The Louisburg girls cross country team qualified for state Saturday at the Class 4A regional meet in Baldwin City. Members of the team are (from left) Bree Gassman, Maddy Rhamy, Madison Huggins, Emma Vohs, Lola Edwards, Nova Ptacek and Erin Apple.

BALDWIN CITY — The Louisburg girls cross country team has been no stranger to the state meet in the past half-decade.

It won’t be this year, either.

For the sixth consecutive season, the Lady Cats qualified for the state meet after they finished third at the Class 4A regional meet Saturday at Baldwin Golf Course.

The team of Emma Vohs, Maddy Rhamy, Lola Edwards, Nova Ptacek, Bree Gassman, Erin Apple and Madison Huggins will make their way back to Wamego for the Class 4A meet after a strong performance at regionals.

“It never gets old seeing the joy in the team’s eyes when they hear they qualified for state,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “The girls work hard to accomplish this goal each year, and because of their dedication to their sport, they achieve great things even if they might not make it, but they did. 

“The program has built itself and I’m just glad to be a part of it. Yes, we put together a training plan to accomplish great things at the end of the season, but the runners do the work to get there. It takes self discipline, motivation and guts to be there at the end of the season.”

Like most of the season, Vohs paced the Lady Cats on Saturday and left regionals with some hardware of her own. The Louisburg junior finished fifth overall in 21 minutes to earn an individual medal.

Vohs was just five seconds out of the runner-up spot. Eudora’s Hannah Keltner was the individual champion in 19:59.

“We have worked especially hard this season to make it to state once again, and I couldn’t be more proud of our team for coming out and doing what we needed to do,” Vohs said. “My goals for the state meet is to medal within the top 10 and get our girls up there too so we can take home a state plaque.”

Edwards and Rhamy recorded a pair of top 20 finishes on the day. Edwards was 16th overall in 22:43 and Rhamy was right behind her in 17th in 22:46.

Ptacek and Gassman, who are making their fourth trip to the state meet as seniors, also ran well. Ptacek was 27th in 23:59 and Gassman was 33rd in 25:05.

Huggins finished 35th overall in 25:22 and Apple was 40th with a time of 25:55. 

It was a familiar course for many of the Louisburg runners, which helped them find success once again.

“Baldwin is a great course, and because of that it is one less item that they have to focus on,” Reece said. “There are so many uncontrollable aspects, and knowing the course well helps calm the nerves just a bit.”

It is veteran group that is heading back to the state meet. In fact, Edwards, Rhamy, Ptacek, Gassman and Apple were all a part of the team that finished third two years ago.

Last season, Vohs and Rhamy earned state medals and the Lady Cats are hoping for another strong showing.

“Emma has run well this year and I look for her and the rest of the girls to race well at Wamego,” Reece said. “They train great together and have a strong bond that will take far. The nine girls that attended regionals, even though 2 were alternates, have ran well all season and are amazing to be around. They are positive, determined and goofy all at the same time.”

On the boys side, junior Noah Cotter nearly earned himself a spot at the state meet, but finished one spot away from making it as an individual. 

Cotter took 14th overall in 18:38, while the Wildcat team took sixth with 132 points.

“We talked with Noah about his chances and what he needed to do in the attempt to qualify,” Reece said. “He did just what we talked about and put himself in the top 10, but could not quite hold on at the end. He put himself out there and came up just short. He was very happy with his effort and looks to persevere next year.”

Senior Leo Martin was second on the Wildcat team as he took 27th in 20 minutes, while senior Ethan Ptacek finished 30th in 20:08. Senior Landan Henry was 34th in 20:27.

Sophomores Ben Proctor (21:17) and Steele Smith (22:00) rounded out the Louisburg team in 41st and 47th, respectively.

Louisburg’s Emma Vohs, Noah Cotter and Maddy Rhamy all earned all-league honors following their performance Thursday in the Frontier League Invitational at Wyandotte County Park.

BONNER SPRINGS — Other than the state meet, the Louisburg cross country team won’t see much tougher competitions this season than they did Thursday at its own league meet.

Louisburg traveled to Wyandotte County Park to take part in the Frontier League Invitational, which featured some of the top teams in the state — especially on the girls side.

Teams that include defending state champion Eudora and state runner-up Baldwin, along with a strong Class 5A program in Spring Hill, make the girls race a difficult one.

The Lady Cats held their own as they finished fourth as a team with 108 points. Eudora was first with 27 points, Baldwin was second with 52 and Spring Hill was third with 86.

“We beat Tonganoxie which will be our competition for the third spot to qualify for state this week at regionals,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “With some of the top runners in 4A in our league, it is brutal.”

Louisburg also earned a pair of all-league honors and it all started with Emma Vohs. The Wildcat junior earned first team all-league, while junior Maddy Rhamy was an honorable mention.

Vohs finished fifth overall with a time of 20 minutes and 42 seconds and Eudora’s Hanna Keltner was the league champion in 19:18.

Rhamy ran a 22:21 to finish 19th overall as she worked her way to honorable mention honors. Junior Lola Edwards just missed out on the all-league list as she was 23rd in 22:51. The top 21 in each race earn all-league status.

“The girls continue to compete very well,” Reece said. “Emma ran a strong race and was able to surge away from competitors late in the race to solidify her finishing spot. Maddy also moved through the field to gain all-league honors. Lola just missed out, but she will be there come regionals.” 

The Wildcats had their third all-league recipient in the boys race. Junior Noah Cotter was named as honorable mention as he was 17th in 18:33.

“The boys continue to hold their own and hope to have great races next week to end their season on a high note,” Reece said. “Noah ran strong and got out faster than usual at the beginning of the race, which allowed him to maintain and move up spots in the last kilometer.”

Sophomore Madison Huggins was fourth on the girls team as she finished 32nd overall in 23:52 and senior Nova Ptacek was 35th in 24:00. Junior Erin Apple was 50th in 25:15 and Lila Edwards was 68th in 26:49.

For the boys, the Wildcats finished seventh in the team standings with 158 points and Spring Hill won the league title with 48. Tonganoxie’s Eli Gilmore won the individual league title in 16:06.

Senior Ethan Ptacek was second on the Wildcats as he took 32nd in 19:28. Sophomore Ben Proctor was 44th in 20:01 and senior Landan Henry took 45th in 20:20. Steele Smith rounded out the Louisburg lineup in 20:49 and finished 52nd.

It all comes down to one more race for the Wildcats as they will compete in the Class 4A regional meet Saturday at Baldwin Golf Course. The top three teams will qualify for the state meet next week in Wamego, along with the top five individuals that don’t qualify as a team.

The girls race will kick things off at 10 a.m., with the boys to follow at 10:45.

“The girls are ready to punch their way back to state this year and make another strong showing for their school and sport,” Reece said. “There is a chance that we could get Noah, Leo (Martin) or both to state as individuals for the boys, but that remains to be seen. Either way, it has been a great season with some setbacks, bumps and dings, and finally good weather to end an outstanding season by all.”

Louisburg junior Emma Vohs recorded her fifth top 5 finish of the season Thursday as she took fourth at the Louisburg Invitational at Lewis-Young Park.

Louisburg junior Emma Vohs has found herself in the top five in all four meets she had competed in prior to Thursday’s meet.

Nothing changed in that regard after her race in the Louisburg Invitational. 

Vohs finished fourth overall and she helped the Lady Cats to a runner-up team finish at Lewis-Young Park. Louisburg finished with 49 points and was runner-up to first place Spring Hill, which finished with 26.

Vohs ran a time of 21 minutes and 45 seconds to lead the way for the Lady Cats and she was one of three Louisburg runners to medal on the day.

Junior Maddy Rhamy finished ninth overall in 23:08 and junior Lola Edwards was 10th in 23:10 as each took home hardware. Piper senior Grace Hanson won the meet in 18:36 and Spring Hill freshman Sophie Rivers was second in 21:04.

Senior Nova Ptacek just missed out on the medals for Louisburg as she took 17th in 24:11. Sophomore Madison Huggins was 22nd in 25:10.

Another senior, Bree Gassman, took 24th in 25:50, while junior Erin Apple was 26th in 25:56.

On the boys side, the Wildcats were still without their top runner in Jerynce Brings Plenty and finished fifth as a team with 102 points.

Junior Noah Cotter missed a medal by two spots as he took 17th overall in 19:10 and senior Leo Martin was 19th in 19:37. Senior Ethan Ptacek was third on the team in 25th in 20:12.

Senior Landan Henry (20:16) and sophomore Ben Proctor (20:32) finished 26th and 30th, respectively.

Spring Hill won the boys side as the Broncos finished with 25 points and Paola was second with 70. Spring Hill’s Logan Beckman was the individual champion in 16:50.

The postseason now begins for the Wildcats as they compete in the Frontier League Invitational this Thursday at Wyandotte County Park. Races are set to begin at 4:30 p.m.

Louisburg’s Lola Edwards (left) and Maddy Rhamy both finished in the top 10 on Thursday at the Perry-Lecompton Invitational and helped the Lady Cats to a first place finish.

TOPEKA — The Louisburg girls cross country team has seen improvement throughout the 2022 season, but the Lady Cats put it all together Thursday at the Perry-Lecompton Invitational. 

The Lady Cats won the team title as they edged out Bishop Miege and Tonganoxie for the team crown with 56 points and finished four points in front of Bishop Miege and six points ahead of Tonganoxie.

“With both Tonganoxie and Bishop Miege at the meet, it was nice to finish first and show ourselves that we can better them as they will be at our regional,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “The girls continue to improve and I feel we now have our top seven runners as we move towards the postseason.”

Six of the seven Lady Cat runners earned medals and they were once again led by Emma Vohs. The Louisburg junior finished runner-up with a season-best time of 20 minutes and 18 seconds.

Juniors Lola Edwards and Maddy Rhamy also earned top 10 finishes. Edwards was sixth in 21:22, while Rhamy finished ninth in 21:39.

“Emma continues to race well and her time is showing it,” Reece said.” The course was awesome and the weather was great for fast times by all. Lola and Maddy continue to work well together and will benefit from this as the season progresses.”

Senior Nova Ptacek also earned a medal as she finished 18th in 23:06 and another senior, Bree Gassman, medaled 21st in 23:20. 

Sophomore Madison Huggins also garnered a medal in 30th in 24:23. Junior Erin Apple just missed the medals by one spot as she took 31st in 24:34.

On the boys side, the Wildcats earned three individual medals on their way to a fifth place team finish with 122 points as they were again without their top runner, Jerynce Brings Plenty.

Senior Leo Martin led the Wildcats in 11th overall in 18:12 and junior Noah Cotter medaled 13th in 18:21. Senior Ethan Ptacek also garnered a medal as he was 24th in 19:12.

Senior Landon Henry (20:12) and sophomore Ben Proctor (20:30) finished 36th and 43rd, respectively.

“The boys team continues to improve as a whole,” Reece said. “They are practicing great and are being rewarded for their efforts. We hope to have Jerynce back for league but will wait and see. 

The meet, which was run at Hummer Park in Topeka, provided the runners with an opportunity to improve their times.

“The course at Hummer Park is full of curves and sometimes isolated as it winds through tall grass and trees,” Reece said. “There are a few hills, but no real challenges per se, so it was a fast course.”

Louisburg will take part in its final meet of the regular season as it hosts the Louisburg Invitational this Thursday at Lewis-Young Park. Races are set to begin at 4 p.m.

The Louisburg boys cross country team finished second Thursday at the Ramsey Invitational at Prairie View High School. Members of the team (from left) are Noah Cotter, Ben Proctor, Landan Henry, Ethan Ptacek and Leo Martin.

LA CYGNE — It didn’t have its full complement of runners Thursday, but that didn’t stop the Louisburg boys cross country team from finding success.

Minus its top runner, the Wildcats put together a strong showing as they finished second in the team standings at the Ramsey Invitational at Prairie View High School.

The team of Leo Martin, Noah Cotter, Ben Proctor, Landan Henry and Ethan Ptacek earned 41 points, which was 10 points behind first place Anderson County.

“The boys ran a great team race,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “They worked together, finished strong individually and they were rewarded for it.”

It was much of the same on the girls side as the Lady Cats also finished second in the team standings with 44 points — three points behind first place Prairie View.

Juniors Emma Vohs, Maddy Rhamy and Lola Edwards all finished in the top five for Louisburg, while Nova Ptacek, Bree Gassman and Erin Apple all finished in the top 20.

Vohs took second overall with a time of 21 minutes and 21 seconds. Rhamy was right behind as she medaled third in 22:08 and Edwards medaled fourth in 22:12.

Ptacek was fourth on the team as she took 18th in 24:08 and Gassman was 19th in 24:20. Apple rounded out the Lady Cat lineup in 20th with a time of 24:26.

“It was cool to see Emma, Maddie and Lola finish 2-3-4,” Reece said. “Nova, Bree and Erin were not far back and working together through the race. As we continue to close the gap between runners, we will get stronger as a team.”

Senior Leo Martin led the boys team as he medaled sixth overall in 19:03, which is a career-best finish for Martin.

“Leo continues to improve,” Reece said. “He is working hard in practice and it is really showing. We are feeling great about the boys’ progress this season.”

Junior Noah Cotter also earned a medal for the Wildcats as he was eighth in 19:06. Proctor was 17th for the Wildcats in 20:12, while Ptacek (20:20) and Henry (20:25) were 18th and 19th, respectively.

Louisburg will get back at it this Thursday as it competes at the Perry-Lecompton Invitational, which will be held near Hummer Park in Topeka.

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week three of the fall sports season, sponsored by Dr. Laura’s Orthodontics.

EMMA VOHS, JUNIOR, CROSS COUNTRY

Louisburg junior Emma Vohs is continuing to build off of last season’s state medaling performance as she led the Wildcat girls cross country team to a third place finish last Thursday at the Wellsville Invitational. Vohs ran a time of 21 minutes and 39 seconds and finished fifth overall to earn her second medal on the season.

Vohs, along with teammates Lola Edwards, Maddy Rhamy, Bree Gassman, Nova Ptacek and Erin Apple, finished with 100 points to take third in the nine team 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: Layne Ryals

Week 2: Nathan Vincent

Louisburg junior Emma Vohs finished fifth overall Thursday at the Wellsville Invitational and helped the Wildcat girls to a third place team finish.

WELLSVILLE — For the second time in three weeks, the Louisburg girls cross country team found itself in the upper-half of the team standings.

The Lady Cat runners finished third Thursday at the Wellsville Invitational to earn team medals with 100 points. Louisburg also had four runners earn individual awards, as well.

Juniors Emma Vohs, Lola Edwards and Maddy Rhamy all earned individual medals to help the Louisburg cause.

On the boys side, sophomore Jerynce Brings Plenty garnered an individual medal to lead the Wildcats.

“Wellsville is always a wee bit different for us as we are coming off of a big meet last Saturday at Wamego,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “Racing again on Thursday is tough. We use the meet as a learning tool and do some different race tactics during the run. 

“With that said, the girls executed the tactics very well as shown by their team finish. Emma got out there and ran a great race from start to finish.”

Vohs had a strong race for Louisburg as she was up toward the front for much of it. She finished fifth overall with a time of 21 minutes and 39 seconds.

Edwards and Rhamy ran together for much of the race as well, as both were able to sneak into the medals. Edwards took 24th in 23:21 and Rhamy was 25th in 23:22.

Prairie View’s Bree Allen won the meet with a time of 19:40.

Louisburg senior Bree Gassman was fourth on the Lady Cat team as she took 39th in 24:48. Senior Nova Ptacek was 48th in 25:56 and junior Erin Apple was 52nd in 26:10.

Brings Plenty medaled 11th in 18:15 to lead the Louisburg boys and ran with the leader — Wellsville’s Nash McDaniel — for the first part of the race. McDaniel won in 17:07.

“Jerynce really pressed early on and faded some as racing so close together is difficult,” Reece said. “The team ran well with some stiff competition and gained valuable knowledge from their performances.”  

Junior Noah Cotter took 29th overall and finished in 19:50, while senior Leo Martin was 31st in 20:01. Seniors Ethan Ptacek (20:46) and Landan Henry (20:50) took 40th and 41st, respectively.

Sophomore Ben Proctor was 43rd in 20:56 and junior Max LaJoie took 53rd in 22:19. As a team, the Wildcats finished fifth with 117 points.

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

Louisburg junior Maddy Rhamy led the Wildcats on Saturday at the Wamego Invitational as she finished 19th overall and was one of three Wildcats to leave with a medal.

WAMEGO — The Louisburg cross country teams found themselves in Wamego on Saturday morning — a place where they hope to be in a little more than a month from now.

The Wamego Country Club is the site of the Class 4A state meet and both Wildcats teams have their eyes on getting back there.

However, first they had a tune-up on the state course Saturday as the Wildcats competed at the Wamego Invitational. Some of the top teams across the state ventured to Wamego and several Wildcats more than held their own.

Maddy Rhamy, a junior, led the Wildcat girls as she earned medal with a 19th-place finish in 22 minutes and 6 seconds. 

The Lady Cats, who finished 13th overall, also earned another medal as junior Lola Edwards was 34th out of 102 runners in 22:40.

Senior Bree Gassman finished in 79th in 25:19, while another senior, Nova Ptacek took 82nd in 25:25. Junior Erin Apple finished 89th in 26:20.

“The girls ran well on Saturday,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “Maddy had a solid race finishing 19th and Lola was not far behind. Nova and Bree worked well together throughout the race and looked good at the end. Erin ran a strong race and the group continues to close the time gap between them. “

The Wildcat boys also earned a medal as sophomore Jerynce Brings Plenty finished 31st in 18 minutes and 15 seconds. As a team, Louisburg took 12th overall.

Junior Noah Cotter was 56th in 19:12, while seniors Leo Martin (19:29) and Ethan Ptacek (19:30) were 66th and 68th, respectively, out of 119 runners. Sophomore Ben Proctor took 94th in 20:46.

Senior Landan Henry was 100th in 21:18 and junior Max LaJoie was 107th in 21:44.

“Jerynce ran a great race as did the other boys.” Reece said. “They really ran a smart first mile and worked through the field as the race played out. Ben Proctor really stepped it up and was our No. 5 runner.  We were happy with their performance, but we have our work cut out for us depending on which regional we go to.”

Louisburg will try to improve those times even more Thursday when it competes in the Wellsville Invitational. Races are set to begin at 4 p.m.

Louisburg junior Emma Vohs led the Lady Cats to a second place team finish Thursday at the Garnett Country Club. Vohs also finished fourth overall.

GARNETT — It didn’t take long for the Louisburg girls cross country team to get back in the swing of things.

In its first meet of the season, the Lady Cat runners picked up right where they left off a year ago as they finished second Thursday at the Jerry Howarter Invitational at the Garnett Country Club. 

Juniors Emma Vohs and Maddy Rhamy each recorded top five finishes in a solid start to their season.

“Second as a team for the girls was awesome,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “There were schools at the meet that had not been there the past few years, so it was much stronger competition.”

The boys also found success as they brought home three individual medals, including a top-10 finish from junior Noah Cotter. The Wildcats took fourth as a team.

“All things considered, including the hot weather, the team ran well,” Reece said. “We have a long way to go to postseason races and we feel like the season started off on a good note.”

Vohs paced the Lady Cats to the runner-up performance as she finished fourth overall in 22 minutes and 18 seconds. Rhamy was right behind her in fifth in 22:25.

Junior Lola Edwards also earned a medal as she finished 14th in 23:37.

Senior Bree Gassman just missed out on the medals by one spot as she took 31st in 25:42 and senior Nova Ptacek was 33rd in 26:08. Junior Erin Apple rounded out the Lady Cat team in 50th in 27:47.

As a team, Louisburg recorded 61 points to take second, just one point ahead of third place Prairie View. Baldwin won the meet with 39 points.

“Emma and Maddy ran great races and competed well,” Reece said. “Lola was not far back and was all smiles after her injury riddled season last year. Bree, Nova and Erin will continue to close the time gap between the front runners and we will improve as a team.”

Cotter put together one of his stronger performances as he led the Wildcat boys. The Louisburg junior finished ninth overall in 19:11.

Sophomore Jerynce Brings Plenty earned a medal as he took 14th overall in 19:41, while senior Leo Martin also medaled in 23rd with a time of 20:09.

Senior Ethan Ptacek was 33rd in his first ever cross country race in 20:55 and senior Landan Henry was 39th in 21:18. Junior Max LaJoie took 53rd in 23:06.

As a team, the Wildcats were fourth with 92 points and were just four points back of third. Santa Fe Trail won the meet with 57 points.

“Noah ran a smart first race of the year,” Reece said. “He was controlled through the first mile and worked past runners as the race played out. We look for him to do some great things this year. The rest of the squad also ran strong races. Ethan was introduced to the sport for the first time and walked away with valuable lessons to aid him for the rest of the season. Jerynce was a bit under the weather, but ran well.”

Louisburg will continue to improve its times Saturday as the Wildcats travel to the Wamego Invitational. Races begin at 9 a.m.

Louisburg junior Emma Vohs is the top returning runner for the Wildcat girls cross country team after finishing in the top 10 at state last year. Vohs, along with Maddy Rhamy and Lola Edwards, are returning state medalists.

It was one of those special type of seasons for the Louisburg cross country team last year.

The Wildcats qualified both the boys and girls teams for state. Louisburg left Wamego with four state medals and the girls team finished fifth overall.

Goals haven’t changed for the Wildcats in 2022, but both teams will be forced to replace one of their top runners from a year ago. Still, hopes are high for what they can accomplish.

“It is always tough to see strong runners graduate and move on, but that is the reality of our profession,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “The returners will step up and fill that void, and by adding a couple of new runners to the mix, we might be even stronger.”

On the girls side, the Wildcats will have to replace one of the program’s most accomplished runners in Reese Johnson. She finished her career with three state medals, including a top 20-finish a year ago.

Despite that loss, the Lady Cats are still considered one of the top teams in Class 4A as they are ranked in the top 5 by Kansas MileSplit.

Juniors Emma Vohs and Maddy Rhamy are both state medalists who return from a big year last season. Vohs, who was in her first year of cross country, finished sixth at state and Rhamy earned her second consecutive state medal and took 13th.

Louisburg also returns junior Lola Edwards, who medaled a state as a freshman, but battled injuries as a sophomore.

Seniors Bree Gassman and Nova Ptacek, along with junior Erin Apple, also return from that state team. Newcomers Kate Frederick (junior) and Ashlyn Kuhlman (sophomore) could also see varsity action this year.

“Emma, Maddy, and Lola will be leading the way with Bree and Erin in tow,” Reece said. “Adding Kate and Ashlyn to the mix increases our depth. I hope to instill in them the pack mentality for the first part of the races and then go for it in the second half hopefully together. It will be a great season, and tough as always in the Frontier League.”

On the boys side, the Wildcats lost their top runner from a year ago in Jaden Vohs after he medaled 12th at state.

Louisburg does return experience from that team in sophomore Jerynce Brings Plenty, junior Noah Cotter and senior Leo Martin. Cotter was 40th at state a year ago, while Brings Plenty was the team’s No. 2 runner to Jaden Vohs as a freshman.

The Wildcats also have a newcomer in senior Ethan Ptacek, who made the move to cross country after playing three years of soccer. Senior Landan Henry, junior Max LaJoie and sophomore Ben Proctor will also help out on the varsity squad this year.

“Jerynce is inheriting a leadership role by default, but I know he can step up and handle it,,” Reece said. “He will have huge support from Ethan, Noah and Leo, who all came off of a successful track season. We are also looking for Max, Landon, and Ben to step up as well.”

Louisburg kicks off its season Thursday when it travels to the Jerry Howarter Invitational in Garnett. Races are set to begin at 3:30 p.m.