Top 10 Louisburg Sports Stories of 2023

It was a successful, and eventful, 2023 for Louisburg High School athletics and for those who are connected to the Wildcat program. 

This past year created a lot of school history for LHS and a few programs brought back state hardware.

Below are the top stories from 2023, along with a brief explanation of each. Included in the writeup is the link to the actual story from the event.

When putting the list together, I took a lot of things into account – whether it was team vs. individual, popularity of the sport, historical achievements and the interest it drew on the web site.

This year was a blast to cover and I am looking forward to seeing what 2024 will bring. Thank you to everyone for their support and can’t wait for it all to begin again.

10. Brings Plenty earns first state cross country medal

WAMEGO — Jerynce Brings Plenty had being eyeing this race since the beginning of the season.

After missing out on the opportunity to run at the Class 4A Kansas State Cross Country Championships in 2022 due to an injury, Brings Plenty was itching at the chance to run against the state’s best.

He got that opportunity at the Wamego Country Club and he took full advantage.

Brings Plenty earned his first state cross country medal as he took 12th overall in a time of 16 minutes and 57 seconds. It has been a long time coming for the Louisburg junior.

“Getting 12th place and a state medal meant everything to me,” Brings Plenty said. “All season my main focus was to place as high as I could at state, especially since I had only placed 51st as a freshman and didn’t race my sophomore year.”

The 2023 season was a successful one for Brings Plenty as he earned a medal in every race he finished. He also moved up the school’s all-time leaderboard and currently holds the second fastest time.

9. Brueggen wins two state swim medals; Brown earns first boys state medal

Sabra Brueggen and Colin Brown put together a pair of historic seasons for their respective swim teams in 2023.

Brueggen doubled her medal count back in May at the state meet at the Capitol Federal Natatorium in Topeka. The Louisburg sophomore earned state medals in both the 100-yard backstroke and 50 freestyle.

After earning the one medal as a freshman a year ago, Brueggen was happy to find the medal stand in both races this season.

However, it has been a long road for Brueggen to get back to the state meet. After suffering a knee injury last summer, she had to work hard to get back in time for this go-round in a recovery that lasted nine months.

“Going into high school swim this season, I only had one personal goal in mind, making it back to finals at state,” Brueggen said. “Little did I know that I was going to make it back to the ‘A’ final in both my events, allowing me to medal. This truly meant the world to me because this past year has been one of the toughest ones yet. Overcoming this nine month long recovery, and accomplishing this at state, was an indescribable feeling.”

As for Brown, the Wildcat freshman earned the school’s first state medal in boys swimming back in February at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center in Lenexa. 

Brown recorded a time of 56.46 seconds in the finals of the 100-yard butterfly to take eighth overall. He swam a season-best time of 55.85 in the preliminaries to garner a spot in the finals.

“Colin’s swim in the medal finals was so fun to watch,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “Hardware from state is not easy to earn and he did a marvelous job all season working toward that final.”

In all, Louisburg sent four swimmers to the state meet in Brown, Brayton Brueggen, Colton Prettyman and Andrew Jamison and the Wildcats turned in several times that earned spots in the consolation finals. As team, the Wildcats finished 15th overall with 44 points.

8. Cheer takes fourth at state

TOPEKA — Louisburg cheer has been no stranger to the big stage when it comes to the state competition.

The Wildcats have become a mainstay in the Class 4A Game Day Spirit Showcase in the last several years that has included a state championship and a pair of state runner-up finishes.

Louisburg found itself in position for another state plaque in November at the Stormont-Vail Events Center in Topeka. The Wildcats qualified for the finals with an impressive performance, but came up just short of another state plaque as they took fourth overall in Class 4A.

“I am so proud,” Louisburg coach Breanna Kostroske said. “This team had to welcome not one, but two new coaches and has worked so hard since May on their competition material and it truly showed on the floor Saturday. Being a new coach you are automatically stressed that you haven’t given enough to all aspects of a game day routine, but we put our faith in the team and they showed up and truly represented themselves in a huge way.”

Members of the Louisburg cheer team are: Elizabeth George, Brooklyn Harmon, Addison Drake, Maddie O’Keefe, Maddy Carpenter-Ross, Caroline Dugger, Anna Brizendine, Reece Jones, Addie Vargo, Laney Stohs, Taryn Osborn, Kayleigh Ramsey, Will Leach, Brooklyn Roney, Harper Boyle, Kimmie Powls, Reece Younggren and Reese Anderson. The Wildcats are coached by Breanna Kostroske and Heather Brummel.

7. Pfannenstiel takes AD position, Wildcat basketball hires new coach Ben Doll

The 2023-24 school year for Louisburg High School activities had little different look to it — especially at the top.

Ty Pfannenstiel was hired as the school’s new activities director and took over for Michael Pickman, who will focus on his assistant principal duties and curriculum. 

Pfannenstiel, who has been the boys basketball coach for the last six years, resigned his post to take on the activities director position. He also stepped down as an assistant football coach.

“This is very exciting for me,” Pfannenstiel said. “It’s definitely going to be a change. I have been a teacher and a coach for 18 years. I still get to be a teacher half-time, and now I get to step into a new role as an administrator. It is going to be all sports and activities and I am looking forward to the new direction.”

Louisburg then hired Ben Doll to replace Pfannenstiel as the new Wildcat boys basketball coach. Doll has patrolled the sidelines as an assistant for two state championship teams and has coached in numerous state tournaments over his 24 year career.

This is Doll’s first head coaching position after spending time as an assistant at St. Thomas Aquinas, Johnson County Community College, Lansing and Blue Valley North.

“I am really excited to get going,” Doll said. “It has been a long time coming. I have a lot of great experiences and I am ready to apply those things I have learned into this job. I am ready to put my own stamp on some stuff as well.”

6. Wrestling qualifies six for state, Eslinger medals

SALINA —  Just like a year ago, Elijah Eslinger found himself one win away from a spot in the state championship match.

Eslinger, who has been ranked in Class 4A at different times throughout the season, has had a long road as a Wildcat heavyweight. One that included a rough freshman year, to progressively getting better.

With a spot in the semifinals at the Class 4A Kansas State Wrestling Championships already wrapped up, he had already secured his second state medal in Salina. Although he didn’t make that championship match, Eslinger still left Salina with some hardware.

“To make the semifinals was exciting, especially since it was the closest match I had,” Eslinger said. “It was probably close to the hardest match that I had over the weekend. I feel like I could have done better looking at my matches in hindsight.”

The Wildcats nearly had two more wresters earn spots on the medal stand. Junior J’Lee Collins (126 pounds) and sophomore Ashton Moore (175) both made their way to the blood round and needed a win to secure a state medal.

The Wildcats also experienced some heartbreak as senior Kaven Bartlett fell short of his goal of earning another state medal. At 138 pounds, Bartlett finished the state tournament with a 1-2 record.

Senior Trace Eslinger (215) and sophomore Jay McCaskill (157) also represented the Wildcats at the state tournament, but finished with an 0-2 record.

5. Lohse wins three state medals, Lady Cats sixth at state

WICHITA — Emma Lohse blazed the track for the Louisburg girls track and field team all season, and the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships was no different.

Lohse picked up three medals and helped the 4×100-meter relay to another school record at Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium. In all, the Lady Cats medaled in five events and finished sixth in the team standings with 29 points.

“Coming back from Wichita with three state medals was something I had to work for and was happy about the outcome,” Lohse said. “Leaving Cessna Stadium one last time, I was very proud of the way I competed and proud of what I came home with.”

Lohse was just inches away from winning a state championship in the 100-meter dash. At the finish line, the Louisburg senior was step-for-step with Rose Hill’s Kate Dare.

As the two leaned for the finish line, Dare edged Lohse for first as Lohse ran a time of 12.46 seconds. Dare ran a 12.44.

Later in the 200-meter dash, Lohse earned another state medal as she took seventh in 26.77 seconds.

Louisburg’s (seated from left) Kendall Crossley, Suzanna Dansel, (standing from left) Mackenzie Rooney and Emma Lohse pose with their third place state medals in the 4×100 relay. The Lady Cats broke their own school record for the fourth straight time in the prelims.

Sandwiched in between those two races, Lohse helped the 4×100-meter relay of Mackenzie Rooney, Suzanna Dansel and Kendall Crossley to a medal of their own.

The Lady Cat relay finished third overall with a time of 49.70 seconds. Andale won in 49.24 and McPherson was second at 49.67.

However, in the preliminaries on Friday, the team broke their own school record for the fourth consecutive time in 49.26 seconds and had the fastest time going into the finals.

Another Lady Cat to find the medal stand was Emma Prettyman. The Louisburg senior put together a strong showing in the discus.

Prettyman earned her first state medal as she finished sixth in the event with a throw of 115 feet, 9 inches.

4. Wildcat pole vaulters dominate 4A state meet

WICHITA — Maddy Carpenter-Ross, Caden Caplinger and Cooper Wingfield had been considered as some of the top pole vaulters in Class 4A for most of the season.

All three had finished at, or toward the top of each of their meets this year, and all of them had high hopes going into state meet at Wichita State.

Carpenter-Ross and Caplinger reached the highest summit Class 4A had to offer as both were crowned state champions following their respective events.

Caplinger became a two-time state champion first as he cleared 15 feet to win the 4A boys pole vault. Wingfield finished as the state runner-up.

“It means a lot and I am just blessed to have the opportunity to be here and win the title, especially with Cooper right on my tail,” Caplinger said. 

Carpenter-Ross thrived under the pressure in the girls competition as she, not only looked for her second consecutive state medal, but her first state championship. 

The Louisburg junior captured her first state title after she cleared 11 feet, which tied a personal best. This coming off a season where she medaled fifth at state a year ago.

“I think it is fantastic,” Carpenter-Ross said. “Going to 11 feet, I was tied with the one girl and I was hoping that I would get it on my first try. Then when I did, it was just an amazing feeling. 

“It was just awesome for me, plus to see my family’s faces up in the stands was really cool too. Being a state champion is awesome and I plan to do it again.”

3. Wildcat football wins back-to-back Frontier League titles

SPRING HILL — It had been 16 years since the Louisburg football team last repeated as back-to-back Frontier League champions.

That drought ended on an October night in Spring Hill.

In a battle of undefeated league teams, Louisburg proved its was the best. The Wildcats scored 21 unanswered points, and shutout the Broncos in the first half, as they cruised to a 35-21 victory.

Louisburg earned back-to-back league crowns for the first time since the 2006 and 2007 campaigns. The Wildcats also finished the regular season with an 8-0 record.

“It is pretty exciting,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “We talked to the guys before the game about how long it is has been since we have won back-to-back league titles and it has only been done four times in our school’s history. So to chalk another one up there feels pretty good.”

The Wildcats advanced to the regional round of the state playoffs in early November, but lost a heartbreaker to Basehor-Linwood, 22-20, and ended a nine game winning streak.

“This season was a lot of fun,” Harding said. “It is a great group of kids and they worked incredibly hard. They were loose and made it fun every single day. I can’t say enough about how good of kids they are and how hard they work. We hoped to still be moving on, but this loss doesn’t take away from what these kids did all year.”

2. Wildcat volleyball takes fourth at state for second straight year

HUTCHINSON — For the second time in as many years, Louisburg is leaving the state volleyball tournament with some hardware.

The Wildcats, for the second straight season, finished fourth Saturday at the Class 4A Kansas State Volleyball Championships in Hutchinson. It marked the 20th appearance for the Wildcats in the tournament.

Getting that hardware and making it to Saturday was certainly a battle for the Wildcats, who had to fight through adversity during pool play on Friday. Louisburg had to deal with injuries and had its fate rest in another team’s hands. 

Despite all that, Louisburg left with a fourth place medal following a tough 23-25, 25-8 and 25-16 loss to Andale in the third-place match Saturday at Hutchinson Sports Arena.

“We are very proud of this team for making it back to the state tournament and finishing in the final four again,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “We, of course, will always strive for higher finishes until we reach that ultimate goal of state champions, but we are proud of where we finished the season and were happy with the success of this team.”

Members of the Louisburg volleyball team are (from left) Adelyn Moore, Caileigh Kilgore, McKenna Lohse, Delaney Nelsen, Aspen Coulter, Evyn Richardson, Ashlyn Berck, Katie Elpers, Izzy Moreland, Megan Quinn, Hailey Sword, Madie Williams and head coach Leanna Willer.

1. Wildcat boys track finishes as state runner-up; Dobbins wins state title in high jump as team medals in 13 events

WICHITA — The Louisburg boys track and field team had the resume of a state champion. 

The Wildcats racked up 87 points during the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships at Wichita State. 

Louisburg medaled in all 13 events it competed and the Wildcats finished the meet with two individual state champions. The ending was supposed to feature the Wildcats holding up a state championship plaque.

“If you would have told me at the beginning of the year we would score 87 points at state and not win a championship, I would have just ignored you and said ‘Whatever,’” Louisburg coach Andy Wright said. “No way that would happen.”

As it turned out, the Wildcats found themselves on the outside looking in for a team state title. Andale finished first with 87.5 points. Louisburg had 87.

It was an emotional letdown for the Wildcats as they were so close to that team goal.

“To beat Andale, we had to score 88 and that is just a testament to how good they are,” Wright said. “They have really good athletes, especially in the throws. At the same time, I couldn’t be more proud of my guys and how they competed. It was just so much fun to watch them lay it all out there. They really did have a great season.”

Mason Dobbins reached new heights at the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championship.

Ok, well maybe not literally.

Dobbins who broke a school record in the high jump earlier this year, didn’t reach that height at the state meet — but he didn’t need to. The Louisburg senior cleared 6 feet, 6 inches to win the Class 4A high jump title.

It was the first of four state medals that Dobbins would win on the day as he helped lead the Wildcats to the Class 4A state runner-up plaque.

“It meant everything to be a state champion and to be able to medal in all of my events this year since I didn’t last year,” Dobbins said. “Our team trains so hard, and to be able to be runner up by .5 points, is incredible.”

Dobbins nearly earned his second state title in the 110-meter hurdles as he found himself in a battle with Rose Hill’s Teagan Cobb. The two were stride-for-stride going into he final hurdle, but Cobb nipped Dobbins at the finish line.

Later on, he joined Caden Caplinger, Colyer Wingfield and Ethan Ptacek in the 4×100-meter relay and the team medaled third in 43.38 seconds. Ptacek had to run for Ashton Moore, who was injured during the preliminaries.

Then toward the end of the meet, Dobbins, who was sitting seventh in the 200-meter dash after the preliminaries, battled to keep his team in the state championship race and medaled third in 23.07.

Louisburg senior Nathan Vincent got his team a lot of points in the throwing events as he medaled in the javelin, discus and shot put — with the latter being his best event of the weekend.

Vincent, who just started doing shot put this year, put together his best performance of the season. He recorded a personal best throw of 51-8 in the finals to take third overall. He also went on to take fifth in the discus and sixth in the javelin.

Sophomore Jerynce Brings Plenty also came away with three state medals in the distance events, but none was more precious to him than the 3,200-meter run.

Brings Plenty broke the school record in the event as he medaled third in 9 minutes and 49.41 seconds. He surpassed the old mark of 9:50.60 that was set by Jason Rose in 2007.

He continued his medal streak for the Wildcats as he joined Hunter Heinrich, Blaise Vohs and Colton Blue to medal seventh in the 4×800-meter relay.

Later in the day, Brings Plenty competed in the 1,600 run and took sixth in 4:34.42.

Louisburg senior Nathan Apple left his final state meet with a pair of medals in both hurdle events. Apple finished fourth in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.29 seconds on Saturday.

Apple also went on to take fourth in the 300 hurdles in 40.55 seconds as he ended his Wildcat track career on a positive note.

The Wildcats ended the state meet with the 4×400-meter relay as the team of Heinrich, Vohs, Colyer Wingfield and Ptacek needed a third place finish or better to win the state title. Unfortunately, the Wildcats came up just short as they took fourth in 3:23.98.

Louisburg set a new personal record by three seconds and was .25 seconds away from tying the school record. The Wildcats also scored points in all three relay events.




Brings Plenty earns first state cross country medal

Louisburg junior Jerynce Brings Plenty garnered his first state cross country medal last Saturday at the Class 4A state meet in Wamego.

WAMEGO — Jerynce Brings Plenty had being eyeing this race since the beginning of the season.

After missing out on the opportunity to run at the Class 4A Kansas State Cross Country Championships last fall due to an injury, Brings Plenty was itching at the chance to run against the state’s best.

He got that opportunity Saturday at the Wamego Country Club and he took full advantage.

Brings Plenty earned his first state cross country medal as he took 12th overall in a time of 16 minutes and 57 seconds. It has been a long time coming for the Louisburg junior.

“Getting 12th place and a state medal meant everything to me,” Brings Plenty said. “All season my main focus was to place as high as I could at state, especially since I had only placed 51st as a freshman and didn’t race my sophomore year.”

The 2023 season was a successful one for Brings Plenty as he earned a medal in every race he finished. He also moved up the school’s all-time leaderboard and currently holds the second fastest time.

“It was awesome to see Jerynce get his first cross country state medal,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “He worked hard all season and off season to put himself in position to earn a state birth and then a medal.”

The state race itself is always a difficult one and it was a competition that feature more than 100 runners. Brings Plenty managed to stay toward the front of the pack and work his way up from there.

“I’m pretty happy with how I performed on the day,” Brings Plenty said. “Going into the race I knew it was going to be a dogfight from start to finish and I was prepared to do whatever it took to stand my ground. In all honesty, I wish I would’ve placed higher, but there is nothing much I can do about it now other than come back better and stronger next year.”

It was a competitive field in the 4A boys race this season and featured several fast times. McPherson sophomore Caleb Mueller ran a time of 15:58 to win the state title as he edged out Eudora’s Zach Arnold by less than a second.

“The overall competition in all classes this year was tough,” Reece said.. “The times ran this year and the number of runners that could take a race at any given time was always a guessing game. Jerynce put himself in a great position early, but faded a little in the end. He did what he needed to do to give himself a chance and was rewarded for his effort.”

Senior Noah Cotter saw his season and Wildcat cross country career come to a close Saturday as well. Cotter finished 62nd in 18:23 to end a year that saw him earn All-Frontier League second team honors.

“Noah just missed last year and was determined to qualify this year as an individual if the team did not make it,” Reece said. “He did just that. He was sick the week of state, but powered through and ran the best he could in his final race of his cross country career. Noah is an awesome leader and the program will miss his grit and leadership. We wish him luck in his pursuits after high school.”




Week 9 Athlete of the Week: Jerynce Brings Plenty

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week nine of the fall sports season, sponsored by Edward Jones-Craig Holtzen.

JERYNCE BRINGS PLENTY, JUNIOR, CROSS COUNTRY

Louisburg junior Jerynce Brings Plenty put together a strong performance last Saturday at the Class 4A Kansas State Cross Country Championships in Wamego. Brings Plenty earned his first state cross country medal as he finished 12th overall in 16 minutes and 57 seconds.

It has been quite the season for Brings Plenty as he also worked his way up the school’s all-time leaderboard. He recorded the second fastest time in school history earlier this season and medaled in every race he finished this year. This was Brings Plenty’s second trip to the state meet after qualifying as a freshman.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the fall season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous winners:

Week 1: Declan Battle

Week 2: Megan Quinn

Week 3: Maddy Rhamy

Week 4: Emmett White

Week 5: Ashton Moore

Week 6: Madie Williams

Week 7: Noah Cotter

Week 8: Hailey Sword




Brings Plenty, Cotter qualify for state cross country

Louisburg senior Noah Cotter (left) and junior Jerynce Brings Plenty qualified for state Saturday during the Class 4A regional meet in Overland Park.

OVERLAND PARK — Jerynce Brings Plenty and Noah Cotter both had something to prove at the Class 4A regional meet Saturday at Johnson County Community College.

Brings Plenty, who missed this race a year ago due to injury, also had to exit last week’s league race halfway through due to an illness. 

Cotter competed at regionals last season, but missed qualifying for state by just one spot. Those adversities fueled both Wildcat runners.

This time around, they found their way to the state meet.

Brings Plenty and Cotter both qualified as individuals for the Class 4A state meet and will represent Louisburg this Saturday in Wamego. Brings Plenty finished as the regional runner-up and Cotter took eighth overall.

“It was great to see Jerynce and Noah continue their incredible season,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “They both are deserving of their qualification for the state meet. Jerynce ran a solid race and maintained his position through two-thirds of the race. He and the Eudora runner were able to break away from other runners which set him up for his second place finish. Noah put himself in the top ten and stayed there the whole race. After just missing last year, Noah knew what had to be done and executed it to a T. It was an awesome race for the two of them.”

Louisburg junior Jerynce Brings Plenty runs next to Eudora’s Zach Arnold on Saturday at Johnson County Community College.

Brings Plenty, who has led Louisburg all season, found himself at the front of the pack the entire race. He ran side by side by Eudora’s Zach Arnold for much of the competition, before Arnold pulled away.

The Louisburg junior took second with one of his better times on the season in 16 minutes and 39 seconds. Arnold was the regional champion in 16:26.

It was a welcome finish for Brings Plenty who had to pull out of the Frontier League meet halfway through with a stomach problem after sitting top three in that race as well.

“I definitely felt really good, especially after I dropped out last week at league,” Brings Plenty said. “I was a little worried with how my gut would do, but I just told myself to come out and have trust in my training and everything I have done all summer. I just wanted to run as hard as I could.”

As for Cotter, he also ran one of his better times on the season in 17:36 to earn the eighth-place finish. Missing out on state a year ago was fresh on his mind.

Louisburg senior Noah Cotter leads a pack of runners downhill Saturday at Johnson County Community College.

“This time was really close and I was cutting it pretty close as I was sitting in 10th for a while,” Cotter said. “I knew what I wanted, and I knew why I was running, so I knew that I could do it and it feels really good to be able to accomplish this.”

On the girls side, senior Maddy Rhamy nearly joined Brings Plenty and Cotter on qualifying for state, but missed the cut by one spot. Rhamy finished 16th overall in 21:38.

The top three teams qualify for state along with the top five individuals on non-qualifying teams.

“Maddy left it all on the course and it was heartbreaking to see her just miss qualifying,” Reece said. “She has been a solid leader for the team over the last four years and we thank her for that. Along with Maddy, Lola (Edwards) and Erin (Apple) will be missed as well. We have great seniors this year and what they have done for our program is priceless.”

Louisburg senior Maddy Rhamy led the girls in 16th overall.

In the team standings, the Wildcat boys finished fifth overall. Freshman Levi Cotter was third on the team with a time 18:42 to take 22nd overall.

Truman Ellison (19:48) and Spencer Mattison (20:28) were 35th and 42nd, respectively. Ben Proctor ran a 20:48 to take 45th and Zac Musil was 57th in 22:53.

On the girls side, the Wildcats took seventh overall. Senior Lola Edwards was 27th in 23:29, while freshman Talen McMurray was right behind her in 28th at 23:31. 

Junior Rowan Yows was 41st in 24:52 and senior Erin Apple took 46th in 25:47.

“We had strong races from all of our runners and look for them to continue to work hard during the off season and prepare for track in the spring,” Reece said. “We will return a solid group of sophomores and juniors for next year. We were very happy with the freshman runners, who really stepped it up at the end of the season and put themselves out there in a big regional race. Talen, Levi, Zac, Spencer, and Truman, all freshmen, ran well and we look to them to continue to bring it over the next three years.”

Brings Plenty and Cotter will now prepare for their final race of the season this Saturday for the state meet at Wamego Country Club — a course both runners are familiar with. The 4A boys race is set to begin at 10 a.m.

“My goal is to get in that top 10 and see what happens,” Cotter said. “We have already run on the course this year, so that definitely helps knowing what to expect. I am looking forward to it.”

“Honestly, I just want to place as high as I can and just go out and have fun,” Brings Plenty added.




Cotter, Rhamy earn all-league honors at Frontier meet

Louisburg senior Noah Cotter medaled ninth last Thursday at the Frontier League Invitational at De Soto’s Lexington Lake Park. He also earned second team all-league honors.

DE SOTO — It didn’t all pan out like it was supposed to for the Louisburg cross country team Thursday at the Frontier League Invitational, but the Wildcats still had a few things go their way on the Lexington Lake Park course in De Soto.

In what is one of the tougher meets of the season, the Wildcats came away with a pair league honors. Senior Noah Cotter earned a medal and a spot on the all-league team, while senior Maddy Rhamy also found her way to the all-league squad.

“Our teams ran well at league,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “With some of the top 4A teams there, it is always a challenge. The course itself was interesting and the runners seemed to like it.”

Cotter had a strong meet for the Wildcats as he medaled ninth overall in 17 minutes and 57 seconds. That finish put him on the All-Frontier League second team.

“Noah is a competitor,” Reece said. “He ran a great race and was awesome for him to earn All-League honors in his last league race.”

Rhamy battled her way through a talented girls field as she finished 20th in 22:55. That earned her a spot on the honorable mention all-league team.

“The girls have endured lots of obstacles this season,” Reece said. “Maddy earning All-League honors in her last league race shows how hard she has worked this season. I have a feeling she is not done and is looking to return to state one more time.”

Louisburg senior Maddy Rhamy (center) gets out to a good start with teammate Lola Edwards last Thursday in De Soto. Rhamy earned honorable mention all-league honors.

The Wildcats’ top runner, Jerynce Brings Plenty, was sitting third halfway through the competition and would have been the third Louisburg runner to garner all-league honors, but had to exit the race with an injury.

“Jerynce had some abdominal issues and had to drop out after putting himself in a great spot to challenge for top three finish,” Reece said. “Good thing is that the issue went away and he is ready to roll at regionals.”

As for the rest of the boys team, freshman Levi Cotter just missed out on all-league as he took 24th overall in 19:01. Junior Ben Proctor was 38th in 20:27 and freshman Spencer Mattison was 40th in 20:34.

Cameron Jenkins, Conner Forrester and Zac Musil rounded out the Wildcat lineup in 57th, 61st and 65th, respectively. As a team, the Wildcats were sixth with 134 points.

Spring Hill won the league title with 34 points and Tonganoxie was runner-up with 67.

On the girls side, senior Lola Edwards was second on the girls team in 25th with a time of 23:39. Freshman Talen McMurray was 38th in 24:43 and senior Erin Apple was 51st in 25:47.

Lila Edwards finished 59th in 26:59 to round out the Wildcat girls team that took seventh with 165 points. Baldwin won the league crown with 33 points and Eudora was second with 45.

Louisburg will now prepare for the Class 4A regional meet that will be held Saturday at Johnson County Community College. The top three teams will qualify for the state meet, along with the top five individuals of non-qualifying teams.

The girls race will begin at 10:15 a.m., followed by the boys competition.

“We are definitely on the outside looking in when it comes to teams qualifying for state,” Reece said. “We will prepare the best we can and take care of our business and hope that it is good enough to bump a team out. The top finishers in the state, both team and individuals, can be found at our regional. It will be an accomplishment for those who qualify from any of the teams represented.”




Week 7 Athlete of the Week: Noah Cotter

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week seven of the fall sports season, sponsored by Dr. Laura’s Orthodontics.

NOAH COTTER, SENIOR, CROSS COUNTRY

Louisburg senior Noah Cotter has had a memorable season so far for the Wildcat cross country team and that continued last Thursday. At the Frontier League Invitational that was held at Lexington Lake Park in De Soto, Cotter finished with a league medal as he took ninth overall in 17 minutes and 57 seconds.

With that finish, Cotter earned All-Frontier League second team honors as he led the Wildcat boys’ team. So far this season, Cotter has earned medals in all seven meets and will try and make it eight in a row this Saturday at the Class 4A regional.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the fall season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous winners:

Week 1: Declan Battle

Week 2: Megan Quinn

Week 3: Maddy Rhamy

Week 4: Emmett White

Week 5: Ashton Moore

Week 6: Madie Williams




Louisburg medals four at home invitational

Louisburg senior Noah Cotter stays with a Blue Valley Northwest runner Thursday during the Louisburg Invitational. Cotter was one of four Wildcat medalists on the day.

The Louisburg cross country team concluded its regular season Thursday and got to do so on its home course.

The Wildcats hosted the Louisburg Invitational at Lewis-Young Park in one final tune-up before their postseason schedule kicks into high gear. Louisburg was in good form as it ended up with four medals.

In the team standings, both the boys and girls squads finished in fourth place overall.

“It is always a good day when you can host a home meet,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “The community did show up to support the runners, which was nice to see. Our course is deceivingly tough, but the runners did a great job.”

Jerynce Brings Plenty once again led the Wildcat runners. The Louisburg junior was up front throughout much of the race and finished third in 17 minutes and 17 seconds to a pair of Blue Valley Northwest runners.

Senior Noah Cotter ended his final Louisburg Invitational with a medal as well. Cotter finished ninth overall in 17:58.

Louisburg junior Ben Proctor stays with a group of runners Thursday at the Louisburg Invitational.

“Jerynce ran a great race and yet again put himself in position to battle for the top spot, but just missed out to two great runners,” Reece said. “Noah found himself a little back, but made up ground during the race to garnish his last LHS Invitational medal.”

Freshmen Levi Cotter (19:02) and Truman Ellison (20:04) were next on the Wildcat team as they took 20th and 28th, respectively. Junior Ben Proctor (20:58) and freshman Spencer Mattison (21:49) were 38th and 45th.

Louisburg senior Maddy Rhamy led the Wildcat girls as she medaled 14th.

On the girls side, the Wildcats earned a pair of medals and Maddy Rhamy led the way. The Louisburg senior was 14th overall in 23:32 and senior Lola Edwards was right behind her in 15th in 23:42.

“On the girls side of things, they keep competing well and Maddy and Lola continue to lead the group,” Reece said. “It was nice to see them medal in their last home meet. I’m sure it was bittersweet for all the seniors to run it one last time.”

Louisburg’s freshman Talen McMurray and senior Erin Apple race uphill Thursday to begin the race at Lewis-Young Park.

Freshman Talen McMurray (26:05) and senior Erin Apple (26:17) finished 24th and 25th, respectively. Sophomore Lila Edwards took 27th in 27:06.

Louisburg will begin its postseason run this Thursday when the Wildcats travel to the Frontier League Invitational. Races begin at 4:30 p.m. at Lexington Lake Park in De Soto.




Brings Plenty wins Perry Invite, Wildcats medal nine

Louisburg junior Jerynce Brings Plenty won the Perry-Lecompton Invitational on Thursday in Topeka. His time was the second fastest in school history.

TOPEKA — Jerynce Brings Plenty has continued to make his way up the Louisburg High School cross country leaderboard all season, but on Thursday in Topeka, he made a big jump.

Brings Plenty ran a personal best time of 16 minutes and 35 seconds to win the Perry-Lecompton Invitational at Hummer Park. In the process, his finish was the second fastest time in school history.

“Jerynce ran great on Thursday,” Reece said. “He was in control of the race from the start. He made a move to break the lead pack up and never looked back. Jerynce was able to separate himself a bit later and held the lead for the rest of the race.”

Brings Plenty was one of nine medalists on the day for the Wildcats. The Louisburg girls captured five medals on their way to a third place team finish with 74 points, just three points behind Paola.

The Wildcat boys had four medalists and took fourth as a team.

Seniors Lola Edwards and Maddy Rhamy led the Wildcat girls as they each finished in the top 10. Edwards took seventh in 22:42 and Rhamy was 10th at 23:03.

“Lola has been running great,” Reece said. “She is a warrior and continues to improve and lead the team. Maddy is right there as well and we look for her to make big gains.”

Louisburg also had a pair of freshmen run their first varsity races and both came away with a medal. Freshmen Talen McMurray was 20th in 24:19 and Ella Bockelman took 25th in 24:50.

Senior Erin Apple rounded out the Wildcat medalists in 26th at 24:53.

“Talen and Ella really stepped it up when asked to run in the varsity race,” Reece said. “We have seen glimmers of what they can do and hope that their success will lead to more. 

“Now that our Homecoming Queen (Apple) is done with a busy week, we look for her to make a big move and take the freshman girls with her to close the gap between them and our front runners. Rowan (Yows) looks to be getting better from injury and will add even more to our team.”

On the boys side, senior Noah Cotter also finished in the top 10 along with Brings Plenty. Cotter was eighth in 17:41.

Freshmen Levi Cotter and Truman Ellison also came home with medals. Cotter was 26th in 19:55, while Ellison was 29th with a time of 19:59.

Junior Ben Proctor (21:40) and freshman Spencer Mattison (22:12) rounded out the Wildcat roster in 44th and 49th, respectively.

“The boys team continues to improve but we have a ways to go yet,” Reece said. “Hopefully all will come together at regionals and we make a bid for state as a team.”

Louisburg has one final regular season meet left and that is this Thursday when the Wildcats host the Louisburg Invitational. Races are set to begin at 4 p.m. at Lewis-Young Park.




Wildcat boys win team title, girls medal four at Prairie View

The Louisburg boys cross country team won first place on Thursday at Prairie View. Members of the team (from left) are Spencer Mattison, Ben Proctor, Truman Ellison, Levi Cotter, Noah Cotter and Jerynce Brings Plenty.

LA CYGNE — Winning is always fun and the Louisburg cross country team had a lot of it Thursday at the Ramsey Invitational.

The Louisburg boys won the team title, while Jerynce Brings Plenty and Noah Cotter finished 1-2, respectively, to lead what was a very successful day for the Wildcats at Prairie View High School.

On the girls side, all four runners left with medals as the Wildcats continue to put together what is a successful season to date.

“Everyone had a good day,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “Even though it was a smaller meet, the runners were competitive and ran well.”

It all started with Brings Plenty as the Louisburg junior crossed the finish line first to win the varsity boys race. Brings Plenty won with a time of 17 minutes and 38 seconds.

Senior Noah Cotter was right behind him as he finished second in 17:58 as the Wildcats earned the 1-2 finish. 

Louisburg also had another pair of top 10 medalists. Freshman Levi Cotter was fourth at 19:17, while freshman Truman Ellison was 10th in 19:43.

“It was great to see Jerynce win the race and for Noah to be there in second place at the end of the race was fantastic,” Reece said. “Levi ran a good race as well and moved up throughout the race to be fourth.”

Also on the boys side, junior Ben Proctor earned a medal and was 16th in 20:45. Freshman Spencer Mattison was 23rd in 21:54. The Wildcats won the team title with 22 points and Anderson County as second with 33.

Louisburg’s (from left) Lola Edwards, Maddy Rhamy, Erin Apple and Lila Edwards all medaled Thursday at Prairie View.

As for the girls, senior Lola Edwards recorded her best finish of the season as she took fourth in 23:35. Senior Maddy Rhamy also recorded a top-10 finish in 24:16.

Fellow senior Erin Apple medaled 13th in 26:16 and sophomore Lila Edwards garnered her first varsity medal of the year in 19th in 30:18.

“On the girls side, we are still waiting to field a full team in the varsity race because of some injuries,” Reece said. “The four that ran the race, Lola, Maddy, Erin, and Lila did a great job. We hope to field at least five varsity runners this week at Perry-Lecompton.”

Louisburg will compete at the Perry-Lecompton Invitational at 5 p.m. this Thursday. The races will be held at Hummer Park in Topeka.




Brings Plenty finishes second at Wellsville, Wildcats medal four

Jerynce Brings Plenty ran a personal best time of 16:50 to finish second on Thursday at the Wellsville Invitational. Louisburg earned four medals overall.

WELLSVILLE — It was another meet and another handful of medals for the Louisburg cross country team.

Louisburg brought home four medals Thursday from the Wellsville Invitational as the Wildcats continued to see improvement in what was their third meet of the season. 

Coming off a difficult race just five days prior at Wamego, Louisburg coach John Reece liked what he saw out of his runners.

“They did an awesome job at Wellsville,” Reece said. “After competing at Wamego and to race again on Thursday is tough. We work on different things within the race so it seems more like a workout/race than a true race.”

Jerynce Brings Plenty continues to improve on his strong junior campaign as he found himself toward the top of the pack once again. 

Brings Plenty ran a personal best time of 16 minutes and 50 seconds and finished second overall to Central Heights’ Cody Hammond, who ran a 16:37. Brings Plenty also led the boys team to a fourth place team finish with 93 points.

Louisburg senior Lola Edwards works her way through a pack of runners Thursday at Wellsville. Edwards medaled 21st overall.

Senior Noah Cotter also found himself at the front of the pack as he medaled seventh overall in 17:31. Both Wildcat runners have medaled in all three meets of their meets to begin the season. 

“Jerynce had a very controlled first mile which allowed him to press the pace more later in the race, which is one of the strategies we’ve been working on,” Reece said. “Noah ran similarly and had a competitive race as well. They are really working well together and their races are showing their hard work.”

Seniors Maddy Rhamy and Lola Edwards led the four-member girls team as they each left Wellsville with a medal.

Rhamy battled her way through the pack to finish eighth overall in 22:23, while Edwards earned her first medal of the season as she took 21st in 23:42.

Senior Erin Apple sprints toward the finish line Thursday at Wellsville.

“Lola went for it from the start and was rewarded for her effort,” Reece said. “Since she did not run at Wamego, she had free reign to race from the gun and she did. Maddy worked on a controlled start like the boys and passed a ton of runners as she pressed the pass through the second and third miles. Best I could tell she went from about 30th to 8th during the race.”

Senior Erin Apple just missed out on the top 30 as she took 31st in 24:18, while Lila Edwards rounded out the girls’ team in 57th in 28:14.

On the boys side, freshmen Levi Cotter (20:15) and Truman Ellison (20:16) finished toward the middle of the pack as they finished 32nd and 33rd, respectively. 

Freshman Truman Ellison and the Wildcat boys finished fourth as a team Thursday at Wellsville.

Ben Proctor took 48th overall in 21:24 and Spencer Mattison was 61st in 22:12.

Louisburg will be back in action this Thursday as the Wildcats travel to the Prairie View Invitational. Races begin at 3:30 p.m.