Coming off its best season in school history, the Louisburg boys soccer team is starting to see those postseason honors come its way.

After finishing third in Class 4-1A, many of the Frontier League coaches took notice of the Wildcats’ success and rewarded many of their players for it.

Louisburg was recently rewarded with eight spots on the All-Frontier League team, including three first team selections. It was a nice way for the Wildcats to wind down their 2020 campaign.

“I thought that we had great representation within our league,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “It is a credit to these young men and their teammates for these honors. I felt with how good our league is, we did really well in regards to representation.”

The Wildcats earned three first team honors as Braden Yows, Treston Carlson and Cade Gassman were represented among the league’s best.

Carlson led the Wildcats in goals this past season with 16 and scored eight game-winning goals and finished the year with 37 points. As for Yows, he broke a program record with a team-high 21 assists to go along with seven goals.

Gassman was also a spark for the Wildcats offensively. He scored 13 goals on the season to go along with eight assists.

“They all had really, really good years and we did a fantastic job attacking our opponents,” Conley said. “Our forwards were incredible this year and having these guys honored means a lot. Seeing Treston, Cade and Braden all get first team was really cool. They were the leaders in regards to our offense and it was really cool to see the league recognize that. 

“Treston was the guy who always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. He led our team in goals and his work rate and focus was incredible this season. Braden set out with a goal to break the assist record this season and he did just that. His vision is fantastic and he did everything he could to get his teammates involved. Braden had an unbelievable junior year.

“Cade is one of the most dynamic players on the field,” Conley continued. “He had some incredible numbers as a freshman, but he was so much more involved this season. Teams doubled him regularly and he still excelled. His attitude and focus on detail is what makes Cade so special.”

The Wildcats had a pair of defensive players who earned second team honors. Centerback Luke Faulker and goalkeeper Mack Newell were both recognized for their efforts, while sophomore forward Colin McManigal was also named to the second team.

Newell, a sophomore, was in his first year as a varsity goalie and he shined. He finished with 88 saves on the year and the Wildcat defense, which Faulkner was a big part of, gave up only 11 goals in 18 matches.

As for McManigal, the Louisburg sophomore came off the bench and provided a spark for the Wildcats on many occasions with nine goals on the year.

“Luke went from playing outside back mainly last year, to being a full time starter at centerback and did a great job,” Conley said. “I was really pleased with how he stepped up and filled that roll for us this season. Colin was like our super sub. He would come into the game and just work so hard. His work rate was extremely high and he caused a lot of problems for the opposing team.

“Mack really did well in his first year. His numbers this season were in the top two in the league and he earned this. He has learned so much in his first year. It was fun watching him grow throughout this year and I can’t wait to see how much he improves over the offseason.”

In a bit of a surprise, junior Michael Seuferling was named as an honorable mention all-league player despite being one of the best outside backs in the Frontier League. Junior Hunter Rogers, also a big part of the Wildcat defense and midfield, was also named an honorable mention.

“Hunter had a great year starting 18 of 18 games,” Conley said. “He really worked to improve his on the ball skill and it showed. He helped start out possession and allowed us to possess the ball a lot more. He also didn’t have a problem getting stuck in and being physical. He scored some fantastic goals from corner kicks.

“Michael is the best outside back we have seen the past two years. He literally shuts down an entire side of the field. He was not responsible for one goal this season. I honestly felt he was robbed with this honor of honorable mention, because he is easily a first team player. Each and every day he gives his very best and he is always looking for ways to improve his game.”

ALL-FRONTIER LEAGUE SOCCER

First Team

Jackson Rainforth, Spring Hill, senior; Braden Yows, Louisburg, junior; Colby Zimmerman, Baldwin, senior; Treston Carlson, Louisburg, senior; Grady McCune, Baldwin, senior; Cade Gassman, Louisburg, sophomore; Hunter Williams, Spring Hill, senior; Abel Mendoza, Tonganoxie, senior; Grayson Sonntag, Tonganoxie, junior; Keaton Herron, Eudora, senior

GOALIE: Chezney Haney, Spring Hill, senior

Second Team

Mayson Sprague, Bonner Springs, junior; Matthew Powell, Ottawa, senior; Caleb Brueckner, Spring Hill, sophomore; Timothy Shockey, Bonner Springs, freshman; Keen Knittel, Spring Hill, senior; Jace McCormick, Eudora, senior; Devin Prather, Baldwin, junior; Reese Fogle, Ottawa, junior; Luke Faulkner, Louisburg, senior; Colin McManigal, Louisburg, sophomore

GOALIE – Mack Newell, Louisburg, sophomore

Honorable Mention

Cuyler Kietzman, Tonganoxie, junior; Utah Hester, Baldwin, freshman; Hunter Rogers, Louisburg, junior; Michael Seuferling, Louisburg, junior; Chris Hanson, Ottawa, senior; Dylan Meier, Eudora, senior; Ian Heid, Paola, senior; John Mitchell, Spring Hill, senior; Afton Boone, Tonganoxie, senior; Alex Kooken, Eudora, senior; Grayson Renfro, Piper, senior; Caleb Carr, Baldwin, sophomore; Zack Reno, Bonner Springs, senior; Ridge Gerstberger, Spring Hill, senior; Brenan Kuzmic, Tonganoxie, sophomore; Carden Escobar, Paola, sophomore; Kade Carlson, Ottawa, junior; Dakota Coates, Tonganoxie, senior; Logan Jackson, Bonner Springs, sophomore; Ben Timpe, Paola, senior; Michael Garber, Baldwin, junior; Tavian Cruse, Bonner Springs, sophomore; Aron Mitchell, Eudora, senior

GOALIE: Kyron Fergus, Piper, senior; Jackson McWilliams, Tonganoxie, freshman

The Louisburg soccer team gathers together to celebrate its third-place state finish Saturday following the Wildcats’ 3-0 victory over Rose Hill at Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita.

WICHITA – As the Louisburg players huddled around their state plaque, many of them looked at it in awe and wonder.

“Hey guys, we won this,” a player shouted.

The statement was obvious at the time, but nonetheless, their excitement was more than warranted.

For the first time in program history, the Louisburg boys soccer team brought home a plaque from the state final four as the Wildcats defeated Rose Hill, 3-0, on Saturday in the third place match of the Class 4-1A state tournament at Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita.

It was only the second time in school history that the Wildcats had it made it this far, with the other being in 2016, when they finished fourth.

“There are only six teams in the entire state that get to end their year with a win and we wanted to be one of those teams,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “We want to be able to hang up a banner on our field and we wanted a plaque so that no one can forget what these kids earned and what they did this season. I am so proud of all of them.”

It was a program defining moment for the Wildcats as they began the weekend searching for a state championship, but lost 2-0 to Bishop Miege on Friday in the semifinals. Still, recording the best finish in school history is nothing for someone to hang their head about, and the Wildcats came out Saturday wanting to make sure they brought some hardware home.

“It’s absolutely crazy to think about what we have accomplished this year, partly because I have only played soccer in high school,” senior captain Logan Faulkner said. “Bringing a state plaque back will just be a reminder of what we did and how we reached our goal.”

Louisburg (16-2) didn’t waste any time getting on the board against the Rockets as senior Treston Carlson scored on an assist from sophomore Cade Gassman to put the Wildcats up 1-0 just 10 minutes into the match.

Just a few moments later, Gassman was on the other end of a goal again, this time he assisted sophomore Colin McManigal who made it 2-0. Late in the first half, it was Gassman who was in front of the goal and just tapped it over the line to put the Wildcats up three and all but sealed the win.

“I felt like we played good as a team and it felt good to be up early in the game,” Carlson said. “After the first goal, everyone felt less nervous and we played harder. It means a lot to me that I was a part of the team that was the best in school history. I was so happy when we won against Rose Hill.”

Defensively, the Wildcats put together another strong performance as they completed their 11^th shutout of the season.

The back line of Michael Seuferling, Toby Espina-Roca, Luke Faulkner, Ethan Showalter, along with midfielders Hunter Rogers, Haden Yeager and Isaac Guetterman made things difficult on the Rockets.

Rose Hill appeared it was going to get its first goal of the contest in the second half, but Showalter came through and knocked the ball off the line to preserve the shutout.

Goalies Mack Newell and Matthew Sword combined on the clean sheet, while Newell recorded three saves on the day.

“Rose Hill should have had one goal, but Showalter did an awesome job saving that one on the line and clearing it out,” Conley said. “It was a lot of fun to see the defense perform out there. The boys played well in the back and did their job.”

In all, the Wildcats had nine shots on goal, including three from Carlson, two from McManigal, two from Braden Yows, and one each from Ethan Ptacek and Gassman.

Then in the final 10 minutes, Conley played all of his seniors at the same time to give Carlson, Logan Faulkner, Luke Faulkner, Ethan Showalter, Haden Yeager, Dylan Armstrong, Caleb Shaughnessy, Weston Frank and Dacey Wieland an opportunity to go out in style.

It was a happy ending for Louisburg, following what was a disappointing loss to Bishop Miege in the state semifinals the day before.

The Wildcats put the pressure on early as Carlson and Gassman both had close shots on goal, but couldn’t find the back of the net. The match remained scoreless midway through the first half, but Miege crossed the ball across the field and scored on a goal outside the 18.

Then in the second half, Miege scored again, this time as a shot ricocheted off a Wildcat player and into the goal to help the Stags to the championship match, where they beat Wichita-Trinity, 3-1.

“Miege shadowed Braden (Yows) and tried to take away the middle of the field,” Conley said. “The first five minutes we had two really good chances and we really needed one to go and it just never did. They got a good goal a little later and the second one was just unlucky, and that took the wind out of our sails. The last 20 minutes or so we were on them the whole time, we just couldn’t get a good look. That is why they are the 5-time defending state champion.”

The 2020 season will be one to remember in many ways for the Wildcat players. It was one that had to deal with COVID problems, including a two-week quarantine.

Then there were the good moments – and undefeated Frontier League title, a regional championship and a spot in the state final four. Saturday’s victory put an ending on a year the Wildcats were hoping for.

“There was so much uncertainty,” Conley said. “You had to prep for the opponent, but you also had to worry about whether people were going to get COVID or not. The whole season was up in the air for a while and it was pretty stressful. The boys handled it well. We got quarantined, then we had to play four games in six days and we cleaned house. We almost didn’t give up a goal for a month and we just played really hard.

“The JV boys worked so hard and pressed us the whole time and made us get better. This is a program victory and not just for the 22 guys that are here. All those kids together made this happen, whether it was in the summer, preseason, tryouts, during the season – this is just a credit to all of them.”

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week ten of the fall sports season, sponsored by Louisburg Family Dental.

TRESTON CARLSON, SENIOR, BOYS SOCCER

Louisburg senior Treston Carlson was a big part of the Wildcat soccer team’s success this past weekend in Wichita. Carlson scored a goal in the team’s 3-0 win over Rose Hill in the Class 4-1A third-place match Saturday and put together five shots on goal for the tournament.

On the season, Carlson scored a team-high 16 goals on the year to go along with five assists. He also added eight game-winning goals as the Wildcats finished the season with a 16-2 record and recorded the best finish in school history.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the fall season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous winners:

Week 1: Weston Guetterman

Week 2: Lola Edwards

Week 3: Logan Faulkner

Week 4: Rinny McMullen

Week 5: Carson Houchen

Week 6: Cade Gassman

Week 7: Alyse Moore

Week 8: Braden Yows

Week 9: Maddy Rhamy

The Louisburg boys soccer team celebrates its 3-0 win over Baldwin on Tuesday in the Class 4-1A state quarterfinal game.

For the first time since 2016, the Louisburg boys soccer team will be playing on the season’s final weekend.

Louisburg used a big second half to defeat Baldwin, 3-0, in the Class 4-1A state quarterfinals on Tuesday at Wildcat Stadium. That win propelled Louisburg to the state final four and are guaranteed a state placing come Saturday.

“They earned this,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “They work hard every practice, every game and every summer. They 100 percent earned this.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our group. They had a goal to go undefeated and go to state. We had one blemish. They are undefeated Frontier League champions, regional champions and now they are going to get a banner for going to state. It is up to them to see what we put on it.”

The win, which improved their record to 15-1 on the season, gave the Wildcats the No. 1 seed at the Class 4-1A state tournament and will face off with four-time defending state champion, Bishop Miege, at 4 p.m. on Friday in Wichita.

Still, getting to this point in the season wasn’t easy for the Wildcats and Baldwin made things difficult on Louisburg. It was the third time the two teams had squared off, with Louisburg winning the first one in overtime and won the second by a 2-0 result in Baldwin.

This match was scoreless at halftime, but the Wildcats got some good looks and started to convert on them in the second half. Sophomore Cade Gassman scored three times to record the hat trick in the second half and helped the Wildcats advance to the next round.

“We knew coming in that Baldwin was a tough opponent, but very beatable as we beat them twice in the regular season,” Gassman said. “The first half was back and forth, but when the second half started the opportunities came and I capitalized off their mistakes finding the back of the net.

“It means a lot to me and the team to make it to the final four, to see all that hard work in the off season pay off and reaching our goals that we made at the beginning of the season. It feels incredible.”

Gassman scored his first goal with 33 minutes left in the match as he took a loose ball in the box and found the back of the net. Four minutes later, Gassman struck again as he took the ball down the right side and finished with a shot to the left corner.

Then, with seven minutes remaining, Gassman sealed the victory with his final goal and help send the Wildcats to the state final four.

In the first half, the Wildcats had their looks, but couldn’t find the back of the net. When they converted the first one in the second half, things started to change.

“It was a very competitive and intense game,” Louisburg junior captain Braden Yows said. “Both teams played hard in every position on the field. I think our depth wore them down in the second half, but they made us play for 80 minutes. It is always nice when you can play with a lead, and having one let us play with more confidence.”

Defense also provided the Wildcats with a spark as sophomore goalie Mack Newell earned another shutout and had seven saves on the night.

Louisburg also got strong play from its back line, especially junior Michael Seuferling, who caused Baldwin fits from his outside back position. Toby-Espina Roca, Luke Faulkner, Ethan Showalter, Hunter Rogers and Isaac Guetterman also made big plays throughout the night.

“Michael Seuferling is the best outside back in the league,” Conley said. “No one goes at him because he is the best. If someone wants to go ahead and come at him, that is fine. That works out great for us.”

The Wildcats put 13 shots on goal against the Baldwin defense, including five from Yows, who also had an assist on one of Gassman’s goals. Gassman and Colin McManigal each had three shots, while Treston Carlson and Ethan Ptacek each had one.

Now, the Wildcats begin to prepare for their toughest test of the season – Bishop Miege. Louisburg will go up against the 4-time defending state champion at 4 p.m. Friday at Stryker Soccer Complex in Wichita.

“Obviously Miege is the gold standard having won four consecutive state championships, and nine overall,” Yows said. “We are going to have to come out and play with the same effort we have been playing with all season. There are four great teams down there who have had really good seasons. We just need to play unselfish soccer and convert our chances when we get them. We are all very excited and hope to do well, but of course the state title is our goal.”

It will also be a rematch of the state quarterfinal game a year ago, in which Stags defeated Louisburg, 3-0, and from that day the Wildcats set a goal to reach the state semifinals.

Now the objective is to win a state championship, and once again, the Wildcats will have to go through Bishop Miege to get there.

“The boys have been focused and prepared each and every day,” Conley said. “Everything we have gone through has prepared us for this moment. I am so honored to be able to coach these boys and watch them grow throughout the season. This is a special group.

“Miege is Miege. They are one of the best teams in 4A-1A every year regardless of what their record is. They are well coached and their history speaks for them. Bishop Miege has won 20 regionals titles, 6 of the last 8 state titles including the last 4 state titles in 4A-1A. Everyone knows how good they are and how rich their history is. This year’s team has two of the most dynamic forwards we will see and overall a team packed with speed and talent. They are organized and play soccer the way it’s meant to be played. This will be an incredible challenge for the boys and we are looking forward to it.”

No. 2 Rose Hill and No 3. Wichita-Trinity will play in the other semifinal game Friday. On Saturday, the third place game will take place at noon and the championship match will follow at 3 p.m.

The Louisburg soccer team was all smiles Thursday after the Wildcats won the Class 4-1A regional title following a 1-0 victory over Ottawa.

Last week’s regional championship has become a common occurrence for the Louisburg boys soccer team.

For the fourth time in the last five years, the Wildcats captured a regional title following a 1-0 victory over Ottawa at Wildcat Stadium. It has been a dominating two years for Louisburg as the Wildcats have put together a combined record of 31-3-1 and are currently 14-1 on the season.

With all that, the celebration was a little muted from the Wildcat sideline. They are more than happy to advance, but they know there is a lot of work to be done to get to where they want to go – a state championship.

Even with all those great numbers, this group has never advanced to the state final four and they will get that opportunity at 5 p.m. tonight when it hosts Baldwin at Wildcat Stadium.

“To win back-to-back regional titles is amazing and exciting,” senior captain Logan Faulkner said. “But I am super excited for this game coming up. This is the game that can get us to the state final four and I feel our team is good enough to beat them if we play our game and each player does their job.”

Immediately following their win at Ottawa on Thursday, every player realized they were able to get a win without playing their best match and they know it will have to change if they want to advance past Baldwin.

“I had two kids tell me that is the worse game we have played all year and they know they have to get better,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “Sometimes you have win an ugly game and that is what the kids did. They kept grinding and they kept fighting. They played hard and I am really happy for them to be able to move on. These boys deserve it”

Louisburg got out to a quick start and scored the game’s lone goal just minutes into the match. Braden Yows sent a corner kick into the box, and found the head of junior Hunter Rogers, who knocked it past the Ottawa keeper.

Opportunities continued to pile up for the Wildcats throughout the contest as Louisburg had several shots from Yows, Cade Gassman, Treston Carlson, Colin McManigal, Faulkner and Gavin York. They were either turned away by the Cyclone goalie or said just wide of the goal.

“No one ever said it would be easy,” Conley said. “Both teams played with a massive amount of energy and heart. Ottawa played very determined soccer and we had a lot of chances, but struggled to finish and frustration started to set in. As it happens in playoffs, when you let a team stick around and they start believing, anything can happen.

“I am happy how the boys held their ground and how we dominated the game. It was also frustrating when our opponents park the bus in front of their goal playing a 5-4-1 formation, but it’s part of it and we need to do a better job of executing and finishing. This time of year though, a win is a win. Hats off to Ottawa for how determined they played.”

Ottawa made a couple of attempts to tie the match in the final few minutes as the Cyclones put pressure on the Wildcat back line, but they held strong, including a couple saves from goalie Mack Newell. Outside back Michael Seuferling was also a factor in making things difficult for Ottawa.

“We have given up like nine goals in the 14 games we have played and we have nine shutouts,” Conley said of his defense. “We have a pretty stout group back there. They bent a little bit, but they didn’t break. Ottawa put on a lot of pressure there toward the end and I think they only had one or two shots on goal. They did a good job standing them up or forcing bad shots.”

Now, the Wildcats have their eyes set on Baldwin as they will try to beat the Bulldogs for the first time this season. Louisburg defeated Baldwin 1-0 in overtime early in the year and the Wildcats put together a 2-0 win in Baldwin.

Win or lose, Louisburg has already put together a memorable season – one that they didn’t think might happen with all the uncertainty of the spread of COVID-19.

“We just step to the next thing,” Conley said. “To be honest, nobody knew what was going to happen with this COVID thing. You see football teams and others getting shut down around the state due to COVID, and it is frustrating because you don’t know. You can be as prepped as you want to be for your opponent, but you also have to prep against a virus you can’t see and don’t know when it is going to come. Still, I am happy for the boys and we are looking forward to the challenge of making it even further.”

Wildcats roll Chanute to advance to regional semis

To get to the regional championship, Louisburg had to first get past Chanute last Thursday at Wildcat Stadium and the Wildcats had no issues in a 9-0 win.

The Wildcats scored five times in the first half and never looked back.

Senior Treston Carlson, junior Jaden Vohs and sophomore Cade Gassman each scored two goals for Louisburg, while Colin McManigal and Braden Yows also found the back of the net.

Goalies Mack Newell and Matthew Sword combined for the shutout.

“I felt the boys did a great job of spreading the field out and making Chanute move defensively,” Conley said. “We had plenty of runs down the side and also cut them down the middle. Other than the first 5-10 minutes, we absolutely dominated the game. We did a nice job of finding our marks and taking them away. I did feel that we needed to play with more energy than we did in the first half and the boys really responded in the second half and showed some passion.” 

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

BRADEN YOWS, JUNIOR, BOYS SOCCER

Louisburg’s Braden Yows has facilitated a lot of the Wildcat offense this season for the boys soccer team and that continued last Thursday. Yows, a junior midfielder and team captain, finished the game with a team-high two assists and also had a goal in the Wildcats’ 6-0 win over Piper.

The victory gave the Wildcats their second consecutive Frontier League title. Yows leads Louisburg with 15 assists on the season and he also has six goals.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the fall season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous winners:

Week 1: Weston Guetterman

Week 2: Lola Edwards

Week 3: Logan Faulkner

Week 4: Rinny McMullen

Week 5: Carson Houchen

Week 6: Cade Gassman

Week 7: Alyse Moore

The Louisburg boys soccer team celebrated its second consecutive Frontier League title following their 6-0 win over Piper last Thursday.

In a year that has been hard on so many, the Louisburg boys soccer team wanted to make sure to enjoy every moment that came its way.

One of those was on full display Thursday at the Wildcat Sports Complex. Not only did the Wildcats defeat Piper, 6-0, in their final regular season match of the season, but they also secured their second straight Frontier League championship with an undefeated league record.

That league title is just one of several special moments the Wildcats hope to celebrate this season.

“This is fantastic for the team, the school and the community,” Louisburg junior captain Braden Yows said. “It’s a testament to the hard work the coaches and players have put in every day to get better. Coach (Kyle) Conley and coach (Bobby) Bovaird, along with coach (Michael) Pickman previously, have done a great job in building this program.”

It has been a season that has had its trying times. Games have been cancelled, the entire Wildcat team was quarantined for nearly two weeks and they have faced numerous obstacles throughout the year.

Still, the Wildcats have persevered and put together a 12-1 record as they head into the postseason.

“Being back-to-back league champs, and champs 3 of the last 4 years is pretty impressive,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “This group stepped in two years ago when we were 6-11, and it was a frustrating time. A bunch of freshmen and a couple sophomores stepped in and absolutely took over the league and this year it was the same thing. We just stepped on it and went.

“These boys never gave up. They never wavered and the never stopped. They just kept playing for each other. It was great to see these boys come together. With COVID we can’t have a lot of chemistry like we usually do, but I thought they did a good job of keeping it together in a year that is so crazy.”

In its final regular season contest of the season, the Wildcat put together one of their best offensive showings of the season as six different players scored goals for Louisburg, while goalies Mack Newell and Matthew Sword combined for the shutout.

Yows, who led Louisburg with two assists on the night, opened the scoring in the first half on penalty kick after sophomore Gavin York was fouled in the box.

Senior Treston Carlson and junior Jaden Vohs added scores of their own, then late in the first half, York found the back of the net to make it 4-0 at halftime.

Just minutes into the second half, senior Logan Faulkner put the Wildcats up by five after his goal and sophomore Colin McManigal sealed the win with a score later on in the half.

“It was nice to see a bunch of guys get involved,” Conley said. “Piper gave us a bunch of different looks. When they pinched middle, we attacked the outside. When they flattened out, then we would come down the middle. The boys did a good job of seeing that and taking what they gave us. We did a lot of work with that at practice. It was good to see them execute and put one to sleep quick and do our job.

“I’m just really proud of how the kids worked and how hard they played. At the same time, this is over now. We are focused on the playoffs and no it is lose or go home time. We have to make sure we are prepped and ready to go.”

The postseason begins today for Louisburg as the No. 1 seed Wildcats host No. 4 Chanute in the regional semifinals at 5 p.m. Should the Wildcats advance, they will host the regional championship on Thursday.

“We are very excited to compete for another regional championship and we have a goal of getting to state and to win a championship for the school,” Yows said. “We are going to face some quality teams that are well-coached, so it’s important for us to be focused and to play with effort and passion.”

The path to get to that state final four will go through Louisburg should the Wildcats advance to the state tournament next week in Wichita.

“We have earned the right to be able to host every postseason game until the final four if we can keep winning and we are pretty dang good at home,” Conley said. “We control our own destiny, and the boys wanted that and they got it.”

Louisburg senior Treston Carlson reacts to scoring the golden goal in overtime last Tuesday during the Wildcats’ win over Spring Hill. The Wildcats lead the league with one match to go.

Last week was important for the Louisburg soccer team, especially when it came to one of their goals – a league title.

Tuesday’s match with Spring Hill was going to tell which team was going to have the upper-hand when it came to the Frontier League crown as both Louisburg and Spring Hill were tied atop the standings.

Louisburg got a pair of dramatic goals from senior Treston Carlson as the Wildcats rallied to force overtime and get a 2-1 victory over the Broncos at Spring Hill High School. That gave the Wildcats a game lead on the Broncos in the league standings and can clinch the title outright with a win over Piper later this week.

The Wildcats (11-1) followed that up with a 3-1 win over Topeka High at home on Thursday as the Louisburg has set itself up for a memorable postseason run.

“Thursday is going to be a tough game against a very scrappy Piper squad,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “They play with a lot of energy and passion and it will be important that we match that. It is crazy to think how fast the season has gone and that the playoffs will be here next week.

“We have done our job and set ourselves up nicely from our regular season record to where we will host until we lose or make the state final four. Our boys have earned that right by our record and our play. I am excited to see how this team does and what they can do in the postseason.”

Carlson helped the Wildcats get that top spot with his two goals against the Broncos as they had to rally from a late Spring Hill score to even force overtime.

Less than five minutes into the match, Louisburg caught a break as the Spring Hill goalkeeper was given a red card and the Broncos were forced to play a man down for the rest of the game.

Louisburg wasn’t able to capitalize on that as the match remained scoreless until three minutes left in the match when Spring Hill’s Hunter Williams ran through the Wildcat defense and scored to put the Broncos on top.

“They outworked us with 10 guys,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “We just did not play our game. They had to attack us and we let the ball bounce a few times. Spring Hill played with so much energy. They were the better team that night and we were fortunate to come away with a win.”

The Wildcats didn’t waste any time to respond as Carlson tied it up with a goal with 1 minute and 30 seconds left in the match to force overtime. Then in the extra period, junior Braden Yows sent the ball into the box and Carlson was there to tap it in for the game-winner.

It was the fifth game-winning goal for Carlson on the season and he has provided the Wildcats with some big moments throughout the year.

“He has done a great job of being consistent for us up top and he is obviously a player that other teams need to pay attention too,” Conley said of Carlson. “He has developed his game so much the past two years and it is paying off for him. I think he is one of the best goal scorers, if not the best goal scorer in our league. He has handled the pressure the other teams are throwing at him and he has excelled.”

Louisburg also got same big saves from its defense as goalie Mack Newell turned away several shots before Williams’ goal to keep the Wildcats in it.

Unlike the slow start against Spring Hill, the Wildcats didn’t take long to get going against Topeka at home on Thursday.

The Wildcats got some help on the attack from its back line as defenders Michael Seuferling and Toby Espina-Roca both got involved in the offense.

To open the match, Carlson scored his third goal of the week, but was able to get it thanks to an assist from Espina-Roca to put the Wildcats up one. It was Seuferling’s turn next as he took a free kick and found the back of the net to put Louisburg up 2-0 at halftime over the Trojans.

“It was nice to see the defense getting into the attack a little more,” Conley said. “We changed how our defensive coverage normally would be and it allowed those boys to push a little bit further. Toby played a great ball in that allowed Treston to go get it with his head.

“As for Michael’s goal, he is usually our left footed option when we line up for our free kick. To be honest, his number hasn’t been called much because of where the ball is located on the free kick, but this one gave us the chance to let him have a shot and he didn’t disappoint.”

Sophomore Gavin York all but sealed the win for the Wildcats as he recorded his first varsity goal with a shot near the net and gave Louisburg its second victory on the week.

“I think the boys played well and did a nice job limiting Topeka High’s chances for a majority of the game,” Conley said. “They were a talented team and the majority of the game was played in the midfield, but I thought we did a nice job of controlling the tempo and keeping the game in front of us. We expended a massive amount of energy and did a nice job of executing our game plan.”

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

CADE GASSMAN, SOPHOMORE, BOYS SOCCER

Louisburg sophomore Cade Gassman helped the Wildcats to a big road win at Eudora last week. Gassman scored two of the team’s four goals, and also added an assist. The Wildcat forward also had four shots on goal against Eudora and Spring Hill earlier in the week, and took 10 shots overall. On the season, Gassman has seven goals to go along with four assists.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the fall season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous winners:

Week 1: Weston Guetterman

Week 2: Lola Edwards

Week 3: Logan Faulkner

Week 4: Rinny McMullen

Week 5: Carson Houchen

Louisburg defender Michael Seuferling clears a ball out of the back during the Wildcats’ game last week against Spring Hill at the Wildcat Sports Complex.

The Louisburg boys soccer team was forced to do something that it hadn’t faced all season.

The Wildcats had to respond from a loss.

Louisburg suffered its first setback of the season last Tuesday when it hosted Spring Hill and fell in a close match, 2-1. It was a heartbreaking result in what was a back-and-forth match, but the Wildcats didn’t have time to sulk.

Eudora was next on the Wildcats’ schedule Thursday and they had to hit the road for that one. Louisburg found itself down in the opening minutes, but the Wildcats responded with four unanswered goals and left Eudora with a 4-1 victory.

“We wanted the Eudora match to be a statement game,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “We wanted to come out and show what type of team that we were and I think we did that. We played really well for about 77 minutes in that game. They boys moved the ball well and took what Eudora gave us. I was really excited how we performed and how the game went. I felt that the boys were able to set the tone and control the game from the start.

“We had one moment where we turned it off and their forward absolutely blasted a shot from 28 yards out. After that moment I think that we did really well and set the tempo. The boys did a great job.”

Following Eudora’s goal to start the match, the Wildcats went on a tear and it started with Hunter Rogers. The Louisburg junior scored to tie up the match and the Wildcats were able to control possession the rest of the way.

Sophomore Cade Gassman scored a pair of first half goals, including one on an assist from senior Treston Carlson to put the Wildcats up 2-1. Then shortly before halftime, Gassman scored again, this time on an assist from junior Braden Yows.

Junior Jaden Vohs wrapped up the Louisburg scoring in the second half with goal after an assist from Gassman.

Despite the early goal, the Wildcat defense held up strong and limited the Cardinals to just eight shots on the night.

As for Louisburg (9-1), the Wildcats put pressure on the Eudora defense all night as they took 23 shots – including six from Gassman. Sophomores Colin McManigal and Gavin York had four and three shots, respectively.

It was the performance the Wildcats were looking for after a difficult loss to Spring Hill, in what was a non-league matchup.

Despite controlling possession for much of the match and outshooting the Broncos 18-8, Spring Hill was able to top Louisburg with a goal in the final minutes.

With under two minutes remaining, the Wildcats were called for a foul just outside box, which led to a free kick and header that found the back of the net.

“The first half we barely let them past midfield and we were just controlling play,” Conley said. “After halftime, I told the boys to keep pressing and then after while we just sat in and then we started kicking the ball around and not playing feet. We let them play their game and they are obviously better at playing their game than we are and they just got us.

“It was kind of on us. We had two mental breakdowns and they got two goals off of it and that was it. We outshot them, out possessed them and missed some easy looks near the goal. It is frustrating, but this gives us things that we need to improve on and get better.”

Going into the match, the Wildcats had 468 minutes of scoreless soccer and had five consecutive shutouts – which was a school record. They also set a school record with an eight game win streak to start the season.

Spring Hill broke both of those streaks after a scoreless first half. The Broncos found the back of the net early in the second half, but the Wildcats were able to respond just minutes later.

The Broncos were called for a foul in the box and Yows drove home the penalty kick to tie the match. From there, it was tied at 1-all until 1:47 left in the game when the Wildcats were called for a foul outside the box.

Spring Hill then sent the ball toward the goal and the Broncos were able to head it in for the game-winner.

“The boys were just executing so well the first 50 or 60 minutes of the game and they were executing the scouting report perfectly,” Conley said. “Both Spring Hill outside backs had yellow cards and I wanted them to attack the outside, but we stopped doing that. Spring Hill is probably the best team that we will see on our schedule.”

The Wildcats will try and get revenge tonight when they travel to Spring Hill in what is a Frontier League matchup and could determine who wins the league title. The match is set to begin at 6 p.m.