Homecoming week at Louisburg High School kicked off Monday and events are in full swing. With something going on every day this week, it will be a busy time for students. All of it is, of course, centered around the crowning of the 2024 fall king and queen. Eight students were selected as nominees and here are their names and profiles.

The crowning will take place on Friday before the Wildcats’ home football game with Bonner Springs. Kickoff for that game is set for 7 p.m., with the introduction of the candidates and their parents at 6:30 p.m. Crowning will be at halftime. Good luck to all the participants and make sure to come out on Friday to support the Wildcat football team if you have the opportunity.

Jazzy Leach

Jazzy is the granddaughter of Teresia and Fredrick Gilyard. Jazzy has participated in FCA, AV, the musical and forensics for four years. She has also been a member of FCCLA, Interact Club, select choir and CTE/Rotary Rep for three years, along with student council and science club for two years and concert choir and senior advisory for one year. After graduation, Jazzy is undecided on a university but plans on attending college to study nursing to become a labor and delivery nurse practitioner.

Emmett White

Emmett is the son of Kelli and Nick White. Emmett has participated in soccer, track and the musical for four years. He has been a member of FBLA and National Honor Society for two years, along with basketball and football for one year. Following graduation, Emmett plans to attend Creighton University.

Lyndi Anderson

Lyndi is the daughter of Lisa and Jared Anderson. Lyndi has participated in Jazzy Cats and the musical for four years. He has been a member of select choir for three years, along with National Honor Society for two years and FCCLA for one. After graduation, Lyndi plans to study psychology and women’s health, but is unsure on a university.

Conlee Hovey

Conlee is the son of Jodi Hovey and Shane Hovey. Conlee has participated in football for four years, basketball for three years and baseball for one. Following graduation, Conlee plans to play football in college but is currently undecided on a school.

Cate Finch

Cate is the daughter of Logan and Jessica Finch. Cate has participated in Jazzy Cats, student council, Interact Club and the musical for four years. She has been a member of select choir for three years, National Honor Society for two and senior advisory for one year. Following graduation, Cate plans to study general psychology with a concentration in healthcare, but is undecided on a university.

Ashton Moore

Ashton is the son of Tommy and Alison Moore. Ashton has participated in football, wrestling, track, student council and choir for four years. He has also been a member of National Honor Society for two years. Following graduation, Ashton plans to attend Kansas State University and play football.

Addy Stohs

Addy is the daughter of Kelly and Aaron Stohs. Addy has participated in basketball, softball and band for four years. She has been a member of FCCLA and select choir for three years, and National Honor Society and Suicide Prevention Project for two years. After graduation, Addy plans to study to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner but is undecided on a college.

Myles Vohs

Myles is the son of Kevin and Cassi Vohs. Myles has participated in football and basketball for four years, track for three years and baseball for one year. Following graduation, Myles plans to attend college for track and field and is undecided on a major.

The Kansas High School Activities Association released the classifications for the 2024-25 school year and there was very little movement in the upper classes from a year ago.

There were no changes to Class 6A and 5A, while there was just one change in Class 4A. Topeka-Hayden has made the move back up to 4A, while Scott Community moved down from 4A to 3A.

Louisburg reported an enrollment of 561, which puts the Wildcats in about the middle of the pack in Class 4A. Bishop Miege has the highest 4A enrollment with 692, while Bonner Springs has the lowest 5A enrollment at 738. The lowest enrollment in Class 4A in Hugoton with 317 students.

One other Frontier League school of note is Spring Hill, who reported eighth highest enrollment in Class 5A with 1,127 students. Ottawa (653), Tonganoxie (650), Eudora (581) and Paola (564) also had higher enrollments than Louisburg.

There was a lot of movement on the lower level classifications. Belle Plaine, Garden Plain, Jayhawk-Linn and Wathena all moved up to Class 3A. Douglass, Leon-Bluestem, Phillipsburg and Rossville and moved down to Class 2A.

The Louisburg High School prom is right around the corner as the school will hold its annual event on Saturday, and it is there where prom king and queen will be announced.

Four male and female students were selected to be in the running for LHS Prom King and Queen. The candidates will be introduced during the school’s promenade walk-through at 4 on Saturday in the LHS Auditorium.

Pictures can be taken starting at 5 p.m. at First National Bank and then prom will be held at the Haven Event Space starting at 8 p.m. The crowning will take play at 10:30 p.m. and students who attend prom will be able to vote at the event. LHS post prom will be held from 12 to 3 a.m. at the high school.

Here are the prom candidates and their bios. Best of luck to all the candidates and hope everyone has a fun, safe prom weekend.

A.J. Fire and Bill Dickason

A.J. is the daughter of Dawn Montgomery and Brad Fire. She has been a part of the forensics team and yearbook for four years. She has played soccer for three years and was a member of FFA and Scholars Bowl for one year. Following graduation, A.J. plans to attend the University of Kansas and major in secondary education English.

Bill is the son of Becky Collins and Patrick Dickason. Bill has participated in Scholars Bowl for four years, forensics and Interact Club for three years, National Honor Society for two years and debate for one year. After graduation, Bill plans to attend Johnson County Community College, then transfer to Pittsburg State to major in History with an Education Emphasis.

Izzy Moreland and Ben O’Bryan

Izzy is the daughter of Kim and Marcus Moreland. She has participated in FFA, FBLA, Interact Club, band, softball and volleyball for four years. She has been a member of FCCLA and National Honor Society for two years, along with Newspaper Club and Senior Advisory for one year. After graduation, Izzy plans to attend Oklahoma State University and major in Agribusiness/Economics with a minor in Spanish.

Ben is the son of Tom and Debra O’Bryan. He has participated in track and field for four years, along with football and wrestling for two years. After graduation, Ben plans to attend Benedictine College on a football scholarship and major in Mechanical Engineering.

Maddy Rhamy and Jackson Howard

Maddy is the daughter of Chad and Jill Rhamy. She has participated in cross country and Interact Club for four years, track for three years and National Honor Society for two years. Following graduation, Maddy plans to attend Kansas State University and major in Engineering.

Jackson is the son of Nathen and Janna Howard. He has participated in football, baseball, FFA, choir and the musical for four years, along with wrestling for one year. After graduation, Jackson plans to attend college and major in Animal Science or Wildlife Studies.

Lola Edwards and Jaymes Melton

Lola is the daughter of Luke and Erin Edwards. She has participated in cross country, soccer, band, FFA and Interact Club for four years, along with National Honor Society for two years and senior advisory for one. After graduation, Lola plans to attend Kansas State University to study Biochemistry with a focus in Pharmaceuticals.

Jaymes is the son of Andy and Meghan Melton. He has participated in football, basketball and track and field for four years. Following graduation, Jaymes plans to attend Fort Scott Community College and join the track and field program.

The 2024 Louisburg High School Homecoming Candidates are (from left) Wyatt Holland, Sophie Katzer, Luke Hill, Rylee Hickey, Brady Hickey, Emma Vohs, Blake Amren and Maddy Carpenter-Ross.

Homecoming week at Louisburg High School kicked off Monday and events are in full swing. With something going on every day this week, it will be a busy time for students. All of it is, of course, centered around the crowning of the 2024 winter king and queen. Eight students were selected as nominees and here are their names and profiles.

The crowning will take place on Friday during halftime of the Wildcat boys’ basketball game with Spring Hill. Tipoff for that game is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. Good luck to all the participants and make sure to come out on Friday to support both the Wildcat girls and boys basketball teams.

Sophie Katzer and Wyatt Holland

Sophie is the daughter of Dean and Crystal Katzer. Sophie has been a member of FBLA for three years, along with FFA, Interact and National Honor Society for two years. She was also a member of the cheer squad for two years. Following graduation, Sophie plans to attend Kansas State University and pursue a degree in the business field.

Wyatt is the son of Jason Holland and Kristi Holland. Wyatt has participated in football for four years, baseball for three years, FBLA for two years and basketball for one. After graduation, Wyatt plans to attend Fort Hays State University and play football. He plans to study construction science and management.

Rylee Hickey and Luke Hill

Rylee is the daughter of Kraig and Brandi Hickey. Rylee has participated in softball for four years, along with FBLA and Interact Club for two years. Following graduation, Rylee plans to attend Johnson County Community College to get her associates degree and then will transfer to Kansas University and major in business.

Luke is the son of Andy and Megan Hill. Luke has participated in basketball and student council for four years, football for two years and Interact Club for one year. After graduation, Luke plans to attend Kansas State University and major in marketing.

Emma Vohs and Brady Hickey

Emma is the daughter of Lenny and Jill Vohs. Emma has participated in track for four years, cross country for three years, National Honor Society for two years, and basketball, volleyball and Interact Club for one year. Following graduation, Emma plans to attend the University of Kansas and pursue a degree in sports media reporting.

Brady is the son of Kraig and Brandi Hickey. Brady has participated in basketball and football for four years, along with baseball and National Honor Society for two years. After graduation, Brady plans to attend Johnson County Community College to get his associate’s degree and then will transfer to Kansas State to major in business/finance.

Maddy Carpenter-Ross and Blake Amren

Maddy is the daughter of Andy Ross and Cassie Carpenter. Maddy has participated in track, Interact Club, cheer and forensics for four years, National Honor Society, FCCLA and yearbook for two years and choir and musical for one year. Following graduation, Maddy is undecided on a college, but wants to major in software engineering or computer science.

Blake is the son of Mark and Carmen Amren. Blake has participated in football and the musical for four years, select choir and FBLA for three years and National Honor Society for two years. He also participated in basketball and baseball for one year. Following graduation, Blake plans to attend the University of Kansas to major in mechanical engineering with a minor in biomedical engineering.

It was a successful, and eventful, 2023 for Louisburg High School athletics and for those who are connected to the Wildcat program. 

This past year created a lot of school history for LHS and a few programs brought back state hardware.

Below are the top stories from 2023, along with a brief explanation of each. Included in the writeup is the link to the actual story from the event.

When putting the list together, I took a lot of things into account – whether it was team vs. individual, popularity of the sport, historical achievements and the interest it drew on the web site.

This year was a blast to cover and I am looking forward to seeing what 2024 will bring. Thank you to everyone for their support and can’t wait for it all to begin again.

10. Brings Plenty earns first state cross country medal

WAMEGO — Jerynce Brings Plenty had being eyeing this race since the beginning of the season.

After missing out on the opportunity to run at the Class 4A Kansas State Cross Country Championships in 2022 due to an injury, Brings Plenty was itching at the chance to run against the state’s best.

He got that opportunity at the Wamego Country Club and he took full advantage.

Brings Plenty earned his first state cross country medal as he took 12th overall in a time of 16 minutes and 57 seconds. It has been a long time coming for the Louisburg junior.

“Getting 12th place and a state medal meant everything to me,” Brings Plenty said. “All season my main focus was to place as high as I could at state, especially since I had only placed 51st as a freshman and didn’t race my sophomore year.”

The 2023 season was a successful one for Brings Plenty as he earned a medal in every race he finished. He also moved up the school’s all-time leaderboard and currently holds the second fastest time.

9. Brueggen wins two state swim medals; Brown earns first boys state medal

Sabra Brueggen and Colin Brown put together a pair of historic seasons for their respective swim teams in 2023.

Brueggen doubled her medal count back in May at the state meet at the Capitol Federal Natatorium in Topeka. The Louisburg sophomore earned state medals in both the 100-yard backstroke and 50 freestyle.

After earning the one medal as a freshman a year ago, Brueggen was happy to find the medal stand in both races this season.

However, it has been a long road for Brueggen to get back to the state meet. After suffering a knee injury last summer, she had to work hard to get back in time for this go-round in a recovery that lasted nine months.

“Going into high school swim this season, I only had one personal goal in mind, making it back to finals at state,” Brueggen said. “Little did I know that I was going to make it back to the ‘A’ final in both my events, allowing me to medal. This truly meant the world to me because this past year has been one of the toughest ones yet. Overcoming this nine month long recovery, and accomplishing this at state, was an indescribable feeling.”

As for Brown, the Wildcat freshman earned the school’s first state medal in boys swimming back in February at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center in Lenexa. 

Brown recorded a time of 56.46 seconds in the finals of the 100-yard butterfly to take eighth overall. He swam a season-best time of 55.85 in the preliminaries to garner a spot in the finals.

“Colin’s swim in the medal finals was so fun to watch,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “Hardware from state is not easy to earn and he did a marvelous job all season working toward that final.”

In all, Louisburg sent four swimmers to the state meet in Brown, Brayton Brueggen, Colton Prettyman and Andrew Jamison and the Wildcats turned in several times that earned spots in the consolation finals. As team, the Wildcats finished 15th overall with 44 points.

8. Cheer takes fourth at state

TOPEKA — Louisburg cheer has been no stranger to the big stage when it comes to the state competition.

The Wildcats have become a mainstay in the Class 4A Game Day Spirit Showcase in the last several years that has included a state championship and a pair of state runner-up finishes.

Louisburg found itself in position for another state plaque in November at the Stormont-Vail Events Center in Topeka. The Wildcats qualified for the finals with an impressive performance, but came up just short of another state plaque as they took fourth overall in Class 4A.

“I am so proud,” Louisburg coach Breanna Kostroske said. “This team had to welcome not one, but two new coaches and has worked so hard since May on their competition material and it truly showed on the floor Saturday. Being a new coach you are automatically stressed that you haven’t given enough to all aspects of a game day routine, but we put our faith in the team and they showed up and truly represented themselves in a huge way.”

Members of the Louisburg cheer team are: Elizabeth George, Brooklyn Harmon, Addison Drake, Maddie O’Keefe, Maddy Carpenter-Ross, Caroline Dugger, Anna Brizendine, Reece Jones, Addie Vargo, Laney Stohs, Taryn Osborn, Kayleigh Ramsey, Will Leach, Brooklyn Roney, Harper Boyle, Kimmie Powls, Reece Younggren and Reese Anderson. The Wildcats are coached by Breanna Kostroske and Heather Brummel.

7. Pfannenstiel takes AD position, Wildcat basketball hires new coach Ben Doll

The 2023-24 school year for Louisburg High School activities had little different look to it — especially at the top.

Ty Pfannenstiel was hired as the school’s new activities director and took over for Michael Pickman, who will focus on his assistant principal duties and curriculum. 

Pfannenstiel, who has been the boys basketball coach for the last six years, resigned his post to take on the activities director position. He also stepped down as an assistant football coach.

“This is very exciting for me,” Pfannenstiel said. “It’s definitely going to be a change. I have been a teacher and a coach for 18 years. I still get to be a teacher half-time, and now I get to step into a new role as an administrator. It is going to be all sports and activities and I am looking forward to the new direction.”

Louisburg then hired Ben Doll to replace Pfannenstiel as the new Wildcat boys basketball coach. Doll has patrolled the sidelines as an assistant for two state championship teams and has coached in numerous state tournaments over his 24 year career.

This is Doll’s first head coaching position after spending time as an assistant at St. Thomas Aquinas, Johnson County Community College, Lansing and Blue Valley North.

“I am really excited to get going,” Doll said. “It has been a long time coming. I have a lot of great experiences and I am ready to apply those things I have learned into this job. I am ready to put my own stamp on some stuff as well.”

6. Wrestling qualifies six for state, Eslinger medals

SALINA —  Just like a year ago, Elijah Eslinger found himself one win away from a spot in the state championship match.

Eslinger, who has been ranked in Class 4A at different times throughout the season, has had a long road as a Wildcat heavyweight. One that included a rough freshman year, to progressively getting better.

With a spot in the semifinals at the Class 4A Kansas State Wrestling Championships already wrapped up, he had already secured his second state medal in Salina. Although he didn’t make that championship match, Eslinger still left Salina with some hardware.

“To make the semifinals was exciting, especially since it was the closest match I had,” Eslinger said. “It was probably close to the hardest match that I had over the weekend. I feel like I could have done better looking at my matches in hindsight.”

The Wildcats nearly had two more wresters earn spots on the medal stand. Junior J’Lee Collins (126 pounds) and sophomore Ashton Moore (175) both made their way to the blood round and needed a win to secure a state medal.

The Wildcats also experienced some heartbreak as senior Kaven Bartlett fell short of his goal of earning another state medal. At 138 pounds, Bartlett finished the state tournament with a 1-2 record.

Senior Trace Eslinger (215) and sophomore Jay McCaskill (157) also represented the Wildcats at the state tournament, but finished with an 0-2 record.

5. Lohse wins three state medals, Lady Cats sixth at state

WICHITA — Emma Lohse blazed the track for the Louisburg girls track and field team all season, and the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships was no different.

Lohse picked up three medals and helped the 4×100-meter relay to another school record at Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium. In all, the Lady Cats medaled in five events and finished sixth in the team standings with 29 points.

“Coming back from Wichita with three state medals was something I had to work for and was happy about the outcome,” Lohse said. “Leaving Cessna Stadium one last time, I was very proud of the way I competed and proud of what I came home with.”

Lohse was just inches away from winning a state championship in the 100-meter dash. At the finish line, the Louisburg senior was step-for-step with Rose Hill’s Kate Dare.

As the two leaned for the finish line, Dare edged Lohse for first as Lohse ran a time of 12.46 seconds. Dare ran a 12.44.

Later in the 200-meter dash, Lohse earned another state medal as she took seventh in 26.77 seconds.

Sandwiched in between those two races, Lohse helped the 4×100-meter relay of Mackenzie Rooney, Suzanna Dansel and Kendall Crossley to a medal of their own.

The Lady Cat relay finished third overall with a time of 49.70 seconds. Andale won in 49.24 and McPherson was second at 49.67.

However, in the preliminaries on Friday, the team broke their own school record for the fourth consecutive time in 49.26 seconds and had the fastest time going into the finals.

Another Lady Cat to find the medal stand was Emma Prettyman. The Louisburg senior put together a strong showing in the discus.

Prettyman earned her first state medal as she finished sixth in the event with a throw of 115 feet, 9 inches.

4. Wildcat pole vaulters dominate 4A state meet

WICHITA — Maddy Carpenter-Ross, Caden Caplinger and Cooper Wingfield had been considered as some of the top pole vaulters in Class 4A for most of the season.

All three had finished at, or toward the top of each of their meets this year, and all of them had high hopes going into state meet at Wichita State.

Carpenter-Ross and Caplinger reached the highest summit Class 4A had to offer as both were crowned state champions following their respective events.

Caplinger became a two-time state champion first as he cleared 15 feet to win the 4A boys pole vault. Wingfield finished as the state runner-up.

“It means a lot and I am just blessed to have the opportunity to be here and win the title, especially with Cooper right on my tail,” Caplinger said. 

Carpenter-Ross thrived under the pressure in the girls competition as she, not only looked for her second consecutive state medal, but her first state championship. 

The Louisburg junior captured her first state title after she cleared 11 feet, which tied a personal best. This coming off a season where she medaled fifth at state a year ago.

“I think it is fantastic,” Carpenter-Ross said. “Going to 11 feet, I was tied with the one girl and I was hoping that I would get it on my first try. Then when I did, it was just an amazing feeling. 

“It was just awesome for me, plus to see my family’s faces up in the stands was really cool too. Being a state champion is awesome and I plan to do it again.”

3. Wildcat football wins back-to-back Frontier League titles

SPRING HILL — It had been 16 years since the Louisburg football team last repeated as back-to-back Frontier League champions.

That drought ended on an October night in Spring Hill.

In a battle of undefeated league teams, Louisburg proved its was the best. The Wildcats scored 21 unanswered points, and shutout the Broncos in the first half, as they cruised to a 35-21 victory.

Louisburg earned back-to-back league crowns for the first time since the 2006 and 2007 campaigns. The Wildcats also finished the regular season with an 8-0 record.

“It is pretty exciting,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “We talked to the guys before the game about how long it is has been since we have won back-to-back league titles and it has only been done four times in our school’s history. So to chalk another one up there feels pretty good.”

The Wildcats advanced to the regional round of the state playoffs in early November, but lost a heartbreaker to Basehor-Linwood, 22-20, and ended a nine game winning streak.

“This season was a lot of fun,” Harding said. “It is a great group of kids and they worked incredibly hard. They were loose and made it fun every single day. I can’t say enough about how good of kids they are and how hard they work. We hoped to still be moving on, but this loss doesn’t take away from what these kids did all year.”

2. Wildcat volleyball takes fourth at state for second straight year

HUTCHINSON — For the second time in as many years, Louisburg is leaving the state volleyball tournament with some hardware.

The Wildcats, for the second straight season, finished fourth Saturday at the Class 4A Kansas State Volleyball Championships in Hutchinson. It marked the 20th appearance for the Wildcats in the tournament.

Getting that hardware and making it to Saturday was certainly a battle for the Wildcats, who had to fight through adversity during pool play on Friday. Louisburg had to deal with injuries and had its fate rest in another team’s hands. 

Despite all that, Louisburg left with a fourth place medal following a tough 23-25, 25-8 and 25-16 loss to Andale in the third-place match Saturday at Hutchinson Sports Arena.

“We are very proud of this team for making it back to the state tournament and finishing in the final four again,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “We, of course, will always strive for higher finishes until we reach that ultimate goal of state champions, but we are proud of where we finished the season and were happy with the success of this team.”

Members of the Louisburg volleyball team are (from left) Adelyn Moore, Caileigh Kilgore, McKenna Lohse, Delaney Nelsen, Aspen Coulter, Evyn Richardson, Ashlyn Berck, Katie Elpers, Izzy Moreland, Megan Quinn, Hailey Sword, Madie Williams and head coach Leanna Willer.

1. Wildcat boys track finishes as state runner-up; Dobbins wins state title in high jump as team medals in 13 events

WICHITA — The Louisburg boys track and field team had the resume of a state champion. 

The Wildcats racked up 87 points during the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships at Wichita State. 

Louisburg medaled in all 13 events it competed and the Wildcats finished the meet with two individual state champions. The ending was supposed to feature the Wildcats holding up a state championship plaque.

“If you would have told me at the beginning of the year we would score 87 points at state and not win a championship, I would have just ignored you and said ‘Whatever,’” Louisburg coach Andy Wright said. “No way that would happen.”

As it turned out, the Wildcats found themselves on the outside looking in for a team state title. Andale finished first with 87.5 points. Louisburg had 87.

It was an emotional letdown for the Wildcats as they were so close to that team goal.

“To beat Andale, we had to score 88 and that is just a testament to how good they are,” Wright said. “They have really good athletes, especially in the throws. At the same time, I couldn’t be more proud of my guys and how they competed. It was just so much fun to watch them lay it all out there. They really did have a great season.”

Mason Dobbins reached new heights at the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championship.

Ok, well maybe not literally.

Dobbins who broke a school record in the high jump earlier this year, didn’t reach that height at the state meet — but he didn’t need to. The Louisburg senior cleared 6 feet, 6 inches to win the Class 4A high jump title.

It was the first of four state medals that Dobbins would win on the day as he helped lead the Wildcats to the Class 4A state runner-up plaque.

“It meant everything to be a state champion and to be able to medal in all of my events this year since I didn’t last year,” Dobbins said. “Our team trains so hard, and to be able to be runner up by .5 points, is incredible.”

Dobbins nearly earned his second state title in the 110-meter hurdles as he found himself in a battle with Rose Hill’s Teagan Cobb. The two were stride-for-stride going into he final hurdle, but Cobb nipped Dobbins at the finish line.

Later on, he joined Caden Caplinger, Colyer Wingfield and Ethan Ptacek in the 4×100-meter relay and the team medaled third in 43.38 seconds. Ptacek had to run for Ashton Moore, who was injured during the preliminaries.

Then toward the end of the meet, Dobbins, who was sitting seventh in the 200-meter dash after the preliminaries, battled to keep his team in the state championship race and medaled third in 23.07.

Louisburg senior Nathan Vincent got his team a lot of points in the throwing events as he medaled in the javelin, discus and shot put — with the latter being his best event of the weekend.

Vincent, who just started doing shot put this year, put together his best performance of the season. He recorded a personal best throw of 51-8 in the finals to take third overall. He also went on to take fifth in the discus and sixth in the javelin.

Sophomore Jerynce Brings Plenty also came away with three state medals in the distance events, but none was more precious to him than the 3,200-meter run.

Brings Plenty broke the school record in the event as he medaled third in 9 minutes and 49.41 seconds. He surpassed the old mark of 9:50.60 that was set by Jason Rose in 2007.

He continued his medal streak for the Wildcats as he joined Hunter Heinrich, Blaise Vohs and Colton Blue to medal seventh in the 4×800-meter relay.

Later in the day, Brings Plenty competed in the 1,600 run and took sixth in 4:34.42.

Louisburg senior Nathan Apple left his final state meet with a pair of medals in both hurdle events. Apple finished fourth in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.29 seconds on Saturday.

Apple also went on to take fourth in the 300 hurdles in 40.55 seconds as he ended his Wildcat track career on a positive note.

The Wildcats ended the state meet with the 4×400-meter relay as the team of Heinrich, Vohs, Colyer Wingfield and Ptacek needed a third place finish or better to win the state title. Unfortunately, the Wildcats came up just short as they took fourth in 3:23.98.

Louisburg set a new personal record by three seconds and was .25 seconds away from tying the school record. The Wildcats also scored points in all three relay events.

After racking up several honors with their previous club, Louisburg seniors Ashlyn Berck and Trevor Burch are off to a good start with the newly-formed Wildcat Shooting Club. The club had nearly 50 members for the fall season.

Louisburg seniors Ashlyn Berck and Trevor Burch have racked up plenty of awards in the world of competitive shooting. 

They just haven’t been able to do it for their school — until this year.

The Wildcat Shooting Club kicked off its inaugural season this past fall, and with the help of Berck and Burch, are off to a great start. The club, which competes in the fall and spring, had 47 members compete.

Berck and Burch, who both competed with the St. James Academy team, are now able to represent Louisburg and are already accumulating awards.

“For the last three years, I have been shooting for Saint James because Louisburg did not have a competitive shooting team,” Berck said. “I always wanted to shoot for my own school team, but I never thought I’d get to. I think it’s amazing that Louisburg created their own competitive shooting team and I think it’s even more amazing how many kids they were able to get to join their team.”

Berck thrived in the fall as she was the Kansas Female State Champion in both the Skeet and 5-Stand Divisions. She scored a 24.5 out of 25 on average to win the skeet title and 18.8 average out of 25 to win 5-Stand.

She was also third in the conference in Sporting Clays and was the Kansas Overall Runner-Up.

Berck has experienced a lot of success in her short high school career and she owes some of her accolades to her sister.

“My oldest sister Emersyn also shot in high school and was a state champion in skeet,” Berck said. “Because of this I had a lot to look up to and it had become a goal of mine to also become a state champion. I am not only a state champion, but I am also No. 1 in the nation for girls skeet and second in the nation overall for skeet. I have been competitively shooting for four years and each year our season goes from late February to November and I practice about two days a week. Each season I go through around 10,000 shells.”

As for Burch, he has also experienced quite a bit of success. This fall, he won the conference title in skeet and finished sixth place in the state with a 23 average out of 25.

Burch also placed seventh in the state in 5-Stand and sixth in the conference in Sporting Clays. 

Last season, Burch put together a big season with a St. James as he was third in the state last year in the skeet competition.

“It feels great to be shooting for my school, but I can’t forget the school I shot for my first two high school years, Saint James Academy,” Burch said. “I won medals for them, but now it is time to win some for my school. It makes me smile getting the opportunity to represent my school the first year it was created.”

The Wildcat Shooting Club was started thanks to the help of current coach Micah Drake. There are other area schools that allow clubs to represent them, and Drake knew there was interest in Louisburg.

“I was in the United States Marine Corps and was a weapons instructor during my service,” Drake said. “My youngest son is a freshman at LHS and this sport has been something we’ve enjoyed doing for years, but it was never something offered at the school. Over the summer I spoke to other parents about the topic and they expressed interest in their student wishing it was available as well. So, I did some research, found the USA High School Clay Target League, proposed it in front of the USD416 School Board, and they approved it allowing us to represent LHS. 

“It is important to note, that while we have full approval and support from USD 416, we are considered a club and not ‘affiliated’ with the school. They have allowed the LHS students to be in the yearbook as a school club though. We even had the LHS principal (Amy VanRheen) come to one of our shoots to support the kids. She is a big supporter of this.”

The club consists of students in grades 6 through 12 and has gotten popular in a short amount of time. After 47 out for the fall season, Drake is expecting more than 60 to compete in the spring.

Since the club is in its first year, the students are only taking part in trap competitions until they gain more experience.

“The fall season is considered a ‘practice’ season preparing for spring,” Drake said. “It is six weeks long, and while we compete ‘virtually’ against other schools, it does not have a season ending tournament. All of our students learned so much during fall, and always competed to do better each week. Being a brand new club, it was a good opportunity for everyone to learn the basics of this sport and how to follow the rules. During the fall, we shot almost 15,000 rounds of ammunition, without a single safety incident. Every student and coach did an amazing job putting safety first.”

The Louisburg club holds its competition at the Polecat Creek Shotgun Park in Harrisonville, Mo. and Drake is working hard to put together fundraisers to limit the cost for students and their families.

Fees to participate in the fall was $350 and Drake sees it likely being $400 in the spring due to a longer season and a state competition in Wichita. He has also gotten team sponsors, including Scheels, to help with costs. Drake is looking into grants as well as the organization is a non-profit. 

“The club supplied to each student all ammunition, clay targets, shell bags, team t-shirt and sweatshirt with sponsors, safety glasses and hearing protection,” Drake said.

Having a local club to participate in has been a positive for Berck and Burch, who are both planning on competing in college. Berck is going to attend the University of Arkansas and join the shooting club there, while Burch is planning on doing the same as he has looked at a school in Nebraska.

Drake is hoping that more students will be interested in joining the sport and is happy with how it has started.

“The response from our community to me starting this club was absolutely overwhelming,” Drake said. “The league allows students from nearby areas to participate, if their school does not have a program, which we have a few from neighboring towns. There were many parents that were not able to let their student participate in fall due to prior commitments, but we anticipate having well over 60 students for spring. I had 12 volunteer coaches over the fall season who all have various experiences in this sport, and quite a few that are certified range masters.”

For more information on the Wildcat Shooting Club, please contact Micah Drake at Micah@wildcatshootingclub.com.

Louisburg’s Kimmie Powls cheers on the crowd as she stands on the shoulders of Kayleigh Ramsey on Saturday during the Class 4A Game Day Spirit Showcase in Topeka.

TOPEKA — Louisburg cheer has been no stranger to the big stage when it comes to the state competition.

The Wildcats have become a mainstay in the Class 4A Game Day Spirit Showcase in the last several years that has included a state championship and a pair of state runner-up finishes.

Louisburg found itself in position for another state plaque Saturday at the Stormont-Vail Events Center in Topeka. The Wildcats qualified for the finals with an impressive performance, but came up just short of another state plaque as they took fourth overall in Class 4A.

“I am so proud,” Louisburg coach Breanna Kostroske said. “This team had to welcome not one, but two new coaches and has worked so hard since May on their competition material and it truly showed on the floor Saturday. Being a new coach you are automatically stressed that you haven’t given enough to all aspects of a game day routine, but we put our faith in the team and they showed up and truly represented themselves in a huge way.”

It was a tight competition in the finals as the top six teams put together strong scores. Louisburg recorded a score of 90.40, which was a point away from being in second place.

Topeka-Hayden won the state title with a 92.5, while Holton (91.45) and Baldwin (91.35) took second and third, respectively. Paola was fifth at 89.10 and Bishop Miege was sixth at 88.40.

“It was disappointing not leaving with a state plaque, and it hit the team hard,” Kostroske said. “The competition was fierce and every team in the 4A division came back this year better than ever, including Louisburg. Although we didn’t leave with a plaque, we left defeating the two time reigning state champion, Paola, and we jumped from last year’s score of 79.45 to a 90.4. That is only 9.6 points away from perfection, which shows in itself how fierce the competition was this year. We took fourth place with us and will use it as a stepping stone to competing at nationals.”

Louisburg put together a strong performance in the qualifying rounds, which earned them a spot in the finals.

“Our qualifying rounds were electrifying to watch,” Kostroske said. “We have performed this same routine at regionals and multiple showcases and I had never seen them show out as well as they did during qualifiers. When our name was called for finals, it was the best feeling as a coach and being able to look at the team and their reaction of pure excitement made it even better.”

A week prior, the Wildcats competed at the regional competition and earned a spot at nationals — which will be held in Dallas in January. They placed second in the Co-Ed Varsity Division at the regional meet.

“The team had a dream to go to nationals and they turned that dream into reality,” Kostroske said. “This is the first time in LHS history the cheerleading squad had competed at a regional competition to get a bid to nationals and scored a perfection score of 90 percent. This was a huge accomplishment. 

“Now they get to compete at a three day, televised, national event for gameday. It is one of the hardest to compete in as a high school team and Louisburg has only competed at this level once back in 2019, placing 19th. We hope to bring home a higher placing and represent Louisburg with everything we have.”

Members of the Louisburg cheer team are: Elizabeth George, Brooklyn Harmon, Addison Drake, Maddie O’Keefe, Maddy Carpenter-Ross, Caroline Dugger, Anna Brizendine, Reece Jones, Addie Vargo, Laney Stohs, Taryn Osborn, Kayleigh Ramsey, Will Leach, Brooklyn Roney, Harper Boyle, Kimmie Powls, Reece Younggren and Reese Anderson. The Wildcats are coached by Breanna Kostroske and Heather Brummel.

The Louisburg High School 2023 fall homecoming candidates are (from left) Erin Apple, J’Lee Collins, Megan Quinn, Brock Vohs, Bronwynn Williams, Caden Caplinger, Brinley White and Declan Battle.

Homecoming week at Louisburg High School kicked off Monday and events are in full swing. With something going on every day this week, it will be a busy time for students. All of it is, of course, centered around the crowning of the 2023 fall king and queen. Eight students were selected as nominees and here are their names and profiles.

The crowning will take place on Friday before the Wildcats’ home football game with Eudora. Kickoff for that game is set for 7 p.m., with the introduction of the candidates and their parents at 6:30 p.m. Crowning will be at halftime. Good luck to all the participants and make sure to come out on Friday to support the Wildcat football team if you have the opportunity.

Erin Apple

Erin is the daughter and Nathan and Cindy Apple. Erin has participated in cross country, track, Interact Club, FBLA, band and scholar’s bowl for four years. She has been in FFA and select choir for three years, National Honor Society and International Club for two years and student council for one year. After graduation, Erin plans to attend college and major in International Business and International Relations.

J’Lee Collins

J’Lee is the son of Melissa Collins and Justin Collins. J’Lee has participated in track for four years, wrestling for three years and yearbook for two years. Following graduation, J’Lee would like to wrestle in college and major in Psychology.

Megan Quinn

Megan is the daughter of Danny and Mary Quinn. Megan has participated in volleyball, softball, band, student council, FBLA and Interact Club for four years. She has participated in select choir, musical and National Honor Society for two years and concert choir and basketball for one year. She is also a senior advisory member. Following graduation, Megan plans to attend Kansas State University to study biology or pre-dentistry with a minor in business.

Brock Vohs

Brock is the son of Rob and Julie Vohs. Brock has participated in football, basketball and student council for four years and National Honor Society for two years. Following graduation, Brock plans to attend college and pursue a career in the medical field.

Bronwynn Williams

Bronwynn is the daughter of T.J. and Aimee Williams. Bronwynn has participated in student council, FBLA and FFA for four years. She also has participated in volleyball and soccer for three years, along with Interact Club and National Honor Society for two years. She is also a senior advisory member. Following graduation, Bronwynn plans to attend the University of Nebraska and major in Electrical Engineering.

Caden Caplinger

Caden is the son of Lane and Tracie Caplinger. Caden has participated in football and track for four years, along with basketball and National Honor Society for two years. Following graduation, Caden plans to attend college and join a track and field team for pole vault.

Brinley White

Brinley is the daughter of Nick and Melissa White. Brinley has participated in student council for four years, FCCLA and National Honor Society for two years, along with volleyball, soccer, choir and FBLA for one year. She is also a senior advisory member. Following graduation, Brinley plans to attend the University of Kansas and major in nursing.

Declan Battle

Declan is the son of Aaron and Torrie Battle. Declan has participated in football and baseball for four years, along with basketball and National Honor Society for two years. Following graduation, Declan plans to attend college and play football. He is currently undecided.

The Louisburg Trailcats, coached by Elizabeth Ellis (center), is a middle and high school mountain bike team that competes in different races throughout the state.

Riding a bike is something a lot of kids grow up doing, and it is a pretty common site to see around a neighborhood.

What those kids or families may not know, is they have an opportunity to use that bike and compete and against other riders across the state of Kansas.

Two years ago, the Louisburg Trailcats were formed thanks to the efforts of Elizabeth Ellis, and her husband Chris. They started the team in 2022 as they competed in the Kansas chapter of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA).

They wanted to provide a different type of opportunity to the youth of Louisburg and so far it has been a success.

“It has been fantastic,” Elizabeth said. “It is great to see another sport option for kids in our area. To be on a team, but also complete individually is pretty empowering. We have had some pretty fantastic coaches and have provided great support.”

Elizabeth and Chris are two of five coaches on the team that includes Troy Buset, Galen Werth and Chris Zammit, and have worked with the current 9-member team.

The Trailcats is a Miami County based NICA mountain bike team for middle and high school age students. When the Ellis’ heard about the Kansas chapter starting in 2020, they began the training it took to start their own program.

“That first year, we took the training to be coaches and we chickened out starting our own team,” Elizabeth said. “We raced for a team out of Lawrence and we learned the first year.

“At the same time, we wanted to be a part of something that was closer to home and eventually took the leap and started a club here in Louisburg. Needless to say it has been a lot o fun.”

The Kansas Interscholastic Cycling League was founded in 2019 as a non-profit (501(c)3) Emergent League of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA). They facilitate the development of high school and middle school teams/clubs for grades 6-12 and provide the education, training, licensing, and insurance for coaches and volunteers. 

According to their website, they also produce high-quality mountain bike events and races that emphasize the value of participation, camaraderie, positive sporting behavior, and well-being over competition.

Elizabeth and her team has certainly saw a lot of success in 2022 and that continued this past season. This year, the Trailcats recorded five first-place finishes, five second-place honors, two third-place and one fourth and fifth-place finish.

The Trailcats competed in five different meets throughout the season that included Wilson State Park (Russell), Topeka, Lawrence, Fort Scott and Beloit. 

“These courses are all different lengths, with different features,” Elizabeth said. “Courses were anywhere between two and four miles and you are trying to get as many laps as possible in the allotted time.

“We have definitely made a name for ourselves. We have a lot of eighth graders that will move to the freshman slot for next season. We turned a lot of heads I think. All the kids are competitive but having a great time. We have kids that are placing and doing really well and improving. They are also making connections from all over the state.

Getting the program started wasn’t always easy as it takes time to introduce a new sport to an area. However, for the Ellis’ and the rest of the Trailcat coaches, it was time well spent.

“Cycling is a new concept in our area,” Elizabeth said. “Not only are we coaching about the sport, but teaching the families about the culture that they never knew existed. That was the big challenge was just about slowly changing a mindset in the community.”

There are currently 10 teams across the state of Kansas and the sport continues to grow for those middle and high school riders. The season begins in mid February with practices and race weekends are held in April and May.

The team will travel out for pre-rides on Saturdays to get a layout of the course and then will compete Sunday.

The Trailcat team practices twice a week, whether in Louisburg or in surrounding areas. They are currently taking new team members

“Getting into the NICA, all they need is a safe bike to ride that is mechanically sound,” Elizabeth said. “I know not everyone may have a bike or a helmet, but we have had a youth that needed a support, and older cyclists in the community were generous and we have had bikes. If they don’t have a helmet and can’t afford one, we are going to make it happen to where they can compete.”

Ellis is looking forward to promoting the sport of cycling around the area and believes it can be something that is long lasting.

“This is a life-long sport as far as competitiveness goes,” Elizabeth said. “This is just one of those sports, even when your prime is in high school or college, there are competitive cyclists that competed well into their 30s or 40s. I think it is a good message to share, to be able to hop on a bike and exercise. Definitely a life-long sport.”

Members of the 2023 Trailcats are Logan Devenny, Logan Buset, Bryson Leslie, Titus Ellison, Preston Walton, Calvin Stuckey, Gracie Werth, Santiago Medina and Lucas Carlson.

If you have a child that is in grades 6-12 and wants to participate, contact the Trailcats through their Facebook or Instagram page. You can also contact Elizabeth Ellis at 620-224-6336.

Louisburg’s Jolie Hendrickson (middle) signed her letter of intent to cheer at Missouri State University this coming fall. Seated (from left) is her brother Johnny, her father Colby, her mother Elektra and her sister Ariel. Standing (from left) are former Louisburg coaches Angie Barber and Marissa Morrow.

Ever since Jolie Hendrickson picked up her first pair of pompoms, cheerleading was something she knew she wanted to do for a long time.

That included being able to cheer at the college level. Now, she is going to get that chance.

Hendrickson signed with Missouri State University earlier this spring and she is excited to have the opportunity to continue her cheer career.

“It was very fulfilling to be able to sign to cheer at the college level because it meant that I had stuck to my word and fulfilled my goals,” Hendrickson said. “I have always wanted to cheer in college since I was in third grade, but senior year reality hit me and then I started pushing myself to practice for tryouts.”

Trying to find the perfect fit for herself wasn’t always easy, but when she took the visit to Missouri State, she found a home that provided her with the opportunity to cheer at the Division I level.

Hendrickson will be on the sidelines for football, volleyball and basketball games and she is excited for it to get started.

“I could tell Missouri State was the right fit for me because the coaches and girls were very welcoming and supportive,” Hendrickson said. “It is hard to find that in the cheer world. Recently, our program got a new assistant coach. He is conditioning us like crazy to prepare us for the D-1 cheer intensity.”

Hendrickson had a lot of success with Louisburg cheer, including being a part of the state championship team her freshman season. 

“I feel that my time with the Louisburg program helped me get ready for the college level by giving me the ability’s to adjust to work with anyone,” Hendrickson said. “The Louisburg cheer team helped develop my perseverance to attain my cheer goals.”

Even with all the success she experienced at high school, she knows college cheer is at a different level. However, Hendrickson is ready for the challenge.

“They said I am a good fit with my positive attitude and my drive to achieve our team goals,” Hendrickson said of her new team. “My goals once I get on campus is to keep up with the veteran cheerleaders. I am excited to work up to their level.”