As a freshman in high school, J’Lee Collins started to grow to fond of the sport of wrestling, but it certainly started out as a rocky relationship. 

Collins missed his freshman season due to a knee injury, but for the next three years he got all he could out of the sport.

The hard work and determination on the mat earned him a spot on a college roster. Collins signed with Benedictine College earlier this year and will join the Raven wrestling program.

“I have wanted to wrestle in college since my freshman year of high school, although I never thought it would happen,” Collins said. “To make it official if front of my friends and family was very exciting. It almost felt like I was proving myself to be an athlete who was capable at competing and the next level.”

Collins, who was a state qualifier this past season, was offered a spot with the Benedictine program and the school just seemed to fit not only what he wanted athletically — but academically as well.

“Benedictine just seemed like a very nice school,” Collin said. The team seemed to be like a family and everyone I talked to was a good person. One of the key factors besides the people for me was the campus. I absolutely love the campus and how it is so scenic.”

As for what he hopes to achieve when he arrives at Benedictine, he knows he will have to work hard — just like he did almost four years ago as a freshman in high school.

“The coaches at Benedictine are kind and funny people,” Collins said. “I’ve spent a lot of my summer getting to know coach (Gregory) Barner and many of my upperclassmen. They were all very nice to me and seemed to be going the extra mile. I see myself wrestling JV or unattached this season, although if I have to redshirt I wouldn’t be upset because I could build my skill and be a better wrestler for the following season.”

Collins had a special senior season that ended with a berth in his first state tournament. He finished his Wildcat career with 60 wins.

He also is No. 4 in program history with 148 career takedowns, No. 13 with career nearfall-3 (29), No. 11 in career nearfall-2 (23), No. 12 with career reversals (40), No. 10 with career match points (561), No. 3 with season takedowns (69), and No. 10 with season match points (243). He led the team this year with the most tech falls (1) and the most decisions (5).

“My time with the Louisburg wrestling team was amazing,” Collins said. “I will definitely miss the coaches and teammates. Throughout my three years of wrestling in high school, and two years in middle school, I began to love the sport. It eventually became my favorite and I decided to walk away from track and football to practice my wrestling and help me become a better wrestler. Louisburg definitely helped build my love for the sport.”

KANSAS STATE HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION PRESS RELEASE

TOPEKA – Changes to postseason formats and championship sites for basketball, football, wrestling and track and field highlight actions approved at the June 12-13 KSHSAA Executive Board Meeting. The postseason formats are set by the KSHSAA Executive Board each year.

Basketball – Beginning in March of 2026, the state basketball tournaments will be moving to four total sites. Four facilities will play host to the seven classifications, 14 championships. By honoring the KSHSAA membership voted in the fall of 2023 to qualify eight boys teams and eight girls teams involved at the final site, modifications to the daily schedule will be developed. The schedule and other event details, including classification designations for each site and venue selection will be determined and announced following the 2024-25 basketball season.

Another basketball postseason change effective with the 2024-25 season will come at the 3A, 2A, 1A DI and 1A DII classifications. Each class will be divided into four regions and then seeded into two sub-states within the region: Substate A: 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16; Substate B: 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15. The winner of each substate will advance to the state basketball tournament. Further format details and dates will be sent to member schools.

Football – As announced in January, the state football championships will be moving to three sites with three games being played at each site. The executive board approved the following sites and schedule for 2024:

Emporia State University:

Class 6A = Friday, November 29 at 2:00pm

Class 4A = Saturday, November 30 at 1:00pm

Class 5A = Saturday, November 30 at 7:00pm

Hutchinson Community College:

Class 2A = Friday, November 29 at 6:00pm

Class 3A = Saturday, November 30 at 12:00pm

Class 1A = Saturday, November 30 at 5:00pm

Kiowa County High School, Greensburg:

Class 8-player DII = Saturday, November 30 at 11:00am

Class 6-Player = Saturday, November 30 at 3:00pm

Class 8-Player DI = Saturday, November 30 at 7:00pm

Wrestling – Girl’s wrestling will now include four classes to mirror the boy’s classification designations. The addition of another class for girl’s wrestling necessitates the addition of another championship site. 6A, 5A, 4A and 3-1A will each have their own site to determine a champion. 3-1A state wrestling will be in Hays and 4A will be in Salina. Park City Arena and one other facility to be named later will house either 6A or 5A. State sites and regional dates will be determined at the September KSHSAA Executive Board meeting. The state wrestling tournament will take place February 28 – March 1, 2025.

Track and Field – Qualification for the state meet was adjusted to now be the top 3 plus the next four best regional performance in each event.

Two committees will be formed to gather input from membership school leaders. One to discuss the details behind the implementation of Esports prior to the possible adoption as a KSHSAA sanctioned activity. The second committee will review the KSHSAA calendar to consider possible alternatives to dates of postseason activities.

For the seventh 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. Then they voted for their top 3 male and female athletes and I tabulated the results and determined the winner. The winner will be announced in the coming days.

Below are the three finalists for the Male Athlete of the Year award in alphabetical order by last name.

DECLAN BATTLE — SENIOR — FOOTBALL, BASEBALL

Declan was a three year starting quarterback for the Wildcats and this year became the school’s leading passer and fifth on the list for leading rusher as a team captain. Battle guided the Wildcats to their second straight Frontier League title and an undefeated league record.

Declan was a 1st team All-Frontier League quarterback and defensive back. He was an all-state pick from multiple media outlets and was a finalist for the Frank Fontana Award, which is given annually to the best all-around small school player in Class 1-4 on the Kansas and Missouri sides of the metro. 

In 10 games for the Wildcats, Battle completed 105 passes for 1,364 yards and had 16 touchdowns to just two interceptions. He also did a lot of damage on the ground with 1,009 yards rushing and 16 more touchdowns. As a defensive back, Battle finished with 36 tackles and also had an interception for a touchdown. He will join the Washburn University football team next season.

On the baseball diamond, Battle helped the Wildcats to its first league title since 2002 and first regional championship since 2009. He led the team in triples, stolen bases and runs scored that earned him first team all league and first team all state outfield. He was also the team’s best reliever earning multiple saves on the mound. 

Battle was atop the Wildcat lineup all season and set the tone in several games. He finished with a .378 average to go along with 34 hits, five doubles, three triples, a home run and had 23 RBIs.

He also led the team with 41 runs scored, which is a school record and also had a team-high 15 stolen bases. He also holds three individual career team records for runs scored (102), triples (8) and stolen bases (47).

CADEN CAPLINGER — SENIOR — FOOTBALL, TRACK

Caden was a team captain for the Wildcat football team this past season and was a big piece of back-to-back Frontier League championship teams. Caplinger was an all-league selection on both sides of the ball, as a wide receiver and defensive back. He also holds the most career receptions in Louisburg football history.

Caplinger was named to the All-Frontier League second team at wide receiver and defensive back. He led the Wildcats with 33 catches, 510 yards receiving and four touchdowns. On defense, he finished with 41 tackles, 1.5 sacks, six pass breakups and an interception.

On the track, Caplinger is a two-time pole vault champion and a state medalist in the 4×100 relay. He was set to try for a third straight, but suffered a knee injury that ended his season. Caplinger won the season opening meet at the Ottawa Invitational, before having to sit out with the injury. He will be joining the Washburn University track team next season.

ASHTON MOORE — JUNIOR — FOOTBALL, WRESTLING, TRACK

Ashton put together a memorable football season for the Wildcats. Moore was one of the leaders of the Wildcat defense this past season. As a first-team All-Frontier League player on both sides of the ball, he posted a team-high 125 tackles, including eight for a loss. He also had four forced fumbles and two sacks. He was named a finalist for the Bobby Bell Award, which is given annually to the best Class 1-4 offensive lineman/defensive lineman or linebacker in the KC metro area.

Moore was also the team’s starting running back and made things difficult on opposing defenses. He carried the load for the Wildcats as he carried the ball 151 times for 1,110 yards and had 15 touchdowns. He also finished with 292 yards receiving and three more scores to earn first team honors.

On the wrestling mat, Moore was a state medalist as he took fourth at 190 pounds after making it to the state semifinals with an injured knee. He finished the season with 38 wins. He leads the program in the following categories: Career takedowns (117), career nearfall-3 (34), career escapes (57), career team points (510), season takedowns (51), season team points (229), and season pins (27). He led the team this year with most wins (38), most nearfall-2 (8), and the fastest pin (7 seconds).

Moore was also a returning state qualifier for the Louisburg 4×100-meter relay, but saw his track season come to an early end due to an injury.

SALINA — Louisburg has been no stranger to the medal stand at the Class 4A state wrestling tournament and it was the case again Saturday in Salina.

Louisburg junior Ashton Moore reached the semifinals at 190 pounds on Friday to secure himself a medal, and then finished fourth overall on Saturday.

Moore had several close matches throughout the 3-day tournament at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center and was challenged each day. 

“I thought I wrestled some of my best matches of the season and it felt great to have it pay off with a medal,” Moore said. “It felt amazing to win those first two matches and know I was guaranteed my medal. Those wins really helped me gain a lot of confidence going forward in the tournament.”

Moore opened tournament action Thursday with a pair of matches. In the opening round, Moore pinned Fort Scott’s Ryder Newton late in the second period to move on to the quarterfinals.

It was there where Moore battled Mulvane’s Noah West and recorded a third period pin to move onto the semifinals. He also secured himself a state medal in the proess.

“Ashton was on a mission last week at state,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “He won his first two matches against a regional champion and a regional runner-up to make the semifinals. Both of those wins were by pin against a couple of pretty tough wrestlers.”

That set up a match against Baldwin’s Jack Harvey in the semifinals, who was the eventual state runner-up. Moore lost a 9-1 major decision, and had to work through the consolation side of the bracket on Saturday.

He found a familiar opponent waiting in Colton Brusven. The Tonganoxie senior had defeated Moore in a couple close matches throughout the season, including at regionals. This time, Moore got the upper-hand on the No. 3-ranked wrestler as he recorded a 5-2 decision.

“Beating Brusven was probably one of my favorite parts of the season,” Moore said. “We’ve had several close matches I felt like I could have won, so to come out on top in our final match was an amazing feeling.”

That victory put Moore in the third place match against Andale’s Isaiah Wilson. Moore was down 2-1 in the third period, but then got a 2-point near fall.

Wilson got the escape to tie the match, and with 20 seconds left, Moore got caught in a scramble and the official awarded Wilson a 2-point takedown. Moore got the escape, but lost a tough 5-4 decision to finish fourth overall.

“I don’t think it should have been called a takedown, since no control was established, but it is what it is,” Bovaird said. “Ashton finished that match on the attack and gave it everything he had.”

Moore ended his season with a 38-9 record and his first state medal.

“I was very proud to take fourth, but not satisfied with it,” Moore said. “I’m grateful to have one more opportunity and hopefully I can use it to move my way up the podium.”

With that, the Wildcats have had at least one state semifinalist in each of the past six years — a streak that was started by Ashton’s older brother, Austin, in 2019. It is also the ninth straight season Louisburg has had at least one state placer.

“That’s the longest streak in our program’s history,” Bovaird said. “The future looks very bright to as we hope to continue this streak for a long time.”

Five other Wildcats made the trip to state, but faced some tough matchups. Juniors Canaan Clayton (113 pounds), Will Showalter (120), Logan Henry (132), Jay McCaskill (157) and senior Traden Noll (150) each finished 0-2 on Thursday.

“We definitely had some pretty challenging first-round draws,” Bovaird said. “Will and Jay both lost to the eventual state champions in their brackets, Logan lost to the eventual runner-up, Canaan lost to the eventual third place finisher, and Traden lost to the eventual sixth place finisher. That’s a tough way to start out the state tournament. On the backside, we also had some tough match-ups. I think a lot of them were matches we could have competed in, and I do believe that we wrestled hard in every match. Traden battled through sickness the entire tournament, but he finished up his career as a 30-match winner and a state qualifier. 

“Canaan has essentially been off the mat the last two years since he entered high school and couldn’t do kids club anymore, but he’s fallen right back in stride, almost as if he’d taken no time off at all. Logan is making huge strides each year, considering he lost his whole freshman season due to a broken leg, and Will is gaining more and more experience each season. He’s a competitive kid and a very hard-working athlete. Jay has had a great deal of kids club experience and success, and the great thing about his potential is that earlier in the season, he beat two of the state placers in his bracket, both of whom are seniors. We’re losing one senior state qualifier, but the other five state qualifiers are coming back next year, and we’ll have several guys back that will also challenge for a place at state in 2025.”

Louisburg junior Will Showalter is picked up by assistant coach Shawn Crossley after he qualified for state Saturday at the Class 4A regional in Tonganoxie.

TONGANOXIE — The Class 4A regional wrestling tournament in Tonganoxie had its fair share of challenges for Louisburg, but several wrestlers were able to continue their season for another week.

The Wildcats qualified six for state during Saturday’s tournament and all of them finished in either third or fourth place against some difficult competition.

Canaan Clayton (113 pounds), Will Showalter (120), Logan Henry (132), Traden Noll (150), Jay McCaskill (157) and Ashton Moore (190) will wrestle for a state medal this week in Salina.

As a team, the Wildcats finished sixth in the team standings with 97 points.

“It was so exciting to see these guys get out there and check off one of their season goals,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “Taking six is a pretty decent number, especially when you look at how the teams ahead of us did: Tonganoxie qualified 10, Santa Fe Trail qualified 9, Baldwin qualified 7 and Holton and Silver Lake qualified 5.”

Moore and McCaskill are returning state qualifiers for the Wildcats and had a challenging bracket as both wrestlers finished fourth overall.

Moore, who was ranked No. 5 in Class 4A coming into the tournament, had two other state-ranked wrestlers in his bracket and he met one of them in the semifinals. 

After a quick first period pin in his quarterfinal match, Moore squared off with Tonganoxie’s Colton Brusven in the semifinals. Brusven, who is No. 3 in the state, narrowly defeated Moore by a 6-4 decision in overtime.

Moore followed it up with a seven second pin of Silver Lake’s Blaise Hill to secure a trip to state. Moore then lost a tough 3-2 decision to Ottawa’s Sam Clevenger in the third place match.

As for McCaskill, he won his first two matches of the day by first period pins, but then went up against Ottawa’s Dalton Evans in the semifinals and lost 9-4.

McCaskill secured a state berth with a 7-0 decision over Santa Fe Trail’s Luke Greenfield, before falling 11-7 to Bishop Miege’s Graham Hawks in the third place match.

“Ashton has been taking things easy since the Baldwin tournament when he tweaked his knee, and he’s been easing back into full-fledged competition mode,” Bovaird said. “He lost to the Tonganoxie kid in overtime, which was a great match. He’s got a little bit of rust to knock off, but I’m really excited to see how he does in his state bracket. 

“Jay also had some great matches last weekend. He’s at a point in the season where he’s going out there and wrestling hard. He’s not being overly conservative and holding back; he’s taking risks, he’s not afraid of losing or making mistake, and that will make him very dangerous at the state tournament.”

The other four Wildcat qualifiers will make their first trip to state as all of them recorded big wins at Tonganoxie.

Clayton shook off a semifinal loss to win back-to-back matches at 113 pounds and punched his ticket to state. He pinned Silver Lake’s Preston Stafford in the consolation semis and then won a 4-0 decision over Baldwin’s Asher Englert in the third place match.

Henry also ended his regional tournament with victory and did so while battling an illness. He wrestled six matches on the day and finished 4-2.

After a semifinal loss to Baldwin’s Gunnar Reichard, Henry rattled off three straight wins, including a pin of Eudora’s Newt Schreiner in the consolation semifinals to earn a state berth. He then followed it up with a pin of Silver Lake’s Zach Rodenbaugh to take third.

Noll also had his fair share of tough matches at 150 pounds. He opened with a pin of Bishop Miege’s Jacob Drone in the quarterfinals, but lost a tough 3-2 decision in overtime of the semifinals to Santa Fe Trail’s Chayse Jeanneret.

Noll would bounce back to earn a spot at state with a 3-0 decision over Baldwin’s Max Harvey in the blood round. He was then pinned by Silver Lake’s Trent Harris in the third place match.

Showalter, a junior captain for the Wildcats, had a busy day with five matches. He opened with a loss in the semifinals to Baldwin’s Jayden Wastage, but then recorded back-to-back pins to reach the consolation semifinals.

It was there where Showalter earned a hard-fought 6-5 decision over Eudora’s Dane Baumgartner. The Louisburg 120-pounder then lost to Santa Fe Trail’s Bryce Combes in the third place match.

“What an exciting weekend for those guys,” Bovaird said. “Canaan has wrestled with our club team since the beginning, and it was awesome news to hear that KSHSAA would be allowing homeschool kids compete for their high school programs. He’s such a hard worker, very respectful, and a fantastic addition to the program. Logan showed how much of a warrior he is by stepping on the mat battling a little sickness this weekend. He was leading his quarterfinals opponent 17-8 when the fatigue got to him. Logan then rattled off four straight wins to finish third.

“Traden has been aiming for a trip to the state tournament for a long time. He’s put in so much work with the sport of wrestling over the years, and I’m so proud to see his hard work pay off. Will was in one of those brackets where certain things had to work out just right, and at the end of the day, Will stepped up and did what he needed to do in order to get to state. “

As celebratory as the regional was, it was also the end of the road for some Wildcats — including seniors J’Lee Collins (126) and Elias Pugh (175) — who saw their high school careers come to an end with a 1-2 tournament performance.

“While it was awesome to see those six wrestlers be able to qualify for state, it was also pretty heart-breaking for the other eight wrestlers,” Bovaird said. “Two of them are seniors who have given us great leadership all season. A lot of tears were shed by the wrestlers, their families and the coaches. The thing is, with J’Lee, he hasn’t finished his journey with the sport of wrestling, as he’ll be wrestling for Benedictine next year. Elias has had at least one junior college program asking about him. Our other six wrestlers that didn’t qualify are all underclassmen with at least one more year left with the program.”

The state tournament will feature a 3-day format this season due to having both the Class 3-2-1A boys and 4-1A girls tournaments in Salina as well. Action will begin at 9 a.m. on Thursday with the first round, followed by the championship quarterfinals and the first round of consolation.

There will be more consolation action on Friday, followed by place matches and the championship on Saturday.

“It’s going to be an interesting experience,” Bovaird said. “This is the first time that state has been stretched out over three days. That’s three weigh-ins the guys will have to make. They’re doing three rounds Thursday, three on Friday, and then the consolation semis and medal matches Saturday. It’s exciting, though, because we’ll also be able to see the girls 4-1A state tournament and the 3-2-1A boys state tournament. We’ve never been able to watch those.”

106

Levi Cotter (21-20) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Bryce Cormier (Silver Lake) 31-9 won by major decision over Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 21-20 (MD 10-0)
• Cons. Round 1 – Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 21-20 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Semi – Caul Johns (Ottawa) 23-17 won by major decision over Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 21-20 (MD 8-0)

113

Canaan Clayton (24-16) placed 3rd and scored 10.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 24-16 received a bye () (Bye)
• Semifinal – Brodie Starcher (Tonganoxie) 19-12 won by major decision over Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 24-16 (MD 10-0)
• Cons. Semi – Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 24-16 won by fall over Preston Stafford (Silver Lake) 12-21 (Fall 0:26)
• 3rd Place Match – Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 24-16 won by decision over Asher Englert (Baldwin) 12-12 (Dec 4-0)

120

Will Showalter (18-24) placed 4th and scored 11.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Will Showalter (Louisburg) 18-24 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Jayden Westgate (Baldwin) 27-5 won by fall over Will Showalter (Louisburg) 18-24 (Fall 2:40)
• Cons. Round 2 – Will Showalter (Louisburg) 18-24 won by fall over Kaden Wuellner (Meriden-Jefferson West) 1-20 (Fall 1:59)
• Cons. Round 3 – Will Showalter (Louisburg) 18-24 won by fall over Carson Cunningham (Ottawa) 3-18 (Fall 2:11)
• Cons. Semi – Will Showalter (Louisburg) 18-24 won by decision over Dane Baumgartner (Eudora) 2-3 (Dec 6-5)
• 3rd Place Match – Bryce Combes (Santa Fe Trail) 24-9 won by fall over Will Showalter (Louisburg) 18-24 (Fall 2:32)

126

J`Lee Collins (24-17) place is unknown and scored 3.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 24-17 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Cole Mader (Ottawa) 22-17 won by fall over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 24-17 (Fall 2:54)
• Cons. Round 2 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 24-17 won by fall over Bennett Jackson (Shawnee Mission-Bishop Miege) 7-26 (Fall 1:19)
• Cons. Round 3 – Garrett Homles (Silver Lake) 32-11 won by decision over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 24-17 (Dec 4-2)

132

Logan Henry (25-14) placed 3rd and scored 21.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Logan Henry (Louisburg) 25-14 won by fall over Payton Teel (Hiawatha) 5-19 (Fall 1:26)
• Quarterfinal – Gunnar Reichard (Baldwin) 14-20 won by fall over Logan Henry (Louisburg) 25-14 (Fall 4:19)
• Cons. Round 2 – Logan Henry (Louisburg) 25-14 won by fall over Yanni Jimenz (Topeka-Hayden) 7-17 (Fall 2:25)
• Cons. Round 3 – Logan Henry (Louisburg) 25-14 won by major decision over Cesar Sandoval (Holton) 15-19 (MD 15-5)
• Cons. Semi – Logan Henry (Louisburg) 25-14 won by fall over Newt Schreiner (Eudora) 19-19 (Fall 2:10)
• 3rd Place Match – Logan Henry (Louisburg) 25-14 won by fall over Zach Rodenbaugh (Silver Lake) 17-10 (Fall 0:55)

138

Mika McKitrick (18-23) place is unknown and scored 4.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 18-23 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Dax Duffett (Tonganoxie) 19-10 won by fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 18-23 (Fall 1:07)
• Cons. Round 2 – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 18-23 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 3 – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 18-23 won by fall over Parker Gillen (Silver Lake) 24-17 (Fall 2:01)
• Cons. Semi – Ethan Williams (Baldwin) 28-8 won by fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 18-23 (Fall 3:52)

144

Blake Oliphant (6-20) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Blake Oliphant (Louisburg) 6-20 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Cale Hein (Holton) 40-5 won by fall over Blake Oliphant (Louisburg) 6-20 (Fall 2:00)
• Cons. Round 2 – Blake Oliphant (Louisburg) 6-20 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 3 – Grady Sumrall (Ottawa) 14-22 won by decision over Blake Oliphant (Louisburg) 6-20 (Dec 8-2)

150

Traden Noll (30-14) placed 4th and scored 11.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Traden Noll (Louisburg) 30-14 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Traden Noll (Louisburg) 30-14 won by fall over Jacob Drone (Shawnee Mission-Bishop Miege) 20-21 (Fall 3:27)
• Semifinal – Chayse Jeanneret (Santa Fe Trail) 25-10 won in tie breaker – 1 over Traden Noll (Louisburg) 30-14 (TB-1 3-2)
• Cons. Semi – Traden Noll (Louisburg) 30-14 won by decision over Max Harvey (Baldwin) 21-18 (Dec 3-0)
• 3rd Place Match – Trent Harris (Silver Lake) 31-15 won by fall over Traden Noll (Louisburg) 30-14 (Fall 0:27)

157

Jay McCaskill (34-14) placed 4th and scored 13.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 34-14 won by fall over Maddex Doherty (Wellsville) 12-25 (Fall 0:29)
• Quarterfinal – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 34-14 won by fall over Andrew Keithley (Holton) 21-17 (Fall 0:26)
• Semifinal – Dalton Evans (Ottawa) 32-12 won by decision over Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 34-14 (Dec 9-4)
• Cons. Semi – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 34-14 won by decision over Luke Greenfield (Santa Fe Trail) 18-9 (Dec 7-0)
• 3rd Place Match – Graham Hawks (Shawnee Mission-Bishop Miege) 33-8 won by decision over Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 34-14 (Dec 11-7)

165

Bryce Thompson (18-14) place is unknown and scored 4.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 18-14 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Dylan Williams (Baldwin) 24-11 won by fall over Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 18-14 (Fall 4:31)
• Cons. Round 2 – Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 18-14 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 3 – Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 18-14 won by fall over Malakie Laws (Perry-Lecompton) 14-22 (Fall 1:38)
• Cons. Semi – Jude Krentz (Topeka-Hayden) 27-3 won by fall over Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 18-14 (Fall 4:42)

175

Elias Pugh (21-17) place is unknown and scored 2.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Keldyn Cox (Baldwin) 12-17 won by fall over Elias Pugh (Louisburg) 21-17 (Fall 1:07)
• Cons. Round 1 – Elias Pugh (Louisburg) 21-17 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 2 – Elias Pugh (Louisburg) 21-17 won by decision over Chris McClendon (Wellsville) 8-7 (Dec 9-8)
• Cons. Round 3 – Kayden Clelland (Silver Lake) 17-15 won by decision over Elias Pugh (Louisburg) 21-17 (Dec 5-4)

190

Ashton Moore (35-7) placed 4th and scored 11.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 35-7 won by fall over Coltin Wade (Perry-Lecompton) 1-8 (Fall 1:04)
• Semifinal – Colton Brusven (Tonganoxie) 22-6 won in sudden victory – 1 over Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 35-7 (SV-1 6-4)
• Cons. Semi – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 35-7 won by fall over Blaise Hill (Silver Lake) 3-22 (Fall 0:07)
• 3rd Place Match – Sam Clevenger (Ottawa) 28-15 won by decision over Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 35-7 (Dec 3-2)

215

Brayden Yoder (25-18) place is unknown and scored 4.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 25-18 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Carter Wilmarth (Wellsville) 29-4 won by fall over Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 25-18 (Fall 3:45)
• Cons. Round 2 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 25-18 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 3 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 25-18 won by fall over Rickey Lowery (Perry-Lecompton) 13-24 (Fall 0:58)
• Cons. Semi – Conner Murry (Baldwin) 21-10 won by fall over Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 25-18 (Fall 2:23)

285

Xander Lucas (12-23) place is unknown and scored 3.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Xander Lucas (Louisburg) 12-23 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Alex Strother (Santa Fe Trail) 26-7 won by fall over Xander Lucas (Louisburg) 12-23 (Fall 1:01)
• Cons. Round 2 – Xander Lucas (Louisburg) 12-23 won by fall over Ean Winsor (Holton) 5-17 (Fall 2:21)
• Cons. Round 3 – Jacob McConnell (Wellsville) 16-18 won by fall over Xander Lucas (Louisburg) 12-23 (Fall 0:38)

Louisburg freshman Leola Eslinger works for a pin Saturday during the Class 4-1A regional wrestling tournament at Columbus High School.

COLUMBUS — It was a small, but mighty version of the Louisburg girls wrestling team in 2024, and the Lady Cats had their fair share of ups and downs.

Still, they put their best foot forward last Saturday at the Class 4-1A regional tournament at Columbus High School. Louisburg nearly had its first ever state qualifier on the girls side.

Freshman Leola Eslinger finished one victory shy of a state bid with a loss in the consolation semifinals and ended her day with a 3-2 record.

Another freshman, Allison Martin, ended her season with an 0-2 record at 130 pounds.

Eslinger, who wrestled at 145 pounds, opened the tournament with a pin of Labette County’s Alexis Spencer. In the quarterfinals, Eslinger was pinned by Independence’s Caille Anne Fairbank in the second period.

That started Eslinger’s journey in the back side of the bracket as she went on to pin Jayhawk-Linn’s Abigail Stone and Erie’s Madi Cope.

Then in the consolation semifinals, she battled Columbus’ Madelyn Garcia, but was pinned and ended her season with a 28-9 record. Of those 28 wins, 27 came by pin.

As for Martin, she was pinned by Frontenac’s Ariana Ortega to being the tournament and then lost a tough 2-1 decision to Girard’s Bailey Glaser to end her season. 

“A ton of great things came out of our girls season this year,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “Both of our girls are freshmen — Allison is a first-year wrestler and earned four varsity wins along the way, and Leola brought a great deal of experience into her first year with us. Allison’s last match was a 2-1 decision, and she was pushing her opponent the entire match. Had there been a little more experience and perhaps a little more time, she might have gotten the win there. 

“In Leola’s final match in the blood round, she got the first takedown against a senior and returning state qualifier. She locked up a cradle and looked like she was going to pull off the upset, but one little mistake and her opponent capitalized on it. Next year will be an awesome step up from this year, as we should have a bunch more girls coming up from the middle school who have been very active with our kids club. Big things are in store for our girls wrestling program, that’s for sure.”

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week nine of the winter sports season, sponsored by Craig Holtzen-Edward Jones.

LEOLA ESLINGER, FRESHMAN, WRESTLING

Louisburg freshman Leola Eslinger had a very successful first season for the Wildcat girls wrestling team. Eslinger nearly became the first Louisburg female wrestler to qualify for state, but came up just one win short during last week’s regional tournament in Columbus. Eslinger finished the tournament with a 3-2 record with three pins.

On the season, Eslinger tallied a 28-9 record for the Wildcats at 145 pounds and was dominant in her wins. In those victories, 27 of those came by pin with the other due to an injury default.

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

Previous Winners:

Week 1: Myles Vohs

Week 2: Andrew Jamison

Week 3: Nathan Parker

Week 4: Elias Pugh

Week 5: Ashton Moore

Week 6: Colin Brown

Week 7: Ashlyn Kuhlman

Week 8: Brady Hickey

Louisburg junior Jay McCaskill finished second at 157 pounds Wednesday during the Frontier League Invitational at Spring Hill High School.

SPRING HILL — The Frontier League Invitational is one of the tougher tournaments on Louisburg’s schedule, and the Wildcats had to go into Wednesday tournament under-manned.

Louisburg had two wrestlers out with injuries, but the Wildcats still had five that had a chance to bring home a medal in the final round.

Junior Jay McCaskill ended up being Louisburg’s lone medalist on the day as he finished second at 157 pounds. The Wildcats finished seventh in the team standings with 96 points, while Tonganoxie won the league title with 244.5 points.

“Every year, it seems like the Frontier League is getting tougher and tougher,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “Paola is ranked second in 4A, and Tonganoxie is right behind them in third. At various points in the season, Baldwin has been ranked in the top 10 as well. I think every team has had several kids ranked in their respective weight classes as well. We had some really tough matches, and this was the kind of tournament we needed to have right before regionals. It’s going to help us with some fine-tuning as we get ready for the next step in the postseason.”

McCaskill made quick work of his first two opponents as he pinned Bonner Springs’ Ty Marble and Paola’s Chevez Neely in the first period. That set up a championship match against Ottawa’s Dalton Evans.

The two wrestlers split matches with each other earlier in the season, but Evans got the best of this one as McCaskill lost a tough 3-2 match. An early call didn’t go McCaskill’s way that would have put him up big in the second period.

“It definitely could have gone either way,” Bovaird said. “Jay almost had a reversal midway through the second period that I feel was called wrong. It should have been a reversal with possible back points, but the officials called it a 2-point nearfall for his opponent and then loss of control going out of bounds, so instead of being up 4-0, Jay was down 2-1. But we can’t blame a loss on officiating; that’s just how it goes. Jay will be ready for the next match-up with that wrestler at regionals.”

Freshman Levi Cotter (106 pounds), junior Will Showalter (120), junior Logan Henry (132) and senior Traden Noll (150) each wrestled for third place for a shot at a league medal.

Unfortunately, each of them came up on the wrong side of their matches and all four finished in fourth place.

Cotter suffered an injury default in his third place match, while Showalter lost a 9-1 major decision to Spring Hill’s Carter Wilson in his final match after winning his first two.

Henry won a close 7-6 decision to Eudora’s Newt Schreiner in the consolation semifinals, but fell to Spring Hill’s James Sheldon in a 5-2 decision in this third place match.

As for Noll, he earned a pin over Ottawa’s Nathan Morgan in the consolation semifinals, but fell 5-0 to Bonner Springs’ Emiliano Martinez in his final bout of the night.

Louisburg was also without state-ranked wrestler Ashton Moore (190 pounds), along with senior Elias Pugh (175), who were both nursing injuries.

“Levi Cotter was in a tough match at 106 for third place, but he was fighting some sickness and ended up defaulting because of it,” Bovaird said. “Will showed a lot of guts at 120 to finish fourth, and Logan had some great matches that night at 132. Traden has been wrestling pretty solidly at 150 as we reach the end of the season, and he’s looking tougher and tougher every match.”

Senior J’Lee Collins (126), along with juniors Brayden Yoder (215) and Xander Lucas (285) each finished fifth overall.

The battle for a state spot begins Saturday as the Wildcats travel to the Class 4A regional tournament at Tonganoxie High School. 

“I think the guys are pretty excited for the post-season,” Bovaird said. “We’ll have Elias and Ashton back on the mats — both of them were sitting out with injuries. Ashton tweaked his knee at the Baldwin Invitational a couple of weeks ago, and Elias was nursing a nasty cut on his foot. We just wanted to play it safe and give them both a chance to return to health. 

“Our regional is going to be pretty solid, as we’ll have several state-ranked teams in Tonganoxie, as well as others who have been up there this season (Santa Fe Trail, Holton, and Baldwin). Depending on how seedings pan out, we’ve got excellent opportunities at a lot of weights.”

106

Levi Cotter (21-18) placed 4th and scored 12.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 21-18 won by fall over Maddoc Johnston (Spring Hill) 13-11 (Fall 3:46)
• Semifinal – Tyler Chrisp (Tonganoxie) 25-14 won by fall over Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 21-18 (Fall 2:30)
• Cons. Semi – Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 21-18 won by decision over Hunter Warczakoski (Bonner Springs) 11-19 (Dec 5-4)
• 3rd Place Match – Caul Johns (Ottawa) 20-12 won by injury default over Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 21-18 (Inj. 4:01)

113

Canaan Clayton (22-15) placed 6th and scored 6.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Brodie Starcher (Tonganoxie) 17-11 won by decision over Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 22-15 (Dec 6-0)
• Cons. Round 1 – Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 22-15 won by fall over Blake Longacre (Eudora) 3-12 (Fall 0:48)
• Cons. Semi – Brock Slimmer (Spring Hill) 29-7 won by major decision over Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 22-15 (MD 14-0)
• 5th Place Match – Asher Englert (Baldwin) 9-11 won by decision over Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 22-15 (Dec 6-1)

120

Will Showalter (15-22) placed 4th and scored 9.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Jordan Bauswell (Tonganoxie) 14-17 won by decision over Will Showalter (Louisburg) 15-22 (Dec 6-1)
• Cons. Round 1 – Will Showalter (Louisburg) 15-22 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Semi – Will Showalter (Louisburg) 15-22 won by decision over Carson Moore (Eudora) 15-16 (Dec 3-2)
• 3rd Place Match – Carter Wilson (Spring Hill) 15-13 won by major decision over Will Showalter (Louisburg) 15-22 (MD 9-1)

126

J`Lee Collins (23-15) placed 5th and scored 8.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Frankie Garcia (Bonner Springs) 30-12 won by fall over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 23-15 (Fall 4:39)
• Cons. Round 1 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 23-15 won by forfeit over Ayedin Johnson (Baldwin) 16-11 (For.)
• Cons. Semi – Ryan Pahl (Spring Hill) 26-15 won by fall over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 23-15 (Fall 4:16)
• 5th Place Match – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 23-15 won by decision over Hawken Andrews (Eudora) 21-15 (Dec 7-6)

132

Logan Henry (20-13) placed 4th and scored 11.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Logan Henry (Louisburg) 20-13 won by major decision over James Williams (Bonner Springs) 14-18 (MD 12-1)
• Semifinal – Blake Riedel (Tonganoxie) 18-13 won by fall over Logan Henry (Louisburg) 20-13 (Fall 2:52)
• Cons. Semi – Logan Henry (Louisburg) 20-13 won by decision over Newt Schreiner (Eudora) 18-18 (Dec 7-6)
• 3rd Place Match – James Sheldon (Spring Hill) 23-14 won by decision over Logan Henry (Louisburg) 20-13 (Dec 5-2)

138

Mika McKitrick (17-21) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Dax Duffett (Tonganoxie) 16-9 won by fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 17-21 (Fall 1:05)
• Cons. Round 1 – Austin Ross (Spring Hill) 19-12 won by decision over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 17-21 (Dec 7-4)

144

Blake Oliphant (5-10) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Chase Wilson (Spring Hill) 21-17 won by fall over Blake Oliphant (Louisburg) 5-10 (Fall 1:03)
• Cons. Round 1 – Elijah Younger (Paola) 10-16 won by fall over Blake Oliphant (Louisburg) 5-10 (Fall 2:59)

150

Traden Noll (28-12) placed 4th and scored 13.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Traden Noll (Louisburg) 28-12 won by major decision over Emiliano Martinez (Bonner Springs) 10-16 (MD 10-0)
• Semifinal – Avery Bartek (Spring Hill) 32-8 won by fall over Traden Noll (Louisburg) 28-12 (Fall 2:30)
• Cons. Semi – Traden Noll (Louisburg) 28-12 won by fall over Nathan Morgan (Ottawa) 10-14 (Fall 3:11)
• 3rd Place Match – Emiliano Martinez (Bonner Springs) 10-16 won by decision over Traden Noll (Louisburg) 28-12 (Dec 5-0)

157

Jay McCaskill (31-12) placed 2nd and scored 20.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 31-12 won by fall over Ty Marble (Bonner Springs) 7-10 (Fall 1:54)
• Semifinal – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 31-12 won by fall over Chevez Neely (Paola) 12-8 (Fall 0:39)
• 1st Place Match – Dalton Evans (Ottawa) 26-9 won by decision over Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 31-12 (Dec 3-2)

165

Bryce Thompson (17-12) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Dylan Williams (Baldwin) 20-10 won by tech fall over Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 17-12 (TF-1.5 6:00 (15-0))
• Cons. Round 1 – Daniel Loza (Bonner Springs) 12-13 won by major decision over Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 17-12 (MD 9-1)

175

Vance Hahn (5-18) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Caden Bartek (Spring Hill) 19-8 won by fall over Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 5-18 (Fall 1:47)
• Cons. Round 1 – Keldyn Cox (Baldwin) 11-16 won by fall over Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 5-18 (Fall 2:07)

215

Brayden Yoder (24-16) placed 5th and scored 10.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Logan Alexander (Spring Hill) 25-14 won in sudden victory – 1 over Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 24-16 (SV-1 3-1)
• Cons. Round 1 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 24-16 won by fall over Brayden Folsom (Tonganoxie) 6-9 (Fall 1:21)
• Cons. Semi – Sam Harrigan-Hernandez (Bonner Springs) 26-13 won by decision over Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 24-16 (Dec 4-2)
• 5th Place Match – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 24-16 won by fall over Reilly Neis (Eudora) 17-19 (Fall 1:46)

285

Xander Lucas (11-21) placed 5th and scored 7.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Xander Lucas (Louisburg) 11-21 received a bye () (Bye)
• Semifinal – Gavin Rhoads (Tonganoxie) 11-9 won by fall over Xander Lucas (Louisburg) 11-21 (Fall 3:57)
• Cons. Semi – Tucker Wingerter (Spring Hill) 2-6 won by fall over Xander Lucas (Louisburg) 11-21 (Fall 0:56)
• 5th Place Match – Xander Lucas (Louisburg) 11-21 won by fall over Will McCombs (Ottawa) 1-6 (Fall 3:55)

Louisburg senior Traden Noll pins his opponent Saturday at the Baldwin Invitational. Noll finished third at 150 pounds.

BALDWIN CITY — Louisburg may not have had anyone in the finals of the Baldwin Invitational on Saturday, but that didn’t mean the Wildcats didn’t leave their mark.

Not only did the Wildcats leave with six medals, they also recorded their best-ever team finish at the Baldwin tournament. Louisburg took third in the team standings with 157.5 points.

Tonganoxie won the 17-team tournament with 255 points and Santa Fe Trail was second with 179.

“The thing is, even if our guys aren’t wrestling their best, they’re still battling with their opponents,” Bovaird said. “It doesn’t matter if we’re up against a more experienced or technically superior opponent. Our guys aren’t afraid to get out on the mat and scrap. 

“Coming home with a third place team finish was an awesome outcome, especially since we had no finalists. So many of those team points were scored on the backside of the brackets. That is our highest finish at Baldwin since we got into that tournament in 2012. Five years ago, when we had guys like Cade Holtzen, Austin Moore, and Blue Caplinger in the finals, we finished sixth.”

Louisburg junior Ashton Moore and senior Traden Noll led the Wildcats on the day as both finished third in their respective weight classes, but Moore had a little bit of setback.

In what was a competitive 190-pound weight class, Moore earned a spot in the semifinals against Tonganoxie’s Colton Brusven. The two battled it out and it eventually went to overtime, before Brusven came out with a 4-2 decision and Moore suffered an injury during the match.

Moore still battled back to earn a 11-1 major decision over Ottawa’s Sam Clevenger in the consolation semis, and then won a 2-1 overtime match against Prairie View’s Parker Schwarz for third.

“The 190-pound weight class is stacked in our area,” Bovaird said. “It’s got Jack Harvey (returning state champ from Baldwin), Colton Brusven (returning state placer from Tonganoxie), and Ashton. They were all in the same bracket at Baldwin, and they’ll all be there together for league and regionals. Ashton tweaked his knee during his overtime loss to Brusven, but he was a warrior coming back to finish third against a couple of really strong kids. He’s going to take some time to recuperate, but I’m excited to see him battle it out at regionals.”

Noll also put together one his better performances of the season at 150 pounds. Noll opened the tournament with a pair of wins, before falling to Tonganoxie’s Noah Bailey in the semifinals.

He worked his way back on the other side of the bracket. Noll pinned Buhler’s Max Harmony in the second period, and then won a 6-2 decision of Santa Fe Trail’s Chase Jeanneret in the third place match.

“These past couple of weeks, Traden has been wrestling the best I’ve ever seen him wrestle,” Bovaird said. “He’s listening really well, and he’s getting great results against some tough opponents. His third place match was against a returning state qualifier from Santa Fe Trail, and Traden just wrestled tough and smart. Definitely excited to see him finish out the year with an exclamation.”

Junior Canaan Clayton (113 pounds), senior J’Lee Collins (126), junior Logan Henry (132) and junior Jay McCaskill (157) each left Baldwin with a fourth place medal.

Clayton went 2-2 on the day and his last match he suffered a medical forfeit due to an injury in the third place round.

Collins recorded a 3-2 record, with both of his losses coming to Ottawa’s Cole Mader, including losing by pin in the third place match. Collins won by fall, technical fall and by an 8-6 decision in his other matches.

Henry opened his tournament run with a pair of pins, before falling to Tonganoxie’s Blake Riedel in the semifinals. Henry bounced back to pin Perry-Lecompton in the consolation semifinals, but was pinned by Santa Fe Trail’s Blake Slavin for third.

As for McCaskill, he also began with two straight pins, but lost a tough overtime match to Rock Creek’s Aidan McKinney. McCaskill responded to beat Wamego’s Ethan Ibendahl to earn a spot in the third place match, but lost to Ottawa’s Dalton Evans by a 4-2 decision to end his day.

“We knew that Baldwin would be a tough meet, and just like the previous week at Blue Valley Northwest, this is the kind of competition we need to be seeing right now,” Bovaird said. “Many of the teams at Baldwin are also in our regional, so that gives a great idea of who we’re going to need to beat to get to state in each weight class. Canaan, J’Lee, Logan and Jay had some great matches, and they finished the day with a medal in their respective weights.”

On Friday, the Louisburg girls team of Allison Martin and Leola Eslinger competed in the Baldwin Invitational girls tournament and found some success. 

Eslinger took seventh at 145 pounds with a 3-2 day, while Martin was 1-2 at 125 pounds.

“For Allison, it was is awesome for her to be able to win a match at a very tough varsity tournament,” Bovaird said. “Leola was 3-2 on the day, finishing seventh and earning 2 pins. Those two are growing so much as wrestlers, and they’re setting an outstanding precedent for girls wrestling at Louisburg.”

The girls return to action today as they competed in the Frontier League Tournament at Spring Hill High School. The boys will have off till next Wednesday when they compete at league, also at Spring Hill. 

106

Levi Cotter (17-16) placed 6th and scored 6.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Beau Underwood (Tonganoxie) 8-13 won by fall over Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 17-16 (Fall 4:23)
• Cons. Round 1 – Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 17-16 won by fall over Chris Murphy (Burlington) 9-14 (Fall 2:54)
• Cons. Semi – Tyler Chrisp (Tonganoxie) 25-12 won by fall over Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 17-16 (Fall 0:38)
• 5th Place Match – Caul Johns (Ottawa) 18-11 won by fall over Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 17-16 (Fall 4:04)

113

Canaan Clayton (20-12) placed 4th and scored 12.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 20-12 won by decision over Asher Englert (Baldwin) 11-10 (Dec 5-2)
• Semifinal – Colton Parsons (Buhler) 14-9 won by fall over Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 20-12 (Fall 2:23)
• Cons. Semi – Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 20-12 won by fall over Blake Longacre (Eudora) 1-9 (Fall 0:41)
• 3rd Place Match – Asher Englert (Baldwin) 11-10 won by medical forfeit over Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 20-12 (M. For.)

120

Will Showalter (13-19) place is unknown and scored 4.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Will Showalter (Louisburg) 13-19 won by fall over Carson Cunningham (Ottawa) 3-10 (Fall 0:49)
• Quarterfinal – Lucas Batz (Holton) 28-8 won by major decision over Will Showalter (Louisburg) 13-19 (MD 13-2)
• Cons. Round 2 – Brode Bergsma (Goodland) 13-16 won by fall over Will Showalter (Louisburg) 13-19 (Fall 2:40)

126

J`Lee Collins (20-12) placed 4th and scored 13.5 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 20-12 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Cole Mader (Ottawa) 16-11 won by fall over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 20-12 (Fall 2:32)
• Cons. Round 2 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 20-12 won by fall over Mason Torneden (Santa Fe Trail) 1-5 (Fall 1:18)
• Cons. Round 3 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 20-12 won by tech fall over Tyler Hecke (Wamego) 15-14 (TF-1.5 2:42 (17-2))
• Cons. Semi – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 20-12 won by decision over Ayedin Johnson (Baldwin) 17-12 (Dec 8-6)
• 3rd Place Match – Cole Mader (Ottawa) 16-11 won by fall over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 20-12 (Fall 2:30)

132

Logan Henry (17-10) placed 4th and scored 18.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Logan Henry (Louisburg) 17-10 won by fall over Zaylund Lee (Wamego) 6-18 (Fall 1:28)
• Quarterfinal – Logan Henry (Louisburg) 17-10 won by fall over Jacob Harmon (Rock Creek) 10-10 (Fall 3:04)
• Semifinal – Blake Riedel (Tonganoxie) 18-8 won by fall over Logan Henry (Louisburg) 17-10 (Fall 3:48)
• Cons. Semi – Logan Henry (Louisburg) 17-10 won by fall over Justin Booth (Perry-Lecompton) 8-15 (Fall 2:01)
• 3rd Place Match – Blake Slavin (Santa Fe Trail) 19-3 won by fall over Logan Henry (Louisburg) 17-10 (Fall 2:41)

132

Freddy Moreau (6-10) place is unknown.

• Champ. Round 1 – Justin Booth (Perry-Lecompton) 8-15 won by decision over Freddy Moreau (Louisburg) 6-10 (Dec 7-6)
• Cons. Round 1 – Newt Schreiner (Eudora) 15-14 won by fall over Freddy Moreau (Louisburg) 6-10 (Fall 0:56)

138

Mika McKitrick (17-17) place is unknown and scored 4.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 17-17 won by fall over Kenny Luyo (Rock Creek) 6-6 (Fall 1:05)
• Quarterfinal – Atticus Guenther (Santa Fe Trail) 18-8 won by fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 17-17 (Fall 0:31)
• Cons. Round 2 – Levi Benedick (Prairie View) 9-14 won by fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 17-17 (Fall 1:52)

144

Blake Oliphant (5-15) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Braeden Moore (Tonganoxie) 24-2 won by tech fall over Blake Oliphant (Louisburg) 5-15 (TF-1.5 2:07 (19-4))
• Cons. Round 1 – Korbin Brady (Santa Fe Trail) 9-6 won by fall over Blake Oliphant (Louisburg) 5-15 (Fall 3:31)

150

Traden Noll (24-10) placed 3rd and scored 19.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Traden Noll (Louisburg) 24-10 won by major decision over Declan McKinney (Rock Creek) 7-10 (MD 15-1)
• Quarterfinal – Traden Noll (Louisburg) 24-10 won by fall over Jacob Waldy (Hayden) 26-9 (Fall 2:33)
• Semifinal – Noah Bailey (Tonganoxie) 30-4 won by fall over Traden Noll (Louisburg) 24-10 (Fall 1:04)
• Cons. Semi – Traden Noll (Louisburg) 24-10 won by fall over Max Harmony (Buhler) 16-9 (Fall 2:38)
• 3rd Place Match – Traden Noll (Louisburg) 24-10 won by decision over Chayse Jeanneret (Santa Fe Trail) 18-8 (Dec 6-2)

150

Colin Robinson (6-9) place is unknown.

• Champ. Round 1 – Chayse Jeanneret (Santa Fe Trail) 18-8 won by fall over Colin Robinson (Louisburg) 6-9 (Fall 1:53)
• Cons. Round 1 – Colin Robinson (Louisburg) 6-9 won by fall over Brody Nicol (Holton) 3-5 (Fall 0:49)
• Cons. Round 2 – Jacob Waldy (Hayden) 26-9 won by fall over Colin Robinson (Louisburg) 6-9 (Fall 3:37)

157

Jay McCaskill (27-11) placed 4th and scored 18.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 27-11 won by fall over Kyzer Lehmann (Burlington) 12-17 (Fall 0:53)
• Quarterfinal – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 27-11 won by fall over Chance Gray (Perry-Lecompton) 16-15 (Fall 1:12)
• Semifinal – Aidan McKinney (Rock Creek) 17-3 won in sudden victory – 1 over Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 27-11 (SV-1 12-7)
• Cons. Semi – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 27-11 won by fall over Ethan Ibendahl (Wamego) 11-17 (Fall 1:39)
• 3rd Place Match – Dalton Evans (Ottawa) 24-8 won by decision over Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 27-11 (Dec 4-2)

165

Vance Hahn (4-11) place is unknown.

• Champ. Round 1 – Dylan Williams (Baldwin) 22-9 won by fall over Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 4-11 (Fall 1:04)
• Cons. Round 1 – Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 4-11 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 2 – Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 16-9 won by fall over Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 4-11 (Fall 2:17)

165

Bryce Thompson (16-9) placed 5th and scored 12.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 16-9 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Dawsyn Valdois (Buhler) 20-8 won by major decision over Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 16-9 (MD 11-2)
• Cons. Round 2 – Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 16-9 won by fall over Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 4-11 (Fall 2:17)
• Cons. Round 3 – Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 16-9 won by fall over Reese Parish (Ottawa) 14-15 (Fall 2:05)
• Cons. Semi – Dylan Williams (Baldwin) 22-9 won by fall over Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 16-9 (Fall 0:29)
• 5th Place Match – Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 16-9 won by major decision over Justin Cole (Santa Fe Trail) 13-9 (MD 13-4)

175

Elias Pugh (20-13) placed 6th and scored 11.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Elias Pugh (Louisburg) 20-13 won by decision over Keldyn Cox (Baldwin) 10-15 (Dec 10-9)
• Quarterfinal – Talon Conrad (Wamego) 17-7 won by major decision over Elias Pugh (Louisburg) 20-13 (MD 14-4)
• Cons. Round 2 – Elias Pugh (Louisburg) 20-13 won by fall over Talon Bentley (Labette County) 7-16 (Fall 1:43)
• Cons. Round 3 – Elias Pugh (Louisburg) 20-13 won by fall over Caige Starnes (Perry-Lecompton) 15-16 (Fall 3:57)
• Cons. Semi – Broderick Desch (Hayden) 20-10 won by decision over Elias Pugh (Louisburg) 20-13 (Dec 9-3)
• 5th Place Match – Nick Allen (Rock Creek) 18-9 won by tech fall over Elias Pugh (Louisburg) 20-13 (TF-1.5 4:37 (21-6))

190

Ashton Moore (31-5) placed 3rd and scored 19.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 31-5 won by fall over Gavyn Smith (Santa Fe Trail) 14-14 (Fall 1:59)
• Quarterfinal – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 31-5 won by fall over Logan Franz (Goodland) 25-12 (Fall 3:16)
• Semifinal – Colton Brusven (Tonganoxie) 19-3 won in sudden victory – 1 over Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 31-5 (SV-1 4-2)
• Cons. Semi – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 31-5 won by major decision over Sam Clevenger (Ottawa) 20-11 (MD 11-1)
• 3rd Place Match – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 31-5 won in tie breaker – 1 over Parker Schwarz (Prairie View) 10-8 (TB-1 2-1)

215

Miles Meek (7-9) placed 6th.

• Champ. Round 1 – Miles Meek (Louisburg) 7-9 won by fall over Ethan Horinek (Goodland) 8-8 (Fall 0:00)
• Quarterfinal – Jake Meyer (Wamego) 18-4 won by fall over Miles Meek (Louisburg) 7-9 (Fall 1:25)
• Cons. Round 2 – Miles Meek (Louisburg) 7-9 won by fall over Brayden Folsom (Tonganoxie) 1-8 (Fall 2:14)
• Cons. Round 3 – Miles Meek (Louisburg) 7-9 won by fall over John Broadwell (Labette County) 17-13 (Fall 1:52)
• Cons. Semi – Tage Skocny (Santa Fe Trail) 13-18 won by fall over Miles Meek (Louisburg) 7-9 (Fall 2:20)
• 5th Place Match – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 21-13 won by fall over Miles Meek (Louisburg) 7-9 (Fall 2:16)

215

Brayden Yoder (21-13) placed 5th and scored 13.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 21-13 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Tage Skocny (Santa Fe Trail) 13-18 won by decision over Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 21-13 (Dec 7-5)
• Cons. Round 2 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 21-13 won by fall over Rickey Lowery (Perry-Lecompton) 10-17 (Fall 2:46)
• Cons. Round 3 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 21-13 won by fall over Reilly Neis (Eudora) 15-15 (Fall 0:23)
• Cons. Semi – Conner Murry (Baldwin) 18-9 won in tie breaker – 1 over Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 21-13 (TB-1 4-2)
• 5th Place Match – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 21-13 won by fall over Miles Meek (Louisburg) 7-9 (Fall 2:16)

285

Xander Lucas (8-18) placed 7th and scored 8.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Xander Lucas (Louisburg) 8-18 won by fall over German Herrera (Goodland) 1-2 (Fall 2:41)
• Quarterfinal – John Goodwin (Prairie View) 13-12 won by fall over Xander Lucas (Louisburg) 8-18 (Fall 1:17)
• Cons. Round 2 – Xander Lucas (Louisburg) 8-18 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 3 – Hank Beard (Baldwin) 13-15 won by fall over Xander Lucas (Louisburg) 8-18 (Fall 1:48)
• 7th Place Match – Xander Lucas (Louisburg) 8-18 won by fall over Lane Wilkerson (Ottawa) 3-13 (Fall 2:40)

Louisburg junior Ashton Moore finished second at 190 pounds Saturday at the Husky Invitational at Blue Valley Northwest High School.

The Husky Invitational is one of the tougher tournaments the Louisburg wrestling team will compete at all season.

It featured 23 teams from five states, to go along with several state-ranked wrestlers over a span of two days. The Wildcats were tested, but they were able to bring home some hardware in the process.

Junior Ashton Moore earned a spot in the finals and led the Wildcats with a second-place finish at 190 pounds. Senior J’Lee Collins and junior Jay McCaskill also found their way to the medal stand.

In all, the Wildcats finished eighth in the team standings with 295.5 points. Andover won the tournament with 473 points and J.K. Mullen (Iowa) was second with 402.5.

“It’s a tough tournament with a bunch of out-of-state teams,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “That’s part of what makes it such a great tournament for us at this point in the season. We saw opponents from JK Mullen in Colorado, Marion in Iowa, Rockhurst in Missouri, and Springdale in Arkansas, as well as in-state powerhouses like Andover and Lawrence Free State. Even though it was pretty tough, we had guys in every weight battling. They showed a lot of guts with their matches, and that’s what we need.”

Moore led the Wildcats as he dominated his way to the championship match at 190 pounds. He opened with an 11-4 decision of Lawrence Free State’s Kael Robinson, and then followed that up with three straight pins to end Friday’s competition.

On Saturday, Moore pinned Topeka Seaman’s Deyton Mentzer in the second period of the quarterfinals, and then recorded an 11-2 major decision over Mullen’s Oliver Scelza. That put Moore in the championship against the No. 1 ranked wrestler in Class 5A, Tate Hutchinson of Andover.

Moore battled but came up short in a 3-0 decision, but improved his record to 27-4 on the season after a 6-1 mark at the tournament.

“Ashton is stepping up, and I’m excited for him,” Bovaird said. “He’s asking the coaches for specific feedback, he’s listening really well, and he’s not afraid to step on the mat against anyone else.”

At 157 pounds, McCaskill earned a fifth place finish after wrestling nine matches in those two days. The Louisburg junior recorded three straight pins to open the tournament and finished pool with a 5-1 record. 

McCaskill lost his quarterfinal match to Jayhawk-Linn’s Andres Flores, but bounced back to take an 8-3 decision over Seaman’s Gabe Brannick. After a loss to Olathe East’s Ender Rider in the consolation semis, he won his fifth place match by medical forfeit.

As for Collins, he cruised through his pool matches Friday as he went 4-0 with four pins — including three of those coming in under 20 seconds. Collins then defeated Bonner Springs’ Frankie Garcia by a 7-3 decision in the quarterfinals.

Collins nearly earned a spot in the finals, but lost to Shawnee Mission West’s Nicholas Williams after he was pinned in the third period of a back-and-forth match. Collins eventually finished sixth overall as he suffered two more losses.

“Both of those guys were in some tough brackets,” Bovaird said. “J’Lee nearly punched his ticket to the finals, too. He was winning 6-5 in the semifinals when he got caught by a tough kid from Shawnee Mission West. During the pool rounds on Friday, he also got a pin against a returning state placer from Free State. 

“Jay’s bracket was a pretty ruthless one. He had two losses against an Olathe East kid who is just dominant on top. He also took another loss against the same Jayhawk Linn wrestler who’s beaten him two times already this season. They’re doing well though, as is the rest of the team. Each match, we’re learning and improving.”

Freshman Levi Cotter (106 pounds) and junior Canaan Clayton (113) also earned a spot in the quarterfinals, but finished just outside the medals in seventh and eighth, respectively.

The Wildcats return to action Thursday when they travel to Ottawa for a Frontier League dual. Louisburg will then competed in the Baldwin Invitational Tournament on Saturday.

Wildcats fall to Lawrence in Senior Night dual

The Louisburg wrestling team took part in its final home competition of the season on Jan. 17 when the Wildcats hosted Lawrence on Senior Night.

It also gave them the opportunity to honor their five seniors — J’Lee Collins, Elias Pugh, Colin Robinson, Traden Noll and manager Isabel Bond — along with their families prior to the contest.

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the dual didn’t end on a positive note as Louisburg fell 39-33 to the Lions.

“We’ve got four outstanding seniors this year, along with a great senior manager with Isabel Bond,” Bovaird said. “I really wish I had more time with these seniors though. J’Lee couldn’t wrestle as a freshman due to an injury, Traden attended a school last year that didn’t have wrestling, and Colin and Elias only started wrestling as sophomores. They’ve all made huge strides as wrestlers — they’re incredibly hard workers who do whatever we ask them to do. 

“Senior night was a tough loss for us, and I wish we’d had a couple things go differently. Lawrence has some hammers, especially at the lower weights. We’re still in good shape, and I feel like the guys are getting ready to hit their peak at the right time when we go to regionals and state.”

Collins and Noll both earned victories in their matches, as did Levi Cotter, Blake Oliphant, Jay McCaskill, Ashton Moore and Xander Lucas.