Leia Shaffer, a 2019 Louisburg High School graduate, may have left Wildcat cheer behind, but she is ready to take it up a notch as she found out she made the Pittsburg State cheer squad earlier this spring and is excited for what is in store for her.

Cheerleading has always been a big
part of Leia Shaffer’s life.

Shaffer started cheering in the
fourth grade and she has been hooked ever since. However, now that her high
school cheer career is over, she wasn’t ready to give up the sport.

The recent Louisburg High School graduate
decided to try out for the Pittsburg State cheer squad in late March and she
got the news she was hoping for. Shaffer earned a spot on the Gorilla cheerleading
team after some nerve-racking tryouts.

“I was really surprised because I
didn’t think I was going to make it,” Shaffer said. “I had to wait a while to
see if I was going to or not and when I found out I called my mom right away. I
was just so happy, but more so I was pretty surprised.”

It wasn’t the easiest of processes for Shaffer as she had to take part in two days worth of tryouts – some of which as a little unfamiliar to her. Also, it didn’t help that she was one of the last to be called on.

“I was actually the very last person to go,” Shaffer said. “It was a little nerve-racking cause it is not the same as high school, so I wasn’t used to doing some of the things you do in college. It is a little different than high school cause there is less stuff to focus on, but the things you do are a lot harder. All the stunts are co-ed. You get assigned one person to stunt with and you do the best you can with them and then you can pick someone.”

Almost a decade worth of cheer helped prepare Shaffer for this moment. Her first year of competitive cheer was with the Football and Cheerleading Club of Johnson County.

Shaffer would then move on to
teams at Diamond Academy, Kansas City Athletic Cheer and the Cheer Pit along
with four years of cheering for Louisburg High School.

“I have wanted to cheer in college ever since I started cheering in elementary school,” Shaffer said. “I wasn’t really sure where, I just knew I wanted to cheer somewhere in college. I didn’t know how it was going to go, or even if I was going to make it or not, but I just wanted it really bad.”

It was a special moment for the entire Shaffer family as Leia’s mother, Dana, has been the high school cheerleading coach for the last two seasons. As it turned out, mom wasn’t quite as surprised as daughter was.

“She told me that she didn’t think
I needed to be as worried as I was,” Leia said. “She told me she thought I
would be fine and that she was happy for me that I made it.

“It was fun having her as a coach,
but sometimes it is a little stressful because she can’t coach me the same as
everyone else and everyone knows that too. I have had fun with it and I am
happy I was able to share that time with her.”

Shaffer will travel to Pittsburg
at different times during the summer for workouts, before practices really kick
into high gear in August when school begins. Although cheer is going to be a
big focus for her as freshman, she is excited to begin her journey into the
nursing field as well.

“I just really hope that I have fun and learn a lot of new stuff,” Leia said. “I have done this for so long that I have learned a lot along the way, but I know there will be new things for me to learn. I am really excited to get down there, start school and get to work.”

Louisburg senior Brock Bila has racked up a lot of accomplishments in his young fishing career and he is excited to take the next step as he signed his letter of intent to join the bass fishing team at Drury earlier this month.

Fishing has been a big part of
Brock Bila’s life for as long as he could remember.

So when it came down to figuring
out what to do after high school, it only made sense that fishing was involved
somehow. For some, deciding what to do after graduation is one of the most
stressful decisions they will have to make.

For Bila, it was one of the
easiest.

During a signing ceremony in front
of family and friends on April 3, Bila signed his letter of intent to join the
bass fishing team at Drury University in Springfield, Mo. It was a moment that
was a long time coming for the Louisburg High School senior.

“This is a huge step for me,” Bila said. “Figuring out where I was going to college and pursue my fishing dreams is a big deal. I didn’t know the team I was going to go to and how I was going to go about making the decision. It is a relief knowing that I am going to go to college in Springfield, fish on the Drury team and it just makes me really happy.”

Bila, who is a state fishing
champion on the high school and adult level, had several choices to choose
from, but when it came down to it Drury made the most sense as it is located
near the Lake of the Ozarks.

“There were 5-plus schools that I
was considering, but Drury is just the best option for me because of the
presence that team has in the fishing industry, their coach and just being able
to be around all those lakes,” Bila said.

“Drury is currently 21^st
in the nation in bass fishing and they have a great team. K-State was another
option for me, but the reason I didn’t go that route was because Drury has a
selected team and you don’t have to fish any qualifiers to be a part of their
team. At K-State you have to fish the qualifier to get on the team to be able
to fish in the tournament. Drury was just a better fit.”

Bila also hopes fishing in college
will open new doors for him and his future. He will be a part of Drury team
that will travel all over the country competing in tournaments and will allow
him to fish in different climates.

He also has a dream of fishing professionally when he gets out of college, but if that doesn’t work out, Bila plans to major in business and still be involved in the fishing world.

“I am really excited to be able to
travel,” Bila said. “I have traveled to some of the southern states to fish,
but in college we are going east, west, north, south – just everywhere. Being
able to experience those different lakes and that world is just exciting.

“I want to major in business and
marketing. I know if I can’t make it professional, then hopefully I can get in
the fishing industry. I just love everything about it. Drury’s coach is the
marketing director for Bass Pro and that is a big thing because he a lot of
connections with the pros and he has pros come talk to us and teach us about
different things. Everything about Drury was just the best.”

Bila also got a chance to share
his special day with all the people that have helped improve in fishing. Along
with his mother, Rena, he was also joined by his fishing coach and boat
captain, Larry Brumley.

Family friend Bernard Neubauer, who introduced Bila to the sport, was on hand, as was Kansas BASS high school and college director, Richard Heflin. All of those individuals had a big impact on his fishing career.

“Bernard is who got me into fishing and Larry has been like a dad to me on the water and learning how to fish,” Bila said. “Everywhere we go, whether it was in state or out of state, no matter what time he was always ready to go. Whenever I would fish in team tournaments, I would always have Larry as my boat captain and he was a constant when other teams have random boaters and coaches every single time. No matter where I was going to fish, Larry was always ready to go with me and he means a lot to me.

“Richard Heflin is the high school and college director for Kansas BASS. Since I have grown up, he has been there and he has turned that program around and he has seen a 40 to 50 percent growth, which is really big for Kansas.”

Before he goes to college, he will have one more high school adventure left. Bila, along with Louisburg senior Eli Minster, qualified for nationals on April 7 and will fish in the BASS High School National Championship.

It is an exciting time for Bila
and he is ready to take the next step in his fishing journey.

“After I went to Blue Valley
Northwest my freshman and sophomore year, I didn’t really know what I was going
to do,” Bila said. “When I moved here, and I kept on fishing, I realized that
fishing was an actual possibility in college and get a scholarship. That is
when I took it seriously, but I have always loved fishing. I know I just can’t
wait to do it on the college level.”

Broadmoor Elementary School student Kendall Crossley poses with all her medals following her all-around state gymnastics championship last March in Columbia, Mo.

Kendall Crossley was waiting with
bated breath – hoping what happened a year ago wasn’t going to repeat itself.

In March of 2018, Kendall was ahead
in the standings during the Missouri State Gymnastics Championships with only
one competitor remaining. She was forced to wait for the final scores to roll
in.

The wait was hard, but the result
was even more difficult for Kendall as she lost the all-around state
championship by one-tenth of a point. It was a tough setback for Kendall,
despite earning the state championship in the uneven bars and a runner-up
finish in the all-around Level 3 competition.

Kendall, who is a student at
Broadmoor Elementary, got back to work instead of sulking about her close loss.
She used that as motivation.

Not only did Kendall have to get past a difficult loss, she also had to move to a level where she would be competing against older, more experienced competitors. She rose to the challenge and found herself in the exact same spot last month – waiting for the final competitor to finish her routine.

This time, Kendall was all smiles.
On March 22, she became the Missouri Level 4 10D state champion at Columbia
College in Columbia, Mo., with a score of 36.85, which turned out to be her
highest scoring meet of the season as she led from start to finish.

“When I finally realized I had won the state championship,
it made me feel happy and proud of myself,” she said. “I also felt relieved
because I didn’t have to worry about being disappointed. I was very nervous
waiting for the scores because I didn’t want to lose out on first place again
by a tiny amount.”

Kendall performed well in all her events during the state
competition as she was a state champion on vault and floor exercise. She was
also third on uneven bars and fourth on balance beam.

 “I could not be
prouder of her,” her father Shawn said. “It is well-deserved, and saying she
worked for it doesn’t begin to do it justice.”

The journey to a state championship has been a long time
coming for Kendall, who has given up a lot to focus on her gymnastics. She
currently competes at Eagles Gymnastics in Martin City, MO., and has been there
since she was 3-years-old.

“Since June she has spent
11-plus hours every week in the gym,” Shawn said. “Not only does she do Level 4
gymnastics at Eagles, she also takes Elite Ballet and Jazz/Lyrical dance. She
misses out on playing other sports, she misses family outings, she misses
birthday parties, she misses father/daughter dances, she misses being at home.
It’s a life of go, go, go.

“It’s straight to the gym after school
and she isn’t home until after 9 by the time we get food somewhere. She is
dedicated to this sport, and it’s a level that is hard to explain unless you
see it on a daily basis.”

It is a commitment that has always been
there from Kendall, but it was no more tested than last season when she was
forced to make a difficult decision.

Kendall had high hopes for herself in her
second season as a Level 3 gymnast, but her body was fighting back. She was
diagnosed with a pars stress fracture in her back and a spine specialist
recommended she end her season prematurely.

After some discussion, and with the blessing of the doctors, she was allowed to continue her season with limitations in practice. Even with the obstacles, Kendall was atop the leaderboard in the state championships in 2018 at Union Station in Kansas City.

She led from the start, but when the
final scores came in, that one-tenth of point was the difference between a runner-up
and a state championship.

“Last year was very difficult for many reasons,” Kendall
said. “I had to lead my level 3 team with a hurt back. I felt like I needed to
be a good example. I couldn’t do the best that I could do. I had to sit out
some parts of practice. I felt like I was wasting time and wasn’t improving.”

Kendall took some time to recover from her injury after
the season and then got right back to work. Not only did she have to move up a
level, she also had to learn brand new routines for all four of her events.

“A great number of the girls she would
compete against this year would have a leg up because they would have had a
full year of practicing and performing these routines,” Shawn said. “It was
supposed to be a down year for Kendall, one with a bit of a learning curve.
That was the expectation at least. However, Kendall is very self-motivated and
incredibly driven. She set out with the mindset that this would be her year.”

The 11-year-old Louisburg resident got her season off to a good start with a pair of all-around runner-up finishes and then took first in the all-around in three of her next four meets that led up to the Missouri State Championships and her state title.

All the success she achieved also saw a
jump in competition. Kendall will now be competing in Level 6 gymnastics with
the Eagles, which means more of a time commitment for a girl that has school
and after-school activities.

“I am still hungry for more,” Kendall
said. “The more I win, the more other people want to beat me. There may always
be someone working harder than me and I don’t want that.”

Louisburg senior Kiefer Tucker stands atop the podium after winning the Class 4A state powerlifting title at 200 pounds. Tucker also broke a 24-year-old state bench press record.

BASEHOR – Two Louisburg High
School weightlifters made their way to the top of the podium Saturday during
the Class 4A State Powerlifting Meet at Basehor-Linwood High School.

Louisburg senior Kiefer Tucker and
junior Reilly Ratliff-Becher both earned state championships in their
respective weight class. Senior Jonathan DePriest finished third overall and
several other Wildcats also earned individual medals.

Not only did Tucker win a state
title in the 220-pound division, he also broke a 24-year state bench press
record as he recorded a bench of 375 pounds to surpass the old mark of 365. He
also won the squat competition at 505 pounds and had a total of 1,165 pounds to
run away with the crown.

Tucker’s total was the highest
three-lift mark at the entire state meet in all weight classes.

“We had a very successful day,” Louisburg
weightlifting coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “I was proud of how our kids competed
and represented Louisburg. I am excited for Reilly and Kiefer. Nobody
works harder than those two in the weight room. Their consistent effort day in
and day out is why they are state champions. For Kiefer to break a 24-year-old
state record is an amazing feat.”

As happy as he was with the state
title, the state record will stick with Tucker for a long time.

“I had messed around with 375 and
385 before on bench, so I was confident that I could lift it if I had the
chance,” Tucker said. “I was more worried about my first lifts on bench at 345
and 365 because if I messed up on those attempts then I would not have had the
change to even attempt 375. It was definitely a sigh of relief when I finally
locked it out.

“It was a great feeling to beat
the state record. To put Louisburg up on the record chart definitely brought a
smile to my face.”

Ratliff-Becher had a big day in
the women’s division as she won a state crown in the 180-pound weight class.
She finished with a three-lift total of 575 pounds.

The Louisburg junior took first in
bench press with 155 pounds, first in clean at 150 pounds and second in squat
with a 270-pound lift.

“Winning the state title meant a lot to me,” Ratliff-Becher said. “I have put in a lot of time and effort in weights class, so it’s nice to see it has paid off. But, also because I feel as if I put out a message to girls that it’s cool to be strong physically. I know that being sometimes the only girls in a class with a lot of strong guys is intimidating. Weightlifting is all about your own personal growth and seeing how far you can push yourself.

“I was honestly surprised I won
because there are lots of very strong girls there and it’s good competition. It’s
also fun to meet new people that have the same interests and motivation as you.”

DePriest also had a strong day for
the Wildcat lifters as he had a three-lift total of 915 pounds in the 242-pound
weight class to take third. The Louisburg senior was second in clean at 265
pounds and third in bench at 245 pounds.

Three other Wildcats also earned
state medals for their efforts.

In the 148-pound weight class,
Dylan Knipp was first in the bench press with a 235-pound mark on the men’s
side.

In the women’s division, Camdyn
Clark was second in bench in the 132-pound division with a lift of 135 pounds.
In the 140-pound weight class, Melia Rice was third in bench press at 130
pounds.

Louisburg saw a big jump in participants at the state meet this season. The Wildcats took 28 athletes this year compared to just nine last year and Pfannenstiel is excited to see interest in weightlifting grow.

“Last year was our first year of
powerlifting so it’s still pretty new to Louisburg,” he said. “We took a van
and nine athletes last year. This year we took a bus with 28 athletes. It’s
exciting to see how it’s grown in popularity in just one year. Next year we
hope to take even more kids. 

“Our kids at Louisburg work hard in the
weight room. I’m glad there is a sport like powerlifting that allows them to
compete and show off their hard work. I was proud of every one of them.”

Ratliff-Becher, like many of the
other competitors, is appreciative of what Pfannenstiel has done to help create
a powerlifting culture in Louisburg.

“I’m very thankful to have a
weights coach like Mr. Pfannenstiel,” she said. “I feel like he doesn’t get enough
credit sometimes, but he is a big part of why we did so well at the meet. He
spends a lot of time giving us workouts every day to become stronger. He always
knows what to say to get me believing in myself.”

As for the meet itself, it was a great experience for the Wildcat lifters to participate in and is different than most state competitions. It is also a good way to help prepare athletes for different athletic avenues.

“The whole meet was a great
experience overall,” Tucker said. “Just to be able to see and go up against
other great lifters was a fun time. Everyone there had a great attitude and
wanted to see you succeed even if it meant beating them. To be able to win my
weight class and lift the highest total out of any weight class was a great
feeling.

“It wouldn’t be right for me not
to give credit where credit is due, so I owe all of this to the football team.
The program, the coaches, and my teammates taught me how to not only be
physically strong, but more importantly how to be mentally tough. I owe it all
to them and I’m just glad I was able to represent this town in a good manner.”

The gauntlet has been thrown down on the hardwoods of Louisburg.

The LHS Selects, a team that represents the LHS Select Choir, will face off in a basketball game for the ages against Louisburg’s own Granny Basketball team, The Tonics.

The showdown is set for 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24 at the Louisburg High School gym. The free-will admission charity fund-raiser will help the Select Choir raise the last bit of money it needs to travel to New York in April to perform at the Lincoln Center, the prestigious performing arts center in Manhattan.

The basketball game will feature members of the Tonics going up against the Selects playing by the Granny Basketball League rules.

Granny Basketball is similar to the 1920s style of play where the court is divided in three sections and there is no running, no jumping and only two dribbles per possession. Two guards or defenders are in one section, two centers or passers are in the middle section and the two forward or offensive players are in the third section of the court. Granny basketball players wear uniforms from that period.

 “I hope that the Louisburg community knows how
much our choir has appreciated their support. We are so proud to have the
opportunity to represent our town,” Alison Moore, choir director, said.

“The Tonics are really excited for the opportunity to help out the Select
Choir. One of the foundations of the Granny Basketball League is to assist with
charity opportunities and we are excited to get on the court and show the
Selects how to play basketball,” Jean Carder, captain of the Tonics, said.
“Oh, and for those players that are males or younger than 50, there will
be a surprise handicap but my lips are sealed until game time. We hope the
community comes out for a fun and novel event that supports the Select
Choir.” 

Local celebrities, school staff and students will make up the Selects team with
choir members and current LHS basketball players Brayden Gage, Maddon
Rutherford, Dylan Deshazer, Andy Hupp, Carson Buffington and Alyse Moore serving
as Selects captains. Team members include Moore, Dr. Damon Dennis; Robert
Ebenstein, LHS head football coach; Drew Harding; LHS football and basketball
coach; and students Austin Moore, Blue Caplinger, Kody Lowry, Lauren Vincent
and others.

The Tonics include Carder, Janet York, Ellen Morland, Diana Moore, Becky Berg,
LaVonne Mize, Ruth Fladung, Helen McClain, Jayne Schommer, Cathy Hadley,
Kathleen Caverty all from Louisburg; Wanda Harlow, Bucyrus; Susan McKeever,
Drexel; Julie McKinley, Linn Valley; Jan Berg, Edgerton; Lisa Berg, Olathe; and
Tonics coach Kate Berg Camp, Gardner.

The 2019 LHS Winter Homecoming candidates are (front row, from left) Leia Shaffer, Camdyn Clark, Riley Vohs, Bailey Kern; (back row) Jakob Krause, Kiefer Tucker, Beckett Rasmussen and James Foote.

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 2019 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 Ottawa. 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

Leia Shaffer

Leia is the daughter of Ryan
and Dana Shaffer. Leia has participated in cheerleading and girls soccer for
four years, debate for one year and Spanish Club. Following graduation, Leia
plans to attend Pittsburg State University and get a degree in nursing.

Jakob Krause

Jakob is the son of Kraig and Trisha Krause. Jakob has participated in baseball for four years, basketball, football, FCA, Choir and National Honor Society for two years. Following graduation, Jakob plans to attend the University of Nebraska and study civil engineering.

Camdyn Clark

Camdyn is the daughter of
Kelly and Jennifer Clark. Camdyn has participated in band, girls soccer and the
musical for four years, select choir, debate and boys soccer manager for two
years and mixed choir and forensics for one year. Following graduation, Camdyn
plans to attend Johnson County Community College and then transfer to a
university to major in physical therapy.

Kiefer Tucker

Kiefer is the son of David Tucker and Debbie Hardy. Kiefer has participated in football and track and field for four years, Model UN for three years, National Honor Society for two years and wrestling, musical and boys basketball manager for one year. Following graduation, Kiefer plans to play football in college and is undecided on his destination.

Riley Vohs

Riley is the daughter of
Jason and Shava Vohs. Riley has participated in FFA for four years, volleyball
for three years and softball for two years. Following graduation, Riley plans
to attend Missouri State University to major in nursing.

Beckett Rasmussen

Beckett is the son of Mike
and Mercedes Rasmussen. Beckett has participated in baseball, football, student
council, musical, choir and forensics for four years, National Honor Society
and broadcasting club for two years and debate for one year. Following
graduation, Beckett plans to attend Rockhurst University to play baseball and
major in communications.

Bailey Kern

Bailey is the daughter of
Matthew and Veronica Kern. Bailey has participated in softball for four years,
volleyball manager and choir for three years, basketball and FFA for two years
and National Honor Society for one year. Bailey is currently undecided on her
post-graduation plans.

James Foote

James in the son of Jim and Dana Foote. James has participate in football and FFA for four years, basketball for one year and choir for one year. Following graduation, James plans to attend Kansas State University to major in agribusiness and minor in finance.

The Louisburg High School cheer team gets ready to take the floor during the Heartland Cheer Showcase on Nov. 3, that was hosted by LHS. The Wildcat cheerleaders used that competition to get ready for the state event this Saturday in Topeka.

With one of the biggest competitions of the season just a few days away, the Louisburg High School cheer squad got a little practice in at its home gym.

The Wildcat cheerleaders were joined by about 13 other teams in an effort to tune up their routine before the Spirit Game Day showcase this Saturday in Topeka.

Louisburg hosted the Heartland Cheer Showcase on Nov. 3 at Louisburg High School and it is the first ever cheer competition hosted by the Wildcats. It was an effort that was nearly a year in the making as parents, along with the cheerleaders themselves, banded together to put on the event.

“The competition is a huge honor and time commitment,” Louisburg coach Dana Shaffer said. “We had several parents behind the scenes that worked over the last year to get this up and going. We had to have KSHSAA approval and then administration approval. Of course there are some kinks to work out, but that was to be expected.

“We hosted 13 teams and a total of 350 girls. This event could not have taken place without the help of the Cheer Cat Backers. It was a great experience for the girls to see what time and effort that goes into a big competition. It was also nice to have them see how other cheer squads prepare for competition.”

The LHS cheer team opened the competition with an exhibition performance in front of its home fans, before turning it over to the other squads.

Shawnee Mission East earned a Superior rating during the Louisburg showcase in the Gameday Routine, while Shawnee Mission North, Blue Valley West, Basehor-Linwood, Shawnee Mission East and Blue Valley Northwest had outstanding ratings in the cheer and dance competition.

Louisburg senior Shaylor Whitham (front) and junior Gabby Tappan perform during the Wildcats’ exhibition routine on Nov. 3 when the Wildcats hosted the Heartland Cheer Showcase.

Blue Valley Northwest won the choreography award, Blue Valley West won stunt sequence, Shawnee Mission East won the top tumbling honor and Basehor-Linwood was tops in jumps. Baldwin High School won the Purple Heart Award.

Since Louisburg was busy hosting the event, they couldn’t compete for awards themselves, but the Wildcats found a lot of positives from it.

One of those is the fact they get to tune up their routine prior to this weekend’s Spirit Game Day competition, which is put on by the Kansas State High School Activities Association. It gives Louisburg, and other schools around the state, a chance to earn a state championship.

Fellow Miami County school, Osawatomie, won the Class 4A title in the event’s first year.

“Having the Heartland Showcase the beginning of November gets squads ready for state,” Shaffer said. “You can get judges feedback and work out any problems before state in Topeka. Even though we didn’t compete, we showed off our skills to the judges just to get feedback. The whole team was involved along with many family members and staff.”

Now Louisburg will prepare for the state event that will be held Saturday at the Topeka Expocentre. It is that competition that the Wildcats hope to make their mark after falling short of their goal last season.

Cecilia Bindi rises up in the air with the help of teammates Addie Katzer, Lauren Vincent and Kaitlyn Lewer.

“State is just a huge honor to be able to attend,” Shaffer said. “We will compete against other 4A Kansas schools to take home the state title. Last year, the team didn’t get the result we were hoping for so we have something to prove this year. We will perform three separate times throughout the day then around 1 we find out if we are one of the top 10 teams that get to advance to the finals. If we do then we will perform one 3-minute routine.”

The Wildcats will perform a band chant at 9:32 a.m., followed by the school fight song at 11:12 and a crowd leading performance at 12:54 p.m.

Tickets to the event are $15 and parking is $5.

Members of the Wildcat team that competed are Leia Shaffer, Shaylor Whitham, Addie Katzer, Billie Casebeer, Kaitlyn Lewer, Hallie Hutsell, Lexi Pena, Brooklyn Mitchell, Lauren Vincent, Gabby Tappan, Ashlyn McManigal, Cecilia Bindi, Sammy McDaniel, Anna Morrison, Jadyn Amren, Lacie Kallevig, Andrea Gaza, Brielle White, Jayden Trester and Eleanor Willming.

The 2018 Louisburg High School fall homecoming candidates are (front row, from left) Anna Dixon, Billie Casebeer, Carson Buffington, Shaylor Whitham; (back row) Noah Hill, Blue Caplinger, Brayden Gage and Austin Moore.

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 2018 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 Atchison. Kickoff for that game is set for 7 p.m., with the crowning to take place at 6:30. Good luck to all the participants and make sure to come out on Friday to support the Wildcat football team.

Anna Dixon and Noah Hill

Anna Dixon

Anna is the daughter of Beth and Jerry Dixon. Anna has participated in volleyball for four year and FFA for three years. She plans to graduate in December and will attend Kansas State University to play volleyball and major in Kinesiology and Nutrition.

Noah Hill

Noah is the son of Megan and Andy Hill. Noah has been involved in student council for four years, basketball for three years, football and golf for two years and Leo’s, Debate and Choir for one year. Noah plans to attend Kansas State University and dual major in Marketing and Management.

Billie Casebeer and Blue Caplinger

Billie Casebeer

Billie is the daughter of Chris Casebeer and Linda Shipp. Billie has been involved with debate, cheerleading and band for for years. She has also participated in forensics, FCCLA, Model United Nations and Leos Club for two years and Spanish CLub, TedX and Scholars Bowl for one.

Billie is undecided on what college to attend, but would like to major in political science with an emphasis on international affairs, a minor in Spanish and then would like to further her education by completing law school.

Blue Caplinger

Blue is the son of Sirena and Wade Caplinger. Blue has participated in football, wrestling and track and field for four years and is currently undecided on plans for after high school.

Austin Moore and Shaylor Whitham

Shaylor Whitham

Shaylor is the daughter of Karen and Rusty Whitham. Shaylor has participated in cheerleading, band, FFA and track and field for four years, and has also participated in cross country and musicals for three years. She plans to attend Pittsburg State University and major in nursing.

Austin Moore

Austin is the son of Alison and Tom Moore. Austin has participated in football for four years, wrestling, track and field and choir for three years and student council and National Honors Society for two years. Austin would like to play football after high school, but is unsure of his destination.

Brayden Gage and Carson Buffington

Carson Buffington

Carson is the daughter of Amy and Dave Buffington. Carson has participated in choir, basketball and volleyball for four years, and soccer and musical for three years. She has also participated in FFA for two years. Carson plans to attend the University of Kansas to major in behavioral science.

Brayden Gage

Brayden is the son of Melissa and Jason Gage. Brayden has participated in football, basketball, choir and Spanish Club for four years and baseball and National Honors Society for two years. Brayden plans to attend college after high school, but is undecided on his destination and major.

The Kansas High School Activities Association released the classifications for the 2018-19 season Wednesday for all activities other than football, and there were some major changes that involved Frontier League programs.

Both Spring Hill and Bonner Springs made the jump from Class 4A to 5A in the latest numbers as Spring Hill featured an enrollment of 779 and Bonner Springs is the second smallest school in 5A with an enrollment of 750.

The rest of the Frontier League schools, including Louisburg, will all remain in Class 4A. Louisburg recorded an enrollment number of 530, which put them close to the middle.

Frontier League school Ottawa and Bishop Miege are both the largest 4A schools with an enrollment of 679. The lowest 5A school is Andover Central at 748.

KSHSAA voted to make changes to the classification system last year.

For football, the two 4A divisions and Class 2-1A have been eliminated. They have been replaced with 32 team classifications in 4A, 5A and 6A, while 3A and 2A will have 48-team classifications. The remaining schools will play in 1A.

The second proposal was for all other sports. Other than football, classes 4A, 5A and 6A will have 36 teams in each division. Classes 3A and 2A will have 64 schools each, while the remaining schools will be in 1A.

The football proposal passed with a vote of 215-73 and the all-sports proposal passed with a 207-145 majority. All of the classes, except 6A and 1A, were in favor.

With those new proposals comes a different playoff system for many of the sports.

Postseasons for wrestling, track, soccer, cross country and golf will remain the same. However, the classifications will not be the same for wrestling. There will be 36 teams in Class 6 and 5A and then 40 percent of the next biggest programs will be classified in Class 4A, which is approximately 60 schools.

Louisburg will see postseason changes in five sports programs – football, basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball.

In football, Louisburg will no longer have district play as the playoffs will begin in week nine. Class 4A will play an eight-game regular season and then each side of the state will be seeded in a bracket from 1 through 16, based on their record.

Given the fact the Frontier League currently has nine teams after recently adding three schools in Tonganoxie, Bonner Springs and Piper, the Wildcats will no longer have to play a non-league opponent. De Soto recently chose to leave the Frontier League following the 2017-18 season to join a new league made up of 5A schools.

Another change will be in basketball. For the postseason, there will no longer be substates, instead the 18 teams on each side of the state will be bracketed out by record beginning with two play-in games.

From there, the bracket will be sized down to four-team pods, with the higher seed hosting the game. Teams will have to win two games to reach the state tournaments. Pods will be 1-16-8-9 seeds, 4-13-5-12, 2-15-7-10 and 3-14-6-11. The eight pod winners will advance to the state tournament.

Baseball and softball will be similar as there will no longer be regionals. Like basketball, there will be two play-in games with the same pod structure. The top four overall seeds will each host all games in their pod on the same day.

In volleyball, there will be four substates across the state, broken into eight brackets. There will also be nine teams in each substate, which will require a play-in game. Teams will need to win two games to qualify for state.

For the 21st consecutive year, Louisburg High School faculty, students, their families and community members invaded the LHS gymnasium in order to get the school year started off on the right foot.

Sponsored by First National Bank, the annual fall sports pep rally brought everyone together as LHS organizations and sports teams were introduced to a crowd of on-lookers after being fed hamburgers and hot dogs thanks to Chris Cakes.

The Wildcat sports programs will kick things off next week as the LHS boys soccer team opens their season Tuesday when they travel to Fort Scott. The Louisburg volleyball team, fresh off a runner-up finish at state last season, will begin their year at home Tuesday against Paola.

Louisburg cross country opens its season Thursday in Garnett, while the Wildcat football hosts Spring Hill in their opener on August 31.

Three of the teams will have scrimmages or open practices Friday. The volleyball team will hold a scrimmage at 4 p.m. and soccer is at 5. Football was scheduled to have a scrimmage at 6 p.m., but that has been cancelled due to wet weather. The Wildcats will hold an open practice at the same time at the practice field.

Here are some photos from tonight’s festivities. Best of luck to all the Wildcat programs this season.