Louisburg boys basketball coach Ty Pfannenstiel will take over the school’s activities director role next school year. He also resigned his basketball position after coaching the Wildcats for the last six years.

Beginning next school year, Louisburg High School activities will have a little different look to it — especially at the top.

Ty Pfannenstiel will serve as the school’s new activities director and will take over for current AD, Michael Pickman, who will focus on his assistant principal duties and curriculum. 

Pfannenstiel, who has been the boys basketball coach for the last six years, resigned his post to take on the activities director position. He also stepped down as an assistant football coach.

Currently the weight room instructor, Pfannenstiel will spend half his day teaching and the other half in the AD role.

All of the moves were approved during Monday’s meeting of the USD 416 Board of Education.

“This is very exciting for me,” Pfannenstiel said. “It’s definitely going to be a change. I have been a teacher and a coach for 18 years. I still get to be a teacher half-time, and now I get to step into a new role as an administrator. It is going to be all sports and activities and I am looking forward to the new direction.”

As for Pickman, he gets the opportunity to focus more on the academic side as a full-time assistant principal. He was hired as an assistant principal/ activities director in April of 2020.

“I am very excited to commit more fully to the assistant principal role as education and curriculum have always been my true passion,” Pickman said. “Being able to support the teachers, students, and administrative staff by providing data, feedback, and assessing teaching and learning goals and initiatives in the building and district aligns with that passion and the opportunity arose to allow for that. I hope to enable and promote continued growth in the various curriculums and initiatives and structures that make Louisburg a fantastic district in a supportive community.

“Ty has experience and is passionate about athletics and activities. As it is where his passion is, I have every confidence he will do a fantastic job in his new role and look forward to witnessing where he takes our programs moving forward.”

Pickman took over LHS activities at a difficult time as the school was coming back from COVID-19 and the all challenges it presented. As tough as that situation was, he appreciated the relationships he built.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my role as activities director and was presented a fantastic growth opportunity and am grateful for being given it,” Pickman said. “I had a goal of being present for athletes and coaches and for the patrons, so I hope people saw that presence. I was blessed to have great leadership in place in our coaches and sponsors, and tried to support them best by advocating for their needs and supporting them to do their job of being great role models and passing on their passion and knowledge to students.

“Ultimately, I am most proud of our student athletes and activity participants and being part of their journey. I believe that sports are an extension of the classroom and I wanted to help ensure that character and sportsmanship were just as important and success, and I am overjoyed to have a wealth of memories where our fans, students, participants, and coaches and sponsors proved that to be true of LHS.”

While taking on the challenge of being a new administrator is one he is looking forward to, leaving his coaching roots behind was a difficult decision for Pfannenstiel.

In 2021, Pfannenstiel led the Wildcat boys basketball team to the Class 4A state championship game and finished as the state runner-up.

“That was definitely the biggest thing that was holding me back,” Pfannenstiel said. “I love basketball and the kids that I have worked with. There is a group coming up that I really enjoy coaching, and leaving that behind was one of the biggest challenges for me. Whoever takes over the program, I think it will be good transition for them because they will have a great group of kids to work with.

“Originally, I was going to be allowed to coach a sport and they didn’t want to take coaching away from me. The more I thought about it, if I want to do a good job at this, I need to focus on being the AD and that will be something that will benefit me and all the other activities.”

Pfannenstiel believes the move is a good one for the school in general as it will allow Pickman and principal Amy VanRheen to focus more on the academic side of things.

“This is something that is definitely needed,” Pfannenstiel said. “Our administrators are so busy with all the stuff they do during the school day, but they are also going to all the activities as well. Hopefully this will be a big help for Mrs. VanRheen and Mr. Pickman.”

Although he won’t official start his new position till next school year, Pfannenstiel is already starting to transition into his new role — one that is looking forward to.

“My job in the weight room and coaching has all been about sports,” he said. “That is what entices me about this job is that I am still going to be all about sports and activities. I just want to be a support for our coaches and our athletes and be advocate for our students.” 

It was a successful, and eventful, 2022 for Louisburg High School athletics and for those who are connected to the Wildcat program. 

This past year created a lot of school history for LHS and a few programs brought back state hardware.

Below are the top stories from 2022, along with a brief explanation of each. Included in the writeup is the link to the actual story from the event.

When putting the list together, I took a lot of things into account – whether it was team vs. individual, popularity of the sport, historical achievements and the interest it drew on the web site.

This year was a blast to cover and I am looking forward to seeing what 2023 will bring. Thank you to everyone for their support and can’t wait for it all to begin again.

10. Louisburg golf qualifies for state

FORT SCOTT — As the scores were rolling in, the Louisburg golf team was a little worried.

The Wildcats were in jeopardy of not qualifying for state after a few of the golfers didn’t have the scores they were hoping for in the Class 4A regional tournament in Fort Scott.

Chanute and Independence had already assured themselves of a spot, but the third place team was up in the air as the top three teams automatically qualify for state.

As it turned out, the Wildcats had nothing to worry about as they edged Paola by four strokes to finish in third with a 357 to secure their third consecutive spot in the 4A state tournament.

Seniors A.J. Arriola, Sam Wheeler, Ian Kirkpatrick, Johnny Thompson, along with juniors Jackson Olson and Nick Lancaster, advanced to the state tournament. 

Arriola carded a 78 and finished as a regional runner-up, as he was just two strokes behind regional champion Drayton Cleaver of Chanute.

As for Olson, the Louisburg junior set a personal record by six strokes to shoot an 81 and took fourth overall. Those personal bests were enough to get the Wildcats into that third place spot.

At state, Arriola and  Wheeler finished as the team’s top two golfers. Arriola carded a 97 to take 59th overall, while Wheeler finished with a 98 and came in 66th.

9. Brueggen’s earns school’s first state swim medal

LENEXA — Even though she is just a freshman, Sabra Brueggen is already putting a stamp on her high school swim career at Louisburg High School.

It all came to a rousing end on May 21 as Brueggen earned her first state medal at the Class 5-1A Kansas State Swim and Diving Championships at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center.

Brueggen became the first swimmer in school history to earn a state medal as she finished fifth in the 100-yard backstroke in 1:00.58.

On the day before in the preliminaries, Brueggen also took fifth in a season-best time of 1:00.15.

“Medaling as freshman means the world to me, and it proves to me that all of my hard work for all of these years, has paid off,” Brueggen said. “I feel like I performed my absolute best at state, and I was very happy with the results. It gives me confidence that I will have a bright future representing OzPaLou at the state swim meets.”

She nearly had a second medal in the 50 freestyle. Brueggen put together a season-best time of 25.26 seconds, but finished ninth overall. It was the same finish she had the in the preliminaries.

The top eight in each event earn a state medal as she was just .06 away from earning another spot on the medal stand.

8. Harding takes over as Wildcat football coach

The Louisburg football program had  a different leader on the sidelines this past season.

The USD 416 Board of Education approved the hire of LHS assistant coach Drew Harding to be the team’s new head coach in January after the district decided not to renew the contact of former coach Robert Ebenstein.

Harding spent the last five seasons as a Wildcat assistant coach, including time as a defensive coordinator. He is a 2010 Louisburg graduate and was a big part of the Wildcat program during his time as a student-athlete at Louisburg High School.

However, Harding didn’t see himself be a head coach of any sport coming out of college.

“It means a lot,” Harding said. “When I got out of school, I didn’t get into education right away and started somewhere else. I decided to get into education because of the impact my former coaches at Louisburg had on me. To come full circle and to be in the position that I am in now, is pretty surreal. I am really excited for the opportunity and hopefully I can have the same type of impact on student athletes as they come through the program.”

Ebenstein has the been the head coach the last five seasons and helped the Wildcats to a 30-18 record during that time, including a Frontier League and regional title in 2018. He had a winning record three of those five seasons.

He was also named the KFCA Coach of the Year during that season and was selected to be an assistant coach for the Kansas Shrine Bowl. He was an assistant coach for the Wildcat program for five years before earning the head coaching job.

7. Conley resigns a Louisburg head boys and girls soccer coach

Louisburg High School head boys and girls soccer coach Kyle Conley stepped down from his position after seven years.

He was recently hired to lead the boys and girls soccer programs at Blue Valley West, where he will serve as the head coach of both teams.

Conley, who also taught social studies at LHS, informed the players and parents of his decision on May 4. The Blue Valley Board of Education approved his hire on May 9.

“Making the decision to leave Louisburg was extremely difficult,” Conley said. “The players and parents, both past and present, made this decision tough. No parents or players caused this decision. I am very thankful to Mr. (Dave) Tappan and Mr. (Darin) Gagnebin for giving me this opportunity to coach and teach at Louisburg. The amount of support that my teams, my family and I received from Louisburg soccer parents and the community was incredible.”

Bobby Bovaird was hired as the new boys head coach, while Ben York returned to the program as the new assistant. York was also named the girls head coach after serving 13 years as the boys head coach previous to Conley.

Conley has the been head girls coach at Louisburg since its inception in 2016 and has led that program to four consecutive state final fours. 

Twice, the Wildcats made the state championship game and finished runner-up on both occasions. He has guided the program to an 82-34-3 record.

Conley took over the boys program in 2016 and finished with a 77-32-3 record. He led the Wildcats to two state final fours during that span, including a third place finish in 2020.

“I am so proud of the things that our student athletes in the soccer programs have accomplished both on and off the soccer field,” Conley said. “I will always cherish the memories that we have made here with the Louisburg soccer programs.”

6. Girls cross country qualifies for state, Vohs earns state medal

WAMEGO — For the second consecutive season, Emma Vohs left the Class 4A state cross country meet with more than was she arrived with.

Vohs earned her second state medal at Wamego Country Club as she finished 10th overall with a time of 20 minutes and 51 seconds. The Louisburg junior did what she set out to accomplish.

“I was so excited to win another state medal this season and couldn’t be happier that I reached my goal for that race, which was placing top 10,” Vohs said. “The race was a tougher course, as was the competition this year, but I am blessed to run with such talented girls that push me to do better each race.”

Vohs led the Lady Cat team that qualified for state for the sixth consecutive season. As a team, Louisburg finished eighth overall with 208 points.

A week earlier at regionals, the team of Vohs, Maddy Rhamy, Lola Edwards, Nova Ptacek, Bree Gassman, Erin Apple and Madison Huggins finished third to punch their ticket to state

“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.”

5. Wildcat wrestling medals 3 at state

Louisburg wrestling has had its fair share of state medalists in its long history, but what the Wildcats accomplished in February at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina was something the program had never seen before.

The Wildcats left the Class 4A state tournament with three state medalists, the most for one year in program history. 

Aiden Barker (195 pounds), Kaven Bartlett (126) and Elijah Eslinger (285) each finished in the top six in their respective weight classes and put together their best performances of the season. It was also the first time each of them earned a state medal.

“This season was the most state placers we’ve had in a single year in program history,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “Prior to 1992, KSHSAA only medaled the top 4 in each weight. In both 1988 and 1989, we had two top-4 placers and one top-6 placer, but this really shows how the program is progressing and developing. We nearly had four medalists, too.”

Barker, a senior, was a favorite for a medal heading into Salina and finished fifth overall with a 13-1 major decision over Ottawa’s Jared Ferguson in the fifth-place match.

Bartlett and Eslinger also left lasting impressions on the Wildcat program as each medaled sixth overall after both nearly turned their brackets upside down as they advanced to the semifinals on Friday. They both guaranteed themselves a medal on the first day.

4. Louisburg cheer earns state runner-up performance

TOPEKA — It has almost become commonplace to see the Louisburg High School cheer squad in the finals of the Class 4A Gameday Spirit Showcase.

However, that doesn’t mean the cheerleaders are any less excited about it.

For the second straight season, the Wildcats finished as the state runner-up in the Class 4A competition at the Stormont-Vail Events Center. They finished with a score of 79.45 and were one point behind champion Paola.

It is the fourth straight season that the Wildcats have finished in the top three, which included a state championship in 2019.

“I am so unbelievably and incredibly proud of this team,” Louisburg coach Marissa Morrow said. “This positivity and attitude that these girls have shown this year have been the key to our success. I had no doubt that the material and performances we brought on Saturday had the potential to do well, but it was the girls who made it possible to pull it together. They were all such competitors and left it all out on the mat, and I couldn’t ask for more. We also could not have done it without the support of our amazing cheer families.”

Members of the team are Sydney Dudzik, Bella Feikert, Zoe Cutshaw, Caroline Dugger, Elizabeth George, Addison Drake, Brooklyn Harmon, Adison Vargo, Maddy Carpenter-Ross, Sienna Finch, Alayna Stohs, Alaina Dudzik, Maddie O’Keefe, Liz Willming, Kayleigh Ramsey, Taryn Osborn, Anna Brizendine and Jocelyn Burk.

3. LHS football secures Frontier League title

With just over a minute left in regulation, Louisburg was staring at the possibility of their first league loss and was watching an outright Frontier League title slip away.

Spring Hill scored a touchdown and took a four-point lead with 1 minute and 12 seconds left. Things were looking bleak for the Wildcats.

As it turned out, 52 seconds was all the Wildcats needed to pull off one of the season’s most memorable moments. Louisburg quarterback Declan Battle found junior Caden Caplinger in the endzone on an 18-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds remaining to give the Wildcats a 20-17 victory.

The win was the Wildcats’ seventh straight on the season and clinched the team’s first Frontier League championship since 2018.

“There weren’t a lot of people who thought we could be league champions,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “I don’t think it was anything that people expected out of us, and the Frontier League is really good. For this group to come to work, get better every day and to see success is pretty sweet.”

The win was extra special for 16 Louisburg seniors as they were also able to celebrate that league title on Senior Night.

Jackson Kush, Nathan Apple, Carson Wade, Isaiah Whitley, Riley Van Eaton, J.R. Rooney, Will Hutsell, Brayton Brueggen, Christian Golladay, Nathan Vincent, Jase Hovey, Mack Newell, Hunter Moore, Mason Dobbins, Corbin Hamman and Layne Ryals all got to end their final regular season home game with a win.

“The Frontier League title means so much to me and this team,” Rooney said. “As a team before the season, the seniors wrote down our goals, and league champs was on everyone’s list. To clinch it on senior night was amazing. Going undefeated at home, to win it on our field in front of our town — it was an indescribable feeling.”

2. Wildcat volleyball finishes fourth at state

HUTCHINSON — The state tournament ended the way it started for the Louisburg volleyball team — with a loss to Towanda-Circle.

Still, it was everything that happened in between that made for a lot of lasting memories for the Wildcat players.

Louisburg went 2-1 in pool play at the Hutchinson Sports Arena, which included a revenge win over Tonganoxie in the final match of the day. That gave the Lady Cats a spot in the state semifinals Saturday, where they finished fourth in Class 4A.

The Wildcats suffered a 2-0 loss to both Bishop Miege and Circle, but they still ended their season as one of the state’s top teams.

“I am extremely proud of this team,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “Looking at how we started this season, and our ups and downs along the way, it is a huge accomplishment for them to have come together as a team at the end of the season and play our best volleyball yet. It was apparent in the last couple of weeks that they really started playing for each other and capitalizing on the strong team bonds they built throughout the year.”

It was all thanks to an upset the previous week. Louisburg defeated the state’s No. 1 seed, Baldwin, in the sub-state championship match to earn the state berth.

The Wildcats, the No. 9 seed, knocked off No. 1 seed Baldwin, 25-18 and 25-19, at Baldwin High School in the finals of the Class 4A sub-state tournament. That win puts Louisburg in the state tournament for the first time since 2019.

Members of the team are Emma Prettyman, Adyson Ross, Claire Brown, Allie Kennedy, Ashlyn Berck, Delaney Nelson, Izzy Moreland, Bronwynn Williams, Caileigh Kilgore, Megan Quinn, Hailey Sword and Madelyn Williams.

1. Wildcat boys take third at state track; Koontz, Caplinger win state titles; Lady Cats medal nine

WICHITA — For the second consecutive season, the Louisburg boys track and field team brought home hardware from the Class 4A state meet.

After winning the state championship in 2021, the Wildcats once again found their way to the podium in Wichita as they finished third overall with 67 points.

Andale won the state championship with 101 points and Chanute was the state runner-up with 71.

Louisburg got points from a lot of different areas as the Wildcats medaled in 10 events and had 12 medalists overall, including all three of their relays.

Louisburg senior Tom Koontz won a pair of state titles in the hurdles, while sophomore Caden Caplinger captured the gold medal in the pole vault.

“I am not going to complain at all,” Koontz said. “I believe we came here with less people than we did last year and everyone did their best. Even though we didn’t get exactly what we wanted, third place is still a great achievement.”

What he couldn’t believe was he had just won his first state title in the 300 hurdles and Koontz did so by breaking a 14-year-old school record. Koontz ran a time of 38.98 seconds to break R.J. Saunders’ record of 39.16 set in 2008 to earn the gold.

It turned out to be his second state title of the day as he also earned the gold medal in the 110-meter high hurdles with a time of 14.61 seconds. Koontz won the state in that event last season as well.

Caplinger cleared a lot of his marks in the pole vault and did so in convincing fashion as he was able to win a state title in just his second year with the program.

Last season at state, Caplinger medaled eighth after he cleared 12-6. A year later, the Louisburg sophomore improved his mark by two feet and is a state champion.

It was an impressive showing from Caplinger as he didn’t miss an attempt until he tried for 15 feet at the end. He entered the competition at 12-6 and had five straight successful clearances. 

“At first I was really nervous, but then it just kind of turned into a routine thing,” Caplinger said. “I started going over heights consistently and the rest just kind of fell into place. I cleared 14-6 earlier this week twice in a row, so I knew I could do it. I was still a little nervous though.”

As for the Lady Cats, Delaney Wright left the state meet with three medals. Wright, who has been coming back from a severe injury for most of the season, finished as the state runner-up in the 400-meter dash, third place in the 200 dash and fifth in the long jump.

A season ago, Wright was the state champion in all three events, but couldn’t get the repeat she was hoping for.

“Going into state I knew I still wasn’t where I want to be due to my injury a couple months ago,” Wright said. “But I wanted to attack it still and give it all I had. I am blessed I was there to compete and earn three medals cause in the beginning I didn’t even know if I was going to compete my senior year.”

In all, the Lady Cats put together a strong state performance as they medaled in nine events and finished with 40 team points and took sixth overall. They were just eight points away from the third place spot, and a plaque.

“Once again the state qualifiers did an amazing job,” Louisburg girls coach John Reece said. “They all performed well and most beyond expectations. To leave the meet finishing in sixth place was outstanding. We left with lots of medals and great memories.”

Louisburg junior Emma Vohs works her way up the field Saturday during the Class 4A state cross country meet at Wamego Country Club. Vohs finished 10th overall to earn a state medal.

WAMEGO — For the second consecutive season, Emma Vohs left the Class 4A state cross country meet with more than was she arrived with.

Vohs earned her second state medal Saturday at Wamego Country Club as she finished 10th overall with a time of 20 minutes and 51 seconds. The Louisburg junior did what she set out to accomplish.

“I was so excited to win another state medal this season and couldn’t be happier that I reached my goal for that race, which was placing top 10,” Vohs said. “The race was a tougher course, as was the competition this year, but I am blessed to run with such talented girls that push me to do better each race.”

Vohs led the Lady Cat team that qualified for state for the sixth consecutive season. As a team, Louisburg finished eighth overall with 208 points.

A pair of Frontier League schools finished in the top two of the team standings. Eudora won the state title with 51 points, Baldwin was second with 84 and Winfield was third at 87.

“The girls ran well at state,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “We had a restart which was not ideal, but we still had a good race. State is a tough field on a tough course which challenges all aspects of a sporting competition. 

“Emma ran a great race and moved through the field the whole race. To medal again this year is a testament to her grit and perseverance. Tenth in the state is an amazing accomplishment.”

Juniors Maddy Rhamy and Lola Edwards were next to cross the finish line for the Wildcats. Rhamy finished 41st out of more than 100 runners in 22:27, while Edwards took 63rd in 23:08.

Sophomore Madison Huggins was 80th in 24:22 and senior Nova Ptacek finished 85th in 24:34. Junior Erin Apple was 96th in 25:25 and senior Bree Gassman rounded out the Wildcat lineup in 102nd in 26:15.

Saturday marked the end of another successful season for Louisburg girls cross country and many of the runners are ready for another go at it next year.

“We had an interesting season this year,” Reece said. “We really can’t put a finger on any one thing but it has left the girls hungry for next year and to better themselves and the team. The bus ride home was focused on them talking about track and what they can do to get better.

“We are losing some great senior leaders on both sides of the team and they will be missed.”

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.