Young Wildcats excited for opportunity in upcoming season

Senior Michael Waldron is one of two returning starters for the Louisburg boys basketball team this season. The Wildcats open play tomorrow in Tonganoxie.

Whenever you play in one of the state’s most difficult leagues, including one that features the defending state champion, the season is always going to be a challenging one.

Louisburg is well-aware of that fact, but it doesn’t make it any easier when it has to replace its leading scorer from a season ago. The Wildcats had to say goodbye to four seniors, all who played big roles on last season’s team that finished with a 9-11 record.

The Wildcats may be young in age, but head coach Ty Pfannenstiel is excited for what he has coming back as they enter the 2019-20 season.

“I’m very proud of this group of kids for the work that they’ve put in,” Pfannenstiel said. “We had our best off-season yet. Our summer weight room and basketball workout attendance was outstanding top to bottom. We have guys that look a lot different this year because they have really developed.

“Our expectations are extremely high, not because we are just saying it, but because they’ve invested so much time into what it takes to be successful. Actions speak louder than words. We’ve had a great first two weeks of practice. Our practices have been extremely competitive because we have so much depth this year. There’s just a lot of focus with this group.”

Louisburg returns two starters from a season ago in junior point guard Weston Guetterman, along with senior wing player Michael Waldron. Fellow junior Ben Guetterman will take over the other guard spot after seeing a lot of varsity time a year ago.

Senior Garrett Rolofson will see a lot of time at the center position, while sophomore Julian Margrave will also get the start as he is one of the team’s best shooters and earned varsity playing time halfway through his freshman season.

“We lost a lot of experience with last year’s group, but that’s what almost every program experiences,” Pfannenstiel said. “We return two starters from last year. Weston was a starting guard for us last year and will be our point guard this year. Michael was a starter by the end of the year last year and we will expect big things from him this year. Garrett had a great summer and will be a big factor for us inside and on the glass.

“Ben gave us some quality minutes last year and we hope the varsity experience he gained will give him confidence this year. Julian saw significant varsity time last year which is uncommon for a freshman. We expect him to take another step forward this year as a sophomore.”

Even with that, the Wildcats still have a lot depth on their bench.

Junior Konnor Vohs and sophomore Maverick Rockers will see time at the guard spot, while juniors Connor Koesser and Charlie Peters will compete for time in the post. Juniors Andy Hupp and Dawson Barnes could also see at both the guard and forward spots.

Junior Trevin Lohse, along with sophomores Michael Seuferling, Carson Kern and Isaac Guetterman, will also compete for varsity time this season.

“Our junior class is really deep,” Pfannenstiel said. “I think they all have an opportunity to see time this year. It really is going to come down to who is making an impact in practice and playing well in the JV games.”

Louisburg begins its season Friday when it travels to Tonganoxie in Frontier League play – a league that features a returning state champion in Piper and another state qualifier in Bonner Springs. The Wildcats know their schedule will be a challenge all season, but they are looking forward to the task ahead.

“I think the Frontier League is always going to be tough,” Pfannenstiel said. “Every night is going to demand your best. We finished in the middle of the pack last year in the league. We obviously want to be in the top tier of the Frontier League this year. If you finish in the top tier in this league, you’ve had a heck of a season. We are going to take it one game at a time. There will be no looking ahead on the schedule. Right now, we are focused on Tonganoxie.”

No matter what transpires, Pfannenstiel is proud of the work his team has put in to get to this point. Whether it was workouts in the summer, or through the first three weeks of practice, he has seen them grow since the end of last season.

“This team is extremely coachable,” he said. “They pick up on things really quick. We are so much farther ahead than we’ve ever been in my three years. I think we have a chance to be effective offensively. We should be able to score from all five positions on the court. Our off-season shooting workouts have developed our kids into scorers. We want our kids to be confident shooting the ball and the only way to gain that confidence is to see the ball go through the hoop. Now the questions is, can our shooting development carry over when the lights are on and somebody in an opposing jersey is guarding us? 

“I think we have to make the biggest strides defensively. We lost some tough, physical kids from last year’s team, so we are going to have to develop an attitude on the defensive side of the ball and on the boards. The main thing that I like about this group is, not only are they good ball players, but they are even better kids. I am so proud for these kids to represent this school and this community.”

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