A big change to the Kansas High School
Activities Association (KSHSAA) postseason could be coming sooner rather than
later if a proposal, submitted by the Frontier League, passes the KSHSAA Board
of Directors and its member schools.

Last month the Frontier League,
led by Paola High School principal Jeff Hines and Louisburg superintendent Dr.
Brian Biermann, petitioned KSHSAA to separate public and private schools into
their own postseason competitions.

In order for it pass, the petition
must be signed by 20 percent of the 355 member schools according to KSHSAA
bi-laws. The Frontier League got the 71 needed petitions and have now submitted
this to appear in front of the KSHSAA Board of Directors for vote in their
Sept. 18 meeting.

The board of directors would then
have to pass it by simple majority of those in attendance to bring the proposal
to a vote from all the member schools.

“Kansas needs to catch up with
the rest of the country and get this competitive imbalance under control in our
state,” Hines said. “The longer we wait then more students will be negatively
impacted. We have a responsibility as educators to create the best
opportunities possible for our students. No one can honestly say we have
the best system possible right now. It can definitely be improved.”

The proposal submitted by the Frontier League is the same one the state of Texas uses that keeps the schools in their same classification, but only separates the schools come postseason.

Other options were discussed
before submitting the proposal, such as implementing a multiplier on all
private schools like Missouri currently does. In fact, it is the most popular
proposal among the schools that were surveyed by Hines last January.

They also talked about the “Oklahoma
model” where schools are bumped up a classification based on success for
competitive balance.

Seventy-four percent of the
schools said they would support a population multiplier, 64 percent would
support competitive balance factors and 51 percent would support separate
divisions.

However, KSHSAA would not be able
to make this change with a multiplier due to state statute K.S.A. 72-130 that
states a high school association “must establish a system of classification of
member high schools according to student attendance.”

KSHSAA would not be able to pass a
new bi-law that goes against state statute, and therefore, the Kansas State
Legislature would have reword the statue to allow the association to make those
changes.

The Frontier League believes the Texas model, or separate postseason divisions, does not deal with classifications. Also, this model had more support from 5A and 6A schools as neither classification would likely vote for a multiplier.

“We don’t view that as a classification decision as we are not affecting classification, but KSHSAA and their lawyers view that it is,” Biermann said. “5A and 6A schools that we talked to really wanted us to push for the Texas model because they don’t want to play them (private schools) either. The biggest thing for me is if 5 and 6A schools don’t want to play them, then why do we? As a superintendent, I am supposed to create opportunities for kids. We had four teams last year in both soccer teams, football and volleyball that all saw their season end to Bishop Miege. It is not right that we have kids and coaches that work their tails off and they don’t have the opportunity to win.

“Am I all about state
championships? Absolutely not. But we also know the reality of it in the
current system. Winning state championships is important for communities and is
always a goal. I am not ever going to give up on this idea and neither will the
Frontier League.”

The public versus private school
debate has been going on for the last several years and Hines has been leading
the charge since 2015 when he put together a study that displayed the disparity
of state championships won by private schools.

In 2018-19, private schools won 32
percent of the state championships in Classes 5A through 1A. There are currently
no private schools in 6A. Twenty-one of those 24 state titles were won by
private schools in Class 4A and 5A.

That is a high number considering
that out of the 355 member schools, only 27 of them are private.

The Frontier League wanted to see change, so Hines surveyed the 355 member schools late last year and presented his findings to KSHSAA in January. More than 88 percent of the schools responded, that included 22 private institutions, and 87 percent said they want the current system changed.

Although most schools said they
would support the multiplier model more, Hines and the rest of the league
schools, believe it is the best way to proceed at this time.

“Our
survey indicated that separate divisions was the least popular option among
member schools, however as a league we feel like it is the most appropriate
option,” Hines said. “A multiplier will pass through and will be our next
option if this does not go through.  A multiplier will impact many private
schools that are not quasi sports academies that are not very successful in athletics. The
separate divisions avoids this situation.”

If
the proposal does pass the board of directors, KSHSAA will then put it to a
vote with all 355 member schools and it must pass by a simple majority and by
four of the six classes.

From
there, KSHSAA executive director Bill Faflick would take it to the Kansas
Legislature before change could be implemented.

“We
know it won’t happen overnight,” Biermann said. “Even if this passes, nothing
will change this year and probably not the following year. It could be three
years out with the way football schedules take shape. We are honestly ok with
that if we knew that there was light at the end of the tunnel. If this would
not pass, we would turn right around and do the multiplier one.”

Despite what happens at the
upcoming board of directors meeting, Hines believes changes to the system will
happen sooner rather than later.

“I am now confident something will get done,” Hines said. “I
think it will ultimately take a multiplier to get something done. If the
separate divisions fails then we will propose a multiplier for the spring board
of directors meeting.”

 A lot of obstacles are still in the way for change to happen, whether it has to deal with state statues or member votes, but none of the schools in the nine-member Frontier League are going to stop until they see a more even playing field.

“I am very proud of the Frontier League, and even though we compete against each other, we are very unified on this,” Biermann said. “It is about fairness and equality and I am tired of having my kids at Louisburg High School not having the same opportunity as some others. The throttle is down and it is going to stay down.”

Louisburg sophomore Hunter Rogers makes a pass to a Wildcat teammate Tuesday at Basehor-Linwood High School.

BASEHOR – A pair of contrasting
styles was on display Tuesday at Basehor-Linwood High School as a smaller and
quicker Louisburg team squared off with a big and physical Basehor-Linwood
squad.

Speed won out this time around.

Louisburg scored a pair of first half goals and never looked back in a 3-0 shutout of Basehor-Linwood and the Wildcats have yet to lose as they are now 3-0 on the season.

“We just needed play quicker so
they couldn’t come get to us,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “We struggled
a little bit with that early, but we started to play the ball quicker, moving
it quicker and then they had to chase us. If you try to play physical with a
team that is twice our size, we are obviously going to lose that match. It was
good for our boys to realize what our advantage was and to take advantage of
that.

“Basehor is a big, strong and talented team and they have a relentless attack. They are really good and I think we held up strong back there.”

The Wildcat defense did its job as it posted its second shutout of the season, thanks in part to the Louisburg back line of senior Will Frank, junior Luke Faulkner, sophomore Michael Seuferling and freshman Toby Espina Roca. For Frank, it was the first match of the season after coming back from injury, and the returning starter provided stability in the back.

Senior goalie Garrett Rolofson
also turned away several Bobcat shots as he ended the night with five saves.

“The four of them played really
well and they did their job,” Conley said of his defense. “We rotated through
and they kept playing hard. Toby played well, Luke played well on the back side
and I think Michael might have been the man of the match. Will did a good job in
the middle, so those guys did a good job of holding their line and holding
their ground and not giving an inch.

“Will got his first start, so it
was nice to have him back. We probably played him a little too much, but that
is ok. He was being a leader back there for us.”

Fifteen minutes into the match,
the Wildcats got on the board. Freshman Ethan Ptacek raced down the right side
of the field, beat his defender and found the back of the net on a breakaway
opportunity to give Louisburg the lead.

Junior Treston Carlson added on to
it later in the half when he connected on a shot from 25 yards out that sailed
over the Bobcat goalie’s head to give the Wildcats a two-goal advantage.

Freshman Cade Gassman cemented the
win in the second half with a goal of his own with 13 minutes remaining in the
match on an assist from Braden Yows. Gassman had four of the team’s 12 shots on
goal and was on the attack most of the night.

“We have spots that we have to
clean up really quick, but for the most part I thought we played really well,”
Conley said. “I thought we possessed the ball well, broke them down a little
bit and had a lot of chances on goal where we could have scored even more.”

The Wildcats will try and stay
undefeated today when it hosts Bonner Springs. The match has been moved up to 4
p.m. due to weather concerns.

Louisburg, which defeated Bonner
Springs in overtime last season, will face a Braves squad that is looking for a
little revenge from a year ago.

“Bonner graduated 16 seniors, but
they are a much different team and have a different philosophy,” Conley said. “They
do a good job of listening to their coach and they are going to play hard and
play quick. We are going to have to do our job and execute, otherwise it could
be a rough night.

“We have to come ready to go. The Frontier
League is the best league in the state when it comes to 4A soccer, so it is
going to be a battle every night and I am sure Bonner will be ready to go.”

Members of the Louisburg boys soccer team rush the field Thursday in Paola to surround teammate Treston Carlson, who scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give the Wildcats a 3-2 victory.

PAOLA – Through the first 45
minutes of the match with rival Paola, nothing seemed to go right for the
Louisburg soccer team.

Paola jumped out to a two-goal
lead early in the second half and the Wildcats had a hard time getting much
going offensively. Louisburg was staring at its first loss of the season.

“We just didn’t play well at all,
especially in the first 20 minutes,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “Paola
had pressure, took it at us and they got a penalty kick early and all of a
sudden we were shocked. Then they got up 2-0 on us early in the second half and
Paola had all the momentum. We needed to make something happen.”

Then – all of a sudden – something
changed. In a game where the Panthers had everything going it way, Louisburg
got some momentum of its own to steal a win on the road.

The Wildcats rallied to notch a
3-2 result in overtime thanks to a header from junior Treston Carlson that
sealed the comeback win for Louisburg. That finish capped a turn of events that
led Louisburg to its second consecutive win to start the season.

“It was a great win because we are a young team still trying to figure out how to play,” Conley said. “It was awesome to see them finish the game and I am so proud of my kids. They just grinded and battled. They could have easily put their head down when it was 2-0, but to be quite honest, 2-0 is the worst lead to have in soccer. Once we got a goal, the momentum just shifted and all of a sudden we were playing like gangbusters.”

It did, indeed.

Paola took a 1-0 lead in the first half on a penalty kick, and then in the opening minutes of the second, went up two on a goal from senior Ryan Wokutch.

With 27 minutes left in the match,
the tide started to turn for the Wildcats. Paola’s Gabriel Luna was issued a
red card and the Panthers were forced to play a man down the rest of the way.

It gave Louisburg the spark it was
looking for as the Wildcats put pressure on the Panther defense and were
eventually awarded a penalty kick with 22 minutes left in regulation. Freshman
Cade Gassman converted the opportunity to cut the Paola lead in half and the
Wildcats were off and running.

Another freshman, Ethan Ptacek,
got in on the fun six minutes later when he tied the match on his first varsity
goal.

“The worst thing was, Ethan was wide open for a long time and we just couldn’t get it to him,” Conley said. “We were able to get it to him and he was pretty excited to score his first varsity goal for sure. The game really turned after that. Paola was pinging on empty and were trying to gut it out, but we just had the fresher legs and the momentum.”

Paola also had to deal with
cramping with several of their players throughout the second half and the
Panthers were forced to shuffle players in and out. It all led to a thrilling
finish in overtime for the Wildcats.

“Hats off to Paola because they
played down a man for a long time,” Conley said. “They had kids fighting
through cramps all night and they played their butts off. I think the
difference was we were just a little deeper than they were and it paid off.”

Four minutes into overtime, the
Wildcats were able to finish it off when sophomore Braden Yows crossed the ball
into the box, and it eventually found the head of Carlson, who put it away for
the win.

The entire Louisburg bench stormed
the Panther Stadium field in celebration of a win they hope turns into plenty more
down the road.

“This is what rivalry games are
all about,” Conley said. “Paola played really hard and fought through a lot of
adversity, but I am so proud of our kids and how they kept fighting and
battling through it all. When you win tough games like this it is a heck of a
confidence builder and I am glad we just had enough gas left in the tank to get
the win. It became more of a game of attrition than anything else.”

Louisburg will try for its third straight
win today when it travels to Basehor-Linwood. Varsity is set to begin at 6 p.m.

Sophomore Braden Yows heads the ball down the field Tuesday during the the team’s season opener against Fort Scott. Yows finished with four goals and an assist in the Wildcats’ 10-0 win over Fort Scott.

Losing to Fort Scott to begin its
season a year ago was something that has stuck in the back of the minds of the
Louisburg boys soccer team.

The setback was the start of a
difficult 2018 campaign for the Wildcats, and one they have tried to learn
from.

Consider it a lesson learned.

The Wildcats opened their 2019
season Tuesday when they hosted Fort Scott at Wildcat Stadium and they made
sure not to let the same thing happen twice.

Louisburg scored six first half
goals on its way to a 10-0 victory over the Tigers and put together the start
it was looking for.

“It was nice to finally be done with preseason,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “The boys were hungry and ready. We talked about how we needed to come ready to go to avoid the upset we had last year. They boys were both mentally and physically ready to ensure that didn’t happen again. I love the energy the boys played with and how hard we played from start to finish.”

Newcomer Braden Yows provided the
Wildcats with a boost right from the start. Yows, a sophomore, scored four
goals – all in the first half – and added an assist in his first game for
Louisburg.

Yows had a hat trick in the first 25
minutes of the match from the midfield spot and set the tone for the Louisburg.

“Braden is going to a really special
player,” Conley said. “He played really well and has been a leader for us on
and off the field. His vision is fantastic. I love how he is playing for his
teammates, and of course, how hard he works day in and day out. He had a
fantastic first game.”

Yows wasn’t the only Wildcat to have a
strong first game. Freshman Cade Gassman got going in the second half with two
goals and also had two assists in his Wildcat debut.

Junior Treston Carlson scored his first
of two goals late in the first half and added another late in the second half.
Junior Logan Faulkner headed in a goal in the first half on a Yows throw-in
from the side and sophomore Jaden Vohs invoked the mercy rule with the team’s
10^th goal late in the match.

Senior Colin Cook led the team, along
with Gassman, with two assists on the night. Sophomores Hunter Rogers and Isaac
Guetterman also finished with an assist.

Louisburg dominated possession for much
of the contest, but when the Tigers got looks, goalie Garrett Rolofson turned
them away as the Louisburg senior had four saves in the shutout. The defensive
back line of Toby Espina Roca, Luke Faulkner and Michael Seuferling were also
vital in the shutout.

The win was, what the Wildcats hope, is
the start of many more to come.

“There are a lot of new players and I
think that is something that we need to keep in mind,” Conley said. “This team
is going to be a lot of fun to watch grow. It is important to keep in mind that
a lot of these kids are new to high school soccer or have very limited
experience. It was great watching them come ready to play and perform so well.”

Louisburg will try to make it two in a
row Thursday when it travels to Paola for its Frontier League opener. The match
is set to begin at 6 p.m.

Sophomore Braden Yows (left) and Ryan Haight battle for a 50-50 ball during the team’s scrimmage last Saturday at Wildcat Stadium.

Earning a spot in the regional
championship match last season was one of the few positives for the Louisburg
boys soccer team.

It was a rough year that saw the
Wildcats end with a 6-11 record in a season where they were plagued by injuries
and other factors out of their control. This time around, Louisburg is ready
for a new beginning and is going to do so with a lot of fresh faces.

Louisburg will feature a varsity
squad that is made up of all four classes and will have several newcomers. In
all, 38 players are out for soccer this season – which is the most under head
coach Kyle Conley.

“We had a fantastic summer of preparation and improvement,” Conley said. “We struggled last year in meeting our standard, but this group of boys wanted to get back to the previous years’ culture and standard. This group worked their tails off, brought a ton of positive energy and had a very successful summer. We had 48 kids originally signup for the team in May, but it got reduced down to 38 players.

“These
young men have very high standards for themselves. They set the standard in the
beginning of summer and have been pushing to live up to it all summer and
preseason. This team is determined to get back to where we once were and their
focus and dedication has shown this.”

The
Wildcats return a seven-member senior class that will play vital roles and it
starts with Ryan Haight. The Louisburg defensive midfielder earned first-team
All-Frontier League honors last season and will be one of the team leaders in
2019.

“Ryan had a fantastic summer,” Conley said. “He is extremely fit and just excelled this summer. He will have his best season yet. He is poised and experienced. Those two characteristics will allow him to have a really solid year. His work ethic is one of the best I have ever had the opportunity to coach.”

Will
Frank, Garrett Rolofson, Landon Johnson, Colin Cook and David Perentis, who all
saw varsity time a year ago, will play even bigger roles this season. Also included
among the seniors is Emanuel Fries, a foreign exchange student.

Frank,
who has started the last two seasons, returns to lead the Wildcat defense after
earning honorable mention all-league honors last season. Rolofson, who saw some
time as the team’s goalie last year, is the Wildcat starter in net.

Sophomore
Michael Seuferling, along with Frank, Haight, Ethan Showalter (junior) and Toby
Espina (freshman) will all man the defensive side of the field for Louisburg.
Perentis, Logan and Luke Faulkner (juniors), and Hunter Rogers (sophomore)
could also see playing time there as well.

“Rolofson had a fantastic summer and
played really, really well,” Conley said. “He has become more confident and his
leadership has been fantastic.

“I
think this team is very balanced,” Conley said. “We added new pieces all over
the field, but I feel these pieces have been improvements over what we
previously had. We will have a variety of all classes represented within the
varsity roster. It’s going to be a team that is going to be a lot of fun
to watch as they develop their team chemistry and learn as a team.”

The Wildcats will also have some experience at the midfield spot. Cook and junior Treston Carlson return with varsity experience, as do Logan and Luke Faulkner. Junior Ethan White, along with sophomores Isaac Guetterman and Jaden Vohs, could also see some varsity action.

Johnson,
who missed most of last season with an injury after an all-league performance
as a sophomore, will also be out to begin his senior season but Conley hopes he
will be in the mix midway through the year.

“He’s a leader, but has been out for the
past two years,” Conley said. “He has been a great teammate helping and
teaching from the sidelines. He is eager to return and help this team.”

A
lot of those new faces will be on the attacking side of the field as the
Wildcats will feature a lot of youth.

Sophomore
Braden Yows, who is a transfer from Missouri, will be one of the leaders at the
midfield spot and freshmen Cade Gassman and Colin McManigal will see a lot of
time at forward. Freshmen Ethan Ptacek and Gavin York will also garner a lot of
minutes in the midfield.

“We added 17 new players to this team,” Conley said. “Cade is poised to have an unbelievable year as a freshman. Braden is an extremely talented sophomore, who will help lead us. Toby (Espina) is a very skilled player who will help us at outside back this season. Colin has a motor that doesn’t stop and will get solid minutes at forward for us. Gavin is a strong player who can play a lot of different positions and will play a very nice roll for us at the varsity level. Ethan is incredibility athletic and has a ridiculous speed.”

The Wildcats will take part in, what Conley believes, is a very competitive Frontier League. It is the kind of schedule that he hopes his team can build on, and get better, as the season goes along.

“The league is going to be very interesting,” Conley said. “Several
teams graduated a lot of seniors and some only graduated a few. I think this
year’s league is going to be very balanced top to bottom. Our league is going
to be a lot of fun to watch because each and every night, anything can and will
happen.”

Louisburg will begin its season outside of league play on Sept.
3 when it hosts Fort Scott at 6 p.m. The Wildcats open Frontier League play at
6 p.m. on Sept. 5 in Paola. Junior varsity matches will begin at 4:30 p.m. in
both games.

Last fall, each of the four
Louisburg High School athletic programs had something to brag about.

Whether it was football’s 10-1
season that ended with a regional championship, volleyball’s state runner-up
finish, cross country’s two state medalists and state qualifying girls team or
the boys’ soccer regional championship appearance – the Wildcats had plenty to
cheer about and several athletes took notice.

Numbers are up for all four programs following the first day of practice Monday and the coaches and athletes are excited to get the season started after last year’s successes.

The Wildcat football team saw a big jump in numbers as they have 70 students out this season and football coach Robert Ebenstein and has liked what he seen through the first couple days of workouts.

“Our numbers are up and based on the numbers at the middle school and youth programs and I expect them to keep growing,” Ebenstein said. “I am very excited for practice to get going. When you finish the season off with a loss in the playoffs it sticks with you and the opportunity to go play another game creates that energy and that eager feeling to get going. So far I am very pleased with our kids’ focus and effort. We need to continue to get better every day.”

Louisburg volleyball has also seen a spike in its numbers as 40
athletes have attended tryouts. Those tryouts will go through Wednesday and
head coach Jessica Compliment believes those high numbers will be beneficial
down the road.

“The players are excited, but I
think some are nervous as well with tryouts and cuts these first few days,” Compliment
said. “Forty is the most we’ve had tryout for quite some time. Generally we
have around 35. The higher numbers leads to more competition for uniforms and
playing time.”

Cross country head coach John Reece is pulling
double duty this season as he, and assistant coach Paul Restivo, will also be
leading the new Louisburg Middle School program. The Wildcats have a combined
59 runners out between the two programs, including 37 on the high school side.

Louisburg returns a majority of its girls team
that qualified for state a year ago, including its two state medalists in
senior Trinity Moore and sophomore Reese Johnson.

Despite a little hiccup with the heat during
the first two days of workouts, coach Reece likes what he sees from both teams.

“It was great to get started, and yes the
heat caused us to change our workout a little bit, but we still got in our
miles,” Reece said. “We had a good turnout during summer running, so as a whole
they are ready to get to the good stuff and go compete.

“There is definitely a huge difference
with LMS joining the crew. Two coaches managing 59 kids is a lot, and we might
need more help for supervision as we get more personalized with workouts for
different levels of runners, but this is a good thing for Louisburg’s cross
country program. It is going to be a fun year.”

Soccer also saw a big increase in
interest as the Wildcats have 44 athletes trying out this season and they will
continue the tryout process through Thursday. It is a good problem to have for
head coach Kyle Conley and he has liked what he has seen so far as the Wildcats
look to take another step forward this year.

“The kids worked hard, but showed we have
a lot of work to do,” Conley said. “We had a really, really good summer, but we
got a little rusty with the month off. This year we are getting back to focus
on our culture and getting back to playing for each other. The boys have been
focused and determined to improve this season.”

However, the first two day of practices weren’t without their challenges as intense heat and humidity caused some of the programs to change their schedules, including soccer, which moved its practice to the evening on Tuesday and spent some time indoors Monday.

“The
heat was an interesting factor to go along with the late start due to the
KSHSAA schedule,” Conley said. “We started in the AUX gym for the first hour
and 15 minutes then transitioned outside for an hour. It was frustrating but
the boys handled it very well.”

With
the heat advisories, teams had to take precautions with their athletes and
everything seemed to go smoothly with the hot weather.

“There is nothing you can do about the heat, and it is not centralized to Louisburg, so everybody has to deal with it,” Ebenstein said. “So you just do what you have to do when it comes to moving practice to the evening or whatever. I do not mind these hot early practices as it sets the tone that athletes need to take care of their bodies, and the acclimatization process gets going from the beginning. I would much rather have it this way instead of it being cool and the first hot week comes on a game week.”

With the first day of practice starting
later than normal, the start of competition will also be pushed back. Team
scrimmages will be the Friday before Labor Day and actual competition won’t
start until Sept. 3.

Soccer will host Fort Scott in its season
opener on Sept. 3 and volleyball will travel to Paola for dual on the same day.
Cross country opens its season on Sept. 5 at the Anderson County Invitational
and football will travel to Spring Hill on Sept. 6.

Noah Juarez signed his letter of intent to play soccer for MidAmerica Nazarene University last May alongside Pioneer coach Kevin Wardlaw.

Noah Juarez has always wanted to
play collegiate soccer and he wasn’t ready to give up the sport after playing
two years at Johnson County Community College.

Juarez, who is a 2016 Louisburg High School graduate, was looking for a new landing spot when his time with JCCC was up. He found the perfect spot not too far from home.

Early in the summer, Juarez signed
his letter of intent to play for MidAmerica Nazarene University and he is
excited to join the Pioneer program.

“I’m so
thrilled to be playing for such a great school,” Juarez said. “The academic
side and soccer is at a very high level and I’m blessed to have the
opportunity.”

Juarez
will be joining a very competitive MidAmerica Nazarene program that finishes
toward the top of the Heart of America Conference each year and he will see
playing time in the midfield. He will play under coach Kevin Wardlaw, who has
led the Pioneers to the national semifinals twice, including a runner-up finish
in 2015.

Last
season, the Pioneers finished with a 12-7 record and lost in the conference
semifinals, but Juarez believes his new team can accomplish big things this
year.

“We have very high expectations in our league,” Juarez said. “We plan to finish first in our league, but if not that, then definitely in the top 3. We have one of the most competitive leagues in the nation, so it will be a tough test.

“Individually,
my role isn’t to score the most goals or be the main man. I just want to be
someone who can control the midfield and control the tempo of the game. As long
as I stay disciplined, focused, and have a high work rate, things will fall
into place.”

After
finishing his two years at JCCC, Juarez found out he had to have surgery on his
foot and he knew the process back from that was going to be a difficult one.

“I was
a little worried the beginning of the season because I had foot surgery in May
and had to place a screw in my 5th metatarsal bone,” Juarez said. “It was a
long and tedious process but I was just about at 100 percent by the beginning
of preseason. It has definitely been something to get used to, and I’ve had to
adjust how I play a tad, but I am still looking to be a vital piece to the MNU
program.”

Juarez,
who is majoring in business management and leadership, almost didn’t commit to
MidAmerica as he had an opportunity to play somewhere else last spring but a
last-minute surprise kept him closer to home.

“I was
about to commit to North Park University (Chicago) all throughout the spring
semester and had a Division 2 school in Miami, Berry University, who had just
won the National Championship last season in contention as well. It wasn’t
until May when I found myself in contention with MNU.

“I had a teammate from JCCC who had committed to MNU the year before me, and after talking to him and the help from my club coach, Daouda Kante, things started to develop a little more at MNU. After a couple of meetings with Coach Wardlaw, I found where I belonged.”

Juarez was a big part of the Wildcat soccer program in his four seasons. Not only did he start all four years of high school, he earned all-Frontier League and all-state honors each season.

In his senior year, Juarez led the Wildcats with 18 goals and had seven assists as he was one of several players to help Louisburg to a fourth-place finish at state – the best finish in program history.

After finding some success
at JCCC, fitting into the Pioneer team hasn’t
been a problem for Juarez and his transition has been seamless thanks to his
new coach.

“I have
been fortunate to start my first few scrimmages, although, it hasn’t been easy,”
he said. “There are only 10 local kids on the team where the rest are
internationals. The competition is very high. I have been starting in the center
defensive midfield, but I have also been utilized as an attacking mid as well.

“The
coaching at MNU has been a very good change for me. MNU plays a very possessive
style of soccer where I can flourish. I have learned a lot already and pushed
to new limits. Coach Wardlaw is a very intense, analytical person and only
wants success for the team and us individually in the classroom.”

It was a successful, and eventful, 2018 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 to Louisburg.

Below are the Top 10 stories from 2018, along with a brief explanation of each. Included in the explanation is the link to the actual story from the event.

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 2019 to begin. Looking forward to it!

10. Dillon medals at state golf for second straight year

EMPORIA – All season,
Calvin Dillon had been atop or near the front of leaderboard and that didn’t
change in what was his biggest tournament of the season.

The Louisburg High School sophomore went up against the state’s best during the Class 4A state golf tournament on May 19 at the Emporia Municipal Course and did more than old his own. Dillon earned a state medal as he finished 11^thoverall with a 3-over par 74.

It was the second consecutive state medal for Dillon
after he finished 10^th overall last season at
Wamego as a freshman.

“It is a real honor
to earn another state medal, especially with the quality players that were at
the state tournament,” Dillon said. “There were lots of good players and lots
of good teams.”

It
was another notch on Dillon’s list of accomplishments that included a Frontier
League title and six straight tournament victories during the 2018 season.

• 

• 

9. Conley, Ebenstein named Class 4A Coach of the Year

Louisburg
girls soccer coach Kyle Conley and Wildcat football coach Robert Ebenstein both
led their respective teams to special seasons.

Those seasons were special enough for both coaches to earn two big awards.

Conley was rewarded for all his hard work in June when it was announced that he was named as the Kansas Soccer Coaches Association’s Girls Coach of the Year for Class 4-1A.

He guided the Wildcats to a 14-7 record and a spot in the
state championship match, where the Lady Cats finished second overall. The
finish was something to remember for Wildcat fans as that was accomplished in
just the program’s third year of existence.

He has posted a
41-18-2 record during his time as the Wildcat girls head coach and also guided
the Louisburg boys soccer team to its best finish in program history in 2017
with a fourth place finish at state.

As for Ebenstein, he
guided the Wildcats to 10 straight victories and a regional championship to
start the 2018 season, before getting knocked out in the sectional round
against eventual state champion, Bishop Miege.

Following the season, the Kansas Football Coaches Association named Ebenstein as the Class 4A Coach of the Year. Ebenstein, who is just in his second season as head coach, has a 16-4 record with the Wildcats as he guided his team to a Frontier League championship this year.

8.
Holtzen finishes Louisburg career with 12 varsity letters

Once Isabelle Holtzen
received her diploma and walked out of Louisburg High School for the last time
as a student, she officially became one of the most decorated female athletes
in school history.

No, she doesn’t have any individual state championships, or even
one as part of a team. Holtzen’s decorations aren’t ones in the form of
trophies or all-state honors, but instead, they can be found on the front of
her letter jacket.

Holtzen became the first female athlete in at least 20 years to earn 12 varsity letters, which means she lettered on the varsity level in three sports in each of her four years of high school.

In research done by Louisburg Sports Zone, it was unable to find
the last athlete to accomplish the feat, which could mean Holtzen could be the
first Lady Cat to do so. She competed in cross country, basketball and track
and field

The last athlete to come close was in 2001 when Krystal Bowes
earned 10 varsity letters before moving on to a collegiate track career at
Wichita State.

“The biggest thing that it means to me is to just have an
opportunity to participate in three sports at a school like Louisburg,” Holtzen
said. “The bigger the school that you go to, the harder it is to play multiple
sports at the varsity level and I think Louisburg is unique in that fact. The
best part of this whole journey was I think my freshman year because there was
no pressure and no one was expecting anything from me. It was surprising and
exciting to be able to letter in all three sports.”

Holtzen is currently at
Northern Iowa, where she received a scholarship to pole vault for the Panther
Track and Field Team.

7.
Dixon earns All-American, Player of the Year honors, signs with Kansas State

Louisburg
senior Anna Dixon led the Lady Cat volleyball program all season and she was recognized
for her play on the court.

Dixon was named to the Under Armour Volleyball All-American team as she received a spot on the honorable mention squad when the list was released in November.

Dixon, the 6-foot-3 outside hitter, was recently named the Class 4A Player of the Year by the Kansas Volleyball Association, and along with that was also selected to the all-state first team.

It was the second year in a row Dixon was named player of the
year, as she had to share the honor last season with Rose Hill’s Gracie Van
Driel.

The honors certainly didn’t stop there as Dixon was
all named to the All-Frontier League first team as she helped guide the Lady
Cats to an undefeated league season.

Dixon led the Lady Cats in kills with 584 in 105 sets
played. She also finished with 325 digs, as she played all six rotations and
also had 50 aces and 42 blocks.

In her four years with the program, Dixon finished
with 2,003 kills, which would place that total among the best the school has
ever seen.

All that success resulted in a dream come true for Dixon as she made it official last November when she signed to play volleyball at Kansas State.

“I have always known Kansas State was going to be my
home,” Dixon said. “Even since I committed as a sophomore, I always wanted to
go up to Manhattan and see the girls and spend time with the team. K-State is where
I need to be.”

6. Louisburg wrestling sends six to state, Holtzen
earns first state medal

SALINA – As the final
whistle sounded in his blood round match, Cade Holtzen looked up into the
rafters of the Tony’s Pizza Events Center and smiled.

He had finally reached
his goal.

Holtzen defeated Columbus’ Gabe Porter by a 6-0 decision Saturday during the Class 4A Kansas State Wrestling Championships in Salina and secured his state medal.

“It is one of the best
feelings that I have had in my life,” Holtzen said. “Just knowing that I’m
going to place – you just can’t match that with anything else.”

It certainly wasn’t
easy for the Louisburg freshman as he faced a win or go home with nothing
scenario heading into his match with Porter. Holtzen pulled out the victory and
eventually finished sixth overall at 113 pounds to give Louisburg a state
medalist for the third consecutive season.

“It is pretty cool,”
he said. “I have been working for this all season, so to get a state medal is
great. It may not have been as high as I wanted, but any state medal is pretty
amazing.”

Holtzen had a special
year for the Wildcats as he finished with a 45-6 record and broke the school
record for most wins in a single season. He won four different tournaments and
was a Frontier League and regional tournament runner-up.

To add to his resume,
he became only the second freshman in school history to earn state medal –
second to only Austin Hood, who would go on to with three state titles.

Austin Moore finished
one victory shy of earning his first state medal, while Ryan Adams, Thad
Hendrix and Blue Caplinger also picked up wins at the state tournament.

5. Moore, Johnson
finished in top 10 at state cross country, girls qualify for second straight
year

WAMEGO – It was going
to be hard for the Louisburg High School girls cross country team to duplicate
its magical season of 2017.

Not only did the Lady Cats qualify their team for state for the
first time in program history, but they also had a top five finisher in Trinity
Moore.

Fast forward to 2018, Louisburg wasn’t able to match that successful
run – the Lady Cats took it a step further.

Moore, along with freshman Reese Johnson, each had a top 10 finish during the Class 4A Kansas State Cross Country Championships at Wamego Country Club, and it is the first time in school history that two female runners had medaled at a state meet. Louisburg added on to that as the girls finished fifth in the team standings with 154 points, which is also the highest finish in school history.

Moore, who finished
fifth at state a year ago, bested her performance by one place as she took
fourth with one of her better performances of the season. Johnson was right
behind her as she crossed the finish line in sixth.

Shaylor Whitham, Carlee Gassman, Kaitlyn Lewer, Delaney Wright and Kennady Wilkerson were also members of the Lady Cats’ team to run at state. Emily Williams was a member of the regional team that finished second overall.

4. Louisburg track
earns six state medals, Gassman state runner-up in 300 hurdles

WICHITA – Carlee Gassman had broken the Louisburg High School 300-meter hurdle record three different times in 2018 prior to the state track meet.

She picked the perfect time to make it a fourth.

Gassman broke her own school record in the 300 hurdles in May at the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships in Wichita as she ran a time of 45.68 seconds to earn a silver medal as she was the Wildcats’ top performer on the weekend. Andale’s Abby Smarsh, who is a senior, won the event in 44.73.

It was the Louisburg sophomore’s first time competing at the
Kansas meet as she transferred in from Iowa last year, where she qualified for
the state meet there in the 400 hurdles.

Gassman’s medal in the 300 hurdles was just one of six the
Wildcats were able to bring home following the two-day meet. Those six medals
were the most Louisburg has earned since 2011, when the Wildcats combined to
medal in 10 events and the boys won their first team state title.

The 300 hurdles wasn’t the only event Gassman found success in
as she also medaled in the long jump. Gassman, who hadn’t competed in the event
prior to this year, finished fifth with a mark of 17 feet, 0.25 inches.

Isabelle Holtzen
would go on to finish sixth in the pole vault, the boys 4×400 team of Chris
Williams, Blue Caplinger, Ben Wiedenmann and Justin Collins went on to take
seventh. Williams finished eighth in the 400-meter run and Trent Martin medaled
eighth in the boys pole vault.

3. Louisburg
volleyball takes runner-up at state for second straight season

HUTCHINSON – The
feeling was much of the same.

The pride of finishing as a state-runner up was a popular one
among the members of the Louisburg volleyball team. At the same time, the
frustration of taking second in state in back-to-back seasons was just as
prevalent.

Louisburg wasn’t quite sure what to feel following its 25-13 and 25-14 loss to Bishop Miege in the championship game of the Class 4A state tournament Saturday at Hutchinson Sports Arena.

In 2017, the Lady
Cats fell to Rose Hill by two points in the championship match, and fast
forward to the present, they were in the same spot – holding the state
runner-up trophy. It was the 15^th time in
program history that Louisburg finished in the top four at state.

The Lady Cats rattled off four straight wins to start
the tournament, including knocking off No. 1 seed Independence, and defending
state champions Rose Hill and Topeka Hayden. Louisburg then battled back to
defeat Andale in the state semifinals.

“The loss was tough,”
Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “To come so close to a state title two
years in a row, only to come up short is tough. But with that being said, it is
a huge accomplishment for this team to get back to the state championship and
make it two years in a row. Finishing second is nothing to hang our heads on.
Last year’s finish fueled the fire for the team this year, and I challenged the
returning players to use this loss and feeling to fuel them for next year.”

Louisburg has been
one of the more dominant teams in Class 4A in the last decade as the Lady Cats
have made the state tournament seven out of the last nine years and have
finished as a state runner-up on three different occasions, along with several
third and fourth place finishes. They finished 2018 with a 36-9 record.

2. Louisburg girls
soccer advances to title game, has best finish in program history

NORTH NEWTON – The obstacle
seemed insurmountable – and it was.

The Louisburg High School girls soccer team found itself in the
Class 4-1A state championship match in the program’s third year of existence,
but if they wanted to take it another step further, the Wildcats were going to
have to knock the defending state champion of its perch.

Unfortunately, Bishop Miege wasn’t about to be moved.

In a state title game that was played in the sweltering heat in late May at Bethel College, the Wildcats couldn’t stay with the Stags in a 5-0 defeat. It was the third consecutive title for Bishop Miege, while Louisburg earned a state plaque for the first time in its short history.

It was special season for the Wildcats as the night before they knocked off Topeka Hayden, 1-0, in the state semifinals to secure the program’s first state plaque. In 2017, Louisburg both games in its state tournament appearance and finished fourth.

The road to this state
championship appearance has been an interesting one for the Wildcats. More than
three years ago, a group of Louisburg parents and citizens raised enough money
to begin the girls soccer program and fund it for three years.

Louisburg was in the final year of that funding, and while the
program isn’t going away, the team realized they needed to play for more than
themselves.

“We played for the community tonight,” Louisburg senior Bailey Belcher
said after the Hayden win. “We have to remember that when they raised money for
this program, it was just through this year, so I think we owed it to them to
play well. I really think it might have helped with how we played and I think
it was one of the best games we played all season.”

“It is a third-year program
with 41 wins, three regional championships, two state final fours and now a
state runner-up,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said after the title game. “We
just have kids who come in and work their butt off. They are not soft, they
aren’t weak and from top to bottom they are going to work hard.

“We worked hard, but we just played Miege. That is one of the
best teams in the state, and that stinks, but our kids played hard, worked
their tail off and it was a great year. We had people criticize us for how we
got there, but we won games and that really motivated the kids. It got them
fired up to go do something bigger than themselves. I couldn’t be more proud of
they stuck together and what they accomplished.”

1. Football wins 10 straight, takes Frontier League title and regional championship

It had been almost two
months since Louisburg and Piper squared off on the football field in what was
one of the more entertaining games on the Wildcats’ schedule.

Back in early
September, Louisburg left Piper High School with a seven-point win – a victory
that would help propel them to a Frontier League championship and a perfect
regular season.

The two teams squared
off again and the stakes were a bit higher. The game, at least for Louisburg
anyway, was even more exciting.

The Wildcats dominated action from the opening kickoff and never looked back in a 48-0 win over the Pirates. In the process, Louisburg won the school’s first regional championship since 2016 and are off to a 10-0 start for the first time since 2010.

Louisburg advanced to the sectional round where it fell to eventual state champion Bishop Miege, 55-21, and finished its season with a 10-1 record.

It was as season
marked with special moments, including a 28-7 victory over then-undefeated
Paola late in the year to secure a league title.

“Being 10-0 and then having
that first loss of the season was very disappointing,” Louisburg coach Robert
Ebenstein said. “Losing always sucks, but losing in the playoffs and having to
wait until next August is the worst.  At the end of the day, Miege is a
very good team and we did some good things. We got them to fourth down on
multiple drives in the first quarter, we just couldn’t make the plays on
those big downs. Then we got behind a little and started pressing.

“Overall it was a great year.
I am very proud of our guys and excited for them that they were able to get
double digit wins for only the third time since 2000, and there was a
lot of really good football played during that time period. It was a lot
fun to be a part of.”

With all that success, honors
started to roll in for its players as running backs Austin Moore and Blue
Caplinger, along with linemen Brayden White and Kiefer Tucker all earned
all-state honors.

Moore and White went on to be
semifinalists for the Simone Awards and Moore was also selected to participate
in the Kansas Shrine Bowl in the summer of 2019. Ebenstein was also named as
coach of the year by the football coaches association.

Most recently, Moore was
named the Kansas Small-Class Player of the Year and Running Back of the Year by
810varsity.com, while White was named the Small-Class Lineman of the Year.
Ebenstein was also named Kansas Small-Class Coach of the Year by 810 Varsity.

Louisburg junior Ryan Haight earned first team All-Frontier League honors when the team was announced last week. Haight was one of four Wildcats to be selected to the all-league squad.

 

With three new schools entering the Frontier League this season, it created even more competition to receive an all-league honor.

For boys soccer, the competition was tough, but Louisburg earned four spots on the all-league team following a 6-11 season that ended in a loss to Bishop Miege in the regional championship game.

Louisburg junior midfielder Ryan Haight was selected to the first team, while senior forward Brock Bila was named to the second team. Senior Eli Minster and junior Will Frank both earned honorable mention honors on defense.

“I think with our league being so competitive, and adding three new schools, we represented well,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “Obviously, I would like a few more players recognized and I felt some kids deserved to be on higher teams. These young man played well this season and these All-Frontier League honors are very deserving.”

Haight, who was named to the first team as a utility player, was a reliable fixture for the Wildcats from his defensive midfield spot. He was only one of four Louisburg players to start every game for the Wildcats this past season.

“Ryan worked his tail off all season,” Conley said. “He was our hardest worker and was voted MVP of our team by a landslide in the player’s voting. He played so hard and always put his teammates first. I felt that all of his hard work and dedication truly paid off this year.”

Bila was the team’s leading scorer from the forward position as he scored 15 goals in 15 matches for Louisburg. He was a player that drew a lot of attention from the opposing defense.

“Brock, in my opinion, was the best player on the field every night,” Conley said. “He is so skilled and could just find the back of the net. He was our Golden Boot (most goals) and Offensive MVP this season voted by his teammates. He scored some fantastic goals for us.”

Minster and Frank were key cogs in the Wildcat defense, and both were reliable players on the back side, which helped earn them honorable mention honors.

“Eli was a lock down outside back for us this year,” Conley said. “He put the team before himself and played outside back for us. He ended the season with three assists, but more importantly he helped keep us in games. He was a leader for us and played really well this season.

“William Frank did a very nice job running the middle of our defense. He played center back and showed a lot of growth throughout the season. He helped keep us in games, especially since our team played a lot of defense this season. Will started and played in all 17 games for us.”

 

ALL-FRONTIER LEAGUE SOCCER

FIRST TEAM

FORWARD – Collin Hanson, Ottawa, senior; Jeffrey Shoenberger, Spring Hill, senior; Ryan Wokutch, Paola, junior

MIDFIELD – Nick Gulley, Spring Hill, senior; Dylan Jamison, Baldwin, senior; Lucas Vanchi De Souza, Paola, junior

DEFENDER – Jacob Bailey, Baldwin, senior; Grant Burnett, Spring Hill, senior; A.J. Montez, Piper, senior

UTILITY – Ryan Haight, Louisburg, junior

GOALIE – Chezney Haney, Spring Hill, sophomore

 

SECOND TEAM

FORWARD – Brock Bila, Louisburg, senior; Matthew Jackson, Baldwin, senior; Wyatt Oakland, Piper, senior

MIDFIELD – Sammy Gonzalez-Carillo, Bonner Springs, senior; Jonny Moon, Piper, senior; Grady McCune, Baldwin, sophomore

DEFENDER – Ian Heid, Paola, sophomore; Ezra Steinshouer, Baldwin, senior; Trey Trumbo, Piper, senior

UTILITY – Nathan Cessna, Baldwin, senior

GOALIE – Nathaniel Grosdidier, Eudora, senior

 

HONORABLE MENTION

FORWARD – Keaton Herron, Eudora, sophomore; Josh Santos, Spring Hill, junior; Caden Willits, Eudora, junior

MIDFIELD – Isaac Bones, Ottawa, senior; Michael Powell, Ottawa, junior; Ronin Richardson, Piper, senior; Gage Sommer, Tonganoxie, senior

DEFENDER – Brant Arnold, Eudora, junior; Dylan Fanning, Ottawa, senior; Will Frank, Louisburg, junior; Dylan Meier, Eudora, sophomore; Abel Mendoza, Tonganoxie, sophomore; Eli Minster, Louisburg, senior; Garrett Stephan, Bonner Springs, senior

UTILITY – Owen Roellchen, Piper, junior

GOALIE – Jamison Foglesong, Piper, senior; Wyatt Martin, Tonganoxie, senior; Tanner O’Connor, Baldwin, sophomore; Austin Weaver, Paola, junior

Louisburg senior defender Eli Minster tries to send the ball away in the rain Thursday during the Class 4-3-2-1A regional championship game at Bishop Miege High School. The Wildcats fell to Bishop Miege, 8-0.

 

ROELAND PARK – On a rainy and cool evening, the Louisburg boys soccer team traveled to Bishop Miege High School to try and capture its fourth straight regional title.

Unfortunately, the Wildcats were going to have to go through a two-time defending state champion to do so.

Without a full complement of players due to injuries and other things, Louisburg just couldn’t keep up with Bishop Miege as it saw its season come to an end Thursday in an 8-0 loss.

“We just played the state champion,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “The kids fought the whole game and they never stopped. They kept grinding and kept working. I am just really proud of the kids. Miege is probably one of the best three teams in the state and there is a reason why. They are a really talented team and they play well together and they have a mass amount of depth. They are a really quality side.

“But our kids didn’t quit and they played their butts off. I think we did a good job of keeping our composure, playing the game the right way and doing what we asked them to do.”

Bishop Miege scored to give the Stags a 1-0 lead with 27 minutes remaining in the first half and it remained that way until the latter part of the half. Miege scored three goals in the final 11 minutes to take a 4-0 advantage at halftime.

The Wildcats (6-11) didn’t give up as they fought through the conditions and battled the Stags, but the defending Class 4-3-2-1A state champions were too much for the young and inexperienced Wildcats.

“We ran out quite a few kids, including several freshmen, who went out and did their thing,” Conley said. “It was a good opportunity to get them some minutes and experience and say they got to play in a regional championship game. We will learn from it and I think the boys had a pretty good experience. They understood who they just played and what it was. I couldn’t be prouder of the boys and the way they played.”

It was a season full of ups and downs for Louisburg as it had to deal with multiple injuries throughout the season and Conley was forced to shuffle guys around and create different lineups. The Wildcats began with a 4-1 start, but suffered several close losses along the way, and the mounting injuries didn’t help them get back on track.

Louisburg also had to say goodbye to seniors Eli Minster, Chris Williams, Eric Vazquez and Brock Bila, who all played their final game for the Wildcats.

“The season was what it was,” Conley said. “We had some games that we gave away and it kind of stuck us in this situation. It is what it is though. I am just really proud of this group and the way we kept fighting and battling.

“We had a horrific month or so where everything just went bad. We had a lot of injuries and some self-induced problems. We faced a lot of adversity this year and had to play with a lot of different lineups and different guys had to play a lot of minutes. I think that is great experience for them. It is going to be tough losing the four seniors that we had with Brock, Eli, Eric and Chris. We just have to try to fill the holes that they left.”