Park Hill boys' hoops looking for their identity

The Park Hill boys basketball team saw its share of ups and downs as they went 1-1 in their opening week of play, but as they head into the highly competitive Blue Springs Tournament this week, they know there is a lot of upside to their potential if they’re able to be patient and learn from a tough December schedule.

“The thing about us is we’re trying to find our identity,” Park Hill coach David Garrison said. “We have some strengths and there are some things we’ve worked on with our guard play. Anytime you do something new, it’s going to take a while to grasp it. If we stay focused and we keep working hard, we’re going to improve tremendously, which I’m excited about.”

After trailing Kearney by just two at halftime of their season opener, the Trojans came out cold in the second half and weren’t able to get to the free throw line, leading to a 54-40 loss. Their home opener against Oak Park on Friday night had a slightly different tempo to it as Park Hill saw themselves fall behind in the first half of a closely contested matchup. Park Hill took a lead they would not relinquish in the third quarter on the way to a 61-52 win over the Northmen.

While the tone and atmosphere gave the feeling of a district playoff game, there was plenty to resemble an early season game with shaky fundamentals, decision-making, and a 15-36 performance from the free throw line.

“The back and forth was the February part, but our performance and how consistent we were, was definitely the November part,” Garrison said. “They outplayed us in the first half, we didn’t match them effort-wise or energy-wise. We needed a couple things to go our way in the second half to get a win.”

Sophomore guard Landry Shamet led the Trojans in scoring for the second straight game with 14 points.

Drawing Blue Springs South in the first round of the Blue Springs Tournament, the Trojans will face some steep competition over the next two weeks including a ‘Coaches vs. Cancer’ game at Liberty on December 11, a rematch with Blue Springs South at home on December 16, and North Kansas City on December 18.

“We’ll be playing some good teams, so by the time we get to Christmas we’ll have some pretty good experience,” Garrison said.

South wrestling banged up early, but optimistic

While battling several key injuries, Park Hill South was able to turn in a satisfactory performance at the Park Hill Duals last week to earn a fifth place finish. While they undoubtedly would have liked to end the day closer to the top of the field, Park Hill South coach Dan Dunkin says some early season injuries have weaken his team’s early performance.

“We’re a little weak right now, but we’ll be fine. We’re not really too big about what happens in December,” Dunkin said. “We’re still in good spirits and we’ll right the ship here pretty quick, I think.”

The Panthers beat Lee’s Summit North 46-24 earlier in the week leading up to the tournament and will travel to Lee’s Summit North this weekend for their annual tournament.

“Anytime you can beat a Lee’s Summit team who has good athletes, that’s a good thing,” Dunkin said.

Park Hill South’s strong senior class has led the way so far this season and the coaching staff is encouraging them to rack up points the best they can so they are ready for matchups where every point will count.

“Our seniors are doing really well,” Dunkin said. “We’ve been pushing them all day to rack up points. They’re responding well on the mat.”

Park Hill wrestling takes second in own tournament

After having to settle for third in the Park Hill Duals last year, the Park Hill wrestling program was looking to return to the title round this year for the chance to claim first place in their own tournament. Cruising through pool play, the only obstacle left in their way was the top-seeded and nationally ranked Kearney Bulldogs. Despite being the underdog, Park Hill would win several key matchups in the lower weight classes and continue to maintain a narrow into later matches. It would all come down to the final match though when Kearney was able to get a pin in the heavyweight class to pull the Bulldogs over the top 31-27 to clinch a first place finish, their second in as many years.

While the Trojans take consolation in nearly pulling off the upset against a talented Kearney program, second place is not something they are comfortable settling with because it doesn’t align with their ultimate goal.

“Every single match and tournament this year is the state tournament. What we did was we picked up right where we left last year and took second as a team,” Park Hill coach Bill Erneste said. “What we wanted to do was beat Kearney here. We wrestled our tails off and did everything in our power, but Kearney was stronger today. was fun, but it’s only really fun when you come out with a W.”

Erneste says he saw positive signs from a number of wrestlers throughout the tournament, not only his more experienced and decorated wrestlers like Ke-Shawn Hayes and John Erneste, but also those who have fought their way into the lineup for the first time like Anthony Enriquez and August Sobbing.

“I was proud of a lot of individual performances today,” Erneste said. “The fight of our big guys was pleasing since a lot of our big guys are new to the lineup.”

For Park Hill it is all about moving forward though, as each tournament represents an opportunity to be approach as if it is the state tournament. Their next big competition will be this weekend at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman Tournament in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio where some of the country’s best wrestlers will matchup.

“I like where we’re at on the staircase towards the goal of winning, but I’m never excited about taking second,” Erneste said. “We’ve got to get ready for the Ironman Tournament, our next chance at a ‘state tournament’.”