There wasn’t much fanfare around Park Hill’s football game against North Kansas City last Friday. Although a conference game, there was no playoff berth on the line, no bragging rights to be won, and before halftime arrived no real doubt to who would win the game. Park Hill’s 48-14 victory wasn’t just a much needed win the midst of a tough stretch of games for a 4-2 Trojans football team though. Friday was the 100th win for the Park Hill football program under head coach Greg Reynolds and the well-deserved Gatorade bath he received is symbolic to the success and continuous pursuit of excellence he has strived for over 12 years.
“It happens because you’re around great kids and great coaches for a long period of time,” Reynolds said. “I’m very proud of them and what we’ve been able to accomplish. It’s not about me or because of me.”
With the opening of Park Hill South in 1998 and the splitting of what had previously been the only high school in southern Platte County, all athletic teams were adjusting and looking to establish an identity, especially the football programs. Park Hill had seen quality teams come and go throughout the years, but hadn’t been able to consistently compete. This provided the window of opportunity to establish a reinvigorated Park Hill football program. Athletic Director Bill Sobbe says while the school prior to the split had grown large, the program didn’t have the strong foundation others did.
“We didn’t have a tradition behind what we had done to get that big, so the split (of high schools) helped us start building traditions for both programs and brought more of a football mentality to the community,” Sobbe said.
Prior to being hired as head coach in 2000, Reynolds served as an assistant football, basketball, and baseball coach leaving him uniquely qualified to fill any of the head coaching positions should they have come available.
“He distinguished himself as an assistant. The things we knew he would bring to the program included great skill, an understanding of the game, and commitment to sportsmanship. I think it was one of the easiest choices I’ve made as principal,” Principal Dr. Brad Kincheloe said of the choice to hire Reynolds.
Reynolds recognized there were areas needing to be addressed internally before beginning to even think about football strategy. Jack Taylor, an assistant under Reynolds since 2000, says there was more to it than just a simple change at the top.
“He changed the mindset that had previously been set here. He changed what Park Hill football was, what it was supposed to look like, what it was supposed to act like on and off the field,” Taylor said. “We sat down and said ‘these are the things we like and these are the things we don’t like.”
Among the things Reynolds believed needed to change was the way the players acted and practiced. He emphasized the importance of the weight room while increasing classroom grade checks and behavior reports. Reynolds’s first year was also Rob Mrowinski’s first as the Trojans public address announcer and he’s witnessed firsthand what is now expected out of the players whose names he calls out on Friday nights.
“You have to put in your work with Reynolds. If you don’t, you’re not on the team,” Mrowinski said. “He wants his players to carry themselves in a certain manner. If someone has an off the field problem, he’s not going to overlook it, you’re not going to play.”
“It’s not a district policy, it’s a Coach Reynolds and a football policy that if you can’t do these things in the classroom right, then you can’t play football,” Taylor added.
“It’s about accountability in all phases,” Reynolds said of the main change. “We’re not squeaky clean, no one is, but the most enjoyable part for me is to sit a kid down, talk to him, and be able to help make a difference.”
Off the field changes were one thing, but how did he translate it into on the field success? It wasn’t easy, and mid-way through Reynolds’s first season in 2000, hovering around .500, it wasn’t clear things were working. Sobbe remembers a loss to Raytown was the turning point.
“We had some pretty good players, but that game changed our season,” Sobbe said. “From that point on, we learned we couldn’t just show up and win games.”
Park Hill got hot and advanced through districts, winning the district title and qualifying for the playoffs. They continued their run all the way to the Class 4 state semifinals, one game short of a state title game appearance, where they came in as a clear underdog to Webb City, a program rich in winning tradition. The game, much like the 2000 season, started out poorly putting Park Hill down and out early. Mrowinski remembers it very clearly.
“It was freezing that day, the box heater we had actually shorted out the electricity to the press box,” he said. “We were down 21-0 at halftime, but came back with a chance to win the game before eventually losing. That was really the beginning of it all; from there on out Park Hill was a force to be reckoned with.”
“After reaching the semifinals that first year, I was confident in my situation and knew there were more important things to contribute than just winning games on the football field.
The following year, the 2001 team used that game as motivation setting their goal on an undefeated season and, more importantly, a state championship. It would be a precedent set for Trojan football teams for the better part of the next decade. Park Hill played undefeated regular season football in 2001 and 2002, but hit roadblocks again in the state semifinals keeping Park Hill just out of reach of a trip to St. Louis to play for the state title. In 2003, Reynolds and the Trojans were finally able to break through by not only advancing to the championship game, but winning it by upsetting defending state champ Webster Groves.
“Winning breeds success and that’s how we were able to get more people out for the program and build upon it in those early years,” Taylor said.
“We always kind of had a plan of what we were doing. We haven’t changed with the times, we’ve stuck with it,” Sobbe said.
Eight years later, Reynolds’s football teams still shoot for the same goals. In 11 full seasons as head coach, Park Hill has won 10 district titles and advanced to the playoffs every season except one and with Friday’s victory has amassed an impressive 100-36 career record, a .735 winning percentage. Even with his success, Reynolds never loses sight of the important things about the game even if the score may be lopsided.
“He cares about the game, but he’s never ran the score up. If Park Hill is ever up by a lot, he’ll get all of the kids involved he can and never be bad to another team,” Mrowsinki said.
You won’t hear Reynolds pat himself on the back, but what is common knowledge to the Trojan faithful about his dedication and commitment is echoed by colleagues in their respect for his ability to make a difference whether it is influencing the way players handle themselves or watching game film searching of an edge. Not only has Reynolds been the mainstay at the helm of Trojan football for 12 years, but a whole cast and crew of others has been by his side throughout.
“It’s a testament to this program. If you look at the coaches, he hasn’t had a lot of them leave,” Mrowinski said. “It’s like a family, even up here in the booth. We’ve been here all along; there’s been very little change.”
“There’s a reason why our coaches have been around as long as they have, it’s because they care and know they’ll have a chance to make a difference. We’re proud of what we’ve done on Friday nights, but it’s more than that. It’s about knowing when our players leave the program they’re better off,” Reynolds said.
While it is unclear what lay ahead for the 2011 Park Hill Trojans, a couple things will remain the same as they have the last 12 years: physical play on the field, high expectations off the field, and an emphasis on doing it in the right way can bring success in both.
“He took a good football program and turned it into to a great one…” Kincheloe said. “If I had sons at the high school and they wanted to play football, I’d be excited for them to play for Coach Reynolds.”
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