Underdog Trojans win district title, third in a row

Coming into this season, Park Hill boys soccer coach Dustin Sollars knew his team would face some obstacles if they wanted to match what they had accomplished the previous two seasons. In 2009 and 2010, the Trojans won district titles and advanced to the quarterfinals both years, advancing to the state semifinals in 2009. After losing a good portion of that experienced and talented squad to graduation, it would have been easy to write 2011 as a rebuilding year, but a 2-1 victory over Oak Park last week in the district title game has given Park Hill its third consecutive district championship and sets them up with a meeting with Liberty this week in the state sectionals.

“Being back in the playoffs means a lot. Losing that group last year hurt and as a result no one expected anything out of us,” Sollars said. “I think this year’s group took that to heart and really played with a chip on their shoulder for a while. We had bouts of immaturity along the way where we let down and gave up games, but that's what happens when you go from a very senior laden team to a new bunch.”

Park Hill seeded third coming into district play with a 12-11 record was an underdog unlike previous years. Going to double overtime in their first round game against Park Hill South with each tied at 1-1, it was Neal Sampson scoring the game winning goal to advance the Trojans to the title game against Oak Park. The Northmen who had gone through an incredible regular season racking up a 21-3 record faced Park Hill in the first week of the season in two matchups where the Trojans pulled out one victory before Oak Park came back a couple days later to beat Park Hill in what began the Northmen’s tear through their schedule. In the end it would be the Trojans not just taking the season series with a 2-1 win, but also giving them their third straight district title on the heels of goals from Shane Belew and Chris Walker.

“We were the last team to beat Oak Park before their streak,” Sollars said. “Beat them on a Saturday, turned around and lost on Tuesday. We began and ended their streak.”

The Trojans will be in a similar position for redemption this week against Liberty as Park Hill fell to the Blue Jays in a close 2-1 match earlier in the season. Sollars thinks it was a game they should have won and hopes their improvement throughout the season will give them the added advantage they need to make their third trip to the quarterfinals.

“We hit the post a couple times but just had trouble finishing,” Sollars said. “We like to think we've gotten better at finishing, but I'm sure their defense has improved very much since that second week of the season.”

For this year’s team, who may not have come into the year considered a threat, their accomplishment comes in the form of securing a part of school history in being the first team to win three district titles in row since the program’s start in 1980.

“This year’s group figured it out along the way as opposed to when the season started. And that's fine,” Sollars said. “They set their own goals and one of them was to get back to the quarterfinal game. And the exciting part is that they’re not satisfied yet.”