For the sixth consecutive year, Louisburg Sports Zone will be handing out an Athlete of the Year honor to a male and female athlete at Louisburg High School. I wanted the opportunity to recognize those who exemplify what it means to be an “athlete.”

Although I am giving out the award, I wanted the process to be subjective, so I asked the head coaches at LHS to help me out. I asked each coach to send me nominations of who they thought exemplified the Athlete of the Year honor. They will then vote for their top 3 male and female athletes and then I will tabulate the results and determine the winner. The winner will be announced in the coming days.

Below are the nominees for the Male Athlete of the Year award in alphabetical order by last name. Congrats to all those who were nominated and best of luck!

Kaven Bartlett – Senior – Wrestling and Soccer

Kaven Bartlett competed on the Louisburg wrestling and boys soccer team, but Bartlett was a fixture on the mat for the Wildcat wrestling program.

Bartlett qualified for state at 138 pounds and became a 3-time state qualifier for Louisburg and was a state medalist in 2022. He finished with a 119-45 career record and was a two-time team captain and four-year letter winner. Those 119 wins are fifth in program history and he has 158 career takedowns and 726.5 career points, which is both third in team history. He was named the 2023 LHS Wrestler of the Year.

Bartlett was also a defender on the Wildcat soccer team his past season. The Wildcats advanced to the regional championship game.

Declan Battle – Junior – Football and Baseball

Declan Battle had big seasons for both the Wildcat football and baseball programs.

Under the lights on the football field, Battle was the Wildcat starting quarterback as he led his team to an undefeated Frontier League championship. The dual-threat quarterback scored 23 total touchdowns and totaled more than 1,700 yards. That performance led him to a first-team All-Frontier League, along with all-state honors.

On the diamond, Battle was the Wildcats’ starting centerfielder and leadoff hitter. He scored 32 runs on the year, which is a Wildcat program record. Battle also recorded a .429 average to go along with five doubles and three triples. He also stole 17 bases. His performance also earned him second team All-Frontier League and all-state honors.

Mason Dobbins – Senior – Football, Basketball and Track and Field

Louisburg senior Mason Dobbins was a fixture for three Wildcat programs this past season. Dobbins was the starting wide receiver on the football field, starting forward on the basketball team and a state medalist for the track program.

Dobbins stood out the most in the track and field arena. He qualified for state in four events and medaled in all four as he helped the Wildcats to a state runner-up finish this past May. 

Dobbins won the state championship in the high jump, and earlier in the year, broke the school record with a jump of 6 feet, 7 inches. He was a state runner-up in the 110-meter hurdles and also took third in the 200-meter dash. He was also a part of the 4×100-meter relay that also medaled third and set a new school record earlier in the year. In all, Dobbins has won nine state medals in his Wildcat career.

On the football field, Dobbins earned first team All-Frontier League honors at wide receiver with 25 catches, 382 yards and four touchdowns. He also earned honorable mention all-state honors. 

On the basketball court, Dobbins was named to the All-Frontier League defensive team. He led the Wildcats with 7.6 rebounds a game to go along with 1.5 steals and 1 block per contest.

Cade Gassman – Senior – Soccer, Basketball and Track and Field

Cade Gassman was a starter, or key contributor, for three Wildcat programs during 2022-23 school year. Gassman was the starting midfielder and captain for the soccer team, starting guard on the basketball court and a jumper for the track and field program.

Gassman made his biggest impact on the pitch for Louisburg. As a midfielder, Gassman drew a lot of attention from the opposition as he finished with five goals and four assists on the season to lead the Wildcats to the regional title match. In his career, he is one of the more prolific scorers in school history.

The Louisburg senior finished with 47 career goals, which is second in program history and was third in school history with 26 career assists. His 120 career points is also second in Wildcat history. He is a four-time all-state and all-Frontier League first team selection.

On the hardwood, Gassman was the starting guard for the Wildcats and he recorded 39 rebounds and had 22 assists to go along with 14 steals. On the track, Gassman was a state qualifier in the high jump for Louisburg and finished 11th overall at state.

Nathan Vincent, Senior, Football and Track and Field

Louisburg senior Nathan Vincent played big roles for both the Wildcat football team and track and field program. Vincent was a starting lineman for the Wildcat football team and a state medalist in track.

On the football field, Vincent started on both sides of the ball as he earned all-state and all league honors. He finished with 80 tackles as a defensive end to go along with 6.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for a loss. Vincent was a key member of the offensive line as he helped the Wildcats to more than 33 points per game. He earned first team all-league offensive league honors and second team-defense. He also recorded first team all-state honors and was selected to play in the Kansas Shrine Bowl.

Vincent was the Wildcats’ top thrower for the track and field program. Vincent recorded three state medals as he helped Louisburg to a state runner-up team finish. At state, Vincent medaled third in the shot put, fifth in the discus and sixth in the javelin. In all, Vincent has won five career state medals, with three coming in the javelin.

Colyer Wingfield, Senior, Basketball, Track and Field

Louisburg senior Colyer Wingfield had a big season for both the Wildcat basketball team and track program. Wingfield was the leading scorer for the Wildcat basketball program, and was a part of two state relays in track.

Wingfield earned a lot of success on the hardwood as he was named to the All-Frontier League second team. He led the Wildcats in scoring at 17.4 points per game and pulled down nearly six rebounds a contest.

On the track, Wingfield helped the 4×100 relay and 4×400 relay to state medals as both finished third at the state meet last month. The 4×100 relay set a new school record in the process. He also did the long and triple jumps for the Wildcats.

Louisburg boys basketball coach Ty Pfannenstiel will take over the school’s activities director role next school year. He also resigned his basketball position after coaching the Wildcats for the last six years.

Beginning next school year, Louisburg High School activities will have a little different look to it — especially at the top.

Ty Pfannenstiel will serve as the school’s new activities director and will take over for current AD, 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.

Currently the weight room instructor, Pfannenstiel will spend half his day teaching and the other half in the AD role.

All of the moves were approved during Monday’s meeting of the USD 416 Board of Education.

“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.”

As for Pickman, he gets the opportunity to focus more on the academic side as a full-time assistant principal. He was hired as an assistant principal/ activities director in April of 2020.

“I am very excited to commit more fully to the assistant principal role as education and curriculum have always been my true passion,” Pickman said. “Being able to support the teachers, students, and administrative staff by providing data, feedback, and assessing teaching and learning goals and initiatives in the building and district aligns with that passion and the opportunity arose to allow for that. I hope to enable and promote continued growth in the various curriculums and initiatives and structures that make Louisburg a fantastic district in a supportive community.

“Ty has experience and is passionate about athletics and activities. As it is where his passion is, I have every confidence he will do a fantastic job in his new role and look forward to witnessing where he takes our programs moving forward.”

Pickman took over LHS activities at a difficult time as the school was coming back from COVID-19 and the all challenges it presented. As tough as that situation was, he appreciated the relationships he built.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my role as activities director and was presented a fantastic growth opportunity and am grateful for being given it,” Pickman said. “I had a goal of being present for athletes and coaches and for the patrons, so I hope people saw that presence. I was blessed to have great leadership in place in our coaches and sponsors, and tried to support them best by advocating for their needs and supporting them to do their job of being great role models and passing on their passion and knowledge to students.

“Ultimately, I am most proud of our student athletes and activity participants and being part of their journey. I believe that sports are an extension of the classroom and I wanted to help ensure that character and sportsmanship were just as important and success, and I am overjoyed to have a wealth of memories where our fans, students, participants, and coaches and sponsors proved that to be true of LHS.”

While taking on the challenge of being a new administrator is one he is looking forward to, leaving his coaching roots behind was a difficult decision for Pfannenstiel.

In 2021, Pfannenstiel led the Wildcat boys basketball team to the Class 4A state championship game and finished as the state runner-up.

“That was definitely the biggest thing that was holding me back,” Pfannenstiel said. “I love basketball and the kids that I have worked with. There is a group coming up that I really enjoy coaching, and leaving that behind was one of the biggest challenges for me. Whoever takes over the program, I think it will be good transition for them because they will have a great group of kids to work with.

“Originally, I was going to be allowed to coach a sport and they didn’t want to take coaching away from me. The more I thought about it, if I want to do a good job at this, I need to focus on being the AD and that will be something that will benefit me and all the other activities.”

Pfannenstiel believes the move is a good one for the school in general as it will allow Pickman and principal Amy VanRheen to focus more on the academic side of things.

“This is something that is definitely needed,” Pfannenstiel said. “Our administrators are so busy with all the stuff they do during the school day, but they are also going to all the activities as well. Hopefully this will be a big help for Mrs. VanRheen and Mr. Pickman.”

Although he won’t official start his new position till next school year, Pfannenstiel is already starting to transition into his new role — one that is looking forward to.

“My job in the weight room and coaching has all been about sports,” he said. “That is what entices me about this job is that I am still going to be all about sports and activities. I just want to be a support for our coaches and our athletes and be advocate for our students.” 

Louisburg senior Elijah Eslinger won his second straight state medal Saturday in Salina at the Class 4A Kansas State Wrestling Championships as he finished sixth at 285 pounds.

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 last Friday at the Class 4A Kansas State Wrestling Championships already wrapped up, he had already secured his second state medal in Salina.

Still, he wanted more.

The 285-pounder opened the state tournament with a pin of Labette County’s Chris Stephens and then earned an 11-4 decision over Pratt’s Drake VanScoyoc. 

Eslinger squared off with Coffeyville-Field Kindley’s Kainen White in the semifinals, and in what was a close match throughout, came up a point short of that finals match in a 3-2 loss.

“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 Louisburg senior wrestled two more matches in the consolation bracket on Saturday, but came up short. He fell in an 8-0 major decision to Rose Hill’s Miles Colvin and was pinned by Columbus’ Jake Eddington in the fifth-place match.

Eslinger wrapped up his high school career with his second straight sixth-place medal and ended his season with 40 wins. Quite an accomplishment from where he began four year ago.

“I’m so proud of Elijah and how far he’s come in the past four years,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “He started wrestling in eight grade, but that’s just a four-and-a-half week season. He got thrown out against the wolves his freshman year, wrestling 285 for us and taking quite a few lumps. His sophomore year, suddenly something clicked with him and he never really looked back. 

“For the past two seasons, he’s made the state semifinals, which is an incredible accomplishment. Wrestling has opened up quite a few doors for this young man, and the great thing is that he loves the sport and he wants to continue doing it in college. With the growth he’s made in the past four years, I know he’s not even close to hitting his peak, and the next four years of his college career will be excited to watch.”

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.

Unfortunately, both Wildcats succumbed to one of the tougher rounds of the state tournament. 

Collins lost his opening round match, but responded with a pin of Field Kindley’s Pierce Webber in the first round of consolation and then earned a 9-3 decision over Fort Scott’s Trace Metcalf.

That set up match for a medal with Abilene’s Christopher McClanahan and Collins was pinned in the second period.

As for Moore, he also lost his opening round match, but responded to win his next two. He went on to pin Chanute’s Dax Axelson and then outlasted Clearwater’s Jacob Finney in a 3-0 decision, before getting pinned by Clay Center’s Tucker Jackson in the blood round.

“When you think about it, having two underclassmen make the blood round at state shows a couple of great things,” Bovaird said. “First, we’ve got that experience coming back next year. Second, those guys had the drive and fire to compete and advance that far against some pretty tough competition. Both are incredible athletes and role models. Their experience at state this year will be huge with their leadership next season and beyond. 

“J’Lee is just a positive-minded guy who knows how to work hard and overcome adversity. Ashton is an exemplar when it comes to the idea of hard work, and his athletic prowess is going to take him far.”

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.

Bartlett lost a close 2-1 decision to Anderson County’s AJ Schaffer to open the tournament, before rallying to defeat Ulysses’ Braysen Salinas in a 3-2 decision.

He then squared off with Paola’s Ryan Pankov in the consolation cross-bracket and fell in a 6-0 decision.

Bartlett amassed more than 100 career wins as a Wildcat and finished his year with a 37-6 record, to go along with his state medal last season.

“The thing about Kaven is that his wrestling career is far from over,” Bovaird said. “He’s going to wrestle at Newman University next year, and this sport has done so much for him. He understands that, and he’s grateful for all the opportunities he’s had. He’s helped give back to our wrestling community, not only as a competitor and leader on the mat, but also with our youth club as a coach. 

“Seeing his senior year come to an end the way it did was truly heartbreaking, and I wish we could go back and have a redo at so many things. That’s the way the sport — and life — goes, unfortunately. We don’t get do-overs, and we can’t go back and fix things. We can only move forward, and I think that’s the chief lesson that Kaven has taken from his experience as a wrestler. It’s made him the young man he is today, and I firmly believe that he’s going to make a huge difference in the world.”

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

Trace lost to the defending state champion in the first round and nearly won his first consolation match, but was outlasted by Prairie View’s Dayton Kline in a 5-4 loss.

McCaskilll was pinned by McPherson’s Cooper Reves in his first match, and in the first round of consolation, lost a close 4-2 decision to Fort Scott’s Lennox Vann.

“Both of those guys were able to get this far by battling through quite a bit of adversity,” Bovaird said. “Jay hurt his knee at the Blue Valley Northwest Invitational toward the end of January, and he really didn’t get much time back on the mat before regionals. That’s quite a bit of mat time lost, and he still made the regional finals. 

“Trace lost two entire seasons of high school wrestling due to injuries, and even this year, he was at a disadvantage because he competed at 215 and routinely weighed in under 190. I’m so proud of Trace for making such huge strides through his career and I’m glad to see he was able to end things with a trip to state. Jay has got so much potential, and I’m excited to see what he’s able to accomplish the next two years for us.”

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week 10 of the winter sports season, sponsored by Edward Jones-Craig Holtzen.

ELIJAH ESLINGER, SENIOR, WRESTLING

Louisburg senior Elijah Eslinger has been perfect the last month on the wrestling mat and that continued Saturday at the Class 4A regional tournament in Baldwin. Eslinger won the 285-pound regional title with a 3-0 record and recorded a pair of pins in the process. A week prior, Eslinger also took home the Frontier League heavyweight crown.

Eslinger, who captured a state medal last season, is looking to do so again this weekend in Salina. He is currently ranked No. 4 in the state with a 38-5 record and has recorded nine pins in the last month.

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: Adyson Ross

Week 2: Colin Brown

Week 3: Colyer Wingfield

Week 4: Kaven Bartlett

Week 5: Trace Eslinger

Week 6: Jay McCaskill

Week 7: Andrew Jamison

Week 8: Brianne Kuhlman

Week 9: Colton Prettyman

Louisburg senior Kaven Bartlett celebrates after winning the 138-pound regional crown Saturday during the Class 4A regional tournament at Baldwin.

BALDWIN CITY — In what was their most important tournament of the season, several Louisburg wrestlers put together their best performance.

The Wildcats qualified six for state following Saturday’s Class 4A regional wrestling tournament at Baldwin. The top four in each weight class earn a state bid.

Seniors Kaven Bartlett (138 pounds) and Elijah Eslinger (285) earned regional titles, while sophomore Jay McCaskill (157) finished as a regional runner-up. Junior J’Lee Collins (126) and sophomore Ashton Moore (175) took third, while senior Trace Eslinger (215) came in fourth.

Almost all them had revenge on their minds as four of them avenged a loss from earlier in the season. As as team, the Wildcats finished fifth in the regional standings with 117 points.

“I think the team was ready to go Saturday, and they wrestled beyond their potential in so many cases,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “We’ve taken six to state seven times in our program’s history, and it’s the third most we’ve taken. 

“Quite a few of our qualifiers ended up getting revenge wins on Saturday — J’Lee against his Baldwin opponent in the first round, Kaven against his Holton opponent in the finals, Ashton against his Perry-Lecompton opponent in the blood round, and Trace against his Ottawa opponent in the blood round. The regional tournament is such a sweet time to get a revenge win.”

Bartlett’s revenge win was a big one as he squared off with Holton’s Cale Hein in the finals. The Louisburg senior lost to Hein less than a month ago at the Baldwin Invitational.

In the same gym as that loss, Bartlett got the regional title with a 2-1 decision that came down to the final seconds as Bartlett was able to hold Hein down on a late scramble.

“Last year I fell short of becoming a regional champ in the finals so finally getting it this year felt amazing,” Bartlett said. “Last time I wrestled the Holton kid I was still recovering from my messed up hip and I wasn’t 100 percent. This time around was different. I was fully healed and ready for anything he threw at me.”

Elijah Eslinger dominated the heavyweight division as he earned the No. 1 seed and he showed why. Elijah pinned Santa Fe Trail’s Alex Strother in 1:14 in the first round and followed it up with a 3-0 decision of Topeka-Hayden’s Hunter Diederich in the semifinals.

In the finals, Elijah took care of business with a 37 second pin of Tonganoxie’s Gavin Rhoads.

After finishing seventh at the Husky Invitational a month ago, Eslinger hasn’t lost a match and is ready for the challenge of state.

“To me, qualifying for the state tournament is exciting and I am ready to go to Salina,” Elijah said. “After I did so poorly for the BVNW tournament, I think that set a fire under me that helped me win these last tournaments. Ultimately though, I want to do better than I did last year at state.”

McCaskill earned a spot in the regional championship for the first time in his career despite dealing with an injury that forced him to miss three weeks of competition prior to regionals.

The Louisburg sophomore opened with a 30 second pin of Baldwin’s Brayden Hirschmann, and then earned a state bid with another 30-second pin in the semifinals against Eudora’s Mason Cox.

McCaskill found himself against Tonganoxie’s Gannon Sonntag in the finals, but lost a 6-0 decision. Despite the loss, McCaskill is looking forward to state.

“It meant a lot to qualify especially after losing by one point in the blood round last season,” McCaskill said. “I feel like I have been wrestling pretty well, especially compared to last year, but I still have a lot of room to grow and improve being only a sophomore.”

Collins battled his way through the 126-pound bracket as he went 3-1 on the day to earn a state bid. He opened with a 14-5 major decision over Baldwin’s Gunnar Reichard after losing to him earlier in the season, before falling 18-4 to Holton’s Asher Larsen in the semifinals.

The Louisburg junior bounced back nicely with a 44 second pin of Ottawa’s Colton Ray in the consolation semifinals to earn a state bid. He ended his day with an 11-8 decision over Santa Fe Trail’s Blake Slavin in the third place match.

“I would have to say the moment I found I won the match that had qualified me for state I was ecstatic,” Collins said. “Qualifying has been my goal all season and after taking sixth at league I wasn’t sure if I was gonna be able to do it.”

Moore also found his way to the semifinals of 175 pounds after a late pin of Eudora’s Braedon Speer in the quarterfinals. He then squared off with Wellsville’s David Signs in the semifinals, where he fell by a 2-0 decision.

The Louisburg sophomore punched his ticket to state as he got a 6-3 decision over Perry-Lecompton’s Christian Conklin in the blood round. Moore lost to Conklin less than a month ago at the Baldwin Invitational after he was just coming back from an injury.

Moore went on to finish third by injury default as Speer was unable to compete in the third place match.

“Qualifying for state meant a lot to me,” Moore said. “Qualifying for state is a goal I have for myself every year and it felt great to be able to do it.”

As for Trace Eslinger, his state bid was years in the making and one that saw him battle through injuries the last two years. 

Now healthy, Eslinger got that chance. After a loss to Baldwin’s Conner Murry in the quarterfinals, Trace battled back to record two straight pins to reach the blood round.

It was there that Trace avenged a loss and got a state bid at the same time as he recorded a 6-2 decision of Ottawa’s Cooper Stone. Trace later fell to Murry again in the third place match, but that didn’t let that dampen his excitement.

“Qualifying for state means a lot to me,” Trace said. “It has been a goal of mine since freshman year and after losing two seasons to injuries and giving up 25 pounds I feel like I’ve really earned this.”

Even with all the excitement, the Wildcats still left with some disappointment, especially when it came to sophomore Brayden Yoder.

The Louisburg 190-pounder battled throughout the day. After losing a 3-1 decision to open the day to the regional runner-up in Jeff West’s Keaton Shelman, he held on to win a 2-1 overtime decision of Tage Skocny from Santa Fe Trail.

Yoder then pinned Royal Valley’s Cyrus Harding, which set up a blood round match against Wellsville’s Carter Wilmarth. Yoder found himself ahead in the third period, only to have a questionable call change all that.

The Louisburg sophomore forced overtime, before falling in a 6-5 decision. 

“Brayden’s blood round loss was absolutely heart-breaking,” Bovaird said. “I hate to see a kid lose the way he did. There was a controversial situation where his opponent scored a reversal and in the scramble, Brayden’s hand got caught in the kid’s singlet. The referee stopped the match, and at the time, we thought Brayden would be winning 5-4 and that he would just be giving up a penalty point for grabbing the singlet. After the head official conferred with his assistant, they awarded a two-point nearfall because he had a ‘silent count’ in his head and they felt that the singlet grabbing prevented the Wellsville kid from getting back points.

“I’ve never seen that sort of call happen like this, and the frustrating thing is that the referee never once signaled nearfall — not even a 1-count. It was a scramble in which Brayden’s hand got caught. The referee waited nearly 10 seconds before stopping the match to confer with his assistant. Going back and watching the film, the hand getting caught in the singlet had nothing to do with Brayden fighting off his back. It’s just frustrating that things went down that way, but at the same time, Brayden gave it everything he had. He went through the overtime periods like a warrior and battled it out.”

For the six Wildcats whose seasons are still alive, the will compete at the Class 4A Kansas State Wrestling Championships starting at 10 a.m. on Friday and the tournament continues through Saturday in Salina.

106

Will Showalter (14-26) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Maverick Hug (Holton) 21-15 won by decision over Will Showalter (Louisburg) 14-26 (Dec 5-2)
• Cons. Round 1 – Luke Owings (Wellsville) 16-21 won by major decision over Will Showalter (Louisburg) 14-26 (MD 10-2)

113

Broden Vargo (2-17) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Jayden Westgate (Baldwin) 29-9 won by fall over Broden Vargo (Louisburg) 2-17 (Fall 0:28)
• Cons. Round 1 – Cesar Sandoval (Holton) 15-18 won by fall over Broden Vargo (Louisburg) 2-17 (Fall 2:06)

120

Keegan Rogers (7-22) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Matthew Tracy (Hoyt-Royal Valley) 21-14 won by fall over Keegan Rogers (Louisburg) 7-22 (Fall 1:37)
• Cons. Round 1 – Keegan Rogers (Louisburg) 7-22 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 2 – Clayton Crookham (Tonganoxie) 18-18 won by fall over Keegan Rogers (Louisburg) 7-22 (Fall 1:47)

126

J`Lee Collins (22-17) placed 3rd and scored 15.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 22-17 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 22-17 won by major decision over Gunnar Reichard (Baldwin) 22-19 (MD 14-5)
• Semifinal – Asher Larsen (Holton) 27-10 won by major decision over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 22-17 (MD 18-4)
• Cons. Semi – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 22-17 won by fall over Colton Ray (Ottawa) 16-21 (Fall 0:44)
• 3rd Place Match – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 22-17 won by decision over Blake Slavin (Carbondale-Santa Fe Trail) 25-14 (Dec 11-8)

132

Mika McKitrick (13-24) place is unknown and scored 7.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 13-24 won by fall over Carson Bell (Wellsville) 12-13 (Fall 1:37)
• Quarterfinal – Braeden Moore (Tonganoxie) 32-1 won by fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 13-24 (Fall 0:31)
• Cons. Round 2 – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 13-24 won by fall over Gavin Akin (Hoyt-Royal Valley) 16-14 (Fall 1:26)
• Cons. Round 3 – Trevor Kaub (Ottawa) 20-14 won by fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 13-24 (Fall 1:46)

138

Kaven Bartlett (36-4) placed 1st and scored 21.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg) 36-4 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg) 36-4 won by major decision over Ethan Williams (Baldwin) 25-18 (MD 16-5)
• Semifinal – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg) 36-4 won by decision over Koy Randel (Wellsville) 19-19 (Dec 8-3)
• 1st Place Match – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg) 36-4 won by decision over Cale Hein (Holton) 30-11 (Dec 4-1)

144

Colin Robinson (4-18) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Alex Clobes (Eudora) 12-18 won by fall over Colin Robinson (Louisburg) 4-18 (Fall 3:59)
• Cons. Round 1 – Colin Robinson (Louisburg) 4-18 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 2 – Bennett Minnick (Perry-Lecompton) 18-25 won by tech fall over Colin Robinson (Louisburg) 4-18 (TF-1.5 3:57 (16-1))

157

Jay McCaskill (24-7) placed 2nd and scored 20.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 24-7 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 24-7 won by fall over Brayden Hirschmann (Baldwin) 11-12 (Fall 0:30)
• Semifinal – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 24-7 won by fall over Mason Cox (Eudora) 22-15 (Fall 0:30)
• 1st Place Match – Gannon Sonntag (Tonganoxie) 19-10 won by decision over Jay McCaskill (Louisburg) 24-7 (Dec 6-0)

165

Vance Hahn (2-29) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 2-29 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Colton Brusven (Tonganoxie) 26-9 won by fall over Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 2-29 (Fall 0:34)
• Cons. Round 2 – Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 2-29 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 3 – John Sink (Ottawa) 18-14 won by fall over Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 2-29 (Fall 3:33)

175

Ashton Moore (18-6) placed 3rd and scored 16.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 18-6 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 18-6 won by fall over Braedon Speer (Eudora) 21-9 (Fall 5:46)
• Semifinal – David Signs (Wellsville) 32-3 won by decision over Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 18-6 (Dec 2-0)
• Cons. Semi – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 18-6 won by decision over Christian Conklin (Perry-Lecompton) 28-9 (Dec 6-3)
• 3rd Place Match – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 18-6 won by injury default over Braedon Speer (Eudora) 21-9 (Inj. 0:00)

190

Brayden Yoder (32-14) place is unknown and scored 4.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 32-14 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Keaton Shelman (Meriden-Jefferson West) 21-6 won by decision over Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 32-14 (Dec 3-1)
• Cons. Round 2 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 32-14 won in tie breaker – 1 over Tage Skocny (Carbondale-Santa Fe Trail) 13-21 (TB-1 2-1)
• Cons. Round 3 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 32-14 won by fall over Cyrus Harding (Hoyt-Royal Valley) 24-16 (Fall 2:14)
• Cons. Semi – Carter Wilmarth (Wellsville) 37-8 won in tie breaker – 1 over Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 32-14 (TB-1 6-5)

215

Trace Eslinger (24-19) placed 4th and scored 11.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Trace Eslinger (Louisburg) 24-19 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Conner Murry (Baldwin) 28-13 won by fall over Trace Eslinger (Louisburg) 24-19 (Fall 0:54)
• Cons. Round 2 – Trace Eslinger (Louisburg) 24-19 won by fall over Branden Gregory (Eudora) 2-24 (Fall 0:40)
• Cons. Round 3 – Trace Eslinger (Louisburg) 24-19 won by fall over Mason Charvat (Topeka-Hayden) 7-14 (Fall 1:28)
• Cons. Semi – Trace Eslinger (Louisburg) 24-19 won by decision over Cooper Stone (Ottawa) 12-8 (Dec 6-2)
• 3rd Place Match – Conner Murry (Baldwin) 28-13 won by fall over Trace Eslinger (Louisburg) 24-19 (Fall 1:49)

285

Elijah Eslinger (38-5) placed 1st and scored 24.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg) 38-5 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg) 38-5 won by fall over Alex Strother (Carbondale-Santa Fe Trail) 9-5 (Fall 1:14)
• Semifinal – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg) 38-5 won by decision over Hunter Diederich (Topeka-Hayden) 10-5 (Dec 3-0)
• 1st Place Match – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg) 38-5 won by fall over Gavin Rhoads (Tonganoxie) 20-15 (Fall 0:37)

Louisburg senior Elijah Eslinger works for a pin Wednesday during the Frontier League Tournament at Bonner Springs High School. Eslinger won the 285-pound title.

BONNER SPRINGS — Team-wise, it wasn’t the finish Louisburg was hoping for, but the Wildcats left their mark on the Frontier League Tournament on Wednesday in Bonner Springs. 

Senior Elijah Eslinger earned the league championship at 285 pounds with a pair of pins as one of four Wildcats to find their way to the podium. Kaven Bartlett (138 pounds), Ashton Moore (175) and Brayden Yoder (190) also recorded top four finishes.

Louisburg finished seventh in the team standings with 97 points, while Paola won the league title with 263.5. Tonganoxie was runner-up with 247.5 points.

“This year might be the toughest I’ve ever seen the Frontier League,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “Paola and Tonganoxie are ranked high at state, and each of the other schools has several really tough kids in their lineups. 

“Being objective when I look at how we wrestled, I feel like there were several matches that we should have won. Mistakes were made and some things didn’t go our way, but that’s the reality of it. We’ve got time to review our performance, but more importantly we’ve got time to reset and refocus as we get ready for regionals.”

Eslinger won his second straight tournament in impressive fashion as he recorded a 39 second pin of Baldwin’s Jonathan Wren in the semifinals before pinning Tonganoxie’s Gavin Rhoads in 1:41 in the title match.

“Elijah’s league title makes it two varsity tournaments in a row that he’s won, and that’s really exciting to see happen,” Bovaird said. “I see him getting himself pretty focused and ready to go, regardless of his opponent. The key to his success as we get into the postseason is going to be keeping him focused on doing what he does best and not over-thinking or over-analyzing things.”

Bartlett also found himself in the championship match at 138 pounds and went up against Paola’s Ryan Pankov, who is ranked No. 4 in Class 4A. Bartlett had to wrestle from behind and eventually lost a 7-2 decision.

Leading up to that match, Bartlett earned pins over Ottawa’s Grady Sumrall and Bonner Springs’ Lane Vogel to advance to the title round. He is now 33-4 on the season.

“Despite a couple key moments that (Pankov) capitalized on, I feel like Kaven has been wrestling pretty well lately,” Bovaird said. “He’s still just as driven and focused in the practice room, and he’s got the right mindset to overcome that sort of match.”

Moore finished his tournament with a 3-1 record at 175 pounds to take third overall. The Louisburg sophomore opened with a pin of Eudora’s Max Mitchell and advanced to the semifinals.

He went up against Tongnaoxie’s Wyatt Harris and lost a tough 4-2 decision. Moore then responded with a pin of Caden Bartek of Spring Hill and then pinned Baldwin’s Wesley Martin in the third place match.

Yoder finished his day with a 2-2 record to take fourth at 190 pounds. He began the tournament with a major decision of Spring Hill’s Logan Alexander, but lost a tough overtime match to Tonganoxie’s Rocco Gehring, in a 5-3 decision.

The Louisburg sophomore bounced back to get a 12-0 major decision of Paola’s Sam Shore, before getting pinned by Ottawa’s Seth Ferguson in the third place match.

Louisburg will now prepare for its most important tournament of the season. The Wildcats will travel to Baldwin on Saturday for the Class 4A regional tournament.

The top four finishers in each weight class will advance to the state tournament the following week in Salina.

“On paper, our regional looks like it might be weaker than the others, especially the Wichita-area regional, but when you look at the caliber of kids in Kansas 4A this season, it’s still a very tough division,” Bovaird said. “We’ve got teams like Tonganoxie, Holton and Baldwin who have been ranked in the top ten all season, as well as teams with some very talented individuals. I think our team is ready for the final push to the end of the season.

“The winter sports season feels like it’s so much longer than the others, and that takes a toll on the kids at times. We do what we can to help combat any sort of burnout or mindset fatigue, and we keep pushing our kids to do their best. All our guys have been great at practice — they’re present, they’re focused, and they’re ready to get to work.”

106

Will Showalter (14-24) placed 6th and scored 6.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Jeremy Welch (Bonner Springs) 26-12 won by fall over Will Showalter (Louisburg) 14-24 (Fall 2:41)
• Cons. Round 1 – Will Showalter (Louisburg) 14-24 won by fall over Gabriel Campbell (Eudora) 4-12 (Fall 0:35)
• Cons. Semi – Brodie Starcher (Tonganoxie) 14-15 won by tech fall over Will Showalter (Louisburg) 14-24 (TF-1.5 4:07 (18-3))
• 5th Place Match – Asher Englert (Baldwin) 17-16 won by decision over Will Showalter (Louisburg) 14-24 (Dec 7-0)

113

Broden Vargo (2-15) placed 6th and scored 5.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Broden Vargo (Louisburg) 2-15 won by decision over Beckham Erpelding (Eudora) 2-8 (Dec 6-0)
• Semifinal – Brock Sutton (Ottawa) 16-2 won by fall over Broden Vargo (Louisburg) 2-15 (Fall 1:40)
• Cons. Semi – Jordan Bauswell (Tonganoxie) 8-15 won by fall over Broden Vargo (Louisburg) 2-15 (Fall 4:47)
• 5th Place Match – Liam McDowell (Bonner Springs) 2-2 won by fall over Broden Vargo (Louisburg) 2-15 (Fall 1:49)

120

Keegan Rogers (7-20) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Hawken Andrews (Eudora) 23-7 won by fall over Keegan Rogers (Louisburg) 7-20 (Fall 1:04)
• Cons. Round 1 – Cole Mader (Ottawa) 18-20 won by fall over Keegan Rogers (Louisburg) 7-20 (Fall 2:04)

126

J`Lee Collins (19-16) placed 6th and scored 6.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Dax Duffett (Tonganoxie) 11-14 won by fall over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 19-16 (Fall 5:31)
• Cons. Round 1 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 19-16 won by fall over Noah Van Foeken (Eudora) 13-19 (Fall 3:56)
• Cons. Semi – Ryan Pahl (Spring Hill) 21-15 won by fall over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 19-16 (Fall 2:54)
• 5th Place Match – Gunner Reichard (Baldwin) 19-17 won by fall over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg) 19-16 (Fall 4:13)

132

Mika McKitrick (11-22) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Braeden Moore (Tonganoxie) 29-1 won by fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 11-22 (Fall 0:25)
• Cons. Round 1 – Dalton Dempsey (Baldwin) 18-10 won by tech fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 11-22 (TF-1.5 3:28 (15-0))

138

Kaven Bartlett (33-4) placed 2nd and scored 20.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg) 33-4 won by fall over Grady Sumrall (Ottawa) 18-20 (Fall 3:18)
• Semifinal – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg) 33-4 won by fall over Lane Vogel (Bonner Springs) 25-13 (Fall 3:50)
• 1st Place Match – Ryan Pankov (Paola) 27-5 won by decision over Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg) 33-4 (Dec 7-2)

144

Colin Robinson (4-16) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Brady Martin (Tonganoxie) 32-7 won by fall over Colin Robinson (Louisburg) 4-16 (Fall 1:01)
• Cons. Round 1 – Dalton Evans (Ottawa) 25-14 won by fall over Colin Robinson (Louisburg) 4-16 (Fall 4:37)

165

Vance Hahn (2-27) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Clayton Younger (Paola) 30-5 won by fall over Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 2-27 (Fall 0:50)
• Cons. Round 1 – Ben Brooks (Spring Hill) 10-18 won by decision over Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 2-27 (Dec 7-1)

175

Ashton Moore (15-5) placed 3rd and scored 18.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 15-5 won by fall over Max Mitchell (Eudora) 7-14 (Fall 1:08)
• Semifinal – Wyatt Harris (Tonganoxie) 13-4 won by decision over Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 15-5 (Dec 4-2)
• Cons. Semi – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 15-5 won by fall over Caden Bartek (Spring Hill) 14-20 (Fall 2:14)
• 3rd Place Match – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 15-5 won by fall over Wesley Martin (Baldwin) 19-18 (Fall 3:00)

190

Brayden Yoder (30-12) placed 4th and scored 12.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 30-12 won by major decision over Logan Alexander (Spring Hill) 8-18 (MD 10-0)
• Semifinal – Rocco Gehring (Tonganoxie) 22-12 won in sudden victory – 1 over Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 30-12 (SV-1 5-3)
• Cons. Semi – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 30-12 won by major decision over Sam Shore (Paola) 20-17 (MD 12-0)
• 3rd Place Match – Seth Ferguson (Ottawa) 32-10 won by fall over Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 30-12 (Fall 2:12)

215

Trace Eslinger (21-17) placed 6th and scored 6.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Cooper Stone (Ottawa) 10-6 won by fall over Trace Eslinger (Louisburg) 21-17 (Fall 3:05)
• Cons. Round 1 – Trace Eslinger (Louisburg) 21-17 won by fall over Branden Gregory (Eudora) 2-22 (Fall 2:19)
• Cons. Semi – Carson Martin (Paola) 4-2 won by fall over Trace Eslinger (Louisburg) 21-17 (Fall 0:58)
• 5th Place Match – Conner Murry (Baldwin) 24-12 won by fall over Trace Eslinger (Louisburg) 21-17 (Fall 0:50)

285

Elijah Eslinger (35-5) placed 1st and scored 24.0 team points.

• Quarterfinal – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg) 35-5 received a bye () (Bye)
• Semifinal – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg) 35-5 won by fall over Jonathan Wren (Baldwin) 14-18 (Fall 0:39)
• 1st Place Match – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg) 35-5 won by fall over Gavin Rhoads (Tonganoxie) 17-14 (Fall 1:41)

Louisburg senior Elijah Eslinger works for a pin Saturday during his 285-pound match at the Baldwin Invitational Touranment. Eslinger won his weight class with three pins.

BALDWIN CITY — Louisburg heavyweight Elijah Eslinger has experienced his fair share of success so far this season.

The one thing that has escaped him has been a tournament championship. Eslinger, a returning state medalist, checked that off his list Saturday. 

The Wildcat senior won the 285-pound weight class in dominating fashion at the Baldwin Invitational Tournament. Eslinger, who is currently ranked No. 6 in Class 4A, won all four of his matches in under two minutes, which included three pins.

“It dawned on me earlier this month that Elijah has yet to win a varsity tournament, and I wanted to see what we could do to help him with that,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “I’m so proud of him for getting out there and doing his job at Baldwin. Before his semifinals match, I pulled him aside and told him that he needs to focus on the task at hand — on the present moment — and go out with controlled aggression, focus, and determination. That’s exactly what he did, too. 

“He was on pace to have 4 pins in 4 matches, but in the finals his opponent ended up injury defaulting. Judging by how Elijah was wrestling that day, that match was looking to end in a pin as well.”

Eslinger also helped the Wildcat team to strong showing that led to four individual medals and an eighth place team finish. Louisburg finished with 93 points, while Tonganoxie won the 18-team tournament with 258. Wamego was second with 163.5

Despite being down two starters due to illness and injury, Bovaird was happy with his team’s performance.

“The great thing was that we finished in eighth place, the same spot as last year, and we also had two starters out,” Bovaird said. “J’Lee Collins has been sick and Jay McCaskill is recovering from a knee injury. Team-wise, had we been at full strength, we could have finished even higher. This is a tough tournament that consists of only 4A schools. It’s a great litmus test for how we might do against these teams in the post-season, and there were a bunch of teams there that we don’t normally see until regionals or state.”

Along with Eslinger (32-5), three Wildcats found the medal stand. Senior Kaven Bartlett (138 pounds) and sophomore Ashton Moore (175) both finished third overall, while sophomore Brayden Yoder (190) medaled fourth.

Bartlett (30-3), who has been wrestling through an injury, finished his day with a 3-1 record, with his lone loss coming in the semifinals to Holton’s Cale Hein in a 6-2 decision.

The Louisburg senior bounced back to record a 3-0 decision over Baldwin’s Ethan Williams and then pinned Wamego’s Austin Meyer in the third place match.

As for Moore, he was seconds away from finding a spot in the championship. In the semifinals, Moore (11-4) lost a tough overtime match to Perry-Lecompton’s Christian Conklin by an 8-6 decision.

Moore then responded with a pin of Ottawa’s Sam Clevenger and outlasted Eudora’s Braedon Speer in the third place match for a 2-0 decision.

“Kaven is bouncing back from some injuries at Blue Valley Northwest, and Ashton is still getting back into wrestling shape,” Bovaird said. “Kaven’s semifinal loss against the Holton kid was a rematch from this tournament last year. It was a tough kid and he wrestled well against us, but I could tell that Kaven was in a lot of pain. He showed a great deal of toughness bouncing back from that match.

“Ashton lost in overtime to a senior with over 30 matches on the season. The loss of mat time from the first half of this season was definitely a factor in that loss, but that’s the way things go. Ashton has the grit and work ethic to help push his wrestling skills to the point where he’s able to win those matches at regionals and state.”

Yoder found himself in the most difficult weight class in the tournament that featured four of the top six wrestlers in the state.

Yoder took on that challenge as he left with a medal and took fourth overall, which included a pin of Ottawa’s Seth Ferguson, who was ranked No. 6 in the state.

He began the tournament with a 2-0 decision of Labette County’s Cody Hambleton, before having to meet Baldwin’s Jack Harvey, who is No. 1 in the state. Yoder was pinned, but came back to win his next two matches.

Yoder (27-10) pinned Tonganoxie’s Rocco Gehring in his next match, before pinning Ferguson in the second period of the second round of consolation. He the faced Goodland’s Maverick Spresser in the third place match and lost a close 3-2 decision to the No. 4-ranked wrestler in the state.

The Louisburg sophomore’s performance earned him a No. 6 ranking in the latest Class 4A rankings.

“Brayden was talking to the coaching staff and mentioned the depth of his weight class earlier in the week, and my response was that it’s the perfect setting for him to come out of his shell,” Bovaird said. “The way he’s been wrestling lately, Brayden’s name needs to be in consideration with state rankings and tournament seedings. Four of the top-six wrestlers in the state were in that bracket, and Brayden beat one of them. I’m very excited for Brayden, but at the same time, no one who’s worked with that young man in the practice room should be surprised.”

Louisburg will take a week to rest up before getting back on the mats for the Frontier League Tournament on Feb. 8 at Bonner Springs High School. Matches begin at 3 p.m.

106

Will Showalter (12-21) placed 7th and scored 3.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Will Showalter (Louisburg) 12-21 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Brodie Starcher (Tonganoxie) 11-14 won by tech fall over Will Showalter (Louisburg) 12-21 (TF-1.5 4:23 (15-0))
• Cons. Round 2 – Asher Englert (Baldwin) 13-12 won by decision over Will Showalter (Louisburg) 12-21 (Dec 6-2)
• Cons. Round 3 – Will Showalter (Louisburg) 12-21 received a bye () (Bye)
• 7th Place Match – Will Showalter (Louisburg) 12-21 won by decision over Maverick Hug (Holton) 16-11 (Dec 7-0)

120

Keegan Rogers (7-17) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Dane Ogden (Osawatomie) 13-8 won by fall over Keegan Rogers (Louisburg) 7-17 (Fall 1:08)
• Cons. Round 1 – Braxton Chase (Baldwin) 2-5 won by decision over Keegan Rogers (Louisburg) 7-17 (Dec 6-5)

126

Greysen Dixon (2-6) place is unknown and scored 1.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Knox Karnowski (Wamego) 23-4 won by fall over Greysen Dixon (Louisburg) 2-6 (Fall 1:12)
• Cons. Round 1 – Greysen Dixon (Louisburg) 2-6 won in sudden victory – 1 over Ty Ketter (Goodland) 11-13 (SV-1 7-5)
• Cons. Round 2 – Noah Van Foeken (Eudora) 14-18 won by decision over Greysen Dixon (Louisburg) 2-6 (Dec 5-4)

132

Logan Henry (6-16) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Parker Slayman (Osawatomie) 20-7 won by fall over Logan Henry (Louisburg) 6-16 (Fall 1:00)
• Cons. Round 1 – Quentin Pisano (Buhler) 7-15 won by fall over Logan Henry (Louisburg) 6-16 (Fall 0:32)

132

Mika McKitrick (9-17) place is unknown.

• Champ. Round 1 – Cason Wyrick (Labette County) 7-2 won by tech fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 9-17 (TF-1.5 2:18 (15-0))
• Cons. Round 1 – Brett Paramore (Perry-Lecompton) 16-15 won by decision over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg) 9-17 (Dec 6-3)

138

Kaven Bartlett (30-3) placed 3rd and scored 18.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg) 30-3 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg) 30-3 won by fall over Grady Sumrall (Ottawa) 14-14 (Fall 3:30)
• Semifinal – Cale Hein (Holton) 24-9 won by decision over Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg) 30-3 (Dec 6-2)
• Cons. Round 3 – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg) 30-3 won by decision over Ethan Williams (Baldwin) 15-13 (Dec 3-0)
• 3rd Place Match – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg) 30-3 won by fall over Austin Meyer (Wamego) 14-9 (Fall 2:21)

144

Jesse Murphy (18-13) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Brian Llamas (Santa Fe Trail) 4-5 won by fall over Jesse Murphy (Louisburg) 18-13 (Fall 2:46)
• Cons. Round 1 – Jesse Murphy (Louisburg) 18-13 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 2 – Tanner Templeton (Labette County) 14-11 won by fall over Jesse Murphy (Louisburg) 18-13 (Fall 1:52)

165

Vance Hahn (2-24) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Thomas Romero (Eudora) 4-6 won by fall over Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 2-24 (Fall 0:45)
• Cons. Round 1 – Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 2-24 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 2 – Nick Allen (Rock Creek) 8-12 won by fall over Vance Hahn (Louisburg) 2-24 (Fall 2:52)

175

Ashton Moore (11-4) placed 3rd and scored 18.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 11-4 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 11-4 won by fall over Ricardo Jimenez (Baldwin) 13-13 (Fall 1:35)
• Semifinal – Christian Conklin (Perry-Lecompton) 24-7 won in overtime over Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 11-4 (OT 8-6)
• Cons. Round 3 – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 11-4 won by fall over Sam Clevenger (Ottawa) 15-14 (Fall 4:42)
• 3rd Place Match – Ashton Moore (Louisburg) 11-4 won by decision over Braedon Speer (Eudora) 17-5 (Dec 2-0)

190

Brayden Yoder (27-10) placed 4th and scored 15.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 27-10 won by decision over Cody Hambleton (Labette County) 7-4 (Dec 2-0)
• Quarterfinal – Jack Harvey (Baldwin) 29-0 won by fall over Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 27-10 (Fall 3:25)
• Cons. Round 2 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 27-10 won by fall over Rocco Gehring (Tonganoxie) 21-11 (Fall 2:32)
• Cons. Round 3 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 27-10 won by fall over Seth Ferguson (Ottawa) 25-9 (Fall 2:35)
• 3rd Place Match – Maverick Spresser (Goodland) 24-6 won by decision over Brayden Yoder (Louisburg) 27-10 (Dec 3-2)

215

Trace Eslinger (20-13) placed 8th and scored 8.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Trace Eslinger (Louisburg) 20-13 won by fall over Branden Gregory (Eudora) 2-18 (Fall 1:24)
• Quarterfinal – Hunter Benedict (Tonganoxie) 27-7 won by fall over Trace Eslinger (Louisburg) 20-13 (Fall 3:19)
• Cons. Round 2 – Cooper Bittle (Rock Creek) 19-7 won by fall over Trace Eslinger (Louisburg) 20-13 (Fall 1:20)
• Cons. Round 3 – Trace Eslinger (Louisburg) 20-13 won by fall over Cole Flory (Santa Fe Trail) 15-15 (Fall 0:59)
• 7th Place Match – Rhett Ihrig (Goodland) 19-10 won by fall over Trace Eslinger (Louisburg) 20-13 (Fall 1:48)

285

Grant Strubbe (5-10) place is unknown.

• Champ. Round 1 – Gavin Rhoads (Tonganoxie) 15-13 won by fall over Grant Strubbe (Louisburg) 5-10 (Fall 1:05)
• Cons. Round 1 – Grant Strubbe (Louisburg) 5-10 won by fall over Kevin Whitten (Eudora) 8-13 (Fall 1:21)
• Cons. Round 2 – Grant Strubbe (Louisburg) 5-10 won by fall over John Goodwin (Prairie View) 4-13 (Fall 4:13)
• Cons. Round 3 – Alex Strother (Santa Fe Trail) 4-3 won by fall over Grant Strubbe (Louisburg) 5-10 (Fall 2:40)

285

Elijah Eslinger (32-5) placed 1st and scored 30.0 team points.

• Champ. Round 1 – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg) 32-5 won by fall over Blake Hamic (Wamego) 4-16 (Fall 1:08)
• Quarterfinal – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg) 32-5 won by fall over Hunter Diederich (Topeka-Hayden) 6-3 (Fall 1:15)
• Semifinal – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg) 32-5 won by fall over Jonathan Wren (Baldwin) 10-14 (Fall 1:15)
• 1st Place Match – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg) 32-5 won by injury default over Osiris Unruh (Jeff West) 20-6 (Inj. 1:13)

Louisburg senior Elijah Eslinger gets a pin Thursday to give the Wildcats a 39-36 win over Ottawa on Senior Night at Louisburg High School.

Out two starters and down double digits at home to Ottawa on Senior Night, there was a little unknown if Louisburg could pull out a dual win over the Cyclones.

On one of the more important nights of the year, the Wildcats came through. Louisburg won five of the last seven matches, and even the ones it didn’t get a victory, prevented the Cyclones from getting some key points in a 39-36 Louisburg win.

Louisburg sophomores Greysen Dixon (126 pounds) and Jonas Briley (157) were filling in for starters J’Lee Collins and Jay McCaskill, who were out. Although Dixon was pinned in his match, Briley came through with a pin to keep the Wildcats in it.

Then against difficult opponents, senior Jesse Murphy (144) and freshman Vance Hahn (165) made things tough as they lost by decision, allowing only three points to Ottawa in each match.

“Two key starters being out left us in a little bit of a situation, but I think we’re in a spot with our program where the next man up can step out and do their part for the team,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “J’Lee has been sick, so Greysen Dixon stepped up and filled in. Going into the third period, he was looking good and was only trailing 4-8 when he got caught on his back. Jay banged up his knee at Blue Valley Northwest, so sophomore Jonas Briley bumped up and filled in at 157. Coach Crossley and I have worked with Jonas since he was a little kid, so we knew that his grit and intensity would help him in that match, and it definitely paid off for us when he got the pin. 

“Two others really stepped up and went above and beyond — freshman Vance Hahn dropped a decision at 165 and senior Jesse Murphy lost by decision at 144, both of them against pretty strong opponents. We’d talked about ‘bonus points’ before the dual and how it’s important to fight off your back in a dual. The guys have really bought into the team aspect of high school wrestling.”

Louisburg won six other matches on the night as Will Showalter (106), Kaven Bartlett (138) and Brayden Yoder (190) each won by pin, while Ashton Moore won by decision at 175 pounds. Hayden Heffernon (113) also had a bye to give the Wildcats six points.

All that set things up for senior Elijah Eslinger. With the Wildcats down three points going into the final match, the Louisburg heavyweight recorded a quick first period pin to give his team a 3-point win.

“With Elijah being our closer, it’s a great way to wrap up a dual,” Bovaird said. “Look at what he went through as a freshman — weighing 225 pounds and going up against upperclassmen who weighed all of 285 pounds. He took his lumps that year, and then as a sophomore he figured out a few things. Now, he’s focused, disciplined, and reliable. I love having a team leader like him to be our anchor.”

It all made for a memorable Senior Night that saw the Wildcat program honor their 11 seniors and their parents. Kaven Bartlett, Kaleb Carter, Elijah Eslinger, Trace Eslinger, Brecon Klugman, Cameron McClellan, Jesse Murphy, Kyle Oram, Aidan Robinson, Grant Strubbe and Luke York all saw their final home competition.

The senior group started small, but more than doubled in size three years ago.

“The dedication of these seniors has been outstanding, and I’m so proud that we were able to get a team victory on Senior Night,” Bovaird said. “That was one of the objectives we talked about before the dual — sending our seniors off on a high note. This would be their last chance to compete in our home gym, and it’s important to make a statement at home like that in front of family and friends. 

“While we have a large group of seniors, there’s only a handful that’s been out all four years — Kaven Bartlett, Elijah Eslinger, Trace Eslinger, Jesse Murphy, and Luke York. The others joined the program as sophomores and stuck with it. That’s probably the thing I’m most proud of. These guys have all bought into what the sport of wrestling can offer. They stayed committed to the program and I know they’ll be reaping the benefits down the road from what they’ve learned from wrestling.”

The Wildcats will continue their difficult schedule Saturday as they compete in the Baldwin Invitational. Matches begin at 9 a.m.

“I’m definitely excited for the challenges of Baldwin this weekend,” Bovaird said. “There are some teams we don’t see very often before state — Goodland, Jeff West, Wamego and Rock Creek. We’ll get a lot of head-to-head matches against strong kids. It’ll be a great litmus test to see what we need to polish up on before league, regionals and state.”

Louisburg sophomore Jay McCaskill works for a pin in his 157-pound championship match Saturday at the Husky Invitational at Blue Valley Northwest High School.

OVERLAND PARK — Louisburg saw its toughest competition to date Friday and Saturday at the Husky Invitational at Blue Valley Northwest High School.

The Wildcats were one of 21 teams from three states in the two-day tournament. Louisburg was also the second smallest school in the competition. 

That didn’t stop Louisburg from reaching the medal stand as five Wildcats left the tournament with hardware. One Wildcat found his way to the top.

Sophomore Jay McCaskill won the 157-pound weight class as he barreled to the title with a 7-0 record, that included six pins. McCaskill pinned Lawrence Free State’s Gabe Swoyer in the championship match.

“Something I love seeing is when a young wrestler wins a varsity tournament for the first time in his career,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “Jay was dominant last week, especially at this tournament. I mean, between the three duals and this two-day tournament, he went 10-0 with 8 pins. He’s been a young wrestler with lots of potential, but I think his is a huge turning point for him. This is the point where his confidence in his abilities needs to surge, where he realizes that he belongs at the top of a podium, not just on it or next to it.”

McCaskill was one of several Wildcats to earn medals. Sophomore Brayden Yoder finished third at 190 pounds, while another sophomore, Ashton Moore was fifth at 175. Senior Kaven Bartlett (138 pounds) and junior J’Lee Collins both earned sixth place honors.

As a team, the Wildcats finished 10th out of 21 teams with 294 points. Andover won the tournament with 453.5 points and Maize was second with 419.

“Going into the start of the tournament, I liked how things looked with our seeds,” Bovaird said. “As the first couple of rounds kicked off, it was just a mad dash trying to keep up with everything. They had seven mats in two gyms, so the coaches were running around like crazy. At multiple times, we had one coach working three mats at the same time. Before we knew it, the team scores were reflecting us in the top 5 pretty consistently. We were winning a lot of matches against some good competition.

“The first day of competition was pretty solid for us, but the second day we ran into some buzzsaw wrestlers, and that’s what we wanted out of this tournament. We wanted to be able to see the talent of teams like Andover, Maize and Topeka Seaman — teams with guys who are not just ranked in their classifications, but also ranked in all classes. This is the time of the season when we need to be ramping things up to prepare for the post-season.”

Yoder found a lot of success in the 190-pound weight class. He won his first three matches on Friday to reach the quarterfinal round, before falling in overtime to Free State’s Blaine Larkin, 6-4.

The Louisburg sophomore followed that up with two more wins and then defeated J.K. Mullen’s (Colorado) Oliver Scelza in a 10-3 decision for third place to improve his record to 24-8.

Moore, who just came back from injury last week, went 3-1 in his pool matches. He eventually wrestled for fifth place as he defeated Blue Valley Northwest’s Nick Bock in an 8-3 decision.

Bartlett, tried to battle though an injury at 138 pounds, but eventually had to pull out of competition following a win in the second round of consolation. He finished 2-2 in the tournament eventually took sixth.

As for Collins, he went 2-1 in pool action before eventually earning a spot in the fifth place match. He lost to Olathe Northwest’s Leo Blanding by a 6-3 decision.

“Brayden’s success has been a lot of fun to see from the corner,” Bovaird said. “He’s a methodical, patient, and strong wrestler, and he’s pretty bright too. Ashton is performing very strong as well, and I’m really happy for how he’s been able to jump right back into things. He’s at a tough weight, and his three losses came to state-ranked kids with 20-30 wins and full seasons. J’Lee missed wrestling his freshman year due to a knee injury, but with his experience last year and his surge in confidence this year, we’re starting to see him make huge strides. He’s such a gifted athlete and his work ethic and positivity sets the tone in the practice room. This is a great thing to see — J’Lee winning some medals at tournaments. 

“Kaven had a rough go this weekend, losing two matches and then having to default out to sixth place. His weight class was possibly the toughest of the tournament, too. He ran into a stud freshman from Colorado who’s going to have a stellar career, and then he dropped a close match to a ranked kid from Lawrence Free State, all the while battling a hip injury and some dislocated ribs. Kaven is a warrior, but the thing we’re going to have to be careful about is keeping him from jumping into things before his body is ready. He’s got some recovery, but at the same time he’s also go the motivation to make up for lost time and finish his senior season strong.”

Louisburg will be back on the mats Thursday as the Wildcats host Ottawa for a Frontier League dual. It will also be Senior Night for the Wildcat program.

The Wildcats will then competed in the Baldwin Invitational on Saturday.

106

Will Showalter (11-19) placed 12th and scored 16.0 team points.

• Round 1 – Will Showalter (Louisburg Wildcats) 11-19 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 2 – Will Showalter (Louisburg Wildcats) 11-19 won by fall over Sabastain Lackey UNA (Bonner Springs Braves) 5-7 (Fall 3:50)
• Round 3 – Raul Placensia (SM South Raiders) 18-12 won by fall over Will Showalter (Louisburg Wildcats) 11-19 (Fall 4:16)
• Round 4 – Will Showalter (Louisburg Wildcats) 11-19 won by fall over Miles Bouton (Topeka Seaman Vikings) 11-12 (Fall 1:53)
• Round 5 – Denton White (Jayhawk Linn Jayhawks) 29-2 won by fall over Will Showalter (Louisburg Wildcats) 11-19 (Fall 1:29)
• Cons. Round 1 – Jace Diezman (BV West Jaguars) 9-7 won by major decision over Will Showalter (Louisburg Wildcats) 11-19 (MD 11-0)
• 11th Place Match – Zac Pai (Andover Trojans) 10-15 won by major decision over Will Showalter (Louisburg Wildcats) 11-19 (MD 11-2)

126

J`Lee Collins (18-13) placed 6th and scored 27.0 team points.

• Round 1 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-13 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 2 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-13 won by fall over Zach Smith (BV North Mustangs) 13-18 (Fall 4:18)
• Round 3 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-13 won by major decision over Elliott Rogers (Marion Wolves) 2-10 (MD 13-5)
• Round 4 – Draven Bennett (Topeka Seaman Vikings) 25-9 won by decision over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-13 (Dec 7-4)
• Round 5 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-13 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Luke Potter (Andover Trojans) 25-8 won by fall over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-13 (Fall 5:44)
• Cons. Round 2 – J`Lee Collins (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-13 won by decision over Reece Parks (Maize Eagles) 17-15 (Dec 7-5)
• Cons. Semi – Draven Bennett (Topeka Seaman Vikings) 25-9 won by decision over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-13 (Dec 10-5)
• 5th Place Match – Leo Blanding (Olathe Northwest Ravens) 24-13 won by decision over J`Lee Collins (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-13 (Dec 6-3)

132

Mika McKitrick (9-15) placed 13th and scored 17.0 team points.

• Round 1 – Landon Sherrow (Andover Trojans) 17-9 won by fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg Wildcats) 9-15 (Fall 2:56)
• Round 2 – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg Wildcats) 9-15 won by fall over Remy Frentrop (Lawrence Lions) 2-7 (Fall 1:33)
• Round 3 – Logan Meinheit (BV West Jaguars) 34-4 won by fall over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg Wildcats) 9-15 (Fall 1:18)
• Round 4 – Luke Kelly UNA (Maize Eagles) 7-7 won by major decision over Mika McKitrick (Louisburg Wildcats) 9-15 (MD 21-8)
• Round 5 – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg Wildcats) 9-15 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 1 – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg Wildcats) 9-15 won by injury default over Logan Henry UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-14 (Inj. 0:00)
• 13th Place Match – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg Wildcats) 9-15 won by fall over Karimza Nola (Blue Valley Tigers) 10-17 (Fall 2:38)

132

Logan Henry UNA (6-14) placed 16th.

• Round 1 – Presley Hartwig (Olathe Northwest Ravens) 7-8 won by fall over Logan Henry UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-14 (Fall 2:46)
• Round 2 – Dante Dupuch (J.K. Mullen Mustangs) 10-6 won by fall over Logan Henry UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-14 (Fall 3:11)
• Round 3 – Logan Henry UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-14 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 4 – Logan Henry UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-14 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 5 – Thomas Cullum (Bonner Springs Braves) 21-9 won by injury default over Logan Henry UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-14 (Inj. 0:02)
• Cons. Round 1 – Mika McKitrick (Louisburg Wildcats) 9-15 won by injury default over Logan Henry UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-14 (Inj. 0:00)
• 15th Place Match – Grant Woods (BV North Mustangs) 8-13 won by forfeit over Logan Henry UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-14 (For.)

138

Kaven Bartlett (27-4) placed 6th and scored 28.0 team points.

• Round 1 – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg Wildcats) 27-4 won by fall over Ray Phillips (Leavenworth Pioneers) 3-18 (Fall 0:50)
• Round 2 – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg Wildcats) 27-4 won by fall over James Bi (BV Northwest Huskies) 23-13 (Fall 4:13)
• Round 3 – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg Wildcats) 27-4 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 4 – Isaak Chavez (J.K. Mullen Mustangs) 27-5 won by major decision over Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg Wildcats) 27-4 (MD 9-1)
• Round 5 – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg Wildcats) 27-4 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – D`onte Goodman (Law Free State Firebirds) 29-8 won by decision over Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg Wildcats) 27-4 (Dec 9-7)
• Cons. Round 2 – Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg Wildcats) 27-4 won by decision over Lain Anderson (Topeka Seaman Vikings) 18-15 (Dec 4-1)
• Cons. Semi – Nakaylen Shabazz (Maize Eagles) 34-5 won by injury default over Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg Wildcats) 27-4 (Inj. 0:01)
• 5th Place Match – Wes Logan (Marion Wolves) 16-10 won by medical forfeit over Kaven Bartlett (Louisburg Wildcats) 27-4 (M. For.)

144

Jesse Murphy (18-11) placed 8th and scored 25.0 team points.

• Round 1 – Jesse Murphy (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-11 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 2 – Jesse Murphy (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-11 won by fall over Tahj Edwards (Lawrence Lions) 3-6 (Fall 0:24)
• Round 3 – Jesse Murphy (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-11 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 4 – Camden Padgett (Maize Eagles) 25-5 won by fall over Jesse Murphy (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-11 (Fall 1:18)
• Round 5 – Jesse Murphy (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-11 won by fall over Braeden McGrath (Bonner Springs Braves) 7-7 (Fall 2:00)
• Quarterfinal – Bradley Trimmell (Andover Trojans) 24-7 won by fall over Jesse Murphy (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-11 (Fall 2:48)
• Cons. Round 2 – Xavier Davis (Leavenworth Pioneers) 22-11 won by fall over Jesse Murphy (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-11 (Fall 4:58)
• 7th Place Match – Dylan Farrell (Law Free State Firebirds) 13-11 won by fall over Jesse Murphy (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-11 (Fall 2:42)

157

Jay McCaskill (22-6) placed 1st and scored 53.0 team points.

• Round 1 – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg Wildcats) 22-6 won by fall over Alexander Fowler (Topeka Seaman Vikings) 6-11 (Fall 0:44)
• Round 2 – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg Wildcats) 22-6 won by fall over Conrad Vogel UNA (Blue Valley Tigers) 0-6 (Fall 0:31)
• Round 3 – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg Wildcats) 22-6 won by fall over Daniel Munro UNA (BV Northwest Huskies) 6-9 (Fall 4:29)
• Round 4 – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg Wildcats) 22-6 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 5 – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg Wildcats) 22-6 won by decision over Arlo Collier (Lawrence Lions) 3-4 (Dec 7-5)
• Quarterfinal – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg Wildcats) 22-6 won by fall over Ty Mull (Marion Wolves) 5-11 (Fall 1:30)
• Semifinal – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg Wildcats) 22-6 won by fall over Sam Dew (BV West Jaguars) 10-8 (Fall 3:13)
• 1st Place Match – Jay McCaskill (Louisburg Wildcats) 22-6 won by fall over Gabe Swoyer (Law Free State Firebirds) 21-14 (Fall 4:10)

175

Elias Pugh UNA (6-7) placed 11th.

• Round 1 – Elias Pugh UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-7 won by fall over Fernando Melendez (Turner Golden Bears) 6-11 (Fall 1:17)
• Round 2 – Elias Pugh UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-7 won by fall over Gunnar Noard (SM West Vikings) 12-15 (Fall 2:42)
• Round 3 – Zackery Adams (Topeka Seaman Vikings) 16-10 won by fall over Elias Pugh UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-7 (Fall 5:00)
• Round 4 – Elias Pugh UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-7 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 5 – Kaleb Valdez-Lemos (J.K. Mullen Mustangs) 27-3 won by fall over Elias Pugh UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-7 (Fall 0:28)
• Cons. Round 1 – Adam Rose (Marion Wolves) 14-11 won by fall over Elias Pugh UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-7 (Fall 2:02)
• 11th Place Match – Elias Pugh UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-7 won by fall over Daniel Loza (Bonner Springs Braves) 8-14 (Fall 4:11)

175

Ashton Moore (8-3) placed 5th and scored 35.0 team points.

• Round 1 – Ashton Moore (Louisburg Wildcats) 8-3 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 2 – Ashton Moore (Louisburg Wildcats) 8-3 won by fall over Reece Meyer (Lawrence Lions) 4-9 (Fall 0:47)
• Round 3 – Ashton Moore (Louisburg Wildcats) 8-3 won by fall over Ange Badji (SM South Raiders) 0-11 (Fall 0:53)
• Round 4 – Tate Hutchinson (Andover Trojans) 31-4 won by decision over Ashton Moore (Louisburg Wildcats) 8-3 (Dec 4-2)
• Round 5 – Ashton Moore (Louisburg Wildcats) 8-3 won by fall over Anthony Andrews (BV North Mustangs) 15-11 (Fall 3:10)
• Quarterfinal – Ashton Moore (Louisburg Wildcats) 8-3 won by medical forfeit over Caleb Sharp (Olathe Northwest Ravens) 22-13 (M. For.)
• Semifinal – Kaleb Valdez-Lemos (J.K. Mullen Mustangs) 27-3 won by fall over Ashton Moore (Louisburg Wildcats) 8-3 (Fall 0:46)
• Cons. Semi – Denton Dobbins (Blue Valley Tigers) 27-9 won by fall over Ashton Moore (Louisburg Wildcats) 8-3 (Fall 2:01)
• 5th Place Match – Ashton Moore (Louisburg Wildcats) 8-3 won by decision over Nick Bock (BV Northwest Huskies) 19-14 (Dec 8-3)

190

Brayden Yoder (24-8) placed 3rd and scored 34.0 team points.

• Round 1 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg Wildcats) 24-8 won by fall over Cole Evans UNA (Blue Valley Tigers) 2-14 (Fall 2:52)
• Round 2 – Cole Compton UNA (Andover Trojans) 15-10 won by decision over Brayden Yoder (Louisburg Wildcats) 24-8 (Dec 3-1)
• Round 3 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg Wildcats) 24-8 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 4 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg Wildcats) 24-8 won by major decision over Dylan Shojayi (Blue Valley Tigers) 14-9 (MD 9-0)
• Round 5 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg Wildcats) 24-8 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Blaine Larkin (Law Free State Firebirds) 15-11 won in sudden victory – 1 over Brayden Yoder (Louisburg Wildcats) 24-8 (SV-1 6-4)
• Cons. Round 2 – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg Wildcats) 24-8 won by decision over Michael Costello (Olathe East Hawks) 22-11 (Dec 9-3)
• Cons. Semi – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg Wildcats) 24-8 won by decision over Tristen Winfield (Andover Trojans) 6-4 (Dec 5-2)
• 3rd Place Match – Brayden Yoder (Louisburg Wildcats) 24-8 won by decision over Oliver Scelza (J.K. Mullen Mustangs) 18-13 (Dec 10-3)

215

Kyle Oram UNA (6-9) placed 13th.

• Round 1 – Kyle Oram UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-9 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 2 – Kyle Oram UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-9 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 3 – Ami Hall (J.K. Mullen Mustangs) 9-7 won by fall over Kyle Oram UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-9 (Fall 2:32)
• Round 4 – Braedon Njewel (Blue Valley Tigers) 8-9 won by fall over Kyle Oram UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-9 (Fall 1:48)
• Round 5 – Ronan Wunsch (Maize Eagles) 29-7 won by forfeit over Kyle Oram UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-9 (For.)
• Cons. Round 1 – Kyle Oram UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-9 received a bye () (Bye)
• 13th Place Match – Kyle Oram UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 6-9 won by medical forfeit over Nico Cocumelli UNA (BV West Jaguars) 4-11 (M. For.)

215

Trace Eslinger (18-10) placed 8th and scored 26.0 team points.

• Round 1 – Trace Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-10 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 2 – Trace Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-10 won by fall over ​Brady Walsh UNA (Marion Wolves) 4-15 (Fall 0:43)
• Round 3 – Trace Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-10 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 4 – Trace Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-10 won by fall over Robert Svoboda (BV West Jaguars) 16-10 (Fall 5:15)
• Round 5 – Trace Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-10 received a bye () (Bye)
• Quarterfinal – Braedon Njewel (Blue Valley Tigers) 8-9 won by fall over Trace Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-10 (Fall 1:36)
• Cons. Round 2 – Brayden Harman (Andover Trojans) 14-13 won by fall over Trace Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-10 (Fall 4:37)
• 7th Place Match – Robert Svoboda (BV West Jaguars) 16-10 won by fall over Trace Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 18-10 (Fall 3:50)

285

Grant Strubbe UNA (3-8) placed 16th.

• Round 1 – Tamer Alomari (Olathe North Eagles) 11-8 won by decision over Grant Strubbe UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 3-8 (Dec 10-7)
• Round 2 – Grant Strubbe UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 3-8 won by fall over Jaydn Morris (Bonner Springs Braves) 7-19 (Fall 2:45)
• Round 3 – Jaxson Thomas (Topeka Seaman Vikings) 34-3 won by fall over Grant Strubbe UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 3-8 (Fall 0:26)
• Round 4 – Jordan Hansett (BV North Mustangs) 16-14 won by fall over Grant Strubbe UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 3-8 (Fall 1:09)
• Round 5 – Grant Strubbe UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 3-8 received a bye () (Bye)
• Cons. Round 1 – Luke Hinman (Blue Valley Tigers) 13-17 won by fall over Grant Strubbe UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 3-8 (Fall 2:43)
• 15th Place Match – Archer Swienton (Leavenworth Pioneers) 3-8 won by fall over Grant Strubbe UNA (Louisburg Wildcats) 3-8 (Fall 0:20)

285

Elijah Eslinger (28-5) placed 7th and scored 33.0 team points.

• Round 1 – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 28-5 won by fall over Noah Case (Marion Wolves) 8-11 (Fall 0:44)
• Round 2 – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 28-5 won by fall over Calab Van Meter (J.K. Mullen Mustangs) 9-8 (Fall 0:46)
• Round 3 – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 28-5 received a bye () (Bye)
• Round 4 – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 28-5 won by fall over Max Childers (Law Free State Firebirds) 5-6 (Fall 0:50)
• Round 5 – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 28-5 won by fall over Devion Murray (Olathe East Hawks) 4-4 (Fall 1:24)
• Quarterfinal – Jordan Hansett (BV North Mustangs) 16-14 won by fall over Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 28-5 (Fall 0:45)
• Cons. Round 2 – Brody McMannamon (BV West Jaguars) 22-18 won by fall over Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 28-5 (Fall 0:40)
• 7th Place Match – Elijah Eslinger (Louisburg Wildcats) 28-5 won by fall over Noah Case (Marion Wolves) 8-11 (Fall 0:52)

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week six of the winter sports season, sponsored by Vohs Pharmacy.

JAY MCCASKILL, SOPHOMORE, WRESTLING

Louisburg sophomore Jay McCaskill put together his best performance of the season last Saturday in the 157-pound weight class of the Husky Invitational at Blue Valley Northwest. In a tournament that featured 21 teams from three states, McCaskill won his weight class with a 7-0 record, that included six pins. He pinned Lawrence Free State’s Gabe Sawyer in the championship match.

On the week, that included three other duals, McCaskill finished with a 10-0 record on the week and recorded eight pins. He currently has a record of 22-6 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: Adyson Ross

Week 2: Colin Brown

Week 3: Colyer Wingfield

Week 4: Kaven Bartlett

Week 5: Trace Eslinger