FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Park Hill looks strong in the trenches

The 2011 Trojan football team will feature some familiar names back in the lineup from Park Hill’s 7-4 squad from last year, this a benefit of having key injuries last season where others were able to gain experience at the varsity level when they may not have otherwise. It was especially the case with the offensive line which returns three players with significant time including Alex Connor, Alex Bowser, and Zach Anderson. Connor Farmer, at 6’6” will either be a tall target as a tight end or presence as an offensive lineman, depending on how a few injuries progress leading into week one.

Taking the snaps will be senior quarterback Tyler White who coach Greg Reynolds says he feels has improved greatly through the offseason and presents the most comfortable choice as a leader and Trojan signal caller. White will have a number of weapons to choose from when it comes to skills players. Senior Jordan Wang, the Trojans fullback and second leading rusher last season, will become the number one tailback for Park Hill presenting a strong, aggressive type of running style. As a leading member of the defense a year ago, he’ll now focus solely on offense unless a situation presents the need. Backing him up and also sure to contribute will be junior Dondrell Hardiman. The two present two different styles of running which will allow the Trojans to utilize both of their talents.

“He (Hardiman) is going to be a part of what we do. He’s too good of an athlete. We can use him in a lot of different ways. He has some of the best hands on the team. They’re two different kinds of backs. Dondrell is a speedier back where Jordan is going to be able to get you the yards you need,” Reynolds said.

Chris Heustus will lead the way at full-time along with Zach Montgomery. Out wide at receiver, Reynolds says there are several players showing promise which adds to the depth and flexibility they can have on offense. Additionally, the running backs will be active in the passing game as they’ve also demonstrated an ability to be relied up on to catch the ball.

“But at the same time it all depends on what happens up front,” Reynolds said referring to the offensive line.

Defensively, the Trojans will be strong up the middle with defensive lineman Ondre Pipkins and lineback Will Gaye returning as two of Park Hill’s most reliable stoppers. On both sides of Gaye will be a younger group of linebackers and if they adjust to the varsity level well could have the Trojan defense shaping up to be a strongpoint. Pipkins, at 6’3” 325 pounds, recently committed to play at the University of Michigan next year and will be tasked with taking on opposing teams’ inside gaps.

“When you have an anchor in the middle like that, you feel pretty good,” Reynolds said.

Gage Wright returns at corner as the Trojans’ leading interceptor. The secondary is an area with good depth, but short on height, which is not something Reynolds is worried about because of his primary focus on stopping the ground game.

“Our philosophy has always been that you have to stop the running game, if you don’t do that we’re probably not going to stop the passing game either,” Reynolds said. “You can sometimes lose games because of big plays, but our overall philosophy is to run the ball and hold possession, very rarely do we score 21 points and lose.”

Liberty, Staley, and Lee’s Summit West will test Park Hill this year in addition to a newly energized Park Hill South rival. While the Trojans have won six consecutive district titles, they will be looking to gain their first playoff victory in over four years.

FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Park Hill South wants to build on playoff season

The 2010 Park Hill South football season was one of change for the Panthers. They had a new head coach in Mark Simcox, a new program, and, to their satisfaction, new results. Their district championship sent them to the state playoff appearance for the first time since 2004. They went on to advance to the state quarterfinals before falling in a low-scoring game Staley, 7-3. It didn’t take long for South to buy into Simcox’s philosophy after the 7-4 season that produced those type of results, making it that much easier for them to get back to work this fall.

“We’re so much further ahead than we were last year, it’s not even comparable,” Simcox said. “I was still learning names and the system was new, but because of the camps and everything we’re way ahead now. It won’t do us any good if we don’t continue to progress, but I feel good with where we’re at.”

While South returns six players with varsity experience on the defensive side from last year, it will be the offense where they’ll need production to improve the most. The memory of not scoring a touchdown against Staley in their final game last season still lingers in players’ minds.

“Not being able to score a touchdown in that playoff game against Staley kind of sticks in your throat a bit,” Simcox said. “Lot of different ways we could have won it, but bottom line is we couldn’t find a way to score and didn’t stop them when we needed to.”

Only two starters return on offense including guard-turned-center, Jon Holden, and wide receiver Craig Scott who will cause some problems for opposing secondaries. Evan Martin, Cody Kildow, and Seth Cline will join Holden on the offensive line with Myles Hammonds behind them as the top tailback. The person taking the snaps at quarterback though, has yet to be determined, but among those vying for the position is senior Eddie Sola, an all-conference safety. At the moment, Simcox says Sola will likely take half the snaps to start the season while two younger quarterbacks, sophomore Carson Reid and freshman Shaefer Schuetz, will compete for the other half and possibly take over as a full-time starter.

“We’re just going to let it work itself out,” Simcox said. “We’ve got a senior that runs really well. His strength is his legs and he’s fast. We’d like to not have to play him all the time because he’s an all-conference player on defense as well.”

Speaking of defense, the players caught on real quick to the new scheme that Simcox brought with him last year.

“You can call it a 5-2 or a 3-4, it all adds up the same,” Simcox said. “Defensively, it was a little easier because once you get lined up you’re running to the football no matter what. It allows us to play pretty solid against a tight end and people that run the ball.”

Up front the Panther defense will be experienced and tenacious with three year starter Ron Anderson returning at nose guard with fellow tackle Aaron Gray. Robert Lane and Nick Gillespie will play important roles because of their versatility at any one time to be lined up as defensive ends rushing into the backfield or as outside linebackers looking to break-up the pass. Sola will also be a big part of South’s secondary defense at safety.

An overall theme that Simcox wants to continue to emphasis is an increased physicality in the way they play. The 2011 team won’t outsize very many of their opponents, but their speed and toughness should be a way to counteract any disadvantages they may see.

“Probably more than anything else, we want to continue what we started last year by being a more physical team. As small as we are, we also have to be fast, smart, and tough,” Simcox said.

Park Hill South will face two early tests with Blue Springs South in week two and Park Hill in week three along with a much anticipated rematch with Staley in week seven.

BOYS SOCCER PREVIEW: Park Hill aims to continue postseason success

Two consecutive trips to the state quarterfinals will be quite a performance to match for the 2011 Park Hill boys soccer team, but that’s exactly what they’ve got their eyes set on in additional to defending their conference and district titles. While the Trojans loss one of their most successful senior classes in school history, the cub board is not completely bare as they return a handful of starters and players with significant playing time.

Defender Devon Belew and midfielder Parker Melott serve as Park Hill’s only returning starters. They’ll be joined by defender Fernando Garcia, midfielder Neal Sampson, forward Matt Russell, midfielder Keaton Anchors, Cain Winebrenner, and first year varsity goalkeeper Mason Fannin.

Head coach Dustin Sollars says he’s excited about the talent he has coming back and that this year’s team will find its strength on defense compared to the high powered offensive teams he’s had in recent years.

“Our strength is definitely going to be on defense. We’ve got three guys out of our back four who have been on varsity their whole careers. So that is exciting,” Sollars said. “But at the same time, we’ve got a first year varsity goal keeper. I think he has a talented group in front of him though.”

One thing the Trojans will need to develop more is the mental portion of the game that last year’s team had been able to build on through their tested experience. An adjustment Sollars says will be important to the team is the transformation of last year’s role players into this year’s key contributors.

“We’re expecting people to step up and be leaders of this team, and before this, they’ve never had that responsibility. Until now they’ve been able to follow others and just play a role. Now our role players are becoming leaders, captains, great contributors. If they can handle it, we’ll be good. If they can’t, we’ll struggle,” Sollars said.

Even as two-time defending conference champs, Park Hill will have their eyes set on Lee’s Summit West and Truman if they want to successfully repeat. While the Trojans won’t have as decorated a team as they have in the past, one area to track throughout the season is the team’s ability to rebound from potential setbacks. A tough schedule awaits them starting with the Olathe Invite followed by tough matchups along the way that include a two-game road trip to Springfield, the Park Hill South Panther Classic, and Rockhurst. Capitalizing on a strong defense, they hope that even with one or two goals a game, 2011 could be another winner.

“If we can make sure we hold opponents to a few, if any goals, we have a great chance to be successful,” Sollars said.

BOYS SOCCER PREVIEW: Park Hill South will one of top teams in the area

Coming into this season, the Park Hill South boys soccer team is shaping up to be one of the top teams in the metro. This not only based on their surprising 20-6 record last season as a young and inexperienced group, but also the fact they return almost all of that team again this year. Coach Joe Toigo says his team won some games last year that the other team didn’t necessarily think they should have lost, but South expects to have the upper-hand and more control over their destiny this season.

“A lot of teams last year thought they should have beat us, but we won a couple in penalty kicks. We’re hoping more than last year that we’ll be able to make teams play us instead of us play them. Hope to physically be a little better and hold the ball on their end more,” Toigo said.

Leading a more experienced, but still young squad this year will be four seniors. Central defender Sam Tuggle, outside defender Ethan Robb, wing Tyler Easton, and Robert Geary. All Toigo says have a lot of experience and could play in college if they want. Also coming back are junior forwards Brody Bouillion (6 goals, 4 assists) and Alex Weatherly (10 goals, 12 assists). Sophomore Josh Hall and Nick Smith will play big roles in regards to controlling the tempo of the game as the midfield positions.

“They’re all very good soccer players, very versatile and can play a lot of different positions. Not the traditional one position players,” Toigo said. “We’re hoping this is something we can building and carry on for several years.”

Heath Turner, his eleven shutouts and 118 saves return at goalie, while a starter last year, the 6’4” last resort of protection put a strong focus on camps and clinics in the offseason to become what his coach describes as one of the team’s most improved players.

The Panthers will kick things off at the competitive Olathe Tournament where they’ve seen success in the past. They’ll likely see strong contention from Belton and Fort Osage as they defend their conference title. Liberty, Oak Park, and Park Hill highlight benchmark games in the schedule. Traveling to St. Louis for the Gateway Classic will expose South to three very good out of town teams with three different styles of play as a good tune-up for postseason play.

Most important though is breaking a three year district title drought that has left them as runners-up and on the sidelines from the Missouri state playoffs.

“If we do what we’re supposed to do early, then we don’t have to worry about the dramatics at the end (like last year),” Toigo said. “The attacking players are there. The potential is there. These guys could become a very good team. We just have to nurture it.”

VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW: Park Hill will focus on tough defense

Coming off a 14-16 record in their first year under new leadership, the Park Hill volleyball team and second year coach Lindsey Hood welcome back a group of players that will use last season’s ups and downs as a benchmark to improve their performance. Even though 2011 is a different season, Hood’s coaching emphasis on defense will continue to be unwavering. Not only will they be stronger experience-wise, but athletically.

“We will be looking to improve our defense again this year,” Hood said. “The girls have been in the weight room getting stronger and hope that is shown throughout the program at all levels.”

The Trojans will welcome back a strong core of last year’s squad including letter winning seniors Jenny Riddle, Halley Knudson, Haley Vernon, junior Lindsey Grace, and sophomore Angelica Pasek. Riddle led the team in assists with 485, Knudson in digs with 216, and Grace with 193 kills. Pasek, who finished the year in the libero position, will be transitioning from a back row player to move of an all-around player, which will allow her ball control to assist the offense more. Senior Teagan Anderson, junior Davon Thomas, and freshman Katie Reichert will also contribute and challenge for positions.

A distant second place finish last year left Park Hill with a taste of what it is like to have conference success. With many of the teams appearing to be competitive coming into 2011, Hood says every game will count and being prepared is a necessity.

“The teams throughout the conference are pretty evenly matched,” Hood said. “We hope to go and play each one to the best of our ability, knowing on any given night, anyone could win.”

With a full year of implementing the program under her belt, Hood believes there will be a more athletic and dedicated team on the floor this fall.

“This year’s team has worked hard in the weight room and put time in with other sports this past spring and summer,” Hood said. We really try to encourage the multi-sport athlete and most of these girls are running with the thought of it. This year you will see their athleticism and hard work out on the court.”

VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW: Park Hill South ready for another solid season

Park Hill South’s volleyball program has been able to continuously reload year after year since the school opened well over a decade ago. The 2011 will be no different as they look to imitate, if not exceed, their 24-6-4 record from last year which included an undefeated 12-0 conference championship. Head coach Debbie Fay says there are certain things required to be a part of her team and stepping up is just one of them.

“At South we teach all our players to be ready to fill shoes the next year,” Fay said. “We have a level of play that is expected and a work ethic that is hopefully improved upon each year they are in the program. It helps to be consistent and to not settle.”

With that in mind, the Panthers will be replacing two seniors coming into this season. Returning are two key pieces to last year’s team: the sole senior, middle hitter Emma Hagedorn who lead the team in blocks while second in kills last year and junior Tori Kerr who led the team in kills. Fay says Kerr is one of, if not, the hardest workers on the team as she never takes a play off and that Hagedorn has taken her skills to a new level in addition to being a positive reinforcement for younger players.

Joining them in the active varsity rotation will be Ashton Anderson, Claire Friedlund, Skylar German, Lindsey Yager, and Emma Eickhoff. There will be some other athletes that will fit in the mix as well and Fay admits it is nice to have more depth than usual this season. Together they’ll be looking to defend and repeat as conference champions and avenge a district title game loss in which Winnetonka defeated South on their home court in two games.

While South has proven they are an annual contender, Fay says the individual players and how a team bonds together can make a difference.

“Teammates matter and you have to play to make your teammates shine,” Fay said. “Then and only then do you have the best opportunity to reach your goals.”

A simple, but tough adage to stick to for Park Hill South will be ‘win the games we’re supposed to’. They’ll refer to this as they battle local competitors Liberty, Staley, and two rematches with Winnetonka and use back to back weekend tournaments at Fort Osage and Truman in October to gear up for what they hope is a run through districts and into the Missouri state playoffs.

GIRLS TENNIS PREVIEW: Park Hill looks like another contender

Park Hill girls tennis is a particularly goal-oriented program, more so than most teams, and over the past five seasons there haven’t been many that have gone unfulfilled. This evident from the five consecutive conference championships, three straight district crowns, and two state semi-final appearances, not to mention the individual honors earned by those teams.

It was even more surprising to see exactly how high those goals reach when we caught a glimpse of the form coach Tim Kalis asked his players to fill out at the start of the season. Not only did it list typical goals like winning a conference, district, or state championship, but they varied in degree from simply learning to be a solid recreational player to being ranked in the state to actually winning a Grand Slam title as a professional. Kalis wants his athletes to think big as he does and he’s continuously trying to find ways to inspire them, his latest a speech called “Quiet Confidence” he first heard used for Texas Christian University’s baseball team.

The Trojans return this season with three of their top six players including individual state qualifier and top-ranked senior Suzanne Barth, doubles state qualifier sophomore Brooke Barnard, and Anna Karasiewicz. Competing for the remaining spots are a group of girls who Kalis said will push each other throughout the season resulting in several experiments with different players in the lineup. They include Morgan Pehlman, Abby Peoples, Brianna Donahue, Beth Cooper, Megan Meier, Kaylin Lake, and Makana Welsh along with several novice players that could edge their way into some playing time this season.

While Park Hill returns several cornerstones of last year’s team, Kalis says this year more than any they’ll have to rely on the little things to beat the tough competition in the area.

“Collectively, this year’s women’s tennis team must rely on extreme hustle, grit, and sound fundamentals (such as footwork) to meet our challenges, overcome obstacles, and reach our team goals,” Kalis said. “Our focus during practices has always been and will continue to be what we can control once we step out on the court – effort and attitude."

Both Barth and Barnard will be working towards an opportunity to avenge early exits from the state tournament last year as Barth was defeated in the singles tournament by eventual state champion Lindsey Whitehead of Ladue. Barnard, with partner Kate Skorija, suffered the same fate with a defeat by the doubles title winner, also of Ladue. While Barth, a 2008 doubles state champion, may best represent the words of ‘quiet confidence’ and is ready for her senior campaign, Kalis says Barnard has been a strong vocal presence over the course of the summer and into the pre-season and expects them both, along with Karasiewicz, to be solid leaders.

“She’s (Barnard) really been aggressive in calling the girls up to hit over the summer and getting people together for activities,” Kalis said.

As several Northland teams continue to develop into top programs, it will make it that much more difficult for Park Hill to stay above the likes of teams like Liberty and Park Hill South. The key to the Trojans 2011 campaign will be developing the bottom half of their varsity roster to complement the solid and experienced talent they have at the top.

GIRLS TENNIS PREVIEW: Park Hill South's expecations remain the same, despite rebuilding

Park Hill South had a breakout season last year. After going 14-2, winning the conference title, and not even losing a match in the district tournament, the Panthers advancing to the state sectionals before falling to Park Hill by a score of 5-3. They also saw senior Michelle Royle take third place at state in the singles bracket.

“We did well, finished pretty well as a team, had a girl finish 3rd at state, so we had both team and individual success,” assistant coach Ian Cunliff said. “The hard part for this season is going to be trying to fill the void that those seniors left.”

With a new season upon them, the Panthers will rely heavily on returning varsity players Marie Gehrke and Samantha Burford to lead the way towards another winning season. Joining them will be juniors Emily Jackson, Lindsay Plattner, and Katie Smith. Coming straight into the varsity lineup as a freshman will be Adele Royle who will be right in the mix with her upperclassmen teammates.

Once again this year, South will have their sights set on rival Park Hill who dealt them their only regular season loss last year and brought an early end to their playoff run through the Missouri state tournament. They feel confident in their ability to defend their conference title and will compete strongly in the district tournament. Telling competitions for South will be matches against Liberty and St. Theresa’s as well as the Winnetonka and Northland Tournaments. As the Panther program has grown by size and reputation over the last several years, they hope 2011 is the year where they prove they can reload by taking it to the next level.

SWIM & DIVE PREVIEW: Park Hill reloads for another state run

Park Hill boys swimming had a breakout and record breaking season last year when they finished a school high sixth at the state swim meet. A team which included nine seniors broke a handful of the schools long standing records and also earned several All-Metro selections. The Trojans will look to match that success in their 2011 campaign and in addition to a handful of returning varsity swimmers, hope to fill some roster spots with new faces.

Junior Matt Wagner returns after earning all-state honorable mention in the backstroke along with state qualifiers senior Matt Johnson, junior Vince Tutorino, and senior diver Connor Shene. Returning letterman Jared Alderman also will be a strong part of the team’s leadership this year. While coach Karl Haley will have some good athletes returning, he will have a smaller team than in the past.

“Our numbers are down this year, but we still have talent here to help out,” Haley said.

The numbers will only have a small impact on the team’s strength, which they believe will be in the relays. While they received all-state honors in all three events last year, a lack of depth will likely limit the team to compete strongly in just two of the events, one of which will be the individual medley.

“We’ll be strong in two of them, we’ll see if we have the depth for all three,” Haley said.

Their three biggest meets of the season will be the Independence and Webb City Invitationals along with the KC Classic October 15th which serves as a last chance ramp-up to the Conference swim meet the following weekend.

SWIM & DIVE PREVIEW: Park Hill South hoping to best 2010 season

Most teams would be ecstatic about the seventh place finish Park Hill South received in last year’s state meet, but the Panthers, a mainstay at the top of local and state swim rankings in recent years, weren’t quite satisfied with it. A disqualification prevented them from placing even higher, possibly resulting in a fourth of fifth place finish coach Steven De La Piedra says.

Despite losing eight seniors, they also return seven state qualifiers for the 2011 season. Not only will they return talent and experience, they have eleven new freshmen swimmers that are showing some promise for the future. This leaves De La Piedra with confidence about how will the team can do this year. In fact, they feel they can return to the state meet in November and retake what they feel is their rightful place among Missouri’s swimming elite.

“We’ve got a pretty good balance. There’s a lot of good leadership on the team, we’ve got a lot of young kids that are swimming fast,” De La Piedra said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we were in the top five at state this year.”

Reloading with new athletes each year is nothing new to Park Hill South, they’ve been able to build off local youth swim clubs in the area where kids are able to compete at a young age and become familiar with the kind of atmosphere high school meets will be like.

“We’ve got a really good system of summer teams that kind of feed into Park Hill South, so it gives us a lot kids each year that come in with swimming experience,” De La Piedra said.

Returning are junior state qualifiers Liam Huffman (100 freestyle and 200 individual medley), Tom Prinslow (500 freestyle), seniors Daniel Day (200 individual medley and 100 fly) and Jake Fisher (100 backstroke). Huffman will likely be strongest in those events again, but would be competitive in several events depending on where the team’s need for points come from. Aubrey Churchman also returns to vindicate a near miss at a state berth last year.

Something the Panthers hope gives them an edge this year will be the chance to score some high points in the diving portion of competition with senior Spencer Moran.

“I expect him to be in the top of the pack which will really help us out because traditionally we haven’t had a lot of diving points scored for us at state before,” De La Piedra said.

South has some of the toughest meets in the state on their schedule this season which will give them an early indication of where they rank to other teams in the state.

“The Ozark Invitational in Springfield will give us an idea of where we stand in the state. All the good teams swim in that meet except for the St. Louis teams. Two weeks later we’re scheduled for an invite in St. Louis and that will really tell us where we are compared to everyone else,” De La Piedra said.

SOFTBALL PREVIEW: Park Hill has created 'nice culture of softball'

In his fourth year as head coach of Park Hill softball, you get the sense that Stuart Sullinger is pleasantly optimistic about the path his program is on. Despite losing all-state catcher Michelle Rupard’s leadership behind the plate and .450 batting average, the Trojans return a core of players from last year’s .500 team. Overall, Park Hill has 39 players out for the team, one of the highest turnouts they’ve had in recent years. Nonetheless, Sullinger says he’s most proud of the family atmosphere his players have brought to the program.

“We’ve developed a nice culture of softball here,” Sullinger said.

Among those returning for the 2011 season are all-metro centerfielder K.K. Rettinger, all-region shortstop Betheny Sullinger, and second baseman Nikki Moss. The three will make up a strong middle core of the defense before what is likely to be top pitcher junior Mackenzie Porter. Porter and Audrey Allen, who has been battling an arm injury, will serve as the Trojans’ top pitchers, which according to their coach will have a big effect on the course of the team’s play this season.

“Pitching is what softball is about,” Sullinger said of it’s importance.

Also returning is junior third baseman Samantha Snodgrass. Joining as new contributors will be catcher/first baseman Lindsey Horseman and Samantha Downs who could also see some time behind the plate.

Park Hill has had some ups and downs throughout the last three seasons, but also racked up some quality wins at key moments in the season. In 2009, they advanced to the district title game where they eventually fell to Staley 3-2 in extra innings. Last season, they upset top seeded Kearney in the second round of districts to advance to the title game once again.

“Beating Kearney last year in districts was probably one of the bigger wins we’ve had in the last couple years,” Sullinger said. “That’s the great thing about districts. You can be zero and whatever, but as long as you’re moving in the right direction you’ve got a chance.”

With room for improve on both offense and defense, Sullinger believes what they worked on in the offseason will show dividends once games start.

“We had too many strikeouts last year. Our goal since last year’s banquet was to reduce that, so we’ve been in the hit gym a lot working on fundamentals and knowing what pitches are good and not. We’re stronger than we have been with offseason participation,” Sullinger said.

Overall, Sullinger says the program is ahead of the curve compared to years past. As far as the varsity specifically, it will be key for the players with varsity experience to provide a solid foundation for what the Trojans hope is a winning season.

SOFTBALL PREVIEW: Park Hill South ready to win on day one

Day one. Minute one. That’s when coach Josh Walker’s players started talking about winning their conference and district titles. After a 19-9 Park Hill South softball team finished one game behind Belton for a second place finish in conference and a heartbreaking 13 inning 1-0 loss to Truman in the district championship, there’s no doubt where the Panthers have set their goals for the 2011 season.

“We had a very good season, but it left us a little hungry,” Walker said. “We’ve got a great core of juniors and seniors coming back and we should be ok.”

South returns five starters with considerable talent and experience. Sophomore shortstop Courtney Todd, junior third baseman Mallory Land, senior leftfielder Brandi Weymuth, junior centerfielder Courtney Land, and senior rightfielder Kaleigh Burlington return for what develops as a team with a strong outfield and left side both offensively and defensively. Letterwinner Jessica Lee will look to take over the reins at catcher while Madison McDowell and Jordan Woodworth battle for the starting role at first play. Senior transfer Corinne Listenbee will be a solid presence at second. Makala Walker looks to be the favorite to take over the pitching duties for South ahead of four freshman pitchers who will compete to un-seed her.

Overall, the Panthers have a flexible lineup of athletes which will come in handy if the unfortunate case of injuries strike the team during the course of the season.

“We only have one girl that doesn’t play multiple positions,” Walker said. “If someone goes down to injuries, we’ll be able to fill-in and not miss a beat.”

Walker expects the defense and hitting to be there for his team based on the talent coming back from last season. This will be a team that will rarely make defensive errors and will just as unlikely to find themselves short on runs, which leaves a lot up to how well the pitching goes.

“Defense and hitting are supposed to be our strong suits,” Walker said. “I think both will be there, we just have to make sure the pitching is there. That’s the ultimate thing.”

With a strong schedule of conference competition, Walker knows it will be a tough road towards accomplishing their goals, but is impressed with the attitude his players have brought into the season, especially from his veterans.

“They’re just go getters and many have been playing varsity since they were freshman,” Walker said. “They’re taking it on themselves and taking ownership of it (their goals) before I even was able to say something about it.”

South will find out real quick what kind of team they have as they kick the season off at the Joplin Tournament against Bartlesville (Oklahoma), Carl Junction, and Neosho, two teams of which they’ve never beaten. Nonetheless, the Panthers hope they’re in a position come October to execute on the goals they’ve established so early in this 2011 season.

GIRLS GOLF PREVIEW: Park Hill looks toward return to state

Peaking at the right time is what every team hopes to when it comes to the end of each season. For the Park Hill girls golf team, the 2010 golf season was one in which they expected to do well, but surprisingly peaked higher than expected as they placed high enough in districts (3rd) to advance to sectionals to finish fourth, just two places short of qualifying the team for state. Despite falling short as a team, they still advanced two individuals to the tournament: then-senior Stephanie Atkinson and then-junior Bailey Warlen. Now a senior, Warlen returns with letter winner and fellow senior Anna Kloeppel for a 2011 season they hope isn’t as much of a surprise.

“Last year we weren’t planning on qualifying (for state) and we almost did, but this year I’d say we have a much better chance,” head coach Tari Garner said. “We’re just looking for that fifth and sixth golfer. We’ve got the top four, but we really need those next two spots to step up really bad.”

The third and fourth golfers Garner is referring to are freshmen Adrianna Elliott and Sidney Pollock, two newcomers who have brought a new sense of competition to the team which will help spur the fight for the final two varsity spots.

“It’s fun to have two freshmen on varsity because it kind of pushes the rest of the team,” Garner said. “That first tournament will be tough as it’s the first as higher schoolers for them, but when we get into the St. Joe and Drumm Farm tournaments we should be scoring really well.”

Still, the Trojans will lean on their senior leadership with Warlen and Kloeppel who have been playing varsity together for several years now and come into the season playing better than ever.

“Both Bailey and Anna’s games are looking really well,” Garner said. “Are both coming in really strong, and better than they finished at the end of last year.”

The team as a whole has focused particularly on their short game in early practice rounds. Although Garner preaches a balanced and rounded out approach to different parts of the game, she believes being comfortable close to the green will be an advantage.

“We’ve been working really hard from about 50 yards and in so they’re really confident with their short game,” Garner said. “I think it’s going to be better this year. We spend a ton of time on that by building in those pressure situations into our practice so they’re not just feeling it during the tournament.”

With the lesson of taking the conference tournament lightly last year in their mind, Park Hill hopes it won’t take a reminder to refocus on their state qualifying goal this year.

“I think coming out of conference not playing our best, and being frustrated, really focused us for districts and sectionals,” Garner said. “You’re always going to have days when you’re not at your best, but I think we’ll have a better chance at being in that top one or two spot this year.”

GIRLS GOLF PREVIEW: Park Hill South aims to defend

Park Hill South girls golf, a regular at the top of tournament charts over the years, is back to defend another conference title in 2011. In fact, the Panthers return all of their top varsity golfers from last year’s team for this season. So not only will they be looking to repeat at conference champs, but they’ll look to improve on their sixth place in districts to advance onto sectionals and then a potential state berth as well.

Returning for South this year is junior Lindsey Gile, senior Elizabeth Brown, senior Kelli Mulligan, junior Savannah Kutz, and sophomore Sydney Sanders. Gile, a two-time state qualifier who finished 59th at the state meet with a two-day score of 190, will lead the team as their top golfer. Coach Larry Torgerson, now entering his 22 year in coaching, hopes that in addition to the core group he has coming back, there will be some younger players that can step up and push the rest of the team to improve.

“Hopefully we can develop at least two or three of the younger players can challenge for a varsity spot to create competition within the team,” Torgerson said.

While Park Hill South will be the front runner in regards to the conference outlook, Belton has a young and improving team that could give the Panthers a challenge for the crown. More important for South is the amount of work they’ve put in over the summer playing that they hope will prove advantageous as the biggest tournaments approach at the end of the year. All five players either played in official 18-hole events or put in time to practice through lessons or casual play.

In a cram-packed schedule, the team will have plenty of time to improve and build upon their skills as their schedule consists of over 17 events in the nearly month long regular season leading up to the conference tournament on September 26th.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY PREVIEW: Park Hill running towards head of the pack

When Coach Jason Parr took over the Park Hill Girls Cross Country program last year his team set a goal to put themselves on a path towards previously uncharted success. With an extremely young squad and a high number of athletes out for the team, they experienced mixed results in their first year of new leadership. A first place finish in the Rim Rock Classic was followed by a third place finish at the conference meet, but with their true focus always on the state meet they lost momentum going into the final weeks finishing last in the sectional meet and qualifying only one runner for state.

“We ran Rim Rock and won it,” Parr said. “I was proud of them, but we kind of lost some steam there towards the end of the season.”

The good thing for Park Hill is they return nearly all their young varsity runners and will have about 70 teammates, only three of which are seniors, to compete against as they continue to focus on their steady growth as a program. Returning for the Trojans is their sole state qualifier and district title holder sophomore Kim Rau along with classmates Brooke Bischof, Maddie Bischof, Maggie Lanham, Joanna Grauberger, and Maddie Hemphill. Adding to the competition will be some new faces in Mercedes Robinson, Emma Gaiser, Paige Carey, Delaney Stevenson, Abby Muller, and Olivia Muller. Their young fire was evident over the summer and Parr believes it’s been consistent with not only their growth as a team, but as individuals.

“The girls really took initiative this summer to put some miles in. It just comes with maturity and being able to tell themselves, ‘I know in order to get better I’m going to have to train,” Parr said.

One area of importance, the Trojans continue to focus on is the team aspect of the sport. Running together in a pack instead of as seven separate individuals allows for a constant source of motivation.

“They’ve got to know what it’s like for seven girls to be in a pack that are pushing each other. Getting them comfortable knowing that there are six other girls pushing them,” Parr said. “You can’t have your top runner up front with everyone else in the middle. You’ve got to have a group up front, pushing from the beginning.”

While their coach says you’ll find the group full of a variety of free-spirited, fun, and caring girls, fellow competitors shouldn’t expect to hear them passing them from behind.

“They’re the quietest bunch I’ve ever had. You’re not going to hear a lot of hurrah and jumping around,” Parr said. “You’re going to see leadership by example from Kim Rau, Maggie Lanham, and Brooke Bischof. They don’t have to say anything; they just go out there and work hard.”

Park Hill hopes to compete well in the Missouri Southern Stampede in Joplin against over 100 teams in September. They’ll also be eyeing defending conference champ Lee’s Summit West this season for their own shot at the title, but they want their real success to be measured by what happens after the conference meet in sectionals and state. Experiencing small doses last year, they’ll be looking to take the program another step up this season.

“Our expectations are always the state meet. Some of our girls tasted that last year so they understand what it’s going to take to get there,” Parr said.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY PREVIEW: Park Hill South building program higher

Hoping to extend their success even further in the 2011, the Park Hill South girls cross country team welcomes back their entire varsity squad with the exception of one. A young team in 2010, the Panthers won the conference title and advanced two runners to sectionals, Hannah Carlson and Lizzy Jurries. Seventh year head coach Pam Jurgensmeyer has a group returning as a more mature and experienced team that is excited to see what results their work over the summer will yield.

“I believe we’ll perform better this year than last year just because the girls have put in a lot of work in the off-season. The girls who really want to get better, they were running all the time,” Jurgensmeyer said. “It was almost to the point where I needed to tell them to take a day or two off every once in awhile.”

Carlson and Jurries will be joined by returning varsity runners Lauren Blair, Anna Schaeffer, DeDe O’Toole, Kerry Maas, and Audrey Rothers. Other runners looked to compete for spots and pushing for the top of the pack will be juniors Hanna Walsh, Sam Carpenter, sophomores Danielle Black, Maddi Hannah, Olivia Ortiz, and freshman Madeline Homoly. With only brief exposure to some of the incoming freshman, South hopes some of those runners will also be competing for varsity and junior varsity positions.

Jurgensmeyer says they’ll be aided by strong leadership from a senior class of 15 and a high number of athletes coming out overall for the team. 49 athletes will create the competition the program needs in order to reach the next level of qualifying the team for sectionals and advancing individuals to state.

“We have a large group of girls that are interested in running and we have a lot of fun,” Jurgensmeyer said of the team’s general mood.

Their two most challenging tests will come at the Missouri Southern Stampede in Joplin and the KC Metro meet the week before the Conference race.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY PREVIEW: Park Hill has core group returning

The 2010 campaign for the Park Hill boys cross country team produced mixed results for the Trojans. With their top two runners returning, a handful of guys hoping to fill in behind them, and a pretty hefty group of freshmen looking to try their athleticism in the sport, they'll look to move the team up a few places in the 2011 rankings.

"We did ok last year, we got a few guys coming back from our varsity," head coach Jon Davis said.

As young runners last year, sectional qualifiers senior Nathan Huffer and junior Kainen Utt will be looked to now to lead the pack for Park Hill. Huffer had several good outings last seaon including his 24th place finish at the Rim Rock invitational out of 155 runners and his sectional-qualifying performance in the district meet where he finished 19th out of 72 runners. Utt's best performance also came at districts when he was just a few seconds behind Huffer at 31st place. Senior Jon Steven, juniors Riley Fahrenholtz and Joey Walton, and James Adams will round out the top runners for Park Hill early in the season.

"We have a core group of guys that do things right," Davis said. "We need to have some early success for our kids to gain confidence and know that we can run with anybody in the conference or district. Our keys will be to get our kids to train and race together."

This season, Park Hill has a large freshman group of runners out for the team and Davis is looking for them to step up as well. While it's too early to tell who those runners will be, he's optimistic about the upcoming season.

"Last year we had a lot of young guys on varsity where it was their first time, so we hope they're able to improve and compete even more this year while also adding some guys," Davis said.

In addition to the big Liberty Invitational on September 3rd that kicks off the season each year, Park Hill's biggest and most telling meets will be the Rim Rock Classic and KC Metro meets which are on back to back weekends September 24th and October 1st.