It was a successful, and eventful, 2017 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 several programs brought back state hardware to Louisburg.

Below are the Top 10 stories from 2017, along with a brief explanation of each. Included in the explanation is the link to the actual story from the event.

This year was a blast to cover and I was blessed to have the opportunity to go along for the ride with many of these. As much fun as it was, I can’t wait for 2018 to begin. Looking forward to it!

Louisburg’s Calvin Dillon earns his first state golf medal as a freshman as he took 10th at the state meet.

10. Dillon medals at state golf

Louisburg freshman Calvin Dillon certainly didn’t play like a first-year varsity player as he led the Wildcat golf team all season. Dillon finished 10^th at the Class 4A state tournament in Wamego and became the first Wildcat golfer to earn a state medal in several years.

Dillon made the state tournament alongside senior Ty Martin, who finished in 28^th place overall after he earned his second straight state appearance.

Isabelle Holtzen earned her first state medal in the pole vault as she took seventh back in May.

9. Holtzen, Dover earn first state track medals

T.J. Dover finished eighth in the discus at the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships in Wichita.

Junior Isabelle Holtzen and senior T.J. Dover both ended their track and field seasons on a good note as they earned state medals in late May at the Class 4A state meet in Wichita.

Holtzen had a big season in the pole vault as she ended seventh in the state after she cleared 10 feet. Earlier in the year, Holtzen broke a 15-year old school record in the pole vault as she topped 11-1.

Dover made his second consecutive trip to the state meet and finished strong in his final high school performance. He took eighth with a throw of 143-4.

The Wildcats qualified for the state meet in 10 events and had two regional champions in junior Quinn Rigney (100-meter dash) and sophomore Chris Williams (400 dash).

8. Frontier League adds three schools, says goodbye to another

For the Frontier League, 2017 brought a lot of changes to a league that has featured seven schools for the last several years.

Starting in the 2018-19 season, the Frontier League will add three new schools. Piper, Tonganoxie and Bonner Springs each accepted invitations to join the league last April to create a 10-team league.

It is didn’t stay 10 teams for long as De Soto will make the move to a different league during the same season. The current league will be made up of nine schools: Louisburg, Paola, Ottawa, Spring Hill, Baldwin, Eudora, Piper, Tonganoxie and Bonner Springs.

7. Louisburg boys soccer wins regional crown

The Louisburg High School boys soccer team was trying to make its second consecutive trip to the state tournament this past season and the Wildcats almost got there.

Although the Wildcats fell to McPherson in the state quarterfinal game in late October, Louisburg put together another successful season that included a 1-0 victory over Independence in the regional championship game.

The Wildcats finished the season with a 13-6 record and earned the school’s first Frontier League championship since 2010.

Junior Ryan Adams celebrates after he earned a state medal at 138 pounds.

6. Wildcat wrestling qualifies eight for state, Adams picks up medal

The Louisburg High School wrestling team had an historic season as it qualified eight for the Class 4A state wrestling tournament, which tied for the most in school history, during the regional tournament in February at Frontenac High School

Thad Hendrix (106 pounds), Nathan Keegan (120), Kyle Allen (126), Ryan Adams (138), Dylan Meyer (145), Austin Moore (170), Austin Raetzel (195) and Mason Koechner (285) all competed at the state tournament in Salina.

Adams earned the school’s lone state medal on the season as he finished sixth overall at 138 pounds.

Louisburg head football and boys track and field coach Gary Griffin retired from the district after 32 years. It was one of many changes for the LHS athletic department.

5. LHS goes through staff/coaching changes

The 2017-18 school year looked a lot of different than in previous years for Louisburg High School athletics.

LHS saw a lot of changes in its coaching staff and in the administration as well. Activities director Darin Gagnebin stepped down and was replaced by current director Jeremy Holloway.

In the coaching department, former head and assistant football Gary Griffin retired from the district after 32 years with the high school and Louisburg promoted assistant Robert Ebenstein as the new Wildcat head football coach.

Jason Nelson resigned his post as the Wildcat head boys basketball coach and he was replaced with Ty Pfannenstiel. Griffin and Greg Darrington also resigned as the boys and girls track and field coaches, and were replaced by Andy Wright (boys) and John Reece (girls).

Louisburg cross country runners (from left) Tim Smith, Trinity Moore and Wyatt Reece each ended the season with a state medal.

4. LHS cross country earns three state medals, qualifies girls team

The Louisburg High School cross country team might have had its best season in its 19-year history in 2017.

The Wildcats thrived against some of the state’s best competition as seniors Wyatt Reece, Tim Smith and sophomore Trinity Moore all earned state medals at the Class 4A meet in Wamego.

Moore recorded the highest finish for a female runner in school history as she finished fifth in the state and broke her own school record in the process with a time of 19 minutes and 47 seconds.

In the boys race, Reece picked up his first state medal with a time of 17 minutes and finished 11^th overall. Smith, who won a regional title the week before, came in 15^th with a time of 17:05. Smith was the first Wildcat to win a regional title in school history.

Louisburg also made history as the Wildcat girls team qualified for the state meet for the first time after they finished third at their regional in Burlington. Moore joined Isabelle Holtzen, Reilly Alexander, Carlee Gassman, Kaitlyn Lewer, Payton Shaffer and Emily Williams to make up the seven-member squad that finished 10^th in the team standings at state.

Earlier in the year, Moore became the school’s first Frontier League champion, while Reece recorded the highest league finish in boys history as he took second at the league meet.

3. Louisburg boys basketball earns first state tournament berth in 12 years

The season may not have started out the way the Louisburg boys basketball team would have liked, but it certainly finished on a positive note.

Louisburg knocked off rival Paola in the sub-state semfinals and then defeated Fort Scott in the championship game in early March to earn its first sub-state championship since 2005.

The Wildcats earned the No. 6 seed and squared off with eventual champion Bishop Miege at the Class 4A state tournament in Salina. The Stags ended the Wildcats’ season with an 81-47 loss.

2. LHS girls soccer finishes fourth at state tournament

Louisburg’s girls soccer program has only been around for two years, but the Wildcats have set high expectations from the beginning and that continued in 2017.

The Wildcats advanced to the Class 4-1A state semifinals for the first time in school history as they defeated Piper with a 2-1 victory in overtime. This victory came off their second consecutive regional title as they knocked off Bonner Springs.

At the state tournament, Louisburg faced off with Thomas More Prep and suffered a heart-breaking 1-0 loss in the semifinals. The Wildcats moved on to the third-place game against Maize South and eventually finished fourth overall.

1. Lady Cat volleyball ends season as state runner-up

The Louisburg High School volleyball team was just one point away from not only becoming the school’s first state volleyball champion – but also the first female team to win a state title in Louisburg history.

As close as the Lady Cats got, they came up just short against defending state champion Rose Hill in late October at the Class 4A-Division I state championship. Louisburg fell 23-25, 25-10 and 29-27 in heartbreaking fashion to finish as the state runner-up.

Still, it was an impressive season for Louisburg volleyball as it finished with a 34-10 record. The Lady Cats reeled off wins over Basehor-Linwood, Bishop Miege and Rose Hill in pool play and then downed Wellington in the state semifinals.

The Lady Cats received several accolades as junior Anna Dixon and senior Sophie McMullen earned first team all-state and all-league honors. Dixon was also named as the Co-Player of the Year in Class 4A-Division I.

Junior Carson Buffington was also named to the all-state tournament team with Dixon and McMullen.

Louisburg senior Ben Minster goes up for two of his 12 points during the Wildcats’ contest with Ottawa on Tuesday at Louisburg High School. The Wildcats fell to the No. 4-ranked Cyclones, 55-39.

Down by just two points at halftime to the No. 4-ranked team in the state, the Louisburg High School boys basketball team couldn’t have asked to be in a better position.

The Wildcats had an opportunity to pull off one of the bigger upsets of the early season against Ottawa and give themselves some momentum going into the holiday break.

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the second half didn’t go as well as the first.

Ottawa held the Louisburg offense to just five points in the third quarter and the Wildcats couldn’t keep up with the Cyclones in a 55-39 loss.

“I thought the first half we were playing well, defensively and offensively,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “I thought we had a lot of energy, which I think is so important for us. The second half, for some reason, we didn’t have that energy. Ottawa came out fired up and got some buckets to go in. We got six possessions without a basket and we just looked deflated. That is the difference. We have to find ways to fight through that, and that is two games in a row where we have been flat in the second half.”

In the first quarter, Louisburg and Ottawa traded the lead five times before the Cyclones went up 14-11 going into the second quarter.

Louisburg junior Dylan DeShazer gave the Wildcats a lead early in the second on a 3-pointer, before the Cyclones took it back until late in the first half. Junior guard Brayden Gage hit a runner in the lane to put Louisburg up one with just more than a minute left before halftime.

Ottawa ended the second quarter with a 3-pointer to give the Cyclones a 24-22 advantage going into the locker room. Still, the Wildcats had the momentum on their side.

The second half turned out to be a different story. The Wildcats (1-5) watched as Ottawa opened the second half on an 11-2 run and Louisburg struggled to find success on the offensive end.

Senior Parker Perentis drives past an Ottawa defender Tuesday in Louisburg.

“We were patient on offense, especially in the first half,” Pfannenstiel said. “Then when we had a few possessions where we didn’t score in the second half, then we started going back to doing stuff on our own and standing around and watching other guys. I was disappointed in our body language when things weren’t going right for us.

“We just have to keep fighting no matter what the score is, we just have to keep fighting. We are not very good when we are not playing with energy, and we lost that in the second half.”

Ottawa started the fourth quarter on another big 11-3 run to put the game out of reach for the Wildcats and hand them their third straight loss.

Senior Ben Minster led the Wildcats in scoring with 12 points, while senior Dalton Ribordy and Gage each finished with seven points.

Louisburg will try for a fresh start following the holiday break when it hosts Baldwin on Jan. 4. The Wildcats defeated Baldwin earlier in the season.

“Ottawa is a good team,” PfannenstieI said. “I think we proved we can play with those teams, but you can’t say you played with a team for a half – you have to play that kind of basketball for four quarters. We have to keep that fight and try and build that momentum. We have lots of work to do, but I don’t think we are that far away.”

LOU               11           11           5             12 – 39

OTT               14           10           12           19 – 55

LOUISBURG (1-5): Ben Minster 12, Dalton Ribordy 7, Brayden Gage 7, Dylan DeShazer 5, Kohl Vogel 3, Justin Sievert 3, Desmond Doles 2. Totals: 14-39 8-14 39. 3-point field goals: 3, (Vogel, Sievert, DeShazer)

Louisburg senior Dalton Ribordy puts a up a shot in-between two Eudora defenders Tuesday at Eudora High School. Ribordy led the Wildcats with 13 points to go along with seven rebounds and six steals.

EUDORA – Things looked bleak for the Louisburg High School boys basketball team early in its Frontier League opener against Eudora.

Eudora jumped out to a 15-point lead in the first quarter before the Wildcats even had a chance to make a field goal. It had all makings of a game that was getting ready to get out of hand.

Instead, the Wildcats put together a big run of their own and eventually took a short lead late in the first half. However, Louisburg found itself in another big hole in the second half, and this time it couldn’t climb out of it in a 59-49 loss Tuesday in Eudora.

Despite the sebackt, Louisburg head coach Ty Pfannenstiel found a few positives to build on, including that big first half rally.

“I was really proud of them to be able to battle back from that,” Pfannenstiel said. “That was as slow of a start that we can have and we struggled to score. I told them that we were going to have to come back possession by possession and that we couldn’t get it all back at once. It starts on the defense end, and I thought that was really good to see.”

Louisburg (1-4) found itself down 17-2 to start the game before junior Kohl Vogel hit a 3-pointer for the Wildcats’ first field goal of the game and senior Dalton Ribordy followed it up with another bucket to cut the lead to 10 going into the second quarter.

The Wildcats outscored the Cardinals 17-7 before halftime and actually took a 24-22 advantage with a minute left in the first half on a layup from senior Ben Minster. Eudora tied the game again with 35 seconds left and the two teams were knotted at 24-all going into the locker room.

Although Louisburg had momentum on its side going into the second half, Eudora got out to another quick start as it went on a 13-4 run and the Wildcats trailed by nine going into the final period.

Senior Justin Sievert rises up for a shot Tuesday at Eudora.

Eudora increased its lead to 13 in the fourth quarter and Louisburg could overcome another big deficit this time around. The Wildcats also had a tough time stopping Eudora forward Rock Jerome, who finished with a game-high 22 points.

“Those guards are pretty good,” Pfannenstiel said. “They can take it off the dribble and they were smooth. It seemed like Eudora came out with a little more energy to start the second half. They were able to get a couple quick buckets and gave them some momentum. Both halves we started off slow, especially in the first half. If we don’t get down 15, then I think the game is a different story.

“We knew going in that Eudora is good defensively. A lot of their games have been low-scoring and we struggled to get into any flow offensively. We just have to find ways to go through those huge scoring droughts.”

Louisburg got a big game from Ribordy as he led the Wildcats in scoring with 13 points to go along with seven rebounds. He also led Louisburg defensively with a team-high six steals.

“I thought Dalton had a really good game and I thought he brought a lot of energy and leadership that we needed,” Pfannenstiel said. “We need start working the ball through him a lot more. That is when we started making our runs is when he was being aggressive and we were making it a point to get him the ball.”

Senior Desmond Doles also finished in double figures for the Wildcats with 10 points and three steals. Junior Brayden Gage added seven points in the loss.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Wildcats as they will host Ottawa on Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff in their final game before the holiday break. Ottawa is currently ranked No. 6 in Class 4A-Division I.

“We have a week to prepare and they are traditionally good every year,” Pfannenstiel said of Ottawa. “We just have to keep plugging away and working hard in practice. I think defensively we will stay in games, but we have to do more on the offensive end to be able to hang with these teams and not get in these big holes.”

LOU               7             17           10           15 – 49

EUD               17           7             19           16 – 59

LOUISBURG (1-4): Dalton Ribordy 13, Desmond Doles 10, Brayden Gage 7, Ben Minster 5, Dylan DeShazer 5, Justin Sievert 4, Kohl Vogel 3, Noah Hill 2. Totals: 19-39 8-12 49. 3-point field goals: 3, (Gage, Vogel, DeShazer)

Louisburg senior Dalton Ribordy pulls down a rebound during the final game of the Wildcat-Bulldog Classic on Friday at Baldwin High School. The Wildcats came up short in a 56-54 loss to Anderson County.

BALDWIN CITY – When Anderson County’s John Rundle banked in a 3-pointer with under a minute left to tie the game against Louisburg, Wildcat head Ty Pfannenstiel couldn’t help but think it wasn’t his team’s night.

“Every time I watch basketball, or I am coaching it, every time there is a banked in three I always call it the ‘Kiss of Death,’” Pfannenstiel said. “It always seems like something is going right for that team when it happens. It is not like we were done there, but sometimes stuff like that happens. A three is a three, no matter how it goes in, but that was a big shot for them.”

After a Louisburg turnover and a pair of Anderson County free throws later, the Wildcats walked off the floor following a 56-54 loss to Anderson County in the final game of the Wildcat-Bulldog Classic on Friday at Baldwin High School.

It was a painful defeat for the Wildcats after they staked themselves a 15-point lead midway through the second quarter, but they couldn’t hold on. Louisburg finished the tournament with a 1-2 record, with its lone win earlier in the week against Baldwin.

Louisburg (1-3) trailed 14-11 midway through the first quarter, but the Wildcats’ defense took over as it helped them to a big lead. The Wildcats went on a 26-6 run as they forced several Anderson County mistakes thanks to their pressure defense. In all, Louisburg forced 22 turnovers.

The Wildcats built a 35-20 lead midway through the second quarter, but Louisburg turned the ball over on seven of its final nine possessions of the first half as Anderson County went on a 10-0 run to cut the Louisburg lead to 35-30 at half.

“We have continue to keep the foot on the gas,” Pfannenstiel said. “Our press had a lot to do with that. In the second half, they figured it out a little bit so we got out of that. We are going to have to find ways to score when we aren’t in transition. We need to get them into some different offensive looks and that falls on me. I have to help them out.”

Turnovers and bad shots continued to haunt the Wildcats in the second half as they committed 18 turnovers for the game, but still maintained the lead late in the fourth quarter.

Junior Brayden Gage goes up for two of his team-high 14 points in Friday’s loss to Anderson County.

Junior Brayden Gage provided Louisburg with an offensive spark with under two minutes left as he broke open a tie game with a free throw and then scored a basket after teammate Dalton Ribordy grabbed a big offensive rebound.

Senior Ben Minster extended the Wildcats’ lead to 54-51 with a minute left in the contest, but Randle’s 3-pointer tied the game with 39 seconds left. Anderson County then stole the ball on Louisburg’s next possession and was fouled. Kass Allnutt hit a pair of free throw with 13 seconds remaining in the game to give Anderson County the lead.

Louisburg had one final opportunity to either tie or win the game, but Desmond Doles’ 3-pointer fell short at the buzzer.

“We have to find ways to score the basketball,” Pfannenstiel said. “We will have to sit back and evaluate and see if we need to change up what we are doing or what it is. I just think we need to relax a little bit and I think we put a little too much pressure on ourselves. We just need to play more team basketball. It was a tough way to lose.”

Gage led Louisburg in scoring with 14 points and Doles also finished in double figures with 10 points to go along with five points and five assists. Minster also bad an impact on both sides of the floor with nine points, seven rebounds and a team-high six steals.

Junior Kohl Vogel came off the bench to give the Wildcats good minutes as well and scored seven points.

Louisburg will try and get back on track Tuesday when it travels to Eudora for its Frontier League opener. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU               18           17           6             13 – 54

AC                  16           14           8             18 – 56

LOUISBURG (1-3): Brayden Gage 14, Desmond Doles 10, Ben Minster 9, Kohl Vogel 7, Dylan DeShazer 6, Justin Sievert 4, Dalton Ribordy 4. Totals: 23-55 5-12 54. 3-point field goals: 3, (Gage 2, Vogel)

Louisburg senior Ben Minster draws a foul in the lane against Baldwin on Tuesday during the Wildcat-Bulldog Classic at Baldwin High School. Minster led the Wildcats with 14 points and 10 rebounds. 

BALDWIN CITY – The first two games didn’t unfold the way new Louisburg head coach Ty Pfannenstiel had hoped.

One ended in a double-figure loss to a state-ranked Pittsburg team, and in the other, Louisburg struggled from the field in a close loss to Burlington to open the Wildcat-Bulldog Classic.

Needless to say, the Wildcats helped make up for those losses in a big way Tuesday as they picked up their first win of the season in a 65-51 victory in the second round of the Wildcat-Bulldog Classic at Baldwin High School.

The Wildcats got the victory thanks to their defense as that helped spark a big third quarter run that helped widen their lead to double digits over the Bulldogs.

“It was a much-needed win for us and our kids played hard,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “I thought our defense was good all night, but we took it to a different level in the third quarter. When we get out and guard and get in passing lanes, that’s going to lead to some transition points, which needs to be one of our strengths this season.”

Up by just three points midway through the third quarter, the Louisburg defense came to life and helped spark a 16-6 run to end the frame the give the Wildcats a 49-36 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Seniors Desmond Doles and Justin Sievert had to back-to-back steals that led to easy layups in transition and gave them a 42-32 lead.

Louisburg had a balanced scoring effort as it had three players score in double figures. Senior Ben Minster recorded a double-double led the Wildcats with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Doles and Sievert each finished with 13 to go along with seven and six rebounds, respectively. Senior Dalton Ribordy finished just missed double figures with eight points.

Desmond Doles goes up for two of his 13 points in a win Tuesday over Baldwin.

Defensively, Minster led the Wildcats with four steals and Sievert added three. As a team, the Wildcats forced 17 Baldwin turnovers.

“We were balanced offensively,” Pfannenstiel said. “Ben, Justin and Dez did a great job of attacking the rim. Again, their defensive pressure led to a lot of those buckets.”

Except for the first few minutes of the first quarter, Louisburg held the lead the entire way starting when Brayden Gage broke open a tie game with a 3-pointer early.

Louisburg built at 25-17 lead in the second quarter, before Baldwin went on a mini 7-2 run to end the frame to cut into the Wildcat lead.

Doles and Ribordy opened the second half with back-to-back baskets and the Wildcat defense took care of the rest as they held Baldwin to just 31 percent from the floor.

Louisburg will try for its second straight win tonight when it travels back to Baldwin for the final game of the Wildcat-Bulldog Classic against Anderson County. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.

LOU               14           15           20           16 – 65

BAL                12           12           12           15 – 51

LOUISBURG (1-2): Ben Minster 14, Justin Sievert 13, Desmond Doles 13, Dalton Ribordy 8, Brayden Gage 5, Parker Perentis 4, Dylan DeShazer 4. Totals: 23 15-28 65. 3-point field goals: 3, (Gage, Perentis, Sievert)

Wildcats come up short against Burlington

Louisburg almost picked up its first win of the season Monday when it opened the Wildcat-Bulldog Classic against Burlington, but the Wildcats struggled from the field in a 40-35 loss.

Although the Wildcat defense held Burlington to just 35 percent from the floor and forced 16 turnovers, Louisburg struggled on the other end as it shot just 31 percent despite getting out to a 13-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Senior Ben Minster led the Wildcats in scoring with 13 points and fellow senior Desmond Doles finished the game with nine. Doles also had four steals on the defensive end to lead Louisburg.

“I thought we played pretty well defensively, but we have to find ways to score,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We just really struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities.”

The second quarter wasn’t a friendly one for the Wildcats as Burlington took the lead back as it outscored Louisburg 16-6 before halftime. It turned out to be the difference in the contest.

LOU               13           7             7             8 – 35

BUR               7             16           9             8 – 40

LOUISBURG: Ben Minster 13, Desmond Doles 9, Justin Sievert 5, Dalton Ribordy 4, Parker Perentis 3, Dylan DeShazer 1. Totals: 14 4-8 35. 3-point field goals: 2, (Sievert, Perentis)

Louisburg senior guard Justin Sievert drives the lane on a Pittsburg defender Friday at Louisburg High School. Pittsburg defeated the Wildcats 76-48 in their season opener.

Starting off the season with just one returning starter from a state tournament team last year is difficult enough, but to do it against the No. 7 team in the state is even more challenging.

The Louisburg High School boys basketball team hosted No. 7 Pittsburg on Friday in its season opener and the Purple Dragons handed the Wildcats a 76-48 loss.

The defeat also spoiled the debut of Wildcat head coach Ty Pfannenstiel, who is in his first season with Louisburg.

“I was very impressed with them,” Pfannenstiel said of Pittsburg. “I thought we battled hard early, got down and then fought back again which was good versus this team. Pittsburg just opened it up in the second half and they are relentless on the boards.

“They have some athletes out there, but our kids will learn from this. We will watch film and to see how hard we are really playing. It isn’t that we aren’t trying to play hard, I just don’t think they realize what it takes yet.”

Louisburg faced adversity early as three starters picked up two fouls in the first quarter, including the team’s lone returning starter in senior forward Dalton Ribordy. Junior point guard Brayden Gage and senior Ben Minster were also saddled with a pair of fouls, but Ribordy and Gage later picked up their third in the second quarter.

Louisburg junior Dylan DeShazer goes up for an easy basket Friday. DeShazer led Louisburg in scoring with 16 points.

The Wildcats were forced to go to their bench early and they were able to keep their team in the game in the first half.

“We did some good things out there,” Pfannenstiel said. “We had some cold shooting and I don’t think we expected three starters to get in foul trouble early. With Ribordy, I don’t think that is what he was expecting from his first game and I think he was a little over aggressive. I liked his intensity, but he just needs to play a little smarter after getting the first foul early.

“We just have to learn and that will come. Pittsburg played with a different speed than what we have seen in practice and hopefully that will open their eyes.”

Junior Dylan DeShazer came off the bench in place of Ribordy and had a big night with a team-high 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. DeShazer scored eight straight points in the second quarter to trim Pittsburg’s lead to eight.

Senior Desmond Doles hit a pair of free throws to make the deficit just six, but Pittsburg ended the first half on a 10-0 run to go up 38-22 at halftime.

“Dylan did some good things and he can really shoot it,” Pfannenstiel said. “He bodied up well, played good defense and grabbed some big rebounds. He is going to be a player for us and I was proud of the way we battled back. I don’t think we understand the momentum we could have had if we could have kept building on that.”

DeShazer was the lone Wildcat to score in double figures, but had some help as Minster finished the game with nine points, while Doles and fellow senior Justin Sievert each scored seven.

Louisburg will try and get back on track starting today as it travels to Baldwin High School for the Wildcat-Bulldog Classic. The Wildcats will face off with Burlington at 5:30 p.m. today and then will meet Baldwin at 7 p.m., tomorrow.

“This is the best way to get that taste out of your mouth is to get right back on the court,” Pfannenstiel said. “We will see what kind of mistakes we can correct and we have to make sure we are ready to go.”

LOU               12           10           16           10 – 48

PITT               19           19           21           17 – 76

LOUISBURG (0-1): Dylan DeShazer 16, Ben Minster 9, Justin Sievert 7, Desmond Doles 7, Dalton Ribordy 3, Parker Perentis 3, Noah Hill 2, Kohl Vogel 1. 3-point field goals: 4, (DeShazer 2, Sievert, Perentis)

Louisburg head coach Ty Pfannenstiel is in first year with the Wildcat boys basketball team as he tries to build off the program’s best finish in 12 years. 

Last season, the Louisburg High School boys basketball team had its best finish in 12 years as the Wildcats earned a spot in the Class 4A-Division I state tournament.

It was a senior-laden team that caught fire at the right time and put together one final run.

However, almost every part of that team is gone and the Wildcats are ready to start anew for the 2017-18 season – from the players all the way to a new coaching staff.

Louisburg returns just one starter from a season ago and two other players that saw varsity time. The rest is a different lineup and a new head coach in Ty Pfannenstiel, who took over for Jason Nelson after he resigned at the end of last year.

Although there will be several fresh faces for the Wildcats, they hope this team can build on what last year’s version accomplished.

“Absolutely we want to build off of that momentum,” Pfannenstiel said. “The schedule is going to be grueling right off the bat, so we will have a battle on our hands each night. These guys are competitors and the expectations are extremely high for this group.”

It has been a good offseason for the new Wildcat head coach as he used that time to get to know his team and what to expect out of this group. He also wanted to make sure the players knew what to expect from him.

Pfannenstiel came to Louisburg from Oakley High School, where he was the school’s athletic director, head football coach and head girls basketball coach. He also spent time as an assistant boys basketball coach at Gardner-Edgerton.

“I feel like the transition has been very smooth,” Pfannenstiel said. “We got a good start with our summer workouts and are just continuing to build off of that. My expectations are for our kids to be good representatives of Louisburg High School in how we prepare and compete on the court, and how we conduct ourselves off of the floor.

“Obviously, my system and terminology is new to these guys so there is a big learning curve. I think as the year moves on we will get more comfortable in what we do.”

Senior Dalton Ribordy is the team’s lone returning starter from last season’s state tournament team.

The Wildcats will lean heavily on their five returning seniors, including returning starter Dalton Ribordy. The Louisburg forward was a factor inside for the Wildcats last season and was among the team leaders in rebounds.

Ribordy (6-foot-4) will join seniors Ben Minster (6-1), Desmond Doles (6-4), Justin Sievert (6-0) and junior Brayden Gage (5-9) in the starting lineup. Minster and Doles also saw a lot of varsity minutes a season ago.

“I really like this group,” Pfannenstiel said. “First of all, they are all good kids which makes coaching so much fun. Even though we have five seniors, our varsity experience will still be pretty limited at the start. Dalton has the most experience on the court. He has really emerged as a leader for us in practice. He’s a workhorse day in and day out and we are expecting a big year out of him. I think all the seniors are going to be major contributors for us, each in their own way.”

Senior Parker Perentis (5-10), juniors Dylan De Shazer (6-4), Noah Hill (6-4), Kohl Vogel (6-1) and sophomore Madden Rutherford (6-3) will all see varsity time as well off the bench.

Pfannenstiel is also excited about the depth he has this season, which will allow the Wildcats to do some different things on both ends of the floor.

“I think we have pretty good depth and athleticism,” he said. “I think this will allow us to play up tempo and be great on defense each night. Our kids are excited to play. We have a lot to learn, but I think we have made good progress each day.”

Louisburg will get its season started Friday when it hosts Pittsburg. The tipoff will follow the varsity girls game, at approximately 7:30 p.m.

The Purple Dragons were picked to win SEK League and Pfannenstiel knows his team will be tested early and throughout the season.

“I want us to be extremely competitive each night,” he said. “I think with last year’s success, the expectations have been raised for this group, which is exactly how we want it. We expect to be great each night we step on the court.”

The Kansas High School Activities Association released the classifications for the 2017-18 season on Tuesday morning, and for Louisburg High School, much remains the same.

The Wildcats are currently a Class 4A-Division I program with 532 students, but after this season the classification system will change. Class 4A will get rid of the divisions and 4A will have just 36 schools. Louisburg is still expected to be in 4A for the foreseeable future.

However, several schools across the state made classification changes.

Arkansas City and Sumner Academy dropped from Class 5A to 4A for the upcoming season, while Galena, Hugoton and Marysville all moved up to 4A. Maize South jumped from 4A to 5A.

Colby , Goodland, Scott City and Haven all dropped from 4A to 3A schools, while McLouth moved up from 2A to 3A.

Hays is currently the largest 4A school with 791 students, followed by Sumner Academy (782), Andover Central (764), Bonner Springs (762) and Arkansas City (757).

Sub-state and regional assignments for the fall season will be released in the coming days.

Louisburg High School activities director Jeremy Holloway is looking forward to his new position as he starts his 17th year in the USD 416 school district. 

Growing up, Jeremy Holloway wasn’t one to stay in a place for too long.

Holloway spent most of his childhood and young adult life moving from place to place. He wasn’t the type of person who envisioned himself putting down roots.

“I was a constant migrant,” Holloway said.

That was until he moved to Louisburg with his wife Megan. Now instead of a migrant, Holloway is deep-rooted in a town he loves.

It made his decision, almost two months ago, an easy one.

Back in June, Holloway was hired as the new Louisburg High School activities director and assistant principal, following the resignation of former activities director Darin Gagnebin. Holloway, who has spent the last 16 years as a teacher at Louisburg Middle School, is ready for the new challenge.

“I am really looking forward to it,” Holloway said. “I have been here in Louisburg for 17 years. I never lived anywhere for more than four years in my life until I came to Louisburg. I never knew what it was like to be a part of a community and when I got here I just fell in love with the town. I was excited to become a part of it and Louisburg became important to me. The teaching was great and getting to know all the kids and see them grow up all the way through college was fun. Now I see some of my former students teaching in the building here and it is an amazing feeling. It just felt like home to me.”

Fate seemed to step in at the right time for Holloway. He entered the summer still planning to teach history at the middle school, but the dominoes quickly started to fall into place.

Holloway was well on his way to getting his administration degree this past school year as he was planning on holding on to it until something in Louisburg came open. He didn’t have to wait long.

“I had to get recertified, so I talked with my wife and I said why get an education masters if it is just going to move me on the pay scale,” he said. “Why not get an administration degree to have options? There are other places near here that are looking for people, but that isn’t what I want. The only move I would make is to stay in Louisburg. I happened to be down in Eureka Springs on vacation and I got a text in middle of night that Gagnebin had resigned. I had just got my diploma the day before we left. I applied and it turned out well and hopefully it was a good thing.”

Louisburg USD 416 superintendent Dr. Brian Biermann had to sift through more than 20 different applicants for the job, but he believes Holloway is going to do great things in the position.

“Jeremy has been a loyal and dedicated teacher and coach in our community for 17 years,” Dr. Biermann said. “Jeremy possesses many strong leadership attributes that will allow him to be a strong, instructional leader at Louisburg High School. He is passionate about education, has a strong work ethic and is committed to our community.

“Jeremy is all about building positive relationships with students, staff and the community. For 17 years he has been building these relationships. Now, he will be able to build upon his unique skill set in a leadership position in our district. I am excited to see the great things Mr. Holloway can contribute to our district and community in this new role.”

One of the first things Holloway wanted to do was to get to know his new coaching staff. Several new coaches were hired this past school year and he wanted to see what they were all about.

“I just want them to feel comfortable with me and let them understand that I am approachable,” Holloway said. “That relationship piece is huge. I am getting to know where they are from, how many kids they have and I want them to feel comfortable coming to me. We do lose some great experience, but we have gained some capable coaches and a lot of enthusiasm. I just want to be a positive impact for them.”

Since he started officially on July 24, Holloway has been hard at work in several different areas, but one of the bigger things going on now is the shuffling of the Frontier League.

The league, which will be at seven schools this year, will move up to nine starting for the 2018-19 school year. Bonner Springs, Tonganoxie and Piper will join the league, while De Soto will depart.

Baldwin, an original league member, is concerned the school will move down to Class 3A starting in 2018-19, thanks to changes in the classification system. If it happens, it will create scheduling conflicts for football.

“The biggest conflict right now is Baldwin is right on the edge of becoming 3A and they think it will happen,” Holloway said. “If Baldwin is in our league, which is what we plan on, they are required to play five district games for football, which only leaves them three league games. If only three league teams play Baldwin, then the rest of the league teams have to find another team to play. I have schools from Lansing, Independence, Coffeyville, Chanute and other schools calling me trying to lock up games. There are so many different scenarios so we just have to wait and see. That is one thing that I am really working on right now.”

With the activity season fast approaching, Holloway is excited for everything to get underway. He is also looking forward to getting to know the fan base more.

“I have always been highly impressed of Louisburg and the support of its teams and the turnout we will get, especially for football games,” Holloway said. “I encourage Louisburg to continue the tradition of being a class act. I think that every town has its own culture and a lot of it starts with the coaches. If your coaches are harassing refs, your players are probably going to start to learn that they can do that and that will trickle down to the parents and crowd. Without pointing fingers, there are certain places where that is the climate. I think Louisburg has been great. There are always going to be situations, but I would encourage fans and parents to support our coaches and let them coach.

“I am looking forward to an exciting year. We have great coaches, that are experienced and they are very innovative. They are organized and they all seem truly excited about what is going on. The community can rest assured that the coaches that are in place right now have the best interest of the kids and the programs.”

The Louisburg High School football team was one of many bright spots for LHS athletics this past school year. 

We live in a world where, especially in sports, we often don’t take time to reflect on our accomplishments – and instead we are in a rush to move on to the next set of obstacles.

In reality, we are in a “what have you done for me lately” society and sometimes don’t remember, or enjoy, those special moments where our hard work has paid off.

Yes, I understand you don’t want to relish in those accomplishments as that doesn’t make you a better athlete, or whatever your specialty may be, but not taking the time to enjoy the ride can be detrimental.

And what a ride it was for Louisburg High School athletics this past season.

The Wildcats had a special year in several sports, and before we focus on the 2017-18 campaign, we should look back at what the 16-17 season brought us. Just take a look at what these Wildcats accomplished.

• There is probably no better place to start than the Louisburg soccer teams. Both the boys and girls teams earned spots in the state semifinals for the first time in program history and both finished fourth. The boys team made it to state for the first time in their 14 years, while the girls advanced to the state tournament in just their second season. 
  

  The Louisburg High School girls soccer team finished fourth in the state in just their second season. The Wildcat boys also finished fourth as they advanced to the state semifinals for the first time in program history.

• It was quite the season for the Wildcat boys basketball team as they advanced to the state tournament for the first time since 2005. Louisburg won its sub-state tournament with a 64-52 win over Fort Scott in the championship game.
  

  The Louisburg boys basketball team qualified for state for the first time since 2005.

• The Louisburg football team made quite the run in the 2016 season. The Wildcats won their first playoff game since 2012 and earned a regional title in the process with a win over Independence. Even though their season came to an end in the next round to eventual state champion Bishop Miege, the Wildcats’ still finished with an 8-3 record.
• Wrestling had another big season as the Wildcats qualified eight for the Class 4A state tournament in Salina. Although Ryan Adams was the lone state medalist, as he finished sixth overall at 138 pounds, the Wildcats tied a school record for number of state qualifiers that was set back in 1984.
• In cross country, the Wildcats sent three runners to the state meet and had their first state medalist since 2006 when freshman Trinity Moore finished 19th overall, as she, Wyatt Reece and Tim Smith competed at the Wamego meet. Moore was also the school’s first female runner to earn a state medal.
• Freshman golfer Calvin Dillon became the Wildcats’ first state medalist in several years as he finished 10th at the Class 4A state tournament and was one of two Wildcats, along with Ty Martin, to qualify for state. Dillon could quite possibly be the first freshman golfer in school history to get a medal, but since golf stats aren’t quite as well kept, it is hard to tell for sure.
• T.J. Dover and Isabelle Holtzen came through with state medals of their own following the state track meet. Holtzen finished seventh at the Class 4A meet in the pole vault and Dover was eighth in the discus as both medaled for the first time. Holtzen also broke the school record in the pole vault earlier in the season after she cleared 11 feet, 1 inch.
• The girls basketball and softball teams both had big improvements from a season ago as they each reached 10 wins despite falling in the first round of their sub-state and regional tournaments. Softball doubled their win total from 2016, while the girls basketball team improved by seven victories.
• The Louisburg volleyball team advanced to the sub-state championship game against rival Paola and was just a few points away from advancing to its fifth consecutive state tournament. The Lady Cats also finished the season with 23 victories.

Most schools across the state would love to have the kind of success Louisburg experienced this year and to me that doesn’t seem like it is talked about enough.

Sometimes we get caught up in losses or not meeting expectations, when in fact, compared to a lot of schools, Louisburg exceeds expectations – at least it does mine.

Could these programs be better? Sure they could and the coaches would be the first to tell you. At the same time, we all need to take a step back, look at the big picture and enjoy the success we have.

To me, Louisburg athletics is as healthy as it has been in a long time.

A lot has been made about all the coaches that have left recently. Louisburg will have four new head coaches this upcoming school year and several new assistants.

Some people have considered this a mass exodus due problems at the school. It couldn’t be further from the truth. A lot of it is just coincidence. For some it was retirement, others wanted to spend more time with family and a few more just wanted a change.

Former activities director Darin Gagenbin left to be closer to his family and work in the town where he lives. I know all about how great of an opportunity that is and it is the same thing I did almost 10 years ago when I moved here with my family. Working in the town you live in is something you can’t put a value on.

Louisburg found a great replacement in Jeremy Holloway, who has been with the district for 17 years and is invested in the community. The school has also brought it a lot of new, young coaches that have come in with excitement and new ideas.

It is bittersweet for me as a lot of those coaches I had a chance to get to know really well are now gone. Although I am mainly a solo operation, I consider a lot them my co-workers and it stinks to see them move on, but I also know they are doing the best for themselves and their families.

The same could be said for the class of 2017. The group of seniors I worked with this past year were great to get to know, just like all the senior classes before them.

I appreciated all their support and what I do could not be done without those kids. It is great to see them grow up and watch them become successful outside the classroom. I am not a teacher or coach, but still appreciate all they accomplish.

With 2016-17 in the rear view mirror, it will soon be time to focus on the upcoming season and I couldn’t be more excited to see what accomplishments this group of Wildcats have in store. It has all the makings of a fun and special year.