Conley notches 100th career victory as Wildcat head coach
Louisburg head coach Kyle Conley earned his 100th career win Tuesday in the Wildcats’ overtime victory over Tonganoxie.
Kyle Conley has been a part of
many close matches during his time as the Louisburg boys and girls head soccer
coach.
Conley has pulled out his fair
share of wins during his four years between the two programs, so it only seemed
fitting that his milestone victory would come with a little excitement.
Louisburg rallied for a 3-2 overtime win over Tonganoxie, and as a result, the Wildcats gave Conley his 100th career victory. Following the match, Conley was recognized in front of the crowd and presented with a banner from his players commemorating the special moment.
“I have been blessed with great
kids,” Conley said. “They play their tails off and they work hard, boys or
girls, it doesn’t matter. If you don’t have kids that play hard, then none of
this is possible. Having quality kids who do the things you ask and work so
hard, makes it fun to coach and positive things happen. I am really lucky to be
in Louisburg right now.”
In his four years as head coach,
Conley has posted a 100-46-4 record and has helped the Wildcats to several big
time wins.
On the girls side, Conley was
named the girls’ first-ever coach when the program started in the spring of
2016. He led them to a 14-win season that first year and they reached the state
quarterfinals.
From there, the Louisburg girls
would go on to a fourth place state finish in 2017, followed by back-to-back
state runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2019 – losing to Bishop Miege in the both
state championship games. Conley has also been named the Class 4-1A Coach of
the Year the last two years.
In his first season as the boys
head coach in the fall of 2016, he guided Louisburg 14-6-1 record and its first
appearance in the state final four. The Wildcats went on to finish fourth in
Class 4A, and then would reach the state quarterfinals the following year with
a 13-win campaign.
Currently, the Wildcats are 9-1-1
this season and have the best record in Class 4-3-2-1A.
“Starting the girls program and going 14-4-1 that first year and have a chance to go to state was a wonderful memory, but losing to De Soto in the quarterfinals on this field that same year kinda sticks with me,” Conley said. “You know, 100 wins is great, but I probably dwell more on those 46 losses more than I do the wins. There are so many of those games that could have went either way. When you have kids that have heart and passion, it makes it fun to coach.
“Then you have the first boys team to make a state final four in 2016 was a great one, and I will remember the team that played McPherson at home in the state quarterfinals and lost a close 2-1 game that had two shots go off the post in the final five minutes. That was a special team as well. Just honored to be able to coach all of them.”
With so many highs and lows that
teams encounter throughout a season, Conley realizes the people are what makes his
job enjoyable – not necessarily the wins.
“There are so many memories and I have
been able to coach so many good kids,” he said. “I am just blessed to be in
Louisburg and have the opportunity to interact with these student athletes and
hopefully have a positive impact on them. It is an awesome place to be.”