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.

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.”

LOU               16           15           11           5 – 47

AC                  10           6             9             10 – 35

LOUISBURG (3-0): Megan Foote 5-9
1-2 12; Madilyn Melton 5-13 1-2 11; Haley Cain 3-8 1-2 9; Alyse Moore 4-12 0-1
8; Delaney Wright 2-8 0-0 4; Brooklyn Diederich 1-15 1-4 3; Sydni Keagle 0-2
1-2 1. Totals: 20-67 5-13 47. 3-point field goals: 3, (Cain 2, Foote 1)

Junior Konnor Vohs steals a pass during Tuesday’s road contest in Burlington. The Wildcats fell to Burlington, 72-68.

BURLINGTON – The Louisburg boys basketball team had a good idea what to expect from Burlington when they Wildcats hit the road Tuesday for their second straight away game.

However, turnovers haunted the Wildcats and it sent them to their second straight loss. Despite a late rally, Louisburg came up a couple baskets short in a 72-68 setback to Burlington.

Louisburg went up against a full-court pressure defense from Burlington, which caused the Wildcats to commit 25 turnovers. Those mistakes made it difficult to come back against a Burlington team that shot almost 47 percent for the game.

“We knew coming in that they were
going to be a team that plays hard,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “They
don’t have a lot of size, but they are going to be physically tough and
aggressive. We are going to see teams that like to get up and challenge us. At
times, I think we were able to figure it out, but it took us too long to do
that.

“In those kind of games, it comes down to one possession one way or the other and there were times where we built a lead and could have put them away with a bucket. We don’t, and then they go the other way and score. Their press was tough and we have to handle that better.”

It was a close game throughout and
neither team had more than a seven-point lead. Burlington held that seven-point
lead early in the third quarter, but the Wildcats made a big run to pull back
in front.

Louisburg went on an 11-3 run thanks to seven points from senior Garrett Rolofson and a basket from sophomore Julian Margrave. Junior Weston Guetterman then put Louisburg in front, 43-41, with a basket and was fouled.

Rolofson then followed that up
with a dunk to give Louisburg a four-point advantage late in the third. In all,
Rolofson scored nine of his 11 points in the frame and the Wildcats led 49-45
going into the fourth.

Burlington then came alive with a 27-point fourth quarter and took the lead back early in final frame. Junior Ben Guetterman hit a pair of 3-pointers late to try and get the Wildcats back in it, but Burlington was able to knock down its free throws to hold off Louisburg.

“We made some plays that were able
to get us back in it, but those possessions are just as important as the ones
in the first quarter,” Pfannenstiel said. “We have to understand that. Our
point of emphasis was having better shot selection and just being patient, and
when they came out with their press we just kind of forgot about that and
started firing up the first open shot and that fed right into their hand. We
have to do a better job coaching and we will get better at those things.”

The Wildcats shot better than 50
percent for the game, and when they got good looks, they were able to convert.
Margrave led Louisburg with 19 points on the night to go along with five
rebounds and two blocks.

Weston Guetterman had 15 points
and a team-high six assists from the point guard spot. Fellow guard Ben Guetterman
finished with 13 points. Rolofson finished his night with a double-double as he
had 11 points and a team-high 12 rebounds and two blocks.

Louisburg will try and bounce back
tonight when it hosts Anderson County in its home opener.

“They have a different look and
they might be a different style than what they were last year,” Pfannenstiel
said. “We will get back to working hard. There are a lot of things we have to
improve on and our focus is on Anderson County for sure.”

LOU               18           11           20           19 – 68

BUR               16           16           13           27 – 72

LOUISBURG (0-2): Julian Margrave
7-12 5-6 19; Weston Guetterman 5-9 4-6 15; Ben Guetterman 5-9 0-0 13; Garrett
Rolofson 5-11 1-1 11; Maverick Rockers 3-3 0-0 8; Konnor Vohs 1-2 0-0 2.
Totals: 26-49 10-13 68. 3-point field goals: 6, (B. Guetterman 3, Rockers 2, W.
Guetterman 1)

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.”

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.”

LOU               13           14           8             24 – 59

BUR               14           9             13           10 – 46

LOUISBURG (2-0): Alyse Moore 22,
Madilyn Melton 18, Megan Foote 8, Brooklyn Diederich 6, Delaney Wright 3, Sydni
Keagle 2. 3-point field goals: 1, (Diederich)

Louisburg junior Weston Guetterman gets fouled while going up for a shot Friday during the Wildcats’ season opener at Tonganoxie High School.

TONGANOXIE – The Louisburg boys basketball team got off to the start it was looking for as it jumped out to an early lead over Tonganoxie in its season opener.

It all seemed to be going smoothly
for the Wildcats, but the second quarter changed all that. Tonganoxie went on a
run before halftime and it was the difference in Louisburg’s 56-47 loss Friday
at Tonganoxie High School.

In the other three frames, the two
teams played about even, but the one stretch in the second proved to be too much
for the Wildcats to overcome.

“You never know what you are going
to get first time out,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “We have a lot of
guys either first time starting or first time playing on varsity. I was proud
of the way we started the game. We looked confident and we were playing with
good energy. We really looked like that the whole game, but sometimes the ball
goes in the hoop and sometimes it doesn’t. When you look at it stat-wise, both
teams were fairly comparable.”

The Wildcats, which shot 32
percent for the game, didn’t show that in the opening quarter as they looked
crisp offensively. Weston Guetterman, Julian Margrave, Michael Waldron and
Konnor Vohs each hit shots to give the Wildcats a 15-12 lead going into the
second quarter.

Tonganoxie took control in the
second quarter as it outscored Louisburg 18-10 before halftime and the Wildcats
found themselves down, 30-25.

Baskets from Ben Guetterman and
Margrave kept the Tonganoxie lead at three midway through the third quarter,
but the Chieftains ended the frame on a 7-1 run to go up nine points.

It was too much to overcome for the Wildcats. Weston Guetterman made a basket to cut the Tonganoxie lead to four with three minutes left in the contest, but the Wildcats could get no closer.

“They went on a little run and
they knocked down some big shots that got them the momentum and they were able
to keep that lead the rest of the time,” Pfannenstiel said of Tongie’s second
quarter. “We have to be able to find ways to score and not just rely on outside
shots. We need to take the ball to the hoop a little bit more. We have to find
a way to scrap for offensive rebounds and get some put-backs too.”

Sophomore Julian Margrave led
Louisburg with a double-double as he had a team-high 15 points and 10 rebounds.
He also recorded four blocks on the defensive end.

Weston Guetterman provided a steady hand for the Wildcats at the point guard spot. Guetterman was in double figures in scoring with 14 points to go along with four rebounds and two assists.

In all, the Wildcats were able to
take care of the ball as they committed just five turnovers on the night, but
they just couldn’t get the shots to fall.

“Weston played with confidence out
there,” Pfannenstiel said. “He has the ball in his hand a little bit more this
year as last year he was more off an off-guard. This is more of a natural spot
for him and he does a good job of controlling the tempo of the game for us.

“I thought we did a great job of
taking care of the ball and we didn’t have many turnovers. We only had like (five)
turnovers for the game and we normally have that in the first quarter. That has
to be a record in my three years here. That was nice to see.”

Louisburg will try and bounce back
to get its first win tonight when it travels to face off with Burlington.
Tipoff is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.

LOU               15           10           7             15 – 47

TON              12           18           11           15 – 56

LOUISBURG (0-1): Julian Margrave
7-18 0-0 15; Weston Guetterman 4-10 5-10 14; Ben Guetterman 2-9 3-4 7; Michael
Waldron 2-7 1-2 6; Konnor Vohs 2-6 0-0 4; Garrett Rolofson 0-1 1-2 1. Totals:
17-54 10-18 47. 3-point field goals: 3, (W. Guetterman, Waldron, Margrave)

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.”

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.

LOU               5             16           9             8 – 38

TON              6             7             6             12 – 31

LOUISBURG (1-0): Madilyn Melton
5-13 4-7 15; Brooklyn Diederich 2-12 3-6 9; Delaney Wright 2-7 2-5 6; Megan
Foote 2-5 1-2 5; Alyse Moore 1-5 0-2 2. Totals: 12-49 10-22 38. 3-point field
goals: 3, (Diederich 2, Melton)

Senior Michael Waldron is one of two returning starters for the Louisburg boys basketball team this season. The Wildcats open play tomorrow in Tonganoxie.

Whenever you play in one of the state’s most difficult leagues, including one that features the defending state champion, the season is always going to be a challenging one.

Louisburg is well-aware of that
fact, but it doesn’t make it any easier when it has to replace its leading
scorer from a season ago. The Wildcats had to say goodbye to four seniors, all
who played big roles on last season’s team that finished with a 9-11 record.

The Wildcats may be young in age,
but head coach Ty Pfannenstiel is excited for what he has coming back as they
enter the 2019-20 season.

“I’m
very proud of this group of kids for the work that they’ve put in,”
Pfannenstiel said. “We had our best off-season yet. Our summer weight room and
basketball workout attendance was outstanding top to bottom. We have guys
that look a lot different this year because they have really developed.

“Our
expectations are extremely high, not because we are just saying it, but
because they’ve invested so much time into what it takes to be successful.
Actions speak louder than words. We’ve had a great first two weeks of practice.
Our practices have been extremely competitive because we have so much depth
this year. There’s just a lot of focus with this group.”

Louisburg returns two
starters from a season ago in junior point guard Weston Guetterman, along with
senior wing player Michael Waldron. Fellow junior Ben Guetterman will take over
the other guard spot after seeing a lot of varsity time a year ago.

Senior Garrett Rolofson
will see a lot of time at the center position, while sophomore Julian Margrave will
also get the start as he is one of the team’s best shooters and earned varsity
playing time halfway through his freshman season.

“We lost a lot of experience with last year’s group, but that’s what almost every program experiences,” Pfannenstiel said. “We return two starters from last year. Weston was a starting guard for us last year and will be our point guard this year. Michael was a starter by the end of the year last year and we will expect big things from him this year. Garrett had a great summer and will be a big factor for us inside and on the glass.

“Ben
gave us some quality minutes last year and we hope the varsity experience he
gained will give him confidence this year. Julian saw significant varsity time
last year which is uncommon for a freshman. We expect him to take another step
forward this year as a sophomore.”

Even
with that, the Wildcats still have a lot depth on their bench.

Junior
Konnor Vohs and sophomore Maverick Rockers will see time at the guard spot,
while juniors Connor Koesser and Charlie Peters will compete for time in the
post. Juniors Andy Hupp and Dawson Barnes could also see at both the guard and
forward spots.

Junior
Trevin Lohse, along with sophomores Michael Seuferling, Carson Kern and Isaac
Guetterman, will also compete for varsity time this season.

“Our junior class is really deep,”
Pfannenstiel said. “I think they all have an opportunity to see time this
year. It really is going to come down to who is making an impact in
practice and playing well in the JV games.”

Louisburg
begins its season Friday when it travels to Tonganoxie in Frontier League play –
a league that features a returning state champion in Piper and another state
qualifier in Bonner Springs. The Wildcats know their schedule will be a
challenge all season, but they are looking forward to the task ahead.

“I
think the Frontier League is always going to be tough,” Pfannenstiel said. “Every
night is going to demand your best. We finished in the middle of the pack
last year in the league. We obviously want to be in the top tier of the
Frontier League this year. If you finish in the top tier in this league,
you’ve had a heck of a season. We are going to take it one game at a time.
There will be no looking ahead on the schedule. Right now, we are focused
on Tonganoxie.”

No
matter what transpires, Pfannenstiel is proud of the work his team has put in
to get to this point. Whether it was workouts in the summer, or through the
first three weeks of practice, he has seen them grow since the end of last
season.

“This
team is extremely coachable,” he said. “They pick up on things really quick. We
are so much farther ahead than we’ve ever been in my three years. I think
we have a chance to be effective offensively. We should be able to score
from all five positions on the court. Our off-season shooting
workouts have developed our kids into scorers. We want our kids to be
confident shooting the ball and the only way to gain that confidence is to see
the ball go through the hoop. Now the questions is, can our shooting
development carry over when the lights are on and somebody in an opposing
jersey is guarding us? 

“I
think we have to make the biggest strides defensively. We lost some tough,
physical kids from last year’s team, so we are going to have to develop an
attitude on the defensive side of the ball and on the boards. The main thing
that I like about this group is, not only are they good ball players, but they
are even better kids. I am so proud for these kids to represent this
school and this community.”

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.”

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.”

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.

A big change to the Kansas High School
Activities Association (KSHSAA) postseason could be coming sooner rather than
later if a proposal, submitted by the Frontier League, passes the KSHSAA Board
of Directors and its member schools.

Last month the Frontier League,
led by Paola High School principal Jeff Hines and Louisburg superintendent Dr.
Brian Biermann, petitioned KSHSAA to separate public and private schools into
their own postseason competitions.

In order for it pass, the petition
must be signed by 20 percent of the 355 member schools according to KSHSAA
bi-laws. The Frontier League got the 71 needed petitions and have now submitted
this to appear in front of the KSHSAA Board of Directors for vote in their
Sept. 18 meeting.

The board of directors would then
have to pass it by simple majority of those in attendance to bring the proposal
to a vote from all the member schools.

“Kansas needs to catch up with
the rest of the country and get this competitive imbalance under control in our
state,” Hines said. “The longer we wait then more students will be negatively
impacted. We have a responsibility as educators to create the best
opportunities possible for our students. No one can honestly say we have
the best system possible right now. It can definitely be improved.”

The proposal submitted by the Frontier League is the same one the state of Texas uses that keeps the schools in their same classification, but only separates the schools come postseason.

Other options were discussed
before submitting the proposal, such as implementing a multiplier on all
private schools like Missouri currently does. In fact, it is the most popular
proposal among the schools that were surveyed by Hines last January.

They also talked about the “Oklahoma
model” where schools are bumped up a classification based on success for
competitive balance.

Seventy-four percent of the
schools said they would support a population multiplier, 64 percent would
support competitive balance factors and 51 percent would support separate
divisions.

However, KSHSAA would not be able
to make this change with a multiplier due to state statute K.S.A. 72-130 that
states a high school association “must establish a system of classification of
member high schools according to student attendance.”

KSHSAA would not be able to pass a
new bi-law that goes against state statute, and therefore, the Kansas State
Legislature would have reword the statue to allow the association to make those
changes.

The Frontier League believes the Texas model, or separate postseason divisions, does not deal with classifications. Also, this model had more support from 5A and 6A schools as neither classification would likely vote for a multiplier.

“We don’t view that as a classification decision as we are not affecting classification, but KSHSAA and their lawyers view that it is,” Biermann said. “5A and 6A schools that we talked to really wanted us to push for the Texas model because they don’t want to play them (private schools) either. The biggest thing for me is if 5 and 6A schools don’t want to play them, then why do we? As a superintendent, I am supposed to create opportunities for kids. We had four teams last year in both soccer teams, football and volleyball that all saw their season end to Bishop Miege. It is not right that we have kids and coaches that work their tails off and they don’t have the opportunity to win.

“Am I all about state
championships? Absolutely not. But we also know the reality of it in the
current system. Winning state championships is important for communities and is
always a goal. I am not ever going to give up on this idea and neither will the
Frontier League.”

The public versus private school
debate has been going on for the last several years and Hines has been leading
the charge since 2015 when he put together a study that displayed the disparity
of state championships won by private schools.

In 2018-19, private schools won 32
percent of the state championships in Classes 5A through 1A. There are currently
no private schools in 6A. Twenty-one of those 24 state titles were won by
private schools in Class 4A and 5A.

That is a high number considering
that out of the 355 member schools, only 27 of them are private.

The Frontier League wanted to see change, so Hines surveyed the 355 member schools late last year and presented his findings to KSHSAA in January. More than 88 percent of the schools responded, that included 22 private institutions, and 87 percent said they want the current system changed.

Although most schools said they
would support the multiplier model more, Hines and the rest of the league
schools, believe it is the best way to proceed at this time.

“Our
survey indicated that separate divisions was the least popular option among
member schools, however as a league we feel like it is the most appropriate
option,” Hines said. “A multiplier will pass through and will be our next
option if this does not go through.  A multiplier will impact many private
schools that are not quasi sports academies that are not very successful in athletics. The
separate divisions avoids this situation.”

If
the proposal does pass the board of directors, KSHSAA will then put it to a
vote with all 355 member schools and it must pass by a simple majority and by
four of the six classes.

From
there, KSHSAA executive director Bill Faflick would take it to the Kansas
Legislature before change could be implemented.

“We
know it won’t happen overnight,” Biermann said. “Even if this passes, nothing
will change this year and probably not the following year. It could be three
years out with the way football schedules take shape. We are honestly ok with
that if we knew that there was light at the end of the tunnel. If this would
not pass, we would turn right around and do the multiplier one.”

Despite what happens at the
upcoming board of directors meeting, Hines believes changes to the system will
happen sooner rather than later.

“I am now confident something will get done,” Hines said. “I
think it will ultimately take a multiplier to get something done. If the
separate divisions fails then we will propose a multiplier for the spring board
of directors meeting.”

 A lot of obstacles are still in the way for change to happen, whether it has to deal with state statues or member votes, but none of the schools in the nine-member Frontier League are going to stop until they see a more even playing field.

“I am very proud of the Frontier League, and even though we compete against each other, we are very unified on this,” Biermann said. “It is about fairness and equality and I am tired of having my kids at Louisburg High School not having the same opportunity as some others. The throttle is down and it is going to stay down.”

Grant Harding drives to the basket during his senior season with Louisburg in 2017. Harding committed to play basketball at Pittsburg State after two years with the Hesston College program.

When Grant Harding signed with
Hesston College to play basketball more than two years ago, he hoped to use it
as a stepping stone to something bigger.

Harding certainly made the most of
his opportunity in his two years with the Larks and it paid off in a big way.
The 2017 Louisburg graduate was offered a spot on the Pittsburg State
University basketball team and Harding jumped at the opportunity when he committed
to the team in May.

“I am very excited to have the
opportunity to play Division II basketball,” Harding said. “The competition at
this level is incredible and being able to compete with some great athletes is
something that I really look forward to.

“The decision to go to Pitt State
was an easy one once I visited and got the chance to meet coach (Kim) Anderson
and experience what an athlete at Pitt is all about.”

Harding, who will enter Pitt State as a junior both athletically and academically, will have the opportunity to play for an experienced head coach. Anderson was previously the head coach at the University of Missouri and he also won a Division II national championship at the University of Central Missouri before that.

Anderson is currently in his
second year with the Gorilla program and Harding is excited to be a part of what
Anderson is trying to build down at Pitt.

“Coach Anderson has plans for me
to further develop my game in these next two years,” Harding said. “I am
expected to come in and compete for playing time and impact the team any way I
can. He likes how I am a versatile player and views me as a mismatch at
different positions.

“I just have a ton of respect for
Coach Anderson and all he has accomplished during his coach career. I believe
there is something special happening with Pitt State basketball under his
leadership. Pitt State has great facilities for all their athletes and they
have a really unique teaching program and coaching experience opportunities.”

Harding had good final season at
Hesston as the Larks competed in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College
Conference. In 28 games, Harding averaged 14 points a contest to go along with
seven rebounds a game as a guard/forward.

He believes his time with the
Hesston program was pivotal in his career and he his thankful for what he
learned in the last two years.

“I had a great experience at
Hesston,” Harding said. “Off the court, I grew tremendously and met some
lifelong friends. On the court, I got a lot of experience at the college level
and played against some tough competition. Coach (Dustin) Galyon really
prepares his players for the next step both on and off the court.”

Harding, who was an all-league
player for the Wildcats and helped Louisburg to its last state appearance in
2017, is ready to see how his basketball journey ends at Pitt State.

“My goals for next year are to
continue on a good path towards graduation in on time with good grades, and to
just be the best teammate I can be. I just want to be someone who competes and
works hard every day and see where that takes my final years of playing
basketball.”