Shawnee Heights Thunderbirds

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Brody Anderson

BRODY ANDERSON, Seaman

Anderson, a senior cross country standout, posted his third individual victory of the season in Saturday's Seaman Invitational at the Shawnee North Community Center. A Class 5A state medalist in cross country and track, Anderson clocked a winning five-kilometer time of 15 minutes, 25.07 seconds.

Brynn Anderson

BRYNN ANDERSON, Washburn Rural  

A 5-foot-11 freshman, Anderson had a big week for the No. 6-ranked (Class 6A) Washburn Rural volleyball team, helping lead the 16-4 Junior Blues to seven straight victories, including five straight wins in Saturday's Centennial League tournament at Rural as the hosts claimed the league championship while dropping just one set on the day.

Elise Eckert

ELISE ECKERT, Seaman

A senior golf star, Eckert followed up her city championship with the title in last Monday's United Kansas Conference tournament at Shawnee Country Club. A three-time Class 5A state medalist, Eckert shot a 73 to post an eight-stroke victory as Seaman captured its fourth straight UKC title by 52 strokes.

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

On a beautiful morning as the calendar flipped to the second month of the cross country season, Seaman High School hosted the Seaman Invitational at Shawnee North Park.

Brody Anderson, Seaman

Brynn Spencer, Seaman

In the varsity girls race, the Washburn Rural, Seaman and Shawnee Heights teams finished in fourth, fifth and sixth place, respectively.

Washburn Rural had two medalists -- freshmen Clara Dillon finished ninth in a time of 21:47.96 and Lily Palmer finished in 19th with a time of 22:23.98.

Topeka West’s lone runner, freshman Phebe Phelps, finished 16th in a time of 22:09.56.

The top local finisher was Seaman junior Brynn Spencer, who finished third in a time of 20:16.43. Fellow Seaman junior Hannah Wempe earned medalist honors by finishing 17th with a time of 22:18.22.

“I didn’t do as well as I had hoped time-wise, but I knew I had a chance to finish in the top three,'' Spencer said. "So my main goal was to push up toward the front and use my home course advantage.”

Looking ahead to next week’s city meet, Spencer talked about getting to run once again on her home course.

“It will help me since I have one race under my belt here and to know where my advantage points,'' she said. "It will also be helpful to know the parts of the course where I’ll need to push myself more.”

In the varsity boys race, Seaman senior Brody Anderson won his third race of the season, finishing in a time of 15:25.07. After dealing with a heat-related issue last week at Rim Rock, Anderson talked about his plan going into Saturday's race.

“It was a good day. I went out slower than normal, which was the plan, but I wanted to progress through the race and that went well. My hope was to stay healthy through the state meet.”

Anderson was also looking to next week and the city meet, one last time to run at his home course.

“I’m confident after today, but there is good competition throughout the city,'' he said. "I’m hoping to get good work in next week.” 

Washburn Rural finished second as a team and had five medalists. Senior Wyatt Shorb finished ninth in a time of 17:32.10, freshman Julius Wood-Nichols finished 12th with a time of 17:35.85, senior Rylan Rake was 14th with a time of 17:39.03, sophomore Brady Meek was 16th in a time of 17:39.30 and senior Wesley Meek finished 20th with a time of 17:51.88.

Seaman finished third overall and had one other medalist, junior Conner Bloom, who finished eighth in a time of 17:25.55.

Shawnee Heights had one medalist, senior Max Esquibel, who finished sixth with a time 17:24.12.

Topeka West also had one medalist, junior Ezra Phelps, who was 15th, finishing with a time of 17:39.27.

Next week all of the Topeka city schools will return to Shawnee North for the city meet beginning at 9 a.m. for the girls race, following by the boys race at 9:45.

SEAMAN INVITATIONAL

Team Scores & Local Results

Girls Varsity

Piper 40, Blue Valley Northwest 50, Lawrence 59, Washburn Rural 99, Seaman 114, Shawnee Heights 145

(Local team finishes)

4. Washburn Rural

9. Clara Dillon 21:47.96; 19. Lily Palmer 22:23.88; 24. Katherine Wolgast 23:17.42; 25. Harper Tenbrink 23:22.64; 26. Rayauna Huey 23:29.51; 32. Lily McCoy 24:20.79; 39. Lacey Middleton 25:44.98

5. Seaman

3. Brynn Spencer 20:16.43; 17. Hannah Wempe 22:18.22; 28. Avery Villines 23:32.88; 34. Jaydin Frickey 24:49.24; 40. Emma Gonzalez 26:02.90

6. Shawnee Heights

22. Hazel Rondash 23:02.36; 27. Kendall Lewis 23:30.71; 33. Arantza Urbina 24:35.07; 37. Adelaide Davis 25:23.73; 38. Piper Geil 25:24.21

Topeka West

16. Phebe Phelps 22:09.56

Topeka

35. Victoria Reynaga 25:10.58; 36. Breanna Maldonado 25:22.32; 41. Lyzet Cortez-Castro 26:43.92; 42. Maricruz MerriWeather 28:51.54

Boys Varsity

Lawrence 39, Washburn Rural 57, Seaman 82,Piper 94, Shawnee Heights 137, Topeka West 149, Topeka 186

(Local team finishes)

2. Washburn Rural

9. Wyatt Shorb 17:32.10; 12. Julius Wood-Nichols 17:35.85; 14. Rylan Rake 17:39.03; 16. Brady Meek 17:39.30; 20. Wesley Meek 17:51.88; 21. Cohen Thiessen 18:00.99; 22. Gauge Dial 18:04.27; 25. Cadin Stratman 18:13.74

3. Seaman

1. Brody Anderson 15:25.07; 8. Conner Bloom 17:25.55; 24. Drake Spurlock 18:07.36; 33. Emmanuel Armstead 18:45.04; 34. Weston Kennedy 18:51.28; 36. Maddox Moore 18:58.53; 38. Abe Heffley 19:00.42; 46. Camden Dutton 19:39.60

5. Shawnee Heights

6. Max Esquibel 17:24.12; 28. Andrew Schulte 18:28.44; 42. Cash Reitcheck 19:16.09; 43. Ronin Wiggs 19:20.05; 47. Deyton Coufal 19:58.92; 49. Carter Vincent 20:26.52

6. Topeka West

15. Ezra Phelps 17:39.27; 27. Cameron Parrett 18:26.29; 40. Rhys Green 19:04.37; 44. Maks Rodriguez 19:33.68; 55. Mason Gore 22:13.52

7. Topeka

35. Oliver Snethen 18:51.89; 37. Will Toland 18:58.54; 51. Nicholas McDonald 20:55.49; 52. Amir El-Jammal 21:01.21; 54. Matthew Hanes 21:26.50; 56. Sam Stanton 22:17.70; 57. Dexter Lonergan 23:32.99; 58. Salis Bechard 24:23.87; 59. Sebastian Homerding 28:56.17

Girls JV (local results)

Seaman

4. Zoey Gooden 25:37.93; 5. Kennedy Gatewood 25:57.54; 12. Bailey Martin 28:35.17 

Shawnee Heights

6. Natalia Venegas 26:14.04; 10. Alyson Moss 27:48.98; 13. Brooklyn Binkley 29:45.57; 18. Eva Austin 31:24.42 

Topeka West

8. Lily Phelps Roper 26:23.67

Boys JV

Washburn Rural 15, Seaman 73,Lawrence 77, Blue Valley Northwest 85, Piper 127, Shawnee Heights 181

1. Washburn Rural

1. Bennett Wells 18:08.81; 2. Trey Recob 18:22.50; 3. Oliver Haberman 18:28.31; 4. Ayden Mooney 18:47.68; 5. Ethan Koci 19:02.92; 6. Jackson Svaty 19:05.13; 9. Kael Harman 19:19.08; 11. Ethan Lake 19:36.03; 12. Marlon Barrios Martinez 19:55.32; 13. Blake Harader 19:56.70; 15. Dylan Ragsdale 20:03.07; 17. Jackson Buesing 20:07.06; 19. Charles Stones 20:19.82; 22. Thomas Reed 20:24.70; 31. Cole Replogle 20:39.04; 32. Eli Replogle 20:42.11; 34. Cedric Geotz 20:49.61; 38. Asher Denman 20:57.08; 39. Alex Jeffries 20:57.78; 42. Ryan Olsen 21:09.22; 43. Korbin Jones 21:26.23; 44. Avery Knappenberger 21:36.75; 46. Antonio Fernkopf 21:37.19; 47. Ryder McClintock 21:40.16; 51. Jacob Eilert 21:59.14; 60. Ethan Lanier 23:07.38; 77. Zachary Inloes 25:09.88; 80. Jason Hall 26:06.97; 81. Grady Wells 26:07.23; 82. Dylan Weigel 26:24.39; 84. Caleb Pearce 26:29.13

2. Seaman

8. Tate Oliva 19:17.75; 18. Trace La Row 20:17.10; 20. Cody Moses 20:19.84; 24. Stephen Miano 20:27.30; 28. Nick Horton 20:35.07; 29. Max Roark 20:36.16; 40. Eli Mott 20:58.20; 48. Wesley Eckert 21:41.45; 55. Levi Rodecap 22:15.64; 56. Josh Horton 22:20.91; 65. Gabe Ferguson 23:06.22; 67. John Holloway 23:45.83; 68. Davis Yarnell 24:02.82; 76. Aaron Haynes 24:56.39

6. Shawnee Heights

57. Jakob Rowland 22:22.91; 58. Xain Brown 22:23.88; 62. Lennox Garretson 22:39.11; 75. Colton Geil 24:43.94; 87. Jackson Osborne 29:45.39

Topeka West

83. Erich Abbo-Mott 26:28.77; 85. Jack Morgan 26:45.44

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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAMES

(Allkickoffs at 7 p.m.)

John Hoytal, Washburn Rural [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

TOPEKA HIGH (3-1, 1-0 Centennial) at WASHBURN RURAL (3-1, 0-0 Centennial)

Both Topeka High and Washburn Rural are coming off victories, with the Trojans opening Centennial League play wih a 13-12 home win over Emporia while the Junior Blues rolled to a 31-7 non-league road win at Blue Valley Northwest. Friday is Rural's Centennial League opener. Junior Blues senior quarterback John Hoytal threw for three touchdowns against Northwest while junior Jadyn Baum caught a touchdown pass and ran for a TD and senior Brody Haas picked off two passes, returning one for a TD. Topeka High's defense came up big in last week's win over Emporia, including stuffing the Spartans' two-point conversion attempt to preserve the Trojans' one-point lead.

Aiden Scott, Shawnee Heights [File photo/TSN]

DE SOTO (3-1, 3-1 UKC) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (1-3, 1-2 UKC)

Both teams are coming off United Kansas Conference losses, with De Soto dropping a 42-38 nailbiter to undefeated Basehor-Linwood while Shawnee Heights fell 43-29 on the road at Leavenworth. Heights senior quarterback Aiden Scott has completed 95 of 153 passes for 1,330 yards and 12 touchdowns while senior AJ Gallegos has a team-high 28 catches for 391 yards and a pair of TDs and junior Dallas Owens has 27 receptions for 312 yards and two TDs. Senior David Wakes has 281 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 60 attemps. Senior Dayton Vanderpool leads Heights with 36 tackles, including 23 solo stops.

Jackson McGivern, Hayden [File photo/TSN] 

HAYDEN (4-0, 0-0 Class 3A District 4) at HIAWATHA (1-3, 0-1 Class 3A District 4)

Hayden is coming of a 42-7 home win over Wamego, with the Wildcats avenging one of their two defeats in the 2024 season, while Hiawatha opened Class 3A District 4 play with a 12-7 loss to Jefferson West. Hayden senior quarterback Connor Hanika hit Jackson McGivern, Xander Blasing and Kade Mitchell for touchdowns and Hanika also ran for a TD in the Wildcats' win. Junior Mason Becker returned a pass interception for a touchdown and also went 6 for 6 on extra-point kicks.

Quentin Moravec, Seaman [File photo/TSN]

SEAMAN (2-2, 2-1 UKC) at LANSING (2-2, 2-1 UKC)

Seaman won its second straight game last Friday, a 56-6 United Kansas Conference win over Kansas City-Turner, while Lansing took a 36-20 conference win over Topeka West. Seaman sophomore running back Quentin Moravec has carried the ball 70 times for 510 yards and nine touchdowns while junior quarterback Cale Ketter has completed 68 of 102 passes for 892 yards and 11 TDs. Junior Josh Brown has 20 pass receptions for 266 yards and six TDs. Senior Cameron Brian leads the Vikings with 54 tackles, including 28 solo stops and five tackles for loss.

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

The Shawnee Heights T-Birds agonized over letting their Homecoming game slip away Friday in a wild shootout. De Soto made up a 14-point deficit in the final eight minutes to win 50-48, leaving the T-Birds lingering on the field dazed and disappointed afterward.

Shawnee Heights senior quarterback Aiden Scott threw for 607 yards and three touchdowns in Friday's 50-48 loss to De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Shawnee Heights senior AJ Gallegos caught 14 passes for 218 yards and a TD in Friday's 50-48 loss to De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

The contrasting styles of the teams produced a frenetic outburst of offense. Shawnee Heights filled the air with passes that covered 607 yards, while De Soto pounded its way to 333 yards rushing.

The T-Birds held a 48-34 advantage with 7:55 remaining, but let the Wildcats regain the momentum on an 80-yard scoring pass on the very next play. De Soto scored a game-tying touchdown with 1:53 remaining and rushed for a two-point conversion to take the lead.

Shawnee Heights’ last chance was thwarted by a Wildcat interception with 1:00 left.

Following the game, T-Bird coach Jason Swift stood at midfield, hands on his head, trying to express his pride in his team, and the disappointment he shared with them.

“I don’t think I could be prouder of the kids,” Swift said. “They left it all out on the field tonight. One play on either side of the ball, or on special teams, could have been the difference in the game.

“So, it’s hard. (De Soto is) a good football team. But I thought we played our best football tonight.”

The T-Birds dipped to 1-4 on the season with the loss. Swift said the team feels it let a big opportunity slip away against an opponent who is contending for a United Kansas Conference title.

“I’m heartbroken for them,” Swift said. “We had a chance. We had the kids in the position to win, but we didn’t finish them. Our kids never quit for one second, and that’s what you’ve got to love about them. It’s their resiliency, and they’re going to come back next week and we’re going to go on.”

The offensive numbers produced by both teams are staggering.

Shawnee Heights quarterback Aiden Scott threw for 607 yards on 31 completions. A.J. Gallegos, crowned Homecoming king prior to the game, caught 14 passes for 218 yards. Tyren Parker hauled in six passes for 171 yards. Kicker Camden Granado nailed field goals of 30 and 29 yards and blasted several kickoffs out of the back of the end zone.

Swift said it’s hard to celebrate the outstanding performances in defeat, but said they should not be overlooked.

“Some of the plays we make, they’re going to remember for the rest of their lives,” Swift said. “Just phenomenal. It’s not routine plays. It’s plays where their heart and determination makes the great catch, makes the great run, or makes that great stop. That’s something they need to be proud of.”

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Both Washburn Rural volleyball coach Kevin Bordewick and Shawnee Heights coach Sami Kearney know that their teams still have plenty to work on as they get deeper into the 2025 season.

But both Bordewick and Kearney also had plenty to feel good about after Thursday's triangular at Shawnee Heights.

Senior Karsyn Horyna (21) celebrates the final point in Washburn Rural's three-set win over Shawnee Heights Thursday night. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

For Bordewick, the biggest positive was that his No. 6-ranked Junior Blues were able to come through when it counted the most to cap a 2-0 night with a hard-earned three-set 25-14, 19-25, 25-23 victory over Shawnee Heights in the final match of the night.

"Shawnee Heights is a good team,'' said Bordewick, whose team is now 11-4 on the season. "They've played some tough competetion and they've scored some points on some of the top teams in the state in 5A and 6A. I knew that for years, forever, they have been feisty and scrappy and that's exactly what they have right there.

"Not taking anything away from Shawnee Heights at all, I think we can play better, but the good news is we fought through adversity and we found a way to win.''

And although she was disappointed that her T-Birds came up just short against Rural, Kearney was thrilled with the way her team battled throughout the night en route to a 1-1 split against Class 6A foes Blue Valley Northwest and Rural, with Heights taking a 27-25, 25-21 win over the Huskies to avenge a recent loss before taking the Junior Blues down to the wire after rebounding from an 11-point first-set loss.

"Other nights we might have just stopped playing and we didn't stop playing,'' said Kearney, whose T-Birds are 12-13. "I was very proud. This is probably one of the better games I've seen and felt with my team and that was a good time to turn it on. If not for a couple of mistakes here and there we would have had it.

"Rural's a great team, I will always admire them. They work hard, they're fast and quick, but I was happy to see that we can get up to the competition and we played really well tonight. I don't like losing, but I'm happy with how we played.''

By CHARLES SPURLOCK

Special to TopSports.news

On Tuesday evening, three teams from the United Kansas Conference competed in a volleyball triangular hosted by Shawnee Heights.

The T-Birds dominated the action, sweeping Kansas City-Turner and Piper in straight sets.

Shawnee Heights senior Avery Willey goes up for a kill in Tuesday's UKC volleyball sweep over KC-Turner and Piper. [File photo/TSN]

In the opening match, Shawnee Heights played the Turner Bears.

Following an opening set where Shawnee Heights jumped out to an early lead and extended it throughout the set, the Thunderbirds jumped out to another early 7-0 lead in second set, thanks to three attacks from senior Avery Willey.

After Turner broke through on the scoreboard, Heights extended its lead to 12-1, causing the Bears to take their first timeout.

The T-birds only allowed four more points in the set, to finish the dominating sweep, 25-9, 25-5.

In the final match of the evening, Shawnee Heights played the Piper Pirates.

The start of the match saw the T-birds exhibit dominance at the net from senior Brooke McCabe and junior Brooklyn Hummer with blocks and attacks, giving Heights an early 6-0 lead.

Piper battled back and trailed just 8-7 when T-Bird coach Sami Kearney called the T-birds first timeout.

“We are a really good team, but sometimes we can sometimes play to our opponent,” Kearney said.

Following a 9-5 run by Heights, Piper called their final timeout, trailing 17-12. The teams traded points for the remainder of the set, with Shawnee Heights winning, 25-17.

The second set went back and forth with neither team having a lead larger than two points until Willey had a service winner, giving Heights the lead at 14-11.

Willey commented about her team’s start in both matches.

“I thought we started off slow, but we picked it up and found our rhythm,” she said.

Piper cut the lead to 16-15, but Heights scored the final nine points -- with eight coming from the serves of senior Addison Gonzalez -- to finish off the match, 25-15.

Shawnee Heights will be back in action on Thursday night, hosting a triangular with Washburn Rural and Blue Valley Northwest.

Match results

Shawnee Heights defeated KC-Turner, 25-9, 25-5; Piper defeated KC-Turner, 25-13, 25-14; Shawnee Heights defeated Piper, 25-17, 25-15

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

The Shawnee Heights soccer team took another step toward accomplishing its goals with a 3-0 defeat of Seaman at Bettis Family Sports Complex Tuesday.

Shawnee Heights senior Jose Curvelo-Montenegro (20) scores one of his two goals in Tuesday's 3-0 UKC win over Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Shawnee Heights senior Jose Curvelo-Montenegro (20) is congratulated after scoring a goal in Tuesday's 3-0 UKC win over Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Since suffering a loss to Washburn Rural in the season opener, the T-Birds have reeled off an eight-game win streak that finds them at the top of the Class 5A standings.

Senior Jose Curvelo-Montenegro received a pass from Camden Granado to punch home the first score of the night 15 minutes into the contest.

Curvelo-Montenegro added an insurance goal just two minutes into the second period on an assist from Sheldon Pokphanh. The T-Birds got a third tally on a corner kick by Thomas Aragon that Nick Prater put in the net.

“I was glad to get two goals after feeling like I’ve been trying. I finally had it,” Curvelo-Montenegro said. “I hope to keep scoring to help the team.”

Coach Nic Simons said Curvelo-Montenegro stepped up when the team needed another scorer to emerge.

“What I think is great about our team is, tonight Jose was able to step in and fill a role when we were having a tough night at the office for some of our guys that do a lot of our scoring,” Simons said. “Jose has been knocking at the door. He’s had a goal here, a goal there, but I think this was the kind of game he needed to gain confidence.

“Jose is a guy that is a little bit flashy. He can get into the minds of the opposing team. Teams have to think about him, and that’s one more weapon that makes us really dangerous this season.”

Shawnee Heights has claimed every United Kansas Conference championship but one since it joined the league. It can add another trophy to the case Thursday with a win at Leavenworth. Simons said winning Thursday will also keep the T-Birds in position for the top seed come playoff time.

“Right now, we’re atop the rankings of the 5A East, which has been our goal,” Simons said. “We want to host all the way to state. There are a lot of good teams out there and we want to think of ourselves as one of those upper-echelon-type teams.”

“It’s great to be 8-1,” Curvelo-Montenegro said. “I’m really happy with this win. We want to keep moving forward and get high up in the rankings.”

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

The only surprise in Monday's United Kansas Conference girls golf tournament at Shawnee Country Club would have been if Seaman hadn't won.

Seaman's girls golf team won its fourth straight UKC girls golf title by 52 strokes Monday at Shawnee Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

After all, the Vikings were coming off a 14-stroke victory in the city tournament and had won the previous three UKC tourneys by an average of 51.7 strokes.

Suffice it to say that were no surprises Monday, with senior Elise Eckert leading a one-two-three individual finish as Seaman won its fourth straight conference championship in an many years in the league by a whopping 52-stroke margin over De Soto (327-359). 

Seaman senior Elise Eckert shot a 73 to take an eight-stroke individual win in Monday's UKC meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman senior Makenna Stuke finished second with an 81 in Monday's UKC meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

City champion Eckert shot a 73 for an eight-stroke win while senior Makenna Stuke was second with an 81 and junior Kaitlynn Frye third with an 84.

The Vikings also got a tie for fourth from junior Chloe Schmidtlein (89) and an 11th-place finish from senior Molina Quintana (96). 

"I felt like overall we had a good solid day,'' Seaman coach Julie McLaughlin said. "There's always room for improvement. All of them were saying there's things they want to work on, but I like where we're sitting right now.

"All we're focusing on is getting stronger mentally, physically and just being ready for that postseason play when it's here.''

Although she was happy to get the league title, Eckert wasn't particularly pleased with Monday's round.

"I especially struggled a bit with my putting today,'' Eckert said. "Everything else was alright, but putting definitely got me today.''

Seaman has two more regular season tournaments before regionals and state and Eckert, a three-time Class 5A state medalist, wants to continue making strides to get ready for her postseason run.

"I definitely need to work on putting more, but I also need to work on some just basic fundamentals with my swing that I can fix on the course, but l just need to practice more to get everything solid,'' she said.

Shawnee Heights finished fourth as a team, with T-Bird junior Lauryn Valdivia tying for seventh with a 92.

Topeka West's Berlyn Kolean tied for 12th with a 98.

UNITED KANSAS CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Defending Class 1A District 2 champion Rossville opened defense of its district crown with a 69-0 road romp past Maranatha Christian Academy Friday night.

Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell threw for four touchdowns and ran for a TD in Friday's 69-0 win over Maranatha Academy. [File photo/TSN]

Now 3-1 overall, the Bulldawgs put the game out of reach with a 34-point opening quarter and added 21 points to open up a 55-0 halftime cushion before scoring its final two touchdowns of the night in the third quarter.

Bulldawg senior Jack Donovan set the tone for the night when he returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown.

Senior Conner Bush and senior Canann Mitchell followed Donovan's TD with 51 and 47-yard scores and Mitchell completed a 55-yard touchdown strike to Landen Lewis and a 42-yard scoring pass to senior Cameron Miller to close out the first quarter.

Andre Johnson opened the second-quarter scoring with a 31-yard run and Mitchell followed with an 11-yard TD pass to Lewis and a 27-yard scoring pass to Miller.

Dalen Dick scored on a 20-yard run and Ryder Foster scored from 3 yards out for the Bulldawgs' final touchdown.

Rossville will be at home next Friday to host Mission Valley.

Washburn Rural senior quarterback John Hoytal threw for two touchdowns in Thursday's 31-7 road win over Blue Valley Northwest. [File photo/TSN]

Junior Blues roll to 31-7 road win

Washburn Rural improved to 3-1 on the season, equaling its win total from the 2024 campaign, with a wire-to-wire 31-7 non-league road romp past Blue Valley Northwest Thursday night.

The Junior Blues never trailed after getting a 35-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback John Hoytal to junior Jadyn Baum with 1:10 left in the first quarter.

A 36-yard pass play from Hoytal to junior Gavin Vantuyl set up a 4-yard TD run from Baum that put Washburn Rural in front 14-0 midway through the second quarter.

After Northwest cut its deficit to 14-7 junior Ryan Austin connected on a 28-yard field goal to put the Junior Blues in front 17-7 with 50 seconds left in the half.

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

(Allkickoffs at 7 p.m.)

THURSDAY'S GAMES

Josiah Wilkie, Topeka West

LANSING (1-2, 1-1 UKC) vs. TOPEKA WEST (0-3, 0-3 UKC)

At Hummer Sports Park

Topeka West is coming off a 61-0 United Kansas Conference loss to Seaman while Lansing dropped a 40-15 non-league loss to Tonganoxie last week. Junior running back Damon Webb, senior wide receiver Gad Munganga and sophomore quarterback Josiah Wilkie are top players for Topeka West. Lansing junior quarterback Caden Garcia has completed 28 of 60 passes for 403 yards and 3 TDs while junior running back Jaxon Pollard has rushed for 362 yards and 8 TDs 59 attempts. 

Kellan Roth, Washburn Rural

WASHBURN RURAL (2-1) at BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST (2-1)

Both Washburn Rural and Blue Valley Northwest suffered their first losses of the season last week, with Rural dropping a 60-28 non-league decision to Missouri state champion Platte County and Blue Valley Northwest falling to St. James Academy, 21-7. Northwest junior quarterback Aidan Ihm has completed 46 of 70 passes for 604 yards and 7 touchdowns while senior running back LJ Bowens has carried the ball 40 times for 268 yards and 3 TDs. Senior quarterback John Hoytal and senior wide receiver Kellan Roth are both off to hot starts this fall for Washburn Rural.   

FRIDAY'S GAMES

Kade Mitchell, Hayden

WAMEGO (2-1) at HAYDEN (3-0)

Hayden will get the opportunity to avenge one of its two losses in the 2024 season Friday night against the visiting Red Raiders. Wamego is coming off a 34-8 win over Marysville last Friday while Hayden rolled to a 46-7 road win over Kansas-City Bishop Ward and has now outscored its three opponents by a 123-13 margin. Wamego junior quarterback Logan Fulton has completed 32 of 53 passes for 562 yards and 4 TDs. Seniors Connor Hanika and Kade Mitchell and junior Mason Becker have been key offensive threats for the Wildcats.

Ricardo Dowd, Topeka High

EMPORIA (2-1, 0-0 Centennial) vs. TOPEKA HIGH (2-1, 0-0 Centennial)

At Hummer Sports Park

Both Emporia and Topeka High will be opening Centennial League play Friday night. The Spartans have won their last two games by a 102-6 margin, including a 50-0 non-league romp past Coffeyville last week. The Trojans were shut out 6-0 by Wichita Southeast last Thursday. Topeka High will be looking for a big night from senior quarterback Zane Smith,  while sophomore running back Ricardo Dowd has also been an offensive threat for the Trojans. 

Cale Ketter, Seaman

KANSAS CITY-TURNER (0-3, 0-3 UKC) at SEAMAN (1-2, 1-1 UKC)

Seaman rolled to a 61-0 United Kansas Conference win over Topeka West last Friday while Turner dropped a 56-0 conference decision to Leavenworth. Seaman junior quarterback Cale Ketter has completed 53 of 81 pass attempts for 628 yards and 7 touchdowns, including five against West. Junior running back Quentin Moravec has carried the ball 58 times for 426 yards and 6 TDs while junior Josh Brown has 16 pass receptions for 207 yards and 4 TDs.

 Aiden Scott, Shawnee Heights

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (1-2, 1-1 UKC) at LEAVENWORTH (2-1, 2-1)

Shawnee Heights dropped a 35-22 United Kansas Conference decision to Basehor-Linwood last Friday while Leavenworth rolled to a 56-0 UKC win over KC-Turner. T-Bird senior quarterback Aiden Scott has completed 69 of 116 passes for 921 yards and 9 touchdowns. Senior David Wakes has 217 rushing yards and 3 TDs on 56 attempts while senior AJ Gallegos has caught 19 passes for 234 yards and senior Tyren Parker has 10 catches for 245 yards and 2 touchdows. 

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman's girls tennis team had put itself in position to win the city championship the previous two seasons, only to fall just short.

Seaman's girls tennis team poses for a picture after winning the city championship Thursday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

And Jamie Robinson's Vikings had to sweat another down-to-the-wire finish again on Thursday at Kossover Tennis Center, but this time Seaman got the job done, earning its first city title since 2015 by a 32-28 margin over Washburn Rural.

"We're happy,'' Robinson said. "This is what our goal was at the beginning of the year, to win city. It kind of got to the point where we didn't want to talk about it. We didn't want to jinx ourselves because we were so pumped up to win city this year. 

"We'd been snakebit in the past and were so close, so it meant a lot to the girls. Look at them, they're excited.''

Seaman junior Emma Sweeney won the city No. 1 singles title Thursday, posting three 8-0 wins on the day. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman senior Molly Gorman won the city No. 2 singles title Thursday for the city champion Vikings. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Viking junior Emma Sweeney rolled to the No. 1 singles title without dropping a game in her three matches on the day, including an 8-0 win over Topeka High's Madeline Deters in the finals, while senior Molly Gorman won her second straght No. 2 singles championship, outlasting Hayden freshman Lena Hull in the title match, 8-7 (7-2 in a tiebreaker).

Seaman also got runnerup doubles finishes from Peyton Henry and Camryn Lux in No. 1 doubles and from Kaylyn Hiebsch and Candace Speer in the No. 2 bracket.

Sweeney agreed with her coach that the city title meant a lot to the Vikings.

"We talk about it every year,'' Sweeney said. "We're always so close and our coach really wanted it because he'd never won city since he's been coaching. We always talk about it and we were ready.

"It means so much and we're all so excited.''

Washburn Rural put itself in the city title picture with a sweep of the doubles championships.

Washburn Rural's Julia Katzer teamed with Halle Owen to win the city No. 1 doubles title Thursday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn Rural's Halle Owen (left) teamed with Julia Katzer to win the No. 1 doubles city title Thursday. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Julia Katzer teamed with Halle Owen to take an 8-3 win over Seaman's Henry and Lux in the No. 1 final while Alizah Chedzoy and Annie Henderson took an 8-3 win over Seaman's Hiebsch and Speer in the No. 2 title match.

Hayden, the 2024 city champion, finished third as a team with 23 points, one point ahead of fourth-place Topeka High, as the Wildcats posted top-four finishes in all four divisions.

CITY GIRLS TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman's girls tennis team, third in Class 5A a year ago, continues to build momentum for another late-season run, following up last week's city championship with the team title in Tuesday's 11-school Topeka West Invitational at Kossover Tennis Center.

Led by singles champions Emma Sweeney and Molly Gorman, Seaman won Tuesday's championship by a 51-47 margin over Washburn Rural, with the Vikings and Junior Blues repeating their one-two finish from the city meet.

Seaman junior Emma Sweeney won the No. 1 singles championship in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Seaman senior Molly Gorman won the No. 2 singles championship in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational for team champion Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Sweeney, a junior, won the No. 1 singles title with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Olathe West's Lindsay Ruder, avenging a loss to Ruder in the 2024 West tournament, while Gorman, a senior, captured the No. 2 singles championship with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Manhattan's Sally Kastner.

Seaman also got a runnerup doubles finish from Peyton Henry and Camryn Lux in No. 1 doubles and a third-place finish from Kaylyn Hiebsch and Candace Speer in No. 2 doubles.

"Another good day for the Vikings,'' Seaman coach Jamie Robinson said. "The girls are trusting their shots and especially in singles Molly really played well. I feel like she's struggled a little bit and she had to take eight months off (with an injury) and now she's really getting back to form. That last match was the most comfortable I've ever seen her.

"And Emma really had a big match and she wanted this one, so that was fun to see. That tested her, that challenged her. This was good competition and we're battle tested and that's going to help in the UKC and it's going to help in regionals.''

Washburn Rural, which has put together another strong season despite graduating several key players off its 2024 team, swept the doubles titles in Tuesday's tournament.

Washburn Rural coach Michelle Rose talks to Rural No. 1 doubles players Halle Owen and Julia Katzer during Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN] 

Rural juniors Julia Katzer and Halle Owen won the No. 1 doubles championship with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Seaman's Henry and Lux. Katzer and Owen also faced Henry and Lux in the city championship match, with Rural taking an 8-3 win.

Washburn Rural junior Julia Katzer returns a shot during the No. 1 doubles final in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Washburn Rural junior Halle Owen returns a shot during the No. 1 doubles final in Tuesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Alizah Chedzoy and Annie Henderson followed up their city title in No. 2 doubles with the championship in Tuesday's tournament, with Rural taking a 6-1, 6-3 decision in the finals.

TOPEKA WEST INVITATIONAL TENNIS

By VINCE LOVERGINE

TopSports.news

A United Kansas Conference soccer tilt on Monday night between Shawnee Heights and Topeka West featured both teams coming into the match with one combined loss.

While it’s still early in the year, this game could hold title implications later down the road and Shawnee Heights knew that coming in.

The T-Birds then went out and took advantage of the opportunity, riding a three-goal hat trick from senior Camden Granado to a 4-1 win over the Chargers at Hummer Sports Park.

Senior Camden Granado (left) had a three-goal hat trick to lead Shawnee Heights to a 4-1 road win over Topeka West Monday night. [File photo/TSN]

“Our guys have been thinking and working all season toward not just tonight but just the idea of league championship wins and give it up to Topeka West, what an effort playing down a couple of guys, they’re a great team,” Shawnee Heights head coach Nic Simons said. “We are embracing this idea that we’re never satisfied... we are going to continue to have this championship mentality and I think our guys showed that, keeping their composure tonight and kept the pressure on and I think that’s what’s a great hallmark out of this group.

"They have learned their lessons early. We’ve scheduled (Washburn) Rural, (Lawrence) Free State, all of these good teams early so that we can be ready for a big stage like tonight.”

Granado said Monday was a statement win for the T-Birds.

“We had this match circled on our calendars for a long time and a couple of other matches before this. After we get past those first couple of matches, it’s all focused on this and coming out of this game with a win, knowing this game could determine the league,” Granado said.

The Chargers were issued two red cards in the game which made it 11 vs. 9.

Simons said when that happens, it changes the momentum and gameplan.

“It was super hard,” Simons said. “We talked to our guys before the game that this in many ways was like a playoff game… the first 25 to 30 minutes or so, it played out just like a postseason game. I think both teams were kind of playing like not to make a mistake rather than exploit opportunities.

"It was a shame that some stuff outside of our control changed the dynamic of the game. I don’t want anything to take away from what otherwise would’ve been an incredible game, come down to a photo type finish at the end. I got to give our guys a lot of credit because they held their composure in obviously a tough situation and I think for that, they earned the victory.”

The Chargers had allowed just four goals on the season but gave up three in the first half alone to the Thunderbirds.

Shawnee Heights moved to 6-1 on the campaign and are winners of six in a row.

After a free kick that hit a Chargers hand in the box, a penalty kick followed from Granado scoring the game's first goal with 19:36 left in the first half.

Almost five minutes after that, the T-Birds had a great presence, attacking in Topeka West territory and Nick Prater booted one in the back of the net, making it 2-nil.

Granado would strike again off his right foot into the left side of the goal off another penalty kick with 8:29 left in the first half.

Topeka West junior Diego Gonzalez-Talavera put the Chargers on the board with a penalty kick of his own with 34 minutes left in the match.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Seaman girls golf is the three-time defending United Kansas Conference champion and has produced multiple Class 5A state medalists over the years, but entering Monday's City Championships at Western Hills the Vikings had never won a city team title in the 13-year history of the event.

Julie McLaughlin's Vikings made up for lost time on Monday as senior individual champion Elise Eckert powered Seaman to a 14-stroke victory over Hayden (341-355) while 11-time city champ Washburn Rural finished third (361).

Seaman girls golf poses for a team picture Monday at Western Hills after winning its first-ever city team championship. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

"This is pretty special, this is something,'' McLaughlin said of the city title. "I had hoped last year we would make a run for it and we just came out and didn't play very well.

"We've come in second a few times and that was exciting, that was great, but this is something I've wanted to see them do for a long time now.''

Seaman senior Elise Eckert shot a two-under-par 68 to win the city girls golf title by eight strokes Monday at Western Hills. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Eckert, a three-time 5A state medalist at Emporia before transferring to Seaman this fall, shot a sizzling two-under-par 68 to take the city individual title by an eight-stroke margin over Hayden senior Lauren Borjon.

"I felt pretty comfortable all day,'' Eckert said. "I started off my round with a double (bogey), so it was kind of rough, but I feel like I was able to quickly pick it up and get myself back in competition.''

Eckert said McLaughlin pointed out to the Vikngs that Seaman had never won the city meet, which made Monday's title run special.

"My coach went over that in the van before we came here,'' Eckert said. "It feels great to help them out with that. I like that I am able to be a part of this team, and with some good girls, too.''

Eckert said she was able to fit in quickly with her new team this fall.

"It didn't really take long because I knew most of the girls beforehand,'' Eckert said. "I had played with them before and they just really accepted me and it was amazing.''

Makenna Stuke finished fifth with an 89 to help Seaman win its first city team title Monday at Western Hills. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

The Vikings also got top-10 finishes from Makenna Stuke, fifth with an 89, Chloe Schmidtlein, seventh with a 91, and Kaitlynn Frye, who tied for eighth with a 93.

Hayden senior Lauren Borjon shot a 76 Monday to finish second in the city tournament at Western Hills. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Hayden senior Izzy Glotzbach shot an 82 Monday to finish third in the city tournament at Western Hills. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Borjon's 76 was good enough for her second career runnerup finish in the city meet while her Hayden senior teammate, Izzy Glotzbach, finished third with an 82. Borjon also finished second in 2023, leading the Wildcats to the city team championship.

Senior Lauren Cox finished fourth with an 85 to lead Washburn Rural in Monday's city tournament at Western Hills. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN] 

Third-place Washburn Rural was led by senior Lauren Cox, who placed fourth with an 85, while Kailyn Petersen was sixth with a 90 and Briley Miles and Ella Taggart tied for eighth with 93s. 

Seaman also won the championship in the Topeka West Invitational, held in conjunction with the city tournament, by a  five-stroke margin over Baldwin. 

Seaman, Shawnee Heights and Topeka West will compete in next Monday's UKC meet at Shawnee Country Club while Hayden and Washburn Rural will compete in next Monday's Centennial League tournament at Junction City.

TOPEKA CITY GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Hayden, ranked No. 2 in Class 3A by the Kansas Football Coaches Association, improved to 3-0 Friday night with a 46-7 road win at Kansas City Bishop Ward.

The Wildcats took control from the outset, building a 25-0 first-quarter lead and taking a 32-0 advantage to the locker room at halftime.

Hayden led 39-0 at the end of the third quarter before both teams scored TDs in the fourth quarter.

The Wildcats will be at home next Friday, hosting a Wamgo team that handed Hayden one of its two losses in 2024.

Senior quarterback John Hoytal attempts a pass in Friday's 60-28 home loss to Missouri power Platte County. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN] 

Platte County pulls away for 60-28 win over Blues

Washburn Rural scored touchdowns against powerhouse Platte County, a defending Missouri state champion, but the Pirates, who improved to 4-0, rolled up 60 points in a 60-28 win over the Junior Blues at Bowen-Glaze Stadium.

Washburn Rural senior Nate Selm scores a touchdown in Friday's 60-28 loss to Platte County, Mo. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

Now 2-1 on the season, Washburn Rural will travel to Blue Valley Northwest next Friday for a non-league contest. 

Rossville suffers first loss, 56-28 to Thunder

After a 2-0 start with thrilling wins over Silver Lake and St. Marys, Rossville fell to undefeated Nemaha Central Friday night, 56-28.

The Bulldawgs, now 2-1 overall and in the Big East League, scored in every quarter against last season's Class 2A runnerup Nemaha Central, but the 3-0 Thunder scored 14 points in all four quarters.

Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to senior Cameron Miller and also scored on a 4-yard run, while the Bulldawgs also got a 4-yard run from senior Jack Donovan and a 6-yard run from senior Andre Johnson.

The Bulldawgs will travel to Maranatha Christian Academy next Friday. 

By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news

THURSDAY'S GAME

(Kickoff at 7 p.m.)

Zane Smith, Topeka High

WICHITA SOUTHEAST (1-1) at TOPEKA HIGH (2-0)

Topeka High will be playing its second Thursday night game in the first three weeks of the season and will be looking to start the season 3-0 after beginnning the 2024 season 4-0. The Trojans are coming off a 28-20 come-from-behind road win over Wichita Heights while Wichita Southeast lost 33-6 to Bishop Carroll last week. Senior quarterback Zane Smith is off to a hot start this fall for Topeka High while sophomore running back Ricardo Dowd is in the midst of a breakout season.

FRIDAY'S GAMES

(Highland Park-KC Schlagle kickoff at 4 p.m.)

(All other kickoffs at 7 p.m.)

G'Honi Montgomery, Highland Park

KC-SCHLAGLE (1-1, 1-0) vs. HIGHLAND PARK (2-0, 2-0 Meadowlark)

At Hummer Sports Park

The undefeated Scots will play the first game of a city doubleheader at Hummer Sports Park, kicking off at 4 p.m. Highland Park has yet to be tested thus far, rolling to Meadowlark Conference wins over Kansas City-Wyandotte and last week's 44-16 victory over KC-Sumner. Schlagle is coming off a 44-0 win over Wyandotte last week. Scot junior JoJo Kingcannon has rushed for 247 yards on just nine carries while junior G'Honi Montgomery has rushed for 187 yards on 26 carries. Montgomery scored three touchdowns last week, including a pair of kickoff returns for TDs.

SEAMAN (0-2, 0-1) vs. TOPEKA WEST (0-2, 0-2)

At Hummer Sports Park

Seaman and Topeka West will play the second game of Friday's twinbill at Hummer Sports Park, with the Vikings and Chargers both looking for their first victories in the United Kansas Conference contest. Seaman is coming off a 41-21 non-league loss to Shawnee Mission East while Topeka West dropped a 76-35 UKC decision to Shawneee Heights. Seaman junior quarterback Cale Ketter has completed 41 of 66 passes for 348 yards and two TDs while sophomore Quentin Moravec has carried the ball 40 times for 227 yards and four scores. West sophomore quarterback Josiah Wilkie completed 19 of 46 passes for 323 yards and three TDs against Shawnee Heights. Jayden Lindsay accounted for 155 yards receiving while Gad Munganga added 125 yards receiving.

Kellan Roth, Washburn Rural

PLATTE COUNTY, MO. (3-0) at WASHBURN RURAL (2-0)

Washburn Rural is coming off a thrilling 31-30 come-from-behind non-league win over Blue Valley last Friday while Platte County rolled to a 46-7 win over Fort Osage, Mo. The Pirates went 14-0 and captured a Missouri state title in 2024 and have outscored their first three opponents by a 156-37 margin this season. Rural quarterback John Hoytal threw for four TDs last week, including three to senior Kellan Roth. Junior Ryan Austin kicked a 31-yard field goal and the game-winning extra point against Blue Valley. 

Canann Mitchell, Rossville

NEMAHA CENTRAL (2-0, 1-0) at ROSSVILLE (2-0, 2-0)

Rossville pulled out its second straight nail-biting Big East League win last Friday, edging St. Marys, 40-34, while Nemaha Central topped Big East League foe Silver Lake, 42-7. Rossville senior quarterback Canann Mitchell has completed 26 of 45 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns and carried the ball 33 times for 219 yards and three TDs. Senior Cameron Miller has caught 11 passes for 152 yards and two TDs.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Topeka High tennis came up short in its three Topeka High Invitational championship matches Wednesday at Kossover Tennis Center en route to a third-place team finish.

Topeka High senior Madeline Deters finished second in No. 1 singles in Wednesday's Topeka High Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

Hailey Caryl (left) celebrates Topeka High's No. 1 doubles semifinal victory with teammate Ava Ritter in Wednesday's Topeka High Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

And although Trojan coach Duane Pomeroy would have loved for his team to claim a title or two or three, he had zero complaints about High's performance.

"I was really happy with how we worked today,'' Pomeroy said. "All of them did a great job.''

Topeka High's Madeline Deters dropped an 8-5 decision to Emporia's Kali Keough in the No. 1 singles final, while High's Hailey Caryl and Ava Ritter also dropped a close match in the No. 1 doubles final, with Emporia's Peyton Chanlee and Kinsley Hines prevailing, 8-6.

Topeka High's No. 2 doubles team of Astra Fizell (left) and Sasha Gotru finished second in Wednesday's Topeka High Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

The Trojans' No. 2 doubles team of Sasha Gotru and Astra Fizell also advanced to the championship match, falling 8-2 to Emporia's Alexa Tovar and Chelsea Mendez.

"It's amazing that we've got Sasha, that had never played tennis before the first day of practice,'' Pomeroy said.

Caryl and Ritter rallied from a 7-2 deficit to win their semifinal match over Junction City in a tiebreaker.

"My one doubles, the way they came back was the best they've ever played, that five-game stretch plus the tiebreaker, each game they just got more and more confident,'' Pomeroy said. 

Deters showed her mettle in the singles final, rallying from 4-1 and 7-3 deficits to challenge Keough late.

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights volleyball has faced an uphill battle in the early stages of the 2025 season while wading through a tough schedule, including a matchup with defending Class 5A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas.

Shawnee Heights volleyball celebrates a point in Tuesday's UKC volleyball sweep at Topeka West. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]

But T-Bird coach Sami Kearney is pleased with the progress her team has made, including Shawnee Heights' first sweep of the season in Tuesday's Topeka West triangular.

Shawnee Heights senior Avery Willey goes up for a kill in Tuesday's UKC volleyball sweep at Topeka West. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]

Now 6-6 on the season, the T-Birds dominated their first two United Kansas Conference matches of the year, rolling to a 25-12, 25-15 win over Seaman and a 25-13, 25-13 victory over Topeka West.

"I feel like we're moving in the right direction,'' Kearney said. "We've just played some tough teams, and I don't think you'll get better as a team if you don't play good teams, so I want that challenge and they accept that challenge and we're just getting better every week it feels like, so I just want to keep moving up with them.

"It's always about records, but at the same time we've got to go play good teams to make it to state, so we might as well get started and see what we need to get to and it's a good goal for us to try to reach.''

Senior Avery Willey, who had a big night Tuesday, agreed with her coach that the T-Birds are improving all the time.

"I think we've played some great teams and the losses are fine because we played great volleyball and we're just going to get better from it,'' Willey said. "Playing bad teams all year is not going to help us get better so I'm glad we get to play those really good teams.''

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Topeka West's boys soccer team went 3-0 on the week to claim the championship in the Salina South Invitational.

The Chargers, now 4-0, finished off their title run with a 3-2 win over tournament host Salina South in Saturday's championship game.

Diego Gonzalez-Talavera was named the tournament Most Valuable Player after helping lead Topeka West to the championship in the Salina Invitational. [File photo/TSN]

West got goals from JP Ayella, Valentin Del Real and Morris Blick against Salina South, while Ayella, Makaly Martinez and Giancarlo Valenzuela were credited with assists.

The Chargers scored all three of their goals in the opening half and West held on for the win despite two second-half goals by the Cougars. 

West reached the final with an 8-0 first-round win over Salina Central on Tuesday and a 1-0 win over Hays in Thursday's semifinal. 

Diego Gonzalez-Talavera scored four goals with one assist against Central while Blick had a brace with two goals. Camilo Garcia and D'Ante Smith-Dilone both had a goal and an assist for the Chargers while additional assists were provided by Ayella and Del Real.

Gage Kindred-Noragon was in goal behind Valenzuela Kameron Ortiz, Navi Lopez, Martinez and Neko Juarez for the shutout.

Ortiz scored the game-winning goal against Hays on a corner kick from Del Real. Kindred-Noragon was in goal for a team effort in another shutout.

Gonzalez-Talavera was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament while Del Real and Valenzuela were named to the all-tournament team.

Eckert, Vikings claim titles in Seaman Invitational 

Elise Eckert carded a 74 to win the individual championship by five strokes in Thursday's Seaman Invitational girls golf tournament at Village Greens, leading the Vikings to the team championship by 22 strokes.

Elise Eckert, Seaman   

Eckert was a three-time Class 5A state medalist for Emporia before moving to Topeka for her senior year.

The Vikings won the team title with a four-person score of 328 as Makenna Stuke finished fourth with an 84 and Chloe Schmidtlein and Kaitlynn Frye both shot 85s to tie for fifth place.

Hayden senior Izzy Glotzbach finished second with a 79 while Wildcat senior Lauren Borjon was third with an 81 as Hayden finished third as a team.

Washburn Rural finished second in the team standings, with Lauren Cox tying for fifth individually with an 85 while Kailyn Petersen placed eighth (86), Briley Miles ninth (89) and Peyton Merrick 10th (90).

Hayden's volleyball team poses for a team picture after winning Saturday's Baldwin tournament and improving to 12-0 on the season. [Hayden volleyball]

Hayden volleyball rolls to Baldwin Invitational championship

Top-ranked (Classs 4A) Hayden is 12-0 on the season after capturing the championship in Saturday's Baldwin Invitational. 

Hayden finished third in 4A last season.

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

Shawnee Heights outlasted Topeka West in a wild romp Friday at Heights that saw 16 touchdowns and 111 total points scored. The T-Birds picked up their first victory of the season, 76-35 over the Chargers.

Senior quarterback Aiden Scott threw for three touchdowns and ran for two TDs in Shawnee Heights' 76-35 UKC win over Topeka West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Every time Shawnee Heights appeared to gain a commanding lead, the Chargers seemed to hit for a big play that kept the fires burning on both sides. The T-Birds continued to attack, even once reserves were inserted in the lineup. Eight different T-Birds found the end zone in the game.

“The whole sideline was going crazy as some of those guys who don’t get to play got out there,” senior quarterback Aiden Scott said. “Just seeing their faces light up when everyone scores. It’s amazing – our team atmosphere. We’re all for each other.”

David Wakes scored the first two touchdowns of the night in Shawnee Heights' 76-35 UKC win over Topeka West Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Shawnee Heights took a 22-0 lead in the first period. But the Chargers took to the air in the second period and made things interesting. Quarterback Josiah Wilkie directed a touchdown drive to cut the T-Bird lead to 22-8. Later in the quarter, Topeka West took advantage of an interception deep in Shawnee Heights territory to convert a second touchdown drive, making the score 28-14.

Shawnee Heights junior Christian Labrador scored two touchdowns, including a 50-yard interception return, in Shawnee Heights' 76-35 UKC win over Topeka West Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Shawnee Heights responded with 20 unanswered points in the final 3:16 of the period to go up 48-14 at the intermission. But even then, the Chargers didn’t fold. Wilkie hit on two long scoring passes to receiver Jayden Lindsay, and Nas Williams-Brown scored on a 72-yard scamper.

Shawnee Heights coach Jason Swift praised the Chargers for their effort, and said there was plenty for his team to like as well.  

“I saw a lot of kids get a chance to play,” Swift said. “We had some injuries coming into tonight. So, a lot of kids were, hey, this is your first night playing Friday night football. And I thought they did well. Did we make some mistakes? Yeah, we did. That’s part of being a kid. On Friday nights, the game goes a lot faster than it does on any other day. But our kids never quit. So, sure, we can improve on some stuff, but, you know, anytime you win a football game, it’s great.”

The T-Birds, who never punted, were only prevented from reaching the end zone on two possessions. Scott threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more.

For the Chargers, Wilkie completed 19 of 46 passes for 323 yards. Lindsay accounted for 155 yards receiving while Gad Munganga added 125 yards receiving.