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

The Louisburg High School wrestling team finished with a 5-0 record at the December Duals on Friday at Prairie View High School. The Wildcats also had three wrestlers make the all-tournament team. 

LA CYGNE – In its first tournament of the season, the Louisburg High School wrestling team had some regrets after they dropped a pair of duals.

The Wildcats thought they let a couple get away as they hoped to bring home a first place trophy from Fort Scott.

Louisburg didn’t make the same mistake this time around.

The Wildcats traveled to the December Duals at Prairie View High School on Friday and left with a first-place honor as they finished the night with a 5-0 record against Burlington, Prairie View, Baldwin, Independence and Royal Valley.

“I think the guys are starting to figure out what I mean when I say ‘bonus points’ in duals,” Louisburg coach Bobby Boviard said. “In dual competition, winning a match is good, but the type of win matters. Against Blue Valley Southwest in the first week, we both won 7 matches, but they had more pins, which gave them more team points. This past week, we were going for more pins, more back points. The guys are starting to figure out their roles on the team and how they can contribute not just for their own personal wins, but also for the overall team victory.

“Overall, we made forward progress on our season Friday night. I think our wrestling and conditioning both improved from the first meet to this one.”

Although the Wildcats ended the night in first place, it took a while to actually determine a winner. Louisburg and Burlington squared off in the final dual of the night and both were undefeated.

It turned out to be an even matchup as the two teams finished in a 39-all tie. Tournament officials had to go all the way down to the eighth criteria to break the tie, which was the team that got the most first scores in the matches.

“We got the first points in seven matches, while they got the first points in five matches,” Bovaird said. “The key points came from Hunter Bindi and Kyle Allen. They lost their matches, but with them getting the first takedowns, we got what we needed to win.”

Along with team success, the Wildcats also earned individual honors.

Junior Austin Moore (195 pounds), freshman Cade Holtzen (113) and junior Hunter Bindi (120) were each named to the all-tournament team following their performance. Moore and Holtzen each finished with a 5-0 record with four and three pins, respectively. Bindi was 4-1 with three pins and his lone loss was a 9-4 decision to Burlington’s Evan Totty – a state-ranked wrestler at 120.

“Cade had a great night,” Bovaird said. “He looked pretty solid against his opponents, using crisp techniques. Austin just looked dominant and I can’t wait to see what he can do this season. Hunter lost a tough match against Burlington, but it was much closer than the score suggested. It’s early in the season, so he’s still figuring out some things.”

Thad Hendrix (106), Kyle Allen (126), Tucker Batten (145) and Blue Caplinger (160) each ended the night with a 4-1 record.

The Wildcats were able to experience their success without senior captain Ryan Adams, who is currently ranked No. 1 in the state at 145 pounds, and had to sit out with an illness.

It didn’t seem to matter, especially early, as the Wildcats opened the dual tournament with a 50-28 win over Independence, followed by a 54-30 victory against Royal Valley.

Louisburg had its first close dual of the night against Baldwin as the Wildcats squeaked out a 36-35 win. The difference turned out to be an unsportsmanlike conduct call against the Bulldogs the cost them a point during the 145-pound match.

The Wildcats also had several wrestlers come through with big victories, but none bigger than Caplinger’s win at 160. Caplinger defeated Baldwin’s Scott Harmon, the No. 6-ranked wrestler, with a 4-2 overtime victory to give the Wildcats an important three points.

“We had an awkward matchup with Baldwin with Ryan out with the flu, so we had to forfeit that weight,” Bovaird said. “That was six points for them uncontested. Blue won a huge overtime decision against his Baldwin opponent, which was a game-changing win for us. It’s unfortunate that it came down to Baldwin losing a team point, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. Wrestling is a sport that required self-discipline regardless of what your opponent is doing.”

Louisburg used that momentum to get a 45-31 win over Prairie View before its showdown with Burlington.

Burlington was open at 106 pounds and Holtzen extended Louisburg’s lead with a pin in the second round. The Wildcats lost the next three matches, before Dalton Hilt won a big 5-4 decision at 138 pounds.

Burlington was open against at 152 pounds, and Bovaird made the decision to move up his some middle weights up a class to give the Wildcats a better matchup. It seemed to pay off as Caplinger (170), Garrett Caldwell (195) and Moore (220) each got a win.

“Burlington has been an increasingly tough opponent, and I’m pretty proud that we not only hung with them, but we held on to win the dual based on criteria,” Bovaird said. “I made a gamble right before the dual started by moving our lineup around. I had Ben Wiedenmann step in at 160 and bumped Caplinger, (Jacob) Cowell, Caldwell and Moore up a weight class to give us some stronger match-ups. I just liked how those match-ups looked on paper.

“I talked it over with my assistant coaches, and we went for it. It almost paid off outright — Cowell, who naturally weighs in the low 160s, was winning 16-6 against his opponent at 182 before he got tired and then pinned in the last minute.”

The Wildcats will look to take some of that momentum into their final competition before the holiday break. Louisburg will travel to Tonganoxie on Saturday for the Randy Starcher Invitational.

December Duals Results

Louisburg 50, Independence 28

106 – Gabe Eades (Independence) over Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) Maj 9-1

113 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) over Zak Al-Bureni (Independence) Fall 5:14

120 – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) over Dominique Mendoza (Independence) Fall 0:44

126 – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) over Israel Rodriquez (Independence) Fall 3:13

132 – Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) over Ian Pralle (Independence) MFF

138 – James Lingenfelter (Independence) over Dalton Hilt (Louisburg) Fall 3:15

145 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) over Ian Lawson (Independence) Maj 10-0

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

160 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) over Heith Mendoza (Independence) Maj 14-3

170 – Cole Swearingen (Independence) over Jacob Cowell (Louisburg) Fall 1:03

182 – Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) over Whitney Rutland (Independence) Fall 0:39

195 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Cooper Short (Independence) Fall 0:55

220 – Grant Thiessen (Independence) over Sam Kratochvil (Louisburg) Fall 0:53

285 – Hunter Day (Louisburg) over Jacob Burd (Independence) Fall 1:10

Louisburg 54, Royal Valley 30

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

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

120 – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) over Dalton Ware (Royal Valley) Fall 0:41

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

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

138 – Brett House (Royal Valley) over Dalton Hilt (Louisburg) Fall 2:23

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

152 – Karsen Smith (Royal Valley) over Jacob Briley (Louisburg) Fall 1:12

160 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

170 – Bryce Garrison (Royal Valley) over Jacob Cowell (Louisburg) Fall 2:40

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

195 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

220 – Nate Buchtel (Royal Valley) over Sam Kratochvil (Louisburg) Fall 1:17

285 – Brian Shane (Royal Valley) over Hunter Day (Louisburg) Fall 1:04

Louisburg 36, Baldwin 35

106 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) over Logan Anderson (Baldwin) Fall 1:43

113 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) over Benton Flory (Baldwin) Fall 1:34

120 – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) over Lane Anderson (Baldwin) Fall 0:24

126 – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) over Josh Broyles (Baldwin) Dec 10-6

132 – TJ Hopper (Baldwin) over Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) Dec 6-0

138 – Cayden Blake (Baldwin) over Dalton Hilt (Louisburg) Dec 3-1

145 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) over Declan Smith (Baldwin) Fall 4:15

152 – Will Harvey (Baldwin) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

160 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) over Scott Harman (Baldwin) SV-1 4-2

170 – Cael Harris (Baldwin) over Jacob Cowell (Louisburg) Fall 1:57

182 – Cy Hockey (Baldwin) over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) Fall 1:25

195 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Toby Thomas (Baldwin) Fall 0:54

220 – Quinn Nichols (Baldwin) over Sam Kratochvil (Louisburg) Fall 1:19

285 – Garrett Borth (Baldwin) over Hunter Day (Louisburg) Fall 3:01

Baldwin’s team score was adjusted by -1.000 for unsportsmanlike

Louisburg 45, Prairie View 31

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 Brayden Dame (Prairie View) Dec 4-3

132 – James Newport (Prairie View) over Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) Dec 9-8

138 – Dalton Hilt (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

145 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) over Nathan Akes (Prairie View) Fall 3:45

152 – Colton Rice (Prairie View) over Jacob Briley (Louisburg) Fall 0:20

160 – Gavin Cullor (Prairie View) over Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) Maj 10-2

170 – Hunter Boone (Prairie View) over Jacob Cowell (Louisburg) Fall 1:15

182 – Joey Ewalt (Prairie View) over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) Fall 1:35

195 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Sam Chambers (Prairie View) Fall 0:34

220 – Sam Kratochvil (Louisburg) over Noah Nordgren (Prairie View) Fall 2:45

285 – Wyaitt Cox-Halliburton (Prairie View) over Hunter Day (Louisburg) Fall 1:51

Louisburg 39, Burlington 39

106 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) over John Cook (Burlington) Forf

113 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) over Johnathan Williams (Burlington) Fall 2:47

120 – Evan Totty (Burlington) over Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) Dec 9-4

126 – TT Totty (Burlington) over Kyle Allen (Louisburg) Fall 2:19

132 – Ethan Totty (Burlington) over Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) Fall 2:56

138 – Dalton Hilt (Louisburg) over Collin Birk (Burlington) Dec 5-4

145 – Cael Johnson (Burlington) over Tucker Batten (Louisburg) Fall 2:25

152 – Jacob Briley (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

160 – Brett Bober (Burlington) over Ben Wiedenmann (Louisburg) Fall 2:47

170 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) over Dawson Mast (Burlington) Fall 2:00

182 – Malcolm Elberson (Burlington) over Jacob Cowell (Louisburg) Fall 5:17

195 – Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) over Preston Langley (Burlington) Fall 0:13

220 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Devin Wonser (Burlington) Fall 0:23

285 – T.J. Lang (Burlington) over Hunter Day (Louisburg) Fall 0:54

Senior Kyle Allen works for a pin during Louisburg’s dual with Blue Valley Southwest on Saturday during the Fort Scott Dual Tournament. The Wildcats finished third overall.

FORT SCOTT – The Fort Scott Dual Tournament had all the signs of a season opener for the Louisburg High School wrestling team.

It had its fair share of highs and lows and it gave head coach Bobby Bovaird a good idea of what his team needed to work on. Still, the tournament gave Bovaird plenty to be excited about for the rest of the season.

Louisburg finished third overall with a 3-2 record and it had a chance to finish in tie for first going into its final dual. It was a performance the Wildcat wrestlers will look to build off of moving forward.

“For it being our first meet of the season, it wasn’t too bad,” Bovaird said. “I’m not satisfied, and the guys aren’t either. Several came up to me after the meet saying they felt like they needed more live conditioning. To be honest, they didn’t look that out-of-shape during their matches. For the most part, we kept our stances, our positioning, and looked relatively sharp. It’s great that they have that sort of self-criticism — they want to work harder, they want to push themselves. It’s not going to be me driving them, they can drive themselves.”

Along with the team success, the Wildcats had several individuals who put together a strong performance.

Senior Ryan Adams, who is currently ranked No. 1 in the state at 145 pounds, moved up to wrestle at 152 pounds and ended the day with a 5-0 record, including three by pin and another by technical fall.

Senior Ryan Adams gets some back points during his 152-pound match against Shawnee Mission West.

Junior Austin Moore followed suit at 195 pounds as he finished the day 5-0, four of which came by pin. Moore is currently ranked No. 6 in the state at 195 pounds.

“I’m excited for both of these guys and what they can do this season,” Bovaird said. “Ryan looks like he’s back on track after sitting out his sophomore year with his elbow surgery. Last year was a solid year, but he’s having a great start to this season. He’s even wrestling up a weight at 152 to start out the season. He’s back to his old confidence with his leg riding.

“Austin is a beast, and I think he’s going to make a great run for a state title this season. With his work ethic and strength, he’ll have his hand raised quite a bit this season. With Austin, you’ll see solid wrestling — level changes on his shots, pressure on top and a whole lot of strength behind everything he hits.”

Junior Hunter Bindi and freshman Cade Holtzen came in and split time between 113 and 120 pounds to help bolster the Wildcat lineup and they did their job. Both wrestlers finished with a 4-1 record and each had two pins. Bindi’s lone loss came against Paola’s Preston Martin, a defending state champion and No. 1-ranked wrestler at 113 pounds.

Blue Caplinger also finished with a 4-1 record at 160 pounds as the Louisburg junior’s lone loss came in overtime of a scoreless match. Caplinger also finished with two pins and a major decision.

Senior Tucker Batten (145 pounds) and junior Gabriel Bonham (132) also finished with 4-1 records, while seniors Thad Hendrix (106) and Kyle Allen (126) ended the day with a 3-2 mark.

Senior Austin Moore works for one of his four pins Saturday during the Fort Scott Dual Tournament.

“Our newcomers in Gabriel and Cade really had some good matches,” Bovaird said. “I think their losses were winnable matches, so with film analysis and purposeful practicing, they can make that happen. Blue lost a nail-biter in overtime against an Anderson County opponent. He had some great positioning in that match. It’s pretty rare to have a match go 0-0 into overtime.

“I’m seeing some great action from Thad on his feet — some of the best neutral wrestling I’ve seen from him. Kyle ran into a couple tough opponents, but he really only had a week of practice after getting his wisdom teeth out the first week of the season.

“Hunter had a strong return for us this season at 113 and 120. He and Cade were both certified at 113, so that gave us the option to switch them between 113 and 120 to give us a stronger lineup. His lone loss on the weekend was to the defending state champ from Paola. That match will have a different result next time out.”

Louisburg opened the tournament with a difficult 36-34 loss to Blue Valley Southwest, but responded nicely with three consecutive victories.

The Wildcats rolled Fort Scott, 72-9, and then followed that up with 60-18 and 51-27 victories over Shawnee Mission West and Anderson County, respectively.

That set up a final dual with rival Paola and victory would have put the Wildcats in a tie for first place with Paola and Blue Valley Southwest. After losing the first five matches of the dual, Louisburg battled back to win the next four, but came up short in a 46-27 loss.

“Paola is tough,” Bovaird said. “They really looked on-point this weekend, and I knew coming into this season that they would be contending for a league title. Later in the year, when we see them at league, it will be a different story. By that point, it will be a matter of who’s endured the toughness and adversities of this sport. Some of those matches that went against us will be key rematches. I’m not sure how the tie-breaker would have worked out if we had beaten Paola, though. I just know we got out-wrestled against BVSW and Paola.”

Louisburg returns to action this Friday when it travels to the December Duals tournament at Prairie View High School. The Wildcats will go up against Baldwin, Prairie View, Burlington, Independence and Royal Valley – all Class 4A schools. The tournament is set to begin at 4 p.m.

FORT SCOTT DUAL RESULTS

Louisburg defeated Fort Scott 72-9
106 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
113 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) over Corbin Shelden (Fort Scott ) Fall 0:38
120 – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) over Daevin Caldwell (Fort Scott ) Fall 1:22
126 – Kyle Montojo (Fort Scott ) over Kyle Allen (Louisburg) Dec 11-5
132 – Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) over Will Wunderly (Fort Scott ) Fall 0:49
138 – Dalton Hilt (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
145 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) over Jon Daniels (Fort Scott ) Fall 1:16
152 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
160 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) over Logan Hall (Fort Scott ) Fall 3:37
170 – Jacob Cowell (Louisburg) over Nick Farrington (Fort Scott ) Fall 1:08
182 – Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) over Kaden Primm (Fort Scott ) Fall 0:17
195 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
220 – Sam Kratochvil (Louisburg) over Grayson Quick (Fort Scott ) Fall 2:22
285 – Ben Daniels (Fort Scott ) over Hunter Day (Louisburg) Fall 0:44

Louisburg defeated Shawnee Mission West 60-18
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 Unknown (Unattached) Forf
132 – Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) over Christian Wyatt (Shawnee Mission West) Dec 7-6
138 – Dalton Hilt (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
145 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
152 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) over Richard Waeltermann (Shawnee Mission West) TF 16-0
160 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) over Jacob Porrit (Shawnee Mission West) Maj 15-5
170 – Danny Sublette (Shawnee Mission West) over Jacob Cowell (Louisburg) Fall 0:58
182 – Aiden Deckert (Shawnee Mission West) over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) Fall 1:45
195 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Hunter Remigio (Shawnee Mission West) Fall 0:58
220 – Sam Kratochvil (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
285 – Byron Sherwin (Shawnee Mission West) over Hunter Day (Louisburg) Fall 1:26

Louisburg defeated Anderson County 51-27
106 – Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) over Carter Sommer (Anderson County) Fall 0:15
113 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) over Ashton Miller (Anderson County) Fall 1:53
120 – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) over Ryland Wright (Anderson County) Fall 0:49
126 – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) over Tyler Secrest (Anderson County) Fall 1:57
132 – Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) over Dominic Ireland (Anderson County) Dec 10-3
138 – Gavin Wolken (Anderson County) over Dalton Hilt (Louisburg) Fall 1:36
145 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) over Lane Freeman (Anderson County) Fall 1:00
152 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) over Cole Denny (Anderson County) Fall 2:29
160 – Dalton Duke (Anderson County) over Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) SV-1 2-0
170 – Dominic Sutton (Anderson County) over Jacob Cowell (Louisburg) Fall 1:49
182 – Logan Allen (Anderson County) over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) Fall 1:24
195 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Isaiah Levy (Anderson County) Fall 0:22
220 – Dallas Higginbotham (Anderson County) over Sam Kratochvil (Louisburg) Fall 2:11
285 – Hunter Day (Louisburg) over Raven Maley (Anderson County) Fall 0:26

Blue Valley Southwest defeated Louisburg 36-34
106 – Daniel McMullen (Blue Valley Southwest) over Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) Fall 2:56
113 – Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
120 – Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) over Wyatt Driskell (Blue Valley Southwest) SV-1 8-6
126 – Kyle Allen (Louisburg) over Luke Richardson (Blue Valley Southwest) Fall 2:29
132 – Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) over Devin Williams (Blue Valley Southwest) Maj 13-3
138 – Keenan Wade (Blue Valley Southwest) over Dalton Hilt (Louisburg) Fall 0:33
145 – Jackson McCall (Blue Valley Southwest) over Tucker Batten (Louisburg) SV-1 10-8
152 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) over Charles Vath (Blue Valley Southwest) Fall 1:03
160 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) over Drew Hill (Blue Valley Southwest) Dec 5-0
170 – Nick Arend (Blue Valley Southwest) over Jacob Cowell (Louisburg) Fall 1:27
182 – Aaron Campbell (Blue Valley Southwest) over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) Fall 1:32
195 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Jaren Williams (Blue Valley Southwest) Fall 4:28
220 – Evan Ludwig (Blue Valley Southwest) over Sam Kratochvil (Louisburg) Fall 0:47
285 – Kyle Murphy (Blue Valley Southwest) over Hunter Day (Louisburg) Dec 7-1

Paola defeated Louisburg 46-27
106 – Jordyn Knecht (Paola ) over Thad Hendrix (Louisburg) Maj 13-5
113 – Preston Martin (Paola ) over Hunter Bindi (Louisburg) Fall 4:48
120 – Noah Bowden (Paola ) over Cade Holtzen (Louisburg) Dec 5-2
126 – Michael Searcy (Paola ) over Kyle Allen (Louisburg) Dec 7-1
132 – Bre Douglas (Paola ) over Gabriel Bonham (Louisburg) Fall 0:57
138 – Dalton Hilt (Louisburg) over Corey Holub (Paola ) Fall 2:40
145 – Tucker Batten (Louisburg) over Brendan Ohlmeier (Paola ) Dec 8-7
152 – Ryan Adams (Louisburg) over Matthew Bevis (Paola ) Fall 0:32
160 – Blue Caplinger (Louisburg) over Dylan Newton (Paola ) Fall 0:33
170 – Aaron Maxwell (Paola ) over Jacob Cowell (Louisburg) Fall 2:40
182 – Mikey Stribling (Paola ) over Garrett Caldwell (Louisburg) Fall 1:31
195 – Austin Moore (Louisburg) over Jeffery Schartz (Paola ) Fall 0:47
220 – Blake Batchelder (Paola ) over Sam Kratochvil (Louisburg) Fall 0:29
285 – Jake Miller (Paola ) over Hunter Day (Louisburg) Fall 0:33

Louisburg senior Ryan Adams captured a state medal for the Wildcats last season after he finished sixth at 138 pounds. Adams is one of five returning state qualifiers for Louisburg and is currently ranked No. 2 in the state.

There haven’t been many seasons like the one the Louisburg High School wrestling team had last year – only two to be exact.

The Wildcats qualified eight for the Class 4A state tournament, which tied a school record that was set back in 1984. Louisburg didn’t have quite the success it was hoping for when it reached Salina as it picked up just one state medal.

However, the Wildcats are ready to make another run at it. Louisburg returns five state qualifiers for the 2017-18 campaign and it is excited about what the possibilities hold for this season.

“Practices have been going well, for the most part,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “There are the start-of-the-season snags, but the guys are doing well getting back into the swing of things. We’ve got 31 wrestlers out this year, and I’m especially excited with all the experience they’re bringing back to the mats.

“We graduated eight seniors from last year, and most of them were varsity. We do have a good number of younger wrestlers coming in with some pretty good kids wrestling experience. The last few years, we’ve been extra strong in the upper weights, but this year it’s looking like our lower weights will be pretty strong, too.”

The coaches around the state seem to think the Wildcats will have their fair share of success as well. Louisburg is currently No. 8 in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association Class 4A team rankings and the Wildcats have four state-ranked wrestlers.

Senior Ryan Adams captured his first state medal last year at 138 pounds and is looking to do more of the season this season. Adams plans to stay at 138 pounds and lead a group of talented lower-weight wrestlers. He is currently ranked No. 2 in the state in his weight class.

“Ryan has been wrestling from a very young age, and I’ve known him as long as I’ve been in Louisburg,” Bovaird said. “I’m pretty excited to see what he can do to wrap up his wrestling career. He’s been a regular fixture in off-season wrestling. The last two years that we had our ‘Ironman’ program, he was one of the winners. He’s sitting in a good position here at the start of the season, but we’ll have to see how things work out as the season progresses.”

Louisburg junior Austin Moore is currently ranked No. 5 in Class 4A at 195 pounds and is a returning state qualifier.

Louisburg also returns another state medalist, even though he didn’t win one for the Wildcats. Junior Hunter Bindi returns to the Wildcat program after wrestling for a year at St. Thomas Aquinas.

At the Class 5A tournament last season, Bindi finished fifth at 106 pounds for Aquinas. He wrestled for Louisburg his freshman year, missing out on a state medal by one match.

Bindi, who is currently ranked No. 4 at 120 pounds in Class 4A, is expected to give the Wildcats another threat at a state medal this season. It hasn’t been decided yet on if he will wrestler at 113 or 120.

“Hunter’s more focused than I’ve ever seen him, and I love his attitude,” Bovaird said. “He wants to get mat-time, and he wants to face the challenges in front of him. He’ll be able to be a contender for the state championship this season, that’s for sure.”

The Wildcats return three other state qualifiers in seniors Thad Hendrix (106 pounds) and Kyle Allen (126), along with junior Austin Moore (195). Moore is currently ranked No. 5 in the state at 195 pounds as he makes the leap from 170 pounds.

Seniors Tucker Batten (145) and Garrett Caldwell (182) join junior Blue Caplinger (160) as three others who are returning varsity wrestlers and Bovaird is expecting each of them to show improvement from a year ago.

“Austin has put in the work in the weight room, and he’s coming off an awesome football season,” Bovaird said. “He’ll be able to do some damage this season. We have a bunch of wrestlers who are ready to take the next step.”

Senior Thad Hendrix, who qualified for state last season at 106 pounds, will try for his first state medal.

Louisburg also has a few new varsity wrestlers that hope to make impacts as well. Freshman Cade Holtzen will wrestle at either 113 or 120 pounds for the Wildcats and has had a lot of success at the kids wrestling level.

Gabriel Bonham, a transfer from Gardner-Edgerton, will give the Wildcats more depth at the lower weights as he will wrestle at 132 pounds. Freshman Ben Wiedenmann will fill the 152 pound spot and sophomore Jacob Cowell will slot in at 170 pounds.

Sophomore Sam Kratochvil and junior Hunter Day will take the 220 and 285-pound slots, respectively.

“Top to bottom, our line-up is looking pretty solid,” Bovaird said. “We’re a little thin in the upper weights with only one kid at 220 and one at 285. Try as we may, we haven’t been able to convince the big football players in the school that wrestling will benefit them greatly on the football field.”

Louisburg will get its season started Saturday when it competes in the Fort Scott Dual Tournament. Matches are set to begin at 9 a.m.

Senior Garrett Caldwell works for a a pin during tonight’s Purple-White Scrimmage at Louisburg High School.

The Louisburg High School wrestling team had a tune-up tonight before the start of its regular season. The Wildcats held their annual Purple-White Scrimmage in front of several fans at LHS.

Louisburg returns five state qualifiers from last season and the Wildcats will open their season Saturday when they travel to Fort Scott for a dual tournament. Also, look out for preview story on the Wildcats’ season later this week.

Here are some pictures from tonight’s event. Best of luck this season to all the wrestlers.

The Kansas High School Activities Association released the classifications for the 2017-18 season on Tuesday morning, and for Louisburg High School, much remains the same.

The Wildcats are currently a Class 4A-Division I program with 532 students, but after this season the classification system will change. Class 4A will get rid of the divisions and 4A will have just 36 schools. Louisburg is still expected to be in 4A for the foreseeable future.

However, several schools across the state made classification changes.

Arkansas City and Sumner Academy dropped from Class 5A to 4A for the upcoming season, while Galena, Hugoton and Marysville all moved up to 4A. Maize South jumped from 4A to 5A.

Colby , Goodland, Scott City and Haven all dropped from 4A to 3A schools, while McLouth moved up from 2A to 3A.

Hays is currently the largest 4A school with 791 students, followed by Sumner Academy (782), Andover Central (764), Bonner Springs (762) and Arkansas City (757).

Sub-state and regional assignments for the fall season will be released in the coming days.