Top tennis player puts on game face

Some true competitors are hard to spot when they’re not in action. Even on the surface when initially meeting them, you may be surprised they’re able to aggressively excel as much as they do when they present such a welcoming and innocent demeanor. The high school sports world is full of these types of competitors and you can see the change take place as they step from non-playing surface to playing surface.

Park Hill junior Suzanne Barth is one of those athletes and it’s even more evident this season as she is working to not only return to the state tennis tournament’s championship match again, but to win that match after coming in second a year ago. Kirkwood’s Rachel Stuhlmann, who Barth lost to in consecutive sets (6-0, 6-0) last year, has graduated leaving Barth with the added motivation to claim what she had come so close to doing last year as a sophomore. Coach Rustin Reys doesn’t believe it’s a matter of ability, but mentality.

“She’s so talented that she just has to learn to use her weapons to the best of her ability,” Reys said. “If her game plan and approach is right, she can’t be beat.”

Asked what it was like to be selected as one of the team captains as a junior, Barth will respond humbly, but her coach says she is a natural selection based on her own work ethic. While she may be soft spoken in the hallways of Park Hill, Barth seems to become someone different when she steps onto the court for practice or a match.

“She’s very authoritative when it comes to leading the team and pushing herself hard,” Reys said. “She’s very competitive and wants to win 10-0 every match.”

“I don’t like losing,” Barth said of her approach to competing. “It’s important to stay mentally strong all day.

Park Hill lost its first conference meet in several years to Lee’s Summit West last week. Although Barth did not play, as a captain she knew how important it was to shake the loss off and set their sights on the post-season.

“We need to stay positive,” Barth said. “We lost the match earlier in the week, so we just need to stay together.”

Although bummed with a sore left wrist of late, Barth’s one more year of experience and practice could bring her back to the state tournament as a more mature player and her coaches believe it will be the way she handles adversity that could be the difference maker.

“She has all the skills to be a state champ because she has no shot that needs improvement,” Reys said. “If she can make good game decisions, she will do well.”

Park Hill looks to Homecoming

After a disappointing road trip and defeat at Jefferson City last week 40-14, the Trojans will return to their home field this week as they host North Kansas City and hold homecoming festivities at Shorty Preston Field. North Kansas City comes into Friday’s game with a 1-4 record after winning their first game of the season last week against Ruskin by a slim 22-20 margin. In addition to a conference game, this will be a final tune-up for both teams as next week will be the first round of district play.

While Jefferson City has more than a one hundred year football history, Park Hill coach Greg Reynolds hoped his Trojan team would be able to match their own recent decade of successes with the Blue Jays last week. Park Hill struck first when Trace Norfleet put the Trojans on the board with his four yard touchdown run. Jefferson City bounced back by scoring two touchdowns. The first was a 25 yard run by Same Turner while the other was a 42 yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Tisdel. Park Hill tied it up at 14-14 before the half when Nathan Wilson found De’Aris Flint for a nine yard touchdown pass.

Tied at the half on the road against a good team was a good place to be in for the Trojans, but Jefferson City came alive in the third quarter by scoring 19 unanswered points followed by another touchdown in the fourth quarter. Jefferson City’s Devon Moore produced several long runs against the Trojans included the first two touchdowns in the half. He ended the night with seven carries for 106 yards. While Park Hill’s Trace Norfleet had 138 yards rushing, he needed 26 carries to get it, which is well above his season average.

Park Hill is now 3-2 on the season with a 2-0 conference record coming into this week.