Young Wildcats excited for opportunity in upcoming season

Senior Michael Waldron is one of two returning starters for the Louisburg boys basketball team this season. The Wildcats open play tomorrow in Tonganoxie.

Whenever you play in one of the state’s most difficult leagues, including one that features the defending state champion, the season is always going to be a challenging one.

Louisburg is well-aware of that
fact, but it doesn’t make it any easier when it has to replace its leading
scorer from a season ago. The Wildcats had to say goodbye to four seniors, all
who played big roles on last season’s team that finished with a 9-11 record.

The Wildcats may be young in age,
but head coach Ty Pfannenstiel is excited for what he has coming back as they
enter the 2019-20 season.

“I’m
very proud of this group of kids for the work that they’ve put in,”
Pfannenstiel said. “We had our best off-season yet. Our summer weight room and
basketball workout attendance was outstanding top to bottom. We have guys
that look a lot different this year because they have really developed.

“Our
expectations are extremely high, not because we are just saying it, but
because they’ve invested so much time into what it takes to be successful.
Actions speak louder than words. We’ve had a great first two weeks of practice.
Our practices have been extremely competitive because we have so much depth
this year. There’s just a lot of focus with this group.”

Louisburg returns two
starters from a season ago in junior point guard Weston Guetterman, along with
senior wing player Michael Waldron. Fellow junior Ben Guetterman will take over
the other guard spot after seeing a lot of varsity time a year ago.

Senior Garrett Rolofson
will see a lot of time at the center position, while sophomore Julian Margrave will
also get the start as he is one of the team’s best shooters and earned varsity
playing time halfway through his freshman season.

“We lost a lot of experience with last year’s group, but that’s what almost every program experiences,” Pfannenstiel said. “We return two starters from last year. Weston was a starting guard for us last year and will be our point guard this year. Michael was a starter by the end of the year last year and we will expect big things from him this year. Garrett had a great summer and will be a big factor for us inside and on the glass.

“Ben
gave us some quality minutes last year and we hope the varsity experience he
gained will give him confidence this year. Julian saw significant varsity time
last year which is uncommon for a freshman. We expect him to take another step
forward this year as a sophomore.”

Even
with that, the Wildcats still have a lot depth on their bench.

Junior
Konnor Vohs and sophomore Maverick Rockers will see time at the guard spot,
while juniors Connor Koesser and Charlie Peters will compete for time in the
post. Juniors Andy Hupp and Dawson Barnes could also see at both the guard and
forward spots.

Junior
Trevin Lohse, along with sophomores Michael Seuferling, Carson Kern and Isaac
Guetterman, will also compete for varsity time this season.

“Our junior class is really deep,”
Pfannenstiel said. “I think they all have an opportunity to see time this
year. It really is going to come down to who is making an impact in
practice and playing well in the JV games.”

Louisburg
begins its season Friday when it travels to Tonganoxie in Frontier League play –
a league that features a returning state champion in Piper and another state
qualifier in Bonner Springs. The Wildcats know their schedule will be a
challenge all season, but they are looking forward to the task ahead.

“I
think the Frontier League is always going to be tough,” Pfannenstiel said. “Every
night is going to demand your best. We finished in the middle of the pack
last year in the league. We obviously want to be in the top tier of the
Frontier League this year. If you finish in the top tier in this league,
you’ve had a heck of a season. We are going to take it one game at a time.
There will be no looking ahead on the schedule. Right now, we are focused
on Tonganoxie.”

No
matter what transpires, Pfannenstiel is proud of the work his team has put in
to get to this point. Whether it was workouts in the summer, or through the
first three weeks of practice, he has seen them grow since the end of last
season.

“This
team is extremely coachable,” he said. “They pick up on things really quick. We
are so much farther ahead than we’ve ever been in my three years. I think
we have a chance to be effective offensively. We should be able to score
from all five positions on the court. Our off-season shooting
workouts have developed our kids into scorers. We want our kids to be
confident shooting the ball and the only way to gain that confidence is to see
the ball go through the hoop. Now the questions is, can our shooting
development carry over when the lights are on and somebody in an opposing
jersey is guarding us? 

“I
think we have to make the biggest strides defensively. We lost some tough,
physical kids from last year’s team, so we are going to have to develop an
attitude on the defensive side of the ball and on the boards. The main thing
that I like about this group is, not only are they good ball players, but they
are even better kids. I am so proud for these kids to represent this
school and this community.”