Six Wildcats earn spot on all-league soccer; Gassman, McManigal named first team

By Andy Brown
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Updated: November 10, 2022

Cade Gassman, Colin McManigal, Toby Espina-Roca, Brecon Klugman, Matthew Sword and Gavin York were all recently named to the All-Frontier League Soccer Team.

It was an up and down year for the Louisburg boys soccer team, especially when it came down to Frontier League action.

After a slow start, the Wildcats found their footing and finished with a 9-7-2 record that earned them a spot in the regional championship match. In what was a difficult league slate, Louisburg had its fair share of bright spots, including a win over league champion Spring Hill.

Louisburg also had plenty of talent on its roster and the rest of the league coaches took notice. The Wildcats were awarded six spots on the all-league team that was announced earlier this week.

Senior forwards Cade Gassman and Colin McManigal earned first team honors, while senior midfielder Toby Espina-Roca and senior goalie Brecon Klugman were named to the second team. Senior defenders Matthew Sword and Gavin York were honorable mention selections.

“The last few years, I learned quickly that the Frontier League is legit in Kansas soccer,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “With the top teams in the league, it was pretty clear that Spring Hill had the dominant season, even though we were one of their five losses this season, and they had eight kids earn all-league honors. We had two at each level and I feel like we could have placed a few others on that list as well.”

Gassman earned first team honors for the fourth time in his high school career and has been a fixture on the Wildcat team since his freshman season.

This season, Gassman finished with five goals and four assists, but he was a valuable piece to the team at controlling play in the midfield.

McManigal led the team in scoring with 12 goals on the year to go along with three assists. It was a 1-2 combo that was big for the Wildcats this season.

“Cade and Colin have made such an impact on our program over the last four years,” Bovaird said. “Many times this season, officials and opposing coaches have mentioned how fun Cade is to watch and several have said that he’s a special kid. He truly is an amazing and skilled player, but the thing is when you look at his stats for this year, you can tell that he was 100 percent about the Wildcat team. That’s one of the most commendable things about him, and that’s what I hope college coaches notice the most about him. Sure he’s got crazy skills, but he’s a player who will bring so much more to the team.

“This season, Colin was the epitome of overcoming adversity. You’d watch the kid get the ball at his feet and power through 2, 3, sometimes 4 defenders and get a shot off. He knows how to use his stature and determination to go to goal, and you won’t see him hit a ton of fancy and flashy moves; you just see him drop his shoulder and take kids on.”

Espina-Roca moved to the midfield this season for Louisburg after spending the last three years on the defensive side. He was also an integral part of the Wildcat team as he finished with six goals and five assists.

“This season, Toby was our soccer guy,” Bovaird said. “I mean, he lives and breathes soccer, and at halftime of nearly every game, he gave some great insight to what was happening on the field.”

In his first year as a varsity goalie, Klugman thrived for the Wildcats as he finished with 113 saves and finished with six shutouts on the season. His save number was the second highest total in program history for a season.

“Brecon did amazing this year, and his skills in goal really kept us in quite a few of our game,” Bovaird said. “All this considering the fact that his junior year was his first time playing high school soccer, and he split time in goal at the JV level. This year, he jumped into the role of varsity goalie and was incredible.”

Sword and York were key pieces on the Wildcat back line as they turned away several attacks and helped keep games close. York made the move to defense halfway through the season after seeing time at forward to start the year.

The two players led the Wildcat defense against some difficult opponents and were big in helping Klugman throughout the season.

“Matthew’s presence on the back line was incredible this season,” Bovaird said. “He was calm and collected when under pressure, and he was a vocal leader to the guys on the field, as well as a huge mentor to Brecon in goal. Matthew was an outstanding leader for us on and off the field.

“Gavin started out great at forward, getting three goals and having one assist, but once he moved back to defense, it was a very effective change for the team. He worked with Matthew and Brecon so well at defense, and I find myself wondering what if we had made that adjustment sooner in the season.”