Several members of the 2010 state football team returned last month as they were inducted into the school’s hall of fame.

The 2010-11 school year was a memorable one for Louisburg High School when it came to athletics. 

The Wildcats won a pair of state titles that year — football and boys track and field — and it featured some of the better athletes the school had seen in some time. 

Two of those pieces from that year were officially put into the Louisburg High School Athletic Hall of Fame last month.

Garrett Griffin, a 2012 graduate, was inducted along with the 2010 state football team. It was a special moment for everyone involved.

“It was great honor,” Griffin said. “The special part for me was the 2010 team went in on the same night. I loved being a part of that team and it was great to see all those guys honored as well. It was really nice to be back in Louisburg and to be able to catch up with guys. I am very thankful for my upbringing in Louisburg and it was more about the support group that I had growing up. My family, friends and coaches all helped me achieve everything I accomplished. I really can’t thank all of them enough.”

Griffin was a three-sport athlete for Louisburg High School and earned 12 varsity letters during his illustrious Wildcat career. Griffin holds several LHS football records, was a state champion in track and was a four-time letter winner in basketball. He was also a part of two state championship teams.

In football, Griffin was a 4-year letter winner and accumulated four team records during that span. He is the school’s all-time career rushing leader with 4,667 yards, all-time receiving leader at 1,006 yards, all-time receptions leader with 51 and first in all-time tackles with 273.

Griffin earned All-Frontier League honors all four years and awarded all-state honors as a linebacker his junior season after helping lead the Wildcat football team to their first state title in 2010. In 2011, he was named among the Top 11 players in the state as a senior and was a Kansas Shrine Bowl selection

In track and field, Griffin was a 4-time state qualifier in the javelin and 110-meter high hurdles. He was a two-time state champion in the javelin and a two-time state placer in the hurdles. He currently holds the school record in both events. As a junior, Griffin helped the Wildcats to their first state team title in 2011.

In basketball, Griffin was a 4-year letter winner and was an All-Frontier League selection his senior season.

“Track was always a great time and that is more of an individual than a team sport, but everyone was always there supporting each other,” Griffin said. “Winning state in track and football in the same year was awesome. Cool thing about track was you get compete with some guys that don’t play football. Greg Darrington was my javelin coach and I owe a lot to him. He was like another dad to me during track season.”

He was poised to have even more success in track as a senior. Griffin won three regional titles in 2012, but a ruptured appendix sidelined him for the state meet. It left him disappointed as was his father and coach, Gary Griffin.

“My senior year of track was not a negative memory for me. I remember waking up when I was in the recovery room at the hospital and heard my dad ask the doctor if I could still throw in the javelin and if it would make it worse. The doctor said I could, but that I wouldn’t like it too much.” Griffin joked. “I was peaking at the right time that year. Had my best day at regionals and I was lucky enough to throw a little in college.”

Following high school, Griffin signed with the Air Force Academy football program where he was a four-time letter winner as a tight end for the Falcons. During his time, he was also a member of the Air Force track and field program for two years and was a two-time Mountain West Conference placer in the javelin.

After graduating from the Academy, Griffin was selected as an undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints. He spent six seasons with the Saints and one with the Detroit Lions. As a member of the Saints, Griffin played in a handful of contests, which included an appearance in the NFC Championship game in 2018 where he caught a touchdown from quarterback Drew Brees.

Griffin spent last season with the Lions on the practice squad, but decided to retire from the NFL after six seasons. It was time to focus on his family.

“I got a few calls before the season, but I am ready to be done,” Griffin said. “It is bittersweet. I have loved football my whole life, but the last couple of years just wore on me. I am ready for some job security and little bit less stress. It was a great time in my life, but I have a family and it is time to move on and spend time with them. Playing in the NFL gave me awesome experiences and my dream came true. I will always be grateful for that.”

The 2010 football team made school history as those Wildcats became the first to win a state championship in football. Louisburg defeated Holton, 24-16, in the Class 4A championship game in Salina to finish the season with a 14-0 record under head coach Gary Griffin.

Louisburg breezed through the regular season and district playoffs with wins over Eudora (33-6), Ottawa (35-0), St. James Academy (49-7), Silver Lake (21-3), De Soto (28-7), Baldwin (42-26), Spring Hill (35-6), Osawatomie (62-6) and Paola (21-3). Louisburg won every game by 18 points or more.

The Wildcats dominated their way through the Class 4A state playoffs with victories over Anderson County (42-20), Chanute (56-35) and De Soto (21-0). Louisburg squared off with rival Paola in the sub-state championship and the Wildcats downed the Panthers 28-7 to advance to the state game against Holton.

“It was very cool,” coach Griffin said. “I was surprised to see as many of those kids come back as they did. Alex (Gentges) was the one who tried to get the word out on social media and everything. I think we got close to 30 of them there and it was great to see them again.

“It brought back a lot of memories. It is amazing to me to see how much they have all changed in the last 13 years or so. I am still in contact with a lot of them, especially the ones Garrett is friends with. Several still live around here, but it was neat to see them all again.”

Louisburg found itself down 10-0 for the first time all season early in the state championship game, but the Wildcats scored 24 unanswered points to win the title.

“I remember everything about that game,” coach Griffin said. “In 2007 when we went to state, I didn’t think the better team won. We could have played better against Andale. They had won it the year before and they kind of hit us in the mouth, got a lead, before we started to play better in the second half. Then when Holton got the lead on us, I just thought here we go again. 

“Then late in the first half we put a drive together and scored. Our kids at halftime knew we were going to win because we figured out how to stop their offense. That was the third time I coached in a championship game and the other two we snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory. I didn’t want it to happen again.”

It was a talented squad that earned 22 spots on the All-Frontier League team, including eight first team selections. The Wildcats also had several all-state selections and were headlined by quarterback Kody Cook, running back/linebacker Garrett Griffin and linemen Tyler Ewy and Ross Dvorak, who each earned first-team honors.

Ewy was named as one of the Top 11 players in the state of Kansas by three different organizations and was the recipient of the Bobby Bell Award, which goes to the best small class defensive lineman in the Kansas City area. He was a fixture on the Wildcat defensive line as he led the team with 139 tackles, including 25 for a loss and 10 sacks.

Cook guided the offense all season as the team’s quarterback as he tallied more than 1,700 yards of total offense to go along with 19 touchdowns.

His teammate in the backfield was Griffin as he ran over opponents all season. Griffin led Louisburg with 1,594 yards rushing and 412 yards receiving to go along with a combined 27 touchdowns.

Along with Ewy, Dvorak was one of the leaders on the offensive and defensive lines and he was also third on the team with 89 tackles, nine for a loss and four sacks. He was a first-team all-state selection by the Kansas Football Coaches Association (KFCA). Linebacker Chad Turney was a first team all-league selection and was second on the team with 126 stops.

Gary Griffin was named Coach of the Year by the KFCA.

“I know they had really lofty goals. Every year your goal is to win a state championship, but you could tell this group was really serious about it,” coach Griffin said. “The year before we got beat by Miege and then they popped up to 5A. Once that happened, I knew that we had as good of a chance as anyone.

“We were good in 2009 and we only lost to Gardner and then Miege in the playoffs. But the following year, I think we only had Ross, Tyler and Garrett returning who played a lot of varsity time. The rest of those guys were JV. Kody was hurt his junior year, but we knew he was going to be good. We were building around four kids and everyone else just filled their roles perfectly. As the year went on, we started to build momentum and realized we were pretty good.”

Members of the state championship team are Nate Goodwin, Nate O’Brien, Chris Chase, David Embers, Bradey Drew, Kody Cook, Hayden Guetterman, Jacob Powell, Ben Powers, Derek Mathis, Dylan York, Wyatt Sander, Nate Daugherty, Jordan Powell, Christian Richards, Christian Huffman, Nick Chapman, Will Garza, Alex Gentges, AJ Hildreth, Brett Hebert, Ryan Tinder, D.J. Meyer, Daniel O’Connor, Garrett Griffin, Clark Gregory, Luke Hupp, Curtis Lemke, Greyson Honsinger, Dakota Stone, Colton Seely, Alex Bell, Konnor Cook, Jason Danciak, Matt Nolte, Taylor Caskey, Matt Jenkins, Kyle McLellan, Chad Turney, Tyler Ewy, Colin Bird, Drew Carder, T.J. McKiearnan, Cole Kessler, Alex Cook, Ross Dvorak, Wayne Carlson, Ben Adams, Jacob Berglund, Mason Whaley, Doug Weers, Colton Rommel, David Stuteville, Dain Glenn, Kurtis Morgan, Austin Caskey and Kade Larson.

The Wildcats were led by head coach Gary Griffin and assistant coaches Wayne Whiting, Larry Aylor, Jeff Lohse, Kyle Littrell, Billy Neff and Greg Darrington.

Team trainers were Ali Dover, Brook Frazier and Mike Cardwell. Head athletic trainer was Dr. Damon Dennis.

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week 10 of the fall sports season, sponsored by Landmark National Bank of Louisburg.

WYATT HOLLAND, SENIOR, FOOTBALL

Louisburg senior Wyatt Holland played a big role on the Wildcat football team this season, especially on the defensive side. That continued last Friday against Basehor-Linwood in the Class 4A regional championship game. Holland finished with 10 tackles in the Wildcats’ 22-20 loss to the Bobcats.

As one of Louisburg’s starting linebackers, Holland was forced to play with a cast on his arm for much of the season. However, that didn’t stop from finishing the season with 90 tackles, which was second on the team. He also added five tackles for a loss to go along with an interception.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the fall season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous winners:

Week 1: Declan Battle

Week 2: Megan Quinn

Week 3: Maddy Rhamy

Week 4: Emmett White

Week 5: Ashton Moore

Week 6: Madie Williams

Week 7: Noah Cotter

Week 8: Hailey Sword

Week 9: Jerynce Brings Plenty

Louisburg seniors Caden Caplinger (34) and Hunter Heinrich bring down a Basehor-Linwood player short of the endzone Friday at Wildcat Stadium.

Louisburg had been in this situation a few times over the last two seasons.

With their backs against the wall, and the game on the line, the Wildcats always seemed to find a way en route to two back-to-back Frontier League titles.

On Friday, the Wildcats were there once again, but this time the stakes were a little bigger — a Class 4A regional championship was on the line.

Unfortunately, the Wildcats came just a few yards short of pulling off another miraculous comeback. Basehor-Linwood handed Louisburg is first loss of the season, 22-20, and ended the Wildcats’ season and nine-game winning streak.

The Wildcats, down two points, had to drive 81 yards in the final 61 seconds with no timeouts to try and pull off the comeback. They nearly did.

“It is for sure a heartbreaking loss,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “On the bright side, I am incredibly proud of them for not giving up. We didn’t have a whole lot that was going our way, and to get the ball back with a minute left we had a chance. For them to put a 2-minute drive together with no timeouts and get us right on the doorstep, really shows what kind of kids we have and the resiliency they have. Still, this is a pretty tough one to swallow.”

Louisburg’s duo of Declan Battle and Caden Caplinger provided the Wildcats they hope they were looking for late.

The Wildcat seniors, who have pulled out several game-winning plays the last three years, nearly had another as Battle hit Caplinger on a 57-yard pass play that took it down to the Basehor 24-yard line.

Battle found junior Reid McCaskill on an 11-yard pass play. Battle then ran for 5 yards on first down and then spiked it to stop the clock.

The Louisburg quarterback then hit Caplinger at the 5-yard line, and with time running out, the Wildcats had one last chance on fourth down. Unfortunately the game-winning pass fell incomplete and the Wildcats’ season came to a close.

“You have to be at a breakneck pace and you don’t have any timeouts,” Harding said of the last drive. “You have to execute and play on the fly pretty well. That is something that we practice, but it is hard to simulate what you will experience on game day. They did a good job with it. We were five yards short, and maybe just a few seconds more or one timeout left, there are a 100 different things that could put yourself in a slightly different situation. It makes it tough”

The Wildcats found themselves down early as Basehor took a 7-0 lead into the second quarter, but the Wildcats managed to tie it up on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Battle to Conlee Hovey.

Louisburg’s defense came though with a big stand as it turned the Bobcats over on downs at the 2-yard line and prevented a Basehor score. The momentum was short lived as the Bobcats recorded a safety to take the lead back, and then on the ensuing drive scored another touchdown to go up 16-7.

The Wildcats put together one last drive in the first half. With 14 seconds remaining before halftime, Battle found a diving Hovey in the back of the endzone for an 18-yard touchdown and trimmed the Basehor lead to two.

To start the second half, Basehor drove down the field, but had a fourth down on the Wildcat 24-yard line and Louisburg had a chance to turn the Bobcats over on downs again. However, Basehor quarterback Brady Vandonge found Kaleb Scott on a 24-yard touchdown pass, and after a missed extra point, the Wildcats trailed by just eight.

It stayed that way till the fourth quarter when the Wildcats manufactured a drive that ended on an 9-yard touchdown run by Ashton Moore. Moore then was just inches away from converting the 2-point conversion and tying the game, but was ruled just short of the goal line. 

Moore and Battle provided many of those running plays in that drive. On the game, Moore finished with a game-high 163 yards rushing and Battle had 67 yards on the ground and 153 through the air.

Moore also was all over the field for Louisburg from the linebacker spot as he recorded a team-high 18 tackles.

“That was a 6-7 minute drive that ate up a lot of clock and it was a grinder,” Harding said of the last touchdown. “Those guys, especially Ashton and Declan, were taking a beating all night. They were playing defense and making tackles. Those two guys continued to fight and incredibly proud of what they accomplished this year. Excited to see what Ashton can do as a senior and excited to see what Declan can do at the next level.”

The Wildcats had a tough time moving the ball against a big and athletic Basehor defensive front and it was a struggle at times offensively to get into a rhythm. 

“That is not something we have experienced a whole lot this year,” Harding said. “They (Basehor) were incredibly physical and they were big up front. They moved well and they had a fast defense. They gave us a heck of challenge.”

Also on defense, Hovey, along with his two touchdowns, was second on the team with 12 tackles and senior Wyatt Holland was in double figures with 10. 

The Wildcats also forced a turnover as Moore forced a fumble and Brady Hickey got the recovery. Louisburg senior Brody McGreer also led the secondary with four pass breakups. 

“I thought the defense played well overall,” Harding said. “Basehor is a really high-powered offense, and in reality, we limited them to 20 points. They got big stops when we needed them and kept them out of the endzone on a couple big drives. They definitely played well.”

Although Louisburg’s season has come to a close, the Wildcats still have plenty of positive memories to look back on, including winning a second straight Frontier League title.

“This season was a lot of fun,” Harding said. “It is a great group of kids and they worked incredibly hard. They were loose and made it fun every single day. I can’t say enough about how good of kids they are and how hard they work. We hoped to still be moving on, but this loss doesn’t take away from what these kids did all year.”

LOU 0 14 0 6 — 20
BL 7 9 6 0 — 22

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter

B: Sam Boetcher 4 run (kick good)

Second Quarter

L: Conlee Hovey 11 pass from Declan Battle (Alex Saad kick)

B: Safety

B: Brady Vandonge 1 run (kick good)

L: Hovey 18 pass from Battle (Saad kick)

Third Quarter

B: Kaleb Scott 24 pass from Vandonge (kick failed)

Fourth Quarter

L: Ashton Moore 9 run (run failed)

STATISTICS

RUSHING — Ashton Moore 24-163; Declan Battle 22-67

PASSING — Declan Battle 15-30-153

RECEIVING — Caden Caplinger 4-67; Conlee Hovey 4-49; Reid McCaskill 1-11; Brock Vohs 2-11; Hunter Heinrich 1-9; Ashton Moore 3-6

TACKLES — Ashton Moore 18, Conlee Hovey 12, Wyatt Holland 10, Brady Hickey 7, Brody McGreer 5, Brayden Yoder 5, Brock Vohs 5, Declan Battle 3, Hunter Heinrich 3, Caden Caplinger 3, Russell Wiseman 1, Logan Henry 1, Lucas Swartz 1, Jack Anderson 1

Louisburg running back Ashton Moore breaks free for a long gain Friday against Labette County at Wildcat Stadium.

The Louisburg football team couldn’t have asked for a better start to its playoff journey.

The Wildcats made plays all over the field Friday as they hosted Labette County in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs. Louisburg scored all its points in the first half in its 47-0 victory over the Grizzlies.

“I thought we played pretty well overall,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “It is exciting to advance in the playoffs. We talked a lot this week about how it’s win or go home at this point, so to have our season extend further feels good.”

Louisburg (9-0) dominated the contest from the opening whistle as the Wildcats made big plays in all three phases. 

The Wildcats got things going as they scored on their first drive that ended on a 6-yard touchdown run by junior running back Ashton Moore.

It was the defense’s turn after that. After Labette County completed a long pass to the Wildcat 5-yard line, senior Brody McGreer recorded an interception in the endzone to turn away the Grizzlies.

The Wildcats took advantage as senior quarterback Declan Battle hit long passes to Conlee Hovey and Caden Caplinger on a drive that ended on a 4-yard touchdown run by Battle.

Then on the ensuing kickoff, Alex Saad squib kicked it, the ball hit off a Labette player and the Wildcats were able to recover. That resulted in a 26-yard touchdown run by Moore and the Wildcats led 20-0 after one quarter.

Labette County found itself close to the redzone again, but the Wildcat defense stool tall as Lucas Swartz recorded a sack that forced a fourth-and-long and the Grizzlies eventually turned the ball over on downs.

Moore scored his third touchdown of the night early in the second quarter on a 4-yard run. It was a set up by a 44-yard run by Battle that put the ball inside 10.

Next, it was Caplinger’s turn as he found the endzone on a pair of big plays.

The first one came on offense when Battle pitched the ball in front of him to Caplinger, who was in motion, and he sprinted 57 yards for the touchdown.

Caplinger also made it happen on defense as he picked off a Labette County pass and scored on a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Right before halftime, Battle found Brock Vohs for a 25-yard touchdown pass and the Wildcats led 47-0 and sealed the win in the first half.

Offensively, the Wildcats used a balanced attack. Battle and Moore combined for 148 yards rushing, while Battle threw for 198 yards. Caplinger also led the Wildcats with 98 yards receiving.

“It’s great to be balanced and that is always the goal,” Harding said. “We were able to throw and run the ball effectively, so hopefully we can keep that up moving forward.”

Defensively, the Wildcats earned the shutout and frustrated the Labette County offense for most of the night. Senior Wyatt Holland led the way with a team-high nine tackles.

Caplinger, McGreer and Logan Henry each had interceptions on the night, while Swartz and Hovey both tallied a sack.

“I thought the defense played well,” Harding said. “They were able to advance to football into the redzone once and got a key interception to keep them off the board. We scored on defense too, which I think is the first time since playing Paola in the second week of the season.”

It will get a little more challenging this Friday as the No. 2 seed Wildcats host No. 7 seed Basehor-Linwood (6-3). The Bobcats defeated Paola, 35-14, last week and Harding knows his team will have to be ready.

“Basehor is a big challenge,” Harding said. “They are a well-coached, complete team. They spread you out and do a really good job of moving the football and creating bigs plays offensively. Defensively, they play fast and physical so we will have to play well in order to advance and play again. It will be an exciting playoff football game.”

LOU 20 27 0 0 — 47

LC 0 0 0 0 — 0

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter

L: Ashton Moore 6 run (kick failed)

L: Declan Battle 4 run (Alex Saad kick)

L: Moore 26 run (Saad kick)

Second Quarter

L: Moore 4 run (kick failed)

L: Caden Caplinger 57 pass from Battle (Saad kick)

L: Caplinger 75 interception return (Saad kick)

L: Brock Vohs 25 pass from Battle (Saad kick)

STATISTICS

RUSHING — Declan Battle 5-75; Ashton Moore 7-73; Darby Van Eaton 9-40; Wyatt Holland 1-20; Rickey Giles 3-12

PASSING — Declan Battle 9-11-198; Alex Saad 3-4-12

RECEIVING — Caden Caplinger 3-98; Conlee Hovey 1-39; Brock Vohs 2-34; Ashton Moore 2-22; Gage Feldkamp 1-9; Reid McCaskill 1-5; Declan Battle 1-2; Rickey Giles 1-1.

TACKLES — Wyatt Holland 9, Conlee Hovey 4, Ashton Moore 4, Brayden Yoder 4, Brody McGreer 3, Lucas Swartz 3, Jackson Howard 3, Brock Vohs 3, Logan Henry 2, Brady Hickey 2, Caden Caplinger 2, Declan Battle 1, Hunter Heinrich 1, Myles Vohs 1, Lane Cunningham 1, Drake Crooks 1, Xander Lucas, 1

INTERCEPTIONS — Caden Caplinger 1, Brody McGreer 1, Logan Henry 1

FUMBLE RECOVERY — Alex Saad 1

SACKS — Lucas Swartz 1, Conlee Hovey 1

Louisburg head coach Drew Harding is doused with a bucket of cold water thanks to seniors Brady Hickey (16) and Wyatt Holland on Friday following the Wildcats’ 35-21 win over Spring Hill. The Wildcats won their second straight Frontier League title.

SPRING HILL — It had been 16 years since the Louisburg football team last repeated as back-to-back Frontier League champions.

That drought ended Friday in Spring Hill.

In a battle of undefeated league teams, Louisburg proved its was the best. The Wildcats scored 21 unanswered points, and shutout the Broncos in the first half, as they cruised to a 35-21 victory.

Louisburg earned back-to-back league crowns for the first time since the 2006 and 2007 campaigns. The Wildcats also finished the regular season with an 8-0 record.

“It is pretty exciting,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “We talked to the guys before the game about how long it is has been since we have won back-to-back league titles and it has only been done four times in our school’s history. So to chalk another one up there feels pretty good.”

The emotions were evident following the victory as seniors Brady Hickey and Wyatt Holland doused Harding with the water bucket and the celebration ensued. 

“It means a ton to this team, knowing that back in June when we first started weights our goal was to be undefeated league champs,” Louisburg quarterback Declan Battle said. “Man time flew, it’s already here and we got it done. It feels great.”

Battle helped guide the Wildcat offense to a fast start that included 21 unanswered points in the second quarter and Louisburg was able to take a 21-0 halftime lead thanks to some big plays on both sides of the ball.

On defense, junior Lucas Swartz recorded a sack on Spring Hill’s opening drive that forced a Bronco punt. Then later in the first quarter, linebacker Wyatt Holland intercepted a Bronco pass to stop another drive and gave the Wildcats good field position.

Holland, who suffered a hand injury earlier this season, has been forced to wear a large wrap throughout the season and was still able to haul in the interception.

“Wyatt has the club for sure,” Harding said. “He always has great energy and to be able to pick that off with the club was awesome. He advanced it 20-30 yards as well. It was a big play for us and a big stop for our defense.”

The Wildcats turned that turnover into points as Battle scored one of his four touchdowns on the night on a 1-yard run to give Louisburg the lead. Junior Alex Saad converted the extra point and was a perfect 5-for-5 on the night.

After a 3-and-out by the Louisburg defense, the Wildcat offense buiit a double-digit lead when Battle scored on a 15-yard run.

Louisburg got the ball back once again, but faced a third and long late in the second quarter. That’s when Battle connected with junior Myles Vohs on a 61-yard touchdown that saw him outrun a Spring Hill defender to the endzone.

That lifted an already confident Wildcat sideline to another level as they took a 21-0 lead. 

“Myles plays with his heart on his sleeve that is for sure,” Harding said. “It was great to see him make a play there. We had ran that play previously and we noticed Myles was open. So when we ran it again, we told Declan that. He stood in there and took the hit as he threw it and Myles had a great catch and had enough speed to get in the endzone.”

Senior Brody McGreer intercepted a Spring Hill pass with seconds left in the first half to keep the shutout intact.

Spring Hill leaned on its running back — Colton McKanna in the second half — and the Broncos got on the scoreboard on the opening drive of the third quarter on a McKanna 19-yard touchdown.

McKanna was a big focus of the Wildcat defense coming in and they were able to slow him down enough to leave Spring Hill with a win.

“That was our goal coming was to have our eyes on No. 5 (McKanna),” Harding said. “We wanted to make them beat us some other way. He is a really good running back and they have a big offensive line, so we had to get as many hats to the football as we could. I thought we did a pretty good job defensively.”

Louisburg was able to answer right back on its opening drive of the second half as Battle found Ashton Moore on a 6-yard touchdown pass to keep the 3-score lead.

Moore and Battle salted the game away for the Wildcats on the ground with chunk plays against the Bronco defense. Moore finished with 113 yards rushing and Battle had 82.

The offensive line of Jackson Howard, Johnny Hendrickson, Jaymes Melton, Brayden Yoder, Ben O’Bryan, along with tight ends Brock Vohs and Conlee Hovey, provided several holes to run through.

“I think it is tough for defenses to contain everybody because we have so many guys that can make plays,” Moore said. “Whether it is receivers, tight ends, running backs, linemen or the quarterback, they are all going to do their job and they have to worry about everyone. Everyone doing their jobs is what sets us up for success.”

The Wildcats were able to find success through the air, as well. Battle threw for 254 yards and his favorite target was Caden Caplinger. 

The Louisburg senior had six catches for 87 yards and brought down several contested balls. Moore also had 61 yards receiving on the night.

“I think the offense did a great job,” Battle said. “Starting up front with the O-Line, every play starts with them and they open up opportunities for us to make plays. Caden did a great job going and getting the ball when he needed to. Ashton always runs hard, and I know when we put the ball in his hands good things will happen.”

Defensively, the Wildcats made big plays throughout the night and it started at the linebacker spot with Moore and Holland. Moore finished with a team-high 10 tackles and Holland added nine, including six solo stops.

Senior Brady Hickey also had nine tackles and junior Brayden Yoder had eight. Battle and Caplinger registered seven tackles each.

“There were a few times at the beginning of the game where we weren’t lined up where we should be,” Moore said. “Our coaches talked to us about that at halftime. So for us to have those mistakes, and still shut them out in the first half, it felt great. We just needed to keep doing our jobs and we did.”

Now the Wildcats will prepare for what is a deep postseason run. Louisburg is the No. 2 seed in the Class 4A state playoffs and will host No. 15 Labette County (1-7) on Friday at Wildcat Stadium.

“It is one week at a time and that is what we preach to the guys,” Harding said. “We have to do whatever we can to survive and continue to play football because from this point forward we aren’t guaranteed anything. We are just going to take it week by week and advance as far as we can.”

LOU 0 21 7 7 — 35

SH 0 0 7 14 — 21

SCORING SUMMARY

Second Quarter

L: Declan Battle 1 run (Alex Saad kick)

L: Battle 15 run (Saad kick)

L: Myles Vohs 61 pass from Battle (Saad kick)

Third Quarter

S: Colton McKenna 19 run (kick good)

L: Ashton Moore 6 pass from Battle (Saad kick)

Fourth Quarter

S: Tyson Beashore 1 run (kick good)

L: Moore 1 run (Saad kick)

S: Ryan Jackson 22 pass from Beashore (kick good)

STATISTICS

RUSHING — Ashton Moore 26-113; Declan Battle 18-82

PASSING — Declan Battle 14-23-254

RECEIVING — Caden Caplinger 6-87; Ashton Moore 3-69; Myles Vohs 1-61; Reid McCaskill 1-20; Blake Amren 1-8; Conlee Hovey 1-5; Brock Vohs 1-4

TACKLES — Ashton Moore 10, Wyatt Holland 9, Brady Hickey 9, Brayden Yoder 8, Declan Battle 7, Caden Caplinger 7, Hunter Heinrich 5, Lucas Swartz 4, Jack Anderson 3, Conlee Hovey 3, Brock Vohs 1, Brody McGreer 1

INTERCEPTIONS — Wyatt Holland 1, Brody McGreer 1

SACKS — Lucas Swartz 1

Louisburg seniors Caden Caplinger (left) and Brock Vohs combine on a tackle as the helmet flies off of an Ottawa player Friday at Wildcat Stadium

This one had all the elements of a trap game for Louisburg.

It was Senior Night for the Wildcats, and on top of that, the players were out of school for the day. Louisburg had just come off an emotional road win over Tonganoxie and have a big showdown with Spring Hill on the horizon.

Sandwiched in-between that Friday was Ottawa as the Wildcats tried to avoid the upset and continue their perfect season.

Any thoughts of a letdown quickly went out the window as the Wildcats scored 20 unanswered points in the first half and cruised to a 33-0 victory over Ottawa.

“It was a really weird schedule with not having school and it being Senior Night, so as a coach it makes you a little nervous as the guys are out of their normal routines,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “For them to come out and play well is a testament to the kids and they got back into the routine. Overall, I am very happy with how they did.

“Ottawa is team on the rise. They have played a lot of teams close, beat Eudora and have some good wins. We preached that we couldn’t overlook them and I don’t think that we did. We came out and played pretty well.”

It also marked the final regular season home contest for 14 Wildcat seniors that included Declan Battle, Hunter Heinrich, Blake Amren, Brody McGreer, Brady Hickey, Lane Cunningham, Wyatt Holland, Jack Anderson, Caden Caplinger, Jaymes Melton, Jackson Howard, Ben O’Bryan, Drake Crooks and Brock Vohs.

Battle put on quite the show on Senior Night. The Louisburg quarterback accounted for all five  Wildcat touchdowns that included three on the ground and two more through the air.

He finished with 165 yards rushing on just 12 carries. Battle also threw for 133 yards.

The Wildcats (7-0) struck early and it started with Battle. On Louisburg’s first play from scrimmage, Battle broke free on a 74-yard touchdown run, and after an Alex Saad extra point, went up 7-0.

Ottawa had to punt on its next possession, and the Wildcats took advantage. Battle found a wide open Reid McCaskill for a 38-yard touchdown pass to go up 13-0.

The Cyclones threatened to cut the Wildcat lead in half as they had 2nd and Goal from the 2-yard line. Junior lineman Brayden Yoder stopped the Cyclones for a loss, and then Wyatt Holland and Jack Anderson did the same on third down.

Louisburg turned Ottawa over on downs after Ashton Moore and Holland converged on a stop.

That defensive stop turned into another Wildcat touchdown on a 5-yard run from Battle and Louisburg took a 20-0 lead at halftime.

The Wildcats continued the onslaught in the second half as Battle scored on a 35-yard run in the third quarter. Louisburg iced the win when Battle found Myles Vohs in the back of the endzone on a 7-yard touchdown pass. 

It was the first touchdown of the season for Vohs and McCaskill as the junior wide receivers came up with big scores for Louisburg.

“That was really great to see them get in the endzone,” Harding said. “Those are guys that have worked hard all year, and for them to step up and make a couple big plays for us was fun to see. Our receiver group is capable of producing more than what we have recently, so it was nice to take a step in that direction.”

The Wildcat defense put together another strong performance as they got the shutout thanks to several big plays throughout the night.

Moore led the Wildcats with 17 tackles and also forced two fumbles. Holland also finished with double digit tackles with 10 and had a fumble recovery.

Caden Caplinger finished with seven stops and also had 1.5 sacks, while Brady Hickey, Jackson Howard and Brock Vohs each had five tackles.

“Our keys were not to give up any big plays and we didn’t really give up any,” Harding said. “We wanted to play our base stuff, read our keys and just fly to the football. I thought we did a really good job of that. It generally just wasn’t one person making the tackle, it was multiple guys. We forced some turnovers as well, so we just checked all those boxes.”

The Wildcats will face their biggest challenge to date this Friday as they travel to Spring Hill for their final regular season contest. Both teams have an undefeated record in Frontier League play and the winner will capture the league title.

“It will be a dogfight for sure,” Harding said. “Last year we played a close game with them with the Frontier League title on the line, so this year we have to go up there and they have a really explosive offense with a really good running back. We will have to be on our game to come out of there with a win and it will be a big time challenge.”

LOU 13 7 6 7 — 33

OTT 0 0 0 0 — 0

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter

L: Declan Battle 74 run (Alex Saad kick)

L: Reid McCaskill 38 pass from Battle (kick failed)

Second Quarter

L: Battle 5 run (Saad kick)

Third Quarter

L: Battle 35 run (kick failed)

Fourth Quarter

L: Myles Vohs 7 pass from Battle (Saad kick)

STATISTICS

RUSHING — Declan Battle 12-165; Ashton Moore 13-97; Darby Van Eaton 5-24; Lane Cunningham 1-7

PASSING — Declan Battle 12-18-133

RECEIVING — Reid McCaskill 1-38; Caden Caplinger 1-32; Ashton Moore 5-30; Myles Vohs 2-16; Conlee Hovey 1-9; Hunter Heinrich 1-7; Brock Vohs 1-1.

TACKLES — Ashton Moore 17, Wyatt Holland 10, Caden Caplinger 7, Brady Hickey 5, Jackson Howard 5, Brock Vohs 5, Russell Wiseman 4, Brayden Yoder 4, Brody McGreer 3, Lucas Swartz 3, Declan Battle 2, Logan Henry 2, Myles Vohs 2, Jack Anderson 2, Josh Holtzen 1, Conlee Hovey 1, Erik Lien 1

SACKS — Caden Caplinger 1.5; Jack Anderson .5

FORCED FUMBLE — Ashton Moore 2

FUMBLE RECOVERY — Wyatt Holland 1

Louisburg junior Ashton Moore rushed for 173 yards and had 20 tackles in the Wildcats’ 30-29 win over Tonganoxie.

TONGANOXIE — With a possible Frontier League title hanging in the balance, Louisburg found itself with its back against the wall — needing something positive to happen.

After the Wildcats got out to a big lead, penalties and mistakes allowed Tonganoxie to take a seven-point lead late in the contest.

Leave it to a pair of seniors to come through for the Wildcats when they needed it the most.

Quarterback Declan Battle hit Caden Caplinger on a long touchdown pass, and after converting the 2-point conversion, the Wildcats defense took care of the rest and held on for a 30-29 victory over the Chieftains.

“There were a lot of opportunities to make plays in the passing game, but we were just missing them,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “Then we finally made one at the end and really glad that we did.”

On a 2nd and 26 with under six minutes left in the contest, Battle hit Caplinger down the sideline for a 59-yard touchdown pass. Then with the Wildcats’ kicking game in flux, they decided to go for two and take the lead.

Battle rolled out to the right and found a wide open Conlee Hovey on the opposite side of the endzone to give the Wildcats a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

“It was a little risky to call that play there,” Harding said of the 2-point conversion. “We hadn’t run it all year and it was pivotal point in the game with a lot on the line. They executed and did a really good job.”

Tonganoxie got one final opportunity and were close to field goal range with its kicker, Jackson McWilliams. However, Brayden Yoder and Wyatt Holland combined on a tackle for a loss that forced a fourth down on the Wildcat 32-yard line. 

The Chieftains decided to go to the air — an advantage they had for most of the game — but overthrew the intended receiver on fourth down and the Wildcats were able to run out the clock.

“They have a really explosive offense,” Harding said. “We got out to a big lead, but we knew it wasn’t over by any means. It was a grind and Tonganoxie had a lot of momentum on their side in the second half. For us to respond, and pull this one out, it was impressive.”

Louisburg (6-0) did a lot of its damage on the ground — especially early. Tonganoxie had its sights set on slowing down Louisburg running back Ashton Moore, but the Wildcat junior inflicted a lot of damage.

Moore finished with 173 yards on the ground on 25 carries and had two touchdowns. The Chieftains had tough time slowing down Battle as well as the Louisburg quarterback had 147 yards on the ground on 17 carries.

They had success thanks to blocking up front of Miles Meek, Johnny Hendrickson, Jaymes Melton, Ben O’Bryan, Yoder, along with tight ends Brock Vohs and Hovey.

On defense, Moore was all over the field for the Wildcats. The Louisburg linebacker registered a team-high 20 tackles to go along with a sack.

“Ashton is so physical,” Harding said. “He is a tough tackler and when we get the ball in his hands it generally results in good plays. Ashton is a tank and played really well defensively. Between him and Declan, both of those guys run really hard. It is tough for defenses to tackle both of them with the first guy.”

Louisburg marched down the field on the game’s opening drive and found the endzone on a 1-yard run by Moore. After the Wildcat defense held Tonganoxie on its first drive, Louisburg struck again.

This time it was Battle as he broke free for a 66-yard score, and after a 2-point pass to Hovey, took a 14-0 lead.

Tonganoxie answered on a long touchdown run by Colton Brusven — his first of three scores on the game. However, the Wildcats continued to assert themselves on the ground as Moore broke free for a 39-yard run and went up 22-7 after Battle ran in the 2-point try.

“That was the first time this year that we had not started on defense,” Harding said. “We challenged them to score right away and we did that. We got a stop and then we did it again. Unfortunately we couldn’t keep it rolling, but it was a great start for us.”

The Chieftains would eventually slow down the Wildcat offense and score 22 unanswered points through the second and third quarters to go up 29-22

From there, the Wildcats were able to make plays when they needed them on both sides of the ball.

Along with Moore, seniors Brady Hickey and Holland each finished the game with 10 tackles each. Yoder added nine stops from his defensive tackle spot.

Louisburg will look to continue its perfect season this Friday when it hosts Ottawa for Senior Night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

LOU 14 8 0 8 — 30

TON 7 8 14 0 — 29

SCORING SUMMARY 

First Quarter

L: Ashton Moore 1 run (kick failed)

L: Declan Battle 66 run (Battle pass to Conlee Hovey)

T: Colton Brusven 73 run (kick good)

Second Quarter

L: Ashton Moore 39 run (Battle run)

T: Trevor McGraw 8 run (Isaiah Holthaus pass from McGraw)

Third Quarter

T: Brusven 2 run (kick good)

T: Brusven 3 run (kick good)

Fourth Quarter

L: Caden Caplinger 59 pass from Battle (Battle pass to Hovey)

STATISTICS

RUSHING — Ashton Moore 25-173; Declan Battle 17-147

PASSING — Declan Battle 9-18-116

RECEIVING — Caden Caplinger 4-86; Ashton Moore 3-24; Conlee Hovey 2-6

TACKLES — Ashton Moore 20, Brady Hickey 10, Wyatt Holland 10, Brayden Yoder 9, Brody McGreer 5, Caden Caplinger 5, Logan Henry 3, Conlee Hovey 3, Jackson Howard 3, Brock Vohs 3, Declan Battle 2, Hunter Heinrich 2, Lucas Swartz 2, Jack Anderson 2, Josh Holtzen 1, Jaymes Melton 1.

Louisburg senior Brady Hickey brings down Eudora quarterback Kole Manley near the goal line Friday during the Wildcats’ 13-7 victory in Louisburg.

Through its first four games, Louisburg had it offense take care of business as the Wildcats averaged nearly 48 points a game during that stretch.

On Friday in its homecoming contest against Eudora, the Wildcat defense shouldered the load and came up big when Louisburg needed it the most.

The Wildcats held Eudora to just seven points, and shut out the Cardinals in the final three quarters, to hold on for a 13-7 victory. It was also the fifth straight win to start the season as they remain atop the Frontier League standings.

“It was definitely a character building win for us,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “We faced a ton of adversity and had a lot of things that didn’t go our way. We had two turnovers, we had three goal line stands and it was tough sledding on offense. Our kids showed a lot character in this game.”

Louisburg (5-0) found itself with its back against the wall early on. A fumbled punt return in the first quarter set up the Cardinals’ early touchdown and gave them a 7-0 lead.

After a Louisburg punt on its first offensive possession, the Cardinals methodically drove the ball down the field again. This time they used a 17-play drive that took close to 12 minutes.

However, the Wildcat defense came up big with its first of three goal line stands. The Cardinals had the ball at the eight yard line three times, but big tackles from Brayden Yoder, Wyatt Holland, Brady Hickey and Brody McGreer forced a Eudora field goal attempt.

That attempt was no good and the Wildcat offense would get the ball for just the second time of the first half with five minutes left in the second quarter.

“The defense played tremendous and Eudora has a pretty high-powered offense,” Harding said. “They have an explosive receiver and they can make a lot of big plays. So to be able hold them to seven points, and not only that, but to be in bad situations and still hold them to just seven was really big for us.”

Louisburg made the most of the opportunity as the Wildcats drove 80 yards that ended in a 1-yard touchdown run from Ashton Moore. That score was set up by a 24-yard run from Declan Battle and a 17-yard pass from Battle to Moore.

The game was tied at 7-all going into halftime, but the Wildcats got the ball to open the second half and took advantage.

The Wildcats drove the ball down the field and scored on a 4-yard touchdown run by Moore. The extra point failed, but the Wildcats had their first lead of the game.

From that point on, it was up to the Wildcat defense.

The Cardinals drove down the field and appeared they were going to — at the very least — tie the game. Eudora had a 3rd and goal from the 1 yard line, but was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that moved them back 15 yards.

Louisburg would eventually stop Eudora on downs and turned the Cardinals away from the endzone for the second time.

The Wildcats found themselves in a difficult position early in the fourth quarter. A bad snap on a punt attempt for Louisburg, gave the Cardinals the ball on the Wildcat 8-yard line.

Once again, the defense came through. The Wildcats forced a 4th and goal from the 5-yard line and turned the Cardinals over on downs again when McGreer broke up a pass in the endzone.

“That was a huge momentum swing for us,” Harding said. “Eudora had all the momentum at the time, so for our defense to bow up there and keep that offense from gaining five yards in four plays — it was an impressive stand.”

It was one of several big plays from the Wildcat secondary on the night. McGreer, who mishandled a punt in the first quarter, made up for the mistake on defense, while senior corner Hunter Heinrich shadowed the Cardinals’ top receiver, Adrion Seals, and allowed just one catch.

“Brody had a great response to what happened earlier in the game,” Harding said. “He came back and made a couple of huge tackles on the perimeter as well as stopping a touchdown with a pass break up. Hunter had a huge challenge ahead of him with this game. They have an extremely talented receiver and Hunter followed him all night. He did a great job and limited him to one catch for five yards. Both of those corners played very well.”

Louisburg then took advantage and ran close to 8 minutes off the clock before turning the ball over on downs to Eudora on its own 25. It didn’t leave the Cardinals with much time to drive down the field and the Wildcats held on for the win.

Both Moore and Battle played every snap for the Wildcats. Moore tallied a 134 yards of total offense to go along with his two touchdowns, while Battle rushed for 90 yards and threw for 69.

On defense, Moore led the team in tackles with Holland as each registered 15 stops. Yoder and Hickey finished with seven and six tackles, respectively.

“It was tough sledding offensively, and both Ashton and Declan ran the ball extremely tough,” Harding said. “They put their shoulder down and got some extra yards. Defensively, Ashton played really well and got us aligned, and Declan did the same on the back end. Both of those guys played every single snap and never got a break and both played really well.”

Louisburg will face another test this Friday as the Wildcats travel to Tonganoxie and will face a different type of opponent.

“They are another huge challenge for us,” Harding said. “They like to get their receivers out wide and they are a very balanced team. They have a tough hard-nosed runner and they have another guy that can take the top off the defense. It will be another tough challenge for us, but hopefully we have a good week of practice.”

LOU 0 7 6 0 — 13

EUD 7 0 0 0 — 7

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

E: Kole Manley 1 run (kick good)

Second quarter

L: Ashton Moore 1 run (Alex Saad kick)

Third quarter

L: Moore 4 run (kick failed)

STATISTICS

RUSHING — Ashton Moore 17-97; Declan Battle 12-90

PASSING — Declan Battle 7-8-69

RECEIVING — Ashton Moore 2-37; Conlee Hovey 2-20; Myles Vohs 1-9; Brody McGreer 1-5

TACKLES — Wyatt Holland 15, Ashton Moore 15, Brayden Yoder 7, Brady Hickey 6, Declan Battle 5, Caden Caplinger 5, Brock Vohs 4, Conlee Hovey 3, Hunter Heinrich 3, Brody McGreer 3, Lucas Swartz 1, Jackson Howard 1

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week five of the fall sports season, sponsored by Edwards Jones-Craig Holtzen.

ASHTON MOORE, JUNIOR, FOOTBALL

Louisburg junior Ashton Moore was all over the field for the Wildcats last Friday in their victory over Eudora. Moore scored a pair of touchdowns in Louisburg’s 13-7 win over Eudora to move to 5-0 on the season as he tallied 134 total yards, including 97 yards on the ground.

On defense, Moore was in the middle of a lot of plays from the linebacker spot. He tied for a team-high 15 tackles on the night, including eight solo stops, after playing every snap on both sides of the ball. Through five games, he leads the Wildcats with 56 tackles. Moore also has 10 touchdowns so far this season as the team’s starting running back.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the fall season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous winners:

Week 1: Declan Battle

Week 2: Megan Quinn

Week 3: Maddy Rhamy

Week 4: Emmett White

The Louisburg 2010 state championship football team and 2012 LHS graduate Garrett Griffin will be inducted into the LHS Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 13 at halftime of the Wildcats’ football game against Ottawa.

Louisburg High School and the USD 416 Endowment Association have announced the newest members of the Louisburg High School Athletic Hall of Fame and they are two that plenty of Wildcat fans will recognize.

Going into the hall this year is 2012 graduate Garrett Griffin and the 2010 Class 4A state championship football team. Both will be inducted on Oct. 13 at halftime of Louisburg’s final regular season home contest against Ottawa.

Garrett Griffin, 2012 Graduate

Griffin was a three-sport athlete for Louisburg High School and earned 12 varsity letters during his illustrious Wildcat career. Griffin holds several LHS football records, was a state champion in track and was a four-time letter winner in basketball. He was also a part of two state championship teams.

In football, Griffin was a 4-year letter winner and accumulated four team records during that span. He is the school’s all-time career rushing leader with 4,667 yards, all-time receiving leader at 1,006 yards, all-time receptions leader with 51 and first in all-time tackles with 273.

Griffin earned All-Frontier League honors all four years and awarded all-state honors as a linebacker his junior season after helping lead the Wildcat football team to their first state title in 2010. In 2011, he was named among the Top 11 players in the state as a senior and was a Kansas Shrine Bowl selection

In track and field, Griffin was a 4-time state qualifier in the javelin and 110-meter high hurdles. He was a two-time state champion in the javelin and a two-time state placer in the hurdles. He currently holds the school record in both events. As a junior, Griffin helped the Wildcats to their first state team title in 2011.

In basketball, Griffin was a 4-year letter winner and was an All-Frontier League selection his senior season.

Following high school, Griffin signed with the Air Force Academy football program where he was a four-time letter winner as a tight end for the Falcons. During his time, he was also a member of the Air Force track and field program for two years and was a two-time Mountain West Conference placer in the javelin.

After graduating from the Academy, Griffin was selected as an undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints. He spent six seasons with the Saints and one with the Detroit Lions. As a member of the Saints, Griffin played in a handful of contests, which included an appearance in the NFC Championship game in 2018 where he caught a touchdown from quarterback Drew Brees.

2010 FOOTBALL TEAM

The 2010 football team made school history as those Wildcats became the first to win a state championship in football. Louisburg defeated Holton, 24-16, in the Class 4A championship game in Salina to finish the season with a 14-0 record under head coach Gary Griffin.

Louisburg breezed through the regular season and district playoffs with wins over Eudora (33-6), Ottawa (35-0), St. James Academy (49-7), Silver Lake (21-3), De Soto (28-7), Baldwin (42-26), Spring Hill (35-6), Osawatomie (62-6) and Paola (21-3). Louisburg won every game by 18 points or more.

The Wildcats dominated their way through the Class 4A state playoffs with victories over Anderson County (42-20), Chanute (56-35) and De Soto (21-0). Louisburg squared off with rival Paola in the sub-state championship and the Wildcats downed the Panthers 28-7 to advance to the state game against Holton.

Louisburg found itself down 10-0 for the first time all season early in the state championship game, but the Wildcats scored 24 unanswered points to win the title.

It was a talented squad that earned 22 spots on the All-Frontier League team, including eight first team selections. The Wildcats also had several all-state selections and were headlined by quarterback Kody Cook, running back/linebacker Garrett Griffin and linemen Tyler Ewy and Ross Dvorak, who each earned first-team honors.

Ewy was named as one of the Top 11 players in the state of Kansas by three different organizations and was the recipient of the Bobby Bell Award, which goes to the best small class defensive lineman in the Kansas City area. He was a fixture on the Wildcat defensive line as he led the team with 139 tackles, including 25 for a loss and 10 sacks.

Cook guided the offense all season as the team’s quarterback as he tallied more than 1,700 yards of total offense to go along with 19 touchdowns.

His teammate in the backfield was Griffin as he ran over opponents all season. Griffin led Louisburg with 1,594 yards rushing and 412 yards receiving to go along with a combined 27 touchdowns.

Along with Ewy, Dvorak was one of the leaders on the offensive and defensive lines and he was also third on the team with 89 tackles, nine for a loss and four sacks. He was a first-team all-state selection by the Kansas Football Coaches Association (KFCA). Linebacker Chad Turney was a first team all-league selection and was second on the team with 126 stops.

Gary Griffin was named Coach of the Year by the KFCA.

Members of the state championship team are Nate Goodwin, Nate O’Brien, Chris Chase, David Embers, Bradey Drew, Kody Cook, Hayden Guetterman, Jacob Powell, Ben Powers, Derek Mathis, Dylan York, Wyatt Sander, Nate Daugherty, Jordan Powell, Christian Richards, Christian Huffman, Nick Chapman, Will Garza, Alex Gentges, AJ Hildreth, Brett Hebert, Ryan Tinder, D.J. Meyer, Daniel O’Connor, Garrett Griffin, Clark Gregory, Luke Hupp, Curtis Lemke, Greyson Honsinger, Dakota Stone, Colton Seely, Alex Bell, Konnor Cook, Jason Danciak, Matt Nolte, Taylor Caskey, Matt Jenkins, Kyle McLellan, Chad Turney, Tyler Ewy, Colin Bird, Drew Carder, T.J. McKiearnan, Cole Kessler, Alex Cook, Ross Dvorak, Wayne Carlson, Ben Adams, Jacob Berglund, Mason Whaley, Doug Weers, Colton Rommel, David Stuteville, Dain Glenn, Kurtis Morgan, Austin Caskey and Kade Larson.

The Wildcats were led by head coach Gary Griffin and assistant coaches Wayne Whiting, Larry Aylor, Jeff Lohse, Kyle Littrell, Billy Neff and Greg Darrington.

Team trainers were Ali Dover, Brook Frazier and Mike Cardwell. Head athletic trainer was Dr. Damon Dennis.