Sophomore Owen Marsh dribbles past the Paola defense Tuesday during the Wildcats’ 5-0 victory over the Panthers.

After being on the wrong end of a pair of close matches, the Louisburg boys soccer team wanted to get back in the win column.

The Wildcats did that and then some Tuesday when they hosted rival Paola in a Frontier League match. Louisburg scored four second half goals and came away with a 5-0 victory over the Panthers.

Louisburg improved its record to 4-10 as the Wildcats got a big boost of confidence as the regular season inches toward a close.

“We’ve been itching to get back into the win column since we lost to Ottawa and then Tonganoxie,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “It’s been rough this season taking so many losses, but when you look at it, there were many winnable games that could have gone our way if a few things had gone differently. We just needed to get that confidence boost, and doing so against our rival Paola was a nice touch.

“Against Paola, we were able to get off more shots and crosses than we’d done in any other game this season. That’s one thing we really needed — to be able to have those offensive attacks in a live game situation. Doing them at practice in scrimmages is one thing, but getting the experience against an opponent is where we really get to figure things out.”

The Wildcats dominated possession from the opening whistle and had plenty of opportunities to score early. Louisburg only found the back of the net one time in the first half on a goal from Jose Cuevas on an assist from Emmett White.

Louisburg picked up the scoring in the second half as White added two goals, including one that was assisted by Cuevas. Freshman Brody Bovaird scored his first varsity goal, while Cuevas also added another to give himself two scores in the contest.

On the night, the Wildcats took 41 shots and had 14 that were on target. White led the way with 12 shots, while Cuevas and Owen Marsh each had eight.

Marsh, White and Jacob Brown each had an assist for Louisburg.

“The first half, we had so many shots that were way off target and we weren’t getting the ball out wide for outside attacks in the air,” coach Bovaird said. “Second half was a different story. The guys played with more patience and more focus. We got off twice as many crosses and we had nine shots on target. It was definitely a matter of keeping the guys patient and focused.

“When players start to realize that their attacks aren’t being very effective, they often start thinking too much about it and lose their focus. They start getting desperate and do things that go against their training, and then before you know it, the game looks more like herd-ball than soccer. I’m proud of how the guys stayed focused and disciplined. They did a much better job of playing up to our level Tuesday night.”

The Wildcats weren’t tested much defensively and gave up just one shot on the night to the Panthers. Goalie Evan Moreland earned the clean sheet.

It was also a win off the field for Louisburg as it hosted its annual Cancer Awareness Game and raised more than $1,500 for a local family battling cancer.

“The win against Paola was a pretty big moral victory,” Bovaird said. “It was a game we were able to come out and get some goals, it was against our big rival, and it was on our Cancer Awareness night. The best thing about that game was seeing everyone supporting one another. So much positive energy on the field and on the bench.”

Louisburg is back at it tonight as the Wildcats travel to Turner. Varsity is slated to begin at 6 p.m.

The Louisburg volleyball team finished with a 4-1 record Saturday at the Atchison Invitational and brought home a second place plaque.

ATCHISON — In its final regular season tournament of the year, the Louisburg volleyball team put together a strong showing as it inches closer to the postseason.

The Wildcats traveled to the Atchison Invitational and left with a runner-up plaque Saturday as they finished the tournament with a 4-1 record.

“This was a fun new tournament for us to join with a lot of teams we don’t see very often,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “Overall, I think we played well and showed up ready to show everyone what Louisburg volleyball is all about. It was a long day, and we faced our fair share of moments where we had to push through a tough moment, but we rallied together and played hard each match. It’s always nice to come home with some hardware.”

Louisburg went 3-0 in pool play and it started with a 25-17 and 25-10 win over Junction City. The Wildcats followed that up with a 25-5 and 25-17 victory over Atchison and a 25-18 and 25-10 win over Atchison County Community.

Those wins pushed the Wildcats into the semifinals where they squared off with Paola. The Panthers pushed Louisburg to three sets, but the Wildcats came through with a 25-22, 23-25 and 25-16 win and they advanced to the championship against Perry-Lecompton.

The Wildcats battled a talented Perry-Lecompton squad, but came up short in a 25-23, 23-25 and 25-18 loss.

“Perry-Lecompton is a strong 3A team who has a couple of stud players,” Willer said. “They came out with a lot of energy, they played some relentless defense, and they have some strong offensive weapons that can put the ball away. The game was fun to play because they were a great match for us – it was very even all throughout. Unfortunately, we did not come out on top in the end, but we fought hard and left it all out there on the floor. I’m proud of how hard they played.”

Throughout the tournament, the Wildcats featured a balanced attack on offense and it started with seniors Madie Williams and Hailey Sword. Williams finished with 36 kills over the five matches and Sword added 33.

Sophomore Caileigh Kilgore tallied 22 kills, while sophomore Delaney Nelsen and senior Izzy Moreland had 16 and 13, respectively.

Senior Megan Quinn and freshman Adelyn Moore set up the hitters well. Quinn had a team-high 62 assists and Moore added 45.

Nelsen was strong from behind the service line as she had 14 aces in the tournament, while Williams and Quinn each added eight.

Defensively, Moreland, Kilgore and Nelsen each had five blocks to lead Louisburg. Sword had a team-high 46 digs, Williams had 32 and Nelsen finished with 29.

“We played well together as a team throughout the day and leaned on different players during different games,” Willer said. “Our setters did a good job of running the offense and implementing what we’ve been working on in practice. We were able to serve tough and get a lot of the other teams out of system throughout the day, all of which helped get us to the championship and playing better each game.”

The Wildcats will hit the court one final time in the regular season this Thursday when they host Olathe North and Wamego in a triangular. Matches begin at 5 p.m.

Louisburg junior Ashton Moore rushed for 173 yards and had 20 tackles in the Wildcats’ 30-29 win over Tonganoxie.

TONGANOXIE — With a possible Frontier League title hanging in the balance, Louisburg found itself with its back against the wall — needing something positive to happen.

After the Wildcats got out to a big lead, penalties and mistakes allowed Tonganoxie to take a seven-point lead late in the contest.

Leave it to a pair of seniors to come through for the Wildcats when they needed it the most.

Quarterback Declan Battle hit Caden Caplinger on a long touchdown pass, and after converting the 2-point conversion, the Wildcats defense took care of the rest and held on for a 30-29 victory over the Chieftains.

“There were a lot of opportunities to make plays in the passing game, but we were just missing them,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “Then we finally made one at the end and really glad that we did.”

On a 2nd and 26 with under six minutes left in the contest, Battle hit Caplinger down the sideline for a 59-yard touchdown pass. Then with the Wildcats’ kicking game in flux, they decided to go for two and take the lead.

Battle rolled out to the right and found a wide open Conlee Hovey on the opposite side of the endzone to give the Wildcats a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

“It was a little risky to call that play there,” Harding said of the 2-point conversion. “We hadn’t run it all year and it was pivotal point in the game with a lot on the line. They executed and did a really good job.”

Tonganoxie got one final opportunity and were close to field goal range with its kicker, Jackson McWilliams. However, Brayden Yoder and Wyatt Holland combined on a tackle for a loss that forced a fourth down on the Wildcat 32-yard line. 

The Chieftains decided to go to the air — an advantage they had for most of the game — but overthrew the intended receiver on fourth down and the Wildcats were able to run out the clock.

“They have a really explosive offense,” Harding said. “We got out to a big lead, but we knew it wasn’t over by any means. It was a grind and Tonganoxie had a lot of momentum on their side in the second half. For us to respond, and pull this one out, it was impressive.”

Louisburg (6-0) did a lot of its damage on the ground — especially early. Tonganoxie had its sights set on slowing down Louisburg running back Ashton Moore, but the Wildcat junior inflicted a lot of damage.

Moore finished with 173 yards on the ground on 25 carries and had two touchdowns. The Chieftains had tough time slowing down Battle as well as the Louisburg quarterback had 147 yards on the ground on 17 carries.

They had success thanks to blocking up front of Miles Meek, Johnny Hendrickson, Jaymes Melton, Ben O’Bryan, Yoder, along with tight ends Brock Vohs and Hovey.

On defense, Moore was all over the field for the Wildcats. The Louisburg linebacker registered a team-high 20 tackles to go along with a sack.

“Ashton is so physical,” Harding said. “He is a tough tackler and when we get the ball in his hands it generally results in good plays. Ashton is a tank and played really well defensively. Between him and Declan, both of those guys run really hard. It is tough for defenses to tackle both of them with the first guy.”

Louisburg marched down the field on the game’s opening drive and found the endzone on a 1-yard run by Moore. After the Wildcat defense held Tonganoxie on its first drive, Louisburg struck again.

This time it was Battle as he broke free for a 66-yard score, and after a 2-point pass to Hovey, took a 14-0 lead.

Tonganoxie answered on a long touchdown run by Colton Brusven — his first of three scores on the game. However, the Wildcats continued to assert themselves on the ground as Moore broke free for a 39-yard run and went up 22-7 after Battle ran in the 2-point try.

“That was the first time this year that we had not started on defense,” Harding said. “We challenged them to score right away and we did that. We got a stop and then we did it again. Unfortunately we couldn’t keep it rolling, but it was a great start for us.”

The Chieftains would eventually slow down the Wildcat offense and score 22 unanswered points through the second and third quarters to go up 29-22

From there, the Wildcats were able to make plays when they needed them on both sides of the ball.

Along with Moore, seniors Brady Hickey and Holland each finished the game with 10 tackles each. Yoder added nine stops from his defensive tackle spot.

Louisburg will look to continue its perfect season this Friday when it hosts Ottawa for Senior Night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

LOU 14 8 0 8 — 30

TON 7 8 14 0 — 29

SCORING SUMMARY 

First Quarter

L: Ashton Moore 1 run (kick failed)

L: Declan Battle 66 run (Battle pass to Conlee Hovey)

T: Colton Brusven 73 run (kick good)

Second Quarter

L: Ashton Moore 39 run (Battle run)

T: Trevor McGraw 8 run (Isaiah Holthaus pass from McGraw)

Third Quarter

T: Brusven 2 run (kick good)

T: Brusven 3 run (kick good)

Fourth Quarter

L: Caden Caplinger 59 pass from Battle (Battle pass to Hovey)

STATISTICS

RUSHING — Ashton Moore 25-173; Declan Battle 17-147

PASSING — Declan Battle 9-18-116

RECEIVING — Caden Caplinger 4-86; Ashton Moore 3-24; Conlee Hovey 2-6

TACKLES — Ashton Moore 20, Brady Hickey 10, Wyatt Holland 10, Brayden Yoder 9, Brody McGreer 5, Caden Caplinger 5, Logan Henry 3, Conlee Hovey 3, Jackson Howard 3, Brock Vohs 3, Declan Battle 2, Hunter Heinrich 2, Lucas Swartz 2, Jack Anderson 2, Josh Holtzen 1, Jaymes Melton 1.

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week six of the fall sports season, sponsored by Landmark National Bank.

MADIE WILLIAMS, SENIOR, VOLLEYBALL

Louisburg senior Madie Williams helped lead the Wildcat volleyball team to a big week that included a second place finish at the Atchison Invitational on Saturday. Louisburg had a successful stretch that included a revenge win over Tonganoxie and then five straight wins at Atchison.

Williams was a big part of that success and she had a team-high 48 kills during those six matches as she played all six rotations. Williams was also second on the team with 50 digs and was strong from behind the service line with eight aces. On the season, Williams leads the team with 35 aces is second on the team in kills (237) and digs (234).

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

Previous winners:

Week 1: Declan Battle

Week 2: Megan Quinn

Week 3: Maddy Rhamy

Week 4: Emmett White

Week 5: Ashton Moore

Louisburg senior Noah Cotter stays with a Blue Valley Northwest runner Thursday during the Louisburg Invitational. Cotter was one of four Wildcat medalists on the day.

The Louisburg cross country team concluded its regular season Thursday and got to do so on its home course.

The Wildcats hosted the Louisburg Invitational at Lewis-Young Park in one final tune-up before their postseason schedule kicks into high gear. Louisburg was in good form as it ended up with four medals.

In the team standings, both the boys and girls squads finished in fourth place overall.

“It is always a good day when you can host a home meet,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “The community did show up to support the runners, which was nice to see. Our course is deceivingly tough, but the runners did a great job.”

Jerynce Brings Plenty once again led the Wildcat runners. The Louisburg junior was up front throughout much of the race and finished third in 17 minutes and 17 seconds to a pair of Blue Valley Northwest runners.

Senior Noah Cotter ended his final Louisburg Invitational with a medal as well. Cotter finished ninth overall in 17:58.

“Jerynce ran a great race and yet again put himself in position to battle for the top spot, but just missed out to two great runners,” Reece said. “Noah found himself a little back, but made up ground during the race to garnish his last LHS Invitational medal.”

Freshmen Levi Cotter (19:02) and Truman Ellison (20:04) were next on the Wildcat team as they took 20th and 28th, respectively. Junior Ben Proctor (20:58) and freshman Spencer Mattison (21:49) were 38th and 45th.

On the girls side, the Wildcats earned a pair of medals and Maddy Rhamy led the way. The Louisburg senior was 14th overall in 23:32 and senior Lola Edwards was right behind her in 15th in 23:42.

“On the girls side of things, they keep competing well and Maddy and Lola continue to lead the group,” Reece said. “It was nice to see them medal in their last home meet. I’m sure it was bittersweet for all the seniors to run it one last time.”

Freshman Talen McMurray (26:05) and senior Erin Apple (26:17) finished 24th and 25th, respectively. Sophomore Lila Edwards took 27th in 27:06.

Louisburg will begin its postseason run this Thursday when the Wildcats travel to the Frontier League Invitational. Races begin at 4:30 p.m. at Lexington Lake Park in De Soto.

Louisburg celebrates a big point from Hailey Sword during the Wildcats’ 3-1 victory Tuesday over Tonganoxie on Senior Night.

On a night where Louisburg volleyball had a chance to honor its six seniors, the Wildcats also got the opportunity to exact a little revenge.

Coming off a tough tournament performance Saturday, Louisburg had a chance to avenge one of its losses from that day on Tuesday when it hosted Tonganoxie.

The Wildcats played like a different team as they downed the Chieftains, 3-1, and improved their record to 16-13 on the season.

“This was a big win for us,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “Our girls came in very determined to beat them. We lost to them over the weekend, but didn’t play our best. We knew that we had it in us to win, and everyone wanted to win for the seniors on senior night as well.”

Louisburg honored seniors Ashlyn Berck, Katie Elpers, Izzy Moreland, Megan Quinn, Hailey Sword and Madie Williams and their parents prior to the match. All of those seniors made an impact in some way in the 25-20, 25-22, 12-25 and 26-24 victory.

“These seniors have dedicated so much time and energy to our program,” Willer said. “They have each played different roles throughout the years and have been willing to take on whatever role best helps the team to be successful. Many of them have worked really hard to form relationships with our underclassmen and serve as mentors and leaders for the whole team. 

“I think the impact they have had on this program was evidenced by the tears shed by all of our underclassmen on senior night who will be so sad to see them go. As none of them are planning to go on and play volleyball at the next level, it means a lot that they have each given so much to a sport that they love to play with each other.”

It was a balanced effort for Louisburg as it jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the match thanks to different players stepping up at the net and on defense.

Williams led the Louisburg attack with 12 kills on the night from her all-around spot, while Sword and sophomore Delaney Nelsen each had eight. Morland and Elpers added seven and six kills, respectively, and sophomore Caileigh Kilgore added five.

Quinn and freshman Adelyn Moore ran the offense well. Quinn led the way with 24 assists on the night and Moore finished with 15.

“I think we were able to really implement the balanced attack idea that we’ve been talking about all season,” Willer said. “Our setters did a great job of finding each hitter and putting them in a position to be successful. Everyone contributed, which helps make it easier to find a single blocker and holes in the defense on the other side.”

Defensively, several Wildcats made big plays throughout the night. 

Along with leading the team in kills, Williams also had a team-best 18 digs and Sword was right behind her with 17. Quinn and Nelsen each had 14 and Moore contributed nine.

Berck also had a big night from behind the service line as she tallied a team-high five aces.

“Our defense stepped up throughout the night, and we made the conscious decision to be nothing but relentless in our pursuit,” Willer said. “After the third set, our captains talked to the team about how defense was going to win this game and that we just really needed to leave it all out on the floor. Their leadership in those efforts were definitely noticed, and their challenge to the team had everyone rising to the occasion.”

The Wildcats got out to a pair of relatively easy wins in the first two sets, but the Chieftains controlled the third to keep the match alive.

Louisburg got right back on track as the Wildcats jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the fourth. However, the Chieftains made a run of their own to grab a 16-13 advantage.

Moreland responded with back-to-back kills and then a Tonganoxie net violation tied the match. The Chieftains went back up 18-16, but again the Wildcats rallied with a kill from Sword and Williams.

Berck then added an ace to put Louisburg up 19-18. The lead would change hands a couple different times, but the Wildcats took a 24-22 advantage on a pair of Nelsen kills.

Tonganoxie tied the match again at 24-all, but Moreland notched a kill on a set from Quinn and then the Chieftains were called for under the net to give the Wildcats the win.

“Overall, I think we played well and toughed it out on defense to pull out the win,” Willer said. “We showed a lot of heart, and I am proud of the way that we were able to bounce back from mistakes or big plays that they made to answer with big plays of our own.”

Louisburg is back in action this Saturday when the Wildcats travel to the Atchison Invitational.

Wildcats go 1-4 at Ottawa

Louisburg competed at the Ottawa Invitational last Saturday and got out to a great start, which included a revenge win over Ottawa to start the day.

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, it was the only victory they could garner on the day as they fell to Basehor-Linwood, Maize South, Bishop Miege and Tonganoxie.

The Wildcats fought hard for much of the day, including taking a set from the defending state champion — Bishop Miege.

“The Ottawa tournament is always filled with tough competition, and this year was no different,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “We started the morning off by beating Ottawa after losing to them a couple of weeks ago, so it’s always nice to get that ‘revenge’ win. The biggest positives on the day were that we competed hard with each team and battled through some tough sets. 

“We took a set from Bishop Miege, and in all of our matches we fought hard to stay in the game, we just didn’t quite have the power to pull off the wins in the end. We are looking forward to cleaning up some aspects of the game in practice this week and putting some more tallies in the win column.”

Louisburg senior Brady Hickey brings down Eudora quarterback Kole Manley near the goal line Friday during the Wildcats’ 13-7 victory in Louisburg.

Through its first four games, Louisburg had it offense take care of business as the Wildcats averaged nearly 48 points a game during that stretch.

On Friday in its homecoming contest against Eudora, the Wildcat defense shouldered the load and came up big when Louisburg needed it the most.

The Wildcats held Eudora to just seven points, and shut out the Cardinals in the final three quarters, to hold on for a 13-7 victory. It was also the fifth straight win to start the season as they remain atop the Frontier League standings.

“It was definitely a character building win for us,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “We faced a ton of adversity and had a lot of things that didn’t go our way. We had two turnovers, we had three goal line stands and it was tough sledding on offense. Our kids showed a lot character in this game.”

Louisburg (5-0) found itself with its back against the wall early on. A fumbled punt return in the first quarter set up the Cardinals’ early touchdown and gave them a 7-0 lead.

After a Louisburg punt on its first offensive possession, the Cardinals methodically drove the ball down the field again. This time they used a 17-play drive that took close to 12 minutes.

However, the Wildcat defense came up big with its first of three goal line stands. The Cardinals had the ball at the eight yard line three times, but big tackles from Brayden Yoder, Wyatt Holland, Brady Hickey and Brody McGreer forced a Eudora field goal attempt.

That attempt was no good and the Wildcat offense would get the ball for just the second time of the first half with five minutes left in the second quarter.

“The defense played tremendous and Eudora has a pretty high-powered offense,” Harding said. “They have an explosive receiver and they can make a lot of big plays. So to be able hold them to seven points, and not only that, but to be in bad situations and still hold them to just seven was really big for us.”

Louisburg made the most of the opportunity as the Wildcats drove 80 yards that ended in a 1-yard touchdown run from Ashton Moore. That score was set up by a 24-yard run from Declan Battle and a 17-yard pass from Battle to Moore.

The game was tied at 7-all going into halftime, but the Wildcats got the ball to open the second half and took advantage.

The Wildcats drove the ball down the field and scored on a 4-yard touchdown run by Moore. The extra point failed, but the Wildcats had their first lead of the game.

From that point on, it was up to the Wildcat defense.

The Cardinals drove down the field and appeared they were going to — at the very least — tie the game. Eudora had a 3rd and goal from the 1 yard line, but was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that moved them back 15 yards.

Louisburg would eventually stop Eudora on downs and turned the Cardinals away from the endzone for the second time.

The Wildcats found themselves in a difficult position early in the fourth quarter. A bad snap on a punt attempt for Louisburg, gave the Cardinals the ball on the Wildcat 8-yard line.

Once again, the defense came through. The Wildcats forced a 4th and goal from the 5-yard line and turned the Cardinals over on downs again when McGreer broke up a pass in the endzone.

“That was a huge momentum swing for us,” Harding said. “Eudora had all the momentum at the time, so for our defense to bow up there and keep that offense from gaining five yards in four plays — it was an impressive stand.”

It was one of several big plays from the Wildcat secondary on the night. McGreer, who mishandled a punt in the first quarter, made up for the mistake on defense, while senior corner Hunter Heinrich shadowed the Cardinals’ top receiver, Adrion Seals, and allowed just one catch.

“Brody had a great response to what happened earlier in the game,” Harding said. “He came back and made a couple of huge tackles on the perimeter as well as stopping a touchdown with a pass break up. Hunter had a huge challenge ahead of him with this game. They have an extremely talented receiver and Hunter followed him all night. He did a great job and limited him to one catch for five yards. Both of those corners played very well.”

Louisburg then took advantage and ran close to 8 minutes off the clock before turning the ball over on downs to Eudora on its own 25. It didn’t leave the Cardinals with much time to drive down the field and the Wildcats held on for the win.

Both Moore and Battle played every snap for the Wildcats. Moore tallied a 134 yards of total offense to go along with his two touchdowns, while Battle rushed for 90 yards and threw for 69.

On defense, Moore led the team in tackles with Holland as each registered 15 stops. Yoder and Hickey finished with seven and six tackles, respectively.

“It was tough sledding offensively, and both Ashton and Declan ran the ball extremely tough,” Harding said. “They put their shoulder down and got some extra yards. Defensively, Ashton played really well and got us aligned, and Declan did the same on the back end. Both of those guys played every single snap and never got a break and both played really well.”

Louisburg will face another test this Friday as the Wildcats travel to Tonganoxie and will face a different type of opponent.

“They are another huge challenge for us,” Harding said. “They like to get their receivers out wide and they are a very balanced team. They have a tough hard-nosed runner and they have another guy that can take the top off the defense. It will be another tough challenge for us, but hopefully we have a good week of practice.”

LOU 0 7 6 0 — 13

EUD 7 0 0 0 — 7

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

E: Kole Manley 1 run (kick good)

Second quarter

L: Ashton Moore 1 run (Alex Saad kick)

Third quarter

L: Moore 4 run (kick failed)

STATISTICS

RUSHING — Ashton Moore 17-97; Declan Battle 12-90

PASSING — Declan Battle 7-8-69

RECEIVING — Ashton Moore 2-37; Conlee Hovey 2-20; Myles Vohs 1-9; Brody McGreer 1-5

TACKLES — Wyatt Holland 15, Ashton Moore 15, Brayden Yoder 7, Brady Hickey 6, Declan Battle 5, Caden Caplinger 5, Brock Vohs 4, Conlee Hovey 3, Hunter Heinrich 3, Brody McGreer 3, Lucas Swartz 1, Jackson Howard 1

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

ASHTON MOORE, JUNIOR, FOOTBALL

Louisburg junior Ashton Moore was all over the field for the Wildcats last Friday in their victory over Eudora. Moore scored a pair of touchdowns in Louisburg’s 13-7 win over Eudora to move to 5-0 on the season as he tallied 134 total yards, including 97 yards on the ground.

On defense, Moore was in the middle of a lot of plays from the linebacker spot. He tied for a team-high 15 tackles on the night, including eight solo stops, after playing every snap on both sides of the ball. Through five games, he leads the Wildcats with 56 tackles. Moore also has 10 touchdowns so far this season as the team’s starting running back.

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

Previous winners:

Week 1: Declan Battle

Week 2: Megan Quinn

Week 3: Maddy Rhamy

Week 4: Emmett White

Louisburg junior Jerynce Brings Plenty won the Perry-Lecompton Invitational on Thursday in Topeka. His time was the second fastest in school history.

TOPEKA — Jerynce Brings Plenty has continued to make his way up the Louisburg High School cross country leaderboard all season, but on Thursday in Topeka, he made a big jump.

Brings Plenty ran a personal best time of 16 minutes and 35 seconds to win the Perry-Lecompton Invitational at Hummer Park. In the process, his finish was the second fastest time in school history.

“Jerynce ran great on Thursday,” Reece said. “He was in control of the race from the start. He made a move to break the lead pack up and never looked back. Jerynce was able to separate himself a bit later and held the lead for the rest of the race.”

Brings Plenty was one of nine medalists on the day for the Wildcats. The Louisburg girls captured five medals on their way to a third place team finish with 74 points, just three points behind Paola.

The Wildcat boys had four medalists and took fourth as a team.

Seniors Lola Edwards and Maddy Rhamy led the Wildcat girls as they each finished in the top 10. Edwards took seventh in 22:42 and Rhamy was 10th at 23:03.

“Lola has been running great,” Reece said. “She is a warrior and continues to improve and lead the team. Maddy is right there as well and we look for her to make big gains.”

Louisburg also had a pair of freshmen run their first varsity races and both came away with a medal. Freshmen Talen McMurray was 20th in 24:19 and Ella Bockelman took 25th in 24:50.

Senior Erin Apple rounded out the Wildcat medalists in 26th at 24:53.

“Talen and Ella really stepped it up when asked to run in the varsity race,” Reece said. “We have seen glimmers of what they can do and hope that their success will lead to more. 

“Now that our Homecoming Queen (Apple) is done with a busy week, we look for her to make a big move and take the freshman girls with her to close the gap between them and our front runners. Rowan (Yows) looks to be getting better from injury and will add even more to our team.”

On the boys side, senior Noah Cotter also finished in the top 10 along with Brings Plenty. Cotter was eighth in 17:41.

Freshmen Levi Cotter and Truman Ellison also came home with medals. Cotter was 26th in 19:55, while Ellison was 29th with a time of 19:59.

Junior Ben Proctor (21:40) and freshman Spencer Mattison (22:12) rounded out the Wildcat roster in 44th and 49th, respectively.

“The boys team continues to improve but we have a ways to go yet,” Reece said. “Hopefully all will come together at regionals and we make a bid for state as a team.”

Louisburg has one final regular season meet left and that is this Thursday when the Wildcats host the Louisburg Invitational. Races are set to begin at 4 p.m. at Lewis-Young Park.

The Louisburg 2010 state championship football team and 2012 LHS graduate Garrett Griffin will be inducted into the LHS Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 13 at halftime of the Wildcats’ football game against Ottawa.

Louisburg High School and the USD 416 Endowment Association have announced the newest members of the Louisburg High School Athletic Hall of Fame and they are two that plenty of Wildcat fans will recognize.

Going into the hall this year is 2012 graduate Garrett Griffin and the 2010 Class 4A state championship football team. Both will be inducted on Oct. 13 at halftime of Louisburg’s final regular season home contest against Ottawa.

Garrett Griffin, 2012 Graduate

Griffin was a three-sport athlete for Louisburg High School and earned 12 varsity letters during his illustrious Wildcat career. Griffin holds several LHS football records, was a state champion in track and was a four-time letter winner in basketball. He was also a part of two state championship teams.

In football, Griffin was a 4-year letter winner and accumulated four team records during that span. He is the school’s all-time career rushing leader with 4,667 yards, all-time receiving leader at 1,006 yards, all-time receptions leader with 51 and first in all-time tackles with 273.

Griffin earned All-Frontier League honors all four years and awarded all-state honors as a linebacker his junior season after helping lead the Wildcat football team to their first state title in 2010. In 2011, he was named among the Top 11 players in the state as a senior and was a Kansas Shrine Bowl selection

In track and field, Griffin was a 4-time state qualifier in the javelin and 110-meter high hurdles. He was a two-time state champion in the javelin and a two-time state placer in the hurdles. He currently holds the school record in both events. As a junior, Griffin helped the Wildcats to their first state team title in 2011.

In basketball, Griffin was a 4-year letter winner and was an All-Frontier League selection his senior season.

Following high school, Griffin signed with the Air Force Academy football program where he was a four-time letter winner as a tight end for the Falcons. During his time, he was also a member of the Air Force track and field program for two years and was a two-time Mountain West Conference placer in the javelin.

After graduating from the Academy, Griffin was selected as an undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints. He spent six seasons with the Saints and one with the Detroit Lions. As a member of the Saints, Griffin played in a handful of contests, which included an appearance in the NFC Championship game in 2018 where he caught a touchdown from quarterback Drew Brees.

2010 FOOTBALL TEAM

The 2010 football team made school history as those Wildcats became the first to win a state championship in football. Louisburg defeated Holton, 24-16, in the Class 4A championship game in Salina to finish the season with a 14-0 record under head coach Gary Griffin.

Louisburg breezed through the regular season and district playoffs with wins over Eudora (33-6), Ottawa (35-0), St. James Academy (49-7), Silver Lake (21-3), De Soto (28-7), Baldwin (42-26), Spring Hill (35-6), Osawatomie (62-6) and Paola (21-3). Louisburg won every game by 18 points or more.

The Wildcats dominated their way through the Class 4A state playoffs with victories over Anderson County (42-20), Chanute (56-35) and De Soto (21-0). Louisburg squared off with rival Paola in the sub-state championship and the Wildcats downed the Panthers 28-7 to advance to the state game against Holton.

Louisburg found itself down 10-0 for the first time all season early in the state championship game, but the Wildcats scored 24 unanswered points to win the title.

It was a talented squad that earned 22 spots on the All-Frontier League team, including eight first team selections. The Wildcats also had several all-state selections and were headlined by quarterback Kody Cook, running back/linebacker Garrett Griffin and linemen Tyler Ewy and Ross Dvorak, who each earned first-team honors.

Ewy was named as one of the Top 11 players in the state of Kansas by three different organizations and was the recipient of the Bobby Bell Award, which goes to the best small class defensive lineman in the Kansas City area. He was a fixture on the Wildcat defensive line as he led the team with 139 tackles, including 25 for a loss and 10 sacks.

Cook guided the offense all season as the team’s quarterback as he tallied more than 1,700 yards of total offense to go along with 19 touchdowns.

His teammate in the backfield was Griffin as he ran over opponents all season. Griffin led Louisburg with 1,594 yards rushing and 412 yards receiving to go along with a combined 27 touchdowns.

Along with Ewy, Dvorak was one of the leaders on the offensive and defensive lines and he was also third on the team with 89 tackles, nine for a loss and four sacks. He was a first-team all-state selection by the Kansas Football Coaches Association (KFCA). Linebacker Chad Turney was a first team all-league selection and was second on the team with 126 stops.

Gary Griffin was named Coach of the Year by the KFCA.

Members of the state championship team are Nate Goodwin, Nate O’Brien, Chris Chase, David Embers, Bradey Drew, Kody Cook, Hayden Guetterman, Jacob Powell, Ben Powers, Derek Mathis, Dylan York, Wyatt Sander, Nate Daugherty, Jordan Powell, Christian Richards, Christian Huffman, Nick Chapman, Will Garza, Alex Gentges, AJ Hildreth, Brett Hebert, Ryan Tinder, D.J. Meyer, Daniel O’Connor, Garrett Griffin, Clark Gregory, Luke Hupp, Curtis Lemke, Greyson Honsinger, Dakota Stone, Colton Seely, Alex Bell, Konnor Cook, Jason Danciak, Matt Nolte, Taylor Caskey, Matt Jenkins, Kyle McLellan, Chad Turney, Tyler Ewy, Colin Bird, Drew Carder, T.J. McKiearnan, Cole Kessler, Alex Cook, Ross Dvorak, Wayne Carlson, Ben Adams, Jacob Berglund, Mason Whaley, Doug Weers, Colton Rommel, David Stuteville, Dain Glenn, Kurtis Morgan, Austin Caskey and Kade Larson.

The Wildcats were led by head coach Gary Griffin and assistant coaches Wayne Whiting, Larry Aylor, Jeff Lohse, Kyle Littrell, Billy Neff and Greg Darrington.

Team trainers were Ali Dover, Brook Frazier and Mike Cardwell. Head athletic trainer was Dr. Damon Dennis.