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Written by Andy Brown
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Wednesday, 10 March 2010 08:00 |
You have to forgive the Louisburg basketball teams if they have a little distaste for Ottawa this week. They have every reason to. 
The Cyclones ended the seasons of both Wildcat teams this past week at the Class 4A substate basketball tournament in Osawatomie. But even in defeat, Louisburg has every reason to hold its head high.
Both teams had their ups and downs this season, as they hovered around the .500 mark. The Wildcats had adversity to overcome, not to mention a tough schedule.
However, both teams came together at just the right time.
Heading into Thursday’s substate semifinal game with Ottawa, the Lady Cats had won seven of their last nine games and were playing their best basketball season. Earlier in the season, they fell to Ottawa by 13, but Louisburg trailed by just five points midway through the fourth quarter of the semifinal game.
Late turnovers and missed shots ended up dooming the Lady Cats against Ottawa, who ended up beating Spring Hill to win the substate title. The loss saw the end of five senior careers, but Louisburg did everything it could to make it to the title game.
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Written by Andy Brown
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Wednesday, 10 March 2010 08:00 |
Chalice Schmollinger went to Allen County Community College in hopes of continuing her softball career. 
She definitely got that accomplished.
Schmollinger, a 2008 graduate of Louisburg High School, recently signed to play softball for the University of Saint Mary in 2011 after a strong freshman season one year ago as a catcher. She will play one more season at Allen, before moving on to play two years at the Leavenworth school.
“We are a small school with a community feeling where Chalice will continue to get a great education,” St. Mary softball coach Lori Lorenzen said. “We are graduating a four-year starting catcher, so we will need that spot filled next year. Chalice has the ability to do that for us with the experience she brings from Allen.”
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Written by Andy Brown
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Wednesday, 10 March 2010 08:00 |
Ross Dvorak and the rest of the Louisburg boys’ basketball team knew they were going to pull the upset late during Friday’s substate semifinal game. 
In one of the numerous timeouts in the double-overtime affair with No. 1 seed Osawatomie, Dvorak kept hearing this voice tell him the same thing over and over.
“We knew we had it the whole time,” Dvorak said. “Coach kept telling us we did, anyway.”
Turns out, coach Chad Harvey was right.
It took two overtimes, but the Wildcats came away with a 70-64 victory over the Trojans on their home floor and advanced to the substate title game against Ottawa on Saturday. In what was a back-and-forth affair, the Louisburg defense held firm when Osawatomie had the final shot to win at the end of regulation and the first overtime.
“These guys are resilient,” Harvey said. “They keep going after it and they keep wanting it. We have worked hard for it all year and we have taken our lumps. We have been through some high times, some low times and some even lower times and we have fought through it. We have started to peak at the right time.”
With much of the focus of Osawatomie’s defense on sophomore forward Garrett Griffin, junior forward Dvorak got a chance to shine and he took full advantage. Dvorak scored a season-high 19 points in the victory and Griffin finished with 18.
The two forwards combined for 37 points and 16 rebounds and they controlled the paint against the Trojans.
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Written by Andy Brown
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Wednesday, 10 March 2010 08:00 |
High school wrestling isn’t quite over for Louisburg senior Bryce Hood. 
Hood, who finished second at the recent Class 4A state tournament, was recently bestowed an honor just days after he received his third straight state medal.
Hood was selected to wrestle in the 18th Annual U.S. Army Metro Classic. The meet offers the best Kansas senior wrestlers in each high school weight class against the best Missouri senior wrestlers from the Kansas City metro area.
The Metro Classic will be held at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Kansas City Kansas Community College coliseum. Last year over 3,000 people watched two hours of wrestling in what ended up as a 27-23 Kansas victory.
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Written by Andy Brown
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Wednesday, 10 March 2010 08:00 |
A couple of days following the Class 4A state wrestling tournament, Greg Darrington sat at home and wondered if it was the right decision. 
He went back and forth about what he should do. The Louisburg wrestling coach had gotten close to several of his wrestlers and he knows the foundation is there for a great program.
In the end, however, he had to do it.
On March 2, Darrington handed in his letter of resignation to Louisburg activities director Doug Key and he told his wrestlers later in the day. He said it was one of the toughest decisions he had to make.
“I took off (March 1) and thought all day about what I should do,” Darrington said. “It was a very tough and emotional day. I know that it is time for me to focus on my family because my kids will be gone within the next couple of years. I just don’t want to wake up years from now regretting that I did not spend time with my own kids.
“I took the job over knowing it was for only a short time. The program is at a point a young coach could take this to the next level and make Louisburg wrestling successful.”
Darrington spent two years as the Wildcat head coach after taking over for Brent Lane. The Wildcat program took off this past season after the Wildcats qualified five for the state tournament and medaled two.
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