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. 

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.”

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.”

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)

Fourth quarter

P: Wokutch 25 FG

L: Weston Guetterman 10 pass from
Madden Rutherford (Charlie Koontz run)

STATISTICS

RUSHING – Ben Wiedenmann 9-53, Madden
Rutherford 8-14, Kolby Kattau 1-7

PASSING – Madden Rutherford
10-24-58

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

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 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.

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

PASSING – Madden Rutherford 2-7-51

RECEIVING – Brandon Doles 1-43;
Weston Guetterman 1-8

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.

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.

“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

PASSING – Madden Rutherford 2-5-21;
Maverick Rockers 1-1-19

RECEIVING – Aiden Barker 1-19;
Weston Guetterman 1-15; Konnor Vohs 1-6

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

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