Silver Lake EaglesBy RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural rode its dominance in the distance events and superior depth to a sweep of the team titles in Friday's Joe Schrag City Championship at Hummer Sports Park.
Rural posted a total of 16 event wins on the night (eight girls, eight boys) and had top-three finishes in 25 events (13 girls,12 boys) en route to a 216-135.5 win over Silver Lake for the Junior Blue girls and a 200-131 victory over the Eagle boys in the team standings.
Washburn Rural track had eight individual wins and 12 top-three finishes en route to the boys city championship Friday at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural track and field had eight individual wins and 12 top-three finishes en route to the boys city championship Friday at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"This is definitely the beginning of postseason and we want to perform well here at the city meet,'' Rural coach Keith Wetzel said. "We like to keep the city trophies in our case and use that to propel us into league and regional and state.
"We put an emphasis on this meet. We want to be the best in the city and we make it a goal that we want to continue to have success at this meet.''
Highlights for the Rural boys included a sweep of all three relays, along with wins in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters and second and third-place finishes in the 800.
Washburn Rural senior Brooks Kehoe won two gold medals and also posted a third-place finish in Friday's city meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Rural senior Brooks Kehoe won the 1,600 meters in 4 minutes, 26.64 seconds, teamed with Jackson Svaty, Everett Un and Christian Hartman-Babb to win the 4x400 relay (3:23.02) and posted a third-place finish in the 800 (2:00.51).
Hartman-Babb, a junior, won the 100-meter dash in 10.55 seconds before teaming with Paxton Johnson, Caleb Schwartz and Carter Frost to win the 4x100 (43.17) and ending the meet with the 4x400 victory.
Sophomore Henry Laubach won the city title in the 3,200 meters for team-champion Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Sophomore Henry Laubach turned in a dominating win in the 3,200 (9:32.10) while the Junior Blues also got wins from Luke Deering in the pole vault (11 feet, 6 inches), Zachary Hancock in the discus (153-0) and the team of Everett Un, Wesley Meek, Julius Wood-Nichols and Eli Replogle in the 4x800 (8:36.89).
Senior Emily Graf won the 1,600 and 800-meter runs in Friday's city track and field meet as Washburn Rural's girls won the team title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
On the girls side, Rural got a pair of individual wins from senior Emily Graf and junior Kailyn Petersen, with Graf winning the 1,600 (5:13.49) and the 800 (2:25.28) and Petersen winning the shot put (34-2) and discus (123-8) titles.
Rural's girls swept the throws and the distance races, with senior Morgan Ray winning the javelin title with a throw of 142-8 and senior Kenzie Maddox winning the 3,200 in 11:26.03.
The Junior Blues also picked up a win in the 4x800 relay (10:32.31) from the foursome of Quinn Nolte, Payton Rice, Morgan Munson and Clara Dillon while Natalie Ferguson finished first in the pole vault (8-0).
"It has been a solid day,'' Wetzel said. "We have some injuries so we've asked some people to step in, to fill in, to step up and we've been fortunate that they've done that for the most part and some young kids, both boys and girls have stepped in and given us a boost.''
Other top performances:
• Silver Lake, the smallest school in the field, turned in solid runnerup team finishes in both the girls and boys divisions.
The Eagle girls picked up three event wins and 11 top-three finishes while the Lake boys won a pair of events and placed top three in 13 of 18 events.
Silver Lake's Ali Gerber crosses the finish line for the win in the girls 4x400-meter relay in Friday's city meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Ali Gerber won the girls triple jump for the second straight season (34-10.25) and teamed with Kinley Weber, Jaiden Wise and Jaylie Whitehead for a win in the 4x400 relay (4:09.56), with Gerber running the anchor leg.
Addy Just notched the third win of the day for the Silver Lake girls in the long jump (16-9.25) while the boys got wins from Joel Miller in the 200 (22.65) and Bryson Burgos in the triple jump (40-7.50).
• Keimari Marshall and Marchayla White were both double individual champions for Topeka High's girls while Marshall also added a relay victory in her final city meet.
Marshall won the 100 (12.57) and 400 (59.07) and also ran on the Trojans' winning 4x100 relay (49.60) along with Kaeanna Copeland, Jayana Washington and Ciera Hartz.
White swept the girls hurdles titles, winning the 100-meter event in 17.74 seconds and the 300s in 51.34.
Seaman freshman Baylee Ayres cleared a personal-record 5-foot-5 to win the girls high jump in Friday's city meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Seaman freshman Baylee Ayres made an impressive city meet debut, winning the girls high jump with a personal-record jump of 5 feet, 5 inches, winning the event by five inches.
Seaman senior Brody Anderson won the city title in the boys 800 meters by six seconds in 1:53.65 Friday. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Brody Anderson continued his outstanding senior season for the Seaman boys, winning the 800 by more than six seconds in 1:53.65.
The Vikings also got victories from Kellan Parcaro in the 300 hurdles (43.14) and Jack Esser in the high jump (6-4).
• Other individual winners included Highland Park's Jurnee Cole in the girls 200 (26.32) and Rayshon Pollard in the boys long jump (20-5.25), Shawnee Heights' Jason Slay in the boys 400 (49.89), Heights' Amir Bass in the boys shot put (47-11), Hayden's Kelton Meier in the boys javelin (186-8) and Topeka High's De'sean Lunkins in the boys 110 hurdles (15.85).
JOE SCHRAG CITY CHAMPIONSHIP
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
BOYS
100 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 10.43
Malachi Murph, Topeka High 10.91
Israel Edmonds, Washburn Rural 11.02
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 11.04
Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High 11.15
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural
200 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 21.78
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 22.30
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 22.38
Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High 22.60
Courtney Sanders, Topeka High 22.66
400 METERS
Draden Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural 50.25
Jason Slay, Shawnee Heights 50.71
Joel Miller, Silver Lake 50.94
Xavier Fisher, Shawnee Heights 51.34
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 51.43
Brody Anderson, Seaman
800 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 1:53.37
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 1:56.64
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 1:59.62
Everett Un, Washburn Rural 2:03.26
Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights 2:03.30
1,600 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 4:08.2 (mile converted to meters)
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 4:20.32
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 4:24.35
Nick Newkirk, Hayden 4:33.03
Duke Graf, Washburn Rural 4:33.71
3,200 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 9:11.63
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 9:23.61
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural 9:24.34
Jaxson Adams, Washburn Rural 9:44.54
Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural 9:57.60
110-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 14.07
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 15.31
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 15.54
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 16.10
De'sean Lunkins, Topeka High 16.22
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural
300-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 37.61
Kellan Parcaro, Seaman 42.03
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 42.09
Colin Miller, Silver Lake 43.41
Michael Ruelas, Seaman 43.46
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 42.92
Seaman 43.27
Washburn Rural 43.27
Topeka High 43.52
Silver Lake 43.77
4x400-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 3:21.82
Shawnee Heights 3:24.59
Silver Lake 3:30.04
Seaman 3:35.19
Topeka High 3:35.43
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 8:21.93
Seaman 8:34.58
Silver Lake 8:57.48
Topeka High 9:09.82
Topeka West 9:29.28
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
With the city, United Kansas Conference, Class 5A regional and state meets coming up over the next four weeks, Seaman senior track star Brody Anderson and Viking distance coach Luke Wiens decided to limit Anderson to one event in Friday's Bob Camien/Claudia Welch Relays at Seaman.
Seaman senior Brody Anderson set a meet record in the boys 1,600 meters in Friday's Bob Camien/Claudia Welch Relays at Seaman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But Anderson made the most of that one race, setting a meet record in the boys 1,600 meters in a time of 4 minutes, 10.66 seconds.
"Coach Wiens and I were talking earlier this week and we just wanted to keep the mind in a good space,'' Anderson said. "I feel good enough to race. It's just you don't want to overdo it and make something feel bad going into championship season here next week.
"I want to run my best then and do what I can do and I don't want to jeopardize anything.''
Wamego's Peyton Parker stayed right with Anderson for the first half of Friday's race before Anderson took control over the final two laps to win in more than four seconds, with Parker second in 4:15.24.
"I could feel him on my hip behind me, which kind of pushed me,'' Anderson said. "I saw my splits afterwards and I somewhat got lazy on the backstretch and that's something I need to work on.
It's very fixable. I went into the last lap having so much left in me and I just closed pretty hard.''
Next up for Anderson, who ran a 4:06 mile in a recent showcase meet, is next Friday's Joe Schrag City Invitational at Hummer Sports Park.
Other meet highlights:
• Washburn Rural senior Brooks Kehoe and sophomore Henry Laubach, who helped lead the Junior Blues to the Class 6A state cross country championship last fall, posted a one-two finish in the boys 3,200 meters.
Kehoe won the event in 9 minutes, 23.61 seconds while Laubach was right behind in 9:24.34.
Rural's Colin Thiessen finished third in the 800 meters in 1:59.62.
Washburn Rural senior Morgan Ray won the girls javelin title in Friday's Bob Camien/Claudia Welch Relays at Seaman with a throw of 147-5. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
• Washburn Rural senior Morgan Ray, a 6A state runnerup as a junior, turned in a dominating victory in the girls javelin.
Ray won with a top throw of 147 feet, 5 inches, winning by more than 14 feet.
Ray's junior teammate, Kailyn Petersen, finished second in the discus at 122-9.
• Topeka High's girls 4 x100-meter relay team of Caeanna Copeland, Keimara Marshall, Jayanna Washington and Marchayla White finished third in a time of 50.18 seconds.
Washington also finished third in the long jump with a leap of 17-10.
• Washburn Rural junior sprinter Christian Hartman-Babb posted a third-place finish in the boys 200-meter dash, clocking a time of 21.81 seconds.
BOB CAMIEN/CLAUDIA WELCH SEAMAN RELAYS
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
GIRLS
100 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 12.46
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 12.60
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 12.72
Adriana Raub, Washburn Rural 12.75
Jaiden Wise, Silver Lake 12.83
200 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 26.11
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 26.81
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 26.82
Sofia Harper, Hayden 27.00
Julia Molleker, Seaman 27.23
400 METERS
Sofia Harper, Hayden 59.75
Ali Gerber, Silver Lake 60.07
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 60.34
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 61.03
Brynn Scheid, Seaman 62.93
800 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 2:20.86
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 2:23.63
Ryin Miller, Seaman 2:23.65
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 2:24.26
Clara Dillon, Washburn Rural 2:33.45
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural
1,600 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 5:14.21
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 5:17.54
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 5:26.49
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 5:28.35
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 5:39.04
3,200 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 11:06.46
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 11:36.26
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 11:36.97
Reese Beardslee, Washburn Rural 12:05.94
100-METER HURDLES
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 15.70
Rylee Dick, Rossville 16.77
Marchayla White, Topeka High 17.76
Ravaya Smith, Washburn Rural 18.88
Kennedy Gatewood, Seaman 19.13
300-METER HURDLES
Rylee Dick, Rossville 50.00
Journey Manhart, Silver Lake 54.13
Avery Villines, Seaman 55.36
Amy Hill, Silver Lake 56.03
Grace Funk, Hayden 56.44
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 50.77
Silver Lake 51.06
Washburn Rural 51.79
Seaman 52.03
Topeka West 52.33
4x400-METER RELAY
Silver Lake 4:11.03
Topeka High 4:13.96
Washburn Rural 4:18.21
Shawnee Heights 4:29.41
Seaman 4:31.03
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 10:47.80
Topeka High 11:13.01
Silver Lake 11:30.83
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
BOYS
100 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 10.43
Israel Edmonds, Washburn Rural 11.02
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 11.04
Josh Brown, Seaman 11.18
Malachi Murph, Topeka High 11.21
200 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 22.02
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 22.30
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 22.50
Courtney Sanders, Topeka High 22.68
JaVeon Alston, Shawnee Heights 23.13
Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High 23.15
400 METERS
Draden Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural 50.25
Jason Slay, Shawnee Heights 50.71
Xavier Fisher, Shawnee Heights 51.34
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 51.43
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 52.40
Brody Anderson, Seaman
800 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 1:53.37
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 1:56.64
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 1:59.69
Everett Un, Washburn Rural 2:03.26
Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights 2:03.30
1,600 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 4:09.65 (mile) 4:11.94 (1,600)
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 4:20.32
Nick Newkirk, Hayden 4:33.03
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 4:33.08
Duke Graf, Washburn Rural 4:38.83
3,200 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 9:11.63
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural 9:30.10
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 9:43.11
Jaxson Adams, Washburn Rural 9:54.63
Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural 9:57.60
110-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 14.07
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 15.43
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 15.54
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 16.10
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 16.41
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural
300-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 37.61
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 42.09
Kellan Parcaro, Seaman 42.36
Michael Ruelas, Seaman 43.46
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 43.71
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 42.98
Seaman 43.27
Washburn Rural 43.27
Topeka High 43.52
Silver Lake 44.07
4x400-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 3:21.82
Shawnee Heights 3:24.59
Silver Lake 3:32.89
Seaman 3:35.19
Topeka High 3:35.43
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 8:38.13
Seaman 8:50.45
Silver Lake 8:58.57
Topeka High 9:28.74
Topeka West 9:29.28
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
GIRLS
100 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 12.36
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 12.60
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 12.59
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 12.72
Adriana Raub, Washburn Rural 12.75
200 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 25.83
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 26.04
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 26.82
Ciera Hartz, Topeka High 26.48
Sofia Harper, Hayden 26.88
400 METERS
Sofia Harper, Hayden 59.75
Ali Gerber, Silver Lake 59.86
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 60.34
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 61.03
Brynn Scheid, Seaman 62.93
800 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 2:20.86
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 2:21.50
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 2:23.63
Ryin Miller, Seaman 2:23.65
Clara Dillon, Washburn Rural 2:33.45
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural
1,600 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 5:14.21
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 5:17.54
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 5:22.98
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 5:25.93
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 5:28.35
3,200 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 11:06.46
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 11:18.36
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 11:33.69
Reese Beardslee, Washburn Rural 12:02.15
100-METER HURDLES
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 15.70
Rylee Dick, Rossville 16.77
Marchayla White, Topeka High 17.76
Ravaya Smith, Washburn Rural 18.88
Kennedy Gatewood, Seaman 19.13
300-METER HURDLES
Rylee Dick, Rossville 50.00
Marchayla White, Topeka High 51.68
Journey Manhart, Silver Lake 53.33
Avery Villines, Seaman 55.36
Amy Hill, Silver Lake 56.03
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 50.18
Silver Lake 50.64
Washburn Rural 51.79
Seaman 52.03
Topeka West 52.33
4x400-METER RELAY
Topeka High 4:10.27
Silver Lake 4:11.03
Washburn Rural 4:15.62
Seaman 4:21.03
Shawnee Heights 4:28.06
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 10:12.53
Topeka High 10:59.98
Silver Lake 11:18.38
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
BOYS
100 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 10.43
Israel Edmonds, Washburn Rural 11.02
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 11.04
Malachi Murph, Topeka High 11.20
Josh Brown, Seaman 11.21
200 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 22.02
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 22.50
Courtney Sanders, Topeka High 22.68
JaVeon Alston, Shawnee Heights 23.13
Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High 23.15
400 METERS
Draden Chooncharoen, Washburn Rural 50.25
Jason Slay, Shawnee Heights 50.71
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 52.40
Thomas Fisher, Silver Lake 53.26
Joel Miller, Silver Lake 53.38
Brody Anderson, Seaman
800 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 1:55.43
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 1:59.69
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 2:01.36
Everett Un, Washburn Rural 2:03.26
Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights 2:03.30
1,600 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 4:09.65 (mile) 4:11.94 (1,600)
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 4:20.32
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 4:33.08
Duke Graf, Washburn Rural 4:38.83
Connor Baldwin, Hayden 4:39.00
3,200 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 9:27.73
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural 9:30.10
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 9:43.11
Jaxson Adams, Washburn Rural 9:54.63
Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural 9:57.60
110-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 14.07
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 15.43
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 15.54
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 16.10
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 16.44
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural
300-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 37.61
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 42.09
Kellan Parcaro, Seaman 42.36
Michael Ruelas, Seaman 43.46
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 43.79
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 42.98
Seaman 43.27
Topeka High 43.52
Washburn Rural 43.69
Silver Lake 44.07
4x400-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 3:21.82
Shawnee Heights 3:24.59
Silver Lake 3:33.24
Seaman 3:35.19
Topeka High 3:35.43
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 8:38.13
Seaman 8:50.45
Silver Lake 9:09.46
Topeka High 9:28.74
Topeka West 9:29.28
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
GIRLS
100 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 12.61
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 12.66
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 12.72
Adriana Raub, Washburn Rural 12.75
JaidenWise, Silver Lake 12.83
200 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 26.11
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 26.81
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 26.82
Sofia Harper, Hayden 27.00
Ciara Hartz, Topeka High 27.27
Adriana Raub, Washburn Rural 27.27
400 METERS
Ali Gerber, Silver Lake 60.23
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 61.03
Sofia Harper, Hayden 62.38
Clara Dillon, Washburn Rural 63.26
Brynn Scheid, Seaman 63.36
Ryan Miller, Seaman
800 METERS
Ryin Miller, Seaman 2:23.65
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 2:24.26
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 2:31.07
Clara Dillon, Washburn Rural 2:33.45
Hazel Rondash, Shawnee Heights 2:36.40
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural
1,600 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 5:14.21
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 5:24.46
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 5:26.49
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 5:28.35
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 5:39.04
3,200 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 11:06.46
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 11:36.26
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 11:36.97
Reese Beardslee, Washburn Rural 12:09.09
100-METER HURDLES
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake 16.14
Rylee Dick, Rossville 17.15
Marchayla White, Topeka High 17.76
Ravaya Smith, Washburn Rural 18.88
Kennedy Gatewood, Seaman 19.13
300-METER HURDLES
Rylee Dick, Rossville 50.00
Avery Villines, Seaman 55.36
Journey Manhart, Silver Lake 55.66
Grace Funk, Hayden 56.44
Kennedy Gatewood, Seaman 57.47
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 50.77
Silver Lake 51.19
Washburn Rural 51.92
Seaman 53.07
Topeka West 53.39
4x400-METER RELAY
Silver Lake 4:11.03
Topeka High 4:13.96
Washburn Rural 4:18.21
Shawnee Heights 4:29.41
Seaman 4:31.03
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 10:47.80
Topeka High 11:13.01
Silver Lake 11:38.44
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
GIRLS
100 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 12.61
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 12.72
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 12.85
Ciara Hartz, Topeka High 13.06
Adriana Raub, Washburn Rural 13.13
200 METERS
Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights 26.11
Jurnee Cole, Highland Park 26.81
Sofia Harper, Hayden 27.00
Ciara Hartz, Topeka High 27.27
Adriana Raub, Washburn Rural 27.27
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High
400 METERS
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High 61.03
Ali Gerber, Silver Lake 61.65
Sofia Harper, Hayden 62.38
Clara Dillon, Washburn Rural 63.26
Brynn Scheid, Seaman 63.36
Ryan Miller, Seaman
800 METERS
Ryin Miller, Seaman 2:23.65
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural 2:24.26
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 2:31.07
Clara Dillon, Washburn Rural 2:33.45
Hazel Rondash, Shawnee Heights 2:36.40
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural
1,600 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 5:14.21
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 5:24.46
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 5:26.49
Alyson Hink, Washburn Rural 5:28.35
Kinley Robinson, Seaman 5:39.04
3,200 METERS
Emily Graf, Washburn Rural 11:25.73
Brynn Spencer, Seaman 11:36.26
Kenzie Maddox, Washburn Rural 11:36.97
Reese Beardslee, Washburn Rural 12:09.09
100-METER HURDLES
Rylee Dick, Rossville 17.15
Marchayla White, Topeka High 17.76
Ravaya Smith, Washburn Rural 18.88
Kennedy Gatewood, Seaman 19.13
Alana Mitchell, Hayden 19.18
300-METER HURDLES
Rylee Dick, Rossville 50.00
Avery Villines, Seaman 55.36
Journey Manhart, Silver Lake 55.74
Grace Funk, Hayden 56.44
Kennedy Gatewood, Seaman 57.47
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 50.77
Silver Lake 51.19
Washburn Rural 52.33
Seaman 53.07
Topeka West 53.39
4x400-METER RELAY
Silver Lake 4:11.03
Topeka High 4:13.96
Washburn Rural 4:18.21
Shawnee Heights 4:29.41
Seaman 4:31.03
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 10:47.80
Topeka High 11:13.01
Silver Lake 12:15.82
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
BOYS
100 METERS
Malachi Murph, Topeka High 11.20
Josh Brown, Seaman 11.21
Quortay Hailey, Topeka High 11.30
Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High 11.31
Nas Williams-Brown, Topeka West 11.39
200 METERS
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 22.02
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 22.50
Courtney Sanders, Topeka High 22.68
JaVeon Alston, Shawnee Heights 23.13
Jonel Tibbs, Topeka High 23.15
400 METERS
Jason Slay, Shawnee Heights 50.71
Jayden Lindsey, Topeka West 52.40
Thomas Fisher, Silver Lake 53.26
Joel Miller, Silver Lake 53.38
Tyler Jakle, Washburn Rural 53.53
Brody Anderson, Seaman
800 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 1:55.43
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 2:01.36
Everett Un, Washburn Rural 2:03.26
Mason Haas, Shawnee Heights 2:03.30
Duke Graf, Washburn Rural 2:06.72
1,600 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 4:11.94
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 4:20.32
Cohen Thiessen, Washburn Rural 4:33.32
Connor Baldwin, Hayden 4:39.00
Nick Newkirk, Hayden 4:39.76
3,200 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 9:27.73
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural 9:30.10
Jaxson Adams, Washburn Rural 9:56.70
Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural 9:57.60
Max Esquibel, Seaman 10:20.82
110-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 14.32
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 15.43
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 15.54
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 16.44
Braxton Rupp, Silver Lake 16.60
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural
300-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 37.61
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 42.09
Kellan Parcaro, Seaman 42.36
Michael Ruelas, Seaman 43.46
Isiah Pennington, Seaman 43.79
4x100-METER RELAY
Topeka High 42.98
Seaman 43.27
Topeka High 43.52
Washburn Rural 44.02
Topeka West 44.21
4x400-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 3:21.82
Shawnee Heights 3:24.59
Silver Lake 3:33.24
Seaman 3:35.19
Topeka High 3:35.43
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 8:38.13
Seaman 8:50.45
Silver Lake 9:18.40
Topeka High 9:28.74
Topeka West 9:29.28
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
NOTE: Top.Sports.news will compile a weekly track and field honor roll for Shawnee County high schools throughout the 2026 season. Coaches are asked to email updated times and marks or any corrections to Rick Peterson at
BOYS
100 METERS
Peyton Holmes, Seaman 10.73
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 10.82
Evan Scheid, Silver Lake 11.13
Ben Roeder, Topeka High 11.17
Sean LeDuc, Washburn Rural 11.18
200 METERS
Bryce Cochran, Seaman 21.87
Jensen Schrickel, Hayden 21.92
Isaiah Terry, Washburn Rural 22.02
Evan Scheid, Silver Lake 22.22
Matthew Houser, Washburn Rural 22.37
Isaiah Terry, Washburn Rural
400 METERS
Isaiah Terry, Washburn Rural 48.20
Jensen Schrickel, Hayden 48.30
Bryce Cochran, Seaman 48.43
Liam Benz, Shawnee Heights 49.63
Ben Roeder, Topeka High 49.82
Brody Anderson, Seaman
800 METERS
Brody Anderson, Seaman 1:56.22
Mark Wilkie, Topeka West 1:57.23
Ben Buesing, Washburn Rural 1:58.87
Adrian Lehman, Topeka West 1:59.08
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 2:00.38
1,600 METERS
Adrian Lehman, Topeka West 4:18.07
Brody Anderson, Seaman 4:18.55
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 4:19.77
Mark Wilkie, Topeka West 4:21.37
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural 4:34.44
3,200 METERS
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural 9:16.96
Adrian Lehman, Topeka West 9:16.98
Brody Anderson, Seaman 9:34.99
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural 9:41.18
Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural 10:03.37
110-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 14.59
Christian Hartman-Babb, Washburn Rural 15.50
Desean Lunkins, Topeka High 15.80
Isaac Song, Shawnee Heights 15.84
Braylon Badger, Washburn Rural 15.93
300-METER HURDLES
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural 38.83
Braylon Badger, Washburn Rural 40.60
Isaac Song, Shawnee Heights 41.07
Michael Hurla, Seaman 41.29
Kellan Parcaro, Seaman 41.86
4x100-METER RELAY
Silver Lake 43.16
Seaman 43.48
Topeka High 43.48
Washburn Rural 43.49
Topeka West 44.50
4x400-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 3:17.38
Topeka West 3:24.56
Topeka High 3:24.64
Hayden 3:25.32
Seaman 3:26.21
4x800-METER RELAY
Washburn Rural 8:01.63
Shawnee Heights 8:31.70
Seaman 8:43.94
Topeka High 8:46.69
Silver Lake 8:54.17
HIGH JUMP
Jack Esser, Seaman 6-5
Blake Toyne, Seaman 6-2
Brooks Ballard, Washburn Rural 6-0
Bryson Burgos, Silver Lake 6-0
Cody Quy, Seaman 6-0
Rondell Harris, Hayden 6-0
Tad McGee, Seaman 6-0
Deondre Razzano, Silver Lake 6-0
Tyler Wedl, Shawnee Heights
POLE VAULT
Tyler Wedl, Shawnee Heights 12-6
Luke Deering, Washburn Rural 10-6
Desmond Grindol, Washburn Rural 9-6
Emery Kearney, Seaman 9-6
Caleb Schwartz, Washburn Rural 9-6
Quinton White, Seaman 9-6
Jensen Schrickel, Hayden
LONG JUMP
Jensen Schrickel, Hayden 22-7
Peyton Holmes, Seaman 22-6
Elijah Berg, Topeka West 21-8
Te'Vante Ewing, Topeka High 21-5
Rayshon Pollard, Highland Park 20-11
Ethan Surey, Washburn Rural 20-11
TRIPLE JUMP
Kaden Whitehurst, Seaman 42-8
Deondre Razzano, Silver Lake 42-5.5
Cody Quy, Seaman 41-11
Bryson Burgos, Silver Lake 41-8
Ethan Surey, Washburn Rural 40-7.50
SHOT PUT
Brogen Brown, Seaman 50-11
Amir Bass, Shawnee Heights 47-3.5
F. Anguiano, Hayden 44-10
Adrian Shuler, Shawnee Heights 44-9.5
Clayton Johnson, Seaman 44-5
DISCUS
Brogen Brown, Seaman 146-0
Myles Fisher, Silver Lake 144-5
Treyton Tetuan, Hayden 137-4
Samuel Scott, Washburn Rural 136-0
Zachary Hancock, Washburn Rural 135-11
JAVELIN
Kelton Meier, Hayden 162-5
Oliver Perez, Washburn Rural 155-2
Andre Johnson, Rossville 155-1
Jackson Haas, Hayden 153-7
Gabriel Taylor, Washburn Rural 148-10
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Four Shawnee County senior volleyball standouts have been selected to play in the 2026 Kansas Volleyball Association All-Star Match on June 6 at Washburn University's Whiting Fieldhouse.
Ella Foster, Hayden [File photo/TSN]
Avery Willey, Shawnee Heights [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake's Paige Heiman, Hayden's Ella Foster and Washburn Rural's Stella Kelly will play for the Red team while Shawnee Heights' Avery Willey will play for the Blue.
Paige Heiman, Silver Lake [Photo by KSHSAA Covered]
Stelly Kelly, Washburn Rural [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake captured the Class 3A state championship last fall while Hayden was the 4A runnerup and Washburn Rural advanced to the 6A state tournament.
The players selected were first nominated by their high school coaches (who must be KVA members), and then recommended by a committee to fill the squads based on achievements, positions, classifications, collegiate plans and availability.
Match time will be 5 p.m.
KVA ALL-STAR MATCH
BLUE
Carlie Pandjaris, Blue Valley West; Kyndal Moore, Ellinwood; Brooke Doile, McPherson; Cami Sher, Olathe West; Jadence Stewart, Greeley County; Avery Willey, Shawnee Heights; Ava Smith, Valley Heights; Jaden Goldberg, Blue Valley North; Emerson Waldren, Buhler; Reese Stuhlsatz, Garden Plain; Brynna Zoeller, Rock Creek; Emma Parker, Olathe Northwest.
Coaches -- Head: David Schuler, Jefferson County North. Assistants: Alli Snapp, Rock Creek; Nicole Jones, Manhattan.
RED
Ella Foster, Hayden; Arika Feldman, Little River; Olivia Nzioki, Mill Valley; Paige Heiman, Silver Lake; Regan Widener, Ellinwood; Ava Romero, McPherson; Jade Xu, Emporia; Hayden Meats, Gardner Edgerton; Katharine Engel, Halstead; Elyse Haxton, Ellsworth; Stella Kelly, Washburn Rural; Neely Leathers, Olathe West; Delaney Childs, Nickerson.
Coaches -- Head: Kristel Bontrager, Holton. Assistants: Amy Bott, Linn; Shannon Funk, Hays.
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
A wild ending to the second game of a doubleheader between the Silver Lake and Rossville softball teams produced a split at Rossville Monday night between the two rivals.
After Silver Lake won the opening contest 8-3, Rossville appeared to be in control throughout the second game but struggled to put the feisty Eagles away in the final inning.
Rossville scored six runs on seven hits in the bottom of the sixth inning to build what appeared to be an insurmountable 12-3 lead. But the Eagles refused to go quietly, scoring seven runs before the Bulldawgs were able to close out the 12-10 victory.
Rossville softball, celebrating a run during Monday's home doubleheader with Silver Lake, earned a split with a 12-10 second-game win. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Silver Lake rapped out eight hits in the top of the seventh and cut the deficit to just two runs. With runners on first and third, they appeared poised to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. But a smash deep into the outfield was snared by the Rossville fielder for the second out of the inning. Once the ball was in the infield, a throw to third base produced the final out on the Eagle runner who left the base on contact.
“I’m just glad we were able to hang on to get the win,” said Rossville coach John Nitsch following the nightcap. “The main thing is just to keep on fighting. I’m glad we scored enough the inning before to give us that cushion.
“The difference between this year and last year was we’d let games like that get away from us. But this year we’re able to fight back and get it.”
Rossville withstood four Silver Lake home runs and a triple in the second game by stringing together long rallies in the second and sixth innings. The Bulldawgs compiled 17 hits in the late game, all but one of which were singles.
The opening game loss to Silver Lake was Rossville’s first defeat of the season. The nightcap made the Bulldawgs 7-1 on the season.
“My biggest thing was I didn’t like how we competed in the first game,” said Nitsch, who recorded his 100th career victory earlier in the season. “We’ve got to show up to compete every pitch, every play, not extend innings by not making plays.”
Senior pitcher Riley Mohler picked up an 8-3 complete game first-game victory as Silver Lake and Rossville split Monday's doubleheader. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Silver Lake got a complete-game victory in the opener from pitcher Riley Mohler. The senior helped herself out with two big plays in the sixth inning, neither coming from her pitching arm.
Knotted at 3-3 in the top of the sixth, the pitcher stepped to the plate with runners on second and third. She cracked a drive to the opposite field that banged against the right field fence, plating both runners to take the lead.
“I personally love hitting. I know pitching is a big thing for me. I’ve been pitching for as long as I can remember,” Mohler said. “But once I sit in that box and I can hit, it really changes the game because I can affect the score and who wins.”
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
After falling 6-5 in game one, Silver Lake baseball responded in game two with a 13-12 victory over Big East League foe Nemaha Central Thursday at Silver Lake.
Eagle sophomore Jaxton Ross secured the win with a throw from left field to gun down the runner from second, halting a potential tie game in the nightcap.
“Jax is one of the hardest workers that we have,” Silver Lake coach Tyler Seele said. “He gets to practice early, stays late, he does all the right things and funny how it works, we had one of our starting outfielders out of town and this was his chance tonight. I'm very proud of him.
"Not even just the throw, all night he had good at bats, a couple RBI base hits and made a couple great plays in that first game in the outfield, a couple plays here in the outfield in that second game and then the throw was on the money. I'm super happy for him because he's earned that moment. I’m very proud of him.”
“When I saw the ball coming towards me, I knew it was my one time to make a play and I made it,” Ross said. “It felt really great, celebrated with all my teammates, it felt really good.”
Silver Lake jumped out to a 6-1 lead after three innings in game two. Dayne Johnson had a two RBI double in the bottom half of the first and the Eagles scratched across four more via the sac fly or scoring on passed balls.
But then the Thunder roared back to reclaim the lead 7-6 after a six-run fourth inning where Silver Lake made a pitching change to hopefully stop the bleeding a little bit, bringing in Miles Kibbe replacing starter Rylan Young.
Seele then made two pitching changes in the fifth but Nemaha Central mustered just one run, as Silver Lake struggled finding the strike zone in both games.
The Eagles rallied themselves in the bottom of the fifth, scoring five runs as senior Drew Womack brought in three of those five runs on a three-run double.
The Thunder wouldn’t go away, trimming their deficit to just one after a two-RBI double from Charlie Rottinghaus.
The Eagles responded and got those two runs back, Womack again in the clutch with a two-RBI double, pushing the score to 13-10. He also homered in game one to start the scoring for Silver Lake in that eventual loss. He finished with six RBI in game two.
Nemaha Central made it interesting again in the top of the seventh, scoring a run on a sac fly after beginning the inning with two singles.
With two outs, Kendal Berman, shot one into left field, one run scores making it 13-12 but Ross jumped to play the hop on the turf and threw a rocket to home plate on a bounce in time to tag the runner out at home to secure the win.
His teammates mobbed him by third base afterwards.
“Making the biggest play so far for our team and there’s nothing much that I could ask for except that big win,” Ross said.
“That game right there has kind of been a microcosm of our season so far,'' Seele said. "Our guys have been resilient all year. I think we have five wins now and all five of our wins we've been down at some point in the game. Our fight is great right now, we compete at the plate, we're very aggressive at the plate, we're going to get up there and swing it.
"There are a lot of things we have to clean up defensively so we don't get ourselves into those situations, but the one thing I am proud of was how we continue to battle in those up and down games. Really proud of how we battled and ultimately found a way to win.''
GAME 1
NEMAHA CENTRAL 6, SILVER LAKE 5
Nemaha Central 014 010 0 -- 6 7 1
Silver Lake 100 300 1 -- 5 4 1
W -- Macke L -- Ki. Kruger 2B – Nemaha Central: Haverkamp, Heinen. Silver Lake: Johnson
HR – Silver Lake: Womack.
GAME 2
SILVER LAKE 13, NEMAHA CENTRAL 12
Nemaha Central (4-2) 100 612 2 -- 12 9 1
Silver Lake (5-2) 231 052 x -- 13 15 1
W -- Womack L -- Rottinghaus. 2B -- Nemaha Central: Rottinghaus. Silver Lake: Johnson, Womack 2.
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Silver Lake softball team, Class 3A state runnersup the past two seasons, are looking to be a contender once again.
The Eagles improved to 7-1 on the season by blasting Big East League foe Nemaha Central in two run-rule-shortened games Thursday.
Sophomore Mariah Kortan had two doubles and a home run in Silver Lake's twinbill sweep over Nemaha Central. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
The Eagles rapped out 18 hits on the day, winning the doubleheader at Silver Lake 12-2 and 15-4.
“I feel like we went out and competed at the plate a little better today,” said Silver Lake coach Nick Hamilton. “We weren’t quite as timid as we’d been the last couple of days. When we get into tight spots, we’ve just got to be willing to play out of them and trust what we’re doing. Trust each other.
“The last couple of years, we’ve had some good hitting teams. I think (this year’s group) has caught on to what that secret is and they’re doing all right. A little more consistency would help, but we’re getting there.”
Senior Riley Mohler pitched a first-game four-hitter in Silver Lake's twinbill sweep over Nemaha Central. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Silver Lake got complete games from senior starting pitchers Riley Mohler and Paige Heiman. In the first game, Mohler permitted just four hits and struck out six batters. In the nightcap, Heiman surrendered six hits and struck out four.
“They’re both good in their own ways,” Silver Lake senior catcher Taylor Swygert, who caught both games, said of Mohler and Heiman. “They both have varieties and diversities when it comes to their strengths and weaknesses. So, they’re both really fun to work with and both really cool girls.”
In the first game, the Eagles took advantage of three Thunder errors in the second inning to grab an early lead and continued to add on. The Silver Lake offense rapped out four doubles in the game, two by sophomore Mariah Kortan. Swygert drove in four runs on two two-run singles.
Leading 7-2 in the bottom of the fifth, the floodgates opened on the Thunder. Five hits and two walks ballooned the score to 12-2, invoking the mercy rule.
In the second game, the Eagles hung a ‘9’ on the board in the second inning and a ‘5’ in the third. Saylor Liggett belted a triple with two runners on base in the second inning. A few batters later, Kortan blasted a three-run homer.
The Eagles have come up short in the past two 3A state championship tournaments, losing to Frontenac both times. Silver Lake graduated five seniors from the team that placed second in last year’s tournament.
Though this team is off to a hot start, Hamilton recognizes every year is different.
“They aren’t going to do it the same way we’ve done it the last two years. They’ve got to find their own way,” the coach said. “We’ve got some young girls, sophomores especially, stepping in to play some. It does help having some girls returning from last year’s state team because they have that experience. But it’s one of those things where we just go on to the next year, reload, and they know the expectations.”
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
JURNEE COLE, Highland Park
Cole, a senior, was one of the city's top sprinters last spring, ranking second in the 100-meter dash (12.75 seconds) and fifth in the 200 (26.68). An All-Shawnee County honorable mention pick in 2025, Cole opened her 2026 season in last Friday's Topeka High Invitational with second-place finishes in the 100 (12.72) and 200 (27.34) and a third in the 400 (66.88).
KARYS DEITER, Silver Lake
A sophomore state champion in volleyball and basketball for the Eagles, Deiter received All-Shawnee County first-team recognition last season after posting an eighth-place finish in the Class 3A state meet in the 100-meter hurdles in 16.74 seconds. Deiter ranked No. 3 in Shawnee County in the 100 dash and the 100 hurdles. Deiter also helped lead Silver Lake to the Class 3A volleyball title last fall and the state basketball championship this past season.
RYLEE DICK, Rossville
Dick, a senior, was an All-Shawnee County first-team selection last season after finishing eighth in Class 2A in the 100-meter hurdles in 16.77 seconds. Dick ranked fourth in Shawnee County in the 100 hurdles and third in the 300 hurdles. Dick was also a first-team all-county pick in basketball.
ALI GERBER, Silver Lake
A junior, Gerber, earned All-Shawnee County first-team honors in track last spring and was an all-county pick in cross country last fall. Gerber teamed with Ellen Doty, Jaylie Whitehead and Ella Bolan to finish sixth in the Class 3A 4x400-meter relay last spring in track and placed 35th in state cross country last fall. Gerber was a member of Silver Lake's 3A state championship 4x400 relay team in the 2024 state meet (4:06.64).
EMILY GRAF, Washburn Rural
An All-Shawnee County selection in both cross country and track, Graf teamed with then-seniors Rylee Ismert, Brooklyn Nolte and Payton Fink finished second in the Class 6A 4x800 relay (9:29.84) in the 2025 state track meet. A three-time first-team All-Shawnee County pick in cross country, Graf garnered the individual city title last fall before finishing eighth in the Centennial League, fifth in a 6A regional meet and 30th at state.
SOFIA HARPER, Hayden
Harper, a junior, is a three-time first-team All-Shawnee County pick in cross country and received all-county honorable in track last spring. Harper posted a seventh-place individual finish in the city cross country championships last fall, placed 16th in the Centennial League meet and 12th in Class 4A regional competition and was 44th at state. Harper opened her 2026 track season in Friday's Topeka High Inivitational with wins in the 200-meter dash (27.00) and 400 (62.39).
ALYSON HINCK, Washburn Rural
The Washburn Rural freshman was the individual runnerup in the city cross country meet for the team-champion Junior Blues and placed sixth in the Centennial League, eighth in Class 6A regional competition and a team-high 25th in the state meet.
KENZIE MADDOX, Washburn Rural
Maddox, a senior, is a two-time first-team All-Shawnee County pick in cross country and was an all-county first-team honoree in track last spring. Maddox finished fourth last fall in the city cross country meet before placing 14th in the Centennial League, 16th in a Class 6A regional and 49th in the 6A state meet.
Keimara Marshall, Topeka High
KEIMARA MARSHALL, Topeka High
A senior, Marshall has established herself as one of the area's top sprinters, earning first-team All-Shawnee County honors and sweeping the 100 and 200-meter dashes in the 2025 Joe Schrag City Championships. A former Class 6A state medalist, Marshall helped lead the Trojans to 6A state quarterfinals in basketball.
Ryin Miller, Seaman
RYIN MILLER, Seaman
Miller, who has been recovering from an injury that limited her to just one cross country meet last fall, has won five Class 5A state track titles over the past two seasons, sweeping the 3,200 meters in 10 minutes, 19.53 seconds, the 1,600 meters in 4:57.33 and the 800 in 2:11.14 in the 2025 state meet and adding a fourth state medal when she anchored the Vikings' 4x400 relay to a fourth-place finish (4:03.44). Miller made her 2026 debut Thursday with a win in the 800 at Washburn Rural.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Brody Anderson, Seaman
BRODY ANDERSON, Seaman
Seaman senior Brody Anderson placed third in the Class 5A 800 meters in 1 minute, 55.52 seconds last spring, earning All-Shawnee County first-team recognition. Also a three-time all-county pick and former 5A state medalist in cross country, Anderson opened his 2026 track season with a sweep of the 1,600 (4:22.82) and 3,200-meter runs (9:27.73) in Friday's Topeka High Invitational.
DRADEN CHOONCHAROEN, Washburn Rural
Chooncharoen, a senior, is a two-time Class 6A state champion, running on the Junior Blues' winning 4x400-meter relay team as a sophomore and a junior and earning a spot on the 2024 and 2025 All-Shawnee County first team. The Junior Blues set a 6A state meet record in the 4x4 last season, clocking a time of 3:16.23. Chooncharoen also helped lead Rural to the 6A state soccer championship last fall.
JACK ESSER, Seaman
A junior, Esser earned All-Shawnee County first-team honors last season after tying for fourth in the Class 5A high jump at 6-foot-2. Esser finished second in a 5A regional at 6-2 and won the city high jump championship with a personal-record jump of 6-5.
CHRISTIAN HARTMAN-BABB, Washburn Rural
Hartman-Babb, a junior, was a first-team All-Shawnee County pick last season after turning in a solid season for the city-champion Junior Blues in the sprints and high hurdles. Hartman-Babb ranked second in the county in both the 100-meter dash and the 110 hurdles in 2025.
Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural
BROOKS KEHOE, Washburn Rural
Kehoe, a senior, is a returning Class 6A state medalist, placing fifth in the 3,200 meters in 2025 in a time of 9:20.97 and earning All-Shawnee County first-team recognition. A three-time all-county pick in cross country, Kehoe helped lead the Junior Blues to the 6A state team title by a single point (100-101) over Blue Valley last fall. Kehoe won the Centennial League individual title and finished second in the city meet before posting a 25th-place finish at state.
Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural
HENRY LAUBACH, Washburn Rural
Laubach, a sophomore, had a breakout season as a freshman in both cross country and track before returning from an injury to help lead the Junior Blues to the Class 6A state cross country championship last fall by a 100-101 margin over Blue Valley. Laubach led Washburn Rural with a 22nd-place individual finish. Laubach is a two-time All-Shawnee County honoree in cross country and received honorable mention in track last spring.
KELTON MEIER, Hayden
A junior, Meier earned All-Shawnee County honorable mention last season after leading Shawnee County in the javelin. Meier was the city champion in 2025 and opened his 2026 season with an outstanding winning throw of 197 feet, 2 inches in Friday's Topeka High Invitational, winning the event by more than 49 feet. Meier is also a bowling standout for the Wildcats, placing sixth in Class 4A-1A with a 717 series.
JOEL MILLER, Silver Lake
Miller, a senior, earned a spot on the 2025 All-Shawnee County first team after teaming with then-seniors Trent Rollenhagen and Evan Scheid and then-junior Braxton Rupp to post a third-place finish in the Class 3A 4x100-meter relay in 42.57 seconds.
Liam Morrison, Washburn Rural
LIAM MORRISON, Washburn Rural
Morrison won the Class 6A championship in the 300-meter hurdles in 37.68 seconds before teaming with then-seniors Isaiah Terry and Matthew Houser and then-junior Draden Chooncharoen for a 6A meet-record time of 3:16.23 in the 4x400 relay. A three-time All-Shawnee County pick, Morrison also helped win the state 4x4 title as a sophomore in 2024. Morrison placed sixth in the 6A 110 hurdles (14.52) last spring.
BRAXTON RUPP, Silver Lake
A senior, Rupp earned a spot on the 2025 All-Shawnee County first team after teaming with then-seniors Trent Rollenhagen and Evan Scheid and then-junior Joel Miller to post a third-place finish in the Class 3A 4x100-meter relay in 42.57 seconds.
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
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 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
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
State tournament qualifiers Rossville and Silver Lake combined to put three players on the All-Big East League boys basketball first team.
Jack Donovan, Rossville
Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake
Jakoby McDonnell, Rossville
Rossville, a Class 2A state qualifier for the second straight season, is represented on the first team by seniors Jack Donovan and Jakoby McDonnell, while Silver Lake, third in 3A the past two seasons, put senior Dayne Johnson on the all-league first team.
The Bulldawgs put senior Cameron Miller on the all-league second team while Silver Lake junior Camden Kruger was a third-team all-league pick.
ALL-BIG EAST LEAGUE BOYS BASKETBALL
First team
Ben DeVader, sr., St. Marys; Jack Donovan, sr., Rossville; Dayne Johnson, sr., Silver Lake; Jakoby McDonnell, sr., Rossville; Braylen Siebenmorgen, jr., Hiawatha.
Second team
Houston Habiger, jr., Perry-Lecompton; Micah Lang, jr., Sabetha; Cameron Miller, sr., Rossville; Ethan Morton, sr., Hiawatha; Kalem Schmelzle, jr., Nemaha Central.
Third team
Landon Gilbert, jr., Royal Valley; Jace Hurla, jr., St. Marys; Camden Kruger, jr., Silver Lake; Jason Payne, sr., Jefferson West; Brody Schwinn, jr., Jefferson West.
Honorable mention
Davis Carson, sr., Riley County; Korben Fox, sr., Holton; Easton Graves, jr., Perry-Lecompton; Dash Hackett, jr., Jefferson West; Michael Jensen, sr., Hiawatha; Lane Kesler, sr., Hiawatha; Colby Krein, sr., Perry-Lecompton; Cole Menold, sr., Sabetha; Trystan Murata, sr., Royal Valley; Zach Sommer, sr., St. Marys.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Class 3A state champion Silver Lake and 2A state qualifier Rossville earned four of the five first-team spots on the All-Big East League girls basketball team.
Silver Lake, which captured its second 3A state title in three seasons Saturday in Hutchinson, put senior Kailyn Hanni and sophomore Karys Deiter on the All-Big East first team while Rossville, which dropped a tight 2A quarterfinal game to No. 1 seed Ellinwood, is represented by senior Rylee Dick and junior Nora Burdiek.
Kailyn Hanni, Silver Lake
Karys Deiter, Silver Lake
Nora Burdiek, Rossville
Rylee Dick, Rossville
Silver Lake junior Savanah Wende was a first-team all-league selection.
ALL-BIG EAST LEAGUE GIRLS BASKETBALL
First team
Nora Burdiek, jr., Rossville; Karys Deiter, so., Silver Lake; Rylee Dick, sr., Rossville; Kailyn Hanni, sr., Silver Lake; Kylie Nelson, jr., Hiawatha.
Second team
Macie Corcoran, jr., Perry-Lecompton; Emma Hermesch, jr., Nemaha Central; Audrey Holle, so., Riley County; Brenlee Koontz, fr., Jefferson West; KiWe Miller, so., Royal Valley.
Third team
Emmie Dean, so., Jefferson West; Addi Gutsch, fr., Riley County; Panno Wahwassuck, jr., Royal Valley; Savanah Wende, jr., Silver Lake; Michaela Williams, so., Hiawatha.
Honorable mention
Jadelynn Brees, jr., St. Marys; Rebekah Lassey, jr., Holton; Kennedy McKee, so., Nemaha Central;
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
HUTCHINSON -- By defeating Osage City 60-44 on Saturday in Hutchinson, the Silver Lake girls won their second title in three seasons and the eighth in school history.
Silver Lake senior star Kailyn Hanni celebrates at the end of Saturday's 60-44 win over Osage City in the Class 3A championship game. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Eagles built a 26-14 lead at the half, which they expanded to 40-29 after three periods.
But the Indians staged a comeback that saw the Silver Lake lead sliced to just five points, 55-50, with six minutes remaining. The Eagles defended, hit free throws and capitalized on a couple of runouts to shut down the Osage City rally.
After hitting just 8-15 from the line for three periods, Silver Lake was a perfect 10-10 in the fourth.
“In the postseason, you know you’re (facing) a good team,” Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter said. “They’re gonna make runs. We knew that they were going to get going. We knew we were gonna take a punch and we just needed to respond and play the next play.”
Porter’s star player, a senior who hardly ever makes mistakes, made one final blunder. As the final seconds ran off the clock Kailyn Hanni fired the ball high into the air and ran to embrace her teammates. The only problem was, the ball came down out of bounds with a second remaining.
“I got scared. I just threw the ball up. I didn’t know what I was doing,” Hanni laughed.
Silver Lake senior Kailyn Hanni holds the Class 3A championship Saturday in Hutchinson. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
She could afford to laugh. The Fort Hays State recruit scored 21 points, hit 11-13 from the line, collected nine rebounds, dished out seven assists and drew 11 fouls on Osage City defenders.
“I said, 'You had one more second and then you could have done that,' ” Porter said of Hanni. “She’s the most complete player that I’ve ever coached. Not just what she does with the ball and her command of the entire floor, but her ability to pass, her ability to score.”
Porter said Hanni demonstrated her leadership traits when she took command of the situation when Silver Lake fell behind 7-0 to Holcomb in the semifinal contest.
“When you have a player do that, it’s one thing for a coach to do it, but when you have a player that calms everybody down, she’s just an incredible leader, and incredible kid,” Porter said. “We’re gonna miss her next year, but we’re excited for what she has in store.”
In Hanni’s four years of varsity action at Silver Lake the Eagles finished fourth her freshman year, took first her sophomore year, and lost in the state final to Halstead by three points last year. She admitted that the pain of losing outweighs the thrill of winning.
“Last year, we felt it a lot worse, and so from that day on, we were grinding until this day,” Hanni said.
“Each state championship in its own is a special journey, a special ride,” said Porter, who won a state title at Royal Valley before coming to Silver Lake six years ago. “With this one, what made it so awesome is the fact of how close we came last year and we didn’t finish the job.
"That left a sour taste in our players’ mouths. And I knew looking in the eyes of our team tonight in the fourth quarter – we were going to get (Osage City’s) best shot in the fourth quarter – I could tell that we were gonna respond and finish the game.”
Sophomore Karys Deiter scored 19 points in Silver Lake's 60-44 win over Osage City Saturday in Hutchinson. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Silver Lake junior Savanah Wende scored 10 points in Saturday's 60-44 win over Osage City. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TNS]
Hanni scored just four points in the first half as Osage City focused on corralling her. Silver Lake sophomore Karys Deiter stepped up with 11 first-half points. Junior Savanah Wende also produced big baskets. Deiter and Wende finished with 19 and 10 points respectively.
“Karys has played a lot of basketball in her life and that experience, along with Kailyn, that pays dividends in a game like this,” Porter said. “She stepped up in a big way. We needed to have complimentary scoring tonight. It couldn’t just be Kailyn and Savanah (Wende). It’s got to be everybody, and it was really nice to see Karys step up.”
“I was really happy to see Savanah and Karys really come out on top in that first half. And then my coach was like ‘Ok, time to turn it on.’ And I was like ‘Ok, let’s go.’ ” Hanni said.
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
HUTCHINSON -- For the second year in a row, the Silver Lake boys basketball team rebounded from a disappointing semifinal defeat to bring home the third-place trophy from the Class 3A state tournament.
As he has so many times in his career, senior Dayne Johnson took over the game in the third period, leading the Eagles to a 61-45 win over defending 3A champion Hesston Friday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
Silver Lake boys basketball poses for a team picture after finishing third in Class 3A Friday in Hutchinson. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Silver Lake coach Shannon Kruger was proud of the way his team overcame a 57-43 loss to top-seeded Wichita Collegiate on Thursday.
“We knew we had a chance to be here and to finish in Hutch somewhere,” Kruger said. “Obviously, we wanted to be playing for the championship. We got beat by a really good Collegiate team. I thought last night we were right in there in the third quarter. They just made more plays than we did, and all credit to them.
“So, to be able to regroup less than 24 hours later, it’s a credit to the guys that we always talk about next play, one play at a time, one day at a time, and they epitomize it.”
Hesston, winners of four of the previous five 3A titles, had to put aside the devastation of a triple-overtime loss to Burlington in the semifinal round. They had to do so quickly, playing in the early afternoon on Friday after being on the court until after 10:30 p.m. the previous night.
Silver Lake jumped on the sleep-deprived Swathers early, but the Eagles’ lead quickly disappeared when they went to sleep for nearly six minutes in the second period. Silver Lake was fortunate that Hesston scored just five points during that interval.
Johnson closed the first half with highly contested bucket in the lane at the buzzer, putting Silver Lake back on top 25-24. Johnson would then score all of the Eagles’ next 12 points as they increased their lead to 37-28 over a five-minute stretch.
Silver Lake senior star Dayne Johnson hoists the Class 3A third-place trophy after Friday's win over Hesston. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
Johnson finished with 29 points, six rebounds and three assists. It was a fitting end to a brilliant career.
“He could have scored zero points and got zero rebounds, and he would still be obviously the best player statistically to ever come through Silver Lake,” Kruger said of the senior. “But for him to finish his career with an epic Dayne-type of performance, he just carried us. Everybody looks at the offense, but defensively he just does everything right.
“I don’t want to think about not having Dayne yet. I want to enjoy it one more day. Everybody knows how great of a player he is. But people that know him understand what a great kid he is. We’re just grateful he was with us for a while.”
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
HUTCHINSON -- The Silver Lake girls are in the Class 3A state title game for the third year in a row. The Eagles overcame a slow start to put away Holcomb in the semifinal round in Hutchinson Friday, 50-36.
The Eagles will face Osage City Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at the Hutchinson Sports Arena. The Indians advanced to the title game by knocking off last year’s champion, top-seeded Halstead, 44-39.
Silver Lake senior star Kailyn Hanni scored 17 points in Friday's 50-36 Class 3A semifinal win over Holcomb. [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake turnovers and some hot shooting by Holcomb put the Eagles in a quick hole on Friday. Silver Lake failed to score for the first two minutes and trailed 10-2 after nearly four minutes of action.
But Silver Lake got it in gear late in the period and reeled off a 16-0 run. By the end of the period, the slow start was all but forgotten.
Silver Lake sophomore Karys Deiter scored 13 points in Friday's Class 3A semifinal win over Holcomb. [File photo/TSN]
Sophomore Karys Deiter put a stamp on the end of the first quarter when she tipped a Holcomb pass in the air, dribbled up court and tossed in a runner from well beyond the 3-point line as the buzzer sounded. That dazzling play put the Eagles up 24-16.
“Credit to Holcomb. They came out ready to go, prepared,” said Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter. “We wanted to throw the first punch, and I think obviously they did. But I’m really happy with how our players responded.
“A lot of that (response) was fueled by our ball pressure. That’s something that we have to continue to utilize. I was really happy with the way we were able to get them sped up a little bit faster than they want to play. And then we finished in transition. When the ball goes in, it becomes a little easier game.”
Once the Eagles had the lead, they clamped down on Holcomb. The Longhorns could muster just five points in the second period, four more in the third period. Meanwhile, Silver Lake continued to add on, building a 43-25 lead at the end of three quarters.
“In the third and fourth quarter, we owned offensive rebounding,” Porter said. “We continued to hunt shots at the rim. We played the next play when our shots didn’t fall, and we stayed stable with our defensive stops.”
Porter complimented the rebounding and defensive efforts because it was not a particularly efficient day for the Eagles offensively. The team hit just 31 percent of its shots, just 22 percent from behind the arc. The Eagles did force 22 turnovers and scored 13 fastbreak points to Holcomb’s two.
“You’re going to go through scoring droughts, and you’ve got to have confidence to get a stop every time,” Porter said. “I’m proud of the way that we handled a little challenge on the offensive end.”
Class 3A is playing the state tournament without a shot clock. Silver Lake went five minutes of the fourth period without scoring, but it burned precious time that Holcomb needed if it were to mount a comeback.
“When we’re up 18, the only way they can win the game is to increase the number of possessions. So, we didn’t necessarily want to hold the ball, but we wanted to make sure and run some clock off and find a space to get to the rim and score,” Porter said. “I guess it may look like we’re holding it, but really we’re just trying to hunt the right player with the right shot.
“I’m excited about transitioning to the shot clock, but right now we have to play the game the way the rules are.”
Kailyn Hanni led the Eagles with 17 points, followed by Deiter with 13 and Savanah Wende with 11.
Silver Lake graduated a host of players from its 2024 state title run. Senior Paige Heiman provided support from the bench that year. She was a starter on last year’s team that was heartbroken by its 48-45 loss to Halstead in the championship game. She and Hanni are the Eagles’ two seniors who experienced both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
“That (2024 season), we had some really great seniors, so it was great to watch them and see how they set the tone,” Heiman said. “It was fun to be on the bench and be excited, but now this year, to have a chance to win it is just awesome.”
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
SALINA -- Silver Lake boys basketball coach Shannnn Kruger said a couple of times after Tuesday's game that the Eagles' performance was not a pretty one by any stretch and described it as a grind it out type of game.
And the Eagles did just that, knocking off Holcomb 47-37 at the Tony's Pizza Event Center to advance to the Class 3A semifinal.
Silver Lake senior Dayne Johnson scored a game-high 16 points in Tuesday's 47-37 win over Holcomb. [File photo/TSN]
“I prefer the ball to go into the basket,” Kruger said with a smile. “What we can control is our defensive effort and attention to detail and we talk about let’s not hope they miss, let's try to make a miss.
"Obviously I'd love to see great defense for us and us play a little more fluid offensively, but a game like that it was sure it was ugly, but we're okay with that.''
“I don’t think we played our best offensive game by far, but we always make our main focus defense and I thought we worked our butts off on defense, on the boards,'' said Silver Lake senior standout Dayne Johnson, who led all scorers with 16 points. "That means when you have a bad offensive game you still stay in the game and win.”
The Longhorns began the game on a quick 5-0 run but Silver Lake went on its own 10-2 run thanks to senior Drew Womack converted two and-one opportunities as the Eagles led by three (10-7).
After Silver Lake went up five (12-7), Holcomb called a timeout with 1:27 left in the quarter. The Longhorns then scored five straight and ended the quarter tied, 12-12.
The second quarter featured both teams struggling to get baskets, combining for just 10 points.
Johnson was quiet in the first half, scoring six points, four in the second quarter and Womack had eight and ended with that total.
Silver Lake took the lead at the half in the low scoring affair, 18-16.
The third quarter was much the same as the first half.
Johnson, who sank 8-10 free throws, helped the Eagles to a 20-19 lead and then Johnson ended an eight-minute field goal drought for Silver Lake with 3:42 left in the third quarter, putting the Eagles up, 22-19.
The Eagles took a seven point lead (29-22) heading into the fourth quarter, thanks to a Camden Kruger buzzer beating jumper in the paint.
Silver Lake scored seven straight to go up 12 (36-24) looking to be in the driver seat until the Longhorns went on a 7-2 run, and Silver Lake called a timeout with 4:02 left in the game.
After that, the Eagles went on another field goal drought but their clutch free throws kept them ahead and took home the victory. Silver Lake went 20-26 from the charity stripe in the game.
“(Free throws) and rebounding were huge for sure,” Shannon Kruger said.
“We always attack the bucket,'' Johnson said. "We’re not afraid of contact and when they call the calls we get to the line and knock them down.''
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- No. 2 seed Silver Lake never trailed in Wednesday's Class 3A girls quarterfinal against Hesston at White Auditorium after scoring the first six points of the night.
But the 26-1 Eagles had to fight off multiple Swather runs before finishing off a 54-45 win to advance to Friday's 3:30 p.m. semifinal at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
Silver Lake senior Kailyn Hanni (4) scored 29 points with six steals in Wednesday's 54-45 Class 3A quarterfinal win over Hesston Wednesday at White Auditorium. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"Huge credit to Hesston,'' Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter said. "They're a great basketball team and I think they played up to their potential tonight. They played at a really high level, especially their bigs, their young bigs. They did a great job.
"The first half I felt like we were about ready to break it open and then they went on that run in the second quarter to finish it. They did a much better job of trying to play through their bigs the third quarter. We got in foul trouble and we had to adapt and improvise there and we were able to take their best punch and then throw one of our own and finish the game out. I'm super proud of our team.''
Silver Lake, which is in the 3A Final Four for the fifth straight season, including a state title in 2024 and a runnerup finish a year ago, will face No. 3 seed Holcomb (25-2) on Friday after the Longhorns advanced with a 45-32 quarterfinal win over Ellsworth.
Silver Lake led 15-9 at the end of the opening quarter after a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from sophomore Karys Deiter and went up 27-13 after a traditional three-point play from Eagle senior star Kailyn Hanni.
But Hesston ended the half with an 8-1 run to cut its deficit to 28-21 and after falling behind 36-23 at the 5:35 mark of the third quarter the Swathers put together a 16-3 rally to tie the game at 39 with 6:16 remaining.
Silver Lake junior Savanah Wende reacts after hitting a big 3-pointer in Wednesday's 54-45 Class 3A quarterfinal win over Hesston at White Auditorium. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The tie lasted just 21 seconds, however, with junior Savanah Wende draining a 3-pointer to give Silver Lake a 42-39 advantage, part of a 10-2 Eagle run that put them back in control.
Hanni connected on three of four free throws over the final 49.6 seconds, closing out a game-high 29-point performance while hitting 11 of 16 free throws and coming up with six steals.
Silver Lake sophomore Karys Deiter had nine points, seven rebounds and four steals in Wednesday's 54-45 Class 3A quarterfinal win over Hesston at White Auditorium. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Deiter added nine points with seven rebounds and four steals as Silver Lake forced 26 Hesston turnovers, while Wende had seven points with a pair of 3-pointers.
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
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 RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Hayden senior 190-pound wrestling star Jude Krentz capped his high school career with a runnerup Class 4A state finish Saturday at the Tony's Pizza Events Center in Salina.
A two-time state medalist, Hayden senior Jude Krentz posted a runnerup Class 4A state finish at 190 pounds Saturday in Salina. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Krentz, fourth in the state tournament as a junior, advanced to his first state championship match before dropping a 9-1 major decision to Columbus junior Mason O'Banion to finish a 40-4 season. O'Banion improved to 44-2 on the year.
Hayden junior Caleb Menke posted a fourth-place Class 4A state finish at 175 pounds Saturday in Salina. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Wildcat junior Caleb Menke also earned a state medal, finishing fourth at 175 pounds.
Menke (41-5) dropped a 6-2 decision to Labette County junior Aaron Wyrick (43-6) in the third-place match.
Krentz and Menke helped Hayden finish 13th in 4A with 40 points while Tonganoxie won the state team title with 152 points.
Rossville sophomore Nora Mitchell (left) finished second at 105 pounds in Saturday's Class 3A-1A state meet at Hays. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
Rossville's Nora Mitchell second in 3A-1A
Rossville sophomore Nora Mitchell finished second in the Class 3A-1A 105-pound division Saturday at Hays, finishing off a 37-12 season.
Mitchell dropped an 8-3 decision to Wichita County senior Jentri Porter, who completed a perfect 34-0 season.
Bulldawg junior Madelyn Wonnell captured her second straight state medal, finishing third at 145 pounds.
Wonnell (38-6) pinned Osage City sophomore KayLynn Nicholson (32-7) at the 3:19 mark of the second period.
Silver Lake had four state medalists, with Eagle junior Kamiryn Clark (27-11) finishing fourth at 100 pounds, freshman Ally Burgos (29-16) fifth at 140 pounds, senior MaKayla Connor (33-8) fifth at 155 and junior Riley Mohler (27-11) sixth at 125 pounds.
Silver Lake finished fifth as a team with 67 points while Rossville placed 10th with 45.4 points.
Russell won the state team championship with 156 points.
Silver Lake senior Paxton Willett (top) finished second at 190 pounds in Saturday's Class 3A-1A state meet at Hays. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
Eagles' Paxton Willett earns runnerup finish in 3A-1A
Silver Lake senior Paxton Willett advanced to the Class 3A-1A boys state championship match at 190 pounds Saturday in Hays, posting a second-place finish.
Willett, who posted a 41-11 record on the season, dropped a heartbreaking 9-8 decision to Atchison County junior Elijah Webb (40-8) in the state final.
Silver Lake had three other wrestlers earn state medals, with senior 120-pounder Bryce Cormier (33-10) posting a third-place finish while junior 175-pounder Kayden Clelland (35-8) and sophomore 285-pounder Carter Spreer both placed fifth.
Silver Lake finished ninth with 73.5 points.
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
At the 2:02 mark of the second quarter Thursday night, Silver Lake senior Dayne Johnson drove to the bucket down the left baseline and drew a foul, needing just one more point to pass the legendary Lon Kruger for the Silver Lake all-time scoring record that’s been held for 56 years at 1,636.
Senior Dayne Johnson (2) poses for a picture with his teammates after becoming Silver Lake's career scoring leader Thursday night. [Photo by Vince Lovergine/TSN]
After making the first of two free throws, Johnson surpassed Kruger at 1,637 on the way to a 24-point night as Silver Lake routed Maranatha Academy 65-25 in a Class 3A sub-state quarterfinal.
The game was paused and there was a rousing ovation for Johnson as he waved to the crowd and the student section several times with a big smile on his face.
Not to mention, before he passed Lon Kruger, he passed his own coach, Shannon Kruger, who was No. 2 on the list at 1,511 before the season began.
“It’s awesome,'' Johnson said. "I had my eyes on it a little bit, but I couldn’t have been here without my teammates and coaches. It’s awesome how good this school is to officially be the leader.”
Johnson said he knew it was a realistic goal about 10 games in, and if he did get close, he wanted to break the record on his home court. He chuckled and said he was mad that he didn’t break the record on and-one, but he said a free throw is just as good.
“He can score at every level,” Kruger said. “When we knew the next bucket was the record-setter and then he got fouled and us coaches joked like, ‘Well, this is what makes him really good too.’ He gets to the free throw line, not only does he get there, he makes most of them. He’s so hard to guard.”
Kruger said athletes like Johnson don’t come around too often, and he’s grateful to be a part of his journey.
“He’s a special kid,” Kruger said. “You have to do a lot of the other things right to get the opportunity to play enough to score that many. He does everything right.
"He’s the hardest worker. We’re doing a defensive or rebounding drill, he’s going full speed every time even though he’s a senior and he knows he’s the dude, you wouldn’t be able to tell that in practice. He fits in the best way you can.”
Kruger had a minor speech after the game congratulating Johnson as the crowd overheard and he called Johnson the GOAT.
“The record stood for 56 years and there've been a lot of good players that have come through during that time and no one else has the record so how is he not the GOAT?” Kruger said with a smile.
“He (Shannon) was a great player and Hall of Famer at Washburn, so it means a lot coming from a guy like him,” Johnson said.
Johnson scored 10 of the first 18 points in the first quarter as the Eagles punched their ticket to the semifinals with the 40-point win.
After the game Silver Lake played an audio message of Lon Kruger congratulating Johnson on his accomplishment and he got the game ball and all of his teammates signed it after.
"It was awesome,'' Johnson said. "He was an awesome player and probably better than I was, NBA coach, college coach. It’s cool that he still gives back to the community and still cares about Silver Lake where he came from.''
From the get-go Thursday, the Eagles couldn’t miss from anywhere.
Junior Camden Kruger, who scored eight points, started the scoring with a triple and the rout was on. The Eagles started on a 9-0 run and pushed it to 12-3 after a Joel Miller trey. Miller ended with nine points.
Johnson converted an and-one making it 18-3 and Silver Lake led 23-3 after one.
The Eagles held Maranatha to just five points in the half and Silver Lake led 41-5 going into halftime.
It was more of the same in the third quarter, as Miller and Johnson hit a three apiece, bringing the advantage to 47-9 and the Eagles led 59-19 at the end of the third 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 TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Following a Silver Lake score that gave the Eagles a 50-49 lead, Rossville senior Jakoby McDonnell drove the length of the floor and dropped a driving jumper at the buzzer for a thrilling 51-50 finish in a rivalry known for thrilling finishes.
Senior Jakoby McDonnell (0) scored the game-winning basket at the buzzer Tuesday night, giving Rossville a 51-50 win over rival Silver Lake. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]]
Rossville has seen Silver Lake senior Dayne Johnson hit so many big buckets over the years, it could have wilted when Johnson scored and was fouled with 8.7 seconds remaining. Johnson’s basket tied the game at 49-49. His free throw could have been the final nail in the Rossville coffin.
The play Rossville coach Brandon McDonnell drew up faltered, so his son Jakoby was forced to improvise.
“We were supposed to run a play that we added in for times like that, but I guess we were a little antsy. We weren’t ready,” Jakoby McDonnell said. “So, at that point, with just (a few) seconds left, you just got to go down the court and get to the basket, either make it or get fouled. I knew once I saw a little bit of space I was going to get downhill and try to get fouled or get the basket.”
McDonnell slipped through the right side of the Silver Lake defense and bounced off the chest of a defender as his shot went off the glass and in at the final horn.
“That play broke down from what I called,” Brandon McDonnell said, explaining that not all the Rossville players heard the play call. “And I’ve always told the boys ‘I have full confidence in you. If it breaks down, you have to turn into a basketball player quickly.' Jakoby got downhill, he saw an opening, went into (the defender), finished hard and finished strong.”
Rossville, ranked ninth in Class 2A, avenged a disappointing December loss at Silver Lake. The Bulldawgs improved to 13-6, 7-4 in the Big East League. Coach McDonnell praised the rivalry with Silver Lake.
“That’s what you’ve got to love about playing Silver Lake as a whole,” the Rossville coach said. “It brings good energy. You want good basketball like that, and that’s what came out tonight.”
“This was a very big win for us seniors,” Jakoby McDonnell added. “We didn’t want to go out our last time playing them on a loss, especially with Senior Night and the whole town being here. It was just great for the Rossville community.”
Johnson has been a thorn in the Bulldawgs’ side for years. He finished with 20 points, but Rossville utilized a special defense to try to keep Johnson from taking over the game. Brandon McDonnell called the defense “amoeba,” which he described as a zone with a lot of shifting and checkoffs and which put the Bulldawgs in good position to rebound.
Senior Jack Donovan scored 12 points to tie for team-high honors in Rossville's 51-50 win over rival Silver Lake. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Both teams’ defensive strategies slowed the pace and stifled the other team’s number one scorer – Johnson for Silver Lake and Jack Donovan for Rossville. Coming off a 40-point outburst last Friday, Donovan was held to 12 points.
“To be honest, I was so engaged in the game that when the buzzer went off in the second quarter, I thought it was the end of the first quarter,” Brandon McDonnell said. “The score was 18 to 19. I’m looking at the score saying ‘Ok, let’s go for the second quarter.’
“That’s the way it was on both ends. They put us in a little press to slow us down because we like to get up and down the court. And for us, we knew that, hey, Dayne is very good. We can’t do much with him when we’re doing a man-on-man action. So, we have to throw a little amoeba at them, try to make him pass the ball as much as possible.”
Senior Dayne Johnson scored a game-high 20 points in Silver Lake's 51-50 loss to Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The strategy worked, barely. Johnson finished with 20 points, but on 8-20 shooting. The Eagles relied on some big three-point shots to stay in the game. Camden Kruger and Joel Miller each dropped three three-pointers. All three of Miller’s triples came in a three-minute stretch late in the fourth period.
The loss was Silver Lake’s first in Big East play. The Eagles dropped to 15-5, 9-1 in the league.
ROSSVILLE BOYS 51, SILVER LAKE 50
Silver Lake 9 9 16 16 -- 50
Rossville 15 4 15 17 -- 51
Silver Lake (15-5, 9-1) – Kruger 3-9 0-0 9, Johnson 8-20 4-4 20, Rooks 1-6 0-0 3, Bergman 1-5 0-0 2, Miller 3-8 0-0 9, Womack 1-3 0-0 2, Kraus 2-6 0-0 5, VanVactor 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 19-57 4-4 50.
Rossville (13-6, 7-4) – McDonnell 6-13 0-0 12, Donovan 5-11 2-2 12, Bush 1-2 0-0 2, Miller 4-6 0-0 10, Johnson 3-4 1-2 7, Horgan 2-3 0-0 6, Lewis 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 22-40 3-4 51.
3-point goals – Silver Lake 8 (Kruger 3, Miller 3, Rooks 1, Kraus 1), Rossville 4 (Miller 2, Horgan 2). Total fouls – Silver Lake 8, Rossville 7. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – None.
By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Silver Lake girls, ranked atop the Class 3A field statewide, bolted to a 9-0 lead and never looked back at Rossville Tuesday, steamrolling the Lady Dawgs, 71-31.
Junior Savanah Wende scored a game-high 25 points with five three-pointers in Silver Lake's 71-31 win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Junior Savanah Wende dropped in five three-pointers and scored 25 points to lead Silver Lake. She scored 10 points in the first period, which saw the Lady Eagles take a commanding 23-9 advantage.
Silver Lake increased its lead to 41-20 at halftime. The Lady Eagles then outscored Rossvile 25-8 in the third period to put the game away.
“I’m really proud of our effort over the 32 minutes,” said Silver Lake coach Kyle Porter. “Especially because last time we played (against Rossville), in the third quarter, we let them go on a little run, made the game much closer. I’m really happy with our approach in the third and fourth quarter.”
Senior Kailyn Hanni scored 23 points in Silver Lake's 71-31 win over Rossville Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Silver Lake senior Kailyn Hanni scored 23 points, and sophomore Karys Deiter added 16 in support of Wende’s 25.
“Savanah, when she’s on, she just adds another dimension,” Porter said. “We’re going to need her to score and to hit open threes for us. She’s a player who always thinks the next shot is going in and I think you saw that tonight.”
“I feel like we’ve been playing great together lately, and I’m just trusting in my teammates and they got me the ball tonight, so props to everyone, really,” Wende said. “I feel like when I get hot, I just bring a positive energy that my teammates build upon to just make them better.”
Senior Rylee Dick scored 16 points in Rossville's 71-31 win loss to Silver Lake Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Rossville was frustrated into 12-43 shooting by the Silver Lake defense. Rylee Dick and Nora Burdiek combined for 26 points for the Lady Dawgs, but did so on just 10-36 shooting.
“Defensively, we played really connected, being able to do some things to limit (Burdiek) and (Dick),” Porter said. “I really want to credit Paige Heiman’s defense in the post and then Kylie Hanni, what we asked her to do with post doubles was phenomenal in taking away (Burdiek). Those are two unsung players that deserve a lot of credit for tonight.”
Silver Lake improved to 19-1, 10-0 in the Big East League with three games remaining in the regular season.
SILVER LAKE GIRLS 71, ROSSVILLE 31
Silver Lake 23 18 25 5 -- 71
Rossville 9 11 8 3 -- 31
Silver Lake (19-1, 10-0) – Ka. Hanni 9-17 4-4 23, Heiman 1-1 0-0 2, Ky. Hanni 0-3 0-0 0, Deiter 5-12 6-8 16, Wende 9-16 2-2 25, Thompson 0-0 1-2 1, Erb 1-1 0-0 2, May 0-1 0-0 0, Gerber 0-0 0-0 0, Erb 0-0 0-0 0, Eisenbarth 1-1 0-0 2, Tamaat 0-0 0-0 0, Wise 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 26-52 13-16 71.
Rossville (11-9, 4-7) – Dick R. 6-23 2-4 16, M. Sanders 0-1 1-2 1, Mitchell 0-0 0-0 0, Burdiek 4-13 1-4 10, Miller 2-4 0-0 4, E. Sanders 0-0 0-0 0, Bunck 0-0 0-0 0, Perine 0-0 0-0 0, Miller 0-2 0-0 0, Hubbell 0-0 0-0 0, Donovan 0-0 0-0 0, P. Dick 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 12-43 4-10 31.
3-point goals – Silver Lake 6 (Wende 5, Ka. Hanni 1), Rossville 3 (Dick 2, Burdiek 1). Total fouls – Silver Lake 7, Rossville 11. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.
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
Hayden and Rossville's boys and the Silver Lake girls got their midseason tournament week off to a good start with Tuesday night wins.
Senior Cameron Miller scored 23 points in Rossville's 63-54 win over Jefferson West Tuesday night in the Valley Falls tournament. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden's boys opened the Baldwin Invitational with a 62-39 win over Wellsville while Rossville's boys topped Jefferson West 63-54 in the first round of the Valley Falls Invitational and the top-ranked (Class 3A) Silver Lake girls rolled to a 61-28 win over Paola in the quarterfinals of the Burlington Invitational.
Hayden took control of its first game in the round-robin Baldwin event with a 23-4 first quarter and led by a commanding 43-12 halftime margin over Wellsville.
The Wildcats will play Bishop Seabury, a 64-35 first-round loser to Baldwin, at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Rossville advanced to the Valley Falls Invitational semifinals on Friday with Tuesday's win over Jeff West as senior Cameron Miller scored 23 points, Jakoby McDonnell 16 and Jack Donovan 13 against the Tigers.
The Bulldawgs will face Christ Prep at 6 p.m. Thursday.
The undefeated Silver Lake girls rolled past Paola 61-28 to set up a 3:30 p.m. Thursday semifinal against Girard.
Silver Lake's boys dropped an 82-69 quarterfinal Burlington Invitational decision to Paol, falling to 8-3 on the season.
The Eagles will play an 8:15 p.m. consolation game on Thursday against Girard, a 53-27 first-round loser to Sabetha.
Cair Paravel Latin's girls dropped a 54-41 first-round decision to Lyndon in the Flint Hills League Tournament at Emporia's White Auditorium.
Cair Paravel led 14-8 at the end of the first quarter and 25-21 at the half before Lyndon took control with an 18-6 third quarter.
KellyAnn Chada led the Lions with 14 points while London Backman added 11 points and Karsyn Hastert 9.
CPLS will face West Franklin at 3 p.m. Friday.
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
The Rossville girls and Cair Paravel Latin boys basketball teams got tournament week off to a rousing start with a pair of big wins on Monday.
Rossville opened its girls title bid in the Jefferson County North Invitational with a 60-22 first-round win over the tournament hosts while Cair Paravel's boys rolled to a 64-30 first-round win over West Franklin in the Flint Hills League tournament at Emporia's White Auditorium.
Senior Rylee Dick scored 27 points Monday against JCN to move into the No. 3 spot on Rossville's all-time scoring list. [File photo/TSN]
Lady Bulldawg senior Rylee Dick scored 27 points in Rossville's win over JCN, moving into the No. 3 spot on Rossville's career scoring list with 1,281 points.
Rossville junior Nora Burdiek added 23 points as the Bulldawgs advanced to a 6 p.m. semifinal on Wednesday.
Cair Paravel's boys, playing West Franklin for the second straight game, took control early with a 19-7 first quarter before opening up a 39-16 halftime advantage.
Blaine Durbin led Cair Paravel with 17 points while Lucas Marichal added 14 points and Caleb Cleverson 13 with three 3-pointers.
Now 9-2 on the season, CPLS will play a semifinal at 7:30 p.m. Thursday against Lyndon.
Other area tournament pairings:
TOPEKA INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
BOYS
At Highland Park
Thursday
3:30 p.m. -- Topeka High vs. Shawnee Mission East.
5 -- Lansing vs. Shawnee Mission North.
6:30 -- Topeka West vs. St. Thomas Aquinas.
8 -- Highland Park vs. Wichita Northwest.
Friday
3:30 p.m. -- Topeka High-SM East loser vs. Lansing-SM North loser.
5 -- Topeka West-St. Thomas Aquinas loser vs. High-Wichita Northwest loser.
6:30 -- Topeka High-East winner vs. Lansing-SM North winner.
8 -- Topeka West-St. Thomas Aquinas winner vs. Highland Park-Wichita Northwest winner.
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Fifth place (main gym); Seventh place (South gym).
11:30 -- Third place.
1 p.m. -- Championship.
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Christian Ulsaker's Topeka West Chargers are the No. 1 city seed for this week's Topeka Invitational Tournament at Highland Park. [File photo/TSN]Lansing (3-6) and Shawnee Mission North (6-3) are on the same side of the bracket with Topeka High and SM North and will play a first-round game at 5 p.m.
The Topeka High- SM East winner will face the Lansing-SM North winner in a 6:30 p.m. semifinal on Friday.
Topeka West, 8-2 entering a Tuesday United Kansas Conference home game against Basehor-Linwood, will open its tournament bid at 6:30 p.m. Thursday against St. Thomas Aquinas (3-8).
Host Highland Park (3-7) will close out the first round at 8 p.m. Thursday against Wichita Northwest (5-6), with the Highland Park-Northwest winner advancing to an 8 p.m. semifinal on Friday to face the Topeka West-Aquinas winner.
The tournament will conclude on Saturday, starting with the seventh and fifth-place games at 10 a.m. in separate gyms, followed by the third-place game at 11:30 and the championship contest at 1 p.m.
TOPEKA INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
At Highland Park
Thursday
3:30 p.m. -- Topeka High vs. Shawnee Mission East.
5 -- Lansing vs. Shawnee Mission North.
6:30 -- Topeka West vs. St. Thomas Aquinas.
8 -- Highland Park vs. Wichita Northwest.
Friday
3:30 p.m. -- Topeka High-SM East loser vs. Lansing-SM North loser.
5 -- Topeka West-St. Thomas Aquinas loser vs. High-Wichita Northwest loser.
6:30 -- Topeka High-East winner vs. Lansing-SM North winner.
8 -- Topeka West-St. Thomas Aquinas winner vs. Highland Park-Wichita Northwest winner.
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Fifth place (main gym); Seventh place (South gym).
11:30 -- Third place.
1 p.m. -- Championship.
Hayden boys to compete at Baldwin
Hayden, 4-8 on the season, will compete in the four-school Baldwin Invitational round-robin event this week, opening its tournament bid at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday against Wellsville (5-5).
The Wildcats will play Bishop Seabury (7-2) at 5:30 Friday and will wrap things up 2:30 p.m. Saturday against host Baldwin (9-2).
BALDWIN INVITATIONAL
Tuesday
5:30 p.m. -- Hayden vs. Wellsville.
7 -- Baldwin vs. Bishop Seabury.
Friday
5:30 p.m. -- Hayden vs. Bishop Seabury.
7 -- Baldwin vs. Wellsville.
Saturday
1 p.m. -- Wellsville vs. Bishop Seabury.
2:30 p.m. -- Hayden vs. Baldwin.
Rural boys headed to Pittsburg
Washburn Rural (7-3) will compete this week in the Bill Hanson Memorial Tournament at Pittsburg, opening with a 4 p.m. first-round game on Thursday against Branson, Mo. in Pittsburg's secondary gym.
Also on Rural's side of the tournament bracket are Olathe North and Willard, Mo., who will play at 7 p.m. Thursday.
On the other side of the bracket Webster Groves, Mo. will face Joplin, Mo. and host Pittsburg will take on Wichita West.
The Rural-Branson winner will play the Olathe North-Willard winner in a 4:30 p.m. semifinal on Friday.
The place games will be played on Saturday, capped by the championship game at 2:30 p.m.
BILL HANSON MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
At Pittsburg
Thursday
4 p.m. -- Washburn Rural vs. Branson, Mo. (Mallatt gym).
5:30 -- Webster Groves, Mo. vs. Joplin, Mo. (main gym).
7 -- Olathe North vs. Willard, Mo. (Mallatt gym).
8:30 -- Pittsburg. vs. Wichita West (main gym).
Friday
3 -- Consolation semifinal (Mallatt gym).
4:30 p.m. -- Washburn Rural-Branson winner vs. Olathe North-Willard winner (main gym);
6 -- Consolation semifinal (Mallatt gym).
7:30 -- Pittsburg-Wichita West winner vs. Webster Grove-Joplin winner (main gym).
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Seventh place (Mallatt gym).
11:30 -- Third place (main gym)
1 p.m. -- Fifth place (Mallatt gym).
2:30 p.m. -- Championship game (main gym).
T-Bird boys to compete in Viking Classic
Shawnee Heights, now 7-4, will open competition in the Shawnee Mission West Viking Classic with a 7:30 p.m. Thursday quarterfinal against Blue Valley North (4-4).
Shawnee Heights is coming off a 70-62 non-league road win at Gardner-Edgerton on Saturday.
The T-Birds trailed 35-33 at the half against the Trailblazers but took control with a 20-10 third quarter.
The Shawnee Heights-BV North winner will advance to a 7:30 semifinal on Friday to take on the first-round winner between Glendale, Mo. and Shawnee Mission West.
On the other side of the bracket Andover Central will play Louisburg in the first round and Raymore-Peculiar, Mo. will play Aurora, Mo.
The place games will be played on Saturday, with the title game set for 3 p.m.
SHAWNEE MISSION WEST VIKING CLASSIC
Thursday
3 p.m. -- Andover Central vs. Louisburg, 3 p.m.
4:30 -- Raymore-Peculiar, Mo. vs. Aurora, Mo.
6 -- Glendale, Mo. vs. SM West.
7:30 -- Blue Valley North. vs. Shawnee Heights.
Friday
3 p.m. -- Andover Central-Louisburg loser vs. Raymore-Peculiar, Mo.-Aurora, Mo. loser.
4:30 -- Glendale, Mo.-SM West loser vs Blue Valley North-Shawnee Heights loser.
6 -- Andover Central-Louisburg winner vs. Raymore-Peculiar, Mo.-Aurora, Mo. winner.
7:30 -- Glendale, Mo.-SM West winner vs. Blue Valley North-Shawnee Heights winner.
Saturday
10 a.m. -- Seventh place.
11:30 -- Fifth place.
1 p.m. -- Third place.
2:30 -- Championship game.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Led by junior individual runnerups Brodye Kocher-Munoz and Jadyn Baum, Washburn Rural boys wrestling captured the team championship Saturday in the 34-school Newton Tournament of Champions by two points over the host Railers, 167.5-165.5.
Washburn Rural boys wrestling won the team championship in the 34-school Newton Tournament of Champions on Saturday. [Photo by Washburn Rural Athletics]
B. Kocher-Munoz, now 20-7 on the season, placed second at 150 pounds, dropping a 7-2 decision to Andale's Tristen Cox in the championship match while Baum, 18-4, finished second at 215 pounds, falling 4-0 to undefeated Cooper Reves in the final.
Rural's Josh Hogan was named the coach of the year.
Washburn Rural had six wrestlers place in the top five, with senior 138-pounder Cooper Stivers (26-6) finishing third, , senior 120-pounder Ryder Harrison (16-5) and senior Landen Kocher-Munoz (23-4) both posting fourth-place finishes and sophomore 285-pounder Kaiden Marshall (6-7) finishing fifth.
Seaman placed 21st as a team with 59.5 points, led by seventh-place 157-pounder Brennen Bowers and eighth-place finishers Deegan Frazier at 150 pounds and Henry Reichart at 285 pounds.
Host Trojans win Topeka Invitational championship
Topeka High won the team title in Saturday's 12-school home tournament, out-distancing Summit Christian Academy by a 171-147 margin as five Trojans earned individual titles.
High got titles from freshman 106-pounder Royal Newman (10-1), junior 113-pounder Jose Gomez (11-3), senior 120-pounder Luis Morones (12-2), senior 157-pounder Jordan Stiner (14-3) and senior 165-pounder Rehabiah Williamson (16-3).
The Trojans got a second-place finish from junior 132-pounder Asher Filbeck (13-6) while senior 144-pounder Michael Weatherly and senior 150-pounder Brandon Blancas (15-4) posted third-place finishes.
Highland Park got a third-place finish from senior 132-pounder Samuel Portlock (10-3) while Topeka West got a third-place finish from senior 215-pounder Cortez McCutcheon (20-2).
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park senior girls basketball standout Koralee Jones registered a quadruple-double in Tuesday's 68-10 home Meadowlark Conference victory over Kansas City-Sumner.
Highland Park senior Koralee Jones registered a quadruple-double in Tuesday's 68-10 Meadowlark Conference win over Kansas City-Sumner. [File photo/TSN]
Jones scored 22 points with 13 rebounds, 10 steals and 10 assists as Highland Park improved to 3-5 overall and 3-1 in the conference.
Highland Park officials said that they have been told that based on available records and news reports there are no verified instances of a previous Kansas high school girls player officially recording a quadruple-double although there have been several near-misses.
The Scots will be back in action Thursday, playing a non-league game at Shawnee Heights before hosting KC-Harmon on Friday in a Meadowlark Conference contest.
Hayden star junior bowler Kelton Meier opened his 2026 season on Tuesday with a 785 series, including a 300 game. [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
Hayden's Meier bowls perfect 300 game
Hayden junior Kelton Meier, who helped the Wildcats win a Class 4A-1A state bowling championship to end the 2025 season, opened '26 with a spectacular performance on Tuesday in the Hayden quadrangular at Gage Bowl, rolling a 785 series, including a perfect 300 game in his final game of the day.
Meier opened his series with a 227 and rolled a 258 in the second game before achieving perfection in the third game.
Andrew Lee added a 611 series, Reece Renyer a 585, Ashton Litke a 562 and Jason Ahlstedt a 530 as Hayden claimed the team crown over Centennial League foe Manhattan.
Hayden's girls finished second to Manhattan, with Emily Peterson leading the Wildcats with a 457 series.
Manhattan's Cortlynn Millington won the girls individual title with a 720 series, including a 279 game.
Sabres top Highland Park boys
Kansas City-Sumner's boys improved to 5-5 overall and 3-2 in the Meadowlark Conference with a 73-52 Tuesday night road win at Highland Park.
The Scots fell to 2-6 overall and 2-2 in the conference.
Highland Park will play a non-league game at Shawnee Heights on Thursday before hosting KC-Harmon in a Meadowlark contest on Friday.
Seaman girls fall to De Soto in UKC tilt
Coming off a 23-point United Kansas Conference win at Topeka West a night earlier, the No. 10-ranked (Class 5A) Seaman girls dropped a 52-38 home UKC decision to De Soto on Wednesday.
The Vikings trailed the Wildcats 15-7 at the end of the opening quarter and 26-17 at the half.
Seaman got back in the hunt with a 17-13 third quarter but the Wildcats closed with a 13-3 fourth stanza, pulling away at the free throw line.
Senior Maddie Gragg led the Vikings (6-3 overall, 6-2 UKC) with nine points while sophomore Claire Puvogel added eight points and Cara Beaton, Lydia Dreher and Brynn Spencer seven points apiece.
Maddie Leis led De Soto with 20 points.
Seaman will be back at home Friday to host UKC foe Leavenworth.
Lion boys protect Flint Hills lead with win over Osage City
Cair Paravel boys basketball improved to 7-2 overall and a perfect 5-0 in the Flint Hills League with a 51-40 home win over Osage City Tuesday night.
The Lions jumped out to a 13-8 first-quarter lead and led 27-15 at the half.
Osage City used an 18-7 third quarter to get within a point before the Lions closed things out with a 17-7 fourth quarter.
"Huge league win against an extremely talented and well-coached Osage City team,'' CPLS coach Chip Kueffer said in a text.
Senior Lucas Marichal led Cair Paravel with 16 points while Chase Hastert added 13 points and Blaine Durbin 11.
The Lions will travel to West Franklin on Friday.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TUESDAY'S GAMES
Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, Topeka High
Hailey Schmidtlein, Hayden
TOPEKA HIGH (3-5, 0-1 Centennial) at HAYDEN (8-2, 2-0 Centennial)
Hayden is coming off a 38-35 Centennial League win at Washburn Rural last Friday while Topeka High had its three-game winning streak snapped by league foe Manhattan, 67-55. Sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein led Hayden with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, against Rural while senior Lauren Borjon added 8 points with a pair of 3s. Junior Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton led Topeka High with 21 points against Manhattan while sophomore Hailey Caryl added 17 points with three 3-pointers.
SEAMAN (5-2, 5-1 Centennial) at TOPEKA WEST (1-7, 0-6 Centennial)
Seaman is coming off a 54-12 United Kansas Conference win over Lansing last Friday while Topeka West dropped a 69-36 conference decision at Basehor-Linwood. Junior Brynn Spencer led Seaman with 15 points against Lansing while Baylee Ayres and Lydia Dreher added 10 points. Seaman took a 45-26 win over Topeka West on Dec. 12. The Chargers will be looking to snap a seven-game losing streak.
Koralee Jones, Highland Park
KANSAS CITY-SUMNER (2-6, 2-4 Meadowlark) at HIGHLAND PARK (2-5, 1-2 Meadowlark)
Highland Park dropped a 66-42 Meadowlark Conference decision to Atchison last Friday while KC-Sumner is coming off a 76-7 loss to KC-Wyandotte. Koralee Jones and Zayah Kincaid paced Highland Park with 14 points apiece against Atchison, with Kincaid draining three 3-pointers.
PIPER (6-2, 5-0 UKC) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (6-3, 5-1 UKC)
Shawnee Heights rolled to a 53-22 United Kansas Conference win over Leavenworth last Friday while league-leading Piper is coming off a 69-34 non-league loss to Blue Valley Northwest. T-Bird senior Imani McGlory scored 18 points with four 3-pointers against Leavenworth while juniors Pearmella Carter and KK Emmot scored 12 and 10 points, respectively. Piper handed Shawnee Heights its lone UKC loss on Dec. 9, 50-45.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TUESDAY'S GAMES
Connor Hanika, Hayden
Bryson McComas, Topeka High
TOPEKA HIGH (4-4, 0-1) at HAYDEN (3-7, 0-2)
Both the Trojans and Wildcats will be looking to bounce back from Friday night losses, with Topeka High dropping a 70-63 home Centennial League decision to Manhattan and Hayden dropping its second straight league game, a 79-62 decision at Washburn Rural. Mar'saun Redmond led Topeka High with 16 points against Manhattan while Jalen Aldridge and Bryson McComas added 14 points apiece. Carter Compton scored 20 points for Hayden against Washburn Rural while Connor Hanika added 15 points.
KaeVon Bonner, Seaman
Gad Munganga, Topeka West
SEAMAN (6-1, 5-1) at TOPEKA WEST (7-1, 6-0)
No. 2-ranked (Class 5A) Topeka West will host No. 5 Seaman in a key United Kansas Conference matchup. Seaman senior star KaeVon Bonner is coming off a 42-point performance in Friday's 65-46 UKC win at Lansing while Landon Wiltz added 10 points and Griffin Zuniga 9. West is coming off a 56-45 conference win at Basehor-Linwood, with senior guard Gad Munganga pacing the Chargers with 14 points, including four 3-pointers. Senior Keimani Paul added 12 points and junior Prince Lassiter 10.
JoJo Kingcannon, Highland Park
KANSAS CITY-SUMNER (4-5, 2-2) at HIGHLAND PARK (2-5, 2-1)
Highland Park played No. 2-ranked (Class 4A) Atchison tough in a 57-51 Meadowlark Conference home loss Friday night. Junior JoJo Kingcannon led the Scots with 18 points. Highland Park will be facing a KC-Sumner team that is coming off a 59-40 Meadowlark loss to KC-Wyandotte, a team Highland Park beat earlier in the season.
PIPER (5-3, 3-2) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (4-4, 3-3)
Shawnee Heights jumped out to a 35-5 halftime lead on the way to a 60-24 home United Kansas Conference win last Friday while Piper is coming off a non-league loss to Lincon Prep, Mo. Freshman Quincy Dixon led the T-Birds with 19 points while junior Cam Ross added 18 points and senior Ja'Veon Alston 13.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Six Shawnee County senior football standouts, who all earned spots on TopSports.news' 2025 All-Shawnee County football team, have been invited to play for the East in the 2026 Kansas Shrine Bowl, which will be played on June 27 at Emporia State's Welch Stadium.
Invited to play in the Shrine Bowl are Seaman's Cameron Brian, Washburn Rural's Brody Haas, Rossville's Andre Johnson, Silver Lake's Dayne Johnson, Hayden's Kade Mitchell and Highland Park's Tremaine Savage.
Rossville coach Derick Hammes was named earlier to serve as an assistant coach for the East.
Here's a look at the six local Shrine Bowl picks:
Cameron Brian, Seaman
CAMERON BRIAN, Seaman
A 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior linebacker, Brian was one of six All-Shawnee County Top 22 repeat picks and received All-United Kansas Conference first-team honors for the second straight season. Brian was in on 111 total tackles this past fall with eight tackles for loss, three sacks, one pass interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
BRODY HAAS, Washburn Rural
A 5-foot-11, 195-pound senior linebacker, Haas registered 114 total tackles with 80 solo stops for the 6-4 Junior Blues. Haas recorded 14 tackles for loss with a sack and had two pass interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, while forcing two fumbles and recovering two fumbles and recording eight quarterback pressures.
Andre Johnson, Rossville
ANDRE JOHNSON, Rossville
A 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior fullback/linebacker, Johnson moved up to the All-Shawnee County Top 22 this past season after being a Second 22 pick as a junior. Johnson was in on 133 tackles for the 11-Bulldawgs (74 solo), with two tackles for loss, one sack and one interception. Offensively, Johnson carried the ball 58 times for 365 yards. Johnson was a second-team All-Big East League pick on defense.
Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake
DAYNE JOHNSON, Silver Lake
Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound senior wide receiver/defensive back, was an All-Shawnee County Top 22 repeat selection in 2025 after catching 75 passes for 1,053 yards and eight touchdowns and registering 59 tackles with two pass interceptions. Johnson earned first-team All-Big East League recognition on offense and second-team honors on defense this past fall.
Kade Mitchell, Hayden
KADE MITCHELL, Hayden
Mitchell, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound senior running back/defensive back, was an All-Shawnee County Top 22 repeat pick this past season and was named the Shawnee County co-offensive player of the year. Mitchell carried the ball 106 times for 1,003 yards, caught 23 passes for 471 yards and scored 22 total touchdowns this season for the 12-1 Wildcats while being in on 34 tackles and compiling 372 kickoff and punt return yards as Hayden advanced to its third straight Class 3A title game..
Tremaine Savage, Highland Park
TREMAINE SAVAGE, Highland Park
Savage, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior wide receiver/defensive back, was named the Meadowlark Conference co-defensive player of the year in 2025 after helping lead Highland Park to a 5-1 on-field record and a conference championship. Savage averaged 6.6 tackles per game and registered 15 pass breakups. Offensively, Savage caught six passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns, earning second-team all-conference honors at receiver.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman senior star KaeVon Bonner scored 42 points Friday night as the No. 5-ranked Vikings rolled to a 65-46 United Kansas Conference road victory over Lansing.
Senior KaeVon Bonner scored a career-high 42 points in Friday's 65-46 UKC win over Lansing. [File photo/TSN]
Bonner, who recently surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career, scored 15 points in the first quarter, followed by seven points in the second quarter, 11 in the third and nine points in the fourth quarter as Seaman improved to 6-1 overall and 5-1 in the UKC.
Seaman jumped out to an 18-8 first-quarter advantage and led 30-16 at the half. The Vikings were still in front by 14 points (48-34) at the end of the third quarter and outscored the Lions 17-12 over the final eight minutes to close out the 19-point win.
The Vikings got 10 points from senior Landon Wiltz and 9 from senior Griffin Zuniga.
Seaman will play a UKC game at Topeka West on Tuesday. The Chargers handed the Vikings their only loss on Dec. 12.
Lady Vikes bounce back with 54-12 UKC rout
After having their four-game winning streak snapped by St. James Academy on Wednesday, Seaman's girls got back on the winning track with a 54-12 United Kansas Conference win at Lansing Friday night.
Now 5-2 overall and 5-1 in the conference, Seaman got 15 points from junior Brynn Spencer, 10 points apiece from sophomore Lydia Dreher and freshman Baylee Ayres and 7 from senior Maddie Gragg, who had 20 points in Wednesday's game against St. James.
The Vikings will play a UKC game at Topeka West on Tuesday. Seaman took a home win over the Chargers on Dec. 12.
Gad Munganga, Topeka West
West boys take 11-point road win over Bobcats
Topeka West ended its three-game week with a 56-45 road United Kansas Conference road victory at Basehor-Linwood Friday night.
After suffering its first loss of the season Monday night at Free State (53-49), the Chargers beat Leavenworth 74-47 on Tuesday before Friday's win that improved West to 7-1 on the season and a perfect 6-0 in the UKC.
Senior Gad Munganga paced Topeka West with 14 points, including four 3-pointers, while senior Keimani Paul added 12 points and junior Prince Lassiter 10 points. Seniors Jay'Veon Traylor and Malakyah Duncan added 9 points apiece for the Chargers.
West led 16-12 after one quarter and 33-24 at the half before the Bobcats cut their deficit to 40-37 at the start of the fourth quarter. The Chargers closed out the win by doubling up the hosts 16-8 in the fourth stanza.
The Chargers will be back at home Tuesday to host city and UKC rival Seaman.
Lucas Marichal, Cair Paravel
Lion boys improve to 6-2 with 50-45 Flint Hills League victory
Cair Paravel Latin's boys improved to 6-2 overall and 4-0 in the Flint Hills League Friday night with a 50-45 league road win over Mission Valley.
Cair Paravel, which has posted three straight wins, got 16 points from senior Lucas Marichal, 15 from senior Drew Fay and 9 points from sophomore Chase Hastert.
Mission Valley (3-6, 1-4) rallied from a 29-22 halftime deficit to take a 37-35 lead into the fourth quarter and the game was tied late before the Lions pulled out the win.
Keegan Hoelting led Mission Valley with 16 points.
Cair Paravel will host Osage City in a Flint Hills League game on Tuesday.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
FRIDAY'S GAMES
HAYDEN (7-2, 1-0 Centennial) at WASHBURN RURAL (5-2, 1-0 Centennial)
Both defending champion Hayden and perennial Class 6A contender Washburn Rural won their Centennial League openers on Tuesday. The Wildcats took a 53-37 home win over Emporia as sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein scored 14 points and sophomore Blakely Walter 10. The Junior Blues went on the road to beat Junction City, 68-32. Hayden is ranked No. 7 in Class 4A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association and Rural is No. 10 in 6A. Washburn Rural will be playing its third game of the week, dropping a 50-35 non-league decision to Olathe North on Monday.
Ahsieyrhuajh Rayton, Topeka High
MANHATTAN (5-2, 0-0 Centennial) at TOPEKA HIGH (3-4, 0-0 Centennial)
Topeka High picked up its third straight win on Tuesday, taking a 65-41 non-league road win at Lawrence as junior Ahysieyrhuajh Rayton scored 29 points, senior Keimara Marshall 15 and senior Trish Short 13. High sophomore Hailey Caryl contributed 8 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists against the Lions. Manhattan is coming off its second loss of the season, dropping a 58-45 non-league decision to Hays.
ATCHISON (3-6, 3-0 Meadowlark) at HIGHLAND PARK (2-4, 1-1 Meadowlark)
Highland Park picked up a Meadowlark Conference forfeit win over Kansas City-Schlagle on Tuesday while Atchison edged KC-Wyandotte in a conference contest, 42-41. Highland Park played Wyandotte earlier in the season, with the Bulldogs taking a 68-52 victory over the Scots.
Pearmella Carter, Shawnee Heights
LEAVENWORTH (4-2, 1-2 UKC) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (5-3, 4-1 UKC)
Shawnee Heights stretched its winning streak to four games on Tuesday, with the T-Birds taking a 64-46 home United Kansas Conference win over De Soto. Junior Pearmella Carter led Heights with 19 points while juniors Sami Baum and Imani McGlory scoring 15 and 13 points, respectively. Leavenworth is coming off a 49-35 home UKC win over Topeka West.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
FRIDAY'S GAMES
Connor Hanika, Hayden
HAYDEN (3-6, 0-1) at WASHBURN RURAL (6-2, 1-0)
Washburn Rural opened defense of its Centennial League championship Tuesday with a 50-45 road win over Junction City, imporoving to 6-2 on the season. Senior Kieffer O'Connor led the Junior Blues with 16 points while senior Simon Rowley added 11. Hayden will be looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking 59-56 home Centennial League loss to Emporia. Senior Connor Hanika scored a game-high 22 points for the Wildcats while junior Carter Compton added 12 points.
Bryson McComas, Topeka High
MANHATTAN (6-1, 0-0) at TOPEKA HIGH (4-3, 0-0)
Topeka High climbed above the .500 level with a 66-65 nailbiter on the road Tuesday night at Lawrence. Friday's game will be the Centennial League opener for both Topeka High and Manhattan. The Indians are coming off a 62-59 overtime win over Hays, stretching its winning streak to six games.
ATCHISON (8-0, 3-0) at HIGHLAND PARK (2-4, 2-0)
Atchison and Highland Park will square off in a game that could go a long ways to deciding the Meadowlark Conference championship. The Scots improved to 2-0 in league play with a 60-32 home win over Kansas City-Schlagle Tuesday night as junior JoJo Kingcannon scored 21 points, going 8 of 11 from the floor with three 3-pointers. Atchison is coming off an 87-32 Meadowlark win over KC-Wyandotte.
LEAVENWORTH (2-4, 1-3) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (3-4, 2-3)
Shawnee Heights will be looking to bounce back from a tough 51-50 United Kansas Conference home loss to De Soto Tuesday night. Junior Cam Ross led the T-Birds with 12 points. Leavenworth is coming off a 74-47 UKC home loss to Topeka West on Tuesday.
Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake
HOLTON (1-7, 1-5) at SILVER LAKE (6-2, 4-0)
Silver Lake posted a 73-61 Big East League victory at St. Marys on Tuesday while Holton picked up its first win of the season, a 57-53 league decision over Riley County. Holton is coached by former Topeka West assistant coach Marco Hunter. Silver Lake is ranked No. 6 in Class 3A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TUESDAY'S GAMES
EMPORIA (4-4, 0-0) at HAYDEN (6-2, 0-0)
The Spartans and Wildcats will open Centennial League play on Tuesday, with Hayden opening defense of the league title it captured last season. The Wildcats dropped a 38-36 non-league decision at Shawnee Heights last Friday, Hayden's second straight loss after six straight wins to start the season. Sophomore Hailey Schmidtlein led Hayden with 16 points against the T-Birds while senior Lauren Borjon added 11 points. Emporia is coming off a 32-25 win over Circle.
KK Emmot, Shawnee Heights
DE SOTO (2-3, 1-1) at SHAWNEE HEIGHTS (4-3, 3-1)
Shawnee Heights climbed above .500 with a 38-36 non-league win over Hayden last Friday at home. T-Bird junior KK Emmot scored 9 of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning free throws with 2.9 seconds remaining. Shawnee Heights has now won three straight games after starting the season 1-3. De Soto dropped a 45-34 United Kansas Conference decision to Seaman to close out its pre-holiday slate.
WABAUNSEE (5-1, 2-1) at CAIR PARAVEL (3-3, 0-2)
Cair Paravel Latin ended its 2025 slate with a tight 40-37 Flint Hills League decision to Chase County while Wabaunsee is also coming off a loss, dropping a 68-37 league game to Osage City. London Backman leads CPLS with a 9.8 scoring average while Karsyn Hastert pulls down 5.7 rebounds per game.
Addaline Hall, Topeka West
TOPEKA WEST (1-5, 0-4) at LEAVENWORTH (3-2, 1-2)
Topeka West will be looking for its first United Kansas Conference victory Tuesday night at Leavenworth. Senior Addaline Hall leads the Chargers with a 10.8 scoring average while junior Sydney VanDyke averages 8.8 points and leads the city of Topeka in rebounding with 14.0 per game and in blocked shots with a 3.8 average.
Brynn Anderson, Washburn Rural
WASHBURN RURAL (4-2, 0-0) at JUNCTION CITY (1-4, 0-0)
Washburn Rural will be playing its second game of 2026 in as many nights, opening Centennial League play against the Blue Jays after dropping a 50-35 non-league decision to Olathe North Monday night. Junior Blue freshman Brynn Anderson scored 14 first-half points with three 3-pointers against Olathe North, but sat out the second half after an injury late in the first half. Senior Hallie Walker had 9 points and 5 rebounds for Rural.
