Kansas high school sports has been absent since the middle of March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but that all could change very soon.

During its board of directors meeting earlier this month, the Kansas State High School Activities Association made a change to its summer regulations. Starting on June 1, school employed coaches may begin summer programs as long as it is permitted by the community’s health authorities and the school district.

Coaches at Louisburg High School are making plans to move forward beginning the first of June, but they must meet some guidelines to do so.

In the first two calendar weeks in June, athletes will need to attend a conditioning session each day. Those must be completed to be able to participate in a coach’s camp or organized competition.

If an athlete is playing football, they must complete an extra five days of conditioning before being able to participate in competition.

The first two weeks of conditioning sessions will not involve weights, indoor facilities or sporting equipment to ensure safety. Masks will be optional at workouts, but six feet of distance will be in place along with no more than the 90 gathering restriction under the phase 3 guidelines put out by the state.

Then on June 15, barring no setbacks, conditioning will include indoor weight sessions and indoor facilities will be allowed. Coaches will also be able to hold camps and competition throughout the summer.

“I think the guidelines were set to help ensure the safety of all student athletes accords the state, along with their physical health as well as the preparation for the season,” Louisburg football coach Robert Ebenstein said. “Challenges may be there, but overall they are irrelevant as all the teams in the state have to follow the same guidelines. Our school administrators have been very supportive throughout this process.”

Along with the new changes, KSHSAA also lifted the moratorium period at the end of the summer and will allow teams to practice all the way up to the beginning of the school year. Fall sports, however, will take precedence from Aug. 1 through Aug. 15.

For some programs, the changes won’t be much different as what they have experienced in the past, other than practicing social distancing through the first two weeks of conditioning.

“We are still allowed to compete in leagues and camps after all athletes have completed 10 days of conditioning/training,” Louisburg volleyball coach Jessica Compliment said. “Our summer weights program is changing some this summer, so it gives the players a chance to acclimate back into workouts before putting a ball in their hands.

“When you really look at the schedule, we lost the first two weeks in June (in terms of volleyball skill work), but we gained the moratorium week and have full contact until August 16. The fall season starts on August 17. Normally, we can’t have contact, outside of weights and conditioning, after mid-July. This actually gives us about four weeks on the back end of summer to work with the athletes.”

Still, the new-look summer won’t be without its challenges – especially in the first 10 days of the summer calendar. However, the coaches and athletes will gladly work around the new rules in order to get back together and competing again.

“I think the new guidelines will help kids get back to some normalcy as long as everything continues to get better, but the six feet of social distancing could be challenging when you are coaching a team sport,” Louisburg soccer coach Kyle Conley said. “We will find a way to overcome these challenges and help the kids develop as much as possible.”

Coaches have already altered their camp schedules for the summer, and that information, along with a list of camps, can be found here.

As for Louisburg cross country, the runners will also be going through a conditioning period like everyone else. They will meet at the football practice field at 7 a.m. for an hour every morning beginning June 1 and that will continue through the summer.

Since school has been out since the middle of March, coaches have tried to find a way to stay in touch with their players – and like with online schooling – the zoom platform has been a big help for coaches.

“Football has been doing online zoom workout together for those currently in high school every Monday, Wednesday and Friday while we have been out of school, so I have still been seeing them and they have been doing some cardio,” Ebenstein said. “We have as normal of a summer planned as possible. We will have our weights sessions, our team camp, review/skills night, and we will have our contact camp that KSHSAA is allowing.”

With everything going on around the state and the country, everything is still in limbo and dates could have to be altered once again depending on what local officials decide. Even with all that, the coaches believe there will be a fall season.

“I am confident our fall season will be played,” Conley said “It may have some things that are different, but we will play. I know that the boys are very anxious in having conversations with some of them.”

Many of the coaches and players are just ready to return to some kind of routine following the spread of COVID-19 and they hope sports can give that to them.

“As of right now, our season is scheduled, and we’ll plan accordingly if told differently,” Compliment said. “But for right now, (activities director Michael) Pickman has stressed that for most of the athletes, a return to summer weights/conditioning/activities will be their first taste of ‘normalcy.’ I’m excited to get back at it and see the athletes and students again.”

Michael Pickman (left) was hired as Louisburg High School’s new activities director and assistant principal last week following the USD Board of Education meeting. Current Louisburg AD, Scott Hinkle (right), will move to the middle school to serve in the same capacity starting next school year.

Louisburg High School will have a little different look to its activities department for the 2020-21 school year.

Following the USD 416 Board of Education meeting on April 13, Michael Pickman was hired to serve as the school’s new assistant principal and activities director. Pickman will replace Scott Hinkle, who has been in that position for the last two years.

Hinkle will remain in the district and will move over to the middle school to serve in the same capacity.

“I had known for a while that I wanted to continue my education by getting a second master’s degree, but I didn’t really know which area,” Pickman said. “I talked with current administration and was both inspired and encouraged to explore administrative leadership. This is the job I wanted because it meant staying in Louisburg and continuing to work with the staff and coaches who I know have, can and will achieve great things when it comes to our students and student athletes.

“We are a Louisburg family and I want my daughter in the Louisburg community and school system, so I wouldn’t have done this anywhere else. The atmosphere from district leadership to the building leadership is top notch and I am ready to grow as an educator and work alongside (principal) Jeremy (Holloway) and the administrative staff at the high school and the amazing coaches and support them.”

Pickman has taught English at the high school for the last seven years and has also worked in the Prairie View, West Franklin and Maur Hill Prep school districts.

He has also spent a lot of time in the athletic arena as he has served as the Wildcat boys and girls soccer assistant coach, alongside head coach Kyle Conley, for the last five-plus years.

“It will be tough to give up all aspects of it, but the magic of these soccer programs will be especially difficult,” Pickman said. “Kyle has been an amazing person to coach with and his passion is contagious. Getting to start the girls program with him and the immediate success has been amazing. State finals and big wins and the atmosphere – some don’t ever get to experience that – and lastly the players, both boys and girls who have graduated and those who remain to carry on the greatness are why I said yes to coaching. They make the whole experience amazing and fun.

“So it will be hard, but I would also not have gone anywhere else to do a different job and so I will still be able to support the soccer players and every other student and athlete through my new opportunity and to do so the Wildcat Way.”

As for Hinkle, he spent the last two years as the LHS activities director after coming from Liberal High School. He is excited that his new position at the middle school will allow him to spend more time with family.

“I really enjoyed my time at the high school, even though it was only two years,” Hinkle said. “I am leaving behind a great workplace with a great culture and an unbelievable staff. It was not an easy decision.  

“I made the move to the middle school to get back some evenings and weekends. I have been an athletic director for 11 years at the high school level in my career, and I was ready to free up some time. I know I am joining another great staff at LMS, and look forward to the new challenge ahead of me.”  

It was a successful, and eventful, 2019 for Louisburg High School athletics and for those who are connected to the Wildcat program. This past year created a lot of school history for LHS and several programs brought back state hardware.

Below are the Top 10 stories from 2019, along with a brief explanation of each. Included in the explanation is the link to the actual story from the event.

When putting the list together, I took a lot of things into account – whether it was team vs. individual, popularity of the sport, historical achievements and the interest it drew on the web site. There were stories that I had to leave off that normally would easily make it. 2019 was that successful of a year for Wildcat athletics.

This year was a blast to cover and I was blessed to have the opportunity to go along for the ride with many of these. As much fun as it was, I can’t wait for 2020 to begin. Looking forward to it!

10. Tucker, Ratliff-Becher win powerlifting titles, Tucker breaks state record.

Two Louisburg High
School weightlifters made their way to the top of the podium in March during
the Class 4A State Powerlifting Meet at Basehor-Linwood High School.

Louisburg senior Kiefer Tucker and junior Reilly Ratliff-Becher both earned state championships in their respective weight class. Senior Jonathan DePriest finished third overall and several other Wildcats also earned individual medals.

Not only did Tucker
win a state title in the 220-pound division, he also broke a 24-year state bench
press record as he recorded a bench of 375 pounds to surpass the old mark of
365. He also won the squat competition at 505 pounds and had a total of 1,165
pounds to run away with the crown.

Tucker’s total was the
highest three-lift mark at the entire state meet in all weight classes.

“I had messed around with 375
and 385 before on bench, so I was confident that I could lift it if I had the
chance,” Tucker said. “I was more worried about my first lifts on bench at 345
and 365 because if I messed up on those attempts then I would not have had the
change to even attempt 375. It was definitely a sigh of relief when I finally
locked it out.

“It was a great feeling to beat the state
record. To put Louisburg up on the record chart definitely brought a smile to
my face.”

Ratliff-Becher had a big day
in the women’s division as she won a state crown in the 180-pound weight class.
She finished with a three-lift total of 575 pounds.

The Louisburg junior took first in bench press with 155 pounds,
first in clean at 150 pounds and second in squat with a 270-pound lift.

“Winning the state title
meant a lot to me,” Ratliff-Becher said. “I have put in a lot of time and
effort in weights class, so it’s nice to see it has paid off. But, also because
I feel as if I put out a message to girls that it’s cool to be strong
physically. I know that being sometimes the only girls in a class with a lot of
strong guys is intimidating. Weightlifting is all about your own personal
growth and seeing how far you can push yourself.

“I was honestly surprised I won because there are lots of very
strong girls there and it’s good competition. It’s also fun to meet new people
that have the same interests and motivation as you.”

9. Golf qualifies for state, Dillon medals for third straight season

As the scores trickled
in to the clubhouse at Paola Country Club, the Louisburg golf team could hardly
stand it.

The Wildcats were
nervously waiting to hear if they had qualified for state, but they knew it was
going to be close. Louisburg had to be in the top three of the team standings
to earn a spot and the Wildcats had some tough competition amongst them.

As it turned out, the
Wildcats had nothing to worry about.

Louisburg recorded a team score of 352 during the Class 4A regional tournament in May and finished third overall by nine strokes over fourth-place Ottawa. The Wildcat team of Calvin Dillon, Drake Varns, Garrett Rolofson, Ryan Haight, Noah Hill and Colin Cook all competed in the state tournament

Topeka-Hayden won the
regional title going away with a 332 and Louisburg was just three strokes
behind runner-up Tonganoxie, which had a 349.

“It feels great,
especially with all the hard work we have put in the offseason and last few
months,” Dillon said. “It was our goal coming in and we did it. I felt like we
had a good chance. It was borderline with those four teams being as close as we
are. I knew we had a chance, but it was nice to actually qualify. It was
definitely a little nerve-racking waiting for the scores to come in.”

As impressive as that
feat was for the Wildcats, Dillon’s performance blew away the rest of the
competition.

The Louisburg junior
won his first individual regional title as he carded a 1-over 73 to win the
tournament by six strokes. Dillon’s 73 was his best score on the season and he
has now won all but one tournament on the year.

Dillon went on to record his third consecutive state medal and finished 11^th overall in Dodge City after the tournament was postponed several times, and eventually moved due to weather.

8. Wildcat wrestling sends six to state, Moore earns first state medal

Back in early November
of 2018, Austin Moore was in a sling with a broken collarbone and he wondered
why all this was happening.

Moore suffered the
injury during the regional football playoffs and he didn’t get to finish his
final high school season. Not only that, his hopes of getting his first state
wrestling medal was in serious jeopardy.

A little more than
four months later, Moore was on the medal stand with some of the state’s best
wrestlers in his weight class.

The Louisburg senior earned a fourth-place medal at 220 pounds during the Class 4A Kansas State Wrestling Championships in February at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina. It was his first high school state medal and it marked the end of a long journey for Moore.

“It was pretty special
for me to get a state medal, especially because it has been a goal of mine ever
since I started wrestling,” Moore said. “Overall, I felt like I wrestled pretty
well, but I just wish I could’ve ended it on a win.”

The Wildcats qualified six wrestlers for state, had three regional champions and took third place in the team standings during the regional tournament in Paola – all while not being able to field a full team.

Louisburg’s talent was
certainly on full display during the two-day tournament. Brandon Doles, Blue
Caplinger and Austin Moore won regional crowns, Cade Holtzen was a regional
runner-up, while Gabe Bonham and Ryan Owens also qualified for state by placing
third and fourth, respectively.

As a team, the
Wildcats ended up with 138.5 points and was just 2.5 points out of second
place. Ottawa won the regional with 149.5 points and Eudora was second at 141.
It was the highest regional team finish for Louisburg since 1998.

“The way these guys
wrestled this weekend shows that the program has been doing so many things
right this season,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “We’ve had the obstacle
of low numbers, which hurt us in our duals, but when it comes to tournament
time, we have a bunch of guys who are placing high and that gives us a lot of
team points. Taking six to state feels pretty encouraging, and finishing third
at regionals is an awesome statement for this team.

“If a few things had
gone the other way, we would have been in second as a team. On paper, we
weren’t supposed to be in the race for a regional plaque. Almost all of our
guys stepped up and scored huge team points for us.”

7. Louisburg softball captures regional title

OTTAWA – Madison
Svoboda could feel her heart starting to come out of her chest.

Karson Griggs was a
feeling a little nauseous.

Those are some of the
same feelings that were flooding the Louisburg softball’s team dugout during the
final inning of the Class 4A regional championship game against Chanute on
Tuesday in Ottawa.

Louisburg held a one
run lead, but Chanute had the tying run on third, two outs, and a trip to the
state tournament was on the line. On the mound was sophomore Brooklyn
Diederich, and with two strikes, the Chanute batter fouled five straight
pitches.

The tension was
mounting.

Finally, on the 10^th pitch
of the at-bat, Diederich got what she was looking for – a swing and miss.

The strikeout sealed the Lady Cats’ trip to state with a 6-5 victory over No. 7 seed Chanute and sent shockwaves throughout Class 4A softball.

“I want to cry, but at
the same time I am just really happy,” Griggs said. “It is exciting because I
never thought something like this could happen, especially this year. It feels
really nice and now maybe people will actually start taking us seriously.”

Not many gave people
gave the Lady Cats a chance as they entered the Class 4A regional tournament
with just five wins and were forced to begin tournament action in the play-in
game.

After a 17-2 win over
Parsons last Monday in the play-in game, No. 15 Louisburg advanced to the
regional semifinals and upset No. 2 seed Ottawa, 9-7, which helped set up the
Lady Cats’ first state tournament appearance since 2014.

“I think a lot of
other teams underestimated us,” Diederich said. “The fact that we came out and
played our hardest ball showed what type of team we actually are. It is just
crazy.”

At the state tournament in Salina a week later, the Lady Cats faced off against Andale and lost to the eventual state champion in the first round, 10-0.

6. Cross Country qualifies for state, Moore breaks school record and takes third at state

BALDWIN CITY – One by one,
members of the Louisburg girls cross country team crossed the finish line and
coach John Reece was unsure whether or not his team did enough to qualify for
state.

The Lady Cats had made
school history by qualifying the last two seasons, but the third time was a
little bit in jeopardy – that was until the results were released.

As it turned out,
Reece didn’t need to be so worried.

Louisburg finished third overall with 96 points in October at the Class 4A regional meet at the Baldwin Golf Course, and beat out Bishop Miege by six points to earn a spot at the state meet this weekend in Wamego.

The team of Trinity
Moore, Carlee Gassman, Reese Johnson, Claire Brown, Ruth Minster, Kennady
Wilkerson and Bree Gassman competed for the Lady Cats at state.

“This group of girls runs
well, they race well and they train well together,” coach Reece said. “They are
a good group and this is just as exciting as the other two times. The
competition was a lot tougher than the previous two times. We had to run our
races and we did. From our third to fifth runners was about an eight point
spread.”

Trinity Moore has left a
lasting impression on the Louisburg cross country program over the last four
years, but she saved the best moment for her final act.

Moore broke her own school record with a time of 19 minutes and 39 seconds to finish third overall at the Kansas Class 4A State Cross Country Championships at the Wamego Country Club a week later.

The Louisburg senior
recorded the program’s best ever state finish as she eclipsed her fourth-place state
medal from a season ago.

“It meant so much to
me to finish with such a great race for my high school career,” Moore said.
“Going into the race, I didn’t know how well I would finish. This race had the
best competition that I have ran against all year and I think that is what
really pushed me.

“When I saw my time
crossing the finish line, I was ecstatic. I felt great the entire race and was
able to control everything I did. Finishing third was icing on the cake. I was
surprised but so incredibly happy to be able to place in such a great spot, but
I also knew that this what I had worked for all year.”

This made the fourth
state medal for Moore in her high school career and she improved on her state
finish every year. Last season, she took fourth overall and bested her state
time from a year ago by more than 30 seconds.

5. Boys Soccer wins league, regional titles to earn No. 1 seed in playoffs.

For more than 70
minutes, the goals for Louisburg were hard to come by and it started to leave
an eerie feeling on Halloween night.

However, the Wildcats
got their treat when it was all over.

Louisburg scored two goals in the final seven minutes of the match to earn a 2-0 victory over Kansas City Christian in the Class 4-1A regional championship game Thursday. The Wildcats (16-2-1) earned their third regional title in the last four years and advanced to the state quarterfinals.

“This group is
special,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “It is going to be tough when it is
all over. This group has changed our culture. They came back to what this
program believes and they have bought in to what we are teaching them. They
have worked so hard since June. For these seniors, this is their third title in
four years and I think it is a lot of fun for them.

A school record 16
wins, a Frontier League championship and a regional title are all something
worth celebrating, but following the state quarterfinal match with Bishop
Miege, all Louisburg could think about was the finality of it all.

Despite all those
accomplishments, the Wildcats fell one win short of their main goal – a spot in
the state final four.

Louisburg saw its season come to a close with a 3-0 loss to Bishop Miege at the Wildcat Sports Complex. The Wildcats lost to the eventual state champion, as Miege went on to defeat Wichita-Trinity on Saturday, 3-1, for the Class 4-1A state championship – the Stags’ fourth in a row.

As difficult as the
loss was for Louisburg, there was no forgetting how big of a jump the Wildcats
made from the season before as they went from a 6-win team to one that earned
the East’s No. 1 seed in the state playoffs.

“Going 6-11 last year
and seeing this Miege team almost mercy-ruling us in the regional championship
last year in the rain, was a program changer,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley
said. “After that was over, we talked about how things needed to change and it
starts now. For our first practice in June, I told them that they are the ones
that has to change them. Since day one, they have played for each other, played
hard in practice and it was a total mindset change. When someone got hurt, it
was the next guy up. We missed two starters for half of the year and it was
always the next guy up taking advantage of his opportunity to fill in. The
freshmen stepped up huge for us.

“This team is special.
16 wins is a school record and only two losses is probably a school record.
This team is incredible, played so hard and did everything I asked them to do.
They were always there to pick each other up and that is what this soccer
family is all about. It will be tough to say goodbye to these kids.”

4. Volleyball knocks off Miege to win regional title, takes fourth at state

ATCHISON – The
sub-state semifinal game between Louisburg and Bishop Miege had all the feels
of a state tournament match.

Partially because a
year ago, it was.

Louisburg met Miege in
the state championship match only to see the Stags send the Lady Cats to a
runner-up finish in two sets. Then three weeks ago the two teams met again, and
like before, Miege dispatched of Louisburg in two sets.

However, Bishop Miege
saw a different Louisburg team during the sub-state tournament at Atchison High
School – one they didn’t expect.

The Lady Cats came out on fire and never let up in a 25-18 and 25-22 win over Miege to end the Stags’ season. It marks the first time in at least 12 years, if not longer, that Miege will not be at the state tournament.

Since the state
tournament began in 1971, Bishop Miege has made 39 state appearances during
that time in either Class 5A or 4A and is the most in Kansas history.

“Our energy was going
to be the difference in that match, so we knew we had to bring it,” Louisburg
senior Erin Lemke said. “We knew we had the same skill set as Miege, but our
energy was what was going to pull us through there in the end. To get there, we
just had to believe in ourselves and work hard this past week to give us the
confidence that we needed.”

However, even after
pulling off a big revenge win that expended a lot of energy, the Lady Cats
still had a sub-state championship match to play against No. 2 seed Atchison.
The No. 7 seed Lady Cats took care of business as they won in straight sets,
25-12 and 25-15, at Atchison High School.

Louisburg lost its final two matches of the season, but those setbacks didn’t take away from what the Lady Cats accomplished during the Kansas Class 4A State Championships.

For the third straight
season, the Lady Cats were among the last four teams playing and brought home a
little hardware for their efforts. Louisburg took fourth overall after losing
its third place match to Towanda-Circle, 2-1, in October at Hutchinson Sports
Arena.

“Every season our goal
is to put ourselves in the best position to qualify for state and then to
hopefully advance to bracket play on Saturday,” Louisburg coach Jessica
Compliment said. “Leading up to state, we talked about how nothing is
guaranteed and in order to make it to bracket play, we have to show up and play
our best from the first whistle to the last whistle. If we play our game, then
hopefully the winning will take care of itself and we’d advance.

“The eight teams at
state this year were all very talented. I was happy that we qualified for the
semifinals because that put us one step closer to the championship. Even though
we didn’t reach the championship match and finished fourth, I was still very
proud of how the team played throughout the tournament.”

3. Louisburg cheer wins first state championship

The Wildcat
cheerleaders competed at the Class 4A KSHSAA Game Day Spirit Showcase
Competition on Nov. 23 at the Stormont Vail Events Center in Topeka and came
back home with a big trophy in tow.

Louisburg edged out runner-up Augusta with a point total of 82.25 to 81 in the finals to secure what is just the third athletic team state title in school history.

“I was so nervous at
the awards,” Louisburg senior Lauren Vincent said. “We were all holding hands
and had our heads down. We thought that we would get second place at best, most
likely third. We were content because we put everything out on the mat and did
the best we could. But when they called out second place and it was Augusta, we
screamed, cried, and hugged each other because we knew that we had just won.

“When our name was
called for first, we jumped up and hugged each other. Then I ran out onto the
mat and grabbed the trophy and we held it up and jumped around victoriously. It
was the best feeling in the entire world. Knowing that all of our hard work had
finally paid off was indescribable feeling of joy.”

The Louisburg
cheerleaders that competed are Lexi Pena, Lauren Vincent, Ashlyn McManigal,
Brooklyn Mitchell, Gabby Tappan, Andrea Gaza, Eleanor Willming, Jayden Trester,
Lacie Kallevig, Sammy McDaniel, Mable Graham, Anna Morrison, Bella Feikert,
Audrey Anderson, Sydney Dudzik, Kaitlyn Vest, Jolie Hendrickson, Abby Bradley
and Zoe Cutshaw. Louisburg’s head coach is Jayna Guerra.

Not only were the
Wildcats the third team to win a state title in school history, they were also
the first female squad to win a team crown as well. All the history just added
to what was a special day for the program.

“It means so much to
me and all my teammates,” Tappan said. “As someone who’s been a part of a variety
of sports my entire life, I know how hard each of our teams work to do their
very best in whatever sport they’re a part of. We are so thankful that we got
to make history for Louisburg and it is something that I can guarantee that
each and every one of us will remember it for the rest of our lives.”

2. Girls soccer
takes second at state, Conley named coach of year and Scholtz, Buffington awarded
players of year.

When it was all said and done, the Louisburg girls soccer team held its trophy high in front of the Wildcat faithful and the tears were easy to spot.

After nearly 200
minutes of soccer in a nine-hour time period, including one match that ended in
penalty kicks, the Wildcats were spent. They gave everything they had.

For the second consecutive season, Louisburg earned the Class 4-3-2-1A state runner-up trophy after a wild victory over Topeka-Hayden in the semifinals and then were shutout by Bishop Miege in the championship game, 4-0. It was the third consecutive state final four appearance for Louisburg.

Frustration and
sadness was easy to see following the Wildcats’ loss to the defending state
champion, but the team realizes what they have accomplished in just four years
of existence is to be celebrated.

“Being in this
situation two years in a row is something that doesn’t happen very often,”
Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “There are a bunch of teams that haven’t been
to a state final four and we have been to three in three years. It is pretty
cool and it is special.”

It was a wild 24 hours
for the Wildcats. Louisburg was supposed to play Hayden on Friday in the
semifinals, but severe weather forced the postponement to early Saturday
morning.

The Wildcats battled
Hayden through four overtimes and eventually led to penalty kicks. After an
intense first five penalty kicks that left the match still tied, senior goalie
Carson Buffington recorded a big save and then senior Hallie Hutsell converted
the sixth penalty kick to break the tie and give Louisburg a 2-1 win over
Hayden.

 “We usually play 80 minutes, but this time we
had to play 110 minutes and we were gassed,” Conley said. “We were holding on
and had some chances at the end to win it, but then we went to overtime and
then to penalty kicks. It was all about to see if we could survive. Emotionally
it was just a high for us and an unbelievable response and a great finish.
Carson making a big save, Hallie putting it in for the win – it was just a
great game.”

In the championship match,
the Stags were just too much for the Wildcats and junior Sophia Stram provided
a big spark. Stram scored all four goals for Miege in the title game, all of
which came in the first half, and the Wildcats didn’t have an answer.

“They are just so freaking good,” Conley said. “I think the
girls were mentally ready, but I don’t think their legs were quite ready, but
we lost to one of best teams in the state of Kansas. They have great players,
they are well-coached, but our girls played their butts off.

Coming off its second
consecutive state runner-up appearance, Louisburg had some positive
repercussions from its historic season.

However, none bigger
came when the all-state teams were released by the Kansas Soccer Coaches
Association. Not only did six Wildcats earn all-state selections, but they were
honored with some of the highest awards out there.

Junior Mackenzie Scholtz was named as the Co-Offensive Player of the Year in Class 4-1A with Bishop Miege’s Sophia Stram after she led the Wildcats in scoring.

Louisburg was also
recognized on the other side of the ball as senior Carson Buffington was named
the Class 4-1A Goalkeeper of the Year.

“Seeing Mackenzie and
Carson recognized for their positional player of the years was fantastic,”
Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “They both had incredible years.”

The Wildcats weren’t
done, as for the second consecutive season, Conley was named as the Class 4-1A
Coach of the Year as he guided Louisburg to a 17-4 record. He also led the
Wildcats to three consecutive final four appearances.

1.4×400 boys wins state championship, Wright wins four state medals and team breaks six school records at regional meet.

Three days after
arriving in Wichita for the Kansas State Track and Field Championships, Justin
Collins, Blue Caplinger, Ben Wiedenmann and Chris Williams finally got the chance
to get on the Cessna Stadium track.

The four Wildcat
runners had the top time in Class 4A going into the 4×400-meter relay, but
weather threw a little wrench into their plans. The meet, which was supposed to
end on a Saturday, was postponed to Sunday morning and all races were judged by
times with no preliminaries.

It wasn’t the ideal
situation, but they made it work – and it worked well.

Collins, Caplinger, Wiedenmann and Williams won the state championship in a time of 3 minutes and 25.39 seconds as they edged Chapman at the finish line, which ran a 3:25.61. It was the first state track championship for Louisburg since 2015 when Connor McMullen won the discus.

That was just one
event in what was an historic week for Louisburg track.

Louisburg freshman Delaney Wright earned four state medals, while junior teammate Carlee Gassman finished with three as the Lady Cats went on to finish 10^th in the team standings. The Lady Cats earned several other medals at the state meet coming off an impressive performance at regionals.

During the Class 4A
regional meet at Paola High School, Wright qualified for state in four events,
broke two school records and earned a regional title in her first postseason
track meet.

Wright won a regional
title in the long jump and finished second in the 200 and 400-meter dashes. She
also helped Carlee Gassman, Rain Pugh and Sydni Keagle to a second place finish
in the 4×400-meter relay.

“I am so grateful for
everything,” Wright said. “I had been having trouble with my hip this week and
I just wanted to come out and make state in at least one event. I didn’t
realize I would make it in four. It is an unbelieveable feeling.”

Wright’s day was just one of the many positives for the Lady Cats as they broke four school records, had four regional champions and qualified for state in 10 events.

As a team, the Lady Cats nearly earned the regional runner-up trophy as they racked up 86.5 points and finished a half a point behind second place Baldwin and Bishop Miege, who tied for second. Paola won the regional title with 107 points.

The Wildcat boys also broke two school records and would end up qualifying for nine spots at the state meet.

Louisburg senior Ryan Haight was named as the Class 4-1A Co-Defender of the Year recently by the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association.

The Louisburg boys soccer team had one of its best seasons in the program’s history in 2019 as they set a school record in number of wins and earned a No. 1 seed in the state playoffs.

The state soccer coaches were well
aware of the Wildcats’ accomplishments and several players were rewarded for
their efforts.

Six Louisburg players were
selected to the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association all-state team
and two were named players of the year for their position.

Sophomore Braden Yows was named the
Class 4-1A Co-Midfielder of the Year along with Eudora’s Keaton Herron and
Wichita-Trinity’s Sakai Kan. Senior Ryan Haight was named Co-Defender of the
Year with Bishop Miege’s JohnJoe Lopez and Ramon Rodriguez.

Along with Yows and Haight,
freshman Cade Gassman was a first team selection at the forward spot. Sophomore
defender Michael Seuferling, senior goalkeeper Garrett Rolofson and junior
forward Treston Carlson were each named to the second team.

“I
could not be happier for these young men to be recognized as 4A-1A all-state
players,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “These boys absolutely worked
their tails off to earn these awards. These awards are only possible because of
their teammates. Braden getting midfielder of the year and Ryan getting
defender of the year were incredible. They both played at such a high level in
every game that they played in. I could not have been more excited for
those two to be acknowledged by coaches around the state for their play.”

Yows
had a big season from his midfield spot as he finished the year with 11 goals,
three of which were game-winners, and ended with a team-high 14 assists. He
also had 44 shots on goal.

Haight, who only played in nine
games this season due to injury, made the most of his playing time as he was in
charge of shadowing the team’s best player from his defensive-midfield spot. He
also had a goal and two assists on the year.

Also on the first team, Gassman finished with a team-high 18 goals, including
four game-winning scores, to go along with five assists from his forward
position.

Rolofson, who is in his first year as a varsity starter, posted eight shutouts on the season and allowed only 17 goals, four of which came from penalty shots. He also finished with 78 saves on the season and allowed the second fewest goals in Class 4-1A.

Seuferling
was also a big part of the Wildcat defense from his outside back position. He
helped Louisburg allow only 17 goals on the year and did not give up a goal all
season.

Carlson
also had a big year alongside Gassman at the forward position. The Louisburg
junior was second on the team with 12 goals and five assists. He also had four
game-winning goals.

Louisburg’s (from left) Braden Yows, Cade Gassman and Garrett Rolofson each earned All-Frontier League first team honors.

It was an historic season for the
Louisburg boys soccer team and one the Wildcats aren’t going to soon forget.

Louisburg finished the year with a
school record 16 wins, its second Frontier League championship in three years and
earned a regional title and a spot in the state quarterfinals.

The Frontier League coaches took
notice of all that success as seven Wildcats were named to the All-Frontier
League team, which was the most of any school.

Senior Garrett Rolofson, sophomore
Braden Yows and freshman Cade Gassman were selected to the all-league first
team, while senior Ryan Haight, junior Treston Carlson and sophomore Michael
Seuferling earned a spot on the second team. Senior Will Frank was named as an honorable
mention.

“It was awesome to see how well we
were represented this year, but to be greedy it would have been nice to get a
few more guys on there,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “This season we
broke a lot of records or tied a lot of team records. This group was fantastic.
I could not be prouder of a group of young men and what they accomplished.”

Rolofson, who is in his first year as a varsity starter, was named as a first-team goalie. He posted eight shutouts on the season and allowed only 17 goals, four of which came from penalty shots. He also finished with 78 saves on the season and allowed the second fewest goals in Class 4-1A.

“Garrett was voted captain by his peers,” Conley said. “This
is Garrett’s second year playing soccer and first year being the varsity
starter. He is a converted basketball player and worked incredibly hard to
learn how to play goalkeeper. He was voted team captain by this peers because
of his work ethic and attitude.”

Yows and Gassman provided a lot of
the offense for the Wildcats as the two played off each other well throughout
the season.

Gassman finished with a team-high 18 goals, including four game-winning scores, to go along with five assists from the forward position.

Yows had a big season from his midfield spot as he finished the year with 11 goals, three of which were game-winners, and ended with a team-high 14 assists. He also had 44 shots on goal.

“Cade is
incredibly talented,” Conley said. “He is a holding midfielder on his club
team, but we play him up top because of how dynamic he is. He is a fantastic
player and is going to be an absolute stud. His vision and ability to read a
play is exceptional. Cade is an unbelievable young men that is always
motivating and picking up his teammates.

“Braden
has been the best player on the field in just about every game if not every
game we have played. He has incredible vision and individual skill. Even though
is he only a sophomore, he has led our team and has played extremely well. He
hardly ever comes off of the field and has been fantastic for us.”

Haight
earned second team honors despite only playing nine games this season due to a
stress fracture. He certainly made the most of his playing time as he was in
charge of shadowing the other team’s best player. He also added a goal and two
assists to his stat line.

Seuferling
was also a big part of the Wildcat defense from his outside back position. He
helped Louisburg allow only 17 goals on the year and did not give up a goal all
season.

“Ryan was
named a captain by his peers,” Conley said. “He was our best player the past
three years concerning all aspects of leadership, defensively and offensively.
He was an honorable mention all-league play in 2017 and first team all-league
in 2018. He plays as hard as he can every night and never makes excuses.  As a defensive midfielder, his stats won’t
standout, but he is an incredible player and has a great work ethic and attitude.

“Michael
started and played every game and almost every minute for us at outside back as
a freshman and sophomore,” Conley said. “He accepted the challenge and played
extremely well. We are constantly under fire in the back and he held his own,
especially since he was really under sized. He is one of the most coachable
kids I had on the team and plays his butt off.”

Carlson
had a big year alongside Gassman at the forward position. The Louisburg junior
was second on the team with 12 goals and five assists. He also had four
game-winning goals.

“Treston
was an outside midfielder last year and was moved to forward this year,” Conley
said. “He has improved so much this summer by his individual skill and learning
the game. He has played nearly every minute of every game and has become quite
the leader. His play each and every week has improved as he continues to learn
the position.”

As for
Frank, he played the centerback spot for Louisburg and was an integral part of
a Wildcat defense that posted eight shutouts and limited its opponents to 95
shots on the season.

“Will
played extremely hard and saved us a bunch,” Conley said. “He was our leader at
central defense. He started and played every minute of every game of the 17
games for which he was healthy as he had a knee issue and missed the first two
games. He has been very physical and won nearly every 50/50 ball.”

ALL-FRONTIER LEAGUE SOCCER

First Team

Keaton Herron, Eudora, junior;
Grady McCune, Baldwin, junior; Jordan Barth, Baldwin, senior; Jon Villalobos,
Paola, senior; Ryan Wokutch, Paola, senior; Braden Yows, Louisburg, sophomore;
Cade Gassman, Louisburg, freshman; Javier Trujilo, Tonganoxie, senior; Grayson
Sonntag, Tonganoxie, sophomore; Jackson Rainforth, Spring Hill, junior

GOALKEEPER: Garrett Rolofson,
Louisburg, senior

Second Team

Dylan Meier, Eudora, junior; Caden
Prather, Baldwin, senior; Adam Novak, Piper, sophomore; Ian Heid, Paola,
junior; Ben Timpe, Paola, junior; Ryan Haight, Louisburg, senior; Michael
Seuferling, Louisburg, sophomore; Treston Carlson, Louisburg, junior; Mayson
Sprague, Bonner Springs, sophomore; Reese Fogle, Ottawa, sophomore; Keen
Kittle, Spring Hill, junior; Josh Santos, Spring Hill, senior

GOALKEEPER: Chezney Haney, Spring
Hill, junior

Honorable Mention

Caden Willits, Eudora, senior;
Alex Kooken, Eudora, junior; Tyler Wales, Baldwin, senior; Colby Zimmerman,
Baldwin, junior; Owen Roellchen, Piper, senior; Mason Escobar, Paola, senior;
Will Frank, Louisburg, senior; Abel Mendoza, Tonganoxie, junior

GOALKEEPER: Logan Sterling,
Ottawa, junior; Miles Lockridge, Piper, senior

Louisburg goalie Garrett Rolofson slides in to make a save last Tuesday during the Wildcats’ home state quarterfinal game against Bishop Miege.

A school record 16 wins, a Frontier
League championship and a regional title are all something worth celebrating,
but following last Tuesday’s state quarterfinal match with Bishop Miege, all
Louisburg could think about was the finality of it all.

Despite all those accomplishments,
the Wildcats fell one win short of their main goal – a spot in the state final
four.

Louisburg saw its season come to a close with a 3-0 loss to Bishop Miege at the Wildcat Sports Complex. The Wildcats lost to the eventual state champion, as Miege went on to defeat Wichita-Trinity on Saturday, 3-1, for the Class 4-1A state championship – the Stags’ fourth in a row.

As difficult as the loss was for
Louisburg, there was no forgetting how big of a jump the Wildcats made from the
season before as they went from a 6-win team to one that earned the East’s No.
1 seed in the state playoffs.

“Going 6-11 last year and seeing
this Miege team almost mercy-ruling us in the regional championship last year
in the rain, was a program changer,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “After
that was over, we talked about how things needed to change and it starts now.
For our first practice in June, I told them that they are the ones that has to
change them. Since day one, they have played for each other, played hard in
practice and it was a total mindset change. When someone got hurt, it was the
next guy up. We missed two starters for half of the year and it was always the
next guy up taking advantage of his opportunity to fill in. The freshmen
stepped up huge for us.

“This team is special. 16 wins is
a school record and only two losses is probably a school record. This team is
incredible, played so hard and did everything I asked them to do. They were
always there to pick each other up and that is what this soccer family is all
about. It will be tough to say goodbye to these kids.”

Louisburg (16-2) gave Miege all it
had as several Wildcats were dealing with injuries, which made the task of
knocking off the perennial state champion even more difficult.

Senior defender Will Frank played
with an injured knee. The team’s leading scorer, Cade Gassman, had an oblique
injury, and was nowhere near 100 percent.

Still, those players, and others, played through the pain to give what they had left against one of the state’s best teams.

“Will is going to having surgery
in the offseason here on his knee and played hard and fought through,” Conley
said. “Landon (Johnson) is still fighting through a patella tendon problem and
he did the best he could to run on the ball. Cade had a strained oblique, and
could hardly move at all, but just gutted it out for his teammates. David
(Perentis) hurt his leg earlier in the season and he has been fighting through
it. We are just dinged up and banged up everywhere, but Miege was able to put
it on us at the end.”

The Wildcats kept the game
scoreless through the first 30 minutes thanks its defense. Goalie Garrett
Rolofson made several diving saves and Frank cleared ball after ball out of the
back.

Sophomore defender Michael Seuferling also cleared the ball off the goal line to keep the game scoreless midway through the first half, but the Stags answered with a goal in the 30^th minute to go up 1-0 at halftime.

“We defended our butts off,”
Conley said. “It was kind of a ‘bend but don’t break’ mentality there for a
while. We knew they were going to get chances. The goal was to just limit those
chances to the less-dangerous the better and keep them wide. We had a couple
good looks, but we just didn’t put it on frame. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t
get one to go.

“Defensively, we played well. We
had a wall built and were going to let them shoot from outside and we did a
good job blocking what we could. They have four or five players who do a really
good job for them.”

Bishop Miege put away two more
opportunities in the second half to get the victory and end the Wildcats’
season on their home field – one that provided a lot of memories.

Like with the end of every season,
the Wildcats were forced to say goodbye to their season class as Ryan Haight,
Colin Cook, Landon Johnson, David Perentis, Emanuel Fries, Rolofson and Frank
all played their final game.

“The seniors, from day one, took ownership of the program,” Conley said. “Since day one, they have held everyone accountable and it was incredible. I couldn’t be happier for a group of guys. It would have been great to go back to a state final four, and this could have been a state championship game. It stinks that we had to run into them here and not in the state final four, where it deserved to be. This is a special team and they will be tough to emulate. These seniors have set the standard and brought us back to where we need to be.”

Louisburg senior Landon Johnson hoists the Class 4-1A regional championship trophy on Thursday and celebrates with his teammates after the Wildcats’ 2-0 win over Kansas City Christian at Wildcat Stadium.

For more than 70 minutes, the
goals for Louisburg were hard to come by and it started to leave an eerie
feeling on Halloween night.

However, the Wildcats got their
treat when it was all over.

Louisburg scored two goals in the
final seven minutes of the match to earn a 2-0 victory over Kansas City
Christian in the Class 4-1A regional championship game Thursday. The Wildcats
(16-1-1) earned their third regional title in the last four years and will now
move on to the state quarterfinals.

“This group is special,” Louisburg
coach Kyle Conley said. “It is going to be tough when it is all over. This
group has changed our culture. They came back to what this program believes and
they have bought in to what we are teaching them. They have worked so hard
since June. For these seniors, this is their third title in four years and I
think it is a lot of fun for them.

“I would like to get them back to
the state final four so they can see what it looks like. We are young, but we
have some upperclassmen here to lead us. They all work and play so hard and it
is a credit to them and their ability to play for each other. It is bittersweet
but it is a lot of fun right now.”

It wasn’t a lot of fun early on as
the Wildcats struggled to find the back of the net and it got a little harder
when they had to watch their leading scorer, Cade Gassman, leave with an injury
early in the second half.

Like they have done most off the season,
the Wildcats were there to pick each other up and freshman Colin McManigal, who
replaced Gassman, gave them spark they were looking for.

With seven minutes left in the
match, McManigal scored on an assist from junior Treston Carlson to put
Louisburg on top, 1-0, and it was all Louisburg needed to keep its season
alive.

“I knew we had to get a ball into
the back side to score and once I saw that ball go through, I knew I had a
chance,” McManigal said. “I saw the goalie’s eyes and I watched him miss the
ball and I knew this was the one. I just popped it in and it was history from
there.

“Cade has been doing so good this
year and he is like a brother to me. When he came out, it gave me a chance to
go get one for the team. I just tried my hardest out there and I am glad it all
worked out. Hopefully he will get better soon.”

Less than two minutes later, Carlson provided the Wildcats with some cushion as he found the back of the net to all but seal the win. On a day where Carlson, and several of his teammates had good looks at the net and the shots didn’t go in, the score provided a sense of relief to the Louisburg sideline.

“I am super excited,” Carlson said
of the regional title. “I am just proud of the team on how we continued to
battle even when things weren’t going our way. Kansas City Christian was a
tough team, and they played hard, but I am definitely glad we were able to get
this one.”

Kansas City Christian, which took
third in the state a year ago, provided the Wildcats with one of their toughest
tests of the season. Still, the Wildcats got the production it was looking at
several different spots in the field.

Sophomore Braden Yows was a factor for Louisburg all night in the midfield as he distributed the ball and provided the Wildcats with several scoring opportunities.

“Braden did a really good job,”
Conley said. “Isaac (Guetterman) has been playing well too in the middle so we
can give Braden a little bit of a breather here and there. It is hard to take
Braden off the field, and when he was out of there for the 4 or 5 minutes, you
could see the game starting to change a little bit and we had to get him back
out there. He played fantastic and was able to move the ball around quick and
he just has great vision and that helps us a ton.”

Defensively, senior goalie Garrett
Rolofson earned his second straight shutout in the playoffs, while senior
midfielder Ryan Haight was locked on Kansas City Christian’s top scorer for most
of the night and held him scoreless.

The back line of Toby Espina-Roca,
Will Frank, Michael Seuferling, Luke Faulkner, and midfielders Hunter Rogers
and Ethan Showalter also provided good protection as well.

Louisburg’s defense will have to
work hard in its next matchup as the Wildcats will host Bishop Miege at 5 p.m.
on Tuesday in the Class 4-1A state quarterfinals. Miege has won the last three
state championships and Louisburg will face its biggest task of the season on
its home field.

“They are a fantastic team,”
Conley said. “They play a really tough schedule and their record does not imply
out good they are. They are a very dynamic and dangerous team. Coach (Nate)
Huppe will have his boys ready to go and I will have mine ready and we will see
what happens.”

Louisburg shuts out Atchison

In its game leading up to the regional
championship, Louisburg first had to get by Atchison.

It took a little while to get
going, but once they did, the Wildcats didn’t stop as they scored five
unanswered goals to win 5-0 over the Redmen in the regional semifinals last
Tuesday in Louisburg.

Five different players scored for
the Wildcats as sophomore Braden Yows broke open the scoreless match on a goal
with nine minutes left in the first half. Cade Gassman and Ethan Ptacek both
added goals of their own to put Louisburg up 3-0 at halftime.

Junior Treston Carlson and sophomore
Jaden Vohs scored the game’s final two goals to complete he scoring, while
senior goalie Garrett Rolofson earned the clean sheet.

Senior defender Will Frank clears the ball away from a Piper player Thursday during Louisburg’s Senior Night contest at Wildcat Stadium Complex. The Wildcats rolled to an 8-1 win.

Cold and rain weren’t the
conditions Louisburg was hoping for in its regular season finale, but the
Wildcats players didn’t complain.

They had too much to celebrate.

Along with Louisburg’s 8-1 victory
over Piper in which it honored eight seniors on Senior Night, the Wildcats also
made history in the process. Their victory gave them the outright Frontier
League title as they ended the regular season with a 14-1-1 record and are the
No. 1 seed in the playoffs for the Class 4-1A east side of the state.

It is the Wildcats’ second league
title in three years and they head into postseason play on a five-match winning
streak.

“Man,
it is really impressive,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said of his team’s achievements.
“This group of boys have bought in from day one and worked so hard. They are
committed to each other and it shows in their play. Their attitudes and work
ethic is a major reason why we are having the success we are. I could not be happier
for a group of young men.

“This
group had a lot of lofty goals at the beginning of the season, and they
have accomplished two of them with that win against Piper. This is such a
special group.”

The senior group of Will Frank, Ryan Haight, Colin Cook, Landon Johnson, David Perentis, Garrett Rolofson, Emanuel Fries and manager Mackenzie Scholtz were all recognized before the match as they were able to celebrate Senior Night first, and then a league title after.

Louisburg
jumped on Piper from the opening whistle as sophomore Braden Yows scored the
team’s first goal 20 seconds into the match.

From
there, it was freshman Cade Gassman who made the biggest mark as he recorded a
hat trick in a 5-minute span to give the Wildcats a 4-0 lead midway through the
first half. Gassman finished with a game-high four goals as he added another in
the second half.

Senior
Landon Johnson also put away a couple shots as he converted a penalty kick late
in the first half and then opened the second half with another goal to give the
Wildcats a 6-1 advantage. Freshman Colin McManigal added a goal midway through
the second half and Gassman iced the win with his fourth score with 13 minutes
remaining in the match.

“Cade was on fire,” Conley said. “He ended with four, but it could have been easily six if I let him. He was focused and played with such passion and determination. I couldn’t be happier for a young man and how well he’s played the entire season.

“Landon
played really hard as well. He was extremely dangerous with the ball at his
feet. He did a great job of breaking down their flanks.”

The
Wildcats recorded 18 shots on goal and 35 shots overall as they put pressure on
the Piper defense the entire night. Junior Treston Carlson and Gassman each had
five shots on goal and Johnson had three.

Defensively,
other than one goal late in the first half, the Wildcats shut down the Piper
attack as senior goalie Garrett Rolofson finished the night with three saves.

Senior Will Frank, junior Luke Faulkner, sophomore Michael Seuferling and freshman Toby Espina-Roca limited Piper’s chances from the defensive line, while defensive midfielders Ryan Haight, Ethan Showalter and Hunter Rogers also provided support.

“The defenders played
very well minus one play,” Conley said. “They held it down and limited their
touches in the offensive half. Piper did send almost their entire team forward
and tried to create a lot of problems for us, but we did a great job of staying
disciplined and marked up. We did a really nice job of limiting their
opportunities.

“The
conditions were terrible, but we handled it really well. The boys were ready
from pregame on. They were focused and really intense. I think we played so
well from start to finish. We moved the ball and did a great job of attacking
what they gave us. The boys read the game well. It was nice to be able to sub
as much as we did and not lose a beat with those guys.”

Now the focus is on the postseason where the Wildcats will host Atchison at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the regional semifinal game. Atchison defeated Bishop Ward, 6-0, Monday in the play-in game.

Should
the Wildcats advance, they will play the winner of No. 8 Maur Hill-Mount
Academy and No. 9 Kansas City Christian on Thursday in the regional
championship game.

“I am glad it’s finally here,” Conley
said of the postseason. “This team is motivated and determined to make an
impact. I am excited to see what this team can do and keep proving everyone
wrong. I love how hard the boys played all year and how much they improved. It’s
going to be a lot of fun.”

Louisburg’s Hunter Rogers puts a shot on goal Tuesday during the Wildcats’ match with Ottawa in Louisburg. In all, the Wildcats put 29 shots on goal in their 4-1 win.

OTTAWA – News made it way toward
the Louisburg sideline midway through the first half that Spring Hill had just upset
Frontier League leader Baldwin.

It caught the attention of the
Wildcat coaches, and with a win over Ottawa, Louisburg was going to take sole
possession of first place. Head coach Kyle Conley relayed that news to his
players at halftime and the Wildcats made sure they left Tuesday’s game on top.

Louisburg took care of business as
the Wildcats scored a pair of goals in each half and recorded a 4-1 victory
over Ottawa at Wildcat Stadium. The win improved their record to 13-1-1 on the
season, and a win or tie over Piper tonight, will give the Wildcats their
second league title in three years.

“We need to do our job. It is
Senior Night, there should be a ton of emotion and a lot of things going on and
a lot of distractions,” Conley said. “We are after another banner.”

The Wildcats dominated possession
for much of the contest against Ottawa as they put together several scoring chances.
In all, Louisburg finished the night with 29 shots on goal.

Junior Treston Carlson was able to
find the back of the net 15 minutes into the first half to give Louisburg a 1-0
advantage over Ottawa. A few minutes later, senior Landon Johnson doubled the
Wildcats’ score with another goal and Louisburg took a 2-0 lead at halftime.

Louisburg didn’t waste any time
after halftime as freshman Cade Gassman scored three minutes into the second half.
Ottawa cut the Louisburg lead to 3-1 with a goal early in the half off a corner
kick.

The Cyclones weren’t able to get a better opportunity than that one and the Wildcats kept pushing up. Sophomore Braden Yows iced the game when his shot hit the back post and rolled slowly across the line.

Yows and Gassman each added an
assist in the win, while Yows led the Wildcats with five shots on goal.
Freshman Colin McManigal and Johnson each had four shots, while Carlson and
junior Logan Faulkner both had three.

Defensively, the Wildcats were
able to limit Ottawa’s opportunities and senior goalie Garrett Rolofson
finished with five saves.

“We did a good job,” Conley said. “We
were trying to work on our cuts and angles a little more this week. We did a
good job of possessing it, moving it and doing our job. The final third could
be a little bit cleaner, but the kids played well and played with a ton of
energy. You can’t ask for anything more than that.

“I thought we did a good job defensively. We had a lot of kids play for us tonight, whether it was 10 minutes or 20 minutes, we were just relentless. I think the last 15 minutes of the first half we kind of just dominated they rest of the way. We just played with a lot of heart tonight and the kids just played really, really well.”

Now the Wildcats will turn all their focus to Piper tonight as they try for win No. 14, and more importantly, a Frontier League title. It will also be an emotional evening as it is also Senior Night and the Wildcats will honor eight seniors for their time with the program.

“It is a credit to them,” Conley
said of his team’s success. “Last year was rough. We never really gelled and we
struggled with chemistry a little bit. This team came together since the first
day of summer, they are playing for each other, they are always together and
supporting one another. It is a credit to them and how hard they play and their
desire to get better. It is a credit to all 38 of those guys and they are doing
a great job from top to bottom.”

Louisburg sophomore Braden Yows (right) is engulfed by his teammates following his game-winning goal in the Wildcats’ 1-0 victory over Paola on Monday in Louisburg.

Just like the first match earlier in
the season, Louisburg and Paola found themselves in another battle Monday as
the two teams went into overtime for the second time this year.

And just like the first time,
Louisburg got the golden goal it was looking for to pull out a win.

Sophomore Braden Yows struck the
ball on the back side of the goal and found the back of the net five minutes
into overtime and the Wildcats came away with a 1-0 victory over the Panthers.

Senior Ryan Haight crossed the
ball into the backside of the goal for the assist and Yows was there to put a
good foot on the pass.

“It was a little unbelieveable,”
Yows said. “Ryan played a great ball into the box and I called for it. Ethan
(Ptacek) could have taken the chance, but when I shot it and went in, it was
almost like a dream come true a little bit. I almost couldn’t believe it at
first.

“Those type of goals don’t come
around very often that win you a game against your rival. It was great, but if
Ryan doesn’t play that ball and Treston (Carlson) doesn’t play it to him then
that goal never happens. It was a team goal.”

It certainly was a team effort as
the Wildcats (12-1-1) picked up their third consecutive victory on the season
and defeated a Paola (8-4-1) team that is one of the best in the Frontier
League and currently has the fourth-best record on the East side of the state in
Class 4-1A.

Louisburg played well on each third of the field, but it started on defense as the Wildcats limited Paola’s chances on goal. To do that, Haight shadowed Paola’s top scorer, Ryan Wokutch, most of the night and got help from junior midfielder Ethan Showalter.

Neither player came off the field
much and were helped by the back line of Will Frank, Michael Seuferling, Toby
Espina-Roca and Luke Faulkner. Senior goalie Garrett Rolofson recorded three
saves and earned the shutout.

“Ryan (Wokutch) has special speed
and is an incredible player,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “We decided to
put Ryan Haight on him and I thought he shut him down pretty well. He did a
really nice job on him defensively, but Wokutch is so dangerous that he causes
a massive amount of problems for him.”

Both teams had opportunities early
in the first half as Wokutch had a header that was saved by Rolofson. For
Louisburg, senior Landon Johnson had two shots on goal, one of which hit off
the cross bar.

The Wildcats put the pressure on
the Paola defense and controlled possession for much of the second half and
overtime. Louisburg had 27 shots on the night, including 14 on goal.

Junior Treston Carlson and Johnson
led the Wildcats with three shots on goal. Yows, along with freshmen Cade
Gassman and Ethan Ptacek, each had two.

Louisburg also took advantage of a
tiring Paola team as the Wildcats were able to sub in groups for much of the
match and were fresher going into overtime.

“We have to thank Conley for this
one,” Yows said. “We could see Paola was a little worn down, but we have a
little more depth, but coach makes us do a lot of fitness in practice and it
pays off. Paola was really good in the first half, but Ryan did a great job of
shutting down Wokutch but Hunter (Rogers) and Sho (Ethan Showalter) both played
amazing. They were a big help back there.”

The Wildcats were able to find the
net halfway through the extra period when Haight played a ball toward the back
side of the goal and Yows was there waiting for it.

“That is the ball I was talking about to the boys,” Conley said. “I kept telling them the back side was wide open. We got there a couple times and kind of wasted some chances, but Braden shifted a little bit, smacked it home and that was it. It was a good read for Braden, and a good lead from Ryan and it was good to get a win.”

Yows’ game-winner emptied the
Wildcat bench and the players were able to celebrate their 12^th win
of the season as they piled on Yows.

The Wildcats will continue its special season Tuesday when it hosts Ottawa and then will host Piper on Thursday for Senior Night. Louisburg will have the opportunity to win a Frontier League title and assure itself a No. 1 seed in the state playoffs next week.

“We have a good style of play and
I think we do a good job of possessing the ball,” Conley said. “I think we
could get a little more dynamic in the final third, but at the same time I love
how hard we play and how the kids don’t stop. They might be too young to
understand what they are truly doing right now, but it is a lot of fun to
watch.”