Washburn Rural Junior BluesBy RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural three-time Class 6A state champion and four-time finalist Easton Broxterman headlines the TopSports.news 2025 All-Shawnee County boys wrestling team.
Shawnee County wrestler of the year Easton Broxterman ended his high school career with three Class 6A state titles and four straight trips to the 6A championship match. [Photo by Mac Moore/KSHSAA Covered]
County wrestler of the year Broxterman, who won the 144-pound championship to wrap up a 37-2 season, is joined on the All-Shawnee County team by two-time Washburn Rural state champions Kristjan Marshall and Landen Kocher-Munoz as the Junior Blues finished third as a team.
Washburn Rural senior Kristjan Marshall won his second straight Class 6A state title in 2025. [Photo by Mac Moore/KSHSAA Covered]
Washburn Rural junior Landen Kocher-Munoz won his second Class 6A state title in his third straight state final in 2025. [Photo by Mac Moore/KSHSAA Covered]
Marshall, a senior, won the 157-pound championship to cap a 33-5 season with his second straight title while junior L. Kocher-Munoz won his second state title in his third straight trip to the finals, winning the 138-pound crown with a 30-3 record.
Washburn Rural wrestling coach Josh Hogan has been named the Shawnee County coach of the year after three Rural wrestlers won state titles and Rural finished third as a team. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural, which finished third in the 6A team standings, put a county-high nine wrestlers on the all-county first team, while Rural's Josh Hogan was named the county coach of the year and freshman 215-pounder Kaiden Marshall was selected as newcomer of the year.
The TopSports.news all-county team is based in part on selections made by the seven Topeka head coaches as well as at large selections for county schools Rossville and Silver Lake.
Also earning All-Shawnee County first-team honors for Rural in addition to the three state champions were 120-junior Ryder Harrison (27-15), senior 126-pounder Walker Doyal (28-14), junior 132-pounder Cooper Stivers (26-8), sophomore 150-pounder Brodye Kocher-Munoz (16-7), sophomore 190-pounder Jadyn Baum (28-6) and K. Marshall (17-11).
Topeka High and Hayden both put two wrestlers on the all-county first team.
Topeka High is represented by 106-pound sophomore Jose Gomez (24-13) and 165-pound senior Nick Davis (40-7) while Hayden is represented by 175-pound junior Jude Krentz (42-2) and 285-pound senior Hunter Diederich (24-10).
Shawnee Heights is represented on the first team by 113-pound sophomore Jacob Reyes (15-14).
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY BOYS WRESTLING
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Class 5A state champion Makayla Cadet of Highland Park headines the TopSports.news 2025 All-Shawnee County girls wrestling team while third-place teams Washburn Rural and Shawnee Heights combined for 13 spots on the first team.
TopSports.news picked the All-Shawnee County team based in part on city coaches' picks for the All-City team while also adding at-large selections.
Highland Park junior Makayla Cadet has been named the Shawnee County wrestler of the year after winning the Class 5A 190-pound state title. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
County wrestler of the year Cadet, a junior, won the Class 5A state championship at 190 pounds, becoming Highland Park's first-ever girls state champion while posting a 23-4 record on the season.
Washburn Rural senior Molly Spader posted a runnerup Class 6A state finish for the second straight season, leading Rural to a third-place team finish. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural put seven wrestlers on the TSN All-Shawnee County first team, led by senior Molly Spader (37-6), who posted a runnerup Class 6A state finish for the second straight season to lead the Junior Blues to a third-place team finish in 6A after winning back-to-back state titles.
In addition to Spader, Washburn Rural is represented on the all-county team by senior 115-pounder Maddy Blow (35-11), junior 120-pounder Lacey Middleton (37-9), junior 135-pounder Madison Blanco (30-8), junior 140-pounder Emme Blanco (35-10), junior 170-pounder Elia Smith (36-8) and sophomore 235-pounder Justice McBurney (15-7).
Smith placed third in 6A while Blow, Middleton, M. Blanco and E. Blanco all placed fourth at state and McBurney posted a sixth-place finish.
Spader and Blow are three-time first-team all-county selections while M. Blanco and Smith are first-team repeat picks and Middleton and E. Blanco moved up from the second team.
Shawnee Heights senior Isabel Reyes posted a second-place Class 5A state finish at 130 pounds, helping the T-Birds finish third as a team. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights, which earned the third-place team trophy in 5A, is represented on the all-county first team by senior Isabel Reyes (37-3), the 5A runnerup at 130 pounds, along with freshman 100-pounder Ava Gutierrez (19-13), senior 125-pounder Reece Taylor (37-4), senior 140-pounder Madison Freeland (32-7), junior 145-pounder Olivia Stevens (35-10) and junior 155-pounder Cianna Graves (39-3).
Taylor, Freeland and Graves finished third in 5A while Stevens finished fourth.
Shawnee Heights' Chad Parks was named the county coach of the year after the T-Birds posted a program-best third as a team.
Seaman senior Taylie Heston was the 120-pound runnerup in Class 5A. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman senior Koti Best was the 125-pound runnerup in Class 5A. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman put senior state 120-pound runnerup Taylie Heston (32-8) and senior 130-pound runnerup Koti Best (20-3) on the All-Shawnee County first team, along with 110-pound senior Natalie Smith (28-11).
Best was a two-time state finalist will Heston is an all-county first-team repeat pick.
Rounding out the all-county first team are Silver Lake senior 110-pounder Karley Holmes (40-12) and Rossville 145-pounder Madelyn Wonnell (34-11).
Holmes posted a third-place finish in 4A while Wonnell finished fifth in 3A-1A after helping the Bulldawgs win the 3A-1A state team championship in 2024.
ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY GIRLS WRESTLING
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Anna Becker
ANNA BECKER, Seaman
Becker, a senior guard, capped her banner four-year high school basketball career with a game-high 28 points in Saturday's 68-61 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas in the Class 5A girls state championship game. Becker, a Drake signee, hit 4-7 3-pointers and dished out five assists as the Vikings finished a 24-1 season. Becker had 49 points in the tournament.
Kailyn Hanni
KAILYN HANNI, Silver Lake
Hanni, a junior guard, scored a game-high 19 points and hit 7 of 8 free throws in Saturday's 48-45 loss to Halstead in the Class 3A girls state championship game. Hanni's big game in the finals came after she scored 28 points (15 made free throws) with 6 assists and 4 rebounds in the Eagles' 65-58 semifinal victory over Hesston.
Dayne Johnson
DAYNE JOHNSON, Silver Lake
A junior, Johnson registered a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday's Class 3A boys third-place game, leading the Eagles to a 63-51 win over Galena. Johnson scored 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds on Friday as Silver Lake fell 66-60 to Goodland in the state semifinals.
By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Centennial League boys basketball champion Washburn Rural, which went unbeaten in league play, dominated all-league balloting from the league coaches, sweeping all three of the individual awards.
Washburn Rural senior Amare Jones has been named the Centennial League boys basketball player of the year. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural junior Simon Rowley has been named the Centennial League boys newcomer of the year. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Rural senior Amare Jones was named the Centennial League player of the year while junior Simon Rowley was selected as the newcomer of the year and Junior Blues coach Alex Hutchins was tapped as the coach of the year.
Hayden senior James Kuta (right) has been named to the All-Centennial League boys first team. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Jones and Rowley were also named to the all-league first team, along with Hayden senior James Kuta.
Jones, Rowley and Kuta headlined a list of nine city players who received All-Centennial League recognition.
Earning second-team all-league honors were Washburn Rural senior Kaden Ballard and Topeka High junior Bryson McComas.
Hayden junior Connor Hanika and sophomore Mason Becker received all-league honorable mention along with senior King Leonard and junior John Hoytal of Washburn Rural.
ALL-CENTENNIAL LEAGUE BOYS BASKETBALL
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- The Washburn Rural boys’ run to state was ended by the tournament-tested Wichita Heights Falcons 64-44 Wednesday night at Koch Arena.
Senior Amare Jones (0) led Washburn Rural with 16 points in Wednesday's 64-44 state tournament loss to Wichita Heights. [File photo/TSN]
The veterans of the past three Class 6A championship finals had too much experience, too much length and too much athleticism for the Junior Blues in the first-round matchup.
The Junior Blues crawled out of a hole to pull to a 13-11 deficit to close the first period. But they went more than six minutes without a field goal in the second period and fell behind 29-16 at the intermission. The Falcons padded their lead by a few points in each of the next two periods.
Scoring was a challenge from start to finish for Washburn Rural. They hit 14-41 shots, 5-19 from behind the arc. They collected just six offensive rebounds off their misses.
“The power of Wichita Heights and what coach Joe Auer has created there is their defense,” said Washburn Rural coach Alex Hutchins. “They are so hard to keep pace with just because they make it so much work to score. And even when you do score, you’re so taxed just trying to get that bucket that it makes it even harder to defend because of how much it took out of you to score.
“When you play a team that is that athletic and that disciplined and that well-coached, you don’t get some of the shots that you’re used to getting.”
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It's been an outstanding 2024-2025 high school basketball season for Shawnee County teams, with 10 of 20 making it to state tournaments in five different classifications.
Now we wait to see how many of those teams can achieve the ultimate goal of a state championship on Saturday.
For what it's worth -- and it's not much -- here's my take on what we could see in all 14 of this week's state 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, good luck.
By Saturday night we'll know, and win or lose, it promises to be a fun week. Enjoy!
CLASS 6A BOYS
Finalists -- Shawnee Mission Northwest (4: 19-3) vs. Wichita Heights (3: 20-2).
Champion -- Wichita Heights. I give Heights, the 6A runnerup the past two seasons, a very slight edge in what could be a repeat of the 2024 title game, won by Northwest to cap a 25-0 season.
Other contenders -- Shawnee Mission South is the top seed at 21-1, with its lone loss coming against SM Northwest, while Derby is also 21-1 and the No. 2 seed. Washburn Rural (6: 18-4) is certainly capable of knocking off Wichita Heights while Derby could get a big test from No. 7 Olathe North (16-6).
CLASS 6A GIRLS
Finalists -- Blue Valley North (3: 18-4) vs. Olathe South (4: 18-4).
Champion -- Blue Valley North. It's worth noting that although North has lost four times, but none of those four losses came against Kansas teams. The Mustangs finished third last season after winning the championship in 2023.
Other contenders -- It's been an up and down season for Washburn Rural (6: 16-6) but never count out a Kevin Bordewick team in postseason. The Hall of Fame coach has led Washburn Rural to three straight 6A championship games (title in 2022, runnerup in 2023 and 2024) and the Junior Blues have won a pair of championships since 2019. Derby is the top seed at 19-3 and the pre-tournament team to beat.
Highland Park standout Ja'Corey Robinson and the 22-0 Scots will be looking for a Class 5A state title this week after back-to-back third-place finishes. [File photo/TSN]
CLASS 5A BOYS
Finalists -- Highland Park (1: 22-0) vs. Kapaun Mt. Carmel (2: 19-3).
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park's boys basketball team has put together an amazing run of success over the past three seasons, advancing to the Class 5A state tournament all three years while posting a 65-8 overall record, including a 47-3 mark over the past two campaigns.
Highland Park boys basketball celebrates its Class 5A sub-state championship after Saturday's 53-35 win over Bashor-Linwood. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But there's a feeling of emptiness that remains for those closest to the Scot program after back-to-back heartbreaking semifinal losses to the eventual state champions the past two years.
Two years ago Highland Park led virtually the entire game against Andover before the Trojans pulled out a 55-54 win with a late 7-0 run. The drama continued last season when Kapaun Mt. Carmel outlasted the Scots in overtime, 67-64.
Highland Park bounced back both seasons for dominating wins in the third-place game, but that provided little consolation to the Scots.
And now the Scots' main focus -- really their only focus -- is on doing everything they can to wipe that bad taste out of their mouths with a state title run this week in Emporia's White Auditorium.
"I feel like the last three or so years we get down there and I'm not saying we were playing bad but I feel like we could have played a little better,'' Highland Park coach Mike Williams said. "So we are really, really focused on wanting to get to state and kind of show a little bit of the essence that we saw tonight.
"I like our prep, I like what we're doing going into it and we're looking forward to next week.''
Scot senior standout Ja'Corey Robinson agreed.
"We've got some fire under us,'' Robinson said. "We're trying to go out with a win. We're tired of getting third place. We're trying to finish it all out and win a state championship.''
Highland Park, which has had only three single-digit games all season, enters this year's state tournament as the top seed with a perfect 22-0 record and will face off with No. 8 Andover Central (14-8) at 2 p.m. Thursday in the opening game of the 5A boys event.
Highland Park made it back to the state tournament with a 53-35 romp past Basehor-Linwood in Saturday's sub-state final at Hi Park.
Senior Mikey Williams led the Scots with a game-high 18 points, including three 3-pointers, against the Bobcats, while Robinson added 15 points.
The Highland Park-Andover Central winner will advance to a 4 p.m. semifinal on Friday to face the first-round winner between No. 4 seed Shawnee Heights (19-3) and No. 5 Piper (19-3).
"We're just making it a point to come out every day in the state tournament with the same fire and the same juice and the same fire that we've had throughout this whole season so we can end up hoisting the state championship trophy,'' Mikey Williams said. "
The Shawnee Heights-Piper first-round contest at 4 p.m. Thursday is a rematch of last year's first-round game that saw Piper close with a 14-1 run to pull out a 72-71 win on the way to a runnerup state finish.
Heights and Piper will be playing for the third time this season, with the Pirates winning the first two games.
Shawnee Heights earned its second straight state berth under Ken Darting with a 49-42 sub-state win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday.
On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 seed and defending champion Kapaun Mt. Carmel (19-3) will play a 6 p.m. first-round game against No. 7 Topeka West (14-8) and No. 3 Andover (19-3) will face No. 6 Bonner Springs (18-4) at 8 o'clock, with the winners playing an 8 p.m. Friday semifinal.
Topeka West is making its first state tournament appearance under coach Christian Ulsaker after making it to state with an 81-54 home win over Valley Center in Saturday's sub-state final.
Here's a team-by-team glance at the other first-round games involving Shawnee County teams:
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Trevor Christy
TREVOR CHRISTY, Hayden
Christy, a senior, posted a third-place individual finish in last Thursday's Class 4A state bowling championships at Wichita's Bowlero Northrock, helping lead Hayden to its first-ever state bowling team title. Christy finished third with a 698 series, bowling games of 244, 239 and 215 as the Wildcats won the team championship by 95 pins (3,666-3,571) over Mulvane.
Jalen Foy
JALEN FOY, Topeka West
A senior guard, Foy scored 40 points in two Class 5A sub-state victories on the week as Topeka West boys basketball advanced to the Class 5A state tournament. Foy scored 19 points with a pair of 3-pointers in a 69-63 overtime semifinal win over Bishop Carroll and had 21 points while hitting 8 of 10 free throws in Saturday's 81-54 home win over Valley Center in the sub-state championship game.
Emily Lee
EMILY LEE, Hayden
Lee, a senior bowler, earned her second straight Class 4A-1A state medal last Thursday at Wichita's Bowlero Northrock, bowling a 551 series to place fourth individually. A regional champion, Lee bowled games of 188, 203 and 160 as the Wildcats finished sixth as a team. Lee posted an 11th-place state finish as a junior in 2024.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It's always tough to try to beat a team three times in the same season, a task that Washburn Rural faced in Saturday's Class 6A sub-state final against Centennial League rival Manhattan.
But the Junior Blues, the No. 3 West seed, wereup to the challenge, riding fast starts in both halves to a 46-31 home win over the No. 6-seeded Indians.
Washburn Rural's girls are headed to the Class 6A state tournament for the fourth straight season after Saturday's 46-31 sub-state win over Manhattan. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural's girls will open this season's Class 6A state tournament bid at 8 p.m. Thursday against Blue Valley North in Wichita. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural, which improved to 16-6, earned its fourth straight trip to state and will looking for its fourth straight berth in the 6A state final. Rural, the No. 6 state seed, will open this year's state bid at 8 p.m. Thursday against No. 3 Blue Valley North (18-4) in Wichita's Koch Arena.
"We'll see what happens Thursday and hopefully we can have three good days of practice and kind of get some things more solidified, but we're excited,'' Rural coach Kevin Bordewick said.
The Junior Blues, intent on pounding the ball inside to sophomore standout Maddie Vickery, never trailed after scoring the first seven points, all by Vickery, before Manhattan got on the scoreboard two and a half minutes into the game.
Rural went on to go in front 14-2 on a Tenly Bunck 3-pointer at the 2:50 mark before Manhattan (14-8) scored the final three points of the quarter.
Vickery scored five more points early in the second quarter as the Junior Blues pushed their advantage to 20-5 with 5:08 left in the first half on the way to a 23-12 halftime lead.
Washburn Rural opened the second half with four straight points to push its lead back to 15 (27-12) and led 37-24 at the start of the fourth stanza.
Manhattan clawed its way within seven points (38-31) with 2:10 left, but Rural ran off the final eight points of the game after the Indians were whistled for an intentional foul with 1:28 left.
Kate Hinck hit two free throws followed by two charities from Brooklyn Rutherford and a hoop from Gracie Hayes to end the scoring.
"I think when we followed the game plan a little closer to getting the ball inside and getting some paint touches I thought things were working really well,'' Bordewick said. "Then we kind of got away from that and got back to it so it was just kind of an ebb and flow.
"We've got to get in a better rhythm of working inside out, but we got off to a good start.''
Sophomore Maddie Vickery registered a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds in Washburn Rural's 46-31 sub-state win over Manhattan Saturday. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Vickery, a Kansas State commit, registered a double-double with game-high totals of 20 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Junior Blues while Bunck added nine points.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Juinior state wrestling champions Makayla Cadet of Highland Park and Landen Kocher-Munoz of Washburn Rural have been selected by the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency as the Rising Stars of the Week.
The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the bulk of the 2024-2025 school year.
Here’s a brief look at the accomplishments of Cadet and Kocher-Munoz over the past week:
Makayla Cadet has been selected as the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency female Rising Star of the Week after becoming Highland Park's first-ever girls state wrestling champion last Saturday in Park City. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN].
MAKAYLA CADET, Highland Park
Cadet, a junior, became Highland Park's first-ever girls state wrestling champion on her 17th birthday last Saturday in Park City, registering a first-period pin over Basehor-Linwood junior Izzy Renfro in 1 minute, 36 seconds to win the Class 5A 190-pound title.
Cadet, who finished 23-4 on the season, went 4-0 at state with four pins.
Cadet's pin over Renfro avenged a loss on a 1:37 pin in a regional final.
Washburn Rural junior wrestler Landen Kocher-Munoz has been named the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency male Rising Star of the Week after winning his second Class 6A state title last Saturday in Overland Park. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN].
LANDEN KOCHER-MUNOZ, Washburn Rural
Kocher-Munoz, a 138-pound junior, captured his second Class 6A state wrestling championship Saturday in Overland Park, posting a 16-9 decision over Garden City junior Roman Clouse in the state title match, Kocher-Munoz's third straight trip to the state finals.
Kocher-Munoz, 34-3 on the season, went 4-0 at state, including a pin and two major decisions.
Kocher-Munoz helped Washburn Rural finish third as a team.
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The three seniors on the Washburn Rural team are finally making a trip to the state tournament, two years after suffering a crushing quadruple-overtime loss in the sub-state final.
Washburn Rural celebrates Friday's 54-49 win over Junction City in a Class 6A sub-state championship game at Rural. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural seniors King Leonard, Amare Jones and Kaden Ballard are presented the Class 6A sub-state championship trophy Friday night at Rural. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
The Junior Blues qualified for the Class 6A state tournament for the first time since 2019 by holding off Centennial League rival Junction City 54-49 at Washburn Rural Friday.
Having defeated the Bluejays twice in the regular season, the Junior Blues found themselves in a fight to do it again. They trailed throughout much of the third period, only tying it at 41-41 on a bucket by King Leonard at the buzzer.
Washburn Rural outscored the Bluejays 13-8 in the final period to claim the substate championship.
“There’s no feeling like this,” Leonard said. “We’ve been working hard all season for this. We put our heart into it.”
Leonard did not attempt a shot in the first half. But when Junction City made its move in the third quarter, Leonard scored nine points to keep the Junior Blues within striking distance.
“That’s probably the most fun I’ve ever had playing basketball. We knew the regular season didn’t matter. It was winner take all,” Leonard said. “Normally I’m a facilitator, but I can step up and get buckets when the team needs it.”
The Junior Blues' trio of senior guards, who experienced the disappointment of the sub-state loss to Derby two years ago, combined for 35 points. Kaden Ballard led with 16, followed by Leonard with 11 and Amare Jones with eight. Junior John Hoytal added 12 points.
Junction City trailed by just two points with 2:00 remaining but failed to score again.
“That’s a really tough Junction City squad. We knew it was going to take everything tonight,” said Washburn Rural coach Alex Hutchins. “I’m proud of the guys for sticking to it and persevering.
“Sometimes in these big moments with the lights bright and the crowd going crazy, it’s easy to kind of lose focus. I thought our guys did a really good job of staying focused and doing all the little things.”
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's girls, who have advanced to the Class 6A championship game three straight seasons, put themselves in position to earn another trip to state with a 72-26 semifinal victory over Lawrence Free State Wednesday night at Rural.
Washburn Rural sophomore Gracie Hayes scored 18 points on six 3-pointers in Wednesday's 72-26 Class 6A sub-state semifinal win over Free State. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
The Junior Blues, now 15-6, took control with a 20-5 first quarter and opened up a 45-12 advantage over the Firebirds (3-18). Rural led 63-21 at the start of the fourth quarter, forcing a running clock over the final eight minutes.
Sophomore Gracie Hayes had a big night for Rural, hitting six 3-pointers to lead the Junior Blues with 18 points.
Senior Kate Hinck scored 10 points in Wednesday's 72-26 Washburn Rural sub-state semifinal win over Free State. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural sophomore Maddie Vickery scored 10 points in Wednesday's 72-26 sub-state win over Free State. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Senior Kate Hinck and sophomores Brooklyn Rutherford and Maddie Vickery added 10 points apiece while junior Ella Hirschi added nine points.
With Wednesday's win the Junior Blues advanced to Saturday's 3:30 p.m. sub-state championship game to host Centennial League rival Manhattan, a 51-27 winner over Maize.
The Junior Blues and Indians will be playing for the third time this season, with Rural winning the first two meetings.
Undefeated Hi Park boys take 72-51 win over Bears
Highland Park, the top Class 5A East boys seed, improved to 21-0 on the season with a 72-51 home semifinal win over No. 16 Kansas City-Turner Wednesday night.
The Scots, third in 5A the past two seasons, will host Basehor-Linwood on Saturday in a 5 p.m. sub-state final at Highland Park.
The Bobcats advanced to the championship game with a 44-37 win over Spring Hill.
Silver Lake boys survive Osage City rally, 64-62
Silver Lake's boys built a double-digit advantage over Osage City Wednesday night and needed every bit of it, holding on for a 64-62 home sub-state semifinal decision over the Indians.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Parirings have been finalized for this week's sub-state high school basketball tournaments, with 12 city teams earning home court advantage for at least the semifinals of sub-state competition, which begins Tuesday and continues through Saturday.
Both Washburn Rural (Class 6A), Highland Park (5A) and Seaman (5A) teams, Shawnee Heights' boys (5A) and Hayden's girls (4A) could all stay at home through both rounds of sub-state competition.
Topeka High's girls (6A), Topeka West's boys (5A), Shawnee Heights' girls (5A) and Hayden's boys (4A) will be at home for at least the sub-state semifinals.
Both Silver Lake and Rossville teams and the Cair Paravel Latin boys have already posted first-round sub-state wins to advance to semifinals.
Silver Lake's girls and boys will compete in the Class 3A Hiawatha sub-state while Rossville and the CPLS boys will compete in the Class 2A Valley Heights sub-state.
Here's a look at sub-state tournaments involving Shawnee County teams:
Senior Kaden Ballard and the Washburn Rural boys will open their bid for a Class 6A state tournament berth with a home semifinal game against Wichita West Tuesday night. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
CLASS 6A BOYS
West sub-state No. 3 -- Centennial League champion Washburn Rural (16-4) is the No. 3 West seed and will host No. 14 Wichita West (4-16) a 6 p.m. Tuesday semifinal.
The Washburn Rural-Wichita West winner will advance to a Friday night 7 p.m. sub-state final to face the semifinal winner between No. 6 seed Junction City (13-7) and No. 11 Manhattan (6-14).
Senior standout Kate Hinck and the Washburn Rural girls are the No. 3 West seed for the Class 6A sub-state tournament. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
CLASS 6A GIRLS
West sub-state No. 3 -- Washburn Rural, second in 6A the past two years after winning the title in 2022, is the No. 3 West seed and will host No. 14 Lawrence Free State (3-17) in a 7 p.m. Wednesday semifinal.
The Washburn Rural-Free State winner will advance to a 5 p.m. Saturday sub-state championship game to face the semifinal winner between No. 6 seed Manhattan (13-7) and No. 11 Maize (5-15).
CLASS 6A GIRLS
West sub-state No. 2 --Topeka High, the No. 7 West seed at 13-7, will host No. 10 Wichita South (8-12) Wednesday for a 6 p.m. sub-state semifinal.
The winner of that game will advance to a 5 p.m. Saturday final to meet the winner of the semifinal between No. 2 seed Wichita Heights (17-3) and No. 15 Dodge City (1-19).
CLASS 5A GIRLS
East sub-state No. 2 -- Shawnee Heights is the No. 7 East seed at 13-7 and will host No. 10 Basehor-Linwood (10-10) in a 7 p.m. Tuesday semifinal. The T-Birds beat the Bobcats twice during the regular season in the United Kansas Conference.
The winner of that game will advance to a 7 p.m. Friday final to face the winner of the semifinal between No. 2 seed Piper (16-4) and No. 15 Kansas City-Harmon (6-14).
East sub-state No. 3 -- Highland Park (16-4) is the No. 3 East seed and will host No. 14 seed Kansas City-Washington (6-14) in a 7 p.m. semifinal on Tuesday. Hi Park owns a pair of Meadowlark Conference wins over the Wildcats this season.
The Highland Park-Washington winner will advance to a 7 p.m. Friday sub-state final to face the semifinal winner between No. 6 Aquinas (13-7) and No. 11 Pittsburg (10-10).
Undefeated Seaman begins defense of its Class 5A state title Tuesday against city rival Topeka West. [File photo/TSN]
West sub-state No. 2 --Defending Class 5A state champion Seaman is the No. 2 West seed with a perfect 20-0 record and will host city and United Kansas Conference rival Topeka West, the No. 15 West seed at 6-14, in a 7 p.m. Tuesday semifinal.
The Seaman-West winner will advance to Friday's 7 p.m. sub-state final to face the winner of the semifinal between No. 7 Kapaun Mt. Carmel (15-5) and No. 10 Valley Center (10-10).
CLASS 5A BOYS
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
MIAA regular-season champion Washburn University is well represented on the men's all-conference team announced Wednesday, earning three major awards, two All-MIAA defensive team members, two first-team All-MIAA selections as well as a second-team and third-team pick.
[Graphic by Washburn Athletics]
Earning MIAA coach of the year honors was Ichabod head coach Brett Ballard, who led the Ichabods to 26 regular- season wins this season - one shy of the Ichabod program record of 27 for regular-season wins set by the 1986-87 NAIA National Championship team that went 35-4.
Ballard also led the Ichabods to their first No. 1 ranking since the 1991-92 season and to a top-five spot in the national rankings for 14 straight weeks. The MIAA regular-season championship this season is the 11th in program history and the first since the 2011-12 season.
Washburn senior Jacob Hanna earned four different awards as he was named the MIAA's newcomer of the year, the MIAA's defensive player of the year, a first-team all-MIAA selection and was named to the MIAA all-defensive team.
Hanna is averaging 15.1 points and 5.6 rebounds while dishing out 98 assists. Hanna has reached double-figure scoring in 26 of 28 games this season.
Hanna was joined on the all-MIAA Defensive team by senior Michael Keegan. Keegan leads the MIAA with 66 steals, and he is 11th in blocked shots with 21. Starting all 28 games this season, Keegan has averaged 8.3 points while pulling down 4.9 rebounds per game.
Sophomore Washburn Rural product Jack Bachelor was named first-team All-MIAA with Hanna after averaging 13.6 points over the regular season and 14.3 in MIAA play.
He is second in the MIAA in assists and assists per game and leads the league in assist to turnover ratio at 2.9. Bachelor is also shooting 41 percent from 3-point range during MIAA play while leading the MIAA in free throw percentage, hitting 83 of 95 free throw attempts for an 87 percent clip.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It was before Washburn Rural boys basketball coach Alex Hutchins arrived in Topeka, but he has been told the story about how a few seasons ago Wichita West came in to Rural for a Class 6A sub-state semifinal and knocked off the heavily-favored Junior Blues to end their season.
Washburn Rural junior Simon Rowley dunks the ball for two of his 23 points in Tuesday's 78-50 sub-state win over Wichita West. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Hutchins' No. 3-seeded Rural team made sure that history didn't repeat itself Tuesday, knocking down 14 3-pointers on the way to a 78-50 rout and a shot at a sub-state title Friday night.
"That (West's upset of Rural) was mentioned to me in the very first summer I was here,'' Hutchins I was here. "It was talked about how incredible our environment is here at Washburn Rural with our student section and our crowd and our cheerleaders and our band.
"And they mentioned that there had been one time in the past where I think the band was on a spring break trip and we had a really high seed and kind of a sleepy crowd and it kind of ended up in disaster. So we didn't specifically bring up that story, but we told the boys, 'You can't take anything for granted, you've got to be ready to go.' ''
West (4-17) took an early 5-2 lead, but junior Draden Chooncharoen converted an old-fashioned three-point play and senior Amare Jones hit a 3-point shot to put the Junior Blues up 8-5 and they never trailed again.
Rural led 21-13 at the end of the first quarter and used a 22-9 second quarter to take a commanding 43-22 lead at the half.
The Junior Blues connected on 7 of 12 3-pointers in the half, led by freshman Brooks Ballard, who came off the bench to hit 4 of 4 treys.
Rural continued to rain 3s in the third quarter, opening up a 66-39 advantage at the end of the third stanza after leading by as many as 29 points.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Easton Broxterman
EASTON BROXTERMAN, Washburn Rural
A senior wrestling star, Broxterman claimed his third straight Class 6A state championship Saturday in Overland Park, clinching the 144-pound championship with a a 16-0 technical fall over Manhattan junior Brecken Crist-Funk. A four-time state finalist, Broxterman finished his season with a 41-2 record, including four straight technical falls in last weekend's state tournament.
Makayla Cadet
MAKAYLA CADET, Highland Park
Cadet, a junior, became Highland Park's first-ever girls state wrestling champion on her 17th birthday Saturday in Park City, registering a first-period pin over Basehor-Linwood junior Izzy Renfro in 1 minute, 36 seconds to win the Class 5A 190-pound title. Cadet, who finished 23-4 on the season, went 4-0 at state with four pins. Cadet's pin over Renfro avenged a loss on a 1:37 pin in a regional final.
Maddie Gragg
MADDIE GRAGG, Seaman
A 5-foot-10 junior basketball standout, Gragg converted a buzzer-beating inside shot to give the undefeated and top-ranked Seaman girls a 48-47 United Kansas Conference over Piper Wednesday at Seaman. Gragg led the Vikings with 14 points against the Pirates and scored 34 points on the week as defending Class 5A state champion Seaman went 3-0 on the week to finish off a perfect 20-0 regular season.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural, which won its sixth straight team championship, and Topeka High four-time diving champ Jaxon Cowdin headline the 2025 All-City boys swimming and diving team.
The 2025 All-City boys swimming and diving first team -- Front, from left: Palmer Heskett, Hayden; Castle Wallace, Washburn Rural; Evan Hoobler, Shawnee Heights; Truman Brede, Shawnee Heights; Dawson Blankenship, Topeka High; Kinser Barbosa, Seaman. Back, from left: Peyton Holmes, Seaman; Jeremiah Moylan, Seaman; Will Stewart, Topeka High; Andres Morao-Jaspe, Washburn Rural; Luke Lemke, Washburn Rural; Thomas Appuhn, Washburn Rural; Jaxon Cowdin, Topeka High. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The 2025 All-City boys swimming and diving second team -- Front, from left: Patrick Luke, Hayden; Dominic Delgado, Topeka High; Alex Lanterman, Washburn Rural; Kaden Collette, Topeka West; Joseph Jensen, Washburn Rural. Back, from left: Owen Lathrop-Allen, Topeka High; Miller Reid, Hayden; William Toland, Topeka High; Josh Hochard, Seaman; Sourish Sinha, Washburn Rural; Brody Clark, Topeka West. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The All-City team, based on performances in the city meet, includes a city-high four members of the Rural team that won its sixth straight city championship.
Earning first-team All-City honors for the Junior Blues are Thomas Appuhn, Luke Lemke, Andrew Morao-Jaspe and Castle Wallace.
Sophomore Morao-Jaspe won four gold medals in the city meet to pace Rural's title run.
Topeka High senior Jaxon Cowdin earned his fourth straight city one-meter diving title and his third straight Centennial League championship before finishing 11th in 6A.
The Trojans also put Dawson Blankenship and Will Stewart on the first team after finishing second as a team in the city meet.
Shawnee Heights is represented on the All-City team by repeat picks Truman Brede and Evan Hoobler while Kinser Barbosa, Peyton Holmes and Jeremiah Moylan earned first-team berths for Seaman and Hayden is represented by Palmer Heskett.
All-City capsules:
BY ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
OVERLAND PARK -- Washburn Rural’s boys wrestling team earned a clean sweep on Saturday, with three Junior Blues earning Class 6A state titles in their respective weight classes as Rural claimed the third-place team trophy.
Washburn Rural senior wrestling star Easton Broxterman won his third straight Class 6A state championship Saturday in Overland Park. [Photo by Mac Moore/KSHSAA Covered]
Washburn Rural junior wrestling star Landen Kocher-Munoz (top) captured his second Class 6A state championship Saturday in Overland Park, helping Rural finish third as a team. [Photo by Mac Moore/KSHSAA Covered]
Washburn Rural senior Kristjan Marshall won his second straight Class 6A state championship Saturday in Overland Park. [Photo by Mac Moore/KSHSAA Covered]
Easton Broxterman (41-2), Landen Kocher-Munoz (34-3), and Kristjan Marshall (37-5) left Overland Park as state champions. After their efforts at the Advent Health Center, all three wrestlers now have multiple state titles.
“I’m super proud,” Washburn Rural boys head wrestling coach Josh Hogan said. “These boys are champions on the mat, champions in the classroom and they’re champions in their community. These guys are leaders in our room and it’s no surprise that they did what they did today.”
With Saturday’s victory, Broxterman has won three titles in his four years at Washburn Rural. The 144-pound senior defeated Centennial League rival Brecken Crist-Funk by a technical fall to secure his third straight title. He was filled with gratitude for the place that helped him become who he is today.
“This really means a lot,” Broxterman said. “I was kind of expecting to win all year even though it was a really stressful year for me. We’ve been talking all week about just attacking and not wrestling timid just because I don’t want to make mistakes. I’m glad I went out there and set the pace and scored a lot of points.
“I’ve learned over the years that winning is not as important as I make it out to be. Before the match, winning is the only thing I think and care about. But now, you win, and it goes away real fast. All of a sudden it’s like what’s next? I’m still learning just to take everything in and enjoy it. Because now that it’s over, it’s definitely real. I’m emotional and sad about it.”
Up next, Broxterman is heading to Army West Point after completing high school.
“Easton didn’t come in as a mega stud,” Hogan said. “He came in as a kid who just hated to lose. Could not stand to lose. He’s worked as hard as anyone I’ve ever seen. He’s 100% self-made. From seven years old to now, the dude’s put more work in than most of our guys combined.”
Kocher-Munoz avenged his loss from his sophomore year in the state championship by defeating Roman Clouse of Gardner-Edgerton with a 16-9 decision. The 138-pound junior won a state title as a freshman.
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
PARK CITY -- Since advancing to the Class 5A state championship match as a sophomore, the last two seasons have been a star-crossed journey for Seaman 125-pound wrestling star Koti Best, filled with a lot of time with medical personnel.
Seaman senior Koti Best (top) is back in the Class 5A state championship match for the second time in her career after a semifinal pin. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But after fighting through concussion issues as a junior and a dislocated shoulder this season, on Saturday Best will be back where she was two years ago, wrestling for a state title in the Park City Arena.
Wearing a brace to protect her right shoulder, Best earned her return trip to the final with a win by pin in 5 minutes, 57 seconds over Blue Valley Southwest senior Brynn Lowe.
"It feels very good,'' Best said about earning another title shot. ''I felt really good today. I've felt very encouraged since I got my brace and everything's been going good. I haen't had too many issues.
"I was stressed about this because it had been a long time since I've been in this position, but I think I handled it pretty well. It was a rough match for sure, but we got there. I knew this was my last shot.''
Now 20-2 on the season, Best's pin in the semifinals came after a 41-second pin in the first round and 17-0 technical fall in the quarterfinals.
"With her injuries and being knocked out last year (with a first-round concusion), for her to come back as a senior and make it to the finals again, it's amazing,'' said Jordan Best, Seaman's coach and Koti's father. "She kind of set her goal, 'This is what I'm going to do,' and I said, 'There's really only one person that's going to stop you,' and she went out there and did it.''
Best will face Kapaun Mt. Carmel junior Courtney Nye (36-10) in the 125-pound title match.
After finishing fourth as a junior, Seaman's Taylie Heston will wrestle for the 120-pound state title Saturday. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Reluctant wrestling star Heston advances to 120-pound final
Seaman 120-pound senior Taylie Heston has never denied the fact that she's not a big wrestling fan.
"That's true, I don't like it at all,'' Heston said.
But that hasn't kept Heston, a state runnerup in track last spring, from becoming one of the state's best.
"My parents kind of wanted me to do it because my sister wrestled and my brother wrestled, so it's in the family,'' Heston said.
And after finishing fourth as a junior, Heston (32-7) punched her ticket to her first state final in her fourth state appearance on Friday with a 4:53 pin over Piper sophomore Rylee Burke in the 120 semifinal.
Heston beat Burke 9-0 in the United Kansas Conference meet and said that win gave her confidence in the semifinal.
"It was nice to know that I had already beat her,'' Heston said. "I felt good.''
The semifinal pin was Heston's third of the day, following pins in 2:56 and 3:42 in her first two matches.
Heston will now face familiar foe Kensley Medrano, an Emporia junior, in Saturday's state final.
Heston and Medrano have faced off three times in the past, with Medrano (30-13) winning two of those matches, including a four-overtime decision in the regional meet two weeks ago.
"It will be a good match,'' Heston said.
Highland Park 190-pounder Makayla Cadet is congratulated by Scot boys coach Freddy Maisberger and girls coach Ellen Heavner after advancing to the Class 5A championship match. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Cadet makes Highland Park history with run to 190 final
In her first state tournament appearance, Highland Park junior 190-pounder Makayla Cadet has etched her name into the Highland Park girls wrestling record book.
Now 22-4 on the season, Cadet became the first Scot girls wrestler to advance to the state semifinals and then topped that performance a couple hours later when she recorded a pin over Newton freshman Clair Harder in 4:39 to reach Saturday's state championship match.
"I had a feeling I was going to do my best, but I honestly wasn't expecting this at all,'' Cadet said. "I kept telling myself in my head that I had worked all three years for this moment and I wasn't going to let anyone get in my way.''
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After running away with the Class 6A state title in 2023, Washburn Rural's boys bowling team had an off day in the 2024 regional and failed to qualify for state as a team, depriving the Junior Blues of an opportunity to defend their championship.
Washburn Rural's boys and girls bowling teams swept the team championships in Wednesday's Class 6A regional at Gage Bowl. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Rural was back on its game in Wednesday's 2025 regional at Gage Bowl, rolling to the team championship by a 123-pin margin over fellow Centennial League member Junction City (3,562-3,439).
The Junior Blues put three bowlers in the top 10 while all six Rural team members finished in the top 18 and bowled between 598 and 679 series.
Sophomore Andrew Faurot paced Washburn Rural with a third-place individual finish (679) while Glinka finished seventh (650) and junior Cody Spangler 10th (642).
Senior Tyler Faurot bowled a 617 series while senior Conner Ahrens had a 606 and junior Jackson Keller a 598.
Washburn Rural's boys title-winning performance came after the Rural girls dominated the morning session.
The Junior Blues, who finished second in 6A a year ago, put four bowlers in the top eight places individually on the way to winning the team title by a whopping 341 pins over Junction City (3,259-2,918).
Senior Elizabeth Poling and junior Camrynn Ahrens finished two-three individually in the regional meet, with Poling second with a 629 series and Ahrens third with a 616.
Rural junior Kenzie Lawson posted a sixth-place finish (597) and senior Ashley Billups an eighth-place showing (575) while sophomore Megan Glinka bowled a 561 series and junior Stella Gordon a 451.
The 6A state tournament will be held next Friday at Wichita's Bowlero Northrock, with the girls bowling at 8:50 a.m. followed by the boys at 1:40 p.m.
CLASS 6A REGIONAL
At Gage Bowl
BOYS
Team scores
Washburn Rural 3,562,Junction City 3,439, Olathe Northwest 3,318, Manhattan 3,256, Wichita Southeast 3,169, Lawrence Free State 3,092, Lawrence 2,996, Olathe North 2,972, Gardner-Edgerton 2,894, Olathe West 2,813, Topeka High 2,621,Mill Valley 2,592.
Individual results
1. Maxwell Case, Wichita Southeast, 782; 2. Simon Clark, Olathe Northwest, 680; 3. Andrew Faurot, Washburn Rural, 679; 4. Jesse Holtkamp, Junction City, 664; 5. Jackson Sorenson-Hills, Olathe Northwest, 657; 6. Nicholas Burfict, Manhattan, 652; 7. Logan Glinka, Washburn Rural, 650; 8. Cael Smith, Junction City, 649; 9. Maddox Siharath, Wichita Southeast, 644; 10. Cody Spangler, Washburn Rural, 642.
Other Washburn Rural -- 13. Tyler Faurot, 617; 15. Conner Ahrens, 606; Jackson Keller, 598.
Topeka High -- 38. Austin Mitchell, 518; 46. Franklin Jackson, 499; 52. Adrian Meraz, 477; 63. Wyatt Jones, 434; 67. Miles Barnes, 415; 70. Hunter Mitchell, 380.
Individual state qualifiers -- Maxwell Case, Wichita Southeast; Nicholas Burfict, Manhattan; Maddox Siharath, Wichita Southeast; Graesyn Hoss, Lawrence; Knowlen Owens, Olathe West; Jacob Catron, Olathe West.
GIRLS
Team scores
Washburn Rural 3,259, Junction City 2,918; Mill Valley 2,768, Olathe West 2,519, Lawrence Free State 2,476, Olathe Northwest 2,606, Manhattan 2,674, Gardner-Edgerton 2,289, Wichita Southeast 2,705, Olathe North 2,559, Lawrence 2,183, Topeka High 1,914.
Individual results
1. Cortlynn Millington, Manhattan, 640; 2. Elizabeth Poling, Washburn Rural, 629; 3. Camrynn Ahrens, Washburn Rural, 616, 4. Alyssa Brantley, Wichita Southeast, 604; 5. Abby Haney, Mill Valley, 601; 6. Kenzie Lawson, Washburn Rural, 597; 7. Victoria Martinez, Junction City, 576; 8. Ashley Billups, Washburn Rural, 575; 9. Grace Radi, Manhattan, 566; 10. Myranda Rogers, Gardner-Edgerton, 565.
Other Washburn Rural --12. Megan Glinka, 561; 31. Stella Gordon, 451.
Topeka High -- 32. Lilly Krohe, 450; 50. Sophia Ambrose, 394; 65. Catie Fulton, 333; 68. Maurine Wadley, 292; 70. Molly Meseke, 283; 71. Keelie Colstrom, 247.
Individual state qualifiers --Cortlynn Millington, Manhattan; Alyssa Brantley, Wichita Southeast; Grace Radi, Manhattan; Myranda Rogers, Gardner-Edgerton; Emma Reese, Olathe Northwest; Lexie Eberle, Olathe West.
Seaman's girls bowling team posted a 1-2-3 individual finish and won Tuesday's Class 5A regional by 514 pins. [Seaman Athletics]
Seaman girls go 1-2-3 en route to 5A regional title sweep
Seaman's girls swept the top three individual spots in Tuesday's Class 5A regional at Emporia's Flint Hills Lanes as the Vikings claimed the team championship by a 514-pin margin over Emporia. Shawnee Heights also claimed a state team berth with a third-place finish.
Viking freshman Leah Crawford shot a 630 series to win the individual championship while sophomore Paige Snyder was second with a 613 and junior Claire LaDuke third with 581.
