2020 Senior Spotlight: Mackenzie Scholtz

Louisburg Sports Zone will be running senior spotlights through April and May everyday (Monday through Friday) in an effort to honor seniors who had their seasons taken away due to the spread of COVID-19.

Mackenzie Scholtz had a season to remember in 2019.

Scholtz was named the state’s Co-Offensive Player of the Year in Class 4-1A and she helped the Louisburg program to a state runner-up finish for the second year in a row. Still, something was missing and Scholtz had one more year to get what she really wanted – a state championship.

After the Wildcats lost to Bishop Miege in the state championship game in back-to-back years, they were hoping the third time was going to be the charm.

“I was looking forward to this season more than any other,” Scholtz said. “I was so excited to play one last time with all my best friends and I knew we would’ve had a great chance at returning to the state championship. I believed this was our year to win it all and go out with a bang.”

Scholtz was one of 12 seniors that were planning to make that goal a reality this year, along with the rest of the Wildcat team. It was a senior class that has been close even before high school and helped take the Wildcats to the state final four the last three years.

“This senior class is like no other,” Scholtz said. “On top of growing up together, we bonded over something we all love; soccer. Most of us also played soccer on the same team growing up so we have known nothing different then having each other’s backs. I love these girls so much.

“Coach Conley and Coach Pickman had such good bonds with us. It’s hard to grasp the fact that they won’t get to coach us anymore but I’m thankful for every second that they did. They really knew how to make a team become a family and how to be there for one another no matter what, and I’m forever grateful for that.”

The hopes of a magical season were unfortunately dashed to the COVID-19 pandemic and left many of the players and coaches wondering what could have been. It was a heartbreaking end to an historic career for Scholtz.

“At first finding out my senior year had essentially been canceled, I did not take it well,” Scholtz said. “I sat in my room crying non-stop just wondering why this had to happen. It has gotten better, but sometimes I think about how I won’t get to play with my teammates or go to prom or maybe even not walk the stage of graduation after working SO hard my whole life. It gets rough, but I try to stay positive and hope that all of this will be gone by summer.”

Scholtz put together an historic career that will be difficult to match, even in just her three years. Along with her player of the year honor, Scholtz was a 3-time All-Frontier League and all-state first team selection.

She holds the school record with 98 career goals and 39 assists and was named a team captain for the upcoming season. Scholtz also holds a program record for assists in a season with 18 and game-winning goals with 10.

Scholtz also holds the school record for hat tricks in a season with nine and in a career with 18, along with points in a season and career with 84 and 235, respectively.

“Mackenzie is going to go down as one of the best players, if not the best player to ever play at Louisburg High School,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “Since day one, Mackenzie could find the back of the net. Since her freshman year, she was virtually man marked all over the field or even double teamed. She excelled regardless. She has grown so much.”

**Mackenzie Scholtz will leave LHS as the most decorated girls soccer player in school history.**

Soccer is a sport Scholtz has played for as long as she can remember and has been a fixture in her life, but it is not something she is going to give up. She will continue playing the sport she loves in the fall at Missouri Southern.

“I have played soccer since I was 4 years old,” Scholtz said. “I started playing rec soccer through Louisburg because my older siblings did it and then I fell in love with it. I played club starting at age 7 or 8 after rec and have continued to play since then. Soccer is a huge part of my life. My weekends have always consisted of games and my weekdays filled with practices. Then in high school, my weeks became games and practice. There isn’t really a time that I’m not playing soccer. I am also playing soccer in college, so I get to continue playing for four more years.”

Still it has been tough for Scholtz to leave a team behind that she created so many memories with the last three-plus years – including one in particular.

“My favorite moment playing LHS soccer was beating Spring Hill last season at home,” she said. “They have always been a tough competitor and we had lost almost every time we had played them. It was senior night, which made it even better, and the way we celebrated you would’ve thought we won state. We were beyond proud of ourselves and just ecstatic to have beat one of the toughest teams in our league.”

Other than soccer, Louisburg Sports Zone also had a chance to catch up with Mackenzie on how she has been coping with an early end to her senior year and some of her other interests. Here are her responses from the rest of our Q&A.

LSZ: What have you been missing the most during this time away from everyone?

MS: I miss soccer the most during this time. It was such an escape to be able to laugh and play with my team. Sure I miss school and going out and doing regular stuff that I should be doing as a senior, but soccer is the most important thing to me and I just wish I could be back out there on the field.

LSZ: What is your most memorable moment as an athlete or in school, and why?

MS: My most memorable moment as an athlete would be receiving the honor of being named the Kansas 4a offensive player of the year. It’s one thing being voted that by your teammates, but being named that out of all of Kansas 4a teams, was something that I was and am still so proud of. I really tried my hardest last season and it payed off.

LSZ: What is your favorite activity/hobby outside of sports and why?

MS: My favorite activity outside of sports is going to country concerts. I love them so much and just like soccer, they help me escape from everything else going on around me.

LSZ: I know you are going to Missouri Southern to play soccer, but how hard has it been to stay in shape during a time like this?

MS: It has been very difficult to stay in shape during this time. I try my best to get outside and go for a run and do workouts inside every day but it gets hard trying to get up after just laying around all day and the coaches at my college have been reminding us to stay in shape and figure out our classes and things to get us ready for next year.”

LSZ: What accomplishments that don’t involve athletics are you most proud of and why?

MS: My accomplishments outside of sports that I am proud of would be my grades. I’ve always tried to keep them up and I’ve been able to maintain a good GPA throughout high school and I’m thankful for that.

LSZ: What do you think would be something that a lot of people don’t know about you?

MS: Something not a lot of people know about me is that I’m musically inclined. I can play the piano pretty well and the trumpet and baritone really well