Lady Cats win third straight meet; boys take second at Perry Lake

By Andy Brown
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Updated: October 6, 2021

Andy Brown / Louisburg Sports Zone

Louisburg junior Nova Ptacek was one of six Lady Cats to medal at the Perry-Lecompton Invitational last Thursday. The Lady Cats took first in the team standings and the boys were second.

OZAWKIE — The Louisburg girls cross country team has won its previous two meets, but following the Perry-Lecompton Invitational last Thursday, the Lady Cats made it a third.

Louisburg cruised to a team title with 39 points and finished 32 points ahead of runner-up Tonganoxie in the 8-team race.

The Wildcats boys also found themselves in the top two of the team standings for the third straight week as Louisburg took second with 62 points, just three points behind champion Bishop Miege.

The Louisburg girls had three runners finish in the top 10. Sophomore Emma Vohs led the way in second in 21 minutes and 32 seconds. Senior Reese Johnson was fourth in 21:57 and sophomore Maddy Rhamy was sixth in 22:14.

“As far as another win, we do not go to meets to win them, we go to do our best individually and by doing so we will perform well as a team,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “We have performed well as a team in the past weeks for both teams. Placing three in the top ten is an accomplishment for sure and the other four girls were not far behind, which is what makes the team strong.”

Three other Lady Cats earned medals as junior Nova Ptacek was 14th in 23:34. Junior Bree Gassman was 18th in 24:07 and sophomore Erin Apple was 20th with a time of 24:15.

On the boys side, senior Jaden Vohs was near the front the pack once again as he was runner-up in 17:26, just nine seconds behind Tonganoxie’s Eli Gilmore.

***Louisburg senior Hayden Ross was one of five Wildcats to medal last Thursday at Perry Lake.***

“Jaden ran a strong meet again,” Reece said. “He and Eli have had some great races and they will run against each other the last three weeks of the season so that should make for some fierce competition.

“The boys team is running well and finishing second, by only 3 points, to a good Miege team is a real positive.”

Four other Wildcats also earned medals as freshman Jerynce Brings Plenty was seventh in 18:27 and sophomore Noah Cotter was 13th in 18:57. Senior Hayden Ross took 18th in 19:19 and junior Leo Martin was 22nd in 19:36.

Senior Sawyer Richardson rounded out the Louisburg lineup in 45th with a time of 21:24.

The course at Wild Horse Trails at Perry Lake State Park was a difficult one for the runners as they had to run on a lot of uneven surfaces.

“Perry’s course is literally a horse trail,” Reece said. “Approximately 2 miles of the course is in the woods on a path that is very difficult to pass on. We had to work on getting in a good spot before entering the woods so as to not get caught up behind slowing runners.

“Just ask Jerynce about the course as he lost a shoe and finished seventh with a sore foot, thankfully not injured. The runners seem to like the challenge and embrace its difficulty with enthusiasm.”

Louisburg will be back in action this Thursday as they host the Louisburg Invitational at Lewis-Young Park. Races are set to begin at 4 p.m.

“We always love to compete on our home course,” Reece said. “It is great to have members of the community out there cheering on the runners. We love our parents, but to hear a different voice rooting for you is great. We host a tough meet so the races should be good ones.”