Louisburg junior Isabelle Holtzen clears a height in the pole vault Saturday at the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships in Wichita. Holtzen earned her first state medal after she finished seventh in the event.

WICHITA – Isabelle Holtzen and T.J. Dover left the state track meet last season knowing they just missed out on a state medal.

That feeling stuck with them for about a year and they weren’t about to let it happen for a second straight time.

Holtzen and Dover each earned a state medal last weekend at the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships at Wichita State University to lead Louisburg. The top eight in each event medal.

Holtzen competed in the pole vault Saturday morning and finished seventh overall after she cleared 10 feet. The Louisburg junior finished one spot away from a medal last season and was happy to be able to bring something home with her from Wichita.

“After I was done, I went and talked to coach (Andy) Wright and he told me he thought I medaled, but he told me to go ask to make sure I got seventh,” Holtzen said. “I was just so excited and all smiles that I could barely contain it.”

The state medal capped what was a special season for Holtzen. Earlier in the year she broke a 15-year old school record after she cleared 11 feet, 1 inch.

Holtzen competed in a tough pole vault field at state, including going up against Paola’s Samantha Van Hoecke, who won a state title after she cleared 12-6 and broke a state meet record.

“Going into state track always makes me nervous because the meet is so big compared to any of our other meets,” Holtzen said. “I was really hoping to vault my PR, or go at least 10-6 again, so I was a little disappointed when I got 10. At the same time, I was OK with it because I knew I gave everything I had.

“After being able to break the school record and get a medal at state, I know that I have to work hard this summer and throughout next year to be able to match the season I had. It definitely motivates me to work even harder. Now that the season is over, I am extremely sad because it has been so much fun thanks to my teammates and coaches. I can’t wait till next year to hopefully continue to improve and have even more success.”

As for Dover, the Louisburg senior went into his final state meet with a few less nerves than last season. That experience seemed to pay off for Dover as he finished eighth overall in the discus with a throw of 143-4.

T.J. Dover finished eighth in the discus Friday at the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships in Wichita.

“I wouldn’t say I am satisfied with it because I really wanted to hit a PR, but a state medal is something I have been chasing since last year when I kind of choked at state,” Dover said. “It has been in the back of my mind all year, but I am blessed to come out here and have the opportunity to compete, especially with this only being my second year of track. I feel a lot of pride to be able to represent Louisburg on the podium.”

Dover threw in the first flight of the competition and recorded a throw of 141-6 in his final attempt. Then he had to sit and wait for the second flight to throw.

He continued to watch as a few of those throwers hadn’t surpassed his best mark, which gave him hope he was able to make the finals. Dover ended up with the seventh-best throw in the two flights and made it in.

“It was super nerve-racking,” he said. “I honestly didn’t think I got in until they said my name.

“For the circumstances, I thought I threw pretty well. The ring was pretty slick and I struggled to keep my balance. Toward the end of the throws, I started to realize I needed to make a move to try and get in the finals. It feels good to finally get a medal.”

Senior Ben Hupp runs down the straightaway during the final leg of the 4×800-meter relay Saturday in Wichita.

Louisburg just missed out on getting more state medals in two events.

On Friday, sophomore Chris Williams finished ninth in the 400-meter dash in 51.98 seconds and missed getting into the finals by one spot.

The 4×800-meter relay of Williams, Wyatt Reece, Tanner Belcher and Ben Hupp did the same on Saturday. The relay ran in the top eight through the first two laps of the race, but couldn’t hold their spot and took ninth in 8 minutes and 31.23 seconds.

Junior Kaitlyn Urban finished a couple spots out of the finals as she recorded a leap of 33-1 in the triple jump and finished 11th overall.

A week after winning a regional title, junior Quinn Rigney ran a time of 11.47 seconds in the 100-meter dash to come in 12th at state and fellow junior Frankie Hurst cleared 11-6 in the pole vault to take 13th.

Senior Kaitlyn Gaza hands the baton off to teammate Kaitlyn Urban Friday during the 4×100-meter relay.

The boys 4×400 relay team of Williams, Blue Caplinger, Hupp and Rigney took 12th in 3:30.33, while the girls 4×100 relay of Kaitlyn Gaza, Urban, Haley Cain and Jordon Leach was 13th in 52.99 seconds.

Jackson Ewalt, Caplinger, Charlie Koontz and Rigney finished 16th in the boys 4×100 relay in 45.45 seconds to round out the Louisburg state qualifiers.

Louisburg junior Quinn Rigney (left) edges Osawatomie’s Will Thompson and Paola’s Andrew Phillips at the finish line of the 100-meter dash Friday during the Class 4A regional meet at Paola High School. Rigney won the regional title in the event and qualified for three events at state.

PAOLA – With runners right on their heels, Quinn Rigney and Chris Williams didn’t buckle on the pressure.

A regional title was on the line for both runners, and despite a late charge from their competition, both athletes left the Class 4A regional meet in Paola on Friday with a first-place medal and a spot at the state meet.

Rigney won the regional title in the 100-meter dash in 11.07 seconds in a near photo finish as he edged Paola’s Andrew Phillips by .02 seconds.

“I was honestly kind of surprised because I think I was seeded fourth or something like that,” Rigney said. “The weather wasn’t that good, but I still can’t believe that I won. It feels good though.”

Williams captured the 400-meter dash crown in 50.90 seconds and held off Frontenac’s Brendan Ishimura who ran a 51.10.

“The first 200 was pretty good, but the second 200 I started to die a little bit,” Willliams said. “Then the one kid came up from behind me. At the last 10 meters I wasn’t going to let him beat me, and I wanted it more and snagged it from him.

“This makes me feel like I can do a lot better now that I have gotten my time down to 50. Hopefully I can get back to 50 or lower next week.”

Louisburg sophomore Chris Williams won the regional title in the 400-meter dash and qualified for state in three events.

It was the start of a big day for the Wildcat track and field team. Louisburg qualified for state in 10 events total and is also sending four relays between the girls and boys teams. The top four finishers in each event at regionals earned a spot at state.

Rigney and Williams will each be competing in three events for the Wildcats as they are each a part of two relays.

Williams, along with Tanner Belcher, Jacob Benne and Ben Hupp, ran to a personal record in the 4×800-meter relay with a time of 8 minutes and 30.61 seconds to finish in third. Williams, Rigney, Hupp and Blue Caplinger took third in the 4×400 in 3:32.40.

Rigney, Jackson Ewalt, Caplinger and Charlie Koontz qualified in the 4×100 as came fourth in 44.9 seconds. The Wildcat team was sitting in sixth place in the final handoff, but Rigney sprinted them back to fourth place.

“Quinn had a great day,” Louisburg boys coach Gary Griffin said. “After having a couple of rough meets in a row, I thought he really stepped up. I was pleased with the relays, especially the 4×100 who ran a PR. Those kids have worked hard this year and it was nice to see them get a chance to go to state.

“Chris is in really good shape right now and I would hope that he could go out there and make the finals at state. No one in the state has broken 50 seconds this year, and I think he has the capabilities to do that. He has been there before so it is not a new experience, so we will see what happens.”

Louisburg senior Ben Hupp hands the baton off to teammate Quinn Rigney during the 4×400-meter relay.

The Louisburg girls will also take a relay to state as the 4×100 team of Kaitlyn Gaza, Kaitlyn Urban, Haley Cain and Jordan Leach ran their best of the season and took third overall in 53.10 seconds.

Gaza, a senior, will make her fourth trip to the state track meet and is excited about one last chance to compete on the big stage.

“It means a lot,” Gaza said. “I have qualified for state in something the last three years and I thought it would be awful if I missed it my last year. Once I saw the 4×100 pull through, I just thought ‘Oh my goodness.’ It is another opportunity for me to do something again.”

Kaitlyn Gaza gets hug from 4×100 teammate Jordon Leach following their third place finish in the event. This will be Gaza’s fourth trip to state.

The Wildcats also qualified in several field events, including three runner-up finishes.

Senior T.J. Dover picked a good time to have his best meet of the season as he took second in the discus with a season-best throw of 147 feet, 4 inches and was less than a foot behind Prairie View’s Justin Peine for a regional title.

Dover qualified for state last season in the event and is hoping to leave there with a medal in his final meet.

“T.J. threw a personal record for this year and hopefully he can get a PR again this week,” Griffin said. “If he does that, it may get him a medal.”

After setting a personal record in the triple jump the prior three meets, junior Kaitlyn Urban almost did it again at regionals. Urban had a leap of 33-6.5 to take second and she is looking forward to taking part in her first state meet

“It means a lot to me because I put in a lot of work to improve over the summer and during the year,” Urban said. “I have been working on a lot of running mechanics and speed to try and get my jumps farther and have been working a lot on technique. I am just super excited for it. This is my first year running the 4×100 too, and I am really proud of the team for working on their times and getting a personal record to go to state.”

Junior Kaitlyn Urban stretches out for a mark in the triple jump Friday during the Class 4A regional meet. Urban took second overall.

Junior Isabelle Holtzen will make her third consecutive trip to the state meet in the pole vault. After setting the school record in the pole vault a month ago, Holtzen had hit a couple bumps along the way.

Holtzen rebounded to finish second at regionals after she cleared 10-6 and is ready to try and bring home her first state medal.

“It was really exciting to qualify because I have been having a really rough time lately,” Holtzen said. “I did really well and then I was really bad for two weeks in a row. That was hard mentally for me. This meet, I was just trying to focus on not even jumping well, but just having a good mindset to tell myself that I have done this before. It really meant a lot to me for it to come together at a perfect time for me at regionals.”

Fellow junior Frankie Hurst will join Holtzen in the pole vault ranks. Hurst finished fourth in the boys competition after he cleared 11-6, despite being gone most of the week due to a family matter.

“I am proud of Frankie and that he was able to qualify,” Griffin said. “He had some family things to deal with and he dealt really well with them.”

Although the Lady Cats were only able to qualify in three events, girls coach Greg Darrington liked what he saw out of each of them.

“I was very pleased with the 4×100 team,” he said. “I thought they did a great job with adding Gaza to the team. I was a little concerned but these girls really stepped up and did really well at league and regional meets. I will not count them out, as they just keep on competing as they have done all year.

“I think Urban has done a good job getting herself in position to qualify for the state meet and really think if she can keep her technique and control her nerves, she could use the energy of the crowd at the state meet to place and earn herself a medal. She has done a great job all year.

“It was also nice to see Isabelle come out of her struggles and begin to compete again. I am anxious to see how she does Saturday. I think if she can clear 11-6, she has a good chance at a medal as well.”

Louisburg junior Isabelle Holtzen clears a height in the pole vault. She finished second at 10-6 and will be making her third trip to state.

The Kansas State Track and Field Championships will be held at Cessna Stadium on the Wichita State University campus. The Class 4A portion of the meet will begin at 2 p.m. this Friday and continue into Saturday.

Other regional results are:

GIRLS

100 dash: Jordon Leach, ninth, 13.73

200 dash: Leach, 11^th, 28.60

800 run: Payton Shaffer, 11^th, 2:41

4×400 relay: sixth, 4:30

4×800 relay: fifth, 10:57

High jump: Eileen Benne, eighth, 4-8

Pole vault: Avery Graham, fifth, 9-0

Long jump: Chloe Renner, ninth, 14-9.5

Triple jump: Renner, fifth, 32-10.5

Shot put: Ellie Katzer, ninth, 32-1.25

Discus: Lexie Reece, seventh, 97-9; Katzer, eighth, 92-10

BOYS

100 dash: Jackson Ewalt, 13^th, 11.91

800 run: Tanner Belcher, 10^th, 2:15

1,600 run: Wyatt Reece, fifth, 4:51; Jacob Benne, 11^th, 5:13

300 hurdles: Ben Hupp, seventh, 42.50

Pole vault: Trent Martin, seventh, 11-0

Long jump: Charlie Koontz, ninth, 19-0.50

Shot put: T.J. Dover, fifth, 45-9.75

Discus: Kiefer Tucker, 13^th, 104-2

Javelin: Austin Moore, eighth, 128-7; Matt Holloway, 10^th, 122-8

Louisburg junior Kaitlyn Urban lands in the sand pit during an attempt in the triple jump last Thursday at the Frontier League track meet in Eudora. Urban set a new personal record of 33 feet, 7 inches to win the competition. 

EUDORA – In what was their final tune-up before regionals, the Louisburg High School track and field teams came away with a pair of champions during the Frontier League meet last Thursday.

Junior Kaitlyn Urban and sophomore Chris Williams each won a league title in their respective events to lead the Wildcat track teams at Eudora High School.

Urban set a new personal record for the third consecutive week in the triple jump. She won the event with a mark of 33 feet, 7 inches and picked up the first place in the event for the second time in three weeks.

“I feel that Kaitlyn is really starting to peak at the right time and she will need to perform at her best this week to have a chance for the state meet,” Louisburg girls coach Greg Darrington said.

Williams put together a rare performance for the Wildcats as competed in both the 400-meter dash and 800-meter run. The events are only 30 minutes apart, but Williams finished in the top three of both races.

Williams captured the league title in the 400 dash with a time of 51.59 seconds and then turned around and finished third in the 800 run in 2 minutes and 5.46 seconds.

“I thought Chris was outstanding,” Louisburg boys coach Gary Griffin said. “We are going to run him in the same two races at regionals and see what happens.”

Louisburg sophomore Chris Williams sprints to the finish line in the 400-meter dash Thursday in Eudora.

The Wildcats didn’t fare as well in the league standings.

The Louisburg girls finished fifth with 48 points and Paola won the league team title with 204 points. Baldwin was second with 146.

On the boys side, the Wildcats took seventh with 54 points. Paola won the boys crown with 140 points and Spring Hill came in second with 93.

Junior Wyatt Reece put together a season-best performance for the Wildcats in the 1,600-meter run, while the 4×800-meter relay did the same.

Reece ran personal-best time of 4:37 to finish second in the 1,600, but had to pull out of the 3,200-meter run due to a foot injury.

The 4×800 team of Tanner Belcher, Ben Hupp, Jacob Benne and Williams also ran to a runner-up finish and a new personal best time of 8:32. Both the 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams took fifth overall.

Blue Caplinger (left) takes a handoff from teammate Jackson Ewalt on Thursday during the 4×100-meter relay.

Hupp and Belcher also scored points in individual events. Hupp finished fourth in the 300-meter hurdles in 43.48 seconds and Belcher was sixth in the 800 run in 2:11.

In the field events, senior T.J. Dover finished third in the discus to lead all the Wildcat throwers. Dover recorded a toss of 138-7 as he was just a foot behind second place.

Junior Frankie Hurst cleared 11-8 in the pole vault to finish sixth and freshman Trent Martin got over the bar at 11-2 to come in seventh. Junior Kris Light was seventh in the high jump after he cleared 5-6.

Senior Ellie Katzer launches an attempt in the discus Thursday during the Frontier League meet in Eudora. She took seventh with a season-best throw of 99-10.

On the girls side, senior Chloe Renner scored points in two events for the Lady Cats. Renner finished second to Urban in the triple jump with a mark of 32-10 and later took fifth in the long jump at 15-0. Freshman teammate Sydni Keagle was seventh in the long jump at 14-9.75.

In the pole vault, junior Isabelle Holtzen cleared 8-4 to take fifth overall, while Eileen Benne and Haley Cain tied for sixth in the high jump at 4-7. Senior Ellie Katzer also scored points in the discus as she finished seventh with a season-best throw of 99-10.

On the track, the 4×100-meter relay of Kaitlyn Gaza, Urban, Cain and Jordon Leach came in third with a time of 53.71 seconds. The 4×800 and 4×400 relays came in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Keagle led the Lady Cats in the hurdles as she took fourth in the 100-meter hurdles in a time 17.26 seconds and Cain came in fifth in the 300 hurdles with a time of 54.01.

Louisburg returns to the track Friday for what could be the final time for many of the athletes. The Wildcats will compete in the Class 4A regional meet in Paola and the top four finishes in each event earns a spot in the state tournament.

Field events will begin at 11 a.m. and running events will follow at 1 p.m.

In other results:

GIRLS

100 dash: Jordon Leach, 10^th, 13.77

200 dash: Leach, 10^th, 28.30

400 dash: Mikayla Quinn, 14^th, 1:08; Isabelle Holtzen, 16^th, 1:09

800 run: Payton Shaffer, eighth, 2:40; Reilly Alexander, 13^th, 2:51

100 hurdles: Haley Cain, eighth, 19.44

300 hurdles: Sydni Keagle, eighth, 57.78

High jump: Chloe Renner, ninth, 4-7

Long jump: Kaitlyn Urban, 12^th, 13-3

Triple jump: Eileen Benne, 12^th, 28-0.50

Shot put: Ellie Katzer, eighth, 33-1.25; Lexie Reece, 12^th, 31-1.75

Discus: Reece, ninth, 98-9

BOYS

100 dash: Quinn Rigney, 10^th, 11.72; Jackson Ewalt, 15^th, 12.10; Charlie Koontz, 16^th, 12.23

200 dash: Rigney, ninth, 23.55; Ewalt, 14^th, 24.44; Austin Moore, 16th, 25.76

400 dash: Blue Caplinger, ninth, 54.19

800 run: Jarod Rose, 11^th, 2:15

1,600 run: Jacob Benne, 13^th, 5:16; Owen Staver, 16^th, 5:30

3,200 run: Benne, 12^th, 11:41; Staver, 14^th, 12:29

Pole vault: Caplinger, ninth, 10-8

Long jump: Koontz, 15^th, 16-10.5; Ridley, 16^th, 16-7

Triple jump: Ridley, 10^th, 32-7; Kris Light, 12^th, 32-6.5

Shot put: T.J. Dover, eighth, 43-3; Matt Holloway, 18^th, 36-8.5

Discus: Kiefer Tucker, eighth, 119-8; Holloway, 17^th, 96-10

Javelin: Holloway, 12^th, 121-6; Moore, 15^th, 118-8; Tucker, 17^th, 98-4

Louisburg junior Isabelle Holtzen slaps hands with jump coach Andy Wright after she cleared the 10 foot mark in the pole vault earlier this season. Holtzen broke the school record in the event Thursday after she cleared 11 feet, 1 inch at the Prairie View Invitational. 

LA CYGNE – Once Isabelle Holtzen cleared 10 feet in the pole vault during the Prairie View Invitational on Thursday, she went over to jump coach Andy Wright to look at the video.

Holtzen was surprised by what she saw.

The Louisburg junior cleared, what was her personal best, by a wide margin and it gave her all the confidence she needed as she tried for a new personal record. She had no idea it would turn into a school record as well.

“When I saw that video, it just really boosted my confidence a lot,” Holtzen said. “Coach Wright just told me to just jump like I know I can.”

Holtzen cleared 10 feet, 6 inches and then went on to vault over the 11-1 mark, which broke a 15-year-old school record. She surpassed Laura Gjerde’s 11-0 mark that was set in 2002.

“Once I cleared 10-6, I was so excited, but I knew I had one more jump left in me,” Holtzen said. “So I took all my excitement and energy into my last jump and approached it like it was 10 feet and it was something I knew I could do. After I cleared 11-1 and found out I got the school record, I just exploded with excitement.

“I was extremely blessed to be able to share that moment with all my teammates, coach and family and it was really exciting for all of us because they were all a huge part of my success.”

The pole vault wasn’t the only success the Louisburg track and field teams experienced at Prairie View. For the second consecutive week, both the boys and girls squads won the team title.

The Lady Cats captured the team crown with 114 points and Prairie View finished runner-up with 78 points in the 13-team meet.

“What was nice was to see was how the girls competed,” Louisburg girls coach Greg Darrington said. “We won the meet by girls placing in the top seven and earning points for the team. Overall we didn’t win as many events as the week before, but earned points in about every event.”

Louisburg also found a lot of success on the boys side as the Wildcats racked up 104.5 points and Jayhawk-Linn was second with 90.

“Overall, I thought we did a good job,” Louisburg boys coach Gary Griffin said. “We had several personal records even though the weather was not great. We scored points in most of the events were in.”

Along with Holtzen’s school record in the pole vault, the Lady Cats won two other jumping events. Junior Kaitlyn Urban edged out teammate Chloe Renner to win the triple jump with a mark of 33-2 and Renner was second at 32-6.5

Renner picked up her gold in the long jump with a leap of 15-3.5 to earn her second medal of the day. Freshman Haley Cain cleared 4-8 in the high jump to medal in third. Fellow freshman Avery Graham also medaled in the pole vault after she cleared 8-6.

The Lady Cats also found success on the track, especially in the relays.

Jordon Leach, Urban, Sydni Keagle and Cain won the 4×100-meter relay in 54.28 seconds, while the 4×400 relay of Kaitlyn Gaza, Mikayla Quinn, Holtzen and Urban won in a time of 4 minutes and 30 seconds.

“The relays are getting better each week,” Darrington said. “I was really proud of the 4×100 and 4×400 teams as each of them came into the meet sitting with the second best time and both rose to the occasion and took first. I think our team is taking the right steps and improving each week.”

Leach also picked up a pair of medals in the sprints she finished third in the 100 dash (13.93) and 200 dash (28.57). Quinn also finished third in the 400 dash in 1:06.

On the boys side, junior Quinn Rigney also earned pair of medals in the sprints. For the second straight week, Rigney won the 100-meter dash in 11.42 seconds and finished third in the 200 dash in 23.86.

Wyatt Reece gets out to a big lead in a race earlier this season. On Thursday at Prairie View, Reece won the 3,200-meter run and finished second in the 1,600.

Fellow junior Wyatt Reece ran a season-best time in the 3,200-meter run to earn gold for Louisburg. Reece recorded a time of 10:41 to win the event by more than eight seconds. He also took second in the 1,600-meter run in 4:47.

“Wyatt continues to get more confidence each week,” Griffin said. “He is in great shape and I look for his times to continue to come down.

“Quinn is running really well too. The competition will be stronger in the next three weeks, and I am looking forward to see him run against some of the best guys in the state.”

All three relays also medaled for Louisburg. The 4×400 team of Chris Williams, Ben Hupp, Blue Caplinger and Rigney won gold in 3:38, which beat their old personal best by four seconds.

The 4×800 team of Hupp, Tanner Belcher, Williams and Jarod Rose beat their old personal record by two seconds to finish second in 8:40. Jackson Ewalt, Caplinger, Austin Moore and Rigney took third in the 4×100 relay in 46.42.

“To see the 4×400 PR by four seconds was great to see and they can improve even more,” Griffin said. “The 4×800 has one of the top times in the area, but they can still improve as well. The 4×100 really needs to work on handoffs to get to where they need to be.”

The Wildcats earned medals in the field events as well.

Junior Frankie Hurst and freshman Trent Martin each cleared 11-6 in the pole vault to finish second and third, respectively.

Senior T.J. Dover finished third in the discus (137-2.75) and shot put (45-11.75) to round out the Wildcat medalists.

Louisburg returns to action Friday when it travels to Wellsville for the Redbud Relays.

Other results are:

GIRLS

400 dash: Kaitlyn Gaza, sixth, 1:06; Isabelle Holtzen, seventh, 1:08

800 run: Payton Shaffer, seventh, 2:45; Reilly Alexander, 10^th, 2:53

1,600 run: Shaffer, fifth, 6:19

100 hurdles: Haley Cain, sixth, 19.99; Sydni Keagle, ninth, 21.33

300 hurdles: Cain, fourth, 54.18; Keagle, eighth, 1:00

4×800 relay: Fourth, 11:53

High jump: Eileen Benne, fourth, 4-8; Chloe Renner, 4-8, fifth

Long jump: Keagle, seventh, 14-1; Kaitlyn Urban, ninth, 13-11

Shot put: Ellie Katzer, sixth, 29-6; Lexie Reece, ninth, 27-6

Discus: Reece, fifth, 94-8.5; Katzer, sixth, 92-1.25; Melia Rice, 14^th, 69-10.5

Javelin: Rice, 16^th, 53-8

BOYS

100 dash: Charlie Koontz, seventh, 11.94; Jackson Ewalt, 11^th, 12.08

200 dash: Ewalt, sixth, 24.8; Austin Moore, eighth, 25.62

400 dash: Blue Caplinger, seventh, 55.59; Kiefer Tucker, 13^th, 58.33

800 run: Tanner Belcher, sixth, 2:14; Jarod Rose, eighth, 2:17

1,600 run: Jacob Benne, eighth, 5:12; Owen Staver, 16^th, 5:31

3,200 run: Benne, ninth, 11:46

300 hurdles: Ben Hupp, fourth, 43.57

High jump: Kris Light, fifth, 5-6

Long jump: Koontz, ninth, 17-1.5; Will Ridley, 13^th, 16-9; Trent Martin, 16^th, 16-4.5

Triple jump: Ridley, 10^th, 35-3.5; Light, 13^th, 34-3

Pole vault: Caplinger, fourth, 11-6

Shot put: Matt Holloway, sixth, 39-7.5; Tucker, 11^th, 36-11

Discus: Tucker, seventh, 121-6.5; Holloway, 10^th, 105-7

Javelin: Holloway, 11^th, 117-6; Tucker, 13^th, 115-6; Moore, 18^th, 101-11

Three schools have accepted invitations, or will soon, to join the Frontier League for the 2018-19 season and beyond.

Piper, Bonner Springs and Tonganoxie will be leaving their current home — the Kaw Valley League — to join the Frontier after all three were offered spots during a meeting in early April.

Their addition will now bring the Frontier League to 10 members, along with Louisburg, Paola, Ottawa, Spring Hill, De Soto, Baldwin and Eudora. The trio of schools made presentations to the current Frontier League members for admittance due to the fact the Kaw Valley is in the process of breaking up. Current member Bishop Ward is leaving the league next school year, which leaves them at six.

Piper quickly accepted the invitation following a vote of its board of education and is looking forward to joining the Frontier.

“We are extremely excited to get into a league with like-size schools and competition levels,” Piper High School activities director Doug Key said. “We believe Piper High School is good fit for the league due to the competition level in all activities and will match up well. We have played all current schools in various activities and felt like this would be a positive move for the future.

“Being in a league with various size schools and us being the smallest wasn’t going to be optimal. We are still are competitive in many areas, but we needed to secure a more balanced future. We feel like being in the middle, size-wise, will keep us competitive for years to come.”

According to this year’s classification numbers, Piper has a current enrollment of 601 students. Turner is the Kaw Valley’s biggest school with 1,114 students, followed by Lansing (910), Bonner Springs (758), Basehor-Linwood (710) and Tonganoxie (618).

Bonner Springs, Piper and Tonganoxie compare to other Frontier League programs. De Soto is the biggest school in the league with 854 students, followed by Ottawa (709), Spring Hill (699), Paola (612), Louisburg (563), Eudora (471) and Baldwin (410).

Bonner Springs’ board of education also approved the move to the Frontier League and Bonner Springs High School principal Rick Moulin echoed Key’s statement.

“We have competed against teams in the Frontier League the past several years,” Moulin said. “The schools in the Frontier League are a lot like Bonner Springs – we are competitive and value sportsmanship. The teams in the Frontier League are similar in size to Bonner Springs, which will be a great gauge for us as we try to compete at the highest level possible in 4A. Bonner Springs is a small town community, with great community support, much like the schools in the Frontier League.

“We are excited to be joining with Piper and Tonganoxie. We hope to continue to be able to compete against Basehor-Linwood, Lansing and Turner. I have a lot of respect for their schools and their programs. Ultimately, the Frontier League was a better fit for our students and our community.”

Tonganoxie hasn’t officially accepted the invitation, but it is just waiting for its board of education to approve the move during its May 8 meeting. At that point, according to Tonganoxie High School principal Mark Farrar, it will immediately send letter accepting the invite.

“We are very excited to join the Frontier League,” Farrar said. “This new partnership will be very good for our students as well as our community. Joining the Frontier League will provide some great opportunities for our students from an athletic and activities standpoint. Tonganoxie mirrors many of the activities that most or all Frontier League schools offer. We see it as a league that will be a good fit for many years to come.

“One of the things that I think gets overlooked is the idea that a strong league doesn’t just offer opportunities on a playing field, but it also offers a chance for kids to network and make lifelong connections with students from all across the league. The Frontier League is a strong and stable league and we believe that it can advance the overall mission of what we want to do at Tonganoxie.”

Louisburg High School activities director Darin Gagnebin now believes the league is healthier than ever.

“By adding teams to our league, it solidifies our league numbers for years to come ensuring that we, as a league, will remain strong and competitive whether schools decide to leave or stay,” Gagnebin said. “We could have been in a situation in which the Frontier League could have dwindled to four or five schools, but instead we will be stronger at 10 teams, if all teams decided to stay.

That situation came about in March when it was reported by the Tonganoxie Mirror that Kaw Valley League member Lansing wanted to create a larger league that would have contained all or some combinations of Lansing, Blue Valley Southwest, De Soto, Leavenworth, Bonner Springs, Basehor-Linwood, Tonganoxie, Ottawa, Piper, Spring Hill, Turner and Topeka schools Seaman, Shawnee Heights and Topeka West.

A meeting was held between all the schools to look at possibilities of building a stronger league that would rebuild the current Kaw Valley that has Lansing, Turner, Piper, Bonner Springs, Tonganoxie and Basehor-Linwood.

The Frontier League responded with meetings of its own shortly after to discuss each member’s happiness in the league after De Soto, Spring Hill and Ottawa attended the March meeting with Lansing.

De Soto mentioned needing more competition at the sub-varsity level since it has a growing enrollment and looked at the possibility of playing in a league with bigger schools since it has made the jump to Class 5A.

Spring Hill’s enrollment also looks to make that jump in three to four years, while Ottawa’s enrollment usually hovers around the line between 4A and 5A. Still, all three schools stated during league meetings they were happy in their current position, with De Soto and Spring Hill stating they might need to make a move due to increasing enrollment numbers.

Faced with the possibility of losing at least two members, the Frontier invited Kaw Valley members to make presentations to join the league in order to fill those spots. Piper, Tonganoxie and Bonner Springs all made presentations and the Frontier League principals all offered invitations shortly after.

At this point, it appears the league is going to move forward with 10 members as no school has stated their desire to leave the Frontier – however, it doesn’t mean it can’t happen in the near future.

“I cannot speak for other schools in the Frontier League about their desire to stay or to leave,” Gagnebin said. “I know some are considering their options and will do what they believe is in the best interest of their school, and I would support them in whatever they decide. I do believe though whatever they decide, with the addition of these new schools to our league, the Frontier League will remain solid in numbers and will continue to be one of the most competitive leagues in Class 4A.

“I believe the three schools that chose to petition our league for membership will be a great fit for the Frontier League. They offer all sports and activities that are currently offered by the league at all levels. Their enrollments, though larger than Louisburg, will put them in the middle to upper middle in size within the league.”

The league schedule will also look different beginning with the 2018-19 season, as there will no longer be a double round-robin schedule in certain sports and not every school will play each other in football.

“The biggest challenge will be league scheduling,” Gagnebin said. “Although it will change how we schedule things as a league, most league schools already have some or all of these schools on some of their athletic schedules already. It could increase the amount of non-league games we have to go out and find in some sports, since with 10 teams you can no longer play a double-round-robin schedule as we have currently, due to the amount of games allowed by KSHSAA.

“This is both good and bad, meaning, it could increase travel and some expense, but it allows us greater flexibility in the schedule to play other teams outside the league as well. One negative will be in football.  With 10 teams, we will not be able to play every team in the league as we do now.  As stated before though, solidifying the league as far as numbers go and increasing the competitiveness of the league are also positives.”

Louisburg freshman Sydni Keagle (right) and Haley Cain battle it out in the 100-meter hurdles Thursday during the Louisburg Invitational at Wildcat Stadium. Keagle won the event and Cain finished second.

The Louisburg High School girls track and field team picked a good time to put on one of its best performances of the season and the Lady Cats did it in front of their home fans.

The Lady Cats won their home meet Thursday at Wildcat Stadium as they racked up 200 points to win the Louisburg Invitational and finished 69 points ahead of runner-up Spring Hill.

Individually, Louisburg captured gold in nine events, including its three relays and all four jumping events.

“This was a good meet for the girls,” Louisburg girls coach Greg Darrington said. “They went out and performed well and even pushed each other in the jumping events. I really like how hard these girls are working and how much fun it is this year to coach them.”

Senior Chloe Renner jumped her way to three first-place finishes in the jumps as she won all three of her events. Renner won the high jump after she cleared 4 feet, 10 inches, took first in the long jump with a mark of 15-6.5 and also won the triple jump title with a leap of 32-4.5.

Senior Chloe Renner lands in the sand pit during an attempt in the long jump Thursday Renner won the long, triple and high jump.

Junior Isabelle Holtzen also found success in the pole vault after she tied a personal best. Holtzen cleared 10 feet and won the competition by more than a foot.

Several other Lady Cats scored points in the jumping events as well. Sophomore Eileen Benne (4-8) and freshman Haley Cain (4-6) came in second and third, respectively, in the high jump.

Freshman Sydni Keagle recorded a mark of 14-11 in the long jump to finish second, while junior Kaitlyn Urban was fourth with a leap of 13-9. Urban also finished runner-up (31-11.75) in the triple jump and Benne (29-0.5) took fourth.

“I thought Chloe did a good job coming off her injury and taking a few days off,” Darrington said. “We need her to make a strong squad in the jumping events.”

Also in the field events, junior Lexie Reece recorded a third-place finish in the discus with a toss of 94-8 and senior Ellie Katzer was fourth at 91-4.5. Sophomore Melia Rice (63-6) also took fifth in the javelin.

On the track, all three Lady Cats relays were able to cross the finish line first.

The 4×800-meter relay of Payton Shaffer, Alex Miller, Shaylor Whitham and Mikayla Quinn won with a time of 11 minutes and 35 seconds. Keagle, Jordon Leach, Cain and Urban helped the 4×100 relay to a first-place finish in 54.25 seconds.

Louisburg senior Kaitlyn Gaza (right) sprints to the finish with teammate Mikayla Quinn right behind her in the 400-meter dash Thursday.

The Lady Cats ended the meet on a strong note as Kaitlyn Gaza, Quinn, Urban and Holtzen won the 4×400 relay in 4:31.68.

“I think the relay teams are doing a nice job and beginning to build a bond as a unit,” Darrington said. “I am excited to see how they all finish this year in the league and regional meets.”

Earlier in the meet, Gaza won her first individual race as she took first in the 400-meter dash in 1:05.15, while Quinn (1:06.58) and Holtzen (1:09) finished second and third respectively.

Keagle and Cain found success in the two hurdles races as the Louisburg freshmen both earned medals. Keagle won the 100-meter hurdles in 17.61 and Cain was second in 19.14. Cain also took second (53.48) in the 300 hurdles and Keagle (57.35) was third.

Leach fared well in the sprints as she was runner-up in the 100-meter dash in 13.70 seconds and third in the 200 dash in 28.46. Shaffer, a freshman, came in third in the 800-meter run in 2:47.

Louisburg returns to action Thursday when it travels to the Prairie View Invitational .

Other results are:

800 run: Alex Miller, seventh, 3:03.53; Shaylor Whitham, eighth, 3:03.98

1,600 run: Miller, eighth, 7:05

Long jump: Eileen Benne, 10^th, 12-9.75

Shot put: Ellie Katzer, eighth, 28-1; Lexie Reece, 10^th, 25-11

Discus: Melia Rice, 11^th, 64-3

Louisburg junior Frankie Hurst clears a height in the pole vault Thursday during the Louisburg Invitational at Wildcat Stadium. Hurst set a new personal record after he cleared 12 feet to win the event.

The Louisburg High School boys track and field team didn’t waste its opportunity to compete in its home invitational Thursday.

In fact, the Wildcats relished it as they went on to win the Louisburg Invitational. Louisburg accumulated 181 points to win the meet going away at Wildcat Stadium — finishing 73 points ahead of runner-up Prairie View.

The Wildcats also won seven individual events, including five on the track that helped them capture their first meet of the season.

“I was really happy with the way we competed,” Louisburg boys coach Gary Griffin said. “We scored points in most of the events and competed like I was hoping we would at our meet.”

Tanner Belcher, Jarod Rose, Chris Williams and Ben Hupp got the track portion of the meet started right as they won the 4×800-meter relay in 8 minutes and 42 seconds and two of those runners went on to win individual races.

Williams won the 400-meter dash in 53.04 seconds and teammate Blue Caplinger took third in the event in 56.08. Belcher won the 800-meter run in 2:14 and Rose also earned a medal as he finished third in 2:16.

Wyatt Reece continued the gold medal performances on the track as he took first in the 1,600-meter run in 4:55 and also came in second in the 3,200 run in 10:57. Senior Jacob Benne earned his first varsity medal as he was runner-up (5:17) in the 1,600 and also took fifth (12:11) in the 3,200.

Junior Quinn Rigney got his first victory of the season in the 100-meter dash as he sprinted his way to a time of 11.30 seconds and later took second in the 200 dash in 23.53 seconds. Rigney recorded a personal record in both races.

“Quinn is running well right now,” Griffin said. “He is working hard and both of his individual races were his best of the season.”

Junior Quinn Rigney (right) sprints down the straightaway in the final leg of the 4×100-meter relay Thursday.

Senior Jackson Ewalt medaled third in the 100 dash in 11.78 seconds and he also took fifth in the 200 dash in 24.74 seconds. Sophomore Austin Moore was sixth in 25.36.

Ewalt, Caplinger, Rigney and Charlie Koontz finished runner-up in the 4×100-meter relay in 46.33 seconds, while the 4×400 relay of Williams, Caplinger, Hupp and Rigney was also runner-up in 3:44.

Hupp also took second in the 300-meter hurdles in 43.75 seconds and teammate Scott Murphy was fourth in 45.47.

In the field events, senior T.J. Dover won the discus for the second time this season as he recorded a season-best throw of 139 feet, 6 inches and also finished second in the shot put with a toss of 44-4.5.

“T.J. has been very consistent this year and I think he has some big throws in him in the next few weeks,” Griffin said.

Junior Matt Holloway (41-11) and sophomore Kiefer Tucker (41-2) took fourth and fifth, respectively, in the shot put to earn points for the Wildcats. Tucker also finished third in the discus (114-1).

Senior T.J. Dover reaches back for throw in the discus Thursday during the Louisburg Invitational. Dover won the event and took second in the shot put.

Frankie Hurst picked the right time to set a personal record in the pole vault. Hurst cleared 12 feet to win gold, while teammates Trent Martin and Caplinger both cleared 11 feet to finish fourth and fifth.

“I think all the vaulters are doing well,” Griffin said. “Coach (Andy) Wright is doing a great job with them and Frankie is now getting back into the flow after missing a year.”

Junior Kris Light also scored points for the Wildcats in the jumps. Light finished second in the high jump after he cleared 5-8 and sixth (34-6) in the triple jump. Charlie Koontz took sixth (17-6) in the long jump.

The Wildcats return to action Thursday when they travel to the Prairie View Invitational.

Other results are:

100 dash: Austin Moore, seventh, 12.21; Will Ridley, eighth, 12.24

200 dash: Ridley, eighth, 25.42

110 hurdles: Scott Murphy, 10^th, 21.93

Long jump: Ridley, eighth, 17-0.5; Trent Martin, 12^th, 15-8

Triple jump: Ridley, seventh, 33-11

Discus: Matt Holloway, 19^th, 79-1.5

Javelin: Holloway, eighth, 114-4; Kiefer Tucker, 19^th, 98-2

Louisburg senior Jackson Ewalt runs a leg of the 4×100-meter relay during a meet earlier this season. The Wildcats won six events total Thursday during the Anderson County Invitational in Garnett. In the team standings, both the boys and girls finished fourth overall.

GARNETT – The Louisburg High School track and field teams ventured to the Anderson County Invitational on Thursday and left with several medals to show for their performance.

Both the boys and girls teams finished fourth in the team standings, while the Wildcats won six events total – four for the girls and two for the boys.

“I think overall this week was better than last week,” Louisburg boys coach Gary Griffin said. “The weather was good, and so a lot of the performances were better.”

Junior Kaitlyn Urban continues to find success in the triple jump as she won the event for the second consecutive week. Urban took first with leap of 31 feet, 9.25 inches and wasn’t the only Louisburg jumper to have success.

Isabelle Holtzen, a junior, won the pole vault competition after she cleared 9-6 and captured the gold medal by more than a foot.

“In the jumps it’s nice to see Kaitlyn and Isabelle having success,” Louisburg girls coach Greg Darrington said. “Both girls have worked hard in the off-season and are competing in the running events this year. The more speed they develop, the better they will be in the jumps.”

The jumpers carried their success over to the track as Urban and Holtzen teamed up with senior Kaitlyn Gaza and junior Mikayla Quinn to win the 4×400-meter relay in 4 minutes and 26.43 seconds as they edged out Eudora (4:26.55) at the finish line.

Quinn, Reilly Alexander, Shaylor Whitham and Payton Shaffer also took the top spot in the 4×800-meter relay as they finished first in 11:14. Urban, Sydni Keagle, Jordon Leach and Haley Cain took second in the 4×100 relay in 54.54 seconds.

“I was proud of all our relays and they did a good job,” Darrington said. “The fact that Mikayla and Kaitlyn are battling in the open 400 make the relay much better. I feel adding Isabelle in the open 400 helps as well. All of the girls are competitive and are pushing each other. If the can each cut four or five seconds of their splits they could have a chance to qualify for state and maybe even make finals.”

Quinn and Gaza battled for position in the 400-meter dash as Quinn took second in 1:05.55 and Gaza was right behind her in third in 1:05.75.

The Lady Cats also scored points in the hurdles as Keagle (19.46), Kristen Bell (19.98) and Cain (20.40) finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 100-meter hurdles. Cain also came in fourth (54.39) in the 300 hurdles.

In the field events, Lexie Reece and Melia Rice also scored points for Louisburg. Reece took fifth in the discus with a toss of 92-0 and Rice was sixth in the javelin with a throw of 72-6.

Wyatt Reece and Chris Williams came up big for the Wildcat boys as each won events.

Reece led the pack in the 3,200-meter run and finished in first place with a time of 10:59. Earlier in the day, Reece ran a season best time of 4:48 in the 1,600-meter run to finish second overall, while teammate Tim Smith returned to finish fourth in 5:00

As for Williams, he earned the 400-meter dash title in 52.54 seconds to win by more than a second. Blue Caplinger also scored points in the event with a sixth-place finish in 55.6 seconds.

“Wyatt had a good day in both of his races and he is starting to gain some confidence,” Griffin said. “Tim ran well in the 1,600 and then kind of hurt his foot again, so we will see what happens with him this week.”

Also on the track, Quinn Rigney finished runner-up in the 200-meter dash in 23.77 seconds and earlier took fourth in the 100 dash in 12.05.

The 4×100-meter relay of Jackson Ewalt, Caplinger, Austin Moore and Quinn Rigney ran a personal best of 45.98 seconds to finish fourth, while Ben Hupp, Tanner Belcher, Jarod Rose and Williams came in second in 8:49.74 in the 4×800 relay. The Wildcat 4×400 relay team finished sixth overall.

Belcher also scored points in the 800 run as he took fifth in 2:11, while Hupp was sixth in the 300 hurdles with a time of 45.16.

In the field events, senior T.J. Dover had a runner-up finish in the discus with a throw of 133-1 and later came in fourth in the shot put with a toss of 44-6.25.

Trent Martin and Frankie Hurst also had big days in the pole vault as both jumpers recorded personal records. Martin cleared 12-0.25 to take fourth and Hurst was seventh at 11-6.

Charlie Koontz also scored points for the Wildcats as he took fifth in the long jump with a leap of 18-1.5., and Kristopher Light cleared 5-5.5 in the high jump and finished sixth.

Louisburg returns to action this Thursday when it hosts the Louisburg Invitational at Wildcat Stadium.

Other results are:

GIRLS

100 dash: Jordon Leach, 10^th, 14.73; Tomi Frederes, 17^th, 15.36

200 dash: Frederes, 15^th, 31.83

800 run: Payton Shaffer, 9^th, 2:45; Shaylor Whitham, 12^th, 2:50; Reilly Alexander, 13^th, 2:56

1,600 run: Alex Miller, 12^th, 6:44

3,200 run: Miller, 8^th, 16:02

300 hurdles: Sydni Keagle, 8^th, 57.84; Kristen Bell, 14^th, 1:02

High jump: Haley Cain, 7^th, 4-6

Long jump: Keagle, 7^th, 14-3; Kaitlyn Urban, 11^th, 13-3.5

Shot put: Ellie Katzer, 10^th, 27-2.5; Lexie Reece, 11^th, 27-0.5

Discus: Katzer, 8^th, 82-6; Melia Rice, 12^th, 73-0

Javelin: Eden Strumillo, 20^th, 38-4

BOYS

100 dash: Charlie Koontz, 11^th, 12.45; Jackson Ewalt, 14^th, 12.58; Austin Moore, 17^th, 12.62; Will Ridley, 21^st, 12.76

200 dash: Ewalt, 7^th, 24.66; Moore, 12^th, 25.37; Ridley, 13^th, 25.63; Koontz, 15^th, 25.65

800 run: Jarod Rose, 9^th, 2:16

1,600 run: Jacob Benne, 13^th, 5:23

3,200 run: Benne, 8^th, 12:02

100 hurdles: Scott Murphy, 11^th, 20.04

300 hurdle: Murphy, 9^th, 45.93

High jump: Jack Mick, 10^th, 5-2

Pole vault: Mick, 13^th, 9-6

Long jump: Trent Martin, 14^th, 16-10.5; Kyle Allen, 14^th, 16-10.5; Ridley, 16^th, 16-10.25; Frankie Hurst, 24^th, 15-8

Triple jump: Allen, 7^th, 36-1.5; Ridley, 12^th, 34-1.25

Shot put: Kiefer Tucker, 11^th, 36-7.25

Discus: Tucker, 18^th, 93-11

Javelin: Tucker, 14^th, 113-0

Louisburg junior Isabelle Holtzen clears a height in the pole vault Thursday during the Paola Invitational at Paola High School. Holtzen recorded a personal best 10 feet to finish second overall.

PAOLA – The jumps have been a strength for the Louisburg High School girls track and field team this season and that continued last Thursday at the Paola Invitational.

The Lady Cats won the triple jump, finished second in the pole vault, third and fourth in the high jump and took fourth in the long jump during the 12-team meet at Paola High School. Those high finishes helped the Louisburg girls to a fourth place team finish with 66.5 points.

“I really felt the girls did a great job competing on the track and in the field events,” Louisburg girls coach Greg Darrington said. “We will get better each week and get into better shape. I hope we really hit our stride when the weather begins to warm up. I thought the girls did a great job in the jumping events.”

Junior Kaitlyn Urban had her best day so far this season in the triple jump. Urban won the event with a personal best leap of 32 feet, 2.5 inches and was the lone Wildcat to win an event on both the girls and boys sides.

“Kaitlyn is getting stronger in the jumping events and I really think her sprinting this year is paying off for her,” Darrington said. “I feel she is just starting to tap into her full potential. Speed is a big plus in any jumping event. Her work in the off season is really starting to pay off.”

Louisburg’s success continued in the pole vault when junior Isabelle Holtzen set a personal best in the event. Holtzen cleared 10 feet and finished second overall to Paola’s Samantha Van Hoecke, who cleared 10-6.

“It’s great seeing Isabelle starting to improve on her heights,” Darrington said. “I really feel if she can increase her confidence and keep improving throughout the year she could contend for a medal at the state competition.”

Junior Kaitlyn Urban takes off for an attempt in the triple jump Thursday at the Paola Invitational. Urban set a personal record and won the event.

Senior Chloe Renner added to the point total for the Lady Cats as she took third in the high jump after she cleared 4-10 for the second straight week. Sophomore teammate Eileen Benne tied for fourth after surpassing the 4-8 mark.

Renner also earned points in the long jump as she finished fourth with a mark of 15-5.5. In the throws, senior Ellie Katzer was seventh with a toss of 93-8.

On the track, freshmen Sydni Keagle and Haley Cain provided the Louisburg girls with points in the hurdles. Keagle made the finals in the 100 hurdles and finished fourth in 17.66 seconds. In the 300 hurdles, Cain was fifth with a time of 54.73.

Junior Mikayla Quinn (1:07.84), senior Kaitlyn Gaza (1:07.87) and Holtzen (1:09.71) all scored in the 400-meter dash for the Lady Cats as they took fifth, sixth and eighth, respectively.

Quinn, Urban, Gaza and Holtzen also ran the 4×400-meter relay and finished fourth in 4:32. Urban, Jordon Leach, Keagle and Haley Cain ran the 4×100 in 55.99 seconds and also took fourth.

Shaylor Whitham, Reilly Alexander, Payton Shaffer and Quinn ran the 4×800 relay and crossed the finish in sixth place.

The Wildcat boys had three top three finishes on the day and finished in sixth in the team standings with 51 points.

On the track, Chris Williams, Wyatt Reece, Ben Hupp and Tanner Belcher had Louisburg’s best outing on the day with a runner-up finish in the 4×800 relay. The four runners finished 8:42.98 to come in second, just three seconds behind Paola.

Sophomore Tanner Belcher sprints the final few meters of his leg in the 4×800-meter relay Thursday in Paola.

Williams and Reece also ran well in their individual events. Williams, a sophomore, was third in the 400-meter dash in 53.51 seconds. In the 1,600-meter run, Reece ran his best race of the season with a time of 4:52.93 and also took third.

“I thought we were good in some areas and not so good in others,” Louisburg boys coach Gary Griffin said. “It was a tough meet with really good competition. We did not have as many people with PRs (personal records) as I would have liked but we will keep working and getting better.”

The 4×100 relay of Jackson Ewalt, Will Ridley, Austin Moore and Blue Caplinger finished fourth (47.67), while the 4×400 team of Williams, Blue Caplinger, Ben Hupp and Tanner Belcher came in fifth (3:44).

Belcher also scored points in the 800-meter run and finished fifth in 2:11. Hupp took seventh in the 300-meter hurdles in 44.63.

On the track, senior T.J. Dover led the Wildcats in throws. Dover was fourth in the discus with a throw of 133-5 and was sixth in the shot put with a mark of 43-9.

Junior Frankie Hurst and freshman Trent Martin each cleared 10-6 in the pole vault and took fifth and seventh, respectively.

Louisburg returns to action this Thursday when it travels to the Anderson County Invitational in Garnett.

Other results are:

GIRLS

100 dash: Jordon Leach, 17^th, 14.24

200 dash: Leach, 13^th, 29.67

800 run: Payton Shaffer, ninth, 2:45; Shaylor Whitham, 17^th, 2:55; Reilly Alexander, 18^th, 2:58

1,600 run: Whitham, 13^th, 6:32

100 hurdles: Haley Cain, 14^th, 19.79

300 hurdles: Sydni Keagle, 13^th, 1:00

Long jump: Kaitlyn Urban, 16^th, 12-11.50

Shot put: Ellie Katzer, 12^th, 29-2; Lexie Reece, 17^th, 27-8

Discus: Reece, ninth, 88-11

BOYS

100 dash: Jackson Ewalt, ninth, 11.73; Austin Moore, 17^th, 12.20

200 dash: Ewalt, 10^th, 24.56; Moore, 14^th, 25.09

400 dash: Will Ridley, 21^st, 1:00

800 run: Jarod Rose, 10^th, 2:15

1,600 run: Jacob Benne, 15^th, 5:21

3,200 run: Wyatt Reece, 12^th, 11:21; Rose, 17^th, 11:56; Benne, 18^th, 12:08

110 hurdles: Scott Murphy, 17^th, 19.25

300 hurdles: Murphy, 11^th, 46.21

Pole vault: Blue Caplinger, 10^th, 10-0

Long jump: Ridley, 18^th, 16-10; Kyle Allen, 20^th, 16-4; Frankie Hurst, 22^nd, 14-8

Triple jump: Allen, 13^th, 34-6

Shot put: Matt Holloway, 14^th, 38-6; Kiefer Tucker, 22^nd, 34-7

Discus: Tucker, 11^th, 102-5; Holloway, 19^th, 91-9

Javelin: Holloway, 15^th, 110-0; Tucker, 16^th, 107-11