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.”

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.