Wildcat wrestling goes undefeated to win December Duals

Louisburg junior Mika McKitrick works for a pin Friday during a match in the December Duals at Baldwin. McKitrick was one of six Wildcats named to the All-Tournament Team.

BALDWIN CITY — Louisburg has lived well in the dual format so far in the young season and that continued Friday in Baldwin.

The Wildcats finished with a 4-0 record and won the December Duals as they pulled out a couple close wins in the process. 

Louisburg earned victories over Prairie View, Baldwin, Independence and Burlington as the Wildcats earned top honors. 

“We went in there and had two very gutsy wins — one against Baldwin and one against Independence,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “Earlier this year, Baldwin was ranked in the top 10 at state, and Independence is currently ranked fourth in 4A. We’ve got depth and experience on our varsity roster, and the guys are starting to see how that pays off.”

That depth also showed as the Wildcats earned six spots on the December Duals All-Tournament Team.

Logan Henry (132 pounds, 4-0 record), Mika McKitrick (138, 3-1), Jay McCaskill (157, 3-1), Bryce Thompson (165, 3-1), Elias Pugh (175, 3-1) and Ashton Moore (190, 3-1) were all named to the All-Tournament Team.

The Wildcats opened the tournament with a 75-6 victory over Prairie View and then found themselves in a close contest against Baldwin. In that match, Louisburg did the work in the lower and middle weights as the Wildcats built the lead and held on for a 40-33 win, despite losing the final three matches.

“We’ve talked about bonus points — winning by a major decision instead of just a regular decision, fighting off your back to avoid a pin, etc,” Bovaird said. “The mindset has to be that no one outworks us and we never give up.”

Louisburg found itself in another close matchup against Independence as the Wildcats had to rally from an early deficit.

The Wildcats got three straight pins from Thompson, Pugh and Moore. Then Brayden Yoder pulled out a big 3-2 decision at 215 pounds to help secure the win.

Louisburg ended the night with a 72-9 victory over Burlington to secure the tournament title.

A lot of Wildcats found success in Baldwin, but Henry was the lone Wildcat with a 4-0 record and all were by pin at 132 pounds.

Canaan Clayton (113 pounds), Will Showalter (120), J’Lee Collins (126), McKitrick (138), Traden Noll (150), McCaskill, Thompson, Pugh, Moore and Yoder (215) all finished with a 3-1 record on the night.

A pair of Louisburg girls also saw their first action of the season at the Saturday edition of the December Duals. Freshman Leola Eslinger went 3-0 at 145 pounds and freshman Allison Martin lost her lone match at 125 pounds.

“Both girls competed really well, and I’m excited to see how they continue to improve each week,” Bovaird said. “We’re working to add more and more competition opportunities for them this season to get them ready for regionals in February.”

After a runner-up finish at Fort Scott the week before, the Wildcats will try and continue that momentum this week as they host Olathe West in a dual Thursday before traveling to Tonganoxie on Saturday for their final tournament of 2023.

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