Louisburg senior Ali Prettyman goes up for a kill during Tuesday’s home league match against Ottawa.

After a difficult week that saw the Louisburg volleyball team come up short in four of its last five matches, things began to take a turn for the better this week for the Lady Cats.

Louisburg got back on the winning track with a 3-1 victory over Ottawa in a Frontier League dual on Tuesday, and then followed it up with a pair of easy victories Thursday against Fort Scott and Girard.

Tuesday’s game against Ottawa was the starting point in the 25-19, 25-17, 24-26 and 25-22 victory in which the Lady Cats had to overcome a little adversity. After the Cyclones won the third set, they appeared they were going to force a deciding fifth set.

Ottawa went on a 12-2 run to take a 19-14 advantage in that fourth set, but Louisburg dug deep as senior Ali Prettyman and sophomore Adyson Ross provided big kills to tie the match at 22-all. Sophomore Allie Kennedy gave Louisburg the lead with a kill of her own and then senior Carleigh Pritchard added back-to-back kills to ice the match.

“Overall I think we played well against Ottawa,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “Ottawa is a good team, and they weren’t going to give us anything easy. We needed to earn each point. All of the players stepped up at crucial points during the match and contributed.”

Louisburg (8-5) got production from up and down its lineup as the Lady Cats got kills from seven different players and Pritchard led the way with a team-high 17 kills and four blocks. Senior Alyse Moore tallied 13 kills, while junior Rinny McMullen and Kennedy each had 12 and 10, respectively.

Ali Prettyman had six kills, Ross finished with five and Emma Prettyman ended with two. Kennedy also had four blocks, while Ali Prettyman and Moore finished with two.

However, the offense all got going thanks to McMullen. The junior setter had a team-high 46 assists and also had nine digs.

Juinior libero Chase Kallevig led the way defensively with 23 digs, Moore had 16 and senior Madi Quinn added 13. Senior defensive player Sydney Keaton finished with seven digs.

Louisburg was able to field its full roster for the first time this season on Thursday when the Lady Cats traveled to Fort Scott. Setter Davis Guetterman returned from injury and they had a complete lineup for their 25-17, 25-16 win over Fort Scott and the 25-21 and 25-20 win over Girard.

“The players have been very good about stepping in and adjusting to any changes,” Compliment said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to find some consistency which I think we help eliminate some of the communication errors we have from time to time.”

The Lady Cats return to action Saturday when they host Shawnee Mission South and Leavenworth in a triangular in what was supposed to be the Louisburg Invitational. Due to cancellations, it turned into two triangulars instead of a tournament.

Louisburg will face off with Shawnee Mission South at 8 a.m., and follow up with Leavenworth at 10.

Junior Riley Kallevig digs up a ball during Louisburg’s home match with Bonner Springs on Sept. 10. The Lady Cats went 1-4 in a week where they faced four state-ranked teams.

It was a difficult week for the Louisburg volleyball team as its schedule got a lot more challenging as the Lady Cats faced off with four state-ranked teams and played in a competitive tournament.

That resulted in one win in five matches and it made it even more difficult when the Lady Cats lost one of their starters, setter Davis Guetterman, to an injury.

The latest loss came last Tuesday when they traveled to the No. 4 team in Class 5A, Spring Hill. The Lady Cats, the No. 6 team in 4A, fell 3-0. A week prior to that, Louisburg hosted No. 7 Bonner Springs and lost 3-1.

Louisburg did get some good news in that stretch as the Lady Cats got sophomore starter Allie Kennedy back from injury and gave them more depth at the net. Sophomore Adyson Ross has also stepped in for Guetterman during that time.

“We played okay against Bonner and Spring Hill,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “Both teams are tough and have some good players. I feel like we matched up with them okay, but also made some mental errors that cost us quite a few points. This past week has been different for us because our line up changed with Davis out, and Allie working back into practice and matches. With the order changing, we needed other players to step up and contribute more. Adyson did a good job of quickly adjusting to the pace of a varsity match and has done a good job over the past week.”

Against Spring Hill, the Lady Cats (5-5) were able to find some positives against the Frontier League leader, despite the 25-18, 25-7 and 25-14 setback.

Senior Carleigh Pritchard led the Lady Cats with eight kills and fellow senior Alyse Moore added six. Kennedy and sophomore Emma Prettyman each tallied five.

Junior Rinny McMullen finished with 26 assists to lead the offense, while senior Madi Quinn had five digs on defense.

Louisburg got out to a great start against Bonner Springs on Sept. 10 as the Lady Cats took the first set 25-19, but the Braves rallied to take the next three, 25-15, 25-20 and 25-13.

Pritchard and Moore each had 13 kills to lead the Lady Cat attack and Ross finished with five. McMullen ran the offense with a team-high 32 assists.

 Junior Chase Kallevig had three aces and 11 digs as the team’s libero, while Quinn finished with 12 digs. Emma Prettyman had three blocks.

On Sept. 12, the Lady Cats traveled to the Lansing Invitational, where the competed in a little different format than in year’s past.

Due COVID-19 precautions, the tournament consisted of just pool play, where each team played three matches. During that, the Lady Cats finished with a 1-2 record.

Louisburg opened the tournament with a hard-fought 21-25, 25-17 and 25-22 loss to the No. 10 ranked team in Class 5A, De Soto. The Lady Cats did respond with a 25-18, 25-27 and 25-15 victory over Basehor-Linwood, before falling 25-17 and 25-19 to No. 9 Topeka-Seaman.

“I think we played fairly well at the Lansing tournament,” Compliment said. “The format was slightly different, but I don’t think it affected how the team played. We knew we only had three matches that day, so we needed to make the most of each one. The teams we faced were tough teams, and I think we did a good job of working together. Each time we step out on the court, we are working to improve upon the previous match.”

Louisburg is back in action Tuesday when it hosts Ottawa in a Frontier League dual. The match is set to begin at approximately 6:30 p.m.

Louisburg sophomore Emma Prettyman goes up for a kill during a match earlier this season. The Lady Cats won three of four matches this past week, including a pair of wins Tuesday at Santa Fe Trail.

CARBONDALE – It was a successful week for the Louisburg volleyball team after a pair of road outings that ended with three victories.

On Tuesday, the Lady Cats ventured to Santa Fe Trail High School for a triangular with Burlington and they left with a pair of easy wins.

Even without starting setter Davis Guetterman, who is currently out with an injury, the Lady Cats rallied together and finished the night in convincing fashion. Louisburg opened with a 25-12 and 25-8 win over Burlington and then downed Santa Fe Trail 25-18 and 25-10.

In its first time away from home, Louisburg traveled to De Soto last Thursday for a triangular with Notre Dame de Sion and nearly came away with the sweep.

The Lady Cats opened with a 25-17 and 28-26 victory over Notre Dame de Sion and got off to a good start in its next match against Class 5A De Soto. Louisburg took the first set 25-19, but lost a crucial second set, 29-27, and eventually fell in the third, 25-20.

Although the Lady Cats (4-1) suffered the first loss of the season, they were able to come away with several positives.

Against De Soto, senior Carleigh Pritchard had a big night at the net with a team-high 14 kills to go along with four blocks. Junior setter Rinny McMullen also finished with seven kills, while senior outside hitter Alyse Moore had five kills and two blocks.

McMullen also played well from her setter spot with 19 assists and fellow setter, Davis Guetterman, had 11 assists.

Junior libero Chase Kallevig was everywhere in the back row for Louisburg as she racked up a team-high 21 digs, while Moore and Guetterman added 13 and 12, respectively.

The strong defense was also evident in Louisburg’s first match against de Sion. Kallevig had a team-high 11 digs and senior Madi Quinn had eight before finishing with nine against De Soto.

“We were a little sluggish against Sion and didn’t play at our level,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “We did bounce back and played really well against De Soto. Our back row defense made some huge plays. Chase and Madi both had a great night defensively. Everyone on our offense stepped up and helped contribute as well.”

McMullen finished with a team-best eight kills, while Pritchard had five kills and three blocks from her middle spot. Guetterman and Moore had four kills each and Guetterman had three blocks.

Louisburg, the No. 4 ranked team in Class 4A, will have a difficult assignment tonight as it hosts Bonner Springs at 6:30 p.m. The Braves are currently ranked No. 8 in Class 5A.

Senior Carleigh Pritchard hits the ball past a pair of Paola blockers during Tuesday’s season opener at Louisburg High School.

Tuesday’s season opener was different in many ways for the Louisburg volleyball team.

Not only did the Lady Cats have to take all the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but they also wanted to make sure their five senior players and their manager were honored in the proper way. Normally scheduled for the final home game of the year, Louisburg conducted Senior Night in its opener instead.

Senior players Sydney Keaton, Alyse Moore, Carleigh Pritchard, Ali Prettyman and Madi Quinn, along with manager Wyatt Axmann, were recognized prior to their match with Paola at Louisburg High School and the Lady Cats made sure the Panthers didn’t spoil their special evening.

Louisburg took control early in the match and never let up in the 25-12, 25-18 and 25-20 victory over the Panthers and got their season started with a victory.

“You always want to be able to honor those seniors and hope for that win,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “It was nice to see them to be able to be recognized and to get a win at the same time. They had fun out there and it was great to see.

“Overall, I think they did a really good job. They played together well as a group. We didn’t have a lot of time over the summer. I think we only had five days of camp and two open gyms, where we are used to having like 20 days over the summer where we are doing things. For not having a lot of time, the way they have worked up to this point and how they came out against Paola, they played really well as a team. Even though we graduated a huge chunk of our team from last year, they still feel like a cohesive group and are starting to find that chemistry early.”

The Lady Cats (1-0) got out to an early 13-5 lead in the first set after a kill, block and an ace from Pritchard, along with kills from Moore, Davis Guetterman and Rinny McMullen. McMullen then finished the set as she served six straight points, including a pair of aces.

Louisburg had the same success in the second set to take a convincing 2-0 lead, but had a little trouble getting going in the third.

Paola jumped out to a 9-5 lead early on, but Louisburg rallied for six straight points, including three consecutive aces from junior Chase Kallevig. Guetterman provided two aces of her own late in the set, while Kallevig got two more aces as she served the final three points.

“The jitters and the nerves started to come in a little bit in the third set and we were making far too many errors on our side,” Compliment said. “We just had too many mental mistakes. The one thing we did was serve aggressively and that really helped out. Chase had a big night serving back there as did Rinny and Davis. It was good to see them bounce back quickly and finish the set.”

McMullen and Guetterman, Louisburg’s two setters, showed they were more than that Tuesday as they assumed their new role of being a six-rotation player and led the Lady Cats running the offense, along with playing well at the net and with their serve receive.

Guetterman finished the night with 14 assists, five kills and four aces, while McMullen had 13 assists, three aces, four kills and a team-high seven digs.

“Those two are so much fun to have out on the court,” Compliment said. “I love how they play together and I love how they interact with their teammates. They read each other and they get along so well. The two of them running the offense together, it is just seamless. It doesn’t matter if it is Davis or if it is Rinny, it is like the two minds out there are one, especially with the way they interact with the hitters.

“Since we graduated a lot of hitters, we are going to need some people to step up and they were 100 percent on board with what we wanted them to do. It gives us some options on serve receive and they have both stepped up. They have loved that challenge and we need them both out there on the court to set the tone and be the leaders.”

Kallevig also had a big night from behind the service line as she had a team-high seven aces and six digs.

Pritchard was a force at the net as she had a team-high 12 kills to go along with a block and an ace.

Louisburg will be back in action tonight when it travels to De Soto High School as it has a triangular with Notre Dame de Sion. Matches are set to begin at 5 p.m.

Louisburg senior Carleigh Pritchard is one of several returners who will help lead the Lady Cats for the 2020 season.

Louisburg volleyball has been a regular fixture on the state tournament stage as they have placed among the best teams in Class 4A the last three years and the Lady Cats’ goal is no different for 2020.

After finishing second – twice – and fourth a year ago, Louisburg is ready to reload after losing six players to graduation, many of which played a big role in their state tournament run a year ago. Despite that, the Lady Cats have big expectations for themselves.

With all that, comes another hurdle – COVID-19. The disease limited summer workouts and have made practices a little different than in year’s past in regards to social distancing.

While a state tournament is always the goal for Louisburg, it realizes this season may be different than others.

“As with every season, we are working to improve each day and week,” Louisburg coach Jessica Compliment said. “Postseason and the opportunity to play at state is always a goal of ours, and we are still pushing toward that goal. This season our focus is to take it week by week and hopefully we’ll be able to have a full season. Practices have been going well. The girls are excited to be back at school and at practice.”

Louisburg will lean on its returning starters to help the Lady Cats through another difficult schedule and it begins with the two players who run the offense. Juniors Rinny McMullen and Davis Guetterman have shared the setting responsibilities the last two years and it won’t change this season.

The all-Frontier League setters, however, will be asked to do a little more – including seeing some action on the front row.

“Davis and Rinny do such a good job of leading the team and they play so well together,” Compliment said. “They will still share the responsibility of leading the offense as setters, but we will be looking at them to contribute more as six rotation players and hitting from the front row. They both bring a spark to the team that is needed at all times so having them on the court 100 percent of the time just makes sense. They have adapted to their new roles really well and are embracing the challenge of not only setting and running the offense, but the opportunity to hit and block at the net.”

The Lady Cats will also return a pair of hitters that will help the attack at the net. Senior Carleigh Pritchard, who was a second-team All-Frontier League player last season with a team-high 232 kills, will start at middle hitter.

Senior Alyse Moore also saw varsity time last season and will contribute as an outside hitter. Louisburg will also look to sophomore Allie Kennedy to provide a spark as well, but Kennedy is currently recovering from an injury. Senior Alison Prettyman is also on the roster as an outside hitter.

“Alyse grew a lot last summer and season, and she carried the momentum and growth into this season,” Compliment said. “She will be an offensive threat at the net and we’ll be looking to her to have a big year. Carleigh also had a good season last year, and we’ll be looking to her to help lead again. Allie Kennedy had a strong summer, and is currently recovering from an injury. Once she is healthy, she should also be a strong force at the net both offensively and defensively.”

Defensively, junior Chase Kallevig returns to lead the Lady Cats as this is her third varsity season and will serve as the team’s libero. Seniors Madi Quinn and Sydney Keaton also figure to see time on the back as well.

“Chase is back and ready for her third year on varsity,” Compliment said. “Her leadership and experience in the back row will be key this season. Sydney and Madi are both seniors who will see time defensively as well. They have both worked hard over the summer to improve their defensive play.”

The Lady Cats will play a difficult schedule that currently has them playing several bigger schools and are playing in three tournaments. Those tournaments will be different as the Kansas State High School Activities Association recommended tournaments be changed to quads, which is what the Louisburg Invitational will look like.

Louisburg will also travel to Lansing and Ottawa for tournaments, but schedules for those have not been released at this point. The players also know that games could changed at any given moment due to the spread of COVID-19.

“We are fortunate that we were able to start our season on time and that our schedule is currently full,” Compliment said. “The players know not to take a single day for granted, and they need to enter each practice and match ready to leave it all on the court. This is another great group of athletes, and I’m fortunate to have quite a few returning and others ready to step up and play at the varsity level.

“I expect them to work hard, stay focused, and improve each day. We are still looking toward the end of the season, but just like every year, we know nothing will be handed to us and that we have to earn each win.”

Louisburg will begin its season Tuesday at home when the Wildcats host Paola for Senior Night. Due to COVID-19, all Louisburg teams have moved up their Senior Night to their first home contest of the season.

Student crowds like this one will be hard to come by for the 2020 season as the Frontier League announced a plan to limit attendance.

Crowds at Frontier League athletic events will look different for the 2020 fall season.

They will also look a lot smaller, too.

On Sunday evening, the Frontier League announced the member schools will be limiting crowd size to allow social distancing and safety at facility-based events due to the spread of COVID-19 in the area.

The plan features several guidelines, but the biggest announced is that four league tickets will be created for volleyball, soccer, football, and cheerleaders rostered to play/perform that night. Tickets are good for Frontier League home and away games.

Coaches will receive two tickets and those numbers could go down if dictated by the host school’s county health department.

Member schools in the Frontier League include Louisburg, Paola, Ottawa, Eudora, Baldwin, Spring Hill, Tonganoxie, Piper and Bonner Springs. Piper and Bonner Springs are forced to play every game of their season on the road as the Wyandotte County Health Department prohibited non-professional sporting events to be conducted at this time.

The new rule will also make it harder for students to come support their classmates, as well as town members that don’t have an immediate family member participating.

“Depending on the facility capacity, home or away, the amount of tickets available for that contest may be reduced,” Louisburg activities director Michael Pickman said. “The athletic director will work with coaches to communicate the available number of tickets for each contest. We will be looking at expanding seating at events to grassy areas where safe, allowed, and possible, so we encourage people to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Designated home and away sections will be identified and utilized.

“We understand that this will affect the student and patron opportunities to attend games, but the ability to provide an environment where social distancing can occur can only be achieved through limiting capacity. We will be live streaming as many home events as possible in lieu of this fact.”

Each rostered athlete and manager will be given four laminated tickets. These tickets will then be given out to the fans the student chooses. To enter a game a fan must have this ticket to present to the ticket taker and that student must be rostered for that contest. Admission, if applicable for the contest, will be charged at that time.

If the contest is a home event and the fan has a valid activities pass, this will count for admission, but the student ticket must still be presented. Schools have the authority to decrease the number of tickets as it relates to their county guidelines and facility space.

Four league tickets will be created for dance and band members for home events. These tickets can be used at home events only. These numbers could be less if dictated by the host school’s county health department.

Each gate will have a detailed roster for both teams. Any players not rostered for that night’s event will not be allowed to have spectators enter the stadium. League passes are only for administration and school board at the current time.

According to Pickman, appropriate face coverings are required by all in attendance for indoor events, as well as social distancing from those who do not reside in the same household.

At outdoor events, fans should socially distance from those who do not reside in the same household and appropriate face coverings are required to enter, at concessions stands, at restrooms, and anytime you cannot socially distance. While the league encourages masks at all times, fans may remove their face coverings once proper social distancing of six feet from all people not residing in the same home occurs and is maintained.

For Louisburg, the threat of not being able to complete their season forced many of the programs to move up their Senior Night games to their first home contest of the season.

The Lady Cat volleyball team will host Senior Night on Sept. 1, and the boys soccer team will take place on Sept. 3. Football, dance, cheer and band Senior Night will be held on Sept. 4.

With the cloud of a different looking fall season hanging over their heads, the Louisburg High School fall sports teams officially got back to work Monday for the first day of practice.

The possibility of having a shortened fall season due to the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t scared off Wildcat athletes from giving this season a go and making the most it.

All four teams saw good numbers on the first day of practice as it was business as usual for many of those squads.

In all, Louisburg saw a total of 181 athletes come out for sports at the high school level. Those numbers will drop when volleyball and boys soccer makes their cuts, but it shows the athletes aren’t afraid of what lies ahead and are excited to get their season going.

For the Louisburg football team, Wildcat coach Robert Ebenstein has 70 players out this season after the Wildcats finished last year with a 6-4 record and spot in the regional playoffs.

Practice has been similar than in year’s past, even with COVID-19, however the players and coaches are doing their part to stay as healthy as possible. That includes players bringing their own water bottles to practice and coaches instructing with face coverings.

“The kids and coaches were very excited to get back to it,” Ebenstein said. “We have a very young group and it was good to see them get out on the field and compete.

“We are following all the guidelines passed down from KSHSAA, the county and general guidelines from our school administration. The kids have done an amazing job buying in and doing what we have to do to ensure we get our opportunity to play this season.”

On the volleyball court, the Lady Cats came together to try and put together another strong season. Louisburg finished last year with a spot in the state tournament and took fourth overall.

When practice began, Louisburg had 38 athletes out for volleyball and the Lady Cats will try and continue to work off what they have done over summer as they try and make it back to the state tournament. Practices have looked a little different than in year’s past as players and coaches are wearing face masks at all times, unless certain physical activities are taking place.

“I think the first few days have gone well,” Louisburg volleyball coach Jessica Compliment said. “We have a set of volleyball skill drills and physical tests that each athlete completes as part of the tryout process. Like every year, they are excited to get the season started. I’m sure there are different emotions because there are some unknowns. We are preparing to compete for the entire season but know there is the possibility it could be cut short or we could see adjustments to our schedules that are out of our control. We had 35 athletes, split among three teams, participate this summer in a league ran out of Olathe. Playing for six weeks over summer gave us an idea of what the season could look like and how we can adapt to the new guidelines that have been put in place.

“We are still practicing social distancing so we’ve adapted some of our drills to accommodate for that while also creating a competitive environment. We are encouraged to work in smaller groups when possible as well. As the season progresses, we’ll see the biggest changes come when we have a match because some pre-game protocol has changed as well as structure during a match. For instance, teams will not switch benches at the conclusion of a set.”

The Louisburg boys soccer team is coming off one of its best season’s in program history as the Wildcats reeled off 16 wins a year ago and won a regional title. Louisburg returns several starters from last season and the Wildcats currently have 43 players out.

Along with football, soccer is considered a close-contact sport and the Wildcats are doing everything they can to keep themselves – and others – healthy throughout the year.

“The first day of practice was a typical first day,” Louisburg soccer coach Kyle Conley said. “We were a little rusty, but we got through it. The boys are incredibly grateful for the ability to play the game they love. The boys have some massive goals this year and understand what it is going to take to obtain them.

“We made the kids have their masks on during breaks and their own water bottle. This will hopefully limit the chance of COVID spreading.”

The one sport that probably won’t see too much change this season is cross country. The Wildcat runners are coming off a season in which they had a runner – Trinity Moore – take third at state and watched as the girls’ team qualified for state for the third year in a row.

Louisburg still has high goals on both the girls and boys side and the Wildcats have 30 athletes out this season. Thanks to a successful summer of running workouts, Louisburg is ready to get its season underway.

“We are always excited to get started,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “This year is not much different because we had a great season last year and the returners are very focused on improving over last year. Once summer running got started, a sense of normalcy crept in and we started getting ready for the season. They were excited to be with friends again.

“Not much has changed for us since there is not ‘contact’ during our races. The only thing that could change is how races are started to reduce numbers and losing meets due to a large number of schools participating. We are already scrambling to get a first meet in this year. We will make it happen for the kids.”

Coaches, parents and athletes held their collective breath last week during the Kansas High School Activities Association’s executive board meeting.

People around the state watched to see what KSHSAA would recommend for fall sports during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Back to school will be different than normal, and for some, will start after Labor Day due to a high number of positive cases.

Still, many have wondered what was going to happen to fall activities around the state and they got their answer. A motion by KSHSAA failed 5-4 in the executive board session, which in turn allowed the fall sports season to continue as scheduled.

“I am relieved that we know a definite start date and there will be no changes to the start of games,” Louisburg High School activities director Michael Pickman said. “The kids and coaches worked all summer, and I didn’t want to see that start date delayed and lose that progress. However, there will be some changes due to the pandemic so the focus turns to safety. The last thing I want is for the athletic events and protocols to create the spread of COVID that affects the academic side, so it will be very important that we take the recommendations of the health organizations and KSHSAA to make the athletics and competitions as safe as possible for this year.”

During the meeting, KSHSAA had proposed keeping the original start of practice date of Aug. 17 for all activities. For activities being able to allow social distancing and minimal contact, such as girls golf, girls tennis, cross country, debate and scholars bowl, no modifications were recommended.

However, the proposal called for moving the start dates for competition in football, volleyball and boys soccer to begin no earlier than Sept. 8 – which basically took a week of their season.

It would have made football and eight game season, instead of the normal nine. For soccer, number of games would have been reduced from 16 to 14 and volleyball would have been reduced from 36-30 points.

For many of the Wildcat head coaches, the vote of the executive board was a breath of fresh air in what has been a challenging spring and summer for local athletes.

“I really think it was a good decision,” Louisburg football coach Robert Ebenstein said. “The kids deserve a chance to be able to play their season. It could be different than we have seen before, but I think we have done a good job of keeping the exposure down. They deserve this opportunity and activities like football will keep kids focused on school as well. I believe it is something they need.

“It was also good decision for the whole state. Yes, we are close to the metro, but you have schools like Smith Center or somewhere else in the state where the exposure is low. Starting the season on time was the right thing to do, and if there are cancellations, it gives schools an opportunity to reschedule if they need to.”

Louisburg’s boys soccer program is looking to have another big season as it tries to repeat as a Frontier League champion and their 16 wins from a year ago. Although, the Wildcats are looking forward to getting their season underway, they realize things could change on a daily basis.

“I was extremely excited,” Louisburg soccer coach Kyle Conley said. “There were so many rumors and recommendations that were flying I was worried. The vote at least gives this group an opportunity to actually get some games in. This gives the boys soccer team a chance to back up the season they had a year ago. I am excited to see us at least get a chance to start the season. 

“I will be honest, I was extremely worried over the summer. In fact, a comment was made in the KSHSAA executive board meeting that still has me worried. They said let’s start the season as soon as possible, because we are not sure how long it is going to last. It will also be interesting to see if the CDC or local health departments change their protocols when someone may have it, otherwise teams will be shut down right and left because they might have the virus.”

Cross country is a sport that considered somewhat safe when it comes to the spread of COVID-19. Louisburg head coach John Reece has treated this summer like normal.

Reece had 35 runners out for the first day of their daily morning runs, and have averaged 20 a day since then. It is considered a “socially-distanced” sport, and one that KSHSAA had no problems with starting their schedule on time.

“Very excited for our seniors to have a fall season,” Reece said. “I’m not gonna hold my breath as who knows what could happen in a month. For now it is go time, and we will be ready.

“We have been able to transition into some workouts on Wednesdays to get some quality work in. The rest of the time we are running this town and getting in the miles. It is going to be another fun year for both boys and girls teams. We want to get both to state and we will work hard to accomplish this goal.”

Volleyball is the one indoor sport in the fall, which has some worried about how social distancing will work in the gym and how many teams will be invited to tournaments. As for now, nothing has changed in that department, and head coach Jessica Compliment is looking forward to working with her team in a couple weeks.

“It’s nice to know what the season is going to look like,” Compliment said. “The uncertainty and the unknowns for the upcoming school has been a little unnerving, but I am happy to see that the players will have a season. 

“I do not know of any changes to our schedule as of right now. I have been told the schedule will go as scheduled until we hear differently. I have not heard from tournament host schools on whether or not they plan to change anything.”

As far as spectators go, there has not been a limit set as of yet as members of the school district are working on protocols to use during the season. For now, the obvious guidelines are the ones people experience on a daily basis.

“There will be guidelines more than restrictions as related to Covid-19 safe practices that align with each sport and specific to that sport,” Pickman said. “Universal aspects like wearing masks to practice and during periods of inactivity will apply to all. Cleaning equipment schedules and protocols to have water bottles and cease use of water fountains, etc, along with others are sport specific guidelines for both practice and game day. These documents are being drafted and will be communicated once final.

“We are following the Executive Order 20-59, so if the event is outside, there will not be masks required, but we will still encourage social distancing. If the event is inside, masks will be required as well as social distancing encouraged.”

The district has had to make one change to the start of the fall season and that is the cancellation of the Fall Sports Pep Rally that has annually been held at the high school.

“The Community Pep Rally was a hard decision because it is a great school and community business partnership that the community and our coaches, players, and students look forward to, but it was more important to avoid these extra opportunities for mass gathering to place focus on opening school and activities on time and healthy as possible,” Pickman said. “We are looking to reschedule possibly during the buffer week at the conclusion of the fall season. No other events have been cancelled at this time.”

When Reilly Ratliff-Becher looked at the list of fellow nominees, it was one that seemed fairly daunting to overcome.

It included a four-time state cross country medalist in Trinity Moore, a 12-time varsity letter winner in Haley Cain along with a two-time team captain for girls soccer in Erin Lemke. The Louisburg senior was just happy to be nominated in such great company.

As it turned out, Ratliff-Becher found herself at the top of the list as she was named as the 2020 Louisburg Sports Zone Female Athlete of the Year.

“I really mean this, I was surprised when I won because Erin, Haley and Trinity are A+ athletes in my book,” Ratliff-Becher said. “But, it means a lot to me considering that whenever I think about my favorite moments in high school, it was during sports. I’m very grateful that my coaches enjoyed me so much to even consider honoring me with this award.”

The award, which is in its third year, is to recognize an outstanding LHS student athlete. Louisburg Sports Zone asked the head coaches at LHS to submit nominations and those nominations were then organized and submitted back to the coaches for a vote.

The coaches then submitted their top two choices and the number of votes were added up, which decided the winner.

Ratliff-Becher was a three-sport athlete for Louisburg High School, and it all started in volleyball where she was a part of two state runner-up teams and she helped the Lady Cats to a fourth place finish at state this past season.

As the team’s libero, Ratliff-Becher earned honorable mention All-Frontier League honors and she finished with a team-high 359 digs to go along with 85 assists and 17 aces.

“I’m excited for Reilly to win this award, and she is very deserving,” Louisburg volleyball coach Jessica Compliment said. “Reilly was a quiet, yet powerful voice on the volleyball team for the past four years. She worked her tail off during the offseason and hardly ever missed an opportunity to improve her skill, strength, speed, agility, etc.  She also consistently pushed her teammates to improve as well and was a great leader on the team. Her work ethic showed in her other activities as well.”

It was that tenacity to get better that also led to her to great things in the world of powerlifting.

Ratliff-Becher became a two-time state champion in powerlifting this past year as she won 180-pound class and took first in bench, squat and clean. She is also the school’s all-time record holder in power clean.

“I can’t say enough about Reilly,” Louisburg weightlifting coach Ty Pfannenstiel said. “She is the hardest worker that we had in our school. I’ve never seen an athlete with more focus, drive, and determination to be her best. Back to back state champion in powerlifting and the all-time school record holder in power clean is quite an accomplishment. She’s earned every bit of it.

“Reilly is a high-character kid. We are really going to miss her leadership and she is going to be successful in the future with whatever she decides to do.”

Ratliff-Becher was also a key piece on the Lady Cat softball team’s regional championship a year ago and was one of seven seniors ready to defend that title this year. Instead, the COVID-19 pandemic took that opportunity away as the spring season was cancelled.

Still, competing in all three sports has been a blessing for Reilly as she said goodbye to all three and will be attending Pittsburg State in the fall. All three have given her traits she can use for later in life.

“I enjoyed volleyball so much because of the speed of the game,” she said. “Momentum and mental state was key for our team and we exceeded a lot of people’s expectations. It was definitely my favorite program through high school and I made some of the best friends because of it. Weightlifting was something that just challenged me, the harder I worked, the better results I would get and I was addicted to seeing what my body could do and I still am.

“I know I didn’t play basketball my junior or senior year, but it was super fun, just wasn’t for me. I am very grateful for the lessons I learned and memories I made though. Softball holds a very deep meaning in my heart. I loved it and I loved all the girls I played with. Practices were a lot different than my other sports because it was solely working on technique and patience.”

Playing sports and staying active all throughout high school has been what has helped Ratliff-Becher through the difficult times in life.

“I could go on and on about how much of an impact being a part of teams and being active helped me in school,” Ratliff-Becher said. “It was my safe place, nothing else mattered except getting better at whatever it was I was doing. I gained confidence, great social skills, amazing friends, mentors and coaches, strength, special opportunities and countless memories. Makes me so sad thinking about how it’s all over, but looking forward for what’s to come.”

For the past four years, Louisburg Sports Zone has given out Athlete of the Week awards during each of the three sports seasons. I do it to recognize special athletic achievements and to highlight the athletes.

For the third straight 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.”

Obviously, 2020 has not been the typical year when the spring was cancelled due to COVID-19. However, I still want to make sure those athletes that were set to make an impact in the spring were recognized as well.

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 voted for their top male and female athletes and then I tabulated the results. I will release the results in the coming days.

Below are the nominees for this year’s award in alphabetical order by last name. Congrats to all those who were nominated and best of luck!

Female Athlete of the Year Nominees

Haley Cain – Senior – Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer

Haley was a three-sport athlete during her time at Louisburg High School and recorded the rare feat of earning 12 varsity letters.

In the fall, she helped the Louisburg volleyball team to its third consecutive state tournament and was selected to represent Kansas in the Greater Kansas City All-Star Match. She was also named to the All-Frontier League second team as a middle hitter.

Cain was also a two-time team captain for the Louisburg girls basketball team and was a key player for the Lady Cats this past season. She was also set to be a big contributor for the Wildcat soccer team in the spring as well.

Trinity Moore – Senior – Cross Country, Soccer

Trinity made cross country history for the Wildcats this past season as she medaled third at state and broke her own school record in the process. The Louisburg senior also medaled at state all four years.

Moore was also a returning starter for the Wildcat soccer team and was a key factor in helping the Wildcats to three consecutive state final fours and two state runner-up finishes.

She started 43 games for the Wildcats and concluded her career with 18 goals and eight assists. She is fifth in school history with 44 points.

Erin Lemke – Senior – Volleyball, Soccer

Erin was another multi-sport athlete for Louisburg as she was a member of the volleyball and soccer teams. Lemke was an outside hitter for the Lady Cat volleyball team and was selected to represent Kansas in the Greater Kansas City All-Star Match. 

On the soccer team, Lemke was a two-time team captain for the Wildcats and was a returning all-league and all-state player. She was also one of the team’s top goal scorers.

Lemke had a very productive career for the Wildcats as she started 48 of her 59 games and earned all-league and all-state honors as a sophomore and a junior.

She finished her career with 29 goals and 27 assists and Lemke has the second-best assist mark for a season in program history with 17 and is third in career assists. She also added seven game-winning goals.

Reilly Ratliff-Becher – Senior – Volleyball, Powerlifting, Softball

Reilly was a multi-sport athlete for Louisburg High School as she competed in volleyball, power-lifiting and softball. She was an honorable mention all-league selection in volleyball as she served as the Lady Cat libero.

Ratliff-Becher was a big part of the Lady Cats’ state tournament runs the last three years. She was also selected to participate in the Greater Kansas City All-Star game last November.

As a powerlifter, Reilly recorded her second-straight state championship and took first in each of the three individual events.

Ratliff-Becher was also a returning starter on the Lady Cat softball team after she helped Louisburg to a state tournament appearance a year ago as a catcher and outfielder.

Male Athlete of the Year Nominees

Garrett Rolofson – Senior – Soccer, Basketball, Golf

Garrett is a three-sport athlete for Louisburg as he was a member of the soccer, basketball and golf teams. In soccer, Rolofson served as the Wildcats’ goalkeeper and helped Louisburg to a regional title and a school record 16 wins.

Rolofson was named to the All-Frontier League first team and to the all-state second team. He posted eight shutouts on the season and allowed only 17 goals, four of which came from penalty shots. He also finished with 78 saves on the season and allowed the second fewest goals in Class 4-1A.

In basketball, Rolofson was a starter on the Wildcat basketball team and this spring he was all set to help the Wildcat golf team to their second consecutive state tournament appearance. He was the team’s No. 3 golfer a year ago.

Madden Rutherford – Senior – Football, Baseball

Madden was a multi-sport athlete for Louisburg as he was a key member of the Wildcat football and baseball teams.

Rutherford, who was a team captain on the football team, was selected as a first team All-Frontier League quarterback. Rutherford finished the year with 671 yards passing with eight touchdowns and he also added 245 yards on the ground and four more scores.

On the baseball team, Rutherford was also a returning all-league player and was slated to be the Wildcats’ No. 1 starter this spring.