Louisburg softball, along with the rest of the Wildcat spring sports teams, saw their season come to a close with the spread of COVID-19.

It has been almost a week since Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly closed all schools for the rest of the 2019-20 school year due to the spread of COVID-19.

When most students hear school has
been closed, especially in the winter, cheers erupt. In this case, however, the
tone was much more somber – especially among the senior class.

Proms were canceled. Any plans
they had for a graduation ceremony were put on hold, and for more than 30
seniors, their last opportunity at playing a sport at Louisburg High School was
taken away.

In fact, close to 200 students
were planning on participating in an activity in the spring, but with no
school, the Kansas State High School Activities Association followed suit and
canceled the spring season the day after Gov. Kelly’s declaration.

Students, parents and coaches alike have had to come to grips that a season they had been looking forward to all year, was never going to happen. Tears flowed, walls were punched in frustration and some were left speechless.

There would be no game days, no Senior Nights and no postseason runs. Athletes had to figure out how to cope with this fact – and in many cases – are still trying to do so.

GIRLS SOCCER

Mackenzie Scholtz didn’t spend as much of her Spring Break relaxing with family and friends as she wanted.

Instead,
she found herself focused on social media, constantly checking updates on what
was going to happen with the rest of her senior year. She was scared that her
final soccer season was going to be taken away from her.

Turns
out, those fears became a reality.

“When
I read it for the first time, I just couldn’t believe it,” Scholtz said. “I
immediately broke down in tears. I think I cried for about four hours non-stop
just thinking that I would never get to step on that field with my best friends
ever again. I had such high hopes for this season too and had been so excited
all year.”

Before
this all came about, none of the 12 Louisburg seniors had any idea they had
already played their last match as a Wildcat.

The
senior class of Scholtz, Avery O’Meara, Erin Lemke, Lily McDaniel, Ashley
Moore, Trinity Moore, Skylar Bowman, Haley Cain, Hannah Straub, Olivia Chase,
Andie Masten and Morgan Messer provided Wildcat coach Kyle Conley with a lot of
good memories, which left the news even harder to stomach.

Louisburg
was looking for its fourth consecutive state final four appearance after
earning second place finishes the last two seasons.

“The decision absolutely broke my heart,”
Conley said. “I couldn’t in a million years fathom something like this could
happen. I honestly felt the cancellation was harsh this early, but would have
rather like to have seen a postponement and then reevaluate at a later date.
This group of 12 seniors was going to be very special. If they would have
returned to the state final four this season, they would have been one of only
two 4A-1A teams to do this improbable feat. This group was 44-18-1 in their
three years. I would be willing to bet this is the most successful program over
those three years in regards to win percentage. Obviously, winning state
championships would trump that, but we were extremely successful.”

The one thing that has helped players get
past this disappointment is that there are so many seniors to lean on and they
have done a lot of that this past week.

“The amount of support from this team has
helped me so much,” Scholtz said. “As soon as we found out that we would no
longer play, all of us seniors were sending nothing but love to one another as
well as to the whole team. Individually, there were many messages sent showing
how much we love each other and that this would get better. Coach Conley and
the younger girls also shared a lot of great messages as well. Hearing positive
words is really helping me get through this whole thing.”

Many of the 12 seniors and their parents were a part of the group that helped raise money to start the Louisburg program nearly five years ago. They had always dreamed of winning a state title, but the wondering what could have happened is the worst part for a lot of them.

“This group had three goals: they wanted
to win a league title, to win a regional championship and finally win a state
championship,” Conley said. “This would have been our program’s fifth year
and everything was built for this season. I believed in this group and I felt
we were going to compete for that league title and we were going to go back to
the state final four. We wanted three banners: league title, regional championship,
and a state championship. It’s so sad that we will never get the opportunity to
show the state what this team is capable of accomplishing.”

BASEBALL

Kade Larson was all set to begin
his first season as the head baseball coach at Louisburg High School.

Larson, who was hired late last
spring, was looking forward to leading his alma mater and had high expectations
for a group that was young, but returned experience from the year before.

Then came the news from KSHSAA to cancel spring activities, which left Larson, and the rest of the Wildcat program, speechless – including seniors Madden Rutherford, Andrew Krause and Kaden Oehlert.

“To say I am disappointed is an
understatement,” Larson said. “I was very excited for this upcoming year. Being
my first year as head coach I was more than ready to get the season
underway and see what kind of team we had. I thought we could do some great
things this year with the group that we were working with. For the short time
we were able to practice, they had a great chemistry and worked super hard.

“I feel terrible for all the players having
to lose a season like this, especially the seniors. Madden Rutherford and Andrew
Krause were showing great leadership skills and I hate that they had their
final season taken away. They are unprecedented times that I never thought
would happen.”

Rutherford, who is a two-time All-Frontier
League player himself, was ready to make one final run with the Wildcats. Even
though he has signed to play baseball for Washington University in St. Louis,
he regrets not being able to have one final run in high school.

“Personally
I was just ready to just play ball again,” Rutherford said. “My football season
ended with an injury, and two surgeries later I was just starting to get back
into the swing of things. I was excited for the baseball team this season; we
had a different looking coaching staff and a different mentality which was
evident at practice. I’ll always be left wondering what could have happened.”

As
difficult as it was for the seniors, the junior class will also have some
obstacles to overcome – especially for those who are wanting to play at the college
level.

“To go with the seniors, this is also
horrible for the juniors,” Larson said. “Junior year is a big
recruiting time and a lot of these guys are missing that. So all around
this just is a bad time for an athlete, but I know they will work through it
and come back next year ready to go.”

Even
with all the hardships athletes are facing, including the loss of a season,
several are trying to find the silver lining in it all.

“The
whole COVID-19 situation has made me appreciate what I have,” Rutherford said. “It’s
hard to truly recognize how nice you have things until they’re taken away. I
just hope and pray that things don’t escalate further.”

TRACK AND FIELD

Carlee
Gassman and Sydni Keagle were ready for the seasons of their lives on the track
this season.

Gassman,
who is a returning a state medalist in the hurdles, was considered one of the
best returning 300-meter hurdlers in Class 4A. As for Keagle, she finished one
spot away from a state medal last year in the 100 hurdles.

Both
Louisburg seniors had high hopes, as did the rest of the Lady Cat track team
that was ranked high in Class 4A in the preseason. That made the news of
canceling spring sports all the more crushing.

“I honestly couldn’t believe it,” Keagle said. “At first I
was in shock and then I was just incredibly sad at this loss of opportunity and
it’s taken a while to come to terms with the fact that I won’t be able to
compete in my favorite sport one last time.”

Gassman felt much the same way as she earned three state
medals as season ago. Along with sophomore Delaney Wright, who garnered four
state medals, the two athletes figured to score a lot of points for the Lady
Cats this season.

“When I heard the last quarter of my senior year was cancelled and knowing track would be over as well, I found myself crying about not having school,” Gassman said. “I never thought I’d find myself crying over school. I am just trying to keep my head high – there are better things to come.”

Girls coach John Reece said there were 34 out for track
before the team departed for Spring Break, which was one of the bigger groups
the Lady Cats have had in several years.

“It is a huge bummer
that everything got nixed,” Reece said. “We had a chance to do some great
things this track season on the girls side. We could have been a top three team
at state with a handful of very talented girls. My heart goes out to
the girls and the missed opportunity for them.”

The
same could be said for the boys as the Wildcats featured a big roster of 74
athletes and Louisburg would have been competitive in most events throughout
the season.

“I
am just extremely disappointed,” boys coach Andy Wright said. “We had 74 boys
out, which is the biggest number we have had in several years. We had multiple
state qualifiers returning as well as some newcomers that could have helped
contribute to a successful year.”

One
of those qualifiers was javelin thrower Michael Waldron. The Louisburg senior
finished just a few feet away from earning a state medal a season ago, and now
his attempt at getting there has been dashed.

“It’s really hard to describe the disappointment I had when I
heard that I wouldn’t be able to throw javelin this year,” Waldron said. “It
was tough and very hard to wrap my mind around, it’s tough knowing that I had
about a week of practice under my belt and a lot of preparation for the first
meet of the year. Just finding out I wouldn’t be competing at all was crushing.”

The season was an important one, not only to Waldron, but to
the rest of the track seniors as well. Anthony Davis (distance), Trent Martin
(pole vault), Charlie Koontz (sprints, relays), Carter Anglin (discus), Garrett
Harding (shot put) and Indy Strumillo (jumps) were all in their final year and
were excited with what lied ahead. A few of them had already made plans to work
out together over Spring Break to get some extra work in.

“I texted Carter Anglin and Garrett Harding about the fact
that our season was over, since we all threw together,” Waldron said. “It was
tough for Carter because I knew he was thinking about a possible state
appearance this year. For Garrett, it was his first year but he had some good
success in the first few weeks with throwing shot put, so I know he was
excited. It’s just a bummer and we have texted each other, and comforted one
another. We are just still in shock –  it
was like a slap in the face.”

GOLF

Calvin Dillon has already had the best career in Louisburg High School golf history, and he accomplished that after his junior season.

Still, he wanted a lot more.

Dillon, who is a three-time state medalist, was looking for
that elusive state championship this year and was considered one of the
favorites going into the season. With the cancellation of spring sports it left
Dillon, like many others, wondering ‘What if?’

“It was definitely hard to hear that the regular season, as
well as postseason were canceled,” Dillon said. “It seemed like it happened all
of a sudden. When you hear of professional and collegiate seasons being
cancelled, you feel some remorse and disappointment for them, but when your own
season gets cancelled, it becomes real.”

The remorse for his own season wasn’t what Dillon was feeling. It was the fact that he had hoped to lead a team – full of seniors – to its second consecutive state tournament appearance.

Seniors Drake Varns, Garrett Rolofson, Ryan Haight and Colin
Cook all returned from that team, while other seniors like David Perentis,
Deven Wieland and Luke Wickersham were also trying to vie for the final spots.

“We definitely had high expectations for this season,” Dillon
said. “With the heavy amount of seniors on the team, as well as our regional
and state experience last year, we were really excited. I think the most
disappointing thing for all of us is going to be the lack of closure. We were
all looking forward to one last go-around, and to have our season disappear in
a matter of days is devastating.”

Like with every other conflict in life, the Wildcats are
trying to make sense of it all and find a positive side to what has been a
forgetful week.

“One
positive that comes from this situation is the gratitude we will now have for
our everyday lives,” Dillon said. “You never know when something catastrophic
like this can happen, and we need to be thankful for the life we do have.
Although this situation is disappointing for us, it was ultimately God’s plan.
He is the one that is in control, and if we seek him in this time of
discomfort, we will find the closure and satisfaction that we lost along with
our senior season.”

GIRLS SWIMMING

It was
an historic season before it even started as Louisburg would join the
Osawatomie-Paola girls swim team for the first time this year.

Unfortunately,
thanks to the pandemic spreading across the country, history will have to take
a back seat for another year.

Head
coach Maddie Carrigan was in her first year with the program after assisting
with the boys team last winter, so finding out the news with everyone else was
a little tough to take.

“It
was really upset when I heard the news,” Carrigan said. “Obviously, I
understand the reason for the cancellation of school and sports season, so I
completely back the decision. It was still a huge bummer for me because this
was my first time having a high school head coaching role. It was a pretty big
honor since I’m only 23 and I was super excited to try some fun new things I
came up with for the girls. The first two weeks were already so much fun and
the girls improved so much, so I can’t imagine how great the whole season would
have been.”

Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg
had three seniors swimmers this season, including Shayla Aye from Louisburg and
Brayden Hanf and Grace Shore from Paola.

In
all, Louisburg had eight swimmers on the team including Aye, Claire Brown,
Bailey Hallas, Sydney Keaton, Dana Mattison, Anna Morrison, Dagen Page and
Reese Reitz.

“Everyone
is really bummed, especially the seniors,” Carrigan said. “We had a lot of
first time swimmers, as well, so I hope this doesn’t deter them from joining
the team again next year.”

SOFTBALL

Last year was a special season for the Louisburg softball
team as the Lady Cats made a run to a regional championship and a state
tournament appearance.

It was a great last part of the season for several of the
Lady Cats.

Unfortunately, with the news of COVID-19, this year’s version
of Louisburg softball team will never get another chance at a magical season.

“When
I found out my season was canceled, I was devastated,” senior Reilly
Ratliff-Becher said. “It would be the last time I ever played softball and it’s
just taken away from me.”

The
seven Lady Cat seniors were excited to begin this season, as was their coach,
Nick Chapman. Chapman was in his first year as head coach with the program
after spending last season at the junior varsity level.

After a couple weeks of practices, Chapman had barely gotten a chance to get to know his new team. Then he had to deliver the news that no one wanted to hear.

“This was not easy news to get,” Chapman
said. “It was even harder to have to tell the girls and even worse that I had
to do it over the phone. It’s still not real. Next week, we were going to get
back to work and prepare for a special season. The girls had bought into what
we were trying to accomplish. Just in two weeks, the culture was changing and
girls were understanding what it meant to play team softball and do what is
best for the team. The end of last week we had our first team bonding night.
The seniors set their team expectations and goals for the year. I listened to
each of them say how excited they were for this specific year and to make one
last run at it. 

“I was crushed to have to tell them they
weren’t going to get that chance. All seven of them helped mold this team into
something special and set the tone for what Louisburg softball should be. I was
excited for the product we were going to put on the field game one. I thought
this year was going to be a season full of success.”

The seven seniors consisted of
Ratliff-Becher, Allie Boles, Lauren Cutshaw, Kayla Willey, Kat Coolidge, Gabby
Duggar and August Daniels. Some of those seniors were a big part of the Lady
Cats’ state run a year ago, while others were looking to make an impact on the
varsity level this year.

“I had
very good expectations for this year,” Ratliff-Becher said. “As much as I feel
bad for myself, teammates and my fellow seniors, I feel especially bad for
Chapman. He worked so hard once he found out he got this job. I was so ready to
learn and make him proud this season.

“I
tell myself is that I have to think of other people in this situation. This
could all be much worse. We are just containing this virus and protecting the
ones at the most risk, although it’s going to be hard on everyone for a while.”

The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg boys swim team celebrated its fourth straight ILC league title last Thursday in Osawatomie.

OSAWATOMIE – It wasn’t a new experience
for some of the swimmers Thursday when the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg boys
captured the ILC title for the fourth consecutive season.

But for the ones for Louisburg,
especially since this was their first go-around with the program, it was a
welcome addition to what has been an already successful season.

The Miami County team reclaimed
the ILC title with 457 points and won the seven-team meet going away at the OZone
in Osawatomie. Parsons was the next closest with 349 points and Piper was third
with 324.

“This win was a team win,” coach Gerri
Hart said. “Everyone on the team scored points this year.  All the boys
practice as a team everyday pushing each other to get better for this
meet. Their hard work paid off with this big win.

“Coach
Maddie (Carrigan) and I are so proud of the boys hard work and team spirit. My
favorite thing about this team and every team that came before this is that we
are one community working to improve together as swimmers and people, not three
schools.”

Justin Bradley and Theo Hebert had a pair of league titles to lead the Miami County squad. Bradley won the 200-yard freestyle in 2 minutes and 2 seconds and was also victorious in the 500 freestyle in 6:00.

Hebert captured the 100 butterfly
in 1:00.60 and later won the 100 backstroke in 1:03.44.

Louisburg freshman Braden Branine captured the first individual swimming league title in school history as he won the 100 breaststroke in 1:14.44. He also took fourth in the 200 individual medley.

This is Louisburg’s first year with the boys swim program.

Branine, along with Bridger Baus,
Remington Rice and Cole Brown, won the school’s first league relay title. The
four Wildcat swimmers won the 200-medley relay in 1:56.03.

Baus finished runner-up in the 100
butterfly in 1:05.63 and later finished fourth in the 100 backstroke in
1:06.92. Brown also had a big meet as he took second in the 200 individual
medley in 2:30 and was fourth in the 100 breaststroke.

Another Louisburg freshman,
Brayton Brueggen, finished runner-up in the 500 freestyle in 6:01. Rice had a
pair of fourth-place finishes in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly. Isaiah
Waggerman was third in the 200 freestyle in 2:14.

In the relays, Bradley, Brown, Hebert and Waggerman took second in the 400 freestyle, while Baus, Hebert, Waggerman and Bradley finished third in the 200 freestyle.

Other Louisburg swimmers to compete were Drake Baus, Sam Bradley, Drake Burdine and Cooper Hipp.

Louisburg’s Bridger Baus swims the butterfly during the home meet for the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg team in Osawatomie.

OSAWATOMIE – With its first home
meet canceled due to weather, it had been a long wait for the Miami County boys
swim team to be able to compete in its home pool.

Last Wednesday, the team comprised
of swimmers from Osawatomie, Paola and Louisburg hosted four other schools at
the Ozone pool in Osawatomie.

It was well worth the wait as the Miami County team took first place with a score of 585 points and blew the competition out of the water. Topeka-Hayden was second with 422 points.

The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg team also made some noise individually as they earned state consideration times in three events.

The 200-yard freestyle relay team
of Remington Rice, Isaiah Waggerman, Theo Hebert and Justin Bradley finished
second overall in 1 minute and 39.52 seconds to earn their state consideration
time.

Hebert did the same in the 100
butterfly as he took first in 1:00.59. Bradley also won the 200 freestyle in
2:05.28 to earn another state consideration time.

It was also Senior Night as the
program honored six swimmers for their time with the program, including
Louisburg senior Sam Bradley. The other seniors who were recognized were Bailey
Barnes, Justin Bradley, Hebert, Waggerman and Gabriel Talledo.

“The boys had a great meet,” coach Gerri Hart said. “Everyone
scored points and everyone improved in a least one event. We won the meet,
which the senior boys where very happy about.”

The Miami County team placed high
in several events, including the 400 freestyle relay of Justin Bradley, Rice,
Waggerman and Hebert, who finished first in 3:54. The other 400 team of Cole
Brown, Bridger Baus, Brayton Brueggen and Cooper Hipp took third in 4:04.

The 200 medley relay of Baus,
Brueggen, Brown and Hipp got the meet started with a third place finish in
2:03, while Drake Baus, Sam Bradley, Drake Burdine and Gabriel Talledo was
seventh in 2:16.

In the 200 freestyle, Brueggen was
second, while Drake Baus and Aaron Koechner were sixth and 11^th,
respectively.

Braden Branine was second in the 200 individual medley in 2:47 and edged out Rice, who finished right behind him in third. Burdine and Hipp were fifth and sixth in the event.

Branine also went on to take
second in the 100 breaststroke to lead the Miami County team, while Hipp
(fourth), Sam Bradley (7^th) and Wyatt Axmann (11^th) also
placed.

Hebert placed first in the 100
backstroke. Brueggen placed fourth. Drake Baus was eighth. Drake Burdine placed
ninth.

Justin Bradley placed second in the 500 freestyle. Brown
was third. Bridger Baus placed fourth. Talledo was seventh.

Waggerman placed third in the 100 freestyle. Sam Bradley
placed ninth. Axel
Harrison was 15th. Koechner placed 16th.

Sam Bradley, Drake Baus, Branine and Talledo placed sixth
in the 200 freestyle relay.

Waggerman placed fifth in the 50 freestyle. Talledo was
eighth. Axmann placed 13th. Harrison was 16th.

Miami County team takes fourth at Blue Valley Southwest

The Miami County boys swim team added
more state consideration times to its list Saturday at a meet at Blue Valley
Southwest.

Justin Bradley received a state
consideration time in the 200- and 50-yard freestyle and earned a consideration
time in the 100 freestyle earlier in the year. Theo Hebert earned a state
consideration in the 100 backstroke.

The 200 freestyle relay of
Bradley, Gabriel Talledo, Hebert and Isaiah Waggerman took fourth and had a
state consideration time, as did the 400 freestyle relay of Hebert, Bridger
Baus, Waggerman and Bradley.

The inaugural boys swim season got
underway earlier this month as Louisburg joined the Osawatomie-Paola program
this winter and several swimmers are already making an impact.

The Miami County swim team has already
competed in two meets and recently finished fifth out of 10 teams at the
Topeka-Hayden Invitational on Dec. 10.

Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg had a
pair of relays that led the way. Theo Hebert, Cole Brown, Bridger Baus and
Remington Rice took sixth in 1 minute and 58 seconds in the 200-yard medley
relay, while Hebert, Isaiah Waggerman, Brown and Justin Bradley were sixth in
the 400 freestyle relay in 3:57.

Hebert led the way individually as
he took seventh in the 500 freestyle (5:55) and 100 freestyle (1:02). Baus also
had a seventh place finish in the 100 backstroke (1:08).

Brayton Brueggen was eighth in the
500 freestyle (6:13), while Bradley took ninth in the 200 freestyle (2:08). Brown
had a pair of 10^th place finishes in the 100 breaststroke (1:18) and
200 individual medley (2:29).

On Dec. 7, the swim team opened
its season at Lansing at an all relay meet. They finished sixth overall with 89
points and had a good showing in their first time out according to coach Gerri
Hart.

“The boys did well in their first meet,” Hart said. “We had a lot of improvement from the times trial we had on the fifth day of practice. This is a great meet because it is all relays so it builds team spirit. The boys showed great sportsmanship by being one of the only teams to stay in the water till all the swimmers in the event were done and cheering on their opponents. I am really proud of these boys.”

Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg
had a runner-up finish in the 200-yard backstroke relay. Theo Hebert, Remington
Rice, Bridger Baus and Brayton Brueggen were second in 2:00.61 to lead the way.

They also had a pair
of fourth place finishes. Justin Bradley, Hebert, Rice and Isaiah Waggerman
swam a 5:04 in the 500 freestyle to take fourth, while Hebert, Brueggen, Baus
and Cole Brown were fourth in the 200 butterfly in 1:59.

Bradley, Rice, Baus
and Waggerman were fifth in the 200 freestyle (1:43), while Justin Bradley, Sam
Bradley, Brueggen and Brown took sixth in the 200 breaststroke (2:32).

Louisburg students
that are on the team this season are Wyatt Axmann, Bridger Baus, Drake Baus,
Sam Bradley, Braden Branine, Cole Brown, Brayton Brueggen, Drake Burdine,
Cooper Hipp and Remington Rice.

The swim team will be
back in action on Jan. 22 for their home opener. The team was originally
scheduled to have its home opener on Dec. 16, but it was postponed and then
eventually cancelled due to weather.

The Louisburg High School cross country team will have some company this season as Louisburg Middle School is offering cross country for the first time this year and the younger Wildcats will attend many of the same meets as the high school. LHS will also offer boys and girls swimming this year and have discussed girls wrestling for the future.

There are always changes with
every incoming school year, but Louisburg residents will see a couple major
ones for the 2019-20 school year on the activities side.

Late last spring, the USD 416 Board of Education approved to add three new activities to the Wildcat sports slate in middle school cross county and boys and girls swimming. All three will give students opportunities to try something different for the upcoming year.

Middle school cross country will
coincide with the high school season in the fall and those athletes will attend
many of the same meets in 2019. Louisburg will open its season on Sept. 5 at
the Anderson County Invitational in Garnett.

The Wildcats will then travel to Wellsville and Prairie View on Sept. 19 and 26, respectively, before wrapping its season on Oct. 10 in Eudora for the Frontier League meet.

There will be separate seventh and eighth-grade divisions for the meets and the middle school runners will run two miles, while the high school will continue to run its usual 5-kilometer course.

Current high school coach John
Reece will also serve as the middle school head coach, while Paul Restivo takes
over assistant coach duties. It is an exciting time for Reece and the Wildcat
program.

“Having a feeder program at the middle
school level feeding into the high school level is invaluable,” LHS activities
director Scott Hinkle said. “Having a feeder program is what builds and
sustains successful programs.”

Louisburg will also participate in
boys swimming, which takes place during the winter season, along with girls
swimming that competes in the spring. USD 416 approved to co-op with the
current Osawatomie-Paola team during the season, and if any swimmers should
qualify for the state meet, they will compete on their own for Louisburg.

USD 416 superintendent Dr. Brian
Biermann met with interested swim parents last year and worked with the Kansas
State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) in getting the approval to join
the Osawatomie-Paola team for this school year.

Hinkle conducted interest meetings
late in the spring with current high school students and eighth-graders moving
up into high school.

“The students that attended the initial
organizational meeting were very excited and inquisitive,” Hinkle said. “We had
approximately 24 at the high school meeting – 12 boys and 12 girls. We probably
had 10 or 12 show up for the middle school meeting. Usually when you introduce
a new sport a lot of kids are interested in hearing about the new opportunity
and what options are available to them.”

Due to the possible increased numbers for the Osawatomie, Paola and Louisburg team, there was also a new hire made as Maddie Carrigan, who is in her first year as a para at LHS, will be the assistant coach and will help out current head coach Gerri Hart.

When the addition of swimming was
first announced, there was talk of how to get the swimmers to and from practice
every day at the Miami County YMCA in Osawatomie. If the numbers worked, the
parents were going to be allowed to take a school van and do a rotation
schedule to take the athletes to practice.

However, due to what could be
bigger numbers than anticipated, the district might have to come up with a
different option.

“We have explored many options in regard to transportation,” Hinkle said. “We may have gotten real lucky in hiring an assistant swim coach who could help with the transportation. If numbers dictate more than a van, then the district is committed to transport the swimmers in a district school bus. The logistics of all of those factors will have to be worked out.”

Another activity that the district considered
adding was girls wrestling. The sport was approved by KSHSAA as a sanctioned
sport last April and it became the 23^rd championship sport in
Kansas.

Although some schools will begin programs right away, Louisburg head wrestling coach Bobby Bovaird knows it might take a little time to get a team put together here.

“I’m pretty excited for girls wrestling to finally become a
sanctioned sport in Kansas,” Bovaird said. “I’m on the state board of directors
for USA Wrestling – Kansas, and we’ve been seeing huge numbers out for girls
wrestling at the youth level. Because of that, we’ve known for a while that it
was bound to happen at the high school level. Neighboring schools have been
seeing a big interest in girls wrestling, and I hope we’re able to see some of
that same interest here. 

“Last year, we had five girls join the Wildcat Wrestling Club,
and I think it was a great experience for them. As they get older and continue
with the sport, I hope to see them bringing their friends to try it out.”

Louisburg won’t be the only district in Kansas where girls
wrestling will take time to develop, but Bovaird has a plan in place for
current female athletes to begin their journey into wrestling.

“I plan on working with our AD (Hinkle) to set a plan in place
to accommodate interest in girls wrestling at the high school,” Bovaird said. “For
the next two seasons, if a tournament only offers a boys division, then girls
will be allowed to compete against male wrestlers. If there is a girls
division, then they will compete against females only. After the 2020-21
season, all competitions will be separated by gender. For the time being, we’re
going to operate as a single program — one practice, one coaching staff, one
team, regardless of gender. As numbers grow and we get closer to the 2021-22
season, we’ll need to restructure to accommodate the state’s requirement for
separation. 

“We have a history of solid female athletics in Louisburg, and I
think the timing is just right for us to expand our wrestling program to
include more females. Since I’ve been here, we’ve had girls join the team, but
never in big numbers. I hope to be able to build a foundation for a solid girls
program, especially since I have a 7-year-old daughter whom I’d love to see get
the benefits of the sport of wrestling.”

Members of the Louisburg Barracudas were all smiles after they won their 11th consecutive South Suburban Swim League title Saturday in Raytown, Mo.

Nothing about what the Louisburg
Barracudas have done over the last decade has gotten old.

In fact, after every one of the
Barracudas’ last 10 South Suburban Swim League championships, it has a new
feeling to it and No. 11 was no different.

The Barracudas captured their 11^th
consecutive swim league title Saturday in Raytown, Mo., as they downed the
Woodson Sharks 570-420 in the five-team league race at the SSSL meet. It capped
what was a very successful day for the Barracuda team and individually.

In the high-point competition,
Louisburg had 11 swimmers finish in the top three of their respective age divisions
and four of those were crowned high-point champions.

Colin Brown (9-10 boys), Samuel
Johnson (11-12 boys), Emma Prettyman (13-14 girls) and Maddie Prettyman
(15-and-over girls) each won high-point titles to lead the way for Louisburg.

Vivian Goode (8-and-under girls),
Andrew Jamison (9-10 boys), Ella Dischinger (11-12 girls) and Claire Brown
(13-14 girls) took second overall, while Matthew Farrington (8-and-under boys),
Ashley Branine (11-12 girls) and Cole Brown (15-and-over boys) finished in
third.

Individually, Louisburg won league
titles in 24 events. Colin Brown, Maddie Prettyman and Samuel Johnson each won
five events (three individual and two relays) to lead the way, while Ella
Dischinger and Andrew Jamison each finished with four league titles.

Prettyman led the 15-and-over
girls with an impressive performance as she won the 50-yard butterfly (27.62 seconds),
50 backstroke (29.01) and 200 individual medley (2 minutes and 23 seconds). She
also joined Mary McElyea, Emma Johnson and Dagen Page to win the 200 freestyle
relay (1:56) and 200 medley relay (2:06).

Brown did the same for the 9-10
boys and he was a league champion in the 50 freestyle (30.82), 50 butterfly
(35.72) and 100 individual medley (1:23).

He also helped Andrew Jamison, Brayden
Vohs and Lincoln Nielson to victory in the 100 medley relay (1:13) and 100
freestyle relay (1:07). Jamison also won two individual league titles in the 50
breaststroke (42.65) and 50 backstroke (41.67).

Johnson also had a big day with
league titles in the 50 freestyle (27.21), 50 butterfly (28.99) and 50
backstroke (34.73). Josiah McCaskill, Connor Aadland and Colton Prettyman also
teamed up with Johnson to win the 200 medley relay (2:24) and 200 freestyle
relay (2:06).

Dischinger led the Barracuda 11-12
girls as she won league titles in the 50 freestyle (30.61) and 50 breaststroke
(41.80). She also teamed up with Hannah Farrington, Ashley Branine and Janie
Harth to win the 200 medley relay (2:36) and 200 freestyle relay (2:16).

The Barracudas also had a few
others capture league titles as Dagen Page won the 50 freestyle (27.75) for the
15-and-over girls, Vivian Goode won the 25-yard breaststroke (25.57) in the
8-and-under division and Mary McElyea took the 50 breaststroke title (33.02).

Other Barracuda results are:

GIRLS

8-and-under

100 medley relay: Harper White,
Vivian Goode, Clara Bockelman, Ivy Dischinger, third, 1:54

25 freestyle: Goode, third, 19.61

25 butterfly: Bockelman, second,
22.40

25 backstroke: Goode, second,
24.37

100 freestyle relay: Bockelman,
Dischinger, White, Goode, third, 1:55

9-10

100 medley relay: Elizabeth
Schrotberger, Macy Hughes, Merritt McIntire, Lila Edwards, third, 1:27

50 freestyle: Breck Nielson,
fifth, 37.09; Cricket McIntire, sixth, 38.21

50 butterfly: C. McIntire, fourth,
46.12; Edwards, sixth, 54.63

50 breaststroke: Reese Smith,
third, 49.12; Hughes, fourth, 49.68

50 backstroke: Ella Bockelman,
second, 44.15; Nielson, third, 44.36; Smith, fifth, 48.38; Schrotberger, sixth,
48.82

100 IM: Hughes, third, 1:43; C.
McIntire, fourth, 1:44

100 freestyle relay: Nielson,
Bockelman, C. McIntire, Smith, second, 1:11

11-12

50 freestyle: Ashley Branine,
third, 32.24; Hannah Farrington, fourth, 33.35

50 butterfly: Ella Dischinger,
second, 35.62

50 breaststroke: Farrington,
third, 45.06; Lola Dubas, fourth, 45.84

50 backstroke: Farrington, second,
38.73; Branine, third, 39.64

200 IM: Branine, second, 3:03

13-14

200 medley relay: Lola Edwards,
Claire Brown, Emma Prettyman, Lola Dubas, second, 2:33

50 freestyle: Brown, second,
29.12; Prettyman, third, 29.20

50 butterfly: Prettyman, third,
31.85

50 breaststroke: Brown, second,
39.69; Edwards, fourth, 43.74

200 IM: Brown, second, 2:40;
Prettyman, third, 2:46

200 freestyle relay: Edwards,
Dubas, Prettyman, Brown, second, 2:12

15-and-over

50 butterfly: Mary McElyea,
second, 29.74

50 backstroke: Dagen Page, second,
31.42

200 IM: McElyea, second, 2:30;
Page, third, 2:38

BOYS

8-and-under

100 medley relay: Caleb Bonnema,
Matthew Farrington, Garrett Vohs, Bennett Mendez, second, 2:02

25 butterfly: Vohs, sixth, 39.29

25 breaststroke: Farrington,
second, 31.77; Bonnema, fourth, 33.21

25 backstroke: Bonnema, second,
26.0

25 freestyle relay: Bonnema, Vohs,
Farrington, Mendez, third, 1:46

9-10

50 breaststroke: Brayden Vohs,
fourth, 53.52

50 backstroke: Vohs, fifth, 49.70;
Lincoln Nielson, sixth, 51.25

100 IM: Vohs, third, 1:40

11-12

50 freestyle: Josiah McCaskill,
fourth, 28.41

50 butterfly: Connor Aadland,
fourth, 37.57

50 breaststroke: McCaskill,
second, 36.73; Colton Prettyman, fourth, 41.86

50 backstroke: Aadland, fifth,
42.37; Prettyman, sixth, 42.80

200 IM: McCaskill, second, 2:46

13-14

200 medley relay: Cooper Hipp,
Braden Branine, Josh Holtzen, Bryce Collins, second, 2:24

50 freestyle: Hipp, third, 28.98; Holtzen,
fourth, 29.37; Branine, sixth, 30.60

50 breaststroke: Branine, second,
36.70; Holtzen, fifth, 38.97; Hipp, sixth, 39.10

50 backstroke: Hipp, third, 37.64

200 IM: Branine, fifth, 2:48;
Holtzen, sixth, 2:51

200 freestyle relay: Holtzen,
Collins, Branine, Hipp, second, 2:06

15-and-over

200 medley relay: Bridger Baus,
Cole Brown, Gareth Baus, Drake Baus, second, 2:05

50 freestyle: B. Baus, fifth,
27.60

50 butterfly: Brown, third, 29.54;
G. Baus, fifth, 31.89; Drake Burdine, sixth, 32.31

50 breaststroke: Brown, third,
37.46; G. Baus, fifth, 41.46

50 backstroke: Burdine, third,
36.55; D. Baus, fifth, 38.56

200 IM: Brown, third, 2:42; B.
Baus, fourth, 2:47

200 freestyle relay: B. Baus,
Burdine, D. Baus, Brown, second, 1:54

Louisburg’s Josiah McCaskill swims the breaststroke during a meet earlier this season at the Louisburg Aquatic Center.

After winning its 10^th straight South Suburban Swim League title last season, the Louisburg Barracudas are well on their way to No. 11.

The Barracudas opened their season
with three consecutive victories, including a 300-233 victory over the Woodson
Sharks in Kansas City, Mo., on Saturday.

Louisburg defeated Golden Valley
316-175 in Clinton, Mo., to open the season and then followed it up with a
389-119 win over Harrisonville in its home opener on June 15.

Claire Brown (13-14 girls) and
Samuel Johnson (11-12 boys) each led Louisburg with five first-place ribbons Saturday
against Woodson.

Reece Smith (9-10 girls), Clara
Bockelman (8-and-under girls) and Maddie Prettyman (15-and-over girls) each had
four first-place finishes.

Brown won three individual events
as she captured the 50-yard freestyle in 29.08, 50 breaststroke in 37.35 and
the 200 individual medley in 2 minutes and 41 seconds. She also teamed with
Lola Edwards, Emma Prettyman and Kasi Tune to take first in the 200 medley
relay (2:33) and later she joined Edwards, Prettyman and Gabriella Martire to
win the 200 freestyle relay (2:20).

Johnson also had a big day on the
boys side as he went on to take the top spot in the 50 freestyle (27.70), 50
butterfly (31.61) and 50 backstroke (35.09). He also joined Josiah McCaskill,
Colton Prettyman and Connor Aadland to win the 200 medley relay (2:25) and 200
freestyle relay (2:09).

As for Smith, she led the 9-10
girls as she took first 50 freestyle (39.17) and 50 breaststroke (48.50). Smith
also teamed up with Ella Bockelman, Cricket McIntire and Meg Johnson to win the
100 medley relay (1:25) and 100 freestyle relay (1:19).

Clara Bockelman won three
individual events to led the 8-and-under girls. She took first in the 25
freestyle (19.43), 25 butterfly (28.78) and 25 breaststroke (26.97). Clara also
joined June Hill, Ivy Dischinger and Vivian Goode to win the 100 freestyle
relay (1:48).

Maddie Prettyman also had a successful
day with three individual victories in the 50 butterfly (27.72), 50 backstroke
(29.16) and 200 individual medley (2:24). She also helped Melia Rice, Emma
Johnson and Mary McElyea to a win in the 200 freestyle relay (2:04).

Other Barracuda results are:

GIRLS

8-and-under

25 freestyle: Vivian Goode,
second, 19.79; Ivy Dischinger, fifth, 31.30; June Hill, sixth, 32.12

25 breaststroke: Goode, second,
27.90

25 backstroke: Goode, first,
25.64; Hill, fifth, 37.27

9-10

100 medley relay: Merritt
McIntire, Lila Edwards, Macy Hughes, Michaela Casey, second, 1:43

50 freestyle: Cricket McIntire,
second, 41.10; Ella Bockelman, third, 41.68; Lila Edwards, fourth, 44.04;
Hughes, fifth, 44.29

50 butterfly: Cricket McIntire,
first, 48.25; Hughes, second, 56.13; Edwards, third, 57.03; Meg Johnson,
fourth, 1:00; Merritt McIntire, fifth, 1:02

50 breaststroke: Cricket McIntire,
second, 52.90; Edwards, fourth, 1:08

50 backstroke: Bockelman, first,
44.98; Reece Smith, second, 47.15; Casey, third, 1:00

100 individual medley: Hughes,
first, 1:47; Bockelman, second, 1:49; Johnson, third, 2:05

100 freestyle relay: Hughes,
Edwards, Casey, M. McIntire, second, 1:34

11-12

200 medley relay: Hannah
Farrington, Ashley Branine, Ella Dischinger, Janie Harth, first, 2:37

50 freestyle: Dischinger, first,
31.65; Branine, second, 33.04; Farrington, fourth, 35.18; Harth, fifth, 36.47

50 butterfly: Dischinger, second,
36.70

50 breaststroke: Dischinger,
first, 43.24; Farrington, third, 49.70; Harth, fourth, 51.93; Kasi Tune, fifth,
54.97

50 backstroke: Farrington, first,
39.07; Harth, fourth, 45.77; Tune, fifth, 49.99; Alessandra Martire, sixth,
1:00

200 individual medley: Tune,
third, 4:23

200 freestyle relay: Dischinger,
Farrington, Harth, Tune, second, 2:29

13-14

50 freestyle: Emma Prettyman,
second, 30.47; Lola Edwards, third, 33.49

50 butterfly: Prettyman, first,
35.80; Edwards, second, 39.74;

50 breaststroke: Edwards, third,
44.88

200 individual medley: Prettyman,
second, 2:51

15-and-over

200 medley relay: Maddie
Prettyman, Emma Johnson, Mary McElyea, Shayla Aye, second, 2:24

50 freestyle: McElyea, second,
28.25; Melia Rice, fourth, 32.39; Johnson, sixth, 35.65

50 butterfly: McElyea, second,
30.74; Aye, sixth, 58.92

50 breaststroke: McElyea, first,
34.82; Rice, third, 42.23; Johnson, fifth, 43.51; Aye, sixth, 1:01

50 backstroke: Rice, second, 38.16

200 individual medley: Johnson,
fifth, 3:16

BOYS

8-and-under

25 freestyle: Matthew Farrington,
second, 23.40; Bennett Mendez, fourth, 25.10

25 butterfly: Mendez, fourth,
36.55

25 breaststroke: Mendez, first,
28.02; Farrington, second, 33.07

100 medley relay: Farrington,
first, 2:29

9-10

100 medley relay: Matthew
Farrington, Andrew Jamison, Colin Brown, Bennett Mendez, second, 1:29

50 freestyle: Jamison, first,
34.76

50 butterfly: Brown, first, 34.81

50 breaststroke: Jamison, first,
43.68; Brown, second, 45.61

50 backstroke: Jamison, first,
43.39

100 individual medley: Brown,
first, 1:22

11-12

50 freestyle: Josiah McCaskill,
second, 30.24; Connor Aadland, fourth, 35.45; Colton Prettyman, fifth, 35.50

50 butterfly: Aadland, second,
38.08

50 breaststroke: McCaskill, first,
38.19; Prettyman, second, 40.95

50 backstroke: Aadland, second,
41.72; Prettyman, fifth, 47.12

13-14

200 medley relay: Cooper Hipp,
Braden Branine, Josh Holtzen, Ryder Ross, second, 2:40

50 freestyle: Hipp, third, 27.81;
Holtzen, fourth, 30.09; Branine, fifth, 30.41

50 breaststroke: Branine, second,
38.62; Hipp, third, 39.38; Holtzen, fourth, 42.40

50 backstroke: Hipp, third, 39.04

200 individual medley: Branine,
fourth, 2:56; Holtzen, fifth, 3:00

200 freestyle relay: Branine,
Ross, Holtzen, Hipp, second, 2:19

15-and-over

200 medley relay: Bridger Baus,
Cole Brown, Remington Rice, Drake Baus, second, 2:05

50 freestyle: Rice, third, 25.69;
Brown, fourth, 27.41; Bridger Baus, fifth, 28.45; Gareth Baus, sixth, 28.54

50 butterfly: Rice, second, 28.51;
B. Baus, third, 31.06; G. Baus, fourth, 32.15; Drake Burdine, fifth, 32.83

50 breaststroke: Brown, second,
37.09; G. Baus, third, 43.49

50 backstroke: Bridger Baus,
first, 31.73; Rice, second, 34.82; D. Baus, third, 38.02; Burdine, fourth,
39.12

200 individual medley: Brown,
third, 2:43; D. Baus, fourth, 3:06

200 freestyle relay: Brown, G.
Baus, Burdine, Rice, second, 1:52

After a perfect regular season, it was almost inevitable that the Louisburg Barracuda swim team would earn its 10^th consecutive South Suburban Swim League title.

The Barracudas didn’t disappoint.

Louisburg held off Harrisonville (Mo.) to win the league crown with 622 points and Harrisonville finished in second with 577 in the five-team meet on July 21 at the Louisburg Aquatic Center.

If that wasn’t good enough, nine Barracudas also brought home high-point trophies.

Madelyn Prettyman (15-and-over) girls, Emma Prettyman (13-14 girls), Claire Brown (11-12 girls) and Casey Carpenter-Ross (9-10 boys) each took home first place league trophies. Ella Dischinger (9-10 girls) and Kadisyn Kircher (15-and-over girls) finished second, while Lincoln Nielson (8-and-under boys), Samuel Johnson (11-12 boys) and Remington Rice (13-14 boys) each came in third.

Louisburg found a lot of success in the 15-and-over girls division as Madelyn Prettyman, Kircher, Isabelle Holtzen and Avery Graham won the 200-meter medley (2:20) and freestyle (2:11) relays, while Prettyman went on to win league titles in the 50-meter butterfly (31.0), 50 breaststroke (39.0) and 200 individual medley (2:37). Kircher also took first place in the 50 backstroke (34.57) and 50 freestyle (30.25).

Carpenter-Ross teamed up with Connor Aadland, Andrew Jamison and Colin Brown to win the 100 medley relay (1:20) and also won league titles in the 50 butterfly (42.60) and 100 IM (1:33).

Emma Prettyman also had a big day as she won the 50 butterfly (36.06) to go along with her high-point trophy, while teammate Mary Grace McElyea won the 50 breaststroke (39.85) in the 13-14 girls division.

Johnson teamed up with Josiah McCaskill, Josh Holtzen and Reid McCaskill to win league crowns in the 200 medley (2:52) and freestyle (2:29) relays. McCaskill also won a league title in the 50 breaststroke (45.44) and Holtzen did the same in the 50 backstroke (45.97).

Rice joined Cole Brown, Drake Baus and Cooper Hipp to win the 200 freestyle relay (2:15), while Rice, Brown, Braden Branine and Drake Burdine won the 200 medley relay (2:33). Rice also won a league crown in the 50 freestyle (28.97) for the 13-14 boys.

In the 8-and-under boys division, Nielson won a league title in the 25 freestyle (20.0) to go along with his high-point trophy.

In the 8-and-under girls division, Vivian Goode, Reese Smith, Merritt McIntire and Abby Stevens won the 100 medley relay (1:47), while Goode, Smith, Clara Bockelman and Stevens won the 100 freestyle relay (1:28).

Smith won a pair of league titles in the 25 breaststroke (27.04) and 25 backstroke (25.92), while Stevens took first the 25 freestyle (20.09).

Other Barracuda league results are:

 

GIRLS

8-and-under

25 freestyle: Vivian Goode, fourth, 22.50; Reese Smith, fifth, 22.60

25 butterfly: Macy Hughes, third, 28.44; Merritt McIntire, fifth, 29.53

25 breaststroke: Goode, third, 30.69; Hughes, fifth, 32.59

25 backstroke: Abby Stevens, second, 25.97; Goode, fourth, 28.78; McIntire, fifth, 30.30

 

9-10

100 medley relay: Jesse Faulkner, Ella Dischinger, Cricket McIntire, Janie Harth, third, 1:36

50 freestyle: Dischinger, third, 38.34; Harth, fourth, 42.29; Faulkner, fifth, 42.97

50 butterfly: Faulkner, fourth, 52.31; McIntire, sixth, 57.25

50 breaststroke: Dischinger, second, 55.37; Lola Dubas, fourth, 1:00

50 backstroke: Faulkner, second, 51.17; Ella Bockelman, third, 52.03; Breck Nielson, sixth, 54.00

100 IM: Dischinger, third, 1:44

100 freestyle relay: Dischinger, Faulkner, Harth, McIntire, second, 1:18

 

11-12

200 medley relay: Hannah Farrington, Ashley Branine, Claire Brown, Haley VanGilder, fourth, 3:01

50 freestyle: Brown, fourth, 34.75

50 breaststroke: Brown, second, 44.14

50 backstroke: Branine, fifth, 44.56

200 IM: Brown, third, 3:10; Branine, fifth, 3:35

200 freestyle relay: Branine, VanGilder, Farrington, Brown, fourth, 2:45

 

13-14

200 medley relay: Mable Graham, Mary Grace McElyea, Emma Prettyman, Delanie Tally, third, 2:43

50 freestyle: Prettyman, third, 32.22; Tally, sixth, 35.72

50 butterfly: McElyea, second, 36.13

50 breaststroke: Tally, fourth, 48.69; Emma Johnson, sixth, 49.37

200 IM: Prettyman, third, 3:04; McElyea, fourth, 3:11

200 freestyle relay: Graham, Tally, McElyea, Prettyman, third, 2:31

 

15-and-over

50 freestyle: Sarah Minor, fourth, 33.84

50 butterfly: Isabelle Holtzen, second, 35.32; Avery Graham, fifth, 36.92

50 breaststroke: Holtzen, third, 40.31; Kaitlyn Lewer, fifth, 44.56

50 backstroke: Minor, fourth, 41.00; Graham, sixth, 42.53

200 IM: Kadisyn Kircher, second, 2:40; Holtzen, third, 3:04

 

BOYS

8-and-under

100 medley relay: Holden White, Dominick Poetter, Lincoln Nielson, Matthew Farrington, second, 2:01

25 freestyle: Farrington, sixth, 27.0

25 butterfly: Poetter, second, 25.69; Nielson, fourth, 27.08

25 breaststroke: Poetter, second, 38.35; Zeke VanGilder, third, 38.83

25 backstroke: Nielson, second, 28.25; VanGilder, fifth, 32.12; White, sixth, 33.27

100 IM: Poetter, third, 2:22

100 freestyle relay: Poetter, Farrington, Sylas Weichart, Nielson, second, 1:40

 

9-10

50 freestyle: Casey Carpenter-Ross, second, 35.94; Connor Aadland, sixth, 41.28

50 butterfly: Aadland, third, 46.38; Colin Brown, sixth, 51.34

50 breaststroke: Andrew Jamison, second, 51.68

50 backstroke: Aadland, second, 49.72; Brayden Vohs, third, 50.27

100 IM: Brown, fifth, 1:48; Vohs, sixth, 1:50

100 freestyle relay: Carpenter-Ross, Aadland, Brown, Vohs, second, 1:14

 

11-12

50 freestyle: Samuel Johnson, fourth, 35.78; Josh Holtzen, fifth, 37.53; Reid McCaskill, sixth, 38.75

50 butterfly: Johnson, third, 39.07; Josiah McCaskill, fourth, 43.77

50 breaststroke: Holtzen, second, 48.06; Reid McCaskill, fifth, 51.50

50 backstroke: Reid McCaskill, fifth, 52.03

200 IM: Johnson, second, 3:15; Josiah McCaskill, third, 3:26

 

13-14

50 freestyle: Cooper Hipp, fourth, 32.68; Drake Burdine, fifth, 34.72; Braden Branine, sixth, 35.41

50 butterfly: Remington Rice, second, 35.03; Cole Brown, fourth, 35.19; Burdine, fifth, 38.84

50 breaststroke: Branine, third, 44.19; Brown, fourth, 44.38; Hipp, fifth, 47.28

50 backstroke: Branine, second, 43.81; Drake Baus, third, 44.20

200 IM: Brown, third, 3:06; Rice, fourth, 3:08

 

15-and-over

200 medley relay: Bridger Baus, Christopher Tyson, Gareth Baus, Cooper Hipp, second, 2:26

50 freestyle: Tyson, sixth, 31.25

50 butterfly: Gareth Baus, third, 34.15

50 breaststroke: Tyson, fourth, 43.19; Gareth Baus, fifth, 46.50

50 backstroke: Bridger Baus, third, 38.36; Tyson, fourth, 41.34

200 IM: Gareth Baus, fifth, 3:07

200 freestyle relay: Bridger Baus, Gareth Baus, Tyson, Drake Burdine, second, 2:11

Emma Prettyman won five events in the 13- 14-year-old division for the Louisburg Barracuda swim team Saturday at Butler, Mo. 

 

BUTLER, Mo. – The Louisburg Barracuda swim team completed one goal Saturday as it competed in its final regular season meet of the season.

The Barracudas finished their season undefeated as it defeated Butler (Mo.) on the road, 403-70, to end it with a 4-0 record. There is still one big goal for the Barracudas to accomplish, however, as they will try for their 10^th straight South Suburban Swim League title this Saturday when it hosts the league meet at the Louisburg Aquatic Center.

Louisburg had several competitors leave Butler with first-place ribbons as the Barracudas had nine swimmers win four or more events.

Ella Dischinger (9-10 girls), Claire Brown (11-12 girls), Emma Prettyman (13-14 girls), Madelyn Prettyman (15-and-over girls), Casey Carpenter-Ross (9-10 boys) and Cole Brown (13-14 boys) all left Butler with five first-place victories. Samuel Johnson (11-12 boys), Bridger Baus and Christopher Tyson (15-and-over boys) each picked up four wins.

In the 9-10 division, both Dischinger and Carpenter-Ross each led the younger Barracuda swimmers.

Dischinger won the 50 freestyle (40.44 seconds), 50 breaststroke (58.0) and 100 individual medley (1:51) and then later joined Jesse Faulkner, Cricket McIntire and Janie Harth to win the 100 medley relay (1:39) and 100 freestyle relay (1:26).

Carpenter-Ross had the same success as he teamed up with Connor Aadland, Colin Brown and Andrew Jamison to win the 100 freestyle relay (1:20), while Brown, Aadland and Brayden Vohs joined Carpenter-Ross to win the 100 medley relay (1:33). Carpenter-Ross also won the 50 freestyle (38.28), 50 butterfly (46.59) and 100 IM (1:40).

Claire Brown and Johnson had a big day for the 11 to 12-year-old group. Brown won the 50 butterfly (40.19), 50 breaststroke (45.47) and 200 IM (3:12) on the girls side. She then won the 200 medley relay (3:10) with Hannah Farrington, Ashley Branine and Haley VanGilder and the 200 freestyle relay (2:45) with Ally Brown, Branine and Farrington.

Johnson took first in the boys 50 freestyle (35.37), 50 butterfly (39.91) and 50 backstroke (40.53). He also joined Josiah McCaskill, Reid McCaskill and Josh Holtzen to win the 200 freestyle relay (2:36).

In 13-14 age group, Cole Brown and Emma Prettyman dominated their respective divisions. Brown won the boys 50 freestyle (32.28), 50 breaststroke (43.72) and 200 individual medley (3:12). He also helped Connor Aadland, Braden Branine and Braxton Koechner to a win in the 200 medley relay (3:07).

On the girls side, Prettyman won the 50 freestyle (34.06), 50 butterfly (35.71) and 200 IM (3:07) to sweep her individual races. In the relays, Prettyman teamed up with Ally Brown, Mary Grace McElyea and Emma Johnson to win the 200 medley relay (3:00). She also joined Haley VanGilder, Johnson and McElyea to win the 200 freestyle relay (2:44).

Madelyn Prettyman, Tyson and Baus each won several events to lead the 15-and-over group.

Prettyman teamed up with Isabelle Holtzen, Kadisyn Kircher and Avery Graham to take the 200 medley relay (2:20), while Prettyman, Holtzen, Kircher and Melia Rice won the 200 freestyle relay (2:12). Prettyman also captured the 50 freestyle (29.84), 50 butterfly (31.25) and 50 backstroke (34.19).

Tyson, Bridger Baus, Gareth Baus and Drake Burdine won the boys 200 medley relay (2:35), while Tyson, Bridger, Gareth and Cole Brown won the 200 freestyle relay (2:15). Tyson captured the 50 freestyle (32.31) and 50 breaststroke (43.62), while Bridger won the 50 backstroke (37.90) and 200 IM (3:08).

 

Other Barracuda results are:

GIRLS

8-and-under

25 freestyle: Reese Smith, first, 22.22; Macy Hughes, second, 25.34; Merritt McIntire, third, 25.28

25 butterfly: McIntire, first, 29.72

25 breaststroke: Smith, first, 28.12; Hughes, second, 34.50

25 backstroke: Smith, first, 26.53; McIntire, second, 29.21

100 IM: Hughes, first, 2:27

 

9-10

100 medley relay: Breck Nielson, Lola Dubas, Meg Johnson, Piper Shaffer, second, 1:46

50 freestyle: Janie Harth, second, 43.85; Jesse Faulkner, third, 44.19; Dubas, fourth, 47.87; Nielson, fifth, 51.00; Cricket McIntire, sixth, 51.50

50 butterfly: McIntire, first, 55.87; Faulkner, third, 56.59; Johnson, fifth, 1:08

50 breaststroke: Dubas, second, 1:04

50 backstroke: Faulkner, first, 53.94; Nielson, second, 57.0; Harth, third, 57.54; Elizabeth Stevens, fourth 1:03; Brooklyn Davey, fifth, 1:05; Johnson, sixth, 1:05

100 IM: McIntire, third, 2:12; Dubas, fourth, 2:13

100 freestyle relay: Nielson, Shaffer, Dubas, Stevens, second, 1:33

 

11-12

50 freestyle: Hannah Farrington, third, 42.47; Ally Brown, fourth, 42.50; Haley VanGilder, fifth, 47.71

50 butterfly: VanGilder, third, 1:00

50 backstroke: Ashley Branine, second, 45.91; Farrington, third, 49.16; Brown, fourth, 54.68; VanGilder, fifth, 58.56

200 IM: Branine, second, 3:41

 

13-14

50 freestyle: Emma Johnson, second, 43.35

50 butterfly: Mary Grace McElyea, second, 36.13

50 breaststroke: McElyea, first, 41.66; Johnson, second, 52.19

50 backstroke: Johnson, first, 54.47

 

15-and-over

50 freestyle: Kadisyn Kircher, second, 30.25; Isabelle Holtzen, third, 32.31; Avery Graham, sixth, 34.47

50 butterfly: Graham, second, 35.93

50 breaststroke: Holtzen, second, 40.74; Kircher, third, 41.21; Melia Rice, fifth, 47.88

50 backstroke: Graham, fourth, 43.22

200 IM: Kircher, first, 2:41; Holtzen, second, 3:00; Rice, fourth, 3:32

 

BOYS

8-and-under

25 freestyle: Lincoln Nielson, first, 19.47; Sylas Weichart, third, 29.09; Matthew Farrington, fourth, 29.59

25 butterfly: Nielson, first, 25.03; Farrington, third, 41.50

25 backstroke: Nielson, first, 28.0; Farrington, third, 33.77

 

9-10

25 freestyle: Connor Aadland, second, 40.65; Colin Brown, third, 42.75; Brayden Vohs, fourth, 45.90; Braxton Koechner, sixth, 1:01

50 butterfly: Aadland, second, 48.56; Brown, third, 48.75

50 breaststroke: Holtzen, first, 46.03; Josiah McCaskill, second, 46.03; Reid McCaskill, third, 54.12

100 IM: Brown, second, 1:50; Jamison, third, 1:53

100 freestyle relay: Lincoln Nielson, Brayden Vohs, Matthew Farrington, Koechner, second, 1:47

 

11-12

50 freestyle: Josiah McCaskill, second, 35.80; Josh Holtzen, third, 37.59; Reid McCaskill, fourth, 40.44

50 butterfly: McCaskill, second, 45.97

50 breaststroke: Holtzen, first, 46.03; Josiah McCaskill, second, 46.03; Reid McCaskill, third, 54.12

50 backstroke: Holtzen, second, 46.59; R. McCaskill, third 50.72

200 IM: McElyea, second, 3:16

 

13-14

50 freestyle: Drake Burdine, third, 37.75

50 butterfly: Burdine, first, 41.12

50 breaststroke: Braden Branine, second, 43.81

50 backstroke: Branine, second, 46.81; Burdine, third, 47.34

 

15-and-over

50 freestyle: Gareth Baus, second, 33.22

50 butterfly: Baus, first, 36.78

50 breaststroke: Bridger Baus, second, 47.34

50 backstroke: Christopher Tyson, second, 42.10

200 IM: Gareth Baus, second, 3:13

Louisburg’s Madilyn Prettyman won five events for the Barracudas on Saturday at Harrisonville, Mo., as the Barracudas defeated Harrisonville for a 332-202 victory.  

 

HARRISONVILLE, Mo. – The Louisburg Barracuda swim team hit the road for the first time this season when it traveled to Harrisonville, Mo., and it turned out to be its closest finish so far this season.

Despite that, the Barracudas still won by 130 points.

Louisburg won its third consecutive meet to start its season as it downed Harrisonville 332-202 and are still riding a perfect season.

The Barracudas got several big performances on both the boys and girls sides as they had eight swimmers win four or more events. Ella Dischinger (9-10 girls), Madelyn Prettyman (15-and-over girls), Casey Carpenter-Ross (9-10 boys) and Remington Rice (13-14 boys) each won five events to lead all swimmers.

Abby Stevens (8-and-under girls), Kadisyn Kircher (15-and over girls) and Gareth Baus (15-and-over boys) each finished with four first-place ribbons.

Dischinger led the 9-10 girls by winning three individual events, starting with the 50-meter freestyle in 40.97 seconds. She then won the 50 breaststroke (57.53) and 100 individual medley in 1 minute and 53.04 seconds. She joined Jesse Faulkner, Cricket McIntire and Rachel Minor to win the 100 medley relay in 1:39 and helped Faulkner, McIntire and Janie Harth take first in the 100 freestyle relay in 1:27.

Prettyman also won a pair of relays and three individual events. She helped Kircher, Kaitlyn Lewer and Isabelle Holtzen to a first place finish in the 200 medley relay (2:21) and 200 freestyle relay (2:12). Prettyman also won the 50 butterfly (30.95), 50 backstroke (32.75) and 200 individual medley (2:36).

Kircher also picked up a pair of wins on her own as she took first in the 50 freestyle (30.48) and 50 breaststroke (41.81).

Carpenter-Ross led the 9-10 boys as he took first in the 50 freestyle (35.72), 50 butterfly (42.09) and 100 individual medley (1:31). He also teamed up with Andrew Jamison, Colin Brown and Brayden Vohs to capture the 100 medley relay (1:32) and 100 freestyle relay (1:19).

In the 13-14 boys division, Rice had a big day with victories in the 50 freestyle (29.40), 50 butterfly (36.25) and 50 backstroke (38.87). He also teamed up with Cole Brown, Cooper Hipp and Braden Branine to win the 200 medley relay (2:36) and Brown, Hipp and Drake Burdine to take first in the 200 freestyle relay (2:15).

Baus also won a pair of events for the 15-and-over boys as he won the 50 butterfly (36.15) and 50 backstroke (43.16). Gareth joined Christopher Tyson, Bridger Baus and Drake Baus to win the 200 medley relay (2:32) and Gareth also helped Bridger, Tyson and Isaiah Whitley to win the 200 freestyle relay (2:17).

For the 8-and-under girls, Stevens won the 25 breaststroke (29.51) and 25 backstroke (25.41). Stevens, along with Vivian Goode, Macy Hughes and Reese Smith, took first in the 100 medley relay (2:00), while Smith, Clara Bockelman and Goode joined Stevens to win the 100 freestyle relay (1:37).

Other Barracuda results are:

 

GIRLS

8-and-under

100 medley relay: Emma Wheeler, Ava Poetter, Merritt McIntire, Clara Bockelman, second, 2:19

25 freestyle: Abby Stevens, second, 20.0; Vivian Goode, third, 23.57; Reese Smith, fourth, 24.0; Bockelman, fifth, 24.78

25 butterfly: Macy Hughes, second, 31.25; McIntire, fourth, 35.16; Bockelman, fifth, 35.97

25 breaststroke: Smith, second, 30.33; Hughes, third, 33.22; Bockelman, fourth, 36.79

25 backstroke: Goode, second, 29.34; Smith, third, 30.69; McIntire, fifth, 36.60; Wheeler, sixth, 38.31

100 IM: Hughes, second, 2:30

100 freestyle relay: McIntire, Kay Heien, Ella Longgood, Hughes, third, 2:16

 

9-10

100 medley relay: Meg Johnson, Lola Dubas, Shylah Dowell, Janie Harth, second, 1:49; Breck Nielson, Talen McMurray, Kasi Tune, Allie Brown, third, 2:01

50 freestyle: Cricket McIntire, second, 45.57; Jesse Faulkner, third, 46.0; Harth, fourth, 46.59; Ella Bockelman, sixth, 49.59

50 butterfly: McIntire, first, 53.69; Faulkner, second, 54.21; Dowell, third, 1:08; Johnson, fourth, 1:13

50 breaststroke: Rachel Minor, second, 1:00; Dubas, third, 1:04; Tune, fourth, 1:07; Bockelman, sixth, 1:17

50 backstroke: Faulkner, first, 55.0; Bockelman, second, 57.41; Dowell, third, 1:00.72; Elizabeth Stevens, fourth, 1:00.41; Harth, fifth, 1:01.25; Nielson, sixth, 1:04.22

100 IM: McIntire, second, 2:06; Dubas, third, 2:15; Tune, fourth, 2:24

100 freestyle: Dubas, McMurray, Johnson, Stevens, third, 1:45

 

11-12

200 medley relay: Hannah Farrington, Ashley Branine, Claire Brown, Haley VanGilder, second, 3:11

50 freestyle: Brown, second, 35.31

50 butterfly: Branine, fourth, 49.82

50 breaststroke: Brown, first, 45.60; Branine, fourth, 52.13

50 backstroke: Branine, third, 46.44; Farrington, sixth, 54.53

200 IM: Brown, second, 3:12

200 freestyle relay: Branine, VanGilder, Farrington, Brown, second, 2:55

 

13-14

200 medley relay: Ella Bockelman, Mary Grace McElyea, Emma Prettyman, Dana Mattison, third, 2:51

50 freestyle: Prettyman, first, 32.53; McElyea, sixth, 34.81

50 butterfly: Prettyman, first, 35.97; McElyea, fourth, 38.56

50 breaststroke: McElyea, second, 41.91

50 backstroke: Dana Mattison, fourth, 54.0

200 IM: Prettyman, third, 3:06

200 freestyle relay: Prettyman, Mattison, McElyea, Breck Nielson, third, 2:43

 

15-and-over

50 freestyle: Isabelle Holtzen, second, 32.02; Sarah Minor, fourth, 35.06

50 butterfly: Holtzen, second, 35.59; Melia Rice, fifth, 42.40

50 breaststroke: Holtzen, second, 42.42; Kaitlyn Lewer, fourth, 44.50; Rice, fifth, 47.75

50 backstroke: Minor, second, 42.82; Rice, fifth, 45.56

200 IM: Kadisyn Kircher, second, 2:40

200 freestyle relay: Rice, Avery O’Meara, Alison Prettyman, Minor, third, 2:38

 

BOYS

8-and-under

25 freestyle: Lincoln Nielson, first, 20.46; Sylas Weichart, fourth, 27.90; Matthew Farrington, sixth, 31.38

25 butterfly: Dominick Poetter, second, 29.28; Weichart, third, 37.87

25 breaststroke: Poetter, second, 31.31

25 backstroke: Nielson, first, 26.97; Zeke VanGilder, third, 38.28; Farrington, fourth, 40.50

100 IM: Poetter, second, 2:29

100 freestyle relay: Nielson, VanGilder, Farrington, Poetter, first, 1:52

 

9-10

50 freestyle: Colin Brown, fourth, 41.88

50 butterfly: Andrew Jamison, sixth, 58.56

50 breaststroke: Jamison, first, 55.82

50 backstroke: Brayden Vohs, third, 54.75; Brown, fourth, 54.85

100 IM: Brown, sixth, 1:56

11-12

200 medley relay: William Goode, Josiah McCaskill, Samuel Johnson, Reid McCaskill, second, 2:58

50 freestyle: Johnson, second, 35.75; Goode, fourth, 36.66; Josiah McCaskill, fifth, 36.89; Josh Holtzen, sixth, 38.03

50 butterfly: Goode, second, 43.59; Johnson, third, 44.30; Josiah McCaskill, sixth, 50.88

50 breaststroke: Josiah McCaskill, first, 46.47; Holtzen, third, 50.28; Reid McCaskill, sixth, 55.88

50 backstroke: Johnson, first, 41.53; Goode, second, 47.41; Holtzen, third, 49.65

200 IM: Reid McCaskill, third, 4:18

200 freestyle relay: Josiah McCaskill, Colton Prettyman, Holtzen, Johnson, first, 2:38

 

13-14

50 freestyle: Cole Brown, second, 33.34; Cooper Hipp, third, 33.72; Drake Baus, Drake Burdine, fourth (tie), 36.78; Braden Branine, fifth, 37.25; Isaiah Whitley, sixth, 38.13

50 butterfly: Burdine, second, 43.21

50 breaststroke: Branine, first, 44.60; Brown, second, 45.16; Hipp, third, 48.85; Baus, fourth, 53.38

50 backstroke: Burdine, second, 46.03; Baus, third, 46.43; Hipp, fourth, 47.59; Branine, fifth, 47.81; Whitley, sixth, 49.47

200 IM: Brown, first, 3:13

 

15-and-over

50 freestyle: Christopher Tyson, second, 32.83; Gareth Baus, third, 32.97; Bridger Baus, fourth, 35.13

50 butterfly: Bridger Baus, second, 37.92

50 breaststroke: Tyson, second, 44.78

50 backstroke: Tyson, second, 43.83