Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week eight of the winter sports season, sponsored by Dr. Laura’s Orthodontics.
BROOKLYN DEWEESE, FRESHMAN, WRESTLING
Louisburg freshman Brooklyn DeWeese has put together a memorable season so far for the Wildcat girls wrestling team. Last Saturday at Ottawa, DeWeese became the first girls wrestler to earn a spot in the Frontier League finals and she finished second overall at 115 pounds.
DeWeese got a pin of Bonner Springs’ Kyle Enriquez in the semifinals. She then faced the Class 4A No. 3 ranked wrestler in Tonganoxie’s Stella Bradley in the championship and lost by pin. On the season, DeWeese has a 29-8 record with 23 of those coming by pin.
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.
The Louisburg wrestling team finished third Saturday at the Baldwin Invitational and medaled five overall.
BALDWIN CITY — In what is one of the toughest tournaments on its schedule, the Louisburg boys wrestling team found a lot of success Saturday at the Baldwin Invitational Tournament.
Not only did the Wildcats medal five, but found themselves in the top three of the team standings. Louisburg finished third overall with 152 points. Tonganoxie won the 19-team tournament with 231 points and Santa Fe Trail was second with 159.
“Once again, the Baldwin Invitational didn’t disappoint with how tough a tournament it ended up being,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “The thing I love about this tournament is the fact that we get to see so many teams we don’t typically see during the regular season — Wamego, Goodland, Buhler, and Rock Creek to name a few. We had a great run on the back side of the bracket, and in the finals we were able to hold off a very strong Holton team to keep us in third place.
“We had Logan Henry out with a knee injury, and he’s a returning state qualifier. Also, Canaan Clayton hurt his shoulder in his first match, which was a big blow for us. He still battled in that match and went out for his next match, but you could tell he was hurting. He’s such a tough kid, though. Never complains.”
Louisburg put two wrestlers in the championship round in seniors Ashton Moore and Jay McCaskill. Moore went on to win his 215-pound bracket, while McCaskill was second at 165 pounds.
Louisburg senior Ashton Moore won the 215-pound bracket to improve his record to 28-2 on the season.
Moore finished 3-0 on the day with a pin over Tonganoxie’s Jaxon Dominic in the quarterfinals and then earned a 12-1 major decision over Baldwin’s Brenden O’Connor in the semis.
His biggest test came in the finals in a battle of state-ranked wresters. Moore, who is ranked No. 2 in Class 4A, squared off with No. 3 Taven Dick of Holton.
Moore found himself in a hole early as he was down 4-0, but battled back to eventually get a 10-6 decision and won his fourth tournament title in a month. He also improved his record to 28-2 on the season.
“That sort of mental toughness is something that everyone can benefit from watching,” Bovaird said of Moore. “Ashton kept his head and didn’t panic. He was focused and ready to score points, which is what we needed from him.”
McCaskill earned a spot in the championship round with a quarterfinal pin of Santa Fe Trail’s Dale Kirby and then pinned Chance Gray of Perry-Lecompton in the second period of the semifinals.
Louisburg senior Jay McCaskill earned win No. 100 Saturday in the semifinals of the Baldwin Invitational.
That victory earned McCaskill career win No. 100 in what was a memorable moment for the Louisburg senior. He battled in his championship match, but lost a 7-1 decision to Buhler’s Luke Kerns.
“The past two years especially, Jay has been laser-focused, both at practice and at competitions,” Bovaird said. “He’s really stepped up as a leader, too. He’ll work with all levels of kids at practice, and he’s more vocal this year than before. He’s also a leader by example and he’s tough as can be.
“Jay came up against a tough kid from Buhler in the finals. He really wrestled well, but his opponent was pretty slick and solid with his positioning, which helped him take advantage of any mistake Jay might have made.”
Sophomore Levi Cotter also had a solid day at 106 pounds for the Wildcats as he took third with a 3-1 record on the day. His lone loss came in the semifinals in a 12-10 decision to Holton’s Tyson Carlson.
Cotter responded to win two in the consolation bracket, including a technical fall over Labette County’s Gavin Myers to take third place.
Louisburg freshman Parker Showalter medaled fourth at 113 pounds Saturday in Baldwin.
Freshman Parker Showalter (113 pounds) and senior Brayden Yoder (190) both left Baldwin with medals as they finished fourth overall.
Yoder battled in a tough 190-pound weight class. He opened with two wins before falling to the eventual champion, Holton’s Kyler Jackson, in the semifinals in an 8-3 decision.
He advanced to the third place match against Goodland’s Logan Franz, where he lost by pin. Yoder finished his day with a 3-2 record.
At 113 pounds, Showalter recorded his first varsity medal of the season after earning a spot in the third place match, but fell to Eudora’s Gabe Campbell in a 7-3 decision.
Seniors Will Showalter (125) and Mika McKitrick (132) each finished in fifth place and sophomore Spencer Mattison (144) was sixth. Sophomore Bryce Thompson (157) and junior Vance Hahn (175) took seventh overall.
Louisburg is back in action Saturday as the Wildcats travel to Ottawa for the Frontier League Invitational.
DeWeese medals at Baldwin to lead Louisburg girls wrestling
(Submitted Photo) Louisburg freshman Brooklyn DeWeese (left) finished third at 115 pounds Friday at the Baldwin Invitational.
BALDWIN CITY — The Louisburg girls wrestling team competed in its third tournament of the season Friday at the Baldwin Invitational and one Wildcat found her way to the medal stand.
Freshman Brooklyn DeWeese medaled in her third consecutive tournament as she took third overall at 115 pounds in the 23-team tournament.
“There was some great competition in all weight classes,” Louisburg coach Heather Eslinger said. “I was really proud of Brooklyn going out there and placing third. She’s got a lot of potential and I hope she continues just grinding through the rest of the season.”
DeWeese battled her way through the 115-pound bracket. She opened the tournament with a pin of Blue Valley West’s Charlotte Hargrove and then defeated Holton’s Khloe Black by a 11-3 major decision.
In the semifinals, DeWeese went up against Fort Scott’s Jerri Smith and lost by pin. DeWeese came through the back part of the bracket as she won by technical fall over Bishop Miege’s Lucy Herrold and then pinned Frontenac’s Abby Albright in the third place match.
Three other Wildcats also found their way to the placing matches. Allison Martin (135 pounds) and Leola Eslinger (145) each finished seventh overall, while Ashlyn Spradling (110) was eighth.
Martin finished with a 3-2 record, including a pin of Perry-Lecompton’s Kaylie Thorne in the seventh place match. Eslinger finished 2-2, and ended her day with a pin of Wellsville’s Addison Gardner for seventh.
“I was especially proud of Allison placing seventh,” Eslinger said. “She’s a wrestler that only started wrestling last year. She and I were joking around that last year at Baldwin she lost two matches and that was it. But she ended up placing seventh and she looked like a completely different wrestler from last year. I’ve seen huge improvements in her mat awareness, her wrestling intelligence and speed and reaction time on the mat, which definitely felt like it peaked on Friday.”
Louisburg will look to find its way to the medal stand again Saturday as the Wildcats travel to Ottawa for the Frontier League Invitational.
Week 7 Athlete of the Week: Ashton Moore
Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week seven of the winter sports season, sponsored by IronHorse Family and Cosmetic Dentistry.
ASHTON MOORE, SENIOR, WRESTLING
Louisburg senior Ashton Moore has had a wrestling season to remember, especially when it came to the past month. On Saturday, Moore won the 215-pound title at the Baldwin Invitational, which was his fourth tournament victory since the new year. Moore, who is currently ranked No. 2 in Class 4A, defeated No. 3 Taven Dick from Holton in a 10-6 decision to win the Baldwin title.
Moore’s win in the championship was the fourth victory over a state ranked opponent in the last month. On Thursday, he earned a major decision win over No. 4 Seth Ferguson of Ottawa. Earlier this year, defeated No. 5 Parker Schwarz of Prairie View and Andover’s Tate Hutchinson, who is No. 3 in Class 5A. After last week’s performance, Moore improved his record to 28-2 on the season. In January, Moore also won the Louisburg, Wellsville and Blue Valley Northwest Invitational crowns.
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.
Louisburg senior Will Showalter dives in on an opponent Thursday against Ottawa on Senior Night.
The home part of the Louisburg wrestling schedule came to an end Thursday as the Wildcats hosted both Emporia and Ottawa in a double dual.
Despite a loss to Emporia to start the night, the Wildcats bounced back and ended their home contest with a 74-6 victory over Ottawa.
It also happened to be Senior Night as the Wildcats honored 11 wresters and two managers during what was a special night on the mat.
Seniors Blake Oliphant, Greysen Dixon, Logan Henry, Will Showalter, Canaan Clayton, Mika McKitrick, Brayden Yoder, Ashton Moore, Miles Meek, Jay McCaskill and Jonas Briley, along with managers Lacy Burton and Kaylee Crooks, were all recognized in-between the duals with their families.
“I feel like every class is special to me, and that’s no different with this group,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “What a phenomenal group of young men. They’ve truly set a high bar for expectations — on the mat, in the classroom, in other sports, and in life. Several of these guys have been wrestling continually since a young age, and some of them started as freshmen in high school. It’s a very diverse group, experience-wise, but that changes nothing about how proud I am of them.”
In the first dual of the night, Emporia jumped out to a big lead on the Wildcats and they nearly made a 30-plus point comeback, but fell just short, 40-36.
The Wildcats trailed 37-6, but sophomore Bryce Thompson (157 pounds) and senior Jay McCaskill (165) each earned pins. Emporia was then open in the next three weight and set up a winner-take-all in the heavyweight match.
Louisburg honored 13 seniors during Thursday’s double dual against Emporia and Ottawa. Pictured (front row, from left) are Senior managers Lacy Burton, Kaylee Crooks, along with wrestlers Blake Oliphant, Greysen Dixon, Logan Henry, Will Showalter, (back row) Canaan Clayton, Mika McKitrick, Brayden Yoder, Ashton Moore, Miles Meek, Jay McCaskill and Jonas Briley
Louisburg senior Miles Meek forced his opponent to overtime in the 285-pond match, but lost by decision.
“Historically, Emporia has always been a tough-as-nails program,” Bovaird said. “Their coaching staff includes a couple of guys that I knew from when I was in school, and they are Emporia alumni (head coach Brook Medrano, who won multiple state medals for Emporia, and Dusty Spaulding, a 4-time state champion for Emporia). I knew heading into this dual that their program would be tough.
“I felt like a couple things could have gone differently, which would have changed the outcome of the dual, but at the same time, we got out there and competed with them. Almost got the dual win at the end, too. Exciting to say the least, but it gave us a chance to reflect and learn a few things about what we need to focus on doing for the final stretch of the season.”
Louisburg senior Jonas Briley gets a pin during his Senior Night match against Ottawa.
Against Ottawa, the Wildcats put together a dominating performance as they lost just one match in the 74-6 victory.
The highlight of the dual came at 215 pounds, when Louisburg’s Ashton Moore, who is ranked No. 2 in Class 4A, squared off with No. 4 Seth Ferguson. Moore dominated the match as he won by a 9-1 major decision.
“I was a little uneasy about that match going into it,” Moore said. “Ashton had been sick on Wednesday, so I didn’t know how that would impact his performance. The good thing is that Ashton is the kind of kid who doesn’t let a little illness impact his efforts.
“In his match, he looked like he’d been feeling absolutely great the day before. You couldn’t tell any different. He was conservative when he needed to be, and he opened up when there was a window of opportunity. He’s been laser-focused this season, and I’m excited to see where it takes him the next few weeks.”
Louisburg senior Brayden Yoder earned career win No. 100 Thursday on Senior Night at Louisburg High School.
The final dual also brought about a special moment for Brayden Yoder. The Louisburg senior recorded career win No. 100 with a pin at 190 pounds, and improved his record to 25-6 on the year.
“How special is that, to earn your 100th career win at home on senior night?,” Bovaird said. “I’m so proud of Brayden, who is a great kid with a solid head on his shoulders. He gets the job done in the classroom, on the football field, and on the wrestling mat. He truly is an incredible leader with a very bright future.”
Yoder, Moore lead Wildcats with titles at Husky Invitational
Louisburg seniors (kneeling from left) Brayden Yoder and Ashton Moore won individual titles last Saturday at the Husky Invitational at Blue Valley Northwest.
OVERLAND PARK — In what was one of their toughest tournaments on the season, a pair of Louisburg wrestlers brought home top honors.
Seniors Brayden Yoder and Ashton Moore earned individual titles at the 2-day Husky Invitational last Friday and Saturday at Blue Valley Northwest High School.
In all, the Wildcats medaled four wrestlers in the 21-team tournament that included three state-ranked programs. Louisburg finished eighth overall with 307 points.
“Once again, the Husky Invitational didn’t disappoint,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “We got into this tournament because we needed some tough competition to help prepare us for the post-season. That’s exactly what we needed, and it’s exactly what we got. All of our guys got some great competition that was at the level they needed.
“Overall, we had a pretty strong performance. We tied our highest performance with eight place, but we also scored an all-time high with our team points. Also, based on the records I got when I took over as head coach, this was the first time we’ve ever had two champions, which is a pretty nice accomplishment.”
Yoder entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed at 190 pounds and he showed why. The Louisburg senior won his first five matches of the day by pin, including a semifinal pin over Rockhurst’s Chase Quinn.
That set up a match with Lawrence Free State’s Zane Shaw in the championship, and Yoder battled to a 2-1 sudden victory to improve his record to 25-6 on the season.
“In the championship match, Brayden was solid and disciplined with his neutral wrestling, which resulted in him getting a couple of great stall calls against his opponent,” Bovaird said. “He was very smart on his feet, and when they went into overtime and his opponent was trying to avoid wrestling him, that ‘fleeing the mat’ call was pretty indisputable.”
As for Moore, he picked up a big victory of his own, but his came in the semifinals at 215 pounds. He squared off with Andover’s Tate Hutchinson, who is ranked No. 3 in Class 5A.
Moore, who was ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 4A coming into the tournament, got a 6-3 decision over Hutchinson to advance to the championship. It set up a rematch with Topeka-Seaman’s Deyton Mentzer, and Moore got the third period pin to win the title and improve his record to 25-2.
“Ashton did great throughout the tournament,” Bovaird said. “The big match was actually the semifinals against Tate Hutchinson of Andover. That kid had beaten Ashton at this tournament every year since their freshman year — last year was a 3-0 decision in the finals. This year, Ashton had his number and stepped up big-time in the semis.
“In the finals, he had a rematch with a kid he’d beaten earlier in the tournament. Ashton did a remarkable job keeping his head and his focus against an opponent who was obviously trying to get him distracted and off his game.”
The Wildcats also had two other medalists as sophomore Levi Cotter (106 pounds) and Mika McKitrick (132) had top six finishes.
Cotter finished in fifth place with a 4-3 record and had to battle his way to through the consolation bracket. In his fifth place match, Cotter earned second period pin in what was a revenge win over Andover’s Jace Dryden.
McKitrick posted three wins in the tournament as he squared off with Blue Valley West’s Scott Fohlmeister in the fifth place match. Although he was eventually pinned, it was still a successful run for the Wildcat senior.
Louisburg seniors Jay McCaskill (165) and Miles Meek (285) each finished just outside medal contention as they took seventh and eighth, respectively.
“Levi finished the tournament with a revenge win against an Andover kid who’d beaten him by a major decision earlier in the tournament,” Bovaird said. “Mika is having a great senior season, making huge strides from last year. He’s really looking strong on his feet and on top.
“Jay had a very tough bracket, but he’s showing that he’s a dynamic and dangerous wrestler in any position, whether it’s on his feet, on top, or on bottom. Miles is an under-sized 285-pounder, but he’s doing a great job with his strength, work ethic, and athleticism. He’s a very coachable kid, and he’ll have a great conclusion to his senior year.”
Louisburg is back in action Thursday as it hosts Emporia and Ottawa for Senior Night as the Wildcats honor their 11 seniors. Matches begin at 6 p.m.
Louisburg girls medal three at Wellsville tournament
Louisburg freshman Brianna Caraway finished third overall at 130 pounds last Friday at the Aaron Patton Memorial Tournament in Wellsville.
WELLSVILLE — It was just its second true tournament of the season, but the Louisburg girls wrestling team left the Aaron Patton Memorial Tournament with its fair share of hardware.
Three Wildcats earned medals as Brooklyn DeWeese, Brianna Caraway and Leola Eslinger all finished in the top four Friday at the tournament at Wellsville High School.
In the team standings, Louisburg finished ninth with 65 points in the 22-team tournament.
“I was really proud of all the girls overall with how hard they battled,” Louisburg coach Heather Eslinger said. “One of our obstacles this season is we have a team of only 11 girls, which isn’t even a full team. So we take our girls to any girl wrestling events that we can. Some of those are labeled JV, and some are varsity, and so we might have a JV wrestler wrestling in a varsity event, which was what Wellsville was. There was a hard battle for a lot of these girls, who were wrestling way above their skill level.”
Freshmen Brooklyn DeWeese (115 pounds) and Brianna Caraway (130) each finished third overall, and DeWeese earned her second varsity medal of the season.
DeWeese battled back from a first round loss to Jayhawk-Linn’s Rowan Day. She rattled off four straight pins, including one in a rematch with Day in the third place match.
As for Caraway, she had a busy day with six matches, but she finished 5-1 in the competition and all five of her wins came by pin.
Caraway lost her quarterfinal match to Baldwin’s Keziah Moses, but reeled off four straight wins, including a second period pin over Wellsville’s Ava Yanez in the third place match.
“I was especially proud of Brooklyn and Brianna,” Eslinger said. “Even though both of these girls are freshmen, they are at a varsity skill level, but they still had some tough battles. I was really proud of how Brooklyn didn’t let that first loss in the morning get to her head and she overcame and won that match for third place.
“Brianna had even a little bit more of a tough day. She ended up having six matches, which even for a seasoned wrestler, is a lot of matches. She had some really tough situations that she had to battle back from. At one point she was on her back and coach Bovaird and I both thought that she was done for and she was going to get pinned. In a split second she had moved position and she came out on top with the win for third place.”
Freshman Evelyn Rue tries to put an opponent on her back Friday in Wellsville.
Sophomore Leola Eslinger took fourth place at 145 pounds as she recorded a 2-2 day. After losing in the semifinals, Esllinger battled back to get a pin over Wellsville’s Addy Gardner to reach the third place match.
In that match, Eslinger lost by pin to Jayhawk-Linn’s Gracee Willard to end up in fourth.
Coach Eslinger saw a lot from her team as the young Wildcat group gained some much-needed experience.
“Some of the other girls that I was really proud of wrestling Friday at Wellsville was Nora Smith, who even though she went 0-2, she scored her first points, which is a great thing,” coach Eslinger said. “It’s always great to see progress even if it doesn’t come out as a win. I was also really proud of Evelyn Rue. She was a brand new wrestler this year, came in November not knowing anything. On Friday she ended up having her first two wins, which were both pins.
“I was just so proud that I could see those skills starting to click with Nora and Evelyn and they’re starting to understand what wrestling is and where they need to be on the mat to score. It’s only going to go up from here.”
Wildcats capture Wellsville title to win second straight tourney
Louisburg senior Canaan Clayton gets a takedown during his 120-pound match last Friday at Wellsville. Clayton and the Wildcats won the Wellsville Tournament.
WELLSVILLE — The Louisburg wrestling team has done nothing but win in 2025 and that continued Friday at the Aaron Patton Memorial Tournament at Wellsville High School.
The Wildcats won their second straight competition to start the new year as they cruised to the team title with 210.5 points and beat runner-up Santa Fe Trail by more than 80 points in the 24-team tournament.
On top of that, the Wildcats also had three individual champions and eight finish in the top four of their respective weight classes. It was the second straight time Louisburg has won the Wellsville tournament.
“This year was a big improvement from last year,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “In 2024, there were a lot of smaller teams, smaller brackets, and mismatches in the finals. This year, the semifinals, finals, and consolation finals were much more exciting. Winning it last year was pretty neat, but this year it felt a whole lot better.
“The most significant element was that we went undefeated in the first round of the tournament, and in the second round we lost maybe three matches. That meant we went into the semifinals with quite a few wrestlers. You don’t get to that point unless you step up to perform.”
Seniors Canaan Clayton (120 pounds), Brayden Yoder (190) and Ashton Moore (215) all earned individual titles as all three dominated their weight class.
Clayton won all three of his matches by pin and did so in a minute or less. In the championship, Clayton pinned Santa Fe Trail’s Bryce Combes in 59 seconds to improve to 17-6 on the season. It was also his first career tournament championship on the varsity level.
As for Yoder (19-6), he won two of his first three matches by pin and then squared off with Gardner-Edgerton’s Dawson Cassida in the first place match. Yoder battled Cassidy to a 10-5 decision to win the 190-pound bracket.
Moore (19-2) controlled the 215-pound weight class as all four of his wins came by pin, including a second period pin of West Elk’s Joshua Patteson in the championship match.
“All three of them are really stepping up and performing well,” Bovaird said. “Canaan got his first varsity championship of his career in style, winning all three matches by a first-period pin. Brayden wrestled so many solid matches, just being smart and staying in solid position. He really gave a lot of great examples of his wrestling IQ with those matches. He didn’t force anything, he was smart by holding off some solid attacks, and with his positioning he made sure to capitalize on his opponents’ mistakes.
“Ashton was an animal in his bracket. He took the time to work some new techniques and try some unfamiliar techniques. He’s such a smart athlete, and he gets it. He’s not afraid of making mistakes, and he’s willing to use these live matches as a chance to work things to help him win those close matches in February when we get to the postseason.”
Louisburg senior Jay McCaskill lifts an opponent Friday at Wellsville. McCaskill finished third at 165 pounds.
Sophomore Levi Cotter (106) and senior Jay McCaskill (165) each finished third in their weight class, while freshman Parker Showalter (113), senior Mika McKitrick and junior Vance Hahn (175) took fourth.
Cotter (20-5) went 3-1 on the day, with his lone loss coming by pin in the semifinals to Onaga’s Jesse Miller. He battled back and won his third place match by pin over Jayhawk-Linn’s Aedin McGregor.
McCaskill (17-3) was 4-1, with his only setback coming in the semifinals in a 10-4 loss to Shawnee Mission East’s Noah Jewell. He bounced back and earned a pin over Burlington’s Kyzer Lehmann in the third place match.
Showalter (10-15) went 2-2 on the day with a pair of pins. Both McKitrick and Hahn were 3-2, while McKitrick had three pins and Hahn had two.
Bryce Thompson (157) and Greysen Dixon (138) each took sixth overall. It was a good ending to a tournament that lasted nine hour before all was said and done.
Louisburg sophomore Bryce Thompson works for a pin Friday at Wellsville.
“Without a doubt, it was a long day,” Bovaird said. “We’re not used to wrestling that late at night, but that’s a good thing. It’s all about the physical conditioning and the psychological conditioning. I was really impressed with a lot of our wrestlers’ performances. Parker placed at his first varsity tournament. Mika bounced back from a controversial semi-finals loss to make it to the third place match. In the semis, the official called a defensive pin while Mika was leading by quite a bit, and the thing that impressed me the most was how he kept his composure throughout the whole thing. I told him, ‘You handled that loss much better than I did.’
“In the third place match, he was in control of his opponent on the scoreboard going into the second period. We chose down, and the kid hit him with an illegal suplex. Mika was cleared by the trainer to continue, but after another flurry of action, I saw that he wasn’t right, and I chose to default the match rather than risk any further injury.”
Louisburg is back in action Friday and Saturday as the Wildcat take part in the 2-day Blue Valley Northwest Invitational.
Moore, Yoder lead Wildcats to home tournament title
Louisburg senior Ashton Moore works up a pin during the Louisburg Invitational on Saturday at Louisburg High School.
The Louisburg wrestling team didn’t have much preparation for its home tournament Saturday as students missed several practices due to snow days following Christmas break.
It wasn’t the best way to start 2025, but the Wildcats managed just fine as they won the Louisburg Invitational for the second time in three years and did so in convincing fashion.
Louisburg won the team title with 216 points and Blue Valley West was second with 153 points in the 14-team tournament. The Wildcats also medaled 10 on the day and had two individual champions.
“We had some adversity hit us last week — mostly with the weather and being unable to get in as many practices as I would have liked,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “At the start of the tournament, you could tell that our fitness was definitely working against us. I gave the team a pep talk after the second round and told them that if they wanted to get in the team race, they needed to get it set in their minds that everyone was battling fitness, not just us. It can’t be an excuse for losing matches or making mistakes. They really turned things around after that.”
Two Wildcats found their way atop the medal stand as seniors Brayden Yoder and Ashton Moore each won their respective weight classes and did so in different ways.
Yoder (15-6), who wrestled in the 190-pound bracket, opened with three straight pins that put him in the semifinals. Competition got a lot tougher as he squared off against Blue Valley Northwest’s Blake Berry, a returning state qualifier in the semis.
Louisburg senior Brayden Yoder works for one of his three pins Saturday at the Louisburg Invitational. Yoder won the 190-pound bracket.
Berry and Yoder were deadlocked for most of the match, but the Louisburg senior recorded a 4-3 decision in overtime to advance to the finals. It was there where Yoder outlasted De Soto’s Dylan Roy in a 3-0 decision for the championship.
“He won a great match against the Northwest kid, who was a state qualifier in 6A last year,” Bovaird said. “Just a gutsy performance, getting that win in the tie-breaker. Brayden is in an awesome groove right now, and it’s pretty exciting to see it. He’s strong and confident, and he’s got such a great wrestling IQ. This was his third time winning the Louisburg Invitational, which is a great feat.”
Moore (15-2) earned the title at 215 pounds and created a little history for himself along the way. Moore recorded his 100th career win with a pin of Piper’s Wyatt Koenig in the quarterfinals.
He then recorded a 16-1 technical fall of Leavenworth’s Montrez Cameron in the semifinals, which set up a match of state-ranked wrestlers in the championship.
Members of the Louisburg wrestling team celebrate Ashton Moore’s 100th win Saturday at their home tournament.
Moore, who is ranked No. 3 in Class 4A, squared off with No. 5 Parker Schwarz of Prairie View for the title. Moore, who edged Schwarz at the Tonganoxie tournament before the break, earned a pin in the tiebreaker this time around to win the title.
“Last month when Ashton wrestled Schwarz, he weighed in at 190 after being pretty sick,” Bovaird said. “This time, he weighed in at 211 — that 20 pounds makes a difference. Ashton was aggressive and smart on his feet, and I loved seeing him turn things up to a different level when he got on top of that kid in the tie-breaker. He’s been working so hard and he’s such a great kid. I was really proud to see him get win No. 100 on Saturday.”
Along with Yoder and Moore, the Wildcats had four other wrestlers reach the championship match. Levi Cotter (106 pounds), Canaan Clayton (120), Mika McKitrick (132) and Vance Hahn (175) all finished one win shy of a title and took second.
Louisburg sophomore Levi Cotter finished second Saturday in the 106-pound bracket.
Cotter (17-4) recorded three pins on his way to the championship match, including a first period pin of De Soto’s John Legatt in the semifinals. Cotter fell in the third period to Blue Valley West’s Zack Olsen in the championship, who has just one loss on the year.
As for Clayton (14-6), he opened the tournament with a win by technical fall, and then reeled off three straight pins, before falling by pin to Blue Valley Northwest’s Parker Burk in the championship.
McKitrick (16-5) battled a shoulder injury to earn a spot in the title match at 132 pounds. The Louisburg senior recorded four straight pins to advance to the first place match, but was pinned by Blue Valley West’s Scott Fohlmeister.
Hahn (13-8), a junior, had his best tournament as a Wildcat as he recorded his first varsity medal. Hahn rattled off four straight wins to start the tourney, including one by pin and one by major decision. He squared off with Royal Valley’s Avery Hunter in the championship, but lost by pin.
Louisburg’s Keegan Rogers (126), Logan Henry (138), Jay McCaskill (165) and Miles Meek (285) also earned a medal as each finished fourth.
“They wrestled with courage and strength, which was a key part of our pre-match talk,” Bovarid said. “They also showed they were able to overcome adversity as well. Mika McKitrick made the finals, despite having a bum shoulder. Vance Hahn not only earned his first varsity medal, but also made the finals at 175. Despite being an unattached wrestler and not scoring any team points, Keegan Rogers also earned his first varsity medal by taking fourth at 126.”
The Wildcats will hit the mats again Friday as they compete at the Wellsville Invitational. Matches begin at 1 p.m.
Week 4 Athlete of the Week: Brayden Yoder
Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week four of the winter sports season, sponsored by IronHorse Family and Cosmetic Dentristry.
BRAYDEN YODER, SENIOR, WRESTLING
Louisburg senior Brayden Yoder got out to a perfect start in 2025. Yoder and the Wildcat wrestling team took to the mats at the Louisburg Invitational last Saturday and Yoder came away with a first place finish. At 190 pounds, Yoder went 5-0 on the day that included three pins. He also recorded a big tiebreaker victory in the semifinals before earning a 3-0 decision in the championship.
It was the third Louisburg Invitational victory for Yoder in his four-year Wildcat career. Not only did he find success, but the rest of the team did as well as the Wildcats won their home tournament for the second time in the last three years.
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.
