The Louisburg High School wrestling team honored eight seniors Thursday during its Senior Night dual with Lawrence High. The Louisburg seniors are (from left): manager Megan Anderson, Kyle Allen, Dylan Thompson, Garrett Caldwell, Ryan Adams, Thad Hendrix, Tucker Battten and manager Ashley Chitwood.

For the six Louisburg senior wrestlers, Thursday’s matchup with Lawrence High was more than just your normal dual.

It would be the last time they got a chance to compete in front of their home fans.

Thad Hendrix, Kyle Allen, Tucker Batten, Ryan Adams, Dylan Thompson and Garrett Caldwell were all honored on Senior Night and the Wildcats got a win in the process. Louisburg downed Lawrence 56-15 as the Wildcats improved their dual record to 13-5 on the season in their final home performance.

This senior class was one Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird got to know a young age and he has enjoyed his journey with this group.

“I first got to know these guys when they were seventh graders,” Bovaird said. “With the exception of Dylan, all of them were on the seventh grade team when I started coaching at the middle school. I have gotten to know them quite a bit, more than just the four years that you typically get to know a kid.

“Each of these kids have gone with us to some kind of camp with us over the years, whether it be in Nebraska, going to Baldwin or our summer camp here. It is a great group of kids and I am definitely going to miss them when this is all over.”

As for the dual itself, the Wildcats encountered some losses that nearly turned into wins. Hendrix lost a back and forth match at 106 pounds to begin the dual and Adams nearly the pinned the state’s No. 2 wrestlers in Class 6A, Ja’Melle Dye, before he ended up getting pinned himself at 145 pounds.

Despite those setbacks, the Wildcats still experienced plenty of success against the Lions.

Freshman Cade Holtzen got the Wildcats on the board at 113 pounds with a pin, and after both teams were open at 120, Allen and Gabe Bonham won by forfeit at 126 and 132, respectively.

Senior Tucker Batten turns his opponent for some back points during the 138-pound match Thursday.

Batten won by technical fall at 138 pounds and put the Wildcats up by 20 and they led 23-15 following the 152 pound match.

The Wildcats reeled off six victories in a row to end it. Junior Blue Caplinger (160) won by pin, freshman Ben Wiedenmann (170) won by decision, Caldwell (182) won by forfeft, Hayden Hoy (195) won by forfeit, Austin Moore (220) won by pin and Hunter Day (285) won by forfeit to complete the dual.

“There were some tough matches, but we just didn’t have the type of matchups that I was hoping have for our Senior Night,” Bovaird said. “I wanted a chance to showcase our guys and how tough they are. Thad’s match was a close one, and Ryan’s match was an intense match, but they didn’t go the way we wanted them to go. We have a lot of work between now and league.”

Louisburg will now begin its postseason stretch as it will compete in the Frontier League Dual Tournament beginning on Friday at Baldwin High School in hopes of defending its league title. The Wildcats will begin action against at 5 p.m. against Eudora, followed by matches against De Soto and Spring Hill.

The Wildcats will open with Paola at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, followed by duals with Baldwin and Ottawa.

“With the competition we have, we have stressed taking one weekend off a month,” Bovaird said. “We have been going four weeks straight and now it is time for them to take a break and enjoy a little time off. I just hope our weight doesn’t balloon up too much. We have four solid practices coming up (this week) and then we start the postseason. It is an exciting time right now.”

Louisburg senior Ryan Adams works for a pin at the Baldwin Invitational Tournament on Saturday. Adams was second in the 145-pound weight class and was one of three Wildcats to earn medals. 

BALDWIN CITY – The Louisburg High School wrestling team saw some of the best competition the state had to offer Saturday at the Baldwin Invitational Tournament.

It was the Wildcats’ most difficult tournament to date and provided them with a lot of tough matches. Despite all that, Louisburg was still able to come away with some hardware.

The Wildcats earned three medals on the day, including a pair of wrestlers that found themselves among the top two in their weight classes.

Freshman Cade Holtzen won the 113-pound weight class as he finished his round-robin bracket with a 5-0 record as he continues to have a strong season that includes a No. 5 ranking in Class 4A and a 32-1 record on the season.

“Cade is establishing himself as one of the toughest 113 pounders in the state,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “He hasn’t seen some of the tough western Kansas competition, but for the folks around this area, he’s proven himself to be a high-caliber wrestler as a freshman. We’ll see how things stack up at regionals and state though. He’s been wrestling strong and improving his skills each time he gets on the mat.”

Freshman Cade Holtzen won the 113-pound weight class Saturday at the Baldwin Invitational.

Ryan Adams pinned his way to the championship match of the 145-pound bracket, where he met a familiar opponent. Adams, the No. 5 wrestler in the state, went up against No. 4 Patterson Starcher from Tonganoxie.

Adams has seen Starcher in two previous appearances this season, but came up short in both instances. Despite battling an illness, Adams put up a fight against Starcher in a 7-0 loss to finish second overall.

He still had a successful tournament as he picked up big victories along with way, including a pin of Burlington’s Cael Johnson in the semifinals, who is the No. 6 ranked wrestler in the state.

“Ryan has been fighting pneumonia the last week, and I wouldn’t have blamed him if he had taken the weekend off to rest up,” Bovaird said. “I’m pretty proud of how he stepped up and battled through his weakness. His semifinals win was a great step forward for him. That kid was ranked at state right below him, and he’s a tough kid.

“Ryan’s finals match had some high spots, but you could tell he wasn’t feeling his best. He toughed it out against a guy who’d pinned him twice earlier this season. Next time we see him will be at state. If Ryan is healthy, the way he’s been wrestling lately, that match will go much differently.”

Junior Blue Caplinger competed in the toughest bracket of the tournament at 160 pounds. It featured five of the top six wrestlers in the state, including Caplinger, who is ranked No. 5.

To open the tournament, Caplinger met Eudora’s Elijah Kennedy, the No. 3 ranked wrestler in the state. Caplinger nearly pulled off the upset in a 4-2 decision and he almost tied the match as time expired.

Caplinger responded to win two of his next three matches to finish fourth overall, including a 1-0 decision over Tonganoxie’s Caden Searcy in the consolation semifinals.

“Blue had a tough bracket indeed,” Bovaird said. “Five of the top-six ranked kids in the state were there on Saturday. His first match was a battle against Kennedy. Blue lost a 4-2 decision on that one, but the final minute of the match, he was getting closer and closer to tying up the match. On the back side of the bracket, he got a 1-0 decision against a kid who’d beaten him 3-4 times two years ago, and that was a nice revenge win. In the 3rd place match, he faced the No. 1 ranked kid in 4A, who’d just gotten beat in the semifinals, and that was a tough loss for Blue.”

Junior Austin Moore, who is ranked No. 5 at 195 pounds, had a difficult bracket as well. Moore squared off with No. 3 Connor Searcy from Tonganoxie for the third time, and like the other two times, came up short in a 4-2 decision in the semifinals. He also fell to Prairie View’s Chanz Gerleman on the back side of the bracket before rebounding to win his fifth place match.

“Austin had a chance to wrestle the Tonganoxie kid for the third time this season,” Bovaird said. “He’s a strong wrestler, and Austin just couldn’t get that takedown this time. On the back side of the bracket, he got caught and pinned by a Prairie View kid who he might have just overlooked. It was a tough day, but I think Austin knows what to do to correct that problem for next time.”

Seniors Thad Hendrix (106 pounds), Kyle Allen (126) and Tucker Batten (138) finished their day on a good note as they each won their fifth place matches.

Senior Thad Hendrix finished fifth overall at 106 pounds for the Wildcats

Overall, the Wildcats finished ninth out of 16 teams with 108.5 points. Holton won the tournament with 190 points and Tonganoxie was second with 161.

“As always, Baldwin proves to be a great test for us,” Bovaird said. “We have a chance to see several schools that we don’t typically see until state — Clay Center, Rock Creek, Buhler and Wamego to name a few. It gives us an indication of where we’re at in the season. The seeding meeting is always difficult because we haven’t seen a lot of the teams, so we get to hear a lot of common opponents. Plus, we get to see how we stack up head-to-head when we get on the mats.

“We struggled in a few spots, and we dropped some matches I don’t think we should have let get away. One point of emphasis we’ve been working on is overtime matches. We lost two of them this weekend, and it just shows up how much harder we need to be working.

Louisburg returns to the mat tonight in its final home match of the season as it hosts Lawrence High for dual on Senior Night. Matches are set to begin at 6 p.m.

2018 BALDWIN INVITATIONAL RESULTS

TEAM SCORES

1. Holton 190
2. Tonganoxie 161
3. Basehor-Linwood 130
4. Burlington 129
5. Baldwin 122
6. Santa Fe Trail 116
7. Spring Hill 115
8. Clay Center 113
9. Louisburg 5
10. Prairie View 5
11. Eudora 90
12. Buhler 82
13. Goodland 81
14. Rock Creek 54
15. Wamego 42
16. Osawatomie 31

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

106

Thad Hendrix (23-11) placed 5th and scored 11.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 23-11 won by major decision over Lucas Hopper (Baldwin) 12-12 (MD 17-5)
• Quarterfinal – Jake Barnes (Holton) 20-10 won by forfeit over Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 23-11 (For.)
• Cons. Round 2 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 23-11 won by fall over Ryan Owens (Louisburg) 1-3 (Fall 2:15)
• Cons. Round 3 – Jacob Hollman (Osawatomie) 20-7 won by decision over Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 23-11 (Dec 11-6)
• 5th Place Match – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 23-11 won by decision over Hunter Harris (Tonganoxie) 13-15 (Dec 13-6)

106

Ryan Owens (1-3) placed 8th.

• Champ. Round 1 – Ryan Owens (Louisburg) 1-3 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Rhett Koppes (Clay Center) 28-3 won by fall over Ryan Owens (Louisburg) 1-3 (Fall 1:38)
• Cons. Round 2 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 23-11 won by fall over Ryan Owens (Louisburg) 1-3 (Fall 2:15)
• Cons. Round 3 – Ryan Owens (Louisburg) 1-3 won by major decision over Taye Payne (Goodland) 11-17 (MD 18-5)
• 7th Place Match – Lucas Hopper (Baldwin) 12-12 won by fall over Ryan Owens (Louisburg) 1-3 (Fall 4:35)

113

Cade Holtzen (32-1) placed 1st and scored 23.50 team points.

• Round 1 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) 32-1 won by fall over Kolton Varner (Clay Center) 3-5 (Fall 0:42)
• Round 2 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) 32-1 won by tech fall over Drake Parkinson (Basehor-Linwood) 9-13 (TF-1.5 3:55 (18-1))
• Round 3 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) 32-1 won by fall over Benton Flory (Baldwin) 6-17 (Fall 2:04)
• Round 4 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) 32-1 won by fall over Tanner Shoup (Rock Creek) 18-13 (Fall 2:43)
• Round 5 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) 32-1 won by decision over Will Schreiner (Eudora) 16-11 (Dec 9-3)

126

Kyle Allen (19-13) placed 5th and scored 9.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) 19-13 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Kolby Roush (Holton) 26-6 won by fall over Kyle Allen (Louisburg) 19-13 (Fall 5:37)
• Cons. Round 2 – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) 19-13 won by decision over Josh Broyles (Baldwin) 14-14 (Dec 6-1)
• Cons. Round 3 – Trajan McCormick (Spring Hill) 21-10 won in sudden victory – 1 over Kyle Allen (Louisburg) 19-13 (SV-1 4-2)
• 5th Place Match – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) 19-13 won by major decision over Bryce Isabell (Santa Fe Trail) 1-3 (MD 15-1)

132

Gabe Bonham (13-12) place is unknown and scored 2.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Manten Crow (Goodland) 9-19 won by forfeit over Gabe Bonham (Louisburg) 13-12 (For.)
• Cons. Round 1 – Gabe Bonham (Louisburg) 13-12 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 2 – Gabe Bonham (Louisburg) 13-12 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 3 – Tyler Roberts (Santa Fe Trail) 14-11 won by forfeit over Gabe Bonham (Louisburg) 13-12 (For.)

138

Tucker Batten (20-10) placed 5th and scored 10.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) 20-10 won by fall over Devin Owings (Baldwin) 4-8 (Fall 0:56)
• Quarterfinal – Adler Pierson (Wamego) 20-6 won by decision over Tucker Batten (Louisburg) 20-10 (Dec 4-0)
• Cons. Round 2 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) 20-10 won by decision over Wyatt Dickie (Spring Hill) 18-8 (Dec 7-3)
• Cons. Round 3 – Lawson Henry (Holton) 31-5 won in sudden victory – 1 over Tucker Batten (Louisburg) 20-10 (SV-1 6-4)
• 5th Place Match – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) 20-10 won by decision over Reed Knitter (Clay Center) 22-13 (Dec 10-6)

145

Ryan Adams (21-4) placed 2nd and scored 24.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) 21-4 won by fall over Willie Bowman (Holton) 8-13 (Fall 0:13)
• Quarterfinal – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) 21-4 won by fall over Zach Jeanneret (Santa Fe Trail) 17-15 (Fall 1:41)
• Semifinal – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) 21-4 won by fall over Cael Johnson (Burlington) 30-3 (Fall 1:06)
• 1st Place Match – Patterson Starcher (Tonganoxie) 29-2 won by decision over Ryan Adams (Louisburg) 21-4 (Dec 7-0)

160

Blue Caplinger (23-9) placed 4th and scored 13.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) 23-9 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Elijah Kennedy (Eudora) 26-7 won by decision over Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) 23-9 (Dec 4-2)
• Cons. Round 2 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) 23-9 won by fall over Dakota Garrison (Santa Fe Trail) 20-16 (Fall 2:17)
• Cons. Round 3 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) 23-9 won by decision over Caden Searcy (Tonganoxie) 7-3 (Dec 1-0)
• 3rd Place Match – Brett Bober (Burlington) 30-1 won by fall over Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) 23-9 (Fall 1:19)

170

Ben Wiedenmann (5-14) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Jon Trowbridge (Basehor-Linwood) 32-3 won by major decision over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) 5-14 (MD 18-6)
• Cons. Round 1 – Jacob Reiss (Rock Creek) 15-12 won by decision over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) 5-14 (Dec 4-0)

182

Garrett Caldwell (12-19) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Joey Ewalt (Prairie View) 33-3 won by fall over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) 12-19 (Fall 2:30)
• Cons. Round 1 – Cy Hockey (Baldwin) 17-15 won by fall over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) 12-19 (Fall 1:55)

195

Austin Moore (30-4) placed 5th and scored 15.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) 30-4 won by fall over Preston Langley (Burlington) 6-18 (Fall 0:29)
• Quarterfinal – Austin Moore (Louisburg) 30-4 won by fall over Conner Ridgeway (Santa Fe Trail) 13-13 (Fall 0:38)
• Semifinal – Connor Searcy (Tonganoxie) 35-4 won by decision over Austin Moore (Louisburg) 30-4 (Dec 4-2)
• Cons. Round 3 – Chanz Gerleman (Prairie View) 9-6 won by fall over Austin Moore (Louisburg) 30-4 (Fall 2:18)
• 5th Place Match – Austin Moore (Louisburg) 30-4 won by fall over Conner Ridgeway (Santa Fe Trail) 13-13 (Fall 0:53)

220

James Nelson (0-4) place is unknown and scored 1.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Keegan McDonald (Clay Center) 2-8 won by fall over James Nelson (Louisburg) 0-4 (Fall 2:36)
• Cons. Round 1 – James Nelson (Louisburg) 0-4 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 2 – William Harris (Tonganoxie) 9-18 won by fall over James Nelson (Louisburg) 0-4 (Fall 1:24)

285

Hunter Day (10-21) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Tylar Patrick (Wamego) 26-0 won by fall over Hunter Day (Louisburg) 10-21 (Fall 0:43)
• Cons. Round 1 – Jacob Miller (Tonganoxie) 19-17 won by fall over Hunter Day (Louisburg) 10-21 (Fall 2:39)

Louisburg senior Tucker Batten works for a pin Thursday during the Wildcats’ home dual against Ottawa. The night also marked the return of several former wrestlers as they took part in the 3rd Annual Wildcat Wrestling Reunion. 

Past, present and even future Louisburg High School wrestlers gathered together Thursday for the program’s 3^rd Annual Wildcat Wrestling Reunion.

As former wrestlers came together to relive their favorite memories on the mat, the current Wildcat team provided the entertainment. Louisburg hosted Ottawa in a Frontier League dual and the Wildcats brought down the Cyclones, 51-27, as nine different Wildcats picked up victories.

“It’s always a great feeling to get a win in front of the home crowd,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “With so many alumni in attendance, it felt even better. I love that our guys have the ability and the chance to show the previous generations where our program is heading. All those guys had a big part in building the foundation that we have.”

Several former Wildcats had a chance to be recognized halfway through the dual, including former head coach Don Meek, who was the program’s first head coach in 1969.

Former LHS wrestling head coach Don Meek waves to the crowd as he was recognized with other LHS wrestling alumni Thursday.

Others that attended the reunion included: coach Brent Lane; Tom York, 1973; Fletch Kelly, 1975; Jack Smith, 1976; Jeff Shaffer, 1978; Chris Kelly, 1979; Marilyn Meek Mueller, 1981; Craig Crossley, 1987; Karl Stuteville, 1989; Bruce Caldwell, 1990; Bryan Stahl, 1990; Matt Golladay, 1993; Logan York, 1997; Shawn Crossley, 1998; Chad Hardesty, 1998; Clint Carter, 1998; Trevor Finch, 1998; James Auth, 1999; Andrew Shaffer, 2000; Jill Schaumburg Tibbetts, 2003; Reed Kreiser, 2004; Tim Gregar, 2005; Bradley Trageser, 2016; Jimmy Dolan, 2016; Zach Jones, 2016; Paige Shaffer, 2016; Alyssa Ellifrits, 2016; Dylan Meyer, 2017.

“Keeping the alumni a part of the program is a huge advantage,” Bovaird said. “Our younger guys see that this is a sport that builds life-long friendships. These guys who wrestled for the program weren’t just high schoolers who decided to wrestle in the winter to stay busy or to stay in shape; they were a part of a family. I want the squad to see how the alumni come together to share stories and laugh about old memories.

“We had all five decades of our program represented, from the very first LHS wrestling squads up through guys from last year’s graduating class. An event like this helps the alumni remember that they’re a part of the program, that people remember the things they did to help us get to where we’re at right now. It’s a tradition I plan to keep going as long as I’m here. Louisburg wrestling has always been something special, and thanks to the investments of all those who came before us, it always will be something special for our community.”

The current Wildcats put on a show as they jumped out to a big lead over the Cyclones through the first half of the dual.

After senior Thad Hendrix lost a close decision at 106 pounds, freshman Cade Holtzen won by pin at 113 pounds and junior Hunter Bindi was open at 120. Senior Kyle Allen won by technical fall at 126 pounds to stake Louisburg to a 17-3 lead.

Louisburg continued its run as freshman Anthony Welborn won by forfeit at 132 pounds and senior Tucker Batten won by pin at 138 pounds. Senior Ryan Adams won by forfeit at 145 and the Wildcats took a 35-3 advantage.

Senior Kyle Allen works to turn his opponent Thursday during the Wildcats’ home dual with Ottawa.

Freshman Jacob Briley lost by pin at 152, but junior Blue Caplinger won by major decision at 160 to get Louisburg back on track. Seniors Dylan Thompson (170) and Garrett Caldwell (182) lost by pin before Austin Moore (195) won by pin in his match.

James Nelson, who moved up a weight class from junior varsity, filled in at 220 and lost by pin. Junior heavyweight Hunter Day won the final match by forfeit.

“We were pretty competitive in most of the night’s matches,” Bovaird said. “I’m also really glad that some of our non-varsity guys had a chance to perform on the mats of our home gym. Dylan Thompson is a senior who just started wrestling last year, and he was excited to fill our 170 spot for the night. Several freshmen are also showing a lot of guts by filling in at varsity whenever asked.”

The Louisburg High School wrestling team captured their second consecutive title Friday when it won the Parsons Invitational with 170 points and five Wildcats won individual titles. 

PARSONS – The Louisburg wrestling team could get used to these type of moments it has had the last two weeks.

For the second week in a row, Louisburg won a tournament title and its latest conquest came Friday at the Parsons Invitational. The Wildcats captured the 11-team tournament with 170 points, winning by more than 35 points.

Louisburg also left Parsons with five individual champions and had four more place in the top four in their respective brackets. The Wildcats did all this after winning the Topeka Invitational six days earlier.

“I felt like the guys wrestled pretty well,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “I tend to think that we wrestle better as the day goes on, especially when we’re doing an evening tournament like this one. We had a couple hiccups in some matches, but I’m really pleased with the determination the guys showed throughout the evening.”

Senior Thad Hendrix (106 pounds), freshman Cade Holtzen (113), junior Gabe Bonham (132), senior Ryan Adams (145) and junior Austin Moore (195) each won their weight class.

Bonham won his first tournament of the season at 132 pounds and did so in exciting fashion. He won his first two matches, which set up a bout against Santa Fe Trail’s Carter Greenfield in the championship, and Bonham won by a 9-4 decision in overtime.

“Gabe made a great run through the tournament, and I was pretty happy with what I saw from him on the mat,” Bovaird said. “In the finals, he had a returning state qualifier who had been ranked at one point this season. I didn’t see that affecting the way Gabe wrestled though. He was consistent, solid, and made his offense pay off in that match.

“He got the first takedown, which is always huge, and then when the match went into overtime, he kept up his offense. In the second overtime, he not only got a reversal to put him ahead, he was relentless and got some back points to secure the win.”

Hendrix and Holtzen breezed through their brackets on their way to a title. Hendrix defeated Wichita West’s Nasir Johnson by a 19-10 major decision to go 3-0 on the day. Holtzen, who is currently ranked No. 5 at 113 pounds in Class 4A, won by major decision to start the day and then pinned Anderson County’s Ashton Miller in the second period of the championship match.

Adams responded with another victory at 145 pounds. The Louisburg senior, who is currently ranked No. 5 in the state, won his opening match by technical fall, then recorded a pin before pinning Cherryvale’s Dalton Hestland-Vail in the first period.

Moore brought his No. 5 state ranking into the Parsons tournament and it was never in jeopardy. Moore pinned his first two opponents before winning a 9-0 major decision over Wichita West’s Seandale DeShazer.

“Thad had a wild back-and-forth match with a strong kid from Wichita West, but his intensity won him the match,” Bovaird said. “He wore the kid down to the point that you could see him hanging his head while Thad was constantly looking to score. Ryan, Cade, and Austin also had some challenges in their finals matches, but they were all able to overcome them to win some gold medals.”

The Wildcats also had three wrestlers finish 3-1 on the day to come in third. Seniors Kyle Allen (126), Tucker Batten (138) and junior Blue Caplinger (160, No. 5 in 4A) each ended their day with a win in the third place match, while junior Hunter Day (285) earned a fourth-place medal.

“All three of them were 3-1 with three pins,” Bovaird said. “Kyle and Tucker ran into a couple of tough kids from Mill Valley. Tucker’s opponent was a state placer last year, and Tuck only lost 5-0. Blue got caught by a tough Wichita West kid and fought off a mean headlock for about a minute before the referee called a questionable pin that was out-of-bounds. He then bounced back for the third place match to beat a kid who’d beaten him earlier this year and who has been ranked ahead of him at state.”

The Parsons Invitational, which had been a dual tournament in the past, changed to a bracket format for this year and Bovaird was happy with what he saw from his group.

“I was happy that our guys got a chance to win some individual hardware,” Bovaird said. “I wish we’d gotten some more matches at some weights, but in the end, the guys all ran into some quality opponents. Anderson County has been building these last few years, and we went head-to-head with them quite a bit. Santa Fe Trail was also there, and they’ve always put strong kids on the mat.”

Louisburg has a busy week ahead of it as the Wildcats host Ottawa for a dual meet Thursday before venturing to the Baldwin Invitational on Saturday for an all-day tournament.

Thursday’s dual will also coincide with the 3^rd Annual LHS Wrestling Alumni Reunion, which will begin at 5 p.m.

“I’m really excited about the alumni reunion,” Bovaird said. “We’re going to start at 5 pm with a little reception on the mezzanine. We’ll have some refreshments and memorabilia, photos, and newspaper clippings sitting out. I’ve heard from several guys from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s who plan on getting there. Shawn Crossley (Wildcat Wrestling Club coach and class of 1998) and Bruce Caldwell (class of 1990) have been great about networking and reaching out to the alumni. It should be a great night for the program, bringing the veterans back to watch the squad do their thing on the mat.”

PARSONS INVITATIONAL RESULTS

Team Scores

1. Louisburg 170
2. Anderson County 5
3. Lebanon (Mo.) 129
4. Mill Valley 118
5. Santa Fe Trail 5
6. Wichita West 89
7. Coffeyville 55
8. Cherryvale 5
9. Blue Valley SW 48
10. Labette County 37
11. Parsons 28

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

106

Thad Hendrix (20-9) placed 1st and scored 21.00 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 20-9 won by fall over Tanner Barrett (Overland Park-Blue Valley Southwest) 16-9 (Fall 5:02)
• Semifinal – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 20-9 won by decision over Austin Johnson (Lebanon) 11-7 (Dec 12-6)
• 1st Place Match – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 20-9 won by major decision over Nasir Johnson (Wichita-West) 2-1 (MD 19-10)

113

Cade Holtzen (27-1) placed 1st and scored 21.00 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) 27-1 received a bye () (Bye)
• Semifinal – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) 27-1 won by major decision over Cael Schmitz (Lebanon) 18-9 (MD 13-2)
• 1st Place Match – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) 27-1 won by fall over Ashton Miller (Garnett-Anderson County) 12-9 (Fall 3:31)

120

Anthony Welborn (2-3) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Logan Smith (Coffeyville-Field Kindley) 8-10 won by decision over Anthony Welborn (Louisburg) 2-3 (Dec 13-7)
• Cons. Round 1 – Anthony Welborn (Louisburg) 2-3 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Semi – Carson Dulitz (Shawnee-Mill Valley) 14-9 won by decision over Anthony Welborn (Louisburg) 2-3 (Dec 10-3)

126

Kyle Allen (17-11) placed 3rd and scored 16.00 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) 17-11 won by fall over Chase Cline (Shawnee-Mill Valley) 10-12 (Fall 0:43)
• Semifinal – Devon Handy (Shawnee-Mill Valley) 17-10 won by decision over Kyle Allen (Louisburg) 17-11 (Dec 3-2)
• Cons. Semi – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) 17-11 won by fall over Evan Rogers (Lebanon) 5-5 (Fall 3:33)
• 3rd Place Match – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) 17-11 won by fall over Jaden Malson (Parsons) 11-4 (Fall 1:30)

132

Gabe Bonham (13-10) placed 1st and scored 19.50 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Gabe Bonham (Louisburg) 13-10 received a bye () (Bye)
• Semifinal – Gabe Bonham (Louisburg) 13-10 won by tech fall over Dominic Ireland (Garnett-Anderson County) 10-13 (TF-1.5 4:42 (16-0))
• 1st Place Match – Gabe Bonham (Louisburg) 13-10 won in tie breaker – 1 over Carter Greenfield (Carbondale-Santa Fe Trail) 12-5 (TB-1 9-4)

138

Tucker Batten (17-8) placed 3rd and scored 16.00 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) 17-8 won by fall over Jose Paredes (Carbondale-Santa Fe Trail) 18-11 (Fall 0:35)
• Semifinal – Bryson Markovich (Shawnee-Mill Valley) 20-8 won by decision over Tucker Batten (Louisburg) 17-8 (Dec 5-0)
• Cons. Semi – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) 17-8 won by fall over Gavin Wolken (Garnett-Anderson County) 16-9 (Fall 2:30)
• 3rd Place Match – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) 17-8 won by fall over Jose Paredes (Carbondale-Santa Fe Trail) 18-11 (Fall 2:28)

145

Ryan Adams (18-3) placed 1st and scored 23.50 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) 18-3 won by tech fall over Charles Vath (Overland Park-Blue Valley Southwest) 3-6 (TF-1.5 3:46 (16-1))
• Semifinal – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) 18-3 won by fall over Zach Jeanneret (Carbondale-Santa Fe Trail) 15-12 (Fall 0:50)
• 1st Place Match – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) 18-3 won by fall over Dalton Hestand-Vail (Cherryvale) 12-4 (Fall 1:10)

160

Blue Caplinger (21-7) placed 3rd and scored 16.00 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) 21-7 won by fall over Babcock Travis (Shawnee-Mill Valley) 12-8 (Fall 2:31)
• Semifinal – Samuel Rushin (Wichita-West) 11-3 won by fall over Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) 21-7 (Fall 1:21)
• Cons. Semi – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) 21-7 won by fall over Dakota Garrison (Carbondale-Santa Fe Trail) 17-13 (Fall 3:38)
• 3rd Place Match – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) 21-7 won by fall over Dalton Duke (Garnett-Anderson County) 17-4 (Fall 2:46)

170

Ben Wiedenmann (5-12) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Jake Henson (Lebanon) 16-4 won by decision over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) 5-12 (Dec 3-1)
• Cons. Round 1 – Kolten Jegen (Shawnee-Mill Valley) 13-4 won by decision over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) 5-12 (Dec 7-2)

182

Garrett Caldwell (12-17) place is unknown and scored 4.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) 12-17 won by fall over Ethan Ludwig (Overland Park-Blue Valley Southwest) 0-2 (Fall 1:23)
• Quarterfinal – Dominic Sutton (Garnett-Anderson County) 23-3 won by fall over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) 12-17 (Fall 2:55)
• Cons. Round 1 – Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) 12-17 won by fall over Ethan Ludwig (Overland Park-Blue Valley Southwest) 0-2 (Fall 0:51)
• Cons. Round 2 – Gus Taylor (Parsons) 7-4 won by fall over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) 12-17 (Fall 2:42)

195

Austin Moore (27-2) placed 1st and scored 23.00 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Austin Moore (Louisburg) 27-2 won by fall over Kael Ruble (Lebanon) 1-2 (Fall 1:14)
• Semifinal – Austin Moore (Louisburg) 27-2 won by fall over Jaren Williams (Overland Park-Blue Valley Southwest) 21-14 (Fall 0:48)
• 1st Place Match – Austin Moore (Louisburg) 27-2 won by major decision over Seandale DeShazer (Wichita-West) 3-1 (MD 9-0)

220

James Nelson (0-2) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Dallas Higginbotham (Garnett-Anderson County) 21-2 won by tech fall over James Nelson (Louisburg) 0-2 (TF-1.5 2:00 (15-0))
• Cons. Round 1 – James Nelson (Louisburg) 0-2 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 2 – Garrett Childers (Lebanon) 5-4 won by fall over James Nelson (Louisburg) 0-2 (Fall 1:21)

285

Hunter Day (10-19) placed 4th and scored 10.00 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Taylor Kaffenberger (Lebanon) 7-3 won by fall over Hunter Day (Louisburg) 10-19 (Fall 0:55)
• Cons. Round 1 – Hunter Day (Louisburg) 10-19 won by fall over Robbie Dervin (Shawnee-Mill Valley) 3-13 (Fall 2:19)
• Cons. Semi – Hunter Day (Louisburg) 10-19 won by fall over Justin Alvorodocali (Lebanon) 0-2 (Fall 4:22)
• 3rd Place Match – Taylor Kaffenberger (Lebanon) 7-3 won by fall over Hunter Day (Louisburg) 10-19 (Fall 0:23)

Louisburg wrestlers (from left) Kyle Allen, Ben Wiedenmann, Ryan Owens, Blue Caplinger, Thad Hendrix, Garrett Caldwell, Cade Holtzen, Gabe Bonham, Austin Moore, Anthony Welborn, Ryan Adams, Tucker Batten, Hunter Day and Sam Kratochvil pose for a team picture following their win in the Topeka Invitational. 

TOPEKA – It isn’t considered one of its toughest tournaments of the season, but the Topeka High Invitational still presented a few challenges for the Louisburg High School wrestling team.

Despite those obstacles, the Wildcats were still able to leave Topeka on Saturday as champions.

Louisburg won the tournament for the second straight time with 202 points and edged out Council Grove, which had 199.5 points, for the team title. In the process, the Wildcats also had four individual champions on a day that they had all 13 wrestlers place in the top six.

“I like the Topeka tournament because it gives a chance to do some practical application of the moves we’ve been working on to start off the month of January,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “The guys just had a little time off for Christmas break, we have a pretty tough tournament of our own, and then we go to Topeka for their invitational. It’s been getting more and more competitive each year we’ve been, and I like to see how we fare against some different competition.

“This year they added Shawnee Mission West, Burlingame and Bishop Miege, all of whom were pretty competitive in the tournament. Plus, there’s Council Grove, which is always a tough team. We had some guys really step up and win some great matches. We faced a lot of new teams — teams that aren’t 4A — and it’s nice to have a mix-up like that. We saw some new styles and some new techniques that were able to test us.”

Freshman Cade Holtzen (113 pounds), Blue Caplinger (160) and Austin Moore (195) were the tournament’s No. 1 seeds and all three wrestled like it, as all three wrestlers earned first place honors.

Holtzen, who is currently ranked No. 5 in Class 4A, recorded five consecutive pins to the win the title at 113 pounds. That success also improved his record to 25-1 on the season.

As for Caplinger, he encountered a tough match in the championship round, as he squared off with Bishop Miege’s Drew Perez who had a 22-2 record going into the match. Caplinger was able to get the pin on Perez to win his second straight tournament and he is ranked No. 6 in Class 4A.

Moore improved his record to 23-2 on the year with four straight pins and then met Council Grove’s Preston Gilbert in the finals, where he won an 8-2 decision. Moore is currently ranked No. 5 in the state.

“I was really happy with their performances,” Bovaird said. “Cade continues to have a dominant freshman season. He came out with five pins on the weekend and he looked strong in each match. Blue just came off a 2-1 decision against the #3 ranked kid in Kansas 6A on Wednesday, and he was in a pretty competitive 160-pound bracket. The finals match was against a pretty tough wrestler from Bishop Miege, and Blue continues to wrestle smart. He keeps solid position, and when he hits a move, he goes 100% and catches good kids. This time, it got him a pin in the finals.

“Austin was 5-0 in his pool at 195. His final match of the day was an 8-2 decision against a strong Council Grove opponent. Austin was dominant against him, despite struggling to turn him. I think it was a great time to have a match go the full six minutes. It definitely highlighted a couple areas that he can tweak. Other than that, he looked as strong as ever on the mat.”

The Wildcats also had another champion in freshman Anthony Welborn, who moved up from junior varsity to fill in at 120 pounds. Welborn wrestled three matches and finished with a 2-1 record, but took first based on a tiebreaker.

“Anthony, who’s filling in for Hunter Bindi at 120, was a great surprise,” Bovaird said. “Anthony pinned his first two kids to set him up pretty good going into the final match. He lost that match 11-15, but that left a three-way tie for 1st place in his round robin pool. Because he had two pins, that gave him the criteria to be named champion. He’s a strong athlete who doesn’t stop moving. I noticed that his opponents are never safe when they’re on top of him.”

Seniors Ryan Adams (145), Tucker Batten (138) and Kyle Allen (126) also found themselves in the championship round, but came up just short of winning a championship.

Adams, who is ranked No. 5 in the state, went up against Highland Park’s Angelo Plakio in the championship round and lost a tough 6-4 decision.

Batten won his first two matches before falling by major decision to Topeka West’s T.J. Peterson. Allen was also 2-0 going into his final match, before getting pinned by Council Grove’s Billy Sales.

Gabe Bonham (132) finished third for the Wildcats. Thad Hendrix (106) and Hunter Day (285) took fourth as they each earned a medal.

Garrett Caldwell (182) came in fifth overall, while Ryan Owens (106) and Ben Wiedenmann (170) each finished sixth.

Louisburg will gear up for another tough tournament Friday when it travels to Parsons as the Wildcats continue to prepare themselves for the postseason.

“It was an exciting day of competition, with Council Grove battling back and forth with us for the team title,” Bovaird said. “They have some very tough kids who are solid wrestlers. Although we ran into a few close matches and made some mistakes that cost us wins on the day, I think it was a great showing to have everyone on the mat placing in the top 6.

“This tournament sets us up pretty good for this upcoming weekend, when we go to Parsons on Friday. That tournament has been changed to a traditionally bracketed tournament instead of a dual tournament. The next weekend we go to Baldwin for their really competitive Baldwin Invitational Tournament, which showcases some of the strongest teams in Kansas 4A.”

TOPEKA HIGH INVITATIONAL RESULTS

TEAM SCORES

1. Louisburg 202
2. Council Grove 5
3. Topeka West 118
4. Bishop Miege 5
5. Burlingame 5
6. Topeka High 5
7. Shawnee Mission West 81
8. Gardner-Edgerton 79
9. Highland Park 5
10. Holton 44
11. KC-Washington 24

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

106

Thad Hendrix (17-8) placed 4th and scored 16.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 17-8 won by fall over Xavier Lewis (KC Washington) 3-10 (Fall 0:00)
• Quarterfinal – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 17-8 won by fall over Jon Crouch (Burlingame) 6-10 (Fall 0:00)
• Semifinal – Maxwell Curry (Topeka Highland Park) 13-8 won by decision over Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 17-8 (Dec 11-10)
• Cons. Semi – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 17-8 won by decision over Ryan Owens (Louisburg) 6-5 (Dec 6-5)
• 3rd Place Match – Elijah Collins (Burlingame) 14-6 won by decision over Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 17-8 (Dec 5-2)

106

Ryan Owens (6-5) placed 6th.

• Champ. Round 1 – Ryan Owens (Louisburg) 6-5 won by fall over Dean Marshall (Gardner Edgerton) 1-2 (Fall 0:00)
• Quarterfinal – Tom Vanvalkenburg (Council Grove) 20-2 won by decision over Ryan Owens (Louisburg) 6-5 (Dec 7-2)
• Cons. Round 2 – Ryan Owens (Louisburg) 6-5 won by tech fall over Mashyla Pantoja (Topeka West) 4-2 (TF-1.5 0:00 (16-1))
• Cons. Round 3 – Ryan Owens (Louisburg) 6-5 won by major decision over Justina Nicholson (topeka high school) 5-17 (MD 9-0)
• Cons. Semi – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 17-8 won by decision over Ryan Owens (Louisburg) 6-5 (Dec 6-5)
• 5th Place Match – Ryan Owens (Louisburg) 6-5 and Jon Crouch (Burlingame) 6-10 (DFF)

113

Cade Holtzen (24-1) placed 1st and scored 26.00 team points.

• Round 1 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) 24-1 won by fall over Jeffrey Sisson (Holton High School) 1-14 (Fall 0:00)
• Round 2 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) 24-1 won by fall over John Heckman (Burlingame) 4-11 (Fall 0:00)
• Round 3 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) 24-1 won by fall over Maggie Goodwin (Gardner Edgerton) 4-10 (Fall 0:00)
• Round 4 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) 24-1 won by fall over Aaliyah Bueno (Topeka West) 5-11 (Fall 0:00)
• Round 5 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) 24-1 won by fall over Andrew Irwin (Council Grove) 19-6 (Fall 0:00)

120

Anthony Welborn (2-1) placed 1st and scored 18.00 team points.

• Round 1 – Anthony Welborn (Louisburg) 2-1 won by fall over Jamonte Dew (KC Washington) 3-14 (Fall 0:00)
• Round 2 – Anthony Welborn (Louisburg) 2-1 won by fall over Luke Huffman (Gardner Edgerton) 3-4 (Fall 0:00)
• Round 3 – Colton Bacon (Council Grove) 10-9 won by decision over Anthony Welborn (Louisburg) 2-1 (Dec 15-11)

126

Kyle Allen (13-10) placed 2nd and scored 11.00 team points.

• Round 1 – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) 13-10 won by decision over Jordan Thompson (KC Washington) 2-14 (Dec 9-3)
• Round 2 – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) 13-10 won by major decision over Ethan Crapo (Shawnee Mission West) 4-8 (MD 13-1)
• Round 3 – Billy Sales (Council Grove) 16-4 won by fall over Kyle Allen (Louisburg) 13-10 (Fall 0:00)

132

Gabriel Bonham (11-9) placed 3rd and scored 12.00 team points.

• Round 1 – Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) 11-9 won by decision over Conner Gilliland (Holton High School) 12-13 (Dec 6-0)
• Round 2 – Christian Wyatt (Shawnee Mission West) 8-5 won by decision over Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) 11-9 (Dec 8-7)
• Round 3 – Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) 11-9 won by major decision over Gabe Cantu (Bishop Miege) 4-7 (MD 10-1)
• Round 4 – Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) 11-9 won by fall over Collin Daniels (topeka high school) 2-5 (Fall 0:00)
• Round 5 – Miguel Bueno (Topeka West) 20-5 won by decision over Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) 11-9 (Dec 7-5)

138

Tucker Batten (14-6) placed 2nd and scored 18.00 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) 14-6 won by fall over Andrew Cole (Topeka West) 2-5 (Fall 0:00)
• Semifinal – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) 14-6 won by decision over Drake Mills (Gardner Edgerton) 3-2 (Dec 2-0)
• 1st Place Match – TJ Peterson (Topeka West) 17-1 won by major decision over Tucker Batten (Louisburg) 14-6 (MD 12-2)

145

Ryan Adams (14-3) placed 2nd and scored 18.00 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) 14-3 received a bye () (Bye)
• Semifinal – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) 14-3 won by fall over Justin Garden (Gardner Edgerton) 2-2 (Fall 0:00)
• 1st Place Match – Angelo Plakio (Topeka Highland Park) 17-4 won by decision over Ryan Adams (Louisburg) 14-3 (Dec 6-4)

160

Blue Caplinger (17-6) placed 1st and scored 26.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) 17-6 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) 17-6 won by fall over Jacob Porrit (Shawnee Mission West) 7-10 (Fall 0:00)
• Semifinal – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) 17-6 won by decision over Joe Randles (Topeka West) 20-4 (Dec 8-5)
• 1st Place Match – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) 17-6 won by fall over Drew Perez (Bishop Miege) 22-3 (Fall 0:00)

170

Ben Wiedenmann (5-9) placed 6th and scored 7.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) 5-9 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Michael Welch (topeka high school) 19-5 won by fall over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) 5-9 (Fall 0:00)
• Cons. Round 2 – Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) 5-9 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 3 – Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) 5-9 won by fall over DJ Barnett (Gardner Edgerton) 0-2 (Fall 0:00)
• Cons. Semi – Bo Kraus (Council Grove) 14-6 won by decision over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) 5-9 (Dec 6-0)
• 5th Place Match – Danny Sublette (Shawnee Mission West) 8-12 won by decision over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) 5-9 (Dec 2-1)

182

Garrett Caldwell (10-14) placed 5th and scored 13.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) 10-14 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) 10-14 won by fall over Riley Champney (topeka high school) 6-7 (Fall 0:00)
• Semifinal – Killian O`Connor (Holton High School) 8-7 won by fall over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) 10-14 (Fall 0:00)
• Cons. Semi – Asher Gagnon (Council Grove) 6-13 won by fall over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) 10-14 (Fall 0:00)
• 5th Place Match – Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) 10-14 won by fall over Levi MacDonald (KC Washington) 3-5 (Fall 0:00)

195

Austin Moore (23-2) placed 1st and scored 24.00 team points.

• Round 1 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) 23-2 won by fall over Hunter Remigio (Shawnee Mission West) 13-16 (Fall 0:00)
• Round 2 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) 23-2 won by fall over Carlos Campos (Topeka West) 10-15 (Fall 0:00)
• Round 3 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) 23-2 won by fall over Vincent Samchez (Bishop Miege) 11-16 (Fall 0:00)
• Round 4 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) 23-2 won by fall over Dallas Shell (Gardner Edgerton) 1-4 (Fall 0:00)
• Round 5 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) 23-2 won by decision over Preston Gilbert (Council Grove) 18-3 (Dec 8-2)

285

Hunter Day (8-16) placed 4th and scored 14.00 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Hunter Day (Louisburg) 8-16 won by fall over Noah Applehanz (Topeka West) 3-3 (Fall 0:00)
• Semifinal – Keller Snesrud (Burlingame) 11-2 won by fall over Hunter Day (Louisburg) 8-16 (Fall 0:00)
• Cons. Semi – Hunter Day (Louisburg) 8-16 won by fall over Steven Desch (topeka high school) 2-7 (Fall 0:00)
• 3rd Place Match – Sean Ryan (Bishop Miege) 21-6 won by fall over Hunter Day (Louisburg) 8-16 (Fall 0:00)

Louisburg senior Kyle Allen works for a pin during this 126-pound match Wednesday during the Wildcats’ dual with Gardner-Edgerton in Gardner. Allen won by pin, but the Wildcats fell in the dual 41-30.

GARDNER – It wasn’t exactly the result the Louisburg High School wrestling team was looking for Wednesday when the Wildcats traveled to Gardner-Edgerton High School.

Although the Wildcats lost the dual, 41-30, they picked up several big individual wins – including a pair of come-from-behind victories. In all, Louisburg won six of the 14 matches.

“We knew going into the dual that it would be a physical match-up,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “It has been like that the last couple of years since we started dualing Gardner. They have a solid group of wrestlers who hit moves hard and fight to the end. While I’m happy that we didn’t shell-up and let their physicality break us mentally, I wish we had been able to capitalize on a couple matches. I’ll give it to our guys, though. They didn’t give up, and they didn’t back down.”

Louisburg got off to a good start as freshman Ryan Owens made the move up from junior varsity at 106 pounds due to an injury to Hunter Bindi. Owens gave the Wildcats an early lead with a pin for his third varsity win on the season.

Senior Thad Hendrix and freshman Cade Holtzen both moved up a weight class to give Louisburg a stronger lineup and the Wildcats nearly came away with two wins. Hendrix lost a close decision, but Holtzen responded with a pin that gave him his 20^th victory on the season.

The Wildcats recorded its second straight win when senior Kyle Allen responded with a pin at 126 pounds. It gave Louisburg 18-3 lead at the time, but Gardner got pins over Justin Collins (132) and Gabe Bonham (138) to cut into the Wildcat advantage.

Louisburg freshman Ryan Owens gets a pin at 106 pounds.

Senior Ryan Adams extended Louisburg’s lead with an exciting match at 145 pounds. Adams, who is currently ranked No. 3 in the state, had his hands full with Gardner’s Taven Ewbank.

Adams was down 4-0 in the third period, but got a reversal for two points late in the match and then got three back points to come away with a 5-4 decision.

“Ryan’s match was an exciting one,” Bovaird said. “I was getting pretty fired up because I felt like the official wasn’t taking control of the match and Ryan was getting his arm wrenched behind his back quite a bit. I love the grit and determination he showed by getting the late reversal and then back points to win the match.”

Gardner responded by recording a technical fall on Tucker Batten at 152 pounds and pinned Ben Wiedenmann at 160 to grab a 27-21 lead.

The Wildcats pulled off an upset at 170 pounds when Blue Caplinger, who is ranked No. 6 in 4A, faced off with Gardner’s Jensen McDermott, who is ranked No. 3 in 6A.

Caplinger was down 1-0 in the third before he recorded a late reversal with just seconds left in the match and came away with a 2-1 decision to cut into the Blazer lead.

“Blue’s match was great,” Bovaird said. “He’s been wrestling very well this season. He keeps in good position, he keeps his feet moving, and he’s really picked up his scrambling skills. That match was a smart win for him — he kept the first period scoreless and then gave up an escape in the second period. Third period he took bottom position and he was scrambling and moving most of the period.

“By the time the match was drawing to a close, he’d been moving like crazy, the top man had been warned for stalling, and Blue had worn down his stamina. With a late scramble to a reversal, he was able to hold on for a nice win over a state-ranked opponent.”

Freshman Ben Wiedenmann blocks a shot from a Gardner opponent Wednesday.

Louisburg nearly took the lead back when senior Garrett Caldwell got the first takedown at 182 pounds and put his opponent on his back, but he couldn’t get the pin and ended up getting pinned later in the match.

Senior Austin Moore answered for Louisburg with a quick pin at 195 pounds, but it would be the Wildcats’ last victory. Louisburg was open at 220 as Sam Kratochvil was out after he suffered a fractured leg at last week’s home tournament. Heavyweight Hunter Day was pinned by Gardner’s Jackson Flowers, who is ranked No. 1 in 6A.

Despite the loss, Bovaird saw a lot of positives as the Wildcats head back into tournament competition Saturday at the Topeka High Invitational.

“Austin Moore had another dominant win, and he’s leading our team with the most pins,” Bovaird said. “Our freshmen are stepping up big time. Ryan Owens, Justin Collins and Ben Wiedenmann are all getting in some good mat time. Owens got a pin, Collins scored the first takedown on an experienced wrestler, and Wiedenmann was hanging pretty well with a heavier opponent.

“Cade Holtzen is 20-1 this season at 113 and continues to make an impact at the varsity level. Thad Hendrix and Gabe Bonham both bumped up a weight to help our lineup, but they lost close decisions. Tucker Batten, Garrett Caldwell, and Hunter Day all fought hard against their opponents, who were pretty tough wrestlers.”

Louisburg junior Blue Caplinger lifts up his opponent for a takedown during his 160-pound match Saturday at the Louisburg Wildcat Classic. Caplinger finished first overall and helped the Wildcats to a second-place team finish.

The Louisburg High School wrestling team didn’t show a lot of rust in its first action back from the holidays.

In fact, the Wildcats looked like they were in midseason form.

Louisburg put on a show in front of its home fans as the Wildcats finished second in the team standings with 209.5 points and put six wrestlers in the championship match.

Three of those won top honors as senior Thad Hendrix (106 pounds), freshman Cade Holtzen (113) and junior Blue Caplinger (160) each took first place. Junior Hunter Bindi (120), senior Ryan Adams (145) and junior Austin Moore (195) also found themselves in the first-place match, but finished second.

Tonganoxie, which is ranked No. 4 in Class 4A, edged the Wildcats for first place with 226.5 points as both teams went up against each several times throughout the day.

“We had a great day,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “Going into the finals, we’d held on to first place, but we just couldn’t hold off Tonganoxie. We lost to them head-to-head in two finals matches, and we dropped two matches I wasn’t expecting to lose. Still, coming out that close to the top was pretty nice.

“We had three varsity kids out — two of them with the flu. Our fill-ins at 132 and 170 were both freshmen bumping up a weight class. We were open at 138, too. Several of our upperclassmen had been sick with the flu earlier in the week, and three of my varsity guys had been with the band trip to Pasadena and only had two practices under their belts.”

Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird and senior Thad Hendrix were all smiles after Hendrix’s win in the 106-pound championship match.

Hendrix had his best tournament of the season for the Wildcats as he knocked off the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds on the way to the title at 106 pounds. The Louisburg senior had a come-from-behind 13-12 win in his third match against Tonganoxie’s Caleb Allen, in which he was down several points early.

He followed that up with a pin of Blue Valley West’s Joe McElwee in the championship match. Hendrix was behind heading into the third period, but was able to put McElwee on his back to win the title.

Holtzen continued his strong showing during his first varsity season. Holtzen, who is currently ranked No. 5 at 113 pounds in Class 4A, reeled off five straight wins on his way to the title.

The Louisburg freshman recorded four pins on the day, including a 45 second pin of Anderson County’s Ashton Miller in the first-place match.

Caplinger was able to pin his way to the championship match at 160 pounds before he went up against Baldwin’s Scott Harmon. Caplinger earned a hard fought 2-0 decision in the title match, in which he was able to hold down Harmon.

“Individually, a lot of guys really stepped up to perform,” Bovaird said. “Cade, Blue and Thad really did well, and I was pretty proud of how they wrestled. Thad had a couple come-from-behind wins against the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds. Seeing him win his first championship of the season was pretty exciting.

“Cade is having an exceptional start to his freshman season, and this was his first high school varsity championship. I’m excited to see what he will accomplish this year. Blue had four pins en route to the finals, and then faced a pretty tough Baldwin kid. He wrestled as smart as I’ve ever seen him.”

Freshman Cade Holzen works for a pin against a Piper wrestler Saturday during the Wildcat Classic.

The Wildcats did have some heartbreak in the championship round as they also had three losses and an injury.

Bindi had to leave his championship match at 120 pounds with an ankle injury against Leavenworth’s Hartwell Taylor and ended up finishing second. Bindi ended his day with a 4-1 record, which included four pins on the way to the title match.

Both Adams and Moore had revenge on their minds as they squared off with a pair of Tonganoxie opponents, who each handed them their only losses of the year.

Unfortunately they weren’t able to avenge them as Adams was pinned by Patterson Starcher in the first period in a match that featured the No. 2 (Starcher) and No. 3 ranked wrestlers at 145 pounds in Class 4A.

Moore, who is currently ranked No. 5 at 195 pounds in Class 4A, met No. 4 Connor Searcy in the finals and nearly got the upset. Moore fell to Searcy in overtime by a 6-4 decision.

Adams and Moore each cruised to the title match as Adams recorded three pins and a technical fall on the day, while Moore finished with four pins.

“Hunter Bindi an unfortunate accident and tweaked his ankle, but he should be okay in a couple weeks,” Bovaird said. “Ryan and Austin each had rematches against their Tonganoxie opponents. We were hoping for different results, but it didn’t work out that way. Ryan looked strong in the first period, but got caught in a scramble and his opponent took advantage of it and got the pin. Austin wrestled a smart match and kept things close, but had a little lapse that cost him in overtime.”

Junior Hunter Bindi pins his Anderson County opponent at 120 pounds Saturday. Bindi took second overall.

Seniors Kyle Allen (126) and Tucker Batten (152), along with freshman Ryan Owens (106), each took fourth place.

Allen finished the day with a 2-3 record and two pins after falling to Rockhurst’s Elijah Todd in a 7-0 decision. Batten, who moved up a weight class, was 1-3 with a pin, but was put on his back by Piper’s Brendan Martin in the third-place match.

Owens, a freshman, wrestled unattached for Louisburg and went 2-3 with a technical fall and a major decision.

“Kyle and Tucker had some tough matches throughout the day,” Bovaird said. “Kyle’s losses were all to some pretty good wrestlers. Tucker is moving up to 152 for a little bit, and he ran into some stronger kids. His last match was a rematch from earlier in the day, and it looked like he was about to get a revenge win, but got caught in the final seconds and was pinned.”

Freshman Justin Collins (132) and senior Garrett Caldwell (182) each took sixth place, while freshman Ben Wiedenmann bumped up two weight classes to wrestle at 170 pounds and took seventh. Anthony Davis (160 pounds, 8^th place), Hunter Day (285, 8^th) and Sam Kratochvil (220, 9^th) also wrestled for Louisburg.

The Wildcats return to action tonight when it travels to Gardner-Edgerton High School for a dual and then will compete Saturday in the Topeka High Invitational.

“I think we’re moving forward at a good pace,” Bovaird said. “I still need to get some things adjusted with our approach to wrestling. We still tend to revert to old habits formed in kids club, but at the high school level, lots of those things just won’t work anymore. The guys are focused, though, and they work hard at practice.

“I think that with continued application of newer techniques, intense and focused drilling, and faith in the program philosophy, we can turn the corner and head into the second part of the season with momentum.”

2018 LOUISBURG WILDCAT CLASSIC RESULTS

TEAM STANDINGS

1. Tonganoxie 226.5
2. Louisburg 209.5
3. Anderson County 186
4. Leavenworth 173
5. Baldwin 144.5
6. Pittsburg 140
7. Blue Valley West 123
8. Rockhurst 105
9. Piper 90
10. Wyandotte 47

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

106 pounds

Thad Hendrix (14-6) placed 1st and scored 26.00 team points.

• Round 1 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg ) 14-6 won by major decision over Henry Ismert (Rockhurst ) 6-16 (MD 13-4)
• Round 2 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg ) 14-6 won by fall over Blayne Anderson (Pittsburg ) 7-17 (Fall 0:44)
• Round 3 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg ) 14-6 won by decision over Caleb Allen (Tonganoxie ) 10-8 (Dec 13-12)
• Championship Bracket – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg ) 14-6 won by decision over Ryan Owens (Louisburg ) 2-3 (Dec 1-0)
• 1st Place Match – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg ) 14-6 won by fall over Joe McElwee (Blue Valley West ) 23-9 (Fall 4:35)

106

Ryan Owens (2-3) placed 4th.

• Round 1 – Ryan Owens (Louisburg ) 2-3 won by major decision over Lucas Hopper (Baldwin ) 5-6 (MD 12-2)
• Round 2 – Joe McElwee (Blue Valley West ) 23-9 won by fall over Ryan Owens (Louisburg ) 2-3 (Fall 5:35)
• Round 3 – Ryan Owens (Louisburg ) 2-3 won by tech fall over Carter Sommer (Anderson County) 5-16 (TF-1.5 4:34 (21-5))
• Championship Bracket – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg ) 14-6 won by decision over Ryan Owens (Louisburg ) 2-3 (Dec 1-0)
• 3rd Place Match – Caleb Allen (Tonganoxie ) 10-8 won by disqualification over Ryan Owens (Louisburg ) 2-3 (DQ)

113

Cade Holtzen (19-1) placed 1st and scored 31.00 team points.

• Round 1 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg ) 19-1 won by fall over Hunter Harris (Tonganoxie ) 7-12 (Fall 1:18)
• Round 2 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg ) 19-1 won by fall over Nick Lawson (Piper ) 3-8 (Fall 3:04)
• Round 3 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg ) 19-1 won by fall over Benton Flory (Baldwin ) 3-12 (Fall 2:26)
• Round 4 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg ) 19-1 won by decision over Ashton DeMitt (Blue Valley West ) 12-16 (Dec 7-4)
• Round 5 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg ) 19-1 won by fall over Ashton Miller (Anderson County) 10-7 (Fall 0:45)

120

Hunter Bindi (16-4) placed 2nd and scored 25.00 team points.

• Round 1 – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg ) 16-4 won by fall over Ali Hassan (Blue Valley West ) 6-21 (Fall 0:37)
• Round 2 – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg ) 16-4 won by fall over Ryland Wright (Anderson County) 15-8 (Fall 5:21)
• Round 3 – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg ) 16-4 won by fall over Fransisco Diaz (Wyandotte ) 5-4 (Fall 2:35)
• Championship Bracket – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg ) 16-4 won by fall over Tyson Lanter (Piper ) 7-4 (Fall 0:58)
• 1st Place Match – Hartwell Taylor (Leavenworth ) 16-5 won by injury default over Hunter Bindi (Louisburg ) 16-4 (Inj. 4:57)

126

Kyle Allen (11-9) placed 4th and scored 13.00 team points.

• Round 1 – Kyle Allen (Louisburg ) 11-9 won by fall over Jeremiah Blevins (Leavenworth ) 6-11 (Fall 1:35)
• Round 2 – Kyle Allen (Louisburg ) 11-9 won by fall over Cecilio Gonzalez (Wyandotte ) 0-5 (Fall 5:52)
• Round 3 – Reece Watson (Pittsburg ) 18-7 won by fall over Kyle Allen (Louisburg ) 11-9 (Fall 3:45)
• Championship Bracket – Aidan McClellan (Tonganoxie ) 16-4 won by fall over Kyle Allen (Louisburg ) 11-9 (Fall 3:21)
• 3rd Place Match – Elijah Todd (Rockhurst ) 8-9 won by decision over Kyle Allen (Louisburg ) 11-9 (Dec 7-0)

132

Justin Collins (1-3) placed 6th and scored 7.00 team points.

• Round 1 – Wil Jameson (Pittsburg ) 18-7 won by fall over Justin Collins (Louisburg ) 1-3 (Fall 3:24)
• Round 2 – Dominic Ireland (Anderson County) 8-11 won by fall over Justin Collins (Louisburg ) 1-3 (Fall 2:45)
• Round 3 – Justin Collins (Louisburg ) 1-3 received a bye () (Bye)
• Consolation Bracket – Justin Collins (Louisburg ) 1-3 won by fall over Daniel Vega (Wyandotte ) 0-10 (Fall 0:39)
• 5th Place Match – Jonathon Nunes (Leavenworth ) 10-6 won by fall over Justin Collins (Louisburg ) 1-3 (Fall 2:08)

145

Ryan Adams (13-2) placed 2nd and scored 25.50 team points.

• Round 1 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg ) 13-2 won by fall over Gavin Lang (Baldwin ) 2-3 (Fall 1:52)
• Round 2 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg ) 13-2 won by tech fall over Lane Freeman (Anderson County) 11-10 (TF-1.5 2:23 (15-0))
• Round 4 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg ) 13-2 won by fall over Judson Dull (Rockhurst ) 1-5 (Fall 0:16)
• Round 5 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg ) 13-2 won by fall over A.J. Lair (Pittsburg ) 7-3 (Fall 1:06)
• 1st Place Match – Patterson Starcher (Tonganoxie ) 17-0 won by fall over Ryan Adams (Louisburg ) 13-2 (Fall 1:34)

152

Tucker Batten (12-5) placed 4th and scored 11.00 team points.

• Round 2 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg ) 12-5 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 3 – Branden Martin (Piper ) 8-3 won by major decision over Tucker Batten (Louisburg ) 12-5 (MD 8-0)
• Quarterfinal – Tucker Batten (Louisburg ) 12-5 won by fall over Zach Schram (Blue Valley West ) 24-5 (Fall 3:29)
• Semifinal – Cole Denny (Anderson County) 17-3 won by decision over Tucker Batten (Louisburg ) 12-5 (Dec 7-1)
• 3rd Place Match – Branden Martin (Piper ) 8-3 won by fall over Tucker Batten (Louisburg ) 12-5 (Fall 5:00)

160

Anthony Davis (1-4) placed 8th.

• Round 1 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg ) 14-6 won by fall over Anthony Davis (Louisburg ) 1-4 (Fall 1:25)
• Round 2 – Shawn Haverfield (Piper ) 6-5 won by major decision over Anthony Davis (Louisburg ) 1-4 (MD 8-0)
• Round 3 – Jake Grossner (Baldwin ) 1-4 won by decision over Anthony Davis (Louisburg ) 1-4 (Dec 1-0)
• Round 4 – Anthony Davis (Louisburg ) 1-4 won by decision over Tyler Denny (Anderson County) 1-4 (Dec 4-3)
• 7th Place Match – Ethan Staples (Tonganoxie ) 4-7 won by fall over Anthony Davis (Louisburg ) 1-4 (Fall 1:38)

160

Blue Caplinger (14-6) placed 1st and scored 30.00 team points.

• Round 1 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg ) 14-6 won by fall over Anthony Davis (Louisburg ) 1-4 (Fall 1:25)
• Round 2 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg ) 14-6 won by fall over Tyler Denny (Anderson County) 1-4 (Fall 3:01)
• Round 4 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg ) 14-6 won by fall over Jake Grossner (Baldwin ) 1-4 (Fall 1:59)
• Round 5 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg ) 14-6 won by fall over Shawn Haverfield (Piper ) 6-5 (Fall 1:50)
• 1st Place Match – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg ) 14-6 won by decision over Scott Harman (Baldwin ) 11-6 (Dec 2-0)

170

Ben Wiedenmann (4-6) placed 7th and scored 4.00 team points.

• Round 2 – Logan Allen (Anderson County) 19-2 won by major decision over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg ) 4-6 (MD 11-2)
• Round 3 – Dawson Ervie (Rockhurst ) 20-6 won by tech fall over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg ) 4-6 (TF-1.5 3:19 (17-2))
• Round 4 – Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg ) 4-6 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 5 – Carson Lucas (Leavenworth ) 2-2 won by fall over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg ) 4-6 (Fall 0:41)
• 7th Place Match – Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg ) 4-6 won by fall over Channing Massey (Pittsburg ) 2-6 (Fall 2:58)

182

Garrett Caldwell (8-12) placed 6th and scored 7.00 team points.

• Round 1 – Devin Duncan (Tonganoxie ) 17-7 won by fall over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg ) 8-12 (Fall 1:10)
• Round 3 – Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg ) 8-12 won by fall over Jessie Stover (Pittsburg ) 7-15 (Fall 0:44)
• Round 4 – Patrick Broyles (Rockhurst ) 18-2 won by fall over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg ) 8-12 (Fall 1:49)
• Round 5 – Sean Stewart (Piper ) 5-6 won by fall over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg ) 8-12 (Fall 1:32)
• 5th Place Match – Chase Allen (Leavenworth ) 4-6 won by fall over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg ) 8-12 (Fall 2:37)

195

Austin Moore (18-2) placed 2nd and scored 26.00 team points.

• Round 1 – Austin Moore (Louisburg ) 18-2 won by fall over Zach Flowers (Baldwin ) 2-3 (Fall 0:50)
• Round 2 – Austin Moore (Louisburg ) 18-2 won by fall over Joseph Broyles (Rockhurst ) 13-6 (Fall 1:24)
• Round 4 – Austin Moore (Louisburg ) 18-2 won by fall over Tyler Robinson (Leavenworth ) 9-12 (Fall 0:51)
• Round 5 – Austin Moore (Louisburg ) 18-2 won by fall over Logan Caldwell (Blue Valley West ) 14-6 (Fall 0:44)
• 1st Place Match – Connor Searcy (Tonganoxie ) 22-2 won in sudden victory – 1 over Austin Moore (Louisburg ) 18-2 (SV-1 6-4)

220

Sam Kratochvil (4-13) placed 9th and scored 1.00 team points.

• Round 1 – Etena Tuivati (Leavenworth ) 10-6 won by fall over Sam Kratochvil (Louisburg ) 4-13 (Fall 0:44)
• Round 2 – Jaiden Haynes (Blue Valley West ) 8-5 won by fall over Sam Kratochvil (Louisburg ) 4-13 (Fall 0:20)
• Round 3 – Quinn Nichols (Baldwin ) 5-14 won by fall over Sam Kratochvil (Louisburg ) 4-13 (Fall 3:36)
• Round 4 – Noah Kangas (Pittsburg ) 5-9 won by injury default over Sam Kratochvil (Louisburg ) 4-13 (Inj. 0:20)
• 9th Place Match – Sam Kratochvil (Louisburg ) 4-13 received a bye () (Bye)

285

Hunter Day (6-14) placed 8th and scored 3.00 team points.

• Round 2 – Garrett Borth (Baldwin ) 14-4 won by fall over Hunter Day (Louisburg ) 6-14 (Fall 3:33)
• Round 3 – Hunter Day (Louisburg ) 6-14 won by fall over Dameion Roark (Wyandotte ) 1-8 (Fall 3:18)
• Round 4 – Zack Kunkler (Pittsburg ) 6-9 won by fall over Hunter Day (Louisburg ) 6-14 (Fall 1:21)
• Round 5 – Bailey Vesco (Baldwin ) 3-3 won by decision over Hunter Day (Louisburg ) 6-14 (Dec 5-2)
• 7th Place Match – Jon Lampton (Rockhurst ) 9-13 won by decision over Hunter Day (Louisburg ) 6-14 (Dec 3-0)

Having the opportunity to cover Louisburg High School athletics, for what has been almost 10 years now, I have seen a lot of different highs and lows.

I have been lucky enough to cover state championship teams and watched several athletes perform at the highest level. However, this last year has to be one for the record books when it comes to success at Louisburg High School.

For Wildcat athletics, 2017 was a banner year for many reasons.

Louisburg qualified for the state tournament in three different sports – volleyball, girls soccer and boys basketball – and the first two each placed in the top four.

The volleyball team was just a point away from winning the school’s first state title after the Lady Cats finished second to defending state champion Rose Hill, and tied for the best finish in school history.

The Wildcat girls soccer team qualified for the state semifinals in just its second year of existence and suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 loss in the semifinals to eventually take fourth overall.

In boys basketball, the Wildcats qualified for the state tournament for the first time in 12 years despite getting knocked out in the first round by defending state champion Bishop Miege.

Most schools would love to have that success with their athletic programs, but for Louisburg, that was just the tip of the iceberg. As special as the seasons were for those three programs, the Wildcats also thrived in a few other sports.

Louisburg’s cross country program, which has been around for 19 years, had the best season in its history – by far. Not only did the Wildcats have three state medalists for the first time ever, but it had a year that featured the school’s first female league champion in Trinity Moore and the best league finish by a male, Wyatt Reece, who took second.

Tim Smith continued the Wildcat success as he became the school’s first regional cross country champion, and Moore, Reece and Smith each went on to win a state medal. Moore and Smith also set school records for the fastest time.

The Wildcats also qualified the girls team for the first time in school history as Moore, Carlee Gassman, Reilly Alexander, Isabelle Holtzen, Kaitlyn Lewer, Payton Shaffer and Emily Williams took third at regionals and eventually 10th at state.

The Wildcat wrestling team tied a program best by qualifying eight for the state tournament and came back with a medal by Ryan Adams, who finished sixth.

Louisburg’s track and field team persevered and qualified for state in 10 events and had two regional champions in Quinn Rigney and Chris Williams. Isabelle Holtzen and T.J. Dover each brought home their first state track medals.

The boys soccer team was one goal away from making its second consecutive trip to the state semifinals, but their run was halted by a loss to McPherson in state quarterfinals. Still, the Wildcats won a regional title, which was the seventh in team history.

Freshman Calvin Dillon led the Wildcat golf team this past year and recorded the program’s first state medal in more than decade as he took 10th overall.

All these things and more I described in detail when releasing my top 10 stories of the year and what a year it was.

Obviously, I haven’t had a chance to look through all the results, but I can’t imagine a more successful year for LHS when you are talking about athletics. There may have been years in the 70s, 80s and 90s that I don’t know about, but I find it hard to imagine one that tops 2017.

Sure, the 2010-11 school year featured two state championship teams in football and boys track and field and that was a fantastic time to be Wildcat, but as far as calendar years go, 2017 was one to remember.

Even outside the sports world, Louisburg High School put together many great accomplishments as the Wildcat Marching Band was selected to participate in the Tournament of Roses Parade and put on a great show for the nation on New Year’s Day.

Then in October, the FFA Food Science team of Hallie Hutsell, Faith Seuferling, Addie Katzer and Hattie Harris won a national championship, while Hutsell and Seuferling placed second and third in the nation, respectively.

I don’t get a lot of opportunities to cover programs or groups outside the sports world, but these are fantastic accomplishments and deserved to be recognized.

For me, 2017 was a whirlwind. It seemed around every corner, school history was being made and there aren’t many schools around the state that can boast about the successes Louisburg has experienced.

It was an honor for me to cover many of these historic runs in Wildcat history and I hope you all realize how lucky you have it. Louisburg is a school filled with great coaches who care about the student athletes.

Believe me, I know how fortunate I am to be able to be a part of something special and this place is it. If 2018 is half of what 2017 was, it will be a fun ride.

I can’t wait for what 2018 has in store and hopefully you all will follow along to see what these Wildcats can accomplish.

It was a successful, and eventful, 2017 for Louisburg High School athletics and for those who are connected to the Wildcat program. This past year created a lot of school history for LHS and several programs brought back state hardware to Louisburg.

Below are the Top 10 stories from 2017, along with a brief explanation of each. Included in the explanation is the link to the actual story from the event.

This year was a blast to cover and I was blessed to have the opportunity to go along for the ride with many of these. As much fun as it was, I can’t wait for 2018 to begin. Looking forward to it!

Louisburg’s Calvin Dillon earns his first state golf medal as a freshman as he took 10th at the state meet.

10. Dillon medals at state golf

Louisburg freshman Calvin Dillon certainly didn’t play like a first-year varsity player as he led the Wildcat golf team all season. Dillon finished 10^th at the Class 4A state tournament in Wamego and became the first Wildcat golfer to earn a state medal in several years.

Dillon made the state tournament alongside senior Ty Martin, who finished in 28^th place overall after he earned his second straight state appearance.

Isabelle Holtzen earned her first state medal in the pole vault as she took seventh back in May.

9. Holtzen, Dover earn first state track medals

T.J. Dover finished eighth in the discus at the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships in Wichita.

Junior Isabelle Holtzen and senior T.J. Dover both ended their track and field seasons on a good note as they earned state medals in late May at the Class 4A state meet in Wichita.

Holtzen had a big season in the pole vault as she ended seventh in the state after she cleared 10 feet. Earlier in the year, Holtzen broke a 15-year old school record in the pole vault as she topped 11-1.

Dover made his second consecutive trip to the state meet and finished strong in his final high school performance. He took eighth with a throw of 143-4.

The Wildcats qualified for the state meet in 10 events and had two regional champions in junior Quinn Rigney (100-meter dash) and sophomore Chris Williams (400 dash).

8. Frontier League adds three schools, says goodbye to another

For the Frontier League, 2017 brought a lot of changes to a league that has featured seven schools for the last several years.

Starting in the 2018-19 season, the Frontier League will add three new schools. Piper, Tonganoxie and Bonner Springs each accepted invitations to join the league last April to create a 10-team league.

It is didn’t stay 10 teams for long as De Soto will make the move to a different league during the same season. The current league will be made up of nine schools: Louisburg, Paola, Ottawa, Spring Hill, Baldwin, Eudora, Piper, Tonganoxie and Bonner Springs.

7. Louisburg boys soccer wins regional crown

The Louisburg High School boys soccer team was trying to make its second consecutive trip to the state tournament this past season and the Wildcats almost got there.

Although the Wildcats fell to McPherson in the state quarterfinal game in late October, Louisburg put together another successful season that included a 1-0 victory over Independence in the regional championship game.

The Wildcats finished the season with a 13-6 record and earned the school’s first Frontier League championship since 2010.

Junior Ryan Adams celebrates after he earned a state medal at 138 pounds.

6. Wildcat wrestling qualifies eight for state, Adams picks up medal

The Louisburg High School wrestling team had an historic season as it qualified eight for the Class 4A state wrestling tournament, which tied for the most in school history, during the regional tournament in February at Frontenac High School

Thad Hendrix (106 pounds), Nathan Keegan (120), Kyle Allen (126), Ryan Adams (138), Dylan Meyer (145), Austin Moore (170), Austin Raetzel (195) and Mason Koechner (285) all competed at the state tournament in Salina.

Adams earned the school’s lone state medal on the season as he finished sixth overall at 138 pounds.

Louisburg head football and boys track and field coach Gary Griffin retired from the district after 32 years. It was one of many changes for the LHS athletic department.

5. LHS goes through staff/coaching changes

The 2017-18 school year looked a lot of different than in previous years for Louisburg High School athletics.

LHS saw a lot of changes in its coaching staff and in the administration as well. Activities director Darin Gagnebin stepped down and was replaced by current director Jeremy Holloway.

In the coaching department, former head and assistant football Gary Griffin retired from the district after 32 years with the high school and Louisburg promoted assistant Robert Ebenstein as the new Wildcat head football coach.

Jason Nelson resigned his post as the Wildcat head boys basketball coach and he was replaced with Ty Pfannenstiel. Griffin and Greg Darrington also resigned as the boys and girls track and field coaches, and were replaced by Andy Wright (boys) and John Reece (girls).

Louisburg cross country runners (from left) Tim Smith, Trinity Moore and Wyatt Reece each ended the season with a state medal.

4. LHS cross country earns three state medals, qualifies girls team

The Louisburg High School cross country team might have had its best season in its 19-year history in 2017.

The Wildcats thrived against some of the state’s best competition as seniors Wyatt Reece, Tim Smith and sophomore Trinity Moore all earned state medals at the Class 4A meet in Wamego.

Moore recorded the highest finish for a female runner in school history as she finished fifth in the state and broke her own school record in the process with a time of 19 minutes and 47 seconds.

In the boys race, Reece picked up his first state medal with a time of 17 minutes and finished 11^th overall. Smith, who won a regional title the week before, came in 15^th with a time of 17:05. Smith was the first Wildcat to win a regional title in school history.

Louisburg also made history as the Wildcat girls team qualified for the state meet for the first time after they finished third at their regional in Burlington. Moore joined Isabelle Holtzen, Reilly Alexander, Carlee Gassman, Kaitlyn Lewer, Payton Shaffer and Emily Williams to make up the seven-member squad that finished 10^th in the team standings at state.

Earlier in the year, Moore became the school’s first Frontier League champion, while Reece recorded the highest league finish in boys history as he took second at the league meet.

3. Louisburg boys basketball earns first state tournament berth in 12 years

The season may not have started out the way the Louisburg boys basketball team would have liked, but it certainly finished on a positive note.

Louisburg knocked off rival Paola in the sub-state semfinals and then defeated Fort Scott in the championship game in early March to earn its first sub-state championship since 2005.

The Wildcats earned the No. 6 seed and squared off with eventual champion Bishop Miege at the Class 4A state tournament in Salina. The Stags ended the Wildcats’ season with an 81-47 loss.

2. LHS girls soccer finishes fourth at state tournament

Louisburg’s girls soccer program has only been around for two years, but the Wildcats have set high expectations from the beginning and that continued in 2017.

The Wildcats advanced to the Class 4-1A state semifinals for the first time in school history as they defeated Piper with a 2-1 victory in overtime. This victory came off their second consecutive regional title as they knocked off Bonner Springs.

At the state tournament, Louisburg faced off with Thomas More Prep and suffered a heart-breaking 1-0 loss in the semifinals. The Wildcats moved on to the third-place game against Maize South and eventually finished fourth overall.

1. Lady Cat volleyball ends season as state runner-up

The Louisburg High School volleyball team was just one point away from not only becoming the school’s first state volleyball champion – but also the first female team to win a state title in Louisburg history.

As close as the Lady Cats got, they came up just short against defending state champion Rose Hill in late October at the Class 4A-Division I state championship. Louisburg fell 23-25, 25-10 and 29-27 in heartbreaking fashion to finish as the state runner-up.

Still, it was an impressive season for Louisburg volleyball as it finished with a 34-10 record. The Lady Cats reeled off wins over Basehor-Linwood, Bishop Miege and Rose Hill in pool play and then downed Wellington in the state semifinals.

The Lady Cats received several accolades as junior Anna Dixon and senior Sophie McMullen earned first team all-state and all-league honors. Dixon was also named as the Co-Player of the Year in Class 4A-Division I.

Junior Carson Buffington was also named to the all-state tournament team with Dixon and McMullen.

Louisburg freshman Cade Holtzen works for a pin in his 113-pound match during the Randy Starcher Invitational on Saturday at Tonganoxie High School. Holtzen and the Wildcats finished third overall in the dual tournament. 

TONGANOXIE – In its final tune-up before the holiday break, the Louisburg High School wrestling team was tested in many different areas Saturday during the Randy Starcher Invitational.

The Wildcats battled injuries, competed in difficult matches and faced off with a pair of state-ranked teams. Despite all that, Louisburg came back home from Tonganoxie with a little hardware to show for its efforts.

Louisburg finished third overall in the dual tournament with a 3-2 mark and completed the first part of its schedule with an 11-4 overall dual record. The Wildcats only losses Saturday came against Shawnee Heights, which is ranked No. 6 in Class 5A, and the No. 6 team in Class 4A – Tonganoxie.

“It’s nice to end this part of the season on a positive note,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “Bringing home a plaque is a nice tangible symbol of our team’s hard work. Our team’s dual record isn’t bad considering the caliber of teams we’ve faced.

“I liked how we did against Shawnee Heights. We held them to the fewest points of any team last weekend, and we scored more than any other team scored on them. We had two matches — 120 and 132 — that could have gone either way, so that dual might have even been closer. It was a good test for us at this point in the season.”

The Wildcats opened the tournament with a pair of easy victories. Louisburg rolled Eudora in the first round 56-15 and then dominated Frontenac, 66-4.

Tonganoxie was the Wildcats’ next opponent in the final round of pool play and the Chieftains were able to win some key matches in their 54-24 win over Louisburg.

Even with the loss, Louisburg still advanced to the championship bracket, where it squared off with eventual champion, Shawnee Heights. The Wildcats fell 50-24, but bounced back to defeat Independence for third place, 46-30.

Louisburg got a big performance from one of its newer wrestlers. Freshman Cade Holtzen continues to put together strong tournaments for the Wildcats as he finished with a 5-0 record at 113 pounds Saturday, including a pair of pins, and has an overall mark of 14-1 through three weeks.

“I knew that coming into high school, Cade would be a strong factor with the program,” Bovaird said. “He’s won several USAW kids state medals over the years, and he’s been wrestling quite a bit in the off-season. He’s having some great matches, and he’s working hard in the practice room. Anyone who partners up with Cade is going to get better. He just naturally does that with his teammates.”

Junior Gabriel Bonham takes down his Shawnee Heights opponent at 132 pounds.

The Wildcats also got nice performances from senior Ryan Adams (145 pounds) and Austin Moore (195) as both wrestlers finished the day with a 4-1 record and they each had four pins. Unfortunately, both of them also experienced their first loss of the season.

Adams, the No. 1 wrestler at 145 pounds in Class 4A, faced off with the No. 2 wrestler in Tonganoxie’s Patterson Starcher. Starcher pinned Adams in the second period in what was a tight match up to that point.

As for Moore, the No. 5 wrestler at 195 pounds, he squared off with No. 4 Connor Searcy, who is also from Tonganoxie. The Louisburg junior came up short in a 10-3 decision.

“That’s one thing that’s tough to get across to an advanced wrestler is that losses happen,” Bovaird said. “They’re necessary to make us get better. They bring out the driven athlete in us all. No one likes losses, but it’s a mistake to measure your season, and your success, on whether or not you go undefeated. Those matches Austin and Ryan lost on Saturday will be much different next time.”

Junior Hunter Bindi also put together a 4-1 performance at 120 pounds with a pin and a technical fall, and he nearly went undefeated himself. Bindi faced off with Shawnee Heights’ Barrett Stickleman and lost a tough 7-5 decision in overtime.

Senior Tucker Batten (152) finished the day with a 3-0 record, while freshman Ben Wiedenmann (160/170), senior Garrett Caldwell (182) and junior Hunter Day (285) also ended the tournament with three wins.

Senior Thad Hendrix works for some back points during the Randy Starcher Invitational at Tonganoxie.

Bovaird liked what he saw in senior Thad Hendrix (106) and Blue Caplinger (160/170), who despite finishing with losing records, performed well against difficult opponents.

“We wrestled tough against some pretty physical teams,” Bovaird said. “Blue and Thad faced some pretty tough opponents during the day. Thad lost a 6-5 decision to an Independence kid who’d majored him the week before, and he was hanging pretty well with the No. 1 ranked kid in 5A from Shawnee Heights.

“Blue went 1-4 on the weekend, with three of his losses coming from ranked opponents. He never gave up against them. Very few wrestlers are going to pin or tech Blue Caplinger. He’s pretty stubborn like that.”

Junior Blue Caplinger works for a pin during his match against Frontenac on Saturday.

Louisburg will now take some time off and try to heal as it enters the holiday break. The Wildcats will get a chance to perform in front of their home fans when they get back as they will host the Louisburg Invitational on Jan. 6.

“It’s definitely the right time to take a break and recuperate,” Bovaird said. “We got beat up a lot at Tonganoxie, but that happens. We’ll take a week off and get healthy. Then, several of our guys will be gone for the Rose Parade trip to Pasadena. They’ll get back a couple days before our home tournament, so that will be a challenge for us to manage with. We might see some weight changes after Christmas, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the guys do once they get their post-Christmas growth allowance and weight management isn’t as much of a challenge.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do, which is good. We have direction, and we have momentum. The guys are ready to step up and keep working on being better wrestlers.”

RANDY STARCHER INVITATIONAL RESULTS

Match 1: Louisburg 56, Eudora 15

106 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

113 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) over Will Schreiner (Eudora) Dec 5-1

120 – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) over Larry Gulley (Eudora) TF 16-0

126 – Holden Andrews (Eudora) over Kyle Allen (Louisburg) Dec 10-4

132 – Hagan Andrews (Eudora) over Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) Dec 6-0

138 – Cael Lynch (Eudora) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

145 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) over Nate Criqui (Eudora) Fall 0:40

152 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) over Andre Whitson (Eudora) Fall 3:23

160 – Elijah Kennedy (Eudora) over Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) Dec 6-1

170 – Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) over Weston Trefz (Eudora) Fall 2:55

182 – Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

195 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Christopher Huslig (Eudora) Fall 0:41

220 – Sam Kratochvil (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

285 – Hunter Day (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

Match 2: Louisburg 66, Frontenac 4

106 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

113 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

120 – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

126 – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) over Bennie Adarr (Frontenac) Fall 1:19

132 – Riley McDaniel (Frontenac) over Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) Maj 15-5

138 – Dalton Hilt (Louisburg) over Austin Souder (Frontenac) Fall 4:41

145 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) over Drew Bollinger (Frontenac) Fall 3:35

152 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) over Jeremiah Mellnick (Frontenac) Dec 12-5

160 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) over KW Hale (Frontenac) Fall 3:11

170 – Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) over Kaleb Kroenke (Frontenac) Dec 5-0

182 – Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

195 – Double Forfeit

220 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Nathan Kaufman (Frontenac) Fall 0:45

285 – Hunter Day (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

Match 3: Tonganoxie 54, Louisburg 24

106 – Caleb Allen (Tonganoxie) over Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) Fall 6:00

113 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) over Hunter Harris (Tonganoxie) Fall 0:57

120 – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

126 – Aidan McClellan (Tonganoxie) over Kyle Allen (Louisburg) Fall 4:48

132 – Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

138 – Korbin Reidel (Tonganoxie) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

145 – Patterson Starcher (Tonganoxie) over Ryan Adams (Louisburg) Fall 3:06

152 – Zeb Huseman (Tonganoxie) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

160 – Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

170 – Justin Hand (Tonganoxie) over Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) Dec 7-1

182 – Devon Duncan (Tonganoxie) over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) Fall 1:17

195 – Connor Searcy (Tonganoxie) over Austin Moore (Louisburg) Dec 10-3

220 – William Harris (Tonganoxie) over Sam Kratochvil (Louisburg) Fall 3:31

285 – Jacob Miller (Tonganoxie) over Hunter Day (Louisburg) Fall 1:50

Semifinals: Shawnee Heights 50, Louisburg 24

106 – Freddy Maisberger IV (Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights) over Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) Maj 8-0

113 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) over Scott Smith (Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights) Fall 3:27

120 – Barrett Stickelman (Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights) over Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) SV-1 7-5

126 – Noah Moore (Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights) over Kyle Allen (Louisburg) Fall 1:22

132 – Logan Brede (Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights) over Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) Dec 4-2

138 – Cade Wathke (Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

145 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) over Alex Walker (Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights) Fall 1:42

152 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

160 – Jake Patterson (Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights) over Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) Maj 15-1

170 – Chase Reynolds (Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights) over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) Fall 0:20

182 – Zack Gonzales (Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights) over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) Fall 0:58

195 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Dane Terry (Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights) Fall 0:58

220 – Tristan Killman (Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights) over Sam Kratochvil (Louisburg) Fall 1:00

285 – Ethan Shuman (Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights) over Hunter Day (Louisburg) Fall 0:22

Third-place match: Louisburg 46, Independence 30

106 – Gabe Eades (Independence) over Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) Dec 6-5

113 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) over Zak Al-Bureni (Independence) Maj 13-2

120 – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) over Alexis Allen (Independence) Fall 2:29

126 – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

132 – Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) over Jon Lingenfelter (Independence) Inj 2:35

138 – James Lingenfelter (Independence) over Dalton Hilt (Louisburg) Fall 5:04

145 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) over Ian Lawson (Independence) Fall 0:54

152 – Ryan Bruce (Independence) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

160 – Heith Mendoza (Independence) over Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) Dec 11-7

170 – Cole Swearingen (Independence) over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) Fall 4:51

182 – Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) over Dakota Thorenson (Independence) Fall 0:32

195 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Cal Bloomfield (Independence) Fall 1:58

220 – Grant Thiessen (Independence) over Sam Kratochvil (Louisburg) Fall 4:30

285 – Hunter Day (Louisburg) over Jacob Burd (Independence) Fall 1:40