Spring Weekly Roundup: Mar. 21-26

Park Hill South Boys Golf
Started their season out in prime form as they took first place in the Truman/William Chrisman Invitational at Drumm Farm to kick off the season. Their 313 team score bested second place Liberty by four strokes. Senior Cameron Probst tied for first place individually while three other Panthers brought home medals. South also took first out of four teams including Oak Park, Ray-Pec, and North Kansas City in their first quad meet of the season. Sophomore Austin Dorrell placed first individually.

Park Hill Boys Golf
Took ninth at the Truman/William Chrisman Invitational with a score of team score of 362. Colby Buehler led the team with an 84. It was Buehler once again later in the week leading the Trojans as his 42 earned him a medal and put Park Hill ahead of Platte County and Mid-Buchanan with a team score of 187. They host Kearney this week at home.

Park Hill Girls Soccer
Did not get off to the start they would have liked as they went 0-3 in the first week of competition at the Lee's Summit Tournament. Sydney Hultz and Katie Hibbeler scored goals in a 4-2 loss to Ray-Pec in the opener while the Trojans were unable to score in their tournament finale against Lee's Summit North falling 5-0. They play at Lee's Summit West Thursday.

Park Hill South Girls Soccer
... had an impressive opening week as they went 4-0. The Panthers were not shy against Belton in their opener as they blasted the Pirates with a 10-0 victory. Two goals a piece were registered for Courtney Claassen, Katy Riojas, Ashton Anderson, and Abbey Johnson. Katy Lindsey and Alyssa Guzman added a pair for good measure as Alexis Mikulich recorded the shutout. South went on to beat Oak Park 2-1 before they traveled to Springfield for the weekend where they defeated Ozark 7-0. A 2-0 defeat of Springfield Kickapoo capped a success week as Guzman and Haley Shelton goals padded another shutout by Mikulich, her third of the week. They'll play in the Olathe Northwest Invitational this week.

Park Hill Boys Tennis
In what coach Tim Kalis described as one of his team's initial tests, the Park Hill boys tennis team passed it in convincing fashion with an 8-1 team victory. Although top singles player Mike Jones fell 10-3 in his first competition of 2011, him and Blake Barnard later came back to win 10-8 in the top doubles competition to led Park Hill to their first victory of the year. They play Park Hill South and Lee's Summit West this week.

Park Hill South Boys Tennis
Park Hill South also defeated Liberty this week with a 6-3 team victory to start off the season. Senior Griffin Smith won his top singles match 10-4 and teamed up with Zack Royle in doubles to defeat the top Liberty pair 10-5. The Panthers followed it up with a close 5-4 victory later in the week to improve to 2-0 on the year. They'll faceoff against Park Hill and Fort Osage next week along with compete in the Cameron Invitational.

Park Hill South baseball will lean on strong pitching

After achieving a 14-9 record last season, the Park Hill South Panthers lost a group of seniors known for their hitting. While the 2011 campaign will bring back a core of seniors to take their place, Josh Walker’s team will need to find a way to replace the hitting in order to be successful behind what is sure to be a talented pitching staff.

“I think our overall record will hinge on our hitting. With our pitching and defense we’ll be alright there,” Walker said. “We’ve got a core group back from last year. It’s not the same core, but they have the same values that are carried on and learned from their peers.”

The Panthers’ strength will be on the pitching mound with their senior left-handed ace Adam Schemenauer towering at 6’9”. With a letter of intent already submitted to Louisville, Schemenauer will be looking to lead Park Hill South to a strong season while also keeping one eye on being potentially drafted later this year.

“I think I’d do a disservice not to tout him. I’ve got a lot of scouts contacting me, I mean 6’9” lefties don’t grow on trees,” Walker said. “He’s got a lot to look forward to.”

Don’t expect a step down when Schemenauer is out of the rotation though, as first basemen John Christopher will also play a role for the Panthers on the mound.

“John is getting looks from colleges too, so it’s not like we’re losing a lot when we go from Adam to John,” Walker said. “We’ve got some other guys that can give us some big innings too.”

Walker says his team has focused heavily on scrimmaging in the early season. Getting innings under their belt early will allow them to work on the more particulars as the season progresses. While South is neither a veteran or young team, they could start as many as eight seniors on opening day, but along with their sophomore catcher will see a few underclassmen fighting for positions. Returning with varsity experience from last year include infielders Brice Turner, Kendrick White, and Kyle Wilenbrink which will give the Panthers a good foundation to build around.

“We’ve got some experience,” Walker said. “Looking pretty good defensively and pitching wise, just have to get them to swing the bats.”

South will start the season with five games in six days and their conference schedule will feature some long-distance trips with Belton, Raytown, and William Chrisman. The closest match-up might be their toughest as Winnetonka will bring back a quality squad this season.

From year to year, Walker believes there is one constant that he hopes shines through each season and that is having kids who are also good teammates.

“We carry over some strengths like communication and teamwork,” Walker said. “I think the kids get along well with each other which is something we try to build into the program.”

Park Hill baseball hopes to build on stellar 2010

After coming off the school’s best baseball season in history where their 17-6 record advanced them to the state quarterfinals for the first time, Park Hill returns just two starters and a handful of lettermen to the 2011 squad. While this year’s team will have a lot of new faces, the Trojans and coach Greg Reynolds know in order to build a program it requires successful seasons every year.

“Last year was great, but this year we have a chance to put our program where we want it to be,” Reynolds said. “Coming back after losing 11 seniors, playing well, putting together a record we want and getting back to the playoffs, now that would put our program where we want it.”

The three most experienced players returning include first baseman and slugger Adam Vanderpool, second baseman and pitcher Nathan Shores, and pitcher Luke Burnidge. These three will serve as the most experienced of their fellow teammates, but Reynolds believes there are several advantages to having a young team with positions up for grabs and players needing to prove themselves.

“One of their strengths is they are understanding things a little quicker than some of the more experienced teams we’ve had around,” Reynolds said. “We’ve got a lot of options for the things we consider holes right now and fighting for varsity jobs which will make us better, the competition will help.”

The firepower that came with last year’s team will be substituted for the Trojans’ focus on sound strategy and basics which thankfully cater to some of their emerging strong points.

“We’ve got some guys that can put the ball in play, but not with the power we did last year,” Reynolds said. “We’re going to have to play more small ball this year.”

There are a handful of players Reynolds will seek additional support from. Zach Thompson (SS), Zach Anderson(C), Jake Jones (3B), and Adam Fossett (2B/OF) will contribute to what will likely be a strong infield. While Jones and Fosdick will be interchangeable at the lead-off and middle lineup slots in the order at first, Reynolds says Thompson is baseball savvy and Anderson can play just about any position he’s needed at, creating a well-rounded group of athletes.

Reynolds sees two keys to this year’s squad. The first is the amount of walks his pitchers give up. Secondly, being able to bat around .300 as a team or slightly below means they won’t have to rely on the long-ball as in the past.

A young team will be paired with a difficult schedule featuring district or conference implications almost every time they step on the field. The untested Trojans hope to use it as a challenge.

“Every game will be very important. I don’t see a lot of games where it won’t mean very much,” Reynolds said. “Plus, with our kids wanting to prove themselves in a fighting battle for every game, I’m thinking we’ll take each pitch a little more seriously.”

Park Hill South girls soccer looks like a contender

Two losses to Truman, one of which was in the middle of a four game losing streak last year, made the difference between what was a second place conference finish for the Park Hill South girls soccer team and a conference title last year. Not only do the Panthers have their sights set on winning that conference title in 2011, but they’re also keeping an eye on Northland rival Liberty as they hope to have the opportunity to avenge a season ending loss in the district championship last year with a late season matchup and possibly again in the state playoffs. No, the Panthers are not looking too far ahead, but with eight all-conference selections returning from a 15-7 season last year, it’s easy to see how they have established high goals this season.

“We have a lot of talent returning,” Coach Joe Toigo said.

First teamers Haley Shelton, Katie Riojas, and Emmy Hanlon put three pillars to build around on each third of the field. Riojas and Hanlon accounted for over a third of the Panthers scoring last season with 29 goals. Second teamers Katy Lindsey, Courtney Claasen, and goalkeeper Alexis Mikulich surround them and combined for another 10 goals last season. Lindsey led the team with 15 assists in 2010 while Mikulich recorded six shutouts. Honorable mentions Allie Roy and Mackenzie Williams also return for the Panthers.

With such a strong core group returning, Toigo believes his team will compete with some of the top teams in the metro this season. Knowing your team has talent is one thing; taking advantage of it is another. Their coach emphasized improving in games throughout the season, even against lesser opponents, in order to be ready when it’s time to play for higher stakes.

“The adjustment that has to be made is how you play when you are not controlling the majority of the play, and territory,” Toigo said. “Most of our season we are not in the situation of defending for the majority of the game.”

Due to re-districting, Park Hill South will not face Liberty in district play, but they are scheduled to face-off in the last regular season game April 29th and if things work to their advantage a sectional state playoff game. The two Northland teams are familiar with each other as the players have been competing with and against each other since childhood. While the Panthers have some talented players likely to extend their careers into college, Toigo says Liberty has players who have already been offered roster spots at Division I programs. Differing from what they will likely see during most of the regular season, the Panthers could be more on the defensive in a handful of games against opponents like Liberty and they believe how they play then is what will define their season.

“If they score on us, we've got to be able to turn it around real quick and strike back,” Toigo said of answering opposing team goals.

The Panthers kick-off their season with a pair of games against Springfield area teams Kickapoo and Ozak followed by a challenging appearance in the Olathe Northwest Invitational the last week of March.

Park Hill soccer wants to rely on speed

With the loss of a handful of leading scorers from last year's 9-11-1 team to graduation, the Park Hill girls’ soccer team will attempt to surpass the .500 mark for the fourth straight year in hopes of becoming a recognized threat to the competition. Coach Manny Catano will look to counter the lost scoring with a more balanced attack this year.

“We’re want to be balanced offensively and defensively,” Catano said.

Returning to the fold are Sydney Hultz, Rayci Lee, Shelby Blanchard, Marisa Manzo, Catherine Netwal, and Holly Maier. Catano says he has seen good things so far and expects Lee and Hultz to step into scoring roles for the Trojans as they scored six and four goals respectively last year.

One benefit to being young last year is that many of those players return this season with some experience. But as the saying goes, Park Hill will be out with the old and in with the new in a sense this year. While the Trojans welcome back some key pieces from last year’s team, they will demand a high level of contributions from their incoming freshmen class, one Catano says is mature and talented. It also includes the program’s only goalkeeper, Claudia Fonseca , who will serve as Park Hill’s last line of defense against opposing offenses.

“I’m very impressed with how they’ve handled the first couple weeks of practice and what they’ll be able to add to our team,” Catano said. “They’ll be something to watch.”

Something Park Hill hopes they can really take advantage of teams at is their quickness and speed on the outside. Without control, one of Catano’s most important focuses, they won’t be able to take advantage of the potential scoring opportunities.

“Being composed and able to control the ball without losing possession is one of our highest priorities,” Catano said.

In a game where one burst of momentum could mean the difference in a low scoring game, keeping possession and using their speed are two areas Park Hill will need to excel in to achieve a satisfying record against what appears to be a very competitive schedule. Their season will kick-off with the Lee’s Summit Tournament and will follow with tough matchups against Lee’s Summit West twice, Liberty, Park Hill South, and Kearney.

Park Hill tennis faces challenge to stay on top

The last couple years of Park Hill boys tennis have been memorable ones with several state playoff runs and even a couple close contenders for individual state titles. Tim Kalis’s program has risen to the top of Kansas City’s best competition. In 2011, with the loss of their four top players to graduation, the Trojans will face the challenge of living up to and maintaining the expectations set by those that came before them.

Asked what he has coming back this season, Kalis will tell you ‘a lot of hard work’, a sign of the progressive steps Park Hill hopes to take throughout the season. Even with an inexperienced and, in some cases, young team nothing has changed in terms of the end game.

“It’s going to be tough, but the guys have the same goals as they always have,” Kalis said.

The only two returning starters are seniors Michael Jones and Austin Caldwell. Joining them will be Blake Barnhard, Christian Reinmiller, Chris To, Drew Nickel, Ian Pauley, Nick Merchant, and Max Schoettger.

“You’re going to see our lineup changing and guys moving around. The bottom four spots are going to switch up because of the strong competition we have,” Kalis said. “We have some guys that played four, five, and six last year that could play in those same slots this year.”

While Park Hill may not come into the season with an obvious or dominant number one in their rotation, the Trojans could gain more favorable matchups as they move down the lineup. Some teams see a great disparity between their top varsity player and the last member of the varsity roster, but the closer parity and competition between his players is something Kalis hopes can translate into a better overall team.

“We kind of have a different attitude this year because we want to be able to grind teams out in tournaments,” Kalis said.

Kalis admits that depth is going to be a weakness along with experience, but leadership is something the Trojans aren’t lacking at this early stage in the season.

“I’ve been real pleased with the leadership,” Kalis said. “I’m proud of our juniors and seniors, but also impressed with the maturity of our freshmen.”

Park Hill’s conference title will most likely need its heaviest defense against a talented and experienced Lee’s Summit West team that returns all but one member from last year’s squad. Kalis echoed assistant coach Rustin Reys’ emphasis of the matchup against Liberty and Park Hill South early in the season as an indicator of how the season will play out followed by Pembroke Hill later in April.

“Those are right off the bat,” Kalis said. “That’s going to tell us a lot of what we need to know.”

Park Hill South tennis team looks strong again

Park Hill South boys’ tennis is on their way to what they hope is the formation of a top-notch tennis program in the Kansas City area. The key word is ‘program’ which requires success year after year and by the looks of it the Panthers are moving forward to build off their 2010 finish. Returning from a state qualifying team after going 12-2 including an undefeated team conference championship is state qualifier Griffin Smith and Zack Royle. Smith was 13-1 individually last season and won three tournaments while Royle was an impressive 9-2.

In her second full season as head coach, Glynis Chambers says she thinks it is a benefit to have the same coaching staff back in order to have consistency and for the players to have a familiarity with their approach.

“We are looking forward to a strong season,” Chambers said. “Our goals are the complete the regular season undefeated, win conference, and qualify as a team for state.”

Even though the Panthers return their top two players, they graduated five seniors and filling those spots will be challenge in order to make sure they’re able to step up while keeping the team goals within reach. Freshman Justin Geary and older brother Bob Geary along with seniors Justin Dixon and Josh Lukens appear to be the four players who have separated themselves from the rest of the competition to fill the remaining varsity spots.

While the Panthers’ newcomers adjust to playing at the varsity level, Smith and Royle will contribute immediately as examples to their teammates. In addition to being two of the most skilled players in the Northland, they bring a competitive edge which won’t just give themselves an advantage, but give their teammates sturdy competition to play against in practice. There’s no surprise both want to win state and eventually play tennis in college.

“Both Griffin and Zack lead by examples. They are always positive, ready to work, and believe in the process we play by,” Chambers said. “Griffin wants to get every ball back every time and never give in. Zack wants to hit the ball as hard as he can, over and over again.”

With Smith and Royle’s performance on the court as the anchor, the play of those around them could make the difference for the Panthers as they head down the stretch. Park Hill South will start the season off with three road competitions against North Kansas City, Park Hill, and Fort Osage before competing in the Cameron Invitational on April 1.

Three seniors to lead Park Hill golf team

Trying to get your swing back after a long winter can be one of the most frustrating things for avid golfers, but along with hitting familiar with the links again the Park Hill boys golf team will also be developing what coach Zach Dorrell describes as an inexperienced and, in some places, young team. While the Trojans will be led at the top by three seniors in Travis Perry, Collin Pummill, and Austin Dorward, only Perry and Dorward have varsity experience leaving the rest of the 15 member squad in a situation to be exposed to their first serious competition.

“We don’t have a lot of kids that play just golf,” Dorrell said of his team. “It’s going to be a good year for them to get some experience, play against the competition, and get them to buy into taking the game more serious into the future.”

Junior Colby Bueller and senior Robert Lawrence will likely round out the last two spots on the varsity roster for the Trojans. Park Hill has their work cut out for them, but Dorrell believes his team should easily be able to collectively shoot under a 330 by the end of the year. Currently holding the top spot on the roster, Perry appears to be the most consistent early in the season.

“I think Travis has an opportunity,” Dorrell said of his chances of qualifying for sectionals. “He’s a real steady player and should be consistently around an 80 or 82; possibly drop down to 78 or 79 once in awhile.”

Although lacking in experience, the Trojans are a fairly grounded team and realize that could benefit them on the course.

“They’re all good kids, none of them are real flashy, but they have good attitudes and they understand they’re not going to the tour,” Dorrell said. “We have to understand what our capabilities are and play up to those.”

Finishing third in their conference last year, the Trojans believe they can match or beat that this year and talented Lee’s Summit West and St. Joe Central teams will likely be the contenders. The beginning of April is when Dorrell believes they’ll have a good idea of what they can achieve as a team when they host the Darren Floyd Memorial Tournament at Tiffany Greens.

“Our tournament is a good one, barring weather, and it can tell us where we’re at,” Dorrell said.

Park Hill will compete in two big tournaments prior to their own at Lee’s Summit and Ray-Pec. They open the season this week with duals against Truman and Platte County.

Park Hill South boys golf returns three starters

Coach Larry Torgerson has been able to generate some fairly successful results over recent years with his boys’ golf teams and this year appears like it will be no different. Coming off 10-3 season which included a second place finish at conference and third place finish at districts last year, the Panthers return three starters: state qualifier senior Cameron Probst and sophomores Matt Barry and Austin Dorrell. While the rest of the lineup is still being developed, their three experienced players provide quite an impressive place to start.

One benefit Torgerson sees to his team’s past success is the amount of kids that tryout the following season. It’s generated some higher than average interest and that’s a problem Torgerson is glad to have.

“We are fortunate this season to have 32 boys trying out for our golf team,” Torgerson said. “That is one of the great things about being a golf coach, knowing that 32 boys want to play on our team and be part of our tradition at Park Hill South.”

Once the team is narrowed down to about 18 players, there will be one central and simple theme for them to live by as the season goes on: become better players each day.

“This goal alone will allow us as a team to achieve Conference Championships, District Championships, Sectional Championships, and State Championships,” Torgerson said.

With the short span of time a high school golf session encompasses, six weeks from start to finish, this basic goal is easier said than done, but if accomplished yields results. A highly psychological game, the broad idea of improvement is best left as straight forward as their coach says it. When asked about the new conference opponents his team will face with realignment, Torgerson doesn’t mention a specific threat, but refers back to their overall purpose.

“We are in a new conference this year with new teams,” Torgerson said. “If we meet our goal, everything will be ok.”

In additional to hosting several home matches at the notorious National II Golf Course, the Panthers will be able to gauge their progress early at the Lee’s Summit North Invitational and Sedalia Tournament.

Park Hill track teams striving for balance

There’s one thing Park Hill track coaches Mark Gourley and Tari Garner know about their respective teams so far in this early season and it’s that they’ll be fairly balanced in the amount of talent displayed on the track this spring. With just under 200 athletes participating between the two programs, there are plenty of events for them to choose from leaving their coaches with a handful of reasons to be optimistic about the upcoming season.

“We’re balanced, we’ve got good kids at each event,” Garner said of her team. “We’re also going to be young, so it’s going to be a developmental year as well.”

“We’re also looking at some balance as well,” Gourley added. “You have to just get out there and do it, we don’t know what we have until the KU Relays a lot of the time. That’s a good measuring stick to where people are in shape and the weather starts to turn around.”

Last year, the boys brought home a conference title led by some strong relay team performances, particularly the 4x800. Cain Winebrenner returns from that 12th place state relay team, but will also be defending his conference title in the one-mile run. Also returning will be Burt Taylor, Quinton Noble, Dondrell Hardiman, Levante Hickman, and John Saucito.

Senior Trace Norfleet, who missed last season due to injury after winning the state long jump title the season before, is back and looking to add points in several events. Nick Smith who set the school record for the shot put last season returns after a top five finish at state.Sectional qualifier Luke Bossert returns in the pole vault.

“(Trace) looks good and we’re hoping the form comes back from his sophomore year.” Gourley said. “Nick will be strong again this year and we hope Luke picks up where he left off.”

On the girl’s side, there isn’t as good of an idea of what to expect because of the young make up of the team. While the Trojans return athletes like Stephanie Atkinson in the pole vault who just missed qualifying for state last year, Bailey Cashen in the high jump, and the sectional qualifying 4x800 relay team, the rest of the event field is up for grabs and Garner sees that as a positive.

“There’s not one person who is going to be a top-three person in four events, so we’re going to have to work on bringing more people along to the next level,” Garner said. “It will make us work really hard in every event and will make us more balanced as a team because we won’t be able to necessarily count on any particular event.”

Potential surprises and breakout seasons might take place in the high and triple jump along with the 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams that will feature some young sprinters.

Neither coach denied the unpredictable natural of how their seasons would play out, but both embraced the wide range of possibilities it presented.

“It’s going to be an interesting year because of the dynamics of having a lot of open sports up for grabs,” Garner said.

“But that’s the fun part though, seeing who will emerge,” Gourley added.

Park Hill South track teams feature plenty of experience

The Park Hill South boys and girls track team have a lot to look forward to in 2011 as they both return a good amount of athletes from last season’s teams. While the boys hope to jump up a spot from their second place conference finish, the girls will be in a position to defend their conference title for the first time in quite awhile.

“We had a great end to the season last year, first time we’ve done that in several years,” coach Andy Keefer said. “We essentially return everyone except for one of our throwers, so we’ve got a good group coming back.”

The Panthers’ 4x800 and 4x200 relay teams were the only teams to advance into sectionals from the district meet last season so with a team that features a quality group of seniors there is a focus on increasing the number of qualifiers.

“We’re going to be solid overall. If we work hard throughout the year, good things will happen at the end of the season,” Keefer said. “We have a great group of kids, especially in regards to senior leadership.”

Some of those senior athletes to keep tabs on these spring will be jumpers Jen Carlson and Lauren Goner, sprinters Alice Edwards and Jill McDaniel, and thrower Mallory Ross.

Keefer sees the conference as more difficult this season particularly in regards to the addition of Raytown South, which he believes will be one of their top competitors for the conference title. No matter what the competition, he says there is always one constant for his teams.

“We focus really on individual goals, not only what happens on the track, but also in the classroom to be the best they can be,” Keefer said.

On the boys’ side, coach Clay Lenhert will be harnessing a host of state and sectional qualifiers from last year. James Bowlin and DJ Johnson return hoping to improve on their state qualifying performances along with Josh Gordon, Christina Hildebrandt, Josh Hunt, and Daniel Jones. While these athletes will standout, Lenhert hopes their relays will serve as a consistent place for team points throughout the season.

“We try to focus and encourage quality Relay performances,” Lenhert said.

Mirroring his coaching counterpart on the girls’ side, Lenhert focuses his efforts on getting his team’s best performance at the end of year while also motivating his athletes to set their own goals in the process.

“Another goal is to coach and train our athletes to peak as individuals and as a team at the appropriate time of the season,” Lenhert said. “A key to our success will be to focus on ourselves... We can only control our effort and attitude. Our performance will be a reflection of how we apply effort and attitude to what abilities we have been given.”

Burke best choice for Kansas City, Platte County

There has been much made of the similarities between the two candidates for Mayor of Kansas City, Mike Burke and Sly James. Indicating they would run positive campaigns, both have avoided traditional attacks up to this point which is both encouraging and refreshing. While this is a change from many political campaigns, the absence of negative ads and false information has actually led to a debate over qualifications and leadership leaving voters with two candidates more contrasting than initially played out to be.

The two have been labeled and for the most part embraced two different brands. Northlander Mike Burke, a longtime civic leader and attorney, promotes his extensive involvement in committees and boards both private and public to voters as a way to prove his knowledge of the issues and processes involved with city government. This, along with career experience in economic development, will allow him to be an effective mayor on day one. He's been concise and specific about his approach to solving the city's many problems. Burke's candidacy combines nuts and bolts knowledge of the city's complexities with over 35 years of business and non-profit leadership.

Sly James, also an attorney, has taken the complete opposite approach of Burke as he has made a point of highlighting his inexperience with government related bodies and has indicated a leader with little experience in governance and new ideas is the best way to bring wide-spread change to Kansas City. His campaign has been geared mostly towards an attitude and overall idea of positivity, one which promotes inclusiveness and an open mind. Surrounding himself with experts on certain matters is how he plans on adopting knowledge of the inner-workings at City Hall.

With that in mind, Mike Burke is the best candidate to lead Kansas City in a positive direction as a whole. A large percentage of the growth Kansas City has experienced in the last decade has occurred in the Northland and projections show it will continue that way into the next decade as well. That’s why a group of Northland county commissioners along with other former and current elected leaders endorsed Burke earlier this week. Not only has Burke lived in the Northland for over three decades, he could possibly be the most qualified and capable candidate for Mayor in the last fifty years. He has the right combination of private, public, and non-profit involvement to give him a perspective from every facet of Missouri’s highest populated city. James’ knowledge consists mostly of Southern Kansas City and has indicated his interests in the same way with his absence at the only two Northland candidate forums.

The mayor's office is one that requires the highest degree of professionalism in order to be successful and should have a proven professional as its office holder just the same as we’d expect from any doctor, lawyer, or employee that were to work for us. The most successful accomplishments and groundbreaking discoveries aren’t achieved by those described as outsiders or inexperienced, much the same as cancer won’t be cured by someone unfamiliar to the medical practice. Burke is the essence of a professional and it’s evident in his previous work.

A common problem with races outlined as experience versus inexperience is only one candidate’s history is available for voters to reference while the other is left trying to convince voters that their words alone will produce accomplishments after the fact, in essence asking voters to gamble for the potential payoff. In this case, Burke’s resume proves he’s a leader with the capacity to steer a course for further accomplishments. For Kansas City, the best way to tell where Mike Burke can take it is to look at what he has already done.

If elected, Burke would be the first Northlander and Platte Countian to hold the position of Mayor of Kansas City. Rarely a priority for Mayors past, the recently released census numbers show the Northland has continually grown as a stronger voter block and along with it is in need of more city services. Burke realizes this and knows how to balance the traditionally disparaged attention of the Northland with those already getting attention south of the river. Coincidently, the Northland is also getting their chance as well because electing what could bring their first mayor into office will have a lot to do with the nearly 40% of the projected vote coming from it.

Park Hill South wins second straight title with defense, advances to sectionals

There were two similarities between the 2010 Class 5 District 16 boy’s basketball tournament and the 2011 tournament that crowned its champion last week. For Park Hill, it’s something they won’t look back on fondly as the Trojans came into both as a top seed (#2 in 2010, #1 in 2011), only needing wins against teams they had beaten earlier in the season to earn their first title since 1995. On the other hand, for Park Hill South it will be a testament of being in top form at the right time despite not being favored to advance as a lower seeded team (#4 in 2010, #3 in 2011).

The Class 5 District 16 tournament that concluded last Friday night was déjà vu all over again for the top seeded Park Hill Trojans and third seeded Park Hill South Panthers. In the 2010 district tournament, Park Hill was upset in the second round despite being the two seed to put a premature end to the Trojans’ season while Park Hill South, seeded fourth, ended up taking the district title plus more as they advanced all the way to the state semifinals. After coming away with a slim victory several weeks ago against the Panthers, Park Hill was thought to have the advantage going into the district title matchup between the two. But at the end of the night, it would be Park Hill South again taking home the district title leaving Park Hill empty handed for a second straight season.

Park Hill’s De’Aris Flint gave the Trojans their only first half lead with his breakaway layup for the games first basket, but Park Hill would be plagued by key turnovers caused by a tough Park Hill South defense throughout the game preventing the Trojans from gaining any substantial momentum. When Park Hill was able to get to the basket, South’s Adam Schemenauer was instrumental for the Panthers as he had several huge blocks early in the game. He also added offensively with 19 points on the night.

“He’s a great player and better athlete than he gets credit for,” Park Hill South coach Anthony Perry. “We ask him to be a game changer, that’s his job in making teams adjusting.”

With a 21-17 lead at halftime, Park Hill South briefly gave up the lead when Nathan Wilson hit a three pointer at the 2:30 mark in the third quarter, but carried a 31-29 advantage into the final quarter. It was in that fourth quarter when a relentless Panther defense finally took its toll on the Trojans. While Park Hill had managed to only be down by a small margin the majority of the game, scoring just five points in the fourth quarter allowed Park Hill South to extend their lead as the clock wound down with their ability to convert free throws. With the 48-34 victory, the Panthers advanced to a sectional round game against Liberty on Wednesday at the Independence Events Center.

Perry’s team has now won two district titles in as many years after suffering losses to district opponents during the regular season. He says the season is a process his team goes through that allows them to excel at the right time.

“It takes time for the kids to grasp it,” Perry said. “We take our lumps throughout the year, so at the end they know what we want as a coaching staff and we know what to expect.”

The trend will be tested again against Liberty as the Panthers held a 14 point lead in the fourth quarter earlier this year before relinquishing it in the face of a 65-60 loss.

“We were up by 14 in the fourth quarter,” Perry said of the Liberty game. “It’s huge because the simple fact is we know we can play with them. We have to do good things, execute and play well.”

A victory Wednesday evening will lead to a quarterfinals matchup Friday at 6 p.m. with the winner of the Ruskin/Lee’s Summit North game. South has not faced either team this season, but Perry believes there are two basic things that make his team a competitor and capable of advancing through the state playoffs.

“We’ve got three guys with a lot of experience, they know what it takes to be competitive when you get this far,” Perry said of his leading scorers’ past experience. “The biggest thing is that the kids believe in us. We’ve been blessed to have kids that don’t fight the system.”