobcats answered by closing the half on a 7-0 run to take a 25-21 lead into the locker room at the half Shawnee Heights shot just 3 of 16 from the field in the quarter.
Vega came alive in the second half, scoring all 16 of her points after halftime.
Shawnee Heights repeatedly tried to regain the lead, but Basehor-Linwood continued to answer.
With 2:10 left in the third quarter, junior KK Emmot scored to tie the game at 36.
Emmot then knocked down a 3-pointer to give the T-Birds a brief lead, but Basehor-Linwood finished the quarter on a 5-0 run to go up 41-39 heading into the fourth.
The fourth quarter belonged to Shawnee Heights.
The T-Birds opened the period on a 7–0 run. Vega tied the game at 41 with a basket, Emmot followed with a 3-pointer, and Vega scored again to make it 46-41.
Emmot and Vega added four more points before McGlory scored five straight to extend the lead to 57-45 with 1:05 remaining.
Freshman Bijoy Schmidt sealed the victory with two free throws with 37 seconds left as Shawnee Heights secured the 14-point win and advanced to the state semifinals on Friday at Wichita's Koch Arena.
The T-Birds shot 7 of 9 from the field in the fourth quarter and outscored Basehor-Linwood 22-6 in the final period.
“We tried to get things slowed down a little bit offensively so we could run some sets and be more under control,” Wells said about the fourth-quarter turnaround.
“Then we started getting shots that we’re capable of hitting instead of trying to run so much and taking shots that weren’t our best looks.”
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- The Shawnee Heights T-Birds hung with the top-seeded team in Class 5A for as long as they could.
But eventually, two-time defending state champion Kapaun Mt. Carmel pulled away, their size, experience and depth just too much. The T-Birds’ season ended with a 53-38 loss in the quarterfinals in Wichita.
Shawnee Heights senior JaiMarion Cook led the T-Birds with 11 points in Tuesday's Class 5A 53-38 loss to Kapaun Mt. Carmel. [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/Special to TSN]
Shawnee Heights knew it had its hands full when it was seeded eighth in the bracket. Kapaun Mt. Carmel has followed up its back-to-back state titles with a 26-0 season thus far.
The T-Birds trailed just 12-10 after one period. But the Crusaders quickly hit on seven as their lucky number. They put together two 7-0 runs in the second period, then added another 7-0 run in the third period.
Heights slowed the Kapaun offense to a grind, giving up just 28 points in the first half. When the T-Birds scored first in the third period, they trailed just 28-20. But the eighth seed just couldn’t generate enough offense to pull off an upset. Shawnee Heights hit just 13-38 field goal attempts.
“We had a game plan. The kids tried to execute. They did execute – Kapaun had two-thirds of their average points,” Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting said. “At halftime, we were down 10 and in the game. But they got a couple of runs there.”
Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s height posed a problem for the T-Birds. The T-Birds were out-rebounded, 33-20.
The Crusaders got a handful of second-chance buckets on offensive rebounds while locking down the paint at the other end.
“It’s not a surprise if you look at (both teams’) records,” Darting said. “If you look out on the floor, the size and the athleticism. Just physically, they’re just better at every position.
“I always tell the kids, ‘Make sure you get beat, not lose. And when you get beat, it’s just because you weren’t good enough.' ”
Shawnee Heights advanced to the tournament by amassing a 15-8 regular-season record, then defeating De Soto and Leavenworth in sub-state. But that résumé was deemed only eighth best in the bracket, forcing the T-Birds into the dreaded 1-8 matchup.
“We lost eight games coming in. Seven of those eight are in the 5A or 6A tournament, and the eighth one is De Soto, who we eliminated,” Darting said. “So that shows you that we could probably play with just about every team in this tournament. We just got the draw we did.”
Senior Jaimarion Cook led the T-Birds in his final game with 11 points. Two other seniors – Ja’Veon Alston and Aiden Scott – also played their final games Tuesday.
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Ken Darting’s retirement plans are on hold, at least for a few more days.
Ken Darting, who has coached three high schools to state tournament berths, including five state champions, will close out its Hall of Fame career in this week's Class 5A state tournament. [File photo/TSN]
After back-to-back trips to the Class 5A state tournament in 2024 and 2025 and the graduation of significant players, you might not have expected Darting's Shawnee Heights T-Birds to be back in the dance this year.
“I know one that wouldn’t have expected that,” Darting said with a laugh after his T-Birds defeated Leavenworth Friday in the sub-state final game. The T-Birds survived graduations, injuries, suspensions and midseason player defections to punch their ticket for another state tournament.
Going to state has become a family tradition for the Dartings. This will be the 15th tournament for a Darting-coached team, spread across stints at Silver Lake, Highland Park and Shawnee Heights. Darting’s high school resume is interrupted by a decade spent coaching at Kansas State and Allen County Community College. But still, trips to state have been an important part of their lives. The Dartings cherish the memories from nine appearances in state title games, five which ended in championships.
This year’s state tournament will hold special significance as it will be Darting’s last. The tournament has been a place for him to reconnect with friends made during his lengthy career.
“Last year at the state tournament, we had just lost, and there’s 17 coaches from all over the state that came to our locker room,” Darting recalled. “I sat there and visited for an hour with them, those 17 different guys that came to talk. And that’s fun. I look forward to getting to do that again this year. You know, usually I want to go hide, to go out that hole and sneak out. But to see those former players and old coaches is a fun deal.”
Had his current T-Birds not qualified for the tournament, Darting said the sendoff given by the Shawnee Heights community was sufficient. But another trip to state will provide a chance to celebrate his retirement with other friends.
“Already this year, I’ve got calls from all over, from coaches that I knew 30 years ago,” Darting said. “And I’m proud of how many opposing coaches have sent me notes or come to see me for my last game. That means you did something.”
Still, Darting isn’t looking at the tournament as a farewell tour, but a business trip.
“You say, ‘Oh, it’s just another game.' But things like that, when you stop and think about it, when you get to this point, you’d like to go out as good as you can go out,” Darting said. “I’m not one that is holding myself hostage to a state championship. But whatever it is that we’re good enough to do, I want to do that.”
The tournament takes on a slightly different look this year. Rather than playing the quarterfinal round at the location of the semifinal and final games, KSHSAA has grouped teams in regional locations based on proximity for the higher-seeded teams, regardless of classification.
Shawnee Heights (17-8) will face top-seeded and two-time defending Class 5A state champion Kapaun Mt. Carmel at Koch Arena in Wichita at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The T-Birds face a tough task in the opening round, but Darting will remain dedicated to this year’s team until the final whistle. His feeling for this current group shows in his eyes.
“I think when they’re that age, yeah, celebrate, go on,” Darting said as he watched the current group celebrate their sub-state championship Friday. “They don’t even know it yet, but they’re gonna see in life, 10, 20 years from now, they’re gonna say, ‘Oh wow, was that fun?’ And when it’s a team that shouldn’t get it done and it gets done, that makes it even more special.”
Darting is invested not just in this current roster of T-Birds but what happens after he’s gone. He spoke passionately about freshmen Quincy Dixon, Fletcher Terrell and Sam Becker, each of whom played a significant role in reaching the tournament.
“I care so much about whoever takes over this job, because these kids deserve it,” Darting said. “There are a lot of good kids on the way up. I wanted to make sure that I left this program better for the next guy than I found it.”
TUESDAY'S OTHER STATE QUARTERFINALS
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Granted, my jury is still out on the state's new quarterfinal format, but this remains my favorite week of the high school sports season, and for what it's worth -- and it's not much -- here's my take on all 14 of this week's state basketball tournaments across the state.
If I didn't pick your team don't fret because it could bode well for you.
If I did pick the team/teams you root for, I hope it's not a jinx.
By Saturday evening we'll know, and win or lose it promises to be a fun week.
CLASS 6A BOYS
Finalists -- Shawnee Mission South (1: 24-1) vs. Mill Valley (2: 22-3).
Champion -- Shawnee Mission South. The Raiders' lone loss on the season was a 69-66 decision to Mill Valley and those two teams could meet again in Saturday's championship game. I give SM South a slight edge in a rematch.
Other contenders -- No. 3 seed Olathe North is 21-4 and is capable of beating any team in the field.
CLASS 6A GIRLS
Finalists -- Wichita Heights (1: 24-0) vs. Shawnee Mission South (2: 21-3).
Champion -- Shawnee Mission South. Wichita Heights has passed each and every test it has faced this season, but I give South a very narrow edge in a championship game matchup.
Kansas coaching legend Ron Slaymaker's Topeka High girls are on a roll entering their Class 6A quarterfinal matchup with Derby. [File photo/TSN]
Other contenders --The winner of the quarterfinal game between No. 2 seed Derby (22-3) and No. 7 Topeka High (17-8) could mount a title charge. No. 5 seed Olathe South (20-5) has five losses to out-of-state teams and perennial 6A contender Blue Valley North (20-5), the No. 6 seed, also has a shot at the crown.
Senior Malakyah Duncan cuts down the nets after Topeka West's win over Bishop Carroll in a Class 5A sub-state final. [File photo/TSN]
CLASS 5A BOYS
Finalists -- Kapaun Mt. Carmel (1: 25-0) vs. Topeka West (3: 22-3).
Champion -- Kapaun Mt. Carmel. The Crusaders are the two-time defending champion and the team to beat again after running off 25 straight wins this winter, but Topeka West, which lost to KMC in the quarterfinals a year ago, has the firepower to challenge for the title.
Other contenders --The winner of the quarterfinal game between No. 4 seed Maize South (21-4) and No. 5 Seaman (21-4) could definitely make a run at the title as could perennial state contender Piper (18-7), which has split games with Topeka West this season.
CLASS 5A GIRLS
Finalists -- Andover (1: 23-1) vs. Hays (2: 23-1).
Champion -- Hays. The Indians' lone loss came against Class 3A power Silver Lake, the only blemish on a dominating season, while Andover will be looking for its first title under former Topeka High coach Hannah Alexander.
Other contenders -- No. 3 seed Shawnee Heights (21-4) is making its first state appearance since 2011 and has the talent to go all the way as could the winner of the quarterfinal game between No 4 seed Maize South (21-4) and No. 5 St. James Academy (20-5).
CLASS 4A BOYS
Finalists -- Rock Creek (1: 25-0) vs. McPherson (7: 16-9).
Champion -- Rock Creek. The Mustangs have turned in a dominant season and there's no reason to believe they can't close out a perfect season.
Other contenders -- No. 2 seed Atchison is also unbeaten in 25 games on the season while No. 5 seed Andale (18-5) is a longshot contender for the crown.
Sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein and the Hayden girls are the No. 4 seed for the Class 4A state tournament with a 19-6 record. [File photo/TSN]CLASS 4A GIRLS
Finalists -- Wellington (1: 22-1) vs. Rock Creek (2: 22-3).
Champion -- Rock Creek. The Mustangs have put together a string of impressive victories this season, including a win over Class 3A contender Silver Lake.
Other contenders --You can never count out perennial state champion Bishop Miege, the No. 6 seed this season at 17-8. The quarterfinal winner between No. 4 seed Hayden (19-6) and No. 5 seed Andale (17-6) could also make a run at the championship.
CLASS 3A BOYS
Finalists -- Wichita Collegiate (1: 24-1) vs. Hesston (2: 24-2).
Champion -- Wichita Collegiate. Collegiate's lone defeat on the season came against two-time defending Class 5A state champ Kapaun Mt. Carmel, which is a perfect 25-0 on the season.
Other contenders -- The quarterfinal winner between No. 4 seed Holcomb (21-5) and No. 5 Silver Lake (20-6) is capable of winning the championship while No. 3 seed Pratt is an impressive 21-3.
Senior Kailyn Hanni and the Silver Lake girls enter the Class 3A state tournament with a 25-1 record after winning the state crown in 2024 and advancing to the championship game last season. [File photo/TSN]
CLASS 3A GIRLS
Finalists -- Halstead (1: 25-0) vs. Silver Lake (2: 25-1).
Champion -- Silver Lake. The Eagles won the championship in 2024 and were the runnerup a year ago. Halstead is a perfect 25-0 on the season, but it's hard to pick against Silver Lake.
Other contenders -- Holcomb, the No. 3 seed at 24-2, is likely to give Silver Lake a tough semifinal test if both teams get past their quarterfinal openers.
CLASS 2A BOYS
Finalists -- Sterling (1: 25-0) vs. Berean Academy (2: 22-2).
Champion -- Sterling. The Black Bears appear to be a good bet to close out a perfect season.
Other contenders -- No. 7 seed Rossville (17-7) has the talent and experience to knock off Berean in the quarterfinals and make a run at the crown. Other contenders include No. 5 seed St. Marys (19-7) and No. 6 St. Marys Colgan (18-7), a traditional state title contender.
CLASS 2A GIRLS
Finalists -- Eureka (4: 22-2) vs. Moundridge (2: 23-2).
Champion -- Moundridge. I give Moundridge a slight edge in a balanced field loaded with contenders.
Other contenders -- No. 8 seed Rossville (15-10) is capable of knocking off top seed and 25-1 Ellinwood in the quarterfinals while No. 3 seed St. Marys Colgan (23-2) and No. 6 Sacred Heart (22-4) are defintely title threats.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Saturday night probably wasn't one of the Shawnee Heights' girls best performances of the season.
But it was definitely the most important.
Shawnee Heights junior KK Emmot accepts the Class 5A sub-state trophy after Saturday's 60-47 win over Pittsburg. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Fighting off the upset bid by Pittsburg, Shawnee Heights pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 60-47 win in Saturday's Class 5A sub-state final at Heights, with the T-Birds earning their first state tournament appearance since 2011 as veteran coach Bob Wells picked up career win 350, all at Heights.
"You never know about the nerves of these kids and I told them from the very beginning, 'No. 1, you have to earn this and there's going to be some adversity and we're going to have to fight through that and you have to be mentally tough enough to do it,' '' Wells said. "And thank goodness we were.''
Shawnee Heights' girls basketball team poses for a team picture after clinching its first Class 5A state tournament berth since 2011 Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Improving to 21-4 on the season, Heights advances to a 5A state quarterfinal game on Wednesday, with the pairings to be announced after the conclusion of all Saturday's sub-state finals.
Pittsburg (16-9) jumped out to an early 6-2 lead but Shawnee Heights answered with an 11-0 run, including a pair of 3-pointers from senior Imani McGlory and a trey from junior Sami Baum.
The T-Birds never trailed the rest of the night, but Pittsburg was within two points (29-27) at the half after fighting back from a 24-11 deficit and the Dragons were still within five (46-41) at the start of the fourth quarter.
But Shawnee Heights took control down the stretch, outscoring Pittsburg 14-6 over the final eight minutes, with the final score matching the T-Birds' biggest lead of the game.
McGlory led Shawnee Heights with a team-high 21 points and four 3-pointers, putting an exclamation point on a memorable night.
Shawnee Heights senior Imani McGlory is presented with a banner commemorating her 1,000-point milestone Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
McGlory entered the night needing seven points to surpass the 1,000-point scoring milestone for her career and got that out of the way on a hoop with 15 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.
McGlory said she was aware of how many points she needed to reach 1,000 and said it was good to get the milestone out of the way early in the game.
Senior Imani McGlory scored 21 points with four 3-pointers in Shawnee Heights' 60-47 sub-state win over Pittsburg Saturday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"It was good,'' she said. "Then I didn't have to worry about it the rest of the game and just play basketball.''
McGlory said she felt like the T-Birds did a good job of keeping their composure even when Pittsburg threatened their lead.
"It's just another game and you've got to work through all the adversity throughout the game and just play hard,'' McGlory said.
Senior Reianna Vega scored 15 of her 19 points in the second half Saturday as Shawnee Heights pulled away for a 60-47 win over Pittsburg. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Reianna Vega was right behind McGlory with 19 points (two 3s), giving the T-Birds a big lift with 15 second-half points, including the first seven of the third quarter.
"I was really struggling the first half, and it was kind of getting to me and I knew that some of the other girls weren't doing too well, so I flipped the switch in the locker room and all of a sudden I started making (shots),'' Vega said. "And I started making it in warmups, so I knew I could do it.''
"They've done that all year,'' Wells said of McGlory and Vega. "These girls are all so capable. That's what makes it so fun.''
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights freshman state champion wrestler Brinnley Morris and Hayden junior boys bowling standout Reece Renyer have been selected by the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency as the Rising Stars of the Week.
The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the bulk of the 2025-2026 school year.
Here's a brief look at the recent accomplishments of Morris and Renyer.
Brinnley Morris, Shawnee Heights
BRINNLEY MORRIS, Shawnee Heights
Morris capped her freshman wrestling season with the Class 5A 120-pound state championship last Saturday in Park City.
Morris, who finished the season 21-3 dominated Salina Central’s Natalia Garcia wire-to-wire, leading 15-4 in the second period before ending the match with a pin.
One of three state champions for the T-Birds, Morris helped Shawnee Heights post a third-place team finish for the second straight season.
Reece Renyer, Hayden
REECE RENYER, Hayden
A junior boys bowler, Renyer rolled his first perfect 300 game in the second game in last Wednesday's Class 4A-1A regional tournament at Gage Bowl.
Renyer finished third individually with a 652 series to help lead the Wildcats to the team championship by a 3,413-3,297 margin over Ottawa.
Renyer followed his regional performance up with a 698 series in Friday's state tournament at Wichita's Bowlero Northrock, posting an eighth-place individual finish.
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Shawnee Heights T-Birds punched their ticket for a third straight trip to the Class 5A State Tournament – in coach Ken Darting’s final season – by holding off Leavenworth 66-56 despite playing shorthanded and relying on reserves to carry a heavy load.
Shawnee Heights accepts the Class 5A sub-state trophy after Friday's 66-56 win over Leavenworth. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
The T-Birds got out to a double-digit lead in a sluggish first half. They then had to old off a Leavenworth surge in a frenetic second half. Having trailed by as many as 18-points, the Pioneers clawed to within seven midway through the fourth period.
But Darting’s veteran guards and a couple of freshmen showed poise under pressure to close out the game.
Senior JaiMarion Cook scored 17 points Friday as Shawnee Heights earned a third straight trip to the Class 5A state tournament with a 66-56 win over Leavenworth. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Ja'Veon Alston scored 17 points in Friday's 66-56 Shawnee Heights win over Leavenworth. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
JaiMarion Cook started the game hot, scoring eight points to give the T-Birds a 12-3 lead in the first four minutes. In the fourth quarter, it was Ja’Veon Alston who took over the game. He hit all three of his shots from the field and scored 10 points in the final period. Cook and Alston each scored 17 points to lead Shawnee Heights.
“I just came in and did my thing, tried to calm the team down, stay focused so we could fight through adversity,” Alston said. “As a point guard, I think their role should be to get any shooter open that’s on the court. Find the right person, get them open. A point guard doesn’t really take a lot of shots sometimes, but today, I had to step up for my team. Sometimes as the point guard, you have to take it in your hands.”
The T-Birds got 14 points from freshman Quincy Dixon and 11 from senior Aiden Scott, and freshman Fletcher Terrell helped handle the ball in crunch time.
Reserves Malachi Lee and Jacob Halloran stepped up to play significant minutes in the paint because junior Cam Ross – normally one of the team’s most productive players – was suspended for the game. Darting said the plan is for Ross to rejoin the team for the next upcoming practice and be a full participant at the state tournament.
“You know, it’s a cliché, ‘Next man up.’ But it’s real,” Darting said. “And if you don’t coach the team that way, somebody’s gonna turn a knee or sprain an ankle, or get kicked off (the team), or somebody’s gonna be in foul trouble. So you’ve got to have guys ready. Now, you don’t replace people with the same amount of athletic talent. But we have people that fit in, do the one or two things that they can do and do them consistently, and to me, that’s fun.”
Shawnee Heights makes its third trip to state in the past three years. The T-Birds failed to advance past the opening round in either tournament.
“It feels amazing to go three times, back-to-back-to-back,” Alston said. “I know every game is a challenge. It’s hard to get to the next round. You’ve got to be ready to go first round, take care of business. The crowd is crazy. You’ve got to tune it out, just play your game.”
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
For three quarters Tuesday night, Shawnee Heights' boys flirted with a semifinal collapse until a freshman put the T-Birds on his back and ensured they would survive their home sub-state match with De Soto, 49-37.
When his team needed someone to step up, freshman Quincy Dixon ripped off 13-straight points to make sure that Shawnee Heights, and retiring coach Ken Darting, would play again Friday.
Shawnee Heights freshman Quincy Dixon scored a game-high 19 points in Tuesday's 49-37 sub-state win over De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
With Shawnee Heights clinging to a 33-31 lead, Dixon converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 5.4 seconds left in the third period. The freshman continued that theme, scoring two more three-point plays in the fourth quarter. Then Dixon hit four consecutive free throws to seal the win. Dixon hit 7-7 free throws on the night while the rest of the team hit just 6-14.
“From Day 1, Quincy’s been a senior-plus,” Darting said. “He’s the guy that takes over when nobody’s scoring. If he doesn’t have to score, he’ll distribute. He’s a mature basketball player.”
“Whatever my team needs me to be, I’ll be,” Dixon said. “If I need to be the leader, if I need to pick guys up, or if I need to follow the seniors, or if I need to lead the seniors, I’ll do whatever for my team to win.”
The fourth-seeded T-Birds got all they wanted from the 13 seed. Shawnee Heights came out sluggish, shot poorly and turned the ball over often in the first half. The home team trailed 14-10 after one period and 25-21 at the half. In the first half, Shawnee Heights hit just 8-23 attempts while allowing the Wildcats to shoot 10-17 from the field.
“In practice and in every other game, we always talk about adversity and how we’re going to bounce back, don’t let it get in our heads,” Dixon said. “Tonight, we had adversity, we bounced back. We just played together, we all stepped up and I think we all did our part.”
The T-Birds locked in at the defensive end, holding De Soto to just six points in the third period, and just six more in the fourth. That allowed Dixon’s 13-point spree to turn the tables.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural earned nine of 11 spots on the 2026 All-City boys swimming and diving team, led by Class 6A state champion Daniel Allen, after the Junior Blues capturned their seventh straight city team championship.
The 2026 All-City boys swimming first team -- Front, from left: Alexander Jeffries, Washburn Rural; Davin Potts, Washburn Rural; Braeden Montgomery, Washburn Rural; Benjamin Allen, Washburn Rural; Andres Morao-Jaspe, Washburn Rural. Back, from left: Kinser Barbosa, Seaman; Daniel Allen, Washburn Rural; Thomas Appuhn, Washburn Rural; Zain Chaudhry, Washburn Rural; Castle Wallace, Washburn Rural; Will Stewart, Topeka High. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The 2026 All-City boys swimming and diving second team -- Front row, from left: Quenten Jessop, Washburn Rural; Henry Sterling, Cair Paravel/Hayden; William Toland, Topeka High; Wyatt Ratteree, Topeka High; Jackson Wills, Topeka High; Owen Gann, Shawnee Heights. Back row, from left: Patrick Luke, Hayden; Joseph Jensen, Washburn Rural; Miller Reid, Hayden; Camp LeDuc, Seaman; Theron Carlson, Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Allen capped his junior season with the state title in the 100-yard butterfly while also placing third in the 100 backstroke and swimming on the Junior Blues' fourth-place 200 medley relay and seventh-place 200 free relay.
Sophomore Thomas Appuhn also earned four medals in the state meet, posting fourth-place finishes in the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke and swimming on Rural's fourth-place 200 medley relay and seventh-place 200 free relay.
Junior Andres Morao-Jaspe and sophomore Castle Wallace also earned 6A state medals as Washburn Rural placed sixth as team and are joined on the All-City team by Benjamin Allen, Zain Chaudhry, Alexander Jeffries, Braeden Montgomery and Davin Potts.
Appuhn, Morao-Jaspe and Wallace are all first-team All-City repeat honorees while D. Allen made the team as a freshman before sitting out his sophomore high school season.
Seaman's Kinser Barbosa and Topeka High's Will Stewart are also repeat first-team All-City selections.
All-City capsules:
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Jack Donovan
JACK DONOVAN, Rossville
A senior boys basketball player, Donovan scored 47 points on Friday as Rossville opened postseason with a 90-28 Class 2A sub-state home quarterfinal victory over McLouth. A returning All-Shawnee County pick, Donovan hit 17 of 28 shots on the night with nine 3-pointers while also going 4 of 4 at the free throw line and topping the 40-point mark for the second time this season.
Brecken Garrett
BRECKEN GARRETT, Washburn Rural
Garrett, a junior boys bowler, shot a 739 three-game series last Wednesday in a Class 6A regional tournament at Royal Crest Lanes in Lawrence to capture the individual championship and lead the Junior Blues to the team title by a 3,614-3,341 margin over Mill Valley. Garrett bowled games of 216, 258 and 265.
Cianna Graves
CIANNA GRAVES, Shawnee Heights
A senior 155-pound girls wrestler, Graves captured her first Class 5A individual state championship Saturday in Park City, capping a 35-2 season with a second-period pin in the title match while helping lead the T-Birds to a third-place team finish for the second straight season. Graves finished her high school career as a four-time state medalist.
By NATHAN SWAFFAR
Topsports.news
PARK CITY -- Saturday had the chance to be special for the Shawnee Heights girls wrestling program.
With three chances at state titles, multiple prospects for medal finishes and a possible top-three team finish, the only question was if the T-Birds could capitalize on the opportunity.
In the end, not only was the day nearly perfect, it was historical.
Shawnee Heights senior star Cianna Graves reacts while having her hand raised as the Class 5A 155-pound state champion Saturday in Park City. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Shawnee Heights senior Cianna Graves accepts the Class 5A third-place team trophy Saturday in Park City. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
The T-Birds saw senior Cianna Graves, sophomore Olive Jones and freshman Brinnley Morris all capture individual titles en route to a third-place team finish for Shawnee Heights (141.5 points) for the second straight year as Basehor-Linwood (200.5) and Kapaun Mt. Carmel (157) finished first and second, respectively.
“Three state champions is a record for us,” Shawnee Heights coach Chad Parks said. “We’ve had two in the past, we’ve never had three at once, so that was really awesome. Even the girls that didn’t get on the podium, they wrestled really, really well.”
The three champs in one day was a program-wide record as well, and Graves got the party started.
A senior, Graves (35-2) finally captured the 155-pound state title that eluded her for three years when she pinned Basehor-Linwood’s Falasteen Shalabi in the second period.
After two state medals as an freshman and sophomore and a third-place finish last year, the triumph brought Graves to tears immediately after the whistle blew.
“I feel like I put in a lot of hard work and the people who have helped me get there, just getting to see their faces, I hope they know they played a part in it,” Graves said.
The four-time state medalist led 1-0 after an escape point. However, Graves saw her opportunity when Shalabi chose to be on bottom in the second period.
“I’ve wrestled her before in neutral, I knew we were going to be moving around and there was going to be a lot of pushing back and forth,” Graves said. “When she chose bottom, that’s my place to be.”
But the T-Birds’ fun was just getting started.
Shawnee Heights freshman Brinnley Morris celebrates her 120-pound state title Saturday in Park City. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Freshman Brinnley Morris (21-3) captured Shawnee Heights’ second title of the day a little while later at 120 pounds.
She physically dominated Salina Central’s Natalia Garcia wire-to-wire, leading 15-4 in the second period before she ended things early with a pin.
“[Physicality] that’s kind of what we did all year at practice, summer conditioning, just making sure we could keep up the strength and endurance to dominate the whole time,” Morris said.
And finally, a little bit later with a chance to go three for three in title matches, sophomore Olive Jones (39-1) capped off the day for Shawnee Heights as she captured the 135-pound title with a second-period victory by fall over Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Grace Hare.
Shawnee Heights sophomore Olive Jones gains the upper hand en route to the 135-pound Class 5A state championship Saturday in Park City. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Jones qualified for state last year, but failed to find the podium. Parks said that lit a fire for her that burned for a year.
“She said, ‘I’m never going to feel that again. I’m never going to let that happen again,’ ” Parks said. “And she has absolutely worked her tail off. She’s calm, collected all the time and she comes out and attacks.”
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
No. 2 East girls seed Shawnee Heights opened postseason play in dominant fashion Wednesday night at home, defeating No. 15 seed Kansas City-Sumner 89-15 in the first round of the Class 5A sub-state playoffs.
Shawnee Heights senior Imani McGlory scored 35 points in Wednesday's 89-15 sub-state win over KC_Sumner. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights set the tone early with suffocating defense, forcing 18 turnovers in the first half and holding Sumner to just one point in the opening quarter.
The T-Birds came out firing offensively, jumping out to a 19-1 lead in the first quarter. Sumner’s first basket came with 1:28 left in the quarter on a free throw from Mila Sims.
Heights kept the momentum rolling in the second quarter as junior Pearmella Carter and junior KK Emmot continued the offensive push. Emmot was perfect from the field in the first half, shooting 5 for 5.
Senior Reianna Vega and Carter combined for a quick 10-0 run, with Vega scoring four points and Carter adding six. Senior Imani McGlory then knocked down a 3-pointer -- part of her game-high 35 points -- to stretch the lead to 36-1. Sumner managed back-to-back baskets before Vega answered with a 3-pointer to make it 39-5.
McGlory then connected on back-to-back threes to give her 15 points before halftime as Shawnee Heights entered the break leading 45–5.
“That was something we really wanted to emphasize -- playing solid defense, not giving up drives, moving our feet, and playing without our hands,” said Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells. “I thought they did a good job of it for the most part.”
McGlory caught fire in the third quarter. After scoring on a layup to start the half, she followed with three consecutive 3-pointers and scored 18 straight points to extend the T-Birds’ lead to 63-5.
“When she starts shooting the ball and it goes in, it barely even touches the net,” Wells said. “There was a lot of that tonight. She was shooting the ball great and feeling great. Her teammates wanted to get her the ball, and that was a lot of fun to see.”
McGlory, who entered the night needing 42 points to reach 1,000 for her career, said her teammates encouraged her to stay aggressive.
“I try to get locked in in the locker room before the game,” McGlory said. “My teammates kept telling me to shoot, especially coming out of halftime. My goal was to try to get at least 30 points tonight so hopefully it’ll be easier next game.
"I feel like the feeling will be way better if I get my 1,000 and we win sub-state on the same night.”
Shawnee Heights led 77-9 after the third quarter, triggering a running clock in the fourth.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' girls ended a decade long league championship drought Friday at Seaman, with the T-Birds clinching their first United Kansas Conference title with a 54-41 win over the Vikings in a packed house on Seaman's Senior Night.
KK Emmot led Shawnee Heights with a game-high 19 points Friday as the T-Birds wrapped up the UKC title with a 54-41 win at Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Heights improved to 19-4 overall and 15-1 in the UKC with its eighth straight victory, with the T-Birds wrapping up the No. 2 Class 5A East sub-state seed.
"I'm super proud for these girls to get the league and super proud for them to come in tonight and play the way they did because this is an incredible atmosphere and Seaman played their hearts out,'' said veteran Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells, who is retiring after the current season. "They did everything they could to get us down and try to get us where we weren't playing at our best.
"We had some girls that stepped up and did what they needed to do.''
Shawnee Heights led Seaman by only a 14-12 count at the end of the first quarter, but broke the game open with a 21-10 second quarter, opening up a 35-22 halftime advantage.
The T-Birds made that 13-point lead hold up the rest of the way, with Heights and Seaman both scoring 19 points in the second half.
Wells said that Friday's tough game and the atmosphere was good for the T-Birds, resembling what Heights is likely to face in postseason.
"That's what we needed and the girls even commented during the JV boys game that, 'Man, this game's going crazy right now,' '' Wells said. "It was a great atmosphere and I'm just proud that our girls came out and after a slow start, we kind of kicked it into gear a little bit and made some things happen.''
Pearmella Carter scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds in Shawnee Heights' 54-41 win over Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Junior KK Emmot scored a game-high 19 points to lead three T-Birds in double figures, with junior Pearmella Carter adding 15 points and senior Reianna Vega 14.
Junior Brynn Spencer led Seaman with 13 points in Friday's 54-41 loss to Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Junior Brynn Spencer paced Seaman (10-13, 8-9) with 13 points, including three 3-pointers, while junior Cara Beaton added 10 points.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After a painfully slow start, Seaman's boys basketball team took care of business on the court with a 78-53 Senior Night romp past United Kansas Conference and city rival Shawnee Heights Friday night at Seaman.
Seaman senior star KaeVon Bonner scored 38 points Friday night as the Vikings wrapped up a 19-4 regular season with a 78-53 Senior Night win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman coach Craig Cox was honored Friday night for his outstanding coaching career after the Vikings' 78-53 UKC win over city rival Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Then, after that emotional win, the Vikings and the Seaman community made sure that they gave retiring Seaman coach Craig Cox a fitting farewell in the final regular-season game of his outstanding coaching career.
The night got off to an inauspicious beginning for Seaman when Shawnee Heights roared to a 13-point lead and an 11-point advantage at the start of the second stanza.
But Seaman, which improved to 19-4 overall and 14-2 in the UKC, responded in front of a huge home crowd to bury the T-Birds with a 25-3 second quarter, opening up a 40-29 halftime advantage and cruising to the big win.
"I told our guys at the end of the first quarter, I said, 'You know they're running on high and I don't think it's going to stay there. Let's try to change the tempo and see if we can slow down their momentum,' '' Cox said.
"We went to the zone and they had good looks and fortunately for us they didn't make them and then we rebounded really well in our zone and that turned things around. Then I thought we did a better job in the second quarter on the offensive end.''
Shawnee Heights (15-8, 10-6) was still within 12 points (56-44) at the end of the third quarter before senior KaeVan Bonner and the Vikings turned the game into a rout with a 22-9 scoring edge over the final eight minutes.
Bonner had a huge 38-point night, with 14 field goals, a pair of 3-pointers and an 8 of 9 performance at the free throw line, while fellow senior Griffin Zuniga added 10 points.
Junior Cam Ross led Shawnee Heights with 16 points in Friday's 78-53 UKC loss at Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Freshman Quincy Dixon had 14 points in Friday's 78-53 Shawnee Heights loss at Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Junior Cam Ross led Shawnee Heights with 16 points while freshman Quincy Dixon added 14 points and senior JaiMarion Cook 11 for the T-Birds.
Retiring Seaman basketball coach Craig Cox poses with his five seniors during a post-game recognition ceremony. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
After the game the spotlight turned to Cox, who has turned in an outstanding coaching career at Shawnee Heights, Washburn Rural and now Seaman, leading all three teams to state tournament appearances and coaching Heights to Class 5A state titles in 2000 and 2002 and Seaman to the state crown in 2022.
Cox also coached Heights to a pair of state baseball championships before turning his attention to basketball.
A post-game video was played featuring messages from a host of Cox's former players, including PGA star and U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland and current Los Angeles Angels pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn, as well as tributes from many of Cox's coaching counterparts, co-workers and family members.
"It was amazing to see so many people contribute to (that video) and the memories that pop into your head as you see each face and hear their comments,'' Cox said. "I'm really overwhelmed by the whole event.''
Cox had made the decision to retire after the current season months ago and said he feels good about the fact that he's stepping away at the right time.
"Bob Chipman (Washburn University coaching legend) made the comment after he retired, he said, 'You'll know when you know,' '' Cox said. "And I just felt like 39 years had been amazing. Being a (physical education) teacher is phenomenal, but now I have an opportunity to go look at some other things.
"I just kind of had that feeling that the timing (was right). This year's been great as far as the regular season. I couldn't even of thought of it going this well and that's even with a couple of ugly ones that we had along the way.''
Cox had kept the news of his retirement under wraps as much as possible over the season, wanting the focus to remain on his team.
"I wanted it to be for these guys,'' Cox said. "It's their senior year and that's why I'm so happy that my wife, with Travis Brown (Seaman athletic director), made the decision to do my part afterwards so they had their Senior Night and the focus was on them.
"They had the phenomenal game and were able to celebrate a big win over a quality team.''
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman's girls bowling team added a Class 5A regional team title to its city and United Kansas Conference crowns Tuesday at Gage Bowl, with the Vikings taking the regional championship by a 2,958-2,904 margin over Emporia.
Claire LaDuke (facing) celebrates a strike with her Seaman teammates during Tuesday's Class 5A regional at Gage Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Shawnee Heights also earned a berth for next week's state tournament at Wichita, finishing third as a team at 2,831.
Highland Park will also have a competitor in the girls state tournament, with Ra'Lynn Divers qualifying as an individual.
Claire LaDuke led the champion Vikings with a third-place individual finish, shooting a 565 three-game series while Seaman also got a sixth-place individual finish from Paige Snyder, who shot a 555 series.
The Vikings also got a 12th-place individual finish from Laci Cole (521), a 13th showing from Leah Crawford (516) and a 16th from Kayla Duncan (493) while Ava Carlson shot a 448.
Shawnee Heights bowling coach Scott Mercer talks to his girls team during Tuesday's Class 5A regional at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Addison VanMetre shot a 544 series to pace third-place Shawnee Heights with a seventh-place individual finish while the T-Birds' Lauryn Valdivia placed 11th (522), Emma Wederski was 14th (509), Tatum Simpson was 18th (482) and Bailey Liby was 19th (459). Reese Bell rounded out the T-Bird lineup with a 441 series.
Highland Park's Divers shot a 456 series to garner the fifth individual qualifying berth for state.
The city boys 5A contingent will also be well-represented at state, led by Shawnee Heights, which finished second as a team by a 3,417-3,275 margin to United Kansas Conference rival De Soto while Seaman and Highland Park combined for three individual qualifiers.
Evan Jones finished fifth with a 650 series to lead Shawnee Heights to a second-place team finish in Tuesday's Class 5A bowling regional at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Evan Jones shot a 650 series to pace Shawnee Heights with a fifth-place individual finish while the T-Birds also got a seventh-place finish from Braden Evans (637), a ninth from Trey Donath (622), and a 14th-place showing from Henry Schattilly (637). Chevy Stallbaumer added a 581 and Kaden Evans a 523 for Heights.
Seaman's Garrett Shaw shot a 666 series to tie for second and finish third on a tiebreaker in Tuesday's Class 5A regional at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman finished fourth as a team to miss a state team berth by one spot, but the Vikings got a second-place tie (third on a tiebreaker) from Garrett Shaw, who shot a 666 to earn the second individual qualifying berth.
Highland Park earned a pair of individual state berths, with Kayden King shooting a 638 to earn the third individual qualifying spot for staate and Isaac Barnes shooting a 617 to place 10th and earn the fourth individual qualifying berth.
CLASS 5A REGIONAL BOWLING
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Daniel Allen
DANIEL ALLEN, Washburn Rural
Allen, a junior swimming star, won a Class 6A state championship in Saturday's Class 6A state meet in the 100-yard butterfly in a personal-record time of 50.85 seconds and earned four state medals overall as Rural finished sixth as a team. Allen finished third in the 100 backstroke (53.38) and swam on the Junior Blues' fourth-place 200 medley relay (1:40.31) and seventh-place 200 free relay (1:30.97).
Thomas Appuhn
THOMAS APPUHN, Washburn Rural
A sophomore swimming standout, Appuhn earned four state medals in Saturday's Class 6A state meet, helping Washburn Rural post a sixth-place state finish as a team. Appuhn finished fourth in the 200-yard individual medley in 1 minute, 58.59 seconds, was fourth in the 100 backstroke in 54.71 seconds and swam on the Junior Blues' fourth-place 200 medley relay (1:40.31) and seventh-place 200 free relay (1:30.97).
Megan Glinka
MEGAN GLINKA, Washburn Rural
Glinka, a junior bowler, won the girls individual championship in Thursday's Centennial League tournament at Manhattan with a three-game series of 610, winning the title by 37 pins. Glinka, who rolled games of 193, 204 and 213, helped lead the Junior Blues to the Centennial League team title by a 2,881-2,758 margin over runnerup Junction City.
By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights boys basketball extended their winning streak to four games Saturday afternoon with a dominant 80-33 victory over Pittsburg in coach Ken Darting’s final regular-season home game.
Junior Cam Ross led Shawnee Heights with a game-high 21 points in Saturday's 80-33 win over Pittsburg. [File photo/TSN]
The T-Birds came out firing, opening the contest on a 9-0 run.
Senior Ja’Veon Alston scored four of those early points, setting the tone on both ends of the floor.
Pittsburg finally got on the board with a 3-pointer two minutes into the first quarter, but Cam Ross and Alston answered immediately to push the Heights lead to 13-3.
Alston’s defensive intensity created multiple turnovers, leading to easy scoring opportunities. He added his eighth point of the quarter as the T-Birds stretched the advantage to 15.
The Thunderbirds closed the first quarter on a 10-4 run, with Ross scoring five of those points, to take a commanding 30-9 lead.
Ross finished with a game-high 21 points, 15 of which came in the first half.
“I have to credit our defense mainly that allowed me to get to the basket and score,” Ross said. “My point guard, Javion, plays really good defense. He was able to force turnovers and find me slashing to the basket, and just having each other’s back on defense and offense.”
Darting emphasized the team’s defensive identity.
“We're defensive oriented, and we don't have a lot of offensive talent, but if we play the game right and we take the shots we can make, then we're good, because the defense is consistent,” Darting said. “We knew nothing about Pittsburg, so we came in with a mindset of going to get them and figure things out. I thought we did exactly what we needed to do going into playoffs.”
Senior Jaimarion Cook sparked a huge second-quarter surge.
The T Birds went on a 17-0 run midway through the period that carried to halftime, with Cook scoring 10 of his 18 points during the stretch.
Heights entered the locker room with a 51-18 advantage. The second half brought more of the same.
The T-Birds outscored the Dragons 23-7 in the third quarter, highlighted by a 21-0 run.
Sophomore Malachi Lee scored all eight of his points during that burst, including six straight, as the lead ballooned to 74-25, triggering a running clock in the fourth quarter.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural led the way with 12 state qualifiers for the Class 6A state wrestling tournament as all nine Shawnee County teams qualified at least one competitor for state, with 11 individual regional champions.
Leading Rural to a third-place 6A regional team finish were regional champions Landen Kocher-Munoz, a senior 144-pounder, and junior 215-pounder Jadyn Baum.
Silver Lake led the Shawnee County contingent with a county-high five regional champions and a county-best runnerup regional team finish in 3A-1A, with the Eagles getting regional titles from senior 120-pounder Bryce Cormier, senior 138-pounder Garret Holmes, senior 157-pounder Jayden Waterer, senior 190-pounder Paxton Willett and sophomore 285-pounder Carter Spreer.
Shawnee Heights qualified 10 wrestlers for the 5A state tournament, led by freshman 113-pound regional champion Jacob Bonebrake and 150-pound junior champ Brody Brown while Hayden got 4A regional titles from junior 175-pounder Caleb Menke and senior 190-pounder Jude Krentz.
Here's a look at Saturday's regional tournaments involving Shawnee County high schools:
Washburn Rural senior 144-pounder Landen Kocher-Munoz, a two-time Class 6A state champion and a three-time state finalist, won a regional title Saturday at Wichita North. [File photo/TSN]
Kocher-Munoz, Baum power Rural to third-place regional showing
Regional champions Landen Kocher-Munoz and Jadyn Baum led 12 Class 6A qualifiers for perennial state contender Washburn Rural, which finished third as a team in the 6A West regional at Wichita North.
Kocher-Munoz, a senior two-time state champion and three-time state finalist, won the regional title at 144 pounds to improve to 35-4 on the season.
Kocher-Munoz, a defending state champion, capped his regional title run with a 13-5 major decision over Manhattan senior Cameron Coonrod (42-5).
Baum, a junior 215-pounder, improved to 25-4 on the season with a 16-1 technical fall over Wichita South senior Jayden Kirk (28-5). Baum posted a third-place state finish in 2025 as a sophomore.
Washburn Rural got runnerup regional finishes from 113-pound freshman Andrew Peterson (23-10), 120-pound senior Ryder Harrison (25-6), 138-pound senior Cooper Stivers (31-6) and junior Brodye Kocher-Munoz (27-7) while Rural senior Brenner Beninga (175) qualified fourth for state, freshman Hayden Broxterman (106), junior Gavin Homeyer (190) and sophomore Kaiden Marshall (285) placed fifth, sophomore Owen Dowell (132) was sixth at regionals and sophomore Caleb Schwartz (165) seventh.
Topeka High will be represented at state by senior 157-pounder Jordan Stiner and junior 175-pounder Landon Snyder, who both posted eighth-place regional finishes.
Maize won the team title in the 6A West Regional with 272.5 points, followed by Manhattan with 251 points and Rural with 223.5 points. Topeka High placed 16th as a team with 29 points.
The 6A state meet will be contested Friday and Saturday at the Advent Health Sports Park in Overland Park.
T-Birds qualify 10 for 5A state meet
Shawnee Heights placed fourth as a team in Saturday's Class 5A East regional at Lansing while qualifying 10 wrestlers for this weekend's state tournament in Park City.
The T-Birds got regional championships from 113-pound freshman Jacob Bonebrake and 150-pound junior Brody Brown.
Bonebrake improved to 17-1 with a 3 minute, 37-second pin over Blue Valley Southwest junior Caden Magdefran (19-8) in the 113-pound regional final while Brown improved to 33-6 with a 5:27 win by fall over De Soto junior Eli Anderson (27-15).
Evan Johnson, a 175-pound senior (32-8) posted a runnerup regional finish while sophomore Mason Moore (126), freshman Markis Owens (157) and junior Jaiden Converse (165) qualified for state with sixth-place regional finishes, junior Dallas Owens (138) and sophomore Carter Kamanda (144) placed seventh and sophomore Reid Niedfeldt (132) and junior Landyn Bafford (285) qualified eighth.
Highland Park will be represented at state by senior 175-pounder Philiciono Rice (14-19) and junior 165-pounder Joshua Hernandez-Torres (15-15), with Rice placing seventh and Hernandez-Torres eighth at regionals.
Basehor-Linwood won the 5A East regional team crown with 266 points while Heights was fourth with 156.5 points and Highland Park 16th with 17 points.
The 5A state tournament will be held Friday and Saturday in Park City.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights girls basketball protected its share of the United Kansas Conference lead with a 64-51 road win at Basehor-Linwood Tuesday night, the T-Birds' sixth straight win.
Senior KK Emmot (1) scored 21 points Tuesday night as Shawnee Heights improved to 17-4 with a 64-51 UKC win at Basehor-Linwood. [File photo/TSN]
KK Emmot led four T-Birds in double figures with 21 points, including four 3-pointers, as Shawnee Heights improved to 17-4 overall and 13-1 in the conference.
Heights also got 17 points from junior Pearmella Carter, 13 from senior Reianna Vega and 11 points from senior Imani McGlory.
The T-Birds led 15-10 at the end of the opening quarter, 34-25 at the halftime break and 50-35 after three quarters before cruising the rest of the way.
Shawnee Heights will travel to Kansas City-Turner on Friday for a UKC contest.
T-Bird boys take 57-56 thriller over Bobcats
Shawnee Heights boys survived a last-second shot from Basehor-Linwood to take a 57-56 United Kansas Conference road victory over the Bobcats on Tuesday.
With the win the T-Birds improved to 13-7 overall and 9-5 in the UKC and have now won four out of their last five games.
Shawnee Heights will travel to Kansas City-Turner on Friday for a UKC game before hosting Pittsburg on Saturday in a non-league tilt.
Junior Prince Lassiter led Topeka West with 22 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 78-54 win over De Soto. [File photo/TSN]
West boys roll to 78-54 UKC victory at De Soto
Topeka West improved to 17-3 overall and 12-2 in the United Kansas Conference with a 78-54 Tuesday night road win at at De Soto.
West took control from the opening tipoff, outscoring the Wildcats 27-8 in the first quarter.
The Chargers led 45-27 at the half before opening up a 64-40 margin at the start of the final period.
Junior Prince Lassiter led Topeka West with a game-high 22 points while also grabbing eight rebounds.
Seniors Malakyah Duncan and Gad Munganga added 16 and 14 points, respectively, with both Chargers connecting on four 3-pointers as West hit 10 treys as a team.
Brandon Serna led De Soto (7-12, 4-9) with 11 points.
De Soto tops West girls, 70-41
De Soto's girls romped to a 70-41 United Kansas Conference home victory over Topeka West Tuesday night.
De Soto improved to 10-9 overall and 7-6 in the conference while Topeka West fell to 5-15, 2-12.
Pirates knock off UKC-leading Seaman, 59-50
Piper avenged an earlier United Kansas Conference loss to Seaman Tuesday night, taking a 59-50 home win over the Vikings.
The Vikings suffered only their second UKC loss, dropping to 16-4 overall and 11-2 in the conference.
Piper improved to 14-6 overall and 10-3 in the UKC, winning for the seventh time over its last eight games.
Seaman will be at home Friday to host Basehor-Linwood in a UKC matchup.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Emme Blanco
EMME BLANCO, Washburn Rural
Blanco, a senior girls wrestling standout, captured the 145-pound championship in Saturday's Class 6A West regional at Wichita South, improving to 37-3 on the season. After receiving a first-round bye, Blanco posted 32-second, 1:13 and 5:35 wins by fall, including a third-period pin over Garden City freshman Aria Cordes in the title match.
Jack Donovan
JACK DONOVAN, Rossville
A senior basketball standout, Donovan scored a total of 61 points in two Rossville wins on the week as the Bulldawgs improved to 12-6 on the season. Donovan scored 21 points in Tuesday's 75-43 Big East League win over Royal Valley and then scored a career-high 40 points, with six 3-pointers and a 4 of 4 performance at the free throw line in Friday's 95-48 non-league victory over Abilene.
Cianna Graves
CIANNA GRAVES, Shawnee Heights
Graves, a senior girls wrestling star, won the 155-pound championship in Saturday's Class 5A East wrestling regional at Bonner Springs as Shawnee Heights finished second as a team and qualified all 14 of its competitors for state. Now 31-2 on the season, Graves received a first-round bye and then went 3-0 with 1:35 and 1:56 pins and a 5-1 decision over Bonner Springs senior Addison Vogel.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' girls wrestling team turned in a strong performance in Saturday's Class 5A East regional at Bonner Springs, posting a runnerup team finish while advancing all 14 competitors to the state tournament Feb. 27-28 at Park City.
Shawnee Heights sophomore Olive Jones (top) won the 135-pound championship in Saturday's Class 5A East regional. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights senior Cianna Graves won the 155-pound championship in Saturday's Class 5A East regional. [File photo/TSN]
The T-Birds, ranked No. 3 in 5A by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association, got individual regional championships from 135-pound sophomore Olive Jones and 155-pound senior Cianna Graves and put four other wrestlers in the finals, finishing second to top-ranked Basehor-Linwood by a 275-212.5 margin.
Jones improved to 35-1 on the season with a 1 minute, 25-second win by pin over Basehor-Linwood sophomore Willow Rademacher (30-10) in the 135 final while Graves improved to 31-2 with a 5-1 decision over Bonner Springs senior Addison Vogel (25-3) at 155.
The T-Birds got second-place finishes from freshman 120-pounder Brinnley Morris (17-3), junior 125-pounder Audrey Hinkly (25-12), senior 145-pounder Olivia Stevens (29-5) and junior 190-pounder Brooklyn Binkley (20-11) while sophomore Bianca Juarez (110 pounds) posted a third-place finish.
Freshmen Makynzie Allen (100) and Stella Engel (235) qualified with fourth-place regional finishes while freshman Raelyn Kelly (130) finished fifth, senior Shelby Watson (170) sixth, sophomores Halle Hill (115) and Evelyn Ruby (140) seventh and freshman Carmarra Smith (105) eighth.
Highland Park senior Makayla Cadet, the defending 5A state champion at 190 pounds, earned a shot to defend her title with a third-place regional finish. Cadet is 20-2 on the season.
Washburn Rural senior Emme Blanco won the Class 6A West 145-pound regional title Saturday at Wichita South, helping Rural finish third as a team. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Elia Smith won the 170-pound title in Saturday's Class 6A West regional at Wichita South for the third-place Junior Blues. [File photo/TSN]
Rural regional champs Blanco, Smith lead 13 Junior Blues 6A qualifiers
Washburn Rural seniors Emme Blanco and Elia Smith captured individual regional championships in the Class 6A West regional Saturday at Wichita South, powering the Junior Blues to a third-place team finish with 13 state qualifiers.
Blanco, now 37-3 on the season, won the 145-pound title with a 5:35 pin in the finals over Garden City freshman Aria Cordes while Smith, 32-3, earned a 4-1 decision over Derby senior Chloe Spears (36-6) in the 170-pound regional final.
The Junior Blues got third-place regional finishes from 125-pound senior Lacey Middleton (36-6), 140-pound senior Madi Blanco (35-4) and freshman 155-pounder Raella Ebanez (31-8) while freshman 105-pounder Aliyah Tangpricha (25-5), freshman 135-pounder Alea Estep (21-16), 190-pound junior Lily Davis (33-10) and sophomore Emma Mehl (24-14) placed fourth.
Junior Dixie Day (120) qualified for state with a sixth-place regional finish while freshman Ashlyn Johnson (110) finished seventh and freshman Hadley Rosenbaum (100) and junior Rylee-Jade Ebanez (130) placed eighth.
Topeka High freshman 235-pounder Kya Dawkins qualified for state with a seventh-place regional finish while senior 170-pounder Taniza Huggins advanced with an eighth-place finish.
The 6A state tournament will be contested Feb. 27-28 at the AdventHealth Sports Park in Overland Park.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Cair Paravel Latin boys basketball completed a wire to wire 10-0 run to the Flint Hills League regular-season championship on Tuesday night, posting a 61-41 home win over Council Grove.
The Lions also won the Flint Hills League midseason tournament.
Lucas Marichal led the way with 17 points as Cair Paravel wrapped up a perfect Flint Hills League record with Tuesday's 61-41 win over Council Grove. [File photo/TSN]
Now 17-2 overall with 14 straight victories, the Lions took control of Tuesday's game with a 25-9 first quarter.
Cair Paravel led 38-18 at the half and the two teams battled to a 23-23 scoring stalemate over the final two quarters.
Lucas Marichal led Cair Paravel with 17 points while Chase Hastert added 14 points with three 3-pointers and Blaine Durbin had 12 points.
The Lions will host Heritage Christian on Friday.
CPLS girls take 36-31 victory
London Backman led the way with 13 points, including three 3-pointers, as Cair Paravel's girls took a tight 36-31 Flint Hills League decision over Council Grove Tuesday on the Lions' home court.
Cair Paravel led 9-6 at the end of the first quarter and 16-11 at the half before going in front 27-20 through three quarters.
Council Grove held an 11-9 scoring edge over the final eight minutes but Cair Paravel was able to hold on for the win, improving to 9-10 on the season.
Karsyn Hastert added nine points and Avery Rosenow seven points for the Lions.
Rural boys drop 63-54 Centennial League tilt to Manhattan
Washburn Rural dropped its third straight single-digit game on Tuesday, with Manhattan taking a home 63-54 Centennial League decision over the Junior Blues.
Rural fell to 9-8 overall and 2-3 in the league while Manhattan improved to 12-5 overall and 4-1 in the league.
The Junior Blues will be at home Friday to host Junction City in a Centennial League contest.
Manhattan tops Lady Blues, 67-45
Manhattan girls basketball rolled to a 67-45 home Centennial League win over Washburn Rural Tuesday night.
Washburn Rural fell to 11-6 overall and 2-3 in the league.
Scots roll to 26-point Meadowlark Conference win
Highland Park's boys posted their second straight win Tuesday night, taking a 48-22 Meadowlark Conference road decision over Kansas City-Schlagle.
The Scots, now 5-14, have outscored their past two foes by a 116-41 margin.
Highland Park's girls took a 2-0 forfeit win over Schlagle.
Cameron Miller scored 26 points Tuesday in Rossville's 75-43 win over Royal Valley. [File photo/TSN]
Bulldawg boys continue hot streak
Rossville boys basketball has now won six out of its last seven games after a 75-43 Big East League rout Tuesday night at Royal Valley.
The Bulldawgs, now 11-6 overall and 6-4 in the league, took control with a 45-23 first-half onslaught and used a 25-15 third quarter to force a running clock over the final eight minutes.
Senior Cameron Miller paced Rossville with 26 points while Jack Donovan added 21 points and Jakoby McDonnell 11.
Rossville will be at home Friday to host Abilene.
Senior Rylee Dick scored 24 points to pace Rossville to a 63-37 win over Royal Valley Tuesday night. [File photo/TSN]
Dick, Burdiek power Rossville past Royal Valley
Senior Rylee Dick scored 24 points and junior Nora Burdiek 21 points as Rossville's girls took a 63-37 Big East League road win at Royal Valley.
Rossville has now won three straight games, improving to 9-8 on the season and 4-6 in the league.
The Bulldawgs will be at home Friday to host Abilene.
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Trailing 37-36 after three periods, the Shawnee Heights girls exploded for a 17-0 run to pull away from guest Seaman 60-42 Tuesday. It was just the T-Birds’ second win over Seaman in the last 13 meetings.
Shawnee Heights junior Pearmella Carter scored 12 of her 23 points in the fourth quarter Tuesday as the T-Birds pulled away for a 60-42 UKC win over Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Fueling the decisive run was Shawnee Heights junior Pearmella Carter, who scored 12 of her 23 points in the fourth quarter. Carter hit all six shots she attempted in the crucial final period.
“We made a few slight adjustments on some things we were doing, and it opened some passing lanes and some driving lanes,” said Shawnee Heights coach Bob Wells. “And then, all of a sudden, we were feeling a lot better about moving and catching and shooting, getting the ball inside to Pearmella. She did a great job. when she couldn’t muscle it up there, she kicked it out and then we started hitting some threes.
“You know how momentum goes. One person hits them. Then they all started smiling, and they all started hitting.”
The Vikings led by as much as seven points in the second period. The T-Birds clawed back to take the lead briefly in the third period, but Seaman clung to a lead going into the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to seven third-quarter points by Cara Beaton, who led the Vikings with 12.
Junior KK Emmot (1) scored 14 points in Shawnee Heights' 60-42 home UKC win over Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman has thoroughly dominated the rivalry for the past decade, a fact that made the win all the more enjoyable for the T-Birds.
“It’s huge,” Wells said. “I told the girls we could not take Seaman for granted no matter what their record was. They can really shoot the ball. You let them hit some threes and start feeling good about themselves. It took us a little fortitude to come back and really change things and make the game go a different way.”
Shawnee Heights juniors Pearmella Carter and KK Emmot both reached the 1,000-point milestone for their careers Tuesday at Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Carter’s huge fourth quarter led her past a milestone. Carter and fellow junior KK Emmot both eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for their careers Tuesday.
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights did everything right to shut down high-scoring Seaman guard KaeVon Bonner for three periods.
Seaman senior star KaeVon Bonner (33) scored 22 points Tuesday as the Vikings took control down the stretch for a 56-47 UKC road win over Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Vikings’ senior averages about 25 points per game. So when the host T-Birds held Bonner to just four points through 24 minutes of action Tuesday, they had reason to feel good about their 37-34 lead. But a set play out of the break sprung Bonner for an open look from three, and he buried it. It was the spark that started a fire.
Bonner torched Shawnee Heights for 16 points – all of the Vikings’ points – over the next 3:10, and all of a sudden Seaman led 50-40. Seaman held on to win 56-47 to improve to 14-3 on the season.
Seaman coach Craig Cox described the play that started the run.
“One of my assistants, Paul Muzzy, suggested that we go to a set play that gets (KaeVon) a look, and it was a great call and we executed it and he popped off the screen and knocked down the shot,” Cox said. “And then it was no looking back. Just an unbelievable fourth quarter.”
For three periods, Shawnee Heights senior Ja’Veon Alston went toe-to-toe with Bonner, harassing him with on-ball defense and scoring 13 points to Bonner’s four.
“They were doubling (Bonner) some when he was starting to attack,” Cox said. “They were bringing help defense, and (Alston) did a really good job of pressuring him, held him to four points until then. Then he was able to finally get it going and show how he can take over a game and dominate like that. I’m just really proud of him keeping his composure and coming through when we needed it.”
Bonner hit four straight attempts to start the run. Then, after missing a shot, the senior dropped a long triple, which he followed moments later with a three-point play.
“Once I hit that first three, I knew I was starting to feel it and the energy, the crowd … that first shot started it off,” Bonner said.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Leah Crawford
LEAH CRAWFORD, Seaman
A sophomore bowler, Crawford shot a 661 three-game series to capture the girls individual title in Friday's city championships at Gage Bowl. Crawford rolled games of 224, 211 and 226 to take individual honors by 36 pins as Seaman rolled to its third straight city team championship by a 3,293-2,970 margin over Washburn Rural.
Cianna Graves
CIANNA GRAVES, Shawnee Heights
Graves, a senior girls wrestling star, won the United Kansas Conference championship at 155 pounds while also recording the 100th pin of her career on Saturday at Piper as No. 3-ranked (Class 5A) Shawnee Heights claimed the team championship by a 179.5-163 margin over top-ranked Basehor-Linwood. Now 28-2 on the season, Graves went 3-0 on the day with three pins.
Caleb Menke
CALEB MENKE, Hayden
Menke, a 175-pound junior wrestling standout, reached the 100-win milestone on Thursday at Royal Valley, a rare accomplishment for an underclassmen, and followed that up with the 175-pound championship in Saturday's Centennial League tournament at Washburn Rural, posting a 5-0 record on the day, including a 55-second pin and a 15-0 technical fall.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights' girls regained the United Kansas Conference wrestling championship Saturday at Piper, with the Class 5A No. 3-ranked T-Birds topping No. 1 Basehor-Linwood by a 179.5-163 margin.
Shawnee Heights senior Olivia Stevens (left) reached the 100-win milestone in Saturday's UKC wrestling tournament while T-Bird senior Cianna Graves registered her 100th career pin. [Photo courtesy of Shawnee Heights wrestling]
The T-Birds garnered five individual conference titles while posting 10 top-three finishes.
Shawnee Heights got gold-medal performances from freshman 120-pounder Brinnley Morris, junior 125-pounder Audrey Hinkly, sophomore 130-pounder Olive Jones, senior 145-pounder Olivia Stevens and senior 155-pounder Cianna Graves.
Stevens, 27-4 on the season, and Graves, 28-2, both reached career milestones on Saturday, with Graves reaching 100 pins for her career while Stevens notched her 100th career victory.
Shawnee Heights also got runnerup UKC finishes from sophomore Bianca Juarez (110), senior Shelby Watson (170) and junior Brooklyn Binkley (190) while sophomore Halle Hall (115) and freshman Raelyn Kelly (130) placed third.
