Senior linebacker Charlie Koontz brings down a Eudora player during Louisburg’s 17-7 homecoming win over Eudora on Friday at Wildcat Stadium. Koontz led the Wildcats with 13 tackles on the night.

The Louisburg football team could
get used to this.

Good times continued for the
Wildcats on Friday as they got out to a quick start and picked up their third consecutive
win with a 17-7 victory over Eudora on homecoming.

That 0-2 start they had to start
the year – is now way in the rear view mirror and Louisburg is 3-2 on the
season. Life couldn’t be much better for the Wildcats right now.

“Going 0-2 sucks, but those losses
were against two quality teams,” Louisburg coach Robert Ebenstein said. “But
for these kids to come back and win three in a row and get back on the winning
side is a testament to them and the hard work they put into it.”

A common theme during the Wildcats’
winning streak is their ability to get off to a fast start. In each game, they
have scored a touchdown on their opening possession and it continued Friday.

Louisburg went 80 yards in 12
plays and finished it off with a 1-yard touchdown run from junior Ben
Wiedenmann to go up 7-0 on the Cardinals. The early lead in each of their wins
has proved vital for Louisburg.

“Luckily we got off to a good start before they could settle in,” Ebenstein said. “Once Eudora settled in, they kind of started stunting and twisting. They uglied it up a little bit and we didn’t pick it up well after that.

“I think it honestly comes back to
our coaches creating a game plan and teaching it well. We are just able to take
it from the get go before teams have a chance to see exactly what we are doing.
That has been big, but honestly we just executed really well. We kind of knew
what they would be to start with and we were able to take advantage to it.”

Following the touchdown, momentum
continued to build for Louisburg as senior kicker Drake Varns executed a
perfect onside kick opportunity and he recovered his own kick just past the 10
yards the ball was required to travel.

The Wildcats took full advantage
as quarterback Madden Rutherford found Weston Guetterman on passes of 34 and 13
yards, which led to a 3-yard touchdown run by Andy Hupp. Louisburg had a 14-0
lead before Eudora had a chance to get its hands on the ball.

“Coach (Drew) Harding saw on film
where we had potential to do what we call the ‘middle dribble’ and it worked
out perfect,” Ebenstein said of the onside kick. “It was a great call by him. They
blocked it perfect and Varns placed it perfectly. I think he kicked it 11 yards
to cover it and it was as good as you could have drawn it up.”

Louisburg’s offense slowed down a
little after that, but the Wildcats were able to add on to their lead at
halftime. With just seconds left in the second quarter, Wiedenmann broke free
for a 38-yard run down the sideline, which allowed the Wildcats to try for the
field goal.

Varns, once again came through for
Louisburg as he converted a 41-yard field goal to put the Wildcats up 17-0 as time
expired in the first half.

“Eudora dropped everyone back so I
just went ahead and ran ‘stretch’ to see what would happen and Ben hit the edge
hard,” Ebenstein said. “I told Drake that if we got close we were going to kick
it and he got his opportunity. He might have doinked it in, but it worked and
was a good kick.”

Wiedenmann led Louisburg in
rushing with 123 yards on 17 carries and the Wildcats were also able get their
passing game going at times. Rutherford competed 12 of 18 passes for 116 yards,
many of which went to Guetterman.

The junior wide receiver caught
eight of those attempts for 107 yards and made key catches down the stretch to
keep drives alive.

“Weston made play after play when
we went to his side,” Ebenstein said. “He had a great game and Madden did a
good job getting it to him. We were also able to play solid defense, and
whether we win by 1, 10 or 30, we will take it.”

The Wildcat defense gave up a few
yards to the Cardinals, but they were able to keep them out of the endzone
until the fourth quarter when Eudora was able to prevent the shutout. Louisburg
held Eudora to 272 yards of offense and junior Konnor Vohs also intercepted a
pass in the second half.

Senior linebacker Charlie Koontz, who was in his first game back from injury, led the Wildcats with a team-high 13 tackles and Hupp added seven. Seniors Michael Waldron and Garrett Harding each had six tackles in the win.

Louisburg will try and keep its
winning streak going this Friday when it travels to Atchison for a non-league
contest. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

LOU               14           3             0             0 – 17

EUD               0             0             0             7 – 7

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

L: Ben Wiedenmann 1 run (Drake
Varns kick)

L: Andy Hupp 3 run (Varns kick)

Second quarter

L: Varns 41 FG

Fourth quarter

E: Zeke Reazin 1 run (Caden
Willits kick)

STATISTICS

RUSHING – Ben Wiedenmann 17-123,
Andy Hupp 10-25, Justin Collins 2-18, Kolby Kattau 2-10, Madden Rutherford 5-1

PASSING – Madden Rutherford
12-18-116

RECEIVING – Weston Guetterman
8-107, Andy Hupp 1-6, Ben Wiedenmann 1-3, Charlie Koontz 2-0

TACKLES – Charlie Koontz 13, Andy
Hupp 7, Michael Waldron 6, Garrett Harding 6, Justin Collins 5, Brandon Doles
4, Konnor Vohs 3, Eli Johnson 3, Weston Guetterman 2, Ben Wiedenmann 2, A.J.
Reed 2, Brayden White 2, Andrew Krause 1, Tom Koontz 1

Louisburg senior lineman Brayden White brings down the Piper quarterback in the back field Friday during the Wildcats’ 23-6 win over the Pirates at Wildcat Stadium.

Two weeks into the season, things
were looking bleak for the Louisburg football team.

The Wildcats lost their first two
games, including a 36-point defeat in their home opener, and they were a squad
that was decimated by injuries. It couldn’t have been a worse start.

Fast forward to the present and
things are a lot brighter for the Wildcats.

Louisburg picked up its second
consecutive win with a 23-6 victory Friday over previous undefeated Piper at
Wildcat Stadium. The Wildcats are a different team, and despite still dealing
with some injuries, they are in a much better place.

“It was a huge win,” Louisburg
coach Robert Ebenstein said. “That first game we had a lot to learn and we did
it by attrition. That second game, I hate to say it, but we got our butt
whooped. Last week, I challenged them to answer with who we really are and they
did that. Against Piper, I told the boys they could make a statement with an
undefeated team coming onto our home field and they answered.

“They have learned a lot in these
last few games and they are growing together as a team and I am really proud of
them.”

Defense was the calling card for
Louisburg on Friday as the Wildcats held the Pirates to a season-low six points
and created a lot of havoc, which didn’t let Piper get into a flow offensively.

The Wildcats (2-2) sacked the
quarterback twice, forced two turnovers and held Piper out of the endzone for
much of the night. Louisburg gave up just 118 yards of total offense.

“That is all coach (Jeff) Lohse, (Alex)
Gentges, (Kade) Larson, (Drew) Harding, (Joel) McGhee, (Pete) Skakal and (Ty)
Pfannenstiel,” Ebenstein said. “Those coaches are the defensive guys and they
took care of business along with the players. It was a great effort all-around.”

Sophomore linebacker Brandon
Doles, who is filling for injured starter Charlie Koontz, had his best game as
a Wildcat. Doles led the team with nine tackles, recorded a sack, forced and
recovered a fumble on special teams and deflected a pass later in the game that
turned into an interception.

Doles also tackled the Pirate
punter on a bad snap attempt early in the game that gave the Wildcats a short
field with which to work.

“For a sophomore stepping in for a
senior, he is learning quick and he played a great game for us,” Ebenstein
said. “He is a heck of a player and I think he is going to get better and
better in all phases.”

Senior lineman Brayden White also
had a big day up front with four tackles, including a sack and a tackle for a
loss. Senior lineman Garrett Harding, junior linebacker Ben Wiedenmann and junior
defensive back Justin Collins also added four tackles.

Offensively, the Wildcats played
conservatively as they took little chunks of yardage at a time and it worked on
their opening possession. Louisburg drove 80 yards in 11 plays and found the
endzone when Wiedenmann scored on a 6-yard run to put the Wildcats up 6-0.

Wiedenmann had another big game on
the ground for Louisburg as he finished with 19 carries for 112 yards and the
touchdown.

Both offenses stalled for much of
the first half, but the Wildcats made it 9-0 when senior Drake Varns nailed a
30-yard field goal. Piper answered with a touchdown drive, and after a missed extra
point, trailed Louisburg by three at halftime.

“That was kind of the plan coming
in,” Ebenstein said. “We were going to play football in a phone booth and see
if they can match us. Defensively they did match us and they were solid and
played tough football. It was nice to see us put a couple drives together and
get in the endzone though.”

The Wildcat offense appeared it was going to stall again late in the third quarter when they faced a fourth-and-16 near the redzone. Instead, quarterback Madden Rutherford found Kolby Kattau down the sideline for a 21-yard touchdown pass to make it 16-6.

“We drew that up and we knew it
was going to be cover 1 on the back out and it came down to just making a play,”
Ebenstein said. “Madden put it where it needed to be and Kolby made a nice
catch.”

Louisburg’s defense forced Piper
to turn the ball over on downs a couple different times near midfield and the
Wildcats took advantage of one of those as Rutherford hit Weston Guetterman on
a 2-yard touchdown pass to go up 17 with 3 minutes and 49 seconds left in the
game.

Guetterman then sealed the win
with an interception on Piper’s ensuing possession to give the Wildcats their
first home victory of the year.

Louisburg will try and make it
three in a row this Friday when it hosts Eudora for homecoming. Kickoff is set
for 7 p.m. and the crowning for king and queen will be at 6:30 p.m.

“Eudora is a growing team and they
are continuing to get better,” Ebenstein said. “We can’t look past them. They
have some linemen that are pretty good, they have a big tight end and they have
a great coach. Eudora will be ready to go for sure so we have to come ready to
play.”

LOU               6             3             7             7 – 23

PIP                 0             6             0             0 – 6

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

L: Ben Wiedenmann 6 run (2 point
failed)

Second quarter

L: Drake Varns 30 FG

P: LeJames White 5 run (kick
failed)

Third quarter

L: Kolby Kattau 21 pass from
Madden Rutherford (Varns kick)

Fourth quarter

L: Weston Guetterman 2 pass from
Rutherford (Varns kick)

STATISTICS

RUSHING – Ben Wiedenmann 19-112;
Madden Rutherford 16-44; Andy Hupp 10-21; Justin Collins 4-13

PASSING – Madden Rutherford
6-14-55

RECEIVING – Weston Guetterman
3-25; Kolby Kattau 1-21; Michael Waldron 1-5; Ben Wiedenmann 1-4.

TACKLES – Brandon Doles 9, Ben
Wiedenmann 4, Garrett Harding 4, Brayden White 4, Justin Collins 4, Michael
Waldron 3, Eli Johnson 3, Drake Varns 2, Andy Hupp 2, Ben Guetterman 1, Kolby
Kattau 1, Tom Koontz 1, A.J. Reed 1.

Louisburg running back Ben Wiedenmann looks for an opening during the Wildcats’ 38-12 win over Baldwin on Friday.

BALDWIN CITY – Louisburg was
nowhere near healthy when it entered Friday’s road contest at Baldwin.

The Wildcats were missing nine combined
starters on both sides of the ball due to injury, they had to shuffle guys in
different positions and change things up offensively. It wasn’t exactly the
perfect recipe for success.

Whatever the Wildcats did, worked
like a charm.

Louisburg ran all over Baldwin as
it amassed almost 400 yards of rushing on its way to a 38-12 victory over the Bulldogs
at Listen Stadium on the campus of Baker University. In the process, the
Wildcats picked up their first win of the season, which helped erase the bad
taste they had the previous two outings.

“It was a little different for
sure,” Louisburg coach Robert Ebenstein said. “The look was different, what we
could do was different and what we thought we would be good at is different
than normal. That is just coaching. Every week is different and we want to give
the kids the best opportunity each week to have success and put them in position
where they can succeed. You could tell they wanted this one and they came out
and played really hard. It was a good win.”

Ben Wiedenmann provided the lift the Wildcats were looking for as he recorded three touchdowns of 30-yards or more in the first half and finished the game with 231 yards on the ground on 26 carries.

He got it thanks to the blocking
up front as Brayden White, Ian McGuire, Garrett Harding, along with two new
starters in Andrew Krause and Sam Kratochvil, shined on the offensive line.
Tight end Michael Waldron, along with blocking backs Brandon Doles and Kolby
Kattau, also broke Wiedenmann free on several plays.

“Anyone that knows me, knows that
I want to run the ball,” Ebenstein said. “Situations in our last two games kind
of took that away from us early and forced us to throw a little bit more and
this one was different. In the first quarter, we established what we wanted and
Ben ran hard and we blocked well. Then with our two running backs out, I
thought Brandon and Kolby came in and blocked really well.”

Wiedenmann wasn’t the only Wildcat
to eclipse the century mark in rushing as quarterback Andy Hupp also added 106
yards on the ground, threw for a touchdown and ran in three 2-point
conversions. Hupp replaced starting quarterback Madden Rutherford, who was one
of the Wildcat starters out with injury.

“Andy is a monster,” Ebenstein
said. “He runs hard, he blocks hard, he tackles well and he was just all over
the place for us. I was really pleased with him as well.”

The Wildcats (1-2) got things
going on their first possession as Wiedenmann broke free for a 35-yard touchdown
run, and after a Hupp 2-point conversion, went up 8-0.

On Louisburg’s next drive, it was
Wiedenmann again as he found the endzone on a 36-yard scamper and went up 16-0
after another Hupp 2-point run.

Baldwin went on to score to begin
the second quarter, but the Wildcats returned the favor as Wiedenmann scored on
a 31-yard run. Louisburg drove down the field before halftime and Hupp found
Waldron on a 1-yard touchdown in the back of the endzone and the Wildcats went
up 32-6 at the break.

Justin Collins provided the only
score in the second half for the Wildcats on a 41-yard run to seal the win.

Other than one big play, the
Wildcat defense was sound all evening as Baldwin recorded just 89 total yards
of offense, including minus 22 yards rushing.

“Defensively I was really pleased
with what we were able to do considering some guys were in different spots,”
Ebenstein said. “We gave up the one big pass play, but other than that I
thought we did some good things out there.”

Hupp led the Wildcats with eight
tackles on the night, while Harding finished with seven and Eli Johnson added
six. Konnor Vohs also recorded an interception.

Louisburg returns home Friday as it will try to get its second consecutive win against Piper. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. During halftime of the contest, Louisburg will also recognize its newest hall of fame inductees – Dennis Stiles, Krystal Bowes (Grojean), Jason Burk and John Lohse.

LOU               16           16           0             6 – 38

BAL                0             6             6             0 – 12

SCORING SUMMARY

FIRST QUARTER

L: Ben Wiedenmann 35 run (Andy
Hupp run)

L: Wiedenmann 36 run (Hupp run)

SECOND QUARTER

B: Gavin Lang 26 pass from Connor
Quick (run failed)

L: Wiedenmann 31 run (Hupp run)

L: Michael Waldron 1 pass from
Hupp (Wiedenmann run)

THIRD QUARTER

B: Trysten Heck 80 fumble return
(run failed)

FOURTH QUARTER

L: Justin Collins 41 run (kick
failed)

STATISTICS

RUSHING – Ben Wiedenmann 26-231;
Andy Hupp 23-106; Justin Collins 1-41

PASSING – Hupp 2-6-minus 2

RECEIVING – Michael Waldron 1-1

TACKLES – Andy Hupp 8, Garrett
Harding 7, Eli Johnson 6, Brandon Doles 5, Michael Waldron 5, Brayden White 5, A.J.
Reed 5, Kolby Kattau 3, Tom Koontz 3, Terrance Foster 2, Konnor Vohs 1, Ben
Guetterman 1, Justin Collins 1, Andrew Krause 1.

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’s (from left) Eli Johnson, Konnor Vohs and Garrett Harding team up to stop a Tonganoxie player at the goal line and force a fumble Friday at Wildcat Stadium.

It wasn’t the way the Louisburg
football wanted to kick off its home schedule Friday against Tonganoxie.

Tonganoxie took advantage of some
Wildcat mistakes and racked up nearly 500 yards of total offense as it handed
Louisburg a 42-6 loss at Wildcat Stadium.

The Chieftains were the more
physical team as they won the battle up front and put together several hard
hits on the Wildcat players.

“Tonganoxie is very good,” Louisburg coach Robert Ebenstein said. “My hats off to them. They played a complete, physical four-quarter game. They are best public school that I have seen in a long time. They are legit.”

Louisburg (0-2) had to face
obstacles throughout the game, including losing players to injury, and it challenged
their depth. Running backs Charlie Koontz and Jay Scollin had to leave the game
with injuries, as did quarterback Madden Rutherford.

The Chieftains’ defense held
Louisburg to just 175 total yards of offense and forced two turnovers. Even
with all that, the Wildcats trailed just 21-6 at halftime.

“They really didn’t let us do a
whole lot,” Ebenstein said of Tonganoxie. “Then on top of it we lose two
starting running backs and our quarterback to injury, and at that point, we
were just going to take what we could get. I am really proud of our kids. They
fought hard and they never tucked their tails. They didn’t quit and they fought
their butts off and I am proud of them for that.”

Tonganoxie (2-0) opened the game
with a 79-yard drive that ended in a 2-yard touchdown, and after the Wildcats
were forced to punt on their opening possession, the Chieftains drove down the
field once again. Except this time, the Wildcat defense forced Tonganoxie to
turn the ball over on downs in the red zone.

As it turned out, it was only a minor victory for Louisburg as Tonganoxie put together another possession that ended on a 5-yard score from Elijah Tyner and went up 14-0 late in the first quarter.

Louisburg had an answer as the Wildcats put together a drive of their own that ended with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Ben Wiedenmann from Rutherford. Wiedenmann also had a big game on the ground for Louisburg as he carried the ball 13 times for 103 yards.

The Chieftains stopped any kind of momentum the Wildcats put together as they scored on their next possession to go up 21-6. Tonganoxie looked to increase its lead even more before halftime, but the Wildcat defense had other answers.

The Wildcats forced two turnovers as Weston Guetterman recovered a fumble near the goal line. Then shortly before halftime, Michael Waldron intercepted a pass to keep the deficit at 15 points.

Andy Hupp was all over the field
for the Wildcat defense as the junior linebacker recorded a team-high 16
tackles, including six solo stops. Hupp then came in the game at quarterback in
the second half for Rutherford.

“Andy has taken minimal reps at
quarterback, but he is just a football player and he will do anything we ask of
him,” Ebenstein said. “Andy is just a stud and he played well for us.”

Justin Collins and Brandon Doles
were next on the team with seven tackles each, while Guetterman, Garrett
Harding and Wiedenmann each added six.

Louisburg will try for its first
win of the season Friday when they travel to Baldwin. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
on the campus of Baker University.

“We have a winning culture here,
so anytime you lose it is tough on the guys,” Ebenstein said. “At the end of
the day, these guys are doing what we ask of them. They are lining up every
play and getting to where they need to be. We talk to them about life skills
and we tell them that sometimes in life you don’t get lucky breaks all the time
and it is all about how you respond. Our kids responded and kept fighting. We
are going to go to practice and get better and get ready for Baldwin.”

LOU               0             6             0             0
– 6

TON              14           7             7             14
– 42

SCORING SUMMARY

FIRST QUARTER

T: Sam Kleidosty 2 run (Javier
Trujillo kick)

T: Elijah Tyner 5 run (Trujillo
kick)

SECOND QUARTER

L: Ben Wiedenmann 8 pass from
Madden Rutherford (extra point failed)

T: Cooper Cunningham 16 pass from
Blake Poje (Trujillo kick)

THIRD QUARTER

T: Tyner 9 run (Trujillo kick)

FOURTH QUARTER

T: Cunningham 2 run (Trujillo
kick)

T: Devyn Splichal run (Mendoza
kick)

STATISTICS

RUSHING: Ben Wiedenmann 13-103;
Madden Rutherford 9-8

PASSING: Madden Rutherford
7-19-73-1

RECEIVING: Ben Wiedenmann 4-23; Weston
Guetterman 2-23; Charlie Koontz 1-21; Michael Waldron 1-6

A big change to the Kansas High School
Activities Association (KSHSAA) postseason could be coming sooner rather than
later if a proposal, submitted by the Frontier League, passes the KSHSAA Board
of Directors and its member schools.

Last month the Frontier League,
led by Paola High School principal Jeff Hines and Louisburg superintendent Dr.
Brian Biermann, petitioned KSHSAA to separate public and private schools into
their own postseason competitions.

In order for it pass, the petition
must be signed by 20 percent of the 355 member schools according to KSHSAA
bi-laws. The Frontier League got the 71 needed petitions and have now submitted
this to appear in front of the KSHSAA Board of Directors for vote in their
Sept. 18 meeting.

The board of directors would then
have to pass it by simple majority of those in attendance to bring the proposal
to a vote from all the member schools.

“Kansas needs to catch up with
the rest of the country and get this competitive imbalance under control in our
state,” Hines said. “The longer we wait then more students will be negatively
impacted. We have a responsibility as educators to create the best
opportunities possible for our students. No one can honestly say we have
the best system possible right now. It can definitely be improved.”

The proposal submitted by the Frontier League is the same one the state of Texas uses that keeps the schools in their same classification, but only separates the schools come postseason.

Other options were discussed
before submitting the proposal, such as implementing a multiplier on all
private schools like Missouri currently does. In fact, it is the most popular
proposal among the schools that were surveyed by Hines last January.

They also talked about the “Oklahoma
model” where schools are bumped up a classification based on success for
competitive balance.

Seventy-four percent of the
schools said they would support a population multiplier, 64 percent would
support competitive balance factors and 51 percent would support separate
divisions.

However, KSHSAA would not be able
to make this change with a multiplier due to state statute K.S.A. 72-130 that
states a high school association “must establish a system of classification of
member high schools according to student attendance.”

KSHSAA would not be able to pass a
new bi-law that goes against state statute, and therefore, the Kansas State
Legislature would have reword the statue to allow the association to make those
changes.

The Frontier League believes the Texas model, or separate postseason divisions, does not deal with classifications. Also, this model had more support from 5A and 6A schools as neither classification would likely vote for a multiplier.

“We don’t view that as a classification decision as we are not affecting classification, but KSHSAA and their lawyers view that it is,” Biermann said. “5A and 6A schools that we talked to really wanted us to push for the Texas model because they don’t want to play them (private schools) either. The biggest thing for me is if 5 and 6A schools don’t want to play them, then why do we? As a superintendent, I am supposed to create opportunities for kids. We had four teams last year in both soccer teams, football and volleyball that all saw their season end to Bishop Miege. It is not right that we have kids and coaches that work their tails off and they don’t have the opportunity to win.

“Am I all about state
championships? Absolutely not. But we also know the reality of it in the
current system. Winning state championships is important for communities and is
always a goal. I am not ever going to give up on this idea and neither will the
Frontier League.”

The public versus private school
debate has been going on for the last several years and Hines has been leading
the charge since 2015 when he put together a study that displayed the disparity
of state championships won by private schools.

In 2018-19, private schools won 32
percent of the state championships in Classes 5A through 1A. There are currently
no private schools in 6A. Twenty-one of those 24 state titles were won by
private schools in Class 4A and 5A.

That is a high number considering
that out of the 355 member schools, only 27 of them are private.

The Frontier League wanted to see change, so Hines surveyed the 355 member schools late last year and presented his findings to KSHSAA in January. More than 88 percent of the schools responded, that included 22 private institutions, and 87 percent said they want the current system changed.

Although most schools said they
would support the multiplier model more, Hines and the rest of the league
schools, believe it is the best way to proceed at this time.

“Our
survey indicated that separate divisions was the least popular option among
member schools, however as a league we feel like it is the most appropriate
option,” Hines said. “A multiplier will pass through and will be our next
option if this does not go through.  A multiplier will impact many private
schools that are not quasi sports academies that are not very successful in athletics. The
separate divisions avoids this situation.”

If
the proposal does pass the board of directors, KSHSAA will then put it to a
vote with all 355 member schools and it must pass by a simple majority and by
four of the six classes.

From
there, KSHSAA executive director Bill Faflick would take it to the Kansas
Legislature before change could be implemented.

“We
know it won’t happen overnight,” Biermann said. “Even if this passes, nothing
will change this year and probably not the following year. It could be three
years out with the way football schedules take shape. We are honestly ok with
that if we knew that there was light at the end of the tunnel. If this would
not pass, we would turn right around and do the multiplier one.”

Despite what happens at the
upcoming board of directors meeting, Hines believes changes to the system will
happen sooner rather than later.

“I am now confident something will get done,” Hines said. “I
think it will ultimately take a multiplier to get something done. If the
separate divisions fails then we will propose a multiplier for the spring board
of directors meeting.”

 A lot of obstacles are still in the way for change to happen, whether it has to deal with state statues or member votes, but none of the schools in the nine-member Frontier League are going to stop until they see a more even playing field.

“I am very proud of the Frontier League, and even though we compete against each other, we are very unified on this,” Biermann said. “It is about fairness and equality and I am tired of having my kids at Louisburg High School not having the same opportunity as some others. The throttle is down and it is going to stay down.”

Louisburg junior Ben Wiedenmann breaks through the line for a long run during the Wildcats’ season opener Friday in Spring Hill.

SPRING HILL – Four yards.

That is how far away the Louisburg
football team was from completing what was already an impeccable comeback in
its season opener Friday against Spring Hill.

Down three points with 50 seconds
left, the Wildcats had a first and goal from the 4-yard line and were ready to
steal the road win. Fate had other ideas, however.

Two penalties and two incompletions later, the Wildcats were forced to try a game-tying field goal. The kick fell short and Spring Hill survived a 27-24 contest that could have easily gone different way after Louisburg scored 18 unanswered points to tie it.

“Losing sucks, that is for sure,” Louisburg coach Robert Ebenstein said. “We had every chance to win it. The game really wasn’t lost at the end, the game was lost in the first half and I was glad to see us battle back like we did. I was very pleased with how they fought.

“We had chances to make plays.
Sometimes you make them and sometimes you don’t. There was a big learning curve
for us, and unfortunately some of the plays we learned on were scores for them.”

Spring Hill jumped out quickly as
the Broncos scored the game’s first 10 points before the Wildcats battled back
early in the second quarter.

Louisburg drove 80 yards and ended
with a 1-yard touchdown run from quarterback Madden Rutherford, and after a
missed extra point, the Wildcats trailed by just four.

Unfortunately for the Wildcats,
Spring Hill’s offense was difficult to get off the field as the Broncos engineered
two more scoring drives. Bronco running back Zade Barker scored on pair of
4-yard runs to go up 24-6 with under two minutes left in the first half.

“We had a lot of kids making first
starts out there on defense and we really weren’t assignment sound,” Ebenstein
said. “That is something we might have taken for granted the last couple of
years because we had kids who knew where to be and what to do. We will learn,
coach them up and be better next game.”

The Wildcats did take some momentum going into halftime as Rutherford led the Wildcats down the field and completed the drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Koontz with 24 seconds remaining.

After halftime, the Wildcats
dominated time of possession.

Louisburg ate up the first nine
minutes of the third quarter, which ended in a 36-yard field goal from Drake
Varns. The Wildcat defense then forced a three-and-out, and got the ball right
back. In all, Spring Hill ran just 15 plays from scrimmage the entire second
half.

“Keeping our defense fresh and
their quarterback off the field was big for us,” Ebenstein said.

Late in the third quarter, and
with Louisburg facing a third-and-long situation, Rutherford connected with
junior Weston Guetterman on a 35-yard pass play to the Spring Hill 21-yard
line. Then on the opening play of the fourth quarter, junior Justin Collins
found a hole and scored on a 21-yard touchdown run to tie the game.

Spring Hill kicker Bear Gardner
put the Broncos in front again with a 27-yard field goal with 5 minutes and 49
seconds left in the contest.

The Wildcats had their backs
against wall, yet again, late in the fourth quarter as they faced a 4^th
down and 22. Rutherford again came through as he found running back Ben
Wiedenmann on a 32-yard pass over the middle for a first down.

All that set up the first-and-goal
from the 4-yard line, which would be as close as the Wildcats would get. An
illegal procedure penalty, two incompletions and a delay of game stymied the
Louisburg drive.

“We had every intention of coming
back and winning that game,” Ebenstein said. “We had the ball on our fingertips
twice in the endzone to win it, and then we had a good snap, good hold on the
field goal but the kick just didn’t go through. We will learn from this and get
better.”

Louisburg also had several players
who were cramping up throughout the game, which forced players to play in
different spots at times and limited the Wildcats on what they could do late in
the game.

One of those was Rutherford, who
despite the cramping issues, completed 12 of 27 passes for 251 yards and a
touchdown. His favorite target was Guetterman, who had his best day in a
Wildcat uniform with eight catches for 184 yards. Guetterman made several key
catches late in the contest to keep drives alive.

“Both of those guys are talented,
and with our running backs cramping up and everyone shuffling through, they
were two of the consistent players for us,” Ebenstein said. “They knew their
assignments. Madden was really hindered because he couldn’t roll out, and if he
tried to, he would cramp up. Still, those two made some big plays for us.

“We have to take better care of
our bodies and it seemed like every player was cramping out there. We were
shuffling kids in and out that don’t play the right positions. We will take
care of our bodies, learn and get better for next week.”

In the backfield, Wiedenmann led
the Louisburg rushing attack with 81 yards on 15 carries and the offensive line
of Brayden White, Garrett Harding, Ian McGuire, Andy Hupp, Eli Johnson and
tight end Michael Waldron helped open holes for some of the big plays.

Defensively, Hupp led the way with
a team-high eight tackles from his linebacker spot and sophomore Kolby Kattau
finished with seven. Wiedenmann and Waldron both added six tackles, while
Wiedenmann recorded a sack and two tackles for a loss.

The Wildcats will try and rebound
this Friday when they host Tonganoxie in their home opener. Kickoff is set for
7 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium.

LOU               0             14           3             7 – 24

SH                  10           14           0             3 – 27

First quarter

SH: Gage Klutts 26 pass from
Corbyn Meyers (Bear Gardner kick)

SH: Gardner 26 FG

Second quarter

L: Madden Rutherford 1 run (kick
failed)

SH: Zade Barker 4 run (Gardner
kick)

SH: Barker 4 run (Gardner kick)

L: Charlie Koontz 23 pass from Rutherford
(Rutherford run)

Third quarter

L: Drake Varns 36 FG

Fourth quarter

L: Justin Collins 21 run (Varns
kick)

SH: Gardner 27 FG

STATISTICS

RUSHING – Ben Wiedenmann 15-81;
Madden Rutherford 11-37; Charlie Koontz 8-37; Justin Collins 3-31; Kolby Kattau
6-15; Jay Scollin 1-3

PASSING – Madden Rutherford
12-27-251

RECEIVING – Weston Guetterman
8-184; Ben Wiedenmann 1-32; Charlie Koontz 1-23; Jay Scollin 1-7; Michael
Waldron 1-5

TACKLES – Andy Hupp 8; Kolby
Kattau 7; Ben Wiedenmann 6; Michael Waldron 6; Brayden White 5; Justin Collins
4; Charlie Koontz 4; Andrew Krause 3; Weston Guetterman 2; Jay Scollin 2;
Konnor Vohs 1; Drake Varns 1; A.J. Reed 1

Louisburg quarterback Madden Rutherford hands the ball off to junior Ben Wiedenmann during a workout over the summer. The Wildcats open their season Friday at Spring Hill.

It was one of those special years for Louisburg football that doesn’t come along very often.

The Wildcats won their first 10 games in 2018, captured a Frontier League title and finished with a regional championship, before defending state champion Bishop Miege came calling and ended the Wildcats’ season.

Last year may be hard to
replicate, especially after losing 18 seniors, but the Wildcats have the pieces
to make a lot of noise in the Frontier League once again.

Louisburg has close to 70 players
out this season, which is the most since head coach Robert Ebenstein has been
involved with the program, and the Wildcats have 10 seniors this year that will
be looked to fill the leadership left behind from last year’s group.

“So
far practices have been going very well,” Ebenstein said. “We have some holes
to fill from last year’s roster, but the guys have been working very hard and
are ready to fill those spots.

“We return 13 letterman with 8 individuals who started a game on offense and 6 individuals who started a game on defense. We will be younger with some new faces, but we have many kids who are ready to take that step up and compete at the varsity level.”

One constant is third-year quarterback Madden Rutherford, who will once again lead the Wildcat offense. The Louisburg senior threw for more than 1,100 yards last season and had 14 touchdowns.

Rutherford
is also a threat to take off and run as he recorded 354 yards on the ground and
had four touchdowns a year ago as a second-team All-Frontier League player. He
also earned an all-league first team as a punter.

“Returning
a quarterback is always a blessing, but when you can bring back a kid who is
starting for his third season, it is a huge advantage,” Ebenstein said. “He is
the smartest football player I have ever coached and knows our offensive system
inside and out. He knows his job, he knows every route the
receivers run and he knows all the blocking assignments the backs have. Honestly,
he knows most all of the offensive line responsibilities as well.”

That offensive line will have a little different look from a year ago. Returning are all-league players Brayden White and Garrett Harding, and the Wildcats seniors will anchor that front along with fellow senior tight end Michael Waldron.

White,
who was a first-team All-Frontier League selection a year ago, will lead the
way at tackle and Harding will be a fixture at guard. Seniors Ian McGuire, Sam
Kratochvil, along with juniors Andy Hupp, Eli Johnson and sophomore Dominic
Owens are new faces who could help the Wildcats up front this season.

Louisburg
lost three off that line from last season, including Kiefer Tucker, who was an
All-Frontier League first team player on both sides of ball. Still, Ebenstein
likes what he has coming back to help pave the way up front.

“Our offensive line will have some new faces, but should be a dominant force,” Ebenstein said. “We have smart football kids all over the field and we will have the most athletic offensive line we have had in a long time. We might not be as big as we have in the past, but our speed up front will be a strength.

“Being able to zone our opponents, and double off and be able to pick up those quick linebackers, will be a strength of ours. Also having Waldron return at tight end is a plus as well as his blocking, and knowledge of the system, is outstanding.”

The Wildcats also have a stable of running backs to be able to get through those holes. Gone is All-League first-teamer Austin Moore, who is now with the Kansas State football program, but Ebenstein will have plenty have plenty to choose from to help fill the void.

Senior Charlie Koontz and junior Ben Wiedenmann both saw varsity time last season, and will lead the way in 2019. Juniors Justin Collins, Jay Scollin and sophomore Kolby Kattau will also see time in the backfield.

“This year our running backs will look a lot different,” Ebenstein said. “We lost some quality kids, but some tough kids are ready to take those spots. All of those guys will be in the backfield this year and all do certain things very well. You should be hearing many names called out over the speakers this season. This is, by far, is the fastest backfield we have had in Louisburg since I have been here.”

Defense was a staple for the Wildcats a year ago, and that helped them to an undefeated league title. Although they have spots to fill, the Wildcats still figure to be strong in that area as well.

Hupp, Koontz, Kattau and sophomore Brandon Doles will
all see a lot of time at the linebacker spot, while Hupp and Koontz are both
returning starters at the position. White and Harding will anchor the middle of
the defensive line as returning starters.

Wiedenmann will bring some speed off the edge from the
defensive end spot, while Johnson, senior Andrew Krause and Owens will see time
at defensive end.

In the secondary, Waldron, along with juniors Weston Guetterman, Collins, Konnor Vohs and Ben Guetterman will all see action in the defensive backfield.

Assistant coach Jeff Lohse is also returning as the
team’s defensive coordinator as he guided the Wildcats to one of Class 4A’s top
defenses a year ago.

“With Lohse calling the defense, I am always confident
in our defense to be in the right spots and make plays,” Ebenstein said. “Schematically,
it will look similar to the Louisburg defenses over the years, but we will have
some new faces for sure.

“Our defensive line should be a strength of ours with Harding and White anchoring the middle and I think Ben Wiedenmann could possibly be one of the fastest defensive ends in the state.”

The Wildcats also return both of their kickers on special teams as senior Drake Varns will resume his placekicking duties, while Rutherford is the team’s punter.

The Frontier League will provide a lot of competition
for the Wildcats again this season, including rival Paola, which is one of the
favorites to win the league crown.

Still, Louisburg hopes to figure into that conversation
at the end of the year and make a run in the state playoffs. It all starts
Friday when the Wildcats travel to Spring Hill for their season opener.

“Our expectations are always the same,” Ebenstein said.
“We want to get better every practice, be prepared for every game, and
represent this team in the best light we can.

“The
Frontier League is tough week in and week out. There are no easy games in this
league, but right now I am really only concerned with Spring Hill and leaving
that game, 1-0.”

Last fall, each of the four
Louisburg High School athletic programs had something to brag about.

Whether it was football’s 10-1
season that ended with a regional championship, volleyball’s state runner-up
finish, cross country’s two state medalists and state qualifying girls team or
the boys’ soccer regional championship appearance – the Wildcats had plenty to
cheer about and several athletes took notice.

Numbers are up for all four programs following the first day of practice Monday and the coaches and athletes are excited to get the season started after last year’s successes.

The Wildcat football team saw a big jump in numbers as they have 70 students out this season and football coach Robert Ebenstein and has liked what he seen through the first couple days of workouts.

“Our numbers are up and based on the numbers at the middle school and youth programs and I expect them to keep growing,” Ebenstein said. “I am very excited for practice to get going. When you finish the season off with a loss in the playoffs it sticks with you and the opportunity to go play another game creates that energy and that eager feeling to get going. So far I am very pleased with our kids’ focus and effort. We need to continue to get better every day.”

Louisburg volleyball has also seen a spike in its numbers as 40
athletes have attended tryouts. Those tryouts will go through Wednesday and
head coach Jessica Compliment believes those high numbers will be beneficial
down the road.

“The players are excited, but I
think some are nervous as well with tryouts and cuts these first few days,” Compliment
said. “Forty is the most we’ve had tryout for quite some time. Generally we
have around 35. The higher numbers leads to more competition for uniforms and
playing time.”

Cross country head coach John Reece is pulling
double duty this season as he, and assistant coach Paul Restivo, will also be
leading the new Louisburg Middle School program. The Wildcats have a combined
59 runners out between the two programs, including 37 on the high school side.

Louisburg returns a majority of its girls team
that qualified for state a year ago, including its two state medalists in
senior Trinity Moore and sophomore Reese Johnson.

Despite a little hiccup with the heat during
the first two days of workouts, coach Reece likes what he sees from both teams.

“It was great to get started, and yes the
heat caused us to change our workout a little bit, but we still got in our
miles,” Reece said. “We had a good turnout during summer running, so as a whole
they are ready to get to the good stuff and go compete.

“There is definitely a huge difference
with LMS joining the crew. Two coaches managing 59 kids is a lot, and we might
need more help for supervision as we get more personalized with workouts for
different levels of runners, but this is a good thing for Louisburg’s cross
country program. It is going to be a fun year.”

Soccer also saw a big increase in
interest as the Wildcats have 44 athletes trying out this season and they will
continue the tryout process through Thursday. It is a good problem to have for
head coach Kyle Conley and he has liked what he has seen so far as the Wildcats
look to take another step forward this year.

“The kids worked hard, but showed we have
a lot of work to do,” Conley said. “We had a really, really good summer, but we
got a little rusty with the month off. This year we are getting back to focus
on our culture and getting back to playing for each other. The boys have been
focused and determined to improve this season.”

However, the first two day of practices weren’t without their challenges as intense heat and humidity caused some of the programs to change their schedules, including soccer, which moved its practice to the evening on Tuesday and spent some time indoors Monday.

“The
heat was an interesting factor to go along with the late start due to the
KSHSAA schedule,” Conley said. “We started in the AUX gym for the first hour
and 15 minutes then transitioned outside for an hour. It was frustrating but
the boys handled it very well.”

With
the heat advisories, teams had to take precautions with their athletes and
everything seemed to go smoothly with the hot weather.

“There is nothing you can do about the heat, and it is not centralized to Louisburg, so everybody has to deal with it,” Ebenstein said. “So you just do what you have to do when it comes to moving practice to the evening or whatever. I do not mind these hot early practices as it sets the tone that athletes need to take care of their bodies, and the acclimatization process gets going from the beginning. I would much rather have it this way instead of it being cool and the first hot week comes on a game week.”

With the first day of practice starting
later than normal, the start of competition will also be pushed back. Team
scrimmages will be the Friday before Labor Day and actual competition won’t
start until Sept. 3.

Soccer will host Fort Scott in its season
opener on Sept. 3 and volleyball will travel to Paola for dual on the same day.
Cross country opens its season on Sept. 5 at the Anderson County Invitational
and football will travel to Spring Hill on Sept. 6.

Dennis Stiles (top left), John Lohse (top right), Jason Burk (bottom left) and Krystal (Bowes) Grojean will be inducted into the Louisburg High School Athletic Hall of Fame this fall.

It has been 11 years since
Louisburg High School had inducted a class into its athletic hall of fame, but
the wait for a new class is finally over.

The USD 416 Endowment Association, which oversees the LHS Athletic Hall of Fame, has announced a new 4-member class. Dennis Stiles (Class of 1969), John Lohse (1995), Jason Burk (1999) and Krystal (Bowes) Grojean (2001) were the top four vote getters in this year’s hall of fame voting and will be honored in an induction ceremony sometime this fall.

“Louisburg has a history of great athletes,” said Damon Dennis, a USD 416 Endowment Association board member. “We had a good cross-section of both young and older voters this year that really took their job seriously. The four athletes chosen represent several generations of former Wildcats and each one were dominant in their particular era and sports. The Endowment Association is excited to get the Hall of Fame going again and plan on some big things in the future.”

More than two dozen voters, that includes current members of the hall of fame, long-time Louisburg residents, teachers and coaches, voted on the class in June. Each voter was asked to submit their top four choices for the hall and votes were then tabulated.

To be eligible for the hall of fame, the inductee must wait at least 10 years following graduation to be nominated.

The last class that was inducted was in 2008 and Dennis, and the rest of the Endowment Association, is committed to making this a yearly occurrence moving forward.

Here
are the accomplishments of each of the newest hall of fame inductees. Look for
more information on an induction ceremony in the coming weeks.

Dennis Stiles – Class of 1969 – Football, Basketball, Track

Stiles
lettered 4 years in football and
track and 3 years in basketball. His senior year he was named all-league and
all-state in football and was co-captain on the Wildcat team that finished the
year 4-4.

As sophomore, he played on the varsity basketball team which was 12-0 in
league play, finished the year 19-3 and were district champions. He earned
honorable mention all-state honors his sophomore and junior seasons and was
second-team all-state his senior year. Stiles was at one time the school’s
career scoring leader.

 Stiles competed at the state
track meet as a junior and senior where he placed fourth in the discus his
senior year. He previously held school records in the discus and triple jump.
He also received a football scholarship to Kansas State University.

John Lohse – Class of 1995 – Football, Basketball and Baseball

Lohse lettered all four years in baseball and was selected to represent
Kansas in the all-star baseball classic his senior year. He was an all-league
pitcher and centerfielder for the Wildcats his sophomore through senior years.
He had a .510 average his junior and senior seasons with 10 home runs his
junior year and 12 more his senior season.

In football, Lohse was a 3-year letterwinner. He was an all-league wide
receiver his junior and senior seasons. In his senior year, he had 850 yards
receiving and 11 touchdowns and was later selected to represent Kansas in the
Metro Classic All-Star Game.

Lohse was also a 3-year letterwinner in basketball and was an
all-league selection his junior and senior seasons. He averaged a double-double
his junior and senior years.

Post-graduation, Lohse attended Pittsburg State on a baseball
scholarship and played on the Gorilla team for four years. He was selected to
the all-MIAA team his sophomore and junior seasons before injuring his shoulder
his senior year. He had a .315 average his junior and senior seasons. In his
first collegiate at-bat his freshman year, Lohse hit a game-winning grand slam
to give Pitt State its first win over Missouri Southern in five years.

Jason Burk – Class of 1999 – Track and Football

Burk was a 4-year letterwinner for the Louisburg track and field team
and qualified for state in all four years in four events. He accumulated 12
state medals, 16 regional track medals and 14 Frontier League medals. Burk was
selected to the Kansas City All-Metro track team in 1998 and 1999.

During his senior season, Burk was a state champion in both the triple
and long jump. He won the triple jump with a leap 48 feet and the long jump
with a mark of 22-5. He also finished fifth in the 100-meter dash and sixth in
the high jump. As a junior, Burk won a state championship in the triple jump
with mark of 46 feet and won three more state medals. He took second long jump,
fourth in the 100 dash and sixth in the 200 dash. As a sophomore, Burk won
state medals in the triple jump (second), long jump (fourth) and 4×100 relay
(third). He was a member of the 4×100 team that took second at state as a
freshman in 1996.

At one time, Burk held seven school records. He currently holds school
records in the triple jump, high jump and long jump. Burk holds the school
record for most points in a season with 326.

Burk also played football, where he was a part of bi-district, district
and regional championship teams.

Krystal (Bowes) Grojean – Class of 2001 – Volleyball, Basketball, Track

Bowes was a 4-year letterwinner in track before she was offered a
scholarship on the Wichita State track and field team.

In her senior season at Louisburg, Bowes earned three state medals,
including a second-place finish in the javelin with a throw of 145-10. She was
also third in the discus with a toss of 126-9 and fifth in the shot put at
37-5. As a sophomore and junior, she finished sixth in the discus at state. In
all, Bowes racked up five state medals in her high school career before moving
on to Wichita State. She is the current Louisburg record holder in the javelin
(146-10) and discus (137-11).

At Wichita State, she earned academic All-American honors and was a
team captain all four years. Bowes was a two-time NCAA national qualifier and
finished fifth in the javelin and was second in the Missouri Valley Conference
in 2006. In 2004, Bowes took first in the MVC in the javelin and fourth in the
discus. In 2003, she won the Missouri Valley Conference discus title, was
second in the javelin and fourth in the hammer throw. Bowes was also a member
two Shocker teams that won conference titles.

In volleyball and basketball at LHS, Bowes was a 3-year letterwinner in each sport and earned first-team all-Frontier League honors each season.

Current members of the LHS Hall of Fame

Class of 2005:

Tom
Stevens – 1934 – Track and Field (High Jump)

1947/48
Undefeated Football Teams

Richard
Meiers – 1949 – Basketball/Football

Don
Meek – 1965-1998 – Coach/Administrator

Larry
Harding – 1976-1994 – Volleyball/Golf Coach

Amy
Dodson Goode – 1986 – Volleyball/Basketball

Class of 2006:

Jim
Wells – 1936 – Track and Field (Pole Vault)/Football

Doug
Eaton – 1971 – Wrestling

Sue
Truman Apple – 1974 – Track and Field/Volleyball/Basketball

Mike
Meek – 1985- Football/Wrestling/Track and Field

Jamie
Waite – 1991 – Track and Field (Pole Vault)/Football/Basketball

Class of 2007

Alan
Taylor – 1949 – Football

Tim
Dozier – 1987 – Wrestling/Football

Beth
Dodson Dixon – 1989 – Volleyball/Basketball

Jeff
Lohse – 1991 – Baseball/Football/Basketball

Class of 2008

Greg
Kahmann – 1987 – Baseball/Football/Basketball

Mark
Buckingham – 1994 – Basketball