Trojans coach says 13 years is enough

The Park Hill football program will be absent of a significant presence they’ve had on the sidelines the past 13 seasons next year. After building the program into one of the most consistent contenders in the metro, last week during a team meeting head coach Greg Reynolds announced he was stepping down.  Citing his intention to pursue other opportunities including a possible role in administration, Reynolds said the decision and timing were made on his own after considering it in recent months and discussing it with assistant coaches and Athletic Director Bill Sobbe.

“I had been thinking about it for a couple months. I decided now was a good time to do something different and pursue some other opportunities,” Reynolds said. “If it doesn’t work out, coaching is always something I can come back to in the future.”

Mindful of waiting until after his team’s annual end of the season banquet, he wanted to make sure they got the recognition they deserved without distraction.

“The banquet is about the players and recognizing their efforts, nothing else, so I wanted to wait until that happened.”

Reynolds said there were several factors that made the timing right. Since most opportunities within the district aren’t made available or decided on until later in the school year, he wanted to make sure a thorough search process could take place to find his coaching replacement well ahead of the start to next season. Another was due to several assistant coaching positions that will be open coming into next year. Having the flexibility to fill those positions with their own preference was something Reynolds said would be advantageous to a new coach.

Reynolds, who is also the varsity baseball coach, intends to coach the team through the end of this spring’s upcoming season.

During his 13 seasons, he compiled a 105-46 record (.695 winning percentage), 10 district titles, six state semifinal appearances, and a state championship in 2003. Before taking the top job in 2000, Reynolds served as an assistant coach for several years. He has been involved with the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association, serving as President in recent years and in 2010 was one of 100 coaches nationwide selected to attend the NFL-USA Football Summit.

The head coaching vacancy at Park Hill is now expected to be one of the most sought after football positions in the metro this offseason. Athletic Director Bill Sobbe said he will meet with Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Dr. Bill Redinger this week to discuss how the search process will be carried out. Sobbe said he believes applications will be accepted through the middle of January and a decision will be made by the beginning of February. While Redinger will oversee the process and make the final decision, Principal Brad Kincheloe along with Sobbe will also have a say in who the selection should be.

“We will be looking for someone with high character and someone who has the ability to get us to where we’ve been in the past so we can see that kind of success in the future,” Sobbe said.

Park Hill South claims second straight King of Hill title

After a decisive 45-14 Park Hill South victory over Park Hill at last week’s King of the Hill rivalry game, the Panthers and Trojans now head into Week Ten, the first round of district play, where each will be faced with the situation of winning to advance or losing to end their season. Park Hill South (5-4) notched the third seed with their win and will host sixth seeded Oak Park (1-8). Park Hill (3-6), the fifth seed, will travel to fourth seeded St. Joe Central (5-4) in a rematch of their contest two weeks ago where the Indians pulled out a 32-29 victory.

It took a full quarter for both teams to shake off what might be described as the adrenaline of the rivalry atmosphere before the first points were posted last Friday night. After being denied on a fourth and goal play late in the first quarter, Park Hill South would come back on the next drive with a short field to score on a four-yard touchdown run from Myles Hammonds to give them a 7-0 second quarter lead. Park Hill would struggle to gain offensive momentum most of the night, particularly in the first half, but their defense would hold Park Hill South to a modest 10-0 half lead after the Panthers added a 34-yard field goal late in the second quarter.

“We thought that if we could run at them early and be physical with them, it could pay off,” Park Hill South coach Mark Simcox said. “Defensively, we wanted to take away what they wanted to do by stopping the run.”

Park Hill South did just that by building a first half lead, putting the pressure on Park Hill to create momentum coming out of the locker room for the second half. It would be Park Hill South turning up the heat though, as they scored touchdowns on all four possessions of the third quarter to build an insurmountable 38-7 lead going into the fourth quarter. Through the air and on the ground, the Panthers displayed one of their most balanced offensive performances of the year. True to form, Park Hill South would use the legs of Hammonds to run the ball to set up the four scores that Panthers receivers Logan Gillespie, Craig Scott (2), and Robert Lane would pull in for touchdown receptions. Hammonds would end the night with 184 yards on 27 carries.

“If we can keep them from cheating on our run game, we can run it. If they cheat, then we’ll throw it to the outside,” Simcox said. “The game’s always a little bit easier on offense when you can do a little bit of both.”

Park Hill’s lone score until late in the fourth quarter came from a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Kenyotte Harris in the third quarter.

But Park Hill’s defense just couldn’t stop the resilient Park Hill South offense as the Panthers would cap off the third quarter scoring their fourth straight touchdown in as many drives. Ronnie Bertlesmeyer would put the icing on the cake with a short touchdown run in the fourth quarter to extend Park Hill South’s lead to 45-7.

Quarterback Clay Ford would add a short touchdown run in the game’s final minutes to narrow the margin to 45-14. The night would be the Park Hill South’s though as the Panther faithful stormed the field to celebrate clinching their second King of the Hill title in as many years. Simcox told his team following the game that he hoped it was an opportunity for the program to look forward to bigger things.

“Because we’ve lost so many games to them over the years, it’s hard for our kids to get over it,” Simcox said. “As a program, we have to look to bigger things. This will always to be big, just as long as it doesn’t affect your next game.”

Trojans, Panthers ready for King of the Hill

The annual King of the Hill football game this Friday between Park Hill and Park Hill South takes on new significance with the two squaring off in a regular season finale which could directly affect their seeding in the district tournament, a new postseason format in Missouri, which starts next week. Both the Panthers (4-4) and Trojans (3-5) are coming off close Week Eight losses with Park Hill losing to St. Joe Central 32-29 and Park Hill South losing to Liberty North 24-21.

Familiar with each team’s style of play, perhaps the main point of preparation will be to maintain focus for a game that’s buildup has players and students full of anticipation days and weeks leading up to kickoff. Park Hill South coach Mark Simcox says his team can’t let the game against their rival serve as the sole highlight or lowlight of their season.

“I told our kids a couple years ago that the sooner we quit making a big deal about this game, we’ll be a lot more successful at winning it,” Park Hill South coach Mark Simcox said about his team, which last year beat the Trojans for the first time in seven years. “We can’t treat this any different than any other game. We can’t allow this to be our season each year. It’s a big game for our kids, our school, and community, but as far as preparation goes there isn’t much difference.”

Park Hill coach Greg Reynolds’s focus was also on the season as a whole and said big games usually have more to do with execution than what the other team does.

“We have to worry about us,” Reynolds said. “It doesn’t matter about anyone else.”

That’s not to say the teams haven’t been following each other’s progress and already have an idea of what their strengths and weaknesses are. Reynolds pointed to Park Hill South’s offense, which can go at you on the ground and through the air, while Simcox says Park Hill has gradually focused more on their run game throughout the season.

“They’re a very balanced offense because they have two receivers who can run good routes,” Reynolds said. “They want to pound the ball at you with their tailback.”

“They’re going back to the run game which is what they’ve done for years, where they were more spread out to begin the year,” Simcox said.

Last week Park Hill believed combining a bend, but don’t break defense and steady offensive run game would give them the edge they needed against a versatile St. Joe Central team. They briefly followed that script to build a 14-0 lead in the first half, but it would be short-lived as the Indians would battle back for a 32-29 win in a frustrating night for the Trojans. Kenyatte Harris gave the Trojan running game a reliable hand as he contributed three touchdown runs, ending the night with 191 yards on 25 carries. In the end, St. Joe Central would rack up 536 yards of offense against the Trojans.

Reynolds said the hope he has for his young squad is that he can look back and say they improved throughout the year and learned to understand the game better.

“My only goal is that by Week 10 our kids have gotten better than where we started,” Reynolds said. “Even with our seniors, I want them to understand how to play the game.”

In Liberty last week, Park Hill South did a good job of limiting Liberty North running back Antwynn Beavers to just 78 yards, but left themselves vulnerable to the pass in the close, down-to-the-wire game. The Panthers battled back from a 14-0 second quarter deficit to pull ahead of Liberty North 21-17 early in the fourth quarter when quarterback Shaefer Schuetz connected with receiver Craig Scott for a ten-yard touchdown pass, his second of the night. The Eagles would respond with the game’s final scores though, a touchdown with about two minutes to play which would hand the Panthers a 24-21 loss.

“We weren’t very good on offense in the first half and not very good on defense in the second half,” Simcox said. “We were really concerned about their running back so we did some things to make sure he didn’t get away from us. We knew we would give up some in the passing game, but not as much as we did.”

Park Hill still looking for quality win

A tough 38-0 loss to Liberty last week will require the Park Hill Trojans (3-4) refocus on district seeding implications as they take on St. Joe Central (3-4) this week. Central is coming off a 24-6 loss to Park Hill South where the Indians compiled 226 passing yards, but were unable to convert critical plays into points on the board.

“They can do a bunch of different things and they can throw the ball well, but they can also run the ball well too,” Park Hill coach Greg Reynolds said. “We’re going to go where we’ve had success and that is in controlling the football, make them drive the ball, and slow the game down. Keep their offense off the field.”

No question about it, Park Hill has several motivating factors to rebound this week, the most important being staying in contention for an advantageous third seed out of the possible six teams in Class 5, District 8, but also the fact St. Joe Central ended the Trojans’ season last year with a defeat, which Reynolds says can be partially attributed to which team was more physical. That may rest in the mind of some, but the key for a young squad is to focus on what they can control

“Last year when they beat us, they were more physical than we were and we took them for granted on that,” Park Hill coach Greg Reynolds said. “It’s a reality, if we win that game we’re still playing in the playoffs. We don’t need to worry about who we’re playing though, but more on what we do.”

Part of that physical mentality was lacking last week against Liberty as Park Hill found themselves outsized and somewhat surprised to see a Blue Jay passing game come alive, which had previously not been seen as a strength. Liberty connected on several big pass plays in the first quarter before Caleb Taylor pulled in a 31-yard touchdown reception to put Park Hill in a 7-0 hole. On their next drive, they would rely on the ground game this time, driving 80 yards in seven plays to post another touchdown putting Liberty up 14-0 early in the second quarter.

While Park Hill was down, they were not out, and saw some early success with their own running game. But Liberty essentially sealed the game with two scores before halftime when they completed two long pass plays before punching in a one-yard touchdown to make the score 21-0. Park Hill fumbled the ensuing kickoff where Liberty recovered and produced a field goal to extend their lead to 24-0 going into halftime.

“We kind of got bogged down and out of our rhythm. We stopped their running game early, but gave up big plays passing-wise and it just kind of snowballed from there,” Reynolds said. “Our kids tried to make plays outside what they need to do, which cost us some turnovers.”

Liberty would convert two of those Park Hill turnovers into points in the second half. The first would be in the third quarter when Jacob Zimmerman intercepted quarterback Clay Ford and returned it for a 68-yard touchdown. The second would be on a 9-yard touchdown run from Liberty’s Matthew Zombo after the Blue Jays recovered a Park Hill fumble deep in Trojan territory. Liberty held Park Hill to 147 yards offensively, allowed only nine first downs, and prevented a single third-down conversion on the night.

“We had some opportunities, but they’re a good defensive team and have some size,” Reynolds said. “In years when we’re more physical than they are, we’ve won, and when they’ve been more physical than us, they’ve won.”

Looking forward, the Trojans know the only thing that matters now are the next two weeks which, after St. Joe Central, feature a showdown with rival Park Hill South. All district games with postseason implications.

“These next two weeks are huge,” Reynolds said. “We know we can do it. If we have a big week of practice, we have a chance to be where we want to be.”

Park Hill thumps Ruskin, looks to Kearney

Two consecutive wins fueled by strong second half play, including Friday’s 56-14 win over Ruskin, lead Park Hill (3-2) into this Friday’s matchup against Kearney (3-2). Kearney is coming off a devastating 28-27 loss to Platte County which saw the Pirates come back from a 27-0 second half deficit to win in the game’s final moments. Park Hill and Kearney haven’t played against each other since 2001 when both teams met in Class 4 district play, so there will be a certain amount of unfamiliarity between the two teams, this time as Class 5 district opponents again.

“I don’t know what to expect, but I know they’re a good team. They’re very physical and like to run the ball,” Park Hill Coach Greg Reynolds said. “It’s going to come down to taking care of business on the front lines and tackling. I think it’s going to be a pretty even game when it comes to talent level. Turnovers can be big in games like this. Bottom line is it’s a district game and will help us in seeding.”

Kearney will present a significantly more challenging opponent than the one Park Hill faced in Ruskin last week. The Trojans came in as a strong favorite and looked like it early as they drove the field on their opening drive for quarterback Clay Ford to run in the game’s first touchdown to put Park Hill up 7-0. Stefan McCarthy would tack on a 39-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0, but the Trojans would squander several chances to increase their margin in the second quarter after two fumbles and failed fourth down conversion. Ruskin would break loose a 64-yard run for a touchdown before halftime to make the score 14-7 going into the break, a surprisingly close game for observers at the halfway point.

“We fumbled the ball at inopportune times after big plays and made mental mistakes on short yardage plays,” Reynolds said of the first half. “I think some of our kids were trying to hit a home run each time instead of just doing what they do. Making moves for touchdowns instead of just getting what you can get.”

The second half would be a different story, much as it was the previous week in Park Hill’s comeback victory over Ruskin.

The Trojans came alive in the third quarter as they scored touchdowns on their first four possessions, all the first six minutes of the quarter. Park Hill would add another touchdown before the end of the period. All in all, scores were recorded from Kenyatte Harris, who would score touchdowns on runs of ten and 29 yards, a ten-yard touchdown pass from Clay Ford to Austin Truvillion, and McCarthy who added to his earlier touchdown total with two from a 19-yard run and 16-yard reception. Before it was all said and done, the Park Hill offensive would produce 35 third quarter points, giving them a 49-7 lead going into the fourth.

“That might just be the way this team is, we have moments when we loss focus. We don’t have the amount of experience to stop it once it starts,” Reynolds said. “But what we were doing (in the second half), that’s what we should be doing.”

While Ruskin saw success with the screen pass in the first half early and often, they were unable to convert it into the points they needed in the second half. Eagles quarterback Kiestan Burrell was 20 for 37 passing and threw for 189 yards with a touchdown.

Ruskin’s Terrello Holden pulled in a 46-yard touchdown reception to narrow the game’s margin, but Park Hill’s Carter Bates would record the final points of the game with a five-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter as the Trojans run away with a 56-14 victory.

Harris would end the game with 20 carries for 157 yards rushing and two touchdowns while his running back counterpart McCarthy would contribute 62 yards rushing and three touchdowns (two runs, one reception). Ford was eight for 13 passing for 121 yards with three touchdown passes on the night leading the Trojans to an offensive night which totaled 397 yards.

Park Hill posts second half comeback victory

A 24-14 come-from-behind victory against Truman (0-4) last week was a great way to build momentum into this Friday’s homecoming game against Ruskin (0-4). The win evened the Trojans’ record to 2-2 on the year and gives them added confidence as they next face a Ruskin team who was deeply bruised by a 70-6 loss to Park Hill South last week. Making the trip to Park Hill District Stadium for the second week in a row, the Eagles are a team known for their speed and big play ability, but will see themselves at a disadvantage in regards to Park Hill’s size and athleticism.

While every team would prefer to be described as a second-half team if they had the option, the Trojans have certainly lived up to it in their two wins so far this year, both of which have resulted from comebacks staged in the game’s final minutes. Park Hill would have no other choice last Friday against Truman as they found themselves in a 14-0 hole at halftime after committing three turnovers in the first half.

Park Hill sophomore Kenyatte Harris gave the Trojans a spark late in the third quarter when he took a handoff 41 yards for a touchdown, leaving them with only a 14-7 deficit. For Harris, it would be a breakout game, racking up 159 yards on 15 carries by the end of the night. A Mitch Tittone 11-yard touchdown run and extra point would eventually tie the game 14-14 in the fourth quarter.

After a strong defensive stand, the Trojans received the ball back and took full advantage of their opportunity to convert their comeback victory. An 11 play,  55 yard drive led to a 26-yard go-ahead field goal from Tittone to give Park Hill their first lead of the game, up 17-14 with less than two minutes to play. On the ensuing possession, in need of another defensive stop, Park Hill’s John Balsamo put the game out of reach when he intercepted Truman quarterback Alex Ryan’s pass and returned it for a touchdown, sealing a 24-14 victory for the Trojans.

Park Hill can't keep up in scoring dual

Park Hill (1-2) will look to recover Friday night against Truman (1-2) after a high-scoring affair which left the Trojans on the wrong side of a 46-24 loss to Lee’s Summit last week. Truman is coming off a close 19-15 loss to Park Hill South.  Truman, who only produced 121 yards of total offense last week, will present the first of several opportunities in the next couple weeks for Park Hill to get back on the winning track.

Park Hill jumped on the scoreboard first when quarterback Clay Ford connected with Lane Holmes for a 16-yard touchdown pass to put the Trojans up 7-0 early. Lee’s Summit would match that touchdown with one of their own to leave the teams tied 7-7 going into the second quarter.

Stefan McCarthy would put Park Hill up again 10-7 with a 19-yard field goal at the beginning of the second quarter. But Lee’s Summit would go on to score 20 unanswered points that would build a lead of 27-10 and eventually put the Trojans in a hole they could not dig out themselves out of. Ford would narrow the Trojans’ margin before halftime with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Arens. Lee’s Summit was up 27-17.

In the end, Park Hill was just able to stop Lee’s Summit nor answer their scoring. Lee’s Summit would build another lead of 20 point lead of 37-17 in the third quarter. Ford connected with Dondrell Hardiman for 16 yards and his third touchdown pass of the night early in the fourth quarter, but it would not be enough as Lee’s Summit would record a safety and touchdown in the final minutes of the game to widen their final margin of victory to 46-24.

Park Hill gained 357 yards of total offense on the night and was led by Ford who finished the evening 15 of 30 passing for 284 yards. He spread the ball to five different receivers, three of which recorded more than 75 yards of receptions including Lane Holmes (83 yards), Austin Truvillion (76 yards), and Anthony Arens (75 yards).

Park Hill looks to build on road trip

Park Hill (1-1) is preparing to move on to Week Three action at Lee’s Summit (1-1) after a particularly rough loss to Lee’s Summit West 33-7 last Friday night. Lee’s Summit is coming off a 34-17 loss to Kearney who pulled away with two fourth quarter touchdowns to decide what had previously been a close game.

“They (Lee’s Summit) have a two-year starter at quarterback and 220-pound junior who runs downhill that we need to stop before he gets to the second level,” Park Hill coach Greg Reynolds said. “I think we match-up pretty decent up front against them. If our linebackers keep improving we should be good there. If we take away the deep stuff and tackle, we should be ok.”

Even without the rain-soaked conditions that lasted throughout last Friday’s game, Park Hill knew they would have their hands full against a top-ranked Lee’s Summit West team. The Titans proved it almost immediately as Lee’s Summit West running back Ryan Williams took carries of 27 and 38 yards into the end zone for touchdowns on their first two offensive plays putting the Trojans down 14-0 just minutes into the game.

“They scored two touchdowns on the first two plays because of us not lining up right, which is unacceptable, can’t blame that on rain,” Reynolds said. “When you get down 14-0 on two plays, the wind is kind of taken out of your sail a little bit.”

With a 20-0 lead going into halftime, Austin Burau’s second touchdown of the night put the Titans up 26-0 mid-way through the third quarter.

“They were able to dominate us up front. The rain affected kind of what we wanted to do coming in being able to pass the ball early on,” Reynolds said. “The reality is as I told the kids afterwards, they’re at a level up here, and we’re down here right now.

Park Hill, still trying to find a rhythm offensively, was able to get on the scoreboard in the latter part of the fourth quarter. Following a Lee’s Summit West turnover, Park Hill took over at the Titan 12-yard line where sophomore Stefan McCarthy eventually ran in for a three-yard touchdown to give the Trojans a score.

The story of the game was dominance on the ground as Lee’s Summit West grinded out nearly 340 yards on the ground. Ryan Williams carried the ball 14 times for 138 yards rushing while DeMarcus Edwards added 97 yards of his own on nine carries. Park Hill was only able to produce 24 yards on 37 carries.

“We’re gonna have to do a better job of making passes. Right now we’re sitting under a 33% completion mark and for a spread offense that’s not very good,” Reynolds said. “We need to be running the ball better than we are if that is going to be the case.”

While Park Hill has a huge obstacle now behind them, the rest of the season features some evenly competitive match-ups, a number of which they believe are winnable.

“I think our last seven games are 50/50 games and I don’t think there is any one game we go into where we say ‘we should win this game’ or ‘we probably won’t win this game’,” Reynolds said. “We may be the underdogs in some cases, but we should have a chance to win.”

No time to revel in win for Trojans

After a thrilling last second come from behind victory against Raytown South last week, the Park Hill Trojans won’t have much time to savor their season opening 23-22 win. They must now look to hosting this Friday’s match-up against a highly talented and experienced Lee’s Summit West team fresh off a nationally televised win over defending state champion Staley, who they shutout 23-0.

Park Hill is hoping to use the adrenaline from their comeback to redeem themselves from last year’s 49-0 loss to the Titans at home. Park Hill coach Greg Reynolds said how his team reacts after a big win will benefit them later in the season.

“How we react to playing Lee’s Summit West is huge,” Reynolds said. “We want to enjoy the win because that type of thing (a come-from-behind victory) doesn’t happen much, but at the end of the season we’re going to have to play Park Hill South in Week Nine followed by a big game the next week. So reacting to a big win and getting back on track is what good teams do.”

Facing a team which had few noticeable weaknesses in Week One, the Trojans are going to need an exceptional performance beyond the X’s and O’s.

“They’re bigger than us, older than us, and deeper than us. Technique, fundamental-wise we have to have a no mistake-type of game,” Reynolds said. “We have to fight, learn how to take a punch, and not lay down. Last year was an embarrassment; we didn’t stop them or even force them to run a long third down play in the first half.”

Park Hill quarterback Clay Ford’s first varsity start last week had its ups and downs including two interceptions, but it will mostly be remembered for how he took that mix of success and propelled the Trojans in a last minute drive to win the game after Raytown South took the lead 22-16 with just 1:13 left to play.

“I think before that drive he was down a little bit, I could tell by his composure. It wasn’t something that was going to lead us to a win,” Reynolds said. “But he started to think about what it was going to take to go into that huddle and take over. He did a good job; he was scrambling all seven plays and moved out of the pocket on all of them except the final one.”

Park Hill took the field in their hurry-up offense and was on the brink of eliminating their chance at a comeback several times before Park Hill quarterback Clay Ford hit Ariyan Trawick for a 30-yard touchdown pass. The extra point put Park Hill up 23-22 with about five seconds remaining to seal the victory. Ford finished 8-of-21 passing for 163 yards with one touchdown. Dondrell Hardiman contributed two touchdowns as part of a 116 yard, 22 carry rushing performance.

Reynolds believes his defense made strides of improvement as well and sees the victory as a step forward for the team overall.

“Take away maybe three big plays and we played a pretty good defensive game. So I was pleased with that,” Reynolds said. “If we stay healthy and keep getting better, I think this is something we can build off.”

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.

Park Hill gridiron standout selected as U.S Army All-American

After a standout season, Park Hill High School defensive lineman Ondre Pipkins was named to the U.S. Army All-American team last Friday in a ceremony held at Park Hill High School.

Pipkins will play in the Army All-American All-Star game Jan. 7, 2012 in San Antonio, Texas featuring the nation’s top 90 high school seniors as the East takes on the West. Accompanying Pipkins, will be his high school head coach Greg Reynolds and some members of his staff. The U.S. Army All-American game has in recent years featured the likes of NFL players such as Adrian Peterson, Mark Sanchez, and Tim Tebow.

Pipkins was also named first team all-state last week and will attend and play at the University of Michigan next year.

South falls short in district tiebreaker

Despite their thrilling 14-7 overtime victory two weeks ago against Winnetonka in district play, a first game loss to North Kansas City on October 15th came back to haunt the Park Hill South Panthers in their quest for a second straight playoff berth. With South’s 28-0 loss to Fort Osage last week in the last game of the regular season and Winnetonka’s 42-0 win over North Kansas City, the Griffons were able to get the point differential they needed to win the tie-breaker and secure a second place district finish sending them into this week’s regional playoff game against Truman.

Knowing the tie-breaker would likely not fall in their favor, the Panthers knew a win was the only way to completely ensure a playoff spot, but Fort Osage, with only one blemish, on their record coming into the season at 8-1 was a tough matchup for Park Hill South and it held true last week. Fort Osage quarterback Steven McBee had a standout night accounting for all four Indians’ four touchdowns on the night (three runs, one pass) while going 7 of 15 passing for 125 yards. The Indians spread their scoring out with a touchdown in each quarter.

While McBee provided the source for several big plays for Fort Osage, it was their defense that held Park Hill South to just 121 yards of total offense and created three turnovers. South running back Myles Hammonds, the Panthers’ leading rusher this season, was held to 25 yards on 25 carries.

Park Hill South ends the season with a 1-2 district record and 4-6 record overall.

Park Hill ends season, playoff streak

Recent history was not on the side of St. Joe Central last week in their district finale against Park Hill. The Trojans had eliminated Central from the playoffs the last three seasons and had advanced themselves the past six years in a row, but both changed last week with Central’s 28-6 win over Park Hill in the district finale. This clinched the Indians’ first playoff berth since 1995, leaving the Trojans with the particularly unsettling feeling of ending their season without a playoff appearance for the first time since 2004.

Both teams came out with the added enthusiasm of a playoff-like contest, but despite Central starting quarterback Darrin Dudley not being available due to a concussion, the Indians jumped ahead of the Trojans in the second quarter 10-0 after a 31 yard Sal Ingargiola field goal and 27-yard touchdown run from Corey Jackson.

“In a way, I think it helped them because they had to be more vanilla on offense and focus more on getting the ball to Jackson,” Park Hill coach Greg Reynolds said. “They used their physicality to their advantage on us.”

Park Hill narrowed the margin before halftime when running back Jordan Wang came out of the backfield to pull in an athletic sideline grab in the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown catch. Wang led Park Hill in rushing yards on the night with 98 on 20 carries. Up 10-6 at halftime, Central’s first drive in the second half resulted in a 35-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Jacob Kaiser to Nick Shores putting Central in the driver seat.

“If we get a stop there, then we’re feeling pretty good about the position we’re in,” Reynolds said.

Late in the third quarter, Park Hill’s defense created a scoring opportunity when Connor Samenus recovered a St. Joe Central fumble giving the Trojans the ball at the Indians 19-yard line. Several plays later the Trojans lined up for a 35-yard field goal attempt to narrow their deficit and, perhaps symbolic of the kind of night Park Hill had, the kick bounced off the side of the goal post leaving the Trojans empty-handed. Central’s next drive resulted in a three-and-out which left Park Hill with great field possession again, this time at Central’s 34-yard line. Park Hill’s first play of the drive, a bootleg pass from Trojan quarterback Tyler White, ended up in the arms of Central defender Dre Irvin who returned it 66 yards for a touchdown, putting the final touch on Central’s 24-6 victory over Park Hill.

“They (Central) did a really good job of taking away our trap game and forced us to throw the ball,” Reynolds said. “They can rush the passer really well. For the different looks we were seeing out of their defense, I thought we ran the ball fairly decent though.”

Late in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s game Park Hill senior Austryn Smith was treated and taken to the hospital by ambulance after being involved in an on-field collision which left him unconscious. He was released several hours later with no serious injuries or health concerns.

“It’s something we take very seriously and wanted to take every precaution,” Reynolds said.

The Trojans end the season with a 5-5 overall record.

District finale is 'do or die' for Park Hill

Going into the final week of the regular season, Park Hill (5-4, 1-1) finds itself in the familiar position of looking to clinch a trip to the playoffs in their matchup with St. Joe Central (5-4, 1-1). With Staley punching their ticket to the Missouri state playoffs last week, there is now only room for one more team to advance from Class 5, District 12, as the front runner, and the winner in Friday’s matchup between Park Hill and St. Joe Central will secure that spot while the other’s season ends. The Trojans will be going up against an Indians team with a complex offense and physical defense, but while Park Hill may be considered a slight underdog, it’s a game they feel has its advantages for them.

“They’re a spread team and they’ll run a lot of different formations at us. They’ve got a good running back with good numbers. It’s going to be a good matchup up front,” Park Hill coach Greg Reynolds said. “Our kids believe this is the time of year we can do things. We take a lot of pride at Park Hill for what we do at district time. I think it’s a difference maker for our kids for them to know we’ve only lost 3 district games in 11 years. We put a lot of emphasis on it.”

In order for this Friday’s game to mean anything though, the Trojans had to take care of business last week against Oak Park. The Northmen, a young and inexperienced team, are going through one of their most unsuccessful seasons in quite some time and were 0-8 entering their district matchup with Park Hill. Currently going through their own stretch of tough losses, the Trojans knew the game relied more on what they did themselves, not the other team.

“We knew we couldn’t worry about anyone else. This was a chance to show everybody if they were having any doubts about what we do, that we know what we’re doing,” Reynolds said. “Our whole goal going in was to make sure next week’s game means something.”

The Trojans received a positive bump on offense as they got running back Jordan Wang back after he was sidelined for six weeks with an elbow injury. Wang put to rest any concerns about his concern as he rushed 18 times for 154 yards.

“We got our tailback back and our line probably blocked better than they have all year. We played well,” Reynolds said. “Defensively, we got banged up at some positions again, but for the most part we did our jobs in the first half.”

Park Hill jumped out to a 21-0 lead on the heels of two Chris Heustis touchdowns, one a one yard run and the other a nine yard reception from quarterback Tyler White, along with touchdown from Mitch Tittone. Heustis would finish the night with 12 carries for 76 yards and three receptions for 54 yards. White would throw go 6-6 with 99 yards passing. Jordan Wang and White added two more touchdowns before halftime to widen their lead to 35-7 after an Oak Park touchdown. Wang would add a 13-yard touchdown run in the third quarter before freshman Stefan McCarthy put the final Trojan score on the board with his 12-yard touchdown run to increase the final score to 48-20. McCarthy finished the night with 11 carries for 81 yards and is the first freshman to score in a varsity game in recent memory for Park Hill.

“He came in and ran the ball very well. I told him we’ve never brought a kid up before the freshman season was over besides kickers,” Reynolds said.

But as Reynolds points out, it starts up front with the line. If the Trojans make the playoffs in 2011, it will partly be attributed to offensive and defensive lines that has endured and adjusted to injuries all season, forcing several players to move around filling gaps. Whether that comes as an asset or liability will show in a district finale that will most likely be determined in the trenches.

Park Hill looks at Oak Park as must win

Park Hill will be faced with what many would consider a must-win game Friday against Oak Park (0-8) after starting district play with a 31-7 loss to Staley last week bringing their overall record to 4-4 on the year. For the Trojans, a win this week will likely give them the ability to control their postseason future going into the final game of the season, a home matchup next week with St. Joe Central. While Oak Park is currently going through an unusual down year having not won a game this season, Coach Greg Reynolds and his Trojans have fought through struggles of their own including injuries and a current stretch where they have lost three of their last four games. Oak Park is coming off a 35-16 loss to St. Joe Central last week.

The Trojans found out first-hand why the Staley Falcons are the top team in the metro and Missouri Class 5 last week. A balanced and steady approach of the run and pass, Staley was held to a field goal in their first scoring drive of the game, but the Falcons’ combination of quarterback Trent Hosick and running back Morgan Steward were too much as Staley eventually amassed a 17-0 lead on the Trojans at halftime. Hosick had rushing touchdowns in each of the first three quarters before the duo connected on what would be the last of which was a four-yard touchdown pass from Hosick to Steward to widen the margin to 31-0 in the fourth quarter.

Staley’s defense held strong against a Park Hill ground game which was only able to produce 78 yards on 38 carries. When the Trojans resorted to the pass, the Falcons brought the pressure as they recorded six sacks on the night. Park Hill was able to put points on the board for the first time in the fourth quarter when quarterback Tyler White found Lane Holmes for a 27 yard touchdown pass, but it was little consolation as Staley maintained their lead the rest of the game for the 31-7 final score. Staley racked up 373 yards of total offense compared to Park Hill’s 132 yards.

The current points standings in Class 5, District 16 are Staley (+13), St. Joe Central (+13), Park Hill (-13), and Oak Park (-13). A win of more than 13 points in the Staley/St. Joe Central game would clinch the district title for that team, creating a battle for runner-up and a playoff spot next week.

Trojans look to district play after steep loss to Lee's Summit West

It’s not something Park Hill (4-3) football fans want to get used to or see anything similar to anytime soon, but the Trojans’ 49-0 lose to Lee’s Summit West Friday night was the second straight home game in which they were unable to score. This followed a 42-0 lose to Jefferson City two weeks ago in a four week stretch where Park Hill faces three of the state’s top football programs. They’ll find themselves tasked with another tough test this week as they begin district play against the last of those three programs, Class 5’s top ranked program, Staley (7-0).

Staley is coming off a 42-13 victory over Park Hill South Friday. The Trojans defense will look to tame the Falcons’ quarterback-running back combo of Trent Hosik and Morgan Steward who combined for five of Staley’s six touchdowns last week. Steward is coming off an 18 carry, 219 yard performance last week while Hosik passed for 141 yards while running for 134 yards. Park Hill head coach Greg Reynolds said the Falcons are a very good team, but not to count the Trojans out after their lose Friday night.

“I don’t have that stat, but I know for a fact we don’t lose two games in a row too often. Not guaranteeing anything, but I think we’ll come back with a vengeance this week,” Reynolds said.

Park Hill will have plenty of motivation after Friday night’s tough loss to Lee’s Summit West. West jumped on the Trojans early and often as Morgan Strickland put two touchdowns on the board in the Titans first two possessions, one from seven yards out and the other a 15 yard run. He ended the night with 14 carries for 113 yards. When Park Hill was about to stop Lee’s Summit West for the first time, they received the ball deep in their own territory where a Tyler White pass was deflected into the air, intercepted by West’s Jaycie Pearson and returned for a touchdown putting them up 21-0 after the first quarter.

The Titans would score on three of their next four possessions to increase the score to 42-0 at halftime. Park Hill was unable to generate any substantial offensive production in the first half with only 43 total yards and their sole first down coming on the last play before halftime. On the other side of the ball, Lee’s Summit West racked up 270 first half yards. With the game’s outcome fairly evident coming into the second half, Reynolds was looking for something simple out of his team.

“Who doesn’t quit. That’s what I’m looking for. I just want to see kids play hard,” Reynolds said.

Lee’s Summit West would tag on another early second half touchdown before pulling their starters and letting the clock tick away on the 49-0 final score. Reynolds says his team has made progress since the beginning of the season, but because of the role key players have play, injuries to them have plagued the team more than in years past.

“I think we’re lining up better, that part of the game we’re doing alright,” Reynolds said. “This year we’re kind of built around a couple key guys that have not been playing due to injuries. When that happens you have to retool your whole defense.”

While each loss provides the chance to improve, the start of districts this week also allows for a fresh start.

“If you don’t learn something from each lose, then you loss an opportunity to teach a kid something. Everyone wants to talk about 100 wins, but I think I’ve been a better coach the day after from those 36 losses,” Reynolds said in reference to the Trojans record of 12 years. “I told the seniors after the game we’ve got three weeks to decide if we play a fourth week.”

Top Trojan reaches 100-win mark

There wasn’t much fanfare around Park Hill’s football game against North Kansas City last Friday. Although a conference game, there was no playoff berth on the line, no bragging rights to be won, and before halftime arrived no real doubt to who would win the game. Park Hill’s 48-14 victory wasn’t just a much needed win the midst of a tough stretch of games for a 4-2 Trojans football team though. Friday was the 100th win for the Park Hill football program under head coach Greg Reynolds and the well-deserved Gatorade bath he received is symbolic to the success and continuous pursuit of excellence he has strived for over 12 years.

“It happens because you’re around great kids and great coaches for a long period of time,” Reynolds said. “I’m very proud of them and what we’ve been able to accomplish. It’s not about me or because of me.”

With the opening of Park Hill South in 1998 and the splitting of what had previously been the only high school in southern Platte County, all athletic teams were adjusting and looking to establish an identity, especially the football programs. Park Hill had seen quality teams come and go throughout the years, but hadn’t been able to consistently compete. This provided the window of opportunity to establish a reinvigorated Park Hill football program. Athletic Director Bill Sobbe says while the school prior to the split had grown large, the program didn’t have the strong foundation others did.

“We didn’t have a tradition behind what we had done to get that big, so the split (of high schools) helped us start building traditions for both programs and brought more of a football mentality to the community,” Sobbe said.

Prior to being hired as head coach in 2000, Reynolds served as an assistant football, basketball, and baseball coach leaving him uniquely qualified to fill any of the head coaching positions should they have come available.

“He distinguished himself as an assistant. The things we knew he would bring to the program included great skill, an understanding of the game, and commitment to sportsmanship. I think it was one of the easiest choices I’ve made as principal,” Principal Dr. Brad Kincheloe said of the choice to hire Reynolds.

Reynolds recognized there were areas needing to be addressed internally before beginning to even think about football strategy. Jack Taylor, an assistant under Reynolds since 2000, says there was more to it than just a simple change at the top.

“He changed the mindset that had previously been set here. He changed what Park Hill football was, what it was supposed to look like, what it was supposed to act like on and off the field,” Taylor said. “We sat down and said ‘these are the things we like and these are the things we don’t like.”

Among the things Reynolds believed needed to change was the way the players acted and practiced. He emphasized the importance of the weight room while increasing classroom grade checks and behavior reports. Reynolds’s first year was also Rob Mrowinski’s first as the Trojans public address announcer and he’s witnessed firsthand what is now expected out of the players whose names he calls out on Friday nights.

“You have to put in your work with Reynolds. If you don’t, you’re not on the team,” Mrowinski said. “He wants his players to carry themselves in a certain manner. If someone has an off the field problem, he’s not going to overlook it, you’re not going to play.”

“It’s not a district policy, it’s a Coach Reynolds and a football policy that if you can’t do these things in the classroom right, then you can’t play football,” Taylor added.

“It’s about accountability in all phases,” Reynolds said of the main change. “We’re not squeaky clean, no one is, but the most enjoyable part for me is to sit a kid down, talk to him, and be able to help make a difference.”

Off the field changes were one thing, but how did he translate it into on the field success? It wasn’t easy, and mid-way through Reynolds’s first season in 2000, hovering around .500, it wasn’t clear things were working. Sobbe remembers a loss to Raytown was the turning point.

“We had some pretty good players, but that game changed our season,” Sobbe said. “From that point on, we learned we couldn’t just show up and win games.”

Park Hill got hot and advanced through districts, winning the district title and qualifying for the playoffs. They continued their run all the way to the Class 4 state semifinals, one game short of a state title game appearance, where they came in as a clear underdog to Webb City, a program rich in winning tradition. The game, much like the 2000 season, started out poorly putting Park Hill down and out early. Mrowinski remembers it very clearly.

“It was freezing that day, the box heater we had actually shorted out the electricity to the press box,” he said. “We were down 21-0 at halftime, but came back with a chance to win the game before eventually losing. That was really the beginning of it all; from there on out Park Hill was a force to be reckoned with.”

“After reaching the semifinals that first year, I was confident in my situation and knew there were more important things to contribute than just winning games on the football field.

The following year, the 2001 team used that game as motivation setting their goal on an undefeated season and, more importantly, a state championship. It would be a precedent set for Trojan football teams for the better part of the next decade. Park Hill played undefeated regular season football in 2001 and 2002, but hit roadblocks again in the state semifinals keeping Park Hill just out of reach of a trip to St. Louis to play for the state title. In 2003, Reynolds and the Trojans were finally able to break through by not only advancing to the championship game, but winning it by upsetting defending state champ Webster Groves.

“Winning breeds success and that’s how we were able to get more people out for the program and build upon it in those early years,” Taylor said.

“We always kind of had a plan of what we were doing. We haven’t changed with the times, we’ve stuck with it,” Sobbe said.

Eight years later, Reynolds’s football teams still shoot for the same goals. In 11 full seasons as head coach, Park Hill has won 10 district titles and advanced to the playoffs every season except one and with Friday’s victory has amassed an impressive 100-36 career record, a .735 winning percentage. Even with his success, Reynolds never loses sight of the important things about the game even if the score may be lopsided.

“He cares about the game, but he’s never ran the score up. If Park Hill is ever up by a lot, he’ll get all of the kids involved he can and never be bad to another team,” Mrowsinki said.

You won’t hear Reynolds pat himself on the back, but what is common knowledge to the Trojan faithful about his dedication and commitment is echoed by colleagues in their respect for his ability to make a difference whether it is influencing the way players handle themselves or watching game film searching of an edge. Not only has Reynolds been the mainstay at the helm of Trojan football for 12 years, but a whole cast and crew of others has been by his side throughout.

“It’s a testament to this program. If you look at the coaches, he hasn’t had a lot of them leave,” Mrowinski said. “It’s like a family, even up here in the booth. We’ve been here all along; there’s been very little change.”

“There’s a reason why our coaches have been around as long as they have, it’s because they care and know they’ll have a chance to make a difference. We’re proud of what we’ve done on Friday nights, but it’s more than that. It’s about knowing when our players leave the program they’re better off,” Reynolds said.

While it is unclear what lay ahead for the 2011 Park Hill Trojans, a couple things will remain the same as they have the last 12 years: physical play on the field, high expectations off the field, and an emphasis on doing it in the right way can bring success in both.

“He took a good football program and turned it into to a great one…” Kincheloe said. “If I had sons at the high school and they wanted to play football, I’d be excited for them to play for Coach Reynolds.”

Trojan football bounces back

After losing their starting running back and top two defensive players in recent weeks, the Park Hill Trojans come into Friday night’s game against third-ranked Lee’s Summit West (5-1) on a positive note after their 42-14 victory last Friday against North Kansas City. The 4-2 Trojans face two of the top teams in the state in coming weeks with a matchup against Staley on the schedule next week. Among many other things, head coach Greg Reynolds says his team must play the best they have all season in order to compete with the talented and well-balanced Titan squad. The least of which includes special teams play, something that haunted them in last year's 38-14 loss to Lee's Summit West.

"We have to be better," Reynolds said. "At this point, the focus isn't so much on the other team, it's on ourselves and making sure we're doing the things we need to do."

Despite falling behind in the first quarter last Friday against North Kansas City 7-0, Park Hill exploded in the second quarter after Chris Heustis tied the game on a one yard touchdown run. Dondrell Hardiman rattled off touchdown runs of 58, 17, and 4 yards to put the Trojans up 28-7 at the half. Hardiman had 15 carries for 133 yards on the night.

Heustis added another touchdown in the third quarter before Eddie McDonald capped off the Trojans scoring with a two yard touchdown run of his own putting Park Hill up 42-7. McDonald and Heustis would finish with 98 and 88 yards rushing as part of a 308 yard rushing team performance. The Trojan defense held North Kansas City to just 39 yards rushing, some of which came in the fourth quarter when the Hornets tagged on a late touchdown before the clock expired on the 42-14 contest.

"It was a good win for us," Reynolds said. "Especially in terms of confidence as we head into this next week and district play."

The win represented Reynolds's 100th career victory for Park Hill. Now in his 12th year, Reynolds took over the head coaching position in 2000 after serving as an assistant prior to that.

Trojans looking forward after tough loss

It’s all eyes forward for the Park Hill Trojans (3-2) as they enter this Friday’ game against North Kansas City after an ugly 42-0 loss to Jefferson City on homecoming last weekend. The Hornets (1-4) are under the direction of first year head coach Leon Douglas, previously a defensive coordinator, and coming off their first win of the year, a 19-0 victory over Ruskin. While the Trojans have handedly beat the Hornets in recent years including a 49-6 win last year, Park Hill head coach Greg Reynolds says now is the time for his team to make the adjustments towards improvement.

“At some point you have to fix it,” Reynolds said. “If we’re going to get away with not doing things correctly against certain teams because we think we’re going to win, then we’re never going to be seen like the Jeff City Jays or any of the other quality teams we play. At this point, I don’t think we can guarantee a win against any team.”

There were several improvement areas available to choose from last Friday against Jefferson City and it started from the first play at scrimmage when Jeff City quarterback Thomas LePage hit receiver A.J. Miller for a 75-yard catch and run for a touchdown to put the Jays up 7-0. Two Devon Moore touchdown runs would extend the score to 21-0 before the end of the first quarter.

“I told them this team is like the old Jefferson City teams, who used to win state championships right and left. They’re very physical, don’t have very many holes. The only hole I saw was their long snapper being a little erratic and if that’s your only weak link, then you’ve got a pretty good team,” Reynolds said.

Park Hill struggled to find any offensive rhythm throughout the night, only producing 28 yards in the first half. Their closest opportunity came when the Trojans recovered a fumbled Jefferson City punt return, giving Park Hill the ball at the Jays 37-yard line and their best field position of the night. But several plays later, Trojan quarterback Tyler White was picked off by a Jay defender to end the drive. Despite a missed field goal attempt on the ensuing drive, Jeff City put an additional score on the board following another interception before halftime when Moore caught a screen pass and ran 18 yards for a touchdown reception, adding to his impressive three touchdown night. The Jays went into the locker room at halftime with a commanding 35-0 lead.

“We concentrated on ourselves,” Reynolds said of the way they handled being down. “We did some things decent. The problem was they were so athletic that they were filling the gaps too quickly.”

Jeff City increased their lead in the second half with what would be one final score when Elijah Sherwood ran for a three yard touchdown putting the Jays up for good, 42-0. Their nearly 500 yards of total offense was no match for what would be 123 yards of offense from Park Hill.

Trojans enter tough stretch

A 21-3 victory over Truman last Friday night will bring the Park Hill Trojans (3-1) into the first of a three week span in which they will being playing some of the top teams in the state including Jefferson City, Lee’s Summit, and Staley. The first of those three will be Jefferson City, ranked seventh in Class 6, this week as Park Hill holds homecoming festivities. Jeff City comes to the Northland with a record of 4-0 as they come off a 31-14 victory over Columbia Rock Bridge. Last season when the Trojans traveled to Jefferson City they held the lead going into halftime before the Jays opened the flood gates on the way to a 40-14 Jeff City victory.

“The next four weeks we probably play one of the toughest schedules that anyone can play. It will be a big stretch for us to see how we react to an environment of possibly not being favored. Sometimes that’s not what you want, but you’ve got to have the attitude of ‘let’s see what we’ve got,” head coach Greg Reynolds said.

While Jefferson City, one of the most storied programs in Missouri high school football history, will have a solid football team top to bottom, the Park Hill defense’s top target will be running back Devon Moore who is coming off a four touchdown game just a week ago.

“Everyone knows when you play Jeff City it’s one of the top programs in the state, possibly the nation. I don’t think our kids will back down to them, it’s these types of games where you find out who is going to step up and play,” Reynolds said. “We’re going to need to be on top of our game and we’ll have to take advantage of the opportunities we get.”

Last Friday, Park Hill didn’t come out of the gate in the first half like they would have wanted to against Truman. While their defense only allowed what would be the lone score of the game with a 27-yard field goal on the last play of the first quarter, the offense was unable to get into a rhythm and establish the running game so pivotal to the Trojans game plan. Only facing a 3-0 deficit to start the second half, Park Hill was able to capitalize on Truman’s fumble of the opening kickoff and began to move the ball the way they had hoped they would have in the first half. Starting from near midfield, Tyler White capped off a ten play drive with his one-yard touchdown run to first put the Trojans on the board 7-3.

“We just got our heads back on and came back to what we should’ve been doing,” Reynolds said. “We were able to establish our running game there.”

Truman battled mistakes and penalties of their own which cancelled several of their bigger plays out. To begin the fourth quarter, Park Hill kept to the ground and put together a 63-yard, nine play drive completed when Chris Heustis ran the ball in for a three yard touchdown to put the Trojans up 14-3. Dondrell Hardiman sealed the victory on a 4th and 3 play when he preceeded to catch and run 24-yards for a touchdown widening the margin to the final score of 21-3. Running back Eddie McDonald led Park Hill’s rushing game with 104 yards on 22 carries while Heustis followed it up with 68 yards of his own on 15 carries.

The Trojans defense is currently battling several injuries, including top linebacker Will Gaye who sat out last Friday’s game, but has allowed less than an average of one touchdown per game so far this season, just a total of 23 points in their first four games.