Louisburg junior Ethan Showalter takes a shot during the first half of the Wildcats’ home match against Eudora on Thursday.

It wasn’t a victory that solidified
anything for the Louisburg boys soccer team – but it came pretty close.

Louisburg hosted Eudora on
Thursday and pulled away for a 4-1 victory. It was a win that helped Wildcats
maintain a hold on their postseason goals.

The Wildcats, who are now 11-1-1
on the season, are sitting atop the Frontier League and currently have the best
record in the Class 4A East standings. The victory helped set up what could be
a special finish.

“I think this team realizes that
we are in the hunt for a league title, and that we are sitting really well for
a No. 1 seed in the playoffs,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “It is a lot
of fun right now. The kids are playing hard and they are playing for each other
and that is the best part.”

Mother Nature tried to make things
interesting for the Wildcats as it poured on the two teams during the first 15
to 20 minutes. In that time, Eudora was awarded a penalty kick and converted to
take an early 1-0 lead.

The Cardinals didn’t have the lead for more than a minute as senior Colin Cook tied it up as he scored off a rebound on a shot from junior Treston Carlson. Midway through the first half, Louisburg took the lead for good on a goal from senior Logan Faulkner.

“That is probably the hardest rain
I have been a part of in a soccer game,” Conley said. “It was just dumping.
Then it stopped and then would start dumping again. We knew it was going to
rain, knew it was going to be cold and I don’t think it affected our guys much.
We played well and we moved the ball really well in the first half and they
chased us all over the place.”

Louisburg kept the pressure on in
the second half as freshman midfielder Ethan Ptacek made it 3-1 on an assist
from senior teammate Ryan Haight. Carlson added a goal himself to ice the match
with under two minutes remaining.

The Wildcats dominated possession
for much of the match and that turned into 14 shots on goal and 20 shots
overall.

Carlson and freshman Cade Gassman
each had three shots on goal to lead Louisburg. Sophomore Braden Yows, along
with Cook and Ptacek, finished with two.

“They (Eudora) were physical,
aggressive and they fouled us a lot and our kids kept their heads for the most
part and played hard,” Conley said. “I am really excited and it was a great win
for us after getting one at Spring Hill. Eudora is really good too. I think
this was a good showing for us and we did our job and we executed really well.

“I think we might have left four
(goals) on the board there in the first half. We were on the doorstep several
times, and one even hit the net that I thought was a goal. It was nice to see
the guys possess the ball, make them chase us and then attack. It should give
us some confidence moving forward.”

Defensively, the Wildcats limited
Eudora to just five shots on goal and four of them were saved by senior goalie
Garrett Rolofson.

“We did a good job for the most
part on defense,” Conley said.  “I think
we lost our marks a couple times, but we probably could have played a little
more aggressive in back, but I thought we still did well. Our outside backs got
beat up a little bit, but I thought they held their ground well and Rolo did
his job.”

Louisburg will try for its fourth
straight victory tonight as it hosts Paola for a 6 p.m. start. It is also
Alumni Night for Louisburg and former players are invited to come back and be
recognized.

The Wildcats know they can have a special ending to their season if they continue to do what they have done through the first 13 matches.

“We are just focused on (this) week
and we have Paola on Monday,” Conley said. “They are a good team and are
playing well right now. We are going to have to do our job and play one game at
a time and see what happens.”

Freshman Cade Gassman leaps in the air to put a shot on goal off a corner kick Tuesday in Spring Hill. Louisburg defeated the Broncos, 1-0, on a late goal by Treston Carlson.

SPRING HILL – For the first time
all season, the Louisburg boys soccer team had to play a match after coming off
a loss and Wildcat coach Kyle Conley was curious how his team would respond.

Conley got his answer Tuesday when Louisburg traveled to face off with Spring Hill in a Frontier League match. The Wildcats responded just fine.

The Wildcats broke open a scoreless game on a go-ahead goal with seven minutes remaining in the second half and left Spring Hill with a 1-0 victory. The win puts Louisburg’s record at 10-1-1 on the season and the Wildcats currently have a two-game lead in the standings for the No. 1 seed in the state playoffs.

“It was nice to see the boys respond,” Conley said. “I think we did a nice job of playing hard and playing good clean soccer. We did a very nice job of controlling the pace of play and attacking what they gave us. I was very pleased with how hard we played and how we moved the ball.”

Junior Treston Carlson provided the heroics for Louisburg as he snuck a shot past the Spring Hill keeper with 7 minutes and 50 seconds left in the match to give the Wildcats they goal they had been looking for.

Louisburg
took 21 shots on the night, 10 of which were on goal. Carlson had half of those
with five, while sophomore Braden Yows and freshman Cade Gassman and three and
two, respectively.

“We
did a nice job of creating chances all night,” Conley said. “I think the boys
are putting some added pressure on themselves and over thinking some of our
situations. We were creating lot of chances but couldn’t quite find the back of
the net.

“Treston found himself in a really good spot and buried it. He has been so close the past couple games, so it was great to see him put one away.”

Defensively,
the Wildcats were able to limit the Broncos’ shots on goal as senior goalie
Garrett Rolofson was able to get the shutout. Spring Hill had just four shots
on goal thanks to the back line of Toby Espina-Roca, Will Frank, Michael
Seuferling, Luke Faulkner, Ryan Haight and Ethan Showalter.

“I
think we did a really nice job to limit their opportunities and chances for the
most part,” Conley said. “We held our back line and played really sound
defense. I was excited to see the boys respond the way that they did. I really
liked how we matched their intensity.”

The Wildcats are toward the top of the Frontier League standings and will try and stay that way as they host Eudora at 4 p.m. today. The Cardinals, which have a 6-3-1 record on the season, defeated Baldwin earlier in the year, which is the lone team to beat the Wildcats.

“Eudora is playing really well right
now and are on a six game winning streak,” Conley said. “It is a big game and
we will need to be ready to play, regardless where we play. It is important
that we play our game and we dictate the pace. They are very physical and play
really fast. Should be a great game.”

Louisburg senior Landon Johnson pushes the ball up the field Thursday during the Wildcats’ match with Baldwin at Wildcat Stadium.

Louisburg was primed for revenge
Thursday as the Wildcats wanted to avenge their only non-win of the season.

They were well on their way to
doing that as they jumped out to an early lead over Baldwin at home. However,
the Bulldogs scored two second half goals and handed Louisburg a 2-1 defeat
after the two teams tied earlier in the year.

Baldwin scored the go-ahead goal
with 14 minutes left in the match to get the win and it was the Wildcats’ first
loss on the season.

“We played really hard and had a massive amount of possession but
just couldn’t break through,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “Baldwin played
with a ton of energy and capitalized on their chances. I liked how hard we played
and how we didn’t give up.”

The Wildcats continue to get healthier as another starter returned to the lineup. Senior captain Ryan Haight was out on the pitch for his first action of the season against the Bulldogs and he didn’t waste any time getting involved.

Haight scored Louisburg’s lone goal with 18 minutes left in the first half as he was on the back side of the goal on a corner kick and tapped it in past the Baldwin keeper.

Louisburg (9-1-1) had its opportunities as the Wildcats had 18
shots on the night and had six on goal. Braden Yows, Haight, Cade Gassman,
Treston Carlson and Colin McManigal each had chances, but were either just wide
of the mark or saved.

The match remained the same until eight minutes into the second
half when Baldwin tied it up, and then with 14 minutes left in the match, took the
lead on a hard shot near the right side of the box that found the back of the
net. Caden Prather and Colby Zimmerman scored the Baldwin goals.

The night was not all lost for Louisburg. Both teams wore
special pink uniforms during the Wildcats’ Cancer Awareness night as they
raised money to help a local family dealing with cancer.

Players from both teams also stood together before the varsity
match as friends and family who have dealt with cancer were read aloud in their
honor.

The Wildcats will try and bounce back today when they travel to
Spring Hill for a 6 p.m. start at Spring Hill High School. Louisburg returns
home Thursday for a match with Eudora.

Louisburg head coach Kyle Conley earned his 100th career win Tuesday in the Wildcats’ overtime victory over Tonganoxie.

Kyle Conley has been a part of
many close matches during his time as the Louisburg boys and girls head soccer
coach.

Conley has pulled out his fair
share of wins during his four years between the two programs, so it only seemed
fitting that his milestone victory would come with a little excitement.

Louisburg rallied for a 3-2 overtime win over Tonganoxie, and as a result, the Wildcats gave Conley his 100^th career victory. Following the match, Conley was recognized in front of the crowd and presented with a banner from his players commemorating the special moment.

“I have been blessed with great
kids,” Conley said. “They play their tails off and they work hard, boys or
girls, it doesn’t matter. If you don’t have kids that play hard, then none of
this is possible. Having quality kids who do the things you ask and work so
hard, makes it fun to coach and positive things happen. I am really lucky to be
in Louisburg right now.”

In his four years as head coach,
Conley has posted a 100-46-4 record and has helped the Wildcats to several big
time wins.

On the girls side, Conley was
named the girls’ first-ever coach when the program started in the spring of
2016. He led them to a 14-win season that first year and they reached the state
quarterfinals.

From there, the Louisburg girls
would go on to a fourth place state finish in 2017, followed by back-to-back
state runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2019 – losing to Bishop Miege in the both
state championship games. Conley has also been named the Class 4-1A Coach of
the Year the last two years.

In his first season as the boys
head coach in the fall of 2016, he guided Louisburg 14-6-1 record and its first
appearance in the state final four. The Wildcats went on to finish fourth in
Class 4A, and then would reach the state quarterfinals the following year with
a 13-win campaign.

Currently, the Wildcats are 9-1-1
this season and have the best record in Class 4-3-2-1A.

 “Starting the girls program and going 14-4-1 that first year and have a chance to go to state was a wonderful memory, but losing to De Soto in the quarterfinals on this field that same year kinda sticks with me,” Conley said. “You know, 100 wins is great, but I probably dwell more on those 46 losses more than I do the wins. There are so many of those games that could have went either way. When you have kids that have heart and passion, it makes it fun to coach.

“Then you have the first boys team to make a state final four in 2016 was a great one, and I will remember the team that played McPherson at home in the state quarterfinals and lost a close 2-1 game that had two shots go off the post in the final five minutes. That was a special team as well. Just honored to be able to coach all of them.”

With so many highs and lows that
teams encounter throughout a season, Conley realizes the people are what makes his
job enjoyable – not necessarily the wins.

“There are so many memories and I have
been able to coach so many good kids,” he said. “I am just blessed to be in
Louisburg and have the opportunity to interact with these student athletes and
hopefully have a positive impact on them. It is an awesome place to be.”

Louisburg’s Braden Yows celebrates his goal off a corner kick with his teammates Tuesday against Tonganoxie in Louisburg. The Wildcats are 9-0-1 on the season.

Just call them the ‘Cardiac Kids.’

For the second time this season, the Louisburg boys soccer team found itself down two goals – not the ideal position to be in to find success. The Wildcats trailed by a couple scores to Tonganoxie at home Tuesday, and for the second time this season, they found a way to respond.

Louisburg rallied to force
overtime and eventually downed Tonganoxie, 3-2, on a goal by Cade Gassman four
minutes into the extra period. The win improved the Wildcats’ record to 9-0-1
as they continued their special season.

“They are trying to give me a
heart attack,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “We have such a young team
that I think they are too naïve to understand what is really going on. At times
we just gave up a back side goal early, and then a penalty kick, and we found a
way to get back in it. It is almost like they want to get down so they can find
a reason to play hard. I was really proud that they never gave up and kept
fighting.”

Down 2-0 midway through the first
half, the Wildcats were able get some momentum going into halftime as Gassman
scored his first of two goals on the night as he flicked a shot past the
Chieftains goalie.

Louisburg had 13 shots on goal in
the game and many of those game in the second half and in overtime. Braden
Yows, Gassman, Ethan Ptacek, Colin McManigal, Treston Carlson, Ethan Showalter
and Landon Johnson all had looks at the goal.

The Wildcats got one to go in
midway through the second half when Louisburg was awarded a corner kick and
Yows took the shot. It sailed around the Chieftain goalie and curved into the
back of the net for the equalizer with 17 minutes left in regulation.

“We talked about the keeper and
his positioning a little bit and we talked about giving it a go at the back
stick and letting someone make a play,” Conley said. “Braden definitely let it
go there and it was a great shot. I am not sure if he meant to do it or not,
but I don’t care at this point. We will take it however we can get it.”

Johnson, a senior midfielder and
captain, played in his first game back from injury and nearly gave his team the
lead late in regulation. His direct kick outside the box just missed the target
and the two teams went to overtime.

 Then four minutes into the extra period,
another corner kick was sent in by Yows but his shot was knocked down by the Tongie
goalie. Gassman, and several other teammates, were around the play and the
Louisburg freshman was able to tap it in for the game-winner.

“Neither team did a good job of
clearing the ball off the line on corner kicks, so we knew if we just got into
the mix and could get it knocked down that anything could happen,” Conley said.
“Cade just kept bulldogging and playing hard and was able to get that last one
to go in.”

Even down by two goals early into
the match, Conley never thought his team was out of it, especially when the
Wildcats started to turn things around late in the first half.

“The kids played hard, they stayed
focused and they knew what their job was,” Conley said. “We found a good
combination to play with in the last 20 minutes and we definitely took over the
last 10 minutes of the first half.

“The second half I think we
dictated the flow of play. We gave them a couple counter attack looks, but we
had the pressure on them the whole time. We knew the goals were going to come,
we just didn’t know when.”

Louisburg is still without a loss
on the season and the Wildcats will try and keep it that way tonight when they
host Baldwin for a 6 p.m. start. They will try to avenge a tie to the Bulldogs
last week, which so far this season, has been the Wildcats’ only setback.

Louisburg senior defender Will Frank heads the ball away from the goal late in the Wildcats’ 2-1 win over Ottawa on Thursday at Ottawa High School.

For about 70 minutes, it was all
going to plan for the Louisburg boys soccer team during its league match
Thursday against Ottawa.

The Wildcats held a two-goal lead on the road and were about to cinch their eighth win of the season. Ottawa had different plans, however.

Ottawa played aggressive in the match’s final 10 minutes and put the pressure on the Wildcat defense that allowed them to cut the Louisburg lead in half. Despite that, the Wildcats were able to hang on for a 2-1 victory and they still have not suffered a loss this season.

“The
boys played really well and did a nice job of controlling the play,” Louisburg
coach Kyle Conley said. “I think we did a nice job of playing hard and moving
the ball the best we could on their field. They played a unique formation and
they made it hard to break down. I do feel the boys played hard, but lacked
focus the final eight minutes of the game.”

Many
of the Cyclones’ shots on goal came toward the end of the half and scored with eight
minutes left in the match.

The
shots kept coming, but the Wildcat back line held strong as senior Will Frank
headed the ball away near the goal on one attempt. Then, with two minutes
remaining, goalie Garrett Rolofson made a diving save near the line to help
secure the win.

Ottawa
had two corner kick opportunities in the final minute-and-half, but the Wildcat
defense did enough to get the win.

“Yeah
after Ottawa got their goal, they had all the confidence,” Conley said. “They
played inspired soccer and their crowd came to life and motivated their
players. We started to panic and lost our focus for the last eight minutes. It
was surely a learning moment for our young team. We will learn from this and
get better. I was excited that the boys held on and fought through some
adversity.”

Louisburg
(8-0-1) took control of the match early and dominated possession. The Wildcats
had 13 shots on goal and were able to get their first one to go through right
before halftime.

Freshman Cade Gassman scored his first of two goals in the 39^th minute and gave Louisburg a little bit of confidence going into the break. Gassman was in the right place at the right time in the second half, as he rebounded a Braden Yows shot, and it found the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.

Treston
Carlson, Ethan Ptacek, Michael Seuferling, Gavin York, Ethan Showalter and Yows
all had shots on goal during the match, and it was one that could have gotten
out of hand early.

“We
did dominate the game, but we struggled to finish,” Conley said. “I was excited
to see some of the creativity the boys showed throughout the game. I felt we
left 3 or 4 off of the board. We had plenty of looks but just couldn’t find the
back of the net.”

Louisburg
hopes to pick up a couple of wins at home this week and it begins Tuesday when
it hosts Tonganoxie. The Wildcats will also host Baldwin on Thursday. Both
matches are slated to begin at 6 p.m.

“Tonganoxie
is a well-coached team that is going to play really hard,” Conley said. “They
will play pretty direct and we will have to adjust that style of play.”

Thursday
will be the Wildcats’ cancer awareness match as both Baldwin and Louisburg will
be dressed out in special pink kits for the occasion.

Louisburg rallies to tie Baldwin

Louisburg
took its perfect season on the road last Tuesday when it traveled to Baldwin
and left there without a loss – but it wasn’t a win either.

Baldwin scored twice – once in each half – but the Wildcats were able to answer within minutes each time as they rallied for a 2-2 tie at Baldwin High School.

“Playing
at Baldwin always provides some interesting intangibles,” Louisburg coach Kyle
Conley said. “Varsity plays first, which messes with a routine. On top of that,
the field was an absolute swamp. With our style of play, it made it very
difficult to keep and possess the ball when you were playing on slop. The field
conditions didn’t affect Baldwin’s play as much because of how direct they
play.

“I
really did like the boys’ ability to fight back and overcome the deficits we
faced. As I told the boys, I felt that we did not play our best and we
struggled to capitalize on our opportunities. I think the playing surface had a
lot to do with that.”

After
Baldwin took a 1-0 advantage midway through the first half, the Wildcats
answered two minutes later as freshman Colin McManigal crossed the ball into
the box and Logan Faulkner beat the Bulldog goalie to the ball and put it in.

The
second half was much like the first as Baldwin took the lead, but Louisburg
answered again when freshman Cade Gassman had a one-on-one with the goalie and
flicked it past him to tie it at two.

The match went two overtimes, and each team had opportunities, but neither could find the back of the net.

Goalie
Garrett Rolofson had six saves on the day for Louisburg, while McManigal,
Gassman, Faulkner, Treston Carlson, Ethan Showalter and Braden Yows all had
shots on goal for the Wildcats.

The Kansas State High School Activities Association released its classifications for the 2019-20 school year, along with the football classifications for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

There were a few changes in both areas, but more so on the football side.

Football classifications are determined based on enrollment figures in ninth, 10th and 11th grade. Louisburg is still in 4A with 432 students and is toward the lower half of the classification.

Entering Class 4A beginning in the 2020 school year will be St. James Academy, Lansing and Great Bend, who have all moved down from Class 5A. Wamego also made the jump back in from Class 3A.

Goddard, Pittsburg and Spring Hill all saw their enrollment grow and will be moving up from 4A to 5A next year. Baldwin saw their enrollment decline and will move down to Class 3A in football the next two years.

In the rest of the sports, not much changed with regards to Class 4A for this year.

Enrollment figures for all grades in Louisburg this year is 573, which puts the school in the upper half of Class 4A. The biggest school is Buhler with 661 and Bishop Miege is the second biggest at 656 and Ottawa is third at 653.

Three schools will make the move up to Class 4A this year. Clay Center, Girard and Holton all saw their enrollment increase and will come back to 4A, while Osawatomie, Anderson County and Wichita-Trinity Academy will move out of 4A to 3A this year.

Louisburg freshman Cade Gassman celebrates after scoring the go-ahead goal Thursday against Spring Hill in the Wildcats’ 2-1 victory.

There have been a few moments during the Louisburg boys soccer team’s winning streak where the result always hasn’t been crystal clear.

Thursday brought ones of those
moments.

The Wildcats hosted Spring Hill in
a Frontier League match and they found themselves down a goal in the second
half. Louisburg put together several chances on goal, but had no luck – that is
until midway in the second half.

Louisburg struck twice in a matter
of 10 minutes as the Wildcats rallied to a 2-1 victory over the Broncos. The
win improved their record to 7-0 on the season as the Wildcats sit atop the league
standings.

It was also the third victory for Louisburg in a four-day span as the Wildcats defeated Bishop Ward and Lansing earlier in the week.

“It
was a great week winning 3 games in four days against the type of teams that
were on our schedule,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “We played hard and
overcame the extreme heat to have success. I think our fitness and depth proved
very beneficial over these past four days. The boys found a way to get positive
results and to play for each other. It was a great watching the boys play with
so much heart and passion.”

Spring
Hill struck first early in the first half. A miscue by the Wildcat defense allowed
the Broncos to score in the opening minutes, but Louisburg tightened up its
back line and the Broncos had limited chances the rest of the way.

“We only gave up three shots the whole
night, but that was one that was way too easy,” Conley said. “The boys knew we
had the better of play in the first half and we were getting plenty of chances.
I feel that they just needed to get some confidence and then they would be able
to break down Spring Hill. We had a lot of chances and did a nice job of
moving the ball and attacking.”

That confidence boost came with 27
minutes left in the match when sophomore Braden Yows scored to tie the match
and was one of eight shots on goal for Louisburg.

Ten minutes later, the Wildcats jumped in
front as Yows sent a pass to freshman Cade Gassman, who calmly hit a slow
roller that caught the Spring Hill goalie out of place and found the back of the
net.

“Braden
and Cade have played really well this year,” Conley said. “They keep creating,
moving and causing so many problems for our opponents. It’s really nice when
teams try to take one of our players away, because we have a different one step
up each night. This group is really playing well and playing for each other.
They feed off of the others success.”

Senior
goalie Garrett Rolofson finished the night with just two saves as the Wildcat
defense held strong and didn’t let Spring Hill have many opportunities.

The Wildcats will try and keep their winning streak going when they travel to Baldwin today for a road contest. Varsity is set to play at 4 p.m.

“Baldwin is a fantastic team and plays
really hard,” Conley said. “They play the game the right way and do a nice job
of attacking and taking what the other team gives them. It will be a great
match up and should be a lot of fun to watch.”

Louisburg goalie Garrett Rolofson slides in for a save Tuesday during the Wildcats’ match at Bishop Ward.

The Louisburg boys soccer team has experienced a lot during this winning streak to start their season, and the Wildcats have had to overcome some adversity along the way.

That was true Tuesday when
Louisburg traveled to Bishop Ward and found itself down a goal at halftime and
its perfect season was in jeopardy. Like before, the Wildcats figured out a way
to clear those obstacles.

Louisburg got two second half
goals from freshman Cade Gassman, and junior Logan Faulkner scored the go-ahead
goal in the Wildcats’ 3-1 victory over Bishop Ward. The Wildcats now have a
six-game winning streak to start the year and picked up their second win in as
many days.

“The boys played so hard the second half,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “We just struggled to have that fire and energy that we usually play with in the first half. I’m not sure if it was the environment, playing the night before or what.

“The
Bishop Ward game was physical and we struggled to respond right way. It seemed
like after the red card, the boys responded and played extremely hard. We
played for each other and picked our intensity up.”

Louisburg (6-0) faced even more adversity later in the game when Conley was given two yellow cards, which turned into a red card, and he was forced to leave the match.

His players certainly responded in
his absence as they tied the match early in the second half as Gassman blasted
a shot from 15 yards away that found the back of the net and gave the Wildcats
the momentum they were looking for.

With 20 minutes left in the match,
Faulkner put the Wildcats up for good with a goal in a scrum in front of the
net. Gassman iced the match with a penalty kick with five seconds left to give
Louisburg its sixth consecutive win.

“Cade
has been doing really well and is starting to get some of that chemistry with
Braden (Yows) and Treston (Carlson),” Conley said. “They are working really
well together and the boys are playing really creative soccer. I couldn’t be
happier with their development thus far. Cade is consistently working to get
better each and every day. It is paying off for him right now.”

Senior
goalie Garrett Rolofson finished the night with six saves as the Wildcat
defense tightened up as the game went along after giving up a goal in the early
stages of the first half.

Louisburg
will try to avoid its first loss of the season tonight when it hosts Spring
Hill in a Frontier League dual. Varsity is set to begin at 6 p.m. at the
Wildcat Stadium Complex.

“Man,
Spring Hill is always so good,” Conley said. “Our games are always intense and
have an incredible atmosphere. I think the boys are ready for it and it should
be a really good one. Both teams are playing really, really well right now.”

LOUISBURG SHUTS OUT LANSING ON ROAD

Louisburg
had a difficult task ahead of itself Monday when it had to travel to square off
with Lansing – a Class 5A program.

The
Wildcats didn’t have much of a problem as they controlled possession from the start
and never looked back in a 2-0 result.

Junior
Treston Carlson gave Louisburg a 1-0 lead before halftime and then sophomore Braden
Yows sealed the win with a goal in the second half. Freshman Cade Gassman added
an assist, while senior goalie Garrett Rolofson notched another shutout.

“The
Lansing game was extremely intense and very physical,” Louisburg coach Kyle
Conley said. “We had a ridiculous amount of shots, but just couldn’t score. We
did a great job of keeping the ball and possessing. I was very excited how our
boys fought and played. They are starting to figure out how I want us to play
the game. This team is going to be a lot of fun if they keep learning and
improving.”

Louisburg
had plenty of chances to make it an even larger score with 13 shots on goal,
including five from Yows. Logan Faulkner had three attempts, while Colin Cook,
Gassman, Jaden Vohs and Gavin York also had looks at the net.

Louisburg defender Michael Seuferling stretches out to knock the ball away from a Bonner Springs player Thursday in Louisburg.

It could have easily been a
frustrating day for the Louisburg boys soccer team.

On Thursday, the Wildcats hosted Bonner Springs and had to wait almost 90 minutes before playing the match due to inclement weather. Then when it did get underway, the Braves deployed a defense that slowed down the Wildcat attack.

Despite all that, Louisburg came
away with its fourth consecutive win and was able to squeeze in a 2-0 victory
in between a pair of rain showers.

“I
felt the boys handled the hour and a half weather delay about as good as they
could,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “They came out ready to go and played
with a lot of pressure from the start. It is fun watching how this team grows
each and every game. This group has a tremendous work ethic.”

The
work ethic was on display early on as the Wildcats put pressure on the Bonner
Springs back line with 17 shots on goal for the game, including seven each from
junior Treston Carlson and sophomore Braden Yows, two from freshman Cade
Gassman and another from freshman Gavin York.

Bonner
Springs’ defense did frustrate the Wildcats at times as they made several runs
at the goal, with not a lot to show for it. The result still ended in a pair of
Carlson goals – one in each half – that was more than enough to get the
victory.

“It
did add some frustration, but that happens when a team puts so many people
behind the ball like Bonner Springs does,” Conley said. “They were organized
defensively, and were tough to breakdown. I felt we did leave a lot of chances
off the board, but the boys kept attacking.

“Treston
did a great job and has been improving each and every game. He has been
determined this off season to get better and it is paying dividends this season
so far.”

Senior goalie Garrett Rolofson earned his third shutout of the season as he finished the night with four saves, while the backline of Toby Espina Roca, Will Frank, Michael Seuferling and Luke Faulkner, along with midfielders Ethan Showalter and Hunter Rogers, prevented Bonner Springs from getting many good looks on goal.

The Wildcats (4-0) still have yet
to lose this season and have done so without two of its senior starters – Ryan Haight
and Landon Johnson – who are out with injuries, but hope to be back in the next
couple of weeks. Still, Conley has liked what he has seen out of his young
team.

“We focused on getting back to doing things the way we did in the past,” Conley said. “The boys bought into that from day one in the summer. I am extremely excited for this team and how this team has been evolving. They play so hard and with such passion, it is truly a lot of fun to come to training each and every day. We have our team goals and this groups is determined to meet them.”

Louisburg
will have a busy week as the Wildcats will play three matches in a four-day
span. It all begins today when they travel to Lansing for a 6 p.m. start.

The
Wildcats will travel to Bishop Ward on Tuesday and then will host Spring Hill
on Thursday. Both matches also begin at 6 p.m.

“We
will need to focus on each game, one at a time,” Conley said. “It is going to
be a tough week, but we will be focused and prepared. It will be essential that
our execution and communication is better.”