photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Bishop Seabury junior Chase Honarvar puts up a shot during the sub-state title game with Centralia on Mar. 2, 2024, at Highland-Doniphan West High School in Highland, Kansas.

Bishop Seabury center Chase Honarvar is on pace to break the Kansas high school career block record.

Honarvar has 414 career blocks, including a 10-block game in a 66-60 win over Heritage Christian Academy, and is averaging around seven blocks a game.

The current record holder, Jarrett Grosdidier, concluded his career with 420 blocks for St. Paul High School from 1989-93.

After averaging just 0.7 blocks per game as a freshman, Honarvar has averaged over six per game each year since then. Honarvar averaged 7.5 blocks and 14.7 points per game as a junior last year. This year, Honarvar scores over 14 points per game and grabs 15 rebounds.

The Seahawks play on the road on Thursday against Faith Christian Academy and Friday against Bishop Ward. Their next home game will be Monday, Feb. 10, against Burlington. The Seahawks are 10-3 this season and have a 4-0 conference record in the Kaw Valley.

Free State, Lawrence swim teams finish first and second in Topeka Invite

The Free State and Lawrence swim teams competed in a Topeka Invite on Jan. 28. The Firebirds won with 258 points, and the Lions took second with 339 points.

Free State won the 200-yard medley relay with a team of Ewan Campbell, Ari Mattes, Sebastian Iversen and Anderson Bateman. The Firebirds also had another team, which placed fifth, consisting of Nathan Friedman, Asher Zelvy, Joseph Flachsbarth and Eli Kempf. Lawrence’s top team of Xander Chickaway, Thurston Saint Onge, Thomas Basham and Aiden Bierschbach finished ninth.

The top five placers in the 200-yard freestyle were from Free State or Lawrence. Free State’s Owen Carnagey won at one minute, 55.13 seconds, with teammate Lucas Fearn taking second at 1:59.36. Lawrence’s Hugo Cowardin finished third at 2:02.62, and Lawson Donly came fourth at 2:05.20. Free State’s Ewan Campbell rounded out the top five at 2:08.45.

Iversen and Zelvy finished first and second, respectively, in the 200-yard individual medley. Iversen swam it in 2:14.93, and Zelvy finished in 2:17.53. For the 50-yard freestyle, Ryan Lane from Lawrence won the race at 22.13 seconds, while Mattes took third at 23.34 seconds.

Free State had four divers compete, two of whom placed in the top five. Gavin McIntosh placed second with 351.75 points, and Constantine Shipley finished fifth with 294.00 points.

For the 100-yard butterfly, Lawrence’s Alex Oral was the runner-up at 59.24 seconds, and Mattes placed third at 59.26 seconds.

Lane won the 100-yard freestyle at 49.27 seconds, while Bateman was the runner-up at 50.09 seconds.

The top four of the 500-yard freestyle featured four swimmers from Lawrence and Free State. Flachsbarth won the event at 5:29.81, while Cowardin placed second at 5:35.77. Iversen took third and Milo Ovsak finished fourth.

Free State won both the 100-yard backstroke and the 100-yard breaststroke. Campbell won the backstroke at 1:02.88, and Zelvy won the breaststroke at 1:07.60.

The Lions’ 200-yard freestyle relay team finished second at 1:37.53 with Bierschbach, Ike Adams, Oral and Lane. In the final relay event — the 400-yard freestyle — the Firebirds won with Bateman, Jack Kempf, Fearn and Carnagey, while the Lions placed second with Cowardin, Adams, Oral and Lane.

Both teams will compete in the Sunflower League Meet on Thursday and Friday.

Free State wrestling team wins Andover Invitational with three weight class champions

Free State won the team title at the Andover Invitational on Saturday, with three champions and four runners-up.

Grayson Hagen won the 165-pound weight class with five wins in the tournament. His first win came in a 7-2 decision before he won his next two with pins. He won with a 14-3 major decision to go to the championship bout, which he won in a 5-4 decision. During the tournament, Hagen became the first Free State Firebird to win 150 career matches.

Blaine Larkin won the 215-pound weight class and earned his 100th career win in the first round. Larkin pinned his opponent in the first period of all of his bouts.

Xander Swoyer was the third Free State winner. He pinned all opponents in the 285-pound weight class. Three of his pins came within 40 seconds.

In the 106-pound weight class, Quinton Hice finished as the runner-up after pins in his first four bouts. Drew Streeter had two pins before receiving a bye. He then won in a 15-0 technical fall to reach the championship round before losing. Otto Reese went 4-1 as the runner-up in the 144-pound weight class with two pins in under a minute. Zane Shaw was the final runner-up in the 190-pound weight class with four wins before losing in an 8-3 decision in the championship match.

Tristen Moore placed third in the 126-pound weight class. Free State had three fourth-place finishers in the tournament, with Tosh Hernandez in the 113-pound weight class, Coghlan Odom in the 138-pound weight class, and Gabe Swoyer in the 157-pound weight class.

Free State will next compete in the Sunflower League Tournament on Saturday at Shawnee Mission West.