It was the kind of grind it out game Louisburg head coach Ben Doll knew he was going to need from his team Friday against Wamego.

Already down starting center Gavin Lohse, the Wildcats were short-handed and found themselves even a little more banged up as starting forward Luke Schultz suffered an ankle injury during the game.

Throw in the fact the Wildcats struggled from the floor, they needed a big effort from its defense. Louisburg got it as it forced 18 turnovers and held Wamego to 32 percent shooting in its 40-32 victory.

“It was a huge win because our schedule is so, so tough right now,” Doll said. “Then being down Gavin and having Luke tweak his ankle and him being limited, but he’s a warrior. We had some other foul trouble and things like that, so there’s nothing easy right now. We thought that was a game that was definitely winnable for us, but you know, we didn’t expect to have all the injuries and other things happen throughout the course of the game.”

Louisburg ended the game strong as it went on a 13-4 run in the final four minutes to pull away from Wamego.

It all started as the Wildcats were down 28-27. With 4 minutes left, junior Derek Frederick hit a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats the lead. 

After Wamego tied the game, Frederick recorded a steal and scored on a breakaway to put the Wildcats up 32-30. Then the Wildcats got production from their bench as freshman Herschel Strumberger was fouled and converted a 3-point play.

Strumberger played crucial minutes throughout the contest with Lohse out with an injury and Schultz limited at times.

“A lot of stuff happened there really late and real quick and there were just some huge plays,” Doll said. “Derek being a new starter and Herschel again getting in there and both made big plays. Being a freshman, I think Herschel kind of not knowing to be scared or anything else, so he just does what’s natural.

“Wamego is a good team. They’re a scrappy team. Then, you know, we were thinking it’s gonna be a kind of a low scoring battle going in and that’s just kind of the way everything went. Both teams just hunkered down defensively. Then their last game went into overtime and they lost in a 33-31 game, so we expected it was gonna be a grind it out type game. But you’d rather learn lessons, and all those kind of things, and get toughness in wins than in losses, so that that’s why this one feels really good.”

Schultz pushed the Wildcat lead to five on a runner in the lane, and then senior Myles Vohs recorded a steal and scored to ice the game with 20 seconds left.

Vohs provided a spark on both ends of the floor. He led Louisburg in scoring with 13 points and had a team-high five rebounds and three assists. 

Schultz also scored in double figures with 10 points and had four rebounds. Strumberger finished with five points and four rebounds as the Wildcat freshman gave Louisburg some key minutes down the stretch.

“Herschel stepped up and he got to play some minutes, some big minutes and we needed a big body in there,” Doll said. “But the problem is he doesn’t know everything we’re trying to do in sets and stuff like that. So we were kind of like with an abbreviated playbook, just trying to get through that, but he did a great job. I mean, as a freshman coming in and getting rebounds, it’s kind of like he doesn’t know to be scared or anything else, which is cool. So he did a really good job, cause they had a good big kid that we needed somebody to match up on with Gavin out.” 

Frederick finished with five points, while junior Owen Marsh had four points to go along with a team-high three steals. 

Louisburg’s schedule gets tougher Tuesday as it hosts No. 2 ranked Baldwin in a Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 11 11 5 13 — 40

WAM 12 8 8 4 — 32

LOUISBURG (2-1): Myles Vohs 4-14 5-11 13; Luke Schultz 3-8 4-8 10; Herschel Strumberger 2-3 1-1 5; Derek Frederick 2-8 0-1 5; Owen Marsh 2-4 0-0 4; Lance Callahan 1-2 0-0 3. Totals: 14-47 10-21 40. 3-point field goals: 2, (Frederick, Callahan)

OTTAWA — Not much seemed to go right for Louisburg in its first road contest of the season Tuesday at Ottawa.

The Wildcats went up against the No. 3-ranked Cyclones and had a hard time getting going against one of the state’s better teams. Ottawa scored 41 first half points and never looked back as it handed Louisburg a 71-34 loss.

As if the loss wasn’t tough enough, the Wildcats had to play without one of their leading scorers, Gavin Lohse, for more than half the game. Lohse had to leave with an injury in the second quarter.

“Ottawa is a great team that played a close to perfect game against us,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “They shot really well, played tough defense and did better than us on the boards. Once we got down big, our shot selection got worse as we tried to shoot ourselves back into the game and that never works. Gavin getting hurt didn’t help either.”

The Cyclones shot 52 percent from the floor as they took a 22-12 lead on Louisburg after one quarter. Ottawa distanced itself in the second with a 19-4 run and took a 41-16 lead at halftime.

Louisburg shot 26 percent from the field and turnovers didn’t help the Wildcat cause either as they had 18 turnovers that led to 26 points. 

Senior Luke Schultz led the Wildcats in scoring with seven points and pulled down a team-high five rebounds. Senior Myles Vohs finished with six points, while Derek Frederick has five points and a team-high three assists. Freshman John Guetterman also added five points in the loss.

Louisburg will try and get back on the winning track tonight as the Wildcats host Wamego. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

LOU 12 4 8 10 — 34

OTT 22 19 24 6 — 71

LOUISBURG (1-1): Luke Schultz 1-4 5-6 7; Myles Vohs 2-7 0-2 6; John Guetterman 2-2 1-1 5; Derek Frederick 1-6 2-2 5; Herschel Strumberger 1-2 0-00 3; Billy Vohs 1-2 0-0 3; Gavin Lohse 1-2 0-0 2; Lance Callahan 1-2 0-0 2; Aiden Kennedy 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 10-35 9-15 34. 3-point field goals: 5, (M. Vohs 2, B. Vohs, Strumberger)

OTTAWA — Going on the road against a ranked team is always a challenge, but the Louisburg girls basketball team more than held its own Tuesday in Ottawa. 

The Wildcats found themselves down just a point midway through the fourth quarter, but No. 8 Ottawa put together a big run late in the contest to hand Louisburg a 52-45 loss.

Ottawa went on a mini 9-3 run in the final four minutes of the contest to pull away from the Wildcats as it took advantage of some Louisburg mistakes. 

“Overall we played hard and battled against Ottawa,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “They are a great team, fast, and they know the game of basketball. We fought to be in the game with them till the very end. Our defense played well, we gave them a couple different looks and I thought the girls did a good job running different defenses.”

Louisburg got out to a good start as it led 10-7 after the first quarter, but the Cyclones battled back to outscore Louisburg 16-11 in the second quarter to take a 2-point halftime lead.

Ottawa pushed its lead to six in the third quarter, but a 3-pointer from Ally Brown right before the end of the quarter cut the Cyclone lead to 3. 

The Cyclones pushed its lead back out to seven in the fourth, but the Wildcats came back again. Senior Ashlyn Kuhlman knocked in a 3-pointer to make it a 39-35 deficit for Louisburg.

Ottawa got the lead back to six, but Kuhlman hit a runner with just over three minutes left and junior McKenna Lohse converted a 3-point play to make it a 43-42 game with 2:50 remaining.

Unfortunately, the Cyclones took advantage of some offensive rebounds and Wildcat turnovers to finish with a 9-3 run.

Mistakes haunted the Wildcats as they committed 27 turnovers, which led to 22 Ottawa points. The Cyclones also pulled down 22 offensive rebounds.

Despite that, the Wildcats shot 46 percent from the floor, which was able to keep them in the game.

“Our turnovers and giving up second chances hurt us down the stretch,” Lane said. “We did a good job finishing in the lane when we did break the press.”

Lohse had a big night for the Wildcats inside as she recorded a double-double. The Louisburg junior finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds and also had two blocks.

Kuhlman led the Wildcat scoring with 12 points and also had two blocked shots. Senior Jillian Asher finished just short of double figures with nine points and three assists.

Senior Shylar Whiting paced Louisburg with five assists, while senior Sami Lane was second on the team with four rebounds. Junior Morgan Latham and Brown each finished with five points.

Louisburg will face off with its second ranked team in as many games tonight as the Wildcats host No. 6 Wamego. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 10 11 11 13 — 45

OTT 7 16 12 18 — 52

LOUISBURG (0-2): Ashlyn Kuhlman 5-11 0-0 12; McKenna Lohse 5-11 1-1 11; Jillian Asher 3-4 1-2 9; Morgan Latham 2-5 1-2 5; Ally Brown 2-3 0-0 5; Shylar Whiting 1-2 1-1 3. Totals: 18-39 4-6 45. 3-point field goals: 5, (Asher 2, Kuhlman 2, Brown)

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

GAVIN LOHSE, SENIOR, BASKETBALL

Louisburg senior Gavin Lohse and the Wildcats got out to a good start to the 2024-25 basketball season last Friday at home against Tonganoxie. Lohse was one of three Wildcats to score in double figures in their 77-50 win over the Chieftains as he led the way with 20 points as he played limited minutes to due early foul trouble.

Lohse also made a difference on the defensive end of the floor as well. The Wildcat forward pulled down eight rebounds and had a team-high five steals and six deflections.

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.

The Louisburg girls basketball team found itself just minutes away from getting a win Friday in its season opener against Tonganoxie.

Louisburg had seven-point lead with just over three minutes left in the contest, but the Chieftains took advantage of some Wildcat turnovers and second-chance opportunities to hand Louisburg a 44-42 loss.

“That was a super tough loss,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “The girls have been working so hard and they really wanted that win.”

The Chieftains went on an 13-4 run to end the game as it earned points at the free-throw line and on offensive rebounds to key the comeback.

A big part to that comeback to for Tonganoxie was its point guard, Alyssa Schoeneck. The Chieftain junior scored a game-high 16 points as she keyed the late game run.

“We needed to do a better job rebounding,” Lane said. “We allowed Tongie so many second chances and it really hurt us in the fourth quarter. Tongie’s point guard was super quick and she was hard for us to guard. The posts did a great job helping in the lane.”

It was a back and forth contest throughout as Tonganoxie took an early 12-6 after the first quarter, but the Wildcats responded in a big way as they outscored the Chieftains 12-4 in the second and took a 2-point halftime lead.

The Chieftains led by one after the third quarter, but the Wildcats went on a run to start the fourth. Ashlyn Kuhlman began by hitting a jumper, and then back-to-back layups by Jillian Asher put the Wildcats up five.

After a couple free throws by Tonganoxie, Louisburg senior Sami Lane knocked in a 3-pointer to put the Wildcats back up 37-31. McKenna Lohse knocked in a free throw to make it 38-31 with 3:29 left in the game.

Tonganoxie went on a 6-0 run to tie it and ended in a lay-in from Schoeneck. Louisburg senior Ally Brown gave the Wildcats the lead back on jumper with 1:30 left in the game, but Schoeneck responded with a 3-point play to put the Chieftains right back up and that is where they would stay.

Kuhlman led the Wildcats in scoring as she finished with 15 points to go along with eight rebounds and six blocked shots. Asher and senior Shylar Whiting each finished with six points for the Wildcats.

Lohse led Louisburg with nine rebounds to go along with a team-high four assists. Senior Sabra Brueggen finished with six rebounds.

It was a tough shooting night for the Wildcats as they were just 28 percent from the field and 6-for-14 from the free-throw line. However, the Wildcats were able to battle through that.

“Overall I felt like the girls played hard,” coach Lane said. “They did not quit and they fought back after getting behind in the first quarter. I also thought the girls did a great job playing together.”

Louisburg will try and bounce back tonight as the Wildcats travel to Ottawa for a Frontier League matchup. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

LOU 6 12 10 14 — 42

TONG 12 4 13 15 — 44

LOUISBURG (0-1): Ashlyn Kuhlman 6-19, 1-4 15; Jillian Asher 3-4 0-0 6; Shylar Whiting 1-6 3-4 6; Morgan Latham 2-5 0-0 4; McKenna Lohse 1-4 1-2 3; Sami Lane 1-2 0-0 3; Ally Brown 1-8 1-2 3; Addy Stohs 1-4 0-0 2. Totals: 16-50 6-14 42. 3-point field goals: 4, (Kuhlman 2, Whiting, Lane)

It wasn’t exactly the offensive output Louisburg head coach Ben Doll was expecting from his team Friday during the Wildcats’ season opener against Tonganoxie. 

Before the game even started, the Wildcats found out they would be down one of their starters with an illness, and Doll wasn’t sure how his young team would respond. 

Leave it to three seniors to lead the way. Gavin Lohse, Myles Vohs and Luke Schultz all scored 16 or more points in the 77-50 rout of the Chieftains. Not only was it a strong start to the season, but it was more points than the Wildcats scored at any point last year.

The Wildcats also got big shots and minutes from senior Ethan Kush, along with junior Owen Marsh and senior Billy Vohs.

“It is an incredible way to start the season,” Doll said. “Winning is hard at this level and in this league. We start the night with Derek Frederick, who was gonna start and play a lot for us, going home sick, so then we’re down one guy there. So we had to have some other guys step up and they did. Owen Marsh stepped up really well, along with Billy Vohs, so we had some guys come off the bench that we didn’t think we were gonna play that much. Owen played almost the whole game. 

“Then the the big three of Myles, Luke and Gavin just paced us and we also faced foul trouble with them, so I’m just feeling really fortunate that we were able to win the game with their foul trouble and with the sickness of a starter and everything else. We discovered a lot about this group today.”

Lohse, who had to sit most of the second quarter with foul trouble, was a force on the inside for Louisburg. He nearly finished with a double-double as he scored a team-high 20 points and pulled down eight rebounds, to go along with a team-high five steals.

Myles Vohs flirted with a triple-double as the Wildcat point guard played all 32 minutes and finished with 17 points, a team-high nine assists and eight rebounds.

As for Schultz, the Wildcat forward finished with a double-double as he had 16 points and 11 rebounds as he was a constant fixture on the inside. 

Louisburg also controlled the boards as it out rebounded Tonganoxie by 17, and had 12 offensive rebounds.

“Gavin scored 20 points and he missed basically the whole second quarter with foul trouble, so that’s pretty impressive,” Doll said. “We’ve been working with those guys in practice about just, you know, putting the pad on them and finishing around the basket, and him and Luke both did a pretty good job and they they absolutely controlled the boards. 

“Myles did a good job running the team and really did a little bit of everything for us. I’m just really, really happy because there were a lot of things that could have gone differently for us if we let negative stuff get to us. And then we shot the ball from the outside pretty well, too. I mean that obviously helps.”

The Wildcats hit several shots from the outside as it knocked down seven 3-pointers, including three from Kush. Billy Vohs had two and sophomore Lance Callahan hit one in the first half for his first varsity basket.

Louisburg also got strong play from Marsh, who filled in for Frederick, and played all but two minutes of the game and scored six points, had three assists and three steals.

The Wildcats took a 41-25 lead at halftime, and Tonganoxie was able to chip away at the lead a little in the third quarter as it switched to a zone defense. Louisburg eventually figured it out and built a 29-point lead in the second half.

“In the first half, guys like Lance came off the bench and Ethan hit some big shots, so we were able to build a lead,” Doll said. “That forced them to have to do some different things. And in the past, you know, teams would throw some zone at us and stuff like that, and we might not know what to do, but we did a better better job at taking care of the basketball against the zone and just understanding time score and situation. Then we hit a couple of shots and got them out of it.”

Louisburg will see its schedule start to toughen up and that starts Tuesday when it travels to Ottawa, which is currently ranked No. 4 in Class 4A.

“It’s good to get this one and it’s a huge confidence builder,” Doll said. “So hopefully the guys will enjoy this one for a little bit. The schedule gets a lot tougher for sure, and hopefully this builds some confidence that we can work with in practice and get ready for Tuesday.

LOU 18 23 18 18 — 77

TONG 13 12 11 14 — 50

LOUISBURG (1-0): Gavin Lohse 8-12 4-7 20; Myles Vohs 6-13 5-11 17; Luke Schultz 6-13 3-4 16; Ethan Kush 3-6 0-0 9; Owen Marsh 3-7 0-0 6; Billy Vohs 2-3 0-0 6; Lance Callahan 1-1 0-0 3. Totals: 29-55 12-22 77. 3-point field goals: 7, (Kush 3, B. Vohs 2, Schultz, Callahan)

Despite its ups and downs last season, the Louisburg boys basketball team found itself one victory away from earning a spot in the state tournament. 

The Wildcats fell to Baldwin, the eventual fourth place finisher at state, in the sub-state championship and ended its season strong under then first-year coach Ben Doll.

This season, Doll and the Wildcats will face a new set of challenges. Louisburg will have to figure out how to replace the production from seven departing players, including five seniors that all played big roles on last year’s team. 

Louisburg does return three players who saw significant varsity minutes, and even started at times, in point guard Myles Vohs and forwards Luke Schultz and Gavin Lohse.

“I mean it will look a lot different because we basically have no returning starters, but we do have three returning guys who played a lot last year and started at moments, so that’s good. We will be working around those three guys to start out with and Myles, Luke and Gavin will have to play a lot and they understand that.

“We will be doing a lot of things to try to try to get them shots and then also, hopefully we can avoid foul trouble and things like that. Those guys, I think we’ll be huge for our team this year and will carry us.”

Vohs was one of the team’s top defenders last season as he led the way with 30 steals, while Lohse was the team’s second leading rebounder. Schultz, who missed part of last season with an injury, still averaged close to five points per game and had 42 rebounds.

Doll knows those numbers will only grow for those three players and is excited to see who will fill those voids in the lineup.

“Myles is just a good leader and he just runs the show and is athletic and kind of understands what we’re supposed to be doing,” Doll said. “The things I’m starting to see in practice is I think actually we’re probably gonna rebound pretty well because Gavin’s a great rebounder and Luke has knack for getting to the right spots and at good angles and stuff like that. So I’ve been really excited, even though we lost some size from last year, that we still got two guys that can get a lot of get a lot done.” 

Senior Ethan Kush, who saw a handful of varsity games last season, will contribute. Senior newcomer Aiden Kennedy, who stands at 6-4, will give the Wildcats some size in the paint.

Senior guard Billy Vohs, another newcomer, could also see some minutes along with junior guard Derek Frederick.

“Aiden Kennedy is coming on this year and he’s a big body and he definitely will grab a fair share of rebounds so I kind of feel like we’re going to get a lot of second chances,” Doll said. “Hopefully most teams that we play don’t have the same amount of bigs or athleticism that we have and we should be pretty good at controlling the boards.

“There’s a few younger guys that are stepping in and coming up from the JV that that have done a good job like Derek Frederick. He is filling a good role as a shooter and kind of taking up some of the scoring that we had last year. I think he’ll do a good job there as a new guy coming into the lineup.”

It will be a challenging schedule for the Wildcats this season as they will play every Frontier League team twice. The league currently has three teams ranked in the top 10 in Class 4A in Baldwin (No. 2), Ottawa (No. 4) and Eudora (No. 10). Louisburg will open its season Friday at home against Tonganoxie.

“Baldwin, obviously, I think is still the best team and with the best player in the league, so it’ll be tough to stop,” Doll said. “They’ll be really good and then Ottawa will be as well and we have both those teams before the break. So we’re gonna get right to it, and the rest of the schedule is always just tough.”

For a younger, inexperienced team, Doll knows it will be a challenge early, but knows they will be a different team later in the year. 

“Expectations are gonna evolve through the year because the nice thing about basketball at the high school and college level is you want to be playing your best at the end when it comes playoff time,” Doll said. “So that’s going to be our main goal, is to keep building and getting stronger. Going 5-0, 2-3 or 1-4 in December, it doesn’t seem to matter as much when you get to February, so we just want to use these first games and everything to keep building on something that will be sustainable in February and March. I think we have enough young guys that are going to eventually add to us that I think will be a lot better in February.”

It was a learning year for the Louisburg girls basketball team last season.

With no returning varsity players and a roster with no seniors, the Wildcats were forced to grow up fast. After a tough start to the year, the Wildcats saw improvements in the final half.

Although Louisburg finished with six wins on the year, five of those came in the month of February .

Now for the 2024-25 campaign, the Wildcats all of sudden have a lot of varsity experience and a roster filled with seven seniors.

“It is very nice to have all the girls back from last year,” Louisburg coach Adrianne Lane said. “We had a great summer and off-season and I think they are very excited to get another opportunity this season.”

The Wildcats will have a good amount of depth this season as they bring back a pair of all-league honorees. 

Senior Ashlyn Kuhlman was an honorable mention player last season as she led Louisburg with eight points a game, including a team-high 29 3-pointers. The Wildcat guard also led the team in rebounds with 98 and blocked shots with 45.

Another senior, Sami Lane, also returns after being named to the All-Frontier League defensive team a year ago. 

Senior guards Jillian Asher, Shylar Whiting and Ally Brown will all see time on the wing, and Asher returns as the team’s primary ball-handler. Sophomore Maddie Yoder, who saw limited minutes a season ago as a freshman, could also see time on the varsity level.

Sabra Brueggen and Addy Stohs, a pair of senior forwards, will also see a lot of time underneath the baskets. They will be joined by juniors Morgan Latham and McKenna Lohse, who both saw a lot of varsity minutes as sophomores.

“I think our experience will be a strength this year and our depth,” coach Lane said. “We have several girls who will get minutes on the varsity team.

“I feel that we have a great balance of posts and guards, and we have been working really hard on our inside-outside game. The girls have been working great together and I do feel like we will have some success playing inside-outside.”

There will also be a little change to the schedule from a year ago. The Wildcats will play every Frontier League team twice, in a league that currently has two teams ranked in the top 10 of Class 4A in Ottawa and Eudora, along with a strong Class 5A program in Spring Hill.

It is a difficult slate of games for the Wildcats, including three in a row to begin the season — at Ottawa, home to No. 6 Wamego and home to Baldwin. Louisburg opens its season Friday at home against Tonganoxie.

“Our league will be super tough this season, but I do think we will be able to compete with all the teams,” coach Lane said. “I feel our game play has improved since last year and I am super excited to see how we play as a team.”

The Wildcats traveled to Piper on Monday for a preseason jamboree with Shawnee Mission West, and were able to shake some of the preseason rust off. Lane liked what she saw from her team during that and in practice.

“Practice has been going great this year,” Lane said. “The girls work very hard every day. We ask a lot out of them and I feel they have really stepped up this year and are giving their best each day.”

KANSAS STATE HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION PRESS RELEASE

TOPEKA – Changes to postseason formats and championship sites for basketball, football, wrestling and track and field highlight actions approved at the June 12-13 KSHSAA Executive Board Meeting. The postseason formats are set by the KSHSAA Executive Board each year.

Basketball – Beginning in March of 2026, the state basketball tournaments will be moving to four total sites. Four facilities will play host to the seven classifications, 14 championships. By honoring the KSHSAA membership voted in the fall of 2023 to qualify eight boys teams and eight girls teams involved at the final site, modifications to the daily schedule will be developed. The schedule and other event details, including classification designations for each site and venue selection will be determined and announced following the 2024-25 basketball season.

Another basketball postseason change effective with the 2024-25 season will come at the 3A, 2A, 1A DI and 1A DII classifications. Each class will be divided into four regions and then seeded into two sub-states within the region: Substate A: 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16; Substate B: 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15. The winner of each substate will advance to the state basketball tournament. Further format details and dates will be sent to member schools.

Football – As announced in January, the state football championships will be moving to three sites with three games being played at each site. The executive board approved the following sites and schedule for 2024:

Emporia State University:

Class 6A = Friday, November 29 at 2:00pm

Class 4A = Saturday, November 30 at 1:00pm

Class 5A = Saturday, November 30 at 7:00pm

Hutchinson Community College:

Class 2A = Friday, November 29 at 6:00pm

Class 3A = Saturday, November 30 at 12:00pm

Class 1A = Saturday, November 30 at 5:00pm

Kiowa County High School, Greensburg:

Class 8-player DII = Saturday, November 30 at 11:00am

Class 6-Player = Saturday, November 30 at 3:00pm

Class 8-Player DI = Saturday, November 30 at 7:00pm

Wrestling – Girl’s wrestling will now include four classes to mirror the boy’s classification designations. The addition of another class for girl’s wrestling necessitates the addition of another championship site. 6A, 5A, 4A and 3-1A will each have their own site to determine a champion. 3-1A state wrestling will be in Hays and 4A will be in Salina. Park City Arena and one other facility to be named later will house either 6A or 5A. State sites and regional dates will be determined at the September KSHSAA Executive Board meeting. The state wrestling tournament will take place February 28 – March 1, 2025.

Track and Field – Qualification for the state meet was adjusted to now be the top 3 plus the next four best regional performance in each event.

Two committees will be formed to gather input from membership school leaders. One to discuss the details behind the implementation of Esports prior to the possible adoption as a KSHSAA sanctioned activity. The second committee will review the KSHSAA calendar to consider possible alternatives to dates of postseason activities.

The Louisburg boys basketball team had to weave through some difficult opponents throughout its Frontier League schedule, but the Wildcats more than held their own and some of their opposition took notice.

The All-Frontier League team was released Sunday and the Wildcats had three earn league honors. Senior Nathan Parker was selected to the first team, while junior Conlee Hovey was named as an honorable mention. Senior Brady Hickey was selected to the All-Defensive Team.

“When you broke it down and looked at everyone, there were a lot of really good players in the league,” Louisburg coach Ben Doll said. “It was impressive to see Nate get on the first team. I was hoping Conlee could get a little better, but getting honorable mention in a tough league is a big deal.

“It is also really cool they do an all-defensive team to recognize some of the best defenders in our league, especially some who might not recognized otherwise. Brady had a great year for us in that department, and really all-around he did some great things for us.”

Parker was a big part of the Wildcat offense all season, as he not only scored, but facilitated the offense at times. He finished with a team-best 12.6 points a game and he also tallied a team-high 51 assists.

“Nate did great job throughout the season and was someone who can get on streaks,” Doll said. “When was on, he was hard to stop. Against Coffeyville and Frontenac, he really got going and he kept our team in games. Not only that, he led our team in assists. He had a great knack of getting inside and finishing, or he found guys for open shots. He really had a great year.”

As for Hovey, the Louisburg forward improved as the season went along and was third on the team in scoring with 7.2 points a game and led the Wildcats with 162 rebounds.

He became more a focal point for the Wildcats as the season went along and other teams started to take notice. 

“Conlee was the guy that got the most attention about doing extra things,” Doll said. “We had other guys like Nate they had to stop, but they had to start doubling on Conlee and would do things to bracket him and take him out of the play. His rebounding was really good as the season went along. The key to our success were getting extra opportunities and he was a big reason for that. He is definitely a football first kid, but with a little bit of work in the summer, I think he can be one of the best players in the league next year.”

Hickey was one of the Wildcats’ top defenders and most consistent players throughout the season. As the team’s starting point guard, he had 16 steals and was third on the team with 76 rebounds.

He was also the team’s second leading scorer, averaging 8.4 points a contest.

“He was huge for us all year and had a great season,” Doll said. “He was our primary ball handler. He handled pressure teams tried to throw at us and did a great job with it. We put him on the best player on almost every team. He would guard different kinds of guys in different ways. He was our second leading scorer too. He was the only one that started every game and he was most consistent player.”

ALL-FRONTIER LEAGUE

FIRST TEAM

Cooper Carr, Baldwin, sophomore

Logan Sullivan, Eudora, senior

Kalen Streit, Bonner Springs, senior

Aiden McCullough, Ottawa, sophomore

Nathan Parker, Louisburg, senior

SECOND TEAM

Chase Bond, Spring Hill, senior

Alex Crowley, Tonganoxie, senior

Talan Torrez, Baldwin, senior

Jason Jones, Bonner Springs, sophomore

Caleb Hepner, Ottawa, junior

HONORABLE MENTION

Joey Ziembicki, Baldwin, senior

Errol Siemon, Eudora, junior

Caden Stedry, Eudora, junior

Conlee Hovey, Louisburg, junior

Owen Blaine, Ottawa, senior

Carter Hepner, Ottawa, junior

Caden Cohee, Paola, junior

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

Leo Schoenberger, Baldwin, sophomore

Kalen Streit, Bonner Springs, senior

Errol Siemon, Eudora, junior

Brady Hickey, Louisburg, senior

Carter Hepner, Ottawa, junior

Eli Richmond, Paola, senior

Jordan Miller, Spring Hill, sophomore

Alex Crowley, Tonganoxie, senior