Park Hill Soccer learns history, makes it

Some players on the Park Hill soccer team weren’t even born the last time they won a district championship back in 1993, something in the back of their minds as they met the Park Hill South Panthers in the district final last Wednesday. Both teams came into the match riding high after finishing the regular season on hot streaks and gliding through the first rounds of the tournament, but the Trojans pulled away after a back and forth game to claim the title with a 4-2 victory.

In typical Trojan/Panther soccer style, the match was very physical with its fair share of adrenaline clearly visible. It started with Joe Sbarro drawing a penalty kick which Jacob Fischer converted to put the Panthers up 1-0. Park Hill tied it up when Ray Lee assisted a Quenton Noble goal with about two minutes to go in the first half. South’s Sbarro drew another penalty converted by Fischer after a Trojan goal by Ray Lee to create a 2-2 tie in the second half. Park Hill broke away with less than 15 minutes to play when Lee scored a long distance goal and Zdvorak converted another Lee assist to bring the score to 4-2.

“We were too direct down the middle and got away from our wing play,” said South coach Joe Toigo about his team’s second half. “I think some of that can be contributed to the pressure their team was putting on the ball.”

Park Hill will now take on a familiar opponent in the sectional round Tuesday, Winnetonka. The Trojans won the season series 2-1, but the Griffins are coming off several wins including an upset of number one Liberty in the district final. Both teams are playing inspired soccer and peaking at the right time.

For the Trojans, to be in the playoffs has been on their minds since they were defeated by the Panthers to end their 2008 season.

“Revenge is a component of any good rivalry,” Park Hill coach Dustin Sollars said.

History hasn’t been on their side in the past, but Coach Dustin Sollars has made it a point to convey what this year’s team could mean to the school. He turned a portion of practice each day into somewhat of a history lesson where they talked about some of the school’s most successful teams, brought in former players, and even challenged them to find the last first place trophy won in the building to demonstrate how long ago it was.

What’s made this year’s team stand out from years past? Sollars believes it comes from players who are loyal to each other, willing to listen and work hard to try new things.

“And it doesn’t hurt that we’ve got some pretty talented players with us,” Sollars added.

The reward for a potential victory against Winnetonka would be a likely matchup against the number one ranked team in the state, Rockhurst, who has been a soccer powerhouse in recent years. Like any team looking to make their mark, Park Hill will have to go up against the best in order to reserve the place in history they hope to earn.

“I bumped into an old coach of mine and he reminded me of a quote by Lou Holtz,” Sollars said of his team’s accomplishments looking forward. “Goes like this, ‘If what you did yesterday was big, then you haven’t done much today.”