McCaskill wins Husky Invitational, Wildcats medal five

Louisburg sophomore Jay McCaskill works for a pin in his 157-pound championship match Saturday at the Husky Invitational at Blue Valley Northwest High School.

OVERLAND PARK — Louisburg saw its toughest competition to date Friday and Saturday at the Husky Invitational at Blue Valley Northwest High School.

The Wildcats were one of 21 teams from three states in the two-day tournament. Louisburg was also the second smallest school in the competition. 

That didn’t stop Louisburg from reaching the medal stand as five Wildcats left the tournament with hardware. One Wildcat found his way to the top.

Sophomore Jay McCaskill won the 157-pound weight class as he barreled to the title with a 7-0 record, that included six pins. McCaskill pinned Lawrence Free State’s Gabe Swoyer in the championship match.

“Something I love seeing is when a young wrestler wins a varsity tournament for the first time in his career,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “Jay was dominant last week, especially at this tournament. I mean, between the three duals and this two-day tournament, he went 10-0 with 8 pins. He’s been a young wrestler with lots of potential, but I think his is a huge turning point for him. This is the point where his confidence in his abilities needs to surge, where he realizes that he belongs at the top of a podium, not just on it or next to it.”

McCaskill was one of several Wildcats to earn medals. Sophomore Brayden Yoder finished third at 190 pounds, while another sophomore, Ashton Moore was fifth at 175. Senior Kaven Bartlett (138 pounds) and junior J’Lee Collins both earned sixth place honors.

Louisburg sophomore Brayden Yoder finished third overall Saturday at 190 pounds.

As a team, the Wildcats finished 10th out of 21 teams with 294 points. Andover won the tournament with 453.5 points and Maize was second with 419.

“Going into the start of the tournament, I liked how things looked with our seeds,” Bovaird said. “As the first couple of rounds kicked off, it was just a mad dash trying to keep up with everything. They had seven mats in two gyms, so the coaches were running around like crazy. At multiple times, we had one coach working three mats at the same time. Before we knew it, the team scores were reflecting us in the top 5 pretty consistently. We were winning a lot of matches against some good competition.

“The first day of competition was pretty solid for us, but the second day we ran into some buzzsaw wrestlers, and that’s what we wanted out of this tournament. We wanted to be able to see the talent of teams like Andover, Maize and Topeka Seaman — teams with guys who are not just ranked in their classifications, but also ranked in all classes. This is the time of the season when we need to be ramping things up to prepare for the post-season.”

Yoder found a lot of success in the 190-pound weight class. He won his first three matches on Friday to reach the quarterfinal round, before falling in overtime to Free State’s Blaine Larkin, 6-4.

Louisburg sophomore Ashton Moore works for some back points Saturday as he finished fifth at 175 pounds.

The Louisburg sophomore followed that up with two more wins and then defeated J.K. Mullen’s (Colorado) Oliver Scelza in a 10-3 decision for third place to improve his record to 24-8.

Moore, who just came back from injury last week, went 3-1 in his pool matches. He eventually wrestled for fifth place as he defeated Blue Valley Northwest’s Nick Bock in an 8-3 decision.

Bartlett, tried to battle though an injury at 138 pounds, but eventually had to pull out of competition following a win in the second round of consolation. He finished 2-2 in the tournament eventually took sixth.

As for Collins, he went 2-1 in pool action before eventually earning a spot in the fifth place match. He lost to Olathe Northwest’s Leo Blanding by a 6-3 decision.

Louisburg junior J’Lee Collins finished sixth overall at 126 pounds.

“Brayden’s success has been a lot of fun to see from the corner,” Bovaird said. “He’s a methodical, patient, and strong wrestler, and he’s pretty bright too. Ashton is performing very strong as well, and I’m really happy for how he’s been able to jump right back into things. He’s at a tough weight, and his three losses came to state-ranked kids with 20-30 wins and full seasons. J’Lee missed wrestling his freshman year due to a knee injury, but with his experience last year and his surge in confidence this year, we’re starting to see him make huge strides. He’s such a gifted athlete and his work ethic and positivity sets the tone in the practice room. This is a great thing to see — J’Lee winning some medals at tournaments. 

“Kaven had a rough go this weekend, losing two matches and then having to default out to sixth place. His weight class was possibly the toughest of the tournament, too. He ran into a stud freshman from Colorado who’s going to have a stellar career, and then he dropped a close match to a ranked kid from Lawrence Free State, all the while battling a hip injury and some dislocated ribs. Kaven is a warrior, but the thing we’re going to have to be careful about is keeping him from jumping into things before his body is ready. He’s got some recovery, but at the same time he’s also go the motivation to make up for lost time and finish his senior season strong.”

Louisburg will be back on the mats Thursday as the Wildcats host Ottawa for a Frontier League dual. It will also be Senior Night for the Wildcat program.

The Wildcats will then competed in the Baldwin Invitational on Saturday.

106

Will Showalter (11-19) placed 12th and scored 16.0 team points.

  • Round 1 – Will Showalter (Louisburg Wildcats) 11-19 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Round 2 – Will Showalter (Louisburg Wildcats) 11-19 won by fall over Sabastain Lackey UNA (Bonner Springs Braves) 5-7 (Fall 3:50)
  • Round 3 – Raul Placensia (SM South Raiders) 18-12 won by fall over Will Showalter (Louisburg Wildcats) 11-19 (Fall 4:16)
  • Round 4 – Will Showalter (Louisburg Wildcats) 11-19 won by fall over Miles Bouton (Topeka Seaman Vikings) 11-12 (Fall 1:53)
  • Round 5 – Denton White (Jayhawk Linn Jayhawks) 29-2 won by fall over Will Showalter (Louisburg Wildcats) 11-19 (Fall 1:29)
  • Cons. Round 1 – Jace Diezman (BV West Jaguars) 9-7 won by major decision over Will Showalter (Louisburg Wildcats) 11-19 (MD 11-0)
  • 11th Place Match – Zac Pai (Andover Trojans) 10-15 won by major decision over Will Showalter (Louisburg Wildcats) 11-19 (MD 11-2)

126

J`Lee Collins (18-13) placed 6th and scored 27.0 team points.

  • Round 1 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-13 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Round 2 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-13 won by fall over Zach Smith (BV North Mustangs) 13-18 (Fall 4:18)
  • Round 3 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-13 won by major decision over Elliott Rogers (Marion Wolves) 2-10 (MD 13-5)
  • Round 4 – Draven Bennett (Topeka Seaman Vikings) 25-9 won by decision over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-13 (Dec 7-4)
  • Round 5 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-13 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Quarterfinal – Luke Potter (Andover Trojans) 25-8 won by fall over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-13 (Fall 5:44)
  • Cons. Round 2 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-13 won by decision over Reece Parks (Maize Eagles) 17-15 (Dec 7-5)
  • Cons. Semi – Draven Bennett (Topeka Seaman Vikings) 25-9 won by decision over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-13 (Dec 10-5)
  • 5th Place Match – Leo Blanding (Olathe Northwest Ravens) 24-13 won by decision over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-13 (Dec 6-3)

132

Mika McKitrick (9-15) placed 13th and scored 17.0 team points.

  • Round 1 – Landon Sherrow (Andover Trojans) 17-9 won by fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg Wildcats) 9-15 (Fall 2:56)
  • Round 2 – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg Wildcats) 9-15 won by fall over Remy Frentrop (Lawrence Lions) 2-7 (Fall 1:33)
  • Round 3 – Logan Meinheit (BV West Jaguars) 34-4 won by fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg Wildcats) 9-15 (Fall 1:18)
  • Round 4 – Luke Kelly UNA (Maize Eagles) 7-7 won by major decision over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg Wildcats) 9-15 (MD 21-8)
  • Round 5 – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg Wildcats) 9-15 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Cons. Round 1 – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg Wildcats) 9-15 won by injury default over Logan Henry UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-14 (Inj. 0:00)
  • 13th Place Match – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg Wildcats) 9-15 won by fall over Karimza Nola (Blue Valley Tigers) 10-17 (Fall 2:38)

132

Logan Henry UNA (6-14) placed 16th.

  • Round 1 – Presley Hartwig (Olathe Northwest Ravens) 7-8 won by fall over Logan Henry UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-14 (Fall 2:46)
  • Round 2 – Dante Dupuch (J.K. Mullen Mustangs) 10-6 won by fall over Logan Henry UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-14 (Fall 3:11)
  • Round 3 – Logan Henry UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-14 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Round 4 – Logan Henry UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-14 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Round 5 – Thomas Cullum (Bonner Springs Braves) 21-9 won by injury default over Logan Henry UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-14 (Inj. 0:02)
  • Cons. Round 1 – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg Wildcats) 9-15 won by injury default over Logan Henry UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-14 (Inj. 0:00)
  • 15th Place Match – Grant Woods (BV North Mustangs) 8-13 won by forfeit over Logan Henry UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-14 (For.)

138

Kaven Bartlett (27-4) placed 6th and scored 28.0 team points.

  • Round 1 – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg Wildcats) 27-4 won by fall over Ray Phillips (Leavenworth Pioneers) 3-18 (Fall 0:50)
  • Round 2 – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg Wildcats) 27-4 won by fall over James Bi (BV Northwest Huskies) 23-13 (Fall 4:13)
  • Round 3 – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg Wildcats) 27-4 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Round 4 – Isaak Chavez (J.K. Mullen Mustangs) 27-5 won by major decision over Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg Wildcats) 27-4 (MD 9-1)
  • Round 5 – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg Wildcats) 27-4 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Quarterfinal – D`onte Goodman (Law Free State Firebirds) 29-8 won by decision over Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg Wildcats) 27-4 (Dec 9-7)
  • Cons. Round 2 – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg Wildcats) 27-4 won by decision over Lain Anderson (Topeka Seaman Vikings) 18-15 (Dec 4-1)
  • Cons. Semi – Nakaylen Shabazz (Maize Eagles) 34-5 won by injury default over Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg Wildcats) 27-4 (Inj. 0:01)
  • 5th Place Match – Wes Logan (Marion Wolves) 16-10 won by medical forfeit over Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg Wildcats) 27-4 (M. For.)

144

Jesse Murphy (18-11) placed 8th and scored 25.0 team points.

  • Round 1 – Jesse Murphy (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-11 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Round 2 – Jesse Murphy (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-11 won by fall over Tahj Edwards (Lawrence Lions) 3-6 (Fall 0:24)
  • Round 3 – Jesse Murphy (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-11 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Round 4 – Camden Padgett (Maize Eagles) 25-5 won by fall over Jesse Murphy (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-11 (Fall 1:18)
  • Round 5 – Jesse Murphy (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-11 won by fall over Braeden McGrath (Bonner Springs Braves) 7-7 (Fall 2:00)
  • Quarterfinal – Bradley Trimmell (Andover Trojans) 24-7 won by fall over Jesse Murphy (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-11 (Fall 2:48)
  • Cons. Round 2 – Xavier Davis (Leavenworth Pioneers) 22-11 won by fall over Jesse Murphy (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-11 (Fall 4:58)
  • 7th Place Match – Dylan Farrell (Law Free State Firebirds) 13-11 won by fall over Jesse Murphy (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-11 (Fall 2:42)

157

Jay McCaskill (22-6) placed 1st and scored 53.0 team points.

  • Round 1 – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg Wildcats) 22-6 won by fall over Alexander Fowler (Topeka Seaman Vikings) 6-11 (Fall 0:44)
  • Round 2 – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg Wildcats) 22-6 won by fall over Conrad Vogel UNA (Blue Valley Tigers) 0-6 (Fall 0:31)
  • Round 3 – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg Wildcats) 22-6 won by fall over Daniel Munro UNA (BV Northwest Huskies) 6-9 (Fall 4:29)
  • Round 4 – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg Wildcats) 22-6 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Round 5 – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg Wildcats) 22-6 won by decision over Arlo Collier (Lawrence Lions) 3-4 (Dec 7-5)
  • Quarterfinal – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg Wildcats) 22-6 won by fall over Ty Mull (Marion Wolves) 5-11 (Fall 1:30)
  • Semifinal – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg Wildcats) 22-6 won by fall over Sam Dew (BV West Jaguars) 10-8 (Fall 3:13)
  • 1st Place Match – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg Wildcats) 22-6 won by fall over Gabe Swoyer (Law Free State Firebirds) 21-14 (Fall 4:10)

175

Elias Pugh UNA (6-7) placed 11th.

  • Round 1 – Elias Pugh UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-7 won by fall over Fernando Melendez (Turner Golden Bears) 6-11 (Fall 1:17)
  • Round 2 – Elias Pugh UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-7 won by fall over Gunnar Noard (SM West Vikings) 12-15 (Fall 2:42)
  • Round 3 – Zackery Adams (Topeka Seaman Vikings) 16-10 won by fall over Elias Pugh UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-7 (Fall 5:00)
  • Round 4 – Elias Pugh UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-7 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Round 5 – Kaleb Valdez-Lemos (J.K. Mullen Mustangs) 27-3 won by fall over Elias Pugh UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-7 (Fall 0:28)
  • Cons. Round 1 – Adam Rose (Marion Wolves) 14-11 won by fall over Elias Pugh UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-7 (Fall 2:02)
  • 11th Place Match – Elias Pugh UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-7 won by fall over Daniel Loza (Bonner Springs Braves) 8-14 (Fall 4:11)

175

Ashton Moore (8-3) placed 5th and scored 35.0 team points.

  • Round 1 – Ashton Moore (Louisburg Wildcats) 8-3 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Round 2 – Ashton Moore (Louisburg Wildcats) 8-3 won by fall over Reece Meyer (Lawrence Lions) 4-9 (Fall 0:47)
  • Round 3 – Ashton Moore (Louisburg Wildcats) 8-3 won by fall over Ange Badji (SM South Raiders) 0-11 (Fall 0:53)
  • Round 4 – Tate Hutchinson (Andover Trojans) 31-4 won by decision over Ashton Moore (Louisburg Wildcats) 8-3 (Dec 4-2)
  • Round 5 – Ashton Moore (Louisburg Wildcats) 8-3 won by fall over Anthony Andrews (BV North Mustangs) 15-11 (Fall 3:10)
  • Quarterfinal – Ashton Moore (Louisburg Wildcats) 8-3 won by medical forfeit over Caleb Sharp (Olathe Northwest Ravens) 22-13 (M. For.)
  • Semifinal – Kaleb Valdez-Lemos (J.K. Mullen Mustangs) 27-3 won by fall over Ashton Moore (Louisburg Wildcats) 8-3 (Fall 0:46)
  • Cons. Semi – Denton Dobbins (Blue Valley Tigers) 27-9 won by fall over Ashton Moore (Louisburg Wildcats) 8-3 (Fall 2:01)
  • 5th Place Match – Ashton Moore (Louisburg Wildcats) 8-3 won by decision over Nick Bock (BV Northwest Huskies) 19-14 (Dec 8-3)

190

Brayden Yoder (24-8) placed 3rd and scored 34.0 team points.

  • Round 1 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg Wildcats) 24-8 won by fall over Cole Evans UNA (Blue Valley Tigers) 2-14 (Fall 2:52)
  • Round 2 – Cole Compton UNA (Andover Trojans) 15-10 won by decision over Brayden Yoder (Louisburg Wildcats) 24-8 (Dec 3-1)
  • Round 3 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg Wildcats) 24-8 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Round 4 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg Wildcats) 24-8 won by major decision over Dylan Shojayi (Blue Valley Tigers) 14-9 (MD 9-0)
  • Round 5 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg Wildcats) 24-8 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Quarterfinal – Blaine Larkin (Law Free State Firebirds) 15-11 won in sudden victory – 1 over Brayden Yoder (Louisburg Wildcats) 24-8 (SV-1 6-4)
  • Cons. Round 2 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg Wildcats) 24-8 won by decision over Michael Costello (Olathe East Hawks) 22-11 (Dec 9-3)
  • Cons. Semi – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg Wildcats) 24-8 won by decision over Tristen Winfield (Andover Trojans) 6-4 (Dec 5-2)
  • 3rd Place Match – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg Wildcats) 24-8 won by decision over Oliver Scelza (J.K. Mullen Mustangs) 18-13 (Dec 10-3)

215

Kyle Oram UNA (6-9) placed 13th.

  • Round 1 – Kyle Oram UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-9 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Round 2 – Kyle Oram UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-9 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Round 3 – Ami Hall (J.K. Mullen Mustangs) 9-7 won by fall over Kyle Oram UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-9 (Fall 2:32)
  • Round 4 – Braedon Njewel (Blue Valley Tigers) 8-9 won by fall over Kyle Oram UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-9 (Fall 1:48)
  • Round 5 – Ronan Wunsch (Maize Eagles) 29-7 won by forfeit over Kyle Oram UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-9 (For.)
  • Cons. Round 1 – Kyle Oram UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-9 received a bye () (Bye)
  • 13th Place Match – Kyle Oram UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-9 won by medical forfeit over Nico Cocumelli UNA (BV West Jaguars) 4-11 (M. For.)

215

Trace Eslinger (18-10) placed 8th and scored 26.0 team points.

  • Round 1 – Trace Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-10 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Round 2 – Trace Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-10 won by fall over ​Brady Walsh UNA (Marion Wolves) 4-15 (Fall 0:43)
  • Round 3 – Trace Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-10 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Round 4 – Trace Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-10 won by fall over Robert Svoboda (BV West Jaguars) 16-10 (Fall 5:15)
  • Round 5 – Trace Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-10 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Quarterfinal – Braedon Njewel (Blue Valley Tigers) 8-9 won by fall over Trace Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-10 (Fall 1:36)
  • Cons. Round 2 – Brayden Harman (Andover Trojans) 14-13 won by fall over Trace Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-10 (Fall 4:37)
  • 7th Place Match – Robert Svoboda (BV West Jaguars) 16-10 won by fall over Trace Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-10 (Fall 3:50)

285

Grant Strubbe UNA (3-8) placed 16th.

  • Round 1 – Tamer Alomari (Olathe North Eagles) 11-8 won by decision over Grant Strubbe UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 3-8 (Dec 10-7)
  • Round 2 – Grant Strubbe UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 3-8 won by fall over Jaydn Morris (Bonner Springs Braves) 7-19 (Fall 2:45)
  • Round 3 – Jaxson Thomas (Topeka Seaman Vikings) 34-3 won by fall over Grant Strubbe UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 3-8 (Fall 0:26)
  • Round 4 – Jordan Hansett (BV North Mustangs) 16-14 won by fall over Grant Strubbe UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 3-8 (Fall 1:09)
  • Round 5 – Grant Strubbe UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 3-8 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Cons. Round 1 – Luke Hinman (Blue Valley Tigers) 13-17 won by fall over Grant Strubbe UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 3-8 (Fall 2:43)
  • 15th Place Match – Archer Swienton (Leavenworth Pioneers) 3-8 won by fall over Grant Strubbe UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 3-8 (Fall 0:20)

285

Elijah Eslinger (28-5) placed 7th and scored 33.0 team points.

  • Round 1 – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 28-5 won by fall over Noah Case (Marion Wolves) 8-11 (Fall 0:44)
  • Round 2 – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 28-5 won by fall over Calab Van Meter (J.K. Mullen Mustangs) 9-8 (Fall 0:46)
  • Round 3 – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 28-5 received a bye () (Bye)
  • Round 4 – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 28-5 won by fall over Max Childers (Law Free State Firebirds) 5-6 (Fall 0:50)
  • Round 5 – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 28-5 won by fall over Devion Murray (Olathe East Hawks) 4-4 (Fall 1:24)
  • Quarterfinal – Jordan Hansett (BV North Mustangs) 16-14 won by fall over Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 28-5 (Fall 0:45)
  • Cons. Round 2 – Brody McMannamon (BV West Jaguars) 22-18 won by fall over Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 28-5 (Fall 0:40)
  • 7th Place Match – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 28-5 won by fall over Noah Case (Marion Wolves) 8-11 (Fall 0:52)