RHS Gets Two Wins Over St. Mary's Academy

The Rossville Baseball Swamped the St. Marys Academy 11-1 and 16-1

Betty Jean Mahkuk Passes Away

 Betty Jean Mahkuk Rice, 86, passed away on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at the Rossville Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center.

She was born April 4, 1939 at Mayetta, the daughter of Pete Matchie and Lucille Mahkuk.

Betty was a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and the Native American Church.

She married Orville Rice in 1957. They were divorced and he preceded her in death.

Betty had first worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse. After she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Social Work from Washburn University, she worked in social services for Four Tribes of Kansas, then Prairie Band Potawatomi Social Services.

She was also preceded in death by two sons, Kevin Rice and Brad Rice, a daughter, Sylvia Johnson, an adopted daughter, Marilyn LaCour, four brothers, Denny Delge, Michael Delge, Pat Mahkuk and Walter Delge, Jr., and three sisters, Ilona Delge, Myra Matchie and Edwina Dickinson.

Survivors include a son, Chris Rice (Kristina), Nedrow, NY, two adopted sons, Wayne Jesseppe and Shon Jesseppe (Carol), all of Horton, a daughter, Shirley Mitchell (Tom), Oskaloosa, two brothers, Roland Matchie, Holton and Fred Mahkuk, Wisconsin, six sisters, Margaret Mahkuc, Mayetta, Eileen Delge and Marilyn Delge, both of Lawrence, Ione Childers, Perry, and Tutti Kerns and Hedy Noland, both of Holton, ten grandchildren, fifteen great grandchildren, two great-great grandchildren, and a host of many other grandchildren that she had a special relationship with.

Supper and wake services will be Sunday evening, March 15th at the Nozhackum Hall. Burial will be Monday afternoon in Mahkuk Cemetery. Calling hours for Betty will be from Noon until 3:00 p.m. on Sunday at the Chapel Oaks Funeral Home in Hoyt.

Hayden and Rossville Split Twinbill.

 

Hayden, Rossville battle to split in softball twinbill

By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

The Rossville and Hayden softball teams relied on big offensive innings in a doubleheader split at Rossville Thursday.

The Wildcats took their first loss of the season, a 10-4 decision, in the opening game of the twinbill. Rossville jumped on top with four runs in the top of the first inning, then put together a six-run fifth to ward off a Hayden comeback.

Rossville's Falyn Clurman went the distance for the pitching win in the Bulldawgs' 10-4 first-game win over Hayden. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Emberly Connell connected for a home run in Thursday's Hayden softball split with Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Hayden returned the favor in the nightcap, putting up three runs in the second inning and five more in the sixth frame on the way to an 8-2 victory. The Rossville loss was just its second against eight wins on the year.

In the opening game, Rossville pitcher Falyn Clurman worked around a three-run third inning to record the win. The Wildcats’ big blow was a home run by Emberly Connell, but Clurman scattered eight hits in going the distance. She said she was proud of the way her team responded when Hayden rallied in the third.

“We’re learning that mistakes will come,” the sophomore said. “You’ve got to let them go and move on to the next play. Next at bat. Next ball, just move on from mistakes. If we stick with them, that’s when we get down.”

Clurman dueled Class 3A Silver Lake Monday and defeated Class 4A Hayden on Thursday. She said the competition is helping the Bulldawgs grow as a team.

“It builds my confidence to know I can go out there against any team,” Clurman said of competing with bigger schools. “We only lost one player from last year so when we come to practice, we don’t have to go over fundamentals. We can go straight into our plays and everything. I feel good about this team and think we can go far.”

Maura Valdivia picked up the pitching win and had a double in Hayden's 8-2 Game 2 softball win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

Rossville's Kenna Perine had a triple and a double in Rossville's doubleheader softball split with Hayden. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]

In the second game, Hayden was protecting a 3-2 lead in the top of the sixth inning when the Wildcat bats took over. Five runs gave Hayden an 8-2 cushion that pitcher Maura Valdivia didn’t relinquish. The junior allowed just six hits and one earned run.

“The best thing she does is she just gets ahead while missing the meat of the plate,” Hayden coach Carvel Reynoldson said of Valdivia. “She’s living on the corners but she’s still throwing strikes. I thought our defense in the second game was much better.

“(Rossville has) got some really good hitters, especially at the top of the order. In the first game, we had a lot of ‘tweener’ plays that we could have made and didn’t, and that led to big innings. Blakely (Walter, Hayden’s starting pitcher in the first game) threw better than what she got.”

RHS and Clay Center Baseball

The Rossville baseball team dueled with Clay Center on April 9.  RHS won the first game,9-4 but lost the other half of the double header  3-1

Lady Dawgs Lose 2 Games To SFT

 The Rossville Lady Dawgs lost both ends of an April 7  double header against Santa Fe Trail.  The Rossville bats stayed silent  as  scores of 8-0 and 13-3. brought the season total to 7-3.

Big East Pre-League Meet (Nemaha Central) HS

 Big East Track and Field, Tue, Apr 7, 2026
 Thunder Track and Field, KS 
Top Six Schools in Boys and Girls

 Varsity Boys 

18 / 18 Events Completed

1. Sabetha 202
2. Jefferson West 109
3. Nemaha Central 89
4. Rossville 54
5. Hiawatha 52
6. Perry-Lecompton 42 

 Varsity Girls 

18 / 18 Events Completed 

1. Nemaha Central 194
2. Hiawatha 118
3. Sabetha 90
4. Perry-Lecompton 71
5. Rossville 58
6. Jefferson West 14

Top Sports News Covers RHS-SL Game

 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.”

Then, in the bottom of the sixth, with a runner on first, she stabbed a line drive back through the box and doubled up the Rossville runner who strayed from the bag.

“Sometimes I hate being called ‘just a pitcher.’ I like being able to be seen as able to do other things, too,” Mohler said. “When I’m able to make a double play or a throw to first, or a big hit, that’s a big opportunity for me.”

The Eagles, Class 3A state runners-up the past two seasons, took their second loss of the year against eight victories.

Rossvile Golf Team 5th at So Lyons Co. Inv.

The Rosville Golf Team finished 5th of 15 teams. Jack Donovan tied for First with a 79 or a 76--depending on which version is correct). Feldhausen was tied for 23rd with a 94

 Rossville Players

Jack Donovan     37 39 76
J. Feldhausen     46 48 94
Dalen Dick          47 49 96
Austin Dohrman 46 52 98
Creed Wood       52 55 107
Jayse Moore       71 64 135

Dawgs Get Two Wins Over Silver Lake

 On April 6, the Rossville varsity baseball team grabbed two wins from Silver Lake,: 7-2 and 10-2.  The Dawgs are 6-2 in the Big East and Overall.

Lady Dawgs and SL Eagles Split

The April 6 doubleheader between the Lady Dawgs and Silver Lake were split with Silver Lake winning 8-3 and Rossville winning the other game 12-10.

Rossville softball  is 7-1 in both the Big East and Overall.

Lady Dawgs Get Two Wins Over Royal Valley

The  Rossville softball team extended their win streak to 6 with two wins over Royal Valley by scores of 14-2 and 10-6.

Boys Golf Team 8th at Royal Valley

The RHS Boys Golf Team finished 8th of 11 teams at the Royal Valley Invitational. on Mar.30.

Jack Donovan led the team with an 83. for 7th place.  Jackson Feldhausen tied for 13th with a 91.

Rosasville SoftballTeam Off To 4-0 Start

 The Rossville sofball team stands at 4-0 i  Big East Standings with wins ofer  Jeff West of  15-9  and  5-2.  

This week they have notched victories over Riley Count 14-4 and 13-1

Rossville Baseball

The baseball team lost their first two games to Jeff  Westby scores of 10-2 an 10-1.  But they tuned things around during their two game series wih Rily County this week winning 20-0 and 18-2