Louisburg junior Ty Martin watches a tee shot during the Paola Invitational on Monday at Paola Country Club. Martin shot an 87 to come in eighth overall to earn a medal and also helped the Wildcats to a second-place team finish.

PAOLA – It was a different week, but the same result for the Louisburg High School golf team.

The Wildcats battled some tough course conditions Monday at the Paola Invitational, but that didn’t stop them from finishing runner-up in the team standings. Louisburg shot a 360 and finished eight strokes behind champion Paola, which shot a 352.

“I was very pleased with their final scores and staying focused after seeing how hard the greens were playing,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “They were super fast. I feel like we should have had one of our scores in the 90s be in the 80s, but we had a low 90s score that could have been in the high 90s so it balanced out.”

Much like its previous meet, Louisburg was once again led by Ty Martin. The Wildcat junior shot an 87 to finish eighth overall and also garnered his second medal of the season.

“Ty stayed very consistent even though he shot 16 strokes higher than last week, but most players from all teams did the same,” Burns said.

Sophomore Kai Tinich tries to chip onto the green during the Paola Invitational on Monday at the Paola Country Club.

Senior Hogan Welch was second on the team with a 90 and was able to rebound on the back nine. Welch struggled on a few holes on the front nine as he shot a 50, but shot a 40 to salvage his day.

“I know that Hogan can play low 80s golf, he just needs a few lucky bounces on the course,” Burns said. “He had some great shots that carried too long or got crazy bounces during the front nine.”

Fellow senior T.J. Svoboda was third on the team with a 91 and fellow senior Anders Vance was fourth with a 92. Junior Jake Hill shot a 107 and sophomore Kai Tinich recorded a 118.

The Wildcats return to action Tuesday when they travel to the Osawatomie Invitational at the Osawatomie Golf Course. Tee time is set for 1 p.m.

JV wins Gardner tournament

Members of the Louisburg junior varsity team are (from left) Jacob Martin, Justin Sievert, Jacob Welsh, Nick Welch, Parker Parentis and Jaret Gilliland.

The Louisburg junior varsity golf team opened its season Tuesday at the Gardner-Edgerton Invitational and put up a strong performance.

The Wildcats won the team title and had four golfers pick up individual medals. Junior Nick Welch came up big as he shot a 40 to win by seven strokes.

Teammate Parker Parentis finished third, while Jacob Welsh and Justin Sievert took eighth and 10^th, respectively. Jacob Martin and Jaret Gilliland also helped the Wildcats win the team crown.

The Louisburg High School golf team poses with their medals Monday following the Gardner-Edgerton Invitational. The Wildcats finished second overall with a 331. Members of the team are (from left) Nick Welch, Kai Tinich, Ty Martin, Hogan Welch, Anders Vance and T.J. Svoboda. 

(Photo courtesy of T.J. Svoboda)

GARDNER – It didn’t take long for Ty Martin to get into the full swing of things.

The Louisburg junior looked like he was in midseason form Monday when the Wildcat golf team opened its season at the Gardner-Edgerton Invitational as Martin shot the best round of his high school career.

Martin carded an even-par 71 to lead the Wildcats to a second-place team finish at the Gardner Golf Course. Individually, Martin finished one stroke behind Piper’s Eric Pahls to take second as well.

“We played some good teams and I was hoping we would get third or fourth,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “Ty helped us tremendously to get second place as a team.”

As a team, the Wildcats shot a 331 to finish seven strokes behind first place Piper, which shot a 324. De Soto took third with a 334. However, it was Martin who helped guide Louisburg to a strong opening start.

Martin connected on four birdies during the 18-hole round and made few mistakes along the way. He and the rest of the teammates were able to take advantage of a Gardner course that played to their strengths.

“The greens really helped us out,” Burns said. “They are normally cut right before the tournament and are pretty fast and you have to be careful. We were able to be aggressive.”

Louisburg also had two other medalists on the day as seniors T.J. Svoboda and Hogan Welch each shot an 83 to come in 12^th and 13^th, respectively.

Junior Nick Welch finished fourth on the Wildcat team with a 94, while senior Anders Vance shot a 95. Sophomore Kai Tinich shot a 122 to round out the Louisburg team.

“Hogan and T.J. shot a very good score in the low 80s,” Burns said. “At the same time, both are able to shoot in the high 70s at Gardner, but it just didn’t come all together for them as they struggled on a few holes. Nick shot his best ever and Anders, a newcomer, could easily drop five strokes or so. We are looking good for it being so early in the season.”

The Wildcats return to the links Monday when they travel to the Paola Invitational. Tee time is set for 3 p.m.

Louisburg senior Hogan Welch qualified for the Class 4A state tournament last year and he his hoping for a repeat performance this season as he leads the Wildcat golf team. The Wildcats open their season Monday in Gardner. 

It was toward the end of last May and Hogan Welch found himself on a golf course competing for a state medal.

Not a bad way to end his season.

Now a senior, Welch, and the rest of the Louisburg High School golf team, are hoping for the same type of finish this time around.

The Wildcat golfers have spent the last couple of weeks out at the links at Metcalf Ridge Golf Course getting the rust off in preparation of their season opener Monday at the Gardner Invitational.

“Practice has been good,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “Most of the junior varsity and varsity are making good contact with the ball at this time. We need more time working on the short game. The most problems we are having is when they come out of their spine angle to try to help the ball in the air and they hit it thin.”

Along with Welch, Louisburg returns two other varsity golfers from a year ago in senior T.J. Svoboda and junior Ty Martin. The three golfers helped put together a season in which the Wildcats won their home tournament and finished third in the Frontier League.

Welch, who shot a 79 at the state tournament in McPherson last year, is ready for another crack at it and Burns believes he can get there again.

“Hogan will play well as long as he gets warm before each meet,” Burns said. “I have only seen him struggle when we go out and play right off the bat.”

The Wildcats also add a few newcomers to the varsity lineup. Senior Anders Vance is out for his first year of golf and will be joined by juniors Jake Hill, Nick Welch and sophomore Justin Sievert.

Right out of the gate, Burns believes his players are strong off the tee and hopes to round their game as the season goes along.

“All golfers have different strengths,” Burns said. “But right now, it is driving the ball.”

Louisburg will begin its season at 9 a.m. on Monday when it competes at the Gardner-Edgerton Invitational at the Gardner Golf Course. The Wildcats will also host their home invitational at 1 p.m. on April 25.

2016 Louisburg High School Golf Schedule

Apr. 4                           at Gardner-Edgerton                                    9 a.m.

Apr. 11                         at Paola                                                            3 p.m.

Apr. 19                         at Osawatomie                                               1 p.m.

Apr. 21                         at Spring Hill                                                  8 a.m.

Apr. 25                         Louisburg Invitational                                  1 p.m.

May 2                          at Ottawa                                                         2 p.m.

May 10                        at Anderson County                                       1 p.m.

May 12                        at Prairie View                                                 1:30 p.m.

May 16                        at Regionals (Dub’s Dread KC)                     8 a.m.

Last October, Paola activities director Jeff Hines went to a Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) regional meeting to get updates on classification issues.

Six months later, Hines found himself in Topeka, in front of the Kansas Senate Education Committee to talk about a bill that could change the way schools are classified.

On Thursday, Hines sat in front of the committee to discuss Senate Bill 464 – a bill that he proposed with guidance of Sen. Caryn Tyson.

Statute 72-130 establishes specific guidelines pertaining to the organizational structure and functions of KSHSAA. Senate Bill 464 would change one part of the statute and strike the line which allows schools to be classified only by student enrollment.

“The total number of students in schools is a great starting point for classifying them,” Hines said.  “It makes sense that the largest schools should play the largest schools and the smallest schools should play the smallest schools, but there are other things that need to be considered.”

For several months, KSHSAA has had a classification committee discuss different ways to have a competitive balance with its member schools. They came up with ideas of reducing the number of classifications or changing the number of schools in a division.

“There were no other factors being considered and that bothered me,” Hines said, “All that would do was reshuffle the schools just a little bit but we would have the same problem.”

The problem for the committee was its hands were tied thanks to the wording in Statute 72-130 that specifically states schools can only be classified by enrollment numbers and nothing else.

So Hines went to work and helped create Senate Bill 464, which does not give a specific solution to the problem, but rather would take wording out of the statute to allow KSHSAA to figure out how to classify schools on its own.

Hines gave a 15 minute testimony in front of the committee and then answered questions from the committee members for more than 30 minutes afterward. Before the hearing, Hines received support from every member in the Frontier League, Pioneer League and all but two schools in the Kaw Valley League, as those two didn’t respond before the hearing.

Following Hines’ testimony, Sen. Vicki Schmidt, R-Topeka, had concerns as to why KSHSAA did not come in front of the committee itself to ask for changes.

Hines informed the committee that it would be redundant for KSHSAA to endorse the plan, because if approved, member schools would still have to vote on it. He believes Bill 464 would let KSHSAA come up with a system and let schools improve it, instead of the legislature.

“KSHSAA wants to be neutral because this proposal would affect different schools in different ways,” Hines said. “It could be very beneficial to some schools and others may not like it because they might have to move up a class. So, why should KSHSAA have to pick sides in it and pit member against member? It doesn’t have to be that way in my opinion.

“Yes, a school that has to move up a classification might not like it, but is it the best thing overall for the association? They can’t look themselves in the mirror and say ‘No, this isn’t the right thing to do?’

A major problem for some member schools in KSHSAA is they do not believe it is competitively equal the way it is currently structured.

“I am not a believer in participation medals,” Hines said. “If they are kindergartners, sure, but when you start playing, part of being successful later in life is learning how to compete. We all competed for a job when you have gone in for an interview and that is good. You need to have that skillset and I am not saying that we need to give more trophies out and give everyone a shot, but I just want a system in place that is equitable for all so that some don’t have an unfair advantage at the expense of the rest and I think that is what is happening.”

One of the problems is the lack of balance between championships won between public and private high schools. Hines did research and presented numbers at the hearing at the number of state championships won between private and public schools from 2004 to 2014.

Here is what he found.

• Private schools make up slightly less than 8 percent of the KSHSAA membership.
• Private schools have won slightly less than 32 percent of the state championships.
• Based on membership percentage, private schools should only win approximately 8 percent of the titles, not nearly 32 percent.
• Private schools are winning four times more state titles than should be expected based on their memberships.
• Private schools are nine times more likely to win five or more state titles than their public school peers.

“In that period of time, I looked for who has won five or more state titles,” Hines said. “That is a difficult feat. You look at Paola’s history and we have won like seven and Louisburg has won three in 100-plus years. During those 10 years, 37 percent of those private schools won five or more during that time and public schools had 4 percent win five or more. Private schools are nine times more likely to become a dynasty or a successful program with strong tradition. You tell me how we are all the same?”

Another problem they are facing is schools with a high percentage of low socioeconomic status (SCS) students, cannot compete against fellow schools in their own classification in many activities, including football.

“There is a whole bunch of schools in the Kansas City, Kansas school district that are 6A or 5A that have no business competing against those really hard schools,” Hines said. “They don’t have resources, they don’t have the students, there is no interest and they have all those things working against them and I feel bad for those kids. Who wants to trot out against some of those bigger schools and know you are going to get your ears boxed in? That is not fun. Moreover, it is not challenging for the kids those schools are playing against.”

Hines believes competition is important when it comes to the growth of the student athlete and it is beneficial for the school and its community.

“Not only what it does for grades, but for what it does for the human spirit,” Hines said.
“When I was the FFA advisor in Paola, we won 10 state championships in nine years and you could tell the interest by the students and the community went through the roof. You can say the same thing about Louisburg and what Jim Morgan does with his FFA kids. People flock to success.

“Naturally, when they are there they feel better about themselves, they want to work harder in the classroom to stay eligible and kids that want to stay involved are going to be more successful in life. It is all about having the chance to be successful.”

During Hines’ testimony in front of the Senate Education Committee, not all of the legislatures seemed open to the idea. Molly Baumgardner, R-Louisburg, asked Hines if he would be willing to relinquish state funding if the legislature agrees to release oversight of how KSHSAA classifies schools.

“If we relinquished the funding behind it, (high school activities) would disappear,” Hines said at the hearing.

No action was taken following the hearing, but the committee chairman spent 15 minutes with him and Tyson to help them strategize on what to do next.

One option is to amend the bill to include more specifics that could include a multiplier or a separate division for private schools and a low SCS school de-multiplier.

Another option, Hines said, would be to have the classification committee draft a letter to the Senate Education Committee that states they would like to study these other factors as part of a proposal for revamping the classification system, but not until they feel the legislature is open to changing the law.

Whatever decision comes next, however, Hines wants it to be decided by multiple people within KSHSAA on how to proceed.

“I don’t feel comfortable making that change because I feel a committee needs to do the work,” Hines said. “I shouldn’t be doing it, nor should 11 legislators, you need more. We should let the classification committee work on it and hopefully we can get some things accomplished.

“The only way to allow this to happen is to remove the barrier in place that exists due to the state statute.”

Here are the Louisburg Sports Zone Top 10 Stories of the Year. In each brief explanation of the story, there will be a link to the full story of when the event actually happened. Thanks again for a successful 2015 and I am already looking forward to 2016.

Hogan Welch (left) and Wyatt Reece each qualified for state in their respective sports.

10. Welch and Reece qualify for state

LHS students Hogan Welch and Wyatt Reece each put together strong seasons in their respective sports.

In May, Welch qualified for the Class 4A state golf tournament after he shot an 85 at the Osawatomie Golf Course to become one of five individual qualifiers for state. It was the first time Welch had qualified for the state tournament and would shoot a 79 a week later in McPherson to finish 40^th overall.

As for Reece, he qualified for the state cross country meet for the first time in his career in October. The Louisburg sophomore came in 13^th overall and was also one of five individual qualifiers. A week later Reece traveled to Wamego to compete at the state meet and ran a 18:43 to come in 71^st.

Louisburg’s Jimmy Dolan (left) and Mya Diacono each suffered major head injuries from an accident just days apart. The Louisburg community rallied together to help the two families.

9. Accidents bring Louisburg community together

Jimmy Dolan and Mya Diacono live in the same community but were worlds apart from each other.

Jimmy, a junior at Louisburg High School, loves to wrestle, hang out with friends and live the life of a teenager.

It was a far cry from 9-year-old Mya who loves soccer, horses and spending time with her fourth-grade friends at Broadmoor Elementary. In a town of less than 5,000 people, the two had never met.

Two tragic accidents changed all of that.

On Jan. 12, Jimmy lost control of his vehicle while driving to school and suffered a major brain injury. Just 42 days later, Mya was involved in an automobile accident just outside the Louisburg city limits that left her with the same severe brain trauma.

That was when the Louisburg community came together to help the two families cope with a burden no family should have to bear. Since then, both Jimmy and Mya are on the road to recovery thanks to the help of a lot of people.

Louisburg Soccer Club president Karin Olson (second from left), Louisburg HIgh School junior Maddie McDaniel (middle) and fundraising organizer DIana Moore (right) receive the WIN for KC Sprint Teamwork Award on Feb. 13 in Kansas City, Mo.

8. Girls soccer raises funds to start program, wins award

A fundraising committee made a big push to make sure there was a girls soccer program at Louisburg High School.

The committee raised $39,000 in almost a year’s time to fund the program for three years. Thanks to all the hard work, the group was also recognized by the WIN for KC organization. The Lady Cats’ soccer season will kickoff in late March.

Louisburg graduates Kody Cook (left) and Garrett Griffin are each winding down their careers with their respective Division I football programs.

7. Griffin, Cook wrap up college careers

Louisburg High School graduates Kody Cook and Garrett Griffin have lived the lives a lot of football fans could only hope for.

Both are wrapping up their Division I collegiate football careers and are doing it with a lot of success. Cook is living his dream with the Kansas State football team as he has made contributions at both the wide receiver and quarterback positions to help the Wildcats to the Liberty Bowl.

Griffin, on the other hand, battled through an injury-plagued senior season to help Air Force reach the Armed Forces Bowl and made several big plays at the tight end spot.

Louisburg quarterback Austin Terry was one of several players responsible for the Wildcats’ turnaround this season.

6. Wildcat football has big turnaround

After finishing with just three wins a year ago, the Louisburg High School football team put together a strong season in 2015 as they finished with seven wins.

Those seven victories put the Wildcats within a game of Paola for the Frontier League title and Louisburg also earned a spot in the regional playoffs before falling to Basehor-Linwood in a tight contest.

The Louisburg High School soccer team captured its first regional crown since 2010 after a 2-0 win over Coffeyville.

5. Louisburg soccer wins regional crown

Through much of the regular season, the Louisburg High School soccer team didn’t have much to cheer about.

The Wildcats had just four wins during the regular season, but they seemed to find the right chemistry in the postseason. Louisburg rattled off three consecutive wins in the postseason, including a 2-0 victory over Coffeyville-Field Kindley in the regional championship.

It was the Wildcats’ first regional title since 2010 and their sixth in the last 10 years.

Anders Vance won a regional title in the 285-pound weight class last February as he was one of five Wildcats to earn state bids.

4. Louisburg wrestling qualifies five for state

The Louisburg wrestling team hadn’t been a part of the state tournament since 2012 – that is before last season.

The Wildcats put together a breakout season as they qualified five for the state tournament, while Anders Vance won the regional crown at 285 pounds. Brenton Wrigley (195 pounds), Mason Koechner (220), Nathan Keegan (113) and Ryan Adams (138) all made the trip to Salina for the Class 4A state tourney.

Jeff Lohse (left) and Ben York each stepped away from their head coaching posts in 2015.

3. Long-time coaches resign from post

Jeff Lohse and Ben York had been fixtures in their respective sports for Louisburg High School, but both decided to call it quits this year.

Lohse, who spent the last 17 years as the head coach for the LHS baseball team, stepped down from his spot in May, citing personal reasons. Lohse led the Wildcats to two state tournament appearances.

York, who was the head coach when the boys soccer program started, also cited personal reasons for leaving the Wildcat soccer program after 13 years. York helped the Wildcats to six regional titles in the last 10 years.

Connor McMullen won the state title in the discus back in May and became Louisburg’s first track state champion since 2011.

2. McMullen wins state title in discus, Dennis medals in hurdles

Louisburg High School senior Connor McMullen finally got the state title in the discus he had been searching for.

McMullen recorded a throw of 173 feet, 1 inch on his final attempt to win the Class 4A state discus title in Wichita back in May. He would also medal eighth in the javelin with a toss of 164-02.

Fellow senior Sean Dennis also garnered a state medal as he took fourth in the 110-meter hurdles. The boys and girls team combined sent a total of 11 athletes to the state meet.

The Louisburg High School volleyball team finished third overall in 2015 after making it to state for the fifth time in the last six seasons.

1. Lady Cat volleyball takes third at state

The Louisburg High School volleyball team has made a habit of making the trip to Salina in recent years and this season was no exception.

This time, however, the Lady Cats finished with a victory.

After ending their season with a runner-up performance and two fourth-place finishes at state the last three years, Louisburg won its final match of the season in 2015 as it defeated Tonganoxie in the third-place match.

The Lady Cats qualified for the state tournament for the fifth time in the last six years.

I am just going to come right out and say it, “I’m scared.”

Yeah, it is an unusual way to start out an opinion piece, but there is no two ways around it – I am petrified. But believe it or not, it is what keeps me going.

We have all had at least one point in our existence where our lives changed for better or worse. I have had more than a few of those in my life, but the latest one came on Jan. 9.

It started out like all the other Fridays over the last seven years. I reported to work, spent a few hours in the office getting ready for what was a busy weekend of prep coverage ahead. It was the first action after Christmas break and I was ready to get back into the swing of things.

That never took place.

My bosses came into my office early that afternoon to inform me I was being let go. The job of covering Louisburg athletics was no longer mine. I packed up my things, turned in my key, went home, punched the wall a couple times and cried.

I was scared.

After all the tears came the questions. How was I going to support my family? What am I going to do for a job? The list went on and on and I couldn’t come up with many answers.

As it turned out, one of the worst experiences of my life turned into one of the best.

Thanks to a lot of prayers, and support from family and friends, I decided to start Louisburg Sports Zone. Yep, that’s right, I went from being unemployed to starting my own business for the first time in my life.

Not exactly the best way to alleviate fears.

However, when I kicked off the site just a month later, I was overwhelmed with the amount of support from students at Louisburg High School, employees throughout the district, parents and several others who offered encouragement and supported my new venture.

I finished the last half of the winter season and all of the spring doing what I took for granted the previous seven years. I got the chance to cover Louisburg athletics again.

You know, this whole starting your own business thing might not have been a bad idea after all. I would have never had the courage to go out on my own had I not been pushed in that direction.

Fast forward to the present and I am still alive and kicking, ready to start my eighth season of roaming the Wildcat sidelines with camera in hand, waiting to tell that next story.

This fall brings a lot of story lines to the Wildcat programs. The football team is looking to improve off its 3-win season a year ago and find its way back to the playoffs with a veteran group returning.

Volleyball is primed and ready to make its fourth consecutive state tournament this year after placing in the top four in the last three years. The Lady Cats return five seniors that have a lot of state experience and that bodes well for another trip to Salina.

The Wildcat soccer team returns an experienced group from a year ago as they try to crack the top of the Frontier League standings. The cross country team also has several returning runners who will try and qualify for the state meet.

There is a lot to be excited about when it comes to Louisburg sports, but for me personally, I am just fortunate enough to still be a part of it in a small way.

I take a lot of pride in what I do and I hope that it shows when you read stories or look at pictures on this site. I started this business knowing that I will never be rich, but it gives me an opportunity to continue to do what I love.

Thanks to all those who have supported me and for the more than 23,000 views on the site in the last six months. I have said it before, but I am extremely blessed to live in a community that supports each other through good times and bad.

Every day I am fortunate enough to be able to go to work and support my family doing what I know how to do. That is all I have ever wanted, so thank you Louisburg for allowing me to do it.

I am still scared, though.

It is that fear that drives me to do the best I can in what I do in my job and in life. I don’t want what happened on that day in January to happen again and I will do everything to make sure it doesn’t.

Right now I am living the good life. I have the opportunity to work for myself, support my family and do what I enjoy. I can’t ask for any more.

I am living the American dream.

I just don’t want to wake up.

Louisburg junior Hogan Welch eyes a putt during the regional tournament on May 18 in Osawatomie. Welch shot a 79 during the Class 4A state tournament at Turkey Creek Golf Course on Wednesday in McPherson and finished 40th overall.

MCPHERSON – Hogan Welch took to the Turkey Creek Golf Course for the first time last week to tune up for his first state golf tournament.

Mother Nature had other plans and interrupted Welch’s practice round and delayed the Class 4A state golf tournament a day. Welch was unable to finish the course and left him guessing on how part of it played.

It all seemed to work out for Welch on Wednesday as he finished with a 79 to finish 40th overall out of the 102 golfers to compete on the McPherson course.

“The state golf experience was awesome,” Welch said. “It’s so cool to represent your school in state competition and to compete with kids from all of Kansas rather than just the schools in our league. Obviously you’re always going to leave a few strokes out there and shots that you wish you could have back but to shoot in the 70s at state, I’m beyond happy with that.”

Welch hit the links for a practice round last Monday in hopes to get a feel for the course. He played the first 11, but was unable to finish the last seven holes thanks to heavy rains.

The tournament was then delayed due to some flooding on the course, but it wasn’t all bad for Welch.

“It didn’t bother me too much and gave me another day to prepare my short game which was definitely helpful,” he said.

Turkey Creek was one of tougher courses Welch played on this season, and one hole in particular gave him a little trouble. However, like at regionals, Welch was able to bounce back and responded with two birdies on the back nine.

“Turkey Creek was an awesome course and it was really fun to play,” Welch said. “It was certainly challenging and I definitely had to work to save par a few times. Most of the problems it caused me came on Hole 5, the No. 1 handicap hole, which is a long par-4 with a creek that forces you to lay up to about 200.

“I hit a terrible tee shot, then my second went in the water, my fourth shot ended up under a tree and I punched my fifth over the green and ultimately carded an 8. It was ugly to say the least.”

Welch shot a 38 on the front nine and 41 on the back with the help of those two birdies to finish the tournament on a positive note.

The Louisburg junior hopes to parlay this opportunity into an even better result for his final season the Wildcat golf team.

“This should be a great experience to lean on next year,” Welch said. “It’s always good to perform well in a pressure situation and it helps build confidence as well. I enjoyed competing at state and it has given me something to work toward next year.”

Buhler ran away with the state tournament title as it shot a 293 to win by 17 strokes. Rose Hill was second with a 310. Frontier League teams De Soto and Ottawa shot a 326 and 339, respectively, to take seventh and 11th overall.

Buhler’s Mac McNish shot a 67 to win the individual state title and Piper’s Eric Pahls was second with a 70.

Louisburg junior Hogan Welch shoots onto the green on hole No. 18 on Monday during the Class 4A regional tournament at Osawatomie Golf Course. Welch carded an 85 and earned a spot in the state tournament.

OSAWATOMIE – As the final group of golfers came in, all Hogan Welch could do was wait and think about all his missed chances.

Whether it was the hole where he lost his ball, or the several missed putts down the stretch, Welch was hoping those mistakes wouldn’t hurt his chances at a state tournament appearance.

They didn’t.

The Louisburg junior earned a spot in the Class 4A state tournament Monday as he finished with an 85 at the regional tournament at the Osawatomie Golf Course. The top two teams and the top five other individuals qualify for state.

“I felt like I didn’t play as good as I could have, but I held it together and I didn’t lose my cool like maybe I could have,” Welch said. “I think keeping my composure was probably key in being able to qualify for state. I am definitely happy to make it.”

Welch’s 85 turned out to be the cut line for those individual qualifiers. Ottawa won the regional with a 324 and Iola was second with a 328.

“I told Hogan he would have to shoot an 82 to go to State and he missed two short putts on the last two holes and probably thought that he would miss it again like last year by one stroke,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “Thank goodness he didn’t. He didn’t play his best golf, but it was enough.”

Fort Scott’s Conner Antonetti had the best score on the day with a 78 on the par 71 course and was the first individual to qualify. Paola’s Tanner Thomas shot an 84 to earn the second spot and three golfers, including Welch, shot an 85 to grab the last three spots.

“I knew I was in contention there, but I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it,” Welch said. “I had my chances to secure it a little more, but I just had to wait and see. It was a relief.”

Welch didn’t have the best start to his day as he lost his tee shot on the third hole, and after not being able to find it after five minutes, he had to tee off again and carded an eight.

He seemed to bounce back just fine as he followed it up with two birdies, including one on the next hole.

“Those birdies were huge for me confidence-wise and being able to stay in it,” Welch said.

Welch’s trip to state became a little more in doubt as he missed short putts on his final two holes that made it a little more nerve-racking.

“My putting is just horrible right now,” Welch said. “They were short putts, but they were a little more difficult than what it looked, but I still should have made them. I definitely need to keep working on that.”

As for the rest of the Louisburg team, the Wildcats struggled at times but still finished fourth in the team standings with a 362. Sophomore Ty Martin and junior T.J. Svoboda tied for second on the team with a 92.

Senior Brady Lambeth bounced back with a strong back nine to finish with a 93 to end his Wildcat career. Fellow seniors T.J. Smith and Logan Glenn shot a 95 and 99, respectively, to round out the Louisburg scores.

Welch will continue his season Tuesday when he travels to McPherson and Turkey Creek Golf Course for the Class 4A state tournament. Golfers will tee off at 8:30 a.m.

“I look for him to shoot in the high 70’s at state if conditions are right and if he can put it all together,” Burns said. “He has been playing great golf.”

Louisburg senior Brady Lambeth follows through on a tee shot during a tournament earlier this season. Lambeth finished with a season-best 79 on Monday in Ottawa.

OTTAWA – The Louisburg High School golf team put together one of its better performances of the season and it was thanks to a couple of seniors.

At the Ottawa Invitational on Monday, seniors Brady Lambeth and Logan Glenn each recorded scores in the 70s and helped the Wildcats to a third place finish with a 320. The score earned Louisburg a team medal as they were just one stroke out of first place.

Ottawa and Piper each finished with a 319, but Ottawa won the tiebreaker to finish first at its home tournament. Paola was fourth with a 322.

“I did not expect them to get so close to Ottawa who always plays outstanding on their course,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “Also, Paola is tough. I was very proud of the guys.”

Glenn shot a 78 to lead Louisburg, which was good enough to medal eighth. Lambeth, on the other hand, had his best performance of the season as he carded a 79 to get his first medal of the season and took 10^th overall.

“Brady shot 1-under on five holes during practice at our course,” Burns said. “It was a good time for him to shoot in the 70’s at Ottawa. I was hoping he could shoot well on this course. He helped the team get a medal.”

Piper’s Erick Pahls shot a 74 to win the individual crown on the par 71 course. Central Heights’ Matt Percy was second with a 75.

As for Louisburg, sophomore Ty Martin shot an 81 to finish 16^th overall and just missed out on a medal. Junior Hogan Welch carded an 82 to finish 19^th.

Fellow junior T.J. Svoboda shot an 83 to take 20^th. Senior T.J. Smith rounded out the Wildcat team with a 90 to come in 28^th overall.

Louisburg returns to the links next week for two tournaments. The Wildcats will travel to Garnett on Tuesday for the Anderson County Invitational and then to the Linn Valley Golf Course on Thursday for Prairie View’s home tournament.

Louisburg senior Brady Lambeth eyes an upcoming putt during the Wildcats’ home tournament last week. Lambeth and the Wildcats finished third at the Frontier League tournament.

SHAWNEE – Fresh off its victory in the Louisburg Invitational the day before, the Louisburg golf team tried to carry that momentum into the Spring Hill Invitational.

The invitational, which also served as the Frontier League Tournament, was held Tuesday at Shawnee Golf and Country Club. Although it wasn’t a first-place finish, the Wildcats still finished third in the league with a 355.

Paola won the league title with a 334 and De Soto was a stroke behind to take second with a 335. In the Spring Hill Invitational team standings, Mill Valley won going away with a 314.

Louisburg took to a course some were unfamiliar with and found it difficult at times.

“We have been close to competing with De Soto and Paola, and 20 strokes away during league was disappointing,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “From what my golfers said, putting was difficult for them and they did not get a good feel for them during practicing before the tournament and had much longer first putts than they are used to. There was a bunch of three-putting and even some four-putts. Most of them said their driving was pretty good for the tight conditions.”

The Wildcats still earned two medals as junior Hogan Welch and sophomore Ty Martin were among the Frontier League’s top golfers.

Martin led Louisburg with an 83 to take 14^th individually and sixth in the league standings. Welch shot an 86 to finish 19^th overall and ninth in the league.

De Soto’s Daniel Lee won the individual league crown with a 78 and teammate Jacob Kerr was second with an 80. Piper’s Erick Pahls won the tournament with a 73 on the par 72 course and Central Heights’ Matt Percy was second with a 75.

Louisburg junior T.J. Svoboda finished third on the Wildcat team with a 91, while seniors Logan Glenn and Brady Lambeth each shot a 95. Senior T.J. Smith rounded out the Wildcat team with a 104.

The Wildcats returned to action today at the Ottawa Invitational. Louisburg’s next tournament will be May 12 when it travels to Garnett for the Anderson County Invitational.