Louisburg running back Will Ridley tries for a few extra yards during Friday’s game against Baldwin. The Wildcats held Baldwin to under 100 yards of offense and rolled to a 34-0 win. 

BALDWIN CITY – ‘Play hard for four quarters’ is a phrase most football coaches use to try to motivate their team in hopes of trying to get the best out of them.

The Louisburg football team took that to heart Friday when it faced off with Baldwin. Unlike the week prior, where the Wildcats struggled with energy, turnovers and penalties – and still won in the final seconds against Eudora – they took care of all the mistakes.

Louisburg got off to a fast start and never looked back in a 34-0 shutout of the Bulldogs in Baldwin City. It was a game where the Wildcats made plays in all three phases.

“This past week was our best week of practice so far and I think it showed,” Louisburg coach Robert Ebenstein said. “We were focused, we put in some new things, they picked it up and it was high energy all week. Our goal this week was just to have high energy throughout the entire game and during practice, and if you looked at us out there, we flew around and made a lot of plays. They played great.”

The Wildcat defense frustrated Baldwin for much of the game and the Bulldogs never made a real threat on the endzone. Louisburg held Baldwin to just 74 yards of total offense and were active for most of the night.

Junior linebacker Austin Moore had a big game on both sides of the ball, but defensively he was all over the field as he led the team with 12 tackles. Senior defensive back Christian Tosterud had 10 tackles and senior linebacker Mitchell Drew finished with nine.

Defensive ends Noah Larson and Kiefer Tucker caused havoc in the Bulldog backfield and put pressure on the Baldwin offense. Defensive backs Blue Caplinger and Desmond Doles each had an interception.

Louisburg’s Noah Larson grabs a hold of a Baldwin player’s jersey as teammate Mitchell Drew (33) makes the tackle Friday in Baldwin CIty.

“Our kids up front are pretty quick,” Ebenstein said. “I don’t know if Baldwin underestimated how quick our defensive ends are, but they can fly. We have two athletic kids playing d-end that are in great shape and they get after it and really move.

“I think us running the same offense as Baldwin helped a little bit because we have seen it for a few weeks now. But (defensive coordinator) Jeff Lohse is as underrated as anybody in the entire league when it comes to football. He scouted them up, he knew exactly what he wanted to do and he hammered it into our players all week. He did a great job with those guys.”

Offensively, the Wildcats (4-1) were just as sharp as they ran the ball at the Bulldogs and never let up as they totaled 319 yards on the ground. Louisburg jumped out to a three touchdown lead in the first half and didn’t look back.

A lot of those yards came thanks to the legs of Moore and quarterback Madden Rutherford. Moore finished with game with 141 yards on the ground to go along with two touchdowns.

Rutherford, a sophomore, made his fair share of big plays as well. He scored a game-high three touchdowns, including two on the ground. Running backs Will Ridley and Caplinger also reeled off big runs to keep the Louisburg drives going.

Blue Caplinger gets out in front to make a block on a Baldwin player for teammate Brayden Gage.

The Wildcats were able to make those plays thanks to the offensive line Garrett Lowry, Garrett Harding, Larson, Tucker and Brayden White, along with tight ends Ben Minster and Tosterud.

“Our line was doing a great job of making holes up front and reaching to the linebackers,” Rutherford said. “It allowed Austin to do what he does and he played great.

“We switched up formations a little bit, and went under center a little more, but we are celebrating each play more and we are playing with high energy. That was definitely a key factor for us.”

Moore opened the game with a 12-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and it was all the points the Wildcats would need. Rutherford expanded that lead in the second quarter when he hit Minster for a 9-yard touchdown pass and then scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak shortly before halftime.

“It was really impressive for us,” Moore said of the shutout. “We came out with a lot more intensity than we have in the past and I think it showed. Offensively we played a lot better than we did the week before and we were trying to pick each other up after every run.”

Moore added an 11-yard score in the fourth quarter, and with six minutes left in the game, Rutherford juked a Baldwin defender and broke free for a 49-yard touchdown to seal the win.

“What we were really preaching to them to was to play well in all three phases for four quarters,” Ebenstein said. “So being able to score points early is really big for us and we just built on that from there.”

The Wildcats will try and make it three wins in a row Friday when they host Spring Hill for homecoming. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., as Louisburg tries to exact revenge after losing to Spring Hill in the final seconds a year ago.

“We are really excited for homecoming week and everything that is involved with that,” Moore said. “We are definitely ready to play Spring Hill again.”

LOU               7             14           0             13 – 34

BAL                0             0             0             0 – 0

SCORING SUMMARY:

First quarter

L: Austin Moore 12 run (Drake Varns kick good)

Second quarter

L: Ben Minster 9 pass from Madden Rutherford (kick failed)

L: Rutherford 1 run (Austin Moore run)

Fourth quarter

L: Moore 11 run (kick failed)

L: Rutherford 49 run (Varns kick)

STATISTICS

RUSHING – Austin Moore 20-141; Will Ridley 7-75; Madden Rutherford 6-64; Blue Caplinger 2-39. Totals: 35-319.

PASSING – Madden Rutherford 2-10-15-1

RECEIVING – Ben Minster 1-9, Desmond Doles 1-6

TACKLES – Austin Moore 12, Christian Tosterud 10, Mitchell Drew 9, Noah Larson 7, Brayden Gage 5, Will Ridley 4, Kiefer Tucker 4, Blue Caplinger 3, Kohl Vogel 3, Michael Waldron 3, Garrett Harding 3, Will Smith 3, Brayden White 2, Jorge Lebron 2, Beckett Rasmussen 1, Garrett Lowry 1, Matt Holloway 1, Desmond Doles 1.

Louisburg junior Brayden Gage outruns the Eudora defense for a big gain Friday at Eudora High School. The Wildcats got a late touchdown to pull out a 14-7 victory and they are now 3-1 on the season.

EUDORA – In a tie game with 17 seconds left in regulation, Louisburg’s Desmond Doles broke the huddle with his Wildcat teammates.

As he lined up on the outside, Doles kept hearing the words of his coach, Robert Ebenstein, over and over again in his mind.

“Coach just told me to calm down, catch the ball and use my big strides to get into the endzone,” Doles said.

Doles did exactly that.

He caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Madden Rutherford and gave the Wildcats a 14-7 win over Eudora on Friday at Eudora High School. It was the second time Doles connected with Rutherford for a score.

“They had nine in the box sometimes with cover 1 over the receivers and you have to make to those plays and Desmond made them,” Ebenstein said. “Madden put the ball where it needed to go, and that is what you hope for when you play in this offense. You hope for 1-on-1’s and winning those matchups and we won two.”

The game-winning score brought a lot of joy to the Wildcat sidelines, but a little relief as well as Louisburg overcame three turnovers and two blocked punts to pull out a big road win that pushed its record to 3-1 on the season.

Desmond Doles (left) celebrates with teammate Garrett Lowry after Doles scored the game-winning touchdown in the Wildcats’ 14-7 victory.

On two different occasions, the Wildcats had a chance to put some distance between themselves and Eudora, but fumbled twice inside the redzone and another time while trying to receive a punt.

Still, the Wildcats fought through all that and came up with big stops on defense, including late in the fourth quarter when they forced Eudora to punt deep in their own territory to set up the game-winning score.

“At times it looked we were trying to give it away,” Ebenstein said. “We turned it over twice inside our 10, we had two blocked punts and we had another punt go off our helmet. For our kids to come together in the fourth quarter, move the ball and then stop them – I am proud of them for that. We are in week four, so we aren’t young anymore, but I am proud of the growth they are showing. For a young team to buckle down and make those plays, those are signs of good things to come.”

Louisburg began the contest on a strong note as Rutherford connected with Doles on a slant pass and turned it into a 40-yard touchdown early in the first quarter. As good as the opening drive was, the Wildcats struggled to get going offensively for much of the first half.

Defensively, however, the Wildcats were stingy and held Eudora out of the endzone until late in the second quarter. Louisburg fumbled the snap on a punt and Eudora recovered to take the ball on the Wildcat 20-yard line.

With 48 seconds left in the first half, Eudora quarterback Alex Brown found Elijah Kennedy for a 17-yard touchdown pass and the game was tied at 7-all at halftime.

Eudora’s defense continued to make it hard on the Wildcat offense in the second half. The Cardinals played with nine players in the box at times, and made it difficult on the Wildcat running attack. Still, Austin Moore reeled off some big runs for the Wildcats as he finished 97 yards on the ground on 21 carries.

Quarterback Madden Rutherford hits an open receiver thanks to protection from lineman Brayden White (left) and running back Austin Moore.

“On film this year, they have only shown a 4-3, and in the past they have always been a 4-3 defense, but they came out in a 3-man front, with two outside backers and two safeties over the top and it surprised us a little,” Ebenstein said. “I knew they were going to be ready to go and coach (Phil) Katzenmeier has them ready to go, and well-coached teams like that are tough to beat.”

The Louisburg defense made it tough on Eudora as well. The Wildcats forced four turnovers as Garrett Harding, Kohl Vogel and Will Ridley each recovered a fumble and Blue Caplinger intercepted a pass early in the third quarter.

Doles was also active defensively as he recorded a team-high 11 tackles, while fellow defensive back Christian Tosterud had nine tackles and a forced fumble. Lineman Garrett Lowry added seven stops on the night.

Junior Noah Larson brings down Eudora quarterback Alex Brown for a loss Friday in Eudora.

Late in the fourth quarter, Louisburg put one of its best drives together offensively as it moved the ball down to the 1-yard line with under four minutes left in the contest, but fumbled the snap.

The Wildcat defense held once again and forced a Eudora punt, which led to the game-winning drive and Doles’ touchdown catch.

“Coach just said that it was going to be a backside hitch and that I needed to catch it,” Doles said. “That has been a big emphasis for me because I have dropped some of those in the past.

“It was a very good win. We needed a good bounce back win after what happened last week. When it came down to it, we did our best and it showed on the scoreboard.”

Louisburg will try and make it two in a row this Friday when it travels to Baldwin. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

LOU               7             0             0             7 – 14

EUD               0             7             0             0 – 7

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

L: Desmond Doles 40 pass from Madden Rutherford (Drake Varns kick)

Second quarter

E: Elijah Kennedy 17 pass from Alex Brown (Kick good)

Fourth quarter

L: Doles 11 pass from Rutherford (Varns kick)

STATISTICS

RUSHING – Austin Moore 26-97; Madden Rutherford 11-25. Totals: 37-122

PASSING – Madden Rutherford 6-14-137-2

RECEIVING – Brayden Gage 2-68; Desmond Doles 2-51; Austin Moore 2-18

TACKLES – Desmond Doles 11, Christian Tosterud 9, Garrett Lowry 7, Mitchell Drew 5, Blue Caplinger 4, Austin Moore 4, Kiefer Tucker 4, Garrett Harding 4, Noah Larson 4, Will Ridley 3, Brayden Gage 2, Kohl Vogel 1, Michael Waldron 1.

High school football fans across Kansas got a new look at the football classifications when the Kansas High School Activities Association released them Tuesday morning.

Those fans also got to look at what the new classification system will look like. As it pertains to Louisburg, Class 4A will only have 32 schools for the next two years in football, compared to 48 teams this season and will mirror the Class 6A and 5A playoff format.

Louisburg announced an enrollment of 407 students, while the largest school in 4A is Pittsburg with 618 students and moved down from Class 5A. Goddard also moved down from 5A to 4A and has an enrollment of 613.

Area schools, such as Osawatomie and Prairie View, made a big move thanks to the new classification system as both programs dropped down to 3A.

Bishop Miege, which has won the last three state championships, is also still a 4A school with 524 students.

Players from the 1997 Louisburg High School football state runner-up team posed for a quick photo last Friday after being honored before the crowd at Wildcat Stadium.

Several members from the Louisburg High School 1997 state runner-up football team returned home Friday – home being Wildcat Stadium.

As they entered through the gate, emotions came flooding back. They remembered the packed stadium, the thrill of playing football on Friday nights and all the history they created together.

“The longer I have been here the more it has meant because more memories come back,” Jason Worthington, a lineman from the 1997 team, said. “You forget some of this stuff until the sights and smells come back in. I stepped in the locker room, and the coach (Robert Ebenstein) was gracious enough to come let us talk to the team, and it was just a wave of emotions coming back. They may be 20 years old, but they feel like they are brand new.”

The 1997 team received many ovations from the crowd that year as it was the first squad in school history to reach the state championship game.

A lot of those players came back to Wildcat Stadium to be recognized one more time as they were introduced to the home football crowd at halftime of last Friday’s game with De Soto to commemorate the 20th anniversary of that state runner-up finish.

“It is pretty exciting,” Sari Antisdel said. “We were in the locker room before the game. To have those same exact feelings as you had 20 years ago, I mean we are old men now and to see the crowd and be a part of this whole experience has been fun. It is pretty impressive to see what has changed with the football program since all those years ago.”

Antisdel, who was a starting fullback and linebacker as a senior, was among several players who returned to be honored from that historic Wildcat team. He was surrounded by former teammates and coaches, who all had a chance to relive the ‘good-ole days’ during the first half of Friday’s contest.

“I haven’t seen a lot of these guys in 15-20 years,” Antisdel said. “I recognize some of the faces, but it was good to see them again. Even some of the freshmen off that team – I asked one of them what their name was again and he told me and he said ‘Yeah, I remember your thigh pad a lot running over me.’ They were just as much of the team as anyone because we needed them for practice and helping us to get better.”

Louisburg rolled through much of the regular season with wins over Eudora (54-0), Anderson County (40-7), Wellsville (22-20), Gardner (28-0), Prairie View (30-6), Osawatomie (33-7), Baldwin (64-6), Paola (22-0) and Spring Hill (33-8).

The 1997 season was a memorable one for many. Not only was it the school’s first appearance in the state championship game, but it was also filled with many unforgettable games along the way and it started in the playoffs.

In that season, Louisburg opened with a 40-0 win over Prairie View in bi-districts, before facing the defending state champion – Fort Scott – in the regional round.

The Wildcats pulled a shocker as they knocked off the Tigers 13-6 to earn a regional title and a spot in the sub-state championship game.

“I think my favorite win during that time was probably Fort Scott,” Antisdel said. “They were the best team and beating them was pretty impressive. We were a tight knit group that thrived on every play from getting turnovers or kickoffs. We tried to take advantage of every single down.”

Kevin Vohs (left) and Sari Antisdel look out onto the crowd while they were being honored as part of the 1997 state runner-up team.

Louisburg did that same thing in its sub-state matchup with Topeka Hayden, which was ranked No. 1 at the time. It was memorable in more ways than one.

The game was played in sub-zero temperatures and Louisburg forced eight turnovers on the night as it pulled off a second-consecutive upset with a 21-14 victory.

“My favorite memory is just how tough that team was,” said Gary Griffin, a former head coach and defensive coordinator on the 1997 team. “We beat Fort Scott, which was the defending state champion, and came back and beat the No. 1 team in the state in Topeka Hayden and both them were better than us, but we were just tougher. We found ways to win games and it was a good bunch of kids. Coach (Kris) Kehl got them to buy in to the team concept and we had three really good classes in a row. The sophomore class helped us out quite a bit, but the senior class was as good of leaders as we have ever had.

“It was the coldest game I have ever been at. Their running back was really good and he didn’t have sleeves on and I will never forget that. It was so cold that we had space heaters on the sidelines. He platooned with another guy and he had to have been cold. We probably forced him to fumble three or four times.”

The Wildcats were considered a ‘tough’ running team that found a lot of success behind a veteran offensive line of Worthington, Ben Coffey, Aaron Cain, Chad Hardesty, Trevor Finch and tight end Joe Pate.

A pair of sophomore running backs, Billy Neff and Phillip Bowden, saw a lot of time in the backfield and were led by Antisdel – a senior fullback. Jason Harwood was the team’s starting quarterback, while Nate Peters, Jeremy Heston, Kevin Vohs and Ben York saw time at wide receiver.

“Our 152-pound wrestler, Chad Hardesty, was our starting center and nose guard and played both sides of the ball and was all-league,” Worthington said. “I don’t know that we were all that big, but we had a lot of experience. Most of us on that line, we had played together since our sophomore year so we gelled really well.  Then we had some young guys like Billy and Phillip come up and were great running backs for us and got some great leadership from Sari back there as well. We always tried to be good leaders to help some of that young talent that we had and those guys had some great years in their own right.”

Defensively, the Wildcats were led by much of those same players on the defensive line, while Neff, Bowden and Antisdel put on a lot of hits at linebacker.

“Our offensive stats that year were really low, but the reason being was we won the field position battle a lot,” Coffey said, who was also an all-league lineman. “Our defense did a great job and our offense started on our opponents side of the field a lot. The fabric of our team was we just grew up together starting in elementary school and had a great senior class. We didn’t have the best athletes in the state, but as a unit, we were right there.”

(From left) Ben Coffey, Ryan Dunn, Jason Worthington and Chad Hardesty were just a few of several players from the 1997 team that made school history and were honored last Friday at Wildcat Stadium.

Then came the state championship game against Sabetha that was held at Emporia State University. Louisburg came up short in its quest to get the school’s first state championship as it fell, 14-13, and ended its season with a 12-1 record.

Sabetha opened the game with a 69-yard touchdown run and then blocked a Louisburg punt in the endzone to jump out to a 14-0 lead. The Wildcats came roaring back as Neff scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to cut the lead in half in the second quarter.

In the third, Harwood found Peters for a 20-yard touchdown, but the Wildcats missed the extra point. Each team committed three turnovers on the day.

“We missed an extra point that we all thought was good,” Griffin said. “They had college goal posts, which were narrower than high school ones, and on a high school field it would have been good for sure. We just ran out of time at the end. Of all the playoffs games that we played, Sabetha was probably the worst team of the bunch and that is probably what hurt us worse than anything is we knew we were a better team when we left the field. We just left one out there.

“It was pretty disheartening, but no one expected us to be as good as we were. We surprised everyone. We got no accolades in the preseason, and as the season went along, we just steamrolled people and caught Fort Scott and Hayden on good nights.”

Despite the loss, the state championship game is still a fond memory for a lot of the Wildcat players.

“It was very foreign,” Coffey said. “We were traveling to the middle of the state and playing on a university campus in the afternoon. It was different for us. We were really giddy and nervous on the bus on the way up there and we couldn’t believe we were here.

“We were just smashing heads with everyone. It seemed like we were in the middle of the field the whole game and neither team could move. It felt like the team that made the most mistakes that day would lose. They just made one less mistake than we did.”

It was a time the Wildcats coaches wouldn’t forget either.

“That put Louisburg on the map,” Griffin said. “We had a good run. I think we were 8-1 the next year and 9-0 after that. Year after year we would have great seasons and that 97 team was the team that kind of propelled us. That is when we turned into a football town. The whole town of Louisburg was at Emporia. We would fill the stadium several years after that and it was a good time.”

Several of the players know that a lot of their success was in part to head coach Kris Kehl, who molded the group of Wildcat players together and changed the culture of Louisburg football.

“I give so much credit to coach Kehl,” Worthington said. “He was one of the most intense guys that I have worked with, whether it was in high school or college. I remember that state game, him grabbing me by the face mask and yelling at me to ‘Protect your (bleeping) quarterback Worthington,’ and seeing Copenhagen fly at my face at the time. There are few people I respect more in life than coach Kehl.”

Antisdel added, “I think our eighth grade year we only won like one football game. When Kehl started when I was a sophomore, he kind of set the tone for what the program was going to become. He wanted it to be a 365 day type of deal, whether it was with weights or whatever. Our goal was to win state and we came close.”

Those were just some of the celebrated times that were shared on a special night at Wildcat Stadium – a place where history was made 20 years ago.

“The memories I shared with everyone means a lot,” Coffey said. “If anything, I hope it allowed the younger guys and the other classes to know what needed to be done. From there, it just built a heck of a run with this sport and others. Everyone went their own separate ways after that season, and that season is the most common thing that we have and that is kind of cool.”

Members of 1997 football team are:

Class of 1998: Jeremy Heston, Jeremy Criswell, Josh Meek, Jason Worthington, Ben Coffey, Chad Hardesty, Trevor Finch, Eric Nauman, Nate Peters, Ryan Shaffer, Joe Klassen, Micah Drake and Sari Antisdel.

Class of 1999: Jon Batchelder, Luke Siebenmorgen, Jason Harwood, Kevin Vohs, Ben York, Justin Kesterson, Troy Meek, Patrick Page, Ryan Kuepper, Matthew Trapp, Aaron Cain, Joe Pate, Brad Torrence and Adam Longgood.

Class of 2000: Bret Marks, Tyler Witt, Matthew Donegan, Dustin Bollinger, Thomas Overly, Ryan Dunn, Ian David Hall, Jeremiah Brittingham, James Ward, Grant Hash, Billy Neff, Andrew Shaffer, Dereck M Kerr, Phillip Bowden, Darin Hollrah, Cooper Smith, Craig Hufferd.

Class of 2001: Troy McKitrick, David Alexander, Bradey Ewy, Ian Hansberger, Monte Harwood, Andy Donegan, Jared Dorsch, Kurt Nauman, Ryan German, Eddy Monteil, Eric Pemberton, Noah Hoppe, Mitch Langley, Matt Sauber, Jeremy Oehlert, Winston Koechner, Brian Batchelder and Jeremy Yeager.

Head coach Kris Kehl and assistant coaches Gary Griffin, Wayne Whiting, Darin Gagnebin, Doug Elias and Mike Krull.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

SABETHA 14, LOUISBURG 13

S:      7             7             0             0 – 14

L:      0             7             6             0 – 13

First quarter

S: Jason Hartter 69 run (kick good)

Second quarter

S: Adam Pyle recovered blocked punt in endzone (kick good)

L: Billy Neff 1 run (Sari Antisdel kick)

Third quarter

L: Nate Peters 20 pass from Jason Harwood (kick failed)

STATISTICS

RUSHING: Sari Antisdel 14-56; Billy Neff 9-32; Jason Harwood 10-16; Nate Peters 2-9; Phillip Bowden 2-6. Totals: 37-119

PASSING: Harwood 8-17-121

RECEIVING: Peters 3-63; Kevin Vohs 2-25; Antisdel 2-6; Ben York 1-27

Louisburg senior Garrett Lowry stuffs a De Soto running back at the line of scrimmage during Friday’s contest in Louisburg. De Soto shutout the Wildcats 41-0 to hand them their first loss of the season.

From the very first snap of the game, it was obvious that it wasn’t going to be the night the Louisburg High School football team wanted.

In a battle of undefeated teams, De Soto came into Wildcat Stadium on Friday and showed why it is the No. 3 team in Class 4A-Division I.

De Soto forced a fumble on the opening play and returned it for a touchdown. It wouldn’t get much better for Louisburg after that.

The Wildcats had a tough time slowing down the De Soto offense in a 41-0 loss in Louisburg.

“De Soto is very good,” Louisburg coach Robert Ebenstein said. “They are very aggressive and they play tough. They have great coaches and there is no doubt that they beat us in all three phases. They played very well and they are a good team.”

The De Soto defense made it difficult on the Wildcat offense to get anything going. De Soto held Louisburg to just 53 yards of total offense and the Wildcats had a hard time approaching the redzone.

De Soto played with three linemen on the line of scrimmage and used their four linebackers to blitz from all different directions, making it difficult for the Louisburg offensive line to pick up protections.

“We knew that is what they were going to do, they just did it very well,” Ebenstein said. “It is something that we really can’t mimic in practice with their size and speed. Their three down linemen were very impressive kids, their outside linebackers are solid and their inside linebackers read well. They are overall just a sound team.”

Louisburg’s Noah Larson hits De Soto quarterback Bryce Mohl just as he releases the ball Friday.

On the other side of the ball, the Wildcats had a difficult time slowing down the De Soto offense as it scored 21 points in the first quarter and then added another touchdown to start the second.

Louisburg’s defense turned away De Soto two different times in the second quarter when Matt Holloway recovered a fumble near the goal line and Desmond Doles intercepted a pass shortly before halftime. Brayden Gage also intercepted a pass later in the contest.

“When you go down 28-0 early in the second quarter, that is tough,” Ebenstein said. “We shut them out the rest of the quarter, but it is one of those things where we have young players, and young coaches, and we have to figure it out. I am glad it happened now and we can learn from it, instead of just surviving and then not figuring it out later.

“We have plenty of room to grow and this is the first time a lot of these kids have experienced something like this, so it will be interesting to see how we respond. I don’t doubt their effort. We played hard, but De Soto is just very good. I am not sure we are quite there yet, but there is a lot of season left and a lot of time to get better.”

Senior running back Will Ridley looks for some running room Friday against De Soto.

Austin Moore led the Louisburg defense with six tackles on the night from the middle linebacker spot and sophomore lineman Garrett Harding was next with four stops.

Louisburg will try and get back on track this Friday when it travels to Eudora for its first of two-straight road contests. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

DES                21           7             13           0 – 41

LOU               0             0             0             0 – 0

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

D: Brayden Brummer 18 fumble return (Ethan Rodriguez kick)

D: Bryce Mohl 29 run (kick good)

D: Connor Strouse 32 pass from Mohl (kick good)

Second quarter

D: Mohl 11 run (kick good)

Third quarter

D: Trevor Watts 40 run (kick good)

D: Leo Oplotnik 1 run (kick failed)

STATISTICS

RUSHING – Austin Moore 14-24; Madden Rutherford 5-3; Blue Caplinger 2-minus 2; Brayden Gage 2-minus 10. Total: 23-15

PASSING: Madden Rutherford 9-20-38

RECEIVING: Desmond Doles 3-29; Brayden Gage 1-4; Ben Minster 1-4; Will Ridley 2-3; Austin Moore 2-minus 2.

TACKLES: Austin Moore 6, Garrett Harding 4, Christian Tosterud 3, Will Ridley 3, Desmond Doles 3, Mitchell Drew 2, Kiefer Tucker 2, Noah Larson 2, Will Smith 2, Garrett Lowry 2, Brayden White 2, Blue Caplinger 1, Matt Holloway 1.

Two decades ago, the 1997 Louisburg High School football team found itself just two points away from earning the school’s first state championship.

On a cool afternoon in November at Emporia State University, the Wildcats fell to Sabetha 14-13, concluding what was one of the most special seasons in Louisburg history.

Twenty years later, a lot of those same players and coaches are returning to Wildcat Stadium to relive some of those memories.

The team and coaching staff will be honored at halftime of tonight’s game with De Soto during LHS Wildcat Football Alumni Recognition night. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m.

It was an unforgettable season for several in Louisburg as the Wildcats finished the season with a 12-1 record, including the school’s first appearance in the state championship game.

Louisburg rolled through much of the regular season with wins of Eudora (54-0), Anderson County (40-7), Wellsville (22-20), Gardner (28-0), Prairie View (30-6), Osawatomie (33-7), Baldwin (64-6), Paola (22-0) and Spring Hill (33-8).

The Wildcats opened the playoffs with a 40-0 win over Prairie View in bi-district, but the games got a lot tougher after that. Louisburg knocked off defending champion Fort Scott with a 13-6 in the regional round, then defeated Topeka Hayden 21-14 in the substate game.

The Wildcats who will be honored tonight are:

Class of 1998: Jeremy Heston, Jeremy Criswell, Josh Meek, Jason Worthington, Ben Coffey, Chad Hardesty, Trevor Finch, Eric Nauman, Nate Peters, Ryan Shaffer, Joe Klassen, Micah Drake and Sari Antisdel.

Class of 1999: Jon Batchelder, Luke Siebenmorgen, Jason Harwood, Kevin Vohs, Ben York, Justin Kesterson, Troy Meek, Patrick Page, Ryan Kuepper, Matthew Trapp, Aaron Cain, Joe Pate, Brad Torrence and Adam Longgood.

Class of 2000: Bret Marks, Tyler Witt, Matthew Donegan, Dustin Bollinger, Thomas Overly, Ryan Dunn, Ian David Hall, Jeremiah Brittingham, James Ward, Grant Hash, Billy Neff, Andrew Shaffer, Dereck M Kerr, Phillip Bowden, Darin Hollrah, Cooper Smith, Craig Hufferd.

Class of 2001: Troy McKitrick, David Alexander, Bradey Ewy, Ian Hansberger, Monte Harwood, Andy Donegan, Jared Dorsch, Kurt Nauman, Ryan German, Eddy Monteil, Eric Pemberton, Noah Hoppe, Mitch Langley, Matt Sauber, Jeremy Oehlert, Winston Koechner, Brian Batchelder and Jeremy Yeager.

Head coach Kris Kehl and assistant coaches Gary Griffin, Wayne Whiting, Darin Gagnebin, Doug Elias and Mike Krull

Louisburg junior running back Austin Moore hits a hole created by his offensive line Friday at Piper High School. Moore rushed for more than 100 yards for the second consecutive game as the Wildcats rolled 35-7.

Louisburg High School football coach Robert Ebenstein couldn’t have been more impressed with his team’s start in their first road game of the season.

That was until how he saw his team respond in the second half Friday against Piper.

After the Wildcats scored 21 unanswered points to get out to a big halftime lead, Piper battled back to score on its first possession of the third quarter and forced a Louisburg turnover.

It was then when Ebenstein saw the true character of his team come out.

The Louisburg defense shutout Piper the rest of the half and put up two more touchdowns en route to a 35-7 win at Piper High School.

“I am very, very proud,” Ebenstein said. “We are trying to learn and figure who we are and what we can become. I think we can become something pretty good. To be able to come out of halftime, give up a score, fumble and then we bounce back and take control. I am pretty excited for them.”

Other than a couple possessions in the second half, it was a dominant performance for the Wildcats and it all got started on special teams – something the Wildcat coaches spent hours on with their players in practice leading up to the game.

All the extra work seemed to pay off as senior Ben Minster returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. The Wildcat defense followed that up with a stop and the Louisburg offense got their turn when quarterback Blue Caplinger broke free for a 41-yard touchdown run to put the Wildcats up 13-0 less than five minutes into the contest.

“I think it definitely knocked the wind out of their sails a little bit,” Ebenstein said of the fast start. “We take pride in our special teams and we spend a lot of time working on it. After our last game, one of the things we wanted to fix was our special teams and we spent three days working on just that. For them to take it to the house and reward them for their effort was just huge.”

Louisburg (2-0) went into halftime on a good note as the Wildcats drove down the field behind sophomore quarterback Madden Rutherford, who hit Brayden Gage for a 13-yard touchdown pass. After an Austin Moore 2-point conversion run, Louisburg took a 21-0 advantage.

Piper didn’t seem back down as the Pirates took the first possession of the second half and scored on an 8-yard touchdown run by quarterback Dalton White. The Pirate defense then forced a Louisburg fumble – and all of a sudden – they were back in the game.

It didn’t last long as the Wildcat defense rose to the occasion and shutout the Pirates the rest of the way. Louisburg held the Pirates to just 115 yards of total offense.

Senior Christian Tosterud hits Piper quarterback Dalton White for a loss Friday.

Senior defensive back Christian Tosterud found himself in the middle of several plays as he led the Wildcats with 13 tackles on the night, including 11 solo stops. Caplinger was second on the team with seven tackles and junior lineman Kiefer Tucker had six, including two tackles for a loss. Tucker also helped shut down the Piper rushing attack from his defensive end spot.

“Coach (Jeff) Lohse draws it up and teaches it well,” Ebenstein said of the defense. “Our kids just play smart and react. Christian was just all over the field for us tonight and he played great.

“Kiefer is just one of those kids that does his job, so he does not get the stats, but he shut down every veer, speed and ready play down that Piper ran. He had a great game.”

Late in the third quarter, Rutherford found senior Desmond Doles on a screen pass and he ran 45-yards for the touchdown to put Louisburg up 28-7. In the fourth quarter, Moore broke loose for a 45-yard touchdown run of his own to all but seal the win for the Wildcats.

Louisburg wide receiver Desmond Doles sprints toward the endzone for a touchdown during the third quarter.

“We told them at halftime that Piper was well-coached and that they weren’t going to come out and quit,” Ebenstein said. “There is no such thing as a perfect game. There is always something that is going to go wrong, but it is all about how you bounce back from that. For us to do that as a young team – that is impressive.”

Moore led the Wildcats in rushing for the second consecutive game with 101 yards and Caplinger was second on the team with 68 yards on the ground.

Rutherford threw for 136 yards to go along with his two touchdown performance and Doles led the team with 84 yards receiving.

Louisburg returns to action Friday when it hosts unbeaten De Soto. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium.

LOU               13           8             7             7 – 35

PIP                 0             0             7             0 – 7

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

L: Ben Minster 85 kickoff return (Drake Varns kick)

L: Blue Caplinger 41 run (kick failed)

Second quarter

L: Brayden Gage 13 pass from Madden Rutherford (Austin Moore run)

Third quarter

P: Dalton White 8 run (kick good)

L: Desmond Doles 45 pass from Rutherford (Varns kick)

Fourth quarter

L: Austin Moore 45 run (Varns kick)

STATISTICS

RUSHING – Austin Moore 13-101; Blue Caplinger 10-68; Madden Rutherford 9-26; Charlie Koontz 4-25; Beckett Rasmussen 1-8; Will Ridley 11; Ben Minster 2-1. Totals: 40-226

PASSING – Madden Rutherford 8-10-136-2

RECEIVING – Desmond Doles 3-84; Ben Minster 2-25; Brayden Gage 1-13; Austin Moore 1-8; Will Ridley 1-6.

TACKLES – Christian Tosterud 13, Blue Caplinger 7, Kiefer Tucker 6, Austin Moore 4, Will Ridley 4, Charlie Koontz 4, Mitchell Drew 4, Garrett Harding 4, Desmond Doles 3, Brayden Gage 3, Noah Larson 2, Ben Minster 1, Will Smith 1, Garrett Lowry 1, Brayden White 1, Jonathan DePriest 1.

Louisburg senior Ben Minster looks for some running room during Friday’s season opener against Wyandotte at Wildcat Stadium. Louisburg took care of business against the Bulldogs with a 41-14 victory. 

With only a handful of players returning who started a game on the varsity level last season, it is hard to know what to expect from the Louisburg High School football team in 2017.

At times, the Wildcats showed some of that inexperience Friday against Wyandotte with penalties and miscues.

Then there were other moments – like totaling more than 500 yards of total offense – where the Wildcats looked like a veteran team.

It was more the latter Friday as Louisburg trounced Wyandotte 41-14 as it showcased some new players and a new offense in front of its fans.

“I am pretty excited,” Louisburg coach Robert Ebenstein said. “We only had five kids on our roster that started a game last year. We had 18 kids get their first actual Friday night light football opportunity, so we were excited for them just to come out and experience the speed and play the game at this level.

“The first quarter was a little rough and you could tell. It was just a new offense and a bunch of kids that are excited and nervous. We did a lot of things that we just need to clean up and luckily those are fixable.”

Not only was the win memorable for the players, but for Ebenstein as well, as he earned his first head coaching victory.

“I was nervous,” he said. “I didn’t sleep the night before and my stomach was in a knot the entire day. I feel better now, for sure – at least until I watch it on film.”

What Ebenstein will see on film is a team that racked up a lot of yards – especially on the ground. The Wildcats tallied 500 rushing yards on the night, including several big runs from tailbacks Austin Moore and Ben Minster.

Moore carried the ball 16 times for 175 yards and had two touchdowns, while it only took Minster two carries to hit the century mark. Minster scored on a 92-yard touchdown run late in the game and rushed for 100 yards on the night. Brayden Gage also found the endzone for a touchdown.

The Wildcat backs were able to find those big gains thanks in part to the offensive line of Garrett Lowry, Kiefer Tucker, Garrett Harding, Noah Larson and Brayden White.

Louisburg junior Noah Larson bears down on the Wyandotte quarterback Friday.

“Wyandotte was bigger than us all across the board and I think our kids (linemen) are coached good technique and they use it well and they are in good shape,” Ebenstein said. “It was a good first game for them.

“We tried to spread the ball around with all the backs. I think we got everyone a carry in and the line opened some holes. There were times where the backs made the line looked good, broke some tackles and made some good plays.”

Louisburg (1-0) also played two quarterbacks throughout the night as junior Blue Caplinger and sophomore Madden Rutherford each got reps. Caplinger finished with a pair of touchdowns and 66 yards on the ground, while Rutherford led the Wildcats on a pair of scoring drives as well as he accounted for 74 yards of total offense.

“They are both great kids and great competitors,” Ebenstein said. “Some people could call it a controversy, but I think it is a blessing that we have two kids that can play quarterback very well.”

On the flip side, the Wildcat defense was able to keep Wyandotte in check despite a pair of long Bulldog touchdowns in the first and fourth quarters.

Louisburg held Wyandotte to 161 yards of total offense and 125 of those were on the Bulldogs’ two scoring plays. The Wildcats also forced three turnovers, including a forced fumble by Will Ridley and fumble recovery by Moore, an interception by Desmond Doles.

Moore was also all over the place from the linebacker spot as he led the Wildcats with 14 tackles, while Tucker and Ridley each added seven in the win.

“We wanted the linebackers to play aggressive and sometimes when you play aggressive you lose your assignment and it was a good play for Wyandotte on their first score of the game,” Ebenstein said. “Besides that, (defensive) coach (Jeff) Lohse had them pretty drilled up on where they needed to be and what they needed to do and we are proud of them.”

Louisburg senior Garrett Lowry drags down a Wyandotte player from behind.

Penalties and some miscues on offense hurt the Wildcats early on and they were forced to punt on their opening possession. Wyandotte took the punt and returned it for a long touchdown, but was called back due to a Wyandotte penalty.

The Wildcat defense was able force a Wyandotte fumble on its first possession and Louisburg took advantage when Caplinger scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. Drake Varns added the extra point to give Louisburg a 7-0 lead as Varns connected on 5 of his 6 extra points.

Wyandotte responded with a 65-yard touchdown pass to tie it up, but two second quarter touchdowns by Moore, including one on a 36-yard run, gave Louisburg a 21-7 halftime lead.

Rutherford had a 16- and 19-yard run on each drive, and also a 16-yard pass to Moore that helped set up both scores.

The Wildcats opened the second half with 20 unanswered points and ran away with the season opener.

Louisburg will try for its second straight win to start the season Friday when it travels to Piper. The Pirates fell to Paola in its opener, 35-21. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

WYAN           7             0             0             7 – 14

LOU               7             14           14           6 – 41

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

L: Blue Caplinger 1 run (Drake Varns kick)

W: 65 yard pass (kick good)

Second quarter

L: Austin Moore 36 run (Varns kick)

L: Moore 11 run (Varns kick)

Third quarter

L: Blue Caplinger 1 run (Varns kick)

L: Brayden Gage 2 run (Varns kick)

Fourth quarter

L: Ben Minster 92 run (kick failed)

W: 60 yard touchdown run (kick good)

STATISTICS

RUSHING: Austin Moore 16-175; Ben Minster 2-100; Blue Caplinger 11-66; Charlie Koontz 6-52; Madden Rutherford 5-47; Brayden Gage 3-37; Will Ridley 2-36; Jakob Krause 1-1. Totals: 48-500

PASSING: Rutherford 3-7-27

RECEIVING: Moore 1-16; Gage 1-10; Ridley 1-1

TACKLES: Austin Moore 14, Will Ridley 7, Kiefer Tucker 7, Christian Tosterud 4, Blue Caplinger 4, Mitchell Drew 4, Garrett Lowry 4, Desmond Doles 4, Noah Larson 3, Brayden Gage 2, Garrett Harding 2, Beckett Rasmussen 1, Matt Holloway 1, Brayden White 1.

Members of the Louisburg High School football team lined up on the sidelines before kickoff of Friday’s game between the Wildcats and Wyandotte. Louisburg won its season opener, 41-14.

It was a busy night out at Wildcat Stadium on Friday as the Louisburg football team opened its season against Wyandotte. The Wildcats pulled away for a 41-14 victory on a night that gave Robert Ebenstein his first head coaching victory.

It was also band night as the Louisburg Wildcat Marching Band and Jazzy Cats also performed routines throughout the evening along with the Wildcat cheerleaders. Rose Bowl Parade President Lance Tibbet was on hand to officially invite the Wildcat band to participate in the 2018 Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif.

Here are a few images from a great night. Hope you enjoy them.

Louisburg running back Austin Moore is just one of a handful of starters returning for the Wildcats this season. Louisburg begins play Friday when it hosts Wyandotte at Wildcat Stadium. 

It’s been a season of change for the Louisburg High School football team – one that started when the 2016 campaign came to a close.

The Wildcats had to say goodbye to 16 seniors, several of which played big roles on last season’s 8-3 regional championship team. A few months later, the Wildcats promoted assistant Robert Ebenstein to the head coaching role.

Since then, several new assistants have come on board, they have installed a brand new offense and many new faces will play key positions on the field for the 2017 season. The Wildcat players will even have new designs on their helmets.

It may be a brand new look for Louisburg football, but the mentality is still the same – win a lot of games.

“My expectations are really high,” junior Austin Moore said. “I don’t see any reason that we shouldn’t be any better than last year’s team was. I think we can win some playoff games this year and maybe more than we did last year.”

Louisburg will kick off its season at 7 p.m. Friday when it hosts Wyandotte, and the Wildcats are looking to show off their new product – one they have been working on all off-season.

The Wildcats spent the summer in the weight room, on the practice field and watching film in order to get a jump on the rest of the teams. It also gave them ample opportunity to perfect a new offense.

“We are starting to settle in and we are getting used to each other,” senior lineman Garrett Lowry said. “We are starting to build more chemistry with the offensive line and the backs are getting there. Offense is going to be a lot different than it has been, and it has taken awhile to get used to, but we are getting it down.”

The summer and first few weeks of practice also gave the players a chance to get used to their new head coach and he to them.

“This has gone as smooth as I could have expected,” Ebenstein said. “There are definitely ups and downs and bumps along the way, but the support that has been shown to our team so far this season from the parents, community and school administration has been overwhelming and greatly appreciated.

“The new faces among the coaching staff as well as the others that have been here for a while now have been incredible assets for our team and myself. They are amazing coaches and have made my transition much smoother than expected.”

With a new offense comes a new leader at quarterback. Junior Blue Caplinger (5-10, 170) and sophomore Madden Rutherford (6-3, 180) are battling in practice for the starting job and Ebenstein likes what he sees from both players.

“One of our lingering questions is the quarterback position right now,” he said. “We are very blessed to have both Blue and Madden. They are both great kids, athletes and competitors. Right now we will continue to split reps and continue to evaluate. I am very excited for both of them this season. I think they will both find their fits in whatever roles they end up with.

“As for if it is a good thing, I think it is. Iron sharpens iron, and if those to push each other all season, it will elevate both of their games.”

Senior lineman Garrett Lowry, a 3-year starter at tackle, will lead a young Wildcat offensive line.

The offensive line will be new as well. Lowry (6-5, 250) returns as a 3-year starter at tackle, but the other four spots will feature new faces. Junior Kiefer Tucker (5-10, 195) will join Lowry on the offensive line, but there will be plenty of competition for the other three spots between Noah Larson (6-2, 195), Brayden White (6-3, 240), Garrett Harding (5-11, 220), Matt Holloway (6-0, 230), Jonathan DePriest (6-1, 220), Cole Williams (5-7, 160), Hunter Day (6-0, 260), Will Smith (5-11, 210) and James Foote (6-0, 155).

“As a whole we will be young,” Ebenstein said. “Garrett has started for three years and is definitely our leader up front. We have many kids who are working very hard for those spots, and each of those positions will most definitely be earned and not granted by any means. Kiefer is a kid who we are very excited for and he is an absolute stud – extremely strong, quick, tough and smart.

“Our depth at offensive line is solid and as we continue to grow throughout this season, I think it could be a strength for sure.”

The Wildcats will also have a strong group of running backs to try and run behind them. Moore (6-1, 195) returns after seeing several snaps at the varsity level last season and will see several carries this season along with Will Ridley (5-9, 175), Brayden Gage (5-8, 140) and Charlie Koontz (5-7, 175).

Seniors Christian Tosterud (5-10, 175) and Desmond Doles (6-3, 180) return to lead the Wildcat wide receivers. Tosterud, along with Lowry and Moore, were also named the team captains for the upcoming season.

Kohl Vogel (6-0, 155), Gage and Ben Minster (6-1, 205) will also see some time at wide receiver as well.

Defensively, the Wildcats will be strong again up the middle as Lowry returns in center of line and Moore, a first-team all-Frontier League player on defense last season, comes back to lead the defense at middle linebacker.

Ebenstein believes his defense has a chance to be very good thanks to his players and defensive coordinator Jeff Lohse.

“Jeff’s understanding of the game and how to defeat offensive formations is up there with the best of anyone I have ever seen,” Ebenstein said. “So once Jeff gets his game plans set, I am very confident in our coaches to carry out and teach it to the kids.

“Needless to say we are very excited for Austin this season (on both sides of the ball). With Austin at Mike Linebacker and Garrett at a 3-Tech, we are very confident that we can shut down the inside run game against anybody.”

Lowry will get some help on the defensive line from Tucker, Larson, White and DePriest, while the Wildcats will lean on seniors Mitchell Drew (6-0, 175) and Ridley to help Moore at the linebacker spot.

Doles, Tosterud and Gage will lead the Wildcat secondary and will get help from Caplinger, Rutherford and Minster at times as well.

The Wildcats, like most years, will have a difficult schedule within the Frontier League and district play. However, Ebenstein is confident in his group of players.

“The Frontier League is one of the toughest leagues in the state regardless of classification,” he said. “There are no ‘easy weeks’ and every team has quality coaches and quality players. I think we do as well. I think we will continue to prove that Louisburg football will be a consistent front-runner in the Frontier League standings when it is all said and done.”