Louisburg girls lose defensive battle to Frontenac
Junior Megan Foote goes up for a shot during a game earlier this season. The Louisburg girls fell short at home Saturday against Frontenac, 50-45.
The Louisburg and Frontenac girls
basketball teams came into Saturday’s game wanting to do the same thing – put pressure
on the opponent.
It worked on both ends as the two
teams combined to force more than 50 turnovers in what was a chaotic contest at
Louisburg High School. In the end, Frontenac made just a few more plays.
Despite a late run in the fourth
quarter, Louisburg came up short in a 50-45 loss to the Raiders and it is just
the second setback for the Lady Cats this season.
Louisburg (5-2) jumped out in
front to start the game as it took a 16-11 lead to begin the second quarter.
Unfortunately, the Lady Cats had problems scoring against the Frontenac defense
in the next two frames.
Frontenac held Louisburg to a
combined 12 points in the second and third quarters and took a 42-28 lead. The
Lady Cats didn’t give up as they scored 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Junior Madilyn Melton scored the first four points, junior Megan Foote made a 3-pointer late and junior Alyse Moore scored nine points down the stretch. Moore drove the lane, scored and was fouled to cut the Frontenac lead to two with just seconds left.
Louisburg, however, could get no
closer as Frontenac converted at the free-throw line in the final seconds to
secure the win.
Moore led the Lady Cats as she
recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds to go along with a
team-high three steals. Melton also finished with a double-double as she had 13
points, 10 rebounds and three steals.
Junior Brooklyn Diederich was in double figures with 10 points and a team-high eight deflections. Senior Haley Cain added eight rebounds in the loss.
Louisburg will try and get back on
track tonight when it travels to Spring Hill for Frontier League matchup.
Tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.
Junior Madilyn Melton drives past a Bonner Springs defender Tuesday during the Lady Cats’ 52-34 win over the Braves.
From the opening tip, it was
obvious that the night was going to belong to the Louisburg girls basketball
team.
On Tuesday against Bonner Springs,
the Lady Cats scored 14 of the first 16 points and used that start to roll the
Braves, 52-34, at Louisburg High School.
In what was one of their best shooting nights of the young season, mixed in with good defense, the No. 10-ranked Lady Cats were able to move their record to 5-1 on the season.
“Bonner is young, athletic and
their coach does a really good job with his girls, but I am also proud of the
way we responded against that,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “There were
times where it was really physical and I thought that we responded well to that
and I thought our confidence was good too. At some point, this group is going
to have to start believing what they can be this year.”
The Lady Cats certainly believed Tuesday
as they shot 44 percent from floor and knocked down a season-high eight
3-pointers, despite only going 4-for-14 from the free-throw line. Louisburg
came out strong as it opened the game on a 14-2 run.
Bonner Springs made a run back to
cut it to a two-point advantage to start the second quarter, but the Lady Cats
ended the first half on an 8-2 spurt to take a 25-17 halftime lead. The Braves
would get no closer.
Madilyn Melton led the Lady Cats
in scoring as the Louisburg junior finished with a team-high 12 points and
seven rebounds, to go along with six deflections and three steals. Juniors
Alyse Moore and Megan Foote added nine points in the win.
Brooklyn Diederich goes in for a layup Tuesday against Bonner Springs at Louisburg High School.
Senior Haley Cain came off the
bench to also score nine points, all of which came from behind the 3-point
line. Cain also had a team-high four assists.
“I think it is credit to the girls putting in the work,” Lowry said of his team’s offensive success. “They are staying after practice and coming in on the weekends on their own and shooting. This is a group that can be a good shooting team.
“I really thought Haley came off
the bench and gave us a nice spark and it was great leadership from her. I am
really proud of what she did.”
Louisburg also shined defensively
at times as it shut down Bonner Springs’ inside game and forced 26 turnovers
thanks to the Lady Cats’ aggressive zone defense. Those turnovers turned into
25 points for the Lady Cats as they made it difficult for the Braves.
“We didn’t slow them down much
inside at the beginning, but we made some adjustments and that really helped,”
Lowry said. “I have to give credit to the girls because they responded to the
adjustments what we needed to make. They were communicating with each other and
talking on defense. That really was the difference. I made some adjustments,
but it was them talking that was the biggest part of that.”
The schedule will get a lot
tougher for the Lady Cats beginning tomorrow. It will be a battle of ranked
teams as No. 10 Louisburg hosts No. 4 Baldwin (7-1) at 6 p.m. Friday in a
Frontier League matchup.
Louisburg will then turnaround
Saturday to host Frontenac in a makeup contest. Tipoff for that game is set for
4:30 p.m.
“We want to be 6-1 after Friday
and we have to play a good Baldwin team on our home floor,” Lowry said. “We are
excited to play that game and that is the mentality that this group has right
now.
“Baldwin is a fantastic team from
coaching to players, and top to bottom they have such a great program. It is
going to be extremely hard and we are going to have to prepare with that in
mind. We can’t even think about Saturday’s game against Frontenac and we have
to be all in with Baldwin on Friday.”
Freshman guard Adyson Ross drives to the basket during the Lady Cats’ road game Tuesday against Turner.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – In its first
game of the new year, the Louisburg girls basketball team couldn’t have asked
for a better start to 2020.
The Lady Cats used a stingy
defense and a deep bench to help them to a 72-18 victory over Turner on Tuesday
at Turner High School. The win moves Louisburg’s record to 4-1 on the year as
it currently holds the No. 10 ranking in Class 4A.
“We worked hard over break and
everyone is in the same boat,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “You have to
get back to where you were before break and it is crazy. You have to get that
mentality back and we focused on toughness drills, worked on a lot of defensive
stuff and I thought we took care of business. Offensively we have some stuff to
clean up, but overall it was a good night.”
Defensively, the Lady Cats shined
as they used their 1-3-1 pressure defense to force several Turner turnovers,
which led to easy baskets in transition. Louisburg racked up 47 points in the first
half and held the Golden Bears to just nine.
Junior Brooklyn Diederich had a
big scoring night for the Lady Cats with a game-high 15 points, including three
3-pointers. Juniors Alyse Moore and Madilyn Melton also finished in double
figures with 12 points and sophomores Delaney Wright and Jordan Mynsted added
nine.
Sophomore Jordan Mynsted goes up for two points Tuesday against Turner.
Lowry shuffled five players in and
out of the game at different times throughout the contest, which allowed
several younger players to see varsity minutes. Freshman guards Brianne
Kuhlman, Adyson Ross and Emma Lohse all saw playing time and each found the
scoring column.
“It was nice to be able to rotate
a lot of kids,” Lowry said. “I thought the freshmen, like Adyson, Brianne and
Emma, all did a real nice job tonight. It is these kinds of situations where we
can get them some experience that will help them down the road past this
season. For it being our first game out of break, and being on the road, I
think it was good for us.”
The schedule will get quite a bit
tougher for the Lady Cats and it starts tonight when they travel to No. 7
Eudora. The Cardinals have been going through some transition as their head
coach, Richard Ebel, was relieved of his duties before the holiday break and
they currently have a new coaching staff.
Despite the changes, the Lady Cats
know it will be a difficult challenge on the road in Frontier League play.
“Eudora is fantastic and they have
one of the best point guards around,” Lowry said. “They are dealing with some
stuff right now, but I think they are going to be ready to play. It will be
tough for them, but I know they will be ready.
“We have a tough four-game stretch
coming up too. We have Eudora, but then we get three games at home, with Bonner
Springs, Baldwin and Frontenac and Baldwin and Frontenac are back-to-back
nights. It is a gauntlet, but that is the time of year we are in and it is time
to play. We have 80 percent of our games left to play and 60 percent of our
practices are done. It is about improving and getting better and we are going
to be a different team between now and the end of the season. We have a lot of
growth left to happen.”
LOU 20 27 15 10 – 72
TUR 5 4 4 5 – 18
LOUISBURG (4-1): Brooklyn
Diederich 15, Alyse Moore 12, Madilyn Melton 12, Delaney Wright 9, Jordan
Mynsted 9, Brianne Kuhlman 6, Adyson Ross 5, Megan Foote 2, Emma Lohse 2.
Totals: 27 12-22 72. 3-point field goals: 6, (Diederich 3, Wright 2, Ross)
Piper uses quick start to hand Lady Cats their first loss
Louisburg junior Alyse Moore goes up for a basket Friday during the Lady Cats’ final game of 2019 against Piper at Louisburg High School.
It would have been easy for the
Louisburg girls basketball team to realize Friday was just not its night.
The Lady Cats found themselves
down 10 points in the first three minutes of the game against Piper, the No. 2
team in Class 4A and defending state runner-up. Trying to get back in the game
against one of the best teams in the state was going to be a tough task.
Louisburg was up for the challenge
as the Lady Cats rallied to keep the game close, before Piper used a big fourth
quarter to hand Louisburg its first loss of the season, 47-29, at Louisburg
High School.
Piper opened the game on a 10-0
run to put the Lady Cats on their heels, but they were able to respond and
trailed just 16-10 at the end of the first quarter. From there, Louisburg was
able to stay within striking distance, but would get no closer.
“Two things are going to happen in
that situation – you are either going to stand up for yourself or you are just
going to quit and lay down,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “The character
of our team is they are going to fight. We really battled the entire game, but
it is just some things that we are doing to ourselves. If we can clean those
things up, I like what this team can be.”
The Lady Cats struggled on the
offensive end of the floor as they shot 27 percent from the field, but they
hurt themselves on the free-throw line as they went 10-for-24.
It was tough to get good looks at
the basket most of the night against a tough Piper defense that applied
full-court pressure for part of the contest.
Senior Haley Cain dribbles into the lane Friday during the Lady Cats’ contest with Piper.
“We are not that far away,” Lowry
said. “The things we have been talking to the girls about time after time is
finishing plays at the rim, free-throw shooting and we really hurt ourselves
with those two things. Piper is obviously an extremely talented team, with
extremely talented players.
“The message to our girls was when we got down big early, was to settle down and to compete and they did that. We have a lot of progress left to do, both individually and as a team, but I sure like our kids and I like what the rest of the season can look like for us.”
Junior Megan Foote paced the Lady
Cats with a team-high 12 points, while junior Madilyn Melton finished with
seven points and five rebounds. Junior Alyse Moore pulled down a team-high 11
rebounds and senior Haley Cain also had five boards.
Piper took an 11-point halftime
lead and the Pirates were able to build on it into the fourth quarter as they
used a 9-2 run to pull away from the Lady Cats.
Louisburg, which is 3-1 going into
the holiday break, saw a lot of positives to begin its season. The Lady Cats
also realize they will be competing in several difficult games in the Frontier
League when they resume play in early January.
“We wanted to be 4-0, but we like
where we are at,” Lowry said. “We would have liked to have that other game
before break with the Frontenac game being postponed, but we are going to take
some days off here, regroup and get back after it. This group has high
expectations for themselves and you have to love that.
“This league is fantastic and what a great league to compete in. When we come back from break we will face a very good Eudora team, Baldwin is tough, Paola is strong again this year, Spring Hill is good and I think the league is going to be a race this year. I don’t think that anyone is going to run away with it. Piper is out to a good lead, but I think it will be competitive till the end.”
The Lady Cats will continue their
season on Jan. 7 when they travel to Turner. Louisburg will then go to Eudora
on Jan. 10 to start up league play.
Fast start propels Lady Cats to win over Anderson County
Louisburg sophomore Delaney Wright races down the floor during a fast break opportunity Friday during the Lady Cats’ home opener against Anderson County.
The Louisburg girls basketball
team wanted to make a good impression in its home opener Friday and the Lady
Cats got everyone’s attention early.
Louisburg scored the first 10
points of the game – all by junior Megan Foote – and the Lady Cats used that
run to pull away for a 47-35 victory over Anderson County. It was also the
third straight victory for the Lady Cats as they remained perfect on the year.
“We were excited to be able to
come out and play on our home floor, have our home opener on a Friday night,”
Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “These three games that we have had to start
our schedule have been scrappy and tough and it has been good for us. We are
progressing, which has been great. I thought we were better defensively this
time around than we were on Tuesday. If we can keep making this progression and
keep learning and fixing our mistakes, then I like what this thing can be.”
Foote got the Lady Cats off to
their blazing start as she drove to the basket three straight times, including
one for a three-point play. She then knocked down a 3-pointer to put Louisburg
up 10-0 and the Lady Cats were off and running.
The Lady Cats (3-0) went on to
score 16 points in the first quarter and the Louisburg defense held Anderson
County to 16 total points in the first half.
“We knew by looking on film that we
wanted to get downhill early,” Lowry said. “I told Megan before the game that
she needed to be the aggressor with the ball and she took it to heart. It was a
great start for us and a great start for her and it was able to get us going.
“I thought our defense was good
and our kids are getting tougher. I have challenged them after every game and
they are responding. We aren’t there by any means in regards to toughness, but
I like where we are going.”
Louisburg forced 34 Anderson
County turnovers and the Lady Cats were able to score 22 points off those
Bulldog mistakes. The Lady Cats also pulled down 20 offensive rebounds that led
to 11 second chance points.
To end the first half, the Lady
Cats went on a mini 6-0 run after back-to-back baskets from junior Madilyn
Melton. Then sophomore Delaney Wright had a steal and score right before the
buzzer to put Louisburg up 31-16 at halftime.
Louisburg senior Haley Cain drives toward the basket Friday against Anderson County.
The Lady Cats saw their lead balloon
to 17 late in the third quarter and Anderson County would get no closer than
12.
Foote led the Lady Cats in scoring
with 12 points, while Melton also finished in double figures with 11 points,
seven rebounds and team-high five steals. Senior Haley Cain finished with nine
points, six rebounds and four steals.
Junior Alyse Moore had eight
points, a team-high 10 rebounds and four steals. Junior Brooklyn Diederich also
had four steals in the win.
Louisburg will try and make it four
straight wins Tuesday when it hosts Frontenac. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
“It is going to be a challenge on
Tuesday with Frontenac,” Lowry said. “They are going to be physical and tough.
Our next goal is to be 4-0 and that is what we are shooting for.”
Louisburg junior Megan Foote races the ball up the court during Tuesday’s game at Burlington High School. The Lady Cats picked up their second straight win with a 59-46 win over Burlington.
BURLINGTON – Sometimes it takes
just one play to spark a team to go on a game-clinching run, and on Tuesday in
Burlington, that spark came from Megan Foote.
The Louisburg junior started what
was a big run for the Lady Cats with her aggressive play on both ends of the
floor. The rest of the Lady Cats fed off that as they ran away from Burlington
in the fourth quarter and left with a 59-46 victory.
Foote took a charge midway through
the fourth quarter and then drove to the basket for a score that would break
open a close game. Louisburg went on a 12-0 run and the Lady Cats earned their second
straight win to start the season.
“Our defense was key during that run, but it really started with Megan’s aggressive attack to the basket,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “We really hadn’t been the aggressor all night, but that seemed to flip a switch mentality-wise. The next thing you know Alyse (Moore) gets a steal and scores and it turned for us. Runs like that normally start with one play and I thought Megan’s drive to the basket did that for us and then we just took off.”
Junior Alyse Moore was another
catalyst on both ends of the floor for the Lady Cats. Moore finished with a
game-high 22 points, several of which came off steals in transition.
Another junior, Madilyn Melton,
also finished in double figures with 18 points and Foote added eight points –
six of which came in the Lady Cats’ 24-point fourth quarter.
“Alyse played great and she always
plays so hard,” Lowry said. “Alyse will give you every single ounce that she
has and she did that again for us. It was a great performance and I thought
Megan was really solid as well. She was good with the basketball for us and I
thought she did a great job offensively and defensively.”
Junior Madilyn Melton weaves through the Burlington defense for a shot Tuesday.
It was a back and forth game through
the first three quarters as the lead changed hands nine times and neither team
could pull away. It was the type of game Lowry was expecting.
Burlington is a traditionally good
program in Class 3A and the Louisburg coach wasn’t expecting anything different
this time around.
“This is always a tough place to
play, and not to mention that their longtime coach is back now after six-year
hiatus,” Lowry said. “The last time we faced off against him was in my first
year and it was one of the best games I had been a part of in an 86-84 overtime
win. I knew this was going to be a battle and I knew he was going to have his
kids ready to go. The kids really responded well.
“The best part of it is we are 2-0
now, but there is still so much stuff we are doing to ourselves and we are
going to get better at it. It is a lot nicer to be 2-0 and having those issues,
instead of being 0-2.”
Early in the fourth quarter, the Lady Cats found themselves down 40-39 but then came their run. Foote scored four straight points to give Louisburg a three-point lead and then Moore had two steals that led to layups on the other end.
After another bucket from Moore
and Melton, Louisburg all of a sudden found itself up 51-40 in about a three
minute span. From there, the Lady Cats were able to hold on and secure a big
road win.
Louisburg will try for three wins
in a row Friday when it hosts Anderson County in its home opener. Tipoff is set
for approximately 6 p.m.
“They are going to be good,” Lowry
said. “They had young players last year that are juniors this year. They are a
good group and it was a battle the first time we played them last year. It will
be tough. We have a gauntlet coming up where we face a good Anderson County
team, Frontenac is going to be tough and then we finish out with Piper before
the break. We are on our home court though so we are going to defend that place
with everything we have.”
Lady Cats hold off Tonganoxie to win season opener
Louisburg junior Alyse Moore drives to the basket last Friday during the Lady Cats’ season opener in Tonganoxie. The Lady Cats held on for a seven-point win.
TONGANOXIE – The shooting numbers weren’t exactly where he wanted them, and neither were the turnovers, but there was one stat where Louisburg head coach Shawn Lowry was relieved his team had the upper-hand – the scoreboard.
The Lady Cats held off a late Tonganoxie run and used a big second quarter offensively to come away with a 38-31 win over the Chieftains in their season opener Friday at Tonganoxie High School.
“It was a weird game for sure,”
Lowry said. “We won, but there really wasn’t a lot of excitement right after
the game. I think once it sinks in a little for them, they might get a little more
excited that they won, especially since it was on the road in a tough place to
play.”
Both teams were trying to get
their first-game jitters out of the way in a turnover-filled first quarter, and
neither team could get into a rhythm offensively as Tonganoxie led 6-5 going
into the second quarter.
It was there where the Lady Cats
were able to break the game open as they outscored the Chieftains 16-7 before
halftime and took an eight-point lead into the locker room.
Junior Madilyn Melton got the Lady
Cats going in the second quarter with seven consecutive points and fellow junior
Megan Foote ended the half with five points of her own to help give Louisburg a
21-13 lead at halftime.
Melton carried the load for
Louisburg most of the night as she led the team in three different categories.
She led the Lady Cats with a team-high 15 points, seven rebounds and five
steals to go along with six deflections.
Junior Brooklyn Diederich also hit
a pair of 3-pointers at good times for the Lady Cats as she finished with nine
points and sophomore Delaney Wright added six. Junior Alyse Moore was second on
the team with four steals and Diederich had three of her own.
“Madilyn was tough and made some
great plays,” Lowry said. “She has put herself in a position this year where
she can come in and make plays. At the same time, other players will need to
step up and be prepared when teams take some things away from her. We have
players that can do that. Part of it is confidence and experience, but they
will get that. I thought we had some players that were pretty tough. Brooklyn
played hard and battled all night, Delaney battled her tail off as did Alyse.”
Junior Madilyn Melton scored a game-high 15 points for Louisburg to go along with seven rebounds and five steals.
Defensively, the Lady Cats (1-0)
held Tonganoxie to just 20 points through three quarters and forced 27
turnovers for the game. Although Tonganoxie outrebounded Louisburg on the
defensive glass, the Lady Cats were able to get 15 offensive boards and turned
those into 14 second chance points.
“We played okay on defense,” Lowry
said. “Film will be good for us. Once you get the first game under your belt, I
think it will help. We had some rotation stuff that I know we didn’t do and
rebounding too. We didn’t rebound very well, and to be honest, I am not sure we
deserved to be on the right side of the scoreboard. We have a lot to work on.
“Tonganoxie is a physical team,
with a couple really physical players, and we have to elevate our toughness. That
is something we are going to work on. We actually have a lot of stuff that we
need to work on, especially with rotations and stuff like that. We were able to
play a lot of players and depth was a good thing for us. It really helped us
out.”
Louisburg will try and make it two
wins in a row tonight when the Lady Cats travel to Burlington. Tipoff is set
for 6 p.m.
Lady Cats bring back experience as they gear up for new season
All-Frontier League player Madilyn Melton will look to lead the Lady Cats this season after she had a team-high 14 points a game a year ago. Louisburg opens its season Friday in Tonganoxie.
Coming off a 10-win season and a
win shy of the sub-state championship game, the Louisburg girls basketball team
is hoping to take a step forward in 2019-20 and there will be several returning
faces to help make that happen.
The Lady Cats return six players,
who either started, or played significant minutes from a season ago and it
begins with junior Madilyn Melton. The Louisburg forward was an all-league
honorable mention selection last season after she led Louisburg in scoring with
14 points a game to go along with six rebounds.
“Madilyn had a strong
season last year and has put herself in a position to have a great season this
year,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “As good a player that Madilyn has the
potential to be, she is all about her team and teammates, which was evidenced
by being voted one of the team captains.”
Melton will be joined in the starting lineup by senior Haley Cain, who has given the Lady Cats several big minutes in the post the last two years. Cain has played four years on the varsity level and her playing time has increased each season.
Junior Alyse Moore is another returning starter for Louisburg and will provide some big minutes on the wing and defensively. Another junior, Brooklyn Diederich, saw her minutes grow as the season went on a year ago as she gave the Lady Cats an outside scoring threat and a defensive presence.
To start the year,
the Lady Cats will be looking to a pair of freshmen to earn that fifth spot as
both Adyson Ross and Brianne Kuhlman are competing to crack the starting
lineup.
Senior Sydni Keagle,
along with juniors Megan Foote, Madi Quinn, and sophomores Delaney Wright and
Jordan Mynsted will all see playing time off the bench.
“With these first couple weeks of practice, I’m
encouraged that our defense can be one of our strengths this season along with
the fact that we return several players with game experience from last year,”
Lowry said. “We also have some really good competition amongst players which
provides us depth at most positions and the ability to have different lineups.”
Senior Haley Cain is one of two returning seniors to the Louisburg squad. Cain is in her fourth season as a member of the varsity team.
One
familiar face that is missing is Carson Buffington. The Louisburg graduate
played four years on the varsity level, was considered one the best rebounders
in the Frontier League and did a little bit of everything for the Lady Cats.
So,
when the first day of practice arrived, it was obviously a little different
than what was considered normal.
“Carson’s
leadership and toughness was so important for our team these last four years
and it was definitely an adjustment for me not having her every day in practice,”
Lowry said. “With that said, we have several players that are now sophomores,
juniors and seniors that are really developing into strong leaders and have
carried on that work ethic and toughness.”
Louisburg
will get to showcase its new squad Friday when it travels to Tonganoxie for its
season opener and Lowry knows every game in and out of the Frontier League is
going to be a challenge.
“The
Frontier League will again have some of the very best teams in the state.”
Lowry said. “In addition to a very strong league, we will have the opportunity
to play some very good teams in our non-conference and tournament schedule.
With this said, I trust in our players to compete with great effort, toughness
and pride every time we take the floor.”
Since the first day of practice
started in mid-November, and even before that with preseason conditioning, the
Lady Cats have been working to make themselves better and Lowry believes that
is a great start to what he hopes is a successful season.
“Our expectations are first a foremost
to be great representatives of the Lady Cats Basketball program, Louisburg High
School and the Louisburg community,” Lowry said. “We expect to compete with
character, respect and sportsmanship and because of the commitment and hard
work the girls have given we expect to compete with great energy, toughness and
success.
“The
girls are working very hard in preparing for the upcoming season. Our returning
players and team captains have been great at fostering an environment that is
very competitive and positive with their work and attitudes.”
KSHSAA releases classifications for 2019-20 school year
The Kansas State High School Activities Association released its classifications for the 2019-20 school year, along with the football classifications for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.
There were a few changes in both areas, but more so on the football side.
Football classifications are determined based on enrollment figures in ninth, 10th and 11th grade. Louisburg is still in 4A with 432 students and is toward the lower half of the classification.
Entering Class 4A beginning in the 2020 school year will be St. James Academy, Lansing and Great Bend, who have all moved down from Class 5A. Wamego also made the jump back in from Class 3A.
Goddard, Pittsburg and Spring Hill all saw their enrollment grow and will be moving up from 4A to 5A next year. Baldwin saw their enrollment decline and will move down to Class 3A in football the next two years.
In the rest of the sports, not much changed with regards to Class 4A for this year.
Enrollment figures for all grades in Louisburg this year is 573, which puts the school in the upper half of Class 4A. The biggest school is Buhler with 661 and Bishop Miege is the second biggest at 656 and Ottawa is third at 653.
Three schools will make the move up to Class 4A this year. Clay Center, Girard and Holton all saw their enrollment increase and will come back to 4A, while Osawatomie, Anderson County and Wichita-Trinity Academy will move out of 4A to 3A this year.
Stiles, Lohse, Burk and Bowes to be inducted into LHS Hall of Fame
Dennis Stiles (top left), John Lohse (top right), Jason Burk (bottom left) and Krystal (Bowes) Grojean will be inducted into the Louisburg High School Athletic Hall of Fame this fall.
It has been 11 years since
Louisburg High School had inducted a class into its athletic hall of fame, but
the wait for a new class is finally over.
The USD 416 Endowment Association, which oversees the LHS Athletic Hall of Fame, has announced a new 4-member class. Dennis Stiles (Class of 1969), John Lohse (1995), Jason Burk (1999) and Krystal (Bowes) Grojean (2001) were the top four vote getters in this year’s hall of fame voting and will be honored in an induction ceremony sometime this fall.
“Louisburg has a history of great athletes,” said Damon Dennis, a USD 416 Endowment Association board member. “We had a good cross-section of both young and older voters this year that really took their job seriously. The four athletes chosen represent several generations of former Wildcats and each one were dominant in their particular era and sports. The Endowment Association is excited to get the Hall of Fame going again and plan on some big things in the future.”
More than two dozen voters, that includes current members of the hall of fame, long-time Louisburg residents, teachers and coaches, voted on the class in June. Each voter was asked to submit their top four choices for the hall and votes were then tabulated.
To be eligible for the hall of fame, the inductee must wait at least 10 years following graduation to be nominated.
The last class that was inducted was in 2008 and Dennis, and the rest of the Endowment Association, is committed to making this a yearly occurrence moving forward.
Here
are the accomplishments of each of the newest hall of fame inductees. Look for
more information on an induction ceremony in the coming weeks.
Dennis Stiles
Dennis Stiles – Class of 1969 – Football, Basketball, Track
Stiles
lettered 4 years in football and
track and 3 years in basketball. His senior year he was named all-league and
all-state in football and was co-captain on the Wildcat team that finished the
year 4-4.
As sophomore, he played on the varsity basketball team which was 12-0 in
league play, finished the year 19-3 and were district champions. He earned
honorable mention all-state honors his sophomore and junior seasons and was
second-team all-state his senior year. Stiles was at one time the school’s
career scoring leader.
Stiles competed at the state
track meet as a junior and senior where he placed fourth in the discus his
senior year. He previously held school records in the discus and triple jump.
He also received a football scholarship to Kansas State University.
John Lohse
John Lohse – Class of 1995 – Football, Basketball and Baseball
Lohse lettered all four years in baseball and was selected to represent
Kansas in the all-star baseball classic his senior year. He was an all-league
pitcher and centerfielder for the Wildcats his sophomore through senior years.
He had a .510 average his junior and senior seasons with 10 home runs his
junior year and 12 more his senior season.
In football, Lohse was a 3-year letterwinner. He was an all-league wide
receiver his junior and senior seasons. In his senior year, he had 850 yards
receiving and 11 touchdowns and was later selected to represent Kansas in the
Metro Classic All-Star Game.
Lohse was also a 3-year letterwinner in basketball and was an
all-league selection his junior and senior seasons. He averaged a double-double
his junior and senior years.
Post-graduation, Lohse attended Pittsburg State on a baseball
scholarship and played on the Gorilla team for four years. He was selected to
the all-MIAA team his sophomore and junior seasons before injuring his shoulder
his senior year. He had a .315 average his junior and senior seasons. In his
first collegiate at-bat his freshman year, Lohse hit a game-winning grand slam
to give Pitt State its first win over Missouri Southern in five years.
Jason Burk
Jason Burk – Class of 1999 – Track and Football
Burk was a 4-year letterwinner for the Louisburg track and field team
and qualified for state in all four years in four events. He accumulated 12
state medals, 16 regional track medals and 14 Frontier League medals. Burk was
selected to the Kansas City All-Metro track team in 1998 and 1999.
During his senior season, Burk was a state champion in both the triple
and long jump. He won the triple jump with a leap 48 feet and the long jump
with a mark of 22-5. He also finished fifth in the 100-meter dash and sixth in
the high jump. As a junior, Burk won a state championship in the triple jump
with mark of 46 feet and won three more state medals. He took second long jump,
fourth in the 100 dash and sixth in the 200 dash. As a sophomore, Burk won
state medals in the triple jump (second), long jump (fourth) and 4×100 relay
(third). He was a member of the 4×100 team that took second at state as a
freshman in 1996.
At one time, Burk held seven school records. He currently holds school
records in the triple jump, high jump and long jump. Burk holds the school
record for most points in a season with 326.
Burk also played football, where he was a part of bi-district, district
and regional championship teams.
Krystal (Bowes) Grojean
Krystal (Bowes) Grojean – Class of 2001 – Volleyball, Basketball, Track
Bowes was a 4-year letterwinner in track before she was offered a
scholarship on the Wichita State track and field team.
In her senior season at Louisburg, Bowes earned three state medals,
including a second-place finish in the javelin with a throw of 145-10. She was
also third in the discus with a toss of 126-9 and fifth in the shot put at
37-5. As a sophomore and junior, she finished sixth in the discus at state. In
all, Bowes racked up five state medals in her high school career before moving
on to Wichita State. She is the current Louisburg record holder in the javelin
(146-10) and discus (137-11).
At Wichita State, she earned academic All-American honors and was a
team captain all four years. Bowes was a two-time NCAA national qualifier and
finished fifth in the javelin and was second in the Missouri Valley Conference
in 2006. In 2004, Bowes took first in the MVC in the javelin and fourth in the
discus. In 2003, she won the Missouri Valley Conference discus title, was
second in the javelin and fourth in the hammer throw. Bowes was also a member
two Shocker teams that won conference titles.
In volleyball and basketball at LHS, Bowes was a 3-year letterwinner in each sport and earned first-team all-Frontier League honors each season.
Current members of the LHS Hall of Fame
Class of 2005:
Tom
Stevens – 1934 – Track and Field (High Jump)
1947/48
Undefeated Football Teams
Richard
Meiers – 1949 – Basketball/Football
Don
Meek – 1965-1998 – Coach/Administrator
Larry
Harding – 1976-1994 – Volleyball/Golf Coach
Amy
Dodson Goode – 1986 – Volleyball/Basketball
Class of 2006:
Jim
Wells – 1936 – Track and Field (Pole Vault)/Football
Doug
Eaton – 1971 – Wrestling
Sue
Truman Apple – 1974 – Track and Field/Volleyball/Basketball
Mike
Meek – 1985- Football/Wrestling/Track and Field
Jamie
Waite – 1991 – Track and Field (Pole Vault)/Football/Basketball
