Wildcats medal five at Parsons Invitational

Louisburg’s Anthony Welborn (left) was one of five Wildcat wrestlers to medal last Friday in Parsons.

PARSONS – There aren’t many
breaks, if any, in the Louisburg wrestling schedule this season and that was
true again Friday when the Wildcats traveled to the Parsons Invitational.

Louisburg competed against two
ranked teams in Mill Valley and Lebanon, Mo., among several other tough
opponents. Still, the Wildcats were able to find their way to the medal stand.

The Wildcats medaled five
wrestlers in the top four and two of those found their way to the championship
match. Sophomore Cade Holtzen and senior Blue Caplinger each finished second overall
in their respective weight class.

Senior Gabe Bonham and freshman Brandon Doles each finished third, while teammate Anthony Welborn, who was wrestling unattached, took fourth.

“It was a good tournament for us in a lot of ways, but chiefly it
highlighted that we still have some areas to work on,” Louisburg coach Bobby
Bovaird said. “I love that our kids are staying competitive in our matches.
There were some solid teams there last weekend. Mill Valley is No. 6 in 6A and
Lebanon is No. 5 in Missouri 3A. Throw in all the individually ranked kids in
the tournament, and it was tougher than it has been in the past.”

Caplinger made Louisburg history at 170 pounds when he picked up
his 100^th career victory. He recorded a pin and won by major decision
to reach the title match.

He squared off with Quentin Sanders, the No. 2 ranked wrestler
in Class 6A from Wichita West, and Caplinger held his own despite the 3-0 loss.

“Blue ran into a freshman phenom from
Wichita West,” Bovaird said. “He lost 3-0, but the thing I liked most about
that match was that Blue was technically sound. With the exception of the quick
escape and takedown his opponent scored, Blue initiated every move in that
match.”

As for Holtzen, he cruised to his final match at 113 pounds
against Lebanon’s Cole Patten. Holtzen controlled the match, but was caught in
a move and was pinned to hand Holtzen just his second loss this season.

“Cade was looking strong in his finals
match, but he got caught in a funk move,” Bovaird said. “It was just a simple
mistake of getting a little too high in a scramble and then his opponent was
able to lock him up tight in a ‘high flyer.’ Cade has watched the video of that
match, and I think the lesson has been learned.”

Bonham (138 pounds) and Doles (145
pounds) both reached the semifinals, but each lost by decision. However, both
wrestlers bounced back to take third as Bonham defeated Welborn by major decision,
while Doles pinned Labette County’s Braden Barragar.

The Wildcats finished sixth in the team
standings with 66.5 points, while Lebanon was first with 238 points. Mill
Valley was second with 172.

“This season, we’ve been talking a lot about believing in the
process and competing in everything we do. It’s derived from our ‘Wildcat Style’
philosophy that I’ve adapted from the University of Missouri head wrestling
coach Brian Smith,” Bovaird said. “The final component of ‘Wildcat Style’ is
the idea of ‘doing one more.’ Whether it’s doing one more rep at practice, one
more drill after training is over, or one more lift in the weight room, the
philosophy of doing one more is infectious in everything we do.

“It helps the wrestlers remember that we have outcome goals —
going to state, having a winning record, winning state, etc. — and then we
have process goals. Those are the goals we set each week to work toward our
final outcome goals. I think the Parsons meet helped reinforce a lot of things,
but it also showed us that we need to be digging deeper and doing a little more
to get ready for competitions.”

Louisburg returns to the mat tonight when it travels to Ottawa for a dual. Then on Saturday, the Wildcats will compete in the Baldwin Invitational. That tournament is set to begin at 9 a.m.