Park Hill qualifies nine for state, wins district; Park Hill South is runner-up, sends six

The Park Hill wrestling team is in solid position to defend its back to back state championships.

The Trojans claimed six individual first place finishes at the Class Four District Four wrestling tournament last weekend at Lee’s Summit High School, racked up 224.5 team points, and brought another district title home.

Overall, Park Hill qualified nine wrestlers for this weekend's state tournament at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. While Trojans head coach Bill Erneste said he's happy with a district title, he said his team has plenty of work left to do to win a third straight Class 4 state title.

"We are carefully excited about our district tournament," Erneste said. "We understand that the state tournament can’t be won at districts but it sure can be lost.  We feel in all reality that the district tournament is a very long seeding meeting and we like our seeds going into state.  Blue Springs and Francis Howell Central are definitely the front runners and we have to perform to catch either one of them."


While Park Hill's dominant district performance was no surprise, surprising was just one of the ways to describe Park Hill South’s second place finish with 134.5 team points coming from six state qualifying performances for the Panthers. South outperformed several traditionally successful programs including Rockhurst, Lee’s Summit, Lee’s Summit West, and Ray-Pec to add another chapter to a season that has taken the Panthers into somewhat unfamiliar territory as a team.

“This group of athletes has been team oriented all year,” Park Hill South coach Dan Dunkin said. “I think most coaches would agree that we're a good duel team. Collectively, it’s as good as this team has been.”

Park Hill’s John Erneste (103) and Michael Olsen (112), both freshmen, started off the championship rounds with first place trophies. Erneste is now 37-9 while Olsen is 38-8 on the year. Panthers Alex Fortuna and Bret Rounkles took fourth in those respective brackets. South’s Jimmy Carpenter (38-8) defeated Park Hill’s Paxton DiBlasi (17-14) in the 119 title match. Trojans Bricker Dixon (47-3), Russ Coleman (37-7), Preston Crous (47-2) qualified once again for the state meet with first place finishes in the 125, 130, and 145 weight classes while newcomer Derek Rens (10-1) took the title at 135. South’s Chase Gray (38-16) and Sam Eickhoff (31-5) were runners-up in the 171 and 215 weight classes while Nick Gillespie (21-16) placed fourth. Park Hill’s Nolan Smith took third at 285 to qualify (32-12). All in all, Park Hill and Park Hill South qualified 15 wrestlers (9 PH, 6 PHS).

After hard work and preparation all year, the three day test of individual skill and endurance known as the Missouri State Wrestling Championships will begin Thursday and conclude Saturday evening. The large brackets in each division mean initial seedings and placement are a factor in making it all the way to the final rounds. It could be argued Park Hill’s wrestlers hold more experience and higher rankings judging by the district results which will place them in better position to advance. South and their state qualifiers, on the other hand, will find themselves in some difficult situations if their wrestlers hope to advance.

“Who you run into matters,” Dunkin said. “Three of our wrestlers go against a one seed from another district in the first round, that's a tough first round draw. Two of our other wrestlers could possibly see the top ranked wrestler in the quarters. If our wrestles are going to do well, they're going to have to fight through tough bracket conditions.”

While overall record and rankings are an indication of a wrestler’s body of work throughout the season, those don’t necessarily matter at state because when it comes down to it, you have to win. Park Hill and Park Hill South have both taken their own unique paths through the regular season and will conclude it this weekend in Columbia, but one thing they have proven is their ability to get it done one way or another and both Dunkin and Park Hill coach Bill Erneste believe in their athletes ability to overcome adversity.

“Our wrestlers have been finding ways to win all year,” Dunkin said. “As a coach I don't like where we are in our brackets, but I'd never bet against our wrestlers.”

Park Hill’s nine experienced qualifiers will be an advantage for the defense of their state title, but Park Hill South’s young team is looking to improve on some unsatisfying results from last year and for another week add a first for their program. Six qualifiers are the most South has ever sent to State and if a handful of those are able to place, they’d be expanding their record book.

Winter Weekly Recap: Feb. 7 - Feb. 12

Park Hill Boys Basketball
The Park Hill boys basketball team came into last week in the driver's seat of their suburban conference title hopes, but three games later they come into this week out of contention and on a three game lossing streak. A close loss on the road against St. Joe Central 60-58 was followed by a home loss against Ruskin 70-59. It was their hope that they could close out the week on Senior Night with a win against Lee's Summit West. Park Hill came out slow as they fell behind 14-4 going into the second quarter. A contentious crowd and high emotions led the Trojans to a series of turnovers and fouls in the second and third quarter falling down by as much as 23 points. While the Trojans were able to cut the lead in the fourth quarter, the Titan clock management on offense eventually created some easy baskets against a frustrated defense to extend the lead to a final score of 67-46. Top scorers Chris Nsenki and De'Aris Flint were held to just 12 points a piece on the night. Park Hill is now 14-9 and will conclude the season at Belton Friday night before the district tournament begins next week at Oak Park.

Park Hill South Boys Basketball
After a victory against Raytown earlier in the week, the Park Hill South boys were hoping to make it a sweep of the district when they went against Raytown South last Friday night. It wasn't meant to be as the Cardinals gradually expanded their lead throughout the game to eventually win 68-57. Adam Schemenauer scored 19 while Christian Hildebrandt added 15 points. The Panthers are now 13-8 on the season with a regular season finale scheduled Friday night at home against Winnetonka for Senior Night.

Park Hill South Girls Basketball
A 57-48 win over Belton earlier in the week didn't create any momentum for the Lady Panthers against Kearney later in the week. While South only trailed 13-8 at the start of the second quarter. They were shutout in the second quarter and held to a single point in the third before matching the Bulldogs' 15 points in the fourth quarter of what ended up being a 48-24 loss. Brandi Weymuth led in scoring with six points. South is now 8-13 and will conclude the regular season at Raytown before heading into the district tournament next week.

Park Hill Girls Basketball
The Park Hill girls had a tough week last week after two losses to Oak Park and St. Joe Central. A close 37-31 loss where Kyleesha Weston led with nine points must have motivated the Lady Trojans to come out strong against St. Joe Central. Park Hill got in front of the Indians early as they took a four point lead into halftime against a talened Central team before a 180 degree turn in the second half left the Trojans again on the wrong side of a 45-31 score. Park Hill went scoreless in the third quarter. Weston led with 11 points. The Trojans are now 8-13 and will play Ruskin on Thursday for Senior Night.
"Senior night will be fun and a very rewarding experience for the kids," first year coach Aaron Neeser said. "They have bought into me and what I am trying to do with the program from day one. I appreciate their leadership and energy that they have brought to this team. I wish them well in the future."

Park Hill/Park Hill South Swim & Dive
State swim meet this weekend at the St. Peters Rec Complex in St. Peters, Missouri.

Important for Platte Countians to pay attention to KC mayoral race

Kansas City is less than two weeks away from its mayoral primary election on February 22. The two receiving the top votes will advance to the general election March 22. While a crowded field usually fills the ballot when there is an open seat, Mayor Mark Funkhouser is only in his first term and running for re-election. Funkhouser has drawn sharp criticism from civic leaders and citizens from around the city for his handling of a number of situations and heading a city council that has found itself in near gridlock for the better part of three years. This has led several high profile community leaders to challenge him. In fact, with the strong support and credentials of the other candidates, Funkhouser is on pace to become the first Kansas City Mayor in over fifty years to not win re-election.

The 2011 mayoral campaign is unique because of the caliber of candidates in the race. While there are currently six candidates challenging Funkhouser’s re-election, four have risen to the top of the field. Slyvester ‘Sly’ James, Mike Burke, Deb Hermann, and Jim Rowland have a wide range of community, business, and government experience spanning their entire careers. All bring reputations generally held in high regard with specific strengths they’ve highlighted at various forums and debates this month. In a large city with many different constituencies to discuss issues, a city-wide campaign can be complex and unpredictable. Between the seven total candidates, 20% of the total vote could be enough for a candidate to advance to the general election campaign, meaning they will be working hard to earn it.

During Sly James’s 26-year legal career, he became the first African-American partner at the law firm of Blackwell, Sanders, Matheny, Weary & Lombardi, served as president of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, was appointed to the board of the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, and successfully twice chaired the Save Our Stadiums committee to bring improvements to the Truman Sports Complex. James currently runs his own small law firm, The Sly James Firm. His campaign has taken a broad focus to education, employment, government efficiency, and law enforcement (the four E’s). Supporters see strength in the fact that he hasn’t held elected office before and is known for bringing a positive approach to problems.

Long-time Platte County resident and economic development lawyer Mike Burke has participated in some of Kansas City’s largest job creation projects over the past 30 years. Burke recently served as President and CEO of the King Hershey law firm. He served a partial term on the City Council in the 80’s, but is known more for his involvement as President of what is now the Northland Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Public Improvements Advisory Committee (PIAC) which is responsible for distributing funds for public works projects, and a leading advocate of the development of Berkley Park along the Missouri River where Riverfest is held each July Fourth weekend. His campaign has focused on his vast knowledge of tools available for creating economic opportunities and his business experience leading successful organizations.

Northland neighborhood advocate and current City Councilwoman Deb Hermann served in a number of volunteer community roles throughout the 90’s and was appointed to the City Planning Commission and Property Maintenance Advisory Committee before running for office. Elected in 2003 and re-elected in 2007, Hermann is currently the Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee which is responsible for making many of the budgetary and financial decisions for the city. In difficult economic times, many close to the actions of the city have given her positive credit on the steps taken in recent years to improve the city’s financial standing. Supporters of Hermann think her ‘accidental politician’ status allows her to rise above divisive politics, while her detailed knowledge of the budget will be an asset to a cash-strapped city.

Jim Rowland is a former I.T. business consultant and City Council member. Rowland left his position on the Council to accept the job of Executive Director of the Truman Sports Complex Authority where he oversaw $700 million worth of renovations and improvements. Rowland has been involved as a youth baseball coach and part-time teacher in recent years as well. His campaign has focused on his inclusiveness of women and minority businesses in the Truman Sports Complex project and handling of the funds along with his experience with city issues while on the Council.

Brushing just the surface of these candidates, many Kansas City residents will have a tough decision picking a single person. Each brings their own unique background, strengths, and persona leaving some to wish for a hybrid of them all. Any of the four top challengers could realistically advance to the March general election and even a glimmer of hope still remains for Funkhouser. Although there has been very little in-fighting between the challengers, Funkhouser’s likely opportunity to sneak through the primary would be if the vote were divided evenly between his opponents. However, the prowess of political consultant Jeff Roe and some last minute campaign donations can never be underestimated.

Even though the majority of Platte County’s land mass is not in Kansas City, a significant portion of its population is. Kansas City has served as a regional hub of commerce for decades and supports the many municipalities that border it. The election of the next Mayor of Kansas City will have wide ranging effects beyond the city’s limits so while many may not be able to vote in the election, turning your attention to it will be time well spent.

Trojans think their moment is now: Strong group of Park Hill seniors hope to blaze posteseason trail

Three and a half years ago Park Hill boys head basketball coach David Garrison took over a program that had not had a winning season in over five years. Looking to build a successful program, he turned most of his attention to the then varsity squad. Meanwhile, there was the optimistic comfort of seeing a freshmen team simply dominate at the lower levels that gave him hope there would be something special one day. A single loss to Lee’s Summit West in the postseason tournament was the only blemish on the young Trojans’ record that year.

Those Trojans are now seniors and have been part of a transformative change for the Park Hill program in recent years. It comes full circle Friday night as eight seniors play their final home game against the same Lee’s Summit West Titans who dealt them their only defeat three years ago, capping off a three game stretch over four days.

Following their freshmen year, the Class of 2011 played a role in gaining Park Hill its first winning varsity season in half a decade as sophomores. They took a huge leap forward last year as juniors, assuming four of the five starting roles, by racking up 19 regular season wins including an undefeated conference title, their first since 2002. As seniors, they’ve put together a 14-6 season so far while still undefeated in conference. Friday night’s game could clinch them a share of their second straight conference title and put them momentum for their ultimate goal: a district title and run through the Missouri Class 4 playoffs.

“Sky’s the limit. Our goal last year was to get to the Independence Event Center (quarterfinals), and we haven’t even mentioned that this year, because we know we want to go to Columbia (state),” Nathan Wilson said.

Wilson, Chris Nsenki, De’Aris Flint, Anthony Walters, Burt Taylor, Luke Bossert, and Travis Perry make up a group of seven that have played together throughout their high school years and even beyond as some competed both with and against each other throughout their youth. The eighth senior, transfer point guard Tre Durham, was welcomed with open arms this season, fitting in almost immediately.

“The thing about these seniors is that aside from Tre, you’ve got a group of kids who’ve been around each other forever, they’re like a family. They know each other’s quarks,” Garrison said. “It’s nice to get a guy like Tre who has just gelled right away.”

“He distributes and he doesn’t mind,” Wilson said. “We needed someone who can push the tempo and he can do all that.”

“I wish he would’ve been here last year. He’s kind of a missing piece,” Flint added.

Speaking of history, Flint and Wilson themselves have been best friends since middle school. The two recently committed to play football next fall at Northwest Missouri State.

“He’s the quarterback and I’m a receiver, we’ve got to be friends of some kind. We’re best friends and enemies at the same time,” Flint joked about the competitive nature they have between them.

On the court, Nsenki has been their top scorer for the better part of two years as he recently surpassed 1,000 points for his career. On any given night he can be a game changer. His knowledge of the game has allowed him to open up opportunities for his teammates, but one thing that can be said of this year’s Trojan squad is each player knows their general roll. While Durham, Walters, and Taylor provide a consistent presence at the point guard position and tenacious defense at the top of the key, Wilson and Flint provide an agile, but strong mid-post game threat to Nsenki’s scoring. Junior Connor Farmer at 6’6” contributes as Park Hill’s go to pure post player.

“We like to hang our hat on defense, we brag about steals and charges,” Wilson said.

“We know who the scorers are, Chris is going to get his points, but we come out and see who can get the most stats on defense,” Flint added.

While on the court is certainly important, Garrison pointed out that the entire class has contributed to this year’s success including Bossert and Perry who haven’t seen as much playing time due not only to the Trojans’ larger than average senior class, but also the depth of the team overall.

“I can’t say enough good things about them. They’re ultimate team players. During games, they’re like coaches, always looking for things that we need to do better. When they get an opportunity to play they make the most of it,” Garrison said.

The past several years will culminate in the next couple weeks into what the Trojans hope are their finest moments.

“That last week of February we’ll put all the chips on the table and see what happens,” Garrison said. “We’ve built the program on defense and blocking out. We just have to remind ourselves of what has helped us win games.”

While their coach is focused on the mental and strategic approach to the season’s final stretch, the players know exactly what they want and speak candidly about it.

“He (Garrison) knows where we want to go. We talked about it, because we think we can go all the way,” Flint said.

South Wrestling on verge of being annual contender

With Park Hill South Wrestling’s 44-24 dual victory over Belton last week, Dan Dunkin’s Panthers have assured themselves at least a share of the Suburban Mid-Seven conference championship, the first in school history. Bret Rounkles, Jimmy Carpenter, and Sam Eickhoff led South with pins in their respective matches. While the achievement is something to hang their hat on, Dunkin sees the title as a step on the way to what he hopes is sustained success in coming years. The young wrestlers South sees filling their varsity spots is reason to believe the Panthers are on the right course.

“I don’t know if we’re ready yet,” Dunkin said of excelling into the area’s group of elite programs. “It’s coming and it’s on the horizon.”

Sophomores Carpenter, Adam Weatherly, and Chase Gray qualified for state last year as freshmen and didn’t perform as well as they would have liked leaving room for improvement and a burning desire to return again. Alex Fortuna and Eickhoff were one match away from qualifying last year, but fell short of advancing.

“It’s a very similar story for most of them,” Dunkin said. “But I expect big things from them now. We’re getting a nucleus of kids coming back with quality experience.”

Eickhoff is one of two seniors in the starting lineup for the Panthers. After leading in his state qualifying match last season, he got pinned, leaving him with a goal to be fulfilled in his final tour.

“Sam wants to beat if not emulate one of his older rivals from the past, since he’s not there anymore it allows him the chance to fill that void,” Dunkin said of his captain.

At the heavyweight position, South has had trouble finding a mainstay throughout the season, but feel they have a good candidate to compete for them in districts.

“We’re playing musical chairs with our heavyweights. At certain times we’ve had as many as five guys,” Dunkin said. “We’ve talked about it already and we’ve got some young, good looking guys, but they’re willing to give it to Cody Hodges, our senior.”

The Panthers have been battling injuries throughout the season, but hope to be getting healthy at just the right time. After accomplishing the goal of winning a conference title, Dunkin still believes he can get a solid group of wrestlers qualified for the state tournament in late February.

“I’m still focused on that right now (getting six to state), depending on how some of our injuries shape up,” Dunkin said. “The goal still stands.”

As he looked up at the banner that would eventually list their newly clinched title, Dunkin indicated they wanted to hold the title by themselves and could earn that this week as they complete their conference season against Winnetonka.

“That banner up there, I’d rather have the title outright than share it as co-champs. I’m greedy when it comes to things like that,” Dunkin said.

Winter Weekly Recap: Jan. 31 - Feb. 5

Park Hill South Girls Basketball
After weather caused the North Kansas City tournament to be moved back several days, the Lady Panthers of Park Hill South experienced a rough series of games last week as they went 0-3 in three consecutive days. A 59-43 loss to St. Joe Central in the opening round led to a rivalry matchup with Park Hill on Friday afternoon. The close matchups over the last two years between the two teams held true again as the game heading into overtime before Park Hill edged out a 53-50 win. Stephanie Griffith put in 12 points for the Panthers. Hoping to bounce back on Saturday, the Panthers lost another close one. This time to Oak Park 26-24. Park Hill South is now 7-12 with a home game against Kearney Thursday evening.

Park Hill Girls Basketball
Park Hill went 2-1 in their appearance in the North Kansas City Tournament. After falling in the opening game against the host team, Park Hill edged out an overtime victory against Park Hill South 53-50 as Michele Rupard had a career game with 22 points along with Kyleesha Weston's 20. Playing in the consolation game, Park Hill outscored St. Pius 56-39 to earn fifth place with Weston scoring 22 points and Dominique Broadus accounting for 17. The Lady Trojans are now 8-9 with a home game against St. Joe Central Thursday night.

Park Hill Wrestling
Park Hill placed fourth out of eight teams over the weekend at the Oak Grove Tournament after scoring 92.5 team points. John Erneste (103), Michael Olsen (112), Derek Rens (135), and Travis Marcum (285) all placed second. Conner Shene placed fourth in the 140 pound division. The Trojans now head into the district tournament this weekend at Lee's Summit High School. After winning their conference, assistant coach Joe Gonier says they have high expectations out of their wrestlers and team.

"We feel pretty good going into districts next week," Gonier said. "Our kids are wrestling well right now and we expect that to continue."

Park Hill Swimming
Breaking Lee's Summit West's streak of conference title streaks proved to be difficult for Park Hill last weekend as they finished second with 510 team points compared to the Titans 577. Park Hill junior Brynn Guardado repeated and held her conference title in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle. The state swim meet is next weekend, February 18-19th in St. Peters, MO.

Winter Weekly Recap: Jan. 24-29

Park Hill Girls Basketball
The Lady Trojans fell in a close game against North Kansas City late last week as they lost 46-44. Kyleesha Weston had a stellar performance as she scored almost half of the Trojans' points with 20 along with freshman Dominique Broadus's 10 points. With a 6-8 record, they are competing in the North Kansas City Tournament this week.

Park Hill South Girls Basketball
The Park Hill South Lady Panthers went through a week of give and take last week as they suffered a heavy 56-36 loss to Raytown earlier in the week, but came back in a big way by beating Ruskin 56-16. Stephanie Griffith led South in their loss to Raytown with 15 points while Tori Kerr scored 10 points in their victory over Ruskin. At 7-9, they are playing in the North Kansas City Tournament this week.

Park Hill/Park Hill South Boys Basketball
Leading up to last Friday's rivalry game, Park Hill South won an impressive 47-32 victory over Oak Park. The Park Hill boys weren't as lucky, as they fell just short of beating Liberty 48-47 after giving up a lead late in the game.

Park Hill South Wrestling
The lower weight classes of the Park Hill South wrestling team outlasted the heavier classes of the Lee's Summit West Titans last week as South took a hard fought 40-36 victory. With pins from Alex Fortuna (112), Bret Rounkles (119), Jimmy Carpenter (125), and Alex Weatherly (130), Nick Gillespie's pin in the 171 weight class carried the Panthers over the edge in a dual where Lee's Summit West's otherwise heavier wrestlers were racking up points for the Titans. They will compete in the Lee's Summit North Invite this weekend.

Head coach Dan Dunkin says this year the injuries have created even more opportunities for different athletes to wrestle on the varsity level including freshman George Barth and junior Nick Gillespie who have been able to step into varsity roles as needed. Usually at the JV-level, Cody Hodges picked up four varsity victories last weekend at the Liberty Invitational on his way to a sixth place finish. Fortuna placed third (103), Weatherly second (130), Chase Gray third (171), DJ Dewit fifth (145), and Bret Rounkles fifth (119).

Efficiency can counteract tuition increases

Last week I wrote that with today’s difficult budget situations, public colleges and universities in Missouri weren’t specifying any cuts they would make to match the increases in tuition they plan to implement at their schools in response to the state’s decreased funding for higher education. Governor Nixon confirmed in his State of the State address last week that the budget he sent to the state legislature for consideration includes a seven percent cut in higher education funding from the this year’s levels. While this is a blow to the state’s public colleges and will affect thousands of students, the importance of a college education can’t continue to gradually become less and less accessible to students because of increasing costs to attend. As is the case in many situations, the people most affected by these cost increases can’t control the rising costs, but they can do their best to create their own efficiencies and streamline their path to a college degree. Like anything, a well thought-out plan can save you time and money when it comes to making an education affordable.

One of the most effective ways to save money on college is to start before the student even leaves high school. Many local school districts partner with local colleges to offer high school students the opportunity to take what is known as dual credit courses during their junior and senior years. Paying a reduced rate, students are able to take college level classes in math, science, history, and language arts while earning their high school diploma. This takes out much of the overhead and extra fees colleges would charge a normally enrolled student. Since high school students are in class more during the week than college students, graduating high school seniors can sometimes graduate with as much as 30 credit hours already under their belt, equal to approximately an entire year of college. This varies based on the courses completed and whether the college will accept particular classes towards requirements in their degree programs. One reason to keep an open line of communication with high school counselors is so they provide specific information in regards to learning the specific requirements of individual colleges. They can research or at least provide guidance on where to find the appropriate answers.

There’s no use in taking college credit hours in high school if you waste them away once on campus. While few are able to simply turn a four-year program into a three-year college experience through dual-credit classes, it’s very possible and there’s no denying the cost savings of doing so. An extra class either in the evening, over the summer, or online on top of a regular course load every once in awhile can really make a big difference. The additional money not spent on rent, meals, and required fees that each semester contain can offer significant savings if avoided. On the other hand, extra semesters on top of the average four-year path to a degree caused by changing majors, failing classes, poor planning, etc. are wasteful and costly.

The advantages of dual credit are numerous and a cost effective head start to students. This gives them an early exposure to college level material while still in a familiar environment and the chance to save themselves thousands of dollars in additional student loans and interest. Buying textbooks online instead of at the university bookstore, working a part-time job a few hours a week, and taking advantage of some of the less expensive options that universities offer from time to time are a few more of the small things that can be done to decrease the cost of their overall education experience.

College institutions themselves may not be interested in simultaneously matching their tuition increases with new ways to efficiently provide a high quality education, but that doesn’t mean students can’t learn the valuable lesson themselves while going through the process themselves. Although I support Mark Twain’s idea of not letting school interfere with someone’s education, it’s a great time to have young adults see first-hand how planning ahead and looking for small savings can significantly benefit them.

Clash for a cause: Park Hill, Park Hill South primed for rivalry game that will raise money for the American Cancer Society

The Park Hill and Park Hill South boys basketball teams will face off on Friday night after coming off just barely missing out on tournament titles in the Basehor-Linwood and North Kansas City Tournaments this past weekend. Their second place finishes leave an unfulfilled gap of accomplishment for what will already be a contentious rivalry game between two of the hottest teams in the metro this season. Not only will the game itself be a matchup of two solid squads, but it will also bring together two fan bases for a worthy case as they raise money for the American Cancer Society.

“It’s a great chance for people to contribute along with our hoops club having a raffle,” Garrison said of the opportunities available to donate. “It’s the first year we’ve done it. The Great Kansas City Basketball Association has made it a goal to raise money for the American Cancer Association.”

"Friday’s game should be a fun night," Siouth head coach Anthony Perry said. "Park Hill is playing good basketball and it should be a competitive game.  Last year we had a game against Staley to raise funds for cancer and it was a great event for a great cause.  So I called David and asked him if he’d be interested in doing the same thing for our game and he agreed.  Everyone knows someone who has dealt with cancer and I’m excited about having the opportunity to help."

Park Hill (12-5, 4-1) and Park Hill South (12-6, 6-1) are two teams with considerable talent and experience. One key area to watch will be South’s Christian Hildebrandt and Park Hill’s De’Aris Flint, two of the most athletic players on the court. Hildebrandt’s three point capabilities make him a threat against what will otherwise be a physical and agile matchup between the two forwards. Another pair to watch will be Park Hill’s Anthony Walters and South’s Rocky Benson. The two point guards have displayed strong ball handling skills thus far along with the ability to be aggressive to the basket. Additionally, expect to see Benson handling defensive duties against Park Hill’s top-scorer Nsenki from time to time.

“It’s going to be a great game. They’re well coached and have got a good group back from last year and a good group of newcomers filling in,” Garrison said of Park Hill South’s squad.

The Trojans and Panthers featured similar paths to their respective tournament championship game appearances last weekend. Park Hill forced overtime in their semi-final game against Maryville before finally pulling out the victory 57-55 to advance to the title game against host school Basehor-Linwood. The home school crowd put the Trojans in a hostile environment, one in which they might not encounter all season with the nature of small-town Kansas basketball. A foul infested game, Park Hill simply was unable to rebound effectively and convert free throws to overcome Basehor-Linwood’s relentlessness. On top of that, the Bobcats were able to hold leading scorer Chris Nsenki to just 12 points. Despite not performing in several key areas, the Trojans were able to only be down by as much as 13 points in the second half before eventually falling 53-45 after cutting the lead to just three late in the game. De’Aris Flint led the Trojans with 13 points.

“I think we lost rebounds 11-2 in the fourth quarter and that’s when you have to do your best,” Coach David Garrison said. “When one part is off, you can’t have another off. We have to play through things, whether that is the crowd or a call. We can’t let that affect us when we’re playing against the hometown team. We can’t let things beyond our control affect our game.”

Garrison said the opportunity to play in Kansas against teams they’re not familiar with was a good thing.

“I think it’s a good break between the beginning of the conference season and the end,” Garrison said. “It’s a good chance to play teams you usually don’t see and is a nice change of pace.”

For Park Hill South, it wasn’t the semifinal game, but the title game that required overtime against Truman. In what appeared to be a tight game throughout, Park Hill South faced a 26-25 halftime deficit before regaining the lead going into the fourth quarter by just a point at 40-39. Over time was forced in the fourth, but the give and take experienced the entire game ended in the Patriots’ favor with a close 55-54 Truman victory. Christian Hildebrandt has 23 points along with Adam Schemenauer’s 14.

Winter Weekly Recap: Jan. 17-21

Park Hill/Park Hill South Wrestling
Park Hill South dominated their mid-week dual against William Chrisman as they pulled out the team victory 54-15 with wins coming in the form of pins from Alex Fortuna (112), Jimmy Carpenter (125), George Barth (130), Chase Gray (171), and Sam Eickhoff (215).

The always competitive Winnetonka Tournament was held this past weekend. Park Hill and Park Hill South finished behind first place medal winner Blue Springs and their 320 team points. Park Hill finished second with 260.5 points while Park Hill South finished sixth with 201.5 points. Park Hill's Michael Olsen (112), Bricker Dixon (125), Preston Crouse (145), and Nolan Smith (285) won their respective weight divisions. Park Hill South's Jimmy Carpenter finished second in the 119 weight division.

Park Hill South Girls Basketball
The Lady Panthers went 1-1 last week in the North Kansas City tournament with a loss to Oak Park and a victory against Belton. They came out slow in both the first and fourth quarters to Oak Park in a 46-27 loss. Samantha Roy lead the Panthers with five points. Against Belton, the Panthers led throughout and held the Pirates scoreless in the second quarter (18-0) and added another 14 points to their advantage in the third quarter (22-8) before going on to win 59-18. Tori Kerr led the Panthers with 14 points along with Haley Shelton's 13 and Courtney Claassen's 11. Now at 6-7, they play against Raytown South on Thursday.

Park Hill Girls Basketball
The Lady Trojans defeated the home town host Basehor-Linwood on day to advance to the tournament semi-final after a close 35-32 victory. Tied going into the fourth quarter, Park Hill led by Kyleesha Weston's all-tournament performance of 16 points edged the Bobcats by three to advance on to play Ottawa. Despite a 16-4 deficit against Platte County, Park Hill spent the entirety of the game battling back before falling 55-47. Weston led with 14 points in the loss. Another close game didn't turn in the Trojans favor as Ottawa stayed just in front of Park Hill throughout the game to slide to a 43-37 victory. Weston led once again with 23 points. At 6-8, they play North Kansas City Thursday night.