KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Louisburg girls swim saw its state qualification list grow quite a bit this past week and that included a pair of relays.

At the Turner Invitational on Tuesday, the Wildcat quartet of Sabra Brueggen, Janie Harth, Cadence Weichert and Ella Bockelman qualified for state in the 400-yard freestyle relay after they finished second in the event in 4 minutes and 9.80 seconds. They shave five seconds off their previous personal best time.

A week earlier, the same four swimmers competed at the Blue Valley Northwest dual and qualified another relay. They finished second in the 200 medley relay in 2:07.38.

Brueggen also qualified for state in the 50 freestyle at Blue Valley Northwest as she took first in 26.54 seconds.

At Turner, Brueggen won the 200 freestyle in a season-best time of 2:05.79 to earn a state bid in the event. She did the same in the 100 butterfly as she took second in 1:05.23.

The Louisburg group is also close to qualifying a third relay as they earned a state consideration time in the 200 freestyle relay at Turner with a first place finish of 1:54.49.

“We are so proud of Sabra for her continued state qualifications and new personal best times,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “We are also proud of those Louisburg relays. We have discussed many times that on paper their times should add up to a qualifying time, but each swimmer has to do their part to coordinate that great race. 

“The 200 relay continues to improve but that magical moment hasn’t landed just yet. We mixed up the traditional order of swimmers for the 400 relay at Turner, and boy, did that magic show up. A state qualifying leadoff leg, followed by all new PRs all around, was a recipe for a great time. The excitement on their faces after was priceless and they are ready to zip up all three relays for state.”

The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill team finished third overall as team in what was a challenging Turner meet. They recorded 32 new personal best times.

Harth finished second in the 50 freestyle in 27.71 seconds and was third in the 100 freestyle in a new personal best time of 1:02.79. Bockelman also took third in the 100 backstroke in a personal best time of 1:15.55.

Weichert finished fifth in both the 200 freestyle and 50 freestyle.

The Miami County team lost the dual to Blue Valley Northwest last week, 503-433, but earned 38 new personal best marks. 

Bockelman finished second in the 200 freestyle and fourth in the 100 backstroke. Harth was fourth in the 200 individual medley. 

Weichert took second in the 100 butterfly and was sixth in the 100 backstroke.

On Wednesday, the team concluded what was a busy week with a meet at Topeka-Hayden and took fourth with just six swimmers. Harth led the Louisburg side with a runner-up finish in the 100 butterfly and was third in the 100 backstroke.

The team is back in action this Tuesday at the Topeka West Invitational. 

OSAWATOMIE — In what was its first traditional meet of the season, the Louisburg girls swim team already punched its ticket in a couple different events.

Louisburg junior Sabra Brueggen qualified for the state meet in two events as she helped the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill team to a fourth place finish in its home meet last Wednesday at the OZone in Osawatomie.

The team finished with 357.5 points to take fourth as Piper won the meet with 455. Fort Scott was second with 392.

“We had 51 personal best times and every single one of our 17 girls bested their times,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. 

Brueggen earned a pair of first place finishes as she won the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2 minutes and 19.51 seconds.

She also finished first in the 100 breaststroke in 1:13.79 and qualified for state in both events. Brueggen also led the 400 freestyle relay of Cadence Weichert, Camden Strickland and Ella Bockelman to a second place finish in 4:11.

Louisburg junior Janie Harth put together a strong showing as she finished second in the 50 freestyle in a personal best time of 27.46. It was more than second better than her previous best mark and earned her a state consideration time in the process.

Harth would also finish third in the 100 breaststroke in 1:28. Weichert was third in the 500 freestyle in a time of 6:46, which was 13 seconds better than her previous best time. She was also fourth in the 200 freestyle with a personal best of 2:27.

Bockelman, a freshman, had a pair of fifth place finishes in the 200 IM and 100 backstroke. Another freshman, Talen McMurray, was ninth in the 200 freestyle.

The Miami County team is back in action Tuesday as it travel to the Blue Valley Northwest Invitational. Events begin at 4 p.m.

For the second year in a row, the Louisburg girls swim team ended its season at the state meet and the Wildcats are primed to make a run at a third straight.

Louisburg, which competes on a co-op team with Osawatomie, Paola and Spring Hill, has earned state medals the last two seasons thanks to junior Sabra Brueggen.

The Wildcats return Brueggen, along with juniors Cadence Weichert and Janie Harth, who completed in relays at state a year ago. They will be joined by freshmen Ella Bockelman and Talen McMurray.

It is a small, but experienced group as Louisburg hopes it can finish the season with some state hardware.

“Cadence and Janie are showing stronger in the pool already,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “We’ve had some inter-squad time trials and these two ladies are quickly approaching their season best from the end of their sophomore seasons. Both ladies have times that are close to the state consideration bar, so we will be pushing to see those times come into reach.  

“Louisburg also brings in two exciting freshman swimmers, Ella and Talen. Both of these ladies bring swim experience and are stepping into their individual events well and setting up the all-Louisburg relays with a great chance for another state berth.”

Brueggen is the most experienced Wildcat. After earning a state medal her freshman season, she responded last year with sixth place finish in the 100-yard backstroke and was eighth in the 50 freestyle.

“Sabra returns to the high school pool with a great offseason experience behind her,” Argeropoulos said. “She is in top form and we are hopeful for a spectacular season. As the season progresses, we believe she will qualify for state in numerous individual events and lead her relay partners to state times as well.  

“She should have her pick of events in postseason competition again and we look forward to seeing her hard work pay off.  We really cannot say enough about this athlete’s work ethic and dedication to her craft.”

Spring Hill, which joined the co-op team this season, will feature nine swimmers, including junior Maryanne McNally and freshman Camden Strickland.  

Paola has two swimmers, including returner Elsie Blackmore and Osawatomie has one on the roster.

“The ladies are getting to know one another and working hard,” Argeropoulos said. “We are focusing on strength and stamina this season and our workouts have been geared towards building and developing the skills we will need for a successful season.”

Louisburg will begin its 2024 campaign Saturday when the Wildcats travel to Lansing. Events begin at noon.

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week 10 of the winter sports season, sponsored by Landmark National Bank.

COLTON PRETTYMAN, JUNIOR, SWIMMING

Louisburg junior Colton Prettyman helped the Wildcat boys swim team to an historic finish last Saturday the Class 5-1A state meet in Topeka. Prettyman and the 200 medley relay team of Colin Brown, Andrew Jamison and Noah Sharp medaled sixth overall as they shaved more than five seconds off their personal best time. The four Wildcat swimmers also finished ninth in the 200 freestyle relay.

Prettyman also swam individually in the 50 freestyle, made the consolation finals and took 13th overall in a season best time of 23.35 seconds. He also competed in the 100 breaststroke at state. Prettyman scored points in three events and helped Louisburg to an eighth place team finish.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the winter season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous Winners:

Week 1: Myles Vohs

Week 2: Andrew Jamison

Week 3: Nathan Parker

Week 4: Elias Pugh

Week 5: Ashton Moore

Week 6: Colin Brown

Week 7: Ashlyn Kuhlman

Week 8: Brady Hickey

Week 9: Leola Eslinger

TOPEKA — The Louisburg boys swim program is still relatively new compared to other teams around the state, but the Wildcats made its presence felt Friday and Saturday at the Class 5-1A state meet in Topeka.

Louisburg had its best postseason finish in its young history as the Wildcats finished eighth overall in the team standings with 104 points thanks in part to just four swimmers.

Two of those athletes — Colin Brown and Andrew Jamison — each brought home individual medals. Brown, Jamison, Colton Prettyman and Noah Sharp also medaled in the 200-yard medley relay.

“This year felt like a whole new experience from last year,” Jamison said. “From me making it into an ‘A’ Final and our medley relay making it to an ‘A’ final, brought the competition to a whole new level. Everything felt more intense and felt like we had more pressure on us to preform well but it was still a fun and overall positive experience. Getting the team into the top eight with only 4 swimmers was a big accomplishment for us especially going up against teams that have up to three times as many people.”

Almost every time a Louisburg swimmer hit the pool, whether it was in the preliminaries or the final, a new personal best time was recorded.

That was certainly the case for Brown, who was the team’s lone returning state medalist from a year ago as a freshman. He was able to triple his medal count this season.

Brown competed in the 100-yard butterfly and finished fourth overall with a personal best time of 53.84 seconds, which was nearly two seconds better than his seed time.

He did the same in the 100 backstroke as he medaled fifth in 55.53 seconds, which was another personal best.

“I am very satisfied with how I did in both of my individual events,” Brown said. “They were both personal records and I had a lot of fun swimming both of them. To medal for a second straight year, not only in one event this year but two was a surreal feeling that I hope to repeat next year.”

Jamison also picked up two individual medals after making the consolation finals last year as a freshman. 

He shaved two seconds off his personal best time in the 200 individual medley to take fifth in the finals after finishing seventh in the prelims. 

Jamison then went on to take sixth in the 100 breaststroke in 1 minute and 1.88 seconds, which was another personal best time by more than a second.

“I was very pleased with my races this past weekend,” Jamison said. “My 200 IM exceeded my expectations in time and placement. My 100 breaststroke goal this season was a 59, and that was a very tough goal, but I am still pleased with what I swam. 

“Getting a medal individually was a really cool experience. It did add a lot of pressure in prelims to secure that ‘A’ final spot and once I did there was a moment of relief, but then the pressure of preforming set in. Even with all that it was still an amazing experience I will never forget.”

The Wildcats started the meet by competing in the 200 medley relay, and it set the stage for what was to come.

Brown, Jamison, Prettyman and Sharp shaved more than five seconds off their seed time to medal sixth overall in 1:42.93, after finishing seventh in the prelims.

The quartet nearly medaled in another relay, but just missed out in the 200 freestyle as they took ninth in a personal best time of 1:34.66.

“The relay swims were probably my favorite part of the meet, and to be in the first relay to make an ‘A’ final in Louisburg history is an honor,” Brown said. “With everyone in the relay returning next year I am hoping for even better results.”

Although he didn’t reach the medal stand, Prettyman still scored team points for Louisburg. He made the consolation finals in the 50 freestyle and finished 13th overall in 23.35, which was another personal best.

He also competed in the 100 breaststroke and took 20th in 1:07.50.

Other members of the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill team competed at state. Osawatomie’s Luke Hebert finished 15th in the 50 freestyle and 16th in the 100 butterfly.

Paola’s Landen Terflinger was 21st in the 200 freestyle and 23rd in the 50 freestyle. Spring Hill’s Dylan Mabe was 19th in the 100 backstroke.

Louisburg sophomore Andrew Jamison swims the butterfly last week during the 200 individual medley at the Independent League Championships in Osawatomie.

OSAWATOMIE — The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill boys swim team had the perfect ending to its regular season schedule.

The Miami County team rolled to a league championship at the Independent League Meet on Wednesday at the Ozone in Osawatomie. It was a meet that featured state qualification times or improvements on previous state marks.

The squad won the 9-team meet with 375 points and Fort Scott was second with 281. It captured five individual events and also won two relays, while recording 45 new best times.

With all that success, coach Mary Argeropoulos was named the ILC boys coach of the year.

“Each and every swimmer really had a great meet at league and the energy was contagious,” Argeropoulos said. “This OzPaLouSpri team is a force to be reckoned with and they combine natural talent with all the hard work that it takes to excel at their level. Our non-state attenders tapered really well and the time cuts show their dedication throughout the season. The state swimmers made some strategic moves to get ready for state seeding and are in full swing for state at this moment.”

Louisburg sophomores Colin Brown and Andrew Jamison each came home with a pair of league titles. 

Brown was the league champion in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1 minute and 53.38 seconds. He also captured the 100 backstroke crown going away in 57.10 seconds.

As for Jamison, he won the 200 individual medley in 2:06.85. He also finished first in the 100 breaststroke in 1:03.31.

Junior Colton Prettyman won a league title in the 50 freestyle in 23.65 seconds. He was also a league runner-up in the 100 breaststroke.

The Miami County team also won a pair of relays as Brown, Jamison, Prettyman and Osawatomie’s Luke Hebert took first in the 200 medley relay in 1:42.

Paola’s Landen Terflinger joined Louisburg’s Noah Sharp, Prettyman and Jamison to win the 200 freestyle relay in 1:37.05.

Sharp and fellow Louisburg swimmer Brock Delmez took fifth and seventh in the 100 freestyle, respectively. Delmez was also fifth in the 200 freestyle.

Hebert was the fourth individual to win a league tile as he finished first in the 100 butterfly in 57.16 seconds. Hebert (50 freestyle), along with Terflinger (200 freestyle) and Spring Hill’s Dylan Mabe (200 IM) also earned state qualification times as well.

Louisburg swim will be well represented at the Class 5-1A state meet that will be held Friday and Saturday in Topeka.

Brown, a returning state medalist, will compete in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstrokes. Jamison will compete in the 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley. 

Prettyman will join Jamison in the 100 breaststroke and will also compete in the 50 freestyle.

The Wildcat team of Brown, Prettyman, Jamison and Sharp will try for a medal in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays.

Hebert (50 free, 100 butterfly), Terflinger (200 freestyle, 50 free) and Mabe (200 IM, 100 backstroke) will also take part at the state meet for their respective schools.

Events begin at 9 a.m. on Friday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium in Topeka-Hummer Sports Park.

“We are so pumped to be taking such a large core group for competition at state,” Argeropoulos said. “These athletes set high goals for themselves at the beginning of the season and they have kept focus from day one.  Our goal is always to be our best when it counts the most and we are so proud of the preparation each and every swimmer has put into practice each day.”

Osawatomie’s Luke Hebert won the 100-yard butterfly last Tuesday at the Bonner Springs Invitational.

BONNER SPRINGS — The season may be getting closer to the end for the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill boys swim team, but it is putting together the best times of the season.

That continued last Tuesday as the Miami County team competed at the Bonner Springs Invitational. It won the 6-team meet going away with 478 points and Topeka-Seaman was second with 394.

As a team, it recorded 27 personal best times from 11 different swimmers in what was the boys’ final meet before the Independent League Championships.

“Our ‘new-to-swim’ athletes are smashing through their events in amazing fashion,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “The time drops with this group are truly amazing. These gentlemen have set themselves up well for success this season and we are truly having fun as a team. We are looking for a strong team performance at the league championships next week and a powerful drive to state the following week.”

One Louisburg swimmer added another state qualifying time to his resume. Sophomore Andrew Jamison earned a state bid in the 500-yard freestyle as he finished first in 5 minutes and 27.28 seconds. He also finished first in the 200 individual medley in 2:11.

Colin Brown, another Louisburg sophomore, also had a pair of first place finishes. Brown won the 200 freestyle in 1:55 and the 100 backstroke in 58.28.

Louisburg junior Colton Prettyman also won an individual event as he took first in the 100 breaststroke in 1:09 and was fourth in the 50 freestyle in 25.02 seconds.

Louisburg freshmen Noah Sharp and Brock Delmez also competed for the Wildcats. Sharp was sixth in the 50 freestyle and Delmez was eighth in the 200 freestyle.

The Louisburg quartet of Brown, Prettyman, Jamison and Sharp won the 200 medley relay in 1:52 and also took first in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:39.75.

Paola’s Landen Terflinger won the 50 freestyle in 24.04 seconds and was second in the 500 freestyle in 5:37.

Osawatomie’s Luke Hebert won the 100 butterfly in 59.08 seconds and took fourth in the 100 backstroke.

Spring Hill’s Dylan Mabe finished second in the 100 breaststroke and third in the 100 freestyle.

“We are really having a great season this year,” Argeropoulos said. “Each and every one of our swimmers have made strides of improvement and are smashing the expectations that are set for them.  Colin and Andrew are leading the team with amazing state qualifying and consideration times.  Colton and Luke have each qualified one event and are working hard to pull in a second event for state. Dylan and Landen are right there with their consideration times and have big goals set for themselves.”

The Miami County team will host the league championship meet this Wednesday at the Ozone in Osawatomie. Events are slated to begin at 4 p.m.

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week six of the winter sports season, sponsored by Landmark National Bank.

COLIN BROWN, SOPHOMORE, SWIMMING

Louisburg sophomore Colin Brown is already building on what was an historic season a year ago. Brown has recorded seven state qualification times so far this season and that seventh one came last Wednesday at the team’s home meet. Brown won the 50-yard freestyle and qualified for state in 23.22 seconds. He also finished first in the 100 backstroke, in which he bettered his previous state qualification time.

Brown was a part of the 200-yard medley and 400 freestyle relays that took first as well. He also helped all three Louisburg relays to state qualification times earlier this season. In all, Brown has qualified for state in the 200 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 500 freestyle and has a state consideration time in the 100 breaststroke.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the winter season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous Winners:

Week 1: Myles Vohs

Week 2: Andrew Jamison

Week 3: Nathan Parker

Week 4: Elias Pugh

Week 5: Ashton Moore

OSAWATOMIE — The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill boys swim team has had good start to its season and that continued in the beginning of 2024.

The Louisburg swimmers racked up more state qualification and personal best times in their last two meets, including a team victory at home Wednesday in Osawatomie.

The Miami County team won the six-team meet going away with 457 points and Fort Scott was second with 290.

Louisburg sophomore Colin Brown continued to improve his state meet resume as he qualified for another event. Brown won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.22 seconds and punched his ticket for state.

Brown also improved his state qualification time in the 100 backstroke as he won with a time of 58.87 seconds. He has now qualified in seven of the eight individual events. Brown has will also be a part of a couple relays as well.

Junior Colton Prettyman won the 100 freestyle in 53.14 seconds, which improved his previous state consideration time. 

Sophomore Andrew Jamison won the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.70 and Prettyman was second at 1:08. Jamison also took third in the 50 freestyle.

Freshman Brock Delmez also scored points for Louisburg as he finished fourth in the 100 backstroke. 

The Miami County team also won three relays. Brown, Jamison, Prettyman and Paola’s Landen Terflinger took first in the 200 medley relay.

Jamison, Prettyman, Spring Hill’s Dylan Mabe and Osawatomie’s Luke Hebert won the 200 freestyle relay, while Hebert, Terflinger, Mabe and Brown took first in the 400 freestyle relay.

Hebert also went on to win the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly.

To begin 2024, the Miami County team traveled to Olathe Northwest on Jan. 11 for a quad with Blue Valley Southwest and Olathe West.

The team left with 28 new personal best times and earned state qualification times in three events.

Prettyman qualified for state in the 100 breaststroke as he won the event in 1:08.23. 

Brown joined him as he punched his ticket for state in the 100 freestyle as he took second with a qualifying time of 51.71.

A mixed 200 freestyle relay of Terflinger, Jamison, Prettyman and Brown won in 1 minute and 36 seconds to also produce a state time.

Jamison went on to finish second in the 100 backstroke and third in the 100 freestyle and he earned state consideration times in both events. Prettyman also had a fourth place finish in the 50 freestyle. 

Osawatomie’s Hebert earned a state consideration time in the 100 backstroke after his third place finish.

It was a successful, and eventful, 2023 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 a few programs brought back state hardware.

Below are the top stories from 2023, along with a brief explanation of each. Included in the writeup is the link to the actual story from the event.

When putting the list together, I took a lot of things into account – whether it was team vs. individual, popularity of the sport, historical achievements and the interest it drew on the web site.

This year was a blast to cover and I am looking forward to seeing what 2024 will bring. Thank you to everyone for their support and can’t wait for it all to begin again.

10. Brings Plenty earns first state cross country medal

WAMEGO — Jerynce Brings Plenty had being eyeing this race since the beginning of the season.

After missing out on the opportunity to run at the Class 4A Kansas State Cross Country Championships in 2022 due to an injury, Brings Plenty was itching at the chance to run against the state’s best.

He got that opportunity at the Wamego Country Club and he took full advantage.

Brings Plenty earned his first state cross country medal as he took 12th overall in a time of 16 minutes and 57 seconds. It has been a long time coming for the Louisburg junior.

“Getting 12th place and a state medal meant everything to me,” Brings Plenty said. “All season my main focus was to place as high as I could at state, especially since I had only placed 51st as a freshman and didn’t race my sophomore year.”

The 2023 season was a successful one for Brings Plenty as he earned a medal in every race he finished. He also moved up the school’s all-time leaderboard and currently holds the second fastest time.

9. Brueggen wins two state swim medals; Brown earns first boys state medal

Sabra Brueggen and Colin Brown put together a pair of historic seasons for their respective swim teams in 2023.

Brueggen doubled her medal count back in May at the state meet at the Capitol Federal Natatorium in Topeka. The Louisburg sophomore earned state medals in both the 100-yard backstroke and 50 freestyle.

After earning the one medal as a freshman a year ago, Brueggen was happy to find the medal stand in both races this season.

However, it has been a long road for Brueggen to get back to the state meet. After suffering a knee injury last summer, she had to work hard to get back in time for this go-round in a recovery that lasted nine months.

“Going into high school swim this season, I only had one personal goal in mind, making it back to finals at state,” Brueggen said. “Little did I know that I was going to make it back to the ‘A’ final in both my events, allowing me to medal. This truly meant the world to me because this past year has been one of the toughest ones yet. Overcoming this nine month long recovery, and accomplishing this at state, was an indescribable feeling.”

As for Brown, the Wildcat freshman earned the school’s first state medal in boys swimming back in February at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center in Lenexa. 

Brown recorded a time of 56.46 seconds in the finals of the 100-yard butterfly to take eighth overall. He swam a season-best time of 55.85 in the preliminaries to garner a spot in the finals.

“Colin’s swim in the medal finals was so fun to watch,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “Hardware from state is not easy to earn and he did a marvelous job all season working toward that final.”

In all, Louisburg sent four swimmers to the state meet in Brown, Brayton Brueggen, Colton Prettyman and Andrew Jamison and the Wildcats turned in several times that earned spots in the consolation finals. As team, the Wildcats finished 15th overall with 44 points.

8. Cheer takes fourth at state

TOPEKA — Louisburg cheer has been no stranger to the big stage when it comes to the state competition.

The Wildcats have become a mainstay in the Class 4A Game Day Spirit Showcase in the last several years that has included a state championship and a pair of state runner-up finishes.

Louisburg found itself in position for another state plaque in November at the Stormont-Vail Events Center in Topeka. The Wildcats qualified for the finals with an impressive performance, but came up just short of another state plaque as they took fourth overall in Class 4A.

“I am so proud,” Louisburg coach Breanna Kostroske said. “This team had to welcome not one, but two new coaches and has worked so hard since May on their competition material and it truly showed on the floor Saturday. Being a new coach you are automatically stressed that you haven’t given enough to all aspects of a game day routine, but we put our faith in the team and they showed up and truly represented themselves in a huge way.”

Members of the Louisburg cheer team are: Elizabeth George, Brooklyn Harmon, Addison Drake, Maddie O’Keefe, Maddy Carpenter-Ross, Caroline Dugger, Anna Brizendine, Reece Jones, Addie Vargo, Laney Stohs, Taryn Osborn, Kayleigh Ramsey, Will Leach, Brooklyn Roney, Harper Boyle, Kimmie Powls, Reece Younggren and Reese Anderson. The Wildcats are coached by Breanna Kostroske and Heather Brummel.

7. Pfannenstiel takes AD position, Wildcat basketball hires new coach Ben Doll

The 2023-24 school year for Louisburg High School activities had little different look to it — especially at the top.

Ty Pfannenstiel was hired as the school’s new activities director and took over for Michael Pickman, who will focus on his assistant principal duties and curriculum. 

Pfannenstiel, who has been the boys basketball coach for the last six years, resigned his post to take on the activities director position. He also stepped down as an assistant football coach.

“This is very exciting for me,” Pfannenstiel said. “It’s definitely going to be a change. I have been a teacher and a coach for 18 years. I still get to be a teacher half-time, and now I get to step into a new role as an administrator. It is going to be all sports and activities and I am looking forward to the new direction.”

Louisburg then hired Ben Doll to replace Pfannenstiel as the new Wildcat boys basketball coach. Doll has patrolled the sidelines as an assistant for two state championship teams and has coached in numerous state tournaments over his 24 year career.

This is Doll’s first head coaching position after spending time as an assistant at St. Thomas Aquinas, Johnson County Community College, Lansing and Blue Valley North.

“I am really excited to get going,” Doll said. “It has been a long time coming. I have a lot of great experiences and I am ready to apply those things I have learned into this job. I am ready to put my own stamp on some stuff as well.”

6. Wrestling qualifies six for state, Eslinger medals

SALINA —  Just like a year ago, Elijah Eslinger found himself one win away from a spot in the state championship match.

Eslinger, who has been ranked in Class 4A at different times throughout the season, has had a long road as a Wildcat heavyweight. One that included a rough freshman year, to progressively getting better.

With a spot in the semifinals at the Class 4A Kansas State Wrestling Championships already wrapped up, he had already secured his second state medal in Salina. Although he didn’t make that championship match, Eslinger still left Salina with some hardware.

“To make the semifinals was exciting, especially since it was the closest match I had,” Eslinger said. “It was probably close to the hardest match that I had over the weekend. I feel like I could have done better looking at my matches in hindsight.”

The Wildcats nearly had two more wresters earn spots on the medal stand. Junior J’Lee Collins (126 pounds) and sophomore Ashton Moore (175) both made their way to the blood round and needed a win to secure a state medal.

The Wildcats also experienced some heartbreak as senior Kaven Bartlett fell short of his goal of earning another state medal. At 138 pounds, Bartlett finished the state tournament with a 1-2 record.

Senior Trace Eslinger (215) and sophomore Jay McCaskill (157) also represented the Wildcats at the state tournament, but finished with an 0-2 record.

5. Lohse wins three state medals, Lady Cats sixth at state

WICHITA — Emma Lohse blazed the track for the Louisburg girls track and field team all season, and the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships was no different.

Lohse picked up three medals and helped the 4×100-meter relay to another school record at Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium. In all, the Lady Cats medaled in five events and finished sixth in the team standings with 29 points.

“Coming back from Wichita with three state medals was something I had to work for and was happy about the outcome,” Lohse said. “Leaving Cessna Stadium one last time, I was very proud of the way I competed and proud of what I came home with.”

Lohse was just inches away from winning a state championship in the 100-meter dash. At the finish line, the Louisburg senior was step-for-step with Rose Hill’s Kate Dare.

As the two leaned for the finish line, Dare edged Lohse for first as Lohse ran a time of 12.46 seconds. Dare ran a 12.44.

Later in the 200-meter dash, Lohse earned another state medal as she took seventh in 26.77 seconds.

Sandwiched in between those two races, Lohse helped the 4×100-meter relay of Mackenzie Rooney, Suzanna Dansel and Kendall Crossley to a medal of their own.

The Lady Cat relay finished third overall with a time of 49.70 seconds. Andale won in 49.24 and McPherson was second at 49.67.

However, in the preliminaries on Friday, the team broke their own school record for the fourth consecutive time in 49.26 seconds and had the fastest time going into the finals.

Another Lady Cat to find the medal stand was Emma Prettyman. The Louisburg senior put together a strong showing in the discus.

Prettyman earned her first state medal as she finished sixth in the event with a throw of 115 feet, 9 inches.

4. Wildcat pole vaulters dominate 4A state meet

WICHITA — Maddy Carpenter-Ross, Caden Caplinger and Cooper Wingfield had been considered as some of the top pole vaulters in Class 4A for most of the season.

All three had finished at, or toward the top of each of their meets this year, and all of them had high hopes going into state meet at Wichita State.

Carpenter-Ross and Caplinger reached the highest summit Class 4A had to offer as both were crowned state champions following their respective events.

Caplinger became a two-time state champion first as he cleared 15 feet to win the 4A boys pole vault. Wingfield finished as the state runner-up.

“It means a lot and I am just blessed to have the opportunity to be here and win the title, especially with Cooper right on my tail,” Caplinger said. 

Carpenter-Ross thrived under the pressure in the girls competition as she, not only looked for her second consecutive state medal, but her first state championship. 

The Louisburg junior captured her first state title after she cleared 11 feet, which tied a personal best. This coming off a season where she medaled fifth at state a year ago.

“I think it is fantastic,” Carpenter-Ross said. “Going to 11 feet, I was tied with the one girl and I was hoping that I would get it on my first try. Then when I did, it was just an amazing feeling. 

“It was just awesome for me, plus to see my family’s faces up in the stands was really cool too. Being a state champion is awesome and I plan to do it again.”

3. Wildcat football wins back-to-back Frontier League titles

SPRING HILL — It had been 16 years since the Louisburg football team last repeated as back-to-back Frontier League champions.

That drought ended on an October night in Spring Hill.

In a battle of undefeated league teams, Louisburg proved its was the best. The Wildcats scored 21 unanswered points, and shutout the Broncos in the first half, as they cruised to a 35-21 victory.

Louisburg earned back-to-back league crowns for the first time since the 2006 and 2007 campaigns. The Wildcats also finished the regular season with an 8-0 record.

“It is pretty exciting,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “We talked to the guys before the game about how long it is has been since we have won back-to-back league titles and it has only been done four times in our school’s history. So to chalk another one up there feels pretty good.”

The Wildcats advanced to the regional round of the state playoffs in early November, but lost a heartbreaker to Basehor-Linwood, 22-20, and ended a nine game winning streak.

“This season was a lot of fun,” Harding said. “It is a great group of kids and they worked incredibly hard. They were loose and made it fun every single day. I can’t say enough about how good of kids they are and how hard they work. We hoped to still be moving on, but this loss doesn’t take away from what these kids did all year.”

2. Wildcat volleyball takes fourth at state for second straight year

HUTCHINSON — For the second time in as many years, Louisburg is leaving the state volleyball tournament with some hardware.

The Wildcats, for the second straight season, finished fourth Saturday at the Class 4A Kansas State Volleyball Championships in Hutchinson. It marked the 20th appearance for the Wildcats in the tournament.

Getting that hardware and making it to Saturday was certainly a battle for the Wildcats, who had to fight through adversity during pool play on Friday. Louisburg had to deal with injuries and had its fate rest in another team’s hands. 

Despite all that, Louisburg left with a fourth place medal following a tough 23-25, 25-8 and 25-16 loss to Andale in the third-place match Saturday at Hutchinson Sports Arena.

“We are very proud of this team for making it back to the state tournament and finishing in the final four again,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “We, of course, will always strive for higher finishes until we reach that ultimate goal of state champions, but we are proud of where we finished the season and were happy with the success of this team.”

Members of the Louisburg volleyball team are (from left) Adelyn Moore, Caileigh Kilgore, McKenna Lohse, Delaney Nelsen, Aspen Coulter, Evyn Richardson, Ashlyn Berck, Katie Elpers, Izzy Moreland, Megan Quinn, Hailey Sword, Madie Williams and head coach Leanna Willer.

1. Wildcat boys track finishes as state runner-up; Dobbins wins state title in high jump as team medals in 13 events

WICHITA — The Louisburg boys track and field team had the resume of a state champion. 

The Wildcats racked up 87 points during the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships at Wichita State. 

Louisburg medaled in all 13 events it competed and the Wildcats finished the meet with two individual state champions. The ending was supposed to feature the Wildcats holding up a state championship plaque.

“If you would have told me at the beginning of the year we would score 87 points at state and not win a championship, I would have just ignored you and said ‘Whatever,’” Louisburg coach Andy Wright said. “No way that would happen.”

As it turned out, the Wildcats found themselves on the outside looking in for a team state title. Andale finished first with 87.5 points. Louisburg had 87.

It was an emotional letdown for the Wildcats as they were so close to that team goal.

“To beat Andale, we had to score 88 and that is just a testament to how good they are,” Wright said. “They have really good athletes, especially in the throws. At the same time, I couldn’t be more proud of my guys and how they competed. It was just so much fun to watch them lay it all out there. They really did have a great season.”

Mason Dobbins reached new heights at the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championship.

Ok, well maybe not literally.

Dobbins who broke a school record in the high jump earlier this year, didn’t reach that height at the state meet — but he didn’t need to. The Louisburg senior cleared 6 feet, 6 inches to win the Class 4A high jump title.

It was the first of four state medals that Dobbins would win on the day as he helped lead the Wildcats to the Class 4A state runner-up plaque.

“It meant everything to be a state champion and to be able to medal in all of my events this year since I didn’t last year,” Dobbins said. “Our team trains so hard, and to be able to be runner up by .5 points, is incredible.”

Dobbins nearly earned his second state title in the 110-meter hurdles as he found himself in a battle with Rose Hill’s Teagan Cobb. The two were stride-for-stride going into he final hurdle, but Cobb nipped Dobbins at the finish line.

Later on, he joined Caden Caplinger, Colyer Wingfield and Ethan Ptacek in the 4×100-meter relay and the team medaled third in 43.38 seconds. Ptacek had to run for Ashton Moore, who was injured during the preliminaries.

Then toward the end of the meet, Dobbins, who was sitting seventh in the 200-meter dash after the preliminaries, battled to keep his team in the state championship race and medaled third in 23.07.

Louisburg senior Nathan Vincent got his team a lot of points in the throwing events as he medaled in the javelin, discus and shot put — with the latter being his best event of the weekend.

Vincent, who just started doing shot put this year, put together his best performance of the season. He recorded a personal best throw of 51-8 in the finals to take third overall. He also went on to take fifth in the discus and sixth in the javelin.

Sophomore Jerynce Brings Plenty also came away with three state medals in the distance events, but none was more precious to him than the 3,200-meter run.

Brings Plenty broke the school record in the event as he medaled third in 9 minutes and 49.41 seconds. He surpassed the old mark of 9:50.60 that was set by Jason Rose in 2007.

He continued his medal streak for the Wildcats as he joined Hunter Heinrich, Blaise Vohs and Colton Blue to medal seventh in the 4×800-meter relay.

Later in the day, Brings Plenty competed in the 1,600 run and took sixth in 4:34.42.

Louisburg senior Nathan Apple left his final state meet with a pair of medals in both hurdle events. Apple finished fourth in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.29 seconds on Saturday.

Apple also went on to take fourth in the 300 hurdles in 40.55 seconds as he ended his Wildcat track career on a positive note.

The Wildcats ended the state meet with the 4×400-meter relay as the team of Heinrich, Vohs, Colyer Wingfield and Ptacek needed a third place finish or better to win the state title. Unfortunately, the Wildcats came up just short as they took fourth in 3:23.98.

Louisburg set a new personal record by three seconds and was .25 seconds away from tying the school record. The Wildcats also scored points in all three relay events.