Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week nine of the fall sports season, sponsored by Edward Jones-Craig Holtzen.
JERYNCE BRINGS PLENTY, JUNIOR, CROSS COUNTRY
Louisburg junior Jerynce Brings Plenty put together a strong performance last Saturday at the Class 4A Kansas State Cross Country Championships in Wamego. Brings Plenty earned his first state cross country medal as he finished 12th overall in 16 minutes and 57 seconds.
It has been quite the season for Brings Plenty as he also worked his way up the school’s all-time leaderboard. He recorded the second fastest time in school history earlier this season and medaled in every race he finished this year. This was Brings Plenty’s second trip to the state meet after qualifying as a freshman.
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.
Brings Plenty, Cotter qualify for state cross country
Louisburg senior Noah Cotter (left) and junior Jerynce Brings Plenty qualified for state Saturday during the Class 4A regional meet in Overland Park.
OVERLAND PARK — Jerynce Brings Plenty and Noah Cotter both had something to prove at the Class 4A regional meet Saturday at Johnson County Community College.
Brings Plenty, who missed this race a year ago due to injury, also had to exit last week’s league race halfway through due to an illness.
Cotter competed at regionals last season, but missed qualifying for state by just one spot. Those adversities fueled both Wildcat runners.
This time around, they found their way to the state meet.
Brings Plenty and Cotter both qualified as individuals for the Class 4A state meet and will represent Louisburg this Saturday in Wamego. Brings Plenty finished as the regional runner-up and Cotter took eighth overall.
“It was great to see Jerynce and Noah continue their incredible season,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “They both are deserving of their qualification for the state meet. Jerynce ran a solid race and maintained his position through two-thirds of the race. He and the Eudora runner were able to break away from other runners which set him up for his second place finish. Noah put himself in the top ten and stayed there the whole race. After just missing last year, Noah knew what had to be done and executed it to a T. It was an awesome race for the two of them.”
Louisburg junior Jerynce Brings Plenty runs next to Eudora’s Zach Arnold on Saturday at Johnson County Community College.
Brings Plenty, who has led Louisburg all season, found himself at the front of the pack the entire race. He ran side by side by Eudora’s Zach Arnold for much of the competition, before Arnold pulled away.
The Louisburg junior took second with one of his better times on the season in 16 minutes and 39 seconds. Arnold was the regional champion in 16:26.
It was a welcome finish for Brings Plenty who had to pull out of the Frontier League meet halfway through with a stomach problem after sitting top three in that race as well.
“I definitely felt really good, especially after I dropped out last week at league,” Brings Plenty said. “I was a little worried with how my gut would do, but I just told myself to come out and have trust in my training and everything I have done all summer. I just wanted to run as hard as I could.”
As for Cotter, he also ran one of his better times on the season in 17:36 to earn the eighth-place finish. Missing out on state a year ago was fresh on his mind.
Louisburg senior Noah Cotter leads a pack of runners downhill Saturday at Johnson County Community College.
“This time was really close and I was cutting it pretty close as I was sitting in 10th for a while,” Cotter said. “I knew what I wanted, and I knew why I was running, so I knew that I could do it and it feels really good to be able to accomplish this.”
On the girls side, senior Maddy Rhamy nearly joined Brings Plenty and Cotter on qualifying for state, but missed the cut by one spot. Rhamy finished 16th overall in 21:38.
The top three teams qualify for state along with the top five individuals on non-qualifying teams.
“Maddy left it all on the course and it was heartbreaking to see her just miss qualifying,” Reece said. “She has been a solid leader for the team over the last four years and we thank her for that. Along with Maddy, Lola (Edwards) and Erin (Apple) will be missed as well. We have great seniors this year and what they have done for our program is priceless.”
Louisburg senior Maddy Rhamy led the girls in 16th overall.
In the team standings, the Wildcat boys finished fifth overall. Freshman Levi Cotter was third on the team with a time 18:42 to take 22nd overall.
Truman Ellison (19:48) and Spencer Mattison (20:28) were 35th and 42nd, respectively. Ben Proctor ran a 20:48 to take 45th and Zac Musil was 57th in 22:53.
On the girls side, the Wildcats took seventh overall. Senior Lola Edwards was 27th in 23:29, while freshman Talen McMurray was right behind her in 28th at 23:31.
Junior Rowan Yows was 41st in 24:52 and senior Erin Apple took 46th in 25:47.
“We had strong races from all of our runners and look for them to continue to work hard during the off season and prepare for track in the spring,” Reece said. “We will return a solid group of sophomores and juniors for next year. We were very happy with the freshman runners, who really stepped it up at the end of the season and put themselves out there in a big regional race. Talen, Levi, Zac, Spencer, and Truman, all freshmen, ran well and we look to them to continue to bring it over the next three years.”
Brings Plenty and Cotter will now prepare for their final race of the season this Saturday for the state meet at Wamego Country Club — a course both runners are familiar with. The 4A boys race is set to begin at 10 a.m.
“My goal is to get in that top 10 and see what happens,” Cotter said. “We have already run on the course this year, so that definitely helps knowing what to expect. I am looking forward to it.”
“Honestly, I just want to place as high as I can and just go out and have fun,” Brings Plenty added.
Cotter, Rhamy earn all-league honors at Frontier meet
Louisburg senior Noah Cotter medaled ninth last Thursday at the Frontier League Invitational at De Soto’s Lexington Lake Park. He also earned second team all-league honors.
DE SOTO — It didn’t all pan out like it was supposed to for the Louisburg cross country team Thursday at the Frontier League Invitational, but the Wildcats still had a few things go their way on the Lexington Lake Park course in De Soto.
In what is one of the tougher meets of the season, the Wildcats came away with a pair league honors. Senior Noah Cotter earned a medal and a spot on the all-league team, while senior Maddy Rhamy also found her way to the all-league squad.
“Our teams ran well at league,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “With some of the top 4A teams there, it is always a challenge. The course itself was interesting and the runners seemed to like it.”
Cotter had a strong meet for the Wildcats as he medaled ninth overall in 17 minutes and 57 seconds. That finish put him on the All-Frontier League second team.
“Noah is a competitor,” Reece said. “He ran a great race and was awesome for him to earn All-League honors in his last league race.”
Rhamy battled her way through a talented girls field as she finished 20th in 22:55. That earned her a spot on the honorable mention all-league team.
“The girls have endured lots of obstacles this season,” Reece said. “Maddy earning All-League honors in her last league race shows how hard she has worked this season. I have a feeling she is not done and is looking to return to state one more time.”
Louisburg senior Maddy Rhamy (center) gets out to a good start with teammate Lola Edwards last Thursday in De Soto. Rhamy earned honorable mention all-league honors.
The Wildcats’ top runner, Jerynce Brings Plenty, was sitting third halfway through the competition and would have been the third Louisburg runner to garner all-league honors, but had to exit the race with an injury.
“Jerynce had some abdominal issues and had to drop out after putting himself in a great spot to challenge for top three finish,” Reece said. “Good thing is that the issue went away and he is ready to roll at regionals.”
As for the rest of the boys team, freshman Levi Cotter just missed out on all-league as he took 24th overall in 19:01. Junior Ben Proctor was 38th in 20:27 and freshman Spencer Mattison was 40th in 20:34.
Cameron Jenkins, Conner Forrester and Zac Musil rounded out the Wildcat lineup in 57th, 61st and 65th, respectively. As a team, the Wildcats were sixth with 134 points.
Spring Hill won the league title with 34 points and Tonganoxie was runner-up with 67.
On the girls side, senior Lola Edwards was second on the girls team in 25th with a time of 23:39. Freshman Talen McMurray was 38th in 24:43 and senior Erin Apple was 51st in 25:47.
Lila Edwards finished 59th in 26:59 to round out the Wildcat girls team that took seventh with 165 points. Baldwin won the league crown with 33 points and Eudora was second with 45.
Louisburg will now prepare for the Class 4A regional meet that will be held Saturday at Johnson County Community College. The top three teams will qualify for the state meet, along with the top five individuals of non-qualifying teams.
The girls race will begin at 10:15 a.m., followed by the boys competition.
“We are definitely on the outside looking in when it comes to teams qualifying for state,” Reece said. “We will prepare the best we can and take care of our business and hope that it is good enough to bump a team out. The top finishers in the state, both team and individuals, can be found at our regional. It will be an accomplishment for those who qualify from any of the teams represented.”
Week 7 Athlete of the Week: Noah Cotter
Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week seven of the fall sports season, sponsored by Dr. Laura’s Orthodontics.
NOAH COTTER, SENIOR, CROSS COUNTRY
Louisburg senior Noah Cotter has had a memorable season so far for the Wildcat cross country team and that continued last Thursday. At the Frontier League Invitational that was held at Lexington Lake Park in De Soto, Cotter finished with a league medal as he took ninth overall in 17 minutes and 57 seconds.
With that finish, Cotter earned All-Frontier League second team honors as he led the Wildcat boys’ team. So far this season, Cotter has earned medals in all seven meets and will try and make it eight in a row this Saturday at the Class 4A regional.
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.
Louisburg senior Noah Cotter stays with a Blue Valley Northwest runner Thursday during the Louisburg Invitational. Cotter was one of four Wildcat medalists on the day.
The Louisburg cross country team concluded its regular season Thursday and got to do so on its home course.
The Wildcats hosted the Louisburg Invitational at Lewis-Young Park in one final tune-up before their postseason schedule kicks into high gear. Louisburg was in good form as it ended up with four medals.
In the team standings, both the boys and girls squads finished in fourth place overall.
“It is always a good day when you can host a home meet,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “The community did show up to support the runners, which was nice to see. Our course is deceivingly tough, but the runners did a great job.”
Jerynce Brings Plenty once again led the Wildcat runners. The Louisburg junior was up front throughout much of the race and finished third in 17 minutes and 17 seconds to a pair of Blue Valley Northwest runners.
Senior Noah Cotter ended his final Louisburg Invitational with a medal as well. Cotter finished ninth overall in 17:58.
Louisburg junior Ben Proctor stays with a group of runners Thursday at the Louisburg Invitational.
“Jerynce ran a great race and yet again put himself in position to battle for the top spot, but just missed out to two great runners,” Reece said. “Noah found himself a little back, but made up ground during the race to garnish his last LHS Invitational medal.”
Freshmen Levi Cotter (19:02) and Truman Ellison (20:04) were next on the Wildcat team as they took 20th and 28th, respectively. Junior Ben Proctor (20:58) and freshman Spencer Mattison (21:49) were 38th and 45th.
Louisburg senior Maddy Rhamy led the Wildcat girls as she medaled 14th.
On the girls side, the Wildcats earned a pair of medals and Maddy Rhamy led the way. The Louisburg senior was 14th overall in 23:32 and senior Lola Edwards was right behind her in 15th in 23:42.
“On the girls side of things, they keep competing well and Maddy and Lola continue to lead the group,” Reece said. “It was nice to see them medal in their last home meet. I’m sure it was bittersweet for all the seniors to run it one last time.”
Louisburg’s freshman Talen McMurray and senior Erin Apple race uphill Thursday to begin the race at Lewis-Young Park.
Freshman Talen McMurray (26:05) and senior Erin Apple (26:17) finished 24th and 25th, respectively. Sophomore Lila Edwards took 27th in 27:06.
Louisburg will begin its postseason run this Thursday when the Wildcats travel to the Frontier League Invitational. Races begin at 4:30 p.m. at Lexington Lake Park in De Soto.
Brings Plenty wins Perry Invite, Wildcats medal nine
Louisburg junior Jerynce Brings Plenty won the Perry-Lecompton Invitational on Thursday in Topeka. His time was the second fastest in school history.
TOPEKA — Jerynce Brings Plenty has continued to make his way up the Louisburg High School cross country leaderboard all season, but on Thursday in Topeka, he made a big jump.
Brings Plenty ran a personal best time of 16 minutes and 35 seconds to win the Perry-Lecompton Invitational at Hummer Park. In the process, his finish was the second fastest time in school history.
“Jerynce ran great on Thursday,” Reece said. “He was in control of the race from the start. He made a move to break the lead pack up and never looked back. Jerynce was able to separate himself a bit later and held the lead for the rest of the race.”
Brings Plenty was one of nine medalists on the day for the Wildcats. The Louisburg girls captured five medals on their way to a third place team finish with 74 points, just three points behind Paola.
The Wildcat boys had four medalists and took fourth as a team.
Seniors Lola Edwards and Maddy Rhamy led the Wildcat girls as they each finished in the top 10. Edwards took seventh in 22:42 and Rhamy was 10th at 23:03.
“Lola has been running great,” Reece said. “She is a warrior and continues to improve and lead the team. Maddy is right there as well and we look for her to make big gains.”
Louisburg also had a pair of freshmen run their first varsity races and both came away with a medal. Freshmen Talen McMurray was 20th in 24:19 and Ella Bockelman took 25th in 24:50.
Senior Erin Apple rounded out the Wildcat medalists in 26th at 24:53.
“Talen and Ella really stepped it up when asked to run in the varsity race,” Reece said. “We have seen glimmers of what they can do and hope that their success will lead to more.
“Now that our Homecoming Queen (Apple) is done with a busy week, we look for her to make a big move and take the freshman girls with her to close the gap between them and our front runners. Rowan (Yows) looks to be getting better from injury and will add even more to our team.”
On the boys side, senior Noah Cotter also finished in the top 10 along with Brings Plenty. Cotter was eighth in 17:41.
Freshmen Levi Cotter and Truman Ellison also came home with medals. Cotter was 26th in 19:55, while Ellison was 29th with a time of 19:59.
Junior Ben Proctor (21:40) and freshman Spencer Mattison (22:12) rounded out the Wildcat roster in 44th and 49th, respectively.
“The boys team continues to improve but we have a ways to go yet,” Reece said. “Hopefully all will come together at regionals and we make a bid for state as a team.”
Louisburg has one final regular season meet left and that is this Thursday when the Wildcats host the Louisburg Invitational. Races are set to begin at 4 p.m. at Lewis-Young Park.
Wildcat boys win team title, girls medal four at Prairie View
The Louisburg boys cross country team won first place on Thursday at Prairie View. Members of the team (from left) are Spencer Mattison, Ben Proctor, Truman Ellison, Levi Cotter, Noah Cotter and Jerynce Brings Plenty.
LA CYGNE — Winning is always fun and the Louisburg cross country team had a lot of it Thursday at the Ramsey Invitational.
The Louisburg boys won the team title, while Jerynce Brings Plenty and Noah Cotter finished 1-2, respectively, to lead what was a very successful day for the Wildcats at Prairie View High School.
On the girls side, all four runners left with medals as the Wildcats continue to put together what is a successful season to date.
“Everyone had a good day,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “Even though it was a smaller meet, the runners were competitive and ran well.”
It all started with Brings Plenty as the Louisburg junior crossed the finish line first to win the varsity boys race. Brings Plenty won with a time of 17 minutes and 38 seconds.
Senior Noah Cotter was right behind him as he finished second in 17:58 as the Wildcats earned the 1-2 finish.
Louisburg also had another pair of top 10 medalists. Freshman Levi Cotter was fourth at 19:17, while freshman Truman Ellison was 10th in 19:43.
“It was great to see Jerynce win the race and for Noah to be there in second place at the end of the race was fantastic,” Reece said. “Levi ran a good race as well and moved up throughout the race to be fourth.”
Also on the boys side, junior Ben Proctor earned a medal and was 16th in 20:45. Freshman Spencer Mattison was 23rd in 21:54. The Wildcats won the team title with 22 points and Anderson County as second with 33.
Louisburg’s (from left) Lola Edwards, Maddy Rhamy, Erin Apple and Lila Edwards all medaled Thursday at Prairie View.
As for the girls, senior Lola Edwards recorded her best finish of the season as she took fourth in 23:35. Senior Maddy Rhamy also recorded a top-10 finish in 24:16.
Fellow senior Erin Apple medaled 13th in 26:16 and sophomore Lila Edwards garnered her first varsity medal of the year in 19th in 30:18.
“On the girls side, we are still waiting to field a full team in the varsity race because of some injuries,” Reece said. “The four that ran the race, Lola, Maddy, Erin, and Lila did a great job. We hope to field at least five varsity runners this week at Perry-Lecompton.”
Louisburg will compete at the Perry-Lecompton Invitational at 5 p.m. this Thursday. The races will be held at Hummer Park in Topeka.
Brings Plenty finishes second at Wellsville, Wildcats medal four
Jerynce Brings Plenty ran a personal best time of 16:50 to finish second on Thursday at the Wellsville Invitational. Louisburg earned four medals overall.
WELLSVILLE — It was another meet and another handful of medals for the Louisburg cross country team.
Louisburg brought home four medals Thursday from the Wellsville Invitational as the Wildcats continued to see improvement in what was their third meet of the season.
Coming off a difficult race just five days prior at Wamego, Louisburg coach John Reece liked what he saw out of his runners.
“They did an awesome job at Wellsville,” Reece said. “After competing at Wamego and to race again on Thursday is tough. We work on different things within the race so it seems more like a workout/race than a true race.”
Jerynce Brings Plenty continues to improve on his strong junior campaign as he found himself toward the top of the pack once again.
Brings Plenty ran a personal best time of 16 minutes and 50 seconds and finished second overall to Central Heights’ Cody Hammond, who ran a 16:37. Brings Plenty also led the boys team to a fourth place team finish with 93 points.
Louisburg senior Lola Edwards works her way through a pack of runners Thursday at Wellsville. Edwards medaled 21st overall.
Senior Noah Cotter also found himself at the front of the pack as he medaled seventh overall in 17:31. Both Wildcat runners have medaled in all three meets of their meets to begin the season.
“Jerynce had a very controlled first mile which allowed him to press the pace more later in the race, which is one of the strategies we’ve been working on,” Reece said. “Noah ran similarly and had a competitive race as well. They are really working well together and their races are showing their hard work.”
Seniors Maddy Rhamy and Lola Edwards led the four-member girls team as they each left Wellsville with a medal.
Rhamy battled her way through the pack to finish eighth overall in 22:23, while Edwards earned her first medal of the season as she took 21st in 23:42.
Senior Erin Apple sprints toward the finish line Thursday at Wellsville.
“Lola went for it from the start and was rewarded for her effort,” Reece said. “Since she did not run at Wamego, she had free reign to race from the gun and she did. Maddy worked on a controlled start like the boys and passed a ton of runners as she pressed the pass through the second and third miles. Best I could tell she went from about 30th to 8th during the race.”
Senior Erin Apple just missed out on the top 30 as she took 31st in 24:18, while Lila Edwards rounded out the girls’ team in 57th in 28:14.
On the boys side, freshmen Levi Cotter (20:15) and Truman Ellison (20:16) finished toward the middle of the pack as they finished 32nd and 33rd, respectively.
Freshman Truman Ellison and the Wildcat boys finished fourth as a team Thursday at Wellsville.
Ben Proctor took 48th overall in 21:24 and Spencer Mattison was 61st in 22:12.
Louisburg will be back in action this Thursday as the Wildcats travel to the Prairie View Invitational. Races begin at 3:30 p.m.
Week 3 Athlete of the Week: Maddy Rhamy
Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week three of the fall sports season, sponsored by Dr. Laura’s Orthodontics.
MADDY RHAMY, SENIOR, CROSS COUNTRY
Louisburg senior Maddy Rhamy is off to a good start in her final cross country season as a Wildcat and that continued last Thursday when she competed in the Wellsville Invitational. Rhamy was one of four Wildcats to earn a medal on the day as she finished eighth overall to lead the girls team in 22 minutes and 23 seconds.
It was third consecutive medal to start the season for Rhamy as she also brought home hardware from Anderson County and Wamego. Rhamy is a returning two-time state medalist for Louisburg.
“It was another strong performance from Maddy,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “She is truly leading the team at this point in the season.”
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.
Wildcats bring home medals from Wamego Invitational
Louisburg senior Noah Cotter distances himself from the pack during a meet earlier this season. Cotter medaled 19th overall and moved to No. 7 on the school’s all-time leaderboard.
WAMEGO — The Louisburg cross country team went up against some of the best Class 4A — and beyond — had to offer Saturday at the Wamego Invitational.
The Wildcats earned three medals, and for the second straight week, Jerynce Brings Plenty, Noah Cotter and Maddy Rhamy each brought home hardware to show for it.
Louisburg competed on one of the tougher courses in the state at the Wamego Country Club, which is the site of the Class 4A state meet later this season.
“I wouldn’t say they enjoy running one of the toughest courses in the state, as much as they embrace the experience in preparation for what we hope is a return trip to the state meet,” Louisburg coach John Reece said.
The three Wildcat medalists each had strong performances and it started with Brings Plenty. The Louisburg junior finished 15th overall in 17 minutes, which moved him up to No. 5 on the school’s all-time leaderboard.
As for Cotter, the Louisburg senior was right behind him in 20th in 17:17 to lead the Wildcat boys team. That mark was good for the seventh fastest time on the Wildcat leaderboard.
“Jerynce and Noah are working well together this season,” Reece said. “Because of this, their performance at Wamego was impressive but not unexpected. Having two low sticks, fast runners so close to each other makes for great inner squad competition and it strengthens the team as well. Finishing 15th and 20th overall was awesome.”
On the girls side, Rhamy was just one of two Wildcat runners to compete, along with senior Erin Apple. Rhamy medaled 38th overall in 21:51, while Apple ran a 25:34 for 99th.
“Maddy is a competitor,” Reece said. “She is really stepping it up this year and posted one of her strongest times for Wamego, which will set her up for a strong run at returning there in October, hopefully with her team in tow.”
The rest of the Wildcat team also posted good times.
Freshman Levi Cotter was third on the boys team in 66th overall in 19:02 and another freshman, Truman Ellison, was 73rd in in 19:14. Junior Ben Proctor (21:22) and freshman Spencer Mattison (21:32) took 113rd and 114th, respectively.
“We took some freshman runners to the meet as well and they really showed some promise,” Reece said. “Levi Cotter, Truman Ellison, and Spencer Mattison took on Wamego and showed they have what it is going to take when given the opportunity to race there again.”
Louisburg is back in action Thursday when it travels to the Wamego Invitational. Races are set to begin at 4 p.m.
