Senior Brayden Gage goes up for a catch against Paola last season. Gage and the Wildcats will square off the Panthers tonight in Paola with the Frontier League title and No. 1 seed in the playoffs on the line.

A league championship. The top seed in the state playoffs.

For most high school football players, this would be enough to get them fired up for a game. Don’t get Louisburg wrong, they want both of those things when its squares off with rival Paola tonight, and the Wildcats are plenty juiced.

However, those things aren’t at the root of why the Wildcats are looking forward to this matchup. You have to look a bit a deeper.

Last year, Louisburg’s season came to an end thanks to Paola as the Panthers downed the Wildcats, 34-12, in Louisburg. It has been a feeling many of the players haven’t been able to shake.

“We are all pumped for this game,” Louisburg senior lineman Kiefer Tucker said. “We have all been looking forward to this game since last year when Paola ended our season. Everyone took that hard and it was the last time we have played with some of the guys.

“I remember when they ended our season in basketball, they chanted ‘Just like football’ and I know that really got me going through a lot of hard workouts just thinking about that.”

There will probably be no love lost tonight when the two undefeated teams meet at 7 p.m. tonight at Paola High School. A rivalry, which brings plenty of interest no matter the record, will have a lot on the line.

The winner will be crowned Frontier League champion, will receive the No. 1 seed on the East side of the state playoffs – oh, and bragging rights for a year.

“I’m not going to lie, I was excited for this game last week,” Louisburg coach Robert Ebenstein said. “I am really looking forward to going out there, and playing in a high stakes game like this prior to the playoffs will be a great experience.

“Honestly, just beating Paola is enough. It is always our goal to win the game that is in front of us, and this one just so happens to have plenty on the line with it.”

It will no doubt be the biggest challenge for Louisburg to date as Paola has dominated each of its previous seven opponents. The Panthers have racked up 295 points on the season, which is the second most points in Class 4A, and have had six different players rush for more than 100 yards in a game.

Quarterback Seth Richmond leads Paola on the season with 10 touchdowns, while running backs Connor Hasz and Garrett Williams each have six touchdowns a piece.

Paola is also strong defensively as it has allowed just 25 points and has five shutouts. The Panthers feature a lot of speed in the secondary and at linebacker, and have four interceptions for touchdowns on the season.

“Paola plays fast and hard, they fire out low on the line, and when they have the opportunity they take advantage of other team’s mistakes,” Ebenstein said. “They look to have some hard-nosed football players.”

Louisburg’s Austin Moore brings down a Paola runner during last season’s game.

As for Louisburg, the Wildcats will lean on running back Austin Moore, who has had a big season. Moore has rushed for 1,155 yards and has 18 touchdowns on the season.

Moore has found a lot of that success thanks to his offensive line. The Wildcats return four offensive linemen from their matchup a year ago, including seniors Noah Larson, Tucker, along with juniors Brayden White and Garrett Harding. Senior Jonathan DePriest has also made an impact as a first-year starter.

Fellow running back Blue Caplinger and tight end Michael Waldron have also created a lot of running room. Moore will also look to affect the game on defense at middle linebacker as he leads the team in tackles.

“Austin is having a great season with the help of the offensive line and the other backs blocking for him,” Ebenstein said. “When you put all those guys together, it makes for a tough offense to stop. I think Austin will have a huge impact on this game on both sides of the ball.”

Junior quarterback Madden Rutherford is also having a good season for Louisburg as he has thrown for 655 yards in the seven games and has nine touchdowns to just one interception.

Senior Brayden Gage and Caplinger have been his favorite targets as they have 170 and 125 yards receiving, respectively, and both have three touchdowns on the year.

Quarterback Madden Rutherford, along with linemen Noah Larson (54) and Kiefer Tucker (50) will try and find success against Paola tonight.

However, like most seasons, stats can be thrown out the window when it comes to these two teams playing each other. The Louisburg-Paola matchup hasn’t had this much riding on it since 2010, when the two teams squared off in the sub-state championship and the Wildcats went on to win their first state title.

“It would mean a lot to win,” Moore said. “No one on this team has ever won league and I think the last time Louisburg won league was back in 2010, so it would be pretty cool. I know this is will be the biggest game that I have ever been a part of in my life and I know it is going to be exciting.”

The atmosphere at Panther Stadium tonight should speak for itself.

“One of the goals that we set during the preseason was that we didn’t want to lose,” Tucker said. “This will be a tough test, but I know that we can do it. I know if we go out and execute, and we just play our game, then we can beat them. It would mean a lot.

“It will be fun. I am assuming the stands are going to be crowded with the two towns being so close and it is a rivalry game. I can’t wait to feel the energy out there and it will be a good game for sure.”

Louisburg senior running back Austin Moore gets a block from lineman Cole Williams as he was able to get into the endzone Friday against Ottawa at Wildcat Stadium. The Wildcats won their seventh game in a row in a 25-0 victory over Ottawa.

On a rain soaked and muddy field Friday, the Louisburg High School football team didn’t slip up against Ottawa.

In its final regular season home game, the Wildcats left Wildcat Stadium with a perfect record as they shutout the Cyclones, 25-0, and are now 7-0 on the season. Louisburg also celebrated Senior Night as it recognized its 18 seniors and their families.

Beckett Rasmussen, Gabe Rader, Josh Casey, Brayden Gage, Jakob Krause, Austin Moore, Jorge LeBron, Brian Houck, Brandon Cooper, Blue Caplinger, Dylan Knipp, Tanner Belcher, Kiefer Tucker, Noah Larson, James Foote, Cole Williams, Hunter Day and Jonathan DePriest were all honored before the game during a Senior Night ceremony.

The game itself might have been less than perfect, but Louisburg coach Robert Ebenstein couldn’t have asked for a better way to send his seniors off in front of their home fans.

“This senior class is full of awesome kids all the way across the board,” Ebenstein said. “This class has amazing leaders on the field, in the weight room, and in the classroom. We hope to have a lot of season left to play, but when it ends for these kids they will be greatly missed and have set a great standard for Louisburg football.”

Field conditions played a big role in what Louisburg wanted to do offensively, but not even the mud and big divots in the field could stop the Wildcats from finding the endzone.

The Wildcats opened the game with a pair of touchdowns and Louisburg never looked back as it jumped out to an 18-0 halftime lead.

Charlie Koontz brings down an Ottawa player Friday in the Wildcats’ win.

“This is the worst I have a seen in a football field in I don’t know how long, just with all the rain we had and everything,” Ebenstein said. “I challenged the kids to not turn the ball over and we didn’t have any turnovers. We had one possession in the third quarter where we made a couple penalties and stalled out, but we took care of the ball, they did what we needed to do and we got the shutout.

“The game was ugly for sure. The field was ugly, the game was ugly, but we won and that is all that matters right now.”

Senior running back Austin Moore once again went over the century mark in rushing. Moore tallied 146 yards on 29 carries to go along with two touchdowns, including a 1-yard score on the Wildcats’ opening drive.

Junior Charlie Koontz recovered an Ottawa fumble on its next possession after it was forced out by senior Noah Larson. Koontz was rewarded with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Madden Rutherford a few players later that put Louisburg up 12-0 late in the first quarter.

Moore scored on an 8-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to give Louisburg an 18-0 lead at halftime and the Wildcats had more than enough points to come away with a win.

However, facing a fourth down in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats came away with one more score. Sophomore Weston Guetterman, with a defender on his back, pulled down a 24-yard pass from Rutherford for a touchdown.

Louisburg senior Kiefer Tucker wraps up an Ottawa player on Senior Night on Friday in the Wildcats’ 25-0 win.

Defensively, the Wildcats shut down the Cyclones as they held Ottawa to just 87 yards of total offense.

“Minus the first two plays of the game, I was pretty happy with the defense,” Ebenstein said. “Ottawa came out with a couple big gains, but after that we settled down and made some plays ourselves. We will take a shutout any day.”

The win sets up a large contest in the Wildcats’ regular season finale when they travel to rival Paola. Louisburg and Paola are both currently undefeated and the winner of this Friday’s game will be crowned Frontier League champions and earn the No. 1 seed in the East for the state playoffs.

It could be the biggest Louisburg/Paola game since 2010, when the two teams met in the sub-state playoffs for the right to go to the state championship. The Wildcats won that game and turned it into their first state title.

“It is going to be fun,” Ebenstein said. “Louisburg/Paola by itself is awesome, but with the No. 1 seed in the East side of the state and Frontier League title on the line, it really doesn’t get any better than that.”

LOU               12           6             0             7 – 25

OTT               0             0             0             0 – 0

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

L: Austin Moore 1 run (run failed)

L: Charlie Koontz 11 pass from Madden Rutherford (run failed)

Second quarter

L: Moore 8 run (run failed)

Fourth quarter

L: Weston Guetterman 24 pass from Rutherford (Drake Varns kick)

STATISTICS

RUSHING – Austin Moore 29-146; Charlie Koontz 4-56; Ben Wiedenmann 5-52; Madden Rutherford 3-20; Brayden Gage 3-6

PASSING – Madden Rutherford 5-10-75

RECEIVING – Brayden Gage 1-28; Weston Guetterman 1-24; Charlie Koontz 2-22; Austin Moore 1-1

TACKLES – Austin Moore 8, Brian Houck 5, Charlie Koontz 5, Noah Larson 5, Brayden White 5, Gabe Rader 4, Andy Hupp 4, Ben Wiedenmann 4, Jorge LeBron 3, Kiefer Tucker 3, Brayden Gage 2, Tanner Belcher 2, Beckett Rasmussen 1, Jay Scollin 1, Cole Williams 1, Hunter Day 1, Jonathan DePriest 1

Louisburg running back Blue Caplinger tries to avoid an Atchison defender Friday during the Wildcats’ homecoming game at Wildcat Stadium. The Wildcats won the game, 42-7, behind five touchdowns from senior Austin Moore.

Going into Friday’s game, Atchison had hoped to keep Louisburg running back Austin Moore in front of them as much as possible.

Instead, all the Redmen saw was the back of Moore’s jersey.

Moore was unstoppable for the Wildcats as he finished the night with five touchdowns to go along with 222 yards rushing on 24 carries in their 42-7 homecoming win over Atchison at Wildcat Stadium. Not even a little stomach bug could slow him down

“Right after it was all over, (assistant) coach (Jeff) Lohse come up to me and said ‘We are lucky he is on our team,’” Louisburg coach Robert Ebenstein said. “Austin is good. There was one play where he was out there throwing up in his stance, and I asked him if he was fine and then he looked at me like I was stupid. He is as tough as they come and he had a great game.”

The Wildcats continued their perfect season as they ran their record to 6-0, and are joined by Paola as the only Class 4A teams to remain undefeated on the east side of the state. Both teams are vying for the No. 1 seed in the state playoffs.

Louisburg, which totaled 393 yards of total offense, had its way as the Wildcats scored on all but two of their drives.

Moore opened the game with a 20-yard touchdown run to put the Wildcats in front and never looked back.

Senior Blue Caplinger also found the endzone and scored on a 34-yard run to start the second quarter. Caplinger, who was crowned homecoming king before the game, finished with 80 yards on just eight carries and also had a couple long runs that were brought back due to penalties.

The offensive line of Kiefer Tucker, Brayden White, Noah Larson, Cole Williams, Jonathan DePriest and tight end Michael Waldron opened up plenty of holes for Moore and Caplinger to run through and the Wildcats found a lot of success.

Brayden Gage (10) looks for some running room as teammate Austin Moore looks to throw a block Friday. Moore rushed for 222 yards and five touchdowns.

“We just kind of took what they gave us,” Ebenstein said. “If you watch film, Atchison completely changed up what they were doing and we were just adapting to them. The guys on the line did a really good job talking it all through and communicated well, and that was big for us.

“Atchison was playing our motion so heavily that we were just cutting it back underneath and Blue was running hard. The best thing about Blue is, that no matter whether he gets the ball or not, he is either going to run his butt off or block his butt off. He is going to do something well.”

Louisburg took a 20-0 lead at halftime, but Atchison cut into the Wildcat lead to start the second half as the Redmen scored on a 55-yard touchdown pass from Braydon Dame to Malakhi Vick.

The Wildcats responded on their very next drive as Moore scored on a 24-yard touchdown run, and then converted the 2-point conversion to put the Wildcats up 28-7. It was more than a enough for a Louisburg win.

Louisburg’s Charlie Koontz grabs an Atchison runner by the leg while Noah Larson (54) and Brayden White (75) comes in to finish the play.

“I challenged them a little bit at halftime to come out and play with passion and they did,” Ebenstein said. “If you look at our kids, I think they truly enjoy each other and I am just proud of the way they played together.”

Defensively, the Wildcats more than did their job as they held Atchison to just 140 yards of total offense, 55 of which came on the Redmen’s lone score.

Moore led the Wildcats in tackles with eight from the linebacker spot and Tucker, a defensive lineman, finished with seven. Brayden Gage and Tanner Belcher each recorded second half interceptions to help seal the win.

“I thought the defense did a great job,” Ebenstein said. “It was a good win overall, especially on homecoming and everything that goes along with it. It was a good win too because it was a team that we have never really played before. I think our kids responded well and focused on what they needed to. Atchison kept us from scoring on I think like two drives, including one where we just made too many mistakes. We did a lot of good things out there.”

Louisburg will try to make seven wins in a row Friday when it hosts winless Ottawa for Senior Night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

LOU               7             13           15           7 – 42

ATCH             0             0             7             0 – 7

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

L: Austin Moore 20 run (Drake Varns kick)

Second quarter

L: Blue Caplinger 34 run (Varns kick)

L: Moore 3 run (kick failed)

Third quarter

A: Malakhi Vick 55 pass from Braydon Dame (Kevin Scott kick)

L: Moore 24 run (Moore run)

L: Moore 34 run (Varns kick)

Fourth quarter

L: Moore 15 run (Varns kick)

STATISTICS

RUSHING – Austin Moore 24-222; Blue Caplinger 8-80; Brayden Gage 5-34

PASSING – Madden Rutherford 5-11-69

RECEIVING – Blue Caplinger 3-42; Michael Waldron 2-27

TACKLES – Austin Moore 8, Kiefer Tucker 7, Jorge LeBron 6, Noah Larson 6, Blue Caplinger 5, Tanner Belcher 5, Brayden White 4, Charlie Koontz 4, Andy Hupp 3, Brian Houck 3, Brayden Gage 2, Michael Waldron 1, Ben Wiedenmann, Dylan Knipp 1, James Foote 1, Hunter Day 1.

The 2018 Louisburg High School fall homecoming candidates are (front row, from left) Anna Dixon, Billie Casebeer, Carson Buffington, Shaylor Whitham; (back row) Noah Hill, Blue Caplinger, Brayden Gage and Austin Moore.

Homecoming week at Louisburg High School kicked off Monday and events are in full swing. With something going on every day this week, it will be a busy time for students. All of it is, of course, centered around the crowning of the 2018 fall king and queen. Eight students were selected as nominees and here are their names and profiles.

The crowning will take place on Friday before the Wildcats’ home football game with Atchison. Kickoff for that game is set for 7 p.m., with the crowning to take place at 6:30. Good luck to all the participants and make sure to come out on Friday to support the Wildcat football team.

Anna Dixon and Noah Hill

Anna Dixon

Anna is the daughter of Beth and Jerry Dixon. Anna has participated in volleyball for four year and FFA for three years. She plans to graduate in December and will attend Kansas State University to play volleyball and major in Kinesiology and Nutrition.

Noah Hill

Noah is the son of Megan and Andy Hill. Noah has been involved in student council for four years, basketball for three years, football and golf for two years and Leo’s, Debate and Choir for one year. Noah plans to attend Kansas State University and dual major in Marketing and Management.

Billie Casebeer and Blue Caplinger

Billie Casebeer

Billie is the daughter of Chris Casebeer and Linda Shipp. Billie has been involved with debate, cheerleading and band for for years. She has also participated in forensics, FCCLA, Model United Nations and Leos Club for two years and Spanish CLub, TedX and Scholars Bowl for one.

Billie is undecided on what college to attend, but would like to major in political science with an emphasis on international affairs, a minor in Spanish and then would like to further her education by completing law school.

Blue Caplinger

Blue is the son of Sirena and Wade Caplinger. Blue has participated in football, wrestling and track and field for four years and is currently undecided on plans for after high school.

Austin Moore and Shaylor Whitham

Shaylor Whitham

Shaylor is the daughter of Karen and Rusty Whitham. Shaylor has participated in cheerleading, band, FFA and track and field for four years, and has also participated in cross country and musicals for three years. She plans to attend Pittsburg State University and major in nursing.

Austin Moore

Austin is the son of Alison and Tom Moore. Austin has participated in football for four years, wrestling, track and field and choir for three years and student council and National Honors Society for two years. Austin would like to play football after high school, but is unsure of his destination.

Brayden Gage and Carson Buffington

Carson Buffington

Carson is the daughter of Amy and Dave Buffington. Carson has participated in choir, basketball and volleyball for four years, and soccer and musical for three years. She has also participated in FFA for two years. Carson plans to attend the University of Kansas to major in behavioral science.

Brayden Gage

Brayden is the son of Melissa and Jason Gage. Brayden has participated in football, basketball, choir and Spanish Club for four years and baseball and National Honors Society for two years. Brayden plans to attend college after high school, but is undecided on his destination and major.

Louisburg’s Blue Caplinger (28), Brayden White (75) and Jorge Lebron (22) bring down a Eudora runner with the help of a host of other Wildcats on Friday in Eudora.

EUDORA – The Louisburg High School football team encountered a slow start to its game Friday against Eudora.

However, once the Wildcats got going, they never let off the gas.

Louisburg forced three first half turnovers, and scored touchdowns on all three possessions, which led to a 34-0 victory for the Wildcats at Eudora High School. After a scoreless first quarter, Louisburg exploded with 27 points before halftime and never looked back.

“The defense was awesome and it was great to get our first shutout of the year,” Louisburg coach Robert Ebenstein said. “To do it against a kid like they have at running back (Gavin Elston), and keep him out of the endzone, was big for us because he is an explosive player.

“We capitalized on all of those turnovers, which was huge, and it gave us a lot of momentum. That is just how it rolls. The defense was just flying around and making hits, stripping the ball out and they all did a great job.”

The Wildcats (5-0) were a little short-handed coming into Friday’s contest as starting linemen Noah Larson and Garrett Harding were out due to injuries and left two open spots on both sides of the ball.

Senior Cole Williams started at center for Larson, while the Wildcats put freshman Dominic Owens in for Harding. On the defense line, seniors Brian Houck, Jonathan DePriest and James Foote helped fill the void on that side of the ball.

The offensive line, that included Brayden White, DePriest, Kiefer Tucker, tight end Michael Waldron and back Blue Caplinger, helped pave the way for 386 yards of total offense, including 244 yards on the ground. Running back Austin Moore led the way with 152 yards rushing on 22 carriees.

“Whenever you throw a freshman onto a varsity line it is just going to be an awakening for him,” Ebenstein said. “I thought he hung in there and his composure was good. I thought the line did a good job talking all night and telling people where to go. That is the type of leadership we have right now, that when you bring a freshman in, the other guys just make sure we just roll with it.”

Senior James Foote tries to pry the ball loose from a Eudora player Friday.

Defensively, the Wildcats created opportunities with the three turnovers, including an interception and forced fumble by Brayden Gage, a forced and recovered fumble by Tucker, a fumble recovery by Charlie Koontz.

Senior linebacker Austin Moore led the way finished with a team-high 10 tackles, while Houck and Tanner Belcher each added nine. Tucker finished with eight tackles and Jorge Lebron and White both recorded seven.

Louisburg limited the Eudora offense to 211 total yards, all of which came on the ground. Coming off an emotional win against Piper the week before, Ebenstein was worried his team might be in for letdown against winless Eudora team.

“I was honestly terrified because the last three times we have been here it has been a one possession game,” Ebenstein said. “We won the last two, and lost the one before that, and it is something about this field that we haven’t put anyone away. Eudora is a good team that has a new coach. I knew they would be ready, but I thought our kids handled it well.”

After Tucker recovered a fumble late in the first quarter, Louisburg found the endzone early in the second. The Wildcats faced a fourth-and-1 and Moore came through with a big run as he broke free for a 26-yard touchdown to put Louisburg up 6-0.

Senior lineman Jonathan DePriest opens up a hole for the Wildcat offense Friday against Eudora.

On Eudora’s ensuing possession, Gage picked off a Eudora pass and the Wildcats turned it into points a minute later. Louisburg quarterback Madden Rutherford, who threw for 142 yards and three touchdowns, rewarded Gage and hit him for a 38-yard touchdown pass on the Wildcats’ first play from scrimmage.

Koontz recovered a Eudora fumble a short time later, and again Rutherford made Eudora pay with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Caplinger, who went up in the air for the ball and came down with it to put Louisburg up 21-0.

Then right before halftime, the Wildcats drove down and scored one more time as Rutherford connected with Waldron on an 8-yard touchdown pass to take a 27-0 lead into the break.

Louisburg added a score in the fourth quarter when Moore found the endzone on a 3-yard touchdown run.

The Wildcats will return to action Friday for their homecoming game against Atchison. The homecoming ceremony is scheduled to take place at 6:30 p.m., with kickoff to follow at 7.

LOU               0             27           0             7 – 34

EUD               0             0             0             0 – 0

SCORING SUMMARY

Second quarter

L: Austin Moore 26 run (kick failed)

L: Brayden Gage 38 pass from Madden Rutherford (Moore run)

L: Blue Caplinger 26 pass from Rutherford (Drake Varns kick)

L: Michael Waldron 8 pass from Rutherford (kick failed)

Fourth quarter

L: Moore 3 run (Varns kick)

STATISTICS

RUSHING – Austin Moore 22-152; Madden Rutherford 10-47; Brayden Gage 5-36; Blue Caplinger 3-13

PASSING – Madden Rutherford 6-12-142

RECEIVING – Brayden Gage 2-73; Blue Caplinger 2-37; Weston Guetterman 1-24; Michael Waldron 1-8.

TACKLES – Austin Moore 10, Brian Houck 9, Tanner Belcher 9, Kiefer Tucker 8, Jorge LeBron 7, Brayden White 7, Charlie Koontz 5, James Foote 5, Ben Wiedenmann 4, Andy Hupp 2, Brayden Gage 2, Blue Caplinger 1, Hunter Day 1, Jonathan DePriest 1

Louisburg head coach Robert Ebenstein celebrates with senior Brandon Cooper following his 31-yard touchdown catch Friday against Piper. The Wildcats remained unbeaten with a 28-21 win over the Pirates.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Facing a fourth-and-goal from the 31-yard line, and the game teetering on the balance, Louisburg quarterback Madden Rutherford got the play from head coach Robert Ebenstein.

There weren’t too many options in the playbook for a scenario like this one. Louisburg held a one score lead in the fourth quarter and didn’t want to give the ball back to Piper.

Still, Ebenstein sent the play to his quarterback in hopes something positive would happen. Rutherford, though, didn’t like what he saw and changed the play.

“He is probably going to be slightly mad at me because I didn’t throw it to the guy he told me to,” Rutherford said of his coach, “but he will get over it.”

It didn’t take long for Ebenstein to go from puzzled to elated as Rutherford threw a ball to the endzone to Brandon Cooper, who lept in the air and pulled down the jump ball. The touchdown all but sealed the win for the Wildcats as they knocked off undefeated Piper, 28-21, on Friday at Piper High School.

“I cannot express how proud of them I am in their ability to be able to just stay grounded and stay focused,” Ebenstein said of his team. “They were just so resilient. We have some seen some growth throughout the season, and 28-21 may not where we thought it could have been, but the growth and resilience that they showed was outstanding. I couldn’t be more proud of that.”

The Wildcats (4-0) had to develop a lot of resilience throughout the game – one that featured many twists and turns.

On the first play of the game, Piper quarterback Dalton White took the option and carried the ball 69 yards for a touchdown and the Wildcats were quickly in a hole.

It didn’t take long for Louisburg to dig out of it as the Wildcats drove down the field on its first possession as Rutherford hit Josh Casey for a 20-yard touchdown pass, and after a missed point, still trailed.

Louisburg’s defense rose to the occasion as it didn’t allow a Piper touchdown again until late in the fourth quarter and forced several big punts in the first half.

Brayden Gage holds on to the ball despite getting his helmet knocked off Friday against Piper.

The Wildcats took the lead early in the second quarter when senior running back Austin Moore drug Piper tacklers into the endzone for an 8-yard touchdown run, and then ran in the 2-point conversion to give Louisburg a 14-7 advantage.

Louisburg’s offensive line was able to control the line of scrimmage as Brayden White, Garrett Harding, Noah Larson, Jonathan DePriest and Kiefer Tucker, along with tight end Michael Waldron and running back Blue Caplinger, provided a lot of running room and time to throw the ball.

Moore was a big recipient of those blocks as he carried the ball 28 times for 228 yards and a touchdown. Rutherford also fared well in the pocket as he completed 10 of 13 passes for 147 yards and three touchdowns.

“I thought the line did a good job and you could hear them talking to each other out there,” Ebenstein said. “That was something we stressed coming into the game, was to just talk. Blue Caplinger set a lot of lead blocks out there and he was outstanding. He didn’t have the stats, but he might be the player of the game. Austin ran the ball hard and he is dog tired, but you would never tell by looking at him.”

Piper, which had scored 50 or more points in all three of its win to start the season, had a hard time trying to find success against the Wildcat defense.

Louisburg forced another punt midway through the second quarter and then the Wildcat special teams got involved when Cooper blocked a punt and gave the Wildcats the ball at the Piper 15-yard line. However, Piper’s defense made a play when a helmet to the ball forced a Moore fumble on the Wildcats’ first play, and the Pirates picked it up and ran it 89 yards back to tie the game.

It didn’t get much better for the Wildcats when Piper intercepted a Rutherford pass on their next possession and the Pirates got the ball on the Louisburg 35-yard line. As time was ticking down in the first half, the Pirates took the ball inside the 10, but the Wildcats made several big stops to force a turnover on downs.

“Defense played great,” said Moore, who led Louisburg with nine tackles. “We knew Piper was fast and we knew they were going to fly around all game long. They have players that play just one side of the ball, so a lot of them get to take breaks, so we just had to condition a lot at practice and just be ready to run around and go as hard we can the entire time. They don’t take a lot of time between plays and we knew it would be tough, but we can rest later. We just had to give it all we had.”

Louisburg senior Noah Larson brings down a Piper runner in the redzone Friday.

With the ball inside its own 5-yard line and only two minutes left in the half, Louisburg’s offense came through with several plays including a 26-yard run by Moore and a 35-yard pass play to Caplinger.

All that set up a 22-yard touchdown pass from Rutherford to Brayden Gage with 17 seconds left to give Louisburg a 21-14 lead going into halftime.

The score stayed that way until nine minutes left in the fourth quarter when Rutherford connected on the fourth down touchdown to Cooper, a play that left the entire Wildcat sideline in a state of euphoria.

“Brandon just went up and made a play,” Rutherford said. “I put it where he could get it, but props to him from going up and grabbing it. I am just so proud of the guys when something bad happens, with how we respond and we were able to move on to the next play.”

Ebenstein was pleased with his team’s composure down the stretch, including that of his quarterback that was able to call the right play at the right time.

“Madden grew up a lot tonight,” Ebenstein said. “I probably shouldn’t admit this as a coach, but I didn’t call that play on where we scored there. I called it the other way and he checked it out and he made the play. That is what a good quarterback does. He owned the huddle and did what he needed to do.”

Seniors Brian Houck (23) and Tanner Belcher team up for a tackle Friday against Piper.

In a game where Piper didn’t force a Louisburg punt, the Wildcat defense was the one that came on strong at the end. Louisburg again turned Piper over on downs with five minutes left in the game and ran off enough time to be able to seal the win, despite a late Piper score.

“This obviously gives us some confidence,” Ebenstein said. “They were 3-0 and they are a really good team. I like to think we are a good team too. The way our kids just hung in there, on the road, I am just really proud of them. We still have a lot of room to get better and I think we will do that.”

Louisburg will try for its fifth straight win to start the season this Friday when it travels to Eudora. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

For a photo gallery from the Piper contest, make sure to click here.

LOU               6             15           0             7 – 28

PIP                 7             7             0             7 – 21

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

P: Dalton White 69 run (kick good)

L: Josh Casey 20 pass from Madden Rutherford (kick failed)

Second quarter

L: Austin Moore 8 run (Moore run)

P: Brandon Snell 89 fumble return (kick good)

L: Brayden Gage 22 pass from Rutherford (Drake Varns kick)

Fourth quarter

L: Brandon Cooper 31 pass from Rutherford (Varns kick)

P: White 1 run (kick good)

STATISTICS

RUSHING – Austin Moore 28-228; Madden Rutherford 10-25; Blue Caplinger 7-19; Brayden Gage 4-15

PASSING – Madden Rutherford 10-13-147

RECEIVING – Blue Caplinger 2-38; Brandon Cooper 2-35; Brayden Gage 2-24; Josh Casey 1-20; Austin Moore 2-15; Michael Waldron 1-10; Weston Guetterman 1-5.

TACKLES – Austin Moore 9, Brayden White 5, Noah Larson 5, Charlie Koontz 4, Tanner Belcher 4, Kiefer Tucker 4, Garrett Harding 4, Brayden Gage 3, Blue Caplinger 3, Jorge LeBron 3, Brian Houck 1, Ben Wiedenmann 1.

In a game full of twists and turns, the Louisburg High School football team came out on top Friday at Piper High School.

Louisburg and Piper both entered the contest undefeated, but when it was all said and done the Wildcats were the ones left standing as they came through with a 28-21 victory.

Here is a photo gallery from tonight’s game, with a full write-up to come in the coming days. Congrats to the Wildcat players and coaches on their victory that pushed their record to 4-0 on the season.

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Louisburg offensive linemen (from left) Garrett Harding, Noah Larson and Kiefer Tucker team up to create some running room for quarterback Madden Rutherford on Friday at Wildcat Stadium. 

The Louisburg High School football team kept its perfect season intact Friday when the Wildcats rolled Baldwin, 27-7, at Wildcat Stadium.

However, what Louisburg coach Robert Ebenstein saw on the field was anything but perfection – and he was excited about it.

“There are a lot programs around the state that would be thrilled with a 27-7 win and we are extremely fortunate that we can win 27-7 and know that we have room to grow,” Ebenstein said. “I knew Baldwin was going to play tough and they have tough kids, but I feel we at least left 14 points off the board. We are still growing and we are still moving people around to see where our best fit is, so I am thrilled with the win and our kids worked their butts off and we are going to keep getting better.”

The Wildcats put together another highlight reel performance as they moved their record to 3-0 on the season, but no player had more game-changing plays than senior Austin Moore.

Moore was a factor in all three phases of the game. He carried the ball 11 times for 111 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, he led Louisburg with nine tackles, six solo stops, two forced fumbles and a sack from his middle linebacker spot.

The Louisburg senior didn’t stop there as he also blocked a punt on special teams and he was all over the field for the Wildcats.

“Austin is all over the place and the greatest thing about him is no matter what you call he is going to give it 100 percent,” Ebenstein said. “He makes some opportunities for himself, but we have a lot of selfless players on our team. We have a kid like Blue Caplinger, who is a stud, but he is the most selfless person we have. Austin was all over the place, but it is just the product of him being a stud in all phases of the game, but everyone else doing their job also.”

Austin Moore celebrates a touchdown with teammates Charlie Koontz (24) and Madden Rutherford (1) during the Wildcats’ 27-7 win.

Some of those others were the Wildcat offensive line of Kiefer Tucker, Jonathan DePriest, Noah Larson, Brayden White and Garrett Harding, along with tight end Michael Waldron, who opened up holes for the running game and had to make adjustments throughout the night.

“The line did well,” Ebenstein said. “Baldwin completely switched up how they were playing after the first quarter and I think that we adapted well. They played us like Spring Hill played us back in the opener and that is why we just hammered away and I thought the line did a great job adapting and opening up holes.”

Louisburg didn’t waste time getting on the scoreboard as it found the endzone on its first drive. Brayden Gage set up the score with a 38-yard run to get things started and Moore took it the rest of the way as he scored on an 18-yard run to make it 7-0.

The Wildcat defense struck next as senior cornerback Beckett Rasmussen forced a fumble on Baldwin’s next drive and Blue Caplinger recovered to give them ball 29 yards away from another score.

Score the Wildcats did, as Moore put Louisburg up two scores on a 3-yard touchdown run and Drake Varns converted the extra point to make it 14-0.

In the second quarter, Moore and the Wildcat defense came up big again as Moore sacked the Baldwin quarterback on fourth down and forced a fumble. Senior linebacker Jorge LeBron recovered his first two of fumbles on the night and set up another Wildcat score.

Senior cornerback Beckett Rasmussen takes out a Baldwin running back and forces a fumble in the process Friday in Louisburg.

Moore responded with a 69-yard touchdown run on the ensuing drive, and after a missed extra point, put Louisburg up 20-0 at halftime. Louisburg had a chance to make a four-score game before the break, but the Wildcats fumbled on the goal line.

“We preached to the kids all week that we wanted to get up early and just keep pounding,” Ebenstein said. “We could have pressed in the second half more than we did. We just kept running iso and they were just jamming the box. We could have thrown every play and made a play, but we just wanted to keep the ball and keep grinding. We were tinkering with some stuff and figuring some stuff there in the second half, but I am thrilled with the game went as a whole.”

Late in the third quarter, the Wildcats put the game away when quarterback Madden Rutherford found Charlie Koontz for a 48-yard touchdown pass to put Louisburg up 27-0. Rutherford completed 5 of 8 passes on the night for 84 yards.

Baldwin added a fourth quarter touchdown to prevent the shutout, but the Wildcats were still able to celebrate their third straight win to start the season.

The Wildcats will face their most difficult test of the season thus far as they travel to undefeated Piper for a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday.

“Piper is going to be tough,” Ebenstein said. “There is not going to be a better time to play a perfect game than (Friday), so let’s see if we can do it.”

LOU               14           6             7             0 – 27

BAL                   0         0             0             7 – 7

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

L: Austin Moore 18 run (Drake Varns kick)

L: Moore 3 run (Varns kick)

Second quarter

L: Moore 69 run (kick failed)

Third quarter

L: Charlie Koontz 48 pass from Madden Rutherford (Varns kick)

Fourth quarter

B: Connor Quick 2 run (kick good)

STATISTICS

RUSHING: Austin Moore 11-111; Brayden Gage 2-32; Charlie Koontz 2-14, Blue Caplinger 6-7

PASSING: Madden Rutherford 5-8-84-1

RECEIVING: Charlie Koontz 2-50, Weston Guetterman 1-20, Austin Moore 1-7, Blue Caplinger 1-7

TACKLES: Austin Moore 9, Andy Hupp 7, Blue Caplinger 4, Kiefer Tucker 4, Brayden White 4, Gabe Rader 3, Ben Wiedenmann 3, Tanner Belcher 3, Noah Larson 3, Garrett Harding 3, Beckett Rasmussen 2, Charlie Koontz 2, Brandon Cooper 2, Dylan Knipp 2, Jorge LeBron 1, Brian Houck 1, Jay Scollin 1, James Foote 1, Cole Williams 1, Jonathan DePriest 1.

Louisburg junior quarterback Madden Rutherford looks for some running room as he gets a block from teammate Brandon Cooper on Friday at Tonganoxie High School. The Wildcats won their second straight to start the season with a 27-7 victory over the Chieftains. 

TONGANOXIE – The field was muddy. It was almost impossible to keep the footballs dry and the players couldn’t ever quite find their footing.

But for the Louisburg High School football team, life couldn’t have been better.

The Wildcats took to the road Friday to face off with Tonganoxie and they left with their second win of the season. Louisburg scored two quick touchdowns to start the game and never looked back in a 27-7 win over the Chieftains at Tonganoxie High School.

“I was very proud of our kids, going on the road to another team’s home opener is always tough, but then to go out and do it in the rain with the mud was great to see,” Louisburg coach Robert Ebenstein said. “I thought we grew up a little bit and showed that composure that you would like to see in those situations.”

Louisburg (2-0) dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball as the Wildcats put together long drives that found the end zone, and then on the other side of the ball, the Louisburg defense held Tonganoxie to just 175 yards of total offense – 76 of which were on a long pass play for a touchdown.

The offensive line of Noah Larson, Kiefer Tucker, Brayden White, Jonathan DePriest, Garrett Harding and tight end Michael Waldron helped pave the way for 300 yards of total offense in not ideal conditions.

It opened up running room for running backs Austin Moore, Brayden Gage and Blue Caplinger to run the ball, and for quarterback Madden Rutherford to get the ball down the field.

The Wildcats took advantage of what limited opportunities they had as they had just six possessions for the game, and scored on four of them.

“We scored four times, had one punt, and one possession that was ended short due to the half,” Ebenstein said. “We did a great job of playing smart. Our blocking was solid, not only by the offensive line, but our backs and receivers could be seen 20 yards down field throwing blocks. I was very pleased with their effort.”

Defensively, the Wildcats were also able to force two turnovers. Larson recovered a fumble, while Brandon Cooper intercepted a pass late to help seal the win.

Harding was busy up front as he led the Wildcats with seven tackles, while Moore and White each tallied six to lead the Louisburg defense.

“The defense gave up 99 yards if you take out the 76-yard pass,” Ebenstein said. “We allowed only two yards per rush. I was very pleased with our defense and the defensive game plan. Our staff had a great plan, taught it to the players and the players executed very well, minus a couple plays.”

Louisburg seniors Cole Williams (60) and Gabe Rader bring down a Tonganoxie player on Friday.

Moore had a another strong game for the Wildcats offensively as he led the team with 90 yards on 19 carries to go along with three touchdowns and 39 yards receiving. Caplinger recorded the Wildcats’ other score in the fourth quarter.

Louisburg got out to fast start on its first possession as quarterback Madden Rutherford scrambled around to keep the drive alive as he found sophomore receiver Weston Guetterman on a two different occasions, including 13-yard pass where Rutherford mishandled the snap was a still able to roll out and find Guetterman for a first down.

Moore took it from there as he scored on a 4-yard touchdown run. He later found the endzone on Louisburg’s next possession on a 1-yard touchdown that was set up by a 35-yard run from Rutherford. The Louisburg quarterback completed 8 of 11 passes for 104 yards and also had 62 yards on the ground.

Tonganoxie cut into the Wildcats’ 12-0 lead in the second quarter when it converted a 76-yard touchdown pass, but that would be all the Louisburg defense would give up.

The Wildcats added two more scores in the second half on touchdown runs from Moore and Caplinger to keep their perfect season intact, despite rough playing conditions.

Sophomore receiver Weston Guetterman jumps up to make a catch early in Friday’s game at Tonganoxie.

“The situations were not ideal, but they were not ideal for both teams,” Ebenstein said. “I thought our guys did a great job of taking care of the football. We didn’t have any turnovers and only had to punt one time, and that was on a series where we mishandled a snap and didn’t execute well on third down.

“We made some minor adjustments during the first couple of drives, just based on how Tongie lined up. In the second half, we decided to go under center and kill the clock a bit with a lead and I thought we did a solid job of keeping the ball away from their offense.”

Louisburg will try to make it three wins in a row this Friday when it hosts Baldwin at Wildcat Stadium. The Bulldogs are currently 1-1 on the season with a win over Ottawa and a loss to Piper.

“Baldwin is going to be tough,” Ebenstein said. “They have a similar style as us where they want to control the line of scrimmage and establish the run. I think the team who does those little things right and plays with most energy will end up winning. It should be a good game.”

LOU               12           0             8             7 – 27

TON              0             7             0             0 – 7

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

L: Austin Moore 4 run (kick failed)

L: Moore 1 run (run failed)

Second quarter

T: Dallas Bond 76 pass from Hayden Robbins (kick good)

Third quarter

L: Moore 3 run (Moore run)

Fourth quarter

L: Blue Caplinger 8 run (Drake Varns kick)

STATISTICS

RUSHING: Austin Moore 19-90; Madden Rutherford 10-62; Blue Caplinger 5-26

PASSING: Madden Rutherford 8-11-104

RECEIVING: Austin Moore 3-39; Weston Guetterman 2-23; Michael Waldron 1-11; Josh Casey 1-8; Brayden Gage 1-6.

TACKLES: Garrett Harding 7, Austin Moore 6; Brayden White 6, Andy Hupp 5, Kiefer Tucker 5, Jorge LeBron 4, Beckett Rasmussen 3, Noah Larson 3, Brayden Gage 2, Brian Houck 2, Brandon Cooper 2, Cole Williams 2, Gabe Rader 1, Charlie Koontz 1, Ben Wiedenmann 1, Jay Scollin 1, Tanner Belcher 1

Louisburg senior Austin Moore runs through a big hole during the Wildcats’ season opener Friday against Spring Hill at Wildcat Stadium. Moore rushed for a game-high 208 yards and also had two touchdowns in Louisburg’s 21-17 win over Spring Hill.

Penalties, turnovers and miscommunication are all signs of a team playing its first game of the season and the Louisburg football team fit right into that category Friday.

Despite all those things going against them, the Wildcats also showed what they are capable of when things are going right. Down at halftime to Spring Hill, Louisburg regrouped and put together a long scoring drive in the second half to take the lead and then the defense took care of the rest.

The Wildcats held Spring Hill scoreless in the second half and Louisburg came away with a 21-17 victory at Wildcat Stadium.

“We did everything we wanted to do when we didn’t shoot ourselves in the foot,” Louisburg coach Robert Ebenstein said of the team’s 10 penalties and one turnover. “We knew exactly where they (Spring Hill) were going to be, and what they wanted to do, but we just had too many penalties and a couple fumbles that hurt us.

“We talked all week about how no one can stop us but ourselves, and we made so many mental mistakes. We are happy to get a win, but we know we are not anywhere near where we potentially should be, or could be, right now.”

Offensively, when the penalties and mistakes weren’t slowing them down, the Wildcats moved the ball down the field, including two scoring drives that had 11 plays or more, which also took Spring Hill out of rhythm offensively.

Louisburg (1-0) racked up 408 yards of total offense, including 358 yards on the ground and a bulk of those came from running back Austin Moore. The Wildcat senior rushed for 208 yards on 26 carries and 80 yards of that came on a touchdown run that gave Louisburg its first score of the season, and a 7-3 lead over Spring Hill in the first quarter.

The Wildcats also got a strong push from its offensive line of Noah Larson, Kiefer Tucker, Garrett Harding, Jonathan DePriest and Brayden White and helped Louisburg put together those long scoring drives.

Sophomore linebacker Andy Hupp brings down a Spring Hill runner Friday at Wildcat Stadium.

Following Moore’s touchdown, the Broncos were able to answer right back when Spring Hill quarterback Corbyn Meyers connected with Easton Jones on a 63-yard touchdown pass. Spring Hill was able to move the ball through the air on the Wildcat defense, especially in the first half.

“Practicing against a team like us in practice and all preseason, where we just run the ball all the time is one thing, but to then come out against a passing team like Spring Hill in your first game is hard to prepare for,” Ebenstein said. “The quarterback they have slings it pretty well and their receivers run nice routes. Coming out after two-and-a-half weeks of just practicing against the run, takes a minute to catch up to going up against a passing offense like theirs.

“We saw some stuff at halftime and we made some slight adjustments. Coach (Jeff) Lohse is the best person we can have running our defense and he made the adjustments, stayed on our kids and we were able to shut them out in the second half.”

Louisburg answered right back late in the first quarter when the Wildcats completed an 11-play drive that ended on a 3-yard touchdown run by Moore to give Louisburg a 14-10 lead.

The Wildcats looked like they were going to score again as they drove into Spring Hill’s side of the field, but lost the ball on a fumble and the Broncos recovered. Spring Hill took advantage as Brennen Feeback scored on a 1-yard touchdown run and the Broncos took a 17-14 halftime lead.

After the Louisburg defense forced a Spring Hill punt to start the third quarter, the Wildcat offense put together a 14-play, 80-yard scoring drive that lasted nearly eight minutes as senior Brayden Gage scored on a 13-yard touchdown run to give the Wildcats a 21-17 advantage after a Drake Varns extra point.

The Wildcat football team runs onto the field before the start of their season opener with Spring Hill.

Quarterback Madden Rutherford reeled off several first down runs on the drive and even called a play of his own to keep the long drive alive on a third down.

“Madden owned the huddle,” Ebenstein said. “There was one play in that drive where I got the play in late and he did what every quarterback should do. He owned the huddle and he called his own play and it got a first down on a third down play. He led like a leader should lead.”

The Wildcat defense took care of the rest as it shut down the Spring Hill offense and Gage intercepted a Spring Hill pass late in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.

Louisburg will try and make it two wins in a row Friday when it travels to new Frontier League member, Tonganoxie, for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

“Spring Hill was ready to play, but coming out here and getting a gutsy 21-17 win is better for us long term with where we are at right now than getting a 50-0 win,” Ebenstein said. “Now we can go back, look at things on film and we can grow. A win is a win, and I like the way that we fought, but we have to get a lot better.

“Tonganoxie was 9-1 last year and I know they will be ready to play. They have a new coach, but I don’t know a lot about them. I just know that we need to be ready to go from the start.”

LOU               14           0             7             0 – 21

SH                  10           7             0             0 – 17

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

SH: Barret Gardner 47 FG

L: Austin Moore 80 run (Drake Varns kick)

SH: Easton Jones 63 pass from Corbyn Meyers (Gardner kick)

L: Moore 3 run (Varns kick)

Second quarter

SH: Brennen Feeback 1 run (Gardner kick)

Third quarter

L: Brayden Gage 13 run (Varns kick)

STATISTICS

RUSHING – Austin Moore 26-208; Madden Rutherford 16-67; Brayden Gage 5-58; Blue Caplinger 6-25. Totals: 53-358

PASSING – Madden Rutherford 4-8-50

RECEIVING – Brayden Gage 2-39; Austin Moore 1-7; Josh Casey 1-4

TACKLES – Austin Moore 7, Andy Hupp 4, Brayden Gage 4, Kiefer Tucker 4, Garrett Harding 4, Gabe Rader 3, Jorge LeBron 3, Brian Houck 3, Noah Larson 3, Blue Caplinger 3, Beckett Rasmussen 2, Dylan Knipp 1, Eli Johnson 1, Brayden White 1.