Louisburg junior Austin Moore gets a pin in his opening round match Friday at the Class 4A Kansas State Wrestling Championships. Moore finished 1-1 on the day at 195 pounds.

It was a successful first day for the Louisburg High School wrestling team Friday at the Class 4A Kansas State Wrestling Championships as five of six Wildcats are still alive for a state medal.

Although all five are on the consolation side of the bracket, each of the wrestlers each garnered a victory at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina.

Freshman Cade Holtzen (113 pounds) and junior Austin Moore won their first match of the day and ventured in to the quarterfinals. Holtzen won by technical fall in his opening bout against Tonganoxie’s Hunter Harris, but was later pinned by Abilene’s William Stroda. Stroda is currently ranked No. 2 in the state.

Holtzen (42-4) will wrestle McPherson’s Landon Crews (30-14) to start the day Saturday and will need two victories to guarantee himself a medal.

As for Moore, he pinned Wichita Trinity’s Tucker Trevett in the first period of his opening match. However, Moore went up against El Dorado’s Braden Morgan, the No. 1 wrestler at 195 pounds, and lost by technical fall.

Moore will face off with Atchison’s Riley Smith (21-11) to start the consolation round and he must also win two victories to garner a state medal.

Senior Thad Hendrix (106), senior Ryan Adams (145) and junior Blue Caplinger (160) all suffered losses in the first round, but all three bounced back to win their first consolation match. Like Holtzen and Moore, all three wrestlers will need to win two matches on Saturday to guarantee themselves a spot on the medal stand.

Hendrix (31-16) responded to beat Hays’ Jordan Zimmerman by a 10-6 decision and will wrestle Marysville’s Isaac Novotny (29-12) to start consolation wrestlebacks.

Adams (33-7) was nearly eliminated in his consolation match as he found himself down 7-2 to McPherson’s Jonah Clarke, but opened the third period with the pin after he was pinned in his first match by Basehor-Linwood’s Kaden Jacobson, the state’s No. 3 ranked wrestler. He will face off with Andover Central’s Christian Hannon (15-9) to begin tournament action tomorrow.

Caplinger (34-13) battled hard in his first match against the state’s No.1 wrestler in Storm Slupianek from Marysville and lost by a 3-1 decision. He then found himself down 2-0 to Bishop Miege’s Drew Perez in the second period of his consolation match, but bounced back to record a pin. Caplinger will meet Pratt’s Jadon Koehler (28-9) tomorrow.

Senior Tucker Batten (138) suffered losses in both of his bouts today. Batten was pinned by Clearwater’s Darryl Rylant, the No. 2 wrestler in the state and then was pinned by Bonner Springs’ Jose Lopez. He ended his season with a 30-14 record.

The consolation round will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Louisburg junior Blue Caplinger is one of six Wildcats wrestlers who will be competing in the Class 4A state tournament this weekend in Salina. 

SALINA – The Louisburg wrestling team has had its fair share of success when it comes to the Class 4A Kansas State Wrestling Championships.

The Wildcats have a board full of medalists and state champions in their practice room to help document their history. They hope to add a few more names to that list after this weekend.

Thad Hendrix (106 pounds), Cade Holtzen (113), Tucker Batten (138), Ryan Adams (145), Blue Caplinger (160) and Austin Moore (195) will all compete at the highest level beginning at 10 a.m. Friday in Salina at Tony’s Pizza Event Center when state action gets underway.

Each wrestler will have their own fair share of obstacles to get through if they want to reach the medal stand. For starters, it will be the most competitive tournament they have competed in all season.

Despite that, Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird believes his wrestlers have a good chance to be recognized among the top wrestlers in their weight class.

“At the end of the day after regionals, I talked to each of the guys who qualified,” Bovaird said. “I told them, ‘You have a choice to make. You can choose to be satisfied with qualifying for state, or you can choose to make the most of your trip.’ Each of them said he wanted to bring home a medal. I think they understand that if they never set a goal for winning a state title, then they never will win a state title. Those kinds of achievements don’t happen by accident.

“I think these guys are all ready to go. We could have an historical state tournament, or we could have a lackluster tournament. It’s in the hands of the wrestlers, and I’m confident that they’re going to be ready to make some history.”

Although four of the six Louisburg qualifiers have competed in the state tournament before, only one have them has ever taken home a state medal as the top six in each weight class earn medals in the double elimination tournament.

Ryan Adams, 145-pound bracket

Adams, a senior and a 3-time state qualifier, finished sixth at state last season at 138 pounds and he is hoping for an even higher placing this time around. Adams, who is 32-6 on the season and ranked No. 5 in the state, will have a tough match in his first round against Basehor-Linwood’s Kaden Jacobson (32-6), who is ranked No. 3 in the state.

Should Adams get past Jacobson, he will meet the winner of Ark City’s Jake Beeson (22-0), who is No. 1 in the state, and McPherson’s Jonah Clarke (26-10).

Thad Hendrix, 106-pound bracket

Hendrix (30-15) is another 3-time state qualifier for Louisburg and is hoping to bring home his first state medal. Hendrix, who finished as a regional runner-up last week, will face Augusta’s Gabe Fox (33-9) in the first round, and should he advance, will meet the winner between Bonner Springs’ Cruz Lara (33-5), who is ranked No. 2, and Hays’ Jordan Zimmerman (25-13).

“I definitely know what I am going to be getting into at state this year,” Hendrix said. “I am not new to it and I know how the days work. I know what I need to do to place and it is all about whether I can accomplish that or not.”

Cade Holtzen, 113-pound bracket

Holtzen qualified for state for the first time as a freshman and has made statement in his first year. He is currently No. 6 in the state at 113 pounds and has posted a 42-3 record, with two of those losses coming to a defending state champion.

Still, Holtzen, a regional runner-up, will have a difficult road as well. He will square off with Tonganoxie’s Hunter Harris (17-21) in the first round and then would meet the winner between Abilene’s William Stroda (39-2) and Pratt’s Kaiser Pelland (23-15). Stroda is currently the No. 2 wrestler in the state.

“I am really excited for it,” Holtzen said. “I can’t wait and I feel that I can do pretty well. I am looking for a state medal, so hopefully I can get that. We will just have to see what happens.

“It is great to see about half of our team being able to go to state. It means we still have a lot of people in the practice room and that we can still get better. It is not just an individual thing, it is about the team too and it is always nice to have more teammates cheering you on.”

Austin Moore, 195-pound bracket

Moore (41-5), a regional runner-up, will be making his second trip to state and be looking for his first state medal at 195 pounds.

If he gets past his first round match against Wichita Trinity’s Tucker Trevett (23-16), Moore will square off with the winner between El Dorado’s Braden Morgan (36-1) and Holton’s Killian O’Connor (19-18). Morgan is currently the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the state.

“I am really happy to see my teammates qualify too and see their hard work pay off,” Moore said. “All of us that made it to state have worked really hard, especially this past week.

“My goal is to place at state. It has been a goal of mine for a long time and hopefully I can achieve it this weekend.”

Tucker Batten, 138-pound bracket

Batten and Caplinger will be making their first state tournament trip.

Batten (30-12), a senior, will have a tough first round matchup as he will square off with No. 2 ranked Darryl Rylant (39-1) from Clearwater.

Blue Caplinger, 160-pound bracket

Caplinger (33-12) will have a difficult first round opponent as well. He will meet No. 1 Storm Slupianek (33-2) from Marysville.

Even if the Wildcats’ lose one match, each of them will have an opportunity to medal by winning matches on the backside of the bracket.

The state tournament will run into Saturday, with the consolation rounds starting at 9 a.m.

Louisburg senior Ryan Adams was one of six Lousiburg wrestlers to qualify for the Class 4A state tournament last Saturday during the regional tournament in Burlington. Adams finished third overall at 145 pounds.

BURLINGTON – Going into the blood round of the Class 4A regional wrestling tournament in Burlington, Louisburg had already qualified three for the state tournament and were looking for more.

The Wildcats put four wrestlers in the pivotal round and it wasn’t going to be easy.

Senior Thad Hendrix (106 pounds), freshman Cade Holtzen (113) and junior Austin Moore already had spots locked up as they wrestled in regional finals, but four more were trying to garner a state berth on the back side of the bracket.

With a spot in the state tournament on the line, Louisburg came away with three more qualifiers last Saturday as they will send six overall to the upcoming Class 4A state tournament this weekend in Salina. The top four in each weight class earned a state bid.

Senior Tucker Batten (138), senior Ryan Adams (145) and junior Blue Caplinger (160) punched their tickets with big wins in the consolation semifinals. It was also the first time Batten or Caplinger had qualified for state.

“Tucker and Blue probably gave me the biggest adrenaline rushes of the weekend,” Bovaird said. “After their matches, I had to get out and walk to try to bring down my heartrate. Very exciting matches, and I’m so proud to see them pull things together at the regional tournament to qualify for state. Nothing is ever guaranteed at this point in the season, and these guys really had to fight for their victories.”

Coach Bobby Bovaird and the Louisburg fans cheer on Blue Caplinger after he qualified for state at 160 pounds.

When it was all said and done, Hendrix, Holtzen and Moore each finished second their weight class. Adams and Batten finished third, while Caplinger took fourth. Junior Gabe Bonham (132) also made it to the blood round, but lost a 6-0 decision to finish one win shy of a state berth.

“We had six wrestlers seeded in the top four in their weights, and all six of them ended up qualifying,” Bovaird said. “We had two or three others who were positioned in their brackets in spots where I thought they might have been able to upset some guys and make it in. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make that happen this year.”

Hendrix will make his third trip to the state tournament and will do so thanks to a pair of wins to start the tournament on Friday. He started off with a major decision over Anderson County’s Carter Sommer and then followed that up with a pin of Fort Scott’s Donald Harper to put him in the regionals finals.

The Louisburg senior went on to fall in his finals match by an 11-7 decision to Chanute’s Trent Clements, but Hendrix is excited for what lies ahead.

Louisburg senior Thad Hendrix goes in for a takedown in his regional title match Saturday in Burlington.

“My goal was to make it to state and see what I could do out there again,” Hendrix said. “It is just awesome making it for three years now and it is a big deal and was a whole lot of fun.

“Going into the tournament, I knew that I could do some work in my bracket. I knew what my potential was and it definitely worked out. I think I wrestled my best. I was gunning for first place, but things didn’t go my way there, but second is not bad either.”

Like Hendrix, Holtzen didn’t have much drama in his first three matches at 113 pounds. He opened with a 34 second pin of Iola’s Damiean Dryden and then went on to pin Labette County’s Joe Hobbs in the second period. Holtzen made the regional finals after he pinned Anderson County’s Ashton Miller in the second period.

Holtzen, the No. 6-ranked wrestler at 113 pounds, faced off with Paola’s Preston Martin – the defending state champion, and made things interesting before he eventually got pinned. Holtzen got the first takedown on Martin and then almost had back points before he eventually fell late in the first period.

Louisburg freshman Cade Holtzen took second overall at 113 pounds Saturday during the regional tournament in Burlington.

“I wrestled pretty good,” Holtzen said. “I was able to get the takedown (on Martin) and was feeling pretty good, but he got an escape and then I almost got him again and thought I had him pinned for a second. But he is a good wrestler and he got me with a funk move and he is really tough on top.

“It is a pretty cool feeling to be able to go to state, especially as a freshman. I feel like I wrestled pretty good, but I could have wrestled better in a couple of my matches. I am just excited to be going to state though.”

Moore rolled through his part of the bracket at 195 pounds that eventually saw him advance to the regional finals. He recorded a pair of pins in 19 and 31 seconds, respectively, to start tournament action and then got a revenge win against Prairie View’s Chanz Gerleman after he pinned him in the first period to earn his second straight trip to state.

A familiar opponent awaited Moore in the finals in Columbus’ Ridge Smith. Moore had seen Smith the last three years at regionals, and each time ended with a loss.

Junior Austin Moore took second at regionals at 195 pounds and qualified for state for the second straight year.

The Louisburg junior made things interesting as he nearly tied the match with a takedown in the third period, but fell in a 5-2 decision.

“I wrestled him in the third place match last year and I knew he was going to be tough,” Moore said. “He is good on his feet and he got strong tie-ups on me. I thought I was going to be able to get that takedown at the end, but I wasn’t able to get it and he was just able to ride me out.

“It is a really good feeling to go to state though. It is always a goal of mine to qualify for state and hopefully I can medal. I feel like I wrestled better on my first day, but I am just looking forward to state.”

Batten, Adams and Caplinger each made the regional semifinals and had close losses in each of those matches.

Batten won a 7-3 decision over Paola’s Bre Douglas to start the day and advanced to the semis against Spring Hill’s Wyatt Dickie. Batten took a 5-0 lead, but came up short in a wild 13-10 decision.

Tucker Batten forces his opponent to the mat during his consolation semifinal match.

That loss sent Batten to the consolation semifinals where he downed Anderson County’s Gavin Wolken by a 5-0 decision to qualify for state. He then advanced to the third place match where he defeated Douglas again, this time by an 8-0 decision.

As for Adams, the No. 5-ranked wrestler in Class 4A, he opened with a pair of pins to reach the semifinals where he squared off with Paola’s Brendan Ohlmeier. Adams was upset by Ohlmeier by a 4-2 decision that sent the Louisburg senior to the blood round.

Adams then won by a 13-5 major decision over Frontenac’s Jeremiah Mellnick to qualify for state for the third consecutive year, and pinned Chanute’s Dalton Misener in 43 seconds in the third-place match.

“Ryan had a little hiccup Friday night in the semis — his opponent was ready for him,” Bovaird said. “It was smart wrestling and coaching on Paola’s part. Ryan bounced back just fine and won two dominant matches Saturday to finish third.”

Caplinger had to wrestle through a difficult 160-pound bracket, that featured three-state ranked wrestlers, including himself.

Blue Caplinger is congratulated by his coaches following his blood round win Saturday in Burlington.

He started off with a pin of Osawatomie’s Drake West and then won a close 2-1 decision over Chanute’s Brayden Dillow, before falling by a 7-4 decision to Burlington’s Brett Bober.

Caplinger bounced back to pin Anderson County’s Dalton Duke in the second period to earn a state bid. His third-place match was just as exciting, but lost in overtime to Columbus’ Kale Smith, who had a takedown in the extra period.

Louisburg also had to say goodbye to a pair of seniors in Kyle Allen (126) and Garrett Caldwell (182), who each wrestled their final matches with the Wildcats.

“It’s tough seeing that happen, especially since Garrett and Kyle have put in so much time,” Bovaird said. “Those two really dedicated quite a bit of off-season time to wrestling. I can’t thank them enough for the example they’ve set for the younger wrestlers. They volunteer their time at the youth wrestling practices, they’re always the first ones to step up when I need volunteers, and they won quite a few matches wearing the purple singlet.”

All six Louisburg wrestlers will try to get a state medal starting this Friday when they compete at the 4A tournament in Salina at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center. Action begins at 10 a.m., and continues into Saturday.

LOUISBURG REGIONAL RESULTS

TEAM SCORES

1. Chanute 198
2. Paola 145
3. Burlington 135
4. Anderson County 5
5. Spring Hill 122
6. Louisburg 117
7. Prairie View 5
8. Columbus 86
9. Ottawa 60
10. Frontenac 51
11. Labette County 27
12. Fort Scott 22
13. Osawatomie 21
14. Parsons 15
15. Iola 7
16. Baxter Springs 0

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

106

Thad Hendrix (30-15) placed 2nd and scored 19.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 30-15 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 30-15 won by major decision over Carter Sommer (Garnett-Anderson County) 9-28 (MD 11-0)
• Semifinal – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 30-15 won by fall over Donald Harper (Fort Scott) 8-9 (Fall 1:52)
• 1st Place Match – Trent Clements (Chanute) 19-13 won by decision over Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) 30-15 (Dec 11-7)

113

Cade Holtzen (42-3) placed 2nd and scored 22.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) 42-3 won by fall over Damiean Dryden (Iola) 1-8 (Fall 0:34)
• Quarterfinal – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) 42-3 won by fall over Joe Hobbs (Altamont-Labette County) 14-20 (Fall 2:35)
• Semifinal – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) 42-3 won by fall over Ashton Miller (Garnett-Anderson County) 25-17 (Fall 3:53)
• 1st Place Match – Preston Martin (Paola) 38-2 won by fall over Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) 42-3 (Fall 1:44)

126

Kyle Allen (24-18) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) 24-18 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Kyle Montojo (Fort Scott) 23-16 won by fall over Kyle Allen (Louisburg) 24-18 (Fall 4:43)
• Cons. Round 2 – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) 24-18 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 3 – Jaden Malson (Parsons) 18-10 won by fall over Kyle Allen (Louisburg) 24-18 (Fall 2:20)

132

Gabe Bonham (18-15) place is unknown and scored 4.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Gabe Bonham (Louisburg) 18-15 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Logan McDonald (Chanute) 27-11 won by fall over Gabe Bonham (Louisburg) 18-15 (Fall 4:29)
• Cons. Round 2 – Gabe Bonham (Louisburg) 18-15 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 3 – Gabe Bonham (Louisburg) 18-15 won by fall over Will Wunderly (Fort Scott) 2-9 (Fall 2:32)
• Cons. Semi – Ethan Totty (Burlington) 33-6 won by decision over Gabe Bonham (Louisburg) 18-15 (Dec 6-0)

138

Tucker Batten (30-12) placed 3rd and scored 13.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) 30-12 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) 30-12 won by decision over Bre Douglas (Paola) 25-17 (Dec 7-3)
• Semifinal – Wyatt Dickie (Spring Hill) 27-12 won by decision over Tucker Batten (Louisburg) 30-12 (Dec 13-10)
• Cons. Semi – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) 30-12 won by decision over Gavin Wolken (Garnett-Anderson County) 24-21 (Dec 5-0)
• 3rd Place Match – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) 30-12 won by major decision over Bre Douglas (Paola) 25-17 (MD 8-0)

145

Ryan Adams (32-6) placed 3rd and scored 19.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) 32-6 won by fall over Gunnar Laurance (Columbus) 4-20 (Fall 0:16)
• Quarterfinal – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) 32-6 won by fall over Casen Barker (Iola) 6-7 (Fall 2:26)
• Semifinal – Brendan Ohlmeier (Paola) 31-12 won by decision over Ryan Adams (Louisburg) 32-6 (Dec 4-2)
• Cons. Semi – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) 32-6 won by major decision over Jeremiah Mellnick (Frontenac) 14-14 (MD 13-5)
• 3rd Place Match – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) 32-6 won by fall over Dalton Misener (Chanute) 26-14 (Fall 0:43)

152

Jacob Briley (1-12) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Cole Denny (Garnett-Anderson County) 35-7 won by fall over Jacob Briley (Louisburg) 1-12 (Fall 1:26)
• Cons. Round 1 – Osmosis Jones (Columbus) 2-15 won by decision over Jacob Briley (Louisburg) 1-12 (Dec 9-2)

160

Blue Caplinger (33-12) placed 4th and scored 13.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) 33-12 won by fall over Drake West (Osawatomie) 3-19 (Fall 0:49)
• Quarterfinal – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) 33-12 won by decision over Brayden Dillow (Chanute) 19-8 (Dec 2-1)
• Semifinal – Brett Bober (Burlington) 38-5 won by decision over Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) 33-12 (Dec 7-4)
• Cons. Semi – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) 33-12 won by fall over Dalton Duke (Garnett-Anderson County) 27-10 (Fall 2:47)
• 3rd Place Match – Kale Smith (Columbus) 27-8 won in sudden victory – 1 over Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) 33-12 (SV-1 3-1)

170

Ben Wiedenmann (9-20) place is unknown and scored 2.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Tucker Mace (Ottawa) 23-22 won by decision over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) 9-20 (Dec 6-0)
• Cons. Round 1 – Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) 9-20 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 2 – Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) 9-20 won by decision over Dawson Mast (Burlington) 12-14 (Dec 9-4)
• Cons. Round 3 – Hunter Boone (LaCygne-Prairie View) 30-13 won by fall over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) 9-20 (Fall 1:32)

182

Garrett Caldwell (16-25) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Mikey Stribling (Paola) 30-12 won by fall over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) 16-25 (Fall 1:22)
• Cons. Round 1 – Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) 16-25 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 2 – Braden Robinson (Chanute) 15-15 won by fall over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) 16-25 (Fall 2:27)

195

Austin Moore (41-5) placed 2nd and scored 22.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) 41-5 won by fall over Dean Diviney (Spring Hill) 4-12 (Fall 0:19)
• Quarterfinal – Austin Moore (Louisburg) 41-5 won by fall over Isaiah Levy (Garnett-Anderson County) 19-10 (Fall 0:31)
• Semifinal – Austin Moore (Louisburg) 41-5 won by fall over Chanz Gerleman (LaCygne-Prairie View) 16-2 (Fall 1:54)
• 1st Place Match – Ridge Smith (Columbus) 32-3 won by decision over Austin Moore (Louisburg) 41-5 (Dec 5-2)

220

James Nelson (2-11) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – James Nelson (Louisburg) 2-11 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Dallas Higginbotham (Garnett-Anderson County) 36-3 won by fall over James Nelson (Louisburg) 2-11 (Fall 0:32)
• Cons. Round 2 – James Nelson (Louisburg) 2-11 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 3 – Antonio Espinosa (Ottawa) 17-22 won by fall over James Nelson (Louisburg) 2-11 (Fall 1:52)

285

Hunter Day (17-24) place is unknown and scored 4.00 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Wyaitt Cox-Halliburton (LaCygne-Prairie View) 32-13 won by fall over Hunter Day (Louisburg) 17-24 (Fall 2:34)
• Cons. Round 1 – Hunter Day (Louisburg) 17-24 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 2 – Hunter Day (Louisburg) 17-24 won by fall over Austin Woodard (Spring Hill) 12-21 (Fall 2:11)
• Cons. Round 3 – Todd Fritch (Chanute) 20-14 won by fall over Hunter Day (Louisburg) 17-24 (Fall 0:44)

Blue Caplinger gets a hug from his coaches after he secured a state berth at 160 pounds Saturday at the Class 4A regional tournament at Burlington High School.

Below is a photo gallery from today’s Class 4A regional wrestling tournament in Burlington as the Louisburg High School wrestling team qualified six for the state tournament.

Senior Thad Hendrix (106 pounds), freshman Cade Holtzen (113), senior Tucker Batten (138), senior Ryan Adams (145), junior Blue Caplinger (160) and junior Austin Moore (195) all punched their ticket to the Class 4A state tournament in Salina.

Hendrix, Holtzen and Moore all reached the regional finals, but each finished second overall. Batten and Adams won their their third-place match and Caplinger took fourth.

Congrats to the Wildcat wrestling team and all those that qualified for state.

Louisburg junior Austin Moore puts a Baldwin opponent on his back Saturday during the Frontier League Tournament at Baldwin High School. Moore won the 195-pound title with a 6-0 record.

BALDWIN CITY – The Louisburg High School wrestling team had hopes of bringing home a third straight Frontier League title Saturday.

Those hopes were quickly dashed as the Wildcats fell to No. 1 seed Paola in its opening dual of the day, but all was certainly not lost.

Louisburg finished second in the two-day league dual tournament at Baldwin High School with a 5-1 record and finished with a pair of league champions. The Wildcats returned to Louisburg with a lot more hardware as 11 of the team’s 14 wrestlers found their way to the medal stand as each of them finished in the top four in the league.

Senior Ryan Adams (145 pounds) and junior Austin Moore (195) led the way as each of them finished as a league champion with a 6-0 record.

Adams won his first Frontier League championship as six of his wins came by pin and the others by a technical fall and a forfeit. Moore was just as dominant as he finished with five pins and both wrestlers are heading into the regional tournament this weekend with a lot of momentum.

“Ryan is absolutely in the right place mentally,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “He’s always been there with his skills, but these past three or four weeks, I’ve seen him getting focused like never before. I’m pretty excited to see him pursue his goals at regionals and state. He’s stepping up as a leader, he’s pushing himself at practice, and he’s getting into a competitive mindset for his matches.

“Austin is just plain dominant. There are very few 195-pounders that we’ve seen that are more physical than he is. Austin will have some tough matches at regionals — the Prairie View kid and the Columbus kid are going to be tight matches — but he’s been pushing himself at practice to get ready for the end of the season.”

The Wildcats had hoped to bring home their third straight Frontier League title and were well on their way to doing that after a good day on Friday. Louisburg opened with a 51-20 win over Eudora and beat De Soto 66-15, which set up a close dual with Spring Hill.

The dual was tied going into the heavyweight match, but Louisburg junior Hunter Day put the Wildcats over the top with a pin and gave them a 40-34 victory.

“The Spring Hill dual was probably the best part of the weekend,” Bovaird said. “That was an exciting dual — a fun one for both teams. We’ve always had a rivalry with them, and these past few years we’ve been able to compete with them and come out on top.”

If Louisburg was going to win another title, it was going to have to overtake rival Paola in the first dual of the day Saturday. Unfortunately, the Wildcats got out to a bad start and couldn’t recover in a 51-29 loss.

Louisburg lost its first four matches before the Wildcats got victories from Gabe Bonham (132), Tucker Batten (138) and Adams to keep them in it, but Paola won five of the next seven to pull away. Paola would eventually beat Spring Hill in its final dual to secure the league title for itself.

“There’s no shame in finishing behind Paola, especially with the group they’ve got this year,” Bovaird said. “There are some outstanding wrestlers, big and small, veteran and rookie. You could tell how much they wanted the league title. It was a total team effort on their part, and you’ve got to give them credit. Coach (Russ)Hermreck has a quality team.

“I know our guys wanted to come out on top. We just didn’t match up well with them this year. Our strong weights went up against their strong weights, and in the end, they came out on top. The first four weight classes were key, and those losses really set the tone for the dual. It especially hurt that we gave up pins in three of those weights. Gabe got us going again at 132, and Tucker and Ryan had clutch pins at 138 and 145, but it wasn’t enough to get our momentum going.”

Louisburg senior Ryan Adams works for a pin Saturday against Paola. Adams won the league title at 145 pounds.

The Wildcats had six wrestlers that were one win away from winning a league title for themselves. Senior Thad Hendrix (106), sophomore Cade Holtzen (113), junior Hunter Bindi (120), Batten, and junior Blue Caplinger (160) each finished second overall in their weight class.

In Holtzen’s and Caplinger’s case, they fell to state-ranked wrestlers ahead of them. Holtzen, who is No. 6 at 113 pounds, was pinned by defending state champion, and No. 1 ranked, Preston Martin of Paola. Caplinger, who is No. 5 at 160, lost a 10-5 decision to Eudora’s Elijah Kennedy, who is ranked No. 3.

Both Wildcat wrestlers finished the day with a 5-1 record and all five of Holtzen’s wins came by pin. Caplinger also recorded three pins and a major decision.

Batten had a big day at 138 pounds with three pins to go along with his 5-1 record. Hendrix and Bindi also had 5-1 marks with a pair of pins and Bindi added a major decision.

“We had some great efforts from a lot of guys,” Bovaird said. “Thad, Cade, Hunter, Tucker and Blue came close with their wrestling this weekend. Thad was tied with his Paola opponent before getting pinned late in the match. Cade hit a couple nice attacks on the defending state champ from Paola.

“Hunter has been out of competition until this weekend and he figured out a lot about where he’s at with his recovery. Even though he lost to the Paola kid, he can still use his mat time this week to get in better condition and strengthen his ankle. Tucker got caught with little gas in his tank against his Spring Hill opponent, but we’ll see that kid again at regionals. Blue battled it out with his Eudora opponent, but just couldn’t get in there offensively to score those crucial takedown points.”

Day also found his way to the medal stand as he finished third in the league in the heavyweight division, while senior Kyle Allen (126), Bonham and senior Garrett Caldwell (182) each earned a fourth place medal and provided the Wildcats with some big wins over the two-day tournament.

Junior Blue Caplinger gets some back points during his 160-pound match against Ottawa. Caplinger finished second in his weight class.

The season will come to an end for some Louisburg wrestlers this weekend when the Wildcats travel to Burlington for the Class 4A regional tournament. The top four in each weight class will qualify for the state tournament the following weekend in Salina.

Tournament action will kick off on Friday and continue into Saturday. Bovaird knows it will be a difficult tournament for some of his wrestlers, but he is looking forward to seeing what is in store for his team.

“We’ll have some tough weights, that’s for sure,” he said. “I’m excited for our team though. It’s been a fun season, full of ups and downs, but these guys have been growing so much from November to now. They’ve kept their focus and rebounded from some of the snags that kept us from achieving some wins earlier in the year.”

2018 FRONTIER LEAGUE TOURNAMENT RESULTS

Team Places

1. Paola
2. Louisburg
3. Spring Hill
4. Baldwin
5. Ottawa
6. Eudora
7. De Soto

LOUISBURG RESULTS

Match #1 Round 1

Louisburg defeated Eudora 51-20

• 106 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
• 113 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) over Will Schreiner (Eudora) Fall 4:47
• 120 – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) over Larry Gulley (Eudora) Fall 5:14
• 126 – Holden Andrews (Eudora) over Kyle Allen (Louisburg) Dec 8-2
• 132 – Hagan Andrews (Eudora) over Gabe Bonham (Louisburg) Dec 7-4
• 138 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) over Cael Lynch (Eudora) Dec 8-4
• 145 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) over Andre Whitson (Eudora) Fall 1:22
• 152 – Brayden Clark (Eudora) over Jacob Briley (Louisburg) Fall 2:29
• 160 – Elijah Kennedy (Eudora) over Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) Dec 10-5
• 170 – Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
• 182 – Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
• 195 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Christopher Huslig (Eudora) Fall 0:50
• 220 – Tristen Brecheisen (Eudora) over James Nelson (Louisburg) Fall 1:22
• 285 – Hunter Day (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
• Eudora’s team score was adjusted by -1.000 for unsportmanlike

Match #2 Round 2

Louisburg defeated De Soto 66-15

• 106 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) over Zak Kalafut (De Soto) Fall 1:43
• 113 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) over Aidyn Wigg (De Soto) Fall 3:01
• 120 – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) over Lane Warner (De Soto) Fall 2:52
• 126 – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) over Evan Werner (De Soto) Fall 3:40
• 132 – Gabe Bonham (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
• 138 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) over Dylan Dossett (De Soto) Fall 0:20
• 145 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) over Jackson Mocca (De Soto) Fall 0:53
• 152 – Andres Marquez (De Soto) over Jacob Briley (Louisburg) Fall 2:00
• 160 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
• 170 – Luke Barger (De Soto) over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) Dec 5-0
• 182 – Cooper Pflaum (De Soto) over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) Fall 3:45
• 195 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
• 220 – James Nelson (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
• 285 – Hunter Day (Louisburg) over Jacob Goodin (De Soto) Fall 1:44

Match #3 Round 3

Louisburg defeated Spring Hill 40-34

• 106 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
• 113 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) over Landon Rockers (Spring Hill) Fall 3:29
• 120 – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) over Garret Smith (Spring Hill) Maj 14-2
• 126 – Trajan McCormick (Spring Hill) over Kyle Allen (Louisburg) Dec 3-1
• 132 – Noah Nemer (Spring Hill) over Gabe Bonham (Louisburg) Fall 4:29
• 138 – Wyatt Dickie (Spring Hill) over Tucker Batten (Louisburg) Dec 11-4
• 145 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) over Jakob Stovall (Spring Hill) Fall 1:04
• 152 – Mason Bell (Spring Hill) over Jacob Briley (Louisburg) Fall 0:45
• 160 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) over Chase Rooney (Spring Hill) Fall 2:51
• 170 – Alex Denning (Spring Hill) over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) Maj 16-3
• 182 – Ethan Getz (Spring Hill) over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) Fall 1:18
• 195 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Dean Diviney (Spring Hill) Fall 0:18
• 220 – Keegan Crotchett (Spring Hill) over James Nelson (Louisburg) Fall 0:21
• 285 – Hunter Day (Louisburg) over Austin Woodard (Spring Hill) Fall 0:42

Match #4 Round 4

Louisburg received a Bye

Match #5 Round 5

Paola defeated Louisburg 51-29

• 106 – Jordyn Knecht (Paola) over Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) Fall 4:00
• 113 – Preston Martin (Paola) over Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) Fall 1:02
• 120 – Noah Bowden (Paola) over Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) Dec 6-2
• 126 – Michael Searcy (Paola) over Kyle Allen (Louisburg) Fall 1:10
• 132 – Gabe Bonham (Louisburg) over Tommy Downum (Paola) Fall 3:15
• 138 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) over Bre Douglas (Paola) Fall 2:00
• 145 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) over Brendan Ohlmeier (Paola) TF 19-2
• 152 – Tanner Schlessner (Paola) over Jacob Briley (Louisburg) Fall 2:17
• 160 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) over Gavin Stark (Paola) Fall 3:31
• 170 – Aaron Maxwell (Paola) over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) Fall 2:52
• 182 – Mikey Stribling (Paola) over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) Fall 1:11
• 195 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Jeffery Schartz (Paola) Fall 2:27
• 220 – Tommy Shay (Paola) over James Nelson (Louisburg) Fall 1:28
• 285 – Jake Miller (Paola) over Hunter Day (Louisburg) Fall 1:44

Match #6 Round 6

Louisburg defeated Baldwin 62-15

• 106 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) over Lucas Hopper (Baldwin) Fall 3:51
• 113 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) over Benton Flory (Baldwin) Fall 0:59
• 120 – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
• 126 – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) over Lane Anderson (Baldwin) TF 19-0
• 132 – Josh Broyles (Baldwin) over Gabe Bonham (Louisburg) Dec 8-5
• 138 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) over Cayden Blake (Baldwin) Fall 0:42
• 145 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) over Gavin Lang (Baldwin) Fall 1:37
• 152 – Griffin Wehrman (Baldwin) over Jacob Briley (Louisburg) Fall 3:30
• 160 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) over Scott Harman (Baldwin) Fall 5:13
• 170 – Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) over Dylan Voigts (Baldwin) Dec 5-4
• 182 – Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) over Cade Grossoehme (Baldwin) Fall 1:09
• 195 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Zach Flowers (Baldwin) Fall 0:32
• 220 – James Nelson (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
• 285 – Garrett Borth (Baldwin) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

Match #7 Round 7

Louisburg defeated Ottawa 61-15

• 106 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) over Kael Lane (Ottawa) Dec 11-9
• 113 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) over Richard Blevins (Ottawa) Fall 0:31
• 120 – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
• 126 – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
• 132 – Gabe Bonham (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
• 138 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
• 145 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
• 152 – Jared Parenti (Ottawa) over Jacob Briley (Louisburg) Fall 0:13
• 160 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) over Daidrien Aho (Ottawa) Maj 13-3
• 170 – Tucker Mace (Ottawa) over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) Dec 4-0
• 182 – Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) over Mason Swanson (Ottawa) Fall 0:44
• 195 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Brett Ferguson (Ottawa) Fall 1:35
• 220 – Antonio Espinosa (Ottawa) over James Nelson (Louisburg) Fall 2:32
• 285 – Hunter Day (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

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)