Missouri shows us the good, the bad, and the ugly

Last week was an interesting week for the State of Missouri, particularly in the world of sports and politics. There was a little bit of everything, but probably best described as the good, the bad, and the ugly with the St. Louis Cardinals’ World Series victory, the Missouri state legislature’s inability to pass an economic development bill in its special session, and the University of Missouri’s ongoing saga on whether they’ll jump to the Southeastern Conference or stay in the Big 12. The one parallel between the three is we may be from the same state, but you’ll be hard pressed to find an area where all Missourians are on the same side of any one issue.

The Good
The Cardinals’ improbable month of September which had them trailing by more than 10 games before coming back to clinch a playoff spot. In October they advanced past Philadelphia and Milwaukee for an even more unlikely appearance in the World Series against Texas. Down three games to two, St. Louis staged a comeback (several, actually) in Game 6 that will go down in baseball history as a classic. Similar to the way things went in Game 7 for the Royals in 1985, Texas couldn’t overcome the leftover momentum the Cardinals’ had in their favor as St. Louis went on to win their second world title in six years.

As a kid, I was a Cardinals fan. Of course, second to the Royals. Mostly because they were in a different league and from Missouri, so my young mind thought it was a natural. But as I grew up, I began to see the very real rift that exists between Kansas City and St. Louis. It was on full display last week too, as all of a sudden you found some pretty loyal Texas Rangers fans in the area, evidence that remnants of the 1985 World Series are still alive and well in Missouri.

The Bad
After several months of buildup, it seemed as if the negotiations and framework were in place for the Republican-dominated Missouri state legislature to use the special session to draft an economic development and jobs bill. After failing to do so in the five month long regular session from January to May, voters were led to believe the special session would allow elected officials to accomplish their top campaign priority in 2010: job creation and the economy. It was not to be, as the House and Senate were unable to reconcile their differences before finally deciding to end the special session empty-handed at a cost of nearly $280,000 to taxpayers.

As I mentioned back in August, Democrats have such a small presence in Jefferson City, their influence in any bill that goes through the House or the Senate is minimal, leaving the Republicans with what appeared to be a great opportunity to craft a bill almost completely to their liking. Governor Jay Nixon would be the only Democrat needing to approve, who was poised to sign a bill into law. The reality of this outcome is unfortunate because Missouri will now go another year without eliminating ineffective tax credits, no added incentives for companies to locate here, or new tools for existing companies to hire more workers.

Further proof politicians can battle their entire careers hoping to push the opposing political party from office, but if you can’t do anything with it when you finally do, what have you really gained? Democrats found this out on the national level after the 2008 elections and Republicans seem to be finding it out now after their 2010 gains on the state level.

The Ugly
While the residents of Missouri close to Kansas City seem to make up the largest contingent of Mizzou fans hoping the school holds onto hope the Big 12 can be reformed into a conference where all schools (not just Oklahoma and Texas) can thrive, a move to the Southeast Conference seems on the horizon. The rest of Missouri’s voice has apparently drowned out that sentiment by supporting the move.

Although the ending hasn’t played out, there’s the familiar feeling that if there was an ideal process or ‘right’ way to go through such a change, the University has proven it probably won’t follow that precedent. If in no other way, at least from a public relations point of view. With unnecessary press conferences, leaked reports, and anonymous story sources the school has made it harder on themselves than hoped for on the public front.

While Mizzou fans may get a little hot under the collar with each other over whether to stay or go, it’s likely nothing compared to the heat they’ll experience on the road finishing out a potential last season in the Big 12 with other schools’ faithful feeling understandably frustrated with the Tigers whose decision plays a role in their futures as well.

So no matter how mainstream you think you are, in Missouri there’s a good chance that if you want to get into an argument, there’s plenty of people willing and ready for the challenge. Just another example of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Fox faces Park on visitor’s side of the soccer field

October is traditionally a month of homecomings. Parades, dances, football games and the crowning of a queen. While those are the symbols and events typically associated with homecomings, it is sometimes the ones with less pomp and circumstance with the most meaning for those involved. This was the case recently during the American Midwest Conference college soccer game between William Woods and Park University as a small group of friends and family gathered to support former Park Hill soccer player and now William Woods assistant coach Zak Fox. The game was more than a rare opportunity for Fox to roam the sidelines of the same field he once played on during high school, but also a chance to compete against his former youth coach and Park University head coach Efrem Shimlis.

“It means even more now to coach against my old coach,” Fox said. “Just driving up to the stadium and realizing its all still here the way it was before is really cool.”

“He really likes being back here,” said Zak’s father Pride Fox, a Platte City business owner. “He likes that trip down memory lane.”

Growing up Fox fell in love with soccer at a young age and the coaching staff at Park University enhanced that by exposing him to the game by participating with the team. Fox’s mother Cathi pointed to the young ball boys on the field which reminded her of her son at their age.

“When Zak was little, just about that size,” she said pointing towards the boys on the sidelines, “he and several of his friends would come be ball boys for the Park games. I think they were in second grade. He has just loved soccer since he was four years old.”

Shimlis became the head coach at Park University in 2001, but prior to that he was an assistant coach and also coached the competitive youth team Fox played for. It was then when Shimlis became a huge influence and developed a close player-coach relationship with Fox that remains strong today.

“He’s one of my mentors,” Fox said of his former youth coach. “I stay in contact with him and we’ve talked quite a bit over the years,”

“I was telling him I have a picture in my office of him and the kids I coached when they were younger,” Shimlis said. “There were a lot of good kids on that team. I’m proud of him and so happy to see him.”

“It makes me feel old,” Shimlis joked when asked about Fox joining him in the coaching profession. “He’s loves the game and he’ll do fine. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and wish him all the best.”

Fox, a 2005 Park Hill graduate, played for two years at Neosho County Community College where he was a part of a conference championship team. After that he thought his playing days were over, but later received a call from former Neosho County assistant coach Nathan Mason, now head coach at William Woods, asking him to play for him. With two years of eligibility left, he had received the chance to continue playing the game he loved. He finished his senior year receiving several Player of the Week awards in the AMC before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 2011.

Having exhausted his college eligibility and knowing that playing at the pro level was a long-shot, despite several chances to tryout, Fox decided he wanted to stay in the game and pass his knowledge on to future players as a coach.

“I had a couple of chances to try out at places, but I just decided to hang up the boots. I knew my time was up,” Fox said of his decision. “Just anything to be around soccer. I live and breathe it, so anything to stay in it.”

“He couldn’t contribute anymore as a player, but thinks he can build people. He’s always liked building things since he was a little kid, so this kind of makes sense in the fact that he’s now building people,” Fox’s father said.

Fox is currently in his first season as an assistant at William Woods. He’s also working towards his master’s degree in education, a degree which parallels his interest in working with other people and passing his experiences onto others. While Fox still finds it frustrating not to be able to make a difference on the field, he hopes to take his coaching career to the next level once he receives his master’s. With the Kansas City region lacking major collegiate soccer programs, Fox would like to make his return home permanent someday, but knows his pursuit may first take him further away before it brings him closer.

“I’m not going to pass up any good opportunity,” Fox said. “If I can come back home I’d love it, but the higher the better, I mean it’s really ‘shoot for the stars’ right now.”

Even though the chilly October night left William Woods with a 1-0 overtime loss to the Park Pirates in front of a light crowd, the lack of publicity didn’t lessen the personal significance it had for those supporting their friend and family member whose presence may vary, but whose heart remains at home.

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.

Fall Roundup: Oct. 24-29

Park Hill Boys Soccer
…finished the regular season with a 12-11 record after a loss to North Kansas City 1-0 and a win in the finale against St. Joe Central 3-1. The loss to Park Hill was playing Park Hill South in the first round of district play in St. Joe as The Citizen went to deadline Tuesday night.

Park Hill South Boys Soccer
…clinched a share of the conference championship with Fort Osage last week with their two wins over Belton 3-0 and Raytown South 10-0. They’ll take a 16-8-1 record into districts this week after completing their conference record. Brody Bouillon continues to lead Park Hill South with 14 goals while Andrew Gonzalez has contributed 12 assists. Heath Turner has registered 90 saves this year as the last line of defense at goalie. They were playing Park Hill as of deadline Tuesday night in the first round.

Park Hill South Volleyball
…cruised through the Class 4, District 15 tournament last week without losing a set as they beat Truman 2-0 and then William Chrisman to claim the district title. They advanced to the sectional round of the Missouri state playoffs over the weekend where they ended their season with an earlier exit than they would have liked as they fell to St. Theresa’s in straight sets 25-16, 25-17 over the weekend. They end the year with an impressive 31-4 record having won both conference and district titles.

“We had a wonderful year and the team was amazing all year, on and off the court, and in the classroom,” Park Hill South coach Debbie Fay said. “I could not have asked for a better group.”

Park Hill Boys Cross Country
…Joey Walton led Park Hill and much the rest of the field once again in the state sectional meet last weekend as he placed fifth, advancing him to the state meet this weekend. As a team, the Trojans were not able to advance. Other Trojans competing included Nathan Huffer (36th), Kainen Utt (47th), Hanoh Tekle (75th), Nate Thomas (76th), and Cooper Gardner (77th).

Park Hill South Boys Cross Country
…Tucker Melles placed 26th in last weekend’s sectional meet, qualifying him to compete in the state meet this weekend. He led the Panthers field while Lendon Calhoun followed in 57th place and Peter Thomas finished in 62nd place.

Park Hill Girls Cross Country
…Kim Rau advanced to the state meet with her 28th place finish at last weekend’s sectional race. Emma Gaiser, the other Trojan competing, finished the race in 54th place.

Park Hill South Girls Cross Country
…finished in seventh place as a team at the sectional meet last weekend. They were not able to advance any individuals to the state meet as top finisher Erica Guzman finished in 53rd place. Following close behind were Audrey Rothers (55th), Madeline Homoly (56th), Lauren Blair (57th), Lizzy Jurries (59th), and Raven Jennings (65th).

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 South's OT win keeps playoff hopes alive

For Park Hill South, this Friday’s matchup with Fort Osage is likely an all-or-nothing situation in regards to the Panthers’ district title aspirations and playoff hopes. A win could give them their second straight district title while a loss could end their season. Depending on the results of Class 5, District 11’s other matchup Friday between North Kansas City and Winnetonka, the difference between who continues to play and who goes home has several different tie-breaking scenarios, but the most clear-cut theme for Park Hill South remains very simple: win.

“We’ve got to win, there’s no question about that,” Coach Mark Simcox said.

Knowing what needs to be done is easy. Doing it will be the hard part as Park Hill South will have to travel to Fort Osage, 8-1 on the season and the state’s fifth ranked team.

“I know they’re really physical. They’ve had a plan the last couple years and they do it so there won’t be any surprises from our end on what they’re going to do,” Simcox said. “We’ll have to keep the ball on offense and away from them. If we do it, I think we’ll be in it. We’re ready for the challenge.”

With the Panthers’ 14-7 overtime victory against Winnetonka last week, Park Hill South hopes they are back on track with where they were at the beginning of the season before they suffered several key injuries and leading up to last Friday’s win, were on a four game losing streak.

“We’re getting back to where we were. It’s taken us longer to overcome some things. We were probably as good tonight as we have been since week three,” Simcox said.

The first half of last Friday’s game was dominated by defense with both teams holding steady in their own territory which resulted in a scoreless halftime score of 0-0. An athletic interception at the line of scrimmage by Park Hill South’s Evan Martin gave the Panthers an opportunity in the first quarter, but they were unable to convert. Winnetonka had an opportunity of their own as they received ideal field position after a Park Hill South punt went out of bounds deep in their own territory, but the Griffons were also unable to translate that into any points. In fact, the Griffons were only able to muster one first down against the Panther defense in the first half.

It wouldn’t be until 1:23 left in the third quarter when the tie would be unbroken when Park Hill South’s Craig Scott capped off a 75-yard drive with a 32-yard touchdown reception from freshman quarterback Schaefer Schuetz to put the Panthers up 7-0 going into the fourth quarter.

“He’s going to be a good player,” Simcox said of Schuetz. “We don’t play people because of the year they are. We play them because they do what we ask them to do.”

Winnetonka would see their most offensive production in that fourth quarter as they put together two of the game’s strongest drives. The first stalled on a fourth down and goal play when the quarterback-center exchange was bobbled resulting in a turnover on downs. Winnetonka quickly got the ball back to take the ball down the field once again. This time, they would convert to tie the game when DeAndre Thomas pulled in a four yard play action pass from quarterback Tyler Havrum for a touchdown with just under a minute to play.

Going into overtime at 7-7, the Panthers would take advantage of their first possession. Looking deep again, it would be Schuetz connecting with Scott for a 26-yard touchdown pass to put Park Hill South up 14-7. Like it had throughout the game, the Panther defense came through big on the Griffons’ chance to match the score and shut Winnetonka down on four plays sealing the victory. Park Hill South improved to 4-5 on the season and their 1-1 district record keeps them in contention for postseason play.

“We felt pretty good about our defense, but we knew it would be difficult. We’ve got one guy on the outside (Scott) offensively who can change the game, and he did,” Simcox said. “We thought if we could keep it close, we’d have a chance.”

The Class 5, District 11 point system currently has Fort Osage at +16, Park Hill South at -2, Winnetonka at -4, and North Kansas City at -10. Points are determined by margin of victory/loss to a maximum of 13 points a game.

Fall Roundup: Oct. 17-23

Park Hill Boys Soccer
…brought home two conference victories last week with a 2-0 win against Lee’s Summit West and a 1-0 against Truman. Devon Belew and Matt Russell contributed the Trojans two goals against Lee’s Summit West with the help of assists by Neal Sampson and Zach Stuhlman. Russell scored the lone goal against Truman. Park Hill lost 3-0 against Columbia Rockbridge to end the week. With victories against St. Joe Central and North Kansas City in this week’s final regular season games, the 11-10 Trojans can improve their 9-1 conference record for a share of the conference title. Park Hill will take on the second seeded Park Hill South Panthers on November 1st in the district semi-final in St. Joe.

Park Hill South Boys Soccer

…suffered two tough overtime losses last week as they prepare for the district play which starts next week. The Panthers took Oak Park to double overtime, but fell 5-4 before battling Fort Osage later in the week where they were unable to edge Fort Osage. Park Hill South finishes their regular season against Belton and Raytown South this week. Brody Bouillon continues to lead Park Hill South in goals with 13 on the year while he, Alex Gonzalez, and Alex Weatherly lead in assists. The 14-8-1 Panthers, ranked second coming into districts will take on the third seeded Park Hill Trojans in the semi-final on November 1st in St. Joe.

Park Hill Girls Tennis

…were one set away from playing for a state title last week. After fighting through the bracket, the Trojans came up against Parkway Central in the semi-finals. The team score was 3-3 coming out of the singles portion of the competition after Brooke Barnard, Kaylin Lake, and Abby Peoples secured wins for Park Hill. The Trojans would split the first two matchups in doubles, but in the end it would be Parkway Central pulling away with the decisive fifth victory when the Colts took the third of three sets. Park Hill would finish in fourth place after being defeated in the third place matchup with Lafayette 5-2.

Individually, Suzanne Barth advanced to the quarterfinals of the singles bracket with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Kickapoo’s Kasey Matthes in the sectional round before falling to Lafayette’s Haleigh Chobanian by a score of 6-4, 6-3. Brooke Barnard and Kaylin Lake were eliminated in the sectional round when they were defeated by St. Joseph Academy’s Ell Bisig and Olivia Conway 7-5, 6-1.

Park Hill South Girls Tennis

…was knocked out of the Missouri State Tournament in the sectional round by St. Theresa’s Academy 5-2. Adele Royle and Marie Gehrke were also unable to advance past the sectional round as they were defeated by Branson’s Taylor Johnston and Lucy Givens.

Park Hill Girls Golf

…wrapped up one of its most successful seasons in some time last week with three golfers participating in the state tournament. Senior Anna Kloeppel concluded her senior year by earning a state medal with an eighth place finish after a 83 shot performance. Freshman Adrianna Elliott shot a 90, good enough for 33rd place while senior Bailey Warlen finished in 68th place with her 98.

“Anna shot her best score of the year at State…that is an amazing accomplishment considering we have not played the course, the pressure involved with the state competition, weather issues and the level of play. Several golfers that we have competed against throughout the year did not compete as well at state,” Coach Tari Garner said.

Kloeppel will move on to compete in college next year, but has not made a decision on where yet. After hitting some obstacles her junior year, it was bittersweet for her coach to see her go out as a senior with so much success.

“I had tears of pride as I walked with her the last three holes that completed the State competition. She will have much success because of her work ethic and her attitude about life. We had some bumps in the road last season and she took that experience and used it to fuel her determination in the offseason and throughout this year’s competitive season,” Garner said.

Park Hill Boys Cross Country

…for it being his first season running cross country, senior Joey Walton has had quite a season and he continued it last weekend as he took second place in a competitive field at the district meet in Liberty. While the Park Hill track and cross country teams are just getting to know how strong of a runner he is, Walton will be turning in his running shoes after graduation as he enters the U.S. Navy.

“I didn’t know much about him coming into this season. Everyone said he was pretty good and has an amazing work ethic. It comes so natural to him, I don’t even think he’s tapped into his full potential as a runner,” Coach Jon Davis said.

Park Hill finished fourth as a team, qualifying for the sectional meet next weekend at Longview Lake. Behind Walton were fellow teammates Nathan Huffer (16th), and Kainen Utt (21st) who will advance to sectionals next week. For Utt, it represents an improvement from last year as he was one place away from qualifying last year when he took 31st. Other Trojan finishers included Jon Steven (39th), Nate Thomas (44th), Hanok Tekle (54th), and Mark Prose (67th).

Park Hill Girls Cross Country

…finished sixth in their district run last week. Kim Rau led the team with her fifth place finish. Emma Gaiser followed with her 29th place finish. Both will compete in sectionals next weekend. Other finishes included Abby Muller (31st), Mercedes Robinson (35th), Libby Lund (38th), Maddie Bischof (39th), and Gianna Tutorino (58th).

Park Hill South Boys Cross Country

…Tucker Melles led Park Hill South at the district meet in Liberty last weekend with his fifth place finish. As a freshman Melles has led the Panthers most of the season and has not only set a strong bar to match for his teammates, but himself.

“He’s very mature. Everytime I say he’s going to do something, he somehow surpasses it. I told him I think he can get top ten (next week), but we’ll have to see,” Coach Brad Banning said. “He’s steady as a rock and never really gets too excited. He puts his mind to something and just does it, so I don’t really have to coach him up or anything.”

Finishing behind him was Lendon Calhoun (20th), Peter Thomas (22nd), Mason Homoly (40th), Jacob Bowlin (45th), Keaton Murry (53rd), and Westley King (69th). The Panthers finished in fifth place, just shy of advancing as a team to the sectional meet last week. Melles, Calhoun, and Thomas will compete individually in sectionals.

Park Hill South Girls Cross Country

….will run as a team this weekend in the sectional meet at Longview Lake after qualifying in the district race last weekend. Their third place finish was led by Lizzy Jurries’s ninth place finish. Panthers advancing to sectionals included Madeline Homoly (15th), Erica Guzman (25th), and Lauren Blair (28th). Other finishers for Park Hill South were Raven Jennings (36th), Audrey Rothers (45th), and DeDe O’Toole (48th).

“They’ve all had strong showings throughout the year, but been real steady up to this point so I told them they needed to hit it out of the park today, not think too much about it, and run as fast as you can,” Coach Pam Jurgensmeyer said. “We’re really happy especially since it was such a toss up on which teams would advance.”

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.

Panthers fall in district opener, look to Winnetonka

Park Hill South’s 20-17 loss to North Kansas City last week not only brings their record to 3-5 on the season, but leaves them thirsting even more for a district victory this Friday as the Panthers try to break a four game losing streak against Winnetonka. The Griffins, at 5-3, is coming off a close 28-25 loss to Fort Osage last week, a game in which Winnetonka had the ball deep in Fort Osage territory with less than a minute to play before missing a game-tying field goal.

One of the most frustrating things isn’t just getting beat by the other team, but feeling like you beat yourself. That’s one of the most disappointing parts of Park Hill South’s 20-17 loss to North Kansas City last week. The Panthers received the ball to start the game, but sophomore quarterback Carson Reid’s first pass landed in the arms of a North Kansas City defender who intercepted the pass and returned it for a touchdown to put the Hornets up 7-0 right off the bad. Like déjà vu all over again, the Panthers received the ensuing kickoff and on their second pass, it was Marcus Jones jumping a Reid pass for an interception. Although, not returned for a touchdown, the pick set up another North Kansas City score putting the Hornets up 13-0 after a missed extra point. The Panthers had put themselves in a tough position early in the game and had trouble regrouping from that point forward.

“The momentum and emotions were way on their side at that point so that was something we were trying to overcome,” coach Mark Simcox said. “You have to give them credit, but we’d like to think that if we win it’s because of what we do and if we lose its also because of what we do.”

North Kansas City was able to add another touchdown before halftime, but the Panthers had battled back having scored a touchdown and field goal to narrow the margin to a 20-9 halftime score. But it was the turnovers that would continue to haunt Park Hill South as Jones would intercept two more passes in the second half to bring his total to three on the night, this time from Panther freshman quarterback Schaefer Schuetz.

“It was something we just couldn’t overcome,” Simcox said. “It wasn’t just the interceptions though because we couldn’t get a stop on defense when we needed to either.”

Park Hill South is looking to combine the return of previously injured key starters in running back Myles Hammonds and linebacker Robert Lane, who recorded an interception against North Kansas City, with some of the small positives they were able to take away from the game.

“We had some success running the ball on offense,” Simcox said. “They didn’t really march up and down the field on us on defense, just made a couple big plays like they needed to.”

For the Panthers it comes down to being able to string together small victories on a play by play basis and not giving opposing teams added advantages against them.

“We’re not good enough right now to the point where we can make penalties or have turnovers and overcome it. We don’t have the big-play ability for that right now.”

While the loss to North Kansas City was an unwelcomed start to district play, the Panthers have two weeks to earn the right to play a third in the state playoffs. Winnetonka and Fort Osage may present tougher obstacles for the Panthers, that adage remains the same going into the last two weeks of the regular season.

“Even before last week we knew that if we won two out of three (in districts), we’re in pretty good shape,” Simcox said. “The teams may be a bigger challenge, but we still have control over what we do.”