Louisburg’s Bailey Sarna slides safely into home plate Thursday during game one of the Lady Cats’ doubleheader with Wellsville. The Lady Cats lost both games, 11-10 and 6-5, in Wellsville.

WELLSVILLE – On two different occasions, in two separate games, the Louisburg High School softball team was just a handful of outs away from picking up a win.

Unfortunately for the Lady Cats, those final outs were hard to come by.

Wellsville put together rallies in both games of Thursday’s doubleheader with Louisburg in Wellsville to earn a sweep of the Lady Cats.

In the opener, the Eagles scored twice in the sixth inning for a come-from-behind 11-10 win and then rallied from three runs down in the seventh to take the nightcap over Louisburg, 6-5. The losses gave the Lady Cats a 1-7 record on the season.

“We had our hearts ripped out last Thursday, specifically in game two,” Louisburg coach John Ozier said. “Our record does not reflect the hard work and perseverance this group of young ladies have shown this season. In all but three of our games thus far, we have been right there with a chance to win until the last out was recorded. We continue to battle finishing games.”

Louisburg found a way to rally in game one, despite Wellsville scoring six runs in the bottom of the fifth to break a 3-all tie. The Lady Cats didn’t back down and put together a rally of their own with seven runs in the top of the sixth thanks to several key hits.

Sophomore Shayla Meyer drove home two on a double, while Madison Svoboda, Alyse Moore and Bailey Kern each had RBI singles. Paige Eccher scored on a wild pitch and Bailey Sarna slid safely into home after a groundout by Reilly Ratliff-Becher to give Louisburg a 10-9 lead.

Louisburg sophomore Reilly Ratliff-Becher makes contact with a pitch Thursday in Wellsville.

Wellsville answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to grab lead back and the Lady Cats couldn’t respond in the seventh.

Junior Molly Rison led the Louisburg offense with three hits, including a double and an RBI. Meyer and Lauren Cutshaw both finished with a single and a double, and Meyer had a team-high 3 RBIs. Moore also had a pair of singles for Louisburg.

Meyer started the game for Louisburg and gave up six earned runs and had to work around six Lady Cat errors.

In the nightcap, Louisburg was in prime position to earn a split as it took a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning thanks to its 11 hits and the Lady Cats also took advantage of four Wellsville errors.

Rison led the Lady Cat bats again with three hits, while Moore, Karson Griggs and Svoboda all added two hits. Moore led Louisburg with 2 RBIs, while Meyer, Rison and Svoboda all had RBI hits.

Wellsville came through in the bottom of the seventh with a walk, two singles and two doubles to rally for the one-run win.

Kelsey Higginbotham started for the Lady Cats and pitched six strong innings and gave up just three earned runs before running into trouble in the seventh. Meyer came in for relief but the Eagles put the ball in play to get the walkoff win.

Despite the Lady Cats’ recent skid, they know they have been in a lot of games so far this season and they hope their luck changes soon.

“We are starting to get a few players back from health issues, so that should give us more depth from this point on,” Ozier said. “We are going through some ‘growing pains’ with some players learning new positions or playing at the varsity level for the first time.”

Louisburg will look to try and end its losing skid Tuesday when it hosts Baldwin in its home opener. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m. at Lewis-Young Park.

Junior Molly Rison makes contact with a pitch Tuesday against Eudora in the first game of the doubleheader. Louisburg came up short in both games in a 10-0 and 4-3 loss.

EUDORA – It wasn’t the endings that the Louisburg softball team was looking for Tuesday when it traveled to Eudora.

After falling in a 10-0 loss to start the doubleheader, the Lady Cats jumped out to a 3-run lead in the nightcap, but they couldn’t hang on in a 4-3 loss to the Cardinals.

In the second game, Louisburg got a good start from junior pitcher Kelsey Higginbotham as she pitched a complete game and allowed two earned runs in six innings.

The Louisburg offense did the job behind her early on as it scored two runs in the second, and another in the third, to take a 3-0 lead on RBI singles from Shayla Meyer, Alyse Moore and Higginbotham.

Eudora whittled away at the lead with a run in the third and fourth innings, and eventually took the 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth.

Junior Molly Rison nearly tied the game for Louisburg in the top of seventh with a long drive to centerfield, but the ball died in the cold, windy conditions on the warning track. The Wildcats were unable to threaten after that.

“Game two was a much better performance,” Louisburg coach John Ozier said. “The girls turned in some outstanding plays on defense. It was a heartbreaker at the end of the game to have battled that hard and have no wins to show for it. This is a very resilient group and I anticipate some great things before this season ends.”

Louisburg’s Shayla Meyer makes a pitch Tuesday against Eudora.

Junior Karson Griggs led the Wildcat offense in the nightcap with three hits and Rison added a pair of singles as well. In all, Louisburg accounted for 11 hits and Lauren Cutshaw had the lone extra base hit with a double.

Louisburg (1-5) had a tough time getting much contact against Eudora pitcher Kyla Etter in game one. Etter struck out 10 Louisburg batters and gave up just one hit, which was a single to Meyer.

Meyer started the first game for the Lady Cats, but was hurt by five Louisburg errors in the 10-run loss. Meyer gave up just three earned runs on 11 hits.

“Overall, we were disappointed with our performance in game one,” Ozier said. “We had a number of miscues on defense, giving Eudora four or five outs in a couple of innings. They are a very good team, and took advantage of the opportunities. We faced one of the top pitchers in the league and put some runners on base. We continue to struggle with timely hitting.”

Louisburg will try and get back on the winning track tonight when it travels to Wellsville for a doubleheader. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.

Louisburg’s Karson Griggs scoops up a ground ball during a game earlier this season. The Lady Cats traveled to Prairie View High School on Thursday and left with their first win of the season.

LA CYGNE – The Louisburg High School softball team was staring at the possibility of losing three straight games to start the season.

Down a run in the seventh inning Thursday against Prairie View, the Lady Cats had to get something going offensively. Louisburg got just enough as it scored a run in the seventh to force extra innings, then the Lady Cats exploded for five runs in the ninth for a 6-1 victory over the Buffalos.

Although Louisburg fell 12-7 in the second game of the doubleheader at Prairie View, the Lady Cats were excited to get that first win on the board.

“Even though it is early in the season, we were hungry for a win,” Louisburg coach John Ozier said. “This team has already faced a tremendous amount of adversity with all of the injuries and health issues our players have endured. Our defense and pitching was outstanding in game one. We stranded a number of runners, so we knew it would come down to our last few at bats.”

In the opener, Prairie View broke open a scoreless game in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead, but the Lady Cats would answer right back in the seventh as they were down to their final three outs.

Alyse Moore and Paige Eccher both reached on errors to start the inning and Moore scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly from Shayla Meyer.

The game went into extra innings, but the Lady Cats (1-3) would get things going in the ninth. Meyer scored the go-ahead run on an RBI single and Eccher would later score on a passed ball. Then with the bases loaded, Molly Rison drove in three runs with a double to centerfield.

“When Prairie View scratched across a run in the bottom of the sixth, I felt like our girls demonstrated great composure in our last at bat,” Ozier said. “I was proud of the way we battled into the extra innings and finally got the big hit we were looking for with Molly’s double.”

Along with a pair of RBIs, Meyer gave the Lady Cats the pitching they had been looking for. She pitched all nine innings and Meyer was able to work out of trouble as she gave up just one unearned run on eight hits.

“Shayla did a fantastic job of hitting her spots and showing great composure with runners on base,” Ozier said.

Karson Griggs led the Lady Cat bats in the opener with three hits, including a double. Madison Svoboda also walked twice and scored a run.

Prairie View didn’t waste much time getting going in the nightcap as it scored nine runs in the first five innings, but the Lady Cat offense came to life in the sixth.

Louisburg scored seven runs in the frame as it cut the Prairie View lead to just two, but the Buffalos added three more in the sixth to hold off the rally.

Mistakes hurt the Lady Cats in the nightcap as they committed five errors and gave up 12 hits to the Buffalo offense.

Lauren Cutshaw and Griggs had a big outing at the top of the Louisburg lineup. Griggs finished with a pair of doubles, while Cutshaw recorded a single, a double and 2 RBIs. Eccher and Moore also had RBI hits for Louisburg.

“Game two was equally as frustrating with our inability to push across runs with some timely hitting,” Ozier said. “Through the first five innings we stranded 12 runners. We closed the gap with the tying runs on base, but we ran out of gas and Prairie View pushed across a couple of more runs to end our rally.

“I was extremely proud of how the girls came back in game one, but equally as proud for the comeback in the second game. They stuck together and battled hard.”

Louisburg will try to use some of that momentum today when it travels to Eudora for a doubleheader. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.

Louisburg shortstop Alyse Moore makes a throw to third base to try and catch a Paola runner Thursday during the Lady Cats’ season opener in Paola. The Lady Cats fell in both games of the doubleheader, 15-0.

If it wasn’t bad enough that the Louisburg softball team had to move their home opener to Paola on Thursday, the Lady Cats had to deal with the cold, wind and rain on top of it.

Mother Nature sort of set the mood for how the Lady Cats’ day was going to go.

Paola, one of the best teams in the Frontier League, spoiled Louisburg’s season opener as the Lady Cats fell in a pair of 15-0 losses.

“It was obviously not the way we wanted to start the season,” Louisburg coach John Ozier said. “We ran into a buzzsaw against Paola. Their pitching and hitting really kept us quiet all night. We knew this was going to be a tough game for us, so we walked away with the positives that we could build upon, and resolved to get better in some weaker areas.

“With all of our injuries and health issues we have been plagued with, we are taking on the ‘next girl up’ mentality.”

Louisburg had a tough time getting to Paola starter Jordan Johnson, who pitched both games for the Panthers. Johnson recorded a combined 23 strikeouts in the two contests.

Johnson shutout the Lady Cats in just three innings in the first game, thanks to her offense as Paola scored six runs in the second and eight in the third.

Louisburg got a good performance from starter Kelsey Higginbotham in the nightcap as she gave up four earned runs in six innings and struck out seven. Paola exploded for eight runs in the seventh inning to put the game away.

The Lady Cats will try and get back on track Thursday when they travel to Prairie View for a doubleheader. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.

Louisburg junior Karson Griggs is one of three returning all-Frontier League players from last year as she joins fellow juniors Maddie Svoboda and Molly Rison to lead the Lady Cats this season. Louisburg opens its season Thursday in Paola.

On paper, the Louisburg High School softball team returns several starters from last season’s team that finished with a 10-11 record.

Even with that, the Lady Cats will still feature a lot of youth at many key positions after losing two all-league players, including starting pitcher Allyssa Griggs and catcher Emalee Overbay.

Still, Louisburg brings back three all-Frontier League players in juniors Maddie Svoboda, Karson Griggs and Molly Rison to help bolster the lineup and lead a group of young Lady Cats.

“We currently have 24 girls on the high school squad this year,” Louisburg coach John Ozier said. “We have been able to get outside so far for most practices, which allows us to get in more productive work. We have been working hard on the basics, along with acclimating some of the new and returning players to new/multiple positions.”

Svoboda will be a main fixture in the infield for Louisburg after she earned second team all-league honors last season. She was also one of the top offensive producers as she finished with a .414 average and had 29 hits, nine doubles, a triple, a home run and 11 RBIs.

Louisburg coach John Ozier congratulates Maddie Svoboda after a home run last season.

Karson Griggs could play all over the diamond for Louisburg after earning an honorable mention Frontier League spot last year. Griggs finished with a team-high 32 hits and had a .438 average to go along with eight doubles, a triple and a home run. She was also tied for second on the team with 20 RBIs.

Rison, who will play first base and catcher for Louisburg, also had big offensive numbers last year with a .358 average, three doubles, three home runs and 14 RBIs. She was also named to the honorable mention all-league team a year ago.

Those three players will get a lot of help from several underclassmen. Junior Bailey Kern will see time in the outfield along with sophomores Lauren Cutshaw and Kayla Willey. Cutshaw will also split time with Rison behind the plate.

Senior Skylar Keaton, junior Bailey Sarna, along with sophomores Shayla Meyer, Paige Eccher, August Daniels, Reilly Ratliff-Becher and freshman Alyse Moore could all see time on the varsity stage as well.

“I am looking for some of these girls to step up and really help us this year,” Ozier said. “Whether the girls are playing varsity, junior varsity, or both, we are emphasizing on an everyday basis the importance of playing this game with passion and energy at practice, and eventually in games. Our girls seem to mesh well together and are working hard.”

Louisburg will lack experience on the mound this season as junior Kelsey Higginbotham returns after pitching just handful of games last year. Sarna and Karson Griggs will also compete for time on the Lady Cat pitching staff with Meyer and Daniels.

“They have been working hard to get ready for the season,” Ozier said. “We will see who is able to make the most strides during the season to vie for the most time.”

Even with a lot inexperience, Ozier said he is looking for his team to take another step forward from last year and he is enjoying working with this group of girls.

“We know that we let a few wins get away from us last year, so extra emphasis will be given to bearing down and finishing all games stronger this year,” Ozier said. “Our goals for this year are to work hard in practice, develop a sense of unity among teammates and compete hard. More than anything, we want to walk away from the season with pride and enjoyment.”

The Lady Cats were scheduled to open their season at home against Paola on Thursday, but the doubleheader has been moved to Paola due to wet field conditions at Lewis-Young Park. First pitch is still set for 4:30 p.m.

Having the opportunity to cover Louisburg High School athletics, for what has been almost 10 years now, I have seen a lot of different highs and lows.

I have been lucky enough to cover state championship teams and watched several athletes perform at the highest level. However, this last year has to be one for the record books when it comes to success at Louisburg High School.

For Wildcat athletics, 2017 was a banner year for many reasons.

Louisburg qualified for the state tournament in three different sports – volleyball, girls soccer and boys basketball – and the first two each placed in the top four.

The volleyball team was just a point away from winning the school’s first state title after the Lady Cats finished second to defending state champion Rose Hill, and tied for the best finish in school history.

The Wildcat girls soccer team qualified for the state semifinals in just its second year of existence and suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 loss in the semifinals to eventually take fourth overall.

In boys basketball, the Wildcats qualified for the state tournament for the first time in 12 years despite getting knocked out in the first round by defending state champion Bishop Miege.

Most schools would love to have that success with their athletic programs, but for Louisburg, that was just the tip of the iceberg. As special as the seasons were for those three programs, the Wildcats also thrived in a few other sports.

Louisburg’s cross country program, which has been around for 19 years, had the best season in its history – by far. Not only did the Wildcats have three state medalists for the first time ever, but it had a year that featured the school’s first female league champion in Trinity Moore and the best league finish by a male, Wyatt Reece, who took second.

Tim Smith continued the Wildcat success as he became the school’s first regional cross country champion, and Moore, Reece and Smith each went on to win a state medal. Moore and Smith also set school records for the fastest time.

The Wildcats also qualified the girls team for the first time in school history as Moore, Carlee Gassman, Reilly Alexander, Isabelle Holtzen, Kaitlyn Lewer, Payton Shaffer and Emily Williams took third at regionals and eventually 10th at state.

The Wildcat wrestling team tied a program best by qualifying eight for the state tournament and came back with a medal by Ryan Adams, who finished sixth.

Louisburg’s track and field team persevered and qualified for state in 10 events and had two regional champions in Quinn Rigney and Chris Williams. Isabelle Holtzen and T.J. Dover each brought home their first state track medals.

The boys soccer team was one goal away from making its second consecutive trip to the state semifinals, but their run was halted by a loss to McPherson in state quarterfinals. Still, the Wildcats won a regional title, which was the seventh in team history.

Freshman Calvin Dillon led the Wildcat golf team this past year and recorded the program’s first state medal in more than decade as he took 10th overall.

All these things and more I described in detail when releasing my top 10 stories of the year and what a year it was.

Obviously, I haven’t had a chance to look through all the results, but I can’t imagine a more successful year for LHS when you are talking about athletics. There may have been years in the 70s, 80s and 90s that I don’t know about, but I find it hard to imagine one that tops 2017.

Sure, the 2010-11 school year featured two state championship teams in football and boys track and field and that was a fantastic time to be Wildcat, but as far as calendar years go, 2017 was one to remember.

Even outside the sports world, Louisburg High School put together many great accomplishments as the Wildcat Marching Band was selected to participate in the Tournament of Roses Parade and put on a great show for the nation on New Year’s Day.

Then in October, the FFA Food Science team of Hallie Hutsell, Faith Seuferling, Addie Katzer and Hattie Harris won a national championship, while Hutsell and Seuferling placed second and third in the nation, respectively.

I don’t get a lot of opportunities to cover programs or groups outside the sports world, but these are fantastic accomplishments and deserved to be recognized.

For me, 2017 was a whirlwind. It seemed around every corner, school history was being made and there aren’t many schools around the state that can boast about the successes Louisburg has experienced.

It was an honor for me to cover many of these historic runs in Wildcat history and I hope you all realize how lucky you have it. Louisburg is a school filled with great coaches who care about the student athletes.

Believe me, I know how fortunate I am to be able to be a part of something special and this place is it. If 2018 is half of what 2017 was, it will be a fun ride.

I can’t wait for what 2018 has in store and hopefully you all will follow along to see what these Wildcats can accomplish.

The Kansas High School Activities Association released the classifications for the 2017-18 season on Tuesday morning, and for Louisburg High School, much remains the same.

The Wildcats are currently a Class 4A-Division I program with 532 students, but after this season the classification system will change. Class 4A will get rid of the divisions and 4A will have just 36 schools. Louisburg is still expected to be in 4A for the foreseeable future.

However, several schools across the state made classification changes.

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Arkansas City and Sumner Academy dropped from Class 5A to 4A for the upcoming season, while Galena, Hugoton and Marysville all moved up to 4A. Maize South jumped from 4A to 5A.

Colby , Goodland, Scott City and Haven all dropped from 4A to 3A schools, while McLouth moved up from 2A to 3A.

Hays is currently the largest 4A school with 791 students, followed by Sumner Academy (782), Andover Central (764), Bonner Springs (762) and Arkansas City (757).

Sub-state and regional assignments for the fall season will be released in the coming days.

Emalee Overbay poses for a picture with Kansas coach Sam Ramirez following the Best of the Best USSSA All-State game. Overbay put up a four-hit performance to go along with a double and a pair of RBIs.

Emalee Overbay has played softball for almost as long as she can remember.

Her summers were always filled with nights at the ball park or countless hours of practice. However, her final summer before college turned out to be a memorable one.

Overbay, a 2017 Louisburg High School graduate, was selected to participate in the Best of the Best USSSA All-State Game and represent Team Kansas against Missouri on Aug. 6. She didn’t disappoint as she put together an all-star performance as she finished with four hits, a double, a walk, two RBIs and a run scored.

She was selected to the all-state contest due to her performance earlier in the summer with her team, KC Crossfire.

“It really was a great experience,” Overbay said. “It was an honor to be selected and I met several new friends that I probably wouldn’t have met otherwise. It was a great way to end the summer before I head off to school.”

Although Overbay, the team’s catcher, had a great day at the plate, she also had a learning experience as she caught several different pitchers that are moving on to the college ranks. One of those players was a pitcher from her KC Crossfire team, but she also had to adjust to working with pitchers she had never met before.

It was a useful teaching moment for her as she will have to do the same thing when she reports to her Bethel College team later this week.

“I definitely learned a lot from catching those different pitchers because each of them had their own tendencies and the way they liked to do things,” Overbay said. “I am so grateful for the opportunity and hopefully some of the stuff I learned will carry over to college.”

Overbay will report to Bethel College on Aug. 19 and the transformation into a college softball player will begin. With that will be some nervousness, but this summer provided Overbay with experiences that will keep those emotions to a minimum.

“I was fortunate enough to play in an 18-and-under league this summer and a lot of those girls I went up against had already played in a college for a year,” Overbay said. “I felt that I could hold my own against a lot of the girls so it gives me a lot more confidence as I get ready to play at the next level. I think I am more prepared as well.

“I am a little anxious about it, but I am excited to get to school and start another journey. I definitely couldn’t have done all this without the support of my family and friends and I just want to thank them for helping me along the way.”

Louisburg High School activities director Jeremy Holloway is looking forward to his new position as he starts his 17th year in the USD 416 school district. 

Growing up, Jeremy Holloway wasn’t one to stay in a place for too long.

Holloway spent most of his childhood and young adult life moving from place to place. He wasn’t the type of person who envisioned himself putting down roots.

“I was a constant migrant,” Holloway said.

That was until he moved to Louisburg with his wife Megan. Now instead of a migrant, Holloway is deep-rooted in a town he loves.

It made his decision, almost two months ago, an easy one.

Back in June, Holloway was hired as the new Louisburg High School activities director and assistant principal, following the resignation of former activities director Darin Gagnebin. Holloway, who has spent the last 16 years as a teacher at Louisburg Middle School, is ready for the new challenge.

“I am really looking forward to it,” Holloway said. “I have been here in Louisburg for 17 years. I never lived anywhere for more than four years in my life until I came to Louisburg. I never knew what it was like to be a part of a community and when I got here I just fell in love with the town. I was excited to become a part of it and Louisburg became important to me. The teaching was great and getting to know all the kids and see them grow up all the way through college was fun. Now I see some of my former students teaching in the building here and it is an amazing feeling. It just felt like home to me.”

Fate seemed to step in at the right time for Holloway. He entered the summer still planning to teach history at the middle school, but the dominoes quickly started to fall into place.

Holloway was well on his way to getting his administration degree this past school year as he was planning on holding on to it until something in Louisburg came open. He didn’t have to wait long.

“I had to get recertified, so I talked with my wife and I said why get an education masters if it is just going to move me on the pay scale,” he said. “Why not get an administration degree to have options? There are other places near here that are looking for people, but that isn’t what I want. The only move I would make is to stay in Louisburg. I happened to be down in Eureka Springs on vacation and I got a text in middle of night that Gagnebin had resigned. I had just got my diploma the day before we left. I applied and it turned out well and hopefully it was a good thing.”

Louisburg USD 416 superintendent Dr. Brian Biermann had to sift through more than 20 different applicants for the job, but he believes Holloway is going to do great things in the position.

“Jeremy has been a loyal and dedicated teacher and coach in our community for 17 years,” Dr. Biermann said. “Jeremy possesses many strong leadership attributes that will allow him to be a strong, instructional leader at Louisburg High School. He is passionate about education, has a strong work ethic and is committed to our community.

“Jeremy is all about building positive relationships with students, staff and the community. For 17 years he has been building these relationships. Now, he will be able to build upon his unique skill set in a leadership position in our district. I am excited to see the great things Mr. Holloway can contribute to our district and community in this new role.”

One of the first things Holloway wanted to do was to get to know his new coaching staff. Several new coaches were hired this past school year and he wanted to see what they were all about.

“I just want them to feel comfortable with me and let them understand that I am approachable,” Holloway said. “That relationship piece is huge. I am getting to know where they are from, how many kids they have and I want them to feel comfortable coming to me. We do lose some great experience, but we have gained some capable coaches and a lot of enthusiasm. I just want to be a positive impact for them.”

Since he started officially on July 24, Holloway has been hard at work in several different areas, but one of the bigger things going on now is the shuffling of the Frontier League.

The league, which will be at seven schools this year, will move up to nine starting for the 2018-19 school year. Bonner Springs, Tonganoxie and Piper will join the league, while De Soto will depart.

Baldwin, an original league member, is concerned the school will move down to Class 3A starting in 2018-19, thanks to changes in the classification system. If it happens, it will create scheduling conflicts for football.

“The biggest conflict right now is Baldwin is right on the edge of becoming 3A and they think it will happen,” Holloway said. “If Baldwin is in our league, which is what we plan on, they are required to play five district games for football, which only leaves them three league games. If only three league teams play Baldwin, then the rest of the league teams have to find another team to play. I have schools from Lansing, Independence, Coffeyville, Chanute and other schools calling me trying to lock up games. There are so many different scenarios so we just have to wait and see. That is one thing that I am really working on right now.”

With the activity season fast approaching, Holloway is excited for everything to get underway. He is also looking forward to getting to know the fan base more.

“I have always been highly impressed of Louisburg and the support of its teams and the turnout we will get, especially for football games,” Holloway said. “I encourage Louisburg to continue the tradition of being a class act. I think that every town has its own culture and a lot of it starts with the coaches. If your coaches are harassing refs, your players are probably going to start to learn that they can do that and that will trickle down to the parents and crowd. Without pointing fingers, there are certain places where that is the climate. I think Louisburg has been great. There are always going to be situations, but I would encourage fans and parents to support our coaches and let them coach.

“I am looking forward to an exciting year. We have great coaches, that are experienced and they are very innovative. They are organized and they all seem truly excited about what is going on. The community can rest assured that the coaches that are in place right now have the best interest of the kids and the programs.”

The Louisburg High School football team was one of many bright spots for LHS athletics this past school year. 

We live in a world where, especially in sports, we often don’t take time to reflect on our accomplishments – and instead we are in a rush to move on to the next set of obstacles.

In reality, we are in a “what have you done for me lately” society and sometimes don’t remember, or enjoy, those special moments where our hard work has paid off.

Yes, I understand you don’t want to relish in those accomplishments as that doesn’t make you a better athlete, or whatever your specialty may be, but not taking the time to enjoy the ride can be detrimental.

And what a ride it was for Louisburg High School athletics this past season.

The Wildcats had a special year in several sports, and before we focus on the 2017-18 campaign, we should look back at what the 16-17 season brought us. Just take a look at what these Wildcats accomplished.

• There is probably no better place to start than the Louisburg soccer teams. Both the boys and girls teams earned spots in the state semifinals for the first time in program history and both finished fourth. The boys team made it to state for the first time in their 14 years, while the girls advanced to the state tournament in just their second season. 
  

  The Louisburg High School girls soccer team finished fourth in the state in just their second season. The Wildcat boys also finished fourth as they advanced to the state semifinals for the first time in program history.

• It was quite the season for the Wildcat boys basketball team as they advanced to the state tournament for the first time since 2005. Louisburg won its sub-state tournament with a 64-52 win over Fort Scott in the championship game.
  

  The Louisburg boys basketball team qualified for state for the first time since 2005.

• The Louisburg football team made quite the run in the 2016 season. The Wildcats won their first playoff game since 2012 and earned a regional title in the process with a win over Independence. Even though their season came to an end in the next round to eventual state champion Bishop Miege, the Wildcats’ still finished with an 8-3 record.
• Wrestling had another big season as the Wildcats qualified eight for the Class 4A state tournament in Salina. Although Ryan Adams was the lone state medalist, as he finished sixth overall at 138 pounds, the Wildcats tied a school record for number of state qualifiers that was set back in 1984.
• In cross country, the Wildcats sent three runners to the state meet and had their first state medalist since 2006 when freshman Trinity Moore finished 19th overall, as she, Wyatt Reece and Tim Smith competed at the Wamego meet. Moore was also the school’s first female runner to earn a state medal.
• Freshman golfer Calvin Dillon became the Wildcats’ first state medalist in several years as he finished 10th at the Class 4A state tournament and was one of two Wildcats, along with Ty Martin, to qualify for state. Dillon could quite possibly be the first freshman golfer in school history to get a medal, but since golf stats aren’t quite as well kept, it is hard to tell for sure.
• T.J. Dover and Isabelle Holtzen came through with state medals of their own following the state track meet. Holtzen finished seventh at the Class 4A meet in the pole vault and Dover was eighth in the discus as both medaled for the first time. Holtzen also broke the school record in the pole vault earlier in the season after she cleared 11 feet, 1 inch.
• The girls basketball and softball teams both had big improvements from a season ago as they each reached 10 wins despite falling in the first round of their sub-state and regional tournaments. Softball doubled their win total from 2016, while the girls basketball team improved by seven victories.
• The Louisburg volleyball team advanced to the sub-state championship game against rival Paola and was just a few points away from advancing to its fifth consecutive state tournament. The Lady Cats also finished the season with 23 victories.

Most schools across the state would love to have the kind of success Louisburg experienced this year and to me that doesn’t seem like it is talked about enough.

Sometimes we get caught up in losses or not meeting expectations, when in fact, compared to a lot of schools, Louisburg exceeds expectations – at least it does mine.

Could these programs be better? Sure they could and the coaches would be the first to tell you. At the same time, we all need to take a step back, look at the big picture and enjoy the success we have.

To me, Louisburg athletics is as healthy as it has been in a long time.

A lot has been made about all the coaches that have left recently. Louisburg will have four new head coaches this upcoming school year and several new assistants.

Some people have considered this a mass exodus due problems at the school. It couldn’t be further from the truth. A lot of it is just coincidence. For some it was retirement, others wanted to spend more time with family and a few more just wanted a change.

Former activities director Darin Gagenbin left to be closer to his family and work in the town where he lives. I know all about how great of an opportunity that is and it is the same thing I did almost 10 years ago when I moved here with my family. Working in the town you live in is something you can’t put a value on.

Louisburg found a great replacement in Jeremy Holloway, who has been with the district for 17 years and is invested in the community. The school has also brought it a lot of new, young coaches that have come in with excitement and new ideas.

It is bittersweet for me as a lot of those coaches I had a chance to get to know really well are now gone. Although I am mainly a solo operation, I consider a lot them my co-workers and it stinks to see them move on, but I also know they are doing the best for themselves and their families.

The same could be said for the class of 2017. The group of seniors I worked with this past year were great to get to know, just like all the senior classes before them.

I appreciated all their support and what I do could not be done without those kids. It is great to see them grow up and watch them become successful outside the classroom. I am not a teacher or coach, but still appreciate all they accomplish.

With 2016-17 in the rear view mirror, it will soon be time to focus on the upcoming season and I couldn’t be more excited to see what accomplishments this group of Wildcats have in store. It has all the makings of a fun and special year.