LMS wrestlers fare well at league; Holtzen wins title

By Andy Brown
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Updated: November 24, 2015

Seventh-grader Ben Wiedenmann works for a pin during a home match earlier this season against Spring Hill. Wiedenmann finished third at the Frontier League Tournament on Nov. 14 in Ottawa. He also led the seventh-grade team with 12 wins on the year.

The Louisburg Middle School wrestling team made a lot of strides in what is a short season for the Wildcats.

According to head coach Rodney Kasitz and assistant coach Bobby Bovaird, the Wildcats drew a record number of wrestlers this past season. Those numbers also resulted in a good amount of success, especially at the Frontier League tournament on Nov. 14.

The Wildcats traveled to Ottawa to compete against some of the league’s best and came away with several awards.

Seventh-grader Cade Holtzen had the best day out of all his teammates as he won the league championship in the ‘A’ bracket at 80 pounds with a 3-0 record – and all three wins came by pin.

Fellow seventh-graders Ryan Owens was 1-1 at 75 pounds and came in second overall and Ben Wiedenmann was third with a 2-1 record at 127 pounds. Eighth-grader Collin Hamilton also came in third at 120 pounds with a 2-1 mark.

Ethan Showalter (85 pounds), Harrison Laney (95) and Justin Collins (105) came in fourth overall.

In the B/C brackets, the Wildcats picked up three league champions. Ethan Shaffer was 4-0 with four pins at 85 pounds, Anthony Davis was 3-0 with a pair of pins at 120 pounds and Xander Chennault was 3-0 with three pins at 127 pounds.

Seventh-grader Ethan Showalter rolls a Spring Hill opponent to his back during a home dual with the Broncos earlier this season. Showalter finished fourth at the league tournament on Nov. 14.

Dylan Haas (75), Hunter Millbern (127) and Matthew Allen (155) finished runner-up. Teammates Bridger Baus (100), Dylan Sanders (115) and Ethan Armstrong (165) came in third.

In the team standings, the Wildcats tied with Spring Hill for fourth place with 81 points. Paola won the league championship with 218 points.

“This is exciting for the future of the high school team,” Bovaird said, who is also the head coach at the high school. “We’ve had several standouts who came from the Louisburg Kids Wrestling Club, but we’re also starting to attract some solid athletes with no wrestling experience at all.

“Kids at the middle school are starting to look seriously at wrestling as an option. We’re getting kids out who are solid athletes, and we’re getting kids who are tough-as-nails. This is my fourth year being involved with the LMS program, and I’m very excited for what’s to come.”

On the eighth grade level, Millbern led the Wildcats with 12 victories on the season, with 10 of those coming by pin and the other two by technical fall. Dalton Hilt had the best winning percentage with a 9-0 record.

Jack Mick and Davis led Louisburg in major decisions with two each and Hamilton led the Wildcats with four decisions on the year.

Eighth-grader Dalton Hilt works for a pin during a match earlier this season. Hilt finished the season with a 9-0 record.

Competing for the eighth grade this season were, Harrison Laney (8-4, 8 pins), Dalton Hilt (9-0, 7 pins), Tyler Shaffer (3-9, 2 pins), Sinell Ellifrits (0-7), Drake Varns (5-9, 3 pins), Dallas Newberry (4-3, 4 pins), Jack Mick (3-5, 1 pin and 2 major dec.), Dylan Sanders (7-3, 6 pins), Collin Hamilton (11-3, 6 pins), Tyler Bussard (2-11, 2 pins), Anthony Davis (11-1, 8 pins and 2 maj. dec.), Jessamy Howison (3-3, 3 pins), Hunter Millbern (12-5, 10 pins, 2 tech falls), Hugh Staver (7-7, 7 pins), Matthew Allen (4-9, 3 pins and 1 maj. dec.), Ethan Armstrong (1-13, 1 pin), Sam Kratochvil, (7-4, 6 pins) and Brayden White (5-6, 5 pins).

For the seventh grade, Wiedenmann led the Wildcats with the most wins with 12 and all 12 victories came by pin. Collins was the lone Wildcat to record a technical fall with one, while Collins, Elijah Johnson, Owens and Holtzen each had a major decision. Owens led Louisburg with two decisions on the year.

Competing for the seventh grade this season were, Ryan Owens (9-2, 6 pins, 1 maj. dec.), Chance Savage (2-0, 1 pin), Dylan Haas (6-4, 6 pins), Cade Holtzen (10-5, 8 pins, 1 maj. dec), Ethan Showalter (4-7, 3 pins), Ethan Shaffer (11-5, 11 pins), Jarrett Hoyle (6-10, 6 pins), Charley Hutson (1-11, 1 pin), Bridger Baus (3-6, 2 pins), Justin Collins (11-4, 8 pins, 1 tech fall, 1 maj. dec.), Kaleb O’Keefe (2-8, 2 pins), Matthew Madison (8-6, 7 pins), Ben Wiedenmann, (12-2, 12 pins), Xander Chennault (4-7, 4 pins), Cole Ewalt (4-6, 3 pins), Elijah Johnson (9-1, 8 pins, 1 maj. dec.) and Cole Evans (0-4).