No matter what had happened in Park Hill and Park Hill
South’s three previous meetings this season, there was no question the district
championship meeting they earned their way to last week would be the most
important and deciding game of their series this year. While Park Hill South
had won two of their three meetings this year, Park Hill won 1-0 in the most
recent game on October 15th and had the confidence of knowing they
had ended Park Hill South’s season three years in a row in district play coming
into last week’s meeting.
Despite what seemed as the Trojans’ strong recent grasp over
the Panthers in district play, it was a moment in Park Hill South’s 3-0 victory
over Smithville which they believe gave them the extra energy boost needed to
finally break that streak. Injuries can not only create a physical absence on
the field, but remove an emotional focus as well. So when a senior-laden and
tight-knit group saw senior Ryan Dansby break his leg in the second half, it
really shook the Panthers up.
“When it happened, we were up 3-0, but it was almost as if
we could have lost it at that point,” Park Hill South coach Joe Toigo said. “They
were really upset and it really took a lot out of us. The possibility for
injury is always there, but to play hard you can’t let it enter your mind.
However, when you see it happen, it’s almost impossible to erase from your
mind.”
The lingering effects of the injury carried over into the
next day’s practice where they needed to focus on the ensuing title game against
Park Hill, something they’d been focusing their entire season towards. Enter
the coaching staff, who organized with the booster club to order warm-up
jerseys with Dansby’s #2 on them. The energy that created was something to be
reckoned with and evident in the stadium the following night, not only from the
team, but the parents and students as well.
“We really needed to do something to get their mind off it,”
Toigo said. “They were so excited when they got those warm-ups earlier tonight.
Their spirit has been great all year, so when we lose (on the field or, in this
case, off of it) we can keep them from getting too far down.”
Re-energized, the Panthers had renewed their focus on their
postseason aspirations while also using it to play for their injured teammate.
Adam Weatherly would put Park Hill South up a goal towards the end of the first
half, giving the Panthers a 1-0 lead at halftime. Brian Kissee would score in
the opening minute of the second half to give them the exclamation point they
needed for what would be the final 2-0 score. Park Hill, while physical and
competitive until the very end, would not recover, never quite able to finish
on a handful of near scoring opportunities.
After avoiding a complete Gatorade-drenching and hearing his
team sing their fight song, Toigo talked about the new motivation and
importance of using that to score early.
“There’s no question we’re playing for Ryan, as well as for
ourselves. When we’re playing for ourselves, we’re playing for Ryan,” Toigo
said. “If we can score first, we’re not bunkering ourselves in, but it gives us
that little boost of confidence. I think we’re where we want to be right now.”
Park Hill South was playing Liberty in the Missouri state
sectional round Tuesday night at The Citizen went to press. A win would send
them to the state quarterfinals against Rockhurst/Lee’s Summit North this
Saturday.
