Jimmy Dolan (left) and Mya Diacono suffered traumatic brain injuries just a month apart due to automobile accidents. It is their stories that have brought the Louisburg community closer together.

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Jimmy Dolan and Mya Diacono live in the same community but were worlds apart from each other.

Jimmy, a junior at Louisburg High School, loves to wrestle, hang out with friends and live the life of a teenager.

It was a far cry from 9-year-old Mya who loves soccer, horses and spending time with her fourth-grade friends at Broadmoor Elementary. In a town of less than 5,000 people, the two had never met.

Two tragic accidents changed all of that.

On Jan. 12, Jimmy lost control of his vehicle while driving to school and suffered a major brain injury. Just 42 days later, Mya was involved in an automobile accident just outside the Louisburg city limits that left her with the same severe brain trauma.

Both were rushed to hospitals with life-threatening conditions. Their lives, and the lives of their families, were turned upside down in an instant.

The two families were told the same thing – no brain injury is the same. There was no telling when they would wake up, breathe on their own or what their lives would be like.

The two kids who had never met each other were laying in beds at Children’s Mercy Hospital 10 rooms apart – their families holding out hope that one day they would walk out of the hospital.

So, this is the story of Jimmy and Mya – a story of a tragic meeting, a long road to recovery and a community that came together to help two families when they needed it the most.

 

Jimmy’s accident

It was a Monday morning and Maureen Dolan had already started her work day at Vintage Park. The roads were slick that morning and she was a little concerned about her son Jimmy.

Maureen wanted to catch him before he left for school so she tried to call him. There was no answer.

“I just wanted to tell him to be careful,” she said.

It was shortly after, a co-worker came in and told Maureen about an accident on old Metcalf Road. She swung her head toward the clock with a brief sense of relief.

Maureen knew Jimmy should have already been at school and that it couldn’t have been him. It had to be someone else.

Then her phone rang – Jimmy was hurt.

Jimmy lost control of his vehicle near the intersection of 295^th and Metcalf and slid off the road. The driver’s side collided with a tree and left him unconscious and fighting for his life.

Workers from the Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Co. heard the accident and were the first on the scene. Jimmy’s truck had caught on fire and workers helped put it out while attending to Jimmy.

Moments later, USD 416 superintendent Dr. Brian Biermann was on his way to drop off his kids at school when he came upon the accident. At that time only a fire truck and the workers from the gas plant were on the scene.

“They weren’t letting people through and I heard more sirens coming,” Dr. Biermann said. “I could see a truck down in the little ravine but I didn’t know who it was, but I did know it was about the time kids are going to school.

“I got out of the car and told my boys to stay put. As I walked down I could hear the people saying ‘Stay with us, stay with us.’ I knew it wasn’t good.”

Still not knowing who the victim was, Dr. Biermann asked the sheriff officers on the scene to run the plate hoping it wasn’t one of his students. It was Jimmy Dolan.

Maureen arrived at the scene a few minutes later after a call from Dr. Biermann in time to see her son on a stretcher preparing to be Life Flighted.

“I was told when I got there that they didn’t think he was going to make it,” she reflected.

Jimmy was loaded onto the helicopter and transported to Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo., where his fight for survival began.

 

Jimmy the Fighter

Louisburg High School’s Bobby Bovaird had seen Jimmy’s fight and determination up close on the wrestling mat and in life.

Just two days earlier, Bovaird, the Wildcat coach, had just watched Jimmy put his best wrestling performance on display at the Louisburg Invitational. He finished fourth at 182 pounds despite losing a tough overtime match.

“He came off the mat, frustrated and angry, and he threw his headgear for the first time I’d ever seen him do that,” Bovaird said. “He was upset, and I knew that on that following Monday, we’d have a lot to work on. He wanted to work on it — he wanted to improve. He was driven and perhaps the most driven kid on the team.”

Jimmy was willing to do whatever it took to get better at the sport he loved. He didn’t have a lot of money to participate in offseason camps or trips with the Wildcat team.

That didn’t stop him. He picked up odd jobs here and there, including mowing his coach’s lawn to help pay for those camps, including a team trip to Nebraska this past summer.

But when LHS principal Dave Tappan came into Bovaird’s room that Jan. 12 morning to tell him the news of Jimmy’s accident, Bovaird’s heart sank.

“The news floored me,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it, even after I heard Life Flight. I can’t describe the feeling, hearing the sound of a helicopter flying overhead, seeing it out the window as it raced through the air, knowing that it was carrying someone you knew.”

Jimmy arrived at Research and doctors immediately began treating him for his physical injuries and he was put on a ventilator. After several tests, it was found that he suffered from a brain shear injury, or more specifically, a diffuse axonal injury.

“The trauma doctor that first saw him said that he had just suffered a severe concussion, he wouldn’t be able to wrestle for the rest of the year but that he would be fine,” Maureen said.

“Then when we got into ICU, the neurologist came in and told us something different after running some tests said there was a shear injury on the brain. His injury was basically the all-over brain injury, it wasn’t just on the frontal lobe. His injury went all the way down to his brain stem.”

Doctors told Maureen that Jimmy’s outlook wasn’t good.

“When he first got there, the doctors weren’t sure if he was going to pull through or not,” Maureen said. “His brain started to swell and the fluid starting building up. They said if he does pull through they didn’t know if he would be able to walk or talk again.

“At first they told us that we should expect to be in ICU for six months because his coma could last that long. I told them, ‘I don’t think so. You don’t know Jimmy Dolan. He is not going to lay around for six months.’”

And he didn’t.

 

Road to Recovery

For almost a month, Jimmy was in a coma, and there wasn’t much progress early on. On Jan. 30, he was moved from Research to Children’s Mercy Hospital for continued treatment.

It was a lot of waiting and praying for Maureen and the rest of Jimmy’s friends and family – including his wrestling family. In the days following the accident, the waiting room was filled with wrestling parents, teammates and coaches to provide support.

Bovaird made several trips to the hospital looking for signs that Jimmy was going to be OK. He, along with Maureen and Jimmy’s friends, would sit as his side and talk to him as he rested on the ventilator.

One day, he got the sign he was looking for – a pretty noticeable one.

“His buddies would tease him about giving him a rainbow-colored mohawk, and we thought there was some response from him,” Bovaird said. “Maybe it was wishful thinking, or maybe it was there. I joined in with the teasing, talking about his favorite song being something by Taylor Swift. At that point, I was pretty sure I saw the middle finger of his right hand come up.

“Sure enough, his arm raised slightly and the finger extended. If there ever was a time that I would give a kid a free pass on something like that, this was it. Besides, it was a sign I think we all needed, me especially. Jimmy was there. His personality was still there and he was fighting to get back out.”

As the days wore on, Jimmy continued to make progress. Then on Feb. 11, almost a month after his accident, Jimmy officially awoke from his coma and began to talk.

It was then his recovery started to speed up. Jimmy underwent therapy and his road to recovery was well on its way. He would take his first steps with a walker and eventually use it without the therapist’s help.

“He is definitely making steady progress,” Maureen said. “I asked him the next day after he woke up what his name was and where he was at and he told me. He just started improving by leaps and bounds.

“The brain reroutes itself and that is why he is able to start talking and walking again. The doctors say it could take time, even years for it get better, but no one really knows how long.”

It is a journey Jimmy and Maureen are ready for, thanks in part to the Louisburg community.

 

Pin the Problem Jimmy

The Dolans experienced many ups and downs through the near month of uncertainty with Jimmy’s condition.

However, the one constant was the community of Louisburg – more specifically – the Wildcat wrestling family. From the day Jimmy was admitted to the hospital, Louisburg took over the Research waiting room on a daily basis.

Parents and students alike came by to support Maureen in her time of need, and Jimmy’s friends made daily trips to visit their ailing comrade.

“It meant a lot to me,” Jimmy said. “It felt really good to see them and have them come visit me. “

Jimmy was in the hospital 67 days between Research and Children’s Mercy and during that time parents came to relieve Maureen and offered to stay by Jimmy’s side so she could spend some time with her second-grade daughter Jenny.

It certainly didn’t stop there.

“I couldn’t tell you how many people came up to see Jimmy because there was just so many,” Maureen said. “It was amazing. They brought gift cards, they brought support, they brought prayer…they brought so much and it was so wonderful.

“The wrestling family is very tight. They brought lunch and dinner every day for a long time. Louisburg is definitely the best place to live.”

Joseph Hannah, one of Jimmy’s best friends, and his parents Mark and Courtney Hannah, ordered purple rubber bracelets with ‘Pin the Problem’ written on them. Bovaird created a Facebook page to update everyone on his condition and the team wore Pin the Problem stickers on their head gear toward the end of the season.

The Louisburg Wrestling Club ordered Pin the Problem t-shirts and sold them during the regional tournament in February to raise money for the Dolans. The Louisburg American Legion held a 50/50 raffle to benefit, in which the winner donated most of her winnings back to Jimmy.

Louisburg Ford and LHS Cat-Backers donated the proceeds from their 3-point shot contest, and shortly after the accident, the administration and faculty collected money for the Dolans.

Even the employees at Maureen’s work, Vintage Park, donated their PTO time so that she is able to stay with her family. Dr. Biermann also ordered the bus pick up her daughter Jenny for school, even though she was staying near Drexel, Mo., as buses are not supposed to cross state lines to pick up students.

All the support has meant the world to the Dolans as Jimmy has been able to focus on rehabbing and trying to get back to that normal life he had before that morning in January.

To this day, Jimmy doesn’t remember what happened that fateful day.

“It was just shocking, to hear,” Jimmy said. ‘It’s scary just trying to think about it and I am glad that I don’t remember it.

“I look at life like it’s a big deal now. I am just trying to take things step by step and that is the most important thing right now.”

Jimmy currently has therapy four days a week at Children’s Mercy and is staying at the Ronald McDonald house until he is able to move on to outpatient rehabilitation closer to home.

“I have been making a lot of progress, especially with walking,” Jimmy said. “It has been going really good. I even took 900 steps without the walker the other day.”

He is also hitting the books as the school has been sending him work to do in hopes he can stay on course to graduate next year.

“We met with them to see what we can do to make sure Jimmy still graduates on time,” Dr. Biermann said. “That is what Jimmy wants, that is what we want and his mom definitely wants that. I fully expect him to walk across that stage without his walker and get his diploma. He is doing some work up there with some education things and the plan is to transition him back a couple Fridays here later this month or early May.

“To where I saw Jimmy from the truck, from his stay at Research to now has just been unbelievable. God is good.”

On Mar. 24, Jimmy reunited with his wrestling family during the team’s banquet. For the first time since the accident, he walked through the halls of Louisburg High School.

“It was difficult to keep my composure when I saw Jimmy walking down the hallway when he came to the banquet,” Bovaird said. “To hear him talking was one thing, but to see him walking — using only the walker for assistance — here in his own school was something that was just amazing to see.”

Even though doctors gave Jimmy little hope in the beginning, he overcame the odds. Now Jimmy is the one giving hope – hope to a family that is in desperate need of it.

 

 

Mya’s tragic day

The afternoon of Feb. 24 was just like many others. Kids rushed out of Broadmoor Elementary as another day of school was done and little Mya Diacono caught a ride with family friend Jill Crane and her two daughters.

As the Cranes ventured on Kansas Highway 68 just outside the Louisburg city limits, Jill slowed to make the turn into Mya’s home. Tragedy struck as a semi failed to slow down and hit her vehicle from behind.

Emergency vehicles rushed to the scene and Jill and her two daughters were taken to Miami County Medical Center. Unfortunately, Mya’s injuries were more serious.

Mya suffered severe head trauma and had to be Life Flighted to Children’s Mercy. The injuries left her in a coma and she had to be put on a ventilator.

Doctors informed Mya’s parents, Spencer and Amber Gardner, that there is no way to know when she would wake up and what her life would be like if she did.

The Gardners had a feeling of hopelessness and the waiting was getting tiresome like it would for any parent in that situation. However, just 10 rooms away from Mya’s, laid a little bit of hope.

First Baptist Church pastor Dan Rhodes came by Children’s Mercy, recognized Spencer and asked about Mya. Then he told Spencer, “I have someone for you to meet.”

Rhodes took the Gardners to see Jimmy Dolan. By that time, Jimmy was on his way to recovery. He was talking and started to regain some movement.

Although it was a bit of shock to both Amber and Spencer, hope started to come back.

“When I first saw him they were lifting him up out of bed and putting him in his wheelchair because he told them he had to go to the bathroom and they were all excited,” Spencer said. “That is when it hit me like a ton of bricks – this is going to be our future.

“But if you are going to compare our 9-year-old daughter to something, why not compare her to the strength of a wrestler. Jimmy told people when he woke up that he was going to walk again and he has done really well. It is good for us to see someone succeeding that has been through this and come out the other side.”

Amber and Spencer continued to monitor Jimmy’s progress and became friends with Maureen. The three stayed at the Ronald McDonald House when they weren’t by their child’s side.

“Jimmy’s mom is so strong and it is nice to have someone there come by and say that (Mya) is doing great and she is going down the right path and that it is only going to get better,” Spencer said.

 

Support for Mya

Four years ago, Mya was a kindergartner in Overland Park but Amber and Spencer had talked about moving to a smaller town to raise their children.

Spencer, who is a Louisburg High School graduate, grew up in Louisburg and wanted to bring his children up in the same type of environment.

“It was a great community for me to grow up in,” he said. “I went to a school where I knew everyone in my class. I got to wrestle and play golf and I wasn’t good at either of them. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to grow up.

“I left for a while and I always had this idea that I wanted my kids to grow up in the same small town. I didn’t expect to come back and have the same closeness I had when I was a kid. The sense of community is still very much alive and well here.”

Amber, on the other hand, wasn’t quite as sure. She didn’t want Mya to have to start over again and make new friends.

As it turned out, that really wasn’t a problem for Mya.

“I worried that it was a small town and that she might not be accepted and I had all these what ifs,” Amber said. “But she has come here and made so many friends. I wouldn’t change our decision for anything because it has been great for Mya and our family.”

Amber and Spencer found out just how good the town was at one of the most disheartening times of their life. As they were struggling to cope with Mya’s condition, Amber got a visit from a complete stranger – Jenny Diederich.

She approached Amber about doing a fundraiser for Mya and the gesture caught her a little off-guard.

“(Jenny) didn’t even know us and said I am going to do this for you guys,” “I mean, who does this? We were just blown away with what she did.”

Diederich put on the Kids Helping Kids fundraiser at Louisburg High School that featured a bubble soccer game and a custom cake auction. Several community members donated cakes and Bubble Soccer Kansas brought inflatables as faculty and staff from Broadmoor Elementary took on each other.

Steve Hamilton with Chris Cakes fed the crowd while LHS band director John Cisetti brought his LHS Jazz Band to play at the event. The fundraiser was to help benefit not only Mya, but the Crane family as well.

As Amber arrived at the high school, she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“I expected maybe 50 people and I was grateful for that,” Amber said “When we pulled up to park, just seeing all the cars and then walking in the door and seeing a line of people….I just started to cry. There are good people in this world and I am just overwhelmed with all the support.”

It got even more emotional later in the evening when Jill Crane, one of Amber’s best friends, donated her half of the money to Mya. However, that isn’t a gift Amber is going to accept just yet.

“Jill is my good friend and her daughter is Mya’s best friend,” Amber said. “She doesn’t feel worthy because her daughters weren’t injured critically. It is hard on everyone though. We are still arguing about that. Money is not going to change it. They still had injuries too.”

The night was something the Gardner’s needed. They saw everyone who cared for Mya and it lifted their spirits, even if it was for a few hours.

 

 

Jimmy and Mya

As the days wore on, Jimmy made good on his promise to his family and he learned to walk with the assistance of a walker.

Jimmy’s recovery was moving along at a rapid rate, but Mya’s wasn’t moving along quite as fast. There was signs of progress, however.

Mya’s physical injuries have healed and she is no longer on the ventilator – a big obstacle for her recovery.

“I work for the railroad, so I was gone for a little bit, but the improvements she has made have been more dramatic for me because I wasn’t there every day,” Spencer said. “We have our milestones and our big thing was we wanted to breathe on her own and she is passed that. We are in the rehab stages now and she is using a lot more muscles than she was before.”

Mya even gave her mom a glimpse or her old self.

“She smiled for the first time late one night,” Amber said. “I didn’t realize she could hear me because I was making jokes about our family and a little smile came out and you could hear a little chuckle. I was like ‘Did anyone just see that?’

“Her body is healed and now we are just focusing on the brain. She went from no head control to some head control and that is one of our milestones. We know she has a long way to go. She is not eating on her own, she isn’t walking but she is on full assist. From the beginning to right now we feel like we have seen a lot of progress.”

The Gardners also saw progress wandering the halls of Children’s Mercy as Jimmy would make visits to Mya’s room, checking in on her.

“He comes by to see Mya every so often and they have even gone to therapy together,” Amber said. “He even made a card for her one time and dropped it by. It was really neat to see that.”

Jimmy was eventually released from Children’s Mercy and moved into the Ronald McDonald House with his mom, while still doing therapy. It is there Jimmy still stays in touch with the Gardners.

“You form a connection,” Amber said. “I sat with him with our boys a few days ago and he has improved so much. When I first saw him he wasn’t eating on his own and now he is eating fried chicken. That is amazing.”

Every time the Gardners look at Jimmy they see a hope – a hope that one day Mya will be the one roaming the hospital hallways, eating on her own and talking with them again.

They are patiently waiting for their precious “Baby Cakes” to wake up.

Louisburg senior Mitchell Caldwell looks in a throw at second base as he tries to tag a runner out during a game earlier this season. The Wildcats fell to Baldwin on Tuesday, 7-2 and 4-3.

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BALDWIN CITY – The Louisburg baseball team had a lot of momentum going into Tuesday’s doubleheader with Baldwin and for good reason.

The Wildcats had won four straight going in and had a chance to build on it even more against the Bulldogs. Unfortunately for Louisburg, it couldn’t find the big hit in the 7-2 and 4-3 losses to Baldwin and the Wildcats are now 5-5 on the season.

“We were two very even teams according to the stats,” Louisburg coach Jeff Lohse said. “Baldwin was able to come up with a few timely 2-out base hits that scored runs for them. I thought we actually played pretty good in both games, but we weren’t as mentally focused as I would like to have seen.”

In the opener, the Wildcats jumped on Baldwin early as they scored two runs in the first inning.

Senior Mitchell Caldwell reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and then scored on a RBI single from Austin Henderson. Henderson later scored on a single from Grant Harding.

Baldwin answered right back in its half of the first inning with two runs off Harding and the Wildcats were not able to find the holes against the Bulldog pitchers. Louisburg managed just five hits in the final six innings.

Junior Cole Kramer reached base in all four plate appearances as he walked twice and had two singles.

The Bulldogs, on the other hand, took the lead with a run in the second and then blew the game open with five runs in the third to all but seal the win.

Louisburg battled in the nightcap, and after it fell behind early, rallied to take the lead in the second inning. Harding led off with a triple and later scored on a single from Colton Smith. Smith came around to score on a fielder’s choice from Ethan Caldwell.

It didn’t take long for Baldwin to take the lead back as it scored two runs in the third to take the lead for good. The Bulldogs added a run in the fourth to take a 2-run lead.

The Wildcats tried to rally in the seventh as Kramer tripled and came around to score, but they couldn’t get the tying runner on base.

Harding led the Wildcat offense with a pair of hits, while Dalton Stone singled and walked twice.

Louisburg will try and get back on track today when it travels to Osawatomie. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.

The Harlem Wizards will be invading Louisburg in early May and they will be doing so in hopes for raising money for the Louisburg Elementary Parent-Teacher Organization.

Instead of the PTO’s normal CLASS Dinner & Auction they host every March, the organization decided to change things up and try to get the whole community involved. The Wizards will be taking on a group of community “all-star” players at 3 p.m. on May 3 at Louisburg High School.

The Wizards is a traveling basketball organization that creates fundraiser events for schools and nonprofits. Last season, playing in over 400 communities across the United States, the Wizards raised more than $2 million for schools, charities and nonprofits.

The event is being put together thanks to several local businesses, including Vohs Pharmacy, which is partnering with the LES PTO.

“This is the first time a fundraiser of this type has been done,” LES PTO co-president Amy Jo Jamison said. “We are very excited to bring the Harlem Wizards to the Louisburg area. We have received a ton of support from local businesses and all the Louisburg schools. Not only do we have a great group of Louisburg teachers/principals and local community members that have stepped up to play on our Louisburg All-Star Team, as well as our six LHS seniors, we have over 30 LES teachers/staff volunteering at the event too. The money we raise from this fundraiser will go directly to our elementary schools.”

Doors will open at 2 p,m., and the meet and greet that the Courtside Plus ticket holders get is at 2:15. Warm-ups start at 2:30 as several students have purchased jerseys to warm up with the Wizards, which was limited to 50 students. The game goes until 5 p.m., and the Wizards will also put on a halftime show.

Reserve and general admission tickets are still available. General admission tickets can be purchased at www.harlemwizards.com or reserved tickets can be purchased at the schools.

“It promises to be a fun-filled event that is great for kids and adults and will guarantee to put a smile on your face,” Jamison said. “Fans will witness amazing basketball talent combined with hilarious comedy.”

Those community members playing are: Broadmoor principal Chris McLean, Rockville principal Becky Bowes, Cindy Apple, Joel McGhee, Melanie Elliott, Melissa Gage, Megan Harris, Arianne Seidl, Jeff Lohse, Brian Keegan, Shava Vohs, Jeremy Holloway, Amy Goode, Mark Williams, Shelley Haines, Kevin Vohs, Ryan Dansel and USD 416 superintendent Dr. Brian Biermann.

Also participating are Louisburg High School seniors Brady Lambeth, Nathan Moore, Corbin Wertz, Kirstin Lowry, Natalie Moore and Kallie O’Keefe.

The teachers/principals/community members will play the first, second and fourth quarters, while the LHS seniors will play in the third.

Louisburg shortstop Christina Dalrymple hauls in a catch from the outfield to double-up a Eudora runner Thursday at Lewis-Young Park. The Lady Cats fell to the Cardinals 12-5 and 22-2.

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The Louisburg softball team had its first win of the season in its sights.

The Lady Cats rallied from a four-run deficit to tie the game in the fourth inning of the opener Thursday against Eudora and the momentum shifted over to the Louisburg side. Unfortunately that momentum didn’t last long.

Eudora responded with six runs in the fifth inning and went on to win 12-5 at Lewis-Young Park. It was tough for the Lady Cats to bounce back as they fell 22-2 in the nightcap.

Junior Miranda White had a strong day at the plate as she finished a triple shy of the cycle and also finished with 2 RBIs. Sophomore Emalee Overbay added a pair of singles and an RBI.

Despite taking the loss, sophomore Allyssa Griggs finished the game with nine strikeouts and she also helped her cause with a double and 2 RBIs.

Eudora scored two runs to open the game but the Wildcats got one run back in the bottom of the first as White doubled and then scored on a single from Overbay. The Cardinals responded with three runs in the second to take a 5-1 lead.

In the bottom of the third, Louisburg cut into its deficit some more as White led the inning off with a solo home run. Then after singles from Overbay and Blair Vohs, Griggs doubled both home to make it 5-4.

White tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when she singled home Sophie Purdon. Mistakes hurt the Lady Cats in the next inning and led to six Eudora runs.

Eudora scored early and often in the nightcap as a 13-run second inning all but sealed the win for the Cardinals. The Lady Cats prevented the shutout in the third inning with a pair of runs.

Isabelle Hutson and Christina Dalrymple each recorded RBI singles and Hutson led the Lady Cats with two hits.

Louisburg will try for its first win today when it travels to Baldwin for a doubleheader. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.

Louisburg’s Mason Wilde (left) and Sean Dennis sprint to the finish line in the 100-meter dash Thursday at the Anderson County Invitational in Garnett. Dennis won the event in 11.1 seconds and Wilde was third.

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GARNETT – Louisburg senior Sean Dennis continues to shave time for the Louisburg boys track and field team and he is becoming harder to beat – especially in the 110-meter hurdles.

Dennis won his third straight hurdles race of the year Thursday during the Anderson County Invitational in Garnett. He breezed to victory as he tied a personal best time of 15 seconds and he didn’t stop there.

The Louisburg senior ran his best time of the season in the 100-meter dash in 11.1 seconds to win two events for the Wildcats. He helped Louisburg to a fourth-place finish with 86 points. Paola won the meet with 159.5 points and Eudora was second with 125.5.

The Wildcats also got several points from sprinter Mason Wilde, who scored in all three sprints. Wilde’s best performance came in the 200 dash when he posted a personal best time of 23.5 seconds, which was good for second.

Wilde was third in the 100 dash in 11.5 seconds and fifth in the 400 dash in 55.9.

“We competed pretty well,” Louisburg boys coach Gary Griffin said. “Sean’s time were good times regardless of the competition and Mason Wilde ran well also.”

Louisburg also got some big points from a freshman distance runner. Wyatt Reece led the way in the 1,600-meter run as he ran a time of 5 minutes and 7.9 seconds to win his first race of the season.

“Wyatt ran a really good 1,600 meters and can run faster,” Griffin said. “He is just learning about pace and getting in shape, so I think he has a pretty bright future.”

The personal record times continued on the track as senior Bobby Hargis ran a personal best time in the 3,200-meter run. Hargis crossed the finish line in 11:38 and took fourth overall. Michael Minster finished seventh (12:24) and Curtis Staver was ninth (12:54) to also score points for Louisburg.

Minster also went on to take seventh in the 800 run (2:18) and Kennedy Unthank was seventh in the 400 dash (58.7). Ben Hupp rounded out the point getters on the track as he took eighth in the 300 hurdles (49.5).

Junior Jarod Woodward continued his success in the shot put as he was runner-up in the event with a toss of 45-7.25.

Andrew Goff set personal records as he was seventh in the high jump (5-4) and triple jump (36-2) to score points for Louisburg. Will Ridley also had a personal best in the triple jump (34-2) to take eighth.

In the pole vault, Parker Cates had his best vault of the season as he cleared 11-0 to finish third. Lyndon Smith cleared 9-6 to take seventh.

Louisburg will try and see even more improvement in front of its home fans Thursday when it hosts the Louisburg Invitational at Wildcat Stadium. The meet is set to begin at 3:30 p.m.

 

McMullen, Dennis compete at Kansas Relays

Louisburg seniors Connor McMullen and Sean Dennis ventured to Lawrence on Friday for the 2015 Kansas Relays to compete against some of the area’s best athletes.

McMullen ran up against a strong discus field, but still finished sixth overall with a throw of 167 feet, 6 inches. Blue Springs’ (Mo.) Carlos Davis won with a throw of 194-7.

As for Dennis, he entered in the 110-meter hurdles and finished in the middle of the pack. Dennis was 17th with a time of 15.42 seconds. Liberty North’s (Mo.) Andrew Madison won in 14.35.

Louisburg junior McKinley Mathews clears the bar in the pole vault Thursday at the Anderson County Invitational in Garnett. Mathews was second in the event after she cleared 8 feet, 6 inches.

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GARNETT – The Louisburg girls track and field team took another step forward Thursday at the Anderson County Invitational.

The Lady Cats won an event and finished in the top three in six others as they racked up 84.5 points to take third – their highest finish of the season. Louisburg got several of those points on the track.

Louisburg continued to fare well in the sprints and did so thanks to two freshmen.

Freshman Mikayla Quinn won her second straight 400-meter dash in a season best time of 1 minute and 4 seconds. Fellow freshman Bailey Belcher nearly won the 100-meter dash as she ran a time of 12.7 seconds to take second in a neck-and-neck finish with Paola’s Rylie Edwards.

“I felt the girls on the track did a great job,” Louisburg girls coach Greg Darrington said. “Mikayla and Bailey are doing good things in the sprints. I am very excited to see how they progress the rest of the year.”

The Lady Cats also scored several points on the track as junior McKinley Mathews had a strong performance in the pole vault. Mathews cleared 8 feet, 6 inches to take second overall, while freshman Isabelle Holtzen was sixth with a personal best 7-6.

“McKinley is doing well in the pole vault and feel she has a chance to qualify for state as long as she keeps working hard and making improvements,” Darrington said. “Isabelle did a great job competing and getting team points.”

Another freshman got the Lady Cats several points in the jumps. Haley Earl had her best meet of the season as she took third in the triple jump with a mark of 31-5 and was fourth in the long jump with a mark of 14-8.

Belcher went on to take fifth in the long jump (14-6.5) and eighth in the high jump (4-8). Chloe Renner was sixth in the triple jump (31-1)

Louisburg also scored points in two throwing events. Ellie Katzer came in fifth in the discus with a toss of 85-5 and Paige Buffington was seventh in the javelin at 76-2.

The Lady Cats’ relay teams also fared well with two third-place finishes and a fourth. The 4×100-meter relay of Hanna Becker, Belcher, Megan Lemke and Ashley Ruder was third in 52.9 seconds.

Makenzie Kallevig, Lemke, Quinn and Ruder ran a time of 4:25 in the 4×400, while Lauren Becker, Liz Hildreth, Holtzen and Savannah Reinhart came in third in 11:08.

“The 4×400 girls have done a great job improving each week,” Darrington said. “Ruder, Kallevig, Quinn and Lemke have been working very hard this year. I feel our 4×800 team is making strides to compete and qualify this year for state. Our team keeps improving each week and I am proud of them.”

Madelynn Yalowitz competed well in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 13:51 and finished in fourth, which is a season best. Holtzen finished ninth in the 800 run (2:46) to also score some points.

In the sprints, Kallevig finished fifth overall in the 400 dash in 1:06 and Lemke led the Lady Cats in the 200 dash in sixth with a time of 28.2 seconds.

Louisburg returns to action Thursday when it returns home for the Louisburg Invitational. The meet is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium.

LMS eighth-grader Ian Combs clears the bar in the pole vault during a meet earlier this season. Combs won the pole vault after he cleared 10 feet Tuesday during a meet in Paola with Pioneer Ridge.

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PAOLA – The Louisburg Middle School track and field teams took part in their second meet of the season and the Wildcats certainly had their fair share of success Tuesday against Paola and Pioneer Ridge.

The eighth-grade boys won their meet going away as they scored 83 points and Pioneer Ridge was second with 58.5 points. Louisburg also rewrote part of its record books as well.

Seventh-grader Mackenzie Scholtz broke the school record in the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.85 seconds, surpassing Kate Combs’ mark, and finished first. Scholtz helped the seventh-grade girls to a second-place finish with 54 points and was runner up to Paola’s 71.

The seventh-grade boys and eighth-grade girls finished third overall with 35 and 37 points, respectively.

Louisburg’s eighth-grade boys team won several events, including a sweep of the sprints.

Brandon Cooper won the 100-meter dash in 12.06 seconds and Austin Moore followed that up with a win in the 200 dash in 25.15 seconds. Jon Ventre completed the trifecta as he crossed the finish line first in the 400 dash in 1 minute and 2 seconds.

Blue Caplinger continued the Wildcats’ winning ways in the 800-meter run as he ran a 2:24 to cross the finish line first. Louisburg also came out on top in the medley (2:03) and 4×400 (4:05) relays.

In the field events, several Wildcats took home top billing as well.

Kiefer Tucker had the top throw in the discus with a toss of 109 feet, 2 inches and Asah LaHue’s throw of 38 feet in the shot put was also good for first. Ian Combs cleared 10-0 in the pole vault to come away with a win.

The eighth-grade girls took top honors in one event. Ryann Kramer won the discus with a throw of 74-6.

Along with Scholtz’s run in the 200 dash, she also finished first in the 100 dash in 13.43 seconds for the seventh-grade girls. Louisburg also won five other events in that division.

Trinity Moore, who broke the school record in the 800 run earlier this year, won the event for the second straight week in 2:41. Moore later finished first in the 1,600 run in 5:52.

Haley Cain took top honors in the high jump after she cleared 4-7 to win by five inches. The 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams also took first place.

The seventh-grade boys also won three events.

Brayden White took first place in the shot put with a toss of 31 feet and Charlie Koontz won the 200 dash in 12.96 seconds. Louisburg also won the medley relay in 2:20.

 

Eighth-grade boys 

Discus: Jimmy Tucker, third, 101-0

Shot put: Grant King, third, 35-0; Tucker, fourth, 35-0

Pole vault: Blue Caplinger, second, 9-6; Asah LaHue, third, 9-0

Long jump: Ian Combs, second, 14-10.5; Tanner Belcher, fourth, 14-3.5

100 hurdles: Jon Ventre, second, 18.16; Noah Hill, third, 18.81; James Foote, fourth, 19.75

100 dash: Eli Minster, fourth, 12.67

200 dash: Minster, third, 25.92

400 dash: Bret Minor, third, 1:13

800 run: Dylan DeShazer, third, 2:36.49

1,600 run: LaHue, second, 5:17; Foote, third, 5:56; Dylan Knipp, fourth, 6:00

3,200 run: Gareth Baus, fourth, 15:04

4×100 relay: second, 50.52

 

Eighth-grade girls:

Discus: Kennia Hankinson, second, 74-3

Shot put: Carson Buffington, fourth, 31-3

Pole vault: Trinity Buchanan, second, 5-6

High jump: Jorden Leach, third, 5-2

Long jump: Elana Lewis, second, 14-3

100 dash: Leach, third, 14.83; Buffington, fourth, 14.95

200 dash: Buchanan, third, 29.25

400 dash: Kaitlyn Lewer, third, 1:12; Hayli Detherage, fourth, 1:14

800 run: Detherage, third, 2:58; Shaylor Whitham, fourth, 2:59

1,600 run: Mariah Wrigley, third, 7:44

3,200 run: Whitham, fourth, 14:22

4×100 relay: second, 58.35

4×400 relay: second, 5:10

 

Seventh-grade girls

Discus: Kody Lowry, fourth, 54-2

Shot put: Gabby Tappan, third, 27-10

High jump: Avery Graham, third, 4-0

100 hurdles: Haley Cain, third, 19.95

400 dash: Jessamy Howison, third, 1:15; Elizabeth Kratochvil, fourth, 1:17

800 run: Kratochvil, second, 3:03; Hannah Straub, third, 3:04

1,600 run: Ashley Moore, fourth, 7:27

4×400 relay: second, 5:08

 

Seventh-grade boys

Discus: Brayden White, third, 79-6; Michael Waldron, fourth, 72-4

Pole vault: Jack Mick, second, 7-6; Trent Martin, fourth, 7-0

High jump: Drake Varns, third, 4-6; Charlie Koontz and Deven Wieland, fourth, 4-4

Long jump: Thomas Arnett, fourth, 14-9.75

100 dash: Arnett, fourth, 13.57

200 dash: Koontz, second, 27.24

800 run: Ryan Haight, fourth, 2:44

1,600 run: Weiland, second, 5:54; Dylan Sanders, fourth, 6:15

Louisburg’s Alex Dunn (left) is congratulated by Mitchell Caldwell (1) and Grant Harding on Tuesday after scoring one of the Wildcats’s 26 runs in their sweep of Eudora at Lewis-Young Park. The Wildcats have now won four straight games.

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Everything was working for the Louisburg baseball team during Tuesday’s home contest with Eudora.

The Wildcats got good pitching, strong defense and some timely hits that led to some big innings. It all resulted in a 14-0 and 12-2 doubleheader sweep over Eudora.

After beginning the season with a tough schedule and a 1-3 start, the Wildcats have now won four straight games as they are getting production from everyone in their lineup.

“Being able to play some good baseball and win a few games now has given us a lot of confidence going into the middle part of our season,” Louisburg coach Jeff Lohse said.

Louisburg (5-3) wasn’t lacking much confidence Tuesday as the Wildcat offense exploded in both games. The Wildcats scored five runs in the first three innings, but the flood gates opened in the fourth as Louisburg scored nine runs in the frame to go up by 14 runs.

Six players had at least two hits for the Wildcats and every player reached base one time or another. If they didn’t get a hit, they got a free base as the Wildcats were walked six times.

Junior Colton Smith had a good day at the plate with two hits, including a bases-loaded triple that drove home three runs and also had two stolen bases. Sophomore Grant Harding also had a double and a triple to go along with 2 RBIs

Senior Ethan Caldwell had a pair of hits, including a double and 2 RBIs. Juniors Cole Kramer and Austin Henderson also had RBI doubles.

Lucas Smith, who started the game on the mound, helped his cause with a pair of RBIs as well.

“I thought we had great approaches at the plate in both games,” Lohse said. “We were able to move runners and then drive them in. We have been stressing that a lot in practice lately and it is good to see us come through in those situations.”

Lucas Smith, a senior, picked up his first win of the season as he pitched the complete five-inning game. Smith gave up just three hits and struck out five batters.

When runners did reach base, the Wildcat defense was there to back him up. Catcher Alex Dunn threw out three runners trying to steal and caught two more in the second game.

“Lucas’ performance is what I expected from him all season,” Lohse said. “He was able to use all his pitches effectively today and keep them off balance while our defense was solid behind him.”

The Wildcats got another strong pitching performance in the nightcap as Harding pitched his second straight complete game to go to 2-0 on the year. Harding gave up two runs on six hits and struck out five Eudora batters.

Louisburg actually trailed 1-0 in the first inning, but Kramer led the bottom of the inning off after he was hit by a pitch. He then went on to steal two bases and score on an error.

Kramer led the Wildcat charge again in the second as he helped manufacture two runs. He drove home Blake Ruder on an RBI single and then scored himself later on a wild pitch.

Louisburg went on to score four runs in the fourth and five more in the fifth to complete the sweep.

Ruder, a sophomore, led Louisburg with three hits and scored twice. Kramer also had a pair of hits, including a triple.

Henderson had two hits that included a 2-run double and Dalton Stone had a pair of RBI singles as well.

“I thought we came out and were focused in game two,” Lohse said. “Once again, Grant did a very nice job on the hill. We had several guys step up at the plate and carry over where we left off from game one. We aren’t satisfied and still have a lot of things to work on.”

Louisburg will try and continue its win streak Tuesday when it travels to Baldwin for a doubleheader. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.

Broadmoor Elementary School fifth-grader Olivia King recently captured an all-around gymnastics state championship. King, a level 7 gymnast, has qualified for the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic regional meet in May.

Photos courtesy of Pixel Perfect-Photography

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By day, Olivia King is just a normal fifth-grader at Broadmoor Elementary School, but by night, she is something different.

Olivia spends her evenings, not at home like a lot of other kids her age, but at Diamond Academy, where she practices with her gymnastics teammates. It is there the 11-year-old spends 19 hours a week working hard on her craft.

Whether it be the bars, balance beam, floor exercise or the vault, Olivia seems to do it all and she does it well.

“I wouldn’t be able to function without gymnastics,” Olivia said. “It does get tiring especially when I have homework to do when I get home, but my teachers have always been very supportive of my schedule. I wouldn’t change a thing, I look forward to going to practice every day.”

All the practice seemed to pay off in late March when she competed in the Kansas State Championships in Overland Park.

It was there where Olivia was crowned an all-around state champion as a USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic level 7 gymnast. Her score of 37.9 earned top marks and she was also strong in the individual events.

She won the floor exercise with a score of 9.675 and then finished runner up on the balance beam (9.65), bars (9.3) and vault (9.275).

“I was really excited that I won,” Olivia said. “I knew I had some really tough competition. I was watching the scores of my top competitor and on my last event, I knew what score I needed to win. It was a goal of mine to win state.”

Olivia will now compete in the Region 3 meet that consists of qualifiers from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arkansas and Wyoming. The meet will be held May 1 to 3 in Estes Park, Colo.

The meet in May will just be another step in what has been a successful season as a level 7 gymnast.

In her first meet of the year, Olivia competed in the Kansas Judges Cup and won the all-around competition with a 37.75. The top six all-around scores from all age groups in level 7 were selected to represent Team Kansas at the National Judges Cup in Montgomery, Ala., and Olivia was the top qualifier for nationals.

She traveled to the Buckeye Classic in Columbus, Ohio, and was second in the all-around competition and also took first place on the balance beam. Olivia and her family also made trips to San Diego for the California Classic and the SuperStar Meet in Oklahoma, where she finished third in the all-around competitions. She also won the floor exercise at SuperStar with a 9.8.

Olivia would then go on to become an all-around champion at the Diamond Jewels Invitational and the Pink Ribbon Classic.

All those meets have prepared her for what is to come in May at the regional competition.

“My goal is to win,” she said. “It is a great accomplishment to qualify for regionals and I’m very excited to compete. I know it will be tough with the best of Texas and Oklahoma being there as those states are like the powerhouse of gymnastics, but I figure if I’m going to go, I might as well try to win it.”

Louisburg’s Ty Martin chips onto the green Monday during the Paola Invitational at Paola Country Club. Martin shot an 86 to lead the Wildcats to a third-place team finish.

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PAOLA – For the second straight week, the Louisburg golf team brought home a top three team finish and two individual medalists.

The Wildcats welcomed back Ty Martin to the fold as he made his season debut and it was a good one. On Monday at the Paola Invitational, Martin led the Wildcats as he medaled 12th overall with an 86 and helped Louisburg to a third place finish with a 357.

Martin missed the team’s opening tournament at Gardner and the Wildcats placed third as a team there as well.

“We missed out on having Ty at our first tournament,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “We would have gotten second or possibly even first.”

Martin wasn’t the only Wildcat to come home with a medal as Hogan Welch was right behind Martin and took 14th after he shot an 88.

Central Heights’ Matt Percy was the top individual medalist with a 76 and Paola’s Tyler Dent was second with a 77 on his home course at Paola Country Club. Paola also won the team crown with a 319 and Kansas City Christian was second with a 334.

The Wildcats were welcomed with some tough playing conditions as the wet course gave all six golfers some problems, especially on the first nine holes. Louisburg, however, was able to adjust and shoot well on the back nine.

“All the golfers at Paola were faced with stroke and distance and some soggy conditions,” Burns said. “Also, there were some pretty fast greens. We have been putting on slower greens by placing the ball a club length from the flight where it went out of bounds. You could tell with the difference of the scores as most golfers were shooting higher than normal.

“If you averaged out our scores, the team would be in the high 80’s under the new conditions. I was happy with their play.”

Brady Lambeth finished third on the Wildcat team with a 91, while Nathan Moore and T.J. Svoboda each shot a 92. Logan Glenn rounded out the team with a 93.

The Wildcats are hoping for better conditions and better scores Tuesday when they travel to the Osawatomie Invitational. Tee time is set for 1 p.m.

“We need to get back to the short game more this week and get confidence in a couple players’ driving and we should be ready to go for the Osawatomie tournament,” Burns said.