The Kansas State High School Activities Association released its classifications for the 2019-20 school year, along with the football classifications for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

There were a few changes in both areas, but more so on the football side.

Football classifications are determined based on enrollment figures in ninth, 10th and 11th grade. Louisburg is still in 4A with 432 students and is toward the lower half of the classification.

Entering Class 4A beginning in the 2020 school year will be St. James Academy, Lansing and Great Bend, who have all moved down from Class 5A. Wamego also made the jump back in from Class 3A.

Goddard, Pittsburg and Spring Hill all saw their enrollment grow and will be moving up from 4A to 5A next year. Baldwin saw their enrollment decline and will move down to Class 3A in football the next two years.

In the rest of the sports, not much changed with regards to Class 4A for this year.

Enrollment figures for all grades in Louisburg this year is 573, which puts the school in the upper half of Class 4A. The biggest school is Buhler with 661 and Bishop Miege is the second biggest at 656 and Ottawa is third at 653.

Three schools will make the move up to Class 4A this year. Clay Center, Girard and Holton all saw their enrollment increase and will come back to 4A, while Osawatomie, Anderson County and Wichita-Trinity Academy will move out of 4A to 3A this year.

Louisburg’s Calvin Dillon won his third straight state medal last week during the Class 4A state golf tournament in Dodge City. Dillon finished 11th overall with an 80.

DODGE CITY – It was a state golf
tournament to remember for Calvin Dillon and some of those memories weren’t
always the best ones.

Dillon and the Louisburg golf team traveled to Mariah Hills Golf Course last week in Dodge City to take part in the Class 4A meet that was delayed for more than a week due to inclement weather. If that wasn’t bad enough, it wasn’t even the same course the Wildcats were originally scheduled to play on.

The Class 4A tournament was scheduled to be held in Winfield, but due to the torrential rains, the course had to be moved to a different site. So all the preparation for the Winfield course went out the window and the Wildcats quickly had to learn about their new landing spot.

“It was very chaotic waiting for
KSHSAA to announce where and when we were going to play,” Dillon said. “It was
frustrating because we were supposed to ‘leave’ for the tournament a couple
times and didn’t actually leave for about a week.”

As hectic as the experience was,
there were still plenty of good memories to be had. For Dillon, that meant
garnering his third consecutive state medal.

The Louisburg junior carded an 80
on the Mariah Hills course last Wednesday to finish 11^th overall in
the individual standings.

“It feels good to earn another state medal,” Dillon said. “It was a little disappointing because the round didn’t go well, but I had to stick in there and grind to finish in the top 15.”

Dillon was in the top 10 for most of the tournament, but had a double bogey on his last hole to move him out of the top 10 and into 11^th. He had one birdie on the day, but Dillon also had six bogeys and two doubles as he tried to maneuver through Mariah Hills on what was a blustery day in Western Kansas.

“Mariah Hills is a links style
course and it played a little long because it was so windy there,” Dillon said.
“With the course being as open as it was, the wind was a big factor.”

The rest of the Louisburg team also had its struggles with the course, but the three other Wildcat golfers were able to experience state for the first time.

Junior Drake Varns finished 34^th
overall as he carded an 88 to finish second on the Louisburg team. Juniors Ryan
Haight (103) and Colin Cook (125) were 73^rd and 82^nd,
respectively. Senior Noah Hill and junior Garrett Rolofson were not able to
participate in the tournament due to previous engagements.

“It was great having the guys there,” Dillon said. “We all got some great experience and hopefully we will be back next year.”

The high school season may be
over, but for Dillon, his golf season is just heating up. He is scheduled to
play in tournaments throughout the summer as he prepares for his senior year
and for his collegiate future.

“I have a rigorous summer schedule
planned out,” Dillon said. “The state tournament gives me a lot of motivation
to practice harder and get better for summer tournaments as well as next high
school season.”

The Louisburg golf team finished third Monday during the Class 4A regional tournament in Paola and qualified for the state tournament. Members of the team are (from left) Colin Cook, Drake Varns, Calvin Dillon, Ryan Haight, Garrett Rolofson and Noah Hill.

PAOLA – As the scores trickled in
to the clubhouse at Paola Country Club, the Louisburg golf team could hardly
stand it.

The Wildcats were nervously
waiting to hear if they had qualified for state, but they knew it was going to
be close. Louisburg had to be in the top three of the team standings to earn a
spot and the Wildcats had some tough competition amongst them.

As it turned out, the Wildcats had
nothing to worry about.

Louisburg recorded a team score of
352 during the Class 4A regional tournament Monday and finished third overall
by nine strokes over fourth-place Ottawa. The Wildcat team of Calvin Dillon,
Drake Varns, Garrett Rolofson, Ryan Haight, Noah Hill and Colin Cook will all compete
the state tournament in Winfield.

Topeka-Hayden won the regional title
going away with a 332 and Louisburg was just three strokes behind runner-up
Tonganoxie, which had a 349.

“It feels great, especially with
all the hard work we have put in the offseason and last few months,” Dillon
said. “It was our goal coming in and we did it. I felt like we had a good
chance. It was borderline with those four teams being as close as we are. I
knew we had a chance, but it was nice to actually qualify. It was definitely a
little nerve-racking waiting for the scores to come in.”

As impressive as that feat was for
the Wildcats, Dillon’s performance blew away the rest of the competition.

The Louisburg junior won his first individual regional title as he carded a 1-over 73 to win the tournament by six strokes. Dillon’s 73 was his best score on the season and he has now won all but one tournament on the year.

Dillon got off to a good start at
Paola Country Club as he birdied his first hole and had three on the day. He
also birdied his final hole on No. 18 with a nice chip and putt to seal the top
spot.

“It was nice to get that under my belt,
especially since I haven’t really finished all the well at regionals the last
couple of years,” Dillon said. “It is definitely good to get in the winner’s
circle here.

“I thought I played well. I got
off to a good start early and birdied No. 1 and I think that really helped me
momentum-wise. I just gave myself looks all day and it worked well. It was also
nice to end it with a birdie and I was able to make a nice putt there at the
end.”

Varns also played well for the Wildcats
as he carded an 87 and finished 10^th overall to earn a medal. The Louisburg
junior had to play a playoff hole to decide 9^th and 10^th
place.

Although he lost the playoff,
Varns played well in his final nine holes after a rough patch early on where he
had back-to-back triple bogeys. He went on to card a 40 on the back nine to get
himself back into contention for a medal.

“It is nice and I am really happy
to get a medal,” Varns said. “It is basically a home course for me as I play
here quite a bit. I didn’t play very well the first nine holes, but I came
back, followed through and shot a good back nine.

“After the back-to-back triples,
it took me awhile to get back into it. I was just in my own head. I came out and
shot par the next hole and that just got me back in the right mindset.”

Haight was third on the Wildcat
team with a 95 and finished 22^nd overall, while Rolofson carded a 97
and took 23. Hill finished with a 111 and Cook had a 116 to round out the
Louisburg scores.

The Wildcats are now preparing to
compete in their first state tournament, but it isn’t known when the last time
Louisburg qualified a team for state. The last known team to qualify for state
was in 1977 when the Wildcats won the sand greens title.

On Monday, the Wildcats will tee
off around 10 a.m. in Winfield for the Class 4A state tournament at Quail Ridge
Golf Course. Cook will tee off first at 10 a.m. on hole No. 10 and the rest of
the Wildcats will follow ending with Dillon’s scheduled tee time being 10:50
a.m.

“It feels great,” Varns said of
qualifying. “We have been working since last summer to get here and it is nice
to come through and do well at regionals. It has been awhile since that has
happened.

“State is going to be so fun. I don’t
think we are going to feel a lot of pressure, but we just want to go have fun
and see what happens.”

Expectations are high for Dillon
as he is one of the top golfers heading into state action. His 73 was the top
score from all the regionals last Monday, but Dillon knows state will be a big
challenge as he has medaled the last two seasons.

“The Winfield course is set up
really tough,” Dillon said. “The rough is really thick and the greens are fast.
If I play like I did (Monday), I think I can have a genuine shot at winning.”

Louisburg coach Brian Burns agrees
that Dillon will be among the favorites come tee time.

“Calvin is playing great golf right now,”
Burns said. “He is still working on his accuracy on his drives, but is hitting
the ball a long way. I know the course at Winfield has long rough and hard
and fast greens, but we are trying our best to play the ball down at our course
this week to work on a more upright swing, chopping down at the ball to advance
our rough shots.

“Overall, I like where everyone is with their game, but it is an individual sport and they must get over their own nerves and be confident. Calvin has a chance to place in the top five at state, if not better.”

The Louisburg golf team took second last week at the Ottawa Invitational. Members of the team are (from left) Garrett Rolofson, Noah Hill, Calvin Dillon, Drake Varns, Ryan Haight and Cole Williams.

OTTAWA – It has been a special
year so far for the Louisburg golf team and the Wildcats added to that on April
29 when they traveled to the Ottawa Invitational.

For the fifth time this season,
the Wildcats finished in the top two of the team standings as they took second
overall with a 346. Louisburg junior Calvin Dillon also recorded his fourth
consecutive tournament win and made for a successful day at Ottawa Country
Club.

“We are very happy to get second
at Ottawa,” Dillon said. “Ottawa is a great team and they are high up in the
state rankings. Surprisingly, our teams have become friends throughout the
season.”

Dillon continued his hot streak as
he carded a 75 to roll to the Ottawa title and has taken first in every
tournament but one so far this season.

“I played a solid round at Ottawa,
with ups and downs along the way,” Dillon said. “I played the front nine at
3-over, but I really buckled down on the back nine to shoot the 75.

“The course was a little wet and
the greens were punched as well, which led to some bumpy putts. I got off to a
slow start with my driver, so I switched to my 3-wood towards the end of the
front nine. That really helped me get things under control and finish well.”

Senior Noah Hill had his best
round of the season so far as he finished with an 88 to finish second on the
team. Junior Garrett Rolofson was third with a 91.

Junior Drake Varns and senior Ryan
Haight both carded a 92, while senior Cole Williams rounded out the Wildcat
team with a 106.

“Noah was very excited about his
round,” Dillon said. “He birdied his first hole, which was a good
representation of the rest of his day. He feels like he has more in the tank
too, which is a great sign.”

Louisburg was scheduled to compete
in the Anderson County Invitational today, but was rained out. The Wildcats
will compete at the Prairie View Invitational on Thursday at Deer Trace in
their final competition before regionals.

Louisburg junior Garrett Rolofson chips onto the green last Monday during the team’s home invitational at Metcalf Ridge Golf Course. Rolofson medaled seventh and then medaled again Thursday in Atchison.

ATCHISON – It couldn’t have been a
much better week for the Louisburg golf team, or for junior Calvin Dillon.

The Wildcats certainly had plenty
of medals to prove it.

Louisburg won the Atchison Invitational on Thursday at Bellevue Country Club with a 356 and earned their second team medal of the week. The Wildcats won the team title by two strokes over Kansas City Christian.

Dillon continued his tear through the 2019 season as he won his third consecutive tournament with a 78 on the Atchison course, in what was less than ideal conditions.

“The wind was very tough for the
guys at Atchison,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “I was happy with their
scores considering all that.”

Junior Garrett Rolofson picked up
an individual medal, along with Dillon, as he finished ninth with a 92. Fellow
junior Drake Varns also carded a 92, but just missed out on the top 10 for
medal as he lost a scorecard playoff.

Another junior, Ryan Haight, had
one of his best scores of the season as he shot a 94. Senior Noah Hill (100)
and junior Luke Wickersham (107) was fifth and sixth on the Wildcat team,
respectively.

As great as the end of the week was for Louisburg, the beginning was almost as good as the Wildcats hosted the Louisburg Invitational last Monday at Metcalf Ridge Golf Course.

Louisburg finished second in the
team standings with a 340 and finished seven strokes behind champion Ottawa,
which had a 333.

Dillon was able to get the victory
on his home course, but it was a challenging one as he finished in a tie with
Ottawa’s Cade Gollier as both players carded a 77. However, Dillon won the
scorecard playoff as he was one of three Wildcats to medal.

“We shot the best we have all
year,” Burns said. “I am very proud of all the guys.”

Dillon had a rough start to his round as he had a triple bogey to open, but then followed with an eagle on No. 4 to get back into it. He nearly had another eagle a couple holes later, but his shot rimmed out and he settled for a birdie.

After that, Dillon was able to
settle in as he has now won all but one of this tournaments that he has
competed in this season.

Varns and Rolofson also earned medals for the Wildcats. Varns had a strong outing as he finished with an 83, which was good for fifth place.

Rolofson carded an 88, which was
his best round of the season for Louisburg, and he came in seventh overall.

Junior Ryan Haight and senior Noah
Hill also had their best rounds of the season on their home course as they shot
a 92 and 93, respectively. Junior Colin Cook rounded out the Louisburg scores
with a 98.

Louisburg returns to action today
when it travels to the Ottawa Invitational. Tee time is set for 2 p.m. at
Ottawa Country Club.

Louisburg junior Calvin Dillon watches his tee shot last Tuesday during the Osawatomie Invitational. On Thursday, Dillon won the Frontier League title with a 75 at Sycamore Ridge.

SPRING HILL – Calvin Dillon wasn’t
overly enthused about his round last Tuesday at Osawatomie Invitational, where
he finished third overall.

It wasn’t a bad round, but for Dillon, it was rough enough for him to want make amends in one of his biggest tournaments of the season.

Dillon and the Louisburg golf team
competed in the Spring Hill Invitational on Thursday at Sycamore Ridge, which
also doubled as the Frontier League Invitational. Needless to say after it was
all over, Dillon felt a lot better about his performance.

For the second consecutive season,
Dillon won the Frontier League title as he carded a 75 on the par 72 course.

“I am extremely happy to win
league again,” Dillon said. “Sycamore Ridge is an amazing venue and I just love
that golf course. It’s very challenging, but if you hit your spots right it’s
very scoreable.”

Dillon’s score also helped the
Wildcats to a third-place finish in the league portion of the tournament.
Dillon, Drake Varns, Garrett Rolofson, Ryan Haight, Noah Hill and Cole Williams
combined for a 358 and finished behind league champion Ottawa (321) and
runner-up Tonganoxie (346).

Down a stroke going into his final
hole, Dillon picked the perfect time to have his best hole of the day. He birdied
No. 18 to finish in a tie with Mill Valley’s Tanner Moore and Dillon won the
tiebreaker to capture the league and Spring Hill tournament titles.

“I was happy with the finish
considering the windy, cool and wet conditions,” Dillon said. “It was really a
day where you had to be mentally tough and grind through some tougher holes. I
had three bogeys on the front side and finished with a 39, where on the back I
had one bogey and the birdie on 18. It was a great feeling to head to the
clubhouse having birdies the last hole.”

Juniors Drake Varns, Garrett
Rolofson and Ryan Haight each finished in the top 20 of the league standings.
Varns shot a 90 to take 14^th overall and Rolofson carded a 96 to
finish 19^th. Haight shot a 97 and was 20^th.

Seniors Noah Hill and Cole
Williams rounded out the Wildcat team with a 101 and 114, respectively.

Louisburg will be back on its home
course today when the Wildcats host the Louisburg Invitational at Metcalf Ridge
Golf Course. Tee time is set for 1 p.m.

Wildcats finish second at Osawatomie

Louisburg started its week with a
stop at the Osawatomie Invitational and the Wildcats put together another
strong team performance.

The Wildcats finished second overall
with a 346 at the Osawatomie Golf Course and finished 13 strokes behind Ottawa,
which took first with a 346.

Louisburg had three medals on the day
as junior Calvin Dillon was third with a 78 and fellow junior Drake Varns
carded a 79 and finished fourth. Junior Garrett Rolofson shot a 94 and medaled
18^th overall.

“The team came in clutch and
played extremely well to finish second,” Dillon said. “We are gaining more and
more confidence as the season rolls on. I struggled a little bit, and the short
game wasn’t quite all there as it’s tough to score with the small greens.”

Junior Ryan Haight just missed a
medal as he carded a 95 and was 21^st. Seniors Noah Hill and Cole
Williams each shot a 99 as they took 29^th and 30^th,
respectively.

Louisburg junior Calvin Dillon puts his fairway shot onto the green last Monday during the Paola Invitational at Paola Country Club. Dillon won the individual crown with a 75.

PAOLA – The Louisburg golf team
couldn’t have asked for a better start to its season last Monday when the
Wildcats competed in the Paola Invitational.

Not only did Louisburg have two of the top three individual medalists, but the Wildcats took home the tournament’s top prize. The Wildcats scored a 349 to finish first overall in the team standings and won by seven strokes over second place Anderson County.

Louisburg junior Calvin Dillon continued to show that he is one of the best golfers in the area. Dillon, a two-time state medalist, won the individual crown with a 75 on what was a soggy course at Paola Country Club – the same course the Wildcats will compete on later in the year for regionals.

“I hit the drive and putter really
well,” Dillon said. “I made too many mistakes on my approach shots leading to a
lot of bogeys, but I covered them up nicely with birdies. It was really nice to
win the first tournament and that gives me confidence moving forward knowing
that I am capable of competing at a high level.

“The course was very wet, so the balls were plugging a lot and almost every club got no roll. However, already playing in Paola gives us a big advantage in the regional tournament having played that course already and having it so close to home.”

Dillon wasn’t the only Wildcat to medal as junior Drake Varns had a strong first showing as well. Varns carded an 82 to finish third overall, and was one stroke behind Spring Hill’s Patrick Hartsock for second. Varns, along with Dillon, were two of several reasons for the team’s first place finish.

“The team played very well and we
are all so excited to get a win under our belt,” Dillon said. “Drake played a
great round too. I’m happy for him because he has been putting in a lot of hard
work in the offseason, as well as in practice.”

Junior David Perentis was third on
the Wildcat team with a 94 and finished 14^th overall. Luke
Wickersham, another Louisburg junior, carded a 98 to take 21^st.

Junior Ryan Haight (102) and
senior Noah Hill (103) rounded out the Wildcat team in 24^th and 26^th
place, respectively.

“I was pleased when my
number six, David Perentis, came through and shot his best score 94. Also,
Luke Wickersham broke 100 with a 98 and that helped our team score. Drake played
well at his home course and Calvin, who has not had a bunch of practice time, got
back on track as well.

“I know we can shoot a team score in the 330’s, but my golfers
need to work harder in focusing more when having small competitions during our
practices. They can take that experience to the meets.”

It will be a busy week for the Wildcats as they will travel to
the Osawatomie Invitational on Tuesday, and then they will compete in the
Spring Hill Invitational on Thursday at Sycamore Ridge.

Louisburg junior Calvin Dillon is hoping to earn his third consecutive state medal this season for the Wildcats.

Calvin Dillon has had one of the
best starts – if not the best start – to a golf career in Louisburg High School
history.

Dillon earned state medals during
his freshman and sophomore seasons, and for some, those results alone would be
a great high school career. However, Dillon is only halfway done and he isn’t
resting on his laurels.

Once his season completed last May, Dillon didn’t stop playing as he competed in junior tournaments over the summer and into the fall as well. Even the cold weather didn’t stop Dillon from picking up the clubs.

“With how bad our winter was, I hit a lot of balls and putted in an indoor facility in Overland Park,” Dillon said. “It was a great feeling when the weather turned and it was nice to see some balls fly again.”

Dillon and his Wildcat teammates
have been hard at work at practice the last couple weeks with the warmer
weather as they prepare for their season opener Monday in Paola.

Last season, Dillon finished 11^th
at the state tournament in Emporia and he is hoping for even better things this
time around.

“I would like to win another state
medal and improve my placing from the last two years,” Dillon said. “We’ve been
working really hard at practice, putting a lot of emphasis on the short game.
Coach has been giving us a lot of wedge and putting drills that will really
help us throughout the season. We’re all ready to compete and the guys are
hungry to win this year.”

Louisburg coach Brian Burns knows
Dillon is capable of doing great things for the Wildcats this season and has
noticed a little difference in his game.

“Calvin switched to an overlapping
grip last year and has been playing a bunch,” Burns said. “I know he will be
trying to win every meet. He is a great golfer.”

The Wildcats return three golfers with varsity experience from a year ago. Along with Dillon, juniors Ryan Haight, Drake Varns and David Perentis will return to help lead Louisburg.

Juniors Garrett Rolofson and Luke Wickersham, along with senior Cole Williams, could all see varsity time as well, according to Burns.

“There are a couple junior varsity
players that are improving that might be able to take one or two of those
varsity spots,” Burns said. “My expectations for the season are always high,
but we are not where we need to be yet. I would like to get no lower than third
in any tournament containing less than 10 teams.”

The Wildcats will get their season
started Monday when they travel to the Paola Country Club for the Paola
Invitational. Tee time is set for 2 p.m.

It was a successful, and eventful, 2018 for Louisburg High School athletics and for those who are connected to the Wildcat program. This past year created a lot of school history for LHS and several programs brought back state hardware to Louisburg.

Below are the Top 10 stories from 2018, along with a brief explanation of each. Included in the explanation is the link to the actual story from the event.

This year was a blast to cover and I was blessed to have the opportunity to go along for the ride with many of these. As much fun as it was, I can’t wait for 2019 to begin. Looking forward to it!

10. Dillon medals at state golf for second straight year

EMPORIA – All season,
Calvin Dillon had been atop or near the front of leaderboard and that didn’t
change in what was his biggest tournament of the season.

The Louisburg High School sophomore went up against the state’s best during the Class 4A state golf tournament on May 19 at the Emporia Municipal Course and did more than old his own. Dillon earned a state medal as he finished 11^thoverall with a 3-over par 74.

It was the second consecutive state medal for Dillon
after he finished 10^th overall last season at
Wamego as a freshman.

“It is a real honor
to earn another state medal, especially with the quality players that were at
the state tournament,” Dillon said. “There were lots of good players and lots
of good teams.”

It
was another notch on Dillon’s list of accomplishments that included a Frontier
League title and six straight tournament victories during the 2018 season.

• 

• 

9. Conley, Ebenstein named Class 4A Coach of the Year

Louisburg
girls soccer coach Kyle Conley and Wildcat football coach Robert Ebenstein both
led their respective teams to special seasons.

Those seasons were special enough for both coaches to earn two big awards.

Conley was rewarded for all his hard work in June when it was announced that he was named as the Kansas Soccer Coaches Association’s Girls Coach of the Year for Class 4-1A.

He guided the Wildcats to a 14-7 record and a spot in the
state championship match, where the Lady Cats finished second overall. The
finish was something to remember for Wildcat fans as that was accomplished in
just the program’s third year of existence.

He has posted a
41-18-2 record during his time as the Wildcat girls head coach and also guided
the Louisburg boys soccer team to its best finish in program history in 2017
with a fourth place finish at state.

As for Ebenstein, he
guided the Wildcats to 10 straight victories and a regional championship to
start the 2018 season, before getting knocked out in the sectional round
against eventual state champion, Bishop Miege.

Following the season, the Kansas Football Coaches Association named Ebenstein as the Class 4A Coach of the Year. Ebenstein, who is just in his second season as head coach, has a 16-4 record with the Wildcats as he guided his team to a Frontier League championship this year.

8.
Holtzen finishes Louisburg career with 12 varsity letters

Once Isabelle Holtzen
received her diploma and walked out of Louisburg High School for the last time
as a student, she officially became one of the most decorated female athletes
in school history.

No, she doesn’t have any individual state championships, or even
one as part of a team. Holtzen’s decorations aren’t ones in the form of
trophies or all-state honors, but instead, they can be found on the front of
her letter jacket.

Holtzen became the first female athlete in at least 20 years to earn 12 varsity letters, which means she lettered on the varsity level in three sports in each of her four years of high school.

In research done by Louisburg Sports Zone, it was unable to find
the last athlete to accomplish the feat, which could mean Holtzen could be the
first Lady Cat to do so. She competed in cross country, basketball and track
and field

The last athlete to come close was in 2001 when Krystal Bowes
earned 10 varsity letters before moving on to a collegiate track career at
Wichita State.

“The biggest thing that it means to me is to just have an
opportunity to participate in three sports at a school like Louisburg,” Holtzen
said. “The bigger the school that you go to, the harder it is to play multiple
sports at the varsity level and I think Louisburg is unique in that fact. The
best part of this whole journey was I think my freshman year because there was
no pressure and no one was expecting anything from me. It was surprising and
exciting to be able to letter in all three sports.”

Holtzen is currently at
Northern Iowa, where she received a scholarship to pole vault for the Panther
Track and Field Team.

7.
Dixon earns All-American, Player of the Year honors, signs with Kansas State

Louisburg
senior Anna Dixon led the Lady Cat volleyball program all season and she was recognized
for her play on the court.

Dixon was named to the Under Armour Volleyball All-American team as she received a spot on the honorable mention squad when the list was released in November.

Dixon, the 6-foot-3 outside hitter, was recently named the Class 4A Player of the Year by the Kansas Volleyball Association, and along with that was also selected to the all-state first team.

It was the second year in a row Dixon was named player of the
year, as she had to share the honor last season with Rose Hill’s Gracie Van
Driel.

The honors certainly didn’t stop there as Dixon was
all named to the All-Frontier League first team as she helped guide the Lady
Cats to an undefeated league season.

Dixon led the Lady Cats in kills with 584 in 105 sets
played. She also finished with 325 digs, as she played all six rotations and
also had 50 aces and 42 blocks.

In her four years with the program, Dixon finished
with 2,003 kills, which would place that total among the best the school has
ever seen.

All that success resulted in a dream come true for Dixon as she made it official last November when she signed to play volleyball at Kansas State.

“I have always known Kansas State was going to be my
home,” Dixon said. “Even since I committed as a sophomore, I always wanted to
go up to Manhattan and see the girls and spend time with the team. K-State is where
I need to be.”

6. Louisburg wrestling sends six to state, Holtzen
earns first state medal

SALINA – As the final
whistle sounded in his blood round match, Cade Holtzen looked up into the
rafters of the Tony’s Pizza Events Center and smiled.

He had finally reached
his goal.

Holtzen defeated Columbus’ Gabe Porter by a 6-0 decision Saturday during the Class 4A Kansas State Wrestling Championships in Salina and secured his state medal.

“It is one of the best
feelings that I have had in my life,” Holtzen said. “Just knowing that I’m
going to place – you just can’t match that with anything else.”

It certainly wasn’t
easy for the Louisburg freshman as he faced a win or go home with nothing
scenario heading into his match with Porter. Holtzen pulled out the victory and
eventually finished sixth overall at 113 pounds to give Louisburg a state
medalist for the third consecutive season.

“It is pretty cool,”
he said. “I have been working for this all season, so to get a state medal is
great. It may not have been as high as I wanted, but any state medal is pretty
amazing.”

Holtzen had a special
year for the Wildcats as he finished with a 45-6 record and broke the school
record for most wins in a single season. He won four different tournaments and
was a Frontier League and regional tournament runner-up.

To add to his resume,
he became only the second freshman in school history to earn state medal –
second to only Austin Hood, who would go on to with three state titles.

Austin Moore finished
one victory shy of earning his first state medal, while Ryan Adams, Thad
Hendrix and Blue Caplinger also picked up wins at the state tournament.

5. Moore, Johnson
finished in top 10 at state cross country, girls qualify for second straight
year

WAMEGO – It was going
to be hard for the Louisburg High School girls cross country team to duplicate
its magical season of 2017.

Not only did the Lady Cats qualify their team for state for the
first time in program history, but they also had a top five finisher in Trinity
Moore.

Fast forward to 2018, Louisburg wasn’t able to match that successful
run – the Lady Cats took it a step further.

Moore, along with freshman Reese Johnson, each had a top 10 finish during the Class 4A Kansas State Cross Country Championships at Wamego Country Club, and it is the first time in school history that two female runners had medaled at a state meet. Louisburg added on to that as the girls finished fifth in the team standings with 154 points, which is also the highest finish in school history.

Moore, who finished
fifth at state a year ago, bested her performance by one place as she took
fourth with one of her better performances of the season. Johnson was right
behind her as she crossed the finish line in sixth.

Shaylor Whitham, Carlee Gassman, Kaitlyn Lewer, Delaney Wright and Kennady Wilkerson were also members of the Lady Cats’ team to run at state. Emily Williams was a member of the regional team that finished second overall.

4. Louisburg track
earns six state medals, Gassman state runner-up in 300 hurdles

WICHITA – Carlee Gassman had broken the Louisburg High School 300-meter hurdle record three different times in 2018 prior to the state track meet.

She picked the perfect time to make it a fourth.

Gassman broke her own school record in the 300 hurdles in May at the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships in Wichita as she ran a time of 45.68 seconds to earn a silver medal as she was the Wildcats’ top performer on the weekend. Andale’s Abby Smarsh, who is a senior, won the event in 44.73.

It was the Louisburg sophomore’s first time competing at the
Kansas meet as she transferred in from Iowa last year, where she qualified for
the state meet there in the 400 hurdles.

Gassman’s medal in the 300 hurdles was just one of six the
Wildcats were able to bring home following the two-day meet. Those six medals
were the most Louisburg has earned since 2011, when the Wildcats combined to
medal in 10 events and the boys won their first team state title.

The 300 hurdles wasn’t the only event Gassman found success in
as she also medaled in the long jump. Gassman, who hadn’t competed in the event
prior to this year, finished fifth with a mark of 17 feet, 0.25 inches.

Isabelle Holtzen
would go on to finish sixth in the pole vault, the boys 4×400 team of Chris
Williams, Blue Caplinger, Ben Wiedenmann and Justin Collins went on to take
seventh. Williams finished eighth in the 400-meter run and Trent Martin medaled
eighth in the boys pole vault.

3. Louisburg
volleyball takes runner-up at state for second straight season

HUTCHINSON – The
feeling was much of the same.

The pride of finishing as a state-runner up was a popular one
among the members of the Louisburg volleyball team. At the same time, the
frustration of taking second in state in back-to-back seasons was just as
prevalent.

Louisburg wasn’t quite sure what to feel following its 25-13 and 25-14 loss to Bishop Miege in the championship game of the Class 4A state tournament Saturday at Hutchinson Sports Arena.

In 2017, the Lady
Cats fell to Rose Hill by two points in the championship match, and fast
forward to the present, they were in the same spot – holding the state
runner-up trophy. It was the 15^th time in
program history that Louisburg finished in the top four at state.

The Lady Cats rattled off four straight wins to start
the tournament, including knocking off No. 1 seed Independence, and defending
state champions Rose Hill and Topeka Hayden. Louisburg then battled back to
defeat Andale in the state semifinals.

“The loss was tough,”
Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “To come so close to a state title two
years in a row, only to come up short is tough. But with that being said, it is
a huge accomplishment for this team to get back to the state championship and
make it two years in a row. Finishing second is nothing to hang our heads on.
Last year’s finish fueled the fire for the team this year, and I challenged the
returning players to use this loss and feeling to fuel them for next year.”

Louisburg has been
one of the more dominant teams in Class 4A in the last decade as the Lady Cats
have made the state tournament seven out of the last nine years and have
finished as a state runner-up on three different occasions, along with several
third and fourth place finishes. They finished 2018 with a 36-9 record.

2. Louisburg girls
soccer advances to title game, has best finish in program history

NORTH NEWTON – The obstacle
seemed insurmountable – and it was.

The Louisburg High School girls soccer team found itself in the
Class 4-1A state championship match in the program’s third year of existence,
but if they wanted to take it another step further, the Wildcats were going to
have to knock the defending state champion of its perch.

Unfortunately, Bishop Miege wasn’t about to be moved.

In a state title game that was played in the sweltering heat in late May at Bethel College, the Wildcats couldn’t stay with the Stags in a 5-0 defeat. It was the third consecutive title for Bishop Miege, while Louisburg earned a state plaque for the first time in its short history.

It was special season for the Wildcats as the night before they knocked off Topeka Hayden, 1-0, in the state semifinals to secure the program’s first state plaque. In 2017, Louisburg both games in its state tournament appearance and finished fourth.

The road to this state
championship appearance has been an interesting one for the Wildcats. More than
three years ago, a group of Louisburg parents and citizens raised enough money
to begin the girls soccer program and fund it for three years.

Louisburg was in the final year of that funding, and while the
program isn’t going away, the team realized they needed to play for more than
themselves.

“We played for the community tonight,” Louisburg senior Bailey Belcher
said after the Hayden win. “We have to remember that when they raised money for
this program, it was just through this year, so I think we owed it to them to
play well. I really think it might have helped with how we played and I think
it was one of the best games we played all season.”

“It is a third-year program
with 41 wins, three regional championships, two state final fours and now a
state runner-up,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said after the title game. “We
just have kids who come in and work their butt off. They are not soft, they
aren’t weak and from top to bottom they are going to work hard.

“We worked hard, but we just played Miege. That is one of the
best teams in the state, and that stinks, but our kids played hard, worked
their tail off and it was a great year. We had people criticize us for how we
got there, but we won games and that really motivated the kids. It got them
fired up to go do something bigger than themselves. I couldn’t be more proud of
they stuck together and what they accomplished.”

1. Football wins 10 straight, takes Frontier League title and regional championship

It had been almost two
months since Louisburg and Piper squared off on the football field in what was
one of the more entertaining games on the Wildcats’ schedule.

Back in early
September, Louisburg left Piper High School with a seven-point win – a victory
that would help propel them to a Frontier League championship and a perfect
regular season.

The two teams squared
off again and the stakes were a bit higher. The game, at least for Louisburg
anyway, was even more exciting.

The Wildcats dominated action from the opening kickoff and never looked back in a 48-0 win over the Pirates. In the process, Louisburg won the school’s first regional championship since 2016 and are off to a 10-0 start for the first time since 2010.

Louisburg advanced to the sectional round where it fell to eventual state champion Bishop Miege, 55-21, and finished its season with a 10-1 record.

It was as season
marked with special moments, including a 28-7 victory over then-undefeated
Paola late in the year to secure a league title.

“Being 10-0 and then having
that first loss of the season was very disappointing,” Louisburg coach Robert
Ebenstein said. “Losing always sucks, but losing in the playoffs and having to
wait until next August is the worst.  At the end of the day, Miege is a
very good team and we did some good things. We got them to fourth down on
multiple drives in the first quarter, we just couldn’t make the plays on
those big downs. Then we got behind a little and started pressing.

“Overall it was a great year.
I am very proud of our guys and excited for them that they were able to get
double digit wins for only the third time since 2000, and there was a
lot of really good football played during that time period. It was a lot
fun to be a part of.”

With all that success, honors
started to roll in for its players as running backs Austin Moore and Blue
Caplinger, along with linemen Brayden White and Kiefer Tucker all earned
all-state honors.

Moore and White went on to be
semifinalists for the Simone Awards and Moore was also selected to participate
in the Kansas Shrine Bowl in the summer of 2019. Ebenstein was also named as
coach of the year by the football coaches association.

Most recently, Moore was
named the Kansas Small-Class Player of the Year and Running Back of the Year by
810varsity.com, while White was named the Small-Class Lineman of the Year.
Ebenstein was also named Kansas Small-Class Coach of the Year by 810 Varsity.

Walking into Scott Hinkle’s office, it doesn’t appear he started a new job two weeks ago.

The moving boxes are mostly gone. His desk is organized with everything in its place, along with a calendar crammed full of upcoming events.

Hinkle is not shy to tell people about his love for the Boston Red Sox. Sitting on one wall are two older chairs from Fenway Park, along other memorabilia.

The one thing that Hinkle hasn’t caught up on is his efforts to get some purple gear. An avid Kansas Jayhawk fan, he hasn’t had need to purchase any purple flair in the past. Seems like that will change shortly as he was hired as the new activities director and assistant principal at Louisburg High School earlier this summer.

“I have been a Jayhawk fan all my life,” Hinkle said. “It will be a little weird to wear purple that is for sure, but I am sure I will get used to it. Before I left my old job, people found out where I was going so they started giving me little gifts with purple on it, like markers and stuff like that. They definitely got a kick out of that.”

Hinkle takes over for Jeremy Holloway, who was promoted to principal at LHS and becomes the third activities director in as many years to take over that spot.

“My wife has family in Kansas City and I have family in Wichita and so we were looking to come this way,” Hinkle said. “I had a couple friends that told me that the Louisburg position had opened up. I had heard of Louisburg a long time ago. I actually coached at Ottawa University in the early 90s and was familiar with the area. I came up, interviewed and here I am. It has obviously worked out well.

“Everyone has been so helpful and friendly and it is a good time to be coming to Louisburg. I am excited to be here.”

Before taking the job in Louisburg, Hinkle had spent the last 22 years in the Liberal school district in a variety of roles. He served as the boys high school basketball coach, along with nine years as an activities director, a year as the head girls basketball coach at the local community college and last year he served as assistant principal at the high school.

Hinkle graduated from Valley Center High School, and went on from there to earn his bachelor’s degree from Friends University, where he played basketball, and his master’s from the University of Kansas.

Basketball has always been a passion for Hinkle, but during his time as activities director at Liberal, he had a chance to learn the life of other sports as well.

“Liberal changed a lot from when I first got there in the mid 90s when they were a football and track powerhouse,” Hinkle said. “There were just athletes galore, but the culture kind of changed. We were really good in soccer and decent in track and volleyball. We still had good kids and good athletes, but it was a big transition as far as sports go when I first got there. My kids grew up there and being involved and being able to watch their events was something that has always appealed to me.

“Basketball has always been in my blood. Other than my nine years as athletic director, I have coached in some capacity and I am a big basketball fan. Obviously, being an athletic director I am just a big sports fan in general.”

Still new in town, Hinkle is still trying to get to know his coaching staff, but he is excited about the situation he is walking into with the Wildcats finishing as state runner-ups in volleyball and girls soccer last season. Several cross country, golf, wrestling and track athletes also earned state medals.

However, if there is one thing he wanted to relay to everyone is that he wants to give his coaches the freedom to run their programs.

“I want to let the coaches, coach,” he said. “I am not going to be the guy that says this is how we did things in Liberal and I am not that type of leader. If it comes to the point where they need some advice, I want to be a resource for them. I don’t want to be someone that is looking for something.

“I have met a few of the coaches. I have let them know that I am here if they need anything. I have stopped by the weight room to speak to a few coaches and some have stopped by to introduce themselves. I am still learning names and faces. We have a coaches meeting on the 10^th and I will see and learn a lot more about them then.”

With all the success the Wildcats had last season in the sports arena, Hinkle is happy to be a part of the LHS family and is learning new things about the town every day.

“I have heard all types of things,” he said. “I have heard they take football pretty seriously here. I know they were state runner-up in volleyball and girls soccer last year and that is an exciting thing to walk into. I think expectations are obviously high in those sports, but I think everyone always has high expectations. I am not going to do anything different than normal and I am just going to sit back and observe for a while and take it all in.”

Hinkle will experience some different things along with his new position. This season, the Frontier League will welcome three new teams – Bonner Springs, Piper and Tonganoxie – and will say goodbye to De Soto.

Another big change will be the postseason formats with several sports as the Kansas State High School Activities Association reshuffled their classification system, eliminating Class 4A-Division II.

“With the changes in the league, the classification system and being a new AD, it is probably a good time to be coming on,” Hinkle said. “The learning curve is going to be the same for all of us.

“I walked into a good situation for scheduling because (Holloway) already had everything all taken care of,” he said. “I think the dynamics of the league are going to change. Liberal’s former girls basketball coach is the coach at Piper and I know a little bit about them. As far as the programs and rivalries, that is something that is going to come with time.”

Even with all the changes in his life – moving, starting a new job, getting to know new faces – Hinkle is ready for what lies ahead and the staff at Louisburg has helped with that transition.

“It has been a whirlwind and it has been information overload,” he said. “It is a lot of the same things I did in Liberal as athletic director, I just haven’t done it for the last five years. Being an assistant principal at Liberal last year, I think, helped me prepare for the principal side.

“People have just gone out of their way to be helpful. From the administration to the custodial staff to the secretaries, everyone has been super helpful. When I was out around town, people have welcomed me and it has been a friendly feel everywhere I have been.”