Trinity Moore, a four-time state medalist for Louisburg High School, will run for the Pittsburg State cross country and track and field teams next season.

Coming into high school, Trinity Moore decided to run cross country to help stay in shape for her favorite sport – soccer.

Little did she know at the time
that her decision would alter the course of her young life for the better.

 “It is something that has changed everything
for me,” Moore said.

As it turned out, all Moore did
was become the most decorated runner in Louisburg cross country history. The
Louisburg senior holds the school record and recorded four state medals, including
a third-place finish this past season.

With all that success came
opportunity, as Moore secured her chance to run in college as she signed her
letter of intent to run cross country and track at Pittsburg State University
last week during a signing ceremony at Louisburg High School.

“It means a lot to me,” Moore
said. “It just showed how hard I worked to be able to get to the next level and
I am very excited. I can’t wait for next year, and I know that doing different
races with different teammates will be a fun experience for me.

“Knowing a lot of people that went to Pitt really helped me make my decision. I contacted the coach, and then when I saw their education program and all the success they had in running, I think I just fell in love with it. It really is my dream school and I’ve wanted to go there for years now. But when I fell in love with running, I think I knew that is when I wanted to go there.”

Moore will run under the guidance of Pitt State coach Russ Jewett, who has coached the Gorilla program for 34 years. Jewett helped the Gorillas to nine MIAA cross country titles and 11 trips to the NCAA Division II National Championships.

In 2016, Jewett guided the Pitt State
women’s track program to the Division II Outdoor National Championship – the first
in program history. He has also been named MIAA Coach of the Year 38 times during
his time at Pitt State.

“He is amazing and he is an institution
there,” Moore said of her new coach. “He went to school there and ran at Pitt,
so I am really excited to see what he can do to transform me into an even
better runner. He is an awesome coach.”

Although she hasn’t been able to
run track and field at the high school level due to the fact she plays soccer
in the spring, Moore is also excited in getting back into that aspect of the
sport.

“I am still planning on running
track there and coach just said that it will just be kind of a fresh start for
me since I haven’t run track since middle school,” Moore said. “I will be able to
try a lot of different things and see what fits for me and go from there.”

It has been an amazing run –
literally – for Moore during her four years with the Wildcat cross country team.
Along with her four state medals, she helped the Lady Cats to three consecutive
state appearances as a team.

Moore broke her own school record
at the Class 4A state meet last month as her time of 19 minutes and 39 seconds
was good enough to take third overall.

“All the accomplishments that I
have mean a lot to me,” Moore said. “It is something that I never thought would
happen. Records are meant to be broken and I hope that we have a runner someday
that can be even better than me. I’m glad that I was able to start something
and leave the program with so many accomplishments.”

Louisburg senior Trinity Moore accepts her third place state medal Saturday following the Class 4A girls race at Wamego Country Club.

WAMEGO – Trinity Moore has left a lasting impression on the Louisburg cross country program over the last four years, but she saved the best moment for her final act.

Moore broke her own school record with
a time of 19 minutes and 39 seconds to finish third overall at the Kansas Class
4A State Cross Country Championships on Saturday at the Wamego Country Club.

The Louisburg senior recorded the program’s best ever state finish as she eclipsed her fourth-place state medal from a season ago.

“It meant so much to me to finish
with such a great race for my high school career,” Moore said. “Going into the
race, I didn’t know how well I would finish. This race had the best competition
that I have ran against all year and I think that is what really pushed me.

“When I saw my time crossing the
finish line, I was ecstatic. I felt great the entire race and was able to
control everything I did. Finishing third was icing on the cake. I was surprised
but so incredibly happy to be able to place in such a great spot, but I also
knew that this what I had worked for all year.”

This made the fourth state medal for Moore in her high school career and she improved on her state finish every year. Last season, she took fourth overall and bested her state time from a year ago by more than 30 seconds.

“Trinity
has been a pleasure to work with,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “She is a
driven person who expects the best and will settle for nothing less. I
feel that she saved her best race for last. She answered surges and when she
made her move, she separated herself from the group and pressed to the
finish line. Her third place finish was incredible. She did accomplish a
lot during her four years and the best is still ahead of her in
college.”

Moore
led the Lady Cats to a fifth-place team finish at the state meet with 165
points and were just four points behind Fort Scott for fourth-place. Buhler won
the state championship with 60 points and Baldwin was the runner-up with 74.

Chapman’s
Taylor Briggs won the individual state crown with a time of 19 minutes and
Piper’s Grace Hanson was second at 19:31.

“The
girls had a good race,” coach Reece said. “Fifth place as a team was
beyond my expectations for the meet. They all seemed to handle the
race well and a few even ran their best times ever.”

Sophomore Reese Johnson finished second on the Louisburg team in 21:57 and was 40^th overall in the 102-runner field. Freshman Claire Brown took 50^th in 22:22 and senior Carlee Gassman battled an injured ankle and was 61^st in 23:01.

Another
sophomore, Ruth Minster, was 74^th in 23:32, while freshman Bree
Gassman (25:05) and junior Kennady Wilkerson (25:09) finished 98^th
and 99^th, respectively.

As
for Moore, she able to able to get out fast from the start and work with the
front group most of the way, which allowed her to get comfortable and run her
race.

“The
race at state was very fast and competitive,” Moore said. “I knew I had a great
start since I was closer to the front than in year’s past, and I was able to
keep it and work hard to pass those in front of me. With running this course so
many times, I knew what to expect, so there were no new challenges except for
powering through what I have done before, with the hills and turns this course
presents.

“It
was the best race I have ever ran and it was the best I have ever felt in a
race since my body is always comfortable running there and I was able to push
through all it has to offer.”

As
celebratory as the finish was, it was also the final time Moore and Gassman
will wear the Lady Cat uniform. However, both runners were a part of three
state qualifying teams and Moore has plenty of medals to show for her time as a
Wildcat.

 “I definitely felt the realization
that my high school cross country career was over when I crossed the finish
line at state, but I don’t think I have really let it sink in,” Moore said. “It
still seems like I have more time even though it has ended. I think at our
banquet is when it will really hit me since I will be with my teammates, family
and coaches. They are the people who have helped make this all possible for me
and have been my support system over the years.”

“Looking back over the past four years, I
would never have imagined that I could have accomplished more. When I started
cross country, it was a way to stay in shape for soccer, but it turned into one
of the things I love most. I pushed myself to the limits and I know there are
things I could have done differently over the course of my career, but
finishing where I did was the best I could have ever imagined for myself.”

As for the program itself, Reece
saw improvements from several underclassmen as he envisions both of his teams
taking another step forward.

“The
season was super positive and the runners did an amazing job,” Reece said.
“The boys team started strong as a group and finished stronger. They have a
couple great seasons ahead of them. The girls team shuffled a little, but in
the end came together as a solid nine, which makes it hard to set for regional
and state, but it is a good problem to have.

“The
seniors will always be missed as they are the leaders of the team, but we
have some strong young runners that will step in and step up to the challenge.
Next year could be better, who knows. With the middle school starting cross
country this year, it will also help the program to continue to gain
strength in the future.”

Louisburg senior Trinity Moore finished sixth overall to lead the Lady Cats to a third place team finish and a spot at the state meet in Wamego.

BALDWIN CITY – One by one, members
of the Louisburg girls cross country team crossed the finish line and coach
John Reece was unsure whether or not his team did enough to qualify for state.

The Lady Cats had made school
history by qualifying the last two seasons, but the third time was a little bit
in jeopardy – that was until the results were released.

As it turned out, Reece didn’t
need to be so worried.

Louisburg finished third overall with
96 points Saturday at the Class 4A regional meet at Baldwin Golf Course, and
beat out Bishop Miege by six points to earn a spot at the state meet this
weekend in Wamego.

 The team of Trinity Moore, Carlee Gassman,
Reese Johnson, Claire Brown, Ruth Minster, Kennady Wilkerson and Bree Gassman
will compete for the Lady Cats at state.

“This group of girls runs well,
they race well and they train well together,” coach Reece said. “They are a
good group and this is just as exciting as the other two times. The competition
was a lot tougher than the previous two times. We had to run our races and we
did. From our third to fifth runners was about an eight point spread. It was
just incredible.”

Along with the team qualifying for state, Moore made some noise of her own as she finished sixth overall in to earn a regional medal in 20 minutes and 8 seconds. Piper freshman Grace Hanson won the individual crown at 19:15 and Eudora’s Riley Hiebert was second with a time of 19:24.

In the team standings, Eudora won
the regional title with 47 points and Baldwin was second with 55.

“It means a lot to go to state
three years in a row with my team,” Louisburg senior Trinity Moore said. “It
shows that our hard work and goals for the season have paid off. It has showed
me that we are capable of anything we set our minds to. Even with new runners
on the team each year, it is so great to work together with these girls and
lead such a great team.

“I feel like I ran very well. It
was the best I had felt while racing this season in terms of weather and how I
felt because of my training and competition throughout the season. This year’s
race was more competitive compared to year’s past, but I think that is what
made it great.”

Johnson, a sophomore for the Lady
Cats, finished 13^th overall in 21 minutes to take second on the
team. Gassman also battled through an injured ankle to take 21^st in
21:29.

Brown, a freshman, also had a strong performance as she was the team’s fourth runner and finished 25^th in 22:06 and Minster, a sophomore, was fifth on the team in 23:39 and took 30^th overall.

Wilkerson (24:10) and Bree Gassman
(24:37) finished 43^rd and 46^th, respectively.

“I think they ran really well,”
coach Reece said. “I think if they go back and look at their times, they are
close to PR’s, if not better, and I think the boys were too. Trinity ran the
race she needed to run and I think Reese stepped up for us to get second.
Carlee gutted through having a bad ankle and Claire improved on her time and
what an addition to the team she has been. Ruth also stepped up as our fifth
runner, and she was our anchor and she got us there.”

On the boys side, senior Anthony
Davis missed out on a state bid by a few places as he finished 17^th
in 18:20 and the Wildcats were fifth as a team with 118 points.

Tonganoxie won the team title with
44 points and Bishop Miege was second with 73. Piper senior Owen Roellchen won
the individual title in 16:57.

Sophomore Ryan Rogers was second
on the Wildcat team with a time of 18:29 and was 20^th overall and
fellow sophomore Caden Bradshaw was 22^nd in 18:32. Junior Carson
Houchen was 25^th in 18:44.

Senior Evan Murphy (19:23),
sophomore Sawyer Richardson (19:29) and junior Cade Holtzen (19:41) finished 35^th,
36^th and 40^th, respectively.

The Louisburg girls will take to
the course one final time at 12:30 p.m. this Saturday as the Lady Cats travel to
Wamego for the state meet as they hope to better their fifth-place finish a
season ago.

Moore, on the other hand, will try for her fourth state medal after finishing fourth in 2018. Johnson will vie for her second medal in as many years after taking sixth last season.

“To medal for the fourth time at
state would be one of the best feelings in my heart,” Moore said. “It would be icing
on the cake for my time as a cross country runner. It would show me that I can
set a goal for myself and accomplish it, even through the toughest challenges.
I never would have thought at the beginning of my freshman year that this could
be a possibility, and to have gained so much in a sport.

“Not only is it my fourth time at
state, but it is my last high school cross country race. I am definitely going
to feel the emotions of it being my last time running there, but I know it will
be a great day.”

Sophomore Reese Johnson was one of three Louisburg runners to earn all-Frontier League honors last Thursday in Tonganoxie.

TONGANOXIE – In what is probably
the most difficult league in Class 4A – the Frontier League – the Louisburg
cross country teams found themselves in their toughest meet of the season.

The Wildcats competed in their
first postseason meet Thursday in Tonganoxie at the Frontier League
Invitational. In a race that featured state-ranked teams and returning state
medalists, Louisburg found some success on both sides.

Louisburg senior Trinity Moore led
the girls side with a top five finish and earned first-team all-league with her
performance. Senior Anthony Davis and sophomore Reese Johnson were named
honorable mention after they finished in the top 20.

Both teams went on to finish sixth
in the team standings, but Louisburg coach John Reece was happy with the way
his teams competed against some of the state’s best.

“The
teams ran well at league,” coach Reece said. “The Frontier League is one of the
best and there will be teams from our league holding plaques at state on both
sides, maybe two.”

Moore
put together one of the best races of her career, time-wise, as she ran a
personal record of 19 minutes and 41 seconds and beat her old time by five
seconds to finish fifth overall.

“I
was very proud of my finish at league, even though my placing wasn’t what I
wanted,” Moore said. “With the amount of talented runners I was going up against,
I knew I was going to have to run my best if I wanted to earn first-team league
honors. I had the competition to push myself and I was ecstatic when I learned
that I had PR’d. If it wasn’t for the girls who pushed me during the race, or
the fast course, I don’t think I could have run that fast and had such a good
race.”

Johnson
was 20^th overall in 21:32 to finish with honorable mention
all-league honors. The top 21 runners in each race earn league honors, with the
top seven named to the first team.

As
a team, the Lady Cats had to overcome some adversity as one of the team’s top
runners, senior Carlee Gassman, injured her ankle during the race and was
unable to finish. With that, they dropped in the team standings and took sixth
with 146 points.

Eudora
won the league title with 37 points and Baldwin was second with 70. Piper
freshman Grace Hanson was the league champion with a time of 18:50.

“It
is always tough to lose a top runner during the race but that did not stop the
girls from upping their game,” coach Reece said. “It was a fast race, not
course, and many of the girls ran their best times for the season. I was hoping
for a top three team for the girls but that was altered a little by Carlee
going down, but she will be ready for regionals.

“Trinity
and Reese earned well-deserved honors for their effort. Because
it was a fast race, Trinity responded and did better with her time, but I
think there is more to come.”

Freshman Claire Brown
was third on the team with a 36^th place finish in 22:21, while
junior Kennady Wilkerson took 44^th in 23:22. Sophomore Ruth Minster
(24:01), and freshmen Bree Gassman (24:08) and Nova Ptacek (25:06), finished 55^th,
59^th and 69^th, respectively.

Davis also picked up
a good time to run his best race of the season. The Louisburg senior led the
Louisburg boys in 15^th place overall with a time of 17:53.

As a team, the Wildcats
were sixth with 130 points. Tonganoxie won the league title with 51 points and
Spring Hill was second with 63. Piper senior Owen Roellchen was the league
champion in 16:36.

“Anthony ran a great race and was
rewarded with league honors,” coach Reece said. “He is gunning for a school top
7 time and I think he will get there. The boys continue to impress me with
their team average time. It continues to drop and they are working hard to try
and be the No. 3 at regionals.”

Sophomore
Ryan Rogers was second on the team in 25^th with a time of 18:40 and
junior Carson Houchen was right behind him in 18:46 and took 27^th.
Sophomore Caden Bradshaw (18:58) and junior Cade Holtzen (19:18) were 31^st
and 33^rd, respectively.

Senior
Evan Murphy (19:39) and sophomore Sawyer Richardson (19:43) took 37^th
and 39^th place.

Both
Wildcats teams will try to find a way to get into the top three team standings
Saturday when they compete in the Class 4A regional meet at Baldwin Golf
Course. The team three teams in each race will qualify for state, as will the
top five individuals that aren’t members of those top three teams.

The
girls race will begin at 10 a.m. and the boys race will follow at approximately
10:45.

“Both teams are ready to run at Baldwin,” coach Reese said. “We run fast there so look out, here we run. It will be one of the toughest regionals in 4A when it comes to the separation between the 3-4-5 place teams. Whoever is mentally ready will be going to state. I like our chances for both.”

The Louisburg girls will try to qualify for the state meet for
the third consecutive season and Moore is ready for the challenge.

“I am super excited and very much looking forward to Saturday at regionals,” she said. “Most of the teams in our league will be at regionals along with some others, so that helped us prepare for what we will see this weekend. I was able to run against the best competition, which I haven’t seen all season, and it showed me how hard I will need to work if I want to make to state.

“I definitely think we are prepared knowing the competition we
will face, as well as running on a familiar course. We run very well on Baldwin’s
golf course, but we will need to show up ready to race.”

Louisburg senior Carlee Gassman leads a pack of runners up a hill toward the finish line last Thursday during the Louisburg Invitational at Lewis-Young Park. The Lady Cats took first place and Louisburg medaled six overall.

Running around the course at
Lewis-Young Park for the final time, realization began to set in for the six
Louisburg seniors.

Time on the cross country season
is quickly running out. Trinity Moore, Carlee Gassman, Emily Williams, Natalie
George, Anthony Davis and Evan Murphy not only ran their final regular season
race of their Wildcat career, but also the last on their home course.

As emotional as it was for some,
they seemed to make the most of it – especially Moore and Gassman. The two
Louisburg seniors led the Lady Cats to a first place team finish at the
Louisburg Invitational on Thursday, and between the boys and girls, Louisburg
earned six medals overall.

“It was so exciting to see the
team take first,” Gassman said. “I’m really proud of all the girls who ran
their hearts out. Each and every one of us contributes to the team’s success.
It was a great way to end my last home meet.”

The Lady Cats pulled together to
win the team title as they finished in a tie with Fort Scott with 68 points.
The tie-breaker, which is the top sixth runner on each team, went the way of
Louisburg as freshman Bree Gassman edged out the Fort Scott runner.

“It meant a lot to have our team
take first place,” Moore said. “We were tied and our sixth runner helped to
break the tie for us to win. It showed me, and the team, that we can take on
challenges that come our way, even in difficult race conditions. Our hard work
paid off and it is starting to show more and more every week.”

Louisburg had to dodge the rain to
make sure its home invitational was able to get in and the Wildcats wouldn’t go
two weeks with competing in a meet, as their last meet in Pittsburg was rained
out.

That meant having to run on a
soft, muddy course at Lewis-Young, but Louisburg was still able to produce good
results.

Moore led the Lady Cats in third
place overall with a time of 20 minutes and 55 seconds. Piper freshman Grace
Hanson won the girls side in 20 minutes and Spring Hill sophomore Alyssa
Anderson was second.

“I felt like I ran okay during the race,” Moore said. “I had some tightness in my leg, but I powered through as much as I could. It wasn’t my best race, and I know I could have done better, but I’m happy with my performance with all the challenges and conditions. With never running in conditions like this before, it took some getting used to as every step was different with the terrain and wetness of the course. It wasn’t too difficult, but it had its challenges.”

As for Carlee Gassman, she
finished seventh overall in 22:14 to earn a medal in her final home meet.
Sophomore Reese Johnson also garnered a medal for the Lady Cats as she took 11^th
in 22:49.

“I felt like I gave it my all and
left everything out on the course,” Carlee said. “I wouldn’t have ran so well
if it wasn’t for Reese. She gives me a lot of motivation.”

Sophomore Ruth Minster had her
best varsity race of the season as she was fourth on the team in 24:22 and was
22^nd overall. Freshman Nova Ptacek also had a strong showing in 25^th
with a time of 24:50.

Bree Gassman (24:56) and junior
Kennady Wilkerson (28^th) were 27^th and 28^th,
respectively.

On the boys side, Louisburg
garnered three medals, including one from Davis in his final home meet. Davis
took 10^th overall in 19:01 and helped the Wildcat boys to a
third-place team finish with 70 points.

Spring Hill won the boys team
title with 32 points and Piper was second with 58. Piper senior Owen Roellchen
won the boys race in 17:30.

Louisburg sophomore Caden Bradshaw finished right behind Davis in 11^th to medal with a time of 19:06. Fellow sophomore Ryan Rogers also garnered a medal in 15^th in 19:14.

Junior Carson Houchen finished
just outside of medal contention in 17^th with a time of 19:28 and
junior Cade Holtzen was 20^th in 20:04. Senior Evan Murphy (20:31)
and sophomore Sawyer Richardson (21:12) took 26^th and 29^th,
respectively.

The competition will begin to heat
up for the Wildcats as they begin their postseason schedule this Thursday when
they travel to Tonganoxie for the Frontier League Invitational at the
Leavenworth County Fairgrounds.

The Frontier League features
state-ranked teams in Baldwin and Eudora, along with several strong individual
runners from other programs.

“I am very excited for league,”
Moore said. “We have a very difficult league with very talented and amazing runners.
We have not run this course before, so it will be very exciting and interesting
as it will provide many of its own challenges. I know that I can do great
myself, and that our team can perform very well if we give our best effort. It
should be a great race and I can’t wait to run.”

The Louisburg boys and girls cross country teams finished second Thursday at the Ramsey Invitational at Prairie View High School. Members of the team are (front row, from left) Emily Williams, Reese Johnson, Kennady Wilkerson, Carlee Gassman, Trinity Moore, Bree Gassman, Nova Ptacek; (back row) Caden Bradshaw, Carson Houchen, Sawyer Richardson, Evan Murphy, Anthony Davis, Ryan Rogers and Cade Holtzen.

LA CYGNE – The medals continue to
pile up for the Louisburg cross country teams as they added to their collection
Thursday at Prairie View High School.

The Wildcat boys and girls squads both
finished second overall during the Ramsey Invitational as they continue to
improve their times for the stretch run later this month. Louisburg also had
seven individual medalists, including senior Trinity Moore, who finished first
in the girls race.

“I was pleased to see the teams
medal again,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “The last two weeks have been a
grind with three meets in 14 days, plus workouts. We haven’t run fast yet, but
we do compete very well.”

Moore was the class of the girls
division as she ran a time of 20 minutes and 37 seconds and finished 17 seconds
ahead of Jayhawk Linn’s Kate Dawson, who was runner-up.

Louisburg also had a pair of
runners who finished in the top 10. Sophomore Reese Johnson was sixth in 21:33
and senior Carlee Gassman was seventh in 21:52.

“Finishing
first is always a confidence builder,” coach Reece said of Moore. “She knows
that we are in the middle of the season and still training hard and her times
might not show it yet. Every race is different and she stepped up and ran well.”

Junior
Kennady Wilkerson was fourth on the team with a 24:55 and was 23^rd
overall. Freshmen Bree Gassman (25:02) and Nova Ptacek (25:38) took 25^th
and 27^th, respectively, while senior Emily Williams was 31^st
in 25:59.

As
a team, the Lady Cats recorded 57 points to finish second. Central Heights won
the meet with 46 points and Anderson County was third with 65.

Senior
Anthony Davis continues to lead the Wildcat boys team as he was one of four
runners to earn individual medals in their race. Davis was fourth with a time
of 18:37 and was 30 seconds behind the leader.

Sophomore
Ryan Rogers finished sixth overall in 18:53 and fellow sophomore Caden Bradshaw
was 10^th in 19 minutes. Junior Carson Houchen also medaled as he
took 13^th in 19:23.

Junior
Cade Holtzen was 16^th in 19:39, while senior Evan Murphy (20:08) and
sophomore Sawyer Richardson (20:10), were 20^th and 21^st,
respectively.

Louisburg finished the day with 49 points to take second overall. Central Heights won with 43 points and Anderson County was third with 52.

“The
boys again worked well together and in the last kilometer they really went for
it,” coach Reece said. “Teammate or not, it is about running for yourself in
that last part of the race and they did.”

The
Wildcats will face another challenge this Thursday when they travel to the
Pittsburg Invitational at Four Oaks Golf Course.

Louisburg
also found out where it would be running in the postseason. The Wildcats are in
the Baldwin regional with Atchison, Eudora, Ottawa, Tonganoxie, Bishop Miege,
Holton and Piper.

“I’m pleased with where we are at as of now,” Reece said. “We are
going to be in a very tough regional and we have a lot to do in the next few
weeks to prepare for it.”

The Kansas State High School Activities Association released its classifications for the 2019-20 school year, along with the football classifications for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

There were a few changes in both areas, but more so on the football side.

Football classifications are determined based on enrollment figures in ninth, 10th and 11th grade. Louisburg is still in 4A with 432 students and is toward the lower half of the classification.

Entering Class 4A beginning in the 2020 school year will be St. James Academy, Lansing and Great Bend, who have all moved down from Class 5A. Wamego also made the jump back in from Class 3A.

Goddard, Pittsburg and Spring Hill all saw their enrollment grow and will be moving up from 4A to 5A next year. Baldwin saw their enrollment decline and will move down to Class 3A in football the next two years.

In the rest of the sports, not much changed with regards to Class 4A for this year.

Enrollment figures for all grades in Louisburg this year is 573, which puts the school in the upper half of Class 4A. The biggest school is Buhler with 661 and Bishop Miege is the second biggest at 656 and Ottawa is third at 653.

Three schools will make the move up to Class 4A this year. Clay Center, Girard and Holton all saw their enrollment increase and will come back to 4A, while Osawatomie, Anderson County and Wichita-Trinity Academy will move out of 4A to 3A this year.

Louisburg senior Anthony Davis leads a pack of runners down a straightaway Thursday during the Wellsville Invitational. Davis finished sixth overall.

WELLSVILLE – It was a successful
day all around for the Louisburg cross country team as the Wildcats brought
home a lot of hardware from the Wellsville Invitational.

Both the boys and girls teams finished
third overall in the 11-team meet Thursday and combined to have seven
individual medalists. It was the type of performance Louisburg cross country
coach John Reece likes to see as his teams try to find their groove.

“It was a good day at Wellsville,” Reece
said. “Both girls and boys teams ran well. It is a tough week as we ran Wamego the
Saturday before and then raced on Thursday again. This sometimes leads to fewer
time improvements and we look to compete more as a team and work together than
to really go for a personal best. Both teams did just that. They worked
together and their effort was rewarded.”

Senior Anthony Davis led the Wildcat boys
with one of his better performances of the season as he took sixth overall with
a time of 18 minutes and 24 seconds. Junior Carson Houchen followed suit as he
took 15^th in 19:32 to also earn an individual medal.

Sophomore Ryan Rogers (19:46) and junior
Cade Holtzen (19:47) also left Wellsville with medals as they finished 23^rd
and 24^th, respectively.

Sawyer Richardson, a sophomore, ran a
20:28 to take 39^th overall. Senior Evan Murphy was 40^th
in 20:30.

As a team, the Wildcats recorded 98
points to earn the third place team medal. Central Heights won the Wellsville
title with 29 points and Burlington was second with 81.

“Anthony
is on a mission this year,” Reece said of his senior leader. “He has been
training great and is being rewarded through time improvement. He is setting
the tone for the boys team and they are following his lead. Four medalists in
the meet shows how hard and well they are working together, both in practices
and in meets. They pack-up together and mow down the field as the move through
the race.”

Senior
Trinity Moore also ran a strong race in what was a difficult field. Moore led
the Lady Cats with a sixth place finish in 21:30 and Bishop Seabury freshman
Oona Nelson was first in 20 minutes.

Fellow senior Carlee Gassman ran one of her better races of the season as she took 12^th in 22:06 and sophomore Reese Johnson was 14^th in 22:15 to round out the Louisburg medalists.

“Carlee
is running well,” coach Reece said. “She has improved upon her personal record
from last year and is training great. She is setting herself, and the team,
up for big time success at the end of the season.”

Freshman
Bree Gassman was fourth on the Louisburg team with a 24:51 to take 36^th
and junior Kennady Wilkerson took 40^th in 25:29. Freshman Nova
Ptacek (27:09) and sophomore Ruth Minster (27:16) rounded out the Louisburg
team in 52^nd and 53^rd, respectively.

As
a team, the Lady Cats recorded 78 points to take third overall. Central Heights
took the top spot with 60 points and Fort Scott was second with 67.

Louisburg
will hit the course again this Thursday when they compete in the Prairie View
Invitational. Races are set to begin at 3:30 p.m.

The Louisburg girls cross country team was all smiles after its fourth-place finish Saturday in Wamego. Members of the team are (from left) Bree Gassman, Carlee Gassman, Trinity Moore, Reese Johnson, Kennady Wilkerson and Ruth Minster.

WAMEGO – The goal for members of
the Louisburg cross country team is make the trip to Wamego for the state meet
in early November.

Louisburg got a little taste of
what state is going to be like Saturday when the Wildcats competed in the
Wamego Invitational at the Wamego Country Club.

Senior Trinity Moore felt right at home as the 3-time state medalist mastered her way through the course and finished third overall out of 103 runners. The Lady Cats were also toward the top of the team standings as they finished fourth overall with 189 points.

Buhler won the girls title with 25
points, Baldwin was second with 81 and Eudora was third with 111 points.

“The
girls ran a great race,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “Fourth place as a
team was good and it shows us that we need to close the gap between No. 3 and
the rest of the team. It is always good to run at Wamego, which we missed out
on last year. It is a good barometer for how state might shake out.”

Moore
made her way through the field for that third place finish as she ran a time of
21 minutes and 2 seconds and was one of three Lady Cats to earn medals. Chapman
junior Taylor Briggs, who is the two-time defending state champion, won in
19:12 and Buhler senior Daycee DeWindt was second at 20:57.

“Trinity
ran a solid race,” Reece said. “She was feeling it as we had two good workouts this
last week and it showed a little in her face at the end. She is cranking out
the miles and workouts and will be ready for regionals and state.”

Sophomore
Reese Johnson and senior Carlee Gassman ran strong races as well as both left
Wamego with medals. Johnson took 18^th overall in 22:07 and Gassman
was 21^st in 22:32.

Freshman
Bree Gassman was fourth on the Louisburg team as she was 78^th in
26:11, while junior Kennady Wilkerson (26:17) and sophomore Ruth Minster
(26:30) finished in 80^th and 82^nd, respectively.

The
girls weren’t the only ones to garner medals.

Senior
Anthony Davis earned his second consecutive medal as he took 29^th
overall in 18:42 out of 127 runners in the 18-team meet.

“Anthony
ran well and he sees, by his finish, that he has some work ahead of him and he
will be ready come regionals to qualify for state and hopefully have six other
runners with him,” coach Reece said.”

As
a team, the Wildcats finished 11^th overall with 282 points. Wamego
won the title with 89 points, Buhler was second with 96 and Towanda-Circle was
third with 114.

Sophomore
Ryan Rogers was second on the Wildcat team and ran a 19:25 to take 48^th
overall. Junior Carson Houchen finished 56^th in 19:32 and junior
Cade Holtzen was 69^th in 19:49.

Sophomore
Sawyer Richardson came in 93^rd in 20:53 and senior Evan Murphy ran a
21:37 to take 104^th.

Louisburg
will be back in action Thursday when it travels to the Wellsville Invitational.
The meet is set to begin at 4 p.m.

The Louisburg boys cross country team took third overall Thursday in Garnett. Members of the team are (from left) Ryan Rogers, Carson Houchen, Anthony Davis, Evan Murphy and Cade Holtzen. Not pictured were Caden Bradshaw and Sawyer Richardson.

GARNETT – If its season opener had
anything to say about the way the rest of the season will go, then the
Louisburg cross country team will have a lot to celebrate in 2019.

Louisburg traveled to Garnett County Club on Thursday for the Jerry Howarter Invitational and came back home with a lot of hardware to show for its efforts.

The Wildcat boys finished third overall with 77 points to earn a team medal, while five of the seven members also earned individual medals. Iola won the meet with 40 points and Anderson County was second with 65.

The Louisburg girls also had a
strong showing as they had three individuals medal, including senior Trinity
Moore who finished second overall. The Wildcat runners were able to overcome a
hot, humid afternoon to leave Garnett with a total of eight medals.

“Everyone ran well considering the heat,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “I did not have one complaint when stepping up to the line about it being too hot. They realize they all are in the same boat and they focused on their races. Eight varsity medals was awesome and the boys finishing third as a team was somewhat of a surprise.”

Senior Anthony Davis led the Wildcat boys in seventh overall with a time of 19 minutes and 41 seconds and sophomore teammate Caden Bradshaw wasn’t far behind as he medaled ninth in 19:52.

Sophomore
Ryan Rogers was 15^th in 20:05, while juniors Carson Houchen (20:45)
and Cade Holtzen (20:54) came in 24^th and 27^th, respectively,
to earn medals. Sophomore Sawyer Richardson finished 38^th in 21:27
and senior Evan Murphy was 48^th in 22:47.

“Our
top six are going to be hard to crack as they all ran great,” Reece said. “Anthony,
Carson, and Cade bring the experience and the newbies, Caden Bradshaw, Ryan
Rogers, and Sawyer Richardson, will improve their racing every week and they
will become a tight pack working together and be a solid team.

“Anthony
is definitely committed to the sport this year. He has been bit by the cross
country bug and really wants it. He ran great.”

On
the girls side, Moore provided the performance of the day as she nearly won the
event. The Louisburg senior, who ran a 22:16 to finish runner-up, was sitting
in third for most of the race.

Moore
made her way toward the front of the pack late, and eventually passed Fort Scott’s
Macayla McClure about 50 meters to the finish line to take the lead, but
McClure eclipsed Moore a few seconds later to take first.

“Trinity
and all the others heeded Coach (Paul) Restivo’s and my advice to get settled
in early and the field will come back to you and when it does, let’s go,” Reece
said. “That is what allowed Trinity to get to the lead and make it a two person
race. Everyone moved through the pack in the second half of the race and never
stopped pushing.”

Sophomore
Reese Johnson had a good opening performance as she finished in eighth overall
in 23:21 to earn a medal. Senior Carlee Gassman also left Garnett with a medal
as she took 13^th in 24:06.

Freshman
Bree Gassman (28:44) and junior Kennady Wilkerson (29:06) came in 45^th
and 47^th, respectively, to round out the Lady Cats. As a team,
Louisburg finished fourth with 92 points, while Baldwin won the meet with 36
points and Fort Scott was second with 77.

The
Wildcats return to action Saturday when they travel to the Wamego Invitational.
Races are set to begin at 9 a.m.