Panthers win big with pins

LOUISBURG — The Louisburg and Paola wrestling teams got a break from the normal tournament wrestling grind as the Panthers traveled to Louisburg on Tuesday for dual action. It has been years since the Wildcats and Panthers faced each other in a weekday dual, and the athletic directors from both schools wanted to put it on the schedule as a way to get extra matches. Click here to read the rest: “Panthers win big with pins” (Andy Brown, Louisburg Herald, 1/10/13)

Home tourney kind to Wildcats

LOUISBURG — The Louisburg Wildcat Classic brought several new wrestling teams to town Saturday, and with that, came a lot of competition.The Wildcats, being fairly inexperienced themselves, finished seventh out of 11 teams with 99 points, but that didn’t mean some individual wrestlers didn’t experience some success on their own. Click here to read the rest: “Home tourney kind to Wildcats” (Andy Brown, Louisburg Herald, 1/08/13)

Wildcats host 10 teams Saturday

Practice time has been at a premium for the Louisburg wrestling team the past week. With the holiday season in full swing and snowy weather around the new year, it has been hard for the Wildcats to get on the mat as a team. Click here to read the rest: “Wildcats host 10 teams on Saturday” (Andy Brown, Louisburg Herald, 1/04/13)

Fort Scott Duals

Knox goes undefeated, leads Wildcats at Fort Scott

December 1, 2012

Sophomore Zach Knox recorded 3 pins to lead the Wildcats in our first competition of the season at the 2012 Fort Scott Duals. The Wildcats faced off against five other opponents in a round-robin competition in which all teams go head-to-head in dual format. Louisburg faced three regional opponents and two other larger schools, going 1-4 in duals and taking 5th place as a team.

The weekend was filled with positives and negatives, and this sport is truly a roller-coaster ride throughout the season. Fielding a team with only four wrestlers with varsity experience, the Wildcats were able to fill 13 of the 14 weight classes. Not only were most of the team first-time varsity wrestlers, but eight of them were either freshmen or sophomores. Every LHS wrestler represented the team with pride and determination. Inexperience was our biggest disadvantage, as we lost to Fort Scott 49-30, Blue Valley Southwest 51-21, Anderson County 41-31, and Paola 36-30. Our sole dual victory came against Shawnee Mission West by a score of 42-33.

Three Wildcats ended the day with a .500 record or better: Knox was 3-0 at 120 / 126 lbs., sophomore Sean Dennis was 2-1 at 145 lbs., and freshman Jacob Bolton was 2-2 at 152 lbs. Knox recorded three pins, while Dennis and Bolton each earned two pins. Also recording pins were freshman Anders Vance (1-4 at 220 lbs.) and senior Kade Larson (2-3 at 285 lbs.). Sophomore Austin Huber (120 / 126 lbs.) won by major decision against his Anderson County opponent, senior Austen Scott (132 lbs.) won a high-scoring decision against his Anderson County opponent, and junior Ben Powers (138 lbs.) earned a decision against his Blue Valley Southwest opponent. Five other Wildcats, all of them either freshmen or first-year wrestlers, hit the mats for LHS on Saturday: freshman Adam Harris (0-4 at 106 lbs.), freshman Parker Cates (0-2 at 113 lbs.), senior Dylan York (0-5 at 160 lbs.), sophomore Brenton Wrigley (0-3 at 170 lbs.), and junior TJ McKiearnan (0-3 at 182 lbs.).

This upcoming weekend, the Wildcats will take on a hefty challenge at the 34th annual Eudora Tournament of Champions. Over twenty teams from 4A, 5A, and 6A will be competing at this tough two-day tournament. LHS will have the chance to square off against many state-ranked wrestlers.

Individual Results: (not including forfeits)
106 lbs. – Adam Harris (fr.) 0-4
113 lbs. – Parker Cates (fr.) 0-2
120 / 126 lbs. – Zach Knox (so.) 3-0, 3 falls
120 / 126 lbs. – Austin Huber (so.) 1-3
132 lbs. – Austen Scott (sr.) 1-2
138 lbs. – Ben Powers (jr.) 1-4
145 lbs. – Sean Dennis (so.) 2-1, 2 falls
152 lbs. – Jacob Bolton (fr.) 2-2, 2 falls
160 lbs. – Dylan York (sr.) 0-5
170 lbs. – Brenton Wrigley (so.) 0-3
182 lbs. – TJ McKiearnan (jr.) 0-3
195 lbs. – open
220 lbs. – Anders Vance (fr.) 1-4, 1 fall
285 lbs. – Kade Larson (sr.) 2-3, 2 falls

Dual Record: 1-4

Team Placing: 5th out of 6 teams

Next Competition:
Eudora Tournament of Champions (December 7-8, 2012)

Wildcats set for the 2012-13 Season!

The tradition of winning is returning to the Wildcats wrestling team. The 2012-13 season looks to be a promising one for the Louisburg High School wrestlers under the direction of second-year head coach Bobby Bovaird. Assistant coach Aaron Ziadeh returns for his third season with the Wildcats, and the squad is being joined by first-year assistant Robert Ebenstein.

A year ago, the Wildcats saw history being made with the third state championship of Austin Hood. Hood etched his name in the record books in many categories, and was named the KWCA 4A Senior Wrestler of the Year. Louisburg finished 6^th at 4A Regionals and 20^th at 4A State. Joining A. Hood was younger brother Cullen, who went 1-2 at 120 lbs., and graduate Austin Caskey, a 38-match winner at 145 lbs. Caskey was Louisburg’s lone Frontier League Champion, followed by league runners-up C. Hood (120 lbs.), Curtis Lemke (152 lbs.), and Kyle McLellan (220 lbs.).

Five seniors are returning to the mat this season. Cullen Hood will be looking to earn his first state championship, and Kyle McLellan, a 25-match winner, will also be looking for some hardware at state. Curtis Lemke and Austen Scott will also provide some great leadership, along with Kyle Edwards. Lemke was one match away from qualifying for state last season.

Junior Ben Powers, sophomore Austin Huber, and sophomore Zach Knox will also be shooting for success this season. All three were first-year wrestlers last season, and Huber was one match away from qualifying for state.

This year’s squad is ready to hit the mats this winter. After the ups and downs of last season, the Wildcats are ready for a competitive season, and Coach Bovaird and the LHS coaching staff plan to use that excitement for the upcoming season.

Labor Day at the Legion

Support the Louisburg High School wrestling team! On Monday, September 3, come on out to the American Legion Post 250 in Louisburg!

We will be returning to the Louisburg Labor Day celebration to sell funnel cakes as we try to raise money for team uniforms, tournament meals, and season awards for the 2012-13 season. Look for the booth with the LHS Wildcat Wrestling banner and follow your nose to the smell of freshly-fried funnel cakes!

The Labor Day parade begins at 10:00am and the festivities at the Legion begin immediately following the conclusion of the parade. The address for American Legion Post 250 is 403 S 9th St. in Louisburg.

Please come on out — not just to support the Wildcat Wrestlers, but also for lots of family fun!

2011-12 Season Award Winners!

Curtis Lemke (junior, 152 lbs.) works a stack. Photo by Maggie Perkins.

Congratulations to all of the Wildcat Wrestlers for an outstanding season. Thank you all for your hard work, your great attitudes, and the fond memories. This is a great start to a new tradition for Louisburg High School wrestling, and I’m proud of you all!

Here are the award winners for the 2011-12 season:

Varsity Letter-winners
Seniors: Austin Hood, Austin Caskey, Colton Rommel
Juniors: Cullen Hood, Curtis Lemke, Kyle McLellan, Austen Scott
Sophomores: Ben Powers
Freshmen: Austin Huber, Zach Knox,

Team Awards
Wrestler of the Year: Austin Hood
Wildcat of the Year: Austin Caskey
Workhorse Award: Ben Powers
Newcomer of the Year: Austin Huber
JV Wrestler of the Year: Zach Knox

Champions
Austin Hood: Eudora Tournament of Champions, Louisburg Wildcat Classic, Blue Valley Northwest Husky Invitational, Baldwin Invitational, Silver Lake Invitational, 4A Regionals, 4A State
Austin Caskey: Silver Lake Invitational, Frontier League Tournament

Other Honors
40-Match Winner: Austin Hood (40-0)
30-Match Winner: Austin Caskey (38-14)
20-Match Winner: Cullen Hood (20-6), Kyle McLellan (25-10)

KWCA Awards
Austin Caskey – Academic All-State, Honorable Mention
Austin Hood – Academic All-State, Honorable Mention
Austin Hood – 4A Senior Wrestler of the Year
Andy Brown, Louisburg Herald – Mediaperson of the Year

Kansas City Metro Classic Metro Classic All-Star Dual
Austin Hood – 126 lbs. (wbf 2:51 over J. Krout, Winnetonka)

Miami County Republic Tri-County Spotlight Team
Austin Hood (126 lbs.) – 1st Team, Wrestler of the Year
Austin Caskey (145 lbs.) – 2nd Team
Kyle McLellan (220 lbs.) – 2nd Team
Cullen Hood (120 lbs.) – Honorable Mention

4A State Tournament @ Salina Bicentennial Center

February 24-25, 2012

Austin Hood makes history, wins championship #3!

The 2012 4A State Tournament saw several things go down in the record books of Louisburg High School wrestling. Senior Austin Hood won an unprecedented 3rd state championship, going 40-0 this season and notching win #150 in the state finals. Junior Cullen Hood (120 lbs.) and senior Austin Caskey (145 lbs.) both came up short, but performed marvelously and represented the Wildcats well. LHS came out with a combined record of 5 wins and 4 losses to bring us to a 20th place finish as a team. It was a tight race for the team championship, but Andale prevailed with 99 points, followed by Colby with 96.5 points and Bonner Springs with 92.5 points.

In his final state tournament appearance, Austin Hood delivered a performance that makes a strong argument for him to be the 4A Senior Wrestler of the Year. He opened the tournament with a technical fall over his Clearwater opponent. In the quarterfinals, Austin faced a familiar foe in Smoky Valley’s Alex Wolf, whom he had defeated Wolf 5-2 in the state finals in 2011. This time, it wasn’t even a close match, with Austin winning by fall in the 3rd period. In the semi-finals, Austin once again tech falled his opponent, this one from Rose Hill. In the finals, another familiar opponent stood in the way of his 3rd state championship: Baldwin’s Bryce Shoemaker. This would be the 4th time these two would meet this season, with Austin winning the previous three encounters. Facing a great deal of pressure, Austin stepped up and rose to the occasion. Scoring two takedowns and an escape, while only giving up one escape himself, Austin finished his high school career with a 5-1 decision and a gold medal.

Cullen Hood had what was arguably one of the toughest weight classes in the entire state. He opened with a 2nd period fall against his Circle opponent, but his next match would be a tough one. He would have to beat Dustin Reed, the defending state champion from Colby. It was a tight match for most of the bout, but Reed scored a takedown to go up 2-0. Late in the 3rd period, Cullen looked like he may have scored the tying takedown, but the officials called it out-of-bounds and penalized Reed for fleeing the mat. With the score being 2-1, Cullen was unable to score the winning points as time ran out. On the back side of the bracket, Cullen faced a returning state medalist from Buhler. It went into double-overtime, and Cullen was unable to escape, losing the match 1-0. Four returning state medalists from last year, including Cullen, left Salina empty-handed.

Austin Caskey had a great season, winning 38 matches and qualifying for state, but he saw his dreams of a state medal disappear early in the tournament. In his first match, Caskey faced a Hugoton wrestler who would eventually take 4th at state. Caskey couldn’t defend against his opponent’s attacks and lost by fall in the 2nd period. On the back side of the bracket, He ran into a solid wrestler from St. James Academy. Caskey fought him off as best as he could, but his opponent was just too overpowering and dominated his way to a 10-1 major decision over Caskey.

The Wildcats finished the season with three 4A State Qualifiers. Austin Hood won his 3rd state championship, Cullen Hood went 1-2, and Austin Caskey went 0-2. It has truly been a great season – thank you for all of your support!

Individual Results:
120 lbs. – Austin Hood (sr.) 4-0, 1 fall, 2 tech falls, 1st place
126 lbs. – Cullen Hood (jr.) 1-2, 1 fall
145 lbs. – Austin Caskey (sr.) 0-2

Team Placing: 20th out of 64 teams

4A State Tournament Information

Thursday-Friday-Saturday, February 23-25 at Salina Bicentennial Center (Staying overnight Thursday 2/23 and Friday 2/24)

Tournament Location:

Salina Bicentennial Center 800 The Midway Salina, KS 67401

Hotel Location:

La Quinta Inn & Suites 201 East Diamond Dr. Salina, KS 67401 (785) 827-9000

Itinerary:

Thursday, 2/23

• 2:00pm Wrestlers released from 6th hour; go to Coach Bovaird’s room for a team meeting
• 2:15pm Depart for Salina
• 5:30pm ETA in Salina; check in at La Quinta Inn & Suites
• 6:00pm Depart for Salina Bicentennial Center for practice (6:30-8:00pm)
• 8:30pm Dinner
• 9:00pm Team meeting in Coach Bovaird’s room
• 9:30pm In rooms, lights out at 10:00pm

Friday, 2/24

• 5:30am Breakfast (for those who can eat)
• 6:20am Leave for Salina Bicentennial Center
• 7:00am Weigh-Ins begin
• 10:00am First Round
• 2:00pm Second Round – Championship Quarterfinals
• 4:00pm First-Round Consolation, Championship Semifinals

Saturday, 2/25

• 6:30am Wake-up call, breakfast
• 7:30am Leave for Salina Bicentennial Center
• 9:00am Consolation Cross-Bracketing
• 10:45am Consolation Quarterfinals
• 12:15pm Consolation Semifinals
• 2:00pm 5th place matches, 3rd place matches; 45 minutes following the conclusion of the Consolation Finals will be the Championship Finals 
• 7:30pm Optional team dinner

Visit the KSHSAA web page for more information!

Baldwin Invitational Tournament

January 28, 2012

Hood dominant at Baldwin!

This season marks the first time that the Louisburg Wildcats have been invited to the Baldwin Invitational Tournament, a tough match-up of some of the top 4A schools in the area. Prairie View came out on top with the team championship, followed by Holton, Tonganoxie, Oak Park (Missouri), and host Baldwin. LHS finished in 11th place out of 15 teams with one champion and two other placers.

Senior Austin Hood made another statement this weekend by placing 1st at 126 lbs. Hood scored a dominant tech fall in the quarterfinals and then made a quick pin in the semifinals. In the championship finals, he faced a familiar foe in Baldwin’s Bryce Shoemaker. Hood went right to work in the first period, scoring a quick takedown off an ankle pick and then earning a 2-point nearfall before the end of the first period. Shoemaker chose neutral in the second period and Hood gave up a rare takedown to him. In the third period, Hood chose down and Shoemaker gave an early escape, and the rest of the match became a strategic battle for control. In the end, Hood remained dominant and brought home the championship with a 5-2 victory. Junior Kyle McLellan (220 lbs.) also had a good weekend, taking 4th place in his weight class. He lost to a tough kid from Oak Park, Missouri, but rebounded through the back side of the bracket to meet up with Santa Fe Trail’s Edward Fitzgerald in the 3rd place match. Fitzgerald, who has been ranked at the top in Class 4A, was a tough obstacle that McLellan could not get around. Senior Austin Caskey placed 5th at 145 lbs., dropping some tough matches to opponents from Prairie View and Basehor-Linwood. In the consolation finals match for 5th place, however, he won a great 11-9 decision against his Holton opponent.

Junior Austen Scott (132 lbs.), freshman Austin Huber (113 lbs.), and junior Curtis Lemke (152 lbs.) found themselves with tough draws in the first round, as all three lost their first matches. They each set out to finish as high as they could in the tournament, but only Scott made it to the 9th place match. Scott was leading his Santa Fe Trail opponent by 4 points before getting caught and pinned. Huber won a major decision and Lemke earned a fall on the backside of their brackets, but both lost in the next round. Despite being light for his weight, sophomore Ben Powers continues to fill in at 138 lbs. and giving it all he’s got. Powers was 0-2 on the weekend.

As the Wildcat Wrestlers near the end of January, we find ourselves getting closer and closer to the end of the season. There’s only one more regular tournament before we begin our “Championship Series” of League, Regionals, and State. Next weekend, we travel to Silver Lake for their annual invitational tournament.

Individual Results:
113 lbs. – Austin Huber (fr.) 1-2
126 lbs. – Austin Hood (sr.) 3-0, 1 fall, 1 tech fall, 1st place
132 lbs. – Austen Scott (jr.) 1-2, 1 fall
138 lbs. – Ben Powers (so.) 0-2
145 lbs. – Austin Caskey (sr.) 3-2, 1 fall, 5th place
152 lbs. – Curtis Lemke (jr.) 1-2, 1 fall
220 lbs. – Kyle McLellan (jr.) 2-2, 2 falls, 4th place

Team Placing: 11th out of 15 teams

Next Competition: Silver Lake Invitational (February 4, 2012)