Pittsburg State center Anders Vance recently earned All-MIAA recognition following his performance with the Gorillas this past season.
In his first year starting for the
Pittsburg State football team on a full-time basis, Anders Vance certainly made
his mark on the Gorilla offensive line.
Vance, a 2016 Louisburg High
School graduate, was named to the All-MIAA honorable mention team as he was one
of 17 Gorillas to be given postseason honors when the list was released late
last month.
“It was an incredible to earn that
honor,” Vance said. “I would not have been able to receive that honor without
the amazing athletes that were playing at my side this season.”
Vance, who played center for the
Gorillas, helped Pitt State accumulate 466 total yards a contest as it averaged
nearly 41 points a game. Pitt State finished the season with a 6-5 record.
It has been a long road for the Pitt State junior, but it all seems to be paying off. After redshirting his freshman year, Vance saw action in five games in a reserve role last season, before taking the starting job in 2019 and he never let it go.
“It
was awesome to be able represent Pitt State this season as a starter, and it
wouldn’t have happened without my coaches and teammates pushing and believing
me,” Vance said. “On the season, I played to the best of my ability and tried
to do my job every play. That was the mindset the whole o-line had. We trusted
each other to do our jobs every play and it was smooth running for the most
part up front.”
Vance was a fixture on the offensive line for Louisburg as well as he was an all-league and all-state selection his senior season. He was also named to the 2016 Kansas Shrine Bowl.
There
will be some changes within the Gorilla program next season as they look for a
new head coach, but Vance is looking forward to one more final year no matter
who is leading the team.
“This
upcoming season is going to be exciting,” Vance said. “I look forward to
getting into off-season training with my team and seeing us all grow in strength
and speed, and to see what we can put on the field next year and what damage we
can do.”
Wildcats earn 11 spots on all-league football team
Louisburg seniors Garrett Harding (left) and Madden Rutherford earned first team All-Frontier League selections and the Wildcats were named to 11 spots overall.
Louisburg had an up and down 2019
campaign as the Wildcats had to deal with injury after injury, not to mention a
difficult Frontier League schedule.
Still, the Wildcats finished their season with a 6-4 record and a spot in the regional playoffs. Louisburg had plenty of key pieces help the Wildcats in their run and those players were rewarded for their efforts when the All-Frontier League team was recently released.
Louisburg earned a combined 11
spots on the all-league squad, including a pair of first-team selections.
“The Frontier League is always tough, and this year was no different,” Louisburg coach Robert Ebenstein said. “All of the newly added schools had some of their best seasons – Tongie, Bonner and Piper. Then you throw in an undefeated Paola team and a very solid Spring Hill team and us. Then you look at the talent that Eudora, Baldwin and Ottawa all have, and it is a very tough league. So, considering all those things I think we came out pretty well.”
Senior quarterback Madden
Rutherford and senior offensive lineman Garrett Harding were each named to the
All-Frontier League first team offense after successful seasons.
Rutherford finished the year with
671 yards passing with eight touchdowns and he also added 245 yards on the
ground and four more scores. Harding was fixture on the offensive line as the
Wildcats amassed 2,822 total yards of offense, including more than 2,100 yards
on the ground.
“Very
excited to see first team honors for Madden and Garrett as both players were
totally deserving of it and it is really cool to see the other league coaches
felt the same way,” Ebenstein said. “The system is very tough, especially for
the skill guys. There are only three first teamers for “skill” which
is quarterbacks and running backs combined.
“To
see Madden break first team was a testament to his competitiveness and same
with Garrett. If he didn’t have his injury last year, Garrett is probably first
team as a junior, but to see if pay off for him as a senior is really
cool. I am very happy for both of them.”
(From left) Ben Wiedenmann, Brayden White and Andy Hupp were each named to the all-league second team.
Senior lineman Brayden White was
selected to the second team offense, as was junior running back Ben Wiedenmann.
Junior Andy Hupp was named to the second team offense as a multi-purpose player
after he saw time at quarterback, running back and on the offensive line.
Wiedenmann led the team in rushing
with 1,126 yards on the ground and another 86 yards receiving. He finished the
season with 13 total touchdowns.
White, who started the season at
tackle, joined Harding in blocking for the Wildcats’ 2,800-plus yards of
offense. Hupp also did some of that blocking, but filled in at different
positions for the Wildcats as he finished the year with two touchdowns and 200
yards of total offense.
“The voting for our league is tough, and
with so many quality teams in the Frontier League this year spots are limited,”
Ebenstein said. “But Brayden, Andy and Ben were all deserving of first team
honors, but to be second team in the Frontier League is a tremendous honor.”
Harding was the lone player on the
all-league second team defense as he earned spots on both sides of the ball for
the Wildcats. He was second on the team with 65 tackles, including 12 solo
stops.
Weston Guetterman (left) and Drake Varns were named to the all-league honorable mention team.
White was named to the honorable mention
defensive line and Hupp was selected as an honorable mention linebacker. Hupp
led Louisburg with 74 tackles on the season, including five for a loss and two
sacks. White ended the year with 44 stops, two sacks, two batted balls and a
fumble recovery.
Junior receiver Weston Guetterman was put
on the honorable mention offensive squad. Guetterman led the Wildcats with 392
yards receiving to go along with three touchdowns.
Senior Drake Varns was also named to the
honorable mention squad as a kicker, while Rutherford was selected as an
honorable mention all-league punter. Varns was 21 of 26 in extra point tries
and 3 of 5 on field goal attempts.
RECEIVERS – Armani Washington,
Bonner Springs, senior; Elijah Tyner, Tonganoxie, senior; Conner Searcy,
Tonganoxie, senior; Jack Robinson, Piper, senior
MULTI-PURPOSE – LaJames White,
Piper, junior
KICKER – Ryan Wokutch, Paola,
senior
Second Team
LINEMEN – Tony Caballero, Bonner Springs, sophomore; Jacob Peterson, Bonner Springs, senior; Brayden White, Louisburg, senior; Aron Dominick, Spring Hill, senior; Javier Castillo, Paola, senior
RECEIVERS – Rishaud Dockery,
Bonner Springs, senior; Gage Klutts, Spring Hill, senior; Gavin Lang, Baldwin,
junior
MULTI-PURPOSE – Andy Hupp, Louisburg, junior
KICKER – Bear Gardner, Spring Hill,
senior
Honorable Mention
LINEMEN – Travis Bohnenblust,
Eudora, junior; Chris Husling, Eudora, senior; Michael Sheldon, Bonner Springs,
senior; Denver Gardner, Spring Hill, junior; Alex Berg, Baldwin, senior; Bailey
Vesco, Baldwin, senior; Andrew Jarvis, Piper, junior; Cam Beebe, Piper,
freshman; Carter Stanchfield, Paola, junior
BACKS – Cael Lynch, Eudora, junior;
Brayden Beerbower, Eudora, sophomore; Bryce Krone, Bonner Springs, senior;
Corbyn Meyers, Spring Hill, senior; Zade Barker, Spring Hill, senior; Trysten
Heck, Baldwin, senior; Garrett Williams, Paola, junior
MULTI-PURPOSE – Brandon Sanders,
Bonner Springs, junior
PUNTER – Johnny Tapia, Bonner
Springs, senior
Second Team
LINEMEN – Tony Caballero, Bonner Springs, sophomore; Michael Sheldon, Bonner Springs, senior; Garrett Harding, Louisburg, senior; Trysten Heck, Baldwin, senior; Lance Bassett, Piper, freshman
LINEBACKERS – Jakob Stovall,
Spring Hill, senior; Conner Searcy, Tonganoxie, senior; Dustin Rhoads,
Tonganoxie, senior; Anthony Ferguson, Piper, junior
LINEMEN – Will Schreiner, Eudora, junior; Darrell Higgins, Eudora, junior; Jacob Peterson, Bonner Springs, senior; Brayden White, Louisburg, senior; Aron Dominick, Spring Hill, senior; Cade Grossoehme, Baldwin; Toby Thomas, Baldwin, junior; Caleal Kennedy, Piper, junior; Mason Talcott, Paola, senior; Jake Karr, Paola, junior
LINEBACKERS – Cael Lynch, Eudora, junior; Carnelle Wehrhan, Bonner Springs, senior; Andy Hupp, Louisburg, junior; Wyatt Dickie, Spring Hill, senior; Jackson Raunenzahn, Spring Hill, senior; Alex Berg, Baldwin, senior; Gavin Lang, Baldwin, junior; Jackson Earlywine, Paola, junior
BACKS – Rishaud Dockery, Bonner
Springs, senior; Dom Scheerer, Spring Hill, senior; Jacob Maxwell, Tonganoxie,
junior; Branden Snell, Piper, junior; Tyson Latner, Piper, senior
Banged up Wildcats fall to Chanute in regional playoffs
Louisburg senior Garrett Harding brings down a Chanute running back during the Wildcats’ regional playoff game Friday in Chanute.
CHANUTE – The Louisburg football
team tried to hold it together as long as it could, but on Friday in Chanute,
the Wildcats just didn’t have enough left in the tank.
Louisburg, a team that has been
decimated by injuries the last few weeks, came up just short in the regional
round of the Class 4A state playoffs with a 30-21 loss to Chanute and the
Wildcats saw their season come to an end with a 6-4 record.
Quarterback Madden Rutherford had
a broken thumb and was relegated to wide receiver and punter. Linebacker Andy
Hupp was very limited on how much he could go and senior Charlie Koontz played
only defense due to a lingering injury.
The Wildcats saw their offensive
line depth tested in recent weeks with the loss of center Ian McGuire, while
other players, including freshman backup center J.R. Rooney also played through
injury.
Junior running back Ben
Wiedenmann, who carried the Wildcats with 198 yards on the ground and three
touchdowns, could hardly walk by the time the game was finished. Several other
Wildcats also sat out or played with injury, forcing the Wildcats coaches to do
a lot of last-minute shuffling.
“The kids showed a lot of heart, especially when you look at who was injured,” Louisburg coach Robert Ebenstein said. “Our quarterback, Madden, was injured and our quarterback on defense, Hupp, who is our middle linebacker, was also injured and could hardly go. If Charlie was most kids, he wouldn’t have played at all and has been injured all week. Ben can barely walk, then Ian and Jay (Scollin) were already out coming in, as were Dominic (Owens), Aiden (Barker) and A.J. (Reed). I can’t doubt our kids for a second. They have been working their butts off and really played hard and gave it all they had.”
With all the injuries, Ebenstein implemented a new offense prior to the Chanute game. Junior receiver Weston Guetterman took over quarterback duties with Rutherford and Hupp, the back-up quarterback, both unable to take snaps.
Sophomore Brandon Doles jumps through a hole in the line created (from left) by Brayden White, Garrett Harding and JR Rooney.
The Wildcats ran the wishbone and
Guetterman did a lot of handing off to Wiedenmann, Brandon Doles and Kolby
Kattau. For the most part it worked for Louisburg, as it racked 259 yards on the
ground and the Wildcats got out to an 8-0 lead in the first quarter after an
18-yard run and 2-point conversion from Wiedenmann.
Louisburg got a good push from its
offensive line of Brayden White, Garrett Harding, JR Rooney, Andrew Krause and
Sam Kratochvil, along with tight end Michael Waldron.
Although the Wildcats got out to a
good start, Chanute battled back and eventually took the lead on a pair of
touchdown passes from quarterback Ty Bowman in the second quarter to put the
Blue Comets up 14-8.
That second touchdown pass came on
fourth down with 28 seconds left in the first half when Bowman found an open
receiver for a 28-yard score.
Chanute got the ball to start the second
half and added another score to go up 20-8 and put the Wildcats in a deep hole.
“It looked good, and it worked, just not good enough,” Ebenstein said of the offense. “It was what we thought it would be. It isn’t the best offense to have when you are trying to come back from two possessions down. We did all we could.”
Louisburg continued to battle as
it drove down the field and Wiedenmann scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 50
seconds left in the third and trailed just 20-14.
Chanute added a 32-yard field goal
in the fourth to go up nine, but Guetterman returned the kickoff to near
midfield to give Louisburg good field position and it took advantage.
Wiedenmann ran right through the Blue Comet defense for a 46-yard score, and
after a Drake Varns extra point, the Wildcats trailed 23-21.
Ben Wiedenmann stiff-arms a Chanute defender for a long run Friday. Wiedenmann finished the night with three touchdowns and 198 yard on the ground.
“Ben is a monster,” Ebenstein
said. “He was nowhere near 100 percent and he was limping around all week. Then
he took a helmet on the thigh again, but he just kept going. He is a freak
athlete and he ran hard all night.”
Unfortunately for the Wildcats,
the Blue Comets found the endzone one more time to go back up nine and
Louisburg didn’t have enough left for another comeback.
Defensively, the Wildcats were
able to slow the Blue Comets down at times despite the injuries. Senior Garrett
Harding recorded a team-high 10 tackles and junior Justin Collins was second
with eight. Doles and senior Michael Waldron added seven and six tackles,
respectively.
Junior Konnor Vohs makes a tackle on a Chanute receiver Friday during the Wildcats’ regional playoff game.
The loss also meant the final time on the sideline for seniors White, Kratochvil, Krause, Varns, Harding, Ian McGuire, Rutherford, Waldron and Koontz as the Wildcats begin to prepare for next year.
“It is always a great season when
you are in the playoffs,” Ebenstein said. “It is the best time of the year. We
are going to give them a couple weeks off and then we will start up with winter
weights and do it again. These kids are all like family to me, and any week we
can continue with them, is a blessing. Unfortunately it all has to come to an
end, but I really enjoyed my time with them.”
LOU 8 0 6 7 – 21
CHA 0 14 6 10 – 30
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
L: Ben Wiedenmann 18 run
(Wiedenmann run)
Second quarter
C: Garrett Almond 16 pass from Ty
Bowman (run failed)
TACKLES – Garrett Harding 10,
Justin Collins 8, Brandon Doles 7, Michael Waldron 6, Ben Wiedenmann 5, Andy
Hupp 4, Brayden White 3, Andrew Krause 3, Konnor Vohs 3, Weston Guetterman 2,
Kolby Kattau 2, Madden Rutherford 1, Drake Varns 1, Eli Johnson 1, JR Rooney 1.
Louisburg survives in playoff win over Atchison
Louisburg running back Ben Wiedenmann runs away from the Atchison defense for a touchdown Friday during the Wildcats’ first round playoff game at Wildcat Stadium.
Survive and advance.
That is exactly what the Louisburg
football team did Friday against Atchison. In their first round playoff game,
the Wildcats rallied for a pair of third quarter scores to defeat the Redmen,
14-7, at Wildcat Stadium and were able to move on to the sectional round.
Louisburg had its back against the
wall from the start as players were out with injuries, some played through pain
and the Wildcats had to sit even more guys who sustained injuries early on in
the game.
It was a situation that left the
Wildcat coaches scrambling to put guys in the right places. In the end, it all
worked out.
“Win
and move on was the goal and that is what we did,” Louisburg coach Robert
Ebenstein said. “We were pretty banged up and took a while to get some rhythm,
but we got the win and that is all that really matters. I
am very proud of the toughness and grit that our players showed.”
It
took a little bit for the Wildcats to get their legs under them as they found
themselves down 7-0 at halftime after an Atchison touchdown late in the first
quarter.
Defense turned out to
be the difference in the game as the Wildcats forced four Redmen turnovers,
including three fumbles that helped on the two Louisburg scores.
“I thought the defense played tough,” Ebenstein said. “We
were even able to move some guys around and they found their fit nicely.”
Brandon Doles, Garrett Harding and Brayden White all recovered fumbles, while Michael Waldron recorded an interception late to keep the Redmen offense off the field. In all, the Wildcats held Atchison to 164 yards of total offense.
Doles
led the Wildcats with nine tackles on the night, while Ben Wiedenmann and
Harding each finished with eight.
Wiedenmann
also did a lot of damage on offense, especially in the second half. The
Louisburg junior scored both touchdowns in the third quarter, including one on
a 45-yard run to tie the game after a Drake Varns extra point.
Quarterback Madden Rutherford tries to elude an Atchison defender Friday in Louisburg.
On the Wildcats’ next possession, Wiedenmann scored on a 10-yard run with 10 seconds left in the third quarter to put the Wildcats up on top for good. Wiedenmann led Louisburg on the ground with 15 carries for 129 yards.
“Injuries were our biggest issue, and
untimely penalties,” Ebenstein said. “We were definitely trying to get some
rhythm, but we could not get it put together in the first half. We fixed
some issues at halftime and played a solid second half.”
Louisburg
is now moving onto the regional round where it will travel to No. 3 Chanute,
who defeated Fort Scott, 28-7. The Blue Comets are 8-1 on the season and will
be a big test for the 6-3 Wildcats.
“Chanute is a solid team at 8-1, but I think there are some things we can do well against them,” Ebenstein said. “They will want to spread us out and let their big talented quarterback make plays so we will be sure to scheme him and not let him make those big plays.”
RECEIVING – Michael Waldron 1-25,
Ben Wiedenmann 1-4
TACKLES – Brandon Doles 9, Ben
Wiedenmann 8, Garrett Harding 8, Michael Waldron 7, Justin Collins 6, Charlie
Koontz 6, J.R. Rooney 6, Kolby Kattau 5, Weston Guetterman 4, Konnor Vohs 4, Brayden
White 3, Andy Hupp 2, Terrance Foster 1.
Wildcats fall short in knocking off undefeated Paola
Senior Charlie Koontz (24) closes in on Paola quarterback Garrett Williams, while his Wildcat teammates fight through blocks Friday during Louisburg’s rivalry contest against Paola at Wildcat Stadium.
It was a battle, in fact, it was
the closest anyone had come to knocking off undefeated Paola all season.
Still, Louisburg wasn’t in the
mood for consolation prizes Friday following its 16-8 loss to the Panthers on
Senior Night at Wildcat Stadium. The Wildcat wanted to knock off its rival from
the top of the Frontier League, and what made it worse for the players, was they
knew they had their chances.
“It is definitely not a moral
victory type of night, but obviously Paola is a great team,” Louisburg coach
Robert Ebenstein said. “I told the guys that losing hurts, but when they watch
it on film it is going to make them sick to their stomach. We had every
opportunity in the world to make plays and we just didn’t make them. Hats off
to Coach (Mike) Dumpert and Paola, but hopefully we will get another chance to
see them again in the playoffs.”
Untimely penalties and missed
opportunities haunted Louisburg much of the night, but the Wildcats still gave
the Panthers a run for their money and it started on the defensive end.
Paola, which hadn’t scored under 35 points all season, managed just 13 points in the first half and Louisburg rose to occasion in the second half as the Wildcats the Panthers to just the one field goal.
Louisburg (5-3) held Paola (8-0)
to just over 250 yards of total offense and the Panthers’ closest game up until
Friday was a 43-16 win over Piper.
The Wildcats were all over the field
as they had three players with double digit tackles with senior Charlie Koontz
leading the way with 12, while junior Justin Collins and sophomore Brandon
Doles each added 10.
Junior linebacker Andy Hupp brings down Paola running back Connor Hasz on Friday.
Seniors Brayden White and Garrett
Harding were active on the defensive line with nine and eight tackles,
respectively. Junior linebacker Andy Hupp and senior defensive back Michael
Waldron also finished with eight, while Hupp, Koontz and Doles each added a
sack.
Offensively, the Wildcats had trouble
moving the ball on the Panthers – part of which was due to penalties, a fumble or
dropped passes in key situations.
“Paola played good technical defense, but when you have holding penalties on every big play you have or dropped passes on third down, we didn’t help ourselves any,” Ebenstein said. “Their defense is good, and they have only given up around 50 points all year, we just didn’t make the plays we needed to. We made some plays, but we could have made so many more and we will learn from it and get better.”
Panther running back Connor Hasz
caused some problems for the Wildcats as he had one score on the ground in the
first quarter and another through the air from quarterback Garrett Williams to
put the Panthers up 13-0 at halftime.
Down 16-0, Louisburg started to
pick up steam late in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats put together a 13-play
drive that ended in a 10-yard touchdown pass to Weston Guetterman from Madden
Rutherford and Koontz ran in the 2-point conversion to cut the Paola lead in
half. Guetterman caught the ball on his shoulder with two players draped on him
in the back of the endzone.
“Weston is a playmaker and that
kid is just really good,” Ebenstein said. “There were two kids in his face, and
they both could have probably been called for pass interference and he still
made the catch. That was a great play right there at a big moment.”
Quarterback Madden Rutherford gets a little extra time to throw a pass thanks to the block from lineman Garrett Harding.
The two plays prior to that
brought a lot of emotion out of both sidelines. A Paola player was ejected following
a late hit on offensive lineman JR Rooney, and then on the next play,
Guetterman appeared to have caught the ball near the 4-yard line and ran toward
the goal line when the ball came loose and Paola thought it had recovered the
fumble.
The officials conversed and ruled
it an incomplete pass, which gave the Wildcats new life and led to the
touchdown on the next play. Also on that drive, junior running back Ben
Wiedenmann had a pair of 13-yard runs to help the Wildcats move the ball down
the field.
Paola got the ball back with just
under four minutes left in the game and the Panthers were able to run out the
clock and keep its undefeated season alive.
“I think this is the best game in
the state of Kansas,” Ebenstein said of the rivalry. “Records don’t really
matter in this game. Paola could have been 1-7 coming in here and it would have
been a tough game. We just didn’t make enough plays this time around.”
Seniors (from left) Madden Rutherford, Garrett Harding, Andrew Krause, Sam Kratochvil, Charlie Koontz, Ian McGuire, managers Morgan Messer and Kody Lowry, Brayden White, Drake Varns and Michael Waldron pose for a picture before Friday’s Senior Night game.
Louisburg will now begin
postseason play and the Wildcats are the No. 6 seed on the east side of the
state and will host No. 11 Atchison at 7 p.m. this Friday. Earlier in the
season, the Wildcats defeated the Redmen 41-12 on the road.
Should the Wildcats advance, they will meet the winner between No. 3 Chanute and No. 14 Fort Scott next week and the higher-seeded team will host.
“I like where we are at,”
Ebenstein said. “We are fairly healthy for the first time in a while, and the
good thing is we get another home game. Hopefully we can bounce back and make a
little run.”
LOU 0 0 0 8 – 8
PAO 7 6 0 3 – 16
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
P: Connor Hasz 21 run (Ryan
Wokutch kick)
Second quarter
P: Hasz 24 pass from Garrett
Williams (Kick failed)
RECEIVING – Weston Guetterman
5-33, Ben Wiedenmann 3-20, Michael Waldron 1-5
TACKLES – Charlie Koontz 12,
Brandon Doles 10, Justin Collins 10, Brayden White 9, Andy Hupp 8, Garrett
Harding 8, Michael Waldron 8, Weston Guetterman 4, Konnor Vohs 4, Ben
Wiedenmann 1
Wildcats cruise past Ottawa for fifth straight win
Louisburg junior Justin Collins breaks free for a long run thanks to the help of teammate Garrett Harding (58) on Friday in Ottawa. Both Collins and Charlie Koontz rushed for more than 100 yards in the Wildcats’ 49-7 win.
OTTAWA – It may have been a
prelude to one of the biggest games on the Louisburg football schedule, but the
Wildcats didn’t gloss over Ottawa.
Louisburg scored 49 unanswered
points on the road Friday and left Ottawa with a 49-7 victory. It was the most
points the Wildcats had scored all season and it was their biggest margin of
victory as they picked up their fifth consecutive win.
“I thought our mental focus was
good,” Louisburg coach Robert Ebenstein said. “We had to move some kids around
again position-wise the day before the game due to some injuries. I just wanted
them to go and out and execute, so I am really proud of them.”
The Wildcats put up all those points
without starting running backs Ben Wiedenmann and Kolby Kattau, who were out
with injuries and Wiedenmann is the team’s leading rusher on the season.
Despite all that, other Wildcats
rose to the occasion and the top of that list was running back Charlie Koontz.
The Louisburg senior recorded 174 yards rushing on just six carries and had
three touchdowns on the night.
Koontz was joined by junior Justin
Collins, who carried the ball six times for 120 yards and a touchdown.
Quarterback Madden Rutherford also had a big game with three touchdowns, including
two of those on the ground.
“It was a lot of fun, and we
played well, especially having a couple two-way starters out in Ben and Kolby,”
Ebenstein said. “We sat them this game, but our kids came in here and stepped
up. Brandon (Doles) had a great game and Charlie got back in there in the
backfield and looked pretty comfortable. I don’t think he scored every time he
touched the ball, but it was close. It was good to get some guys in that work
their butts off on scout team and just watch everyone come together. It was
fun.”
Louisburg quarterback Madden Rutherford goes over the goal line for one his three touchdowns on the night.
Louisburg scored 42 of its 49 points in the first half as the Wildcats used the ground game to find the endzone on six of the seven scores.
Rutherford led the Wildcats down
the field on the team’s opening possession and scored on a 7-yard touchdown
run. The Wildcats got the ball right back, and this time, scored through the
air as Rutherford found Brandon Doles for a 43-yard touchdown pass down the
sideline.
The Wildcats (5-2) got Koontz going on their next possession as he broke free for a 62-yard touchdown to put them up 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Koontz did much of the same to
start the second quarter as he broke through the Ottawa defense and scored on a
61-yard run. The onslaught continued for Louisburg as it recovered the short
kickoff and Koontz later found the endzone for a third time on a 15-yard run.
Senior Michael Waldron made a big play for the defense as he intercepted an Ottawa pass on the Cyclones’ next possession, which set up the Wildcats with a first-and goal. Rutherford then scored on a 5-yard run to put Louisburg up 42-0 at halftime.
Collins sealed the win for the
Wildcats in the third quarter as he sprinted past the Ottawa defense for a
61-yard score.
Louisburg sophomore Brandon Doles looks for some running room Friday against Ottawa.
In all, the Wildcats tallied 434
yards of total offense, with 383 of those coming on the ground. The offensive
line of seniors Garrett Harding, Brayden White, Ian McGuire, Andrew Krause, freshman
Jackson Rooney and Waldron helped pave the way for a lot of those yards.
Defensively, junior linebacker
Andy Hupp led the way with 10 tackles and White was a force on the defensive
line with nine stops. Rooney finished with seven tackles, while Harding, Doles
and Collins had six each.
Louisburg will take its five-game
winning streak into Friday’s home game with undefeated Paola. The Wildcats will
celebrate Senior Night and hope to take two straight over the Panthers after
winning last season’s battle, 25-7.
“It will be fun,” Ebenstein said. “I
know Paola is going to be ready to roll and I know they are going to want to
get even a little bit for what happened last year. This is what we play
football for, and this why we work in the winter and summer is to play these
big games against big rival schools. We are looking forward to the opportunity.”
LOU 21 21 7 0 – 49
OTT 0 0 7 0 – 7
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
L: Madden Rutherford 7 run (Drake
Varns kick)
L: Brandon Doles 43 pass from
Rutherford (Varns kick)
L: Charlie Koontz 62 run (Varns
kick)
Second quarter
L: Koontz 61 run (Varns kick)
L: Koontz 15 run (Varns kick)
L: Rutherford 5 run (Varns kick)
Third quarter
L: Justin Collins 61 run (Varns
kick)
O: Daidrien Aho 6 run (kick good)
STATISTICS
RUSHING – Charlie Koontz 6-174; Justin Collins 6-120; Madden Rutherford 8-54; Brandon Doles 2-9; Andy Hupp 3-5
TACKLES – Andy Hupp 10, Brayden
White 9, Jackson Rooney 7, Brandon Doles 6, Justin Collins 6, Garrett Harding
6, Michael Waldron 5, Charlie Koontz 3, Sam Kratochvil 3, Terrance Foster 3,
Aiden Barker 2, Ian McGuire 2, Konnor Vohs 1, Andrew Krause 1.
Wildcats roll Atchison for fourth straight win
Louisburg running back Andy Hupp looks for an opening during the Wildcats’ road game Friday at Atchison High School. The Wildcats cruised to a 41-12 win over the Redmen.
ATCHISON – Louisburg used the same
recipe for success against Atchison as it did in its last three victories.
Get off to a good start, run the
ball and play good defense.
All of those things came to
fruition again Friday for the Wildcats as they scored on their opening
possession and never looked back in a 41-12 victory over the Redmen at Atchison
High School. It is now the fourth straight win for Louisburg after starting the
season off with a pair of lossess.
“It was a good showing,” Louisburg
coach Robert Ebenstein said. “We came in with a plan and we were able to
execute it. We still gave up a big play or two and we are going to get better
to where we don’t have those mental lapses. Atchison is a good team, they have
a great coach and their kids showed up. I am just really pleased with all our
guys and being able to stay focused with no school Thursday or Friday is always
tough, so it was a good game.”
Louisburg (4-2) got the start it was looking for as it scored on a 1-yard touchdown run on its opening drive from junior Ben Wiedenmann, who accounted for the team’s three touchdowns in the first half, and had runs of 19 and 14 yards on the drive.
Late in the first quarter, the
Wildcats struck again as Wiedenmann scored on an 8-yard run to put Louisburg up
14-0 after a Drake Varns extra point.
Senior Charlie Koontz recovered an
Atchison fumble, which was the Redmen’s second turnover of the half, and that
all set up Wiedenmann’s 6-yard score to give Louisburg a 21-0 lead with under
eight minutes in the first half.
Atchison broke through the Wildcat
defense on a 32-yard touchdown pass to trim Louisburg’s lead to 21-6 and went
into the break with some momentum.
Louisburg also had to deal with a
little adversity of its own as Wiedenmann had to leave the game with an injury
and was unavailable in the second half. Enter Koontz, who took over where
Wiedenmann left off.
Koontz carried the ball 12 times
for 72 yards in the second half to keep the Wildcat offense going after
Wiedenmann carried the ball for 98 yards in the first half.
“Hopefully we will get to the
point where we are healthy enough to where both players will be on the field at
the same time,” Ebenstein said. “Chuck got hurt at the beginning of the season
so he now he is back, and Ben is going to be fine, but once we get both of them
healthy then maybe we can get our maximum speed out there and do some good
things. I thought both guys came out and ran hard for us.”
Late in the third, the Wildcats found themselves in a fourth-and-goal opportunity from the 3-yard line when junior Andy Hupp ran the ball in for the score and put the Wildcats up 27-6.
Louisburg got a strong push from
its offensive line as Brayden White, Garrett Harding, Ian McGuire, Jackson
Rooney, Andrew Krause, Sam Kratochvil and tight end Michael Waldron provided a
lot of holes up front as the Wildcats ran for 259 total yards.
Louisburg senior lineman Garrett Harding races to bring down an Atchison player Friday.
“I thought our offensive line did a really good job,” Ebenstein said. “We made a couple of changes and shifted some guys around and we are still trying to find our best fit, but they played physical all game long and we’re definitely setting the edge and doing some good stuff.”
The Wildcats iced the game when
quarterback Madden Rutherford found Weston Guetterman on a 10-yard touchdown pass.
After an Atchison touchdown, the Wildcats put their reserves in and they were able to find the endzone when backup quarterback Maverick Rockers scored on a 1-yard sneak up the middle. That score was set up by a 19-yard pass from Rockers to Aiden Barker.
Defensively, Hupp led Louisburg
with 11 tackles and Koontz added 10 of his own. Koontz, a senior linebacker,
also had a forced fumble and fumble recovery. Brandon Doles also had a fumble
recovery.
Harding and junior Justin Collins
also contributed six and five tackles, respectively, for Louisburg.
The Wildcats will try for their
fifth win in a row this Friday when it travels to Ottawa. Kickoff is set for 7
p.m.
“Ottawa is going to be ready to
go,” Ebenstein said. “I know their coach and he is a great coach and he will
have his guys ready. It will be a good game.”
LOU 14 7 6 14 – 41
ATCH 0 6 0 6 – 12
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
L: Ben Wiedenmann 1 run (Drake
Varns kick)
L: Wiedenmann 8 run (Varns kick)
Second quarter
L: Wiedenmann 6 run (Varns kick)
A: 32 yard pass (extra point
failed)
Third quarter
L: Andy Hupp 3 run (kick failed)
Fourth quarter
L: Weston Guetterman 15 pass from
Madden Rutherford (Varns kick)
A: 41 yard run (two point failed)
L: Maverick Rockers 1 run (Varns
kick)
STATISTICS
RUSHING – Ben Wiedenmann 10-96;
Charlie Koontz 12-72; Madden Rutherford 11-58; Kolby Kattau 3-19; Andy Hupp
8-15
TACKLES – Andy Hupp 11, Charlie Koontz
10, Garrett Harding 6, Justin Collins 5, Brandon Doles 4, Brayden White 4, A.J.
Reed 3, Terrance Foster 3, Ben Wiedenmann 2, Tom Koontz 2, Eli Johnson 2,
Weston Guetterman 1, Aiden Barker 1, Drake Varns 1, Michael Waldron 1, Hayden
Feikert 1, Andrew Krause 1
Fast start keys Louisburg’s third consecutive win
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.
Kicker Drake Varns leaps into the arms of Louisburg coach Robert Ebenstein after making a 41-yard field goal right before halftime.
“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.”
Junior Eli Johnson makes a tackle for the Wildcat defense during the team’s 17-7 win Friday.
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 turns things around with win over Piper
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.
Brandon Doles (8) and Justin Collins (23) bring down a hurdling Piper player Friday in Louisburg.
“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.”
Kolby Kattau was all smiles after a catching a second half from Madden Rutherford on Friday.
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.
Wiedenmann’s big plays help Wildcats to first win
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.
Quarterback Andy Hupp drags a Baldwin defender for a few extra yards Friday. Hupp threw for a touchdown and rushed for more than 100 yards.
“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.
Senior Michael Waldron brings down a Baldwin runner Friday in Baldwin City.
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.
