For the sixth consecutive year, Louisburg Sports Zone will be handing out an Athlete of the Year honor to a male and female athlete at Louisburg High School. I wanted the opportunity to recognize those who exemplify what it means to be an “athlete.”

Although I am giving out the award, I wanted the process to be subjective, so I asked the head coaches at LHS to help me out. I asked each coach to send me nominations of who they thought exemplified the Athlete of the Year honor. They will then vote for their top 3 male and female athletes and then I will tabulate the results and determine the winner. The winner will be announced in the coming days.

Below are the nominees for the Male Athlete of the Year award in alphabetical order by last name. Congrats to all those who were nominated and best of luck!

Kaven Bartlett – Senior – Wrestling and Soccer

Kaven Bartlett competed on the Louisburg wrestling and boys soccer team, but Bartlett was a fixture on the mat for the Wildcat wrestling program.

Bartlett qualified for state at 138 pounds and became a 3-time state qualifier for Louisburg and was a state medalist in 2022. He finished with a 119-45 career record and was a two-time team captain and four-year letter winner. Those 119 wins are fifth in program history and he has 158 career takedowns and 726.5 career points, which is both third in team history. He was named the 2023 LHS Wrestler of the Year.

Bartlett was also a defender on the Wildcat soccer team his past season. The Wildcats advanced to the regional championship game.

Declan Battle – Junior – Football and Baseball

Declan Battle had big seasons for both the Wildcat football and baseball programs.

Under the lights on the football field, Battle was the Wildcat starting quarterback as he led his team to an undefeated Frontier League championship. The dual-threat quarterback scored 23 total touchdowns and totaled more than 1,700 yards. That performance led him to a first-team All-Frontier League, along with all-state honors.

On the diamond, Battle was the Wildcats’ starting centerfielder and leadoff hitter. He scored 32 runs on the year, which is a Wildcat program record. Battle also recorded a .429 average to go along with five doubles and three triples. He also stole 17 bases. His performance also earned him second team All-Frontier League and all-state honors.

Mason Dobbins – Senior – Football, Basketball and Track and Field

Louisburg senior Mason Dobbins was a fixture for three Wildcat programs this past season. Dobbins was the starting wide receiver on the football field, starting forward on the basketball team and a state medalist for the track program.

Dobbins stood out the most in the track and field arena. He qualified for state in four events and medaled in all four as he helped the Wildcats to a state runner-up finish this past May. 

Dobbins won the state championship in the high jump, and earlier in the year, broke the school record with a jump of 6 feet, 7 inches. He was a state runner-up in the 110-meter hurdles and also took third in the 200-meter dash. He was also a part of the 4×100-meter relay that also medaled third and set a new school record earlier in the year. In all, Dobbins has won nine state medals in his Wildcat career.

On the football field, Dobbins earned first team All-Frontier League honors at wide receiver with 25 catches, 382 yards and four touchdowns. He also earned honorable mention all-state honors. 

On the basketball court, Dobbins was named to the All-Frontier League defensive team. He led the Wildcats with 7.6 rebounds a game to go along with 1.5 steals and 1 block per contest.

Cade Gassman – Senior – Soccer, Basketball and Track and Field

Cade Gassman was a starter, or key contributor, for three Wildcat programs during 2022-23 school year. Gassman was the starting midfielder and captain for the soccer team, starting guard on the basketball court and a jumper for the track and field program.

Gassman made his biggest impact on the pitch for Louisburg. As a midfielder, Gassman drew a lot of attention from the opposition as he finished with five goals and four assists on the season to lead the Wildcats to the regional title match. In his career, he is one of the more prolific scorers in school history.

The Louisburg senior finished with 47 career goals, which is second in program history and was third in school history with 26 career assists. His 120 career points is also second in Wildcat history. He is a four-time all-state and all-Frontier League first team selection.

On the hardwood, Gassman was the starting guard for the Wildcats and he recorded 39 rebounds and had 22 assists to go along with 14 steals. On the track, Gassman was a state qualifier in the high jump for Louisburg and finished 11th overall at state.

Nathan Vincent, Senior, Football and Track and Field

Louisburg senior Nathan Vincent played big roles for both the Wildcat football team and track and field program. Vincent was a starting lineman for the Wildcat football team and a state medalist in track.

On the football field, Vincent started on both sides of the ball as he earned all-state and all league honors. He finished with 80 tackles as a defensive end to go along with 6.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for a loss. Vincent was a key member of the offensive line as he helped the Wildcats to more than 33 points per game. He earned first team all-league offensive league honors and second team-defense. He also recorded first team all-state honors and was selected to play in the Kansas Shrine Bowl.

Vincent was the Wildcats’ top thrower for the track and field program. Vincent recorded three state medals as he helped Louisburg to a state runner-up team finish. At state, Vincent medaled third in the shot put, fifth in the discus and sixth in the javelin. In all, Vincent has won five career state medals, with three coming in the javelin.

Colyer Wingfield, Senior, Basketball, Track and Field

Louisburg senior Colyer Wingfield had a big season for both the Wildcat basketball team and track program. Wingfield was the leading scorer for the Wildcat basketball program, and was a part of two state relays in track.

Wingfield earned a lot of success on the hardwood as he was named to the All-Frontier League second team. He led the Wildcats in scoring at 17.4 points per game and pulled down nearly six rebounds a contest.

On the track, Wingfield helped the 4×100 relay and 4×400 relay to state medals as both finished third at the state meet last month. The 4×100 relay set a new school record in the process. He also did the long and triple jumps for the Wildcats.

Members of the Louisburg boys Class 4A state runner-up track and field team are (front row, from left) Cooper Wingfield, Ethan Ptacek, J.R. Rooney, Blaise Vohs, Myles Vohs, Colton Blue, Hunter Heinrich, Cade Gassman; (back row) head coach Andy Wright, coach Alex Gentges, Caden Caplinger, Nathan Vincent, Mason Dobbins, Nathan Apple, Colyer Wingfield, Jerynce Brings Plenty and coaches John Reece and Shelby Suther.

WICHITA — The Louisburg boys track and field team had the resume of a state champion. 

The Wildcats racked up 87 points during last weekend’s Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships at Wichita State. 

Louisburg medaled in all 13 events it competed and the Wildcats finished the meet with two individual state champions. The ending was supposed to feature the Wildcats holding up a state championship plaque.

“If you would have told me at the beginning of the year we would score 87 points at state and not win a championship, I would have just ignored you and said ‘Whatever,’” Louisburg coach Andy Wright said. “No way that would happen.”

As it turned out, the Wildcats found themselves on the outside looking in for a team state title. Andale finished first with 87.5 points. Louisburg had 87.

It was an emotional letdown for the Wildcats as they were so close to that team goal.

“To beat Andale, we had to score 88 and that is just a testament to how good they are,” Wright said. “They have really good athletes, especially in the throws. At the same time, I couldn’t be more proud of my guys and how they competed. It was just so much fun to watch them lay it all out there. They really did have a great season.”

As much success as Louisburg had throughout the state meet, the Wildcats always found themselves trying to rein in Andale and couldn’t quite overtake the Indians.

Andale scored 48 of its points in the throws to get the Indians off to a good start. Louisburg opened the state meet with 18 points in the pole vault with Caden Caplinger and Cooper Wingfield’s top two finish and another 10 in the high jump on Mason Dobbins’ state title.

Senior Nathan Vincent was able to help keep the Wildcats within striking distance as he scored points in all three throwing events, while Dobbins and Nathan Apple scored key points in the hurdles.

Sophomore Jerynce Brings Plenty medaled in two individual distance events, while the 4×100 and 4×800 relays also earned the Wildcats big points.

Louisburg also had to overcome an injury bug as Ashton Moore, the 4×100 anchor, suffered an injury in the prelims and Ethan Ptacek had to fill his spot. Ptacek came through as the Wildcats were still able to get third in the relay.

Despite all that success, the Wildcats were on the brink of elimination from the state race going into the 200-meter dash — the second-to-last event. Louisburg was down 11.5 points to Andale. 

It was all up to Dobbins. After the prelims on Friday, Dobbins had the seventh fastest time in the event and he had to finish at least fifth to keep the Wildcats mathematically alive.

He did more than that. In his final race as a Wildcat, Dobbins came through as he took third in 23.07 seconds and scored six points for Louisburg. Dobbins, who was running in lane 1, was just .02 seconds behind the runner-up finisher.

“I got to see him grow up the last three years,” Wright said of Dobbins. “Mason ran an unbelievable race and he did it in a really difficult lane to run in. He knew what he had to do to keep his team in it and he really came through big time. His mental toughness was what stuck out to me and what impressed me the most about him at state.”

With seemingly new life, the Wildcats were now just 5.5 points back of Andale and the Louisburg 4×400 relay of junior Hunter Heinrich, freshman Blaise Vohs, senior Colyer Wingfield and senior Ethan Ptacek needed to get third place for the Wildcats to hoist the state championship plaque.

“Once Mason took third, then I could see those 4×400 guys really start to warm up and get serious,” Wright said. “They knew what was on the line.”

All the relay team did was a run 3-second personal best and was .25 seconds off the school record. They put together a state championship-level performance.

Unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough. Bishop Miege edged Louisburg for third place and the Wildcats finished as the state runner-up.

“I knew they would be competitive,” Wright said of the relay. “I had different people running it at the beginning of the year. Found the four I wanted and getting Ethan healthy again was huge. He was the main guy for that relay to be successful, but Colyer ran amazing legs as well. It was great to see the other guys in Blaise, who is freshman, run strong and Hunter is a good first leg and he always keeps us in the running.

“However, the race they put together was unbelievable. To cut three seconds off their time and almost get a school record, that was something I don’t know that I saw coming. They competed so hard. They wanted it for their teammates.”

It was an emotional scene afterward as the Andale team celebrated, while Wildcats had the feeling of a game-winning shot in a state basketball game, just rimming out. They were THAT close to their second state title in three years.

The run Louisburg track has been on the last three seasons has been a memorable one. The Wildcats won a state title in 2021, took third in 2022 and now second this season. 

Even in 2020, the Wildcats were also primed to reach the state podium as a team, but the season was cancelled due to COVID.

“We have been pretty fortunate to have a lot of great athletes come through the program these last few years,” Wright said. “It has been a lot of fun watching all of them compete and grow over time.

“We had so many kids do great things. We can be upset for finishing second at state, but we cannot be upset about the effort. The kids gave everything they had. I’m so proud of all of them for what they accomplished this year.”

Louisburg senior Emma Lohse earned three state medals Saturday at the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships at Wichita State.

WICHITA — Emma Lohse has blazed the track for the Louisburg girls track and field team all season, and Saturday at the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships was no different.

Lohse picked up three medals and helped the 4×100-meter relay to another school record Saturday at Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium. In all, the Lady Cats medaled in five events and finished sixth in the team standings with 29 points.

“Coming back from Wichita with three state medals was something I had to work for and was happy about the outcome,” Lohse said. “Leaving Cessna Stadium one last time, I was very proud of the way I competed and proud of what I came home with.”

Lohse was just inches away from winning a state championship in the 100-meter dash. At the finish line, the Louisburg senior was step-for-step with Rose Hill’s Kate Dare.

As the two leaned for the finish line, Dare edged Lohse for first as Lohse ran a time of 12.46 seconds. Dare ran a 12.44.

“Going into the 100, I knew the competition I was about to go against and both of us were very close to each other time wise,” Lohse said. “Going against Kate was probably the best competition I had this year and it just came down to the wire at the end of the race.”

Later in the 200-meter dash, Lohse earned another state medal as she took seventh in 26.77 seconds.

Sandwiched in between those two races, Lohse helped the 4×100-meter relay of Mackenzie Rooney, Suzanna Dansel and Kendall Crossley to a medal of their own.

The Lady Cat relay finished third overall with a time of 49.70 seconds. Andale won in 49.24 and McPherson was second at 49.67.

However, in the preliminaries on Friday, the team broke their own school record for the fourth consecutive time in 49.26 seconds and had the fastest time going into the finals.

‘Breaking the school record for the fourth time this year in the 4×100 was unbelievable, especially with it being at state,” Lohse said. “Even thought the finals definitely didn’t go the way we wanted it to, I still feel like we ran the best we could and were still very competitive to the other teams.”

Along with Lohse’s big outing, the Louisburg girls also had a state champion. Junior Maddy Carpenter-Ross won the pole vault with a clearance of 11 feet. (More on her story can be found here).

The final Lady Cat to find the medal stand was Emma Prettyman. The Louisburg senior put together a strong showing in the discus.

Prettyman earned her first state medal as she finished sixth in the event with a throw of 115 feet, 9 inches.

“I was really glad to get to compete at state this year, especially since it was my first and last time going,” Prettyman said. “I wish I could have gotten a new PR, but in the end I am happy with how I did.”

Several other Lady Cats also competed at the state meet.

Junior Emma Vohs ran in both the 400-meter dash and 1,600-meter run. Vohs finished 13th in the 1,600 in 5 minutes and 55 seconds and 15th in the 400 dash in 1:04.38.

Rooney competed in the 300-meter hurdles and took 12th in 50.73 seconds. Vohs, Rooney, Lohse and Crossley also took part in the 4×400-meter relay and finished 12th overall in 4:17.

Junior Katie Elpers threw the javelin and took 13th at 101-9, while freshman Kenna Lohse was 16th in the shot put with a toss of 31-4.5.

Louisburg senior Mason Dobbins clears a height during the high jump competition Saturday at the Class 4A State Track and Field Championships at Wichita State. Dobbins recorded four state medals on the day, including a state title in the high jump.

WICHITA — Mason Dobbins reached new heights Saturday at the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championship.

Ok, well maybe not literally.

Dobbins who broke a school record in the high jump earlier this year, didn’t reach that height at the state meet — but he didn’t need to. The Louisburg senior cleared 6 feet, 6 inches to win the Class 4A high jump title.

It was the first of four state medals that Dobbins would win on the day as he helped lead the Wildcats to the Class 4A state runner-up plaque.

Louisburg fell just short of its second state title in three years as the Wildcats lost to Andale by just a half-a-point, 87.5-87. The Wildcats scored points in all 13 events they competed.

“It meant everything to be a state champion and to be able to medal in all of my events this year since I didn’t last year,” Dobbins said. “Our team trains so hard, and to be able to be runner up by .5 points, is incredible.”

Dobbins had a battle on his hands in the high jump, as he didn’t miss one attempt all the way through 6-4. However, Augusta’s Isaiah Blackwell didn’t either.

Neither of the jumpers were able to clear 6-6 in their three attempts, so the competition went to a jump-off. Dobbins was able to get 6-6 on his fourth try and Blackwell missed.

“I have always wanted to be a state champion and to be able to accomplish it feels great,” Dobbins said. “I wasn’t nervous for the jump off since I had cleared 6’6 before.”

Dobbins nearly earned his second state title in the 110-meter hurdles as he found himself in a battle with Rose Hill’s Teagan Cobb. The two were stride-for-stride going into he final hurdle, but Cobb nipped Dobbins at the finish line.

Dobbins finished as the state runner-up for the second consecutive year as he ran a time of 14.70. Cobb won in 14.67.

“Teagan Cobb from Rose Hill is a great hurdler and was great competition for me,” Dobbins said. “The race honestly could’ve gone either way.”

Later on, he joined Caden Caplinger, Colyer Wingfield and Ethan Ptacek in the 4×100-meter relay and the team medaled third in 43.38 seconds. Ptacek had to run for Ashton Moore, who was injured during the preliminaries on Friday.

Then toward the end of the meet, Dobbins, who was sitting seventh in the 200-meter dash after the preliminaries, battled to keep his team in the state championship race and medaled third in 23.07.

Caplinger joined Dobbins on top of the state podium as he and teammate Cooper Wingfield finished 1-2 in the pole vault to score 18 points in the event. (More on that story can be found here.)

Louisburg senior Nathan Vincent got his team a lot of points in the throwing events as he medaled in the javelin, discus and shot put — with the latter being his best event of the weekend.

Vincent, who just started doing shot put this year, put together his best performance of the season. He recorded a personal best throw of 51-8 in the finals Saturday to take third overall.

“I certainly didn’t expect that event to be my highest finish of the three,” Vincent said. ‘”In the throws, it only takes one and any given day you can be on or off. I felt that one coming for awhile. After falling out of the 50s for the last three or four meets, I felt like I had a big one coming and no better place to do it than state. I was certainly happy when that one happened.”

Then came another personal best in the discus in his first event Friday. Vincent, recorded a throw of 149-8 in his final throw of the competition, to move him up from seventh to fifth.

“Even if it is only by two inches, a PR is a PR,” Vincent said. “I was happy with the outcome, and anyway we can get points to get on top of those Andale boys, I was happy about.”

Then came the javelin with Class 4A producing the best throwers of the state. The top six throwers threw more than 185 feet, which could have won many of the other classifications.

Also, with the events running behind, the competition finished after sundown, which made it difficult on some of the throwers. 

Still, Vincent recorded a throw of 185-5 to finish in sixth overall. Andale’s Riley Marx won the competition on his final throw with a mark of 206-11.

“It was certainly a strange one,” Vincent said. “It was dark, and everyone had to throw in it, so there is no excuse. It is hard when you can’t see your marks on the ground very well. It felt like it was coming out great, but it just wasn’t going through the air like I thought. I know I had more in me, and for me it was a disappointing outcome, but I competed and I did my best.

“I am glad it ended the way it did and that I ended on a positive note with shot put. I would have liked to finish higher in javelin, but I am happy with how I performed.”

Sophomore Jerynce Brings Plenty also came away with three state medals in the distance events, but none was more precious to him than the 3,200-meter run.

Brings Plenty broke the school record in the event Friday as he medaled third in 9 minutes and 49.41 seconds. He surpassed the old mark of 9:50.60 that was set by Jason Rose in 2007.

“I have worked all offseason and during the season to get to this point,” Brings Plenty said. “I came here last year and got 11th, so I wanted to obviously do better. Coming in I was a little nervous, but the main thing I wanted was that record after just missing it by a tenth-of-second at regionals. I honestly didn’t care about what place I got necessarily, I just wanted that record. But third place is pretty awesome too.

“I have kind of idolized Jason Rose for awhile. He set the record back in 2007, and that was the year I was born. I just thought how cool would it be if I was able to get it this year.”

Brings Plenty continued his medal streak for the Wildcats as he joined Hunter Heinrich, Blaise Vohs and Colton Blue to medal seventh Saturday in the 4×800-meter relay.

Later in the day, Brings Plenty competed in the 1,600 run and took sixth in 4:34.42.

Louisburg senior Nathan Apple left his final state meet with a pair of medals in both hurdle events. Apple finished fourth in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.29 seconds on Saturday.

Apple also went on to take fourth in the 300 hurdles in 40.55 seconds as he ended his Wildcat track career on a positive note.

“I’m very happy to return from state with medals,” Apple said. “It showed me that the hard work and training that coach (Andy) Wright put us through paid off in the end, and I’m very glad that I had the opportunity to run for him. 

“In both of my races, the competition was incredibly fierce. I’m glad I got to run with Mason again in the 110s and I look forward to competing against him someday. I personally felt like I ran poorly in my races, but I am still proud of the placements that I received and the points that I was able to contribute to the team.”

The Wildcats ended the state meet with the 4×400-meter relay as the team of Heinrich, Vohs, Colyer Wingfield and Ptacek needed a third place finish or better to win the state title. Unfortunately, the Wildcats came up just short as they took fourth in 3:23.98.

Louisburg set a new personal record by three seconds and was .25 seconds away from tying the school record. The Wildcats also scored points in all three relay events.

“It is nice to have other kids get success who maybe aren’t able to qualify individually,” Louisburg coach Andy Wright said. “It is awesome to have someone in the race. It is great to see all the relays medal and the 4×8 will be back next year. The 4×1 has two back and 4×4 has two back. I’m excited to see what we can do next year, but I am so proud of the group this year. 

“This team did so many great things throughout the season and really competed, especially at the end of the year. They were just a lot of fun to watch.”

Louisburg had a pair of athletes that finished just outside medal contention.

Senior J.R. Rooney was one spot out of a medal as he took ninth in the shot put with a toss of 47-6.5. Senior Cade Gassman took 11th in the high jump after clearing 6 feet.

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athletes of the Week for week 10 of the spring sports season, sponsored by IronHorse Family and Cosmetic Dentistry.

MADDY CARPENTER-ROSS, JUNIOR, TRACK AND FIELD

Louisburg junior Maddy Carpenter-Ross made school history Friday during the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships in Wichita. Carpenter-Ross flew past the competition as she cleared 11 feet to win the 4A state crown. She didn’t miss an attempt until she tried for 11-6. Her clearance of 11 feet tied a personal best that she set a week prior to win a regional title.

CADEN CAPLINGER, JUNIOR, TRACK AND FIELD

Louisburg junior Caden Caplinger found himself in a battle with teammate Cooper Wingfield in the pole vault competition Friday as the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships in Wichita. Caplinger won his second consecutive state pole vault title after he cleared 15 feet. Wingfield finished second right behind him at 14-6.

Caplinger earned a second state medal in the 4×100-meter relay as he, along with Mason Dobbins, Colyer Wingfield and Ethan Ptacek medaled third at state to help give the Wildcats some big team points. As a team, the Louisburg boys finished as the state runner-up.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the spring season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous winners:

Week 1: Rowan Yows

Week 2: Sabra Brueggen

Week 3: Danny Napier

Week 4: Corbin Hamman

Week 5: Megan Quinn

Week 6: Lexi Hampton

Week 7: Mason Dobbins

Week 8: Emma Lohse

Week 9: Jerynce Brings Plenty

Louisburg’s (from left) Cooper Wingfield, Caden Caplinger and Maddy Carpenter-Ross earned top honors during the Class 4A state meet Friday at Wichita State. Caplinger won his second state title, while Carpenter-Ross won the girls side. Wingfield finished right behind Caplinger in second.

WICHITA — Maddy Carpenter-Ross, Caden Caplinger and Cooper Wingfield had been considered as some of the top pole vaulters in Class 4A for most of the season.

All three had finished at, or toward the top of each of their meets this year, and all of them had high hopes going into state meet Friday at Wichita State.

Carpenter-Ross and Caplinger reached the highest summit Class 4A had to offer as both were crowned state champions following their respective events.

Caplinger became a two-time state champion first as he cleared 15 feet to win the 4A boys pole vault.

“It means a lot and I am just blessed to have the opportunity to be here and win the title, especially with Cooper right on my tail,” Caplinger said. 

Wingfield certainly made it interesting. The Louisburg sophomore was ahead in the competition after clearing 14-6 on his first attempt and Caplinger missed his first two.

It all came down to Caplinger’s third attempt. If he were to miss, he would be eliminated and Wingfield would take the lead in the competition with Andale’s Rylan White. However, it was hard for him to root against his teammate.

“I don’t think pole vaulters want each other to fail,” Wingfield said. “I mean there was a little bit in me that hoped he missed it, but we honestly do root for each other. We know how hard it is and we don’t want each other to fail.”

Caplinger went on to clear the attempt. Then after Wingfield and White missed all of their attempts at 15 feet, Wingfield still had the upper-hand on Caplinger, who had one more try at 15 feet, after missing his first two. If the two tied at 14-6, Wingfield would have won the tiebreaker based on number of misses at 14-6.

Just like on the previous height, the third time was the charm and Caplinger secured the state title. He did it on a day where he was feeling under the weather and he was able to battle through.

“It didn’t feel like a day where I could do very well and I didn’t feel well at all,” Caplinger said. “I just had to go out there and do the best I could. When I cleared 15 feet, I felt that it all just went away.

“We are one big supportive group. You want everyone to do the best that they can do throughout the entire competition. If you win, and other people are having off days, then I’m not sure it means as much because you are just kind of competing against yourself. It has been great going up against Cooper because he has been super consistent all year.”

Wingfield went on to finish as the state runner-up at 14-6, which was a long way from where he finished his season a year ago.

“It means a lot,” Wingfield said. “Honestly, I was just glad to make it to state after the year I had last year. My top height was 10-6 last year, but I just worked on my form and it paid off. Not sure I thought I would get second at state at the start of the year, but it feels good.”

Carpenter-Ross thrived under the pressure in the girls competition as she, not only looked for her second consecutive state medal, but her first state championship. 

The Louisburg junior captured her first state title after she cleared 11 feet, which tied a personal best. This coming off a season where she medaled fifth at state a year ago.

“I think it is fantastic,” Carpenter-Ross said. “Going to 11 feet, I was tied with the one girl and I was hoping that I would get it on my first try. Then when I did, it was just an amazing feeling. 

“It was just awesome for me, plus to see my family’s faces up in the stands was really cool too. Being a state champion is awesome and I plan to do it again.”

Carpenter-Ross vaulted strong from when she came in on her opening height at 9-6. She went on to clear four straight heights without a miss, which included getting 11 feet on her first attempt.

That put her in the driver’s seat after Andale’s JoJo Cutler missed on her first attempt at 11-0. 

“I had a lot of confidence in myself,” Carpenter-Ross said. “In practice, I was able to clear 11 feet on my first attempt. I knew I could do it here (state). I could do it anywhere. The competition was really tough. There were a lot of girls who were close to me, and I knew it could come down to a jumping game on who clears a height first. Luckily, I was able to do it.”

Members of the Louisburg boys track and field team hoist the regional championship trophy last Friday at Shawnee Mission North.

SHAWNEE MISSION — In what was a competitive regional, the Louisburg boys track and field team made it look easy at times.

During the Class 4A regional Friday at Shawnee Mission North, the Wildcats racked up 132.83 points and cruised to the regional title as they qualified for state in 13 events. The top four teams in each event qualified for state. 

Wamego earned regional runner-up honors with 113.33 points.

“Knowing this was a super tough meet, I just asked them to compete and focus on getting in the top four in each event,” Louisburg boys coach Andy Wright said. “They did a great job.”

Louisburg senior Mason Dobbins won two regional titles and qualified for state in four different events. Dobbins won the 110-meter hurdles in 14.91 seconds and later won the high jump after he cleared 6 feet, 4 inches.

Dobbins continued his success in the 200-meter dash as he finished third in 22.67 seconds.

“I was very happy about the outcome of the 110 hurdles and high jump,” Dobbins said. “The 200 competition was fast and it made for a great race.”

Dobbins continued his success with a few teammates as he, Caden Caplinger, Colyer Wingfield and Ashton Moore qualified in the 4×100-meter relay.

The fastest three 4×100 teams in the state were at this regional in Bishop Miege, Topeka-Hayden and Louisburg. The three teams were neck and neck, but the Wildcats were third in 43.19 seconds.

“We knew that this is basically a look at how the 4×100 is gonna be at state and we are going to practice and tweak the things that need to be fixed so we can improve at state,” Dobbins said.

Also on the track, sophomore Jerynce Brings Plenty had a big day in the distance races as he won the 1,600-meter run in 4:36. 

Brings Plenty later finished third in the 3,200-meter run and was less than a second from breaking the school record. He ran a 9:50.70 and the record is currently 9:50.60 set by Jason Rose in 2007.

“Regionals was a big field in the distance races,” Wright said. “Jerynce ran smart and did what he needed to do to be in the top 4. It (the 3,200) was probably one of the smartest races I saw him run all year.”

The Wildcats also qualified all three relays for state. Along with the 4×100, Brings Plenty, Hunter Heinrich, Colton Blue and Blaise Vohs ran a season-best time of 8:22 in the 4×800 relay and finished second.

To end the meet, the 4×400 relay of Heinrich, Colyer Wingfield, Vohs and Ethan Ptacek ran a season-best time of 3:27 and took fourth.

“With the competition, we knew that our relay teams had to be at their best,” Wright said. “The 4×8 started the meet with a big finish. 4×1 ran a solid race, just inches away from winning, and the 4×4 came in ranked sixth and knew they had to PR to get in.”

In the field events, junior Caden Caplinger and sophomore Cooper Wingfield have scored big points for the Wildcats all season in the pole vault and that continued Friday.

Both vaulters cleared 15-1, along with Eudora’s Kole Manley, but based on number of misses, Caplinger won the regional title and Wingfield was second. 

Originally, meet workers had Manley winning the event, but due to some confusion, meet officials went on to change the results late in the evening.

“It didn’t mean as much winning the regional title as me and Coop taking first and second to help win the meet,” Caplinger said. “But it was nice to win it after last year coming in second.

“I felt like after the first few heights I settled in and vaulted much better. Having Coop right behind me this season has been so fun. We’ve been taking over the meets, which is just so fun and making us both better vaulters.”

Louisburg senior Nathan Vincent qualified in all three throwing events as he was second in the javelin at 184-11. He found himself out of the top four going into his final two throws, when he shot his way up to second.

Vincent was third in the discus at 147-9 and took fourth in the shot put at 49-5. 

He will have some company at state in throwing department as senior J.R. Rooney qualified for state for the first time. Rooney finished second in the shot put with a personal best toss of 50 feet.

“Nathan has been solid all year,” Wright said. “I’m excited to see what he can do with all three events when they are spread out in two days instead of four hours. 

“JR has been working hard the last four years. It’s nice to see it pay off with throwing a PR and qualifying in shot for the first time.”

Senior Nathan Apple also ran strong in his two hurdles events as he qualified in both. Apple was second in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.15 seconds.

In the 300 hurdles, Apple was the regional runner-up in a time of 40.24 seconds.

After reaching the state podium as a team the last two years (first in 2021 and third in 2022), the Wildcats will try and get back there again this Friday and Saturday at the Kansas State Track and Field Championships.

Events begin Friday afternoon and will run through Saturday at Wichita State University. The top eight in each event earn a state medal.

“We qualified 13 events and have a chance to place in all 13,” Wright said. “I am excited to see what we can do.They have been focused all week and are ready to compete this weekend.” 

Other results are: 

100 dash: J’Lee Collins, 10th, 11.92

200 dash: Collins, 7th, 25.05

400 dash: Ethan Ptacek, 7th, 51.03

800 run: Blaise Vohs, 5th, 2:05; Leo Martin, 15th, 2:15

1600 run: Martin, 8th, 5:01

3200 run: Noah Cotter, 9th, 10:33

High Jump: Isaiah Whitley, 6th, 5-10

Long Jump: Colyer Wingfield, 6th, 19-9.75; Whitley, 7th, 19-9.25; Myles Vohs, 15th, 17-4.75

Triple Jump: Wingfield, 5th, 40-10.75; Trey Myers, 13th, 36-11.5

Pole Vault: Jacob Brown, 5th, 11-1

Discus: Ben O’Bryan, 9th, 128-11; J.R. Rooney, 13th, 123-1

Javelin: Tasen Ellison, 10th, 136-1; Brecon Klugman, 12th, 130-6

Shot Put: Jaymes Melton, 10th, 44-4.5

Louisburg’s Suzanna Dansel takes the handoff from Mackenzie Rooney in the 4×100-meter relay Friday during the Class 4A regional meet at Shawnee Mission North. The relay broke their own school record for the third straight week.

SHAWNEE MISSION — It may be small in numbers, but the Louisburg girls track and field team showed out in a big way Friday during the Class 4A regional meet.

The Lady Cats won five individual regional titles on their way to a regional runner-up finish with 90 points and qualified for state in 11 events. Eudora won the regional crown with 132 points at Shawnee Mission North.

“Not going to lie, I expected us to be runner-up as we were positioned to accomplish it, and I knew that we would perform well, as we have done that all year,” Louisburg girls coach John Reece said. “But, it is still an awesome thing to have our school called to receive the plaque at the end of the meet. Always get goosebumps.”

Senior Emma Lohse led the charge as she ran her way to three regional titles — including one in a relay that broke their own school record for the third straight week.

Lohse won the 100-meter dash in 12.48 seconds as she pulled away from the competition. She did the same in the 200 dash as she won in a season-best time of 26.16 seconds.

“Going into the 100 and 200, I knew it was going to be a very competitive race, but I was ready for it,” Lohse said. “Getting first in both events, was once again, something I had to put in the effort and work for to compete well.”

Lohse, along with Mackenzie Rooney, Suzanna Dansel and Kendall Crossley, made history for the third straight week. The quartet breezed to a regional title in a new school record time of 49.64 seconds, which was the third consecutive week they broke their own record.

“We have a very strong 4×1, and as the season has gone on, we have progressed almost every time,” Lohse said. “I’d have to say that our chemistry as a team is the main part in this race. Going into state this weekend we will have a good competition with Andale and McPherson and we are hoping to come back with a state title.”

The Louisburg senior qualified for state in her fourth event as the 4×400-meter relay of Lohse, Rooney, Emma Vohs and Crossley finished fourth in a new season-best time of 4 minutes and 14 seconds to take the last spot.

“I would not say the 4×4 snuck in as they ran a great race from number 1 runner to number 4,” Reece said. “I knew we had a good relay in place, it just took a bit for them to really run their race and they did. I am looking to see them improve more and get to the finals at state.”

The Lady Cats also won regional titles in a pair of individual events.

Louisburg senior Emma Prettyman won the regional discus crown and did so in dramatic fashion. Prettyman, who was sitting fifth in her final throw, needed a throw good enough to earn a top four spot to get to state.

Prettyman did more than that. She delivered a toss of 119 feet, 8 inches to win the competition and punched her ticket to state in the process.

The Lady Cats will have a state competitor in each of the throwing events as junior Katie Elpers qualified in the javelin as she took third at 115-7. Freshman Kenna Lohse followed suit in the shot put as she finished fourth with a toss of 35-9.75.

“Coach G (Gentges) and I have always said it only takes one, and for Emma P., it was her last throw of finals and it was a PR to boot,” Reece said. “Kenna really came into her own at the end of the season and made her way to state as a freshman. We expect great things out of her over the next three years and to experience state as a freshman will help her in the future. 

“Katie continues to perform well in the javelin and we look for her to go and place well again at state. This has been a great group of throwers to work with this year.”

In the pole vault, junior Maddy Carpenter-Ross picked a good time to earn a personal best herself. Carpenter-Ross cleared 11 feet in the pole vault to win the regional title and looks to earn her second consecutive state medal.

“Winning the regional title this year, it meant a lot to me,” Carpenter-Ross said. “I have been working really hard this season to get to 11 feet, which was the goal I set for myself this season, so when I achieved my goal, it felt great to have made my 1 foot progress from last year. The fact that it was achieved at the regional meet made it perfect timing again for the second season in a row.”

In the 300-meter hurdles, Rooney ran a personal-best to qualify for state in the event for the second year in a row. The Louisburg sophomore finished as the regional runner-up in 48.40 seconds.

“Mack ran a great race,” Reece said. “I was able to watch her run the curve and head down the home stretch. Her face was determined to say the least and finished great. I am really excited for her race at state. She is setting herself up for a great performance.”

Vohs also had a big day for the Lady Cats as she qualified for state in a pair of individual events — one sprint and one distance race.

In the 1,600-meter run, Vohs finished fourth in 5:48 and later ran a season best 1:02.78 in the 400-meter dash to take third overall.

“Emma Vohs is a jack of all trades,” Reece said. “She showed her versatility by qualifying in the 1600, 400, and the 4×4. She has run multiple races throughout the season and we look for her to do even more next year. It was an awesome performance at regionals and well deserved outcome for her hard work this year.”

Louisburg will now compete against the best beginning this Friday at the Kansas State Track and Field Championships held at Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium. Events will begin Friday afternoon and run through Saturday.

Other results are: 

200 dash: Suzanna Dansel, 7th, 27.59

400 dash: Kendall Crossley, 6th, 1:03

800 run: Erin Apple, 7th, 2:42

1,600 run: Nova Ptacek, 8th, 6:18; Delanie Tally, 11th, 6:35

3,200 run: Maddy Rhamy, 6th

100 hurdles: Mackenzie Rooney, 6th, 17.55; Kate Frederick, 7th, 17.58

300 hurdles: Frederick, 10th, 54.31

4×800 Relay: 5th, 10:34

Pole Vault: Stella Bohnenstiehl, 7th, 8-1

Discus: Kenna Lohse, 10th, 94-10

Javelin: Emma Prettyman, 6th, 109-10; Lohse, 14th, 84-3

Shot Put: Prettyman 5th, 35-4

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week nine of the spring sports season, sponsored by Dr. Laura’s Orthodontics.

JERYNCE BRINGS PLENTY, SOPHOMORE, TRACK AND FIELD

Louisburg sophomore Jerynce Brings Plenty will be plenty busy at this weekend’s state track and field meet, all thanks to the work he did last Friday at the Class 4A regional meet. Brings Plenty qualified for state in three events and won a regional title in the 1,600-meter run in 4 minutes and 36 seconds.

Brings Plenty nearly broke a school record in his other individual event — the 3,200-meter run. He took third in 9:50.70, which nearly surpassed the school record of 9:50.60. He also teamed up with Hunter Heinrich, Colton Blue and Blaise Vohs to qualify in the 4×800-meter relay with a season-best time of 8:22.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the spring season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous winners:

Week 1: Rowan Yows

Week 2: Sabra Brueggen

Week 3: Danny Napier

Week 4: Corbin Hamman

Week 5: Megan Quinn

Week 6: Lexi Hampton

Week 7: Mason Dobbins

Week 8: Emma Lohse

The Louisburg boys track and field team cruised to a league title with 152 points and won five individual events Thursday at the Frontier League meet at Baker University.

BALDWIN CITY — The last two seasons, the Louisburg boys track and field team has found itself on the state podium — which included a state championship in 2021. 

During that time, however, one thing has been missing from the Wildcats’ accomplishments — a Frontier League title.

The Wildcats got that on Thursday during the Frontier League meet at Baker University. Louisburg finished as league champions with 151 points, which was 52 points ahead of runner-up Eudora.

“It was my first time as head coach that the boys have won the league track meet, as we have been second the last two years,” Louisburg coach Andy Wright said. “So, it was great to get that done as a team. We had awesome weather, and we took advantage to put together a good outing, with great competition and some new PR’s.”

Some of those personal records came thanks to Mason Dobbins. He was a part of two school records and he earned three gold medals on the day.

Dobbins, who tied the school high jump record two weeks ago at Wellsville, got it all to himself at league. He cleared 6 feet, 7 inches to win the high jump and broke the previous record held by Dennis Sack (91) and Jason Burk (98).

After clearing 6-3 and securing the league crown, Dobbins asked the height be raised to 6-7 and he cleared it on the first attempt.

“I have been wanting to own the high jump record for years and for me to finally accomplish my goal feels surreal,” Dobbins said. “I feel like I have more in the tank, so higher heights are to come.”

Dobbins also joined Caden Caplinger, Colyer Wingfield and Ashton Moore in the 4×100-meter relay and the Wildcat team broke the school record for the second straight week. The Louisburg quartet won the league title in 43.06 seconds

“I think we have a group of fast and hardworking athletes that are willing to do anything to win,” Dobbins said. “We definitely can, and will, get faster.”

The Louisburg senior won his third event of the day in the 110-meter high hurdles in 14.86 seconds to complete a banner-day on the track.

Senior Nathan Vincent also had a successful day in the throws, especially the javelin. Vincent, who is a two-time state medalist in the event, recorded a personal-best throw of 194-1 to take the top spot in league.

Vincent also went on to finish runner-up in the discus with a season-best throw of 149-6, and in the shot put with a mark of 49-1.5.

“With Nathan injured at the beginning of the season, we didn’t know what he would be able to get back to,” Wright said. “He has put in the work and it’s paying off.”

In the pole vault, Caplinger won the league title after he cleared 14-6 and sophomore teammate Cooper Wingfield was right behind him. Wingfield also cleared 14-6, but was second on number of misses.

Senior Nathan Apple recorded two personal best times in the hurdle events and finished with a pair of runner-up finishes. He was second in the 110 hurdles in 15.05 seconds and second in the 300 in 39.58 seconds.

In the distance races, the 4×800-meter relay of Hunter Heinrich, Myles Vohs, Blaise Vohs and Jerynce Brings Plenty finished as a league runner-up in 8 minutes and 29.07 seconds.

Brings Plenty also went on to finished third in the 1,600-meter run in 4:34 and fourth in the 3,200 run in 10:17. Junior Noah Cotter took sixth in the 1,600 (4:55) and seventh in the 3,200 run (10:38).

Blaise Vohs went on to take fifth in the 800 run in 2:06, while Colton Blue was seventh in 2:10.

In the sprints, senior Ethan Ptacek was fourth in the 400 dash in 51.89 and Heinrich was fifth with season-best 52.74. Caplinger took fifth in the 100 dash in 11.34 seconds.

The 4×400 relay of Heinrich, Blaise Vohs, Colyer Wingfield and Ptacek took fourth in 3:33.

In the field events, senior Cade Gassman finished runner-up in the high jump after he cleared a season-best 6-1 and senior Isaiah Whitley was sixth at 5-11.

Colyer Wingfield took fifth in the long jump at 20-6.75, while Jacob Brown was fifth in the pole vault at 11-6.

Senior J.R. Rooney had a strong day in the shot put as he finished third with a toss of 48-2.75.

Louisburg will now focus on its most important meet of the year — the Class 4A regional. The Wildcats will compete at the regional meet Friday at Shawnee Mission North, where the top four finishers in each event will qualify for state next week in Wichita.

“We are excited to get to the second of the big three meets,” Wright said. “Our regional is going to be very competitive. They have been working for this all season, and we need to put it all together at the right time. I believe that we are up for the challenge.”

Other results are:

200 dash: Cade Gassman, 17th, 25.23

800 run: Leo Martin, 19th, 2:26

1,600 run: Martin, 8th, 4:59.30

Long Jump: Isaiah Whitley, 8th, 20-0.75; Myles Vohs, 15th, 17-10

Triple Jump: Colyer Wingfield, 9th, 38-6; Trey Myers, 10th, 36-8.25

Shot Put: Jaymes Melton, 9th, 42-0.25

Discus: J.R. Rooney, 8th, 120-11; Ben O’Bryan, 10th, 113-9

Javelin: Tasen Ellison, 10th, 129-0; Brecon Klugman, 16th, 124-8