For the past five years, Louisburg Sports Zone has given out Athlete of the Week awards during each of the three sports seasons. I do it to recognize special athletic achievements and to highlight the athletes.

For the fourth straight year, Louisburg Sports Zone will be handing out an Athlete of the Year honor to a male and female athlete at Louisburg High School. I wanted the opportunity to recognize those who exemplify what it means to be an “athlete.”

Although I am giving out the award, I wanted the process to be subjective, so I asked the head coaches at LHS to help me out. I asked each coach to send me nominations of who they thought exemplified the Athlete of the Year honor. They will then vote for their top 3 male and female athletes and then I will tabulate the results and determine the winner. The winner will be announced later this month.

Below are the nominees for this year’s award in alphabetical order by last name. Congrats to all those who were nominated and best of luck!

ATHLETES OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

FEMALE

Reese Johnson – Junior – Cross Country, Soccer

Junior Reese Johnson made history in a couple different sports for Louisburg this past season.

In the fall, Johnson played a big role on the girls cross country team. The Lady Cats finished third in Class 4A, as that was the first time a team had placed at state in girls cross country. Johnson also medaled 15th individually and was one of three Lady Cats to earn state medals that day.

In the spring, Johnson was one of the leaders on the girls soccer team that advanced to the Class 4-1A state final four this past season. Johnson earned second team All-Frontier League honors after she finished the season with seven goals and nine assists as the Wildcats finished fourth at state.

Alyse Moore – Senior – Volleyball, Basketball, Track

Alyse Moore ended her senior season as one of the most accomplished athletes in Louisburg High School history. Moore is the first female athlete in school history to compete at the state level in four different sports, including both softball and track in the same season in 2019.

In the spring, Moore earned her second straight track state medal in the javelin as she finished fourth in the Class 4A meet. Earlier in the year, Moore broke a 20-year-old school record with a throw of 149 feet.

Moore was also a starter on the girls basketball team and helped the Lady Cats to their best finish in school history. Moore and the Lady Cats advanced to state for the first time in 47 years and took third overall. Individually, Moore eclipsed the 500-career rebound mark and was an honorable mention all-league player. She led the team in rebounds with 8.6 boards a game and also averaged 7.3 points and 1.7 steals.

On the volleyball court, Moore started as an outside hitter for the Lady Cats and was second on the team with 174 kills and 195 digs.

Delaney Wright – Junior – Basketball, Track

Delaney Wright ended the 2020-21 school year with a bang as she became the school’s first athlete to win three state championships in track in one season. 

At the Class 4A state meet in Wichita last month, Wright won state titles in the long jump, 400-meter dash and 200-meter dash. She broke her own 200 and 400 school records to reach those accomplishments. On the season, Wright set new school records in each of those events.

Wright was also a key player on the girls basketball team and helped the Lady Cats to their best finish in school history. Wright and the Lady Cats advanced to state for the first time in 47 years and took third overall at the Class 4A state tournament. Wright was one of the team’ best defensive players as she averaged two deflections and a steal per game. She was also assigned to the team’s best player.

MALE

Weston Guetterman – Senior – Football, Basketball

Weston Guetterman played big roles for both the Wildcat football and basketball teams this past season.

On the gridiron, Guetterman was the starting quarterback for Louisburg, which finished 4-3 and tied for third in the Frontier League standings. Guetterman earned honorable mention All-League honors on defense for his play in the secondary. He finished the year with 32 tackles, two interceptions, three tackles for a loss and seven batted balls. He also finished with 548 yards rushing and six touchdowns.

Guetterman was one of the team leaders on the boys basketball team that advanced to its first state championship in school history and took second at the Class 4A state tournament. He was a second-team All-Frontier League selection from the point guard spot and averaged 12.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals a game. He was also an all-state selection by the Topeka Capital-Journal, Wichita Eagle and Sports in Kansas.

Cade Holtzen – Senior – Cross Country, Wrestling, Track

Cade Holtzen was a three-sport athlete this past season for Louisburg and became the first male athlete (that is known) to participate in state competitions in all three sports, in the same season.

Holtzen helped the Wildcat cross country team to qualify for state for the first time in school history as they finished third at regionals. At state, Holtzen took 56th overall in 18 minutes and 46 seconds.

On the wrestling mat, Holtzen had a year to remember as he finished his career with a 155-19 record and a third-place state finish at 132 pounds. He was a four-time state qualifier for the Wildcats and a three-time state placer. Holtzen served as the team captain this past season and currently holds eight program records, including most season victories and most career wins. He was also chosen to participate in the 2021 Metro Classic.

In the spring, Holtzen earned his second state medal of the year as he helped the 4×800-meter relay team to a third place finish. He also helped the Wildcats to their second team Class 4A state track championship in school history.

Kolby Kattau – Junior – Football, Baseball

Kolby Kattau was a two-sport athlete this past season and had a good year for both the football and baseball program.

In the spring, Kattau helped the Wildcats to their first regional championship game since 2009 as he played both first base and pitcher. Kattau finished the year with a .444 average and racked up 32 hits for the Wildcats to go along with a .560 on-base percentage. He finished with five doubles, two triples, 16 RBIs, scored 26 runs and stole nine bases. He was a first team All-Frontier League selection and was an honorable mention all-state selection by the KBCA.

On the football field, Kattau played on both sides of the ball for a team that finished with a 4-3 record and tied for third in the Frontier League. He finished with two touchdowns from the running back spot and had 41 tackles at linebacker.

Alec Younggren – Senior – Football, Wrestling

Alec Younggren was a two-sport athlete for Louisburg as he shined on the football field and on the wrestling mat.

Younggren, who missed part of the football season with an injury, still played well-enough on the offensive and defensive lines to earn All-Frontier League honors on both sides of the ball. Younggren was named as a first-team offensive lineman and an honorable mention lineman on defense.

He was a key fixture on the Wildcat offensive line that amassed more than 2,400 yards of total offense and 20 touchdowns. He also had 23 tackles on defense. Younggren was also an all-state honorable mention selection.

The Louisburg senior had an historic season in wrestling as he advanced to the 220-pound Class 4A championship match, where he finished runner-up. He finished the year with a 37-1 record and had Louisburg’s highest state finish since 2012.

Braden Yows – Junior – Soccer

Louisburg junior Braden Yows was vital part of the Wildcats’ best finish in school history this past season. Yows helped the Wildcats to a third place finish in the Class 4-1A state tournament.

Yows was a first-team All-Frontier League and all-state selection from his midfield spot. He broke a program record with 21 assists and also finished with seven goals on the year.

Coming off its first state championship appearance in school history, and recording its best finish in the program’s long tenure, the Louisburg boys basketball team knew those postseason honors would come its way.

They certainly did — athletes and coaches alike.

The Wildcats earned three All-Frontier League selections, were named to all-state teams and even had their head coach recognized.

Louisburg head coach Ty Pfannenstiel was named the Class 4A Coach of the Year by Sports in Kansas and Wichita Eagle as he guided the Wildcats to an 18-7 record and a spot in the Class 4A state championship, where they finished runner-up.

“I’m honored to win the award,” Pfannenstiel said. “I’m really just happy for our boys and the success they had this season. Coach of the Year is really a team award. It takes everyone working together as a group to accomplish what we did this season, and I just did my best to get the boys prepared for each contest. I can’t thank my assistant coaches (Drew Harding and Pete Skakal) and players enough for everything they have contributed to this program. It truly is a team effort.”

A few of the Wildcat players were also recognized on different levels.

Junior Julian Margrave was selected to the All-Frontier League first team and was the league’s top vote getter. Margrave averaged 17.7 points a game to go along with 8.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a contest.

Margrave was a Class 4A all-state first team selection by the Topeka Capital-Journal and was also named to their all-class third team. He was also a 4A first team selection by the Wichita Eagle.

He was named a first-team Class 4A all-state player by Sports in Kansas and third team in all classes.

“Julian had another big year for us,” Pfannenstiel said. “He was a unanimous first team selection for the second year in a row. He led our team in scoring, rebounds and blocked shots. Most teams focused so much attention on stopping Julian, that things really opened up for other guys. Even when Julian would have an off night offensively, he would still end up with double figures in scoring. 

“There’s a reason Julian is as good as he is, because he works really hard at it. He’s always the last one to leave the gym each night. I think he would stay there all night if I didn’t have to kick him out so I could go home and see my family. He is the definition of “gym rat.” He’s had two really good varsity years, each year better than the year before. I’m looking forward to him making another jump again next year.”

Senior point guard Weston Guetterman also received a lot of accolades as he was a second team All-Frontier League selection. Guetterman averaged 12.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals a game.

Guetterman was also named to the Sports in Kansas all-state second team and was an honorable mention all-state selection by the Capital-Journal. He was selected third team all-state by the Eagle.

“Weston was really good for us this year,” Pfannenstiel said. “In my opinion, he was the best all-around point guard in our league. He had some big offensive nights for us, and does such a good job of initiating our offense. His performance in the state semifinals against Augusta was incredible. He was our third leading rebounder trailing Ben by just 2 rebounds, which is astounding because he’s our point guard. He also led our team in steals and assists. 

“Weston was an honorable mention as a junior, so I was glad to see our coaches put him on the second team, even though he probably deserved first team honors. It’s been a lot of fun coaching Weston during his four years and seeing him grow as a player. Weston is a great player and even a better kid.”

Senior guard Ben Guetterman was also recognized by the league coaches as he was named as an honorable mention for the second straight season.

Guetterman averaged 10.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals a game for the Wildcats. He was also named as a Class 4A honorable mention by Sports in Kansas.

“Ben had a nice senior year,” Pfannenstiel said. “He averaged double figures in scoring for the past two seasons and was our second leading rebounder this year. Ben has had a great career. He’s a two-time honorable mention all league, which is quite an accomplishment. 

“Ben had some big nights for us this season. When he was clicking offensively, we were pretty tough to beat. The second Spring Hill game comes to mind, when it was the Guetterman show there in the first half. Ben is a hard working kid. He doesn’t say a whole lot, but he was just a great leader by example. I enjoyed my four years with him.”

ALL-FRONTIER LEAGUE BOYS BASKETBALL

First Team

Julian Margrave, Louisburg, junior

Trey Moala, Paola, junior

Jaron Briggs, Piper, junior

Cooper Jones, Spring Hill, senior

Rylee Beach, Tonganoxie, senior

Second Team

Trent Stimac, Bonner Springs, junior

Jaden Hamm, Eudora, sophomore

Weston Guetterman, Louisburg, senior

Noah McCullough, Ottawa, junior

Heston Robbins, Tonganoxie, senior

Honorable Mention

Colby Zimmerman, Baldwin, senior

Jayce Smith, Bonner Springs, junior

Justin Fawcett, Eudora, senior

Ty Abts, Eudora, senior

Ben Guetterman, Louisburg, senior

Jake Titus, Ottawa, sophomore

Bo Robison, Paola, senior

Dilyn Taylor-Cantu, Piper, senior

Jamie Tyson, Piper, senior

Ryan Weber, Spring Hill, senior

Blake Poje, Tonganoxie, senior

Dallas Bond, Tonganoxie, senior

Andrew Wilson, Tonganoxie, junior

The Louisburg boys basketball team raises the Class 4A state runner-up trophy Saturday following it loss to Bishop Miege at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina.

SALINA — The result of the state championship game is not what the Louisburg boys basketball team will focus on several years from now.

The fact that the 2020-21 Wildcats recorded the best finish in school history, will be more than enough for them to fondly reminisce about.

Louisburg, which played in its first-ever state championship game Saturday in Salina, fell to state power Bishop Miege, 94-40. As disappointing as the result was, many of the Wildcats were looking bigger picture.

“We will forever live in history with this senior class and with this team,” Senior Weston Guetterman said. “Until someone wins it at least, we are going to be the bar that everyone looks to. It is a proud moment for all of us.”

Bishop Miege, which won its sixth state title, was the heavily favored team coming in. The Stags lost just one game all year – to Blue Valley Northwest — and defeated Class 6A state champion Blue Valley North earlier in the season.

The Stags featured a roster of college bound players and brought a 7-footer off the bench.

“It means a lot that we made history,” junior Julian Margrave said. “Even though we wanted the championship, and I wouldn’t say that we were satisfied with second, but we are pretty happy with what we got. We have all put in a lot of hard work, but we just ran up against a tough team.

“It was exciting and I think we were ready to going into the game against Miege. We know who they are, but we felt good about ourselves. We were ready for a dogfight.”

Louisburg, which faced off with 6A teams in Shawnee Mission East and Shawnee Mission South earlier in the year, had yet to see a team with the talent that Bishop Miege sported.

“It was nice that we were able to schedule Shawnee Mission East and Shawnee Mission South, and that was huge for us and see the speed of the game,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “That kind of competition was good for us, but Miege is on a whole other level. They have big guys and bring a 7-footer off the bench. They are quick and have guards that can shoot. We needed them to have an off night and they were just playing really well.

“I don’t think I’ve coached against a team that has had a 7-footer, much less brought one off the bench. He seemed taller than that too. They have quite the collection of talent there at Miege.”

Bishop Miege came out of the gates strong as the Stags outscored the Wildcats 27-13 in the first quarter and took a 48-23 halftime advantage.

The Wildcats, which struggled against Miege’s length, recorded six points in the third quarter.

The Stags’ 94 total points was the most points scored by a team in the state championship game, in any class, in the history of the state tournament.

Miege topped the previous best of 92 points by Blue Valley North in the 1997 Class 5A title game.

“We played a couple 6A teams, but this was nothing like that,” Guetterman said. “They have kids who are ranked among the best in the country, and we knew it would be a tall task, but we left it all out there. It just didn’t turn out how we wanted it to.”

Margrave led Louisburg in scoring with 15 points and six rebounds and Guetterman also scored in double figures with 10 points.

As tough as the loss was to take, the Wildcats still had plenty to celebrate.

“I feel so good for these kids,” Pfannenstiel said. “They have earned it and have earned every accolade that they have now. Through all their work in the offseason and during the season, it was just a lot of fun. I don’t think I have ever had this much fun coaching. It is not just because of the run that we’ve had, but it is fun to show up to your job every day when you have good kids.”

One the thing the loss did mean was the final game for seniors Andy Hupp, Dawson Barnes, Ben Guetterman, Konnor Vohs and Weston Guetterman.

“They were all key components,” Pfannenstiel said. “They were all important. Dawson and Hupp – those guys are undersized post players that can play great defense. They are very unselfish players and they just work hard and were exactly what we needed. 

“Konnor has had a heck of a year. He is Mr. Energy. He is a calm, cool kid and stepped up and knocked down some big free throws for us in the semifinals. He brings a lot of intensity for us. Ben can do a lot of things, and offensively when he gets hot, he really sparks us. He was good defensively and rebounding the ball. Weston was our motor and he could really make us go offensively. When his shot is falling, our offense really goes and they are all just great kids. They do everything the right way.”

Many of those seniors even got their chance to live out an opportunity they had been dreaming of since they were in elementary school.

“I couldn’t have written it any better,” Weston said. “One more win would have been nice, but we have been dreaming about this since we were in the third grade. Me, Konnor and Ben were at Wea and we always talked about how we were going to go down to Louisburg and win state. We were one game away, but I am just grateful for the opportunity.”

LOU 13 10 6 11 — 40

BM 27 21 22 24 — 94

LOUISBURG (18-7): Julian Margrave 6-18 1-1 15; Weston Guetterman 4-9 0-0 10; Ben Guetterman 3-8 0-0 7; Michael Seuferling 1-5 2-2 4; Andy Hupp 1-2 0-0 2; Konnor Vohs 0-4 2-2 2. 3-point field goals: 5, (Margrave 2, W. Guetterman 2, B. Guetterman)

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week 13 of the winter sports season, sponsored by Edward Jones-Craig Holtzen.

Konnor Vohs, Senior, Boys Basketball

Louisburg senior Konnor Vohs came up with several big plays this past week to help the Wildcats to their first state championship, but none were bigger than with nine seconds left in the state semifinals against Augusta last Thursday. Louisburg held a 3-point lead, but Vohs stepped to the free-throw line for two shots and knocked them both down to seal the victory for the Wildcats.

Vohs, who has been one of the team’s best defenders all season, did the same last week. He helped the Wildcats to two wins, including a state quarterfinal victory over Parsons and the win over Augusta to put Louisburg into the championship game. The Wildcats finished second in Class 4A, which is their best finish in school history.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the winter season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous winners:

Week 1: Jordan Mynsted

Week 2: Julian Margrave

Week 3: Alec Younggren

Week 4: Megan Foote

Week 5: Madilyn Melton

Week 6: Michael Seuferling

Week 7: Cade Holtzen

Week 8: Ryan Owens

Week 9: Aiden Barker

Week 10: Weston Guetterman

Week 11: Alyse Moore

Weel 12: Ben Guetterman

The Louisburg basketball team celebrates following its 58-55 Class 4A state semifinal victory over Augusta on Thursday at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina. The Wildcats will play in their first ever state championship on Saturday.

SALINA — When they were done in the locker room following their 58-55 state semifinal win over Augusta, the Louisburg boys raced to the concourse of the Tony’s Pizza Events Center.

It was there where they met a very large fan club that let out a roar that could be heard throughout the arena.

The victory put the Wildcats in the Class 4A state championship for the first time in school history and there was plenty to celebrate Thursday night in Salina.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Louisburg senior Weston Guetterman said of playing in the title game. “You walk out into the arena and it is just huge. It hits when you get out there. Right now we are just playing basketball and it will probably hit us afterward. Right now, we are just living in the moment.”

Guetterman and the Wildcats lived well against the Orioles as the senior point guard came up huge for the Wildcats when they needed him most.

He opened the game with nine points in the first quarter to help give Louisburg a seven-point lead at the end of the quarter. Then, when the Wildcats trailed in the fourth and Guetterman was saddled with four fouls, he rose to the occasion again.

He hit a 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter to give Louisburg a 51-48 lead and then hit a pair of free throws to put the Wildcats up four with about a minute left.

Guetterman finished with a game-high 21 points and also had a team-high six steals and four assists as he played well on both ends of the floor.

“He played amazing,” junior Julian Margrave said. “Weston showed up when it was needed and hit some incredible shots that I knew he could hit. He just showed up and we really needed him.”

Margrave also came up big for the Wildcats as he scored 23 points and had eight rebounds. The Louisburg junior led the Wildcats back when they were down 46-44 with under four minutes in the game.

He scored five straight points, including converting an old-fashioned 3-point play after an assist from Konnor Vohs after an Augusta turnover.

“We really had to dig in,” Margrave said. “It was a really good change by coaches Pfannenstiel, Harding and Skakal to tell us to focus up. It was now or never in that moment and we didn’t want our season to end right there. We wanted to play for the championship.”

Augusta didn’t go away late as the Orioles tried to chip away at the Wildcat lead with several late baskets. Louisburg, however, answered each time at the free-throw line.

Weston Guetterman hit two, Ben Guetterman hit one to keep it at three, and then Vohs hit the biggest ones of the game.

With nine seconds left, the Louisburg senior sank two free throws to all but seal the win for the Wildcats and give them their best finish in school history – no matter what happens Saturday.

“They were huge,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “Konnor is a calm, cool kid. I had great confidence in him. He doesn’t get too high, he doesn’t get too low and he is a perfect guy to step up there and knock those down. His defense and energy was good as well and was big all night for us.”

The Wildcats (18-6) changed the game on the defensive end as they forced 11 Augusta turnovers and turned those into 16 points. Louisburg committed just four turnovers and took care of the ball on offense.

Louisburg also focused on slowing down Augusta’s Ely Wilcox, who hurt the Wildcats in January in the first matchup on the inside. They held Wilcox to just five points as he also sat out part of the first half in foul trouble.

“It was very similar to the last game we played them at Baldwin,” Pfannenstiel said. “They came back and stretched out a lead on us, and luckily it wasn’t as bad as that night. For our kids to battle like they did, it took some stops defensively, and we really had to stop Wilcox and we did a great job on him. It was a great team effort.”

Louisburg will have to take their defense to another level Saturday as its faces the No. 1 team in Class 4A, Bishop Miege. The two teams will square off at 2 p.m. tomorrow for the state championship.

The Stags have won three state titles in the last five years and were among the final four teams left at the state tournament last season before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We will take a look at Miege,” Pfannenstiel said. “I haven’t thought or prepared for them because all my focus was on Augusta. We will do what we can to get a good game plan for Saturday. Our kids are looking forward to it.”

LOU 18 13 10 17 — 58

AUG 11 16 14 14 — 55

LOUISBURG (18-6): Julian Margrave 9-15 3-4 23; Weston Guetterman 8-14 2-2 21; Michael Seuferling 2-5 2-3 6; Konnor Vohs 1-4 2-2 4; Ben Guetterman 1-5 1-4 4. Totals: 21-43 10-15 58. 3-point field goals: 6, (W. Guetterman 3, Margrave 2, B. Guetterman)

The Louisburg boys basketball team hopes to celebrating some more following tonight’s state semifinal game against Augusta.

If playing for the right to go the school’s first state championship game wasn’t enough, the Louisburg boys basketball team has a little extra motivation in its back pocket.

The Wildcats, which faces off with Augusta in the Class 4A state semifinals at 7 p.m. tonight in Salina, will have revenge on their minds.

Back in late January, Augusta defeated Louisburg in the championship game of the Baldwin Invitational. Not only did the Orioles defeat the Wildcats, but they did it in dramatic fashion.

Augusta’s Brendan Parker hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Orioles a 43-40 win and left Louisburg with a sour taste in its mouth.

“We haven’t forgot it and that is only fueling the fire,” senior Konnor Vohs said. “We are ready to play some basketball. The team has developed quite a bit since that game. With the Augusta loss, we began a 3-game losing streak and we were in an offensive slump. Since then our offense has been rolling and our defensive intensity has increased tremendously.”

So when Louisburg found out it would be playing the Orioles in the state semifinals following the Wildcats’ 62-30 quarterfinal win over Parsons on Monday, they were more than ready to face the Orioles.

It would be the second stop on the revenge tour for Louisburg. Last Friday, the Wildcats avenged a season-ending loss a year ago to Iola as they rolled the Fillies in the sub-state championship game.

“To be honest, you couldn’t right the narrative any better,” senior Weston Guetterman said. “We already got our shot at Iola from last year’s postseason loss and now we get the opportunity to play a team that we have already played this season, and in a close game at that. It will be a fun, exciting game and hopefully the outcome is different than earlier this season.”

In that game in Baldwin City, Louisburg actually took a 20-15 lead at halftime in what was a defensive battle. 

Augusta would eventually build a 10-point fourth quarter lead, only to see Louisburg rally back to tie the game on a Guetterman free throw with 35 seconds left.

The Orioles would hold for one shot and knocked down the 3-pointer at the buzzer.

“I’m really looking forward to playing Augusta again,” junior Julian Margrave said. “They got us last time we played them with a buzzer beater and it left a very sour taste in our mouths. We know who we are and are ready to leave in all on the court this weekend.”

Louisburg (17-6) has been on a tear as of late as the Wildcats have won nine of their last 10 games and have been dominant in the postseason. The have won by an average of 21 points per game.

The Wildcats know it will be a lot harder from here on out with Augusta, and possibly Class 4A state power Bishop Miege looming on the other side of the bracket.

Still, the Wildcats have developed an identity over the past month – one that plays tough defense and will never quit.

“It will be different out in Salina, obviously, but our kids are playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We have a strong mentality on defense. We’ve always said we are going to have a shot in any game if we can continue with that, I like our chances.”

The winner between Louisburg and Augusta will play the winner of Bishop Miege (20-1) and Andale (18-5) at 2 p.m. on Saturday in championship game. 

Junior Julian Margrave hi-fives teammate Ben Guetterman (22) towards the end of the Wildcats’ 62-30 win over Parsons on Monday in the Class 4A state quarterfinals at Louisburg High School.

It has been 73 years since the Louisburg boys basketball team placed third at a state tournament.

In 1948, the Wildcats took third place overall, which is considered the best finish in school history and also took fourth in 1979. Those are the only two times a Wildcat team has placed at state.

This year’s version of the Wildcats have duplicated that feat, and have the chance to better it, following their 62-30 state quarterfinal win Monday over Parsons.

For the first time in school history, Louisburg hosted the Class 4A state quarterfinal and the victory moves them to the state semifinals starting Thursday in Salina.

“Not many teams have made it up in the state column banner in the LHS gym,” senior Konnor Vohs said. “Our success is among very few and we are very thankful for the chance to be the third team to make it this far. The feeling is beyond imaginable and we look forward to taking Louisburg to its first state championship in basketball history.”

The Wildcats will have to win one more game to get there as Louisburg, which earned the No. 3 seed, will face off with No. 2 Augusta at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina.

The winner of that game will face the winner of No. 1 Bishop Miege and No. 4 McPherson at 2 p.m. on Saturday in the championship.

“It feels good to be a final four team in Kansas,”  junior Julian Margrave said. “All our hard work is definitely paying off and people are starting to take notice of who we are.”

Parsons got a first-hand look at a Wildcat team that has now won nine out of its last 10 games and has been dominant in the postseason. 

Louisburg, which took 23-16 halftime lead, broke the game open in the second half as it outscored the Vikings, 39-14, in the final two quarters to cruise into the semifinals.

It started on the defensive end of the floor for Louisburg as the Wildcats held Parsons to just 24 percent shooting and forced 15 turnovers. They also out-rebounded the Vikings, 39-20.

“Defense was our focus to start the game,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We kind of challenged them to hold Parsons to single digits each quarter. You know you say that and hope that it can be done, but then you go out and do it and it is just a great testament to our players.

“I think we held them to 8, 8, 5 and 9, so you know we did we did a good job defensively. We want to make things tough for them and to contest their shots. Their shooters didn’t get many open shots and we didn’t let them get to the paint. It was a good effort all-around.”

Margrave and senior Ben Guetterman got the Wildcat offense going in the third. Guetterman knocked down a 3-pointer to open the second half and Margrave followed with a run of his own.

With the Wildcats up 10, Margrave scored six straight points, including two on a breakaway dunk after a steal. Louisburg ended the quarter on a 12-4 run.

Senior Dawson Barnes and junior Michael Seuferling combined to score the first eight points of the fourth quarter to help the Wildcats pull away.

“I think that we played a good all-around game,” Louisburg senior Weston Guetterman said. “Everyone played a great game and we all played to our roles and it lead to us pulling away there in the second half.

“Our defense has really come on this season. Our mentality is that we can always control how our defense plays so if we have an off-night offensively we feel like we will still have a good shot to win because of our defense.”

Margrave led the Wildcats with a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Ben Guetterman also scored in double figures with 13 points, six rebounds and a team-high three steals.

Seuferling finished with eight points, while Weston Guetterman had a big night at the point guard spot with 11 rebounds and a team-high seven assists to go along with five points.

Vohs was second on the team with four assists, including one where he saved the ball from going out of bounds and found an open teammate for an easy score.

“Going into the game, the whole team was pumped and ready to play,” Vohs said. “We were confident in the game plan and we came out and executed. I think we played aggressive which allowed us to take a lead. The second half just brought more energy that allowed us to feed off of and let us get the win.”

Now Louisburg will focus on trying to get to the school’s first state championship. The Kansas State High School Activities Association will not play third place games this year, and instead will award the loser of each semifinal a third place trophy.

However, that is not what the Wildcats want.

“It is nice to know that we have already at least tied the best finish in school history, but we aren’t satisfied with third,” Weston Guetterman said. “Especially since there isn’t a third place game, we want to advance to the championship and play for a title.”

LOU 14 9 16 23 — 62

PAR 8 8 5 9 — 30

LOUISBURG (17-6): Julian Margrave 8-14 2-3 20; Ben Guetterman 4-12 3-4 13; Michael Seuferling 4-4 0-0 8; Dawson Barnes 3-4 0-0 6; Weston Guetterman 2-9 1-2 5; Maverick Rockers 2-4 0-0 5; Mack Newell 1-1 0-0 3; Konnor Vohs 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 25-53 6-9 62. 3-point field goals: 6, (B. Guetterman 2, Margrave 2, Rockers, Newell)

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week twelve of the winter sports season.

Ben Guetterman, Senior, Boys Basketball

Louisburg senior Ben Guetterman had a big week last week and Monday for the Wildcat boys basketball team as he helped them to a sub-state championship and state quarterfinal victory. In the sub-state championship against Iola and the state quarterfinal against Parsons, Guetterman combined to scored 25 points and had 11 rebounds to go along with a team-high seven steals during that stretch. He also finished with seven points and seven rebounds in a sub-state semifinal win over Paola.

On the season, Guetterman is third on the team in scoring as he is averaging 11 points a game and is second on the team in rebounding with nearly five a game.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the winter season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous winners:

Week 1: Jordan Mynsted

Week 2: Julian Margrave

Week 3: Alec Younggren

Week 4: Megan Foote

Week 5: Madilyn Melton

Week 6: Michael Seuferling

Week 7: Cade Holtzen

Week 8: Ryan Owens

Week 9: Aiden Barker

Week 10: Weston Guetterman

Week 11: Alyse Moore

Members of the Louisburg sub-state champion basketball teams are (front row, from left) Emma Lohse, Maverick Rockers, Sierra Hahn, Cade Gassman, Brooklyn Diederich, Isaac Guetterman, Delanie Tally, Michael Seuferling; (middle row) Andy Hupp, Delaney Wright, Ben Guetterman, Megan Foote, Konnor Vohs, Brianne Kuhlman, Weston Guetterman, Adyson Ross; (back row) Emma Prettyman, Julian Margrave, Jordan Mynsted, Mack Newell, Alyse Moore, Colyer Wingfield, Madilyn Melton and Dawson Barnes.

Almost a year ago I was sitting at the first round of the Big 12 tournament, excited for my favorite time of the year — March Madness.

Life has changed a lot since then.

I still vividly remember a phone call from my wife while watching hoops from the now T-Mobile Center. There was a lot of worry in her voice.

She had no idea why people were fighting over toilet paper in Price Chopper. Why were they panicking over something they had no idea what it was yet? It wasn’t food or water for heaven’s sake!

The next day was even more puzzling. Tournaments across the country were cancelled. State high school events were stopped in their tracks and never finished.

Even worse news came as spring sports were later cancelled and were people were forced to shelter in their homes. We more or less become a ghost country.

A year later, our lives are completely changed. We are having to do things differently, be more cautious and for some, outlook on every day life is incomparable to what we had before.

One thing that has risen back is March Madness and Louisburg is right in the thick of it all.

In a year where they have been challenges with practices and playing games due to COVID-19, both the Wildcat boys and girls basketball teams have put together one of the best seasons in school history.

It was an incredible weekend at Louisburg High School as the boys won their first sub-state title since 2017 on Friday. The girls earned a state berth for the first time since 1974 – breaking a 47 year drought – on Saturday.

Both teams are currently ranked in the top five in the state and are one of eight teams left standing in Class 4A. It is something that has never been done in school history.

That is a feat among itself, but do it in these challenging times says a lot about the players and coaches of both programs.

Boys head coach Ty Pfannenstiel and girls head coach Adrianne Lane have done a great job keeping their players focused and limiting distractions throughout the season.

For the girls team, though, it didn’t start out that smoothly.

Many members of the Lady Cats were forced to quarantine when practice began in November and they didn’t have their complete team on the court until the first game in early December. They never got a chance to practice together as team before that season opener against Tonganoxie.

Despite that, they won their first eight games and ended the season with an 16-4 record and finished second in a tough Frontier League.

They are now onto the state tournament for the first time since 1974 – the second year of the girls state basketball. 

As for the boys, they have faced an up and down season of their own, but the Wildcats have to put together a strong finish to a year that put them as the No. 2 team in the state rankings.

Louisburg has won eight of its last nine games, with the Wildcats’ only loss coming to state ranked Shawnee Mission South, a Class 6A program.

Both teams are loaded with talent, but the one thing the two have in common is a strong senior class. In most years, seniors provide leadership and it is evident on both sides.

Weston Guetterman, Ben Guetterman, Konnor Vohs, Andy Hupp and Dawson Barnes have all played vital roles on this year’s boys team. Add in juniors Julian Margrave – who is the team’s leading scorer – Michael Seuferling and Maverick Rockers and the Wildcats have a solid rotation that stacks up with some of the best in the state.

For the girls, Madilyn Melton, Megan Foote, Brooklyn Diederich and Alyse Moore have played basketball together since the seventh grade when they recorded a perfect season for LMS. Many of them have played basketball since they were little and have a deep love for the game.

It shows on the court as those four girls, along with juniors Delaney Wright, Jordan Mynsted and sophomores Brianne Kuhlman and Adyson Ross, play with a reckless abandon – especially on the defensive end of the floor.

Folks, this type of stuff doesn’t happen every year when it comes to state basketball – unless your name is Bishop Miege or McPherson. For a school to put two teams in the state tournament is a remarkable story.

School history had already been made, but there is much more to be had.

If the boys win tonight, the Wildcats will — at worst — tie for the best finish in program history when Louisburg took third in 1948.

As for the girls, well if they haven’t already accomplished enough to break a long state drought, a win over Labette County on Tuesday would give the Lady Cats the best finish in school history for a program that began in the early 70s.

Louisburg already made history in the fall when the girls cross country and boys soccer team each finished third at state and had the best season in its program’s tenure.

So, why not them?

Wildcat fans, for those of you who haven’t joined the hype train yet, there is still plenty of room. Find yourself a voucher and come out and support both teams as they both try to accomplish something that is unprecedented for Louisburg athletics. 

Enjoy these teams while we have them — they don’t come around often.

The Louisburg boys basketball team hoists the Class 4A sub-state championship trophy Friday following its win over Iola.

A year ago, with its season on the line, the Louisburg boys basketball team came out slow against Iola and the Fillies ended the Wildcats’ season in the sub-state semifinals.

It was a heartbreaking loss to many on the team as the Wildcats rallied to score 32 points in the fourth quarter, only to fall in overtime.

Fast forward to the present and Louisburg had the opportunity to exact revenge against Iola – this time in the sub-state championship.

There was no slow start this time around. 

Louisburg’s defense frustrated Iola for much of the game as it held the Fillies to nine first half points and the Wildcats cruised to a 57-32 sub-state championship victory Friday in Louisburg.

“We needed no other motivation because we knew from last year that this was the game we wanted,” Louisburg junior Julian Margrave said. “Weston (Guetterman) and I were talking before the season started about wanting to see them again and we finally got it. We proved that we are a state team.”

The Wildcats, who are currently ranked No. 2 in Class 4A, earned their first state berth since 2017 and there are plenty of family connections between the two teams.

Ben and Isaac Guetterman’s brother, Sam, played on the 2017 squad, as did Michael Seuferling’s brother, Alex. The Guetterman’s and Seuferling’s are also distant cousins.

“Earning a state berth is great and I have always wanted to do this ever since I saw my brother (Sam) go in 2017,” Ben said. “I have waited four years for this and we have all put in a lot of hard work. To go to state and have a winning record like we do feels awesome. There are lots of memories being made right now.”

To go back even further in Wildcat lore, Konnor Vohs’ dad, Kevin, was the starting point guard for the 1999 state team. His uncle, Rob, was a starter on the Wildcats’ 1991 state team.

“It’s something else,” Konnor said. “He (Kevin) talks about it all the time and I need to live up to that I guess. I’m wearing No. 11, same as him, and it’s just huge and it’s sweet to be able to share something like that with him. It’s a pretty awesome feeling.”

The Wildcats (16-6) played like a family in the sub-state tournament as they defeated a good Paola team in the semifinals and then exacted revenged with a 25-point win Friday.

“Our kids really enjoy being around each other and we played our best by just playing unselfish basketball,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “They’ve really bought into the defensive side of it  because that’s something that all five guys on the court have to buy into for you to be successful.”

Louisburg had no problem on that end of the floor as the Wildcats held Iola to just 32 percent shooting and forced 16 turnovers. Those Iola mistakes turned into 14 Louisburg points and were just one of the many reasons the Wildcats were successful.

The Wildcats held the Fillies to nine first half points and held them to single digits for three of the four quarters.

“We played great as a team and it carried over from our defensive performance the game before,” Weston Guetterman said. “To hold both Paola and Iola to single digits in the first half is a nice accomplishment. I feel like we did a good job defending their best offensive player and it was a good night.”

Their defense allowed them to get some rhythm offensively early on.

Louisburg scored 18 first quarter points, 11 of those coming from Margrave who scored the final seven of the quarter. Two of those points brought the crowd to its feet when Weston Guetterman threw an alley-oop to Margrave, who dunked it home.

“We’ve had that play in all season and we have been just been looking for the right time,” Weston said. “There was just a little time on the clock and just felt it was a good time to take a chance on it and it ended up working out. It gave everyone energy, the crowd went wild and we fed off that and it carried with us the rest of the game.”

The game was almost out of reach at halftime as the Wildcats took a 32-9 advantage. The Fillies cut the Louisburg lead to 20 on a couple different occasions, but could get no closer.

Margrave led Louisburg with a team-high 16 points to go along with seven rebounds and three blocks. Ben Guetterman also scored in double figures with 12 points, five boards and a team-high four steals.

Weston Guetterman nearly had a double-double with nine points and a team-high seven assists. Michael Seuferling had seven points and six rebounds.

“It’s been a quite awhile since we’ve been there (state) and being a senior and having some seasons where we didn’t get too many wins, this is huge,” Vohs said. “We have a hell of a team this year and we are ready for the next one.”

That next one for the Wildcats will be a tough test as they will host Parsons at 6 p.m. on Monday for the state quarterfinals. The Vikings have now qualified for the state tournament four years in a row.

“We just have to stay focused,” Margrave said. “Some people might go out and celebrate, but I’m not. I just want to stay humble and be ready to go for Monday. I know Parsons is a good team, but we have to be ready.”

As much as the Wildcats are happy to earn the school’s 13th state appearance, there is much more they want to accomplish.

A victory over Parsons would be just the third time in school history that the Wildcats would be guaranteed a place at state. Louisburg placed fourth in 1979 and third in 1948.

The Class 4A final four will be held on Friday and Saturday in Salina.

“Honestly, right now I am just excited for the next game,” Weston said. “We are not done here and we want to win the next one. We have bigger goals for ourselves. The feeling gets better and better every time we win.”

LOU 18 14 10 15 — 57

IOLA 5 4 14 9 — 32

LOUISBURG (16-6): Julian Margrave 5-11 3-4 16; Ben Guetterman 5-11 0-1 12; Weston Guetterman 3-5 3-3 9; Michael Seuferling 1-5 5-6 7; Maverick Rockers 1-3 2-2 5; Konnor Vohs 1-1 0-0 3; Andy Hupp 1-6 1-2 3; Dawson Barnes 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 18-48 14-18 57. 3-point field goals: 7, (Margrave 3, B. Guetterman 2, Rockers, Vohs)