Wildcat soccer earns five spots on All-Frontier League team

By Andy Brown
- Tweet
- Pin It
Updated: November 13, 2023

Louisburg junior Emmett White earned second team honors for the Wildcats after he led the team with eight goals on the season.

Louisburg might not have had the season it wanted record-wise, but that didn’t mean the Wildcats didn’t have success.

Individually, several Wildcats had strong seasons and it showed when the All-Frontier League soccer team was released.

Louisburg, which finished with a 4-13 record on the year, had five selections to the all-league squad, including a second team honor in junior Emmett White.

“Just like any other year, our league was pretty tough,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “Small schools around the KC or Wichita metro areas are bound to be tough and attract talent. Once again, our league had a representative in the state quarterfinals with Baldwin, and two other teams were regional finalists (Eudora and Tonganoxie). I wish we’d been able to get more of our guys represented on the all-league team, but we did have a lot of talent in the league. Half of the first and second team members are seniors, so there’s room for our guys to move up next year.”

White led the Wildcats all season from the forward and midfield spots. He led Louisburg in scoring with eight goals, including three game-winners, and also finished with two assists.

He drew a lot of attention from the opposing defenses all season, but White still made a big jump from his sophomore to junior year.

“One thing that’s difficult for people outside the program to see is how much our guys have grown over this season,” Bovaird said. “We didn’t quite have the stats to back things up, but offensively and defensively, we made huge strides forward. Emmett was one player who showed the most growth. He’s been a starter since his freshman year, but he hadn’t gotten many goals until this year. He was also such a big motivational presence on the team as well. A silent leader whose work ethic was very inspirational.”

The Wildcats also had four honorable mention selections. Junior midfielder Colton Blue, junior defender Will Showalter, junior forward Jose Cuevas and senior forward John Powls.

Blue, who was a starter all season and a team captain, provided a steady influence in the midfield and finished the season with two goals and two assists. He also led the Wildcats with 17 shots on goal.

“Most of our successful offensive attacks began in the middle with Colton,” Bovaird said. “He’s also been the epitome of hard work. He had zero absences from practice, and battled through a nagging injury all season. His work ethic in the weight room in the off-season shows how hard work pays off. He showed true grit throughout the season, whether it was practice or games, and his teammates were rallied behind his example.”

Showalter was another team captain for the Wildcats and one of the leaders on the back line. He earned all-league honors as one of the team’s top defenders.

“Despite his size, Will proved that he can hang with the best players out there,” Bovaird said. “He combined his soccer talent with his smarts and his wrestling toughness to become an outstanding stopper for us. He rarely came off the field this season because of that.”

Powls’ season was cut short early in the year due to a knee injury, but the Louisburg forward was still recognized on the all-league list as he finished with a pair of goals.

“I’m very thankful for the league coaches selecting John to get honorable mention,” Bovaird said. “His senior season was shortened unfortunately, but he scored our first goal of the season against Leavenworth and also put us ahead of Bonner Springs in his final game before hurting his knee. He’d made huge strides despite also missing his freshman and junior seasons due to injuries.”

Cuevas filled in for Powls in the starting lineup after that and made an impact for the Wildcats. The Louisburg junior had four goals, including 11 shots on target.

“While Jose could always be depended upon to give 100 percent, he had a huge impact on the team with his overall positivity,” Bovaird said. “Nearly every game, he was the one lifting up his teammates, encouraging them, and cheering them on.”