Six Wildcats named to All-Frontier League soccer team

By Andy Brown
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Updated: November 18, 2024

The Louisburg boys soccer team had six recently named to the All-Frontier League team. Seniors Colton Blue, Emmett White, Jacob Brown, Ethan Sharp, junior Owen Marsh and sophomore Brody Bovaird all earned all-league honors.

The Louisburg boys soccer team saw a big improvement during the 2024 season and the Frontier League coaches took notice.

The Wildcats doubled their win total from the 2023 season and reached the regional championship game. Although they ended their season with a 9-9 record, several players began to receive honors last week.

Louisburg earned five spots on the All-Frontier League team that was recently released, including one first team, and one second team selection.

Senior Colton Blue earned first team honors, while senior Emmett White was a second team selection. Seniors Ethan Sharp and Jacob Brown, along with junior Owen Marsh and sophomore Brody Bovaird earned honorable mention.

“Once again, the final four in Kansas 4-1A had a representative from the Frontier League with Baldwin,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “Year-in and year-out, our league is really tough. I thought we had pretty good representation, getting one player on the first team. I wish we’d be able to get more on the second team, but again, we had a very tough league this year. I was pretty happy to see our guys getting more and more respect from the league coaches.”

Blue was a team captain for the Wildcats and had a strong season in the midfield. He led the team with 12 goals, 11 assists, 37 shots on target and had three game-winning goals as he was a big factor for Louisburg all year.

“Colton has been the ‘drill sergeant’ of our program,” coach Bovaird said “Essentially, the last two years, he’s been such a powerful leader for the team. He commands respect not by being feared, but by setting the example, being vocal, and lifting up his teammates. This season, he’s led the team in nearly every stat.”

White earned second team all-league honors for the second consecutive season, despite battling an injury for most of the year. The Wildcat forward still managed to make a big impact.

On the season, he was third on the team with nine goals and tied a team-high 3-game winning goals. He also had four assists and 25 shots on target.

“Emmett has shown resilience and commitment throughout the season, playing through a serious injury that happened in the fourth game,” coach Bovaird said. “I’m so proud of his toughness. He only missed one game this season, and I think this was a huge inspiration to his teammates. Due to his selflessness and grit, he earned the captain’s band for two seasons in a row. Even with his ankle injury, he’s still our third-highest scorer this season.”

The Wildcats earned four spots on the honorable mention, including a pair of seniors in Brown and Sharp.

Brown has seen varsity playing time the last three seasons in the midfield and that continued this year. He tallied three goals and also had eight shots on target.

“Jacob has been like a second assistant coach for me the past two years,” coach Bovaird said. “We often talked about strategy, formations, and practice ideas, which was huge for our team. I felt like he really helped me grow as a coach. His knowledge has been one of the keys to our success, and as a senior leader, his impact on our offense has been invaluable.”

As for Sharp, he was a big piece to the Wildcat defense as a team captain and is a two-year starter on the Louisburg back line. He finished his season with a goal, an assist and contributed to five shutouts.

“As a captain and cornerstone of our defense, Ethan’s leadership on and off the field has been incredible,” coach Bovaird said. “We had four seniors across the back line, which was huge for our team this season. Ethan was a vocal and steady presence from our summer training to game day, anchoring our backline with confidence.”

Marsh was a big-time scorer for the Wildcats this season as he tied Blue with a team-high 12 goals and tallied four assists. He also had 25 shots on target and two game-winning goals.

“Owen built on a strong sophomore season by elevating his play, learning when to make the right pass, and figuring out when to go at the goal and take the shot himself,” coach Bovaird said. “This unselfish approach has led to a season-high goal count, showing the results of his team-focused mindset. His growth from last season and throughout this season led to a surge of success in the stats.”

As for Brody Bovaird, the Wildcats sophomore came off the bench to give Louisburg crucial minutes during several games this season as he had a goal, two assists and eight shots on goal.

“If ‘assists to assists’ were an official stat, Brody would lead by far,” coach Bovaird said. “He’s a playmaker on the wing, combining speed and unselfishness to set up opportunities for his teammates. Several coaches made comments about his speed with the ball as he flew down the wing. His quiet leadership and determination to fight for every ball make him a spark whenever he’s on the field. When he’s on the field for us, he makes things happen.”