Frontier champion Wildcats earn 18 spots on all-league team

By Andy Brown
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Updated: November 14, 2022

The Louisburg football team earned 18 spots on the all-league team that was released last week. Overall, 13 Wildcats were named to the all-league team.

Going undefeated in the Frontier League and winning its first league title since 2018, the Louisburg football team caught the eyes of a lot of opposing coaches.

So when the all-league teams were released last week, it came as no surprise that there were plenty of Wildcats to be found on it.

Louisburg earned 18 spots on the all-league list, that includes eight on the offensive side, seven on defense and three on special teams. In all, 13 Wildcats earned all-league honors as a few of them earned spots on both sides of the ball.

“I felt like we were represented well,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “We said at the banquet that team success leads to individual recognition and I think that is shown by the amount of kids that were selected to all league teams. You don’t get to vote for your own athletes, but the league coaches must have noticed our players and the quality of athletes we were able to have on the field this year.”

On offense, four Wildcats were named to the first team in junior quarterback Declan Battle, senior running back Riley Van Eaton, senior receiver Mason Dobbins and senior lineman Nathan Vincent. Senior J.R. Rooney was named to the second team offensive line.

Seniors Will Hutsell (lineman), Mack Newell (tight end) and junior Caden Caplinger (multi-purpose) were named as honorable mentions.

Louisburg also earned four spots on the all-league first team defense. Sophomore Ashton Moore was selected as linebacker, while Rooney was named to the first team for his play at defensive tackle.

Senior Jase Hovey was named as a first team defensive back, while Layne Ryals was a first team multi-purpose player.

Junior Wyatt Holland was a second team linebacker and Vincent earned second team honors at defensive end. Hutsell was an honorable mention selection at defensive tackle.

In the specialist category, Ryals was selected as a second team kicker and honorable mention punter. Junior Hunter Heinrich was also named as an honorable mention returner.

Offensively, Battle led the Wildcats as he finished the season with more than 1,700 yards of total offense. Battle threw for 1,027 yards and eight touchdowns and he also rushed for 709 yards and 10 touchdowns.

“Declan was huge for us all year,” Harding said. “He was an effective passer for us and when he carried the ball he was a big play threat. He was able to run our offense really well and we are excited to see him take another step next year.”

On the outside, Dobbins was one of Battle’s favorite targets. Dobbins led the team with 25 catches, 382 yards and four touchdowns.

“Mason was a big play threat for us at all times,” Harding said. “You don’t get a lot of athletes with his combination of height and speed. Mason generally had a corner playing off of him and a safety over the top to prevent the big play and for him to still be able to make some of those big plays is a testament to his skill set and his athletic ability.”

The Wildcats were also successful on the ground thanks to Van Eaton. He carried the ball 172 times for 1,043 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also had 188 yards receiving out of the backfield.

“Riley was tough to tackle all year,” Harding said. “He made a lot of extra yards by his ability to slip through tacklers. I am proud of Riley for picking up the offense and executing it well. He was also a threat for us to catch passes out of the backfield.”

Vincent also provided the Wildcats with strong play on both sides of the ball as he led the Louisburg offensive line at his left tackle spot. He was a force on defense with 80 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks.

“Nathan had a very good year for us at the left tackle spot,” Harding said. “Nathan always played with an edge and was able to execute a variety of blocks for us very well. Our offensive line as a whole played well all year and allowed us to average over 33 points per game.

“On the defensive side Nathan made a ton of plays for us. He was very good against both the run and pass. Nathan switched positions for us from linebacker to defensive end and really excelled at his new spot.”

Rooney also earned honors on both sides of the ball as he was a first-team selection at his defensive tackle spot and second team on the offensive line. He finished the season with 36 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.

“JR had a very good year at his right guard spot,” Harding said. “JR was asked a lot of times to pull and kick and he was very effective at that. He had the quickness to get to second level and make blocks for us to spring big plays.

“He was also rock solid on the defensive side as well. As a DT, he was able to take on blocks and demand double teams. This allowed our linebackers to run free and were our leading tacklers on the team.”

Hutsell was also another Wildcat lineman to earn all-league honors on both sides of the ball at right tackle and defensive tackle. Hutsell had 39 tackles on the year and 3.5 tackles for loss.

“Will was just solid for us all year long,” Harding said. “On both sides of the line we knew exactly what we were going to get from Will and that was consistency. Will is a kid who worked his butt off at all times and turned himself into a really good player.”

Also on offense, Caplinger turned in some big catches throughout the season and earned honorable mention honors at the multi-purpose spot. He finished with 12 catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns.

“Caden came on late in the year,” Harding said. “I felt like his two best games were against Spring Hill and Bonner in the playoffs on the offensive side of the ball. Caden obviously made huge plays for us against Spring Hill in the 2 minute drill for the win. We are excited to have Caden back next year and hopefully see more of those plays.”

In his first year of varsity action, Newell was a big part of the Wildcat offense at tight end. Along with helping the offensive line, he also finished with nine catches for 93 yards.

“Mack was a good blocker for us,” Harding said. “He was able to downblock well as well as loop inside and lead up on linebackers. Mack was also a big body for us in the passing game. For him to make an all league team with this being his first time playing football since his freshman year was pretty cool to see.”

The Wildcats also thrived on defense as it was led by Moore at the linebacker spot. Moore, a sophomore, led Louisburg with 114 tackles on the season, including 12 stops for a loss.

“Ashton was able to make a lot of plays from his linebacker spot this year for us,” Harding said. “He was our leading tackler and made several plays behind the line of scrimmage including forcing a safety against Rogers-Heritage. Ashton has good speed and can make plays running sideline to sideline. We are excited to have Ashton continue to make those plays over the next two years.”

Hovey was also a defensive presence for Louisburg at his safety spot. The Wildcat senior finished with 58 tackles to go along with two interceptions, including one for a touchdown earlier in the year against Paola.

“Jase battled through a hamstring injury the entire year,” Harding said. “He wasn’t able to reach his top speed, but he still made a ton of plays for us. He was the eraser of our defense. Anytime a play was about to break free it seemed like Jase was there to make the tackle. When he did make tackles running the alley most times he packed a punch as well.”

Ryals was selected to three different positions on the all-league team, including a first team spot as a defensive multi-purpose player. He finished the season 46 tackles, including five for a loss.

The Louisburg senior was also named as the all-league second team kicker, and honorable mention punter. Ryals converted 5 of 7 field goal tries this season, with his longest coming from 43 yards. He was also 38 of 39 on extra points.

“Layne had an excellent all around year,” Harding said. “On the defensive side of the ball Layne was our brains out there. He did a terrific job communicating and getting everyone lined up where they should be. Layne could do a variety of things for us from lining up on the line of scrimmage to being out wide in coverage.

“He was also very good at pinning teams inside the 20 with punts this year and several times inside the 5. His punts lead to a safety against Rogers-Heritage and a blocked punt for a touchdown against Baldwin. As far as kicking, Layne was a huge weapon for us. Most times teams were starting inside the 20 or at the 20 at best with his ability to kick touchbacks. He also was a weapon on extra points and field goals. Without his field goals we do not win the game against Spring Hill.”

Holland teamed up with Moore to provide strong linebacker play for Louisburg and finished second on the team in tackles. Holland ended the year with 89 tackles, including seven for a loss, two forced fumbles and one sack.

“Wyatt transitioned to playing linebacker for the first time this year and did really well,” Harding said. “Wyatt, just like Ashton, has a lot of speed and can make plays sideline to sideline. He was our second leading tackler and always plays with great energy and effort. We are excited to see Wyatt take another step next year.”

Heinrich provided the Wildcats with a strong return game on special teams as he was selected as an honorable mention.

“Hunter had several returns into plus territory for us this year,” Harding said. “Our kickoff return team was a good special team unit for us and Hunter was a big part of that. The biggest kickoff return for Hunter was against Bonner Springs in the playoffs. We preached all week about starting fast. Hunter took the opening kickoff and returned it into plus territory setting up our offense and we rolled from there.”

ALL-FRONTIER LEAGUE FOOTBALL

Offense

First Team

Quarterback: Declan Battle, Louisburg, junior

Running Back: Octavius Lyles, Eudora, senior; Colton Brusven, Tonganoxie, junior; Riley Van Eaton, Louisburg, senior

Wide Receiver: Isaiah Holthaus, Tonganoxie, junior; Mason Dobbins, Louisburg, senior; Adrion Seals, Eudora, junior

Tight End: Jaden Hamm, Eudora, senior

Offensive Line: Carter Meek, Spring Hill, junior; Nathan Vincent, Louisburg, senior; Eythen Moore, Eudora, senior; Kale Murdock, Paola, senior; Connor Cole, Tonganoxie, senior

Multi-Purpose: Ja’Veon Shepherd, Ottawa, senior; Landon Taylor, Paola, senior

Second Team

Quarterback: Kole Manley, Eudora, junior

Running Back: Colton McKanna, Spring Hill, junior; Landon Taylor, Paola; Zion Woodin, Ottawa, senior

Wide Receiver: Sam Darnell, Baldwin, senior; Jace Kerley, Paola, sophomore; Hayden Currie, Ottawa, senior

Tight end: Cooper D’Albini, Spring Hill, junior

Offensive Line: Austyn McFadden, Ottawa, senior; Jake Van Horn, Baldwin, sophomore; J.R. Rooney, Louisburg, senior; Micah Barron, Eudora, senior; Charlie Nolting, Bonner Springs, senior

Multi-Purpose: Jackson Torrez, Spring Hill, sophomore

Honorable Mention

Quarterback: Jack Harvey, Baldwin, junior; Talon Langford, Tonganoxie, sophomore; Jett Osbern, Paola, senior

Running Back: Peyton Parks, Bonner Springs, senior; Charlie Zeller, Paola, senior; Errol Siemon, Eudora, sophomore; Cody Buck, Baldwin, junior; Draven Pipkin, Spring Hill, senior

Wide Receiver: Nate Sims, Ottawa, freshman; Ryker Grossner, Baldwin, junior; Todd Brown, Tonganoxie, sophomore; Karen Streit, Bonner Springs, junior

Tight End: Mack Newell, Louisburg, senior; Junior Jara, Spring Hill, senior

Offensive Line: Derek Gomez, Ottawa, senior; Cole Rodden, Spring Hill, junior; Will Hutsell, Louisburg, senior; Thomas Cromer, Eudora, junior; Eli Richmond, Paola, junior; TJ Leeper, Tonganoxie, sophomore; Brett Davidson, Baldwin, sophomore; Carter Blann, Spring Hill, senior

Multi-Purpose: Caden Caplinger, Louisburg, junior

DEFENSE

First Team

END: Jaden Hamm, Eudora, senior; Mark Debiak, Spring Hill, junior

TACKLE: Kale Murdock, Paola, senior; JR Rooney, Louisburg, senior; Thomas Davis, Spring Hill, senior
Linebacker: Braylen Hoobler, Eudora, junior; Brandon Richardson, Spring Hill, senior; Jack Messersmith, Tonganoxie, senior; Ashton Moore, Louisburg, sophomore

Backs: Kale Hammerschmidt, Eudora, senior; Adrion Seals, Eudora, junior; Wyatt Harris, Tonganoxie, senior; Jase Hovey, Louisburg, senior

Multi-Purpose: Layne Ryals, Louisburg, senior

Second Team

End: Nathan Vincent, Louisburg, senior; Jaiden Bender, Eudora, senior

Tackle: Kevin Whitten, Eudora, senior; Austyn McFadden, Ottawa, senior; Connor Cole, Tonganoxie, senior; Jay Flores, Bonner Springs, senior

Linebacker: Errol Siemon, Eudora, sophomore; Noah Anderson, Spring Hill, junior; Brody Stewart, Paola, senior; Wyatt Holland, Louisburg, junior

Backs: Nate Sims, Ottawa, freshman; Jack Harvey, Baldwin, junior; Landon Taylor, Paola, senior; Talon Langford, Tonganoxie, sophomore

Multi-Purpose: Matt Magette, Eudora, junior

Honorable Mention

End: Jake Van Horn, Baldwin, sophomore; Eli Richmond, Paola, junior; Nathen Smith, Tonganoxie, senior; Brett Davidson, Baldwin, sophomore; Keanu Tiafau, Spring Hill, junior; Tommy Evans, Ottawa, junior

Tackle: Will Hutsell, Louisburg, senior; Trenton Leeper, Tonganoxie, sophomore; Wade Enman, Paola, junior

Linebacker: Dylan Waggerman, Paola, senior; Matt Magette, Eudora, junior; Parker Huge, Ottawa, junior; Keegan Rimmer, Ottawa, junior; Wesley Martin, Baldwin, senior; Peyton Parks, Bonner Springs, senior

Backs: Hayden Currie, Ottawa, senior; Hagan Whitcraft, Spring Hill, junior; Charlie Zeller, Paola, senior; Desmon Williams, Bonner Springs, sophomore

Multi-Purpose: James Newton, Spring Hill, senior; Braeden McGrath, Bonner Springs, senior

Specialists

First Team

Kicker: Jackson McWilliams, Tonganoxie, junior

Punter: Talon Langford, Tonganoxie, sophomore

Returner: Colton McKanna, Spring Hill, junior

Second Team

Kicker: Layne Ryals, Louisburg, senior

Punter: Zion Woodin, Ottawa, senior

Returner: Ja’Veon Shepherd, Ottawa, senior

Honorable Mention