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.”

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.