Trojans bounce back in big way

It was quite a difference a week made for Park Hill between a bad loss to Lee’s Summit West two weeks ago and an exciting come from behind win against Staley last Friday night. The Trojans (5-3) will now head into the second week of district play against a struggling Oak Park (3-5) team currently going through a four game losing streak and playing with a number of underclassmen in key positions. While inexperienced, Park Hill expects a power running format with a potent play-action threat from a Northmen squad that has the ability to surprise teams.

Park Hill’s 27-24 victory over Staley didn’t necessarily come from the Trojans doing anything special, but simply not giving the other team more opportunities.

“We didn’t make a lot of mistakes,” Reynolds said. “We had one turnover and that really turned out to effectively be a long punt.”

With starting running back Trace Norfleet sidelined due to a hand injury early in the first quarter, the Trojans weren’t able to heavily rely on a usually consistent running game. This left the ball in the hands of senior quarterback Nate Wilson who completed 10 of 20 for 160 yards with one interception and a touchdown. The touchdown was timely for the Trojans as it came on the final drive of the game as they drove 69 yards in until three minutes to take the final lead of the game on a 25-yard pass to Jake Jones to pull Park Hill ahead 27-24.

Reynolds says his quarterback is an emotional and vocal player, but it’s consistent and more favorable than random outbursts of emotion you sometimes see from other players.

“He wears his emotions on his sleeve, but he probably understands what I expect out of a quarterback more than anyone I’ve coached,” Reynolds said. “He’s been a part of Park Hill Football since he was in little league and he’s a kid that wants to do well and wants the team to do well.”

A Trojan team that has struggled on special teams at various times this season redeemed itself when Jordan Wang returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Park Hill went into halftime with a 20-14 lead. Staley scored ten unanswered points in the second half to make the score 24-20 before Wilson’s touchdown pass to Jones put the final digits on the board.

“Again, we didn’t really do anything great on that drive, we just didn’t kill ourselves. That happened for us a lot throughout the game,” Reynolds said.

Although simply not making mistakes can definitely help a team win, it was something more than that for Park Hill who has a strong tradition of district success. The Trojans have gone 31-3 over the past 11 years in district competition and only one of those years has Park Hill been absent from the state playoffs.

“Every Monday when we watch film I make a goal list for the offense, defense, and special teams. I usually put something at the top in regards to how important that week’s game is. This week we talked about tradition, one of the things I’m most proud of in our 11 years here is our record in district play. It’s what we talk about more than anything else, those last three games.”