In Memory: Nicholas Hand

Early last week as we were in the process of printing our Thanksgiving edition, we learned of the tragic death of 20-year-old United States Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas Hand. Hand was laid to rest early this week. He was killed on November 22 in an exchange of small-arms fire in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan while support Operation Enduring Freedom. After attending Park Hill High School, he graduated early from Oak Park High to enlist at age 17. He deployed to Iraq in April of 2008 for a tour lasting seven months, allowing him to return and spend the holidays with his family. In late October of this year, Hand was deployed again in a second tour of duty, this time to Afghanistan. The second-oldest of ten siblings, he saw the Marine Corps as a second family and performed the job of a squad leader with a great sense of duty. Hand approached the Corps much the same way he lived his life, disciplined, patriotic, and with a smile. Well-liked and encouraging to his peers, when he returned he was considering college and pursuing a career in politics. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Nicholas' name may be made to Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.

Having not known him very well, but seeing him on various occasions, I was able to see his pride and dedication to the Marines on display because it was evident to those around him. For those of us who were fortunate to know him, even by associate, we are very grateful. Thank you for your valued service and dedication to our country along with the happiness you’ve share with those closest to you. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family.

Trojans finish 3rd in State after historic run

No matter what the outcome would be this past weekend at the state finals in St. Louis, the Park Hill Soccer team knew they would be concluding their exciting run. The only thing left to be determined would be the title on the trophy they would bring home. As noted over recent weeks, the Trojans haven’t been to a final four since 1993 when they finished second. An enthusiasm not quite seen since that time has begun to surround the program of late, including support from both young and old alumni, former players, parents, teachers, and community members. All witnessed the Trojan’s journey in becoming the only Kansas City high school soccer team, other than Rockhurst, to reach the state finals since 1996.

The goal of returning with a state championship would prove to be a daunting task as they went up against Saint Louis University High, a private school with a proven soccer history, in the semi-final round. In typical Trojan fashion, they fell behind early when SLUH’s Dominic Hewitt scored on a corner kick at the 15 minute mark. Other than the early score, the Trojans were able to control the ball most of the first half and seemed to be right where they wanted to be with some of the early opportunities they were seeing on the offensive end. But unlike their ability to come back strong all season, the Trojans were never able to answer. SLUH came out firing in the second half with two quick goals in a three minute span which dampened any hope of a Trojan resurgence. A fourth goal was scored with under four minutes to play to end the Trojans’ title hopes with a 4-0 defeat.

After the disappointing lost on Friday night, the Trojans didn’t have too much time to sulk. A matchup with Columbia Hickman to determine the third place finisher would take place on Saturday. The physical and emotion play the Trojans had displayed all year was definitely on display in their season finale as Park Hill’s Austin Melott was ejected from the game late in the first half which disadvantaged the Trojans to playing a man down. The ejection must have sparked a second half surge, the Trojans were able to match the Kewpie’s first half goal from Brian Wilcox with one of their own early in the second half when Neal Sampson tied it up.

Although the Trojans controlled the ball twice as long as Hickman, they couldn’t take advantage of some of the shots they had deep on the Hickman side of the field. After being on the defensive end very little during the game, the Kewpies were able to provide a scare in the final seconds, but goalkeeper Shane VanHooser was able to come up with the save. Unfortunately, overtime was not played in the third place game, which resulted in a 1-1 final as both teams finished in the record books as tied for 3rd place.

For Park Hill, an extraordinary season ends, but with it comes high expectations for next year as they return a good amount of their starters and most likely the hunger for another shot at a state title.

Park Hill Soccer is Final Four bound

To the tune of the Black Eyed Peas song “I Got a Feeling,” the public address announcer stated in a dramatic fashion at halftime, “One of these teams will be advancing to the state semifinals next weekend.” At the time, it was a 1-1 tie between Park Hill (25-5) and Lee’s Summit North (17-6-1) in a state quarterfinal game, but in the end it would the Park Hill Trojans finishing the lyrics with “tonight’s gonna be a good night” as they advanced with a 4-1 victory.

This sets up a final four, state semi-final meeting against Saint Louis University High (SLUH) in St. Louis this weekend. The semi-final game will be held Friday evening at 7 p.m. at the Anheuser-Busch Center in Fenton, MO, just outside St. Louis. A school with a strong soccer tradition, SLUH is 20-6-1 on the season coming off a victory against McCluer North in a 3-1 score. The winner will matchup against the winner of the Columbia Hickman and Christian Brothers College game in the championship game at 6 p.m. on Saturday preceded by the third place game at 1 p.m.
As was printed last week, the Park Hill Trojans were preparing for a sectional matchup with Winnetonka where they went on to win 2-0 with goals from Sam Shepherd and Neal Sampson. A likely game against Rockhurst was never realized though, as Lee’s Summit North upset the defending state-champions, 2-1 after penalty kicks in overtime. This set the Trojans up for their first opportunity to advance to the state semi-finals since 1993.

A physically tough and emotionally driven Park Hill team fell behind early when Lee’s Summit North’s Michael Oakley scored with just under thirty minutes to play in the first half putting LSN up 1-0. But the toughness they’ve displayed all season wasn’t dampened, as five minutes later David Zdvoark scored on a breakaway to tie the score at 1-1.

“I think our first goal was the biggest one, to know we were still in the game because it could have allowed doubt to creep in,” coach Dustin Sollars said.
The Trojans were able to control the ball steadily a majority of the game, but a few LSN breakaways caused some scares throughout the game. A tenacious defense turned many of those stops into offensive opportunities and those were exploited in the second half. An Austin Melott goal at the 32 minute mark gave the Trojans momentum and a lead they wouldn’t lose. Goals from Ray Lee and Zdvorak in a two minute span late in the second half capped off the victory for the Trojans, sending them to St. Louis to compete not only with the other three schools in the final four, but with themselves and history.

Park Hill is now one victory away from matching the best finish in school history, a 2nd place finish in 1993.

“It’s a big deal for us,” Sollars said. “Especially when they look at the guys from ’93 coming to speak about it at practice and wishing they could still be out there.”

“Anytime you’re trying to match up with history, it gives them a little something extra to play for,” Sollars added. “A spot in history, a spot in the books.”

“This is a special team with a good mix of talented players that want to play for each other,” Sollars said of their intangible traits. “You can’t teach emotion and physicality.”

Trojans can't jump playoff hurdle, end season

The third time was not the charm for Park Hill on Monday night as they fell for the third consecutive season to Fort Osage in the Class 5 Sectionals 29-6. A mistake filled first half on special teams allowed the Indians to put 16 points on the board from turnovers.

Fort Osage scored first when a Park Hill snap went over the punter’s head into the end zone for a safety. A couple possessions later, the Indians were able to block a Trojan punt to gain field possession at the Park Hill 35-yard line before punching it in for a touchdown six plays later on an E.J. Gaines three-yard run. Another bad snap, this time on a 30-yard field goal attempt with under a minute to play in the half, allowed Fort Osage to score another touchdown when Kamryn Tillmon catch a 12-yard pass. The score put Fort Osage up 16-0 at halftime.

“It’s frustrating because it’s things that haven’t happened to us all year,” Coach Greg Reynolds said.

“We got chances to do things, but we just made mistakes we don’t normally make,” Reynolds said. “We had turnover after turnover tonight.”

A Fort Osage fumble by Gaines on the opening kickoff of the second half gave the Trojans great field position to potentially spark a comeback. Six plays later, Trace Norfleet went eight yards for Park Hill to score their only points of the night. A two-point conversion attempt failed. It would be the only flicker of momentum the Trojans would get though. A usually steady running game seemed to be on the verge of breaking loose throughout the game, but never quite became the force it had been during the regular season.

“We weren’t able to be consistent with our run game,” Reynolds said of the inability to put together complete drives. “We just didn’t finish the deal and its something this team has been able to do all year.”

Fort Osage was able to open the game up with two Gaines touchdown runs (38 and 5 yards) in the second half and prevented a last minute Park Hill drive from converting when a Corey Sterling pass to the end zone was intercepted on fourth down.

The senior-led Trojans finish the season with a 9-2 record along with conference and district titles. Coach Greg Reynolds was particularly proud of his seniors for being so close to each other throughout the season.

“Not seeing them accomplish their goals is what hurts,” Reynolds said of the earlier than hoped for end to their season.

“They’re a group of kids I enjoyed coaching. There were some great surprises with kids who came from nowhere to become starters. They’ve done everything we asked them to do. It’s a class you don’t see all the time.”

Trojans prepare for rematch, ultimate test

After falling behind 7-0 last week against St. Joe Central, the Trojans rattled off 27 straight points in a 27-13 victory to complete a 9-1 regular season and secure a district championship. With the victory, Park Hill will receive a first round playoff bye and play Fort Osage in sectionals November 9th. This will be the third consecutive year Park Hill and Fort Osage meet each other in the playoffs. The previous two meetings resulted in Indian victories by scores of 21-0 in 2008 and 7-0 in 2007. Coming into last week, Fort Osage was ranked number two in the KC Metro Sports poll while Park Hill came in at number seven.

“We knew they were going to be there and we wanted to make sure we got here,” quarterback Corey Sterling said. “It’s our time to go out there.”
The matchup will feature two similar teams. Both look to a physical run game and resort to a potent passing attack when defenses overplay the run. But this game will be won on defense and who can take advantage of those all-important turnovers and penalties. Park Hill will look to limit the production of RB/DB E.J. Gaines, a three-star recruit heading to Missouri next year. Using the bye week as a time to refocus on the basics, the Trojans will also look to get healthy as RB Trace Norfleet and OL Adam Vanderpool left last week’s game with injuries.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s Fort Osage,” Coach Greg Reynolds said about the team that has ended their last two seasons. “They are the number two ranked team for a reason and if we are going to go where we want to we’re going to face them anyways.”
With their playoff destiny on the line last week, St. Joe Central put points on the board first when quarterback Ryan Wallace broke loose with a 59-yard touchdown run. In a game featuring eight total turnovers, the Trojans were able to convert two key Central turnovers into ten points. A Will Brazill 32-yard field goal was followed by Park Hill displaying a flash of their passing game with a 33-yard reception by Nick Hughes setting up a 22-yard Corey Sterling pass to Adrian Esaw for a touchdown to put the Trojans up 9-7 at halftime.
“I told our guys at halftime that this is exactly what we need,” Reynolds said. “You don’t want to go into the playoffs without having been in a dog fight.”

The Trojans started where they left off, only needing 33 seconds on their first second-half possession for Sean Gorman to break loose for a 45-yard touchdown run. He finished with 155 yards on 18 rushes. Central fumbled the next kick-off giving the Trojans the ball at the 33-yard line. Seven plays later, Jordan Wang added a seven yard touchdown run. After a three and out drive for Central, Park Hill went 53 yards in 11 plays before Brazill added a 27-yard field goal.
A steady dose of the Indians running game didn’t produce much offense in the second half, but they were able to post a touchdown on their final drive when Malkaam Muhammad ran the ball for a seven yard touchdown. The two-point conversion failed leaving the final score at 27-13.

Last week’s game was St. Joe Central head coach Tony Dudik’s final game after a coaching career spanning 29 years. Parents, players, and friends remained on the field for over an hour after the game ended embracing someone who had become a symbol Indian Football.

Park Hill Soccer learns history, makes it

Some players on the Park Hill soccer team weren’t even born the last time they won a district championship back in 1993, something in the back of their minds as they met the Park Hill South Panthers in the district final last Wednesday. Both teams came into the match riding high after finishing the regular season on hot streaks and gliding through the first rounds of the tournament, but the Trojans pulled away after a back and forth game to claim the title with a 4-2 victory.

In typical Trojan/Panther soccer style, the match was very physical with its fair share of adrenaline clearly visible. It started with Joe Sbarro drawing a penalty kick which Jacob Fischer converted to put the Panthers up 1-0. Park Hill tied it up when Ray Lee assisted a Quenton Noble goal with about two minutes to go in the first half. South’s Sbarro drew another penalty converted by Fischer after a Trojan goal by Ray Lee to create a 2-2 tie in the second half. Park Hill broke away with less than 15 minutes to play when Lee scored a long distance goal and Zdvorak converted another Lee assist to bring the score to 4-2.

“We were too direct down the middle and got away from our wing play,” said South coach Joe Toigo about his team’s second half. “I think some of that can be contributed to the pressure their team was putting on the ball.”

Park Hill will now take on a familiar opponent in the sectional round Tuesday, Winnetonka. The Trojans won the season series 2-1, but the Griffins are coming off several wins including an upset of number one Liberty in the district final. Both teams are playing inspired soccer and peaking at the right time.

For the Trojans, to be in the playoffs has been on their minds since they were defeated by the Panthers to end their 2008 season.

“Revenge is a component of any good rivalry,” Park Hill coach Dustin Sollars said.

History hasn’t been on their side in the past, but Coach Dustin Sollars has made it a point to convey what this year’s team could mean to the school. He turned a portion of practice each day into somewhat of a history lesson where they talked about some of the school’s most successful teams, brought in former players, and even challenged them to find the last first place trophy won in the building to demonstrate how long ago it was.

What’s made this year’s team stand out from years past? Sollars believes it comes from players who are loyal to each other, willing to listen and work hard to try new things.

“And it doesn’t hurt that we’ve got some pretty talented players with us,” Sollars added.

The reward for a potential victory against Winnetonka would be a likely matchup against the number one ranked team in the state, Rockhurst, who has been a soccer powerhouse in recent years. Like any team looking to make their mark, Park Hill will have to go up against the best in order to reserve the place in history they hope to earn.

“I bumped into an old coach of mine and he reminded me of a quote by Lou Holtz,” Sollars said of his team’s accomplishments looking forward. “Goes like this, ‘If what you did yesterday was big, then you haven’t done much today.”

Trojans clinch playoff spot, look towards Indians in season's final week

A 28-3 Park Hill victory over Oak Park last week clinched the Suburban Big Six Conference championship and a playoff spot for the Trojans, putting them in position to win their ninth district title in the last ten years. The Trojans, now 8-1, will play for a district title and important first-round bye this week, but based on other district results will have a huge role in deciding who will be the second team to advance to the state playoffs.

“When you get down to this point, there are a lot of factors you don’t have control over,” Coach Greg Reynolds said looking forward. “Sometimes it comes down to breaks going your way and different matchups you get.”

The St. Joe Central Indians will meet the Trojans this Friday. The Indians come in with a 3-6 record, 1-1 in district play. Coming off a 6-3 victory last week against Park Hill South, Central will look to a successful defense of late. With their starting running back lost for the season due to a broken leg, Malkaam Muhammad and quarterback Ryan Wallace will lead the offense.

Last week, Corey Sterling hit Nick Hughes for a 43-yard pass setting up a two yard touchdown run from Sean Gorman for the game’s first score early in the first quarter. An Oak Park field goal resulting from a Nick Elmore interception in the second quarter would be the only score of the game for the Northmen. Park Hill’s Adrian Esaw caught a 10-yard touchdown reception capping off a 62-yard drive to close the first half with the Trojans up 14-3.

“We’ve gone real far, with help from the starters and getting better in practice,” Esaw said of his increased role on both sides of the ball.

“This was a good defense and some of their schemes were a problem,” Reynolds said of Oak Park’s defense. Park Hill extended the lead to 21-3 in the third quarter when Gorman scored a two-yard touchdown. A content Trojan defense kept the Northmen from creating much offensively. Interceptions byDe’Aris Flint, Adrian Esaw, and Bryan Dale ended three Northmen drives.

“It feels pretty good,” Dale said of a lineman getting an interception. “When I got the ball, it was right there and I just kept going with it.”

Dale has seen a change in his role as he has moved from the outside of the line to the inside.

“His job is to tie people up and pass rush,” Reynolds said. “He’s going to be a guy that doesn’t get the stats he has in the past, but for them running away from him most of the night, he did a pretty good job.”

Trace Norfleet added a 15-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter for the game’s final score.

As the season goes into the final stretch, it was evident last Friday that the vocal Park Hill coaching staff wouldn’t accept some of the miscues that had taken place earlier in the season.

“We’ve had a little too much of that tonight, but we’re going to get it fixed,” Reynolds said.

District football math mayhem

(insert school of choice here)

The last week of the regular season will be interesting for teams in District 11 of Class 5. Margins of victory could decide who goes home for the season and who plays on. The Class 5 playoffs begin next Wednesday, November 4th with the regional round followed by the sectional round played on Monday, November 9th. The district runner-up will play the winner of the William Chrisman/Winnetonka game (Oct. 30th) in regionals while the district champion will take on Fort Osage in sectionals after receiving a first round bye.

A two-way tie for first or second place will be determined by head to head matchups, a three-way tie will be decided by margins of victory.

Current district standings with record and margin of victory up to +/- 13 points per game:
Park Hill (2-0, +26)
St. Joe Central (1-1, +2)
Oak Park (1-1, -12)
Park Hill South (0-2, -16)

If Park Hill wins by 13 points or more over St. Joe Central and Park Hill South wins by 5 points or more over Oak Park:

Park Hill - district title, 1st round bye in playoffs
Park Hill South - runner-up, playoff spot

If PH wins by 13 points or more over Central and South wins by less than 5 points:

Park Hill - district title, 1st round by in playoffs
Oak Park - runner-up, playoff spot

If PH wins by 13 points or more over Central and South losses:

Park Hill - district title, 1st round bye in playoffs
Oak Park - runner-up, playoff spot

If PH losses and PHS losses:

3-way tie between PH, OP, and STJ for district title and runner-up will be broken by margin of victory up to +/- 13 points per game.

If Park Hill losses and PHS wins, no matter what the margin:

St. Joe Central - district title, 1st round bye in playoffs
Park Hill - runner-up, playoff spot

If Park Hill wins by less than 13 points, Park Hill South will have to win by 5 points plus however many points Park Hill losses by that are less than 13.

For example, if Park Hill wins 17-10, Park Hill South would have to win by 11 points (5+6).

Park Hill looks to clinch district title, South still alive in playoff race after matchup last week

When Park Hill and Park Hill South come together to play, you realize exactly why Park Hill District Stadium has dedicated one end-zone to a solid purple and the other, a bright red. You wished that every high school football player had the opportunity to play in a rivalry game like last Friday’s, when you saw Trojan red across from Panther purple in a matchup between two district rivals.
The nostalgia ended there though, as the game’s first sparks happened quickly. On the second play from scrimmage Park Hill’s Sean Gorman powered through the South defense for a 64-yard touchdown run. Both teams exchanged two three-and-out drives before South punted again with about 2:30 left in the first quarter before it landed at the 27-yard line where the ball hit a Trojan blocker. South picked up the ball and ran it in for what some thought was a touchdown. Officials ruled the ball was dead and PHS would gain possession at the spot. Four plays later Chris Hamilton connected with Aaron Williams for a 19-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7-7.
Soon after, PH’s Corey Sterling hit Nick Hughes for a 36-yard pass to set up Gorman, who dove into the end-zone for his second touchdown of the night. Several penalties and turnovers throughout the game prevented South from getting into the offensive rhythm they had hoped for. With a slip-screen in mind late in the first half, South’s Hamilton floated a pass into the hands of Park Hill’s DL Mark Rollison for an interception which allowed the Trojans to go six plays in 1:04 to score on a Corey Sterling touchdown run. The score was 21-7 with Park Hill up at the half.

“We ran the ball well and got some long drives that we may not have finished, but we ate a lot of clock,” Park Hill’s Greg Reynolds said.
South wasn’t able to convert two Park Hill fumbles into points late in the second half. Their closest opportunity came with 9:33 left in the fourth quarter. With the end-zone in sight and the ball on PH’s 15 yard line, Hamilton bobbled a bad snap allowing Park Hill’s Adrien Esaw to recover the fumble for the Trojans.

“Adrien stepped in and played really well, made some good breakups,” Reynolds said.

But the fourth quarter belonged to Trace Norfleet when he turned on the speed with touchdown runs of 66 and 59 yards. Norfleet finished with 15 carries for 202 yards along with Gorman’s 18 carries on 149 yards. As a team, they collected 415 yards rushing while only completing two passes. South added a touchdown with seconds to play when Hamilton passed to Kevan Reardon for a 22-yard touchdown grab. The final score, 35-13, improved Park Hill’s record to 7-1 while Park Hill South fell to 4-4 on the year.
This Friday, Park Hill will host Oak Park (3-5) who beat St. Joe Central (2-6) last week in a very low scoring game, 7-6. A win will secure a play-off spot for the Trojans. Last year, the Trojans pulled out a close win at Oak Park by a score of 17-14.

“Oak Park is going to be riding high after their win, and we’re going to have to handle them by worrying about ourselves and getting healthy,” Reynolds said of the Northmen.

Park Hill South, with wins in its final two games can still be playoff bound, travels to St. Joe Central. Last year, the Panthers lost to the Indians 42-35.

It's the little things that count

As sports enthusiasts, we thrive on the competition and excitement we gain from watching, playing, or coaching. Wins and losses make it sometimes easy to forget how sports wouldn’t enrich our lives as much without the important individuals that influence us in the process.
Park Hill High School lost one of these individuals early last Friday. Jerry Alexander, 52, a science teacher, assistant football coach, and JV basketball coach passed away after an extended battle with heart problems. Alexander, most well known as one of the top basketball players to ever play at Drury College in Springfield, led them to the 1979 NAIA National Championship and was inducted into the first Hall of Fame class at the school after scoring more than 2,200 points. After graduation, he postponed a professional career to become a coach and teacher.

Prior to the rivalry game against Park Hill South last week, an emotional Park Hill team joined the crowd in observing a moment of silence in remembrance of his contributions to the district. I was never able to meet Coach Alexander, but in the brief time I was able to speak with some of his colleagues last Friday night, I learned a great deal about him and it would only be fitting to let them tell you about the man, who only in his third year of teaching at Park Hill had become a favorite among students and faculty. Coach David Garrison, Varsity Basketball Coach:
“He came from Center High School. I was at Excelsior Springs and we were in the same conference where we played each other twice a year. We got to know each other pretty well and formed a good friendship from competing with each other. It was kind of fate that we ended up at Park Hill the same year and started coaching together. As a person, you couldn’t help but not like him. He always had a smile and was always joking around. There just wasn’t anybody that couldn’t get along with him.”

Bill Sobbe, Athletic Director:
“He was a great role model for our kids and expected kids to do things the right way. He expected them to get through their academic struggles and then work as hard as possible at the sport they chose. He was the greatest basketball player in the history of Drury College. What he brought to the table was a great ability to connect with students.”

Jennifer Paschall, teacher:
“Kids would come by everyday to ask how he was doing. He was always joking around and so easy to get along with. We started collecting money while he was sick and you wouldn’t believe the outpouring of support from our staff. Not just the science department or the PE department, it was everyone.

Steven Clark, senior football and basketball player:
“I played with him for two years, one of the best experiences I’ve had and I learned so much from him. He was a great basketball player when he played and an even greater man when he didn’t.”

Daniel Jessen, senior football player:
“I loved being around him, even though I wasn’t around his specialty. He still affected me in a great way that I will never forget.”

Coach Greg Reynolds, Varsity Football Coach:
“Our players came through in a very emotional game after a very tough day. We’ve got a lot of kids that were very close to him, not only on this team, but also in basketball. Coach Alexander coached with us for one year and he fit in right away because he believed in the little things. With running backs, he knew he had a lot of talented kids where the most important things to teach them was blocking, pass protection, pass routes, and the little things. Trace is going to be remembered for his two long runs tonight, but those don’t happen unless Sean Gorman, who couldn’t block like that last year, worked and drilled on it last year with Coach Alexander. In basketball, I’ve watched him coach on the little things like picks, moving your feet on defense, and not worrying about how many points you scored or how many blocked shots you had.”