Kansas high school sports has been absent since the middle of March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but that all could change very soon.

During its board of directors meeting earlier this month, the Kansas State High School Activities Association made a change to its summer regulations. Starting on June 1, school employed coaches may begin summer programs as long as it is permitted by the community’s health authorities and the school district.

Coaches at Louisburg High School are making plans to move forward beginning the first of June, but they must meet some guidelines to do so.

In the first two calendar weeks in June, athletes will need to attend a conditioning session each day. Those must be completed to be able to participate in a coach’s camp or organized competition.

If an athlete is playing football, they must complete an extra five days of conditioning before being able to participate in competition.

The first two weeks of conditioning sessions will not involve weights, indoor facilities or sporting equipment to ensure safety. Masks will be optional at workouts, but six feet of distance will be in place along with no more than the 90 gathering restriction under the phase 3 guidelines put out by the state.

Then on June 15, barring no setbacks, conditioning will include indoor weight sessions and indoor facilities will be allowed. Coaches will also be able to hold camps and competition throughout the summer.

“I think the guidelines were set to help ensure the safety of all student athletes accords the state, along with their physical health as well as the preparation for the season,” Louisburg football coach Robert Ebenstein said. “Challenges may be there, but overall they are irrelevant as all the teams in the state have to follow the same guidelines. Our school administrators have been very supportive throughout this process.”

Along with the new changes, KSHSAA also lifted the moratorium period at the end of the summer and will allow teams to practice all the way up to the beginning of the school year. Fall sports, however, will take precedence from Aug. 1 through Aug. 15.

For some programs, the changes won’t be much different as what they have experienced in the past, other than practicing social distancing through the first two weeks of conditioning.

“We are still allowed to compete in leagues and camps after all athletes have completed 10 days of conditioning/training,” Louisburg volleyball coach Jessica Compliment said. “Our summer weights program is changing some this summer, so it gives the players a chance to acclimate back into workouts before putting a ball in their hands.

“When you really look at the schedule, we lost the first two weeks in June (in terms of volleyball skill work), but we gained the moratorium week and have full contact until August 16. The fall season starts on August 17. Normally, we can’t have contact, outside of weights and conditioning, after mid-July. This actually gives us about four weeks on the back end of summer to work with the athletes.”

Still, the new-look summer won’t be without its challenges – especially in the first 10 days of the summer calendar. However, the coaches and athletes will gladly work around the new rules in order to get back together and competing again.

“I think the new guidelines will help kids get back to some normalcy as long as everything continues to get better, but the six feet of social distancing could be challenging when you are coaching a team sport,” Louisburg soccer coach Kyle Conley said. “We will find a way to overcome these challenges and help the kids develop as much as possible.”

Coaches have already altered their camp schedules for the summer, and that information, along with a list of camps, can be found here.

As for Louisburg cross country, the runners will also be going through a conditioning period like everyone else. They will meet at the football practice field at 7 a.m. for an hour every morning beginning June 1 and that will continue through the summer.

Since school has been out since the middle of March, coaches have tried to find a way to stay in touch with their players – and like with online schooling – the zoom platform has been a big help for coaches.

“Football has been doing online zoom workout together for those currently in high school every Monday, Wednesday and Friday while we have been out of school, so I have still been seeing them and they have been doing some cardio,” Ebenstein said. “We have as normal of a summer planned as possible. We will have our weights sessions, our team camp, review/skills night, and we will have our contact camp that KSHSAA is allowing.”

With everything going on around the state and the country, everything is still in limbo and dates could have to be altered once again depending on what local officials decide. Even with all that, the coaches believe there will be a fall season.

“I am confident our fall season will be played,” Conley said “It may have some things that are different, but we will play. I know that the boys are very anxious in having conversations with some of them.”

Many of the coaches and players are just ready to return to some kind of routine following the spread of COVID-19 and they hope sports can give that to them.

“As of right now, our season is scheduled, and we’ll plan accordingly if told differently,” Compliment said. “But for right now, (activities director Michael) Pickman has stressed that for most of the athletes, a return to summer weights/conditioning/activities will be their first taste of ‘normalcy.’ I’m excited to get back at it and see the athletes and students again.”

Michael Pickman (left) was hired as Louisburg High School’s new activities director and assistant principal last week following the USD Board of Education meeting. Current Louisburg AD, Scott Hinkle (right), will move to the middle school to serve in the same capacity starting next school year.

Louisburg High School will have a little different look to its activities department for the 2020-21 school year.

Following the USD 416 Board of Education meeting on April 13, Michael Pickman was hired to serve as the school’s new assistant principal and activities director. Pickman will replace Scott Hinkle, who has been in that position for the last two years.

Hinkle will remain in the district and will move over to the middle school to serve in the same capacity.

“I had known for a while that I wanted to continue my education by getting a second master’s degree, but I didn’t really know which area,” Pickman said. “I talked with current administration and was both inspired and encouraged to explore administrative leadership. This is the job I wanted because it meant staying in Louisburg and continuing to work with the staff and coaches who I know have, can and will achieve great things when it comes to our students and student athletes.

“We are a Louisburg family and I want my daughter in the Louisburg community and school system, so I wouldn’t have done this anywhere else. The atmosphere from district leadership to the building leadership is top notch and I am ready to grow as an educator and work alongside (principal) Jeremy (Holloway) and the administrative staff at the high school and the amazing coaches and support them.”

Pickman has taught English at the high school for the last seven years and has also worked in the Prairie View, West Franklin and Maur Hill Prep school districts.

He has also spent a lot of time in the athletic arena as he has served as the Wildcat boys and girls soccer assistant coach, alongside head coach Kyle Conley, for the last five-plus years.

“It will be tough to give up all aspects of it, but the magic of these soccer programs will be especially difficult,” Pickman said. “Kyle has been an amazing person to coach with and his passion is contagious. Getting to start the girls program with him and the immediate success has been amazing. State finals and big wins and the atmosphere – some don’t ever get to experience that – and lastly the players, both boys and girls who have graduated and those who remain to carry on the greatness are why I said yes to coaching. They make the whole experience amazing and fun.

“So it will be hard, but I would also not have gone anywhere else to do a different job and so I will still be able to support the soccer players and every other student and athlete through my new opportunity and to do so the Wildcat Way.”

As for Hinkle, he spent the last two years as the LHS activities director after coming from Liberal High School. He is excited that his new position at the middle school will allow him to spend more time with family.

“I really enjoyed my time at the high school, even though it was only two years,” Hinkle said. “I am leaving behind a great workplace with a great culture and an unbelievable staff. It was not an easy decision.  

“I made the move to the middle school to get back some evenings and weekends. I have been an athletic director for 11 years at the high school level in my career, and I was ready to free up some time. I know I am joining another great staff at LMS, and look forward to the new challenge ahead of me.”  

Louisburg junior Cade Holtzen reacts after winning his blood round match Saturday at the Class 4A state tournament in Salina. Holtzen finished fifth at 126 pounds.

SALINA – Ryan Owens and Cade Holtzen both had their own agendas going into the state wrestling tournament.

Owens, qualified for state last
year, but left without a win and he vowed to fix that this time around. As for
Holtzen, he came up short in his efforts for a second state medal as a
sophomore last season and had all the motivation not to come home empty-handed
again.

Both wrestlers more than made up
for their rough patches a year ago.

Owens and Holtzen left Salina with
a state medal during the Class 4A Kansas State Wrestling Championships on
Friday and Saturday at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center. Owens made it to the
semifinals and wound up earning a fourth-place medal at 120 pounds, while Holtzen
finished fifth at 126 pounds.

It also marked the first time
since 2016 that Louisburg finished the season with multiple state medalists,
when Nathan Keegan and Mason Koechner each brought home medals.

The Wildcats nearly had three
medalists as sophomore Brandon Doles finished one win shy of a state medal at
160 pounds with a 2-2 record.

“They
both have worked on their mindset training all season, and I’m so proud of how
it paid off this weekend at state,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “They
focused on their strengths and the variables that they control — their
attitude, their effort, and their aggression — while at the same time avoiding
the tendency to focus on things they can’t control. They both acted like they
belonged there at state and deserved a state medal. The only pressure they put
on themselves was to continue wrestling how they’ve been wrestling all season and
to do their very best. When kids focus like that, they stand a much greater
chance of accomplishing their goals.

“These
guys (and Brandon included) demonstrated to their teammates that there’s a
process they need to work through in order to achieve their long-term goals.
Everyone wants to be a state qualifier, a state placer, or state champion, but
so many kids don’t know how to set process goals or are committed to staying
the course along the way. These guys are living proof that the process works.”

Owens
caught some people off-guard to start the tournament Friday as he opened with a
pin against Abilene’s Kaleb Stroda in just over a minute.

His
biggest upset came in the quarterfinals as he pinned Osawatomie’s Chance
Mitzner in one minute to advance to the semifinals and assure himself a medal.
Mitzner, who defeated Owens earlier in the season, was ranked fourth going into
the state tournament and Owens was unranked at the time.

In the semifinals, Owens went up
against No. 2 Chadwick Stahl from Mulvane and lost a 5-0 decision, but he had
already made a statement with his good start to the tournament.

“Starting off the state tournament with two pins was my ideal start,” Owens said. “I got into a position that I had a good feel for and threw both my opponents to their backs in the first period. I’ve been hitting that move since I was six, so I have a lot of confidence in that position. After my semifinals match Friday, the mindset was that ‘we weren’t finished yet’ and there was still a chance to get the next best thing (third place).”

The upsets continued for Owens on Saturday as he outlasted
the No. 5-ranked wrestler, Chanute’s Trey Dillow, in the consolation semifinals
in an 8-5 decision to advance to the third place match. That set up a rematch
between Owens and Mitzner, but this time Mitzner got revenge as he pinned the
Louisburg junior in the second period.

Despite that, Owens was thrilled with his state tournament performance
and is already looking forward to next year.

“It felt unreal to stand on the podium,” Owens said. “I had
started off my freshman year on JV, and my sophomore year I had gone 0-2 at
state, so being able to lock up a state medal, especially fourth place, was an
amazing feeling.

“That state performance let me know where I was at in that
weight class and I was very happy with it. However it’s given me more motivation
to do more offseason work than ever and it let me know I have a good shot at
the championship next year.”

As for Holtzen, he also put together a strong state
tournament run, that included a busy Saturday after going 1-1 on Friday. He
opened the tournament with a pin of Wamego’s Nick Cruickshank in the third
period.

Holtzen, who was ranked No. 6 at 126 pounds coming into the
tournament, squared off with No. 3 Braden Ledford of Winfield. Ledford, who
went on to finish second overall, defeated Holtzen in a close 3-0 decision.

That loss sent Holtzen to Saturday to look for a state medal.
He began consolation action as he edged out Anderson County’s Ryland Wright in
a 3-2 decision.

Then in the blood round, Holtzen captured a 2-0 decision over
Pratt’s Kaiser Pelland to assure himself a state medal and it put last year’s
disappointment behind him.

“My win in the blood round was a moment of pure elation,”
Holtzen said. “That was everything I’ve worked for this past year after I
promised myself I would never feel the disappointment I felt after losing in
the blood round my sophomore year.

“I
thought I wrestled pretty well. I wish I was able to score more points
throughout the tournament especially in my quarterfinals match. But that’s
something I can work on.”

Holtzen then met No. 4 Isaac Novotny from Marysville in the
consolation semifinals, and nearly had an upset win himself, but lost a 4-3
decision late in the match. The Louisburg junior responded well in the
fifth-place match as he pinned Chanute’s Colton Seely in the first period

After finishing sixth as a freshman, Holtzen was proud to see
himself take another step forward and he is looking forward to have another
chance next season.

“To stand on the podium meant everything to me,” Holtzen
said. “That was my goal coming into the season and to accomplish that shows
that all of my hard work paid off.

“This performance this
year has made me realize how close I am to the top wrestlers in the state. It’s
all a point or two difference. That difference has made me understand that I am
capable of being a state champion and that will be my goal for my senior year.
It is the one thing I have never accomplished in wrestling and something I want
to happen before my career is over.”

Doles
also made a run at a state medal but found himself on the wrong-side of a
loaded 160-pound class.

The
Louisburg sophomore lost a difficult match to start the tournament as he was
pinned by Rock Creek’s Drew Burenheide, which meant he had a long journey to a
state medal wrestling on the back side.

Doles responded with a 7-2 decision over Winfield’s Trevin Biddle and then pulled off an upset of Independence’s Ian Lawson with a 3-2 victory. Lawson, who was ranked No. 4 coming in to the tournament, had defeated Doles three times this season.

That
put Doles in the consolation quarterfinals match against No. 3 Cael Johnson of
Burlington and Doles was pinned in the second period.

“Brandon
wrestled really tough at state,” Bovaird said. “He was in total control his
first match, and about to add to his lead when he got caught. If that hadn’t
happened, there’s a very good chance he could have come through on the back side
for a state medal. As it was, Brandon had a tough road in front of him and he
gave it everything he had. He got a revenge win against an Independence senior
who’d beaten him three times this season and then ran into a tough senior who’s
committed to wrestle at Baker University next year.”

With
two state medalists, the Wildcat wrestling program is looking for even bigger
things next season as they return all but one senior from their team and they
hope to make another run at multiple state medals.

“Next year is going to be an exciting year,” Bovaird said. “We’re only
losing one senior — Sam Kratochvil — and his leadership will be missed. We’re
returning two state medalists and a two-time state qualifier. There are two
others who had been ranked throughout the season (Kaven Bartlett and Ben
Wiedenmann), as well as two others who made solid runs at regionals (Aiden
Barker, who lost in the blood round, and AJ Reed, who was two matches from
qualifying). Their experience and leadership will be a solid model for the new
and returning wrestlers to follow.

“We’ll be working to
continue building our numbers and to further develop our girls wrestling
program next year. There’s a big number of middle school wrestlers who will be
joining the program in the next two years, and I’m excited to see what they can
do with the foundation that’s being set by our current wrestlers.”

Louisburg wrestlers (from left) Ryan Owens, Cade Holtzen and Brandon Doles qualified for the Class 4A state wrestling tournament after all three made it to the regional finals Saturday in Louisburg.

Three Louisburg wrestlers advanced
to the biggest tournament of the season and did so in front of their home fans.

Ryan Owens (120 pounds), Cade
Holtzen (126) and Brandon Doles (160) qualified for the Class 4A state
tournament Saturday during the 4A regional tournament held at Louisburg High
School. All three had solid performances against some tough competition.

Holtzen captured the 126-pound
regional title, while Owens and Doles both finished as the regional runner-up.
All three will compete at the state tournament beginning this Friday in Salina.

“With
all the craziness of hosting the regional tournament, I’m very proud of how the
team performed overall,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “It was great
having three guys make the finals.”

Holtzen
(35-3), who is heading to state for the third consecutive year, won his first
regional crown with a dominant performance in his bracket. He opened the
tournament with pin of Tonganoxie’s Logan Wake and then pinned Baldwin’s Lucas
Hopper in just 54 seconds in the semifinals.

All
that set up a championship match against Piper’s Nick Lawson, and Holtzen was
control of the match from the opening whistle as he recorded a 13-1 major
decision.

“Being a regional champ is a really good feeling,” Holtzen said. “I haven’t been able to accomplish that my first two years so to be able to get that was almost a weight off my chest and going to state again is a huge deal. You almost start to take it for granted and last year at state I was definitely humbled, so I am ecstatic about going to state this year, but I’m not done yet.

“I feel I wrestled pretty well overall. There are a couple of
areas I can touch up on, so I’ll be doing that in practice this week. But you
can always get better so you can never be complacent. And the competition at
state is always the best that there is so you have to be at your best.”

As for Owens (35-6), the Louisburg junior opened with a 15-0
technical fall over Ottawa’s Trevor Kaub and then defeated Baldwin’s Jesse
Hopper by a 9-4 decision in the semifinals to earn a spot in the championship match
and secured a state berth.

Owens faced off with Tonganoxie’s Grayson Sonntag in the
finals. Sonntag, who is ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, defeated Owens by a 12-4
major decision. Despite the runner-up finish, Owens is excited for his second
trip to the state tournament.

“Being able to go to state again is a great opportunity for
me to compete against the best in the state,” Owens said. “I had worked harder
this year than any other year in order to go back to state. The past couple
years of my high school career had not gone as planned, but this year I have a
great shot at winning some matches.

“Overall, I was able to make it into the finals and face off
against the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the state, which I was really excited
about. I had lost my semis matches in the past couple meets and was finally
able to pull off a semifinals win when it really mattered for regionals.”

Doles (31-9) faced a similar road
to Owens as he opened with a pin of Paola’s Corey Holub and then recorded a
15-0 technical fall over Baldwin’s William Damet. That set up a championship
match against another top-ranked wrestler.

Doles was matched up against Piper’s
Anthony Ferguson, who is the No. 1 wrestler in 4A at 160 pounds. Ferguson
pinned Doles in the second period, but the Wildcat sophomore earned his second
consecutive trip to state.

“Both Ryan and Brandon had tough
match-ups in the regional finals, but I’m proud of how they battled against
their opponents,” Bovaird said.

The Wildcats nearly had two more
earn a trip to state as freshman Kaven Bartlett and sophomore Aiden Barker each
found themselves one win from a state berth.

At 113 pounds, Bartlett (28-12)
made his way to the blood round despite a tough 6-4 loss in the first round to
Atchison’s Archer Willis. Bartlett battled back to the consolations semifinals,
where he eventually fell in a 3-1 decision to Paola’s Charlie Zeller.

As close as that match was, Barker’s
consolation semifinal match was even more dramatic. Barker found himself in a back
and forth match against Paola’s Ben Timpe and nearly had a 2-point takedown at
the buzzer.

Barker put Timpe on his back as
the buzzer sounded, but was ruled just out of bounds as time expired and lost a
9-8 decision.

“I’m
super proud of those two and how much of a fight they put up,” Bovaird said. “They
both truly took on a predator mindset, which we’ve been talking about all year.
Some of the best wrestling I’ve ever seen from those two happened this weekend.
It is heartbreaking, but some good came of those tough losses. Both of them
have been at practice this week helping their teammates, and I think they’re
both willing to commit to even more off-season wrestling to help them get to
their goals.”

The
Kansas Class 4A State Wrestling Championships begin at 10 a.m. on Friday at the
Tony’s Pizza Event Center in Salina and the top six in each weight class will
earn a medal.

Louisburg junior Cade Holtzen works for a pin Saturday during the Frontier League Tournament on Saturday at Ottawa High School. Holtzen finished second at 126 pounds.

OTTAWA – Three Louisburg wrestlers
found their way to the podium during the Frontier League Tournament on Saturday
at Ottawa High School.

Cade Holtzen, Ryan Owens and
Brandon Doles each placed in the top three of their respective weight classes
to help lead the Wildcats in the nine-team tournament. Holtzen made his way to
the championship before finishing second, while Owens and Doles each took third
place.

In all, six wrestlers placed in
the top five and the Wildcats finished ninth overall with 107 points. Bonner
Springs won the league title with 234 points and Paola was second with 180.5.

“Competition
at league was pretty tough this year, and our league has only gotten stronger
with the addition of Piper, Tonganoxie, and Bonner, but I was initially
disappointed with how we finished up as a team,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird
said. “Then I remember that there’s a reason why we have a full season leading
up to regionals and state. We face tests every week at every tournament, and
the focus is on growth and progress. No match should define a season, and we’re
not going to let our league performance define the team’s season.

“Last
week was Homecoming, which was full of all sorts of activities and distractions,
and we also had a snow day when we couldn’t even practice. A lot of things
provided obstacles, but in the end, we walked out of league with a specific
insight into where we need to work on improving for regionals and state.”

Holtzen
(29-3) earned a spot in the championship match of the 126-pound class. The
Louisburg junior opened with pin over Paola’s Sheldon Martin and then pinned Piper’s
Nick Lawson in the semifinals.

All
that set up a rematch of last season’s 113-pound league final between Holtzen
and Bonner Springs’ Cassius Vanderpool. Unfortunately for Holtzen, who is currently
ranked No. 6 in Class 4A, the result wasn’t the same as he lost a close 3-2
decision to finish runner-up.

“Cade
wrestled a really tough match, and I loved seeing his confidence early in the
match,” Bovaird said. “As it progressed, though, I wonder if he got to thinking
too much and let his focus shift from his wrestling to the end of the match. It
was a momentary lapse where his opponent was able to get an escape and score
the winning point.

“Overall,
he had a pretty dominant day. He had a rematch against the Piper kid. The last
time they wrestled, Cade wasn’t able to get the pin and he only scored a tech
fall; on Saturday, he not only repeated his dominance on top, but he also got a
pretty solid pin out of it.”

Owens
(30-5) had a strong start to his league tournament at 120 pounds as he opened
with an 18-8 major decision over Paola’s Steven Yeager and then battled Bonner
Springs’ Peyton Richardson in the semifinals. It was a back and forth match,
but Owens was eventually pinned late in the third period.

The
Louisburg junior responded with a pin of Ottawa’s Trevor Kaub on the backside
of the bracket and then pinned Yeager in the third-place match.

Doles
(26-8) also won his first match of the day as he pinned Paola’s Corey Holub,
but then came up against Spring Hill’s Jakob Stovall in the semifinals. It was
a low-scoring, tight match, but Stovall scored late to take the 3-2 decision.

Doles
responded on the backside to pin Baldwin’s William Damet and then pinned Bonner
Springs’ Jackson McArthur in the third place match.

“They both wrestled solid matches throughout the day,” Bovaird said of
Owens and Doles. “I think their semifinals losses, along with several other key
losses for the team that day, really showed us how much we need to focus on
conditioning this week. Brandon was aggressive throughout the semis match with
Spring Hill, but unable to capitalize on his scoring attempts.

“Ryan showed a lot of
dominance in his semis match against Bonner Springs, but ultimately ran out of
gas in the third. They were tied up before he got turned. Overall, I’m pretty
happy with their ability to bounce back and score some big points in the
consolation rounds.”

Sophomore Johnathan
Keegan-Childs just missed out on the medal stand as he finished fourth at 195
pounds after recording two pins.

Freshman Kaven Bartlett
also earned two pins at 113 pounds and finished fifth overall. Sophomore Aiden
Barker also took fifth at 170 pounds after he finished with two pins and a 2-2
record on the day.

Louisburg will continue
its postseason action this Friday and Saturday as it hosts the Class 4A
regional tournament. The top four finishers in each weight class will earn a
spot at the state tournament next week in Salina.

 “I think the whole team is pretty stoked to be
hosting regionals,” Bovaird said. “It’s a big deal to have our regional
tournament on our home mats, and our gym seems to have been made to host an
event like this. We should have a nice crowd cheering on the team, but I think
with the smooth practices we’ve been having and the team’s ability to reset and
refocus, we should have a pretty solid tournament this year.”

Junior Ryan Owens works for some back points against an opponent during a 120-pound match Tuesday during the Wildcat Duals at Louisburg High School.

Thanks to Mother Nature, the
Louisburg High School wrestling schedule was a little bit shorter than in year’s
past.

A couple different events,
including the Wildcats’ home tournament last month, had to be cancelled due to
weather and head coach Bobby Bovaird was looking to add something to his
schedule to give his wrestlers more mat time.

Bovaird was able to find something
right before the start of the postseason as Louisburg invited Blue Valley West,
Anderson County and Girard to compete in the Wildcat Duals on Tuesday at
Louisburg High School.

Although the Wildcats didn’t get
the results they wanted, as they went 1-2 on the evening, it was a good way to
get ready for the important tournaments ahead.

“We
lost 4-5 matches with our home invitational being canceled, then the next week
we lost one more match with the Spring Hill dual being canceled,” Bovaird said.
“It’s tough trying to make-up matches with wrestling. A game can be easily
rescheduled, but not an entire tournament. I’m very thankful that my
administration was willing to let us host this meet to make up some competition
points, plus it gave us one more chance to showcase our wrestlers at home.”

It
didn’t get off to the start the Wildcats were hoping for as they fell to Blue
Valley West (54-24) and Anderson County (42-32). Louisburg did end the night on
a positive note as it defeated Girard, 45-21, in its final dual of the season
as the Wildcats now focus on the Frontier League Tournament this Saturday.

Louisburg
got victories from Kaven Bartlett (113 pounds), Ryan Owens (120), Cade Holtzen
(126), Brett Rangel (145), Brandon Doles (160), Aiden Barker (170), Jonathan
Keegan-Childs (195) and Elijah Eslinger (285) to secure the win over Girard.

“We didn’t wrestle our best Tuesday night, but that’s all right,”
Bovaird said. “It gave us some ideas of where we really need to focus as we get
ready for the end of the season. I especially am proud of the guys for
finishing our dual season with a victory. We have a lot of opens and a lot of
younger and lighter kids bumping up to fill our varsity weights. That’s
something that really impresses me, that we have the ability to fill those
weights with kids who can compete.”

Owens, Holtzen and Doles
each finished the night with a 3-0 record, while Bartlett, Holtzen and Doles
are each currently ranked No. 6 in Class 4A in their respective weight classes.

Senior Sam Kratochvil
(220) got a win against Blue Valley West, while Barker, Keegan-Childs and Eslinger
also picked up victories over Anderson County.

The Wildcats will now
turn their attention to the Frontier League Invitational. The Frontier League
currently has two teams (Tonganoxie and Piper) ranked in the top 10 in Class
4A, along with state-ranked wrestlers from several schools.

The tournament will begin
at 9 a.m. tomorrow at Ottawa High School.

“The
Frontier League is traditionally a pretty tough tournament,” Bovaird said. “Each
of our guys will have some key match-ups that will help us get set for
regionals. Whether it’s a state-ranked opponent from another league school, a
potential regional match-up, or even just a chance for a revenge win, we’re
sitting in a good position to win those match-ups.”

Louisburg sophomore Brandon Doles gets a pin during his 160-pound match last Thursday during the Wildcats’ dual against Ottawa.

In what was one of its tougher
tournaments to date, the Louisburg wrestling team more than held its own
Saturday during the Baldwin Invitational.

The Wildcats put three wrestlers
in the finals and had three more place in the top six as they went on to finish
ninth in the team standings.

Kaven Bartlett (113 pounds), Cade
Holtzen (126) and Brandon Doles (160) each made their way to the finals and
finished second. Ryan Owens (120) and Aiden Barker (170) was fifth and A.J.
Reed (182) took sixth.

“Coach
Harris at Baldwin has always tried to make this tournament a tough competition,
inviting as many 4A schools as possible,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “Many
times, it’s like a mini-state tournament. You’ll see some marquee match-ups
throughout the tournament. I love that we had guys able to step up and battle
their way into the finals. It’s a great feeling having our guys able to earn
medals at this tournament.”

Holtzen
recorded a couple pins on his way to the championship match as he opened with a
first period pin of Clay Center’s Aden Hatcher and then followed that up with a
pin in the third period of Burlington’s Johnathon Williams in quarterfinals. In
the semifinals, he recorded a 14-3 major decision of Wamego’s Nick Cruickshank.

In the finals, Holtzen squared off with Marysville’s Isaac Novotny, who is ranked No. 5 in Class 4A. Holtzen and Novotny went into overtime, but Holtzen fell in a 10-9 decision.

“It
was definitely an exciting match, and it came down to the fact that Cade made
some mistakes that his opponent capitalized on to score his points,” Bovaird
said. “The great thing about that is that we have some specific things to work
on. We have time to make corrections, to analyze film, and to work on improving
technique.

“The
next time Cade faces off against this opponent, he’ll have put in the time to
improve those areas. Cade really did wrestle a tough match against him, and
he’s got nothing to hang his head about.”

Doles,
who is currently ranked No. 6 at 160 pounds, also got off to a good start as he
pinned his way to the championship match. He opened with a pin of Labette
County’s Cody Hambleton and then followed it up with another pin of Baldwin’s
William Damet, before getting a revenge win over Eudora’s Nate Criqui with a
second period victory in the semifinals.

Burlington’s
Cael Johnson was Doles’ next opponent in the championship. Johnson, who is the
No. 1 ranked wrestler in 4A, pinned Doles in the second round.

“Brandon
received our weekly ‘Wildcat Award’ for his performance this weekend,” Bovaird
said. “He stepped up and got a revenge win against his Eudora opponent and he
battled pretty well against his Burlington opponent, who is ranked #1 in the
state. Five of his six losses this season come from the No. 1 (twice) and No. 5
(three times) ranked wrestlers in 4A.”

Bartlett,
who also cracked the state rankings at No. 5 at 113 pounds, recorded three
straight pins on his way to the title match. He defeated Osawatomie’s Damon
Estes and Marysville’s Tristen Schaefer with first period pins and then pinned
Perry-Lecompton’s Mason Bahnmaier in the second period of the semifinals.

In
the first-place match, Bartlett lost a 4-0 decision to Holton’s Jake Barnes,
who is currently ranked third in Class 3A.

“Kaven
is really showing that his hard work in the off-season is paying off,” Bovaird
said. “He’s got some great youth wrestling experience, and now he’s stepping up
his game. I told him after his finals match that the conversation is no longer ‘he’s
got a good chance of qualifying for state.’ It’s now a conversation of ‘he’s
got a good chance at placing at state.’”

Owens
advanced to the semifinals of 120 pounds and squared off with Osawatomie Chance
Mitzner, who is No. 5 in the state. Owens battled him to the end, but lost a
3-2 decision, and eventually took fifth after he won a 6-5 decision over Eudora’s
Dayton Fraser.

Barker went 3-2 on the day to
finish fifth at 170 pounds, while Reed also picked up two wins to take sixth at
182 pounds.

“Ryan
Owens battled and lost a tough 3-2 match to the No. 4 ranked kid in 4A,”
Bovaird said. “In the consolation bracket, he had a tough time bouncing back,
but he competed pretty well. Aiden Barker came out and wrestled well, too. AJ
Reed also had a good tournament. What he’s missing in technique and experience,
he makes up for with toughness and competitiveness. Jacob Briley and Sam
Kratochvil also won some matches for us and had a good tournament.”

Louisburg
is back in action Thursday when it travels to state-ranked Piper for a Frontier
League dual.

Wildcats fall in Senior Night dual to Ottawa

On a night that honored seniors
Hugh Staver, Sam Kraotchvil and manager Elizabeth Kratochvil during Senior
Night ceremonies last Thursday, the Wildcats had a tough time against Ottawa in
a Frontier League dual.

The Wildcats fell 60-24 to the
Cyclones as Louisburg had to deal with several open weights.

Ryan Owens and Cade Holtzen opened
with a pair of pins to give Louisburg a 12-0 lead early, but the Cyclones were
just too much. Brandon Doles and Aiden Barker also recorded pins on the night
for Louisburg.

PARSONS – The Louisburg wrestling
team gained a little more traction on its season Friday when the Wildcats
traveled to the Parsons Invitational.

The Wildcats racked up 78 points
to finish in third place out 12 teams and had five wrestlers finish in the top
four. Among those five was junior Cade Holtzen, who had a special night of his
own.

Holtzen won the 126-pound division
and made a little history in the process. After winning his championship match,
he recorded his 100^th career victory as he finished the day 3-0.

He opened the tournament with a 7-0 decision on Lebanon’s (Mo.) Austin Johnson and then earned a 9-1 major decision over Lebanon’s Bo Rosen in the semifinals. Holtzen (21-1) later pinned Labette County’s Evan Flatt in 54 seconds in the championship.

“Cade’s
bracket was pretty unusual,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “His first
match was against a JV kid from Lebanon, but that kid could have started on
many other teams. His second match in the semifinals was against the varsity Lebanon
kid, who was pretty tough. In the finals, he saw a returning state qualifier
from Labette County.

“It’s
challenges like these that shape the rest of the season, and I’m proud of how
Cade stepped up and competed. Seeing him join the ‘Century Club’ by getting
that 100th win was a great way to cap off the tournament.”

Three
other Wildcats also placed in the top four as junior Ryan Owens (120 pounds)
finished second. Freshman Kaven Bartlett (113) and sophomore Brandon Doles
(160) took third, while sophomore Aiden Barker (170) finished in fourth.
Overall, Bovaird liked what he saw from his team.

“Coming
away with another team plaque was a nice touch as the team has been working so
hard throughout the month of January,” Bovaird said. “In the bigger picture of
the season, January is always a tough month. It’s a long sprint, week-to-week.
We have tournaments each weekend and a dual each week. There’s the regular
problems due to inclement weather, and it’s also the time of year that everyone
seems to get sick. These guys have been working their tails off, and something
like a team plaque is a nice reward to let them know that their hard work is
paying off.”

Owens (21-2) had a good start to his tournament as he pinned Lebanon’s Andrew Dent in the second period and then won a tough 9-7 decision over Independence’s Cooper Anderson to advance to the championship. It was there where he was pinned by Lebanon’s Cole Patten and ended in second place.

As for Doles (18-5), who is currently ranked No. 6 in the state at 160 pounds, he opened with a pin of Cherryvale’s Brad Morris, but ran into Independence’s Ian Lawson in the semifinals and was pinned in the second period. Lawson is currently No. 5 in Class 4A.

Doles
bounced back to pin Lebanon’s Connor Brand in the consolation semifinals and
then won a 5-1 decision over Santa Fe Trail’s Stephan Roberts in the
third-place match.

Bartlett (19-4) won his first match in the 113-pound bracket after he pinned Cherryvale’s Dalton Morrill, but was pinned by Lebanon’s Davis Joiner in the semifinals. Bartlett responded to pin Erie’s Nate Thompson in the consolation round and then won a tough 2-0 decision over Lebanon’s Taydem Johnson.

At 170 pounds, Barker (12-7) is filling in for junior Ben Wiedenmann who is injured. After losing his first match, he responded with back-to-back pins to advance to the third-place round, where he was pinned by Lebanon’s Gabriel Schiller.

As
much success as the Wildcats had, it was a difficult start to the day as school
was canceled on that morning, but the meet went on as scheduled. It left the
wrestlers with a different start to their day.

 “When the kids woke up Friday morning to learn that
school was canceled, that really made things challenging,” Bovaird said. “It
was up in the air as to whether or not we’d be able to compete in the
tournament, and thanks to the due diligence and planning of our administrators,
we were given the go ahead to travel. I’m very proud of how the team was able
to hold their weight, refocus in the face of uncertainty, and get the job done.
We had a lot of opens at Parsons, but they still arose to the challenge.”

Louisburg
is back in action at 5:30 p.m. Thursday when it hosts Ottawa in a league dual
on Senior Night. The Wildcats will then travel to the Baldwin Invitational on
Saturday.

Louisburg junior Ryan Owens brings Lawrence’s Kevin Honas to the mat Tuesday at Louisburg High School. Owens upset the No. 4 ranked Honas and won by decision in the Wildcats’ 48-30 victory.

When it comes to duals, the
Louisburg wrestling team has been a little unlucky so far this season – whether
it was because of open weights, injuries or bad matchups.

It all seemed to come together for
the Wildcats on Tuesday when they hosted Lawrence High School. Louisburg put
together a strong showing as it downed the Lions 48-30 and captured their first
dual win since early December.

“It
felt great getting a dual win, especially at home on our own mat in front of
our crowd,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “Lawrence is a young team, but
then again, so are we. We ended up with two open weight classes, and that’s
been our struggle the last couple of years.

“I
had several guys move up a weight to fill out our lineup, and I love the fact
that I can do that with our squad. If I didn’t think it was a safe choice or
that our guy could handle moving up a weight, I wouldn’t do it. It’s always a
gamble, and I’m proud of how the squad stepped up and answered the challenge.”

The
dual started at 126 pounds when Cade Holtzen opened with a pin, but Lawrence
recorded back-to-back pins against Luke Kelly and Jarrett Hoyle at 132 and 138
pounds, respectively to take the lead. Senior Harrison Laney responded with a
big pin at 145 pounds to tie the match.

Lawrence
took the lead once again after Louisburg was open at 152, but sophomores
Brandon Doles and Aiden Barker came through in their matches. Doles and Barker
both notched quick pins at 160 and 170 pounds to give the Wildcats a 24-18
advantage.

Louisburg
would build on its lead from there as sophomore A.J. Reed won by pin at 182
pounds. Lawrence was open in the next two weight classes and the Wildcats were
up 42-18 to all but seal the win.

After
Lawrence won by pin in the heavyweight class against Elijah Eslinger, and the
Wildcats were open at 106, the Lions cut the Wildcat lead to 12. Freshman Kaven
Bartlett sealed the victory with a win by decision.

Even
though the dual was basically over, the final match ended up being the most
competitive of the night. Junior Ryan Owens squared off with Lawrence’s Kevin
Honas, who is currently ranked No. 4 in Class 6A.

Owens
pulled off the upset as he was able to win by decision and improved his record
to 19-1 on the season to end the evening on a strong note.

“Ryan’s
win at 120 was a great conclusion for the dual,” Bovaird said. “Not only did he
win the match, but I saw a change in attitude and mindset with his
competitiveness. In fact, that’s been the staple of his matches all season.
He’s really grown and advanced.

“I
don’t mind him not being ranked in 4A. He’s going to surprise some people this
season, that’s for sure. Our seasoned wrestlers stepped up and wrestled tough,
like I knew they would, and our newer wrestlers still gave it a great battle,
whether they won or lost.”

Louisburg
is back in action Friday when the Wildcats travel to the Parsons Invitational.

TOPEKA – It had been a frustrating
start to the new year for the Louisburg wrestling team.

The Wildcats saw their first two events of 2020 cancelled, including their home tournament. It left them itching to get back on the mat and it showed Saturday.

Louisburg traveled to the Topeka
Invitational for its first competition in nearly a month and the Wildcats were
able to shake off the rust and come home with some hardware. They left Topeka
with four champions and one runner-up as the Wildcats finished fourth out of 10
teams.

Freshman Kaven Bartlett (113
pounds), junior Cade Holtzen (126), sophomore Brandon Doles (160) and sophomore
Aiden Barker (170) each finished first in their respective brackets to lead the
Wildcats. Junior Ryan Owens (120) also advanced to the championship match, but
finished second.

“They were definitely eager to get back on the mat,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “We’ve been working hard in the practice room, and after two weeks of some really awesome practices, it’s great to see them get a chance to get on the mats to show what progress they’ve been making.

“The cancellations were frustrating, no doubt about it, but it is what it is. Every year we don’t have any meets canceled due to weather, we’re pretty lucky. I just hate losing our home tournament because it’s a long-standing tradition and a great chance to get some quality matches on our home mats. “

Bartlett (16-3) got his day
started with a technical fall of Topeka West’s Jay Dillon and then outlasted
Burlingame’s Conner Collins for a 2-0 decision in the semifinals. Bartlett then
captured the title with a 4-1 decision over Council Grove’s Jesse Rodgers in
the championship match.

At 126 pounds, Holtzen (18-1)
pinned his way to a title. He made his way to the championship with easy pins
over Bishop Miege’s Daniel Henre and Gardner-Edgerton’s Therron Meade. Then in
the first-place match, Holtzen handed Council Grove’s Wyatt Johnson his first
loss of the year with another pin.

Doles (15-4) opened his day up
with a pair of easy pins over Topeka-Hayden’s TC Thompson and Gardner’s Trenton
Bryan to advance to the championship. He then battled Topeka High’s Caemen
Blake and won with a 7-5 decision.

Barker (10-5) filled in at 170 pounds for the Wildcats and recorded a pair of pins over Gardner’s Aydin Lowery to record his first championship of the season.

Owens (18-1) started the tournament strong as he pinned Gardner’s Zack Thomas and Highland Park’s Javier Osorio to reach the finals. It was there where he suffered his first loss of the season in a 5-0 decision to Council Grove’s Tom VanValkenburg, who is currently ranked No. 4 in Class 321A.

“Our guys really did come out well on Saturday,” Bovaird said. “For Kaven and Aiden, it was their first ever varsity championship. Cade and Brandn have been there before, but they still had to earn it. Kaven held on to win two decisive matches with smart wrestling, especially on top. Cade had a tough opponent in the finals, but one great thing I saw from him was the ability to turn on the heat late in the match. He never let up, and finally got the pin in the third period.

“Brandon faced off against a very unorthodox opponent, a 6A state qualifier, and I think the match wasn’t near as close as the score suggested. He was in control and dominant the whole match. Aiden stepped up to the opportunity to make some noise for himself, and he could have easily let himself get defeated mentally, but he showed some great mental toughness in his matches.

“Ryan Owens ran into the #4 ranked wrestler in 321A, and although he lost 5-0, he was competitive the entire time. That match, while it was a loss, helped him pinpoint some important things to work on, and with his attitude this season, he’ll be bouncing back with no problem. “

Sophomores A.J. Reed (182) and
Johnathan Keegan-Childs (195) each finished fifth for Louisburg, while junior
Jarrett Hoyle (132) and senior Sam Kratochivil (220) each placed sixth.

As a team, the Wildcats finished with 143.5 points to take fourth despite being open in four weight classes. Council Grove won the team title with 171 points, Topeka High was second with 169.5 and Gardner-Edgerton was third with 150.

Louisburg is back in action at
5:30 p.m. tonight when it hosts Lawrence for Alumni Night. The Wildcats will
also travel to the Parsons Invitational on Friday.