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

LEOLA ESLINGER, FRESHMAN, WRESTLING

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

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

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

Previous Winners:

Week 1: Myles Vohs

Week 2: Andrew Jamison

Week 3: Nathan Parker

Week 4: Elias Pugh

Week 5: Ashton Moore

Week 6: Colin Brown

Week 7: Ashlyn Kuhlman

Week 8: Brady Hickey

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

106

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

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

113

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

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

120

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

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

126

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

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

132

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

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

138

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

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

144

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

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

150

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

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

157

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

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

165

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

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

175

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

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

215

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

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

285

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

106

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

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

113

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

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

120

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

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

126

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

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

132

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

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

132

Freddy Moreau (6-10) place is unknown.

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

138

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

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

144

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

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

150

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

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

150

Colin Robinson (6-9) place is unknown.

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

157

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

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

165

Vance Hahn (4-11) place is unknown.

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

165

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

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

175

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

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

190

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

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

215

Miles Meek (7-9) placed 6th.

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

215

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

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

285

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wildcats fall to Lawrence in Senior Night dual

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

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

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

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

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

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

Louisburg senior Traden Noll gets a quick pin Thursday during the Aaron Patton Memorial Tournament at Wellsville High School. Noll won the 150-pound title.

WELLSVILLE — The Aaron Patton Memorial Tournament was a new one on the Louisburg wrestling schedule.

The Wildcats certainly made a lot of memories in their tournament debut.

Louisburg won the team tournament title with 188.5 points last Thursday at Wellsville High School. The Wildcats captured the crown by more than 40 points.

Between the girls and boys teams, the Wildcats also left Wellsville with 10 medalists, including a pair of champions in Traden Noll (150 pounds) and Ashton Moore (190).

“I’m really proud of how everyone wrestled Thursday,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “I know it was our first time going to this meet, and we were competing without two of our starters, but everyone showed a ton of heart competing. The reason I wanted to get into this meet was so we could see a handful of new 4A teams — specifically Jeff West and Wellsville — along with some 3A teams that we normally never get to see. I just like a variety of opponents for us.”

Noll (16-7) won his first tournament title of the season at 150 pounds and did so in convincing fashion. He finished 3-0 with two pins, including a pin of Jefferson West’s Allen Hawkins in the first place match.

As for Moore (21-3), he recorded his second consecutive tournament win. The Louisburg junior finished 4-0 with three pins, and followed it up with a 4-0 decision over Prairie View’s Parker Schwarz in the championship.

“Both guys had some dominant performances in their weights,” Bovaird said. “In his finals match, Ashton was creating all the action against a pretty tough opponent. I’d say that they both competed really well in their brackets.”

The Wildcats had six more wrestlers reach the championship match, but came up one win short of a title. Freshman Levi Cotter (106), junior Canaan Clayton (113), senior J’Lee Collins (126), junior Jay McCaskill (157), freshman Bryce Thompson (165) and junior Brayden Yoder (215) finished second overall.

Cotter (13-10) recorded a pair of pins to reach the title match, but lost a 9-3 decision to Jayhawk-Linn’s Landon Higgins. Clayton (16-7) also fared well with a 3-0 record entering his first place mach, but was pinned by Central Heights’ Baker Moore.

Collins (12-7) also recorded two pins to reach the championship match and faced off with Jefferson West’s Karson Kahler in the championship. He lost a 16-2 major decision to Kahler.

McCaskill (18-6), who recorded three straight pins to reach the title match, found himself in a rematch with Jayhawk-Linn’s Andres Flores. The two met at the Louisburg Invitational earlier this month, and Flores got the best of McCaskill this time around with a second period pin. 

Thompson (13-7) won by pin in two straight matches to reach the championship, but was pinned by West Elk’s Creyo Koop.

Yoder reeled off three straight pins to reach the title match and found himself in a tough match against Wellsville’s Carter Wilmarth. Yoder was eventually pinned late in the second period.

Louisburg junior Mika McKitrick was fourth at 138 pounds and was the ninth member of the boys team to earn a medal. 

“Everyone was able to contribute to our team score by winning matches for us,” Bovaird said. “Levi took second at 106, losing to a Jayhawk-Linn kid who’d pinned him twice earlier this year. Canaan Clayton took second, earning his first silver medal for us. Collins ran into a tough returning state qualifier from Jeff West who was very solid technically. McCaskill’s finals match was actually pretty close, but he got caught in a scramble before getting pinned. 

“Thompson knocked off two seniors to get to the finals before falling to the No. 2 all-class ranked kid in the finals. Yoder had two awesome takedowns in the finals, but got caught on his back in the second period and gave up the fall. Despite having two starters out, we still won the tournament by over 40 points, and I’m really happy with our guys’ performances, as well as our ladies.”

On the girls side, freshman Leola Eslinger captured her second varsity medal of the season. Eslinger, who is 14-2 on the year, had a strong showing as she posted a 3-1 record on the day at 145 pounds.

After opening with a pin to start the tournament, Eslinger was pinned by Prairie View’s Shawna Case in the semifinals. Eslinger bounced back to pin Jayhawk-Linn’s Abigail Stone in the consolation semifinals, and then pinned Wellsville’s Natalie Peel in the third place match.

“This was Leola’s third competition that was officially labeled ‘varsity,’ and she earned her second third place medal of the season,” Bovaird said. “She’s been getting more and more confident with every competition this season, and I’m excited to see how she does in the postseason.”

Louisburg is back in action tonight as the Wildcats host Lawrence in a dual for Senior Night. Matches begin at 5 p.m.

106

Levi Cotter (13-10) placed 2nd and scored 18.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 13-10 won by fall over Cody Arenholz (Olathe South) 0-2 (Fall 1:51)
• Semifinal – Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 13-10 won by fall over Davonte Vantrece (Osawatomie) 8-6 (Fall 0:26)
• 1st Place Match – Landon Higgins (Jayhawk Linn) 19-3 won by decision over Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 13-10 (Dec 9-3)

113

Canaan Clayton (16-7) placed 2nd and scored 14.0 team points.

• Round 1 – Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 16-7 won by fall over Hunter Weigart (Gardner Edgerton) 7-3 (Fall 3:16)
• Round 2 – Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 16-7 won by decision over Johnathan Miller (Prairie View ) 7-6 (Dec 5-3)
• Round 4 – Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 16-7 won by fall over Tyson Benjamin (Wellsville) 5-13 (Fall 3:20)
• Round 5 – Baker Moore (Central Heights) 17-6 won by fall over Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 16-7 (Fall 3:05)

120

Will Showalter (10-13) place is unknown and scored 5.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Will Showalter (Louisburg) 10-13 won by fall over Jotham Meyer (Central Heights) 8-12 (Fall 1:49)
• Quarterfinal – Landon Petitjean (Osage City) 13-10 won by fall over Will Showalter (Louisburg) 10-13 (Fall 1:33)
• Cons. Round 2 – Will Showalter (Louisburg) 10-13 won by fall over Santiago Montelonglo (Olathe North) 0-2 (Fall 2:32)
• Cons. Semi – Logan Walters (Paola) 12-2 won by decision over Will Showalter (Louisburg) 10-13 (Dec 8-4)

126

J`Lee Collins (12-7) placed 2nd and scored 18.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 12-7 won by fall over Jaxson Seyfert (Gardner Edgerton) 9-7 (Fall 1:28)
• Semifinal – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 12-7 won by fall over Daityn Meek (Osage City) 10-11 (Fall 0:24)
• 1st Place Match – Karson Kahler (Jeff West) 12-2 won by major decision over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 12-7 (MD 16-2)

132

Freddy Moreau (6-8) place is unknown and scored 4.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Freddy Moreau (Louisburg) 6-8 won by fall over Jaden Bunce (Ottawa) 2-5 (Fall 5:46)
• Quarterfinal – Ethan Bartley (Burlington) 10-11 won by fall over Freddy Moreau (Louisburg) 6-8 (Fall 1:46)
• Cons. Round 1 – Freddy Moreau (Louisburg) 6-8 won by fall over Jaden Bunce (Ottawa) 2-5 (Fall 4:39)
• Cons. Round 2 – Lincoln Schaffer (Prairie View ) 11-12 won by fall over Freddy Moreau (Louisburg) 6-8 (Fall 2:46)

138

Mika McKitrick (12-12) placed 4th and scored 12.5 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 12-12 won by fall over John Sand (West Franklin ) 1-6 (Fall 0:23)
• Quarterfinal – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 12-12 won by fall over Hunter Eaks (Central Heights) 0-7 (Fall 0:45)
• Semifinal – Aden McManus (Burlington) 18-4 won by fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 12-12 (Fall 1:16)
• Cons. Semi – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 12-12 won by tech fall over Zion Allio (Olathe South) 7-6 (TF-1.5 4:34 (18-1))
• 3rd Place Match – Namir Franklin (Olathe North) 7-5 won by fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 12-12 (Fall 1:34)

144

Blake Oliphant (5-8) place is unknown and scored 3.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Benton Eimers (Gardner Edgerton) 9-1 won by fall over Blake Oliphant (Louisburg) 5-8 (Fall 3:24)
• Cons. Round 1 – Blake Oliphant (Louisburg) 5-8 won by fall over Madden Crum (Olathe North) 0-2 (Fall 4:50)
• Cons. Round 2 – Caleb Sobelman (Olathe South) 4-4 won in sudden victory – 1 over Blake Oliphant (Louisburg) 5-8 (SV-1 4-2)

150

Traden Noll (16-7) placed 1st and scored 23.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Traden Noll (Louisburg) 16-7 won by fall over Brig Scherman (Paola) 8-6 (Fall 0:16)
• Semifinal – Traden Noll (Louisburg) 16-7 won by major decision over Tucker Noonan (Burlington) 13-10 (MD 12-0)
• 1st Place Match – Traden Noll (Louisburg) 16-7 won by fall over Allen Hawkins (Jeff West) 10-5 (Fall 3:27)

157

Jay McCaskill (18-6) placed 2nd and scored 22.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 18-6 won by fall over Jacob Loftus (Olathe South) 1-4 (Fall 2:23)
• Quarterfinal – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 18-6 won by fall over Kyzer Lehmann (Burlington) 8-13 (Fall 1:27)
• Semifinal – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 18-6 won by fall over Dodge Browning (Osawatomie) 12-3 (Fall 1:35)
• 1st Place Match – Andres Flores (Jayhawk Linn) 19-4 won by fall over Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 18-6 (Fall 2:52)

165

Bryce Thompson (13-7) placed 2nd and scored 18.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 13-7 won by fall over Colten Wittman (Anderson County ) 7-9 (Fall 1:24)
• Semifinal – Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 13-7 won by fall over Jace Troutman (Wellsville) 11-7 (Fall 1:59)
• 1st Place Match – Creyo Koop (West Elk) 23-0 won by fall over Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 13-7 (Fall 0:48)

190

Ashton Moore (21-3) placed 1st and scored 26.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 21-3 won by fall over Josh Doan (Jayhawk Linn) 2-15 (Fall 0:49)
• Quarterfinal – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 21-3 won by fall over Noah Martinez (Osage City) 8-10 (Fall 0:10)
• Semifinal – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 21-3 won by fall over Brayden Riggs (Burlington) 11-13 (Fall 0:59)
• 1st Place Match – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 21-3 won by decision over Parker Schwarz (Prairie View ) 8-6 (Dec 4-0)

215

Brayden Yoder (16-7) placed 2nd and scored 22.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 16-7 won by fall over Cam Ebrecht (Olathe South) 7-3 (Fall 2:55)
• Quarterfinal – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 16-7 won by fall over Zach Soetaert (Wellsville) 0-2 (Fall 1:20)
• Semifinal – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 16-7 won by fall over Jaden Morrison (West Franklin ) 2-6 (Fall 0:23)
• 1st Place Match – Carter Wilmarth (Wellsville) 22-1 won by fall over Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 16-7 (Fall 3:42)

285

Xander Lucas (5-11) place is unknown and scored 3.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Xander Lucas (Louisburg) 5-11 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Gavin Ericson (Osage City) 10-1 won by fall over Xander Lucas (Louisburg) 5-11 (Fall 1:44)
• Cons. Round 2 – Xander Lucas (Louisburg) 5-11 won by fall over Kaysen Jensen (Jayhawk Linn) 6-4 (Fall 0:50)
• Cons. Round 3 – Landon Sweat (Gardner Edgerton) 6-1 won by fall over Xander Lucas (Louisburg) 5-11 (Fall 3:56)

125

Allison Martin (1-8) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Mya Vetsch (Jeff West) 13-4 won by fall over Allison Martin (Louisburg) 1-8 (Fall 3:31)
• Cons. Round 1 – Pyper Walker (Gardner Edgerton) 5-10 won by decision over Allison Martin (Louisburg) 1-8 (Dec 10-6)

145

Leola Eslinger (14-2) placed 3rd and scored 16.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Leola Eslinger (Louisburg) 14-2 won by fall over Serenity Boothe (Anderson County) 2-8 (Fall 1:21)
• Semifinal – Shawna Case (Prairie View) 14-6 won by fall over Leola Eslinger (Louisburg) 14-2 (Fall 2:37)
• Cons. Semi – Leola Eslinger (Louisburg) 14-2 won by fall over Abigail Stone (Jayhawk Linn) 6-6 (Fall 1:11)
• 3rd Place Match – Leola Eslinger (Louisburg) 14-2 won by fall over Natalie Peel (Wellsville) 10-6 (Fall 1:20)

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

ASHTON MOORE, JUNIOR, WRESTLING

Louisburg junior Ashton Moore is off to an impressive start to his wrestling season and that continued last Thursday at the Aaron Patton Memorial Tournament in Wellsville. Moore won the 190-pound title with a 4-0 record and three of those wins came by pin. He went on to defeat Prairie View’s Parker Schwarz in the championship by a 4-0 decision. Moore also helped the Wildcats to a team title.

On the season, Moore currently has a 21-3 record and is ranked No. 4 in Class 4A at 190 pounds. He has 16 pins on the season to go along with 1 technical fall. He is a returning state qualifier for the Wildcats.

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

Previous Winners:

Week 1: Myles Vohs

Week 2: Andrew Jamison

Week 3: Nathan Parker

Week 4: Elias Pugh

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week three of the winter sports season, sponsored by IronHorse Family and Cosmetic Dentistry.

ELIAS PUGH, SENIOR, WRESTLING

Louisburg senior Elias Pugh had one of — if not the best day of his Wildcat wrestling career Saturday during the Louisburg Invitational. Pugh won the 175-pound title and did so in dominating fashion as he helped the Wildcats to a second place team finish at their home tournament.

Pugh finished the day with a 5-0 record and all five wins came by pin. One of those came in the championship match when he pinned Basehor-Linwood’s Logan Plum in the first round. Pugh is currently 13-7 on the season.

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

Previous Winners:

Week 1: Myles Vohs

Week 2: Andrew Jamison

Week 3: Nathan Parker

Louisburg senior Elias Pugh works for a pin during his 175-pound championship match Saturday at the Louisburg Wildcat Invitational. Pugh won the 175-pound title.

The Louisburg wrestling team put on a show in front of its home fans Saturday at the Louisburg Wildcat Invitational. 

The Wildcats finished second in the team standings, had three champions and 10 medalists in their first action back from the holiday break.

In the 12-team tournament, Louisburg racked up 215.5 points. Basehor-Linwood captured the tournament title with 295 points.

“Basehor’s team is definitely stacked, and they’re going to be a power in 5A for a while to come,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “Lots of their hammers are freshmen and sophomores. I’m very proud of how our guys battled in the tournament, regardless.”

Louisburg racked up three first place finishes in a row as Elias Pugh (175), Ashton Moore (190) and Brayden Yoder (215) each won their championship matches during the final round.

Pugh went 5-0 on the day and won all his matches by pin. That included a first period pin of Basehor-Linwood’s Logan Plum in the championship match.

As for Moore, who is currently ranked No. 4 in Class 4A at 190 pounds, he also finished with a 5-0 day and had four pins. Moore ended his day with a 16-0 technical fall victory over Royal Valley’s Cyrus Harding.

Moore’s previous four matches all ended by pin in the first period as he put together a dominant day that improved his record to 17-3 on the season.

Yoder had a dominant day at 215 pounds as he went 4-0 with four pins, including a second period pin of Blue Valley West’s Noah Perchellet in the championship match.

“Those three combined for 14 wins (13 were pins and 1 was a tech fall), and they just stepped up and performed at the right time,” Bovaird said. “It was the first varsity championship for Ashton and Elias, and Brayden is now a 2-time Louisburg champion.” 

Junior Logan Henry also put together a strong performance. After losing his first match to the eventual champion, Henry rattled off four straight wins — all coming by pin. 

Henry pinned Leavenworth’s Cameron Turner in the first period of his final match to take third place overall.

“Logan gave the eventual champion a really tough match,” Bovaird said. “They were 0-0 after the first period, and we saw some awesome movement and positioning from Logan. His opponent was an absolute beast on top though. We chose the bottom position in the second period, and that’s where that kid was toughest. Logan bounced back with four pins to finish in third place.”

The Wildcats also had six wrestlers earn fourth-place medals. Levi Cotter (106 pounds), J’Lee Collins (126), Traden Noll (150), Jay McCaskill (157), Jonas Briley (175) and Miles Meek (285) all left the tournament with a medal.

Bovaird liked what he saw from those wrestlers, and several others, who helped the Wildcats to their runner-up team finish. 

“One thing I love about our tournament is how we’re able to bring unattached wrestlers to give them some varsity experience,” Bovaird said. “Initially, we were going to bring 6, but two of those guys ended up bumping up a weight to fill in for injured teammates. Blake Oliphant bumped up to 144 and finished 6th, and Miles Meek bumped up to 285 to take 4th place. Miles was giving up a lot of weight, too — one of his opponents was all of 285 pounds, and Miles was able to get a pin against him. 

“Even though he wasn’t scoring team points, Jonas Briley went 3-2 and earned 4th place in his first varsity meet of the year. Four other guys won medals too in Levi, J’Lee, Traden and Jay. They were all in tough weights, too, and I’m proud of how they battled. Overall, we were 48-36 with 33 pins, 3 tech falls, and 2 major decisions. Pretty solid performance for it being our first tournament back from the break.”

Louisburg is back in action Thursday in a rare midweek tournament as the Wildcats travel to the Wellsville Invitational. Matches begin at 1 p.m. at Wellsville High School. 

106

Levi Cotter (11-9) placed 4th and scored 11.0 team points.

• Round 1 – Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 11-9 won by fall over Dexter Lytle (Anderson County) 1-4 (Fall 3:22)
• Round 2 – Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 11-9 won by decision over Tanner Holt (Jayhawk Linn) 2-2 (Dec 4-2)
• Round 3 – Trevor Christenson (Basehor-Linwood) 20-2 won by fall over Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 11-9 (Fall 0:38)
• Championship Bracket – Landon Higgins (Jayhawk Linn) 17-3 won by fall over Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 11-9 (Fall 3:20)
• 3rd Place Match – Eric Vielhauer (Basehor-Linwood) 10-2 won by fall over Levi Cotter (Louisburg) 11-9 (Fall 1:44)

113

Canaan Clayton (13-6) placed 5th and scored 11.0 team points.

• Round 1 – Lane Jones (Basehor-Linwood) 4-5 won by fall over Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 13-6 (Fall 5:37)
• Round 2 – Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 13-6 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 3 – Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 13-6 won by fall over Devin Vogel (Turner) 3-4 (Fall 1:10)
• Round 5 – Jet Millison (Basehor-Linwood) 13-3 won by fall over Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 13-6 (Fall 1:23)
• 5th Place Match – Canaan Clayton (Louisburg) 13-6 won by medical forfeit over Jacob Garner (Leavenworth) 3-4 (M. For.)

120

Will Showalter (8-11) placed 11th and scored 4.5 team points.

• Round 1 – Carson McCrory (Basehor-Linwood) 9-2 won by fall over Will Showalter (Louisburg) 8-11 (Fall 2:25)
• Round 2 – Denton White (Jayhawk Linn) 15-1 won by fall over Will Showalter (Louisburg) 8-11 (Fall 1:51)
• Round 4 – Will Showalter (Louisburg) 8-11 won in sudden victory – 1 over Jace Diezman (Blue Valley West ) 7-13 (SV-1 6-4)
• Round 5 – Will Showalter (Louisburg) 8-11 won by tech fall over Sammy Blair (Girard) 2-4 (TF-1.5 4:39 (17-2))
• Round 6 – Colby Cross (Turner) 2-3 won by fall over Will Showalter (Louisburg) 8-11 (Fall 0:21)

126

J`Lee Collins (10-6) placed 4th and scored 11.0 team points.

• Round 1 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 10-6 won by fall over Myles Finley (Piper) 6-12 (Fall 1:12)
• Round 2 – Samuel Vasquez (Leavenworth) 12-5 won in sudden victory – 1 over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 10-6 (SV-1 10-8)
• Round 3 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 10-6 won by decision over Owen Thompson (Anderson County) 1-4 (Dec 7-6)
• Round 4 – Matthew Tracy (Royal Valley) 14-4 won by medical forfeit over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 10-6 (M. For.)
• Round 5 – Cael Puderbaugh (Basehor-Linwood) 19-2 won by medical forfeit over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 10-6 (M. For.)

132

Logan Henry (12-5) placed 3rd and scored 20.0 team points.

• Round 2 – Evan Vielhauer (Basehor-Linwood) 18-2 won by fall over Logan Henry (Louisburg) 12-5 (Fall 2:33)
• Round 3 – Logan Henry (Louisburg) 12-5 won by fall over Albert Green (Shawnee Mission West) 10-7 (Fall 2:12)
• Round 4 – Logan Henry (Louisburg) 12-5 won by fall over Eli Herr (Anderson County) 0-5 (Fall 0:02)
• Round 5 – Logan Henry (Louisburg) 12-5 won by fall over Freddy Moreau (Louisburg) 4-6 (Fall 0:33)
• 3rd Place Match – Logan Henry (Louisburg) 12-5 won by fall over Cameron Turner (Leavenworth) 12-9 (Fall 1:13)

132

Freddy Moreau (4-6) placed 5th.

• Round 1 – Freddy Moreau (Louisburg) 4-6 won in sudden victory – 1 over Albert Green (Shawnee Mission West) 10-7 (SV-1 8-6)
• Round 3 – Freddy Moreau (Louisburg) 4-6 won by fall over Eli Herr (Anderson County) 0-5 (Fall 1:55)
• Round 4 – Evan Vielhauer (Basehor-Linwood) 18-2 won by fall over Freddy Moreau (Louisburg) 4-6 (Fall 1:46)
• Round 5 – Logan Henry (Louisburg) 12-5 won by fall over Freddy Moreau (Louisburg) 4-6 (Fall 0:33)
• 5th Place Match – Freddy Moreau (Louisburg) 4-6 won by major decision over Domnic Conley (Royal Valley) 7-9 (MD 12-1)

138

Mika McKitrick (9-10) placed 6th and scored 6.0 team points.

• Round 1 – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 9-10 won by major decision over Anthony Heger (Blue Valley West ) 1-3 (MD 12-4)
• Round 3 – Bowen Wade (Jayhawk Linn) 14-7 won by fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 9-10 (Fall 1:21)
• Quarterfinal – Grey Robinson (Shawnee Mission East) 13-10 won by fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 9-10 (Fall 0:59)
• Cons. Round 1 – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 9-10 won by decision over Nathaniel Atwell (Leavenworth) 8-11 (Dec 10-7)
• 5th Place Match – Keith Slaughter (Piper) 9-8 won by fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 9-10 (Fall 1:39)

144

Blake Oliphant (4-6) placed 6th and scored 7.0 team points.

• Round 1 – Blake Oliphant (Louisburg) 4-6 won by fall over Conner Prothe (Anderson County) 1-4 (Fall 3:18)
• Round 2 – Breck Adams (Shawnee Mission West) 5-10 won by decision over Blake Oliphant (Louisburg) 4-6 (Dec 8-4)
• Round 3 – Brady Felt (Jayhawk Linn) 12-7 won by fall over Blake Oliphant (Louisburg) 4-6 (Fall 2:26)
• Round 5 – Blaise Overbey (Leavenworth) 14-8 won by fall over Blake Oliphant (Louisburg) 4-6 (Fall 1:44)
• 5th Place Match – Darren Bausch (Royal Valley) 8-7 won by decision over Blake Oliphant (Louisburg) 4-6 (Dec 8-5)

150

Traden Noll (13-7) placed 4th and scored 16.0 team points.

• Round 1 – Traden Noll (Louisburg) 13-7 won by fall over Ray Phillips (Leavenworth) 6-13 (Fall 0:52)
• Round 3 – Traden Noll (Louisburg) 13-7 won by fall over Carson Mills (Piper) 6-4 (Fall 0:50)
• Quarterfinal – Traden Noll (Louisburg) 13-7 won by fall over Joe Musick (Shawnee Mission East) 11-9 (Fall 3:50)
• Semifinal – Aj Schaffer (Anderson County) 5-0 won by fall over Traden Noll (Louisburg) 13-7 (Fall 2:00)
• 3rd Place Match – Brady Watts (Blue Valley West ) 10-6 won by decision over Traden Noll (Louisburg) 13-7 (Dec 8-4)

150

Colin Robinson (5-7) placed 5th.

• Round 1 – Colin Robinson (Louisburg) 5-7 won by fall over Weston Ross (Royal Valley) 4-9 (Fall 4:54)
• Round 2 – Ruben Escalante (Piper) 16-3 won by fall over Colin Robinson (Louisburg) 5-7 (Fall 2:29)
• Quarterfinal – Aj Schaffer (Anderson County) 5-0 won by fall over Colin Robinson (Louisburg) 5-7 (Fall 0:39)
• Cons. Round 1 – Colin Robinson (Louisburg) 5-7 won by decision over Joe Musick (Shawnee Mission East) 11-9 (Dec 3-2)
• 5th Place Match – Colin Robinson (Louisburg) 5-7 won by fall over Carson Mills (Piper) 6-4 (Fall 4:21)

157

Jay McCaskill (15-5) placed 4th and scored 13.5 team points.

• Round 1 – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 15-5 won by tech fall over Noah Shovlowsky (Shawnee Mission West) 0-4 (TF-1.5 2:03 (19-4))
• Round 2 – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 15-5 won by fall over Brody Nelson (Blue Valley West ) 3-18 (Fall 1:45)
• Round 4 – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 15-5 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 5 – Caden Puderbaugh (Basehor-Linwood) 16-6 won by major decision over Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 15-5 (MD 11-1)
• 3rd Place Match – Andres Flores (Jayhawk Linn) 15-4 won by decision over Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 15-5 (Dec 10-8)

165

Vance Hahn (4-9) placed 8th.

• Round 1 – Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 4-9 won by decision over Blake Thomas (Shawnee Mission West) 6-9 (Dec 9-8)
• Round 3 – Arnez Woods (Leavenworth) 12-9 won by fall over Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 4-9 (Fall 1:26)
• Quarterfinal – Cody Layton (Piper) 10-8 won by decision over Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 4-9 (Dec 5-1)
• Cons. Round 1 – Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 11-6 won in sudden victory – 1 over Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 4-9 (SV-1 8-6)
• 7th Place Match – Calvin Riley (Royal Valley) 2-3 won in sudden victory – 1 over Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 4-9 (SV-1 9-7)

165

Bryce Thompson (11-6) placed 5th and scored 8.0 team points.

• Round 2 – Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 11-6 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 3 – Colten Wittman (Anderson County) 2-2 won by decision over Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 11-6 (Dec 11-6)
• Quarterfinal – Tucker Hutchison (Basehor-Linwood) 14-3 won in sudden victory – 1 over Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 11-6 (SV-1 3-1)
• Cons. Round 1 – Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 11-6 won in sudden victory – 1 over Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 4-9 (SV-1 8-6)
• 5th Place Match – Bryce Thompson (Louisburg) 11-6 won by fall over Colten Wittman (Anderson County) 2-2 (Fall 2:13)

175

Jonas Briley (3-2) placed 4th.

• Round 1 – Elias Pugh (Louisburg) 13-7 won by fall over Jonas Briley (Louisburg) 3-2 (Fall 3:23)
• Round 3 – Jonas Briley (Louisburg) 3-2 won by medical forfeit over Kevin Davidson (Shawnee Mission West) 0-2 (M. For.)
• Round 4 – Jonas Briley (Louisburg) 3-2 won by fall over Henry Nelson (Shawnee Mission East) 11-12 (Fall 4:11)
• Round 5 – Jonas Briley (Louisburg) 3-2 won by fall over Connor Fowles (Blue Valley West ) 16-12 (Fall 1:31)
• 3rd Place Match – Connor Scott (Turner) 6-3 won by decision over Jonas Briley (Louisburg) 3-2 (Dec 6-3)

175

Elias Pugh (13-7) placed 1st and scored 32.0 team points.

• Round 1 – Elias Pugh (Louisburg) 13-7 won by fall over Jonas Briley (Louisburg) 3-2 (Fall 3:23)
• Round 2 – Elias Pugh (Louisburg) 13-7 won by fall over Kevin Davidson (Shawnee Mission West) 0-2 (Fall 0:46)
• Round 3 – Elias Pugh (Louisburg) 13-7 won by fall over Connor Fowles (Blue Valley West ) 16-12 (Fall 0:27)
• Round 5 – Elias Pugh (Louisburg) 13-7 won by fall over Henry Nelson (Shawnee Mission East) 11-12 (Fall 3:25)
• 1st Place Match – Elias Pugh (Louisburg) 13-7 won by fall over Logan Plum (Basehor-Linwood) 9-7 (Fall 1:36)

190

Ashton Moore (17-3) placed 1st and scored 31.5 team points.

• Round 1 – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 17-3 won by fall over David Johnston (Shawnee Mission West) 7-9 (Fall 0:47)
• Round 2 – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 17-3 won by fall over Josh Doan (Jayhawk Linn) 2-13 (Fall 0:24)
• Round 4 – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 17-3 won by fall over Logan Perchellet (Blue Valley West ) 6-6 (Fall 1:13)
• Round 5 – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 17-3 won by fall over Grayson Fix (Shawnee Mission East) 6-17 (Fall 0:56)
• 1st Place Match – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 17-3 won by tech fall over Cyrus Harding (Royal Valley) 13-2 (TF-1.5 3:10 (16-0))

215

Brayden Yoder (13-6) placed 1st and scored 31.0 team points.

• Round 1 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 13-6 won by fall over Sam Thackery (Shawnee Mission East) 6-7 (Fall 1:07)
• Round 2 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 13-6 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 3 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 13-6 won by fall over Derrick Johnson (Shawnee Mission West) 3-13 (Fall 0:47)
• Round 4 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 13-6 won by fall over Ethan Ranes (Jayhawk Linn) 10-9 (Fall 1:07)
• Round 5 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 13-6 won by fall over Noah Perchellet (Blue Valley West ) 12-7 (Fall 3:07)

285

Miles Meek (4-6) placed 4th and scored 13.0 team points.

• Round 1 – Miles Meek (Louisburg) 4-6 won by fall over Zaid Khmour (Blue Valley West ) 10-11 (Fall 2:22)
• Round 2 – Caden Gedney (Basehor-Linwood) 10-4 won by fall over Miles Meek (Louisburg) 4-6 (Fall 4:35)
• Round 3 – Miles Meek (Louisburg) 4-6 won by fall over Malaki Chee (Royal Valley) 4-12 (Fall 3:16)
• Championship Bracket – Cortez Velasco (Shawnee Mission West) 16-5 won by fall over Miles Meek (Louisburg) 4-6 (Fall 3:43)
• 3rd Place Match – Brandon Bishop (Girard) 7-11 won by fall over Miles Meek (Louisburg) 4-6 (Fall 3:31)

It was a successful, and eventful, 2023 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 a few programs brought back state hardware.

Below are the top stories from 2023, along with a brief explanation of each. Included in the writeup is the link to the actual story from the event.

When putting the list together, I took a lot of things into account – whether it was team vs. individual, popularity of the sport, historical achievements and the interest it drew on the web site.

This year was a blast to cover and I am looking forward to seeing what 2024 will bring. Thank you to everyone for their support and can’t wait for it all to begin again.

10. Brings Plenty earns first state cross country medal

WAMEGO — Jerynce Brings Plenty had being eyeing this race since the beginning of the season.

After missing out on the opportunity to run at the Class 4A Kansas State Cross Country Championships in 2022 due to an injury, Brings Plenty was itching at the chance to run against the state’s best.

He got that opportunity at the Wamego Country Club and he took full advantage.

Brings Plenty earned his first state cross country medal as he took 12th overall in a time of 16 minutes and 57 seconds. It has been a long time coming for the Louisburg junior.

“Getting 12th place and a state medal meant everything to me,” Brings Plenty said. “All season my main focus was to place as high as I could at state, especially since I had only placed 51st as a freshman and didn’t race my sophomore year.”

The 2023 season was a successful one for Brings Plenty as he earned a medal in every race he finished. He also moved up the school’s all-time leaderboard and currently holds the second fastest time.

9. Brueggen wins two state swim medals; Brown earns first boys state medal

Sabra Brueggen and Colin Brown put together a pair of historic seasons for their respective swim teams in 2023.

Brueggen doubled her medal count back in May at the state meet at the Capitol Federal Natatorium in Topeka. The Louisburg sophomore earned state medals in both the 100-yard backstroke and 50 freestyle.

After earning the one medal as a freshman a year ago, Brueggen was happy to find the medal stand in both races this season.

However, it has been a long road for Brueggen to get back to the state meet. After suffering a knee injury last summer, she had to work hard to get back in time for this go-round in a recovery that lasted nine months.

“Going into high school swim this season, I only had one personal goal in mind, making it back to finals at state,” Brueggen said. “Little did I know that I was going to make it back to the ‘A’ final in both my events, allowing me to medal. This truly meant the world to me because this past year has been one of the toughest ones yet. Overcoming this nine month long recovery, and accomplishing this at state, was an indescribable feeling.”

As for Brown, the Wildcat freshman earned the school’s first state medal in boys swimming back in February at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center in Lenexa. 

Brown recorded a time of 56.46 seconds in the finals of the 100-yard butterfly to take eighth overall. He swam a season-best time of 55.85 in the preliminaries to garner a spot in the finals.

“Colin’s swim in the medal finals was so fun to watch,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “Hardware from state is not easy to earn and he did a marvelous job all season working toward that final.”

In all, Louisburg sent four swimmers to the state meet in Brown, Brayton Brueggen, Colton Prettyman and Andrew Jamison and the Wildcats turned in several times that earned spots in the consolation finals. As team, the Wildcats finished 15th overall with 44 points.

8. Cheer takes fourth at state

TOPEKA — Louisburg cheer has been no stranger to the big stage when it comes to the state competition.

The Wildcats have become a mainstay in the Class 4A Game Day Spirit Showcase in the last several years that has included a state championship and a pair of state runner-up finishes.

Louisburg found itself in position for another state plaque in November at the Stormont-Vail Events Center in Topeka. The Wildcats qualified for the finals with an impressive performance, but came up just short of another state plaque as they took fourth overall in Class 4A.

“I am so proud,” Louisburg coach Breanna Kostroske said. “This team had to welcome not one, but two new coaches and has worked so hard since May on their competition material and it truly showed on the floor Saturday. Being a new coach you are automatically stressed that you haven’t given enough to all aspects of a game day routine, but we put our faith in the team and they showed up and truly represented themselves in a huge way.”

Members of the Louisburg cheer team are: Elizabeth George, Brooklyn Harmon, Addison Drake, Maddie O’Keefe, Maddy Carpenter-Ross, Caroline Dugger, Anna Brizendine, Reece Jones, Addie Vargo, Laney Stohs, Taryn Osborn, Kayleigh Ramsey, Will Leach, Brooklyn Roney, Harper Boyle, Kimmie Powls, Reece Younggren and Reese Anderson. The Wildcats are coached by Breanna Kostroske and Heather Brummel.

7. Pfannenstiel takes AD position, Wildcat basketball hires new coach Ben Doll

The 2023-24 school year for Louisburg High School activities had little different look to it — especially at the top.

Ty Pfannenstiel was hired as the school’s new activities director and took over for Michael Pickman, who will focus on his assistant principal duties and curriculum. 

Pfannenstiel, who has been the boys basketball coach for the last six years, resigned his post to take on the activities director position. He also stepped down as an assistant football coach.

“This is very exciting for me,” Pfannenstiel said. “It’s definitely going to be a change. I have been a teacher and a coach for 18 years. I still get to be a teacher half-time, and now I get to step into a new role as an administrator. It is going to be all sports and activities and I am looking forward to the new direction.”

Louisburg then hired Ben Doll to replace Pfannenstiel as the new Wildcat boys basketball coach. Doll has patrolled the sidelines as an assistant for two state championship teams and has coached in numerous state tournaments over his 24 year career.

This is Doll’s first head coaching position after spending time as an assistant at St. Thomas Aquinas, Johnson County Community College, Lansing and Blue Valley North.

“I am really excited to get going,” Doll said. “It has been a long time coming. I have a lot of great experiences and I am ready to apply those things I have learned into this job. I am ready to put my own stamp on some stuff as well.”

6. Wrestling qualifies six for state, Eslinger medals

SALINA —  Just like a year ago, Elijah Eslinger found himself one win away from a spot in the state championship match.

Eslinger, who has been ranked in Class 4A at different times throughout the season, has had a long road as a Wildcat heavyweight. One that included a rough freshman year, to progressively getting better.

With a spot in the semifinals at the Class 4A Kansas State Wrestling Championships already wrapped up, he had already secured his second state medal in Salina. Although he didn’t make that championship match, Eslinger still left Salina with some hardware.

“To make the semifinals was exciting, especially since it was the closest match I had,” Eslinger said. “It was probably close to the hardest match that I had over the weekend. I feel like I could have done better looking at my matches in hindsight.”

The Wildcats nearly had two more wresters earn spots on the medal stand. Junior J’Lee Collins (126 pounds) and sophomore Ashton Moore (175) both made their way to the blood round and needed a win to secure a state medal.

The Wildcats also experienced some heartbreak as senior Kaven Bartlett fell short of his goal of earning another state medal. At 138 pounds, Bartlett finished the state tournament with a 1-2 record.

Senior Trace Eslinger (215) and sophomore Jay McCaskill (157) also represented the Wildcats at the state tournament, but finished with an 0-2 record.

5. Lohse wins three state medals, Lady Cats sixth at state

WICHITA — Emma Lohse blazed the track for the Louisburg girls track and field team all season, and the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships was no different.

Lohse picked up three medals and helped the 4×100-meter relay to another school record at Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium. In all, the Lady Cats medaled in five events and finished sixth in the team standings with 29 points.

“Coming back from Wichita with three state medals was something I had to work for and was happy about the outcome,” Lohse said. “Leaving Cessna Stadium one last time, I was very proud of the way I competed and proud of what I came home with.”

Lohse was just inches away from winning a state championship in the 100-meter dash. At the finish line, the Louisburg senior was step-for-step with Rose Hill’s Kate Dare.

As the two leaned for the finish line, Dare edged Lohse for first as Lohse ran a time of 12.46 seconds. Dare ran a 12.44.

Later in the 200-meter dash, Lohse earned another state medal as she took seventh in 26.77 seconds.

Sandwiched in between those two races, Lohse helped the 4×100-meter relay of Mackenzie Rooney, Suzanna Dansel and Kendall Crossley to a medal of their own.

The Lady Cat relay finished third overall with a time of 49.70 seconds. Andale won in 49.24 and McPherson was second at 49.67.

However, in the preliminaries on Friday, the team broke their own school record for the fourth consecutive time in 49.26 seconds and had the fastest time going into the finals.

Another Lady Cat to find the medal stand was Emma Prettyman. The Louisburg senior put together a strong showing in the discus.

Prettyman earned her first state medal as she finished sixth in the event with a throw of 115 feet, 9 inches.

4. Wildcat pole vaulters dominate 4A state meet

WICHITA — Maddy Carpenter-Ross, Caden Caplinger and Cooper Wingfield had been considered as some of the top pole vaulters in Class 4A for most of the season.

All three had finished at, or toward the top of each of their meets this year, and all of them had high hopes going into state meet at Wichita State.

Carpenter-Ross and Caplinger reached the highest summit Class 4A had to offer as both were crowned state champions following their respective events.

Caplinger became a two-time state champion first as he cleared 15 feet to win the 4A boys pole vault. Wingfield finished as the state runner-up.

“It means a lot and I am just blessed to have the opportunity to be here and win the title, especially with Cooper right on my tail,” Caplinger said. 

Carpenter-Ross thrived under the pressure in the girls competition as she, not only looked for her second consecutive state medal, but her first state championship. 

The Louisburg junior captured her first state title after she cleared 11 feet, which tied a personal best. This coming off a season where she medaled fifth at state a year ago.

“I think it is fantastic,” Carpenter-Ross said. “Going to 11 feet, I was tied with the one girl and I was hoping that I would get it on my first try. Then when I did, it was just an amazing feeling. 

“It was just awesome for me, plus to see my family’s faces up in the stands was really cool too. Being a state champion is awesome and I plan to do it again.”

3. Wildcat football wins back-to-back Frontier League titles

SPRING HILL — It had been 16 years since the Louisburg football team last repeated as back-to-back Frontier League champions.

That drought ended on an October night in Spring Hill.

In a battle of undefeated league teams, Louisburg proved its was the best. The Wildcats scored 21 unanswered points, and shutout the Broncos in the first half, as they cruised to a 35-21 victory.

Louisburg earned back-to-back league crowns for the first time since the 2006 and 2007 campaigns. The Wildcats also finished the regular season with an 8-0 record.

“It is pretty exciting,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “We talked to the guys before the game about how long it is has been since we have won back-to-back league titles and it has only been done four times in our school’s history. So to chalk another one up there feels pretty good.”

The Wildcats advanced to the regional round of the state playoffs in early November, but lost a heartbreaker to Basehor-Linwood, 22-20, and ended a nine game winning streak.

“This season was a lot of fun,” Harding said. “It is a great group of kids and they worked incredibly hard. They were loose and made it fun every single day. I can’t say enough about how good of kids they are and how hard they work. We hoped to still be moving on, but this loss doesn’t take away from what these kids did all year.”

2. Wildcat volleyball takes fourth at state for second straight year

HUTCHINSON — For the second time in as many years, Louisburg is leaving the state volleyball tournament with some hardware.

The Wildcats, for the second straight season, finished fourth Saturday at the Class 4A Kansas State Volleyball Championships in Hutchinson. It marked the 20th appearance for the Wildcats in the tournament.

Getting that hardware and making it to Saturday was certainly a battle for the Wildcats, who had to fight through adversity during pool play on Friday. Louisburg had to deal with injuries and had its fate rest in another team’s hands. 

Despite all that, Louisburg left with a fourth place medal following a tough 23-25, 25-8 and 25-16 loss to Andale in the third-place match Saturday at Hutchinson Sports Arena.

“We are very proud of this team for making it back to the state tournament and finishing in the final four again,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “We, of course, will always strive for higher finishes until we reach that ultimate goal of state champions, but we are proud of where we finished the season and were happy with the success of this team.”

Members of the Louisburg volleyball team are (from left) Adelyn Moore, Caileigh Kilgore, McKenna Lohse, Delaney Nelsen, Aspen Coulter, Evyn Richardson, Ashlyn Berck, Katie Elpers, Izzy Moreland, Megan Quinn, Hailey Sword, Madie Williams and head coach Leanna Willer.

1. Wildcat boys track finishes as state runner-up; Dobbins wins state title in high jump as team medals in 13 events

WICHITA — The Louisburg boys track and field team had the resume of a state champion. 

The Wildcats racked up 87 points during the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships at Wichita State. 

Louisburg medaled in all 13 events it competed and the Wildcats finished the meet with two individual state champions. The ending was supposed to feature the Wildcats holding up a state championship plaque.

“If you would have told me at the beginning of the year we would score 87 points at state and not win a championship, I would have just ignored you and said ‘Whatever,’” Louisburg coach Andy Wright said. “No way that would happen.”

As it turned out, the Wildcats found themselves on the outside looking in for a team state title. Andale finished first with 87.5 points. Louisburg had 87.

It was an emotional letdown for the Wildcats as they were so close to that team goal.

“To beat Andale, we had to score 88 and that is just a testament to how good they are,” Wright said. “They have really good athletes, especially in the throws. At the same time, I couldn’t be more proud of my guys and how they competed. It was just so much fun to watch them lay it all out there. They really did have a great season.”

Mason Dobbins reached new heights at the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championship.

Ok, well maybe not literally.

Dobbins who broke a school record in the high jump earlier this year, didn’t reach that height at the state meet — but he didn’t need to. The Louisburg senior cleared 6 feet, 6 inches to win the Class 4A high jump title.

It was the first of four state medals that Dobbins would win on the day as he helped lead the Wildcats to the Class 4A state runner-up plaque.

“It meant everything to be a state champion and to be able to medal in all of my events this year since I didn’t last year,” Dobbins said. “Our team trains so hard, and to be able to be runner up by .5 points, is incredible.”

Dobbins nearly earned his second state title in the 110-meter hurdles as he found himself in a battle with Rose Hill’s Teagan Cobb. The two were stride-for-stride going into he final hurdle, but Cobb nipped Dobbins at the finish line.

Later on, he joined Caden Caplinger, Colyer Wingfield and Ethan Ptacek in the 4×100-meter relay and the team medaled third in 43.38 seconds. Ptacek had to run for Ashton Moore, who was injured during the preliminaries.

Then toward the end of the meet, Dobbins, who was sitting seventh in the 200-meter dash after the preliminaries, battled to keep his team in the state championship race and medaled third in 23.07.

Louisburg senior Nathan Vincent got his team a lot of points in the throwing events as he medaled in the javelin, discus and shot put — with the latter being his best event of the weekend.

Vincent, who just started doing shot put this year, put together his best performance of the season. He recorded a personal best throw of 51-8 in the finals to take third overall. He also went on to take fifth in the discus and sixth in the javelin.

Sophomore Jerynce Brings Plenty also came away with three state medals in the distance events, but none was more precious to him than the 3,200-meter run.

Brings Plenty broke the school record in the event as he medaled third in 9 minutes and 49.41 seconds. He surpassed the old mark of 9:50.60 that was set by Jason Rose in 2007.

He continued his medal streak for the Wildcats as he joined Hunter Heinrich, Blaise Vohs and Colton Blue to medal seventh in the 4×800-meter relay.

Later in the day, Brings Plenty competed in the 1,600 run and took sixth in 4:34.42.

Louisburg senior Nathan Apple left his final state meet with a pair of medals in both hurdle events. Apple finished fourth in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.29 seconds on Saturday.

Apple also went on to take fourth in the 300 hurdles in 40.55 seconds as he ended his Wildcat track career on a positive note.

The Wildcats ended the state meet with the 4×400-meter relay as the team of Heinrich, Vohs, Colyer Wingfield and Ptacek needed a third place finish or better to win the state title. Unfortunately, the Wildcats came up just short as they took fourth in 3:23.98.

Louisburg set a new personal record by three seconds and was .25 seconds away from tying the school record. The Wildcats also scored points in all three relay events.

Louisburg freshman Leola Eslinger earned a third place medal Saturday at the ACCHS Girls Invitational. Eslinger is currently 9-1 on the season at 145 pounds.

EFFINGHAM — Louisburg is venturing back into the world of girls wrestling this season thanks to a pair of freshmen joining the program.

One of those freshmen, Leola Eslinger, is taking the challenge head on. After winning her first six matches on the junior varsity level, Eslinger competed in her varsity tournament last Saturday at the ACCHS Girls Invitational in Effingham.

Eslinger more than held her own as she earned a varsity medal. The Louisburg freshman finished third at 145 pounds and finished with a 3-1 record. She has also won nine of her first 10 matches to start the season.

“Her first two meets were technically considered JV level, but we had her matched up with higher-level opponents,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “She entered her first varsity tournament at Effingham on Saturday with a 6-0 record. Her lone loss was to the eventual champion from Rock Creek, but she proved that she’s going to be a competitor in girls wrestling this year.”

Eslinger (9-1) opened tournament action with a 32 second pin over Washburn Rural’s Reece Garrett. In the semifinals, she lost her lone match of the day when she was pinned by Rock Creek’s Koda Moeller. 

She responded on the backside of the bracket with a 50 second pin of Sabetha’s Emma Wahwasuck. Then in the third place match, Eslinger earned a pin of Jefferson West’s Kinley Shelman.

Freshman Allison Martin also saw her first tournament action at 130 pounds. Martin finished with an 0-2 record.

“Allison is showing steady improvements every time she steps on the mat,” Bovaird said. “She just started wrestling this year, while Leola has been wrestling for a long time and has a great deal of experience. Those two have been great practice partners and are really laying a steady foundation for the upcoming girls program.”