LENEXA — Colin Brown was all about making school history Saturday at the Class 5-1A Kansas State Swim and Dive Championships.

Brown became the first Louisburg swimmer in school history to win a state title and did so by winning the 100-yard butterfly. Some athletes would have been content with just the one, but not Brown.

The Louisburg junior took to the water again in the 100 backstroke and won his second state title in a matter of minutes. It was also his fourth state medal of the day, which included a pair of relays.

“It was a surreal experience and an incredible honor,” Brown said. “It was really cool to see all of the hard work and countless hours pay off. It also gave me a sense of pride knowing that I was representing the school while doing so.”

That was the some of the success the Louisburg swim team had at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center. The Wildcats medaled in 10 events and finished seventh in the team standings with just four swimmers. 

Louisburg junior Andrew Jamison also tallied four medals as made his way to the state podium in the 200 individual medley, 100 breaststroke and two relays. Senior Colton Prettyman and sophomore Noah Sharp joined the other Wildcats as state medalists in the relays.

The Wildcats also broke seven school records in the process, whether in the finals or in the prelims on Friday.

For Brown, his best swims came on Saturday as he dominated the field in the 100 butterfly. Brown won the state championship by more than two seconds with a school record time of 51.08.

It was another dominating performance in the 100 backstroke as Brown won in another school record time of 53.26 seconds to find his way atop the state podium once again.

“My expectations going into the season were to win the 100 fly and medal in the 100 back,” Brown said. “If you were to tell me in August that I had the times I had, and placed first in both events, I would’ve laughed at you. But as I got closer to state I started to gain more confidence in myself, and I believe that also a big factor in the success I had this season.”

As for Jamison, he medaled third in the 200 individual medley in 2:02.09 and set the school record the day before in the prelims in 2:01.55.

In the 100 breaststroke, Jamison had another great outing as he took fourth in 1:01.60. He also broke the school record the day before in the prelims in 1:01.49.

“It felt pretty good to move up in the placement and medal again just like last year,” Jamison said “I felt my prelims swims were better than my finals swims, but overall I am pleased.

“This year has been a little tough with my times. I wasn’t able to go any personal bests during the regular season but going best times at state made it all worth it. I am looking forward to next season hopefully placing even higher on the podium and lowering the school records even more.”

The Wildcats nearly had a third state title to their resume as Brown, Jamison, Prettyman and Sharp swam the 200 medley relay and finished as a state runner-up in the event. The broke their school record time of 1:39.17 to take second, just behind Wichita Collegiate who was first in 1:38.82.

The Louisburg quartet were involved in another tight race, this time in the 200 freestyle relay. The Wildcats finished in a tie for third with Kapaun Mt. Carmel in a new school record time of 1:30.36.

“It was pretty exciting medaling in both relays this year, proving our progress,” Jamison said. “Being up there with the best of the best was also very exciting and getting to represent Louisburg at such a high level is also a big honor.”

Prettyman swam in a pair of consolation finals and broke a school record in one of them. The Louisburg senior took in 12th in the 500 freestyle in a new school best of 5:19.20.

He also competed in the 100 butterfly and finished 12th in 56.87 seconds.

Sharp qualified for the consolation finals in the 100 freestyle in 51.96 seconds.

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, SENIOR, BOYS SWIM

Louisburg senior Colton Prettyman went out in style in his final meet as a Wildcat swimmer. Prettyman left the Class 5-1A state meet Saturday with a pair of state medals as he helped two relays reach the podium. Prettyman, along with Colin Brown, Andrew Jamison and Noah Sharp, finished as the state runner-up in the 200-yard medley relay in a new school record time of 1:39.17. In the 200 freestyle relay, the same four swimmers finished in a tie for third to earn a state medal in another school record time of 1:30.36.

Individually, Prettyman made the state consolation finals in both the 100 butterfly and 500 freestyle. In the freestyle, Prettyman finished 12th overall but set a new school record time of 5:19.20. He also took 12th in the butterfly in 56.87 seconds.

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: Gavin Lohse

Week 2: Colin Brown

Week 3: Jay McCaskill

Week 4: Brayden Yoder

Week 5: Andrew Jamison

Week 6: Ashlyn Kuhlman

Week 7: Ashton Moore

Week 8: Brooklyn DeWeese

Week 9: Leola Eslinger

OSAWATOMIE — The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill boys swim team has already had a memorable 2024-25 season with several state qualifications and meet victories.

The Miami County team added to its list of accomplishments Friday as it hosted the Independent League meet. The team took care of business as it earned its third consecutive league championship.

In the 6-team meet, Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill cruised to the title with 482 points. Independence was second with 353 points and Fort Scott was third with 319.

It also served as Senior Night for the Miami County team as it honored its four seniors — Louisburg’s Colton Prettyman and Nathaniel Phillis and Osawatomie’s Eric Zhang and Spring Hill’s Hayden Thomason.

On the Louisburg side, the Wildcats earned six individual league championships thanks to Prettyman, Colin Brown and Andrew Jamison. 

Prettyman won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.48 seconds and later took first the 500 freestyle in 5 minutes and 24.85 seconds.

As for Brown, he won the league title in the 100 butterfly in 54.44 seconds and finished first in the 100 backstroke in 56.35 seconds.

Jamison also won a pair of league crowns. His first came in the 200 individual medley where he won in a season-best time of 2:05.87. Jamison later took the gold in the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.66.

Louisburg sophomore Brock Delmez earned a pair of runner-up finishes in the 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle. Sophomore Noah Sharp medaled third in the 100 freestyle and third in the 100 backstroke.

Wildcat freshman Bennett Mendez medaled second in the 200 freestyle and fifth in the 100 butterfly.

In the relays, the Wildcats were a part of winning league titles in all three races. 

Brown, Jamison, Thomason and Paola’s Landen Terflinger won the 200 medley relay going away in 1:48.31. Jamison, Prettyman, Terflinger and Spring Hill’s Tag Solberg took first in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:38.14. 

Prettyman, Delmez, Sharp and Brown ended the meet with a victory in the 400 freestyle relay in 4:01.

Brown, Jamison, Prettyman and Sharp will now prepare for the postseason as they will compete in the Class 5-1A Kansas State Swim and Diving Championships starting Friday in Lenexa.

All four swimmers will compete in multiple individual events, along with two relays. Events begin at 4 p.m. and the meet will continue into Saturday. 

BONNER SPRINGS — It was another meet and more state qualification times for the Louisburg boys swim team on Feb. 4 at the Bonner Springs Invitational.

The Wildcats added two more state times to their resume and the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill team dominated the competition with 518 points to win the 7-team meet.

Louisburg junior Andrew Jamison earned the two newest state times for the Wildcats as he is now qualified in the 500 freestyle and 100 backstroke.

Jamison took second in the 500 freestyle in 5 minutes and 31 seconds and later won the 100 backstroke in 1:01.16.

Junior Colin Brown also had a big day for the Miami County team. Brown won the 200 individual medley in 2:17 and also won the 100 freestyle in 51.21 seconds.

Senior Colton Prettyman also had a pair of top two finishes for Louisburg. Prettyman took first in the 500 freestyle in 5:20 and was second in the 50 freestyle in 23.47 seconds

Sophomore Noah Sharp had a second place finish in the 200 individual medley in 2:25 and was fourth in the 100 freestyle in 56.79.

Louisburg freshman Bennett Mendez was second in the 100 butterfly in 1:13, while sophomore Brock Delmez took fifth in the 100 freestyle (59.50) and 100 breaststroke (1:25.67). Senior Nathaniel Phillis was ninth in the 100 backstroke.

The Miami County team also fared well in the relays as they recorded three golds on the day.

Prettyman, Andrew Jamison, Mendez and Paola’s Landen Terflinger won the 200 medley relay in 1:54, while Brown, Delmez, Prettyman and Spring Hill’s Tag Solberg won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:41.

Sharp, Terflinger, Jamison and Brown took the top spot in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:49.

Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill is back in action Wednesday as it hosts the Independent League meet. It will also be Senior Night and events are set to begin at 4 p.m.

OVERLAND PARK — The Louisburg boys swim team continues to thrive in the waters and racked up even more state times Saturday at the Blue Valley Southwest Invitational. 

The Wildcats added two more state times to their resume and broke a school relay record in the process. Add in some new personal best marks, and the Wildcats had one of their better days of the season.

As a group, Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill finished third out of 13 teams in what was one of its bigger competitions on the year. 

“We were so happy to see our swimmers step up in this intensely competitive meet and show themselves as forces to be reckoned with,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “Their relay made a statement to the high school swim world that they mean business.  Each time Louisburg swimmers took to the pool, they were focused and driven towards the goal at hand.”

The Louisburg quartet of Colin Brown, Andrew Jamison, Colton Prettyman and Noah Sharp broke their own school record in the 200-yard medley relay as they won in 1 minute and 41.63 seconds, which improved their state time.

Sharp also had his best day of the year as he earned his first state qualification time. The Louisburg sophomore took third in the 100 backstroke in a qualifying time of 1:01.41 and was seventh in the 100 freestyle.

Prettyman also earned a state qualification time, with the latest coming in the 500 freestyle. The Louisburg senior was first in 5:24.

Brown also had his best performance of the season as he took first in the 100 backstroke in 55.21 seconds and first in the 100 butterfly in 53.38 seconds — both personal best times.

As for Jamison, he took second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:03.17, which also lowered his state time.

“Noah lowered his 100 free time to put himself in a much better position to be invited to state competition in that event and then dropped just under 2 seconds off his backstroke to seal his state qualification time,” Argeropoulos said. “Colin set new personal best times for himself (all-time career and high school) Saturday and Colton added a new state event to his bracket with his qualification in the 500 Freestyle.  Andrew continues to be in solid contention, dropping time in the 100 breaststroke to move a few more spots up the list in the state and make his statement as well.”

Paola’s Landen Terflinger also earned a state qualification in the 200 freestyle as he took second in 1:58.60. Terflinger, Prettyman, Sharp and Brown went on to also take third in the 400 freestyle relay.

Jamison, Terflinger, Brock Delmez and Spring Hill’s Tag Solberg took fourth in the 200 freestyle relay.

The Miami County team is back in action today as they travel to Bonner Springs. Events begin at 4 p.m.

OSAWATOMIE — For the first time in about a month, the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill boys swim team had a chance to swim in its home waters. 

The Miami County team took full advantage as it recorded 28 personal best times on its way to a first place finish in the five-team meet on Jan. 22 at the OZone in Osawatomie

The team won with 578 points and Independence was second with 472. On the Louisburg side, the Wildcats also added one new state qualifying and consideration time.

“It was certainly fun to have a great showing at our home pool last week,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “We are continuing to work on small details that lead to efficient and fast swims in competition as we push through to the remainder of our season.”

Louisburg junior Andrew Jamison added another state qualification time to his resume. 

Jamison secured a state time in the 100-yard butterfly with a second place finish in 58.91 seconds. He also took first in the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.

Junior Colin Brown recorded a first place finish in the 50 freestyle in 23.32 seconds and was also second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:09, which is a state consideration time.

Senior Colton Prettyman and sophomore Noah Sharp racked up a pair of first place finishes to lead the Wildcats. 

Prettyman was first in the 200 individual medley in 2:20 and later was first in the 100 butterfly in 58.63 seconds. 

As for Sharp, he took first in the 100 freestyle in 55.53 seconds and in the 100 backstroke in 1:04.52.

The Miami County team also placed first in all three relays. It all started as Brown, Jamison, Prettyman and Sharp took the top spot in the 200 medley relay in 1:45.

Prettyman, Jamison, Landen Terflinger and Brown were first in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:40, while Terflinger, Tag Solberg, Nic Terblance and Sharp won the 400 freestyle relay in 4:03.

Terflinger, a Paola swimmer, also earned a state qualifying time in the 500 freestyle.

Louisburg sophomore Brock Delmez also had a strong day as he was second in the 500 freestyle in a new personal best time of 6:22. He also took third in the 50 freestyle in a personal best time of 26.14.

Freshman Bennett Mendez also record a top two finish as he was second in the 200 freestyle in 2:32.

OLATHE — The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill boys swim didn’t waste much time getting started in 2025.

The Miami County team recorded four new state qualification times last week, and another state consideration time, as it finished second at the Olathe Northwest quad with 305 points

Olathe Northwest won the meet with 547 points, while Olathe West (257) and Blue Valley Southwest (149) took third and fourth, respectively.

Louisburg earned three new state qualification times and two came from Andrew Jamison. The Wildcat junior won the 200-yard individual medley in 2 minutes and 9 seconds to earn his first state time of the day.

Jamison also went on to take second in the 100 freestyle in 51.45 seconds to record another state qualifying time. 

Junior Colin Brown posted another state time for the Wildcats as he won the 100 butterfly in 54.87 seconds. Brown also won the 200 freestyle in 1:54.

Sophomore Noah Sharp added a state consideration time in the 100 freestyle to his resume as he was fourth in 55.05 seconds. Sharp went on to take third in the 100 backstroke in 1:06.

Sharp, Jamison, Paola’s Landen Terflinger and Spring Hill’s Tag Solberg won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:38, while Sharp, Jamison, Brown and Colton Prettyman were second in the 200 medley relay.

Prettyman, Terflinger, Brock Delmez and Brown concluded the meet with a third place finish in the 400 free relay in 3:41. Prettyman, a Louisburg senior, also went on to take third in the 100 butterfly and fourth in the 100 backstroke.

Delmez, a Louisburg sophomore, finished fifth in the 500 freestyle and sixth in the 200 freestyle.

Paola’s Landen Terflinger earned the team’s fourth state qualification time of the day as he was second in the 50 freestyle in 23.42 seconds.

The Miami County team is back in action today as it hosts its home meet. Events begin at 4 p.m. at the OZone in Osawatomie.

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week five of the winter sports season, sponsored by Edward Jones-Craig Holtzen.

ANDREW JAMISON, JUNIOR, SWIMMING

Louisburg junior Andrew Jamison began 2025 with a bang as the Wildcat swimmer had a strong performance in last week’s meet at Olathe Northwest. Jamison recorded two state qualification times as he helped the Wildcat team to a second place finish. He earned a state time in the 200-yard individual medley as he took first overall and earned another state time in the 100 freestyle as he finished second.

Jamison was also a member of the 200 freestyle relay as he, Noah Sharp, Landen Terflinger and Tag Solberg took first in 1:38. Jamison also joined Sharp, Colin Brown and Colton Prettyman in the 200 medley relay as they took second in 1:45.

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: Gavin Lohse

Week 2: Colin Brown

Week 3: Jay McCaskill

Week 4: Brayden Yoder

Two years ago, Sabra Brueggen found herself at a crossroads.

During her sophomore year, Brueggen tore her ACL, which left her with surgery and months of rehab. For someone that liked to play multiple sports, it was a tough pill to swallow.

Brueggen loved to swim, play softball and basketball and knew that one day she would have to choose one when her college days came calling. 

As it turned out, the injury helped Brueggen decide what sport she loved the most — swimming. 

The Louisburg senior, who is a decorated state swimmer for the Wildcats, signed her letter of intent to compete at the highest level. Brueggen signed with the University of Northern Iowa, a Division I program in the Missouri Valley Conference.

“Swimming in college hasn’t always been my dream,” Brueggen said. “I grew up playing multiple sports and it was always challenging trying to figure out what sport that I wanted to compete in at the next level. However, facing the adversity my sophomore year of tearing my ACL allowed me to recognize that swimming was a huge part of my life and that I wasn’t ready to give it up. It allowed me to understand how much of a passion I had toward the sport which opened the door for the college search process and ultimately allowed me to commit to swim at the Division 1 level.”

Brueggen had a few options to choose from, but Northern Iowa stood out among the rest. She joins a Panther program that has had a lot of success in the Missouri Valley Conference and was a good fit for her.

“I chose UNI because of the campus and team atmosphere,” Brueggen said. “The close knit and supportive team made me feel at home, while the coaches made it a competitive environment for all the girls. 

“Choosing UNI as my home for the next four years was a tough decision because my college search process was full of many other memorable college visits, making my decision even more challenging. However, I know that I made the right choice because of the team and university culture that I can’t wait to be a part of.”

The Louisburg senior has certainly made an impact on the Wildcat girls swim program in its short 5-year existence. 

In her first three years, Brueggen has racked up four state medals and holds numerous school records. It is that same type of success that she hopes to bring to the Northern Iowa program.

“Going into a program that is having as much success as they are is extremely motivating and exciting,” Brueggen said. “With seniors that are breaking decade old school records, the team and individuals placing at the conference championship meet, and the success of the team’s academics excites me for my future athletic and academic career at UNI. 

“I am super excited to see what I can bring to the team. As for the certain events that I will be competing in, although my backstroke events have always been my focus, I will have a variety of other opportunities to compete in other events as well. My goal is to always challenge myself to compete to the best of my abilities and to continue to achieve personal best times in my events. I also hope to secure a position in multiple relay events.”

Although she has had a lot of success at the high school level, Brueggen has also thrived at the club level. She has been in the water since a young age, which has helped her become a college swimmer.

“I have been swimming since the age of two,” Brueggen said. “I was once the toddler swimming across the pool scaring all of the lifeguards because I was so little. My journey to get to where I am today, however, was not always easy. The commitment to practicing almost every day of the week on top of all of my other sports, spending countless hours in the water, and the demanding expectations I set for myself made the pool a place where I could always challenge myself and be proud of how far I’ve come.

“This has further fostered a confidence in me to get to where I am today and I feel ecstatic to be able to say that I am a committed athlete to the University of Northern Iowa. This accomplishment would not have been possible without God’s plan and all of the support from my family, teammates, and coaches of Gerri Hart, Gavin Hagar and Rob Kenley.”

As for what she hopes her final year of high school holds, Brueggen is looking to break more records and bring home more state hardware.

“I am looking forward to my senior season and the opportunities we have to compete with our relays at the state level again this year,” Brueggen said. “With the experience we have in all of our seniors, I am excited to see what we can accomplish not just as a team but individually as well. 

“Personally, I am hopeful for two more top 8 individual finishes at state to end my high school swim career on a high note. I am excited to take on this final year of high school swimming with these girls by my side, along with coaches that have supported us every step of the way.”

It was a successful, and eventful, year 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 made their way to state competition. 

Below are the top stories from 2024, 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 2025 will bring. Thank you to everyone for their support and can’t wait for it all to begin again.

10. Coaching Changes: Willer steps down from LHS volleyball, Roquemore takes over girls soccer

Louisburg volleyball and girls soccer saw some big changes in their respective programs. 

Over the summer, Jordan Roquemore was hired as the head coach for the Wildcat girls soccer program after spending several years as an assistant. 

He became the third head coach in the history of Louisburg girls soccer. He replaced former coach Ben York, who coached the Wildcats the last two seasons.

“I feel tremendously honored to take over as head coach,” Roquemore said. “It’s an amazing opportunity to take over an exceptional program with a great group of athletes, supportive parents and invested community members. I don’t take the responsibility lightly, but I am also really excited.”

On the volleyball side, head coach Leanna Willer submitted her resignation in early December.

Willer has spent eight seasons with the Wildcat program, including the last four as head coach. She accepted a new position as head coach at Olathe East.

“This decision is bittersweet, but deep down I know that this is the best decision for me and my life,” Willer said in an email to parents. “The team will move on, and I feel lucky that I could play a small part in the long-standing traditions of the program. To the alumni and class of 2024, I thank you for your commitment to this team and to this program, and for making my time at Louisburg unforgettable. To our younger players, I am sorry for not seeing your journeys all the way through, but please know that you have my unwavering support and I cannot wait to see what you all can accomplish with the time you have left as Louisburg Wildcats.”

9. Brueggen wins state swim medal

For the third straight season, Sabra Brueggen left the Class 5-1A state swim meet with some hardware.

The Louisburg junior showed why she is among the state’s best as she earned a fourth place medal in the 200-yard individual medley — her first ever state medal in that event — Saturday at the Shawnee Mission Aquatic Center.

The 2-day meet provided a lot of ups, and some downs, for the Louisburg swim program, but for Brueggen it was nice to return to the medal stand.

“I was very happy and content with my 200 IM swims last weekend,” Brueggen said. “Not only did I set a new personal best time, but I also walked away with fourth place in an event that is not one of my primaries.”

Janie Harth, Ella Bockelman and Cadence Weichert also joined Brueggen at the state meet as they qualified for the consolation finals in the 200 medley relay 400 freestyle relay.

8. Dixon achieves pro volleyball dream

It was setting up to be an epic finish to Anna Dixon’s collegiate volleyball career.

Dixon, as a graduate transfer, made the move to the University of Florida for her final season and quickly made an impact on the Gators’ roster.

Despite have to learn a new position due to an injury on the team, Dixon seemed to flourish. She helped the Gators out to a quick start and everything was going according to plan.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

Dixon suffered a season-ending elbow injury that put a premature end to her collegiate career. It was a devastating blow.

However, instead of sulking, Dixon worked that much harder to get back to the court and achieve her ultimate goal — playing professional volleyball. 

All that hard work finally came to fruition back in July when Dixon, a 2019 Louisburg High School graduate, signed with the Atlanta Vibe, which is a part of the Pro Volleyball Federation.

“I am super excited to compete at the highest level, but also to be able to do that here in the US,” Dixon said. “It has been a dream of mine to be able to play professionally, in front of club girls who are in the same shoes that I was in many years ago. I am excited to give them the opportunity to have something to look forward to and work toward. Blessed for the opportunity and ready to get to work.”

7. Cheer takes third at state

TOPEKA — The Louisburg High School cheerleading squad is no stranger to the finals of the Class 4A Game Day competition. 

Heading into the Nov. 23 showcase in Topeka, the Wildcats have made the final round in each of the last five seasons. Louisburg had no problem making it a sixth straight, and for the fifth time in six years, they came home with a state plaque.

Louisburg finished third in the state competition as it edged out Baldwin for the top three spot in Class 4A.

“Bringing home another trophy from the Game Day Cheer competition was a testament to our team’s hard work, dedication, and growth throughout the season,” Louisburg cheer coach Breanna Kostroske said. “It means so much to us because it reflects their skill, their heart, and spirit—three things we emphasize daily. For our athletes, it symbolizes their resilience and the countless hours they’ve spent perfecting their routines. 

“As coaches, we are incredibly proud of their overall performance. They left it all on the floor, and while there is always room for improvement, they gave a performance that showcased their teamwork, precision, and energy.”

6. Moore medals at state wrestling

SALINA — Louisburg has been no stranger to the medal stand at the Class 4A state wrestling tournament and it was the case again back in February in Salina.

Louisburg junior Ashton Moore reached the semifinals at 190 pounds on the first day to secure himself a medal, and then finished fourth overall on the tournament’s final day.

Moore had several close matches throughout the 3-day tournament at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center and was challenged each day. 

“I thought I wrestled some of my best matches of the season and it felt great to have it pay off with a medal,” Moore said. “It felt amazing to win those first two matches and know I was guaranteed my medal. Those wins really helped me gain a lot of confidence going forward in the tournament.”

Five other Wildcats made the trip to state, but faced some tough matchups. Juniors Canaan Clayton (113 pounds), Will Showalter (120), Logan Henry (132), Jay McCaskill (157) and senior Traden Noll (150) each finished 0-2 on the first day.

5. Wildcat boys swim makes history earning 5 medals at state

TOPEKA — The Louisburg boys swim program is still relatively new compared to other teams around the state, but the Wildcats made its presence felt back in February 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.

Brown hit the pool strong as the Wildcat sophomore medaled fourth in the 100-yard butterfly and later finished fifth in the 100 backstroke with personal best times. 

Jamison, another sophomore, earned two medals of his own. He finished fifth in the 200 individual medley and later took sixth in the 100 breaststroke. 

Prettyman reached the consolation finals in the 50 freestyle and took 13th overall with a personal best time. 

4. Wildcat football nearly pulls upset of Miege as successful season comes to early close

The mountain of playing Bishop Miege is always a tough one for public schools to climb, especially when it comes to football.

Miege, which has won seven state titles in the last 10 years, has never lost to a non-private school in the playoffs during that decade long of dominance.

Louisburg wanted to be the first team to hand it that loss as the No. 2 seed Wildcats hosted the No. 15 Stags in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs.

The Wildcats were so close to that mountaintop, but came up just short as they fell to Miege, 21-14, to end their season with a 7-2 record.

Louisburg was behind 14 points, only to rally and tie the game at halftime. The Wildcats had one final drive to try and tie it again late, but a Miege interception dashed the Wildcats’ hopes of an upset. 

“In this moment, the only word I can come up right now is proud,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “I am so proud of the team. Our biggest emphasis was we had to start fast and we didn’t. They got out to a 14-0 lead, and most times when you play teams like Miege that can snowball and get out of hand quick. Those guys just battled and were able to tie it up at halftime. Then for us to continue to fight and have a chance to tie it at the end — proud is all I can say about them.”

The Wildcats ended their season with back-to-back losses after they won their first seven games of the season. They were in line to win their third straight league title, but lost a close game the week before to Spring Hill that also bumped them off their No. 1 seed line, forcing a matchup with Miege in the first round.

Miege’s streak of state titles came to an end later in the season as the Stags fell to Andover Central in the state championship game.

3. Wildcat girls soccer wins regional championship

For the last two seasons, the Louisburg girls soccer team has seen heartbreak in the Class 4-1A regional championship.

Losses to Topeka-Hayden and Bishop Miege have prevented the Wildcats from that regional title, with their last coming in 2021. 

It is elusive no more.

The No. 1 seed Wildcats shutout No. 8 Maranatha Academy, 2-0, to win the Class 4-1A regional title at Wildcat Stadium. It was a dominating effort from start to finish as the Wildcats improved their record to 13-4-1 on the season.

“This was a preseason goal of ours,” Louisburg coach Ben York said. “We fell short last year and we wanted to do as much as we could in the regular season to control our own destiny. The girls put a lot of work in and were focused to get to this game and get a win. They definitely earned this one and it was good to see them enjoy it.”

Louisburg faced a tough matchup in the state quarterfinals as the Wildcats lost to Bishop Miege at home, 7-0.

2. Wildcat baseball earns first regional title in 15 years

The current members of the Louisburg baseball team couldn’t remember the last time the Wildcats made the state tournament even if they tried.

That’s because they were just wee toddlers the last time the Wildcats earned a spot a state — 2009 to be exact. 

These players are going to have a hard time forgetting this one.

For the first time in 15 years, Louisburg is headed back to the state tournament after the Wildcats put together a convincing 10-3 victory over Wamego in the Class 4A regional championship back in May at Lewis-Young Park.

The Wildcats also defeated Parsons, 8-0, in the regional semifinal to put together what was a dominating performance from top to bottom.

“This is just amazing,” Louisburg coach Kade Larson said. “To see how much work these guys have put in, then to come out and get the job done, it is pretty surreal. We had a bunch of guys step up and do exactly what they needed to do. They played great defense, pitched great and everyone in the dug out was into the game. It was a great win.

“It has been awhile and it has been a long time coming. We have had some great teams and this team finally pushed through and got it done.”

In the state tournament, the Wildcats had to battle rival Paola in the first round, but lost in a pitcher’s dual to the Panthers, 3-0.

1. Wildcat sweep pole vault state titles, medal 8 at state

WICHITA — Cooper Wingfield and Maddy Carpenter-Ross found their way atop the medal stand last May at the Class 4A state track meet.

All season, Carpenter-Ross had her eyes set on a second straight state title in the pole vault and she dominated her competition.

Going into the Class 4A state meet at Wichita State, Carpenter-Ross won every competition going away and was ready to do the same against some of the state’s best.

This time, however, it was much harder.

To get this state title, Carpenter-Ross was going to have to have to set a new personal best and break her own school record in the process.

She did it and accomplished that feat on her first try.

With two competitors left at 12 feet, Carpenter-Ross cleared it on her first try as did Holton’s Piper Robinson. Both competitors missed at 12-6, and since they were tied, they decided the winner based on misses at 11-6, where the Louisburg senior got it on her first try.

“It is pretty awesome,” Carpenter-Ross said. “I worked really hard for that and I am so relieved right now. It was a little stressful, but I was in that competitive mindset and I was so happy that I PR’d. Everyone was setting personal records, so I was just like ‘My turn.’”

Wingfield, who was the state runner-up last season, entered the competition at 14 feet. He missed the first two attempts on his opening height, and another miss would not only prevent him from a state title, but a spot on the medal stand.

On the third attempt, the Louisburg junior cleared it with ease and eventually cleared 15 feet on his first attempt, which was the winning height.

“I was really nervous there on that last attempt (at 14 feet),” Wingfield said. “All I needed was a good jump to get in the zone and from there I knew I could jump pretty high. The competition was a lot harder this time around than it was last year. I knew I had to make everything on my first attempt and once I had one good jump, I knew I could do it.”

It had already been a special season in the pole vault for Wingfield, as he earned a league and regional title, and broke the school record.

Other state medalists were Gavin Lohse (third, long jump), Jaymes Melton (seventh, shot put), Ben O’Bryan (seventh, discus), Suzanna Dansel (seventh 100 dash) and Jacob Brown (eighth, pole vault). The girls 4×100 team of Dansel, Kendall Crossley, Emma Vohs and Addi Mallett medaled sixth.