FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill Boys Soccer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill South Boys Soccer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill Softball

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill Boys Swim/Dive

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill South Softball

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill Girls Tennis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill South Boys Swim/Dive

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill South Girls Tennis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill Girls Golf

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill South Girls Golf

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

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

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

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

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

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