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.

Brueggen became the first swimmer in school history to earn a state medal as she finished fifth in the 100-yard backstroke in 1:00.58.

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

Louisburg High School head boys and girls soccer coach Kyle Conley stepped down from his position after seven years.

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.”

Bobby Bovaird was hired as the new boys head coach, while Ben York returned to the program as the new assistant. York was also named the girls head coach after serving 13 years as the boys head coach previous to Conley.

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.

Vohs earned her second state medal at Wamego Country Club as she finished 10th overall with a time of 20 minutes and 51 seconds. The Louisburg junior did what she set out to accomplish.

“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.”

Vohs led the Lady Cat team that qualified for state for the sixth consecutive season. As a team, Louisburg finished eighth overall with 208 points.

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.

The Wildcats left the Class 4A state tournament with three state medalists, the most for one year in program history. 

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.

The win was the Wildcats’ seventh straight on the season and clinched the team’s first Frontier League championship since 2018.

“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.”

It was all thanks to an upset the previous week. Louisburg defeated the state’s No. 1 seed, Baldwin, in the sub-state championship match to earn the state berth.

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.

After winning the state championship in 2021, the Wildcats once again found their way to the podium in Wichita as they finished third overall with 67 points.

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.

Louisburg senior Tom Koontz won a pair of state titles in the hurdles, while sophomore Caden Caplinger captured the gold medal in the pole vault.

“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.”

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.

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.

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.

Previous winners

Week 1: Adyson Ross

TOPEKA — It has been quite the first week for the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg boys swim team — especially for the four Wildcat swimmers.

In a five-day span, Louisburg has qualified for the state meet in two different events already and the Wildcats have also earned several state consideration times.

It all started Saturday at the Lansing Relays. The Louisburg relay team of Brayton Brueggen, Andrew Jamison, Colin Brown and Colton Prettyman qualified for state in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1 minute and 52.12 seconds.

“We were so proud of our swimmers for that amazing state qualifying swim,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “It really was a sweet moment after working so hard for the last couple of years and not quite qualifying.  There was a lot of excitement on the pool deck. The team overall did a great job in the pool and supporting each other from the sidelines like a true team. It’s going to be a great season with these fine gentlemen.”

It was just a taste of what was to come.

On Wednesday at the Topeka-Hayden Invitational, Brown, a freshman, punched his ticket to state once again — this time as an individual. Brown won the 100-yard butterfly in 56.50 seconds, and in doing so, earned a state qualification time. 

“Colin Brown swam a fantastic 100 butterfly and really made a statement with his commanding swim,” Argeropoulos said. “He simply outswam the competition last night. We are proud to see him represent OzPaLou swim at state.”

The Miami County team also posted six state consideration times as those participants try and chip away at a state qualification mark.

Brueggen, Brown, Jamison and Prettyman earned qualification times in both the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. The team finished first in the 200 relay and later finished fourth in the 400 relay.

“We were happy to shave off more time for a better consideration time for the Louisburg 200 free relay and will continue to reach for that qualification time,” Argeropoulos said. “In the 400 free relay, they  showed true grit after a difficult schedule (they all swam the 2 events just prior to this difficult race) and laid down a great starting point to work for an automatic qualifying time in this event.”

Along with his mark in the 100 butterfly, Brown earned a state consideration time in the 100 backstroke. Jamison, a freshman, also earned consideration times in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke where he took second and third, respectively.

Paola freshman Landen Terflinger also earned a state consideration time in the 100 freestyle. As group, Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg took fourth in the team standings out of nine squads.

In his two individual events, Brueggen was fifth in the both the 200 IM and 100 backstrokes, while Prettyman was fifth out of 55 swimmers in the 50 freestyle and was fifth in the 100 breaststroke.

The team will compete in its home opener on Dec. 12 in Osawatomie. The meet is set to begin at 4 p.m.

Louisburg freshman Sabra Brueggen medaled fifth in the 100 backstroke at the state swim meet on May 21 in Lenexa.

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.

Brueggen became the first swimmer in school history to earn a state medal as she finished fifth in the 100-yard backstroke in 1:00.58.

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.

“Placing ninth in the 50 free started a fire in me,” Brueggen said. “I’m determined to push even harder to earn a top eight finish, not in just one event, but both my events next year. However, swimming a lifetime best in the 50 free this year at state has challenged me to work even harder to accomplish my future goals.”

Brueggen had a memorable season for the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg swim program as she became the first swimmer to qualify for state in all eight of her individual events.

Getting off to a good start in her high school career has only left Brueggen wanting more.

“I’m very excited to see what next year brings, and I’m so thankful for all of my coaches this year that have supported and encouraged me in all of my endeavors,” Brueggen said. “I’m confident that the future of the OzPaLou swim team is bright.”

Louisburg freshman Sabra Brueggen will compete in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke at the Class 5-1A state swim meet this weekend in Lenexa.

Sabra Brueggen made a name for herself this season in the high school swim world as she became the first Louisburg swimmer to qualify for state in all eight individual events.

Brueggen will compete against the best the state has to offer beginning Friday at the Class 5-1A Kansas State Swim Championships.

She will also do it as a freshman, but big meets are nothing to new to Brueggen. She has swam competitively for much of her young life and has faced some big challenges along the way.

The state meet is just another one of those stops for Brueggen.

“I have swam against older swimmers my whole life, and this is no exception,” Brueggen said. “I’m a little bit nervous, because it’s important in how I represent myself with all the expectations that have been set on me. However I’m confident in my training and I will trust in myself for rising to the occasion.”

Preliminaries for the 5-1A state meet begin at 9 a.m. on Friday at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center in Lenexa. The top 16 in each race will compete in the finals beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Swimmers are only allowed to compete in two individual events at state, so Brueggen went with the ones that are most familiar to her — the 50-yard freestyle and 100 backstroke.

Going into the competition, Brueggen currently has the fifth fastest time in the 100 backstroke in 1:02.47 and is currently a favorite to get a medal in the event.

Brueggen is currently sitting 11th in the 50 freestyle in 25.86 seconds. The top eight in each event receive a state medal.

“I have always dreamed of this moment, since I was a little girl swimming for the (Louisburg) Barracudas, and now that it is here, I have a lot of expectations for myself,” Brueggen said. “My goal is to place top eight in both my events, more specifically I want to place top three in my 100 back. The first step is believing in myself, and with all the support I have around me, I know I will have a successful weekend.”

Although the state meet is quickly approaching, she knows it can’t get here fast enough and Brueggen is thankful for all the support and help she received this season competing for the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg swim team.

“Representing Louisburg at the state meet as a freshman has been a dream of mine since I was young,” she said. “It means the world to me to have this opportunity, and I couldn’t have done it without all of the people that have helped me along the way.”

Louisburg junior Dana Mattison swims the freestyle in Osawatomie on Wednesday during the team’s final regular season meet of the season.

OSAWATOMIE — The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg girls swim team hosted its final regular season meet of the season Wednesday as it competed in the Osawatomie Invitational.

The Miami County squad took part in the 8-team meet and ended its regular season strong with a finish in the upper-half of the team standings.

Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg took fourth overall with 310 points. Fort Scott won the meet with 447 points and Independence was second with 359.

It was also Senior Night as the team honored seniors Bri Shippy, Emma Johnson and Emma Boehm, along with their parents, for their time with the program.

However it was a freshman that led the Miami County team on Wednesday.

Louisburg freshman Sabra Brueggen finished first in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2 minutes and 24.49 seconds and won the event by 10 seconds.

Brueggen later went on to finish second in the 500-yard freestyle in 5 minutes and 48 seconds. She has already qualified for state in all eight individual events.

Ashley Branine, Janie Harth, Dana Mattison and Brueggen also finished runner-up in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:59. Branine, Cadence Weichert, Mattison and Brueggen finished third in the 400 freestyle relay in a season-best time of 4:30.

Mattison had a runner-up finish in the 200 freestyle with a season-best time of 2:28.11, while Shippy was sixth in the event in 2:41. Mattison also finished fifth in the 100 freestyle in another season-best time of 1:07 and Branine was sixth in 1:08.

Addie Stuebner led the Miami County team in the 100 butterfly as she was fourth in 1:21 and sixth in the 100 backstroke in 1:13.

Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg will now enter postseason competition as the team will host the Independent League meet Wednesday at the Ozone in Osawatomie.

Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg take sixth at Topeka West

The Miami County team made the trip to Topeka on April 26 for the Topeka West Invitational.

The meet, which featured several bigger schools, provided a lot of competition but Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg took sixth with 195 points out of 12 teams.

Freshman Sabra Brueggen led the way as she won the 100-yard backstroke in 1:03.26 and took third in the 100 freestyle in 56.91 seconds.

Addie Stuebner also had a top three finish as she took third in the 100 backstroke in 1:14.

Brueggen, Ashley Branine, Dana Mattison and Janie Harth were fourth in the 200 medley relay in 2:16 and fifth in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:59.

Mattison had a pair top 10 finishes as she took seventh in the 500 freestyle in 6:46 and ninth in the 200 individual medley in 2:59. Branine was ninth in the 50 freestyle in 29.29 seconds.

Louisburg freshman Sabra Brueggen recorded four state qualifying times last week at Topeka-Hayden and Blue Valley Southwest.

OVERLAND PARK — Sabra Brueggen already had four state qualifying times going into last week’s competitions at Topeka-Hayden and Blue Valley Southwest.

After it was all over, Brueggen now has double that amount.

The Louisburg freshman qualified for state in four more events — two in each meet — after it was all said and done. Brueggen has now qualified for state in every individual event.

“She will be swimming repeats and trying to post faster personal times from now until the end of the season,” swim coach Mary Argeropoulos said.

On Saturday at the Timberwolf Invitational at Blue Valley Southwest High School, the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg swim team went up against several bigger programs and took sixth with 84. Mill Valley won the meet with 261 points. 

Brueggen qualified for state in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 25.86 seconds and took second overall. She later qualified in the 100 breaststroke as she was second with a time of 1:13.09.

The 200 medley relay of Cadence Weichert, Bri Shippy, Addie Stuebner and Emma Boehm was seventh in 2:15.

Stuebner also recorded a top 10 finish in the 100 butterfly as she was eighth in 1:20.

Brueggen, Janie Harth, Shippy and Stuebner were 11th in the 200 freestyle relay in 2:13, while Brueggen, Emma Johnson, Harth and Weichert were seventh in the 400 freestyle relay in 4:44.

“This past week was a tough week,” Argeropoulos said. “We had three meets (Tuesday & Wednesday both travel days back to back) and had to deal with missing swimmers and injuries. The girls rose to the challenge and performed well in all three meets stepping in for holes as needed. They continue to shave time off across the board and we are looking forward to pushing hard into the last of our season.”

Last Wednesday, the team traveled to Topeka for the Hayden Invitational and was fourth with 298 points.

Brueggen won the 200-yard freestyle with a state qualifying time of 2:09.91 and teammate Dana Mattison was fifth at 2:36. Brueggen was second in the 100 butterfly with another state qualifying time of 1:05.20.

In the 200 freestyle relay, Brueggen, Harth, Mattison and Stuebner earned a state consideration time in 1:56.99 and took first overall.

The 200 medley relay of Weichert, Stuebner, Mattison and Brueggen finished runner-up in 2:18.

Stuebner went on to take third in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke, while Harth and Weichert were fourth and sixth, respectively, in the 50 freestyle. Weichert also took fifth in the 100 freestyle, while Harth was fourth in the 100 breaststroke.

Shippy, Weichert, Ashlynn Willard and Harth ended the meet with a fourth place finish in the 400 freestyle relay.

TOPEKA — The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg team took its nine swimmers to the Topeka High Invitational last Wednesday to compete against some of the bigger schools in the area.

The Miami County team left with a strong finish as it took fifth overall with 166 points out of 10 teams. Lawrence Free State won with 611 and Washburn Rural was second at 423.

Throw in the fact freshman Sabra Brueggen qualified for state in two more events, and it was a successful outing for the group.

“We are incredibly proud of our girls for posting such a great meet with amazing teamwork and individual efforts,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “With 9 swimmers it was quite a feat to represent so well.  Each of the other teams had at least twice as many swimmers. It takes careful planning and spreading out the workload amongst the entire team. 

“Swimmers have to really be willing to ‘take one for the team’ and perhaps swim events that they wouldn’t normally pick to swim in order to earn the most team points possible. Each relay has to step up as well and score well to be competitive. This team is executing everything we are asking of them and more.”

Brueggen finished second in the 500-yard freestyle and qualified for state in the event in 5 minutes and 47.13 seconds. The Louisburg freshman also finished third in the 200 individual medley in a state qualifying time of 2:23.28.

She has now qualified for state in four events after competing in just her third meet.

“It is a privilege to be able to watch an athlete of her caliber in your program,” Argeropoulos said. “We appreciate her fun attitude and joy she brings to the group. She asked to swim the 500 this week and graciously agreed to swim the individual medley to score points for the team. 

“We are proud of her pushing out of her comfort zone in the distance events and are so pleased that she set a new personal record in the 500. She will continue to post qualifying times and we look forward to personal time improvements across the board for Sabra.”

Brueggen, along with Ashley Branine, Dana Mattison and Janie Harth took fourth in the 200 freestyle relay, with a time of 1:58.98, which was close to a state consideration time.

Mattison earned eighth-place finishes in the 200 freestyle and recorded a personal-best time in the 500 freestyle in 6:48.57.

Branine took ninth in the 100 freestyle in 1:08.45 and finished 14th out of 109 swimmers in the 50 freestyle in 30.02. Harth was right behind Branine in 15th in 30.73.

Paola’s Addie Stuebner also had a pair of top 10 finishes as she was seventh in both the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke.

The 400 relay team of Stuebner, Emma Boehm, Cadence Weichert and Bri Shippy took ninth, while the medley relay of Boehm, Emma Johnson, Stuebner and Weichert finished 10th overall.

The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg team is back in action today as it competes at 4 p.m. at Blue Valley Northwest.

Louisburg freshman Sabra Brueggen swims the 100-yard backstroke last Wednesday during the team’s season opener in Osawatomie.

OSAWATOMIE — It didn’t take long for Sabra Brueggen to make a big impact for the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg girls swim team.

Last Wednesday, the Louisburg freshman earned state qualification times in two events during the team’s home opener In Osawatomie.

Brueggen won the 50-yard freestyle in 26.04 seconds and later captured the 100 backstroke in 1:03.82 to qualify for state in both events

“Sabra comes to our OzPaLou team and brings a ton of talent and experience with her,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “We are looking forward to seeing her excel in her choice of events this year as she continues to improve her personal best times. She has set a goal to place in the top 5 in the state meet.   Sabra certainly is a boost to our team and will play a big role in inching our relays towards state times as well.”

As a team, the Miami County squad finished second in their home opener by three points to Topeka-Hayden, 481-478.

Although there are only 10 swimmers on the team this year, including five from Louisburg, Argeropoulos is excited to see the girls compete this season.

“We are looking forward to building on traditions from past years,” she said. “We have three strong senior girls leading our team. We have one junior, two sophomores, and four freshmen out this season and each girl is pulling their weight for the team. We expect to see lots of personal records set for the season and are looking to post some qualifying and consideration times for state.”

Junior Dana Mattison returns as the eldest member of the team from Louisburg and is joined by Brueggen, sophomore Ashley Branine and freshmen Cadence Weichart and Janie Harth.

On Wednesday, Brueggen also helped a pair of relays to victories as well. Brueggen, along with Emma Johnson, Addie Stuebner and Branine won the 200-yard medley relay in 2:13.94.

Mattison, Branine, Weichart and Brueggen won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:59.73, while Bri Shippy, Weichart, Harth and Stuebner won the 400 freestyle relay in 4:58.72.

Branine won a pair of individual events as she took first in the 100 freestyle (1:06) and 100 breaststroke (1:29)

Mattison also won two events as she took first in the 500 freestyle in 6:56 and the 200 individual medley in 2:53.

Stuebner and Harth were second and third, respectively, in the 50 freestyle. Shippy was second in the 500 freestyle and Stuebner was runner-up in the 100 backstroke. Johnson took second in the 100 breaststroke.

Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg is back in action today in Topeka.