Brown leads Wildcat swim with school’s first state medal
Louisburg freshman Colin Brown finished eighth in the 100-yard butterfly Saturday at the Class 5-1A state swim meet in Lenexa. Brown became the school’s first state medalist in boys swim.
LENEXA — For the first time in its four years of existence, Louisburg found its way up to the podium of the Class 5-1A state boys swim meet.
Wildcat freshman Colin Brown earned the school’s first state medal in boys swimming Saturday at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center in Lenexa.
Brown recorded a time of 56.46 seconds in the finals of the 100-yard butterfly to take eighth overall. He swam a season-best time of 55.85 in the preliminaries Friday to garner a spot in the finals.
“Colin’s swim in the medal finals on Saturday was so fun to watch,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “Hardware from state is not easy to earn and he did a marvelous job all season working toward that final.”
In all, Louisburg sent four swimmers to the state meet in Brown, Brayton Brueggen, Colton Prettyman and Andrew Jamison and the Wildcats turned in several times that earned spots in the consolation finals. As team, the Wildcats finished 15th overall with 44 points.
Louisburg senior Brayton Brueggen swims the backstroke for the 200 medley relay team Friday. On Saturday, the team finished 10th overall.
The OZ-PA-LOU team also had swimmers from Paola and Osawatomie that swam in the consolation finals in Paola’s Landen Terflinger and Osawatomie’s Luke Hebert.
“We were thrilled to represent OzPaLou at state this season,” Argeropoulos said. “The boys worked so hard and it definitely paid off. We are so proud of their season and final performances at state. Each swimmer had at least one personal best time and competed fiercely in the pool.”
The 200 medley relay of Brueggen, Brown, Jamison and Prettyman set a new personal best Friday in the prelims, only to set another one Saturday in the consolation finals.
Louisburg sophomore Colton Prettyman swims the breaststroke Friday during the prelims of the state meet.
The Wildcat quartet finished 10th overall with a time of 1:48.26 and set the tone for a successful day.
In the consolation finals of the 200 freestyle, Brown finished 13th overall in 1:52.62 seconds and Terflinger was 16th in 1:57.70. Terflinger was also 11th in the 500 freestyle in 5:20.
Jamison improved on his time in the 100 breaststroke as he took 12th overall in the consolation finals in 1:05.83. Prettyman just missed out on the finals as he took 18th in 1:06.81, while Jamison missed the finals of the 200 individual medley and finished 17th in 2:11.52
Hebert scored points for the Osawatomie side as he took 12th in the 100 butterfly in 56.37.
Louisburg freshman Andrew Jamison finished 12th in the state in the 100 breaststroke.
The 400 freestyle relay Brueggen, Jamison, Brown and Prettyman ended the meet strong. After advancing to the consolation finals Friday, the team improved their time Saturday.
Louisburg finished 12th in the event with a time of 3:33.73. It was the end to what was an historic season for Louisburg boys swim.
“There were so many fun aspects of the state meet but perhaps my favorite was watching these young men support, cheer for, console, push and encourage one another each and every practice and meet,” Argeropoulos said. “We are looking forward to the 2023-2024 season.”
Wildcat swimmers eye medals in first-ever state meet
Louisburg senior Brayton Brueggen will swim a pair of relays during the Class 5-1A state meet today at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center in Lenexa. Brueggen, along with Colton Prettyman, Colin Brown and Andrew Jamison will begin competition at 4 p.m.
LENEXA — Louisburg started competing in boys swimming during the 2019-20 season, and for the first time four years, the Wildcats will end their season competing against the state’s best.
After not sending anyone in the first three years of existence, the Wildcats will send four to the Class 5-1A Kansas State Swimming Championships, beginning today.
Senior Brayton Brueggen, sophomore Colton Prettyman, along with freshmen Andrew Jamison and Colin Brown, will hit the pool at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center starting at 4 p.m. for preliminaries.
Between the four swimmers, the Wildcats will compete in five individual events to go along with two relays. It has been a long time coming, especially for Brueggen, who has been with the program since its inception.
“It means a lot to compete at state, as that was the primary goal the whole season,” Brueggen said. “The past couple of years we were so close to competing at the state level as we were just off by a couple milliseconds. I am looking forward to competing.”
Freshman Colin Brown will compete in four events today, including two relays, along with the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle.
Brueggen will join Brown, Jamison and Prettyman to compete in the 200-yard medley relay, along with the 400 freestyle relay. The group sits 16th in the medley and 13th in the 400 going into prelims. The top 16 finishers in the prelims earn a spot in the finals on Saturday.
“I think we will be competitive with the other teams (Friday),” Brueggen said. “We have the guys and the times to make it to finals on Saturday. We have been working together all season and should put up a good fight.”
Brown has had a big freshman season for the Wildcats to this point. He qualified for state in three individual events, but swimmers are only allowed to compete in two at the meet this weekend.
He has chosen to take part in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly. Brown currently sits 10th in both events and the top eight will earn state medals.
“It’s truly an honor that I have been able to compete at the level I have, and to be able to qualify for this meet as a freshman,” Brown said. “Coming into the season I had high expectations for myself. I wanted to qualify in most of the events I swam, but the relays were my favorite to qualify. To be able to be a part of the first Louisburg relay to ever qualify for state, while only having four LHS swimmers was very exciting for me, and the other swimmers.
“My goals for this weekend are to swim swim strong, drop time and represent LHS with pride.”
Freshman Andrew Jamison will also compete in four events today at state, including two relays and the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke.
Jamison also qualified in a pair of events for Louisburg. He will compete in the 100 breaststroke, where he currently has the 13th best time and the 200 individual medley, where he is 18th.
“To compete at state as a freshman means a lot to me because it’s a memory I’m going to have for a long time,” Jamison said. “It really shows that all the hard work that not just me, but the whole team has put in, has paid off.
“I had high expectations for myself coming into the season including qualifying for state, but there is always a little bit of ‘Wow, I just did that!’ after every great race. You would need to add words to the dictionary to describe how excited I am. And as for goals, I just want to get a personal best and have loads of fun.”
Sophomore Colton Prettyman will swim two relays and the 100 breaststroke today at state.
As for Prettyman, he qualified in the 100 breaststroke in his final meet of the season last week at the ILC meet. He currently sits with the 12th fastest time.
The state finals will be held at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Week 9 Athlete of the Week: Colton Prettyman
Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week nine of the winter sports season, sponsored by Vohs Pharmacy.
COLTON PRETTYMAN, SOPHOMORE, BOYS SWIMMING
Louisburg sophomore Colton Prettyman had a big day for the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg boys swim team last week at the Independent League Championship. Prettyman won the league title 100-yard breaststroke and earned a state qualification time in the process. He also went on to finish second in the 50 freestyle and help the team to a league title.
Prettyman was also a part of a pair of relays that won league championships. He joined Brayton Brueggen, Colin Brown and Andrew Jamison as they won the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relays. Prettyman will compete at the state meet this Friday and Saturday as he swims the 100 breaststroke, along with the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays.
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.
OZ-PA-LOU wins ILC crown; captures seven individual league titles
Louisburg sophomore Colton Prettyman won the 100 breaststroke title Wednesday during the ILC in Osawatomie. Prettyman also earned a state qualification in the event. He was also a part of two league champion relays.
OSAWATOMIE — The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg boys swim team took the pool with just eight swimmers, but that didn’t stop it from achieving something great Wednesday in its home pool.
The Miami County team won the Independent League Championship at the Ozone in Osawatomie with 342 points. Bonner Springs was the next closest in the 8-team meet with 264.
On top of the championship, the group won seven individual league titles and earned four more state qualification times.
“These eight gentlemen have worked so hard this season top to bottom,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “They are a well rounded team that supports, pushes, and cheers for one another and it’s so great to see all that pay off with a league championship.”
Louisburg freshman Colin Brown led the way as he won two individual league titles, and two more as part of a relay, to go along with his third state qualification time of the season.
Louisburg freshman Colin Brown won four events — two individual and two relays — during the ILC meet Wednesday in Osawatomie.
Brown won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:53.16 and the 100 butterfly in 56.45 seconds. Brown, along with Brayton Brueggen, Colton Prettyman and Andrew Jamison won the 200 free relay in 1:36.14 and the 400 free relay in 3:40.28.
His leg in the 400 free relay was also fast enough to earn a state qualification time in the 100 freestyle.
Prettyman also had a big night as he was the league champion in the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.24, which was also a state qualification time. He also finished second in the 50 freestyle in 23.74 seconds.
“The atmosphere at the pool was special and it’s no surprise that those swimmers stepped up and laid down great races,” Argeropoulos said. “They’ve been inching closer and closer all season and they should be extremely proud of their swims at league.
Louisburg freshman Andrew Jamison swims the butterfly stroke of the 200 IM on Wednesday. Jamison won the event and earned a state qualification time.
“Colton Prettyman has been consistently dropping crazy amounts of times across the board this season. His relay legs have been a constant strong point for the team and it’s gratifying to see his individual success come through for him.”
Jamison also had a strong performance as he was the league champion in the 200 individual medley in 2:13.12, which was also a state qualification time — his second of the season. He also took second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:08.32.
Brueggen took runner-up honors in both of his races. The Louisburg senior was second in the 200 IM in 2:29.45 and second in the 100 backstroke in 1:05.78.
Louisburg senior Brayton Brueggen finished as a league runner-up in two events and was also a member of two league champion relays.
Paola’s Landen Terflinger finished second in the both the 100 and 200 freestyle, and also earned a state qualification time in the 200 freestyle in 1:55.39.
Osawatomie’s Luke Hebert was the league champion in the 500 freestyle in 6:21. He also took second in the 100 butterfly.
Now, the team will prepare for the Class 5-1A state meet that begins this Friday in Lenexa. The event will run through Saturday.
“State should be so much fun for our boys,” Argeropoulos said. “We are focusing on putting out the best swims possible and enjoying the ride. We expected to be there from the beginning of the season and we can’t wait to see it all play out.”
Louisburg relay, Brown add to their state qualification list at Bonner
Louisburg freshman Colin Brown (pictured above) along with teammates Andrew Jamison, Brayton Brueggen and Colton Prettyman qualified for state in the 400-yard freestyle relay last week at Bonner Springs.
BONNER SPRINGS — For most of the season, coach Mary Argeropoulos has been trying to figure out why the Louisburg 400-yard relay hasn’t earned state qualifying time yet.
“All year, I’ve been encouraging our relays, that according to their individual swim times, they should be able to post a qualifying time in the 400 Free relay easily,” Argeropoulos said. “On paper, they should have been able to swim a 3:44 time which would have qualified the relay, but we had just not been able to put it together at the end of a meet in competition.”
Whatever happened last Tuesday at the Bonner Springs Invitational, did the trick.
The relay team of Brayton Brueggen, Colton Prettyman, Colin Brown and Andrew Jamison blew their season best time out of the water in 3 minutes and 39.72 seconds to not only finish first, but earned that elusive state qualification bid.
The Louisburg quartet has now qualified for state in two relays, along with the 200 medley. In the 200 free relay, the group also finished first at Bonner in 1:40.41.
“It was a really great moment,” Argeropoulos said. “They knew they had swam well, but hadn’t realized that they qualified until they returned to the team area. It was so cool.”
The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg team put together a strong performance as well. The Miami County group of just eight swimmers, finished second overall with 333 points, behind Topeka-Seaman which won with 470.
Brown also added another state qualification time of own. He earned a state bid in his third event this season after he recorded a time of 1:54.09 in the 200 freestyle and took second overall.
The Louisburg freshman has now qualified for state in three individual events to go along with the two relays.
Osawatomie’s Luke Hebert earned a state qualifying time for the team as he was second in the 100 butterfly in 57.50 seconds, knocking three seconds off his time.
(Submitted photo)Louisburg senior Brayton Brueggen swims the backstroke during a meet earlier this season. Brueggen is now a part of two relays that have qualified for state.
The Miami County team will now send six of its eight swimmers to the state meet later this month.
Prettyman had a good day individually at Bonner Springs as he took second in the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke. Jamison was also third in the 100 and 200 freestyle.
Brueggen took second in the individual medley and fifth in the 100 backstroke, while Brown also earned a state consideration time in the 100 breaststroke as he took third.
Paola’s Landen Terflinger took second in the 100 backstroke and posted a state consideration time and was fourth in the 50 freestyle.
Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg will return to their home waters this Wednesday as they will host the Independent League Championship. Events begin at 4 p.m at the Ozone in Osawatomie.
Week 7 Athlete of the Week: Andrew Jamison
Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week seven of the winter sports season, sponsored by Landmark National Bank of Louisburg.
ANDREW JAMISON, FRESHMAN, BOYS SWIMMING
Louisburg freshman Andrew Jamison is off to fast start to high school swim career. Jamison helped the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg swim team to a second place finish at the Blue Valley Northwest triangular. Jamison won the 200 individual medley in 2:15.60 and finished second in the breaststroke in 1:08.61. He later helped the 400 free relay to a second place finish as well in 3:51.96.
The week prior, Jamison also punched his ticket for the state meet. The Louisburg freshman earned a state qualifying time in the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.64 after earning a state spot in a relay earlier in the year.
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.
OZ-PAO-LOU boys swim wins home meet, qualifies two for state
Louisburg freshman Andrew Jamison qualified for state in the 100-yard breaststroke Wednesday during the team’s home meet in Osawatomie.
OSAWATOMIE — The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg boys swim team had an impressive showing in its first meet of the new year.
The Miami County swim team qualified for state in two more events and put together several state consideration times in its meet victory Wednesday at the Ozone in Osawatomie.
Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg won the five-team meet with 301 points to go along with eight first place finishes and six runner-up performances.
“This home meet was a great showing for our team,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “Everyone swam really well and everyone got new personal best times. The first place finish was icing on the cake.”
Louisburg freshman Andrew Jamison qualified for state in his first individual event as he recorded a time of a 1 minute and 6.64 seconds in the 100-yard breaststroke and he won the event.
His teammate, Paola’s Landen Terflinger, also earned a state bid in the 500 freestyle in 5:28.78 with a victory Wednesday.
“We are simply over the moon about our state qualifiers,” Argeropoulos said. “It really is a fantastic accomplishment to consider or qualify for the state swim meet and we are proud that as of right now, 5 of our 8 swimmers will be representing OzPaLou at state in February.”
The team also earned state consideration times in four other events.
Louisburg sophomore Colton Prettyman earned state consideration times in two events Wednesday in Osawatomie.
Louisburg sophomore Colton Prettyman earned state consideration times in the 100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke. Prettyman took second in the 100 freestyle with a time of 54.02 seconds and was second in the breaststroke in 1:09.38.
Freshman Colin Brown, another Louisburg swimmer, earned a state consideration time in the 100 freestyle. Brown won the event in 53.17 seconds and he also won the 200 individual medley in 2:12.50, improving on his state qualification time earlier in the year.
Terflinger recorded a state consideration time in the 200 IM in 2:16.09 as he took second. Osawatomie’s Luke Hebert won the 100 butterfly in 1:00.64 and earned a state consideration time as well.
Louisburg’s relay group of Brayton Brueggen, Jamison, Brown and Prettyman also swam well. The team took first in the 200 medley relay in 1:51.48, improving on their state time from earlier in the year.
The group also won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:39.65, just missing out on a state qualification time. Brueggen also won the 100 backstroke in 1:07.18 and was second in the 200 freestyle in 2:14.37.
Jamison finished second in the 50 freestyle in 25.34 seconds.
The OZ-PAO-Louisburg team returns to action Tuesday at Blue Valley Northwest. The meet is set to begin at 5 p.m.
Top 10 Louisburg Sports Stories of 2022
It was a successful, and eventful, 2022 for Louisburg High School athletics and for those who are connected to the Wildcat program.
This past year created a lot of school history for LHS and a few programs brought back state hardware.
Below are the top stories from 2022, 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 2023 will bring. Thank you to everyone for their support and can’t wait for it all to begin again.
10. Louisburg golf qualifies for state
FORT SCOTT — As the scores were rolling in, the Louisburg golf team was a little worried.
The Wildcats were in jeopardy of not qualifying for state after a few of the golfers didn’t have the scores they were hoping for in the Class 4A regional tournament in Fort Scott.
Chanute and Independence had already assured themselves of a spot, but the third place team was up in the air as the top three teams automatically qualify for state.
As it turned out, the Wildcats had nothing to worry about as they edged Paola by four strokes to finish in third with a 357 to secure their third consecutive spot in the 4A state tournament.
Seniors A.J. Arriola, Sam Wheeler, Ian Kirkpatrick, Johnny Thompson, along with juniors Jackson Olson and Nick Lancaster, advanced to the state tournament.
Arriola carded a 78 and finished as a regional runner-up, as he was just two strokes behind regional champion Drayton Cleaver of Chanute.
As for Olson, the Louisburg junior set a personal record by six strokes to shoot an 81 and took fourth overall. Those personal bests were enough to get the Wildcats into that third place spot.
At state, Arriola and Wheeler finished as the team’s top two golfers. Arriola carded a 97 to take 59th overall, while Wheeler finished with a 98 and came in 66th.
9. Brueggen’s earns school’s first state swim medal
LENEXA — Even though she is just a freshman, Sabra Brueggen is already putting a stamp on her high school swim career at Louisburg High School.
It all came to a rousing end on May 21 as Brueggen earned her first state medal at the Class 5-1A Kansas State Swim and Diving Championships at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center.
On the day before in the preliminaries, Brueggen also took fifth in a season-best time of 1:00.15.
“Medaling as freshman means the world to me, and it proves to me that all of my hard work for all of these years, has paid off,” Brueggen said. “I feel like I performed my absolute best at state, and I was very happy with the results. It gives me confidence that I will have a bright future representing OzPaLou at the state swim meets.”
She nearly had a second medal in the 50 freestyle. Brueggen put together a season-best time of 25.26 seconds, but finished ninth overall. It was the same finish she had the in the preliminaries.
The top eight in each event earn a state medal as she was just .06 away from earning another spot on the medal stand.
8. Harding takes over as Wildcat football coach
The Louisburg football program had a different leader on the sidelines this past season.
The USD 416 Board of Education approved the hire of LHS assistant coach Drew Harding to be the team’s new head coach in January after the district decided not to renew the contact of former coach Robert Ebenstein.
Harding spent the last five seasons as a Wildcat assistant coach, including time as a defensive coordinator. He is a 2010 Louisburg graduate and was a big part of the Wildcat program during his time as a student-athlete at Louisburg High School.
However, Harding didn’t see himself be a head coach of any sport coming out of college.
“It means a lot,” Harding said. “When I got out of school, I didn’t get into education right away and started somewhere else. I decided to get into education because of the impact my former coaches at Louisburg had on me. To come full circle and to be in the position that I am in now, is pretty surreal. I am really excited for the opportunity and hopefully I can have the same type of impact on student athletes as they come through the program.”
Ebenstein has the been the head coach the last five seasons and helped the Wildcats to a 30-18 record during that time, including a Frontier League and regional title in 2018. He had a winning record three of those five seasons.
He was also named the KFCA Coach of the Year during that season and was selected to be an assistant coach for the Kansas Shrine Bowl. He was an assistant coach for the Wildcat program for five years before earning the head coaching job.
7. Conley resigns a Louisburg head boys and girls soccer coach
He was recently hired to lead the boys and girls soccer programs at Blue Valley West, where he will serve as the head coach of both teams.
Conley, who also taught social studies at LHS, informed the players and parents of his decision on May 4. The Blue Valley Board of Education approved his hire on May 9.
“Making the decision to leave Louisburg was extremely difficult,” Conley said. “The players and parents, both past and present, made this decision tough. No parents or players caused this decision. I am very thankful to Mr. (Dave) Tappan and Mr. (Darin) Gagnebin for giving me this opportunity to coach and teach at Louisburg. The amount of support that my teams, my family and I received from Louisburg soccer parents and the community was incredible.”
Conley has the been head girls coach at Louisburg since its inception in 2016 and has led that program to four consecutive state final fours.
Twice, the Wildcats made the state championship game and finished runner-up on both occasions. He has guided the program to an 82-34-3 record.
Conley took over the boys program in 2016 and finished with a 77-32-3 record. He led the Wildcats to two state final fours during that span, including a third place finish in 2020.
“I am so proud of the things that our student athletes in the soccer programs have accomplished both on and off the soccer field,” Conley said. “I will always cherish the memories that we have made here with the Louisburg soccer programs.”
6. Girls cross country qualifies for state, Vohs earns state medal
WAMEGO — For the second consecutive season, Emma Vohs left the Class 4A state cross country meet with more than was she arrived with.
“I was so excited to win another state medal this season and couldn’t be happier that I reached my goal for that race, which was placing top 10,” Vohs said. “The race was a tougher course, as was the competition this year, but I am blessed to run with such talented girls that push me to do better each race.”
A week earlier at regionals, the team of Vohs, Maddy Rhamy, Lola Edwards, Nova Ptacek, Bree Gassman, Erin Apple and Madison Huggins finished third to punch their ticket to state
“It never gets old seeing the joy in the team’s eyes when they hear they qualified for state,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “The girls work hard to accomplish this goal each year, and because of their dedication to their sport, they achieve great things even if they might not make it, but they did.
“The program has built itself and I’m just glad to be a part of it. Yes, we put together a training plan to accomplish great things at the end of the season, but the runners do the work to get there. It takes self discipline, motivation and guts to be there at the end of the season.”
5. Wildcat wrestling medals 3 at state
Louisburg wrestling has had its fair share of state medalists in its long history, but what the Wildcats accomplished in February at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina was something the program had never seen before.
Aiden Barker (195 pounds), Kaven Bartlett (126) and Elijah Eslinger (285) each finished in the top six in their respective weight classes and put together their best performances of the season. It was also the first time each of them earned a state medal.
“This season was the most state placers we’ve had in a single year in program history,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “Prior to 1992, KSHSAA only medaled the top 4 in each weight. In both 1988 and 1989, we had two top-4 placers and one top-6 placer, but this really shows how the program is progressing and developing. We nearly had four medalists, too.”
Barker, a senior, was a favorite for a medal heading into Salina and finished fifth overall with a 13-1 major decision over Ottawa’s Jared Ferguson in the fifth-place match.
Bartlett and Eslinger also left lasting impressions on the Wildcat program as each medaled sixth overall after both nearly turned their brackets upside down as they advanced to the semifinals on Friday. They both guaranteed themselves a medal on the first day.
4. Louisburg cheer earns state runner-up performance
TOPEKA — It has almost become commonplace to see the Louisburg High School cheer squad in the finals of the Class 4A Gameday Spirit Showcase.
However, that doesn’t mean the cheerleaders are any less excited about it.
For the second straight season, the Wildcats finished as the state runner-up in the Class 4A competition at the Stormont-Vail Events Center. They finished with a score of 79.45 and were one point behind champion Paola.
It is the fourth straight season that the Wildcats have finished in the top three, which included a state championship in 2019.
“I am so unbelievably and incredibly proud of this team,” Louisburg coach Marissa Morrow said. “This positivity and attitude that these girls have shown this year have been the key to our success. I had no doubt that the material and performances we brought on Saturday had the potential to do well, but it was the girls who made it possible to pull it together. They were all such competitors and left it all out on the mat, and I couldn’t ask for more. We also could not have done it without the support of our amazing cheer families.”
Members of the team are Sydney Dudzik, Bella Feikert, Zoe Cutshaw, Caroline Dugger, Elizabeth George, Addison Drake, Brooklyn Harmon, Adison Vargo, Maddy Carpenter-Ross, Sienna Finch, Alayna Stohs, Alaina Dudzik, Maddie O’Keefe, Liz Willming, Kayleigh Ramsey, Taryn Osborn, Anna Brizendine and Jocelyn Burk.
3. LHS football secures Frontier League title
With just over a minute left in regulation, Louisburg was staring at the possibility of their first league loss and was watching an outright Frontier League title slip away.
Spring Hill scored a touchdown and took a four-point lead with 1 minute and 12 seconds left. Things were looking bleak for the Wildcats.
As it turned out, 52 seconds was all the Wildcats needed to pull off one of the season’s most memorable moments. Louisburg quarterback Declan Battle found junior Caden Caplinger in the endzone on an 18-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds remaining to give the Wildcats a 20-17 victory.
“There weren’t a lot of people who thought we could be league champions,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “I don’t think it was anything that people expected out of us, and the Frontier League is really good. For this group to come to work, get better every day and to see success is pretty sweet.”
The win was extra special for 16 Louisburg seniors as they were also able to celebrate that league title on Senior Night.
Jackson Kush, Nathan Apple, Carson Wade, Isaiah Whitley, Riley Van Eaton, J.R. Rooney, Will Hutsell, Brayton Brueggen, Christian Golladay, Nathan Vincent, Jase Hovey, Mack Newell, Hunter Moore, Mason Dobbins, Corbin Hamman and Layne Ryals all got to end their final regular season home game with a win.
“The Frontier League title means so much to me and this team,” Rooney said. “As a team before the season, the seniors wrote down our goals, and league champs was on everyone’s list. To clinch it on senior night was amazing. Going undefeated at home, to win it on our field in front of our town — it was an indescribable feeling.”
2. Wildcat volleyball finishes fourth at state
HUTCHINSON — The state tournament ended the way it started for the Louisburg volleyball team — with a loss to Towanda-Circle.
Still, it was everything that happened in between that made for a lot of lasting memories for the Wildcat players.
Louisburg went 2-1 in pool play at the Hutchinson Sports Arena, which included a revenge win over Tonganoxie in the final match of the day. That gave the Lady Cats a spot in the state semifinals Saturday, where they finished fourth in Class 4A.
The Wildcats suffered a 2-0 loss to both Bishop Miege and Circle, but they still ended their season as one of the state’s top teams.
“I am extremely proud of this team,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “Looking at how we started this season, and our ups and downs along the way, it is a huge accomplishment for them to have come together as a team at the end of the season and play our best volleyball yet. It was apparent in the last couple of weeks that they really started playing for each other and capitalizing on the strong team bonds they built throughout the year.”
The Wildcats, the No. 9 seed, knocked off No. 1 seed Baldwin, 25-18 and 25-19, at Baldwin High School in the finals of the Class 4A sub-state tournament. That win puts Louisburg in the state tournament for the first time since 2019.
Members of the team are Emma Prettyman, Adyson Ross, Claire Brown, Allie Kennedy, Ashlyn Berck, Delaney Nelson, Izzy Moreland, Bronwynn Williams, Caileigh Kilgore, Megan Quinn, Hailey Sword and Madelyn Williams.
1. Wildcat boys take third at state track; Koontz, Caplinger win state titles; Lady Cats medal nine
WICHITA — For the second consecutive season, the Louisburg boys track and field team brought home hardware from the Class 4A state meet.
Andale won the state championship with 101 points and Chanute was the state runner-up with 71.
Louisburg got points from a lot of different areas as the Wildcats medaled in 10 events and had 12 medalists overall, including all three of their relays.
“I am not going to complain at all,” Koontz said. “I believe we came here with less people than we did last year and everyone did their best. Even though we didn’t get exactly what we wanted, third place is still a great achievement.”
What he couldn’t believe was he had just won his first state title in the 300 hurdles and Koontz did so by breaking a 14-year-old school record. Koontz ran a time of 38.98 seconds to break R.J. Saunders’ record of 39.16 set in 2008 to earn the gold.
It turned out to be his second state title of the day as he also earned the gold medal in the 110-meter high hurdles with a time of 14.61 seconds. Koontz won the state in that event last season as well.
Caplinger cleared a lot of his marks in the pole vault and did so in convincing fashion as he was able to win a state title in just his second year with the program.
Last season at state, Caplinger medaled eighth after he cleared 12-6. A year later, the Louisburg sophomore improved his mark by two feet and is a state champion.
It was an impressive showing from Caplinger as he didn’t miss an attempt until he tried for 15 feet at the end. He entered the competition at 12-6 and had five straight successful clearances.
“At first I was really nervous, but then it just kind of turned into a routine thing,” Caplinger said. “I started going over heights consistently and the rest just kind of fell into place. I cleared 14-6 earlier this week twice in a row, so I knew I could do it. I was still a little nervous though.”
As for the Lady Cats, Delaney Wright left the state meet with three medals. Wright, who has been coming back from a severe injury for most of the season, finished as the state runner-up in the 400-meter dash, third place in the 200 dash and fifth in the long jump.
A season ago, Wright was the state champion in all three events, but couldn’t get the repeat she was hoping for.
“Going into state I knew I still wasn’t where I want to be due to my injury a couple months ago,” Wright said. “But I wanted to attack it still and give it all I had. I am blessed I was there to compete and earn three medals cause in the beginning I didn’t even know if I was going to compete my senior year.”
In all, the Lady Cats put together a strong state performance as they medaled in nine events and finished with 40 team points and took sixth overall. They were just eight points away from the third place spot, and a plaque.
“Once again the state qualifiers did an amazing job,” Louisburg girls coach John Reece said. “They all performed well and most beyond expectations. To leave the meet finishing in sixth place was outstanding. We left with lots of medals and great memories.”
OZ-PAO-LOU boys swim finishes runner-up in home opener
Louisburg freshman Andrew Jamison swims the freestyle on Dec. 12 during the team’s home meet in Osawatomie. Jamison posted state consideration times in the 200 and 500 freestyle.
OSAWATOMIE — For the first time this season, the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg boys swim team had a chance to hit their home waters on Dec. 12 and it didn’t disappoint.
Despite several having to leave early for a musical event, the Miami County team swam strong when it was in the pool as it finished second overall. OZ-PAO-LOU competed against Hayden, Fort Scott, Coffeyville-Field Kindley, Bonner Springs and Independence.
Three swimmers also posted state consideration times as well. Andrew Jamison (200-yard freestyle, 500 freestyle), Colin Brown (200 individual medley) and Landen Terflinger (50 freestyle) all got a little closer to to earning that state qualification time.
“It’s always nice to have that ‘home pool advantage,’” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “The boys did a great job being flexible with the event schedule and had some really great swims. Our multi-talented student athletes were able to show off their swimming and musical abilities last Monday.”
Jamison led the Louisburg side with first place finishes in the 200 freestyle (1:59.31) and 500 freestyle (5:33.05). Jamison, along with Brown, Colton Prettyman and Brayton Brueggen also won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:42.57.
Colin Brown swims the breaststroke during the 200 IM on Dec. 12 in Osawatomie. Brown won the event and posted a state consideration time.
Brown won the 200 individual medley in 2:18.75, while Prettyman was second in the 200 freestyle and third in the 50 freestyle. Brueggen, Prettyman, Luke Hebert and Terflinger also won the 200 medley relay in 1:54.41.
Terflinger won the 100 breaststroke in 1:13.77 and was second in the 50 freestyle in 24.40. Hebert took first in the 100 butterfly (1:05.32) and third in the 200 IM (2:39.72).
In its final competition before the holidays, the Miami County team traveled to Blue Valley Southwest on Saturday and placed fourth out of 10 teams.
Terflinger, Jamison, Hebert and Prettyman posted a state qualifying time in the 200 medley relay, however the group will not be able to compete together at state as they are from different schools.
“The posting time is still a great accomplishment,” Argeropoulos said.
The same group also posted a state consideration time in the 400 freestyle relay. Jamison had another strong outing as he was second in the 100 breaststroke and seventh in the 100 freestyle.
Terflinger was second in the 100 backstroke and fourth in the 100 butterfly.
The swimmers return to action on Jan. 18 when it hosts another home meet in Osawatomie.
Week 2 Athlete of the Week: Colin Brown
Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week two of the winter sports season, sponsored by Landmark National Bank of Louisburg.
COLIN BROWN, FRESHMAN, BOYS SWIMMING
Louisburg freshman Colin Brown didn’t waste much time putting himself in the history books. Brown became the first Louisburg boys swimmer in school history to qualify for state in an individual event. During the Dec. 7 meet in Topeka, Brown won the 100-yard butterfly and earned a state qualification time of 56.50 seconds.
Just days earlier, he was a member of the 200 medley relay at Lansing that became the first relay to qualify for state in school history. Brown, along with Brayton Brueggen, Andrew Jamison and Colton Prettyman, took fourth at the Lansing Relays — but more importantly — earned a state qualifying time of 1:52.12.
To add to his resume, Brown has state consideration times in the 100 backstroke and 200 IM. Brown, Brueggen, Jamison and Prettyman also have state consideration times in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.
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.
