Wildcats fall to Ottawa, Lee’s Summit on back-to-back nights
Louisburg junior Conlee Hovey goes up for a shot Friday during the Wildcats’ game at Ottawa.
OTTAWA — The Louisburg boys basketball team ventured into Friday’s game at Ottawa on an upswing.
The Wildcats had won two straight and wanted nothing more than to get a big league road victory. Instead, a tough second quarter haunted Louisburg in a 62-52 loss to the Cyclones.
Louisburg found itself down by nine at halftime and the Wildcats were unable to get much closer in the second half.
“The second quarter was definitely a problem for us, but the third quarter we were scoring and getting the ball inside and finishing,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “But we had three possessions there where they got offensive rebounds that turned into points. When you are trying to beat a really good team, you can’t give up offensive rebounds and not get loose balls. To me that was the difference in the game. We were scoring, we just weren’t getting stops and it was second chances for them.”
It was an up-and-down game to start as the Wildcats trailed Ottawa, 19-18, at the end of the first quarter.
The Cyclones outscored the Wildcats 18-10 in the second quarter to pull away for the halftime lead. Turnovers were the culprit for Louisburg as the Wildcats turned the ball over 15 times in the game, which led to 17 Ottawa points.
In what was an evenly-played second half, the Wildcats were able to trim the lead to seven, but couldn’t get any closer.
Louisburg senior Luke Hill pulls up for a shot Friday at Ottawa.
Junior Conlee Hovey led the Wildcats in scoring as he was effective underneath the basket with a team-high 13 points and five rebounds.
Senior Brady Hickey made an impact in several different areas for the Wildcats. He finished with 12 points, but pulled down a team-high eight rebounds from the guard spot.
Senior Nathan Parker had a team-high three assists to go along with eight points
“To take the positives out of it, was that Ottawa is a really good team,” Doll said. “Where we were a few weeks ago, where we lost four in a row, we lost to teams that weren’t anywhere as close to as good as Ottawa. I really like the way we competed against Ottawa and how hard the guys played. Ottawa beat a really good Baldwin team the night before, so there were some positives to take away.”
Louisburg will try and get back on the winning track today when the Wildcats travel to Tonganoxie for another Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — In what was late addition to the schedule, Louisburg squared off with Lee’s Summit High School during the 810 Varsity Showcase on Saturday at Lee’s Summit West High School.
Louisburg head coach Ben Doll wanted his team to get an opportunity to go up against a larger school in a classic that featured some of the top teams in the Kansas City metro area.
For one half, the Wildcats were able to stay with Lee’s Summit, but the Tigers pulled away in the second half and handed Louisburg a 71-46 setback.
“In the first half we were definitely holding our own,” Doll said. “We followed the game plan, we knew they were a driving team so we did a good job playing gaps and played really good defense. We just made some silly turnovers, which turned out to be the difference in the first half. In the second half, our defense let down and our turnovers continued. I think the whole season it has been turnovers that has been the difference between us winning and losing.”
Louisburg trailed 28-20 at halftime, but the Wildcats were able to say with the Tigers. Turnovers, unfortunately haunted the Wildcats as they committed 23 for the game and it turned into 21 points on the other end.
Louisburg senior Brock Vohs drives to the basket Saturday against Lee’s Summit.
Lee’s Summit outscored Louisburg 24-13 in the third quarter to pull away.
Senior Brady Hickey paced the Wildcats offensively as he scored a team-high 15 points, including seven points in the first quarter to keep his team in it.
Senior Nathan Parker finished in double figures with 10 points, while Myles Vohs and Luke Schultz each added six.
Junior Conlee Hovey had a team-high 11 rebounds, while seniors Jaymes Melton, Brock Vohs and Parker each added six rebounds. Parker also had four assists.
“Brady is getting more confident in being able to create his own shot,” Doll said. “In the second half, he did some good things too and did a good job driving to the basket. Conlee did a good job rebounding, which he has been doing a lot lately.
“The thing for us was the opportunity to go up against a bigger school to prepare us for the postseason and atmosphere that it brings. That is where we need to be thinking right now, which is good, I just wish our second half had been a little better. Playing back to back nights is hard and we played really good teams on both nights.”
Wildcats hold Paola scoreless in second half to cruise to league win
Louisburg seniors (from left) Brock Vohs and Brady Hickey team up to double team a Paola player Tuesday in Louisburg.
Ben Doll has coached basketball for more than two decades, but what he, and the rest of the Louisburg team, experienced Tuesday was something of a first.
The Wildcats hosted rival Paola and put together a defensive performance to remember. Louisburg jumped out to a big lead at halftime and cruised to a 47-16 victory over the Panthers.
Louisburg never let the Panthers get going as they held them scoreless in the second half and the Wildcats picked up their second straight win.
“It was interesting and wasn’t something we really realized until we got into the fourth quarter,” Doll said. “I’ve spent 25 years coaching high school basketball, and I don’t think I have ever seen something like that on the varsity level for an entire half.”
The Wildcats (5-7) controlled the game from start to finish as they took a 17-7 after one quarter and led 33-16 at halftime.
It was the type of effort Doll was looking for as the Wildcats put together a complete game performance.
Louisburg junior Myles Vohs drives the lane Tuesday against Paola.
“They played really good,” he said. “The second half we were just trying to keep up with what we did in the first half. I thought they played great in the first half and scored 33 points, which is good for us. We just spent most of the second half trying to work clock and work on our offense. We could have scored more, but that wasn’t the goal and it was to work on other stuff and play good defense. Our defense was great in the first half too.”
Louisburg had a balanced scoring performance from up and down its lineup.
Senior Brady Hickey led the Wildcats in scoring with nine points and three assists. Junior Myles Vohs and senior Nathan Parker each finished with eight points and Vohs had a team-high four assists.
Senior Brock Vohs, along with juniors Gavin Lohse and Luke Schultz, each finished with six points. Schultz and senior Jaymes Melton each tallied five rebounds to lead Louisburg.
After an upset win against Bonner Springs last Friday, Doll sees confidence building in his group as they hit the final stretch of games this month.
Junior Luke Schultz puts up a shot Tuesday against Paola.
“There is confidence for sure,” Doll said. “The win against Bonner was as big one for us and we were able to keep that going against Paola. The key in basketball is to play your best at the end of the season and that is what we are trying to do.”
Louisburg will try to keep its winning streak going this Friday when it travels to Ottawa. The Wildcats then turn around and play Saturday against Lee’s Summit at Lee’s Summit West High School in the 810 Varsity Showcase.
“Ottawa is really good,” Doll said. “It will be a great test for us. They really like to run and it is going to be similar to what we saw against Bonner, so we are going to have to do a good job of getting back on defense.”
Louisburg’s Brock Vohs slaps hands with head coach Ben Doll after the Wildcats’ 53-45 victory over Bonner Springs on Friday at home.
Throughout the first half of the season, the Louisburg and Bonner Springs boys basketball teams have gone in two different directions.
Going into Friday’s game at Louisburg, the Wildcats had lost four in a row and were in the midst of a slump. As for Bonner Springs, the Braves had won nine of their first 12 games to start the year and were toward atop the Frontier League standings.
At least for a night anyway, those roles were reversed.
The Wildcats put together one of their better performances of the season and upset the Braves in a 53-45 victory. The win snapped a losing streak that saw a pair of overtime setbacks and a road loss at Wamego.
“That is a really big win because that is a really good team,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “They are a 5A team and are toward the top of their sub-state right now. It was a win that we absolutely needed and it couldn’t have come at a better time after losing four in a row.”
In what was an intense, back-and-forth contest — the Wildcats and Braves were all tied at halftime. Louisburg used a big third quarter to go up five and increased its lead to as much as nine.
However, Bonner Springs battled back to cut the Wildcat lead to just two with two minutes left in the contest. The Braves missed a layup just seconds later that would have tied the game.
Louisburg junior Conlee Hovey had 11 points and 11 rebounds in the Wildcats’ win over Bonner Springs.
Instead the Wildcats took advantage as Conlee Hovey scored to make it a four-point lead, and then after a defensive stop, senior Nathan Parker was fouled on a 3-point attempt.
Parker converted on all three, and would hit two more with under a minute left to help ice the game.
Louisburg also turned the tide by dominating the rebounding department. The Wildcats out-rebounded the Braves 51-21 and pulled down 22 offensive boards that led to 13 second chance points.
“We had a lot of really big rebounds from a lot of guys,” Doll said. “Jaymes (Melton), Conlee, Gavin (Lohse) and Luke (Schultz) had some big rebounds for us. Down the stretch, when the game got tight, we hit some big free throws as well. Nate is not the guy to foul if you are the other team and he was big in the fourth quarter there from the line.”
Parker once again led the Wildcats in scoring with with 17 points, including three 3-pointers. Hovey was also big underneath the basket for Louisburg as he posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. He also had a team-high three assists with Parker.
Louisburg senior Brady Hickey drives to the basket Friday against Bonner Springs.
Senior Brady Hickey also hit some big shots down the stretch with eight points to go along with seven rebounds. Gavin Lohse added nine rebounds in the win, while senior Brock Vohs had five points and five rebounds.
“Our guys were ready to go,” Doll said. “Our players, from things they thought and heard, was that Bonner didn’t respect us and was planning to just notch a win and get out of here. I think that had an impact on the game. It was nice to see that enthusiasm and effort from our guys.”
Louisburg will try for back-to-back wins tonight as the Wildcats host rival Paola. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
WAMEGO — After what was a close first half, one bad quarter doomed Louisburg on the road last Tuesday at Wamego.
The Red Raiders outscored Louisburg by 11 points in the third quarter and it turned out to be the different in a 56-45 loss.
Louisburg also didn’t help themselves in the turnover department with 19, which led to 19 points for Wamego.
“It was a long ways to go for a game on a Tuesday, but I felt that we could have definitely won the game,” Doll said. “We ended the game with 19 turnovers and I told the guys that no matter who you play, you aren’t going to win many games with that many mistakes.”
Nathan Parker led the Wildcats in scoring with 11 points on the night, while senior Luke Hill also scored in double figures with 10. Brady Hickey added nine points, four rebounds and three assists in the loss.
Louisburg senior Brady Hickey drives to the basket Friday during the final game of the Louisburg Invitational.
Louisburg had already suffered an overtime heartbreaker in the first game of its home tournament, but unfortunately for the Wildcats, the hurt continued Friday.
Against Girard in the final game of the Louisburg Invitational, the Trojans knocked in the game-winner with three seconds left and handed Louisburg a 58-56 double overtime setback.
Two close overtime losses ended up being the difference between winning the tournament and finishing 0-2 for the Wildcats.
Despite the loss, Louisburg showed a lot of positives, including battling back from a nine-point deficit in the second half.
“I thought we did a lot of good things against a good team,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “It was a good matchup for us and they are a decent team. The fact was we had chances to win in regulation and both overtimes showed we were doing some positive things. We just couldn’t get it done defensively when we needed to.
Louisburg junior Luke Schultz went 1 of 2 from the free-throw line to tie the game at 56-all with 35 seconds left in the second overtime, but the Trojans had one final chance and held for the last shot.
Girard’s Scott Moore got a pass from Aiden Troike right underneath the basket with just seconds left on the clock to record the game-winner.
The Wildcats (4-6) found themselves down 33-24 early in the third quarter, but engineered a way to battle back. Louisburg went on a 10-0 run that eventually gave them a 34-33 lead.
Louisburg senior Nathan Parker led the Wildcats with 23 points in the loss Friday to Girard.
Louisburg senior Nathan Parker was the spark for the Wildcats offensively as he started the run with a 3-pointer and fellow senior Luke Hill followed with one of his own.
Junior Conlee Hovey and senior Brady Hickey followed with back-to-back buckets to compete the run.
“We did a better job of getting some good shots that were in rhythm and we took care of the ball better,” Doll said. “There was a stretch in the first half where it was turnover city. We didn’t have good ball security. Our defense was decent, but it was very good to battle back and not roll over.”
The game remained close and the Wildcats took a 48-46 lead late in the fourth quarter on a back door from pass Parker than found an open Hickey for a layup.
Troike then tied it for Girard with 45 seconds left and Louisburg had an opportunity to win the game in regulation but the Wildcats couldn’t convert.
In the first overtime, Parker opened with a 3-pointer, and after a Girard rebound and put back, Parker knocked in another three to take a 54-50 lead with 2:49 left.
On the Trojans’ next possession, they converted a 3-point play and the game was eventually tied again at 54-all. The Wildcats had one last opportunity as Hickey recorded a steal and a breakaway but his floater was just offline at the buzzer.
Parker provided a bulk of the offense for the Wildcats as he scored a game-high 23 points, including four 3-pointers. Louisburg knocked in eight 3-pointers a team.
“He is a scorer, and since coming back from break he has been up and down,” Doll said. “He has been focused on good shot selection and was good on Friday. He does a good job of getting other guys involved as well. When Nate is on and does well, that is better for the rest of us.”
Hill and Hickey were second on the team in scoring with eight points each, while Hovey led the Wildcats with five rebounds. Junior Gavin Lohse had a team-high three steals, including one that led to a breakaway dunk to begin the third quarter.
Louisburg will try and get back on the winning track Wednesday as the Wildcats travel to Wamego. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Louisburg junior Conlee Hovey fights off three Northeast Kansas defenders for a rebound Tuesday during the Louisburg Invitational.
Louisburg seemingly had its game with Northeast Kansas in hand Tuesday in the first round of the Louisburg Invitational.
The Wildcats held the lead for much of the game, and even when the Nighthawks forced overtime, Louisburg still found a way to take the lead with just seconds left in the game.
Unfortunately, the few seconds the Wildcats didn’t have the lead turned out to be at the very end.
Northeast Kansas had an answer for every Louisburg bucket late and handed the Wildcats a 55-54 overtime loss.
“This loss is incredibly frustrating,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “The things we go over in practice and things that we write on the board before the game as keys, we didn’t do a good job with those. Whether it was valuing the ball, cutting down turnovers or shot selection, we didn’t do well in those areas. Our shot selection was poor.
“Now these things are all correctable. We also talk about playing good on the ball defense, and that is why we fouled on that last possession because we didn’t do a good job defensively. All things we talk about in practice, but the good thing is basketball is sport where you need to be playing your best at the end of the season. We aren’t there yet, but we are in the middle of the season and we aren’t playing well yet.”
The Wildcats (4-5) were either tied or led for much of the game, until the Nighthawks were able to take a small lead late in the fourth and eventually force overtime.
Louisburg’s Myles Vohs drives to the basket Tuesday against Northeast Kansas.
Both teams had a chance to win it in regulation, but neither got their shots to fall.
They traded baskets in the overtime as Luke Hill opened with a layup on the tipoff and Northeast Kansas responded with a basket of their own 10 seconds later.
The Nighthawks eventually took a 53-51 lead with under a minute remaining. That was until Hill hit a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to put Louisburg back up one.
Northeast Kansas raced down the floor and hit a bucket off the glass with 11 seconds left to grab the lead right back.
Louisburg had an opportunity in the final moments, but shots from Nathan Parker and Gavin Lohse each rimmed out.
The Wildcats had their fair share of chances, but just shot 39 percent from the field and were 8 of 15 from the free-throw line.
“I am sure we shot about where our average is, which is under 40 percent, but we are just not finishing underneath the basket right now,” Doll said. “We are getting rebounds, we get good looks, but if we could finish under the basket we would be beating a lot of people. We will keep working and we will get better.”
Hill led the Wildcats in scoring with 12 points, including the only two 3-pointers on the night for Louisburg. Parker and Lohse each finished in double figues with 10, while Lohse had six rebounds.
Hovey paced the Wildcats on the glass with a team-high eight rebounds. Parker, Hill and Brady Hickey each tallied a team-high three assists.
Louisburg will try and end its home tournament on a good note tonight when it hosts Girard for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.
“Luckily we play Friday and we can get back at practice and try to resolve this,” Doll said. “We are all healthy now, so now we just have to find the right guys to be on the floor and figure out a rotation.”
Wildcats rally to take down Spring Hill in overtime
Louisburg senior Nathan Parker came off the bench to score a team-high 19 points, including a game-tying 3-pointer to force overtime Thursday at Spring Hill.
SPRING HILL — After the first quarter was complete Thursday at Spring Hill, things were looking bleak for Louisburg.
The Broncos jumped out to a 14-point lead early and nothing seemed to be going right on the Louisburg sideline.
That all changed the rest of the way.
Louisburg’s defense stiffened and Nathan Parker hit a game-tying 3-pointer with just seconds left to force overtime. The Wildcats took care of business in the extra period and left Spring Hill with a 60-57 victory.
“I am super proud of them,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “We talked about how we can’t overlook people and have to do a good job starting the game. It is was an issue to start the game, but the fact that we just kept battling back is awesome. We had some guys off the bench and really gave us a big boost in Nate (Parker), Luke (Hill) and Jaymes (Melton)). All our bench really helped us.”
Parker certainly gave the Wildcats a boost at the biggest moment. With 20 seconds left, Parker came off a screen and knocked down a game-tying 3-pointer that would force overtime.
The Louisburg senior came off the bench to score a game-high 19 points and he also led the Wildcats with four assists and three steals.
“Nate’s shot was definitely huge,” Doll said. “He is a good shooter and we were trying to run something to get him that look and he drained it. He is a very confident shooter. It was awesome.”
Louisburg sophomore Bristol Barbour pulls up for a jump shot Thursday at Spring Hill.
In the overtime, Spring Hill opened the extra period by knocking down a 3-pointer and took the lead. Parker would go on to hit a pair of free throws and then hit a shot to give Louisburg a one point advantage.
Junior Conlee Hovey added another basket to push the Wildcat lead to three. Spring Hill cut it to 1 on a couple different occasions, but senior Luke Hill hit a pair of free throws late to seal the win.
Hill came off the bench to score 11 points, while Hovey finished with nine points and nine rebounds. Hickey added seven points and four assists and five rebounds, while Brock Vohs added six boards as well.
It wasn’t always great for the Wildcats as they found themselves down 17-3 to start the game, but eventually whittled away to force overtime. After giving up 22 points in the first quarter, Louisburg held Spring Hill to just 35 points the rest of the game.
“We did a really good job on defense on getting to their shooters after the first quarter,” Doll said. “Luke did a really good job on one of them and we did a lot better job of locking up their guys late in the game.
“We were just horrendous with the ball to start the game. I think the first four possessions of the game were all turnovers. We did a better job of that, especially in the fourth quarter and overtime. It was one of our keys coming in, and we didn’t do that early. You can’t start like that against any varsity high school team or you are going to have a heck of a time.”
Louisburg is back in action tonight as the Wildcats host the Louisburg Invitational. The Wildcats will face off with Northeast Kansas of Topeka tonight at 5:30 p.m.
Louisburg knew it wasn’t going to be easy as it hosted No. 9-ranked Baldwin on Friday.
For the second time this season, the Bulldogs handed the Wildcats a loss as Baldwin jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in a 62-46 victory over Louisburg.
Baldwin opened the game on a 30-6 run and the Wildcats weren’t able to recover.
Louisburg senior Brady Hickey gets on the floor for a loose ball Friday against Baldwin.
Nathan Parker and Luke Hill led Louisburg in scoring with nine points each, while junior Gavin Lohse had a team-high six rebounds. Bristol Barbour and Jaymes Melton each tallied five rebounds.
Baldwin’s Cooper Carr nearly put together a triple double as he tallied a game-high 27 points to go along with 13 rebounds and eight assists.
Louisburg senior Brock Vohs battles for a rebound Thursday during the Wildcats’ contest at Eudora.
EUDORA — In its first game back from the holidays, the Louisburg boys basketball team found itself in position to get a big road win.
The Wildcats were down by just a couple possessions to Eudora late in Thursday’s contest. Unfortunately, Louisburg couldn’t get the late stops it needed in a 53-46 loss to the Cardinals.
“It is disappointing because I think it was an opportunity lost,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “We played well enough in a lot of ways to win. One of our emphasis going in was to win 50-50 balls, and there were 2 or 3 possessions where they had a miss, got an offensive rebound and scored. In a close game like this one, you have to get 50-50 balls.”
For the first time since their season opener, the Wildcats almost had their full complement of players and they got contributions from up and down their line up.
It all started inside for the Wildcats as juniors Conlee Hovey and Gavin Lohse provided a presence underneath the basket.
Hovey finished with team-high nine points and led the Wildcats with seven rebounds. Lohse added eight points and four rebounds.
Senior Brock Vohs tallied seven points and four rebounds, while senior forward Jaymes Melton added four each.
“Over the entire break, we made an emphasis with our big guys of finishing and going off two feet,” Doll said. “We have guys that can rebound, ones that we can get the ball inside to and we definitely have an advantage down there. We just aren’t doing a great job of finishing there yet, but we did better.”
Louisburg senior Jaymes Melton goes up for a basket Thursday at Eudora.
The Wildcats (3-3) made several runs on the Cardinals, but Eudora always seemed to have an answer — especially Logan Sullivan. The Eudora senior scored a game-high 23 points and made things difficult on Louisburg.
“He is really tough,” Doll said. “There are times we did a bad job on him and he made shots, but we could have done better. But there were at least 2 or 3 shots where there was great defense and he shot over fingertips and knocked it down. In basketball, that is just the way it goes sometimes. You can’t get mad about those things because he is a really good player in this league.”
Louisburg senior Brady Hickey helped keep the Wildcats in it as he knocked down three 3-pointers and tied Hovey for a a team-best nine points. Junior Myles Vohs had a team-high three assists and four rebounds.
Eudora took a 27-19 lead at halftime, but the Wildcats got out to a fast start in the third quarter with an 8-2 run and cut the Cardinal lead to two.
Lohse started the run with a driving basket and Hovey followed with another basket on an assist from Brock Vohs. Lohse added two free throws and Brock Vohs had a put back to cut the Eudora lead to 29-27.
The Cardinals expanded the lead back to eight to start the fourth quarter and the Wildcats could never get over the hump.
Louisburg will try and get back on the winning track Tuesday when it travels to Spring Hill. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
It was a successful, and eventful, 2023 for Louisburg High School athletics and for those who are connected to the Wildcat program.
This past year created a lot of school history for LHS and a few programs brought back state hardware.
Below are the top stories from 2023, along with a brief explanation of each. Included in the writeup is the link to the actual story from the event.
When putting the list together, I took a lot of things into account – whether it was team vs. individual, popularity of the sport, historical achievements and the interest it drew on the web site.
This year was a blast to cover and I am looking forward to seeing what 2024 will bring. Thank you to everyone for their support and can’t wait for it all to begin again.
10. Brings Plenty earns first state cross country medal
WAMEGO — Jerynce Brings Plenty had being eyeing this race since the beginning of the season.
After missing out on the opportunity to run at the Class 4A Kansas State Cross Country Championships in 2022 due to an injury, Brings Plenty was itching at the chance to run against the state’s best.
He got that opportunity at the Wamego Country Club and he took full advantage.
“Getting 12th place and a state medal meant everything to me,” Brings Plenty said. “All season my main focus was to place as high as I could at state, especially since I had only placed 51st as a freshman and didn’t race my sophomore year.”
The 2023 season was a successful one for Brings Plenty as he earned a medal in every race he finished. He also moved up the school’s all-time leaderboard and currently holds the second fastest time.
9. Brueggen wins two state swim medals; Brown earns first boys state medal
Sabra Brueggen and Colin Brown put together a pair of historic seasons for their respective swim teams in 2023.
Brueggen doubled her medal count back in May at the state meet at the Capitol Federal Natatorium in Topeka. The Louisburg sophomore earned state medals in both the 100-yard backstroke and 50 freestyle.
After earning the one medal as a freshman a year ago, Brueggen was happy to find the medal stand in both races this season.
However, it has been a long road for Brueggen to get back to the state meet. After suffering a knee injury last summer, she had to work hard to get back in time for this go-round in a recovery that lasted nine months.
“Going into high school swim this season, I only had one personal goal in mind, making it back to finals at state,” Brueggen said. “Little did I know that I was going to make it back to the ‘A’ final in both my events, allowing me to medal. This truly meant the world to me because this past year has been one of the toughest ones yet. Overcoming this nine month long recovery, and accomplishing this at state, was an indescribable feeling.”
As for Brown, the Wildcat freshman earned the school’s first state medal in boys swimming back in February at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center in Lenexa.
Brown recorded a time of 56.46 seconds in the finals of the 100-yard butterfly to take eighth overall. He swam a season-best time of 55.85 in the preliminaries to garner a spot in the finals.
“Colin’s swim in the medal finals was so fun to watch,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “Hardware from state is not easy to earn and he did a marvelous job all season working toward that final.”
In all, Louisburg sent four swimmers to the state meet in Brown, Brayton Brueggen, Colton Prettyman and Andrew Jamison and the Wildcats turned in several times that earned spots in the consolation finals. As team, the Wildcats finished 15th overall with 44 points.
8. Cheer takes fourth at state
TOPEKA — Louisburg cheer has been no stranger to the big stage when it comes to the state competition.
The Wildcats have become a mainstay in the Class 4A Game Day Spirit Showcase in the last several years that has included a state championship and a pair of state runner-up finishes.
Louisburg found itself in position for another state plaque in November at the Stormont-Vail Events Center in Topeka. The Wildcats qualified for the finals with an impressive performance, but came up just short of another state plaque as they took fourth overall in Class 4A.
“I am so proud,” Louisburg coach Breanna Kostroske said. “This team had to welcome not one, but two new coaches and has worked so hard since May on their competition material and it truly showed on the floor Saturday. Being a new coach you are automatically stressed that you haven’t given enough to all aspects of a game day routine, but we put our faith in the team and they showed up and truly represented themselves in a huge way.”
Members of the Louisburg cheer team are: Elizabeth George, Brooklyn Harmon, Addison Drake, Maddie O’Keefe, Maddy Carpenter-Ross, Caroline Dugger, Anna Brizendine, Reece Jones, Addie Vargo, Laney Stohs, Taryn Osborn, Kayleigh Ramsey, Will Leach, Brooklyn Roney, Harper Boyle, Kimmie Powls, Reece Younggren and Reese Anderson. The Wildcats are coached by Breanna Kostroske and Heather Brummel.
7. Pfannenstiel takes AD position, Wildcat basketball hires new coach Ben Doll
The 2023-24 school year for Louisburg High School activities had little different look to it — especially at the top.
Ty Pfannenstiel was hired as the school’s new activities director and took over for Michael Pickman, who will focus on his assistant principal duties and curriculum.
Pfannenstiel, who has been the boys basketball coach for the last six years, resigned his post to take on the activities director position. He also stepped down as an assistant football coach.
“This is very exciting for me,” Pfannenstiel said. “It’s definitely going to be a change. I have been a teacher and a coach for 18 years. I still get to be a teacher half-time, and now I get to step into a new role as an administrator. It is going to be all sports and activities and I am looking forward to the new direction.”
Louisburg then hired Ben Doll to replace Pfannenstiel as the new Wildcat boys basketball coach. Doll has patrolled the sidelines as an assistant for two state championship teams and has coached in numerous state tournaments over his 24 year career.
This is Doll’s first head coaching position after spending time as an assistant at St. Thomas Aquinas, Johnson County Community College, Lansing and Blue Valley North.
“I am really excited to get going,” Doll said. “It has been a long time coming. I have a lot of great experiences and I am ready to apply those things I have learned into this job. I am ready to put my own stamp on some stuff as well.”
6. Wrestling qualifies six for state, Eslinger medals
SALINA — Just like a year ago, Elijah Eslinger found himself one win away from a spot in the state championship match.
Eslinger, who has been ranked in Class 4A at different times throughout the season, has had a long road as a Wildcat heavyweight. One that included a rough freshman year, to progressively getting better.
With a spot in the semifinals at the Class 4A Kansas State Wrestling Championships already wrapped up, he had already secured his second state medal in Salina. Although he didn’t make that championship match, Eslinger still left Salina with some hardware.
“To make the semifinals was exciting, especially since it was the closest match I had,” Eslinger said. “It was probably close to the hardest match that I had over the weekend. I feel like I could have done better looking at my matches in hindsight.”
The Wildcats nearly had two more wresters earn spots on the medal stand. Junior J’Lee Collins (126 pounds) and sophomore Ashton Moore (175) both made their way to the blood round and needed a win to secure a state medal.
The Wildcats also experienced some heartbreak as senior Kaven Bartlett fell short of his goal of earning another state medal. At 138 pounds, Bartlett finished the state tournament with a 1-2 record.
Senior Trace Eslinger (215) and sophomore Jay McCaskill (157) also represented the Wildcats at the state tournament, but finished with an 0-2 record.
5. Lohse wins three state medals, Lady Cats sixth at state
WICHITA — Emma Lohse blazed the track for the Louisburg girls track and field team all season, and the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships was no different.
Lohse picked up three medals and helped the 4×100-meter relay to another school record at Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium. In all, the Lady Cats medaled in five events and finished sixth in the team standings with 29 points.
“Coming back from Wichita with three state medals was something I had to work for and was happy about the outcome,” Lohse said. “Leaving Cessna Stadium one last time, I was very proud of the way I competed and proud of what I came home with.”
Lohse was just inches away from winning a state championship in the 100-meter dash. At the finish line, the Louisburg senior was step-for-step with Rose Hill’s Kate Dare.
As the two leaned for the finish line, Dare edged Lohse for first as Lohse ran a time of 12.46 seconds. Dare ran a 12.44.
Later in the 200-meter dash, Lohse earned another state medal as she took seventh in 26.77 seconds.
Louisburg’s (seated from left) Kendall Crossley, Suzanna Dansel, (standing from left) Mackenzie Rooney and Emma Lohse pose with their third place state medals in the 4×100 relay. The Lady Cats broke their own school record for the fourth straight time in the prelims.
Sandwiched in between those two races, Lohse helped the 4×100-meter relay of Mackenzie Rooney, Suzanna Dansel and Kendall Crossley to a medal of their own.
The Lady Cat relay finished third overall with a time of 49.70 seconds. Andale won in 49.24 and McPherson was second at 49.67.
However, in the preliminaries on Friday, the team broke their own school record for the fourth consecutive time in 49.26 seconds and had the fastest time going into the finals.
Another Lady Cat to find the medal stand was Emma Prettyman. The Louisburg senior put together a strong showing in the discus.
Prettyman earned her first state medal as she finished sixth in the event with a throw of 115 feet, 9 inches.
4. Wildcat pole vaulters dominate 4A state meet
WICHITA — Maddy Carpenter-Ross, Caden Caplinger and Cooper Wingfield had been considered as some of the top pole vaulters in Class 4A for most of the season.
All three had finished at, or toward the top of each of their meets this year, and all of them had high hopes going into state meet at Wichita State.
Carpenter-Ross and Caplinger reached the highest summit Class 4A had to offer as both were crowned state champions following their respective events.
Caplinger became a two-time state champion first as he cleared 15 feet to win the 4A boys pole vault. Wingfield finished as the state runner-up.
“It means a lot and I am just blessed to have the opportunity to be here and win the title, especially with Cooper right on my tail,” Caplinger said.
Carpenter-Ross thrived under the pressure in the girls competition as she, not only looked for her second consecutive state medal, but her first state championship.
The Louisburg junior captured her first state title after she cleared 11 feet, which tied a personal best. This coming off a season where she medaled fifth at state a year ago.
“I think it is fantastic,” Carpenter-Ross said. “Going to 11 feet, I was tied with the one girl and I was hoping that I would get it on my first try. Then when I did, it was just an amazing feeling.
“It was just awesome for me, plus to see my family’s faces up in the stands was really cool too. Being a state champion is awesome and I plan to do it again.”
3. Wildcat football wins back-to-back Frontier League titles
SPRING HILL — It had been 16 years since the Louisburg football team last repeated as back-to-back Frontier League champions.
That drought ended on an October night in Spring Hill.
In a battle of undefeated league teams, Louisburg proved its was the best. The Wildcats scored 21 unanswered points, and shutout the Broncos in the first half, as they cruised to a 35-21 victory.
Louisburg earned back-to-back league crowns for the first time since the 2006 and 2007 campaigns. The Wildcats also finished the regular season with an 8-0 record.
“It is pretty exciting,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “We talked to the guys before the game about how long it is has been since we have won back-to-back league titles and it has only been done four times in our school’s history. So to chalk another one up there feels pretty good.”
The Wildcats advanced to the regional round of the state playoffs in early November, but lost a heartbreaker to Basehor-Linwood, 22-20, and ended a nine game winning streak.
“This season was a lot of fun,” Harding said. “It is a great group of kids and they worked incredibly hard. They were loose and made it fun every single day. I can’t say enough about how good of kids they are and how hard they work. We hoped to still be moving on, but this loss doesn’t take away from what these kids did all year.”
2. Wildcat volleyball takes fourth at state for second straight year
HUTCHINSON — For the second time in as many years, Louisburg is leaving the state volleyball tournament with some hardware.
The Wildcats, for the second straight season, finished fourth Saturday at the Class 4A Kansas State Volleyball Championships in Hutchinson. It marked the 20th appearance for the Wildcats in the tournament.
Getting that hardware and making it to Saturday was certainly a battle for the Wildcats, who had to fight through adversity during pool play on Friday. Louisburg had to deal with injuries and had its fate rest in another team’s hands.
Despite all that, Louisburg left with a fourth place medal following a tough 23-25, 25-8 and 25-16 loss to Andale in the third-place match Saturday at Hutchinson Sports Arena.
“We are very proud of this team for making it back to the state tournament and finishing in the final four again,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “We, of course, will always strive for higher finishes until we reach that ultimate goal of state champions, but we are proud of where we finished the season and were happy with the success of this team.”
Members of the Louisburg volleyball team are (from left) Adelyn Moore, Caileigh Kilgore, McKenna Lohse, Delaney Nelsen, Aspen Coulter, Evyn Richardson, Ashlyn Berck, Katie Elpers, Izzy Moreland, Megan Quinn, Hailey Sword, Madie Williams and head coach Leanna Willer.
1. Wildcat boys track finishes as state runner-up; Dobbins wins state title in high jump as team medals in 13 events
The Wildcats racked up 87 points during the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships at Wichita State.
Louisburg medaled in all 13 events it competed and the Wildcats finished the meet with two individual state champions. The ending was supposed to feature the Wildcats holding up a state championship plaque.
“If you would have told me at the beginning of the year we would score 87 points at state and not win a championship, I would have just ignored you and said ‘Whatever,’” Louisburg coach Andy Wright said. “No way that would happen.”
As it turned out, the Wildcats found themselves on the outside looking in for a team state title. Andale finished first with 87.5 points. Louisburg had 87.
It was an emotional letdown for the Wildcats as they were so close to that team goal.
“To beat Andale, we had to score 88 and that is just a testament to how good they are,” Wright said. “They have really good athletes, especially in the throws. At the same time, I couldn’t be more proud of my guys and how they competed. It was just so much fun to watch them lay it all out there. They really did have a great season.”
Mason Dobbins reached new heights at the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championship.
Ok, well maybe not literally.
Dobbins who broke a school record in the high jump earlier this year, didn’t reach that height at the state meet — but he didn’t need to. The Louisburg senior cleared 6 feet, 6 inches to win the Class 4A high jump title.
It was the first of four state medals that Dobbins would win on the day as he helped lead the Wildcats to the Class 4A state runner-up plaque.
“It meant everything to be a state champion and to be able to medal in all of my events this year since I didn’t last year,” Dobbins said. “Our team trains so hard, and to be able to be runner up by .5 points, is incredible.”
Dobbins nearly earned his second state title in the 110-meter hurdles as he found himself in a battle with Rose Hill’s Teagan Cobb. The two were stride-for-stride going into he final hurdle, but Cobb nipped Dobbins at the finish line.
Later on, he joined Caden Caplinger, Colyer Wingfield and Ethan Ptacek in the 4×100-meter relay and the team medaled third in 43.38 seconds. Ptacek had to run for Ashton Moore, who was injured during the preliminaries.
Then toward the end of the meet, Dobbins, who was sitting seventh in the 200-meter dash after the preliminaries, battled to keep his team in the state championship race and medaled third in 23.07.
Louisburg senior Nathan Vincent got his team a lot of points in the throwing events as he medaled in the javelin, discus and shot put — with the latter being his best event of the weekend.
Vincent, who just started doing shot put this year, put together his best performance of the season. He recorded a personal best throw of 51-8 in the finals to take third overall. He also went on to take fifth in the discus and sixth in the javelin.
Sophomore Jerynce Brings Plenty also came away with three state medals in the distance events, but none was more precious to him than the 3,200-meter run.
Brings Plenty broke the school record in the event as he medaled third in 9 minutes and 49.41 seconds. He surpassed the old mark of 9:50.60 that was set by Jason Rose in 2007.
He continued his medal streak for the Wildcats as he joined Hunter Heinrich, Blaise Vohs and Colton Blue to medal seventh in the 4×800-meter relay.
Later in the day, Brings Plenty competed in the 1,600 run and took sixth in 4:34.42.
Louisburg senior Nathan Apple left his final state meet with a pair of medals in both hurdle events. Apple finished fourth in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.29 seconds on Saturday.
Apple also went on to take fourth in the 300 hurdles in 40.55 seconds as he ended his Wildcat track career on a positive note.
The Wildcats ended the state meet with the 4×400-meter relay as the team of Heinrich, Vohs, Colyer Wingfield and Ptacek needed a third place finish or better to win the state title. Unfortunately, the Wildcats came up just short as they took fourth in 3:23.98.
Louisburg set a new personal record by three seconds and was .25 seconds away from tying the school record. The Wildcats also scored points in all three relay events.
Week 3 Athlete of the Week: Nathan Parker
Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week three of the winter sports season, sponsored by Louisburg Family Dental.
NATHAN PARKER, SENIOR, BASKETBALL
Louisburg senior Nathan Parker came up big for the Wildcat basketball team in their final game before the holidays. Parker scored a game-high 26 points as he helped the Wildcats to a 57-46 victory on the road at Frontenac last Thursday. The victory gave Louisburg a 3-2 record going into the break.
Two days earlier in a loss to Baldwin, Parker finished with a team-high six assists and accumulated three steals in the two games. On the season, Parker is averaging 13 points and two assists through five games.
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.
Louisburg senior Nathan Parker goes up for two of his 26 points Thursday at Frontenac High School.
The Louisburg boys basketball team received the early Christmas present it was looking for Thursday at Frontenac.
Louisburg got a much-needed victory in its final game before the holidays — thanks in part to Nathan Parker. The Wildcat senior exploded for 26 points in the Wildcats’ 57-46 victory over Frontenac.
The win pushed the Wildcats’ record to 3-2 on the season and gave them some nice momentum going into break.
“It was huge,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “With this break we have now, it is just feels better off a win. Makes practices better and there are good vibes all around. It was also big cause it gives us a winning record and we were able to bounce back off a big loss.”
Parker provided the Wildcats with a big boost in the scoring column as he helped carry his team offensively in a game where they trailed after one quarter.
Louisburg went on to outscore Frontenac 17-10 in the second quarter to take a 25-23 halftime advantage. After an even third, the Wildcats broke the game open in the fourth behind 10 points from Parker in the frame.
The Wildcats also relied on seniors Brady Hickey and Brock Vohs, who played nearly the whole contest as the Wildcats still have several players out due to injury and illness.
“He is one that is a big scorer for us,” Doll said of Parker. “When he is on it is glaring cause he can be so good. He carried us against Frontenac. He built off that game against Baldwin where he had a lot of assists, but didn’t shoot as well. He did some of that on Thursday and he showed what he is capable of as a scorer.
“He also played good defense too with Myles (Vohs) in foul trouble and Brady (Hickey) did a good job in that game as well. I don’t think Brady or Brock (Vohs) came out, and we really leaned on those guys as well.”
Louisburg junior Gavin Lohse finished Thursday’s contest at Frontenac with a game-high 13 rebounds.
Junior Gavin Lohse put together a strong performance underneath the basket and provided the Wildcats with a good rebounding presence. Lohse finished with a double-double as he had a team-high 13 rebounds to go along with 11 points.
“Gavin was huge,” Doll said. “He had most of those rebounds on defense. We haven’t done a good job of keeping teams off the offensive boards so far this year. Gavin was really elevating and he was cleaning it up. He is an emerging guy for us and we are going to need that play down the stretch. He is averaging 9-10 rebounds a game and he got some big ones there in the second half.”
The Wildcats took a 3-point lead going into the final quarter, but the Louisburg defense buckled down and held the Raiders to just seven points.
Parker’s 10 points in the final frame helped the Wildcats pull away, but defense was also a big factor.
“Frontenac didn’t get many second chances and Brady did a good job on their best player and limiting his looks,” Doll said. “We made some free throws and those are things we need to do to win games. We took care of the basketball, and even though we weren’t great at the free-throw line, we made them in the fourth quarter when it mattered.”
Louisburg will try for back-to-back wins out of the break as the Wildcats travel to Eudora on Jan. 4 in their first game back from the holidays.
BALDWIN CITY — If playing the No. 5 team in the state wasn’t difficult enough, Louisburg had the unenviable challenge of playing without four of their players.
Last Tuesday against Baldwin, the Wildcats had two injured players out and two more who were out with an illness. It wasn’t exactly ideal and the Wildcats found themselves down big at halftime.
Still, the Wildcats didn’t back down in the 60-42 loss to the Bulldogs and were able to take away some positives from a tough situation.
“We had to have the mentality of just moving on to the next play and thought we did a good job with that, especially considering it was looking like it might be a running clock,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “But we were able to cut it under 20 and we won the second half, which was a big thing for us. I was really happy that our guys didn’t quit and we cleaned some stuff up. We just have to build on that because we just aren’t healthy right now. It’s not an excuse, it is just where we are at right now.”
Louisburg scored just 14 points in the first half and trailed by 21 at halftime. The Wildcats weren’t able to rally from such a big deficit, but still played with a purpose as they outscored Baldwin 28-25 in the second half.
Senior Brady Hickey led the Wildcats offensively with 13 points, including three 3-pointers. Sophomore Bristol Barbour also finished in double figures with 10, while senior Brock Vohs had eight points and six rebounds.
Jaymes Melton and Ethan Kush also led the Wildcats in rebounding with six each. Nathan Parker led the Wildcats with a team-high six assists.
