Weston Guetterman named 2021 Louisburg Sports Zone Male Athlete of the Year

By Andy Brown
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Updated: July 9, 2021

Weston Guetterman had a lot on his plate during his final year at Louisburg High School.

Guetterman was the starting quarterback for the football team, after playing wide receiver for most of his career.

He continued that leadership onto the basketball court where he was the point guard on the Wildcats’ state runner-up team that had the best finish in school history.

Playing high pressure positions in two popular sports didn’t seem to both Guetterman much as he rose to the occasion. Those were some of the reasons he was selected as the 2021 Louisburg Sports Zone Male Athlete of the Year.

“I am truly honored to have been named athlete of the year,” Guetterman said. “It was never really a goal of mine to achieve this. I just wanted to be the best I could be for each of my teams and for the town. Each of them were a huge part of why I won this award. It is their award as well.”

Going into the 2020 football season, the Wildcats were looking for someone to lead the team at the quarterback spot. After being an all-league receiver a year ago, Guetterman took the reins and didn’t back down from the challenge.

Guetterman ended the year with 548 yards rushing and six touchdowns. He also earned honorable mention All-League honors on defense for his play in the secondary. He finished the year with 32 tackles, two interceptions, three tackles for a loss and seven batted balls.

“Weston is an all-around team player, who is willing to do what is best for the team,” Louisburg football coach Robert Ebenstein said. “Weston was a couple hundred yards away from being the all-time leading receiver in school history (*since 2000). He would have easily been able to achieve that record but he was willing to step up and play quarterback for us this year and did a great job learning the offense and leading our team.”

Basketball is where Guetterman really shined as the Wildcat point guard. He led Louisburg to the Class 4A state tournament, where the Wildcats knocked off Parsons and Augusta to reach the state championship game against Bishop Miege.

The Wildcats went on to finish runner-up and had the best finish in school history. Guetterman was a second-team All-Frontier League selection from the point guard spot and averaged 12.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals a game. He was also an all-state selection by the Topeka Capital-Journal, Wichita Eagle and Sports in Kansas.

“Weston is an easy guy to root for,” Louisburg basketball coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “He’s such a humble athlete. He was a 3-year starter in basketball and continued to improve as a player throughout his career. He had a quiet confidence about him that just made him seem comfortable on the court at all times.

“Not only was Weston a great player and leader, but he was always respectful and appreciative of his opportunity to play. He truly loved being a Louisburg athlete and always represented our community the right way.”

It was the state semifinal game against Augusta where Guetterman helped guide the Wildcats to their first state championship game in school history.

He finished with a game-high 21 points to go along with a team-high six steals and four assists.

“My favorite memory was the state semifinal game against Augusta,” Guetterman said. “That was one of the best all around basketball games that I’ve seen or played in. The pure joy and emotion in that game was unmatched. Then running out onto the court to play Miege that Saturday for the championship and seeing a sea of purple — that made the trip. It was such a joy and we were honored to have the support, even if the outcome wasn’t what we had hoped.”

There are a lot of memories for Guetterman to look back on this past season, but each sport brought something special to the table.

“As far as football goes, there is nothing like a Friday night crowd and I get chills every time I think about it,” Guetterman said. “Every time we took the field I would make sure to run through the tunnel behind my teammates just so that I could take in how much this community cares for our teams. There is nothing like that jog to the sideline with the Bulls theme song pumping through your ears.

“Basketball this year might have been the most fun that I’ve had playing a sport ever. The success that my team and I had was truly a great experience. From hanging with ranked 6A teams to beating our rival Paola three times in a season, I just enjoyed it all.”

Being able to participate in multiple activities left Guetterman with a lot of positives in his high school career and he will take those with him for the rest of his life.

“It is a huge deal that our school offers so many opportunities as far as athletics and extracurricular activities go,” Guetterman said. “It is important, especially for high school age students, to stay busy and active outside of school alone. I loved participating in many sports and keeping myself on my toes.

“Playing the sports that I played in has a team atmosphere, and even though we had success this year, the thing that I will cherish the most are the bonds that I have created with my teammates and coaches throughout the years.”