White Team victorious at the Purple-White Scrimmage!

4th Annual Purple-White Scrimmage

2 December, 2014

Keeping the tradition going, the Wildcats unofficially kick-started the season with the 4th Annual Purple-White Scrimmage. Thirty-nine wrestlers took to the mat Tuesday evening to give our home crowd a show in a formal intersquad dual to determine who will represent LHS at the varsity level. Wrestlers also engaged in matches to determine the ranking in each weight class and exhibition matches to give them invaluable mat experience.

Ultimately, the White Team prevailed 66-45. The White Team is currently 3-1 against the Purple Team since the scrimmage’s inception in the 2011-12 season.

Although there were several pins on the evening, there were also many exciting match-ups. Winning a 7-0 decision at 145 lbs., freshman Will Ridley defeated sophomore Connor Green for the varsity spot. Sophomore Nathan Keegan edged freshman Kyle Allen at 120 lbs., and senior Zach Knox won a tough 6-4 decision against sophomore Dylan Meyer at 132 lbs. Senior Brenton Wrigley defeated junior Jimmy Dolan for varsity at 182 lbs. In other varsity wrestle-offs, sophomore Ben Hupp pinned Dillin Roberts in an exciting come-from-behind match at 160 lbs. Sophomore Mason Koechner pinned junior Bradley Trageser at 220 lbs., and junior Jordan Crowder pinned junior Marshall Rooney at 170 lbs. Uncontested for varsity positions were freshman Thad Hendrix at 106 lbs., sophomore David Bindi at 113 lbs., freshman Tucker Batten at 126 lbs., freshman Ryan Adams at 138 lbs., junior Zach Jones at 152 lbs., and Anders Vance at 285 lbs. Senior Joey Goode was to face off against sophomore Nathan Allen at 195 lbs., but a concussion suffered at practice prevented Goode from being able to wrestle.

The Wildcats feature several returning lettermen from last season. Bindi was 21-14 at 106, Knox was 27-15 at 126, and Goode was 13-9 at 195. Bindi, Meyer, Knox, and Wrigley were all one match away from qualifying for state in 2014. Other letterwinners in 2014 include Dolan, Jones, Roberts, Trageser, Vance, and Koechner. Senior Nephi Rodriguez, Hupp, Keegan, and sophomore Owen Staver also won varsity matches last season.

For the fourth year, we’ve been proud to welcome back several figures from Louisburg High School Wrestling history. This season we had the honor to have Shawn Crossley (’98), Dereck Kerr (’00), Justin Kircher (’00), and Jesse Myers (’00) serve as honorary coaches. Crossley was a 3-time state qualifier, sported an 83-31 career record, and was the 1998 Senior Wrestler of the Year. Kerr was a 4-time state qualifier, a 2-time Frontier League champion, and had an 80-28 career record. Kircher was a 2-time state qualifier for the Wildcats. Myers was a 3-time state qualifier, a regional champion, a 2-time Frontier League champion, and had a 63-21 career record. All four were members of the 1997 team that was undefeated Frontier League Duals champions and the 1998 team that won the Frontier League Tournament. That team was also 12-1 in duals and won team titles at Spring Hill, Louisburg, and Prairie View. Crossley and Kerr coached the White Team to its third straight victory in the Purple-White series.

The Wildcats officially begin the season with a home dual against Osawatomie on Thursday, December 4. The varsity then takes to the mats Saturday, December 6 at the Fort Scott duals where we’ll face off against Anderson County, Blue Valley Southwest, Fort Scott, Paola, and Shawnee Mission West. That same day, JV will compete at the Blue Valley North JV Tournament.

Varsity Challenge Matches:
120 lbs. – Nathan Keegan (Purple) def. Kyle Allen (White) dec. 6-4
132 lbs. – Zach Knox (Purple) def. Dylan Meyer (White) dec. 8-6
145 lbs. – Will Ridley (Purple) def. Connor Green (White) dec. 7-0
160 lbs. – Ben Hupp (White) def. Dillin Roberts (Purple) wbf
170 lbs. – Jordan Crowder (Purple) def. Marshall Rooney (White) wbf
182 lbs. – Brenton Wrigley (White) def. Jimmy Dolan (Purple) dec. 6-2
220 lbs. – Mason Koechner (White) def. Bradley Trageser (Purple) wbf

Ranking Matches:
132 lbs. – Jaylen Boileau (White) def. Sierra Sullivan (Purple) wbf
145 lbs. – Chris Turner (Purple) def. Jacob Mitchell (White) wbf
160 lbs. – Kylan Harper (White) def. Jud Deering (Purple) wbf
160 lbs. – Leland Koehn (White) def. Kain O’Keefe (Purple) wbf
182 lbs. – Lyndon Smith (White) def. Billy Rose (Purple) wbf
220 lbs. – Nephi Rodriguez (Purple) def. Matthew Rison (White) wbf

Exhibition Matches:
106 / 120 lbs. – Thad Hendrix (Purple) def. Alec Maler (White) wbf
113 / 120 lbs. – David Bindi (White) def. Nathan Keegan (Purple) dec. 6-4 OT
132 / 145 lbs. – Garrett Caldwell (Purple) def. Jaylen Boileau (White) wbf
138 / 152 lbs. – Ryan Adams (White) def. Zach Jones (Purple) wbf
160 lbs. – Owen Staver (Purple) def. Zac Meyer (White) wbf
182 lbs. – Austin Raetzel (White) def. Billy Rose (Purple) wbf
195 / 220 lbs. – Josh Vickrey (White) def. Nathan Allen (Purple) wbf
220 / 285 lbs. – Anders Vance (White) def. Bradley Trageser (Purple) wbf

Next Competitions:
Thursday, Dec. 4: Osawatomie Dual @ HOME, 6:30pm (Varsity and JV)
Saturday, Dec. 6: Ft. Scott Duals, 9:00am (Varsity)
Saturday, Dec. 6: Blue Valley North JV, 8:00am (JV)

1st Annual Purple-White Scrimmage

29 November, 2011

Purple Team prevails in 1st annual intra-squad dual!

The Wildcat Wrestlers kicked off a new tradition on Tuesday, Nov. 29: the Purple-White Scrimmage, an intra-squad competition in which the top two wrestlers in each weight square off in a formal dual to see who will represent LHS at the varsity level. All wrestlers competed in matches that were either varsity wrestle-offs, ranking matches, or exhibition matches. In its inaugural year, the scrimmage resulted in a 52-24 victory for the Purple Team.

The scrimmage featured 6 varsity wrestle-off matches, 1 ranking match, and 6 exhibition matches. LHS is returning 2 state qualifiers: junior Cullen Hood, who placed 5th in state at 103 lbs., and senior Austin Hood, who won his second state championship at 119 lbs. C. Hood won his match by fall and A. Hood won an exhibition match against senior Austin Caskey (145 lbs.) by a 14-4 major decision. Caskey also won a varsity wrestle-off against freshman Cooper Skeem. Senior Colton Rommel (195 lbs.) bumped up against junior Konnor Cook (285 lbs.) for an exhibition match. Despite having a difference in weight of about 40 pounds, Rommel and Cook had a great match.

A special feature of the Purple-White Scrimmage is the invitation of Honorary Coaches. This year, we welcomed Coach Dee Graham and Representative Jene Vickrey. Graham was a Social Studies teacher and coach at LHS throughout the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. He coached numerous team championships in his tenure at LHS, including 4 League titles and 2 Louisburg Wildcat Class titles. He coached 61 state qualifiers, 7 state medalists, and 2 state champions (Tim Dozier in 1987 and Sonny Ewalt in 1993). Vickrey graduated from LHS in 1977, competing for Coach Don Meek and Coach Graham. He was a state qualifier at 119 lbs. his senior year. A life-long resident of Miami County, he owns and operates his own floor covering business. Vickrey has served in the Kansas House of Representatives since 1993, representing the 6th District, and he is currently the Speaker Pro Tem of the KS House.

Winners of the varsity wrestle-offs will compete at the Ft. Scott Duals this weekend. The Wildcats will have 5 duals against a tough slate of teams including Ft. Scott, Blue Valley Southwest, Jayhawk-Linn, Paola, Parsons, and Shawnee Mission West. All other Wildcat Wrestlers will compete at the Blue Valley North JV tournament.

Varsity Challenge Match Results:
120 lbs. – Cullen Hood (Purple) wbf over Zach Knox (White)
138 lbs. – Austen Scott (White) wbf over Ben Powers (Purple)
145 lbs. – Austin Caskey (White) wbf over Cooper Skeem (Purple)
152 lbs. – Curtis Lemke (Purple) wbf over Shea Cox (White)
160 lbs. – Bret Bullock (Purple) wbf over Cody Richards (White)
182 lbs. – John Hamamy (Purple) wbf over Greyson Honsinger (White)

Exhibition / Ranking Match Results:
152 / 182 lbs. – Kyle Edwards (Purple) wbf over Colin Bird (White)
106 / 113 lbs. – Austin Huber (White) wbf over Logan Glenn (Purple)
120 lbs. – Spencer Bowman (Purple) wbf over Reid Blythe (White)
138 / 145 lbs. – Chris Drew (Purple) wbf over Ray Metzger (White)
170 / 182 lbs. – Colin Bird (White) wbf over Jeremiah Ming (Purple)
195 / 285 lbs. – Konnor Cook (Purple) wbf over Colton Rommel (White)
126 / 145 lbs. – Austin Hood (Purple) maj. dec. Austin Caskey (White)

Next Competition: Ft. Scott Duals (Saturday, Dec. 3, 2001)

1st Annual Purple-White Scrimmage

Come out and support the Wildcat Wrestlers this Tuesday, Nov. 29, at 7:00pm!

The top two wrestlers in each weight will be divided into two teams — the Purple Team and the White Team. The Wildcats will then wrestle-off in an intra-squad dual format to determine the varsity wrestler for our first competition.

Another highlight of the evening will be the Honorary Coaches for the two teams. One Honorary Coach has been confirmed — Coach Dee Graham, who steered the Wildcat Wrestling teams to great successes in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.

All Wildcat Wrestlers will get at least one match, whether it’s a wrestle-off for varsity, a ranking match for depth, or an exhibition match. There should be some exciting matches to determine our varsity line-up!

Admission is free for everyone, but be sure to wear your purple and invite as many friends as you can!

On Saturday, Dec. 3, the varsity squad travels south for the Ft. Scott Duals, and the JV squad travels north for the Blue Valley North JV Tournament. We will take a full varsity line-up to Ft. Scott, and all other wrestlers will get to compete at BVN.