The Louisburg High School FFA members who competed at the Kansas CDE state competition are (front row, from left) Mariah Wrigley, Hallie Hutsell, Faith Seuferling, Hattie Harris, Wyatt Reece, Georgia Wilde, Lilly Mick, Kaitlyn Urban; (middle) Alex Dunn, Ellie Katzer, Paige Buffington, Bryn O’Meara, Lexie Reece, Morgan Strumillo, Madelynn Yalowitz; (back) Alex Seuferling, Abby Tucker, Megan Eberhart, Katie Reece and Mason Koechner.

The Louisburg High School FFA chapter is no stranger to winning state championships – in fact – it has become expected.

This year was no different as Louisburg won state championships in three Career Development Events when results were released earlier this month. Louisburg was within just a few points of winning more as 32 points separated the Wildcats from having six state champs.

Louisburg won state titles in Floriculture, Dairy Foods and Poultry, while three more teams earned second place honors. It is the fifth year in a row that Louisburg has had multiple state winners and it has had at least one state champion in 12 of the last 13 years.

The three state championship teams will compete at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis in October.

(From left) Madelynn Yalowitz, Morgan Strumillo and Lexie Reece won the state Floriculture CDE. Pictured with the group is adviser Jim Morgan. Not pictured is Bryn O’Meara.

“This only happens because of the great students enrolling in agriculture education classes and then working hard when the opportunity arises,” Louisburg FFA adviser Jim Morgan said. “I am really proud of how all the teams did. Having three winning and three runners-up speaks to how hard the kids work.”

The Floriculture team of Madelynn Yalowitz, Bryn O’Meara, Morgan Strumillo and Lexie Reece had a strong showing with their first place finish. Yalowitz finished first individually and O’Meara came in fifth.

Georgia Wilde, Justin Sievert, Mason Koechner and Wyatt Reece helped the Dairy Foods team to a state title and got good performances individually from Wilde and Sievert. Wilde took first place individually and Sievert was seventh.

(From left) Justin Sievert, Wyatt Reece and Mason Koechner won the state Dairy Foods CDE. Pictured with the group is adviser Jim Morgan. Not pictured is Georgia Wilde.

Faith Seuferling, Hattie Harris, Hallie Hutsell and Mariah Wrigley won a state championship in the Poultry division and three of them placed individually. Seuferling came in first, Harris was fifth and Hutsell took eighth.

Three more Louisburg teams nearly earned a spot in the national competition, but came up just a few points short.

The Food Science team of Wilde, Lilly Mick, Kaitlyn Urban and Wyatt Reece finished second overall, but Wilde came in first individually. Mick and Urban took ninth and 10^th, respectively.

Paige Buffington, Ellie Katzer, Gracie Key and Liz Hildreth led the Veterinary Science team to a runner-up finish. Buffington (sixth), Katzer (ninth) and Key (10^th) all placed in the top 10.

The Nursery and Landscape team of Abby Tucker, Megan Eberhart, Kaitlyn Gaza and Katzer was also runner-up. Tucker (third), Eberhart (fifth), Gaza (sixth) and Katzer (ninth) placed individually.

(From left) Mariah Wrigley, Hattie Harris and Faith Seuferling won the state Poultry CDE. Also pictured is FFA adviser Jim Morgan. Not pictured is Hallie Hutsell.

“Because they had set their goal on winning state, the teams that placed second were disappointed and sad,” Morgan said. “They sometimes don’t realize that it is a great accomplishment just to make the top five.

“It is tough to reflect that 32 points total separated Louisburg from having six state winners.”

The Ag Mechanics team of Bradley Trageser, Alex Dunn, Alex Seuferling and Cole Harshaw finished seventh in the team competition. The Ag Business Management team of Dunn, Katie Reece, Megan Roy and Tucker came in eighth to round out the Wildcat teams.

Members of the Louisburg High School forensics team pose for a picture with their medals and their sweepstakes trophy following their first place win at Fort Scott last Saturday. 

The Louisburg High School forensics team finished the regular season like the way it started it – with a win.

Actually, two to be exact.

Louisburg split the team again last week and the Wildcats brought home titles from tournaments in Fort Scott and Fredonia.

On Saturday, the Wildcats took a smaller team to the Fort Scott Tournament due to district band and choir competition, but they came out on top with the sweepstakes crown.

Senior Abigail Bergman and junior Carson Tappan stole the show for the Wildcats as both qualified for state competition in three events. Bergman took first in Prose and Duet and second in Poetry.

Tappan earned top honors in Oration and Improptu and also finished third in Informative. Senior Spencer Rogers was also a double champion as he teamed with Bergman to win the Duet competition and also took first in Humorous Solo Acting.

The Wildcats also had nine other medalists on the day.

Zach Waite (second, Extemporaneous; fourth, Poetry; fifth, Oration), Ashley Allen (sixth, Oration; fifth, Impromptu), Jordan Shaner (fifth, Humorous Solo; sixth, Impromptu), Eddie Murphy (second, Duet with Jacinda Collins; fourth, Serious Solo), Beckett Rasmussen (second, Humorous Solo), Anthony Strickling (third, Serious Solo), Sam Traffis (fifth, Poetry) and Alyssa Franco (sixth, Poetry).

Louisburg also participated in a mid-week tournament in Fredonia and sent 13 to the finals to capture the sweepstakes title.

McKenzie Vanmeerhaeghe led the way as she won gold in Serious Solo Acting and later took second in Duet with partner Vonnah LaHue, who came in fifth in poetry. Dalton Knipp won the Poetry competition and was fourth in Serious Solo Acting, while Waite took first in Extemporaneous Speaking.

Lexi Shaner (second, Oration; second, Extemporaneous Speaking), Jonathan Ventre (second, Serious Solo), Stephanie Rose (third, Poetry), Andrea Leach (fourth, Poetry), Camdyn Clark (fifth, Serious Solo) and Kallee Bartlett (fifth, Prose) also medaled for Louisburg.

The Wildcats will spend the next three weeks of the year competing in postseason action. Louisburg will compete at the national qualifier, where students must finish in the top two of their event to represent Kansas this summer in Utah.

The following weekend Louisburg will be at the Forensics Coaches Invitational (FCI), which is an elite tournament of all classifications where students must double-state qualify in order to compete. The end of April concludes the season with the Class 4A state tournament in Topeka.

So far this season, the Wildcats have earned 10 top-3 sweepstakes awards, including six championships. They have had 195 medalists, 38 state qualifiers and 21 FCI qualifiers.

For those who would like to see these students in action, you have the opportunity to watch the year’s top performers from 7 to 9 p.m., on Wednesday at Louisburg High School for their annual showcase.

Wildcats win title at Topeka Seaman

The LHS forensics team won several medals and first place honors at Topeka Seaman on April 2.

LHS forensics ventured to the Topeka Seaman tournament on April 2 in its first action back from a three-week layoff and didn’t show any rust.

The Wildcats faced off with 10 other programs and edged out Washburn Rural to earn the sweepstakes honor. Rio Sierra and Carson Tappan earned individual titles.

Sierra came in first in Prose and was second in Serious Solo Acting, while Tappan was first in Oration and took fifth in Impromptu and Informative Speaking.

Chloe Philgreen (second, Humorous Solo Acting; fourth, Prose; third Duet with Kyle Green), Emily Ventre (third, Prose), Nathaniel Mason (second, Poetry), Kallee Bartlett (fifth, Poetry; sixth, Duet with Lexie Hubbard), Alex Richardson (fourth, Informative), and Zach Waite (sixth, Oration).

Louisburg also traveled to a tournament in Ottawa and came away with a fourth-place finish. Julia Walker finished first in Serious Solo Acting and teammate McKenzie Vanmeerhaeghe came in second.

Riley George had a good day as she was runner-up in Poetry and Vonnah LaHue came in sixth. Bryce Kuhlman came in fourth in Humorous Solo Acting and joined Billie Casebeer to take sixth in Duet Acting.

The Louisburg High School forensics team poses with its runner-up trophy on March 5 from the Olathe Northwest tournament. Senior Emily Ventre won two individual gold medals and junior Carson Tappan also won gold.

The Louisburg High School forensics team divided up on March 5 and came back to Louisburg with plenty of hardware to show for its efforts.

Louisburg competed in two large tournaments as it traveled to Olathe Northwest for a tournament that featured more than 800 entries, while another group ventured to Paola for a 19-school tournament.

At Olathe Northwest, the Wildcats put together a strong effort as 17 entries made their way to the semifinals and nine more made the finals. Those efforts helped Louisburg to a second-place sweepstakes finish of the 22 competing programs.

“At this point in the year I am looking to see how some of my top performers stack up against great competition and are they consistent enough to get through a large tournament,” Louisburg coach Brian Weilert said. “Class 4A state is the biggest of the state tournaments with 500 entries and it is important to see who can stand out in a crowd. I was very proud of our efforts and to finish top-3 at this tournament is quite an accomplishment.”

The Wildcats had a few that stood out, which included Emily Ventre. The Louisburg senior was a double-gold winner as she won both Prose and Program of Interpretation.

Junior Carson Tappan also had a good day as he finished ahead of 54 others to take first in Orations and later took fourth in Impromptu in front of 88 other competitors.

Louisburg had plenty of other medalists as well. Rio Sierra came in fourth in Prose. Skylar Keaton (Informative), Kyle Green (Humorous Interpretation), Abigail Bergman (Poetry) and Stephanie Rose (Poetry) each finished sixth.

At Paola, the Wildcats finished fifth in the team standings and also had five finalists where many of the events ballooned over 40 entries, including 70 in Prose and Poetry.

Dalton Knipp led the way as he double-broke into the finals as he took fourth in Serious Solo Acting and fifth in Poetry.

Beckett Rasmussen came in third in Humorous Solo Acting, while Jonathan Ventre (Serious Solo Acting) and Jordan Shaner (Tabloid Extemp Speaking) each came in fifth.

“The Paola group had a better day than it looked like by finals counts,” Weilert said. “Many of the students had one bad ballot that kept them from the finals. We had a lot of good scores and many of these competitors were young.”

Louisburg High School junior Tommy Dalton (middle) received his Eagle Scout Award during his Eagle Scout Court of Honor on Feb. 20 at First Christian Church. Dalton presented scout master Rodney Kasitz (left) with a mentor pin, while fellow scout master Dave Rogers (right) was the master of ceremonies.

Tommy Dalton has taken his final step in his long journey to becoming an Eagle Scout.

Tommy, a junior at Louisburg High School, received his Eagle Scout Award during the Eagle Scout Court of Honor on Feb. 20 at First Christian Church. Eagle is the highest rank given in the Boy Scouts of America.

“I am pretty proud of it,” he said. “Going through the process, I am almost humbled by it. It teaches you to be a leader and I put in everything I had into it.”

During the court of honor, scout master Dave Rogers was the master of ceremonies and John Cisetti gave Tommy his Eagle Charge. Tommy also presented his Parent Pin to his parents Greg and Shelly Dalton.

Dalton also gave his mentor pin to scout master Rodney Kasitz, who has helped guide him on his journey.

“I remember when I was a lot younger and we went on our first camp out and I wasn’t all that thrilled about camping out,” Dalton said. “I couldn’t sleep and I got up and saw (Kasitz) around the fire so I went and talked to him. He basically just told me to stick with it and he calmed a lot of my fears. He has helped me a lot along the way.”

Another requirement in becoming an Eagle Scout is to perform a service project in the community. The project is designed to have the scout plan, organize, lead and manage the project.

Tommy Dalton built shelves like this one for the Agape Food Pantry as part of his service project to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.

Tommy’s first idea was to construct shelves for the Agape Food Pantry and also hold a food drive. Unfortunately, the food drive was unable to happen, but his idea of shelving was approved by the Paola district.

“I just noticed when I was there that they didn’t have enough shelving to store some of the items, so I thought it would be beneficial for them,” Tommy said.

Tommy, who is member of Troop 101, earned 24 merit badges on his way to receiving his award and 21 is required to receive Eagle rank. There were a few that took several days to accomplish.

He earned a Personal Fitness and Personal Management badge that requires the scout to create a 90-day log for each.

“A lot of Eagle Scouts probably have more than I do because a lot of them go to summer camps to get those badges,” Tommy said. “I haven’t been able to do that because of football and weights, but it does take a lot of time to get those.”

Approximately 54,000 scouts have received the Eagle Scout Award this year, which is the fourth largest Eagle class in history. More than 2 million have become Eagle Scouts since 1912.

The Louisburg High School forensics team won the Osage City tournament Saturday and finished the day with 15 finalists and a pair of gold medal winners. The Wildcats also hosted their home tournament at LHS.

OSAGE CITY – Although it was hosting its own tournament last Saturday, the Louisburg High School forensics team sent a group to Osage City for a tournament of its own and it turned out to be a good day all-around.

At Osage City, the Wildcats took home first place honors and had 15 finalists in the process to go along with a pair of gold medalists.

“I was very proud of this group,” Louisburg coach Brian Weilert said. “Many of our state qualifiers stayed back to help host our tournament so this group was made up of those who have either been close, or looking to breakout. “We had several who became first-time medalists this year and others who double-broke (two events in finals) for the first time as well.”

Ashley Allen brought home gold with a first-place finish in Informative Speaking. Nathaniel Mason won gold for his performance in Poetry and also finished third in Impromptu Speaking.

Chloe Philgreen finished runner-up in Humorous Solo Acting and McKenzie Vanmeerhaeghe also won a silver medal in Serious Solo Acting.

Demi Vanmeerhaege finished third in Informative Speaking and later took fifth in Duet with Sydney Vanmeerhaeghe. Sydney also medaled fifth in Original Oration.

Dalton Knipp also medaled in two events as he took fourth in Serious Solo Acting and fifth in Poetry. Stephanie Rose was fourth in Duet with Eddie Murphy and Rose came in fifth in Serious Solo Acting.

Jordan Shaner was fourth in Impromptu Speaking, while Jacinda Collins and Sam Traffis finished sixth in Prose and Poetry, respectively.

As for the Wildcats’ home tournament, Weilert recruited several volunteers from within the community to help along with several of his state qualifiers.

“I love when our community comes together to aid in hosting a tournament of this size,” Weilert said. “We had 50 people give up their Saturday to come in to judge and help out. Without this type of support we wouldn’t even be able to host. I want to thank everyone who volunteered and to my amazing team that pulled it together to make it all run smooth.”

The Louisburg High School forensics team continues to rack up honors during its early portion of the schedule and it continued Saturday.

The Wildcats traveled to Lyndon for a 19-team tournament, which drew teams from all classifications. Overall, Louisburg finished second in the sweepstakes competition, just a few points behind champion Topeka Seaman and just ahead of third-place finisher Washburn Rural.

Louisburg ended the day with 10 finalists and three champions that contributed to the Wildcats’ runner-up honor.

“Along with those who placed, we had several other students have a good day and just miss out on finals,” Louisburg coach Brian Weilert said. “Although they didn’t earn any individual medals, their performances helped the team to its overall sweepstakes placing.”

Senior Abigail Bergman remained undefeated on the season as she won the Prose competition for the fourth consecutive time. Fellow senior Spencer Rogers took first in Humorous Solo Acting and Bergman and Rogers teamed up to come in second in Duet.

Julia Walker won her first gold of the season as she won the title in Serious Solo Acting and the Wildcats had several other placers as well.

Kyle Green finished just behind Rogers to take second in Humorous Solo Acting, while Rio Sierra and Carson Tappan took third in Prose and Original Oration, respectively.

Anthony Strickling and Jonathan Ventre were fourth and fifth, respectively, in Serious Solo Acting and Riley George was fifth in Informative Speaking.

The Wildcats won’t have to travel far for their next tournament as they host their home competition Saturday at Louisburg High School.

Wildcats compete in two tournaments, take second in Baldwin

The Louisburg forensics team branched off in two directions on Feb. 13 when it competed at tournaments in Baldwin and Lawrence.

The Wildcats found a lot of success in Baldwin as it finished runner-up in the sweepstakes competition thanks to nine finalists.

Rio Sierra had a big day as she won two titles. Sierra was crowned champion in Serious Solo Acting and Prose. Beckett Rasmussen also had a strong performance as he won Humorous Solo Acting.

Zach Waite and Dalton Knipp each took third in Original Oration and Serious Solo Acting, respectively. Alex Richardson earned two medals with a fourth-place finish in Serious Solo Acting and fifth in Informative Speaking.

Maya Hites came in fifth in Serious Solo Acting and Basia Ayers was seventh in Original Oration.

At Lawrence High School, the Wildcats finished fourth out of 17 schools and they also had nine finalists.

Abigail Bergman won the title in Prose, while Carson Tappan won a gold medal for his performance in Original Oration. Spencer Rogers was second in Humorous Solo Acting and teamed with Bergman to take third in Duet.

Ashely Allen came in second in Informative Speaking and Emily Ventre earned two medals as she took third in Prose and fourth in Program of Oral Interpretation. Nathaniel Mason finished fourth in Poetry and Tappan earned his second medal of the day as he took fifth in Impromptu Speaking.

Members of the Louisburg High School cheerleading team that won all-squad honors are (front row, from left) Brooklyn Southard, Maddie Holloway; (middle row) Hanna Becker, Gracie Key, Jacob Jensen, Racheal Bellinger, Claire Houchen, Abby Reedy, Avery Aust, Megan Eberhart, Lauren Becker, Lyndon Smith; (back row) Hallie Hutsell, Shaylor Whitham, Allie Drew, Avery Barber, Billy Casebeer, Payton Shaffer, Leia Shaffer, Ashley Stuteville, Kaitlyn Lewer, Kaitlyn Urban, Addie Katzer and Randa Lewis.

BALDWIN CITY – Weeks were spent making sure they were in the right place, they got every move right and every stunt correct.

It meant for some grueling practices to achieve that perfection. All of the hard work seemed to pay off for both the Louisburg High School cheerleading squad and the Jazzy Cats dance team.

Both teams ventured to the Baldwin Cheer and Dance Festival on Saturday at Baldwin High School and each squad came away with high marks to show for it.

The LHS cheer team received a ‘1’ rating for its all-squad routine in the high school division. The cheerleaders, which competed against 17 other high schools, were also recognized as one of the judges’ top four teams of the competition.

The all-squad team includes Brooklyn Southard, Maddie Holloway, Hallie Hutsell, Shaylor Whitham, Allie Drew, Avery Barber, Billy Casebeer, Payton Shaffer, Leia Shaffer, Ashley Stuteville, Kaitlyn Lewer, Kaitlyn Urban, Addie Katzer, Randa Lewis, Claire Houchen, Hanna Becker, Gracie Key, Jacob Jensen, Racheal Bellinger, Abby Reedy, Avery Aust, Megan Eberhart, Lauren Becker and Lyndon Smith.

They tested out their routine at halftime of the Wildcats’ homecoming game on Feb. 5 and got a rousing ovation from the crowd, which was a big help for the competition.

LHS seniors Brooklyn Southard (left) and Maddie Holloway pose with the team trophy and medals following Saturday’s competition.

“The cheerleaders were not nervous at all about performing,” coach Shannon Aust said. “They actually love it. I think our confidence came from performing the routine at the homecoming pep rally and halftime of the boys basketball game.

“Getting the routine in front of a crowd a couple of times before competition really boosts their confidence. That and their practice schedule makes them know the routine so well they could do it in their sleep.”

Louisburg wasn’t done earning awards from the judges.

The all-squad team also received a specialty award for outstanding stunting, outstanding pyramid, outstanding choreography, outstanding jumps and outstanding cheer technique in the high school division.

Louisburg also had five teams enter the stunt group competition and two groups received a ‘1’ rating.

The team of Southard, Drew, Lewer, Leia Shaffer and Katzer, along with the team of Aust, Urban, Lewis, Hutsell and Lauren Becker each earned top marks.

Holloway, Smith, Houchen, Reedy, along with the team of Key, Eberhard, Jensen, Whitham, Hanna Becker, and another team of Bellinger, Stuteville, Casebeer, Barber and Payton Shaffer each earned a ‘2’ rating.

It has been a long road for the Wildcat cheer group as they have had to deal with adversity, but Saturday’s competition made it all worth it.

“We learned our routine last summer and were unable to compete this fall because of injuries,” Aust said. “LHS practices 10 months out of the year only taking April and July off. Our all-squad routine has been practiced since last June but our individual stunt routines were just made about three weeks ago.”

As for the dance team, it encountered some of the same success their cheer counterparts did.

The Jazzy Cats took two routines, along with several individual and small group events to the competition. They received a ‘1’ rating on their first routine and a ‘3’ on their new routine.

Members of the Jazzy Cats are (front row, from left) Lauren Cain, Melia Rice, Kelsey Traffis, Quincy Rice, Bree Christy; (back row) Teagan Myers, Addison Correll, Katie JoRay, Alicia Leitch and Sami Traffis.

Members of the Jazzy Cats are Teagan Myers, Addison Correll, Katie JoRay, Alicia Leatch, Sami Traffis, Lauren Cain, Melia Rice, Kelsey Traffis, Quincy Rice and Bree Christy.

The Jazzy Cats also earned a dance technique special award at the end of the competition. It was a good ending to what has been a hard-working season for the group.

“The competition last weekend was a great culmination of events for the year,” Jazzy Cats coach Kassy Miller said. “I am so proud of their hard work and the progress that they have made since starting on their routines last April. Many don’t realize that being on the dance team is a year-round activity. They have definitely grown as a group and are so lucky, to not only dance and compete with the band, but on their own as well.

“They had a great experience at their first dance competition in November, and learned a lot from attending the Baldwin competition last weekend. As a dance coach, there is nothing better than watching them perform in a room full of judges and performers.”

The Louisburg High School forensics team won the sweepstakes trophy during the Iola Tournament on Saturday. Overall, the Wildcats won 25 medals over two tournaments and qualified in 11 more events for the state tournament. 

It would have been hard for the Louisburg High School forensics team to top the Wildcats’ opening weekend of 38 medalists and 13 state qualifiers.

They came pretty close.

Saturday marked another strong outing from the Wildcats as they competed in two tournaments to capture 25 medals and qualify for the state tournament in 11 more events. The top two in each competition qualify for the state tournament later in the year.

“Each week I get more excited at what this team can accomplish,” Louisburg coach Brian Weilert said. “If you look at many of the events, we are beating up on ourselves in the finals. We all know we have a long way to go, but I would be hard pressed to remember a better start to a season.”

Several Wildcats made the trip to the Iola tournament, where they competed against 18 other teams. By the end of the day, Louisburg had 15 finalists and captured its second sweepstakes trophy of the season.

The Wildcats also placed eight in the top two, which qualified for the state tournament.

Members of the Louisburg High School forensics team pose with their third-place trophy and medals following Saturday’s Pittsburg tournament.

The team of Kallee Bartlett and Lexie Hubbard finished first in the duet competition and Stephanie Rose won the poetry event. Abigail Bergman took first in prose and was also second in duet with partner Spencer Rogers.

Rogers came in second in informative speaking, while Emily Ventre was runner-up in both serious solo acting and prose.

Rose picked up a medal for taking third in serious solo acting and Andrea Leach medaled fourth in poetry. Zach Waite finished third in original oration.

Ashley Allen came in fourth in extemporaneous speaking and sixth in informative speaking. Skylar Keaton medaled fifth in both extemporaneous and informative speaking.

Louisburg also sent a group to the Pittsburg Tournament where it finished third overall and had three state qualifiers.

Jonathon Ventre took the title in serious solo acting and Chloe Philgreen was runner-up in humorous solo acting. Vonnah LaHue and partner McKenzie Vanmeerhaeghe came in second in duet and qualified for state.

Dalton Knipp and Kyle Green earned medals for Louisburg as they finished third in serious solo acting and humorous solo acting, respectively.

Philgreen medaled fourth in prose and Maya Hites also got a medal for her fourth place finish in serious solo acting. Vanmeerhaeghe took fifth in serious solo acting.

Members of the Louisburg High School forensics team pose with their first place trophy and medals from the Neodesha Tournament on Saturday after the Wildcats won the sweepstakes title. Louisburg competed in three tournaments on the day and came away with several medals.

The Louisburg High School forensics team kicked off its season in grand fashion as the Wildcats made a strong statement.

Louisburg competed in three different tournaments Saturday, and when all was said and done, racked up several honors. The Wildcats earned a sweepstakes title, qualified 13 entries into the state tournament and finished with 38 medalists.

“I am very pleased,” Louisburg coach Brian Weilert said. “We had a lot of newcomers this year to go along with a strong returning core, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Although we have a lot of work ahead of us, this was a great start to the year. Many schools will struggle to fill a full 16-entry state team by the end of the season and to have 13 in the first weekend is a great start.

“This team is really talented, but as a bit of a Gumpism, ‘talented is as talented does.’ In other words, we need to bring the work pail each week and improve.”

The Wildcats shined at the Neodesha Tournament as they won the sweepstakes title and every competitor reached the finals in at least one of their two events. Competitors earn state bids if they finish in the top two of an event.

Emily Ventre had a strong tournament as she was crowned champion in Serious Solo Acting and later finished runner-up in Prose. Ventre qualified for state in both events.

Andrea Leach won the tournament crown in Poetry, and Abigail Bergman won the title in Prose. Jonathon Ventre also earned a state bid as he medaled second in Poetry, just behind Leach.

Louisburg continued its strong performance at the Gardner-Edgerton tournament. The Wildcats added four more champions and seven state qualifiers to go along with a third-place team finish.

Rio Sierra had a big day as she won gold in both Serious Solo Acting and Prose. Kallee Bartlett and Lexie Hubbard teamed up to win the Duet title and Chloe Philgreen won gold in Humorous Solo Acting.

Stephanie Rose also qualified for state as she was runner up in both Serious Solo Acting and Poetry, while Eddie Murphy and Brooke Talmage finished second in the Duet competition.

The Wildcats also competed in a tournament at St. Thomas Aquinas. Kyle Green earned straight 1’s in the finals to win the Humorous Solo Acting title and a spot in the state tournament.

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 and faculty alike. All of it is of course centered around the crowning of the 2016 winter king and queen. Eight students were selected as nominees and here are their names and profiles.

The crowning will take place on Friday inside the LHS gymnasium in between the varsity boys and girls games against Eudora. The boys game is scheduled to tip at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Cale Schneider

Cale is the son of Scott and Danna Schneider. Cale has been involved in soccer for four years, baseball for four years, Leo’s Club for two years, Spanish Club for two years and Math Club for one year. Cale is currently undecided on what college he will be attending, but he will major in civil engineering.

Makenzie Kallevig

Makenzie is the daughter of Eric and Kara Kallevig. Makenzie has been involved in volleyball for four years, track for four years, Letterman’s Club for three years, Leo’s Club for one year and basketball for one year. Makenzie plans to attend the University of Kansas and major in nursing with a minor in psychology.

Mitchell McLellan

Mitchell is the son of Wade and Angi McLellan. Mitchell has been involved in football for four years, basketball for four years and debate for one year. Mitchell plans to attend Hutchinson Community College to play football and then transfer to a four-year school and pursue a degree in law.

Makenzie Richardson

Makenzie is the daughter of Kelly and Mary Margaret Richardson. Makenzie has been involved in Student Council for three years, Letterman’s Club for three years, SADD for three years, National Honor Society for two years, volleyball for two years, cheerleading for one year and FCA for one year. Makenzie plans to attend Kansas State University and pursue a degree in the medical field.

The 2016 Louisburg High School winter homecoming candidates are (front row, from left) Makenzie Kallevig, Makenzie Richardson, Riley George, Megan Roy; (back row) Cale Schneider, Mitchell McLellan, Spencer Rogers and Cole Kramer

Spencer Rogers

Spencer is the son of David and Genni Rogers. Spencer has been involved in band for four years, jazz band for three years, Scholar’s Bowl for three years, Spanish Club for three years, Math Club for two years, Model United Nations for two years, cross country for two years, National Honor Society for two years, track for one year, debate for one year and forensics for one year. Spencer plans to attend the University of Kansas and major in molecular biology and then transfer to Dartmouth to earn a PhD in genetics.

Riley George

Riley is the daughter of Chris George and Denise Ellison. Riley has been a football manager for four years, she has been involved in debate for four years and forensics for four years. Riley plans to attend Kansas State University and pursue a degree in political science.

Cole Kramer

Cole is the son of Rob and Marcy Kramer. Cole has been involved in football for four years, baseball for four years and Letterman’s Club for two years. Cole plans to attend Johnson County Community College for two years and then transfer to Pittsburg State to major in automotive engineering.

Megan Roy

Megan is the daughter of Craig and Laura Roy. Megan has been involved in FFA for four years, Student Council for four years, volleyball for three years, SADD for two years, basketball for two years, FCCLA for one year and cheerleading for one year. Megan plans to attend Johnson County Community College and then transfer to the University of Kansas to pursue a degree in nursing.