INDEPENDENCE — A year ago, the Louisburg golf team suffered heartbreak when the Wildcats were completely shut out of the state tournament. 

Not this year, however.

The Wildcats will send two golfers to the state tournament this season as senior Sam Frederick and junior Derek Frederick will both represent Louisburg after earning a spot following the May 19 regional tournament at the Independence Country Club.

Both players will competing in their first state tournament, which will be held May 27 at the Sand Creek Station Course in Newton. 

Sam Frederick earned a regional medal with a top 10 performance as he led the Wildcat team.

“Qualifying for state has always been a goal of mine, and to see all the work I’ve put in pay off all season is great,” Sam said. “Being able to make the trip to the state tournament, and also earn the honors of a top 10 regional placement, was amazing and a good boost of confidence going into state next week.”

The Louisburg senior finished 10th with an 87 on a tough Independence Country Club course. Independence had the top three individual finishers, led by champion Ethan Small, who had a 75.

“The course in Independence was in rough condition and all the rain the few days prior didn’t help, but everyone had to play the same course,” Sam said. “My swing felt well that day, but I just wasn’t scoring on the back 9. I felt like overall it was decent. It was good enough to give me one final tournament, which i’m looking forward to.”

Derek Frederick was the final individual to qualify for the state tournament as he carded a 91 and took 17th overall. 

The top 3 teams qualify for the state tournament, along with the top five individuals who aren’t a part of those teams. 

“It meant a lot to be able to qualify for state as I came up short last year,” Derek said. “I was very excited for the opportunity to compete again. The conditions were very tough, and not many golfers shot too well. I felt like I played pretty good despite the wet and patchy conditions.”

Independence won the regional title with a 318, while Fort Scott was second with a 334 and Ottawa took third with a 354. 

Louisburg found itself 12 strokes back of earning a spot as a team with a 366 as it finished fourth overall. 

Freshman Reese Smith finished two strokes back of a state spot as she carded a 93 and ended in a tie for 20th. 

Senior Josh Holtzen was 25th with a 95 and Garrison Bloustine was 41st to round out the Wildcat lineup. 

Both Sam and Derek will now focus on the state tournament. The 2-day meet begins on May 27th in Newton and both will tee off at 9 a.m.

“Sand Creek is a tough golf course, but also very scoreable if you go out there and commit to your shots,” Sam said. “My main goal is to go out there and make it to the second day of the tournament, but also go out there and just have fun. We’ve had a great season so this is my chance to go and show all the hard work I’ve put in.”

Added Derek, “I am very excited for the chance to compete against the best golfers in 4A and show what I can do. I have worked hard to get here and now I just need to go out and play my game.”

LINN VALLEY — The Louisburg golf team is coming off its busiest week of the season as the Wildcats participated in two tournaments in a 3-day period.

The busy schedule didn’t seem to bother the Wildcats much and it showed during the Prairie View Invitational on May 15 at Deer Trace Golf Course on Linn Valley Lakes. 

Louisburg won its first tournament of the season as the Wildcats carded a 340 to take the team title and finished two strokes ahead of runner-up Wellsville.

Wildcat senior Sam Frederick also had his best showing of the season as he shot a 75 to win the tournament title by one stroke over Iola’s Brennen Coffield. Frederick was one of three Louisburg medalists on the day. 

Junior Derek Frederick continued his successful season as he carded an 84 to medal sixth overall. Senior Garrison Bloustine earned his first medal of the season as he also recorded an 84 and finished seventh.

Senior Josh Holtzen was next on the team with a 97 and finished 31st overall. Freshman Reese Smith (100) and senior Lucas Carlson (105) took 37th and 46th, respectively. 

Earlier in the week, the Wildcats traveled to Garnett Country Club to compete in the Bulldog Bash on May 13. They left with more team medals.

Louisburg took third in the team standings with a 335. Ottawa was first with a 320 and Anderson County was runner-up with a 322.

Derek Frederick shot his best score of the season at the Garnett course as he finished second overall with a 2-over par 72. Iola’s Coffield won the title with a 71.

Two other Wildcats also walked away with medals. Junior Matt Stohs was sixth overall with a 78. Senior Josh Holtzen also earned his first individual medal of the year as he took 10th with an 86.

Sam Frederick was fourth on the team with a 99 and finished 28th. Seniors Nathaniel Phillis (109) and Layne Vest (116) competed in their first varsity tournaments of the year and took 32nd and 34th, respectively. 

OTTAWA — After a tough couple of weeks, the Louisburg golf team put together its best showing of the season on May 5 at the Cyclone Invitational.

The Wildcats shot its best team score of the season at the Great Life and Fitness course in Ottawa as they recorded a 319 to finish runner-up in the 9-team tournament.

On top of that, junior Matt Stohs and senior Sam Frederick each earned individual medals as they finished in the top 10. All five Wildcats golfers shot under 90 for the first time this season. 

“It was good to see them all shoot so well,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “They all played to their potential and didn’t give up or get discouraged.”

Stohs had his best round of the season as he carded a 76 to finish fifth overall. Frederick was right behind  him with a 78 and medaled sixth.

Junior Derek Frederick just missed a medal as he finished in a tie for 10th win an 80, but lost out on the tiebreaker.

Senior Josh Holtzen carded an 85, which was good for a tie for 17th. Senior Garrison Bloustine finished with an 88 and took 24th.

Ottawa won the team title with a 311, while Paola’s Stratton Draper captured the individual crown with a 70.

Louisburg is back in action on May 13 as the Wildcats travel to the Anderson County Invitational at Garnett Country Club. Tee time is set for 1 p.m.

OSAWATOMIE — Louisburg junior Derek Frederick didn’t have his best round by his standards, but that didn’t stop him from leaving Osawatomie with some hardware.

Frederick was the lone Wildcat to medal during the Osawatomie Invitational on April 22 as he carded an 83 and finished 10th overall at the Osawatomie Golf Course.

The Wildcats didn’t have their full varsity roster on hand and finished seventh in the team standings with a 359 at the 13-team tournament.

“Derek is the most consistent golfer I have, so it was good to see him medal,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “He swings 80-90 percent and everyone else still wants to swing for the fences.

“Osawatomie is a tough course to chip and putt on, even with our experience in playing the course day to day. Our putting needs the most work.” 

Louisburg senior Josh Holtzen was second on the Wildcat team with a 90 and finished in 30th, as did freshman Reese Smith, who also carded a 90.

Seniors Garrison Bloustine and Lucas Carlson carded a 96 and 105, respectively, to round out the Louisburg lineup.

The Wildcats are back in action on April 29 as they host the Louisburg Invitational at the Osawatomie Golf Course. Tee time is set for 3 p.m.

Wildcats shut out of medals at league meet

SPRING HILL — Louisburg ran into some tough luck during the Spring Hill/Frontier League Invitational as the Wildcats finished one stroke away from a medal.

Junior Derek Frederick carded an 83 to lead the Wildcats, but just missed out on a medal. As a team, Louisburg shot a 357 and took fifth in the league standings on April 24 at Sycamore Ridge Golf Course.

Spring Hill won the league title with a 303 and Tonganoxie was second with a 331. Spring Hill’s Tyler Stecklein won the individual league title with a 72.

Senior Sam Frederick finished a couple strokes behind Derek with an 85 and senior Garrison Bloustine was next with a 94. Junior Matt Stohs carded a 95, while senior Josh Holtzen and freshman Reese Smith had a 103 and 105, respectively. 

“As far as league goes, we put up some good scores, but the competition is super high this year,” Burns said. “We are a good team, but more work needs to be done.”

PAOLA — In just its second tournament of the year, the Louisburg golf team rounded into form and came back with some hardware to show for it. 

Sam Frederick and Derek Frederick earned individual medals, while the Wildcats finished second at the Paola Invitational on April 14 at the Paola Country Club. 

Louisburg, which shot a 325, finished just one stroke behind Ottawa for the championship. The Wildcats also ended one stroke ahead of third-place Eudora, in what was a battle for the top spot.

“It was a very competitive tournament,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “We had our best score as a team for these guys. With that being said, we just squeaked by getting second and just missed getting first by a stroke. These guys love the sport and have been working hard to get better.”

Sam Frederick bounced back from a tough start to the tournament to finish third overall with a 74. Sam also carded five birdies on the day to get back toward the top of the leaderboard.

Eudora’s Ty Deterding won title with a 71 and Paola’s Stratton Draper was second with a 73.

Derek Frederick took fifth for the Wildcats as he carded a 79 on the par-72 course to earn his second consecutive medal to start the season.

Louisburg junior Matt Stohs ended up just outside the medals as he finished in a tie for 11th with an 83, while senior Josh Holtzen was 20th with an 89. 

Seniors Garrison Bloustine (28th) and Lucas Carlson (42nd) rounded out the Wildcat lineup with a 94 and 101, respectively.

“The course didn’t cause any problems, just the golfers confidence in some of the swings they made,” Burns said. “Josh and Sam rebounded well and Derek is close to putting a round of 77 together. Matt has been close to the high 70’s, but has a few bad holes that prevent him from doing so, but he will get there.

“The hardest thing about the tournament was not having a range to really warm up at. Ten balls isn’t enough, and they were not able to hit the long clubs.”

Louisburg is back in action on April 22 as it travels to the Osawatomie Invitational. Tee time is set for noon at the Osawatomie Golf Course.

Frederick medals at Piper

Louisburg opened its season at the Piper Invitational on April 8 and left with a medalist. 

Junior Derek Frederick led the Wildcats as he took fourth overall with a 78 at Dub’s Dread Golf Course. As a team, the Wildcats finished sixth with a 335.

Matt Stohs finished in a tie for 14th with an 82, while Sam Frederick was 19th with an 83. Josh Holtzen (42nd), Garrison Bloustine (46th) and Reese Smith (46th) rounded out the Louisburg lineup.

Last season was a successful one for the Louisburg golf team.

The Wildcats finished in the top three in most of the tournaments they competed in and racked up several individual medals in the process. Unfortunately, the Wildcats struggled at the regional tournament and were unable to qualify anyone for state.

As tough as that was to take, the Wildcats are ready for another opportunity at a state tournament appearence.

Louisburg returns most of its varsity roster from a season ago, including its top three golfers in senior Sam Frederick, along with juniors Matt Stohs and Derek Frederick.

Seniors Garrison Bloustine and Josh Holtzen both improved late in the season and should give the Wildcats some more depth. Freshman Reese Smith could also play a role on the varsity roster as well.

“The season has a chance to be a good one,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “I think Sam, Matt and Derek could all shoot in the 70s this season, while Garrison and Josh can both shoot in the mid 80s. Reese should be in the high 80s as well.”

The Wildcats also have three other seniors on the roster in Lucas Carlson, Layne Vest and Nathaniel Phillis to go along with a solid junior varsity core.

As much success as Louisburg had a year ago, the Wildcats missed out on going to state, and this season will be another difficult challenge as it will travel to Independence for the Class 4A regional tournament.

“We are competing with some great teams again, so going to state will be tough as a team, but it can happen with four successful player rounds,” Burns said. “JV should be strong again with four being able to shoot in the 90’s.”

Louisburg will try and get its season started on the right foot Tuesday as the Wildcats travel to Dub’s Dread Golf Course for the Piper Invitational. Tee time is set for 1 p.m.

CHANUTE — For most of the season, the Louisburg golf team has been toward the top of the team standings in many of its tournaments.

The Wildcats were hoping to do the same in their most important meet Tuesday, the Class 4A regional at Stone Creek Golf Course in Chanute.

Unfortunately for Louisburg, the course got the better of the Wildcats as they saw their season come to an end. Louisburg finished fifth in the team standings with a 385 in the 9-team meet.

Louisburg was also unable to qualify anyone for state individually as many of the Wildcats struggled to get a hang of the Chanute course.

Still, it was a positive season for a roster that features just one senior as the Wildcats racked up several team and individual honors throughout the year.

“The Louisburg golfers had a great season,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “Regionals was tough for a few that didn’t get to play the course beforehand, even though they changed the tee boxes and hole locations to be as tough as they could. Our guys seem to struggle in the rough and some of the bunkers, and could not get past some of their bad holes and get focused again. I had a pretty young squad that will learn how to handle the pressure better next year.”

The top three in each regional qualified for state. Bishop Miege won the team title with a 336 and Chanute was second on its home course with a 338. Fort Scott also qualified for state in the third with a 364.

Senior Cole Mynsted, junior Garrison Bloustine and sophomore Matt Stohs each led the Wildcats with a 96 on the day, which was good for a tie for 19th overall.

Junior Josh Holtzen was next on the team with a 97 in 22nd, while juniors Derek Frederick and Sam Frederick each carded a 98 to finish in a tie for 25th.

Chanute’s Cooper Lucke won the tournament with a 79, while Fort Scott’s Caleb Hall was second an 80.

In its final week of competition before the postseason, the Louisburg golf team added a pair of good performances on its resume.

The Wildcats finished in a tie for third in both the Anderson County and Prairie View Invitationals as they try to make adjustments before the regional tournament this Monday.

“To finish in a tie for third in both tournaments, I thought they played well,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “However, we were still about 10 strokes above our best, which we will need to come close to qualifying as a team for state.”

Louisburg competed in the Prairie View Invitational on Thursday at Deer Trace Golf Course and tied Iola for third place with a 339. Santa Fe Trail won the tournament with a 327 and Spring Hill was second with a 334.

Sophomore Derek Frederick led the Wildcats with a 79 and medaled fourth overall. Another sophomore, Matt Stohs, also earned a medal with an 85 as he finished in a tie for 10th with an 85.

Senior Cole Mynsted also put together a solid round as he took 15th with an 86, while junior Garrison Bloustine was right behind him in 19th with an 89.

Senior Ayden McKain was 27th with a 94 and junior Josh Holtzen rounded out the Wildcat lineup in 39th with a 100.

The Wildcats also finished in a tie for third at Anderson County last Tuesday at the Garnett Country Club course, but ended up in fourth based on the playoff hole.

Stohs had a big tournament as he earned a sixth place medal, while Frederick finished in 10th.

Louisburg will now gear up for the postseason as the Wildcats will travel to Chanute on Monday for the Class 4A regional tournament. Tee time is set for 9 a.m. and will be held on the Stone Creek Golf Course.

Teams that will join Louisburg in the regional are Baldwin, Chanute, Eudora, Fort Scott, Ottawa, Paola, Parsons and Bishop Miege.

OTTAWA — In what was a rain-soaked course, the Louisburg golf team had its fair share of challenges, but that didn’t seem to bother the Wildcats.

Louisburg had three golfers finish in the top 10 and the Wildcats finished second in the team standings Monday at the Ottawa Invitational. 

“The varsity golfers played amazing,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “I have not had four score in the 320’s for many years and they still didn’t win the meet. Of course, we enjoyed medaling as a team and playing well.”

The Wildcats shot a 323 and finished just two strokes behind Ottawa in a battle for the team title on the Great Life Fitness and Golf Course.

Sophomore Derek Frederick, senior Cole Mynsted and junior Sam Frederick also left with some extra hardware.

Derek Frederick medaled fourth overall as he shot a 79. Mynsted and Sam Frederick each carded an 80 as they took fifth and sixth, respectively. Junior Garrison Bloustine shot a personal best 84 to finish 11th and one spot out of the medals. 

“It was great to see one of my fifth and sixth spots in Garrison contribute to our score,” Burns said. “It was the first time he broke 90. Also, a big congrats goes out to Derek, Sam and Cole for medaling in the top 10.”

Sophomore Matt Stohs recorded an 88 to finish fifth on the team and 16th overall in the 10-team meet. Senior Ayden McKain carded a 99 to take 28th overall and round out the Wildcat lineup.

Louisburg is back in action Tuesday when it travel to Garnett for the Anderson County Invitational. 

Stohs records league title in shortened tournament

Golfers were dodging rain drops last Thursday at the Frontier League Invitational, before the tournament was eventually called halfway through.

Luckily for the Wildcats, they didn’t let the wet weather bother them.

Matt Stohs won the league title at Sycamore Ridge Golf Course in Spring Hill and he wasn’t the only medalist. Senior Cole Mynsted and junior Sam Frederick also ended with individual medals. 

As a team, the Wildcats finished second in the league standings.

OSAWATOMIE — Winds were gusting more than 40 miles per hour Tuesday at the Osawatomie Golf Course — not exactly ideal for shooting your best scores.

The high winds didn’t seem to bother Louisburg much as the Wildcats put together their best team score of the season as they won Osawatomie Invitational. The Wildcats shot a 335 to win the tournament by three strokes.

Louisburg edged out Lansing, which finished as the runner-up with a 338, and Basehor-Linwood shot a 343 to take third in the 13-team tournament.

“The boys have been playing great all year, but did the best job managing the conditions and using their course knowledge in the tournament at Osawatomie,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. 

Sophomore Derek Frederick continued his memorable season as he medaled in his fourth consecutive tournament. Frederick carded a 79, which was good for third overall.

Bishop Seabury’s Jace Hoffman and Heritage Christian’s Lucas Prado each shot a 77 to tie for first.

Louisburg junior Sam Frederick and sophomore Matt Stohs also continued their strong seasons as both earned their third medals of the year. Frederick carded an 80 to finish eighth overall, while Stohs shot an 82 to finish ninth.

“I was actually impressed by all four of my top golfers scores in that wind with Cole Mynsted being the other one,” Burns said. “The guys have got to play more this year and work on their short shots because of the great weather. To this, I owe their success as well as listening to their coach when it is time to make subtle swing changes.”

Senior Cole Mynsted was fourth on the team with a 94 and took 28th overall in the 75-member field. Junior Garrison Bloustine took 35th with a 98, while junior Josh Holtzen was 42nd with a 101.

Louisburg will look to continue its strong play on April 25 when it travels to Spring Hill for the Frontier League Invitational. Tee time is set for 10 a.m. at Sycamore Ridge Golf Course.