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Wildcat cheer finishes third at state Game Day competition

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Members of the Louisburg cheer team are: (Front row) Anna Brizendine, Addison Vargo, Reece Jones; (middle row) Leia Ward, Lilly Burnett, Taryn Osborn, Elle Keating, Brooklyn Roney, Harper Boyle, Kelsey Shelton, Kim Powls, Gretchen Reitz, Kinsley Rayne; (back row) Will Leach, Kayleigh Ramsey, Laney Stohs, Reece Younggren, Reese Anderson, Greta Gatzka, Addison Bishop and Maggie Wanjigi

TOPEKA — The Louisburg High School cheerleading squad is no stranger to the finals of the Class 4A Game Day competition. 


Heading into the Nov. 23 showcase in Topeka, the Wildcats have made the final round in each of the last five seasons. Louisburg had no problem making it a sixth straight, and for the fifth time in six years, they came home with a state plaque.

Louisburg finished third in the state competition as it edged out Baldwin for the top three spot in Class 4A. 

“Bringing home another trophy from the Game Day Cheer competition was a testament to our team’s hard work, dedication, and growth throughout the season,” Louisburg cheer coach Breanna Kostroske said. “It means so much to us because it reflects their skill, their heart, and spirit—three things we emphasize daily. For our athletes, it symbolizes their resilience and the countless hours they’ve spent perfecting their routines. 

“As coaches, we are incredibly proud of their overall performance. They left it all on the floor, and while there is always room for improvement, they gave a performance that showcased their teamwork, precision, and energy.”

The Wildcat team got out to a strong start in the qualifying round. Louisburg took second in that round, sitting 10 points behind Paola, thanks to a score of 80.150 in crowd-leading, which was the best among the 14 teams.

It was a performance that helped build their morale going into the finals.

“The strong showing in the crowd-leading round was a game-changer for us,” Kostroske said. “It gave us a great position heading into the finals and boosted the team’s confidence. However, we know that once the finals round starts you start back at 0, so although we were ecstatic about the high placing in qualifying rounds, it was time to buckle down and do it all again. 

Prime Accounting

“The crowd-leading round is critical because it emphasizes one of the most essential aspects of cheerleading — engaging with the audience and igniting school spirit. The fact that we excelled there shows the team’s ability to connect with the crowd and deliver under pressure. That momentum carried over and gave us a competitive edge in the final round.”

In the finals, the Wildcats had another strong performance in the crowd leading category, which helped them to the third place finish and an overall score of 82.10. Louisburg edged Baldwin, as it had a score of 81.93.

Paola won the state championship with a score of 91.77 and Bishop Miege was second at 84.73.

“State is one of the longest competitions this team goes through,” Kostroske said. “Typically prelims and finals are two separate days, so having them both on the same day with long time in between can really put a lot on some athletes. Although that is the case we saw the team perform to their best ability in the final round, especially given the level of competition. We’ll review the feedback, fine-tune our techniques, and return even stronger. We’re proud of our third-place finish but also motivated to keep pushing ourselves to reach the next level.”

The season doesn’t slow down for Wildcat cheer as it now enters basketball season and it is currently preparing for NCA National Cheer competition that will be held in Dallas in January.

“Along with basketball season, we are working tirelessly on our routine for Nationals in Dallas, which we earned a bid for during our regional competition back in November,” Kostroske said. “We placed second in the co-ed division in St. Charles, Mo., and that has immediately fueled our fire to work day in and out to bring home another Nationals trophy back to Louisburg.”

Members of the Wildcat cheer team that competed at state are: Anna Brizendine, Addison Vargo, Reece Jones, Leia Ward, Lilly Burnett, Taryn Osborn, Elle Keating, Brooklyn Roney, Harper Boyle, Kelsey Shelton, Kim Powls, Gretchen Reitz, Kinsley Rayne, Will Leach, Kayleigh Ramsey, Laney Stohs, Reece Younggren, Reese Anderson, Greta Gatzka, Addison Bishop and Maggie Wanjigi.