LA CYGNE — It was a dominant showing for the Louisburg cross country teams last Thursday at the Ramsey Invitational, held at Prairie View High School, as the Wildcat girls claimed the team title and the boys brought home a runner-up plaque.

Led by a strong pack of underclassmen and top-10 finishes from four runners, the Louisburg girls captured the team championship with 24 points, outpacing second-place Fort Scott, who finished with 52.

Freshman Karissa Williamson was the individual star of the day, winning the girls race in 21 minutes, 59 seconds. Fellow freshman Maddox McGhee was just steps behind in second place with a time of 22:04, giving the Wildcats a powerful 1-2 punch up front.

“On the girls side, we continue to improve individually which is really helping the team aspect of our sport,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “The girls are working together at the beginning of the race well and then moving when needed to improve our team place.”

Sophomore Hailey Shelton placed fifth in 22:40, and junior Talen McMurray crossed the line eighth in 23:30. Rounding out the team scoring were Reese Smith (13th, 23:50), Felicity Allen (14th, 23:55), and Annie Hornberger (17th, 24:34), giving Louisburg a deep and balanced performance that secured the victory.

The Wildcat boys also made a strong statement, finishing second overall with 35 points, just behind Jayhawk-Linn, who won the meet with 24.

“On the boys side, we are also improving individually, and our young runners are gaining experience and momentum as we move towards the end of the season,” Reece said.

Louisburg had four runners place in the top 10, led by Levi Cotter, who finished fourth with a time of 18:53. Truman Ellison (6th, 19:02) and Titus Ellison (7th, 19:05) packed in close behind, while Spencer Mattison rounded out the top 10 with a ninth-place finish in 19:41.

August Meyer placed 18th in 21:41 and Matthew Lien took 26th in 23:21 to complete the team scoring.

It was a successful day for the Wildcat program, with both squads earning hardware and showcasing the depth and potential that could make for an exciting postseason run.

“Even though this is a smaller meet, we performed very well,” Reece said. “Both teams earning a plaque was outstanding.”

Louisburg is back in action this Thursday as it travels to Topeka for the Perry-Lecompton Invitational. Events begin at 5 p.m.

WELLSVILLE — The Louisburg cross country teams continued to make strides last Thursday at the Wellsville Invitational, with the Wildcat girls turning in one of their strongest performances of the season.

Louisburg placed third overall in the girls team standings with 81 points, finishing just eight points behind meet champion Paola in a tightly contested race. Four Wildcat runners earned medals, led by standout freshman Maddox McGhee, who crossed the line in 10th place with a time of 22:21.

Another freshman, Karissa Williamson, wasn’t far behind, securing a 15th-place finish in 22:56. Sophomore teammates Hailey Shelton (19th, 23:22) and Reese Smith (22nd, 23:45) rounded out the medal-winning performances for the Wildcats.

“Maddox has been a force to bed reckoned with so far,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “Both her and Karissa are crushing it. Even though we were a touch off on our race execution at Wellsville, she turned an awesome second and third mile to move well up in the standings and lead the team. All the girls worked hard and were rewarded with season bests or matched their best times so far.”

Annie Hornberger (35th, 24:37) and Talen McMurray (36th, 24:44) provided strong support in the team scoring, while Felicity Allen finished 40th in 25:05 to cap off the varsity effort.

“The girls’ team finish was a testament to their execution of the coach’s crazy plan to run a tempo type race as we had just raced on Saturday at Wamego,” Reece said. “A short turn around after Wamego is not ideal so we utilize the day to learn how we race instead of just racing again and hope for the best.”

On the boys side, the Wildcats had two individual medalists. Junior Titus Ellison led the team with a 23rd-place finish in 19:35, and junior Spencer Mattison was close behind in 25th with a time of 19:43. Junior Levi Cotter narrowly missed out on a medal, placing 26th in 19:47.

Freshman August Meyer finished 40th in 21:18, while junior Truman Ellison (48th, 22:15) and freshman Matthew Lien (56th, 23:23) also contributed solid performances for the boys’ squad.

“Some of the boys were working a tempo like the girls team and also showed positive results and medaled in the process,” Reece said. “Spencer was coming off of some illness and put in a great performance to get back in the groove. We put together all six runners to field a varsity team and we are proud of how the freshman boys, August and Matthew, stepped up and answered the call to the next level.”

Louisburg is back in action Thursday as it travels to the Prairie View Invitational. Races begin at 3:30 p.m.

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week three of the fall sports season, sponsored by IronHorse Family and Cosmetic Dentistry.

MADDOX MCGHEE, FRESHMAN, CROSS COUNTRY

Louisburg’s Maddox McGhee is off to a great start in her Wildcat cross country career. The Louisburg freshman has medaled in all three races so far this season and that continued last Thursday as she medaled 10th at the Wellsville Invitational in a time of 22 minutes and 21 seconds. She also helped the Wildcat girls to a third place team finish.

Earlier in the season, McGhee also medaled at the competitive Wamego Invitational where she took 39th out of 119 runners and opened the season with a medal at the Jerry Howarter Invitational in Garnett.

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

Previous winner:

Week 1: Owen Marsh

Week 2: Caileigh Kilgore

WAMEGO — Facing off against some of the toughest competition in the state, the Louisburg cross country teams made the trip west on Saturday to take part in the annual Wamego Invitational, held on the Kansas state meet course at Wamego Country Club.

Despite the deep and talented field, freshman Maddox McGhee rose to the occasion for the Wildcat girls, earning the team’s lone medal of the day. McGhee finished 39th overall with an impressive time of 22 minutes, 12 seconds, navigating the hilly course with poise in one of the largest meets of the season.

“Once again we went to Wamego and slayed the dragon,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “What a course it is. The girls ran a solid race and Maddox earning a medal was fantastic. Getting the opportunity to race the state course is a huge benefit if we make it back in November.”

Fellow freshman Karissa Williamson was the next Wildcat to cross the finish line, placing 57th in 22:59, while Reese Smith took 73rd with a time of 23:48. Rounding out the varsity squad were Hailey Shelton (87th, 24:34), Annie Hornberger (93rd, 24:54), Talen McMurray (101st, 25:32), and Felicity Allen (110th, 26:12).

On the boys’ side, Truman Ellison led the way for Louisburg, narrowly missing out on medal honors. The junior finished 45th overall in 18:48, holding strong in the second half of the race.

Juniors Titus Ellison and Levi Cotter weren’t far behind. Titus crossed in 65th place in 19:35, while Cotter followed closely with a 72nd-place finish in 19:45, capping off a solid showing for the Wildcat boys’ squad.

“The boys ran good races and looking at last year’s times, we are improving as a team and the future looks good,” Reece said. “Truman led the way but just missed a medal this year.”

While no team trophies came home, Louisburg gained valuable experience competing against elite programs, and several runners posted season-best times.

The Wildcats will look to continue building momentum as they head into the heart of the season today at the Wellsville Invitational.

GARNETT – The Louisburg cross country team — as a whole — may be young, but many of the Wildcats didn’t show it last Thursday during the Jerry Howarter Invitational at Garnett Country Club.

The Wildcats came home with seven medals, including four on the boys side, while the girls team finished fourth overall out of eight teams. Add in the fact that it was much cooler than normal for the first meet of the season and it was a successful night all around for Louisburg.

“The meet went well on Thursday,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “Can’t ever remember an Anderson County meet with weather like we had. The runners did a great job on the day.”

Junior Truman Ellison paced the boys team as he finished 13^th overall in 18 minutes and 12 seconds and fellow junior, Levi Cotter, medaled 20^th in 19:05. Juniors Spencer Mattison and Titus Ellison also left Garnett with medals as they finished 23^rd and 24^th, respectively.

“The boys ran well and I was pleased with their level of competition that they brought to the meet,” Reece said. “Truman showed that summer running paid off as he ran a solid time to start the season. Our JV boys also ran well and we will look to put together a full team sooner rather than later.”

Louisburg also found success on the girls side as three Wildcats also brough home medals. As team, they finished fourth overall with 108 points. Baldwin won the meet with 39 points and Paola was second with 87.

A pair of freshmen led the way for Louisburg as Karissa Williamson finished 16^th overall in 22:38. Freshman Maddox McGhee was right behind her in 17^th with a time of 22:42.

Sophomore Hailey Shelton also ran away with a medal as she took 29^th in 23:49. Sophomore Reese Smith just missed some hardware as she took 31^st in 24:10 and junior Talen McMurray was 37^th in 24:42. Sophomore Annie Hornberger finished 48^th in 25:53.

“Karissa and Maddox crushed their first high school meet,” Reece said. “It is going to be fun to watch them progress this season. The other varsity girls ran well and we will be there at the end of the season vying for a team qualification for state.”

Louisburg will try and take another step forward Saturday as the Wildcats travel to the Wamego Invitational. Races begin at 8:30 a.m.

The Louisburg cross country team went into the 2024 season with a lot of inexperience overall.

Still, that season ended with a pair of runners at the state meet and growth throughout the roster. Although the Wildcats will be more experienced in 2025, they will still be young.

Louisburg has no seniors on this year’s roster as the Wildcats aim to return to the state meet in Wamego in late October. Juniors Truman Ellison and Levi Cotter represented Louisburg at state last season and will look to guide the Wildcats throughout the year.

Ellison, Cotter and fellow junior Spencer Mattison are the boys’ top three runners from a year ago and are taking more of a leadership role.

“We look to Truman and Levi to lead the team as well as Spencer,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “Since we have no seniors, the juniors will be stepping up to be our leaders. Talen (McMurray) is setting a positive tone on the girls’ side.”

Along with those top three runners, newcomer Titus Ellison will also join the varsity boys, while Reece hopes August Meyer and Matthew Lien could join them later in the year.

On the girls side, McMurray, Annie Hornberger, Hailey Shelton and Anna Cotter will serve as the top runners to begin the season. Reagan and Reese Smith, Maddox McGhee, Karissa Williamson and Felicity Allen are also vying for varsity spots.

“We have several returners from last year that we look to make an impact,” Reece said. “All those girls are working well we look to them to round out a solid varsity team and challenge each other to be a top seven runner.”

The Wildcats begin their season on Sept. 4 as they travel to the Jerry Howarter Invitational at the Garnett County Club. Events are set to begin at 5 p.m.

Truman Ellison has never been one to back down from challenge, and running is has certainly been one of those.

Ellison, who will be a junior at Louisburg, made big strides last season with the Wildcat cross country team. He became one of the team’s top runners and earned a spot at the state meet.

He went up against the state’s best last October in Wamego and Ellison battled rainy and muddy conditions to finish 52^nd overall.

It was a challenge, to be sure, but Ellison was ready for something a little bit bigger – ok – a lot bigger.

Ellison signed up to compete at the Night Hawk 50K at Clinton Lake near Lawrence in late June. It was a 3-lap race around the lake that totaled 31 miles.  It was the type of competition that was not for the faint of heart.

“The thing that made me do it was I wanted to see if I could finish the race,” Ellison said. “I thought it would be a fun adventure and really see what I am capable of. The farthest I had run prior to the race was 18 miles.”

With the sun out prior to the race, Ellison took off on his adventure – one that ended in the dark and rain. Still, he met the challenge head on as completed the race in 8 hours, 6 minutes and 29 seconds.

He was just one of 26 competitors to finish the race in what was a grueling course around Clinton Lake.

“The race went great for me,” Ellison said. “I started out the first lap with high spirits and strong legs. The second lap the back of my ankles started bleeding, and I started feeling tired. Lap 3 went well but my whole body was tired and hurting. Between every lap I took a 10 to 15 minute break and stretched and ate.”

If that wasn’t enough, Ellison also took part in the Miola Madness around Miola Lake in Paola on July 12. It was an ultra-marathon where he crossed the finish line at 1 a.m. the next morning as he completed 24.25 miles.

It is these types of races that Ellison hopes will help him prepare for the upcoming cross country season this fall.

“I feel like this boosted my endurance and ability to push through sore legs and hard races,” Ellison said. “I absolutely love doing this.”

“One of the biggest things I learned during the race is how important it is to stay present. When you start thinking about how many miles are left, it gets overwhelming. But if you focus on the next hill or aid station, you can just keep moving forward.”

Louisburg sophomores Truman Ellison and Levi Cotter competed well Saturday in their first state cross country meet in Wamego.

WAMEGO — When Truman Ellison and Levi Cotter lined up for the Class 4A boys state race Saturday, they were the last competition of the day.

The 4A girls, along with both the Class 1A and 2A races, had already gone and normally going last wouldn’t matter. However, rainy conditions at the Wamego Country Club course left it a muddy mess.

It wasn’t exactly ideal racing conditions, but the Louisburg sophomores made the best of a tough situation.

Both runners finished in the middle of the pack as Ellison took 52nd overall in 19 minutes and Cotter was right behind him in 58th in 19:05.

“Levi and Truman ran well at the state,” Reece said. “For two sophomores to qualify was a great accomplishment. With such a young team this year, this experience gained will benefit the team and individuals over the next few years.”

The race was a difficult one for everyone involved as they had to work around standing water and muddy holes left by runners in the five previous races. Still, Reece liked what he saw from his two competitors.

“The conditions were miserable for all who were there, both athletes and spectators,” Reece said. “Being the last race of the day, the wet areas became mud pits, which could have presented a challenge, but they both embarrassed the conditions and competed well.”

Wamego won the boys Class 4A state championship with 52 points and Buhler was the state runner-up with 66. McPherson junior Caleb Mueller won individual state title in 16:33.

In the Class 4A girls race, Buhler won the state crown with 78 points and Eudora was the state runner-up with 89, just edging out Baldwin, which had 90.

It was a Frontier League dominated race as senior Hanna Keltner won the state title in 19:18 and Baldwin’s Irelyn Kennedy was second in 19:51. Paola freshman Ella Needham was third in 20:00.

OVERLAND PARK — The season isn’t quite over for the Louisburg cross country team — Levi Cotter and Truman Ellison made sure of it.

Both Cotter and Ellison qualified for the state meet after each earned top 15 finishes at the Class 4A regional meet Saturday that was held at Blue Valley Southwest. 

“Levi and Truman ran great races,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “They had a controlled start and were able to move through the field as the race played out. They had to work hard the last 800 as they were in the mix of several runners and had to be top 15 to qualify.”

Prior to the season, the Kansas State High School Activities Association changed how a runner can qualify for state. Previously, it was the top three teams, then the top five individuals that weren’t part of the state qualifying teams.

This season, it is still the top three teams, but runners that are not on state qualifying teams must finish in the top 15. Cotter and Ellison beat out a pack of runners to earn that state bid.

Cotter led the Wildcats as he broke the 18 minute mark and took 12th overall in 17 minutes and 57 seconds.

“I felt like all of the work that I put in throughout the years for running has paid off,” Cotter said. “I felt like I was ready. During the warm-up I was feeling great, too. The course was amazing and I couldn’t have asked for an easier course than that.”

As for Ellison, he was right behind his teammate as he finished 14th overall in 18:02. Both runners earned their first state bid.

“Everyone on the team has been putting in the hard work,” Ellison said. “I’m grateful for my coaches that have pushed me since fifth grade, and it feels like the encouragement and work that I have put in is paying off.

“I feel like I ran an amazing race and was prepared, both physically and mentally. There were many great runners at the meet and the competition was very hard. At first the course was a little bit confusing, but after walking it before the race, I felt like I knew it well. The course had many ups and downs, but it was very fun to race.”

Another sophomore, Spencer Mattison, also ran for the Wildcats and he took 27th overall in 19:08.

On the girls side, the Wildcats had four runners compete and freshman Hailey Shelton led the way in 22:20 and took 31st. Freshmen Annie Hornberger (22:48) and Anna Cotter (23:13) finished 24th and 39th, respectively. 

Sophomore Talen McMurray rounded out the Wildcat lineup in 41st in 23:16.

“The girls did awesome,” Reece said. “All four of them ran PR’s to end their season and gained some great racing experience. We hope to take another step forward next year with such a young group of runners.”

Now Cotter and Ellison will prepare for the Class 4A state meet that will be held this Saturday at the Wamego Country Club. The 4A boys race is scheduled for 12:55 p.m.

“Having run Wamego earlier in the season, I look for them to compete well and leave state with a course PR and maybe an all time PR,” Reece said. “It is going to be a great day.”

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week eight of the fall sports season, sponsored by IronHorse Family and Cosmetic Dentistry.

TRUMAN ELLISON, SOPHOMORE, CROSS COUNTRY

Louisburg sophomore Truman Ellison put together one of his better races of the season Saturday and picked the perfect time to do it. At the Class 4A regional meet on Saturday at Blue Valley Southwest, Ellison qualified for the state cross country meet as he took 14th overall with a time of 18 minutes and 2 seconds. He will join teammate Levi Cotter at state, who also qualified with a top 15 finish.

Ellison has medaled in several meets this season for the Wildcats and will try to do the same this Saturday when both Wildcats runners will travel to Wamego for the Class 4A state meet.

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

Previous Winners:

Week 1: Myles Vohs

Week 2: McKenna Lohse

Week 3: Ashton Moore

Week 4: Levi Cotter

Week 5: Colton Blue

Week 6: Adelyn Moore

Week 7: Brayden Yoder