Louisburg junior Brock Bila (middle) was all smiles as he received congratulations from teammates Jarod Rose (left) and Raistlin Brewer after scoring his third goal Thursday in Paola. The Wildcats won the game 4-1.

PAOLA – Rivalry contests are supposed to be this way.

They are supposed to be high-intensity, times where things get a little chippy between the two sides and when neither team wants to back down. That was the case Thursday when the Louisburg boys soccer team made the short trek to Paola.

Louisburg and Paola were tied at halftime in what was an important contest for the Wildcats. They were currently on a two-game losing streak and were approaching unchartered territory.

“I told them we have never lost three in a row since I started coaching, so I didn’t want it to start now,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said.

The Wildcats listened well as they came out with three second half goals, en route to a 4-1 victory over the Panthers and thus got themselves back on the winning track.

Junior forward Brock Bila gave the lift the Wildcats were looking for as he finished with a hat trick. Bila scored a goal in the first half and two more in the second half to help Louisburg pull away.

“Brock is a kid that has been up and down,” Conley said. “He will play good one week and then he is beating himself up another week when things aren’t going as well. It is good to see him have some clean runs and have some really good finishes. He was really active and that helped a lot. He busts his butt and does his job. He had a good practice before this and was hitting the ball really well, so I was hoping it was coming and it definitely did.”

Defender Kyle Allen sends the ball away in the first half of Thursday’s match against Paola.

Although Louisburg (7-3) won by three goals, it wasn’t easy as the Wildcats competed in a high-spirited game from the start and did so with a short bench. Starter Christian Scholtz and reserve David Holiday had to sit out with an injury.

It was a bench that got even shorter as they game wore on as starting defender Kyle Allen had to leave on a cart with an injury in the second half.

Not only were the Wildcats short-handed, but so were the officials. The game had to be officiated with just two referees, instead of the usual three, which left both teams perplexed on calls throughout the match.

“Our bench was short to start the game, and then when Kyle went down, it got really short,” Conley said. “When he got hurt, I think our guys responded and stepped up a little bit. We are always talking about the next man up. We are short on guys. We are missing a starter and one of our first guys off the bench and we are trying to fill some voids. They just played hard and they did their job.

“The kids did minimal complaining on really difficult officiating. Whenever you have two officials in the varsity match, the outcome is never going to be productive when they can’t move as much.”

Bila got Louisburg off to a good start as he gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead on goal about 15 minutes into the match. It appeared the Wildcats were going to add on to that lead as they had several chances on goal.

Senior Grant Ryals (11) takes the ball away from a Paola player with the help of teammate Landon Johnson on Thursday at Paola High School.

Senior Raistlin Brewer had two shots that were close to finding the back of the net, but one was saved by the Paola goalie and another shot went just wide of the post.

Instead of going into halftime with a lead, Louisburg gave up a late goal to Paola’s Ryan Wokutch with 29 seconds left in the first half.

However, the Wildcats turned up the pressure in the second half as Bila notched his second goal in the opening minutes, then senior Jarod Rose found the back of the net to give Louisburg a 3-1 lead.

Bila sealed the win with six minutes left in the match for this third goal and the Wildcats didn’t look back.

In between all the second half scoring, the Panthers gave Louisburg a scare or two themselves as they put on several shots on goal. Senior defender Kris Light kicked the ball away near the goal line, while goalie Ambrose Stefan made a jump save to knock a shot away on what looked to be a sure Paola goal. It was one of several saves on the night for Stefan.

Louisburg goalie Ambose Stefan scoops up a shot as a Paola player makes a run at the goal.

“Ambrose made a fantastic save on that ball,” Conley said. “It was a really good hit, he read it well and got to it and made an unbelieveable save. The backs did alright. We are struggling with our pressure cover. We got a little anxious and just watched the ball and shifted instead of being where we needed to be. At the same time, Kris had a big save off the line as well. They worked so hard though and hopefully we will continue to get better.”

Louisburg returns to the pitch Tuesday when it hosts Spring Hill in an effort to make it two wins in a row. Varsity is set to begin at approximately 6 p.m.

WILDCATS FALL TO TONGANOXIE, BONNER SPRINGS

The Louisburg boys soccer team had its fair share of chances against both Tonganoxie and Bonner Springs, but in each case, the Wildcats came up short.

The Wildcats lost to undefeated Tonganoxie 2-1 last Tuesday, and on Sept. 21, Louisburg came up short against Bonner Springs, 3-2.

“It was really frustrating at Bonner, where we had countless breakaways and couldn’t finish,” Conley said. “We hit the post against Tonganoxie with like a minute to go and had countless breakaways, so that was tough as well.”

Against Tonganoxie, the Wildcats found themselves down 2-0, with one of those goals coming on a penalty kick.

Still, the Wildcats had their chances in the second half with several shots on goal and junior Brock Bila found the back of the net with one of them on an assist from senior Grant Ryals. Louisburg pressured Tonganoxie up until the final seconds, but couldn’t put the game-tying shot away.

Bila opened the scoring against Bonner Springs to give Louisburg a 1-0 lead, after Bonner Springs tied it, senior Raistlin Brewer gave the Wildcats the lead back with a goal of his own.

However, Bonner Springs went in front to close the first half as they converted back-to-back penalty kicks. It turned out to be the difference as neither team could find the back of the net in the second half.

“We had the ball inside their six yard box five times in the first 5 minutes,” Conley said. “We were not focused and struggled to execute. We had two bad plays for penalty kicks. They also scored their first goal on a corner kick, because we did not stay marked up on a player.

“The game came down to discipline and execution. We gave that game away and was a pretty frustrating result. We did create a massive amount of chances, but we just could not bury one.”

The Kansas High School Activities Association released the classifications for the 2017-18 season on Tuesday morning, and for Louisburg High School, much remains the same.

The Wildcats are currently a Class 4A-Division I program with 532 students, but after this season the classification system will change. Class 4A will get rid of the divisions and 4A will have just 36 schools. Louisburg is still expected to be in 4A for the foreseeable future.

However, several schools across the state made classification changes.

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Arkansas City and Sumner Academy dropped from Class 5A to 4A for the upcoming season, while Galena, Hugoton and Marysville all moved up to 4A. Maize South jumped from 4A to 5A.

Colby , Goodland, Scott City and Haven all dropped from 4A to 3A schools, while McLouth moved up from 2A to 3A.

Hays is currently the largest 4A school with 791 students, followed by Sumner Academy (782), Andover Central (764), Bonner Springs (762) and Arkansas City (757).

Sub-state and regional assignments for the fall season will be released in the coming days.

Louisburg senior David Holiday sends a pass across the field Thursday during the Wildcats’ match with Eudora. Holiday scored a goal and had an assist in Louisburg’s 8-0 win over the Cardinals.

Once the opening whistle sounded, the Louisburg High School boys soccer team was off and running.

Sophomore Landon Johnson received a quick pass and he sent the ball over to senior teammate Christian Scholtz, who scored Louisburg’s first goal 20 seconds into the match Thursday against Eudora.

It was a sign of what was to come for Scholtz and the rest his Wildcat teammates.

Louisburg pelted Eudora with seven more goals and rolled to an 8-0 victory at Wildcat Soccer Stadium. The Wildcats didn’t score again until the eight minute mark in the first half, but once that happened, the flood gates opened.

“I think we played well and we came out quick,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “Getting a goal in the first 20 seconds really set the tone. We had lots of chances to start, but we just couldn’t bury one early. We just pushed through, and once the outside midfielders started figuring out where they needed to be, we started exposing them on the outside. They tried to take away the middle with their formation, but they left the outside open and we were able to run for days. We had a good showing and the boys were able to find feet and that helps tremendously.”

Scholtz was a big part of the Wildcats’ positive result as he had his best performance of the young season. The Louisburg midfielder finished with four goals as he gave the Cardinals fits on the outside.

“Quite honestly, he could have had quite a few more if I could have gotten him to sprint in that first half,” Conley said. “In the second half, he started getting after it a lot more and he just had free run after free run. We told him he was going to have a big day if he could make that run and the second half he was just on fire.”

The Wildcats (6-1) had plenty of chances on goal throughout the game as they tallied 34 shots on the night and had seven corner kick opportunities.

Those shots started finding the back of the net late in the first half as sophomore Eli Minster scored to make it 2-0 with eight minutes left before halftime.

It David Holiday’s turn as he was able to make an impact off the bench. Holiday, who was injured early on in the year, scored his first goal of the season to make it 3-0.

Holiday then returned the favor a minute later when he sent a pass that set up Scholtz’s second goal of the evening to earn the assist and help give Louisburg a 4-0 lead at halftime.

“He has been hurt for quite some time,” Conley said of Holiday. “We babied him a little bit coming back for the first couple games and then we threw him to the wolves against Baldwin. This time he was just part of the rotation doing his thing. This is as fit as he has been and he is a smart kid that reads it and he had a good night.”

Scholtz continued his big night early in the second half when he scored back-to-back goals to earn the hat trick. Johnson followed with a goal of his own to make it 7-0 with 35 minutes left in the match.

Louisburg midfielder Jarod Rose heads the ball away from the Eudora goal Thursday at Wildcat Soccer Stadium.

Senior Grant Ryals put the game on ice as he converted a penalty kick after being taken down in the box. Fellow senior Brock Bila did a good job of finding his teammates with three second half assists, while Johnson had two assists on the night and Ryals had one.

The defense protected the Wildcats’ big lead as they earned the shutout, and goalies Ambrose Stefan and Dalton Ribrody combined on the clean sheet.

“We were incredibly unselfish and I think that is something that we can build on,” Conley said. “It is the way we have to play, and with the system we have and if we play that way, we are going to be tough to stop.

“Ambrose made a couple big saves and the defense played well. I thought Ryan (Haight) did a great job marking their best player and he didn’t have many touches at all in the first half. It was a team win for sure and the kids played their butts off.”

The Wildcats will try and make it three wins in a row tonight when it travels to Bonner Springs. The varsity match is slated to begin at approximately 6 p.m.

Louisburg senior Grant Ryals puts a shot on goal Thursday during the Wildcats’ match with Baldwin at Baldwin High School. The Wildcats used a late goal to pull away for a 2-1 victory over the Bulldogs.

BALDWIN CITY – For the first time this season, Louisburg boys soccer coach Kyle Conley got a chance to see how his team would respond to a loss.

Although Conley wasn’t pleased with the style of play at times during Thursday’s match against Baldwin, he – and the rest of the Wildcats – will certainly take the result.

Louisburg got a late goal from Brock Bila that broke open a tie game and the Wildcats got a 2-1 win at Baldwin High School. The victory also pushed the Wildcats’ record to 5-1 on the season as they continued their strong start after a disappointing loss to De Soto last Tuesday.

“I think we struggled a little bit with the time change and playing first,” Conley said. “We struggled to handle their possession in the first half. To be honest, Baldwin dominated the first half in possession. We talked about their possession and how they will possess a ton, but we needed to limit their dangerous scoring opportunities. I was not overly pleased with how much we allowed them to possess because it really challenged out fitness.

“It was great to see how gritty and tough our kids were. The second half, the game really opened up and allowed us to possess the ball a little bit and attack them. It was a great team effort. It was not the prettiest game for us by any means, but sometimes you need to win the ugly ones too.”

The Wildcats got the scoring started early as sophomore midfielder Landon Johnson found the back of the net to give Louisburg a 1-0 lead. From there, Baldwin really put the pressure on the Wildcat back line.

Baldwin gave the Louisburg defense a test early as it put several shots on goal. The Bulldogs outshot Louisburg 13-11 and kept goalie Ambrose Stefan busy. Late in the first half, Stefan kept Louisburg on top with a diving save right in front of the net.

Louisburg goalie Ambrose Stefan makes a diving stop at the net Thursday against Baldwin.

As time was ticking down before halftime, Stefan was awarded a yellow card as he tried to stop a Baldwin player from breaking free toward the goal. Baldwin converted the penalty kick and the two teams were tied at halftime.

Despite that, the Wildcats got good play from its back line of Will Frank, Kris Light, Kyle Allen and Scott Murphy.

“The defense was pretty solid the entire match,” Conley said. “They did a variety of things to us to try to change our focus, but the boys stayed positive and did a very nice job of doing their job and playing as a team. I was very proud of their grit and determination.

“That play at the end of the half with Ambrose was very interesting, because neither official actually called the original foul, but in the end I believe it was the right call. I was really excited how the boys responded and actually picked their game after the call. Our mental toughness was very apparent.”

Baldwin shifted its formation to a 3-5-2 in the second half to put more pressure on Louisburg, but instead, the Wildcats used the Bulldogs’ aggressiveness to their advantage. With a minute left in regulation, senior Raistlin Brewer fed the ball to Bila who shot it past the Baldwin keeper for the game-deciding goal.

“That formation actually helped us counter attack them,” Conley said. “Baldwin was pushing so many people into the attack, that it actually made our counter-attacking style more effective. The game was kind of at a point where it could go either way. I was just extremely proud of how the boys fought and finished the game.”

Louisburg was set to have a busy week as it was scheduled to have three games in four days. Unfortunately, the Wildcats’ game tonight with Piper has been postponed, which will lighten their load a little bit.

Still, the Wildcats will host Eudora at 6 p.m., Tuesday and then travel to Bonner Springs for a match Thursday.

“We will be prepared for each and every game and it will show us, and everyone else, how mentally tough we are,” Conley said. “The expectation is that we will play incredibly hard regardless who we play. This week will show us what we are made of. It is really big week for us.”

De Soto downs Louisburg in overtime for first loss

It had all started out so promising for the Louisburg boys soccer team last Tuesday against De Soto.

Louisburg had jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first half and appeared to have taken control of the match.

De Soto had other plans, however. De Soto answered with two goals in the second half to force overtime, and in the extra time, scored another to come away with a 3-2 win over Louisburg. The loss was the Wildcats’ first defeat of the season.

“Once again, in the second half, we just didn’t come ready to go,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “We couldn’t execute, couldn’t find feet and we just didn’t play well. We gave up two really soft goals, but that third goal was just a lazer. Kudos to them. Their backup goalie came in and did his job and made some huge saves against us. We just struggled to put them away.”

Senior Christian Scholtz heads the ball near the goal last Tuesday against De Soto.

The match started off well for Louisburg as it got on the board early. Senior midfielder Grant Ryals sailed a pass that traveled close to 50 yards, landed right in front of forward Brock Bila and Bila put it past the De Soto goalie for an early 1-0 lead.

Senior midfielder Christian Scholtz struck again two minutes later as Scholtz scored his first goal of the season to put Louisburg up 2-0.

In the second half, De Soto score a pair of goals to tie the match, but both teams had a chance to take the lead late in regulation. With 17 minutes left in the second half, Ryals took a shot near the top of the box that hit off the top of the cross bar, hit the De Soto goalie and rolled out.

Junior Eli Minster and Bila both had shots saved on diving stops, but the Wildcats couldn’t get back on top. De Soto had a hard time as well as the Wildcat defense turned the De Soto opportunities away, which eventually forced overtime.

De Soto’s Rohan Singh sent a line drive into the upper right corner of the net three minutes into the overtime to give De Soto the win.

Louisburg junior Eli Minster runs to celebrate with his teammates after he scored the go-ahead goal in the second half Thursday against Spring Hill to help the Wildcats to a 2-1 win at Spring Hill High School.

SPRING HILL – Eli Minster started on the bench and finished Thursday’s match with Spring Hill as one of the defenders.

In between that time, Minster came up with two of the biggest goals for the Louisburg boys soccer team so far this season – and as it turned out – were his first varsity scores.

The Louisburg junior found the back of the net to give the Wildcats a halftime lead, but after Spring Hill tied the match, Minster responded with another goal midway through the second half to give the Wildcats a 2-1 road win in Spring Hill.

The victory also pushed Louisburg’s record to 4-0 on the season and the Wildcats have won three consecutive Frontier League contests.

“It was a huge win,” Minster said. “It is the first time we have been 4-0 in a long time and Spring Hill has always been a tough match for us. It feels really good.”

It was a match that featured several momentum swings and it started with the Wildcats. Minster opened the scoring on a pass from senior midfielder Grant Ryals as he was able to slot it past the Spring Hill keeper.

Louisburg controlled the possession in the first half and several of its 12 shots on goal came before halftime. The Wildcats got the wake-up call it needed before the match even started after the junior varsity team was shut out.

“We stepped up a little bit and played with a little passion and heart,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “We got after the junior varsity a little bit after they got beat 5-0 and I told the varsity boys that this can happen to them to if they don’t come ready to play. Our league is too good to take a night off.

“We had a chip on our shoulder coming in. As good of a season as we had last year, we could only tie Spring Hill, and they wanted to check things off the list that the team last year didn’t do and make their own destiny. It was a big win for sure.”

Spring Hill wasn’t about to go quietly as the Broncos put the pressure on the Wildcats in the second half. With 26 minutes left in the contest, Spring Hill tied the game on a header off a corner kick.

The Broncos took the momentum back – well – for at least six minutes anyway.

Minster saved the day once again as he got pass from junior Eric Vazquez near the top of the box and he put a shot on goal that went just past the outstretched arms of the Spring Hill goalie and put Louisburg up with 20 minutes left in the match.

“We were able to counter just enough and push forward,” Conley said. “We countered some more and God bless Eli Minster. We were having a tough time breaking down and coming back to the ball and Eli figured it out. He was just beating them to the spot. He had two huge goals for us and the second one might be the goal of his life.

“It was just a fantastic finish. It was a well-played game and I think most of the game was played between the 18’s. They had a few more threats in the second half and we had a few more in the first. Hats off to Spring Hill because they played hard.”

Louisburg defender Scott Murphy tries to clear the ball away from a Spring Hill player Thursday.

As for Minster, he had no idea his goal even went in as he went face first into the turf after taking the shot.

“The second one I didn’t think it was going to go in,” he said. “I just hit the ground, got up and saw it went in. It just feels so good to be able to help the team out and contribute.”

The Louisburg defense faced its toughest challenge so far this season as the Wildcats survived 12 corner kicks from Spring Hill and goalie Ambrose Stefan made a clutch save near the net in the final minutes to secure the win.

Kris Light, Scott Murphy, Kyle Allen and Will Frank – along with Jarod Rose and Minster – helped keep the Broncos at bay on the back line. Defensive midfielders Ryan Haight and Ryals also had their hands full marking the Broncos’ top scorers.

“It was the first time we have truly been tested in the back,” Conley said. “We for sure lived up to the motto ‘Bend don’t break.’ We bent pretty hard, and I thought we might snap a couple times, but the boys did a heck of a job and played their hearts out. It was a team win.”

Louisburg will try to make it five straight Tuesday when it hosts De Soto, which is currently 2-2 on the season.

“It should give us another confidence boost, but we just have to look toward De Soto and keep moving forward,” Minster said.

Louisburg sophomore Ryan Haight heads the ball away from a Paola defender Tuesday in Louisburg. Haight and the Wildcats rolled to a 4-0 victory over the Panthers and are 3-0 to start the season.

Winning doesn’t always come easy, but it has so far for the Louisburg High School boys soccer team and it continued Tuesday against Paola.

The Wildcats picked up their third consecutive win on the season as they scored three first half goals to knock off the Panthers, 4-0, and Louisburg picked up its second Frontier League win in the process. In its three wins to start the season, Louisburg has outscored its opponents 19-1 and now has back to back shutouts.

Louisburg also handed Paola its first loss on the season, in which the Wildcats put the Panthers in a hole early and Paola didn’t have an answer.

“Paola is a team that was playing really well and had a couple of really nice wins under their belt,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “I think it is very impressive how the boys came out to start the game. We played quick and attacked. Paola was getting on teams early and we stressed how imperative it is for us to come ready to play. We did a very nice job executing and taking advantage of what they gave us.”

Opportunities were aplenty early in the first half and the Wildcats were able to find the back of the net often.

Junior Brock Bila, who finished the game with two goals, scored first as he received a pass from sophomore Landon Johnson into the box and shot it past the Paola goalie for the lead.

Moments later, it was Jarod Rose’s turn. Senior Grant Ryals sent a booming kick from midfield into the box, where Rose beat a Paola defender and the goalie for his first varsity goal and the Wildcats took a 2-0 lead less than 15 minutes into the contest.

“Brock is off to a great start thus far for us,” Conley said. “It was also really good to see Jarod get that goal. He has been getting really close for us the past couple games. It was great to see all of his hard work pay off. Jarod is a testament to what a kid with a great work ethic and hard work can achieve.”

Midway through the first half, senior Raistlin Brewer took a pass from Eli Minster for the Wildcats’ third score and all but sealed the win for Louisburg.

Defender Kris Light heads the ball away from the goal Tuesday against Paola.

Senior goalie Ambrose Stefan picked up his second consecutive shutout as the Wildcat defense allowed Paola only five shots on goal and Stefan had four saves. The back line of Kyle Allen, Kris Light, Scott Murphy and Will Frank didn’t give up many Panther attacks.

“Our defense is improving each and every day,” Conley said. “We are still trying to gel as a unit, but I am very pleased with how we are playing right now. We have not been truly tested to this point. The (upcoming) game against Spring Hill will show us where we are as a team and how our defense ranks up.”

Conley also liked what he saw out of sophomore Ryan Haight and his defensive midfield spot. Haight, along with Ryals, were marked up on Paola’s top scorers and didn’t allow many possessions on the defensive side of the field.

“Ryan was fantastic,” Conley said. “He was responsible for taking away their best player and he did exactly that. Ryan and Grant Ryals are playing really, really well right now. I am pleased with how they are working together and playing off of one another.”

Louisburg will try and keep its undefeated season going tonight when it travels to Spring Hill. The varsity match is set to begin at approximately 6 p.m.

Louisburg senior Jarod Rose wins a 50-50 ball from a Fort Scott player during the Wildcats’ season opener on Aug. 29. Rose and the Wildcats got their first road win of the season Thursday with a 4-0 win over Ottawa.

Two days after coming off an easy win in its opener, the Louisburg High School boys soccer team faced its first road test of the season Thursday in Ottawa.

It may not have been pretty at times, but the Wildcats put it together in the final 50 minutes as they cruised to a 4-0 victory over Ottawa and captured their first Frontier League victory.

“We started out playing very flat and selfish,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “After about the first 20-30 minutes we played much better and moved the ball very well! We played with a massive amount of energy and at a high pace.

“I think our midfield was the key and we finally finished some of our opportunities. I think it was important that we played a complete game and controlled the flow of the game.”

A big piece of that midfield was sophomore Landon Johnson as he was involved in each of the team’s four scores. Johnson finished with a pair of goals and assisted on the other two.

The match was scoreless just before halftime as Johnson made a pass to senior Raistlin Brewer. The Louisburg senior then found the back of the net to give the Wildcats the lead.

Louisburg (2-0) doubled that lead just three minutes later as Johnson scored his first goal of the night, which gave the Wildcats momentum going into halftime.

About 10 minutes into the second half, Louisburg struck again as junior Brock Bila made it 3-0 off an assist from Johnson. Bila has now scored six goals in two games after his big performance earlier in the week against Fort Scott.

Johnson sealed the win late in the second half with his second goal as the Wildcats left Ottawa with two-game winning streak.

The Louisburg defense limited Ottawa’s chances to just six shots on goal and goalie Ambrose Stefan earned his first shutout of the season with five saves.

Louisburg returns to action tonight when it hosts undefeated Paola. Junior varsity will play a shortened game at 4:30 p.m. and varsity will begin at approximately 5:30 p.m.

JV wins first two games to start season

The Louisburg junior varsity has done its best to mimic the varsity players as the Wildcats opened their season with a pair of wins, as well.

Most recently, Louisburg defeated Ottawa 3-0 on Thursday behind goals from Deven Wieland, Jacob Andersen and Eli Minster. Treston Carlson, Haden Yeager and Minster each added assists as well.

Sophomore goalie Thomas Arnett earned the shutout for the second straight game.

The Wildcats had an easy time in their opener on Aug. 29 as they rolled Fort Scott, 6-0.

Minster led Louisburg with three goals as he recorded his first hat trick and Andersen found the back of the net twice. Eric Vazquez finished the contest with a goal and an assist, while Minster, Andersen and Carlson each had an assist.

Louisburg junior Brock Bila makes a Fort Scott defender miss before one of his five goals Tuesday during the Wildcats’ season opener against the Tigers. The Wildcats rolled to an 11-1 win. 

Brock Bila hasn’t had a lot of time to acclimate himself to the Louisburg High School boys soccer program.

The transfer from Blue Valley Northwest is in his first year with the Wildcat team, but all that didn’t seem to bother Bila during Louisburg’s season opener against Fort Scott.

Bila, a forward, scored five goals and helped the Wildcats to an 11-1 win over the Tigers on Tuesday in Louisburg. It was a great start for the Wildcats and their newcomer.

“Brock has been working really hard to figure out our system and expectations of his position,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “He did have quite the debut. He did a very nice job making adjustments and playing unselfish towards the middle to end of the game. He is still learning and will still improve quite a bit throughout the season.”

Bila was one of many positives for the Wildcats in their opener as they took the attack to Fort Scott and never let up. Louisburg scored four second half goals, but it really picked up the pace in the second half as it scored seven times to end the game with the mercy rule.

“It is always a great feeling to start the season off with a win,” Conley said. “I felt we started off playing a little uptight and nervous. I felt we forced the issue a little bit and kids were trying to do too much. After about the first 20 minutes of the game we settled down and started to play our game. We moved the ball and made a lot of diagonal runs. I was pleased with the adjustments we made throughout the game and how we played together and as a unit.”

The Wildcats (1-0) got good play out of its midfield as four different players scored from that spot. Sophomore Landon Johnson scored a pair of goals, while seniors Grant Ryals, Raistlin Brewer and junior Jacob Anderson also found the back of the net.

Senior defender Kyle Allen also got in on the scoring fun with the game’s second goal in the first half. Senior Jarod Rose, junior Eli Minster, Johnson, Ryals and Andersen each added an assist as well.

Louisburg sophomore Ryan Haight slides in to take the ball away Tuesday against Fort Scott.

Louisburg accomplished all this with having several players out due to injury and Conley liked what saw from his team overall.

“I felt that the boys played as a unit and played hard,” Conley said. “With being short on substitutes because of injuries, we are playing with more of a next man up attitude. I felt that Ryan Haight played really, really well. He seemed to be all over the field making plays. Grant did a very nice job controlling the pace of play starting our possession.”

Bila got the scoring started with a goal eight minutes into the contest and Allen followed it up with another goal just a few minutes later. Brewer had the game’s third goal after he ended up with a rebound off a header from Eric Vazquez near the net and put it away.

Ryals then took a free kick from just outside the box and scored to make it a 4-0 game at halftime.

The Wildcats seemed to put it altogether in the second half as Bila scored four times along with two goals from Johnson and another from Andersen. Johnson’s second goal envoked the mercy rule.

“We really made a lot of adjustments at halftime and talked about the looks we need to see,” Conley said. “The kids did a very nice job listening and letting the ball do the work. I feel that was one of the best aspects for us to take away from that game. We did a very nice job adjusting to their style of play and we took advantage of what they gave us.”

Louisburg will try for its second consecutive win Thursday when it travels to Ottawa for its first road contest. Junior varsity will begin at 4:30 p.m. and varsity will follow at 6.

Louisburg High School senior Grant Ryals changes directions with the ball during the team’s scrimmage Friday. Ryals, along with fellow senior Kris Light and Scott Murphy, were named team captains for the upcoming season.

The season for the Louisburg High School boys soccer team might have ended with a pair of losses, but even with that, the Wildcats had the best finish in program history.

Louisburg came in fourth in the Class 4-1A state tournament last season in Topeka and left a lot within the program feeling good about they accomplished.

That feeling has since faded as the Wildcats are more focused on making a second consecutive trip to state this coming season. The players know the road to state is going to be more difficult this time around.

“Last year has given us the confidence to get back there, but we have to fight for what we have,” senior Kris Light said. “Everyone else is going to come for us after placing at state, so we have to uphold what we had last year. Every game is going to be a challenge.”

The Wildcats lost seven seniors off of last season’s team, including a trio of all-state players in midfielder Noah Juarez and defenders Jacob Benne and Curran Conklin. Despite that, Louisburg will suit up 10 seniors this year, including several players who played big roles on last season’s team.

Despite the loss of Juarez, Louisburg hopes to form a strong midfield with seniors Grant Ryals, Raistlin Brewer, Christian Scholtz, junior Eric Vazquez, and sophomores Ryan Haight and Landon Johnson.

Ryals, who was named team captain along with Light and Scott Murphy, returns to lead the Wildcats after earning first team all-Frontier League honors last season and was named second team all-state. Johnson was also selected honorable mention all-league.

“I think this group has a chance to be very special, but unfortunately with injuries, there are going to have to be some changes,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “When healthy though, I think this group will be as good as any midfield that we go against. If these young men stay within themselves and play the system, I honestly feel that we will be a very, very dangerous team.”

Louisburg senior Ambrose Stefan returns as the Wildcat starting goalkeeper.

Louisburg will also feature a lot of experience on the defensive side of the ball. Light and Murphy, both seniors, return to lead the Wildcat back line. Senior goalie Ambrose Stefan also returns for his second year as a starter in the net.

Light and Stefan both earned all-state and all-league honors last season. Seniors Kyle Allen, Jarod Rose and sophomore William Frank hope to fill the void left by Conklin and Benne and Conley knows his defense will be another strength the Wildcats can rely on.

“Unlike last year’s team, we are actually returning some defensive players,” Conley said. “Having some experience in the back definitely helps with the learning curve. We will also have several inexperienced players in the back so communication will be vital. I think losing Curran and Jacob are going to be really hard to replace because they literally shout the outside of the field down.

“With the young men we have filling those roles their work ethic is second to none. It will take some time for us to gel as a unit, but we will be a very determined and fit defense. The expectation is that Ambrose will be even better this year, after his breakout year last year.”

In his second year on defense, Murphy said his group knows what it will take to be successful this year.

“We lost some really good outside backs, but I think we have the kids to step up and take care of those spots,” Murphy said. “Communication is the most important thing. If we are not talking and organized, then we are going to give up goal after goal. I learned that my sophomore year. We didn’t talk a lot and we lost a lot of games because we didn’t know what was going on.”

Raistlin Brewer is one of 10 Louisburg seniors this season.

Juniors Eli Minster, Brock Bila and Chris Williams will man the forward spot as the Wildcats begin their journey toward another state tournament appearance.

‘Making it to state was huge for this year,” Ryals said. “We actually saw a rise in attendance and we actually had to make cuts for the first time in a few years. We did lose a lot of seniors, but we also had a lot of juniors, sophomores and a freshman that started for us last year. It gives us a lot of confidence going into the season.

“If we could make it to state again for the second year in a row, I think that would be a huge accomplishment. Our goal is to definitely get a regional championship first, and after that, take it game by game.”

After leading Louisburg to its best finish in school history in just his first season with the program, Conley is excited to see what is in store for his second year.

“I think this team will have a big target on our back,” Conley said. “We will not be able to sneak up on anyone like we did last year. I expect each and every night will be a dog fight. I anticipate us to get everyone’s best shot. We will have a team goal of a regional championship. We will have some additional goals, but with the caliber of teams we play and that are in our league, we will have our work cut out for us.”

Louisburg opens its season Tuesday when it hosts Fort Scott. Junior varsity will play first at 4:30 p.m. and varsity will follow at approximately 6 p.m.

Louisburg senior Dalton Ribordy makes a save during the team’s intrasquad scrimmage Friday. The Wildcats open their season Tuesday at home against Fort Scott.

The Louisburg High School boys soccer team hit the field for a tune-up Friday during the team’s annual scrimmage at the Wildcat Sports Complex.

The Wildcat varsity went up against the junior varsity during the first 40 minutes of the match, before dividing into teams for the second half.

Here are some photos from the action. Louisburg will face Fort Scott in its season opener Tuesday in Louisburg.

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