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 – 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 – 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 – 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 – 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

Class of 2007

Alan
Taylor – 1949 – Football

Tim
Dozier – 1987 – Wrestling/Football

Beth
Dodson Dixon – 1989 – Volleyball/Basketball

Jeff
Lohse – 1991 – Baseball/Football/Basketball

Class of 2008

Greg
Kahmann – 1987 – Baseball/Football/Basketball

Mark
Buckingham – 1994 – Basketball

Not many athletes had the
opportunity to experience the success Carson Buffington did during the 2018-19
school year.

Buffington found herself in two state
championship matches and was a team captain in all three seasons. The 2019
Louisburg High School graduate played at a high level in all the sports she
competed in and did so with the respect of her teammates of coaches.

Those are just a few of the reasons why Buffington was chosen as the 2019 Louisburg Sports Zone Female Athlete of the Year.

The award, which is in its second
year, is to recognize an outstanding LHS student athlete. Louisburg Sports Zone
asked the head coaches at LHS to submit nominations and those nominations were
then organized and submitted back to the coaches for a vote.

The coaches then submitted their
top three choices and the number of votes were added up, which decided the
winner.

Buffington began her memorable senior
year on the volleyball court as she helped the Lady Cats to a state runner-up
finish for the second consecutive season. She was an outside hitter on the 2018
squad, which was a position she had to learn on the fly.

She spent the last two seasons as
the team’s starting setter and Buffington made the move to the front line –
which gave her team the best chance to win.

Along with her state runner-up
finish, Buffington also earned second team All-Frontier League honors and was
named to the Greater Kansas City Volleyball Coaches Association Senior All-Star
match.

“Carson was a great leader again this
past season and played a vital role on the team,” Louisburg coach Jessica
Compliment said. “She handled transitioning to a new position with a lot of
grace and was bound and determined to learn the ins/outs of being a hitter,
than a setter. She previously ran our offense as the setter for two years. But
as with each new season, new players are added to the mix and the possibility
of changing positions/rosters arises.

“I was very proud of how she ‘handed’ over the reins of the offense to two freshmen and how she encouraged and pushed them every day in practice. She was a great role model. Carson added a lot of emotional energy when we needed it and made huge plays at important times throughout matches.”

Buffington was also a big part of the
Lady Cat basketball team this past season, despite finishing short of a state
tournament. She earned all-league and all-state honorable mention honors after
she averaged eight points, seven rebounds and three steals per game.

She currently holds a school record with 864
career rebounds and was an all-league player for her entire four year stint
with the Louisburg basketball team.

“Carson is one of the hardest working players that I
have worked with coaching basketball, boys or girls,” Louisburg girls
basketball coach Shawn Lowry said. “She never took a day off and always led by
example. Carson was relentless as a player and was always the first one on
the floor for a loose ball.  As good an athlete, she is an even better
young woman with great character, integrity, unselfishness and passion.”

Buffington might have had her most successful season,
both team-wise and individually, in the spring as the Wildcats’ starting goalkeeper
on the Louisburg girls’ soccer team.

For the second year in a row, the Wildcats were the Class 4-1A state runner-up and Buffington was a big reason why. She started all 20 games and set school records in shutouts (13), saves in a season (115), goals against average (.952) and wins (17).

With all that success, Buffington was named the
Class 4-1A Goalkeeper of the Year by the Kansas Soccer Coaches Association.

“Carson in her first year as the starting
goalkeeper was unbelievable,” Louisburg girls soccer coach Kyle Conley said. “She
kept us in a lot of games and even won us a few. Carson is in her third year ever playing
soccer as well. She started her sophomore year and has grown so much. She is a
gifted three sport athlete and it shows in her ability to play goalkeeper. She
has a fantastic attitude and work ethic.” 

For the past three years, Louisburg Sports Zone has given out Athlete of the Week awards during each of the three sports seasons. I do it to recognize special athletic achievements and to highlight the athletes.

For the second straight year, Louisburg Sports Zone will be handing out an Athlete of the Year honor to a male and female athlete at Louisburg High School. I wanted the opportunity to recognize those who exemplify what it means to be an “athlete.”

Although I am giving out the award, I wanted the process to be subjective, so I asked the head coaches at LHS to help me out. I asked each coach to send me nominations of who they thought exemplified the Athlete of the Year honor. They will then vote for their top 3 male and female athletes and then I will tabulate the results and determine the winner. In the next week, I will announce this year’s recipients.

Below are the nominees for this year’s award in alphabetical order by last name. Congrats to all those who were nominated and best of luck!

FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

CARSON BUFFINGTON – SENIOR – BASKETBALL, SOCCER, VOLLEYBALL

Carson was a 3-time letter winner in her senior season and
was named as a team captain in volleyball, basketball and soccer.

In volleyball, Buffington earned second team All-Frontier
League honors as she helped lead the Lady Cats to a Class 4A state runner-up
performance. She also moved from her starting setter position to the outside
hitter spot and had a lot of success for the Lady Cats as she tallied 130 kills
in her new position. With all that success, Buffington was also selected to the
Greater Kansas City Volleyball Coaches Association Senior All-Star Match.

Buffington also wrapped up a strong career for the Louisburg
basketball team as she averaged eight points and seven rebounds to go along
with three steals a contest. She was named as a Frontier League honorable
mention this past season, and she also was selected as an all-state honorable
mention.

In girls soccer, Buffington was the starting goalie for Louisburg in all 20 games. She posted 13 shutouts, which is a school record and had a .952 goals against average, which is also a school record. Buffington had 90 saves on the season that ended as a Class 4-1A state runner up for the second consecutive year. For her efforts, she was also selected second team All-Frontier League. Buffington was also named first team all-state goalie and was named Goalkeeper of the Year.

ANNA DIXON – SENIOR – VOLLEYBALL

Anna wrapped up her fourth volleyball season as a varsity starter for the Lady Cats and guided Louisburg to its second consecutive Class 4A-state runner-up finish.

Dixon, who is currently with the Kansas State volleyball
team, ended her senior season with 584 kills and had a hitting percentage of
.260. She also added 325 digs, 50 aces and 42 blocks as she played all six
rotations. With those lofty numbers, Dixon earned several big time honors in
her final season.

She was selected as an All-Frontier League first team player
and was also named to the 4A State All-Tournament Team. Those honors continued
as she was named the Kansas Volleyball Coaches Association Class 4A Player of the
Year and earned a spot on KVA All-State First Team.

Following the season, Dixon was also named as an
Under-Armour All-American also earned MaxPreps/American Volleyball Coaches
Association Player of the Week honors.

ALYSE MOORE – SOPHOMORE – BASKETBALL, SOFTBALL, TRACK AND FIELD

Alyse is a 3-sport varsity letter-winner this past year as she earned letters for the basketball, softball and track and field teams. This past spring season, Moore went to state in two different sports and became the first Wildcat athlete in recent memory to do so.

In her first season in track and field, Moore threw the
javelin for the Lady Cats and went on to become regional champion as she
eclipsed her personal best throw by almost 25 feet in just her third
competition of the season. The following week, she medaled fourth at the Class
4A state tournament with a personal best throw of 131 feet and 9 inches.

Moore was also the starting shortstop for the Lady Cats as
she helped Louisburg to its first regional championship since 2014.

During the basketball season, Moore was a starter for the
Lady Cats and averaged six points, five rebounds and three steals a game.

TRINITY MOORE – JUNIOR – CROSS COUNTRY, SOCCER

Trinity is 2-sport letter-winner for Louisburg this past
year as she had state performances in both cross country and soccer.

During the fall, Moore was the top runner on the Louisburg girls cross country team as she helped the Lady Cats to a regional runner-up finish and qualified for state as a team for the first time in school history. Moore medaled fourth at the Class 4A state meet in Wamego and currently holds the school record for the fastest time in program history. She also earned first-team All-Frontier League honors for her third place finish at the league meet.

In soccer, Moore was a starter on the Wildcat team that recently finished as the Class 4-1A state runner-up for the second consecutive year. At the midfield spot, she finished the season with 12 goals and six assists and was also named to the All-Frontier League first team.

DELANEY WRIGHT – FRESHMAN – BASKETBALL, CROSS COUNTRY, TRACK AND FIELD

Delaney is a 3-sport letter-winner as she took part in cross country, basketball and track and field and competed at the state level in two of those.

Wright found most of her success in track and field as she
earned four medals at the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships
in Wichita this past month. She medaled in the long jump, 400-meter-dash,
200-meter dash and as a member of the 4×400-relay.

During the regional meet, Wright broke two school records
(long jump, 400 dash) and earned a regional and Frontier League title in the
long jump. She also earned a medal in the long jump at the Kansas Relays
earlier in the season.

In cross country, Wright was a member of the Louisburg team
that finished as a Class 4A regional runner-up and qualified for the state meet
as a team for the first time in school history. In basketball, Wright saw
playing time at the varsity level as a freshman at different points throughout
the season.

MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

BLUE CAPLINGER – SENIOR – BASEBALL, FOOTBALL, TRACK AND FIELD, WRESTLING

Blue is a 4-sport letter-winner in football, wrestling,
baseball and track and field and competed at the state level in two of the
sports.

In football, Caplinger was an All-Frontier League player on
both sides of the ball as he was named to the first team defense as a defensive
back and second team offense as a multi-purpose player. On defense, Caplinger,
who helped Louisburg to a 10-1 record and a regional championship, had 31
tackles from the safety spot and also had two tackles for a loss, two fumble
recoveries and an interception. Offensively, he had 544 total yards and six touchdowns.

On the wrestling mat, Caplinger was a regional champion at
170 pounds and finished his season with a 33-5 record. The Louisburg senior
fell one match short of state medal with a 2-2 record at the Class 4A state
tournament. He currently holds the school record for most career reversals (72)
and most career escapes (86). Following the season, he was also named to the
KWCA Academic All-State first team.

Caplinger split time between baseball and track and field in
the spring. Although he spent time as a reserve and pinch-runner on the
baseball team, Caplinger found a lot of success on the track.

He qualified for state as a member of two relays. Caplinger was a member of the 4×400 relay team that won the Class 4A state championship in 3 minutes and 25 seconds. Caplinger also helped the 4×100 relay to a fifth place finish and went on to garner two state medals.

Caplinger will join the Benedictine football team this fall.

AUSTIN MOORE – SENIOR – FOOTBALL, TRACK AND FIELD, WRESTLING

Austin is a 3-sport letter winner in football, wrestling and
track and field and was among the state’s best in two of the sports.

Moore thrived on the football field for the Wildcats as he helped Louisburg to a 10-1 record and a regional championship. Moore was a first team All-Frontier League player on both sides of the ball and was the league’s leading vote-getter. He went on to rack up all-state awards as the Louisburg senior earned Class 4A first team all-state honors as a running back from the Topeka Capital-Journal and the Kansas Football Coaches Association. Moore was also named as a Class 4A first team all-state linebacker from the Wichita Eagle.

When the season was all said and done, Moore tallied 1,554
total yards from the running back spot, including 1,428 yards on the ground,
and had 21 touchdowns before he broke his collarbone during the regional
championship game.

With those numbers, he was named the Kansas Small Class
Player of the Year by 810 Varsity and was All-Purpose Player of the Year by
Kpreps.com. Earlier this year, Moore was also named to the Kansas Shrine Bowl
roster.

On the wrestling mat, Moore missed more than half of the
season with his broken collarbone, but came back in a big way. Moore won his
first 14 matches when coming back at 220 pounds, which included a regional
championship. He went on to earn his first state medal as he finished fourth at
the Class 4A state tournament with a 3-2 record. He was also named to the KWCA
Academic All-State first team.

During the spring, he was a member of the Louisburg track and field team and threw the javelin for the Wildcats. He was also on the throwers relay that ranked Top 5 nationally at one point in the season.

Moore will join the Kansas State football team this fall.

KIEFER TUCKER – SENIOR – FOOTBALL, TRACK AND FIELD, WEIGHTLIFTING

Kiefer is a 2-sport letter winner in football and track and
field and also went to state competition in two activities.

Tucker was a presence on the line of scrimmage for the
Louisburg football team as he was a first team All-Frontier League player on
both sides of the ball and helped the Wildcats to a 10-1 record and a regional
championship.

The Louisburg senior was among on the leaders on the
offensive line as he helped pave the way for more than 3,500 yards of total
offense. On defense, Tucker recorded 55 tackles from the defensive end spot,
including three tackles for a loss, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and
a sack. Those numbers helped earn him honorable mention all-state honors and was
also named to the all-state team by the Kansas Football Coaches Association.
The honors kept coming for Tucker as he was recently selected to participate in
the Kansas Shrine Bowl.

During the winter, Tucker was a member of the Louisburg
powerlifting team and certainly made his mark there as well. Tucker won the Class
4A state championship in the 220-pound class and broke a 24-year-old record in
the bench press with a lift of 375 pounds.

In track and field, Tucker qualified for state for the first time in the discus. He finished as a regional runner-up and went on to take ninth at the Class 4A state meet in Wichita, just one spot away from earning a state medal.

Tucker will join the Emporia State football team this fall.

Louisburg senior Dylan DeShazer will continue his basketball career next season at Avila University as he signed a letter of intent with the Eagles on April 3.

Dylan DeShazer has been playing
basketball for most of his young life, and with college in his near-future, he
wasn’t ready to leave it behind just yet.

In fact, playing collegiate
basketball has always been a goal of DeShazer’s and he found the perfect opportunity
for him. On April 3, DeShazer made his decision known in front of family and
friends during a signing ceremony at Louisburg High School.

DeShazer signed his letter of
intent to play basketball at Avila University and he is excited to take the next
step in his journey with the Eagle program.

“It is definitely a big step,”
DeShazer said. “It is a little scary, but it is exciting too because I get a
chance to go to a different place, meet new people and do what I love, which is
playing basketball.

“Playing college basketball has
been a big goal for me for a long time. Now that it is actually happening, it
is just awesome. It really is an undescribeable feeling and am looking forward
to getting started.

The Louisburg senior started most
of the season for the Wildcat program and averaged eight points and five
rebounds in 22 minutes a contest. DeShazer, who stands at 6 feet, 5 inches, played
a lot under the basket for the Wildcats and will have a similar role next
season with Avila.

“They see me as a big man that can
play in and out, but mostly working inside,” DeShazer said. “He said he really
wants someone that will work hard and go all out for the team and I think that
I am that person.”

Avila is an
NAIA program in Kansas City, Mo., and is currently a member of the Kansas
Collegiate Athletic Conference. Although the Eagles struggled last season,
DeShazer is excited for the opportunity to fit in with the program, and the
school.

“I did like how
small and convenient it was,” he said. “They definitely have a good program and
I have watched them for a while. They have a friendly environment and something
I wanted to be a part of.

“I just want to
get comfortable and get to know people. I would like to get a good amount of
playing time, but really I want to just go and improve my skills.”

DeShazer had
his best game of the season in the Wildcats’ final game of the year in the
sub-state tournament as he scored a game-high 16 points and pulled down seven
rebounds against Anderson County.

He was a part
of a Louisburg senior class that helped turn around a program that had two wins
a year ago and helped the Wildcats to a 9-12 record. DeShazer’s four years with
the program was a special time for him.

“It really
hasn’t sunk in yet,” DeShazer said of his high school career coming to a close.
“I can’t even remember all these experiences the last four years because I have
had so many, but the stuff I do remember will stick with me forever. It was a
good experience for sure.”

Louisburg senior Kohl Vogel was selected to the All-Frontier League team recently after leading the Wildcats in scoring with 14 points per game.

The Frontier League provided a lot
of challenges throughout the season and the Louisburg boys basketball team was
well aware of its difficulties.

Louisburg had to navigate through some rough waters that included the eventual Class 4A state champion in Piper and another Class 5A state qualifier in Bonner Springs. Still, a few Wildcat players left impressions on the league coaches, including one in particular.

Senior Kohl Vogel, Louisburg’s
leading scorer, was the lone Wildcat to earn all-league honors as he was
selected to the honorable mention team.

Piper and Bonner Springs led the
way with six of the league’s top 10 players, and Piper led all league schools
with five selections overall.

“The Frontier League was loaded with
talent this year, so I knew it was going to be very competitive on the all-league
voting,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “When you add three extra teams
to the league (Piper, Bonner Springs and Tonganoxie), that narrows down the
number of post season honors. Piper and Bonner alone had 6 players on the first
and second team, so that goes to show you how tough it was going to be to land
on that list. Kohl missed out on second team by one vote.” 

 Vogel was a big part of the Wildcats’ offense
as he led the team with nearly 14 points per game. The Louisburg senior also
played well defensively as he finished with a team-high 2.2 steals a game to go
along with four rebounds.

“I really thought Kohl had a good enough
season to receive a second team honor, but it just didn’t quite work out,”
Pfannenstiel said. “He should be very proud of his honorable mention
honor. Kohl had a great year for us. He started off the year very
hot, having some big time scoring games.

“Kohl was a big spark for us both
offensively and defensively.  He definitely led us offensively, but was
great for us defensively as well. His aggressiveness at the top of our
press and zone really gave teams trouble. I was very proud of Kohl’s
effort this year. He’s got a motor on the basketball court that doesn’t stop.”

Bonner Springs led the way with
two first team selections in seniors Keyon Thomas and A.J. Watson. Spring Hill
senior Brennen Feeback, Ottawa junior Koby Johnson and Piper sophomore Tamar
Bates rounded out the first team.

ALL-FRONTIER LEAGUE BOYS BASKETBALL

FIRST TEAM

Keyon Thomas, Bonner Springs,
senior

Brennen Feeback, Spring Hill,
senior

Koby Johnson, Ottawa, junior

Tamar Bates, Piper, sophomore

A.J. Watson, Bonner Springs,
senior

SECOND TEAM

Trey Bates, Piper, senior

Rock Jerome, Eudora, senior

Brandan Jackson, Piper, senior

Nasjon Porter, Bonner Springs,
senior

Dallas Bond, Tonganoxie, sophomore

HONORABLE MENTION

Braijion Barnes, Piper, senior

Jayden Pierce, Eudora, senior

Jayson Brown, Ottawa, junior

John Frakes, Spring Hill, senior

Hayden Robbins, Tonganoxie, senior

Ty Shelley, Piper, junior

Kohl Vogel, Louisburg, senior

Seth Richmond, Paola, senior

Louisburg senior Carson Buffington was named to the All-Frontier League team for the fourth consecutive season.

In a league that featured the state
runner-up, the third-place finisher in Class 4A and another state tournament
qualifier, the Louisburg girls basketball schedule was a difficult one.

The Frontier League provided a lot
of difficult competition for the Lady Cats as they finished their season with a
10-11 record. Despite that, the league coaches recognized a pair of Louisburg
players for postseason honors.

The All-Frontier League team was
released earlier this week and Louisburg senior Carson Buffington and sophomore
Madilyn Melton were both honorable mention selections.

“I
think like most of the coaches, I would like to have had more of our players
recognized and in higher positions,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “I
thought we had some girls that deserved recognition based on the scope of their
work and the things they did for our team. With that said, I understand that
there were a lot of really good players in our league.

“Both
of these girls, along with all of their teammates, are great representatives of
our program, school and community. We all couldn’t be more proud of this group
of girls and we are very thankful to have shared in this journey with them.”

For
Buffington, this was the fourth consecutive season that she was recognized with
an all-league selection. In 21 games, Buffington was second on the team with
eight points a game and also averaged seven rebounds, which led the Lady Cats,
to go along with 3.2 steals a contest.

“It’s hard to express just how good Carson was for
her team this year,” Lowry said. “It wasn’t just on game nights, but every day
in practice with how she competed and her great leadership. She never took
a day off and always led by example. Carson is one of the hardest working
players that I have worked with coaching basketball – boys or girls.

“She
was relentless as a player and was always the first one on the floor for a
loose ball. She is fantastic example for all the younger girls in
Louisburg about the level of commitment and determination that is required to
be successful on and off the court.”

Melton
earned her first all-league honor for the Lady Cats as the Louisburg sophomore
led the team in scoring with 14 points and six rebounds per game.

“Madilyn
has committed herself and puts in a great deal of work to improve as a player
for her team,” Lowry said. “Not only that, she does so many of those things we
talk about when it comes to effort, character, being unselfish and she does it
all with great pride. What was most impressive about Madilyn this season was
her growth as a leader that she earned through her hard work and unselfishness.”

Piper
(state runner-up), Baldwin (third-place finisher) and Eudora (state qualifier)
led the league with three selections each, while Piper had two first-team selections
in Ryan Cobbins and Ali Vigil. Baldwin also had two first team honorees in
Kayla Kurtz and Macey Frost, while Eudora’s Riley Hiebert was also named to the
first team.

ALL-FRONTIER LEAGUE GIRLS BASKETBALL

FIRST TEAM

Ryan Cobbins, Piper, senior

Ali Vigil, Piper, junior

Kayla Kurtz, Baldwin, senior

Riley Hiebert, Eudora, junior

Macey Frost, Baldwin, senior

SECOND TEAM

Bella Todd, Spring Hill, senior

Lauren Delker, Spring Hill, senior

Kate Ogle, Baldwin, senior

Harper Schreiner, Eudora, freshman

Evelyn Vazquez, Piper, sophomore

HONORABLE MENTION

Carson Buffington, Louisburg,
senior

Hallie Hoffine, Bonner Springs,
senior

Reagan Hiebert, Eudora, junior

Madilyn Melton, Louisburg,
sophomore

Brayden Hanf, Paola, junior

Anna Soetaert, Tonganoxie, senior

Louisburg senior Carson Buffington drives toward the basket on Parsons’ Nena Taylor on Thursday during the Class 4A sub-state semifinal at Parsons High School.

PARSONS – Going into Thursday’s
Class 4A sub-state semifinal game, the Louisburg girls basketball team knew if it
was going to leave Parsons with a win, the Lady Cats were going to have to slow
down the Vikings’ best player – Nena Taylor.

As much as the Lady Cats tried,
there was no slowing Taylor and her Vikings teammates.

Mixed in with a slow start
offensively, Louisburg had a tough time containing Taylor as Parsons handed the
Lady Cats a 50-44 loss and ended their season one game short of a sub-state
championship.

“The one thing that is great about
it is that they are so disappointed,” Louisburg coach Shawn Lowry said. “They
didn’t want to be done. It says a lot about this group that they wanted to play
together for another game. They are disappointed, but at the same time they are
disappointed for the right reasons. It hurts for sure.”

Offensively, Louisburg struggled
to get going as it scored two points in the first quarter before picking up the
pace that led to a 22-point fourth quarter as it tried to rally. The rally, unfortunately
for the Lady Cats, came up short thanks to Taylor.

The Lady Cats had a tough time
keeping Taylor out of the lane as she scored a bulk of her game-high 34 points
around the basket or at the free-throw line. She also added 12 rebounds to her
line for the double-double.

“She is a great player and will be
a good player again next year,” Lowry said of Taylor. “She is really talented.
We tried to do some different things with her and I thought the girls battled
better in the second half with her, but she is going to do what she does.”

Louisburg stayed within striking
distance of Parsons for much of the game and trailed by just six points early
in the third thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers from senior Kennia Hankinson.

Next, it was Taylor’s turn to
answer as she went on a 10-0 run on her own and eventually helped give Parsons
a 15-point cushion heading into the fourth quarter.

The Lady Cats chipped away at the
Parsons lead and eventually cut it to six with 30 seconds left after a couple
baskets from sophomore Madilyn Melton, but Louisburg could get no closer.

Melton led the Lady Cats in
scoring with 19 points and also had a team-high seven rebounds. Hankinson was
next with nine points and senior Carson Buffington had seven points, five
rebounds, six deflections and four steals in her final game.

Sophomore Alyse Moore had a
team-high seven steals to lead the Lady Cats on defense and also had six
rebounds and five points. Junior Haley Cain had a team-high five assists to go
along with six rebounds.

“I knew they were going to
continue to battle,” Lowry said of his team’s rally. “What is great about it is
we have younger players that are battling their tails off and they are going to
be hungry coming back next year. I also can’t say enough about our leadership. I
can’t say enough about our captains Carson and Haley, and even our younger
players are starting to be leaders now like Alyse, Madilyn and Brooklyn
(Diederich). They turned into great leaders right in front of us here at the
end of the season. It is a result of what the program has done throughout the
years.”

Louisburg finished its season with
a 10-11 record and saw improvement from a year ago, but the end of the year is
always difficult, especially as Buffington and Hankinson played their final
game as Lady Cats.

“I thought we competed all year
and they did what I asked them to do,” Lowry said. “The personal and collective
growth of this group was fantastic and I can’t ask any more of the kids than
what they gave here at the end. I am proud to be their coach.”

LOU               2             10           10           22 – 44

PAR 12           10           15           13 – 50

LOUISBURG (10-11): Madilyn Melton
6-12 6-13 19; Kennia Hankinson 3-9 0-0 9; Carson Buffington 2-5 2-4 7; Alyse
Moore 2-8 1-2 5; Brooklyn Diederich 1-8 0-0 3; Haley Cain 0-5 1-2 1. Totals:
14-49 10-21 44. 3-point field goals: 6, (Hankinson 3, Buffington, Diederich,
Melton)

Louisburg senior Dylan DeShazer goes up for a shot Wednesday during the Class 4A sub-state semfinal game at Anderson County High School. DeShazer scored a team-high 16 points in the Wildcats’ 57-35 loss to Anderson County.

GARNETT – After a close first half during Wednesday’s Class 4A sub-state semifinal, the Louisburg boys basketball team was just 16 minutes from a shot at the sub-state championship game.

Louisburg, the No. 13 seed,
trailed No. 4 Anderson County by just one point at halftime, but the second
half provided a much different story – one that wasn’t a happy ending for
Louisburg.

The Wildcats scored just 10 second half points and watched as Anderson County ended their season with a 57-35 loss at Anderson County High School.

Much of the game was decided from
behind the 3-point line where the Bulldogs thrived with a 9-for-16 performance
and the Wildcats were just 2-for-18 and shot just 30 percent for the game.

“That was the difference in the
game,” Louisburg coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “It was just a cold night for us.
We shot too many 3’s probably in the first half and should have looked to get
the ball inside more. It wasn’t that they went on a big, fast run, it was just
more methodical and we just couldn’t find a way to score. They just slowly
stretched their lead and that is how the game goes sometimes.”

The two teams were involved in a close game back in December when the Wildcats traveled to Garnett and lost an 80-74 game in overtime.

Louisburg did better defensively this time around, but the Wildcats couldn’t get the offense to follow suit. Louisburg trailed 26-25 at halftime, but Anderson County knocked down several shots in the third quarter that led to a 19-6 run.

The Wildcats (9-12) had a tough
time containing Anderson County senior Justin Rockers as he knocked down three
3-pointers during that stretch and made six overall. Rockers also scored a
game-high 20 points and was one of three Bulldogs to score in double figures.

“Our guys were confident coming into the game and we knew this was a great opportunity for us,” Pfannenstiel said. “We were excited about coming back to Anderson County because we knew we had a shot. If we said going in that we would hold them to 57 points, I thought we would win because they are a high-flying team that really pushes the ball. We controlled the tempo for a while, but we just couldn’t score, especially in the second half.

“I was frustrated the very first
possession because our game plan was to know where (Carter Powelson) and (Kass
Allnutt) are and also know where (Rockers) is because if he gets his feet set he
is going to hit it. We let Rockers get a wide open look on the first possession
of the game and he knocked it down. He had a big night and we knew he was
capable of that. Despite that, we played good enough defensively but we just
couldn’t score.”

Louisburg senior Dylan DeShazer
didn’t have a problem scoring as he put together one of his best efforts of the
season. DeShazer finished with a game-high 16 points to go along with seven
rebounds and was the lone Wildcat to score in double figures.

Senior Brayden Gage was next on
the team in scoring with six points and junior Madden Rutherford led the
Wildcats with nine rebounds.

“Dylan was really good,”
Pfannenstiel said. “He was tough in there and he was really smooth and confident
shooting the ball. He had a big game for us and he almost single-handedly kept
us in the game there in the first half. Every time they went on a little run he
made some big shots and I was proud of him.”

Although the Wildcats saw their
season come to a close, they saw a big improvement from a year ago, including
in the win column as they jumped from two last season to nine this year.

It also marked the final game for
Wildcat seniors Kohl Vogel, Noah Hill, Gage and DeShazer and Pfannenstiel
appreciates what they gave to the program.

“I was very proud of what we have
done,” he said. “Our league was just incredible this year. When you add Piper
and Bonner Springs, two of the best teams in the state, that just added to our schedule.
The Frontier League is just a beast night in and night out. We thought we could
get a winning record, which was our goal, but we were close to getting there.
Wins and losses aren’t the only deciding factor in moving our program forward.

“I told our kids that it starts during the summer with all the workouts that they did. We did shooting workouts five days a week for the first month-and-a-half of summer because we need to develop as shooters. I knew it would be popular at first, but figured numbers would drop off as the summer went on, but every day I flipped on the lights and there were 20 dudes there waiting on me. That got me excited because I knew they cared about getting better and they had all bought in. The work ethic and leadership that these seniors displayed is going to carry on for a long time, a lot more than the wins and losses.”

LOU               10           15           6             4 – 35

AC                  13           13           19           12 – 57

LOUISBURG (9-12): Dylan DeShazer
7-11 2-4 16; Brayden Gage 2-4 2-2 6; Kohl Vogel 2-11 0-2 4; Ben Guetterman 1-5
0-0 3; Michael Waldron 1-4 0-0 3; Julian Margrave 1-3 0-0 2; Weston Guetterman
0-4 1-2 1. Totals: 14-47 5-10 35. 3-point field goals: 2, (B. Guetterman,
Waldron)              

Louisburg senior guard Brayden Gage passes the ball off to senior teammate Kohl Vogel during the Wildcats’ Senior Night game with Paola on Friday. The Wildcats rolled to a 51-33 victory.

The Louisburg boys basketball team
had a chance to sweep rival Paola last Friday during its Senior Night contest.

The Wildcats took full advantage.

Louisburg held Paola to just two
points in the first quarter and the Wildcats never let up in the 51-33 victory.
The win gave seniors Brayden Gage, Kohl Vogel, Dylan DeShazer and Noah Hill
some bragging rights as they played their final home game.

“It was definitely one of our
goals was to beat Paola and it meant everything with them being our rivals,”
Vogel said. “All of the seniors were ready to compete and that is what we did.”

Although they were able to pull
away offensively, the Wildcats (9-11) won the game on the defensive end as they
forced 28 Paola turnovers and Louisburg scored 20 points off of those mistakes.

Gage and Vogel and made things
difficult on the Panther offense as they consistently trapped the Paola ball
handlers at the top of the key and those steals led to several runouts.

For the game, Gage finished with a
team-high eight deflections and had four steals, while Vogel had a team-high
five steals to go along with a game-high 17 points.

“You could tell our kids had
something to play for and that the end of the season is near because we played
with that energy and really just made a lot of plays,” Louisburg Ty
Pfannenstiel said. “We started off slow, and with both teams playing zone,
sometimes that can happen, but our defense really sparked our offense. We got a
lot of steals, a lot of deflections and once we got confidence things really
kept going for us.”

Three of the four seniors got the Wildcats off to a good start as Hill started the game with four points, and in-between there was a Madden Rutherford 3-pointer to put Louisburg up 7-2. Vogel went on to hit a 3-pointer of his own, along with a pair of free throws and Gage hit a basket to give the Wildcats a 14-2 lead going into the second quarter.

The Wildcats expanded their lead
to 30-8 late in the second quarter after a basket from DeShazer and free throws
from Vogel, who went to the free-throw line 13 times for the game. Louisburg
went on to take a 31-13 halftime lead.

Along with the seniors, the Wildcats also got a good performance from sophomore guard Weston Guetterman as he joined Vogel in double figures with 11 points.

“It was a great team effort,”
Pfannenstiel said. “We talked the other day about everyone having their role
and they all have things that they do well. We just really stress that and
playing as a team and playing unselfish. Our energy was good and I thought
everyone was playing unselfish basketball. We don’t have any individual stars,
so it will take a great team effort to win and that was perfect heading into
postseason.”

Louisburg expanded its lead to 22 points at the end of the third quarter and the Wildcats were able to empty their bench in the fourth quarter to give their four seniors a nice ovation as they said their farewells.

“It was big to beat Paola on
Senior Night,” Gage said. “It is good to be able to say I was undefeated
against them my senior year in all sports. As for the other seniors, I think
they feel the same way and it was special that all four of us stepped up on
Senior Night and got the win.”

Postseason play now begins for the Wildcats as they are the No. 13 seed in the sub-state tournament and will travel to No. 4 Anderson County (14-5) for a 7 p.m., tipoff on Wednesday.

The winner of that game will play the winner of No. 5 Eudora (11-7) and No. 12 Tonganoxie (9-11) on Friday in the sub-state championship. Louisburg has played all three teams this season and have wins over Eudora and Tonganoxie and an overtime loss to Anderson County early in the season.

“They are familiar opponents, but
it has been awhile since we have played Anderson County and that is our only
focus right now,” Pfannenstiel said. “We have a little different look to us
now. We have added a little bit of depth. We were down DeShazer in that game
and I don’t think we went more than six deep at that time. It will be an
up-tempo game. They like to run and pressure, so we have to be able to play at
that tempo, but also know when it is time to be patient.”

LOU               14           17           14           6 – 51

PAO               2             11           10           10 – 33

LOUISBURG (9-11): Kohl Vogel 3-7
9-13 17; Weston Guetterman 4-5 1-2 11; Brayden Gage 3-8 0-1 6; Dylan DeShazer
1-4 3-6 5; Noah Hill 1-3 2-3 4; Ben Guetterman 1-3 0-0 3; Madden Rutherford 1-2
0-0 3; Julian Margrave 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 15-37 15-29 51. 3-point field goals:
6, (Vogel 2, W. Guetterman 2, B. Guetterman, Rutherford)

The Louisburg girls basketball team celebrates following its 54-48 victory over rival Paola on Friday in Louisburg. The Lady Cats are now 10-10 on the season.

The Louisburg girls basketball
team squared off with Paola on Friday and the Lady Cats wanted to honor their
two seniors – Carson Buffington and Kennia Hankinson – with a win in their
final home game.

Louisburg didn’t disappoint its
two seniors as it ended the regular season with a 54-48 win over Paola and
avenged a close loss from earlier in the season. It all culminated in what was
a special night for everyone involved.

“It was the best feeling for me,”
Buffington said. “Paola has always been our rival, but to beat them for the
final time that we will ever play them is just really special.

“It was really emotional out
there. There was a lot going on, but we just had to remain level-headed and
keep believing in ourselves. Even when Kennia and I both got into foul trouble,
we just had to keep moving forward.”

The Lady Cats (10-10) started and
finished the game strong as they got out to a big lead, gave it up, but put
together a good rally in the second half to get back in the game.

Louisburg jumped out to a 13-4 lead in the first quarter thanks to seven points from sophomore Madilyn Melton, but the Panthers responded to the run. Paola held Louisburg to just six points in the second quarter as the Lady Cats battled foul problems.

Buffington had to sit for much of the second quarter with foul trouble, and during that time, Paola jumped out to a 23-19 halftime lead.

Foul problems got even worse in
the third quarter when the team’s leading scorers, Buffington and Melton, along
with Hankinson, all picked up four fouls.

The Lady Cat bench responded and kept the game close as Brooklyn Diederich swished 3-pointer to give Louisburg a 31-30 lead, but Paola would take the lead back until the final seconds of the third.

Hankinson knocked down a 3-pointer
at the buzzer to give the Lady Cats a 36-35 lead going into the fourth quarter
and gave her team some much needed confidence.

“It was huge, but I thought our
bench was really good all night and the energy they brought,” Louisburg coach
Shawn Lowry said. “Different girls were making plays and our bench was so
excited and happy for their teammates that were on the floor and they were
feeding off that. When Kennia hit that shot, it was a boost of adrenaline for
everyone and it led into our fourth quarter.”

Paola either had the lead or the game was tied for half of the fourth quarter, but the Lady Cats went in front on a Buffington 3-pointer. Paola tied it again, but junior Haley Cain broke the game open with a 3-pointer with 3 minutes and 47 seconds left in the game to give Louisburg the lead back and it wouldn’t relinquish it.

“It was a deep a three for sure,”
Lowry said of the shot. “It was just another kid stepping up when we needed it.
I was just so proud of their togetherness and how special that is.

“A lot of different girls had to
step up. Whether it was Brooklyn working her tail off on defense, or Sydni (Keagle)
coming off the bench and gave the minutes that she gave. They continue to
battle and push. No matter what was happening, the girls refused to lose this
game on Senior Night for those two seniors. It was awesome to see and great to
be a part of.”

Buffington was then able to ice
the game at the free-throw line as she knocked down 3 of 4 attempts to help put
the game away.

Buffington made a lasting memory
for the Wildcat crowd as she led all scorers with 18 points to go along with
eight rebounds and a team-high four steals.

“You talk about leadership and
putting the team on her shoulders, Carson provided all of that for us,” Lowry
said. “We needed the ball to be in her hands and she made some big free throws
there down the stretch.  That is what she
is and what a great way for both seniors to finish out their career on their
home floor. You can’t draw it up any better.”

Melton also scored in double
figures for the Lady Cats as she finished with 14 points, while sophomore Alyse
Moore had seven points and a team-high nine rebounds and four steals. Diederich
also had a team-high six deflections and Cain led Louisburg with five assists.

“It felt pretty amazing,
especially since everyone contributed to it and we all just came together and
came out with a lot of energy and we were able to get the win,” Hankinson said.

Postseason play now begins for the
Lady Cats as they earned the No. 11 seed and will travel to No. 6 Parsons (14-6)
for a 7 p.m. tipoff on Thursday. The winner of that game will face the winner
between No. 3 Baldwin (17-1) and No. 14 Atchison (7-13) on Saturday for the
sub-state championship.

“We are going to take a road trip
down to Parsons and they have a really nice player and a really nice team,”
Lowry said. “It will be a challenge, but we just want a shot to get in the
sub-state championship game and hopefully we can go down there and play well.”

LOU               13           6             17           18 – 54

PAO               8             15           12           13 – 48

LOUISBURG (10-10): Carson
Buffington 5-6 7-8 18; Madilyn Melton 5-14 4-9 14; Alyse Moore 1-6 5-9 7; Haley
Cain 2-6 1-3 6; Kennia Hankinson 1-9 0-2 3; Brooklyn Diederich 1-5 0-0 3; Sydni
Keagle 1-4 0-0 2; Erin Lemke 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 16-51 18-33 54. 3-point field
goals: 4, (Buffington, Hankinson, Cain, Diederich)