TROJANS TAKE TITLE!

For a full year, Park Hill had the memory of a second place finish at the 2012 state wrestling championships. They not only finished second as a team, but also failed to bring home a single individual title. With Coach Bill Erneste providing them with a constant reminder of that experience all year, the Trojans set their frustration from a year ago free at the 2013 state wrestling meet by running away with the Class 4 team title and going three-for-three in title matches.

“Good is the enemy of great. So when we took second last year, we did pretty good, but for us that was a slap in the face,” Erneste said. “We didn’t get to put one name on our wall saying they were a state champ (last year) and I reminded them every day.”

Park Hill’s 156.5 points represented a comprehensive effort that included eight medal winners. Sean Hosford (106) and KeShawn Hayes (113), who were ranked at the top of their class for most of the season, won title matches to win individual state championships.

“I was here watching last year. It was hard to watch our finalists get second, but we worked hard this year and got it done,” said Hosford, whose confidence increased throughout his freshman season. “(In December) I started to realize I could hang with these guys and just went out and wrestled.”

“The very first day Sean Hosmer stepped in the room, you knew he was special. He’s tough, does things right, makes great grades, says ‘yes sir, no sir’,” Erneste said. “KeShawn, we always count on. He’s our go-to guy and can handle the pressure now.”

Perhaps one of the most crowd-thrilling match of the championship rounds was in the 152 weight class where Colston DiBlasi defeated previously undefeated Cain Salas of Blue Springs (5-1). Salas handedly beat DiBlasi twice during the season.

“It’s one of the best feelings in the world, knowing I’m the best in the state,” DiBlasi said. “I had my ups and downs. Last year I came in here seeded first and felt like everyone was gunning for me. So this year, I think coming in second or third helped me, because they were gunning for another guy.”

“Colston always thinks he can win big matches,” Erneste said. “You can tell when he was warming up; it was the kind of energy where you knew he was nervous, but more anxious than anything.”

In what was described by Erneste as an effort that represented a motivated and selfless family, Park Hill likely clinched their title where many teams could have crumbled. Several Trojans fell in quarter and semi-final matches, but battled back to claim medals. They included John Erneste (3^rd), Hunter Roberts (6^th), Canton Marriott (3^rd), Russ Coleman (6^th), and Malik Colding (3^rd).

“The thing about this team is that it truly is a family. For example, whenever something bad happens in your family, it brings you together. So when John (Erneste) and Russ (Coleman) lost, it just brought us together,” Erneste said. “When you wrestle on the backside you have to think about your team and family. I’m just as proud of the guys who won first as I am of the guys who were disappointed, but had the heart to fight back.”

That same sense of family was echoed by all of Park Hill’s title winners.

“Coach told us in our team meeting the guys on the back side are the ones who will win us the title. The guys in the finals just need to go out and win. That’s what all our finalists did; we went out there with that mentality and came out on top this time.

Erneste went on to talk about the difference between this year’s championship team and those of years past. This team more than any represented support and togetherness.

“Every year there’s a little something different. This year we had to keep them together. With a lot of teams, you have four or five really good guys and they carry the team,” Erneste said. “The reason this team won a state championship is because they carry each other. I’m proud to be a part of it.”

For a team that has won six team state championships in the last ten years and is a mainstay as one of Missouri’s top wrestling programs, Hayes probably stated it best for himself as well as his team.

“As wrestlers we just always want to be the best. Unless we win we’re not satisfied,” Hayes said. “This. It feels right and good.”

PH South seniors leave their mark at state, on program

As Park Hill South coach Dan Dunkin reflected on his team’s performance at the 2013 Missouri State Wrestling Championships, there was somewhat of a bittersweet tone in his voice. The senior class that had set all the school records and just wrapped up the programs highest state finish as a team with their 83 team points and fifth place finish in the state’s largest class, had officially finished their high school careers.

“It’s been a special group,” Dunkin said. “I’ve about lost it a couple times today watching them wrestle their final matches.”

After advancing four wrestlers to the semifinals of the state tournament, senior Alex Fortuna (116 lb) would be the only Panther to advance to a state title match. Fortuna, unranked heading into state, caught fire at the district tournament last weekend and didn’t let up.

“From districts on, he’s been an animal and started to believe he could wrestle really tough kids. He wrestled lights out,” Dunkin said.

While Fortuna’s momentum got him to a final match, it wasn’t enough to carry him over as Park Hill’s KeShawn Hayes would eventually walk away with a convincing title match victory. Nonetheless, Fortuna’s unexpected run through the tournament and second place finish ties teammate Chase Gray for the highest individual finish in program history. Gray placed second last year in the 182 weight class.

“I knew I had a very winnable draw and took advantage of it. I kept my weight down and made sure I was focused,” Fortuna said. “I was a big underdog and just came out and did my best with it being my senior year. It’s awesome to think about.”

Many of Park Hill South’s team points came after a handful of wrestlers lost matches and battled their way up the backside of the bracket to claim medals at third, fourth, fifth, or sixth place. They included Jimmy Carpenter (4^th), Adam Weatherly (3^rd), Alex Weatherly (6^th), Kenric Cook (6^th), and Chase Gray (3^rd).

“We crawled and scrapped our way back in the wrestle backs,” Dunkin said. “We wrestled close and well in all our matches, just couldn’t get to that big one.”

While three-time team captain Chase Gray wasn’t able to get a second chance at a state title from last year, he did win his final match for third place to go out on top. He talked about how as a team, Park Hill South went above and beyond what anyone had thought, even though they missed taking home a fourth place trophy by mere points.

“It was great. I’m sure the coaches couldn’t be any happier with where we finished. Everyone wrestled to their fullest. We just barely missed out on a plaque,” Gray said. “I think we exceeded everyone’s expectations. At the beginning of the year, people didn’t even have us in the Top Ten in the state. Now I know they think differently about Park Hill South.”

Asked if they have had the chance to talk amongst their teammates about how much this season and their careers have meant to them, they talked about their achievements as well as their team chemistry.

“It means a lot,” Fortuna said. “We’re one of the best teams to go through South. Six medalists today, which is a new record. Our team bonding was just amazing.”

Dunkin says he’ll miss this particular senior class, not only for their talent on the mat, but the traits they’ll be able to apply going forward. Not all of his wrestlers will go on to compete in college, but believes they all will see success after wrestling.

“All these guys are scholarly and business-like guys,” Dunkin said. “They have bright futures in whatever they want to do.”

Winter Roundup: Feb. 11-18

Park Hill Boys Basketball

…put up a tough fight against top-ranked Lee’s Summit West last week before falling 76-68. This was a significant improvement from an earlier week loss to Ruskin 64-43. The Trojans (3-19) will conclude their regular season Friday night with Senior Night against St. Joe Central. They come into the district tournament next week overall as an underdog and they will face North Kansas City in the first round on Tuesday. The winner of that game would advance to take on the one seed, Park Hill South, Friday evening.

Park Hill South Boys Basketball

…before pulling out a narrow 54-51 win over St. Joe Central, Park Hill South handed Lee’s Summit West its first conference loss of the season last week with a 63-51 win. Although the Panthers are a long shot in coming from behind to pass the Titans in the final week of the season for the conference title, they will be the top-seeded team at the district tournament starting next week.

The Panthers (17-6) will be the home team throughout the tournament and are scheduled to host the semi-final game on Friday, March 1^st against the winner of the North Kansas City/Park Hill match-up.

Park Hill Girls Basketball

…will take on Staley in the first round of district play next week Monday night. The Lady Trojans fell earlier in the season to Staley by a lopsided score of 59-25. If Park Hill is able to pull off the upset, they would face Park Hill South in the district semifinal February 28^th.

Park Hill South Girls Basketball

…will conclude their regular season this Thursday against Truman before going into the district tournament next week a one-seed. The Lady Panthers split their two games last week with a win over Lee’s Summit West 61-54 before losing a close contest to St. Joe Central 38-36.

Park Hill South (19-4) will host districts and play in the semi-final round Thursday evening against the winner of the Staley/Park Hill contest.

Park Hill South Girls Swimming

…brought home a top ten finish last weekend at the Missouri state swim meet with their 107 team points, which was good enough for eighth place among the 46 teams at the event. Topping the list for Park Hill South was the second place medal brought home by the 200 medley relay team of Tori Beeler, Anna Riekhof, Helen Yeater, and Olivia McLain. The Panthers were just one tenth of a second behind first place finisher Parkway West. The 200 freestyle relay of Abbie Moyes, Beeler, Riekhof, and McLain came in fifth.

Individual finishes for the Panthers included three placements in the 100 backstroke by Riekhof (4^th), McLain, (10^th), and Mariah Ramirez (14^th). Tori Beeler placed ninth in the 200 individual medley.

Park Hill Girls Swimming

…has a new state champion in Lauren Shaw. The senior who moved to Park Hill this year after placing second in two different events as a junior at Warrensburg last year, launched through the preliminary round in the 100 freestyle and clinched the first place medal with half a second between her and the next closest competitor. She would excel in the  100 backstroke as well with a second place finish.

Madison Heydinger placed 13^th in the 500 freestyle and was part of the 200 freestyle relay team of Lauren Shaw, Olivia Woods, and Rebecca Shaw that placed eighth.

Park Hill finished 14^th as a team with 63 team points.

South swimmers cruise to 12th straight title, look to state

After adding their 12^th consecutive conference championship to Park Hill South’s trophy case, the girls swim team will travel to St. Peters this weekend to compete in the Missouri state swim meet. They’ll be taking one of their largest group of individual qualifiers in school history with eight individuals along with three more swimmers who will participate in relays. While winning that many conference titles could bring a sense of complacency, Coach Tim Busenhart says this year’s title was no shoe-in.

“This year, I think it was one of our closest ones in a while. We moved up in conference and were competing closely with Park Hill,” Busenhart said. “Each year I tell the kids there are new swimmers coming in; you never know what you’re going to have. You just focus on swimming well that last week.”

So just what is the secret to Park Hill South’s swimming dominance since the beginning of the new millennium? Busenhart says it starts with their neighborhood programs and snowballs with each successful season.

“Some of the advantage we have is neighborhood teams and exposure. I get to know the kids before they are freshmen and introduce myself,” Busenhart said. “Like any program that wins, there is the mentality that ‘this is what we do’ and I think it also pushes kids to swim year round because they feel they have to be at a certain level. We have 16 varsity swimmers and only three are not year round swimmers.”

The Panthers will be led by their three senior captains in Samantha Scott, Abbie Moyes, and Olivia Rea, but the bulk of the team will be made up of underclassmen which have left a majority of the team’s preparation for state on staying focused.

“Hopefully they’ll be very focused. That’s one thing we’re concentrating on. With such a young team, you kind of wonder how they’ll react on such a large stage and competition,” Busenhart said. “The experience to go as freshmen and sophomores will be really valuable when they become juniors and seniors.”

While Park Hill South has traditionally been strong in freestyle events, this year they are more spread out across all events, giving them more balance. Other swimmers who will be competing this weekend at state include Tori Beeler, Anna Riekhof, Olivia McLain, Helen Yeater, Mariah Ramirez, Maggie Hickey, Kelsey Danielsen, and Maryn Burns.

Asked if there was anyone individual who led the spirit and energy of the team, Busenhart summed up this year’s team by saying it stands out from many of his previous teams.

“No particular individual. Everyone has had energy and everyone is cheering each other on,” Busenhart said. “This is probably one of the best group of kids I’ve had in terms of supporting each other and making it a team atmosphere in a sport that is very much an individual thing. Getting that whole team together is sometimes a struggle, but this year it has been a great experience.”

Park Hill South girls continue on winning path

Park Hill South girls basketball has blazed trails through the competition so far this season with an impressive 18-3 record. With few blemishes on their record, the Panthers came into last week’s matchup with undefeated Truman tied for a share of the conference leader board. It was a chance to gain what would likely ensure a share of the conference title, pending a second matchup February 21^st in the last regularly scheduled game of the season.

Over-sized by the Patriots, Park Hill South game planned to try to use their guard play and quickness to pick the pace of the game up. It worked well through one half of play with the Panthers taking a six point lead into the second quarter and a single point lead going into halftime, but Truman would bounce back in full force in the second half. It was enough to propel them to a 57-44 win over Park Hill South. Madeline Homoly led the Panthers in scoring with 14 points.

“They’re lineup is huge and we’ll look forward to the 21^st for the rematch,” Park Hill South coach Jenny Orlowski, “We learned a lot and we’ll see what happens.”

Hoping for a regain their winning ways, the Panthers bounced back with tenacity against Park Hill as they jumped on the Trojans early with a strong defensive effort which helped them build a 12-4 lead after the first quarter.

“We knew we needed to have a good defensive night and we did for the most part,” Orlowski said.

They would build a 42-23 lead going into the final quarter before expanding their advantage to a 56-28 final score. Homoly and Anna Courtney lead in scoring with 11 points apiece. Samantha Roy added 10 points of her own. Orlowski was glad they regained their winning way and was hoping her Panthers could bounce back at a time of the year where momentum is everything.

“Just regaining momentum and enthusiasm,” Orlowski said. “When you get to this point in the season it’s hard to regain that sometimes.”

While the Lady Panthers see success on the court, they’re also seeing success in the classroom. All five starters for Park Hill South last week, which include Homoly, Courtney, Roy, Courtney Claassen, and Jessica Lee have a cumulative grade point average of 4.0

“They’re pretty smart players most of the time and that translates over to the court,” Orlowski said. “They have great basketball IQ.”

Park Hill South (18-3) hosts St. Joe Central on Thursday night before facing Ruskin and Truman to close out their regular season next week. Park Hill falls to 3-17 and finishes their schedule out against Lee’s Summit West and St. Joe Central on February 21^st.

PHS boys hold off another Park Hill battle

Last time the Park Hill and Park Hill South boys basketball teams met, it was Park Hill South which jumped out to an early lead and held off a frantic Park Hill comeback for a 51-47 Panther win. The roles would be similarly flipped last Thursday in the rematch as Park Hill (3-17) jumped out to a 18-13 lead over Park Hill South after Landry Shamet hit a three-pointer at buzzer to end the first quarter. Shamet would end the game with 20 points.

“The thing that makes Landry special is, first, he loves basketball and then he wants to win really bad,” Park Hill coach David Garrison said. “For him to step up in this game, It’s sign of good things to come from him.”

In front of a full crowd at Park Hill, the home team would maintain their lead, going into halftime with a 30-27 advantage. That’s when the Panthers would come alive though as Hudson Welty hit a three-pointer early in the third quarter to give Park Hill South their first lead. It would be a sign of things to come as Welty would end up scoring a game high 23 points and lead the Panthers to a 45-35 lead going into the fourth quarter.

“We had to get him the ball, he hit some threes. If we wanted an advantage in the paint, we had to do that. It was a great atmosphere,” Park Hill South coach Rick Zych said. “We were outplayed in the first half, but we really came out with some intensity in the second half. We really played well in the third quarter.”

Park Hill felt they made some bad decisions and lost their focus in the third quarter.

“We got out of sync in the third quarter, didn’t get off very good shots,” Garrison said. “If you give some teams easy buckets, it makes it difficult.”

Park Hill South would weather a Trojan comeback attempt, but it would fall short as the Panthers took the two teams’ second matchup 57-54. While they won’t be seeing each other the rest of the regular season, the two could potential meet in the district tournament in two weeks. Garrison said if that were to be the case, they would look to last year for inspiration when the Trojans ended Park Hill South’s season after previously losing to them twice in the regular season.

“Last year we played twice and lost twice by similar advantages, but were able to get a win in the district tournament,” Garrison said. “We’ve got kids who have seen that happen.”

Park Hill South (15-6) beat Truman on the road in conference play earlier in the week 63-53 and is looking towards the possibility of a top seed in the district tournament. While in good position, they believe there are still improvements to be made.

“Hopefully, we’ll be the number one seed,” Zych said. “We have to work on rebounding and taking care of the ball. We’ve got a long way to go, but we’re making some strides.”

On the other side, Park Hill (3-17) hopes to keep their focus and remind themselves of the possibilities district play can bring. In order for that to happen, it will take some more stability and consistency.

“We have stretchs were our decision making isn’t very good and have moments where we just breakdown and someone forgets their responsibility,” Garrison said. “We have two options for this season. When it doesn’t work out, we can make the choice to either pack it in or choose to build on it and carry it into districts.”

Park Hill ready for final 'practice' before state meet

Preparing for their final stretch of the season with districts this weekend followed by the state tournament February 14-16, Park Hill placed third at the Oak Grove Invitational last week with 157.5 team points. Sean Hosford, Ben Stafford, Colston DiBlasi, and Malik Colding brought home tournament titles while Hunter Roberts and August Sobbing brought home second place finishes. Anthony Enriquez finished third in the heavyweight division. The tune-up for the Trojans only featured a partial lineup as Coach Bill Erneste explained the importance of rest and health.

“We sat five kids out this weekend,” Erneste said. “If you even have a hang nail, I’m sitting you. I just want to make sure everyone is well-rested and we’re good to go (for districts). I want every kid as healthy as they can possibly be going into districts.”

While Park Hill ran away with the Class 4, District 4 title last year on their way to a second place finish at state, this year’s tournament will also include Blue Springs who was in a separate district last year. Both are ranked as the top two teams in the state. Erneste says it will be tough, but should set both schools up for success at the state tournament.

“Our district is incredible with the addition of Blue Springs. I love it, they love it,” Erneste said. “If we meet in the district finals that means we’d be on opposite sides of the state bracket. So we get to wrestle the rest of the state before we possibly wrestle them in the finals.”

Park Hill looks forward to and works towards this time of the year all season and approaches it as if it is just one more step towards their ultimate goal.

“The district tournament is our last practice before the state tournament,” Erneste said. “We treat everything like that leading up to state.”

Park Hill has been molding its lineup gradually throughout the season. For their top wrestlers, many of which have impressive experience at the state level, it all comes down to replicating what the Trojans have done all season. With that said, Park Hill knows there are no trophies for most-deserving, only for those that step up and earn.

“We’ve always been a work in progress and needed those ‘guns’ to step up. I can honestly say I couldn’t be more pleased with the year we’ve had,” Erneste said. “If you just got things because you deserved them, we’ve done a great job, but we also understand you don’t always get it, so you have to go out and take it.”

State ranked wrestlers for Park Hill who will be key parts to the Trojans performance at districts include Sean Hosford, KeShawn Hayes, John Erneste, Hunter Roberts, Canten Marriott, Russ Coleman, Colston DiBlasi, and Malik Colding. The Trojans will also be looking for contributions from Paxton DiBlasi, August Sobbing, and Anthony Enriquez.

South wrestlers look to districts

While Park Hill South’s Chase Gray walked off the wrestling mat of his state championship match last year with a loss that left him with a second place finish. Although he had fallen just short of a title, he had set the school record for the best individual finish at state and already tied the school record for wins in a season with 47. This season Gray has returned to shatter those records and hasn’t been alone in doing so. With an ensemble cast of fellow seniors who have led the Panthers wrestling program to new heights in their four year careers (52-16 in duals), Park Hill South goes into districts this weekend with a chance to add to their already impressive tenure.

“As far as the senior class goes, we are probably the best wrestling group that’s gone through South,” Gray said. “The seniors on this team are unbelievable. I don’t want to hog any of the attention, it’s not just me.”

Joining Gray were eight other seniors who were recognized last week at their final home match against St. Joe Central by a score of 72-6. They included Nesser Barouqa, Tyler Blyth, Kenric Cook, Alex Weatherly, Alex Goforth, Adam Weatherly, Jimmy Carpenter, and Alex Fortuna. For most of them, their journey has been much longer than the four years they had at Park Hill South, but dates back to their earliest days in wrestling.

“I started with the PAC (Parkville Athletic Complex) when I was 10 years old. That really helped me,” Gray said. “I think almost all the seniors on the varsity came from that group. It just came together like that somehow.”

Individually, Gray has broken season and career records for wins, pins, takedowns, and team points, which will continue to increase through the end of the season. Gray talked about how much he thought the program had changed in their four years as well as how he learned of the leadership role he was given when he was the first sophomore to be named a team captain.

“I think the pace of practice has gone up as far as drilling and being united as a team. We’ve all grown closer,” Gray said. “I do think that is pretty cool. My sophomore year, I never thought it could be me. When coach announced it, I was shocked. It was somewhat difficult because some of the older guys didn’t listen to me at first (being so young).”

Park Hill South is hoping to qualify more than a handful of wrestlers for the state tournament next weekend at this weekend’s district tournament including Gray, Jimmy Carpenter, Adam Weatherly, and Alex Weatherly, all of which are currently ranked in the top eight of their respective weight classes. With several key injuries throughout the season, the Panthers see themselves as a team that has yet to fill its potential.

“We have seven seniors with pretty good records right now. As far as dual team-wise, I think we would have done a lot better if we had the whole team the entire year,” Gray said. “We had a couple injuries, but I think we’re back to a full roster now. As long as our team wrestles to our fullest, I think we should be in the running for the district championship.”

Getting second has been a key part of the motivation which has led Gray to a 44-1 record so far this season.  He says last year’s success at state gave him an idea of just how well he could do and he’s excited to earn his way back as well as compete for a team placement as well.

“I think it opened my eyes to if I just worked harder, I could do great things. This year, I tried to make every morning practice and a little on my own, just stay in great shape,” Gray said. “I just want to get there and go to work.”

Winter Roundup: Jan. 28 - Feb. 4

Park Hill South Girls Swimming

For the last 12 years, there has been one constant for the Park Hill South girls swim team. And that constant has been winning conference championships, which they did this past weekend when they racked up 578.5 team points on the way to their 12^th consecutive conference title. While Park Hill gave them a run for their money, the Panthers steadily pulled away to an impressive 84 point margin of victory over the second place Trojans.

Leading the way with first place finishes were the 200 medley relay team, Tori Beeler in the 200 individual medley, Helen Yeater in the 100 butterfly, and Anna Riekhof in the 100 breast. Bringing home second place medals were the 200 and 400 freestyle relays, Olivia McLain in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke, Maggie Hickey in the 100 butterfly, and Beeler in the 100 backstroke. Third place finishers included Mariah Ramirez in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke, Kelsey Danielson in the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle, Samantha Scott in the 100 backstroke, and Maryn Burns in the 50 freestyle.

Park Hill South will compete in the state swim meet next weekend in St. Peters, Missouri.

Park Hill Girls Swimming

While the Trojans came up short of repeating as conference champions in their own right, Park Hill came away with a strong second place performance with their 494.5 team points. Two key swimmers for Park Hill included Lauren Shaw and Madison Heydinger who brought home a handful of various medals. Shaw took first in the 100 free style and 100 backstroke along with a second place finish in the 500 freestyle. Heydinger placed first in the 200 and 500 freestyle events. The Trojans also saw success in the relays with a first place finish in the 200 free relay and second place finishes in the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay.

Park Hill will also compete at the state swim meet next weekend.

Park Hill Boys Basketball (3-15, 0-4)

…continued what has been a rough season last week with two losses. The first came against Lee’s Summit West 70-44 and the second being a 64-54 loss to Truman. As of The Citizen’s deadline Tuesday night, the Trojans were in action at St. Joe Central.

Park Hill will host Park Hill South on Thursday in a double-header featuring both boys and girls teams. Park Hill fell short of upsetting Park Hill South two weeks ago when they mounted a comeback effort that left them on the wrong end of a 51-47 Panther victory.

Park Hill South Boys Basketball (13-16, 2-2)

…beat St. Joe Central last week 53-42 before falling behind Ruskin early at home on Friday night. Park Hill South would remain within striking distance, but Ruskin would pull away in the fourth quarter to a 70-54 win.

As of The Citizen’s deadline Tuesday night, the Panthers were in action against Truman. Park Hill South plays at Park Hill on Thursday.

Park Hill Girls Basketball (3-15)

…suffered two close defeats last week against Northland opponents. The first came against Liberty North with a score of 33-30 and the second being a 44-38 loss to Oak Park.

Park Hill hosts Park Hill South on Thursday evening.

Park Hill South Girls Basketball (17-2, 4-0)

…came into the North Kansas City Tournament with a 15-1 record and were hoping for their second tournament championship of the season. They handedly defeated Park Hill 62-35 in the opening round, but hit a bump in the road against St. Joe Central which resulted in a 54-40 loss. The Panthers rebounded in the third place game with a resounding victory over Blue Springs South 54-35.

As of The Citizen’s deadline Tuesday night, Park Hill South was in conference action against Truman. Both teams were undefeated coming into the game and the result will play a big role in determining this year’s conference championship race.