FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill South Football

A 3-1 start in 2011 put the Panthers on the path towards reaching a second straight playoff appearance. However, a perfect storm of injuries coupled with an inexperienced group of young starters caused Park Hill South to stumble to a 1-5 finish, leaving them without a postseason berth at the end of the season. Learning from that experience with a majority of those same players returning in 2012 is something head coach Mark Simcox believes will yield positive results.

“At various times last year we started seven sophomores, so we have a lot of guys that played a lot of games,” Simcox said. “We’re not teaching anymore. The players know how we do things, so we can focus more on the football stuff. Everyone is more comfortable.”

The Panthers have a strong defensive lineup comprised of seven returning starters including two of its key pieces coming in the form of Robert Lane and Cody Kildow, athletes who can at times act as either linemen or linebackers, giving a high degree of flexibility to adjust to opposing offenses. Joining them will be core inside linebackers Austin Miller and Kenrick Cook.

While the experience and strength may be on the defense, Park Hill South will have a number of talented options on the offensive side of the ball to present a dangerously balanced attack. Splitting time equally at quarterback last year were junior Carson Reid and sophomore Shaefer Schuetz, but in 2012 Simcox says the Panthers will have one quarterback leading them with the other in ready reserve.

“We’re going to ask them both to do more than they did last year,” Simcox said. “Doesn’t matter who it is coming into week one, we’ll always try to have our back-up get a series or two a game.”

Whoever wins the quarterback job will be handing off to the versatile senior running back Miles Hammonds who, when healthy, last year provided Park Hill South with the speed and power for a strong running game. Leading the way for him will be an offensive line featuring Cletus Gilmore, Seth Cline, Cody Kildow, Isaiah Jones, and Cody Batton. Simcox says his linemen on both sides of the ball bring more size than they had available last year, which when combined with their other weapons, puts them in a position to match-up well with top competition.

“With our players being in the program long enough, our size, and our strength, we look like a big Class 5 team,” Simcox said. “We don’t have Division One players all over the place, but as a real solid high school football team, I think we’re in a good place.”

One of those weapons will be senior wide receiver Craig Scott who pulled in 50 catches and 11 touchdowns last season. His athleticism will give the Panthers a deep threat as well as keep secondaries honest in regards to the run. Complimenting him on the other sideline is junior receiver Nick Griffith who will allow the entire field to be used.

“With the kids we have, we will definitely be able to be more wide open,” Simcox said. “We hope to be able to control the ball with both our passing game and running game.”

Park Hill South will be led onto the field by 22 seniors in their first game of the season, a rematch of last year’s district finale 28-0 loss to state quarterfinalist Fort Osage. The game will be broadcast live on television as Metro Sports Game of the Week.

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill Football

For the first time since 2004, Park Hill’s 5-5 record in 2011 left the Trojans out of the Missouri state playoffs. While it was a painful experience for a program which prides itself on performing well in district play, it’s one the players are moving on from it in order to rebuild for their comeback in 2012.

“We’ve only had two non-winning seasons in 12 years,” Reynolds said. “There are no excuses for why it happened. We’ve talked to the kids about it and they understand the reasons. We keep that to our selves, but we have to improve and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

One thing Park Hill comes into the season more comfortable with is their overall depth after a 2011 season that featured a string of key injuries leaving them short-handed at critical points.

“Even though we don’t have as many names on the roster, we’re better off depth-wise than we were last year,” Reynolds said. “If we had an injury last year, we didn’t have anyone ready to play varsity. This year we feel if there is an injury, we’re going to be ok.”

Park Hill will lean on its defense early which returns the most experience. After offseason surgery senior Will Gaye will return at middle linebacker along with junior Nate Blanchard, both of which will be a big part of the Trojans’ defensive scheme as will linebackers Jake Terveer and Stefan McCarthy. Linemen Gary Wilson and Matt Gilme will play big roles both in the middle and off the edge of a defensive front that will use three and four man fronts. John Balsamo, Matt Gillman, and Carter Anchors make up what has been an enthusiastic and hard working secondary in preseason workouts.

“Defensively with a lot of returning guys, they’re really starting to improve and do things a lot better,” Reynolds said. “We’ve put in a lot more on both sides of the football than we ever have, and the kids are really picking it up.”

Offensively, the Trojans will be adjusting more to what’s usually described as a spread formation. Junior Clay Ford will be taking over the quarterback duties and run the offense from the shotgun position. With this new approach, Reynolds feels it will allow the assignments for each player to be easier to read. This will complement the experience Park Hill has in their skills players which include running backs Dondrell Hardiman (294 yards, 3 TD’s in 2011) and Stefan McCarthy (128 yard, 1 TD) as well as wide receivers Anthony Arens (106 yards receiving, 1 TD) and Lane Holmes (100 yards receiving, 1 TD).

“The good thing is we have a lot of skill guys back on offense so we’re doing a lot more shotgun and putting the ball in our skills guys’ hands,” Reynolds said. “With that, there are going to be some mistakes once in awhile, but we’ve had some success implementing it over the summer so we’ll see."

The development of a young offensive line will play a pivotal role in putting together a traditionally strong Trojan running game. They’re also athletes that could see time on the defensive side of the ball as well. Returning starter senior Gary Pickel will be joined by Jordan Lashbrook, Joe Tuimauga, and Anthony Enriquez in the trenches.

A hard working, lead-by-example group of 20 seniors will lead Park Hill into the 2012 season which starts off with two big games. The first on August 24th at Raytown South followed by hosting Lee’s Summit West on August 31st.

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill Volleyball

Three years ago when Park Hill volleyball coach Lindsey Hood took over the program she was working with a young and inexperienced group of freshmen and sophomores. In 2012 the Trojans are hoping those years of development since will finally start to pay off on the court. Coming off a 14-17 season and second place finish in conference, this year will serve as both an opportunity and challenge as conference realignment provides Park Hill will two of the city's top programs as competition in Lee's Summit West and Park Hill South.

Three-year letter winner Lindsey Grace and Davon Thomas return as a seniors to lead the Trojans. Grace led the team in blocks, assists, and kills last season and has already verbally committed to play at Southeastern Louisiana University next year. In a squad heavy with juniors, Angelica Pasek, Lyndi Plattner, and Kelsey Bearce will start with Stephanie Lane, Rylee Stoulil, and Taylor Baehr being a part of the rotation off the bench. Katie Reichert and Olivia Nowakowski are slated to start and contribute as sophomores.

Park Hill won't be a team that features a lot of offensive size, but they hope to counter it with their defense and execution.

"Offensively, we don’t have the big guns that some teams have, but defensively we have the ball control and movement we’ve been working on. We’re getting to balls we didn’t use to in the past," Hood said. "We’re going to have to out-work people since we’re outsized so we have to be smarter and develop our volleyball IQ."

One thing Hood says is different now compared to previous years is the maturity her players have developed and grown into as they become more experienced players, meaning there is more potential to build onto than just the basics. Their defensive blocking scheme is where they hope to see this in action.

"When we introduce new skills, they’re getting it a lot quicker and we’ve got multiple people stepping up to be leaders," Hood said. "We’re working on a new blocking scheme, so if that comes along our defense will come right with it. We may struggle at first, but hopefully by the end of the season we’ll be perfecting it to put it together on the court."

One thing Hood hopes her team will be able to do this year is have fun, which was harder to do as underclassmen who play volleyball year-round and put a significant amount of pressure on themselves to perform.

"Many times I have to remind them they do not need to be harder on themselves than I am," Hood said. "They have the “want” to win, now we are really focusing on the “how” to win."

Park Hill will get a good grasp of where they are in the early season when they compete in the Winnetonka Tournament in early September before going into the start of their conference schedule.

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill South Volleyball

Park Hill South volleyball is known for its high expectations and with seven returning letter winners from a 31-5 team that won conference and district titles last season, 2012 will be no different. It is part of a culture developed by head coach Debbie Fay that’s resulted in more than 750 victories over the course of her career and will once again force other teams to put a target on the Panthers.

“These are kids that have played varsity for quite a few years. I can’t say we’re the underdogs or we’re young and starting over,” Fay said. “They have some expectations on them and they need to step in and up-hold that.”

Seniors Tori Kerr, Lindsey Yager, and Skylar German will lead the Panthers along with junior Ashton Anderson who will take charge and run the offense. Other starters coming back with experience include juniors Claire Friedliun and Maddie Palmer as well as sophomore Sami Nay. On any given night, each is capable of being an impact player, something which will make this squad a tough one to matchup against.

“I have a great group of kids that can bond together, the chemistry is good,” Fay said. “If they stay healthy, I think we’re going to have a good time. They are really hard workers, probably one of the hardest working groups I’ve ever had.”

While the Panthers return experience and talent, their one weakness is in their lack of size, so it will be key to use their balance on the court and quickness to control and move the ball efficiently. Fay says the thing which will bring it all together is the team’s quality chemistry.

Park Hill South welcomes Lee’s Summit West and Park Hill into their conference this season, which present unique challenges, but before conference play gets started, the Panthers will travel to Orlando to play in a national tournament over Labor Day Weekend which will be a unique experience for all.

“I’ve never taken a team that far before,” Fay said. “They’ve been a good, hard working group so I figured ‘let’s do something fun for a special group of kids’.”

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill Boys Soccer

After making it all the way to the state semi-finals in 2009 and quarterfinals in 2010, last year the Park Hill boys soccer team had their regular season ups and downs, but sure enough when it came time for the playoffs they rolled through district play for a third straight title and, once again, advanced through sectionals to the state quarterfinals where they eventually lost to Lee’s Summit West. They come into 2012 under the new leadership of first year head coach Josh Marchbank and will again be looking to work their way into the state playoffs.

“I’m extremely excited to lead the Trojans this year. I’m very passionate about the program and believe that this group has the tools to once again be one of the best teams in Kansas City.”

While Park Hill finished the season as one of the state’s final eight teams, Marchbank hopes their preparation coming into this year puts them in a position to win more regular season games, which he believes will prepare them better for playoff competition.

“Last year we got to the state quarterfinal and were 15-12,” Marchbank said. “Last year was kind of an eye opener for some of our younger guys that saw what it takes to win. They really focused on building off that over the summer.”

Led by a strong group of seniors, Park Hill returns nine players with significant varsity playing time. Matt Russell, Timmy Hay, and Neal Sampson will combine for a strong offensive attack with Hay returning as the Trojans’ top goal scorer and Sampson their top assist man from 2011. Cain Winebrenner will lead the defense along with Austin Martin and Shane Belew. While Park Hill will have strengths on both ends of the field, their coach says it all comes together at the midfielder position where Keaton Anchors, Nick Hibbeler, and Alec Fiest will start the season.

“We have a lot of midfielders right now. For the kind of soccer style we’ll be playing, it will be very quick, so it will be disciplined and dangerous with those three guys,” Marchbank said. “The formations we’ll use are something I grew up with and fit the guys we’ve got real well.”

No matter what style of play they use, their underlying motivation for 2012 comes from meeting and exciting the expectations set over the past three years.

“The thing that is going to keep us together is our goal of getting back to the state tournament. That’s the baseline we set,” Marchbank said. “Honestly, conference awards don’t have that much stock for us. It’s really how far we can take the team at the state level.”

They’ll have the opportunity to play Oak Park at Livestrong Sporting Park on September 28th. Park Hill kicks the season off at the Liberty Tournament where they’ll play perennial Kansas City soccer programs Blue Springs and Liberty, who will give the Trojans a preview of what playoff competition could look like come October.

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill South Boys Soccer

With 16 seniors returning for the Park Hill South boys soccer team from last year's 16-9-1 season, Coach Joe Toigo believes it has the potential to be a rewarding 2012 season.

"These guys have a chance to have a great season," Toigo said. "We had our ups and downs last year as a fairly young team, but we're ready to build off of that this year."

The Panthers return almost 90% of their total goals from last season including five players that produced eight or more with seniors Brody Bouillon (14 goals), Alex Weatherly (10), and Adam Weatherly (9) as well as juniors Jordan Lindsey (12) and Josh Hall (8). While Park Hill South features a strong offensive lineup, they feature a well-balanced team and have players at every position that have proven they can score when needed, but defend as well. Seniors returning with significant varsity playing time on defense last year include Nick Smith, Chris Blevins, and Josh Hunt.

“We’re probably more offensive than defensive right now, but we’re working on it,” Toigo said. “We have quality players on both sides of the field though.”

Heath Turner hopes to build on his 10.5 shutouts in 21 games at goalie last year with the help of Marc DeJesus who adds capable depth at the position. Others who will be in the mix at various positions include seniors Andrew Gonzales, Brian Kissee, and Jack Summa.

"With a young team last year, I think the mental part of the game was something we struggled with," Toigo said. "Coming back this year, I'm seeing a higher level of maturity to handle some of those situations better."

Strong, senior-laden teams are what successful high school teams can use as a foundation, so the talent level the Panthers will have on the field in 2012 certainly comes with high expectations. Coming off a winning season gives the team that much more motivation to fulfill their goal of making a run at the state playoffs.

The road to the postseason is likely to go through three-time district champion Park Hill who has ended Park Hill South's season each of the last three years by handing them a defeat in district tournament play, two times of which were in district title games. With conference realignment, the two teams will play twice in league play which will give both sides a familiarity with each other should they meet in district play again.

Early season participation against some of the area’s toughest competition will prepare them well as the Panthers kick the season off at the Olathe Invitational on August 24th followed up the next weekend with play in the Blue Valley North Invitational.

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill Softball

The Park Hill softball program went into unfamiliar territory in 2011 as their 18-7 overall record and 9-1 record in league play won them their first conference title since 1992. While the Trojans lost several key players from that team, they return seven letter winners, enough of a foundation to compete once again in 2012.

“I don’t see why we can’t compete for the title. We’ll have to play excellent softball to do it,” head coach Stuart Sullinger said. “We had a taste of beating Truman (co-champs) last year and some of the real damage was really done by this group that is returning.”

One area of strength coming into the season for Park Hill will be its pitching as senior Mackenzie Porter (3.09 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 2011) and junior Audrea Allen (3.50 ERA and 50 strikeouts) hope to pick up where they left last year. Also contributing will be sophomore Veronique Johnson. The surest way to success is with a consistent pitching staff and having it as a strong point is something head coach Stuart Sullinger says is a comfort he’s not used to.

“For the first time in a long time, we’re deep at pitcher,” Sullinger said. “It’s always been something we’ve struggled with, but they’re all pushing each other hard. So I like where we are.”

Allen, who can play a number of positions, also returns as the Trojans top offensive produce, having batted in 17 runs last year and accumulating a .452 batting average last year. Joining her will be experienced varsity players in seniors third baseman Samantha Snodgrass, first baseman Ciera Ellis, and catcher Paige Downs. Juniors Keylee Burks and Katherine Lawrence as well as sophomore Lexi Santoyo will also see significant playing time.

Overall, Sullinger says he has a lot of players that are athletic and can play different positions on defense, but offense is probably where the Trojans hope to see more progress in the early season as last year’s production was heavily in its graduated senior class.

“We can do a lot of things, so I have to find the right combination that works,” Sullinger said. “Right now, I think our defense is ahead of our offense which is not a bad thing, but you certainly have to be able to score to win.”

A lot of Park Hill’s success this season could depend on how effective young players can be when they step on to the varsity playing field. Now in his fourth year as head coach, Sullinger says having an effective system in place can help in that process. Even with the welcoming of two new assistant coaches, the goal is to keep it consistent so players know what standard to live up to.

“It’s been as seamless a transition as we could have imagined. It’s a testament to the kids and the system when you can just reload because everyone knows what to expect,” Sullinger said. “They know to work hard and do their best. I’m real pleased with how things are starting to fall into place.”

Park Hill will get its first taste of competition in the Greater Kansas City Tournament August 22-25 before they start a tough week long stretch where they will face conference members Lee’s Summit West (8/27), Truman (8/30), and Park Hill South (9/4), all league contenders.

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill Boys Swim/Dive

With more than 20 enthusiastic swimmers showing up for the first week of practice, Park Hill boys swim coach Karl Haley is pleased to head into 2012 with new Trojan swimmers to fill a number of vacant varsity spots. Park Hill only returns three of the seven state qualifiers from a 2011 team that finished second in conference and 30th at the state meet. They are hoping with more swimmers they’ll be able to score more points in competitions they were unable to last year.

“Last year we got second in conference with only 12 varsity swimmers, so we didn’t even have swimmers in some races, so we were giving away points with open spots,” Haley said.

The Trojans believe this season is a chance to re-establish where they want to set the bar, not only this year, but beyond with a number of new young swimmers coming into the program.

“We’ve got a lot of new faces this year,” Haley said. “It’s one of those things where you have to set the expectations for many of them. Hopefully, this will bring with it some new energy to the team that will push us over the top.”

Park Hill will rely heavily on the talent and experience of their three state qualifiers seniors Matt Wagner (200 free, 500 free, 100 backstroke) and Vince Tutorino (100 butterfly) along with sophomore Barry Chang (500 free). Haley also expects senior diver Joey Johnson to competitive strongly to qualify for state this season.

“Those guys have been around and we kind of expect them to show everyone else what to do,” Haley said. “We’ve got a good group with more numbers so we hope that works well.”

Strong swim programs wait in the Trojans’ new conference alignment with Lee’s Summit West and Park Hill South making it one of the most competitive conferences in the city. Possibly coming down to a three-way contest for first place, Haley believes depth could be a difference maker.

Park Hill jumps into the season with the South Rock Swim Invite on August 25th followed by hosting the Park Hill Invite September 15th.

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill South Softball

Park Hill South softball comes back in 2012 with its core from a 2011 team that went 14-13 overall and 8-4 in conference play. While there are certainly some of the same faces on the diamond for the Panthers this season, they hope the results will exceed last season’s and meet the higher expectations that come with one more year of development.

“We’re very experienced, a lot of varsity experience returning,” head coach Josh Walker said. “I would also say the chemistry wasn’t as good last year as it is this year.”

Returning for the Panthers are a number of varsity letter winners including Jessica Lee, Sarah Nelson, Madison Price, and Alyx Hagen. Sydney Minnis, Courtney Jackson, and Kylie DeClue will contribute as well. They will lean early on their most experienced players in Courtney Todd, Courtney Land, Mallory Land, and Jordin Woodward, a group Walker says he’ll use to build around with a number of talented players.

“I’m going to look for those four to lead us,” Walker said. “We’re got some speed we can put throughout the order and a couple younger players who could easily start varsity.”

The one thing Park Hill South needs to bring it all together is strong and consistent pitching. They could see that from several different contributors as four freshmen saw varsity time in the ring last year. Price, Hagen, and Jackson along with Julia Switlik all bring a certain strength to the Panther rotation, which Walker says could be used at anytime.

“If our pitching comes through we’ve got a shot. They all bring something to the table and are very good at what they bring. They are so different, I can see them all doing something for the varsity this year,” Walker said. “It’s good for situational use and matchups, but we’re not going to overcoach and do things when we don’t need to. If someone is on a role we’re going to go with them.”

Offensively, the Panthers struggled with consistency last year; something Walker believes will have developed and matured with one more year of practice.

“We didn’t have all of our hitters on at the same time last year,” Walker said. “We just weren’t consistent enough. I think we have a better shot at that this year.”

Truman and Park Hill are considered the conference favorites in the eyes of the Panthers. That is, until someone knocks them off, which they hope to be able to compete against and accomplish. They jump start the season with the Joplin Tournament where they’ll play several high quality teams they went 2-3 against last year.

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill Girls Tennis

First year Park Hill girls tennis coach Rustin Reys takes over a program in 2012 that has won an impressive five straight conference titles and is coming off a fourth place finish last year at state, a record that might imply a certain degree of pressure for a new coach, but Reys says it couldn’t be further from the true and that previously being an assistant and player will greatly benefit him.

“I’m more at ease than I’ve ever been,” Reys said. “As a head coach, I feel like I’ll draw upon anything one of my own coaches has ever said to me. I can hear coaches in my head because I’ve been in these situations before (as a player).”

Park Hill welcomes back four of its top six varsity players from a year ago including doubles state qualifiers Brooke Barnard and Kaylin Lake along with Morgan Pehlman and Abby Peoples. Barnard comes into the season as the Trojans top player and has accepted not only the on-the-court challenge, but the leadership tasks off the court as well.

“She’s got the pace, has played all year, really swings hard for as small as she is,” Reys said. “You can see it in her eyes that she’s ready to step up and how much of a competitor she is going to be.”

What will prove to be the most telling for Park Hill in 2012 is how the bottom of their lineup shapes up. With 35 players out for the team, Reys says there could be as many as ten different players competing for the last one or two spots on the varsity level.

“It’s our strength and our weakness at the same time,” Reys said. “We’re so deep that it’s going to be hard to decide who those spots go to. But that also means they’re pushing each other in practice. We may have to switch it up to see how it shakes out.”

Park Hill’s conference titles of the past have been no walk in the park, but with conference realignment, it won’t get any easier. Some of the Trojans toughest matches will be in conference against Lee’s Summit West and Park Hill South. In both matchups, Reys says more than talent may not be the determining factor.

“It might not necessarily about who is better, but who’s focused mentally, prepared, and whos in the best shape,” Reys said.

While Reys hopes to keep many of the successful components of the program together, he’ll have his own unique style of coaching which he says will attempt to be more direct to players in how they can contribute to the team.

“I’m trying to be very honest to the girls about what they can bring to our team and what their role is,” Reys said. “I’m relying on the fact that the girls have played over the summer because once the season starts, there isn’t a lot of practice time available. They’ve put in a lot of work and we’re hoping to capitalize off that.”

Early key matchups for Park Hill include competitions against Pembroke Hill on August 23rd and St. Theresa’s on August 31st.

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill South Boys Swim/Dive

Park Hill South boys swimming finished their 2011 season with a conference title and the most points at a state meet in school history, tying them for their highest finish coming in at 4th place. Even with the loss of nine seniors from that team, the 2012 squad comes into this season looking to pick up where they left off with a goal of attaining another top four state finish this season.

“It’s kind of a transition year for us, but despite that, I think we should be pretty competitive,” head coach Steven De La Piedra said.

Seniors Liam Huffman, the Panthers most decorated swimmer last year who received all-state honors in four events, and Tom Prinslow, who finished 11th in the 500 freestyle, will lead Park Hill South as they represent the most seasoned individual swimmers. While De La Piedra will be able to rely on his top two seniors, he believes the rest of the team is looking real strong.

“We’ve got a good senior class returning, most of them are state qualifiers. Pretty solid sophomore class, and really good juniors,” De La Piedra said.

Other swimmers who had strong performances in 2011 and will again play key roles in 2012 include seniors Alex Heuton, Jacob Little, and Caleb Siebert. Junior Chase Riekhof and sophomores Travis Colpitts, Luke Lanning, and Ian Morgan will also be important parts to the Panthers success.

As the Panthers try to figure out each swimmer’s strength and where they might fit in best for the team, it is a continual process that lasts throughout the year. In fact, De La Piedra says he and assistant coach Tim Busenhart get excited about each season as soon as the last season ends.

“My assistant and I were looking over who we’ve got coming back and figuring out where people might fit, we do that from the moment state ends the previous year,” De La Piedra said.

“Each swimmer has their individual strokes and strengths, either they tell me or kind of ask what they’re good at depending on how they race. We just kind take a look at how they do over the course of the year and put our conference team together at the end.”

The Panthers will once again look to repeat as conference champions against new conference members Lee’s Summit West and Park Hill in 2012, leading the way for a chance at another top-four finish at state. They will get a good understanding of their early season progress towards those goals when they travel to Springfield in early September for the Top Dog Duals.

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill South Girls Tennis

Coming off conference and district titles in 2011, the Park Hill South girls tennis team returns in 2012 with five of their six varsity starters from a year ago including doubles state qualifiers senior Marie Gehrke and sophomore Adele Royle. Coaches Glynis Chambers and Ian Cunliff believe they have a team that can build off the strong foundation last year’s success brought..

“We’ve got a lot of younger depth that we didn’t have last year,” Cunliff said.

With one more year’s experience under their belt, a talented group of young players become a strength for the Panthers. While the makings of a successful season are there for South in 2012, they believe one key factor that gives them an advantage this year over last is something that can’t be measured by the scoreboard.

“Maturity (last year), it wasn’t really anything on the court. A lot of it was just mental.”

In a sport which is almost exclusively individual in the offseason, players are required to practice on their own.

“They’ve all been working on things,” Cunliff said. “I gave them a ‘wish list’ of things to work on over the summer.”

Park Hill South will lean heavily on their top two in Royle and Gehrke, who established themselves as dominant forces in Northland tennis last year both individually and as a pair. The two advanced to the state tournament before falling in a close 2-1 loss in the sectional round.

“Marie is very consistent and steady; Adele is a big hitter and goes for a lot of hard shots. She hits a lot of winners,” Chambers said. “They went to state in doubles last year. We’ll just have to see what their success is like at the end of the season on whether they will do singles or doubles.”

More experience and skills on the players’ end mean the coaching staff can implement more effective strategies to win on their end.

“Since there are nine matches going on in one dual, it’s not like we focus on one unit. In tennis, we kind of know the main players and how our players should play them, but we also have a generic game plan as well. It’s up to us coaches to modify that for each of the nine matches,” Cunliff said. “The better our players are, the more detailed we can get as coaches.”

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill Girls Golf

Despite losing their top golfer to graduation, Park Hill girls golf has come into 2012 at a high level in preseason practice. After a summer full of competition, the Trojans’ top three golfers return this fall shooting as if they were in midseason form. State qualifiers senior Bailey Warlen and sophomore Adrianna Elliott, who finished 68th and 33rd respectively at state last year, return along with sophomore letter winner Sydney Paulak. Those three will provide a strong foundation head coach Tari Garner says is pretty impressive.

“Those three are pretty solid at 1, 2, 3,” Garner said. “We’re starting really strong.”

While the Trojans have talent at the top the real story of their team success will be who fills the rest of the varsity spots. The good news for Park Hill is there is plenty of competition with a number of younger players coming into the program with golf experience, something not always a given for incoming freshmen.

“We’re looking for those four and five spots,” Garner said. “I’d really like to have four or five girls shooting for those two spots so they can battle for it. I’d like to be able to rotate kids in so they get that varsity experience.”

With 18 players on the preseason roster, Garner says it’s the first time she’s had a team where everyone is a legitimate contender for either the five spots on varsity or JV. Seniors Rachyl Williams and Darion Peterson all the way down the roster to the team’s only freshmen, Chloe Dailey and Delaney Oehrke, have a chance at competing and will at some point.

Focus on specific pieces of each golfer’s game can range, but after falling short of a conference title last year by just a few strokes, Garner says the entire team will be seeing time on the putting green.

“We’ll work a ton on short game with everyone,” Garner said. “That’s what is going to make a difference with the scores.”

Excelling in putting will not only produce better results, but help them develop as players, which is the area Garner enjoys the most about her job.

“Once they start getting those lower scores, that’s a huge confidence builder,” Garner said. “It’s really fun to watch them grow into themselves.”

Park Hill will host two early matches at their home course, Tiffany Greens, against Winnetonka/Oak Park on August 29th and Kearney on September 4th before traveling to other various courses around the metro for the remainder of the season.

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill South Girls Golf

An impressive season in 2011 for the Park Hill South girls golfers included a 15-1 record, a third place finish at districts, and a team qualification for sectionals. Coming into 2012, the Panthers return three of five from last year’s team and will add to the mix a handful of upperclassmen to fill the gaps for another run at a successful season.

Seniors Lindsey Gile and Savannah Kutz along with junior Sydney Sanders return from sectional qualifications to lead Park Hill South this season. Sanders scored the highest (+27) for the Panthers in the state sectional tournament, which made her just a few strokes shy of a state qualification in 2011. Others in the varsity mix will be seniors Ashley Kildow and Cailin Ballard as well as juniors Kyliegh Keith, Lauren Pusateri, and Abbe Rechstener.

“We have a good group this season. Any of them have a great chance to make the varsity team,” head coach Larry Torgerson said. “I truly cannot project five of the eight players that will be playing varsity. I do know that it will be great to watch their matches!”

Park Hill South is not used to having large senior classes on their golf teams, so even though they will feature a strong class of four, it will be the most they’ve had in the program’s history. With that kind of leadership and experience comes high expectations.

“With a group of successful players this year our expectations will be high,” Torgerson said. “But with golf it is one stroke at a time.”

Playing up a conference as a result of realignment could present a challenge, but one the Panthers are looking forward to meeting head on this fall on the links. They begin the season with a handful of competitions in Liberty on August 22nd, 27th, and 28th before returning home to host St. Joe Central, Lee’s Summit North, and Lee’s Summit West at The National on August 29th.

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill Boys Cross Country

Despite losing their two top runners to graduation from a year ago, Park Hill boys cross country returns the rest of their varsity team in 2012 for what could be one of the more unified groups the Trojans have seen in recent years. Hoping to lead a team that finished in third place at conference and fourth place at sectionals last year are seniors Kainen Utt, Riley Fahrenholz, Nate Thomas, and Daniel Chen.

While the Trojans qualified as a team for sectionals last year, Utt returns as the only individual qualifier and has so far emerged as Park Hill’s number one runner. Head coach Jon Davis says Utt is ready to take on the role both in terms of performance and leadership.

“Cainen has been a sectional qualifier the last two years,” Davis said. “He’s really looking forward to this year and I think he’s got a good shot at getting pretty far as well. He does a good job of leading guys by doing the right things and acting the right way. He’ll be fine because he knows he’s the number one guy and has worked really hard to earn it.”

Davis says last year there was a drop-off between his top two runners and the rest of the team, but in 2012 he believes the team is a more cohesive group that can run together and still see success.

“As long as they’re running towards the front of the pack, and not the middle or back, running together is always positive,” Davis said. “We’ve got a number one in Kainen, but the two, three, and four guys won’t be as far back as they have in the past.”

Junior James Adams and sophomore Hanok Tekle return as seasoned varsity runners who were part of last year’s sectional qualifying team. Sophomores Noah and Carter Barajas along with Cade Kellem will compete for some of the final spots on varsity, representing just a portion of the underclassmen which make up a majority of the team overall.

“What I’ve noticed this year is we have a smaller number of runners, but we have more kids that really want to do this. They really want to run, so I like the group we have,” Davis said. “I think 21 of our 31 guys are freshmen or sophomores so the older guys who do things right will help them.”

Lee’s Summit West and St. Joe Central will be the teams to beat at the conference meet, but Park Hill thinks they can give them some tough competition. While the Trojans start their season at the Liberty Invitational, they believe they’ll have a good idea of their potential after Week Three when they return from Blue Springs and the Wildcat Invitational.

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill South Boys Cross Country

Park Hill South will defend its 2011 conference championship with most of the same runners that helped contribute to clinching it last year. The Panthers return three all-conference runners in seniors Lendon Calhoun and Mason Homoly as well as their top runner sophomore Tucker Melles. Melles burst onto the scene last year as a freshman, qualifying for the state meet before finishing 43rd overall.

“He’s been running races all summer long,” head coach Brad Banning said of Melles. “He also swims, so he’s coming back in great shape.”

Also returning for the Panthers are senior Jacob Bowlin, juniors Westley King, Chase Whorton, Eli Williams, and Keaton Murray, and sophomore Gus Whitman.

Overall, Banning says his junior and sophomore classes make up a large portion of the team with about 13 runners in each class. It’s certainly not a problem, as it should help Park Hill South field quality varsity as well as junior varsity teams, which help fuel competition between the individual runners.

They will start the season off at the Liberty Invite on September 1st followed by the Ray-Pec Invite on September 8th.

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill Girls Cross Country

Sometimes less is more. That’s what Park Hill girls cross country coach Jason Parr is hoping as his team heads into the 2012 season. Despite only having a little more than 20 girls on the team, Parr believes he’s seen more dedication and commitment coming into this year compared to some of his bigger teams of the past.

“The focus has been totally different this year, it’s kind of been fun because I’ve got girls who are telling me they want to work this year,” Parr said. “We don’t have a lot of girls this year, maybe 20 or 21, but they’re ready to contribute.”

Returning for Park Hill and leading the way is two-time state qualifier junior Kim Rau who will be joined by sophomore Mercedes Robinson. Both had successful track seasons in the spring and kept the momentum going through the summer, as did a number of the girls who will make up the core of this year’s team including Gianna Tutorino, Brooke Bischof, Madeline Mudd, Emma Gaiser, Libby Lund, and number of other young runners.

Now in his third year, Parr says he spent the summer with his team focusing in on how to fulfill what has the potential to be a very talented team.

“We’re kind of reprocessing and re-evaluating everything, and kind of starting over again. We had a great track season and over the summer re-thought everything we do,” Parr said. “We established contact day requirements meaning they had to make 18 days to run a meet. We ended up having some of the best summer miles that we’ve ever had.”

Along with the new energy and approach has come a new attitude, one which is comfortably confident and business-like.

“I’d say the attitude this year is calm. Our girls come, work, don’t say much, and really go about their business. They’re a close bunch,” Parr said. “We’re really looking to whoever says I’m going to commit to this and ready to do this. They’re the ones who are going to get the job done.”

Park Hill starts the season off at the Liberty Invitational on September 1st, but the KC Metro Classic at the end of the month is what Parr believes will be a good tool to judge the Trojans’ progress leading into the conference and district meets.

“A good meet is always KC Metro. It’s a flat, fast course that can help up evaluate half-way through the season,” Parr said. “Our goal is to always get as many girls to the state meet. It’s just something we work for and that’s something the girls look to.”

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill South Girls Cross Country

After winning their conference, earning their highest placement at districts in nine years, and finishing seventh in sectionals last season, the Park Hill South girls cross country team returns seven letter winners in 2012 and are looking stronger than ever.

“We’re pretty excited about the girls we have returning,” head coach Pam Jurgensmeyer said. “We’ve ran a lot and it’s probably the best participation we’ve had from incoming freshmen, so that’s exciting to get that interest at the younger level.”

Leading the way will be three decorated seniors in Lizzy Jurries, De De O’Toole, and Audrey Rothers who’ve been familiar faces at the front of the Panther pack the past couple seasons. Other varsity runners returning from last season include Raven Jennings, Madeline Homoly, Danielle Black, and Erica Guzman who received the team’s top time at last year’s sectionals.

While Park Hill South will return a strong team, they’ll also be dealing with a realignment in conferences, which in their case means a tougher road to defending and repeating as champions.

“We have talked about moving up a conference, which will be quite a challenge with Lee’s Summit West, who has won state a couple times),” Jurgensmeyer said. “That will be a mental and physical challenge.”

Nonetheless, the Panthers are come into the season with confidence and have added an additional, but worthwhile theme to their training.

“The overall theme has been integrity. Cross Country can kind of be a sport where you can be out there alone with no coaches and you’re not all in the same place at once, so it’s easy to cut a corner short or stop early. We want them to show the integrity of putting in hard work and knowing how it feels to put it in.”

They will start the season off at the Liberty Invite on September 1st followed by the Ray-Pec Invite on September 8th.