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.
LEAGUE CHAMPS: Louisburg boys cruise to Frontier League title
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.
Louisburg senior Mason Dobbins clears 6-7 in the high jump Thursday at the Frontier League meet and set a new school record.
“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.
Louisburg’s Colyer Wingfield (right) celebrates with Mason Dobbins after their 4×100 relay team broke the school record for the second straight week.
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.
Louisburg senior Nathan Vincent scored points in all three throwing events for Louisburg, including winning the javelin with a personal best throw of 194 feet.
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.
Louisburg’s Blaise Vohs takes the handoff from Myles Vohs on Thursday during the 4×800-meter relay.
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
Lohse wins three golds, 4×100 breaks record at league meet
Louisburg senior Emma Lohse won the 100 and 200-meter dashes Thursday during the Frontier League meet at Baker University. Lohse also helped the 4×100 relay to a new school record.
BALDWIN CITY — Emma Lohse blazed the Baker University track Thursday during the Frontier League Invitational.
Lohse came away with three league titles, including a record-breaking performance in a relay. The Louisburg senior won the 100-meter dash in 12.61 seconds and later captured the 200 dash crown in 26.18.
“Being a league champ in both the 100 and 200 was a feeling I won’t forget,” Lohse said. “Not only does getting first tell me that I was competing at my best during that time, but that I had to put in the work to earn my placings that day.”
Lohse, along with Mackenzie Rooney, Suzanna Dansel and Kendall Crossley, broke their own school record in the 4×100-meter relay for the second week in a row. They won the league title in 49.84 seconds.
“After I finished running my leg in the 4×1, I looked at the time and saw a 49 and I turned around to see Mackenzie running towards me with the biggest smile on her face as did I,” Lohse said. “It was the best feeling knowing that we competed so well. This group of girls is so special to me, even though they are all younger, they know how to compete with the people we run against.”
Freshman Kendall Crossley takes the handoff from fellow freshman Suzanna Dansel during the 4×100-meter relay Thursday at the Frontier League Invitational. The Lady Cat quartet broke their own school record in 49.84 seconds.
As a team, the Lady Cats also shined at the league meet as they finished third in the team standings, with 107 points and were just 2.5 points behind Spring Hill for second. Eudora won the league crown with 131.5 points.
“With the strength of our league, getting third as a team is an awesome accomplishment,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “Our girls are learning to compete in the moment and not letting outside, uncontrollable factors keep them from performing at their best for that day.”
Dansel and Rooney also picked up a pair of league runner-up finishes to help lead the Lady Cats.
Dansel, a freshman, took second in the 100 dash in 12.76 seconds and later finished fifth in the 200 dash in 27.13.
Rooney, a sophomore, ran a personal best time of 48.70 seconds in the 300-meter hurdles and took second. She also ran a personal best in the 100 hurdles and took third in 17.08.
Louisburg sophomore Mackenzie Rooney finished second with a new personal best time in the 300 hurdles.
Junior Kate Frederick also scored points in the the hurdles as she finished fifth in the 100 (17.84) and 300 (53.51) with a season-best time in both.
Another junior, Emma Vohs recorded a pair of third places finishes — one in a sprint and another in a distance race. Vohs took third in the 400 dash in 1:03 and also finished third in the 1,600 run in 5:48.
Junior Maddy Rhamy also earned points for the Lady Cats as she was fifth in the 3,200 run in 13:57. Crossley finished sixth the 400 in 1:05.
Louisburg also scored in two other relays. The 4×400 team of Rooney, Crossley, Lohse and Vohs took fifth in 4:17, while Erin Apple, Rhamy, Vohs and Delanie Tally took sixth in 11:09.
Louisburg junior Emma Vohs took third in both the 400 dash and 1,600-meter run Thursday during the league meet.
In the field events, junior Maddy Carpenter-Ross had a strong performance in the pole vault. She took league runner-up honors after she cleared 10 feet, 6 inches.
Senior Emma Prettyman scored points in all three throws, including a third place performance in the discus with a throw of 118-5. Prettyman was also sixth in the javelin at 107-10, and seventh in the shot put at 34-6.
Junior Katie Elpers finished fourth in the javelin with a toss of 112-8. Freshman Kenna Lohse recorded a personal best in the shot put with a mark of 36-7 to take fifth overall.
Louisburg senior Emma Prettyman scored points in all three throwing events Thursday at league.
The Lady Cats will now focus on the Class 4A regional meet that will be held Friday at Shawnee Mission North. The top four finishers in each event will qualify for state next week in Wichita.
“There is excitement, but also a sense of taking care of business attitude,” Reece said. “If we compete within ourselves, and not let outside uncontrollables bother us, we will do awesome. We have the opportunity to qualify in up to 13 events, which is exciting to think about. Regardless with our regional being so stacked, if the girls get out of our region to state, they will do well in Wichita.”
Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week eight of the spring sports season, sponsored by Landmark National Bank.
EMMA LOHSE, SENIOR, TRACK AND FIELD
Louisburg senior Emma Lohse blazed the track at the Frontier League Invitational last Thursday at Baker University. Lohse won three league titles, including a record-setting relay performance, as the Lady Cats finished third in the team standings. Lohse won the 100-meter dash in 12.61 seconds and also won the 200 dash in 26.46 seconds.
Lohse then joined the 4×100-meter relay of Mackenzie Rooney, Suzanna Dansel and Kendall Crossley, who broke their own school record they set just a week prior. The Wildcat quartet won in a new school record time of 49.84 seconds.
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.
Lady Cats finish second at Wellsville as relay breaks school record
The Louisburg 4×100-meter relay of (from left) Kendall Crossley, Mackenzie Rooney, Emma Lohse and Suzanna Dansel broke the school record in the event Friday at Wellsville with a time of 50.14.
WELLSVILLE — The Louisburg girls track and field team had, quite possibly, its best finish on the season Friday at the Red Bud Classic in Wellsville.
The Lady Cats made a little history to go along with it.
Louisburg finished runner-up at the 15-team meet with 97 points, just 10 points behind champion Spring Hill.
“It has been a while since we have placed top two at Wellsville,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “It is a testament to how hard they have been working and preparing for the postseason.”
The Lady Cats also rewrote a little part of their track history. The 4×100-meter relay team of Mackenzie Rooney, Suzanna Dansel, Kendall Crossley and Emma Lohse, not only won the event, but broke the school record time with a time of 50.14 seconds.
They broke the old record of 50.59, that was set in 2019 by Jordan Leach, Carlee Gassman, Rain Pugh and Sydni Keagle.
“The 4×1 ran a great race, and not only broke the record, they blew it up,” Reece said. “They are setting themselves up to run very fast here at the end of the season.”
Emma Lohse (left) sprints to the finish in the 100-meter dash finals Friday in Wellsville.
Lohse continued that dominance in her individual races as she took first in the 100-meter dash in 12.61 seconds and first in the 200 dash in 26.67 seconds.
“Emma is a fierce competitor,” Reece said. “She does not always show it in her expressions, but definitely in her performance. She has also been a great leader this year for the underclassmen with her work ethic and preparation at meets.”
Freshman Suzanna Dansel was second in the 100 dash in 12.84 and finished fourth in the 200 in 27.19 to help the Lady Cats.
Also on the track, Rooney scored points in both hurdle events. She took third in the 300 hurdles in 49.47 seconds and seventh in the 100 in 17.40.
Junior Emma Vohs finished fourth in the 400 dash in 1:03.94, while Crossley was sixth at 1:04.58. In the distance races, junior Maddy Rhamy was seventh in the 3,200 run in 13:13.
The Lady Cats also scored points in the other two relay events as the 4×400 team of Rooney, Lohse, Vohs and Crossley finished third in 4:21. Vohs, Rhamy, Erin Apple and Delanie Tally took seventh in the 4×800 relay in 10:48.
Junior Katie Elpers took second in the javelin Friday at Wellsville.
In the field events, junior Katie Elpers finished runner-up in the javelin with a throw of 120 feet, 10 inches. Junior Maddy Carpenter-Ross also took second in the pole vault after she cleared 10 feet.
Senior Emma Prettyman scored points in all three throwing events. Prettyman finished fifth the discus (109-4), javelin (113-10) and shot put (35-0.5).
“As a whole team, the girls are competing well,” Reece said. “You can’t PR every meet, but you can step up to the competition and perform your best to put pressure on your competitors. Great things are in the future for this team.”
Louisburg is back in action today for the Frontier League meet at Baker University and Liston Stadium. Events begin at 2 p.m.
Other results are:
800 run: Nova Ptacek, 12th, 2:45; Erin Apple, 13th, 2:46
Dobbins with record-setting day as Wildcats win at Wellsville
Louisburg senior Mason Dobbins tied the school record in the high jump Friday at Wellsville as he cleared 6-6 to win the event. The Wildcats won the Red Bud Classic, which was their fourth consecutive victory.
WELLSVILLE — Winning hasn’t been a problem for the Louisburg boys track and field team as of late, and it certainly wasn’t on Friday in Wellsville.
At the Red Bud Classic, the Wildcats won their fourth straight meet with 133.5 points and Eudora was second at the 15-team meet with 116. Louisburg scored points in all but two events as it cruised to the title.
“This group keeps improving every week,” Louisburg boys coach Andy Wright said. “There was a lot of good competition in multiple events, and the team as a whole stepped up. We just have to keep working to get better each week.”
Senior Mason Dobbins put together his best meet of the season and he has two school records to show for it.
Dobbins tied the high jump record after he cleared 6 feet, 6 inches to win the event. He equaled the mark set by Jason Burk (1998) and Dennis Seck (1991).
Dobbins also joined Caden Caplinger, Colyer Wingfield and Ashton Moore as they won the 4×100-meter relay in a school record time of 43.14 seconds.
The Louisburg senior also went on to win the 110-meter hurdles in 14.80 seconds and the 200 dash in 22.70 seconds.
(From left) Ashton Moore, Colyer Wingfield, Mason Dobbins and Caden Caplinger broke the school record in the 4×100 relay Friday at Wellsville.
“Mason had an absolutely amazing meet,” Wright said. “Mason has been clearing 6-2 for the last few meets and he was due for a big jump. I am super proud of how hard he has been working, and he is not done.”
The relay broke last season’s school record of mark of 43.33 seconds that was set by Dobbins, Caplinger, Tom Koontz and Ethan Ptacek.
“We have been running mid 43’s for the last three meets,” Wright said. “We were just waiting for the ideal weather to run in the lower 43’s. Not surprised at their time because this has been the same group all season and they have built up a good chemistry running together.”
The Wildcats almost saw a third record fall, this time in the pole vault.
Caplinger, who had already cleared a personal best of 15-3, tried to surpass the school record of 15-6. His try at 15-7 came up just short, but finished first in the event.
Senior Nathan Apple also captured gold. Apple won the 300-meter hurdles and did it in a personal best time of 40.76 seconds.
Apple also medaled third in the 110 hurdles in 15.22 seconds. In the preliminaries, Apple also set a personal best time of 15.05.
Another senior, Nathan Vincent, scored points in all three throwing events and recorded a season-best mark in the javelin. Vincent had a throw of 180-6 to take third in the event.
Louisburg senior J.R. Rooney finished seventh in the shot put Friday at Wellsville.
Vincent also finished third in the shot put with a toss of 49-1 and was seventh in the discus at 143-1. Senior J.R. Rooney was seventh in the shot put at 47-4.75.
Also in the field events, senior Isaiah Whitley recorded a season-best mark in the high jump. Whitley cleared 6-0 and took third overall.
Back on the track, the Wildcats also scored several points in the sprints.
Senior Ethan Ptacek was third in the 400-meter dash in 51.80 seconds and teammate Hunter Heinrich was sixth at 53.16. Ptacek was also fifth in the 100 dash at 11.49.
Ashton Moore took sixth in the 200 dash in 23.36 and was eighth in the 100 dash in 11.74.
Louisburg senior Ethan Ptacek took third Friday in the 400 meter dash at Wellsville.
In the distance races, sophomore Jerynce Brings Plenty ran a season-best time in the 1,600-meter run in 4:34 to take third. Brings Plenty also finished fourth in the 3,200 in 10:12.
Freshman Blaise Vohs took fifth in the 800-meter run in 2:06.
Louisburg also scored points in the other two relays.
The 4×400 team of Heinrich, Wingfield, Ptacek and Vohs was second in a time of 3:30, while the 4×800 of Heinrich, Brings Plenty, Vohs and Colton Blue was third in 8:36.
Louisburg is back in action Thursday when the Wildcats travel to the Frontier League Invitational at Baker University in Baldwin City. Events begin at 2 p.m.
Other results are:
100 dash: Caleb Feldkamp, 15th, 11.89
200 dash: Feldkamp, 17th, 24.80
400 dash: Colton Blue, 12th, 55.61
800 run: Myles Vohs, 12th, 2:11
1,600 run: Noah Cotter, 12th, 4:55; Leo Martin, 18th, 5:08
Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week seven of the spring sports season, sponsored by Louisburg Family Dental.
MASON DOBBINS, SENIOR, TRACK AND FIELD
Louisburg senior Mason Dobbins wrote himself into the Wildcat track and field history books Friday at the RedBud Classic in Wellsville. Dobbins, along with teammates Caden Caplinger, Colyer Wingfield and Ashton Moore, broke the 4×100-meter relay record in 43.14 seconds. They broke the old record of 43.33 from last season that was set by Dobbins, Caplinger, Tom Koontz and Ethan Ptacek.
Dobbins then went on to tie the school record in the high jump after he cleared 6-6. He equaled the mark that was set by Jason Burk (1998) and Dennis Seck (1991). In all, Dobbins took gold in four events Friday and helped the Wildcats to their fourth straight meet victory. He also won the 110-meter hurdles and 200-meter dash.
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.
Prettyman ready to take the next step with Columbia College track
Louisburg senior Emma Prettyman, one of the top throwers on the Lady Cat track and field team, will join the Columbia College squad next season.
Emma Prettyman’s growth on the Louisburg track and field team has been a steady progression — starting as a junior varsity thrower to becoming one of the leaders as a senior.
Track has become a big part of Prettyman’s life and it has showed. She has been a consistent point-scorer in all three throwing events for the Lady Cats this season and she is not ready to give up the sport just yet.
During a signing ceremony earlier this year, Prettyman made it official. She signed her letter of intent to compete for the Columbia College track and field program next season.
“I have wanted to compete at the college level if faced with the opportunity,” Prettyman said. “Now that I have been given this chance, I am really excited to see where it takes me.”
Columbia College is an NAIA school based in Columbia, Mo., and Prettyman saw this as her best fit to compete at the college level. The Cougars also have one of the better teams in the American Midwest Conference.
The Cougars recently finished second in the team standings in their conference meet and have a well-rounded program. It was one of the things that attracted Prettyman to the school.
Louisburg senior Emma Prettyman signed her letter of intent with Columbia College earlier this year. Seated next to Emma are her parents Greg Prettyman and Corrine Prettyman. Standing (from left) is Louisburg basketball coach Adrianne Lane, head girls track coach John Reece and head volleyball coach Leanna Willer.
“I looked into Columbia because it was a small school with a good teacher to student ratio,” Prettyman said. “I also liked that it wasn’t too far from home and because of the track teams. The coaches and athletes were really great as well.”
Prettyman has had a strong senior campaign for the Lady Cats so far this season, along with being a starter on the Louisburg volleyball and girls basketball team. She has scored points in all three throwing events for much of the year.
The Louisburg senior is now ready for one final run at competing in her first state meet.
“My senior track season has been my best season,” Prettyman said. “From not getting my freshman season (COVID-19), to where I am now, I have improved a lot. My goals for the remainder of the season are to make it to regionals and hopefully qualify for state.”
Prettyman is also looking forward to her time after high school and with her new team.
“I am not sure what events I will do at Columbia, though I believe I will have the chance to tryout hammer throw,” she said. “My goals are to keep improving and hopefully learn a new event as well as potentially break some records.”
Rooney ready to make mark with Central Missouri track
Louisburg senior J.R. Rooney signed to join the University of Central Missouri track and field team next season.
Louisburg senior J.R. Rooney had a big decision to make.
While deciding what school he wanted to attend was always the No. 1 decision, figuring out which sport was a close second.
After mulling over options to play college football after earning all-league and all-state honors, Rooney was given another option — track.
“In all honesty it took a while for me to realize track was even an option for me in college,” Rooney said. “My parents and I had a lot of talks about me playing at the next level in either sport. I’ve always known I wanted to play sports in college, no matter what the collegiate level. Over the summer I took a lot of visits to colleges for football, and for a while I thought I was going to college for football.
As much as he loved football, Rooney decided to go with the best fit — track and his favorite school.
Rooney recently signed his letter of intent to join the University of Central Missouri track and field program next season as a thrower for the Division II Mules.
“As the end of the football season drew closer, I received some interest for track and field from numerous colleges, and this helped open my eyes to see that I could compete at the next level,” Rooney said. “I was presented with the opportunity to take a visit to UCM and from the moment I stepped on campus, I loved it.”
It was tough for Rooney to leave football in the rearview mirror, but it has allowed him to focus more on track — specifically the shot put.
“It was very tough decision for me and my family,” Rooney said. “I remember talking with almost all of my coaches, from both football and track, asking for advice. The decision wasn’t easy, but UCM gives me the best opportunity to get a very good education, and compete in the sport that I love at the next level. I do not regret my decision, and I think it will pay off for me in the long run.”
Louisburg senior J.R. Rooney signed his letter of intent to join the University of Central Missouri track and field team. Sitting next to J.R. are his parents Nancy and Kendall, along with his sister Mackenzie. Standing (from left) is Louisburg track coaches John Reece and Andy Wright.
Rooney, who was the Wildcats’ top shot putter a year ago, missed the state meet by just inches. That only added more fuel to the track fire.
He has spent all offseason working on his craft and hopes to not only qualify for state, but leave with a state medal in his final season with the Wildcat program.
“I have set my goals very high for this track season,” Rooney said. “I hope to win regionals in shot put, and get on the podium at state. I am also hoping to break the school shot put record. I’ve put in a ton of work in the offseason, and I hope it pays off.”
Once that is all done, Rooney is ready to focus on his time at Central Missouri. Not only to improve in the shot put, but some other new events as well. He will also join a former Louisburg alum on the team in Michael Waldron, who throws the javelin for the Mules.
“UCM has had a very successful track and field program,” Rooney said. “Their throws program has seen success the past few years, and I hope that I am able to add to that. I was able to see a couple of their indoor track meets and I had the opportunity to talk with some of their athletes.
“A big thing that I looked for on all my visits was team culture. Every athlete I talked with at UCM spoke about the culture and how close all the athletes are to one another. This really gave UCM the upper hand on other schools. I will be competing in the heavy throws at UCM, shot put, hammer throw, and weight throw. I am very excited to learn and compete in these events.”
Throw in the fact that he is able to attend a school that fits for his future, is icing on the cake.
“UCM was the first college I truly loved,” Rooney said. “I remember telling my mom halfway through the campus tour that I loved it, and I could see myself attending UCM even if I didn’t play sports.”
Louisburg boys win De Soto Invite for third straight victory
Louisburg senior Isaiah Whitley finished fourth in the high jump Friday at De Soto. The Wildcats won the De Soto Invitational with 142 points.
DE SOTO — On a cool, rainy day for the De Soto Invitational, the Louisburg boys track and field team still found a way to keep its winning streak going.
The Wildcats won their third consecutive meet as Louisburg captured the De Soto Invitational title with 142 points Friday at De Soto High School. The Wildcats defeated runner-up Eudora by 25 points.
“I just asked them to compete,” Louisburg boys coach Andy Wright said. “This was the first meet this year, that it wasn’t ideal weather for some events, but everyone had to compete in the same conditions. This meet was all about learning mental toughness and competing in spite of the elements.”
The Louisburg girls also had several bright moments as they won a pair of events and took sixth out of 13 teams with 75 points. Piper won the meet with 117 points.
On the boys side, seniors Mason Dobbins and Nathan Vincent led the way with a pair of individual victories.
Vincent won the shot put with a toss of 46 feet, 9 inches and also won the discus at 139-5. He then proceeded to throw a season-best in the javelin to take second at 168-10.
As for Dobbins, he captured the title in the 110-meter high hurdles in 15.32 seconds and he also won the 200-meter dash in 22.97 seconds.
Dobbins was also a member of the 4×100 relay with Caden Caplinger, Colyer Wingfield and Ashton Moore, who finished first in 43.82 seconds.
“Mason is really competing in his events and doing a great job,” Wright said. “Nathan is starting to be a triple threat in throws. He has had solid throws all year in the shot and discus. With his second meet throwing javelin, he keeps improving every week, and will be peaking at the right time.”
Senior Nathan Apple had his best performance of the year in the 300 hurdles. Apple recorded a personal-best time of 40.88 seconds to win the event. He also took third in the 110 hurdles in 15.65.
“Nathan is running more aggressively in the first part of his race and that improvement is showing in his times,” Wright said. “That is how he was able to PR.”
On the girls side, junior Maddy Carpenter-Ross continued to find success in the pole vault as she won the event after clearing 10 feet.
The Lady Cat 4×100-meter relay was also able to track down gold as Mackenzie Rooney, Suzanna Dansel, Kendall Crossley and Emma Lohse won in 50.79 seconds. Lohse raced down the Piper anchor leg in the final stretch to nip the Pirates at the finish line.
“De Soto didn’t have the best conditions to have a track meet, but the girls did a good job,” Louisburg girls coach John Reece said. “All the relays have been improving steadily. It does not always show in time, but in effort.”
The Lady Cats also had their other relays earn points as well. The 4×800 relay of Delanie Tally, Erin Apple, Maddy Rhamy and Emma Vohs took fourth in 10:50, while the 4×400 of Rooney, Lohse, Vohs and Crossley was sixth in 4:25.
Louisburg junior Katie Elpers was third in the javelin Friday at De Soto.
Lohse and Dansel also scored points in the 100 and 200 dashes for Louisburg. Dansel took third in the 100 in 13.19 and Lohse was fifth in 13.26. In the 200, Lohse was fourth at 27.38 and Dansel took fifth in 27.82.
Also on the track, Vohs was seventh in the 800 run in 2:32, while Rhamy was 8th in the 3200 run in 13:20. Rooney took fourth in the 300 hurdles in 51.01.
In the throws, Emma Prettyman scored in all three events. Prettyman took fifth in the javelin (113-10) and sixth in the shot put (34-3) and discus (97-10).
Junior Katie Elpers took third in the javelin with a throw of 120-6, while freshman Kenna Lohse finished fifth in the discus with a season-best throw of 98-11.
On the boys side, sophomore Jerynce Brings Plenty put together a strong performance the 3,200-meter run. Brings Plenty recorded a personal-best time of 9:56 to finish runner-up. Junior Noah Cotter also scored points as he was sixth in 11:00.
“Breaking 10 minutes was a goal for Jerynce,” Wright said. “He is working hard every week to make sure he meets those goals.”
Senior Ethan Ptacek also had a solid meet after coming back from an injury. Ptacek took fourth in the 400 dash in 51.56 seconds, while junior Hunter Heinrich was fourth at 53.27.
Ptacek also joined Heinrich, Blaise Vohs and Wingfield to take third in the 4×400 relay in a season-best time of 3:29.79.
“It was nice to see Ethan on the track, with his second meet back he ran three solid races in the 100 ,400, and 4×4,” Wright said. “He is still a little out of shape, but I am looking forward to seeing where he will be in a few weeks at regionals.”
The 4×800 relay of Brings Plenty, Colton Blue, Heinrich and Vohs also went on to finish third in 8:41. In the 800 run, Vohs also took fourth in 2:06.
In the field events, Dobbins finished third in the high jump after he cleared 6-2 and teammate Isaiah Whitley was fourth at 5-10.
Sophomore Cooper Wingfield was second in the pole vault after he cleared 12-6, while Colyer Wingfield was sixth in the triple jump at 39-8.5.
Senior J.R. Rooney also earned points in a pair of throwing events, Rooney was fifth in the shot put at 44-5 and eight in the discus at 118-8.
The Wildcats are back in action this Friday when they travel to Wellsville for the RedBud Relays. Events begin at 3:30 p.m.
Other results are:
GIRLS
400 dash: Kendall Crossley, 11th, 1:06
800 run: Erin Apple, 13th, 2:51
1,600 run: Delanie Tally, 15th, 6:16; Nova Ptacek, 17th, 6:22
