Week 1 Cram Session: Tonganoxie at Louisburg
Tonganoxie (1-0) at Louisburg (0-1), Sept. 11, 2019
A new football season is here and Tonganoxie High will look to build on its deepest playoff run in program history. THS finished 2023 with a 9-3 record and a substate appearance. The Chieftains were one victory away from their first-ever state appearance, but St. Thomas Aquinas ended Tonganoxie’s historic postseason run. Last year’s squad was senior-heavy and is again this fall.
Records: Tonganoxie 0-0 overall and 0-0 in Frontier League play; Louisburg 0-0 and 0-0.
Last year: Tonganoxie’s two regular-season losses were by a combined 8 points (30-29 against LHS and 36-29 against Spring Hill). THS defeated Ottawa in the regular-season finale and the Week 9 playoff, 40-10 and 45-10 before slipping past Chanute, 28-21, and Atchison, 57-50, on the road. St. Thomas Aquinas ended Tonganoxie’s season, 42-14, at Beatty Field. STA went on to win the state title against Andover Central, 35-7. Louisburg went undefeated in the regular season and shut out Labette County in the Week 9 playoff game before falling the next week, 22-20, to Basehor-Linwood was shut out, 31-0, last Friday at Spring Hill.
Last meeting: Louisburg won, 30-29, last year in Tonganoxie.
Series record: Tonganoxie is 3-5 vs. Louisburg. THS defeated Louisburg, 22-6, in 1989 and then Louisburg won the rematch, 20-8, in 1990. The teams renewed the series in 2018 when Tonganoxie joined the Frontier League.
Coaches: Louisburg’s Drew Harding is in his third year as Louisburg head coach and eighth year overall at LHS after serving as an assistant coach. He is 17-3 in two seasons and has two Frontier League titles to his credit. Harding also served as defensive coordinator during his tenure as an assistant. Harding also is an Louisburg graduate. Tonganoxie’s Preston Troyer is in his third year at Tonganoxie as head coach, but it’s his 12th overall at THS after serving a decade as an assistant under his father, Al Troyer. Preston is 13-8 as head coach in two seasons. Tonganoxie went 63-37 during Preston’s time as an assistant.
Trends: Tonganoxie will be home for the first time in Week 2 when another Frontier League foe in Spring Hill comes to town. THS has former Kaw Valley League rival Lansing in Week 3 on the road before back-to-back home games against Paola and Bonner Springs.
Two-minute drill: Tonganoxie will look to snap a three-game losing streak against Louisburg.
— Local high school football historian Jeff Hughes contributed to this story.