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.

Louisburg senior Brock Vohs sneaks into the endzone with the help of lineman Jaymes Melton on Friday at Bonner Springs.

BONNER SPRINGS — Louisburg has been off to a dominant start to its season as the Wildcats have racked up a total of 145 points through their first three games.

That trend continued Friday at Bonner Springs.

The Wildcats scored 45 unanswered points in the first half and rolled past Bonner Springs, 45-8, to improve to 4-0 on the season. During that stretch, the Wildcats have outscored their opponents 190-49.

“We preached that we wanted to come out and control the game right away,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “We didn’t want to let up and we wanted to have our foot on the gas from the start. We did a pretty good job of that and I thought the guys played pretty well.”

The defense held the Braves offense in check most of the night before they tacked on a safety and a touchdown in the fourth quarter to prevent the shutout.

On the first drive of the game, it was the defense that got things going as senior corner Brody McGreer recorded an interception to give the Wildcats good starting field position.

“We told the defense they should come out and dominate from the start and really assert themselves,” Harding said. “I think they did a really good job of that. We owned the line of scrimmage and they really played well all night.”

Louisburg wasn’t to be stopped, especially in the first half. 

The Wildcats opened the scoring when quarterback Declan Battle hit Hunter Heinrich in a 5-yard touchdown pass. It would be the first of three touchdown passes for Battle on the night.

On the next possession, Battle found tight end Brock Vohs for a 29-yard catch and run that set up a 1-yard shovel pass from Battle to Vohs to put the Wildcats up 12-0.

Louisburg added another score in the first quarter when junior Darby Van Eaton found the endzone on a 2-yard run. A Gage Feldkamp extra point made it 19-0.

The second quarter was owned by Wildcat running back Ashton Moore. The Louisburg junior rattled off touchdown runs of 15, 33 and 46 yards to put the Wildcats up 39-0.

Battle capped the first half scoring when he found senior Caden Caplinger on a 8-yard touchdown pass. Battle did a little bit of everything with 117 yards through the air, 29 rushing yards and also led Louisburg with 34 yards receiving.

Louisburg brought out the two-quarterback look at different times throughout the game with Battle and backup quarterback Alex Saad. Saad also had 66 yards passing on a perfect 4-for-4 day.

“They are two really good athletes and they both happen to play the same position,” Harding said. “We are just trying to come up with ways to get them both on the field. We are figuring out some different things to do with them and we think they can present a challenge for the defense with their skillsets.”

Louisburg’s schedule will begin to toughen this Friday as the Wildcats host Eudora for homecoming for the start of the second half of their season.

“We are excited for the challenges that are ahead,” Harding said. “Eudora is a really good team and they present a unique challenge with the offense that they run. We have to have a great week of preparation. I think the kids are going to be excited for this game and should have a good week of practice and should be a great atmosphere on Friday.”

LOU 19 26 0 0 — 45

BON 0 0 0 8 — 8

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

L: Hunter Heinrich 5 pass from Declan Battle (kick failed)

L: Brock Vohs 1 pass from Battle (kick failed)

L: Darby Van Eaton 2 run (Gage Feldkamp kick)

Second quarter

L: Ashton Moore 15 run (Alex Saad kick)

L: Moore 33 run (Feldkamp kick)

L: Moore 46 run (kick failed)

L: Caden Caplinger 8 pass from Battle (kick failed)

Fourth quarter

B: Safety

B: Trenton Marquez 45 pass from Kyle Blanz (run failed)

STATISTICS

RUSHING — Ashton Moore 9-165; Rickey Giles 8-60; Darby Van Eaton 9-32; Declan Battle 2-29; Alex Saad 1-11; Lane Cunningham 1-1

PASSING — Declan Battle 13-16-117; Alex Saad 4-4-66

RECEIVING — Declan Battle 1-34; Brock Vohs 2-30; Ashton Moore 2-29; Hunter Heinrich 2-23; Caden Caplinger 5-17; Josh Holtzen 1-16; Russell Wiseman 1-14; Blake Amren 1-10; Garrison Bloustine 1-8; Conlee Hovey 1-2

TACKLES — Brayden Yoder 7; Ashton Moore 5, Jack Anderson 4, Brock Vohs 4, Declan Battle 3, Russell Wiseman 3, Brody McGreer 3, Wyatt Holland 3, Caden Caplinger 3, Conlee Hovey 2, Brady Hickey 2, Josh Holtzen 1, Reid McCaskill 1, Lucas Swartz 1, Nate Capuro 1, Jimmy DeVary 1. 

FUMBLE RECOVERY — Russell Wiseman 1

INTERCEPTION — Brody McGreer 1

Louisburg linebacker Ashton Moore (right) brings down Baldwin quarterback Jack Harvey with the help of teammates Brayden Yoder and Wyatt Holland on Friday in Baldwin City.

BALDWIN CITY — From the the opening kickoff, everything went the way of Louisburg.

Louisburg quarterback Declan Battle went over 100 yards rushing in the first half and added four touchdowns to his already impressive early season start.

Junior running back Ashton Moore did the same as he added three touchdowns. The Wildcats also had a chance to empty their bench as everyone contributed in their 62-7 win over the Bulldogs on Friday at Baker University.

Add in a dominant performance by the Wildcat defense that forced three turnovers, and it was smooth sailing for Louisburg as it improved its record to 3-0 on the season.

“I was happy to see us come out and play well early,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “We talked about taking advantage of the opportunity that was in front of us and making the most of that opportunity, and I thought they came out early and did exactly that. Started with a turnover defensively right away and that got the offense moving.”

Louisburg’s defense set the tone early with a stop on Baldwin’s opening possession on an interception by senior Hunter Heinrich. The Wildcats forced a couple more turnovers on fumble recoveries by Brady Hickey and Garrison Bloustine, in what turned into a rainy content between the two teams.

Moore and Hickey were in attack mode from the start on defense. Moore finished with a team-high 13 tackles. Hickey finished with 10 to go along with a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

Hickey added to his already strong start to his season that includes two interceptions and a sack.

“Defense played well overall,” Harding said. “We preached turnovers to them this week and we forced three so that was good to see. There were times that we would like to see a little more urgency in not giving up a couple first downs before getting the ball back.  

“Brady and Ashton have both been playing well.  They are both solid tacklers and pursue the football really well. We need them to continue to playing well as we move forward in the season.”

Offensively, Battle once again led the Wildcats from under center. The dual-threat quarterback amassed 133 yards rushing on just five carries and threw for another 128, before ending his night early with four touchdowns.

Moore went on to record 109 yards of total offense to go along with his three scores. Junior running back Darby Van Eaton came off the bench in the second half to finish with 120 yards rushing, including a 69-yard touchdown run to ice the game.

A lot of that offense was thanks to the offensive line, including starters Ben O’Bryan, Miles Meek, Jaymes Melton, Brayden Yoder and Johnny Hendrickson.

“Offensively we had a lot of big plays,” Harding said. “I think up front we did a good job opening up some holes and then our skill players were able to make plays after that. I thought we were pretty effective in the passing game as well.  Declan and Ashton played well. They didn’t have a ton of touches but were effective with the touches they got.”

After Heinrich’s interception to open the game, Battle and the offense responded when he broke free for a 65-yard touchdown run. Later in the first quarter, Moore took a little shovel pass from Battle that resulted in a 10-yard score.

The Wildcats put up three more scores in the second quarter, including a 50-yard run from Battle, a 1-yard plunge from Moore and a 10-yard touchdown pass from Battle to Blake Amren. After all that, Louisburg took a 34-0 lead into halftime.

Louisburg nearly doubled that in the second half.  Moore broke free for a 61-yard touchdown, then backup quarterback Alex Saad found the endzone on 13 and 15-yard runs.

From there, Harding was able to empty his bench as every player on the roster earned varsity minutes.

“That was awesome and probably my favorite part of the game,” Harding said. “Those guys work hard all week and provide the first team with a scout look. So for them to get rewarded with Friday night playing time was awesome.  When they were in there they played well both offensively and defensively, and we had lots of guys making plays.”

Louisburg will try to make it four straight wins to start the season this Friday when the Wildcats travel to Bonner Springs. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

LOU 12 22 20 8 — 62

BAL 0 0 7 0 — 7

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

L: Declan Battle 65 run (kick failed)

L: Ashton Moore 10 pass from Battle (kick failed)

Second quarter

L: Battle 50 run ( Moore run)

L: Moore 1 run (Moore run)

L: Blake Amren 10 pass from Battle (kick failed)

Third quarter

L: Moore 61 run (kick failed)

B: Jack Harvey 64 run (kick good)

L: Alex Saad 13 run (Saad run)

L: Saad 15 run (2-point failed)

Fourth quarter

L: Darby Van Eaton 69 run (Rickey Giles run)

STATISTICS 

RUSHING — Declan Battle 5-133; Darby Van Eaton 7-120; Ashton Moore 5-74; Alex Saad 4-24

PASSING — Declan Battle 7-8-128; Alex Saad 4-5-50

RECEIVING — Conlee Hovey 2-71; Ashton Moore 3-35; Brock Vohs 1-29; Caden Caplinger 1-17; Myles Vohs 1-16; Blake Amren 1-10; Declan Battle 1-0.

TACKLES — Ashton Moore 13, Brady Hickey 10, Wyatt Holland 9, Brayden Yoder, 7, Darby Van Eaton 6, Caden Caplinger 6, Lucas Swartz 5, Conlee Hovey 4, Jack Anderson 4, Russell Wiseman 3, Jimmy DeVary 3, Declan Battle 2, Logan Henry 2, Jackson Howard 2, Drake Crooks 2, Josh Holtzen 1, Hunter Heinrich 1, Reid McCaskill 1, Brody McGreer 1, Martin Alicea Soto 1, Nate Capuro 1, Miles Meek 1, Wyatt Crooks 1

SACK — Jack Anderson 1

INTERCEPTION – Hunter Heinrich 1

FORCED FUMBLE — Ashton Moore 1, Brady Hickey 1, Conlee Hovey 1

FUMBLE RECOVERY — Brady Hickey 1, Garrison Bloustine 1

Louisburg head football coach Drew Harding was named the Kansas City Chiefs Coach of the Week on Wednesday and was presented the award by Chiefs Hall of Famer, Gary Spani.

After starting the season 2-0, including a win over rival Paola last week, Louisburg head football coach Drew Harding saw a big honor come his way.

Harding was named as the Kansas City Chiefs Coach of the Week for week two following the Wildcats’ 35-20 victory over Paola. 

Kansas City Chief Hall of Famer Gary Spani presented Harding with his award prior to practice Wednesday in front of his players and coaching staff. The Chiefs partner with PrepsKC to honor a Missouri and Kansas coach each week.

“This is definitely a program wide award,” Harding said. “The players are the ones on the field executing the game plan and assistant coaches are implementing the game plan. Those things have a far greater impact than anything I do individually.

“As a program we are excited to receive the award. It is a result of everyone’s hard work within the program and we are excited to receive this award to showcase everyone’s efforts to start the season. Thank you to PrepsKC and the Kansas City Chiefs for their community involvement and supporting high school football.”

Harding, who is in his second year as head coach of the Wildcats, also won the award last season during their run to an undefeated Frontier League title.

As a result of this honor, Louisburg High School will receive a $500 grant from the Hunt Family Foundation. Additionally, Harding was presented a congratulatory commemorative Super Bowl LVII coin and a certificate recognizing his selection. 

Harding is now eligible for the Eric Driskell Coach of the Year Award, which will be voted on later this fall. The Eric Driskell Coach of the Year Award is selected by a panel comprised of the Missouri and Kansas Boards from the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association.

In its 27th season, the 2023 High School Coach of the Week is a joint initiative of the Kansas City Chiefs and the National Football League. This program is designed to recognize and reward Kansas City area high school coaches for superior performance on a weekly basis while honoring individuals who are shaping today’s youth and tomorrow’s leaders.

Louisburg quarterback Declan Battle stretches out toward the pylon for one of his two rushing touchdowns Friday against Paola.

It has been 13 years since Louisburg had gotten a chance to celebrate a win over rival Paola on its home turf.

Louisburg ended that drought Friday at Wildcat Stadium.

The Wildcats got another five touchdown performance from quarterback Declan Battle, and the Louisburg defense came through with big stops in the second half as it picked up the 35-20 victory.

“It is your rival, so you always want to win,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “We haven’t beaten Paola on this field since 2010, so it has been a long time. I guess it makes it a little more sweeter for sure.”

Battle did a little bit of everything as he put together his second straight five touchdown performance. He finished the game with two rushing scores and two more through the air, but it all got started on defense.

On Paola’s opening drive of the game, Battle intercepted a pass and returned it 40 yards for touchdown. Louisburg had a quick 7-0 lead in the first couple minutes of the game.

“When you can start the game like that, it is pretty sweet,” Harding said. “We worked on that specific route quite a bit in practice. Declan made a great read on the ball and scored. It was nice to see for sure.”

Paola, which had the size advantage on its offensive line, marched down the field and scored a touchdown in 13 plays. The Panthers did it by running up the middle and getting gains of 3-plus yards, but scored when Paola quarterback Triston Katzer hit Clayton Younger for a 31-yard touchdown on what was a fourth down play.

Louisburg senior Wyatt Holland blocked the extra point to keep it a 7-6 game.

The Panthers used that same recipe to keep themselves within striking distance of Louisburg throughout the contest. In fact, the Wildcat offense only had the ball twice in the first half as Paola controlled the time of possession.

Still, the Wildcats were able to score on both of those possessions. Battle ended the first quarter with a 10-yard touchdown run to put Louisburg up 14-6.

Paola answered with another score in the second quarter, but a failed 2-point conversation kept it a 14-12 game. 

Right before halftime, the Wildcats extended their lead when Battle found a diving Caden Caplinger, who made an over-the-shoulder catch in the endzone for a 35-yard touchdown. Louisburg took a 21-12 lead into the locker room.

“That was a huge catch,” Harding said. “We talked to Caden before the game and told him that when the ball was in the air, that it was your ball. He went and got it, and was able to keep his feet in bounds. It was a heck of a catch.”

The Wildcats opened the second half with the ball to try and put some more distance between themselves and Paola, but the Panthers got an interception, which set up a Paola score. After a successful 2-point try, it was a one-point game again.

Paola’s defense got another stop and forced Louisburg to punt, but it was the Wildcats’ defense turn to step up. Louisburg stopped Paola on a 3-and-1 on the Panther 24-yard line, and instead of punting, decided to use their size advantage and went for it.

Louisburg got the biggest stop of the night as linebacker Ashton Moore and Caplinger stopped the Paola runner at the line of scrimmage and forced the turnover on downs.

Momentum quickly changed as Louisburg used the short field. Battle hit Moore for a 22-yard touchdown pass and took a 28-20 lead.

“Stopping them on that fourth and 1 was just a huge play for the defense,” Harding said. “It can be very disheartening for a defense when they are getting chunk yardage and converting on third and shorts with long drives. We only had the ball twice in the first half, so the defense was on the field a lot. Those guys really grinded and they were big for us.”

In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats salted the game away as Battle broke free for a 24-yard touchdown run, which all but sealed the win for Louisburg. Sophomore kicker Blaise Vohs was perfect on the day with five extra points.

Moore led the Wildcat defense as he finished with 14 tackles. Senior Brady Hickey, who had two interceptions last week, put together another strong performance with 13 tackles and a sack.

Battle finished with nine tackles to go along with his interception and senior Brock Vohs also recorded a sack.

Offensively, Battle recorded 182 yards of total offense to go along with his four touchdowns. Moore had 68 yards on the ground, while Caplinger led the team with 68 yards receiving.

It was big early season win for the Wildcats and one that was able to answer some questions in the process.

“Coming into the season, the question mark for us was if teams just line up and try to mash us, could we hold up,” Harding said. “That is exactly what we got with Paola. They are a big physical team, that got 3 or 4 yards on rushes and put together long drives. There was a lot momentum going against us, but we answered and it was a good win for us.

“It is fun to start 2-0. We are going to see some things on film against Paola that we need to improve upon. We really needed a game like this and we can certainly get better from here.”

LOU 14 7 7 7 — 35

PAO 6 6 8 0 — 20

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

L: Declan Battle 40 interception return (Blaise Vohs kick)

P: Clayton Younger 31 pass from Triston Katzer (Kick blocked)

L: Battle 10 run (Vohs kick)

Second quarter

P: Katzer 2 run (2-point failed)

L: Caden Caplinger 35 pass from Battle (Vohs kick)

Third quarter

P: Cooper Stanchfield 1 run (JD Troutman pass from Katzer)

L: Ashton Moore 22 pass from Battle (Vohs kick)

Fourth quarter

L: Battle 24 run (Vohs kick)

STATISTICS

RUSHING — Declan Battle 11-86; Ashton Moore 14-68; Darby Van Eaton 1-2

PASSING — Declan Battle 7-10-96

RECEIVING — Caden Caplinger 5-68; Ashton Moore 2-29

TACKLES — Ashton Moore 14, Brady Hickey 13, Declan Battle 9, Brayden Yoder 7, Conlee Hovey 6, Brock Vohs 6, Brody McGreer 5, Jackson Howard 4, Wyatt Holland 3, Lucas Swartz 3, Darby Van Eaton 3, Jack Anderson 2, Logan Henry 1, Hunter Heinrich 1

SACKS — Hickey 1, Vohs 1

INTERCEPTIONS — Battle 1

Louisburg senior quarterback Declan Battle celebrates in the endzone with linemen Miles Meek and Johnny Hendrickson following one of his five touchdowns Friday against Heritage.

It may have been just the first game of the season, but Louisburg senior Declan Battle left a lasting first impression Friday.

The Wildcats hosted Rogers Heritage (Ark.) in their season opener in what was a return game following last year’s close loss on the road. Battle and the Wildcats made sure history didn’t repeat itself.

The Louisburg quarterback scored five touchdowns and led the Wildcats to a 48-14 victory over the War Eagles. It was exactly the start to the season the Wildcats wanted.

“It was a very fun win for us,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “We have preached all week in doing our jobs. In the first game, sometimes you go kind of brain dead and do some really weird things, but (Friday) we went out and got a stop our first time out and then we just went to work from there.”

Battle led the Wildcats with 235 total yards, including 135 on the ground to go along with his five scores.

In all, Louisburg tallied 449 yards of total offense against the War Eagles. It also marked the end of a three-game losing streak against regular season non-league opponents, something Battle and his teammates have remembered.

“It feels really good,” Battle said. “Every year I have been in high school, we have always lost these non-league games like Smithville, Rock Creek and last year to Heritage. We wanted to finally win one of those games and we were able to get it done and it feels great.”

Louisburg was able to get a lot of that accomplished thanks to a new-look offensive line that had to replace four starters from a season ago.

Along with returning center Jaymes Melton, the Wildcat line of Jackson Howard, Miles Meek, Brayden Yoder and Johnny Hendrickson provided a lot of running room to help account for their 340 yards on the ground.

“We will know for sure when we watch film, but in the moment I thought the line played really well out there,” Harding said. “They came out and established themselves and I thought they executed pretty well for the most part. We had a few mental errors here and there, but it was a good night for them.”

Battle was the recipient of a lot of those yards and he liked what he saw from his new group.

“Coming into the season, I don’t know that anyone really knew how the line was going to shape up since we lost a lot of seniors last year,” Battle said. “The first game is really when you see what it will be like and I thought they did really good. They performed really well.”

Defensively, the Wildcats held the War Eagles to just one touchdown for much of the contest until they were able to add a late score with a running clock.

Louisburg didn’t give up many big plays and it started at the linebacker spot. Senior Wyatt Holland led the way with a team-high 12 tackles, including two for a loss, while junior Ashton Moore finished with nine stops and one tackle for a loss.

Senior cornerback Brady Hickey also had his best game as a Wildcat as he was third on the team with six stops — but more importantly — came away with two interceptions.

“They were flying around out there,” Harding said of his defense. “Coach G(Gentges)really preached 11 hats to the ball all night and I felt like that is what we did. We had a really good week of preparation, came out and played well.”

After the Wildcats forced a punt to start the game, they were able to score on their first possession. Moore found the end zone on a 26-yard touchdown run, and after a Blaise Vohs extra point, made it 7-0. Moore finished the game with 87 yards on the ground on 11 carries.

Battle then added touchdown runs of 6 and 12 yards to put the Wildcats up 20-0 going into the second quarter.

Heritage scored its first touchdown of the game to begin the second quarter, but the Wildcats responded with two more scores from Battle. After a 9-yard score put the Wildcats up 20 again, Battle broke free for his fourth touchdown on a 52-yard run on what was a 4th and 2 for Louisburg near midfield.

Battle added another 17-yard touchdown run to begin the third quarter and wrapped up a memorable night for the Wildcat senior.

“Last year we felt like we needed to limit his carries a little bit, but he is going to run the ball for us this year,” Harding said of Battle. “He is a really good runner and he has good speed and strength. When you add something like that to the offense, it is nice to have.”

The Wildcats will try for back-to-back wins this Friday when it hosts Paola for their Frontier League opener.

“Paola is always the biggest week,” Battle said. “From Monday on, everyone is just super excited and there is just a whole different energy at practice. Then on Friday night, it is just go time.”

LOU 20 14 14 0 — 48

RH 0 7 0 7 — 14

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter

L: Ashton Moore 26 run (Blaise Vohs kick)

L: Declan Battle 6 run (Vohs kick)

L: Battle 12 run (kick failed)

Second Quarter

R: Amere Dingle 1 run (kick good)

L: Battle 9 run (Vohs kick)

L: Battle 52 run (Vohs kick)

Third quarter

L: Battle 17 run (Vohs kick)

L: Darby Van Eaton 2 run (Vohs kick)

Fourth Quarter

R: Cohen Smith 37 pass from Domenic Castaneda (kick good)

STATISTICS

RUSHING — Declan Battle 9-135; Ashton Moore 11-87; Darby Van Eaton 9-73; Blaise Vohs 5-27; Alex Saad 2-18. Totals: 36-340

PASSING — Declan Battle 11-15-100; Alex Saad 2-3-9. Totals: 13-18-109

RECEIVING — Conlee Hovey 5-49; Caden Caplinger 3-40; Brock Vohs 1-14; Ashton Moore 2-10; Hunter Heinrich 2-(-)4. 

TACKLES — Wyatt Holland 12, Ashton Moore 9, Brady Hickey 6, Conlee Hovey 4, Caden Caplinger 3, Brayden Yoder 3, Declan Battle 2, Russell Wiseman 2, Myles Vohs 2, Lucas Swartz 2, Darby Van Eaton 1, Jackson Howard 1, Brock Vohs 1.

INTERCEPTIONS: Brady Hickey 2, Logan Henry 1

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

DECLAN BATTLE, SENIOR, FOOTBALL

Louisburg senior Declan Battle had a game to remember last Friday during the Wildcats’ 48-14 victory over Rogers Heritage. The Wildcat quarterback broke loose for five of the team’s seven touchdowns on the night as he led Louisburg to victory in the season opener.

Battle combined for 235 yards of total offense, including 135 yards on the ground. He accomplished all that in just two-and-a-half quarters of action.

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.