PHS swimmers aim for 12th straight title

To say the Park Hill South Men’s Swim and Dive team is dominant might not be enough to describe the team’s success over recent years. Last year marked the 11th consecutive time the Panthers captured the conference championship. To top it all off, they tied the best finish in school history by placing fourth at state.

Head coach Steven De La Piedra seems confident his team will start where they left off last year with returning seniors Austin Cade, Grant Libra, and Kyle Gourley. All swam in the three relays that placed in the top eight at state last year. This earned them All State honors. Additionally, Cade placed 7th in the 100 meter butterfly and Libra finished 15th in the 100 meter backstroke. Sophomore Daniel Day qualified in the 500 meter freestyle and 200 meter individual medley. Kristian Harman also qualified in the 500 meter freestyle at state.

Look for all of them to be at the state level this season as well. Also watch out for freshman Liam Huffman to join them.

De La Piedra gives credit to his swimmers, “I’m lucky to have a group of boys that are disciplined enough to work out during the offseason and want to achieve higher goals than previous years.”

The team’s goals this season are without a doubt, to win another conference title and place in the top four at state once again.

Park Hill South golf team in transition

A 2nd place conference finish led to a district performance that qualified three of Park Hill South’s golfers for the state tournament last fall. Those three senior golfers along with several other key varsity players have since graduated, leaving head coach Larry Torgerson with a whole new group of girls to coach this season.

“This is a transition for us," Torgerson said. "We’ve got a lot of inexperience so we’re looking to reload."

The sole varsity letter winner returning from last season’s group will be senior Sarah Shelton. Joining her will be seniors who mostly played at the junior varsity level last year including Jansten McBride, Kelly Jefferies, and Hillary Schmitz.

Eighteen players came out for the team this season, which Torgerson said was good because sometimes girls will decide to pursue a different sport after being involved in one for a year.

“It’s mostly a cyclical thing when it comes to the number of players who come out for the team,” said Torgerson of the additions and losses of players from season to season.

Even with a new group of varsity golfers, the Panthers are still looking to compete for the conference title.

“St. Joe Central will be strong, but I think we’ll be competing by the end of the year to have a chance to finish close to first or second,” said Torgerson about the Suburban Big-Six Conference outlook.

Possibly the best way to understand Torgerson’s approach to his team is the way he looks at the sport overall.

“Golf’s a lifetime sport and that’s what we’re here to emphasis," he said.

Returning starters to pace PHS soccer team

Despite having an 11-10 record last season, the Park Hill South Panthers advanced through the district tournament before losing in the championship game. With a majority of those same players returning this season as seniors, South will be looking for more consistency this year.

“We’re looking to be more consistent because we had some games that just weren’t very level, either because we had the lead and lost it or got behind then played great, but were already losing,” head coach Joe Toigo said.

The Panthers will feature fifteen seniors and about three juniors on varsity this year. Leading the offensive attack will be senior forward Joe Sbarro, who set a school record for goals scored last season, midfielder Jacob Fischer, and midfielder Mirsad Halili. Defensively, South will feature seniors Ryan Harris and Cody Mortenson, along with junior Tyson McGuire.

“We’ve got a lot of players that saw significant minutes last year,” Toigo said.

With South returning the school’s record-holding goal scorer in Sbarro, it would be easy to say the Panthers will be strong on the offensive side, but they believe they have some good players overall to the point where both sides can be strengths.

“They’re just really good soccer players. So hopefully when we have the ball we’ll be good at attacking and when we don’t then we’ll be good at defending too,” said Toigo.

Follow the Panthers this year as they build on last year’s district run which includes match-ups against Park Hill and Oak Park, both conference and district contenders.

PHS runners ready to go

Over the past couple years Park Hill South Boys Cross Country has been on a roll. Not only were they 2007 and 2008 Big Six Conference Champs, but they also went on to qualify for sectionals after their district performances in both 2007 and 2008. Last year they finished 7th as a team at sectionals.

They’ll be returning five lettermen from last season’s team including senior James Bowlin, senior Dean Frazier, senior Sam Peak, senior Brandon Wieser, and junior Austen Ortiz. Senior Tyler Arthur and sophomore Tim Albright are also expected to contribute to the mix this year.

Coach Brad Banning sees this season as a test of character. Even with five lettermen returning, it could have been close to nine. Two kids moved way, one changed his sport to soccer, and another wasn’t eligible because of grades.

“Extra effort is the key to success," Banning said. "Those runners who did the work over the summer will have success"

Once again the Panthers are looking to repeat previous years’ success by competing for the conference title and another top four district finish in order to qualify for sectionals as a team.

The Park Hill South Girls Cross Country team finised 2nd last year at the conference meet and went onto place 4th at districts which qualified them as a team for sectionals. They also finished 8th in the Kansas City All Metro meet.

Three varsity runners return this season for the Panthers including two-time sectional qualifier Lauren Black along with sectional qualifiers Miranda Norfleet and Amy Wilsey. Head Coach Pamela Lerch will look for them to be strong again. Evan Willsey, Keirstie Bischoof, and Abby Werner will be looked at to make an impact on the team. Also looking good so far are newcomers DeeDee O’Toole, Lizzy Jurries, Hannah Walsh, Mackenzie Capps, Kerry Mass and Anna Schaeffer.

There won’t be a shortage of competition within the team. South has 52 girls out this year for cross country.

“Our key to success is to continually motivate and challenge one another. We have a very large team so there is never a runner who finds herself unchallenged,” Lerch said.

Park Hill South volleyball looks strong again

A stellar 29-3 season last year for the Park Hill South volleyball team resulted in a conference and district title before concluding against Blue Springs in the state sectionals. After graduating three seniors, the Panthers are looking to reload again with another talented group.

“We have some good kids back and they’re excited to have another great year,” head coach Debbie Fay said.

She has high expectations from each group of seniors she coaches which include consistency and hard work.

“What works for us is that our expectations are always similar," Fay said. "They feel the pressure and do the best they can to succeed."

Middle hitter Lauren Brentlinger, outside hitter Courtney Churchman, and setter Laura Eller all bring back strong varsity experience as seniors for South along with Lindsey Pusateri who will also add to the mix and contribute this year. Brentlinger has already committed to attending Pittsburgh State University next year to play volleyball.

Junior middle hitter Bridget Paulk, sophomore outside hitter Codi Smith, and outside hitter/libero sophomore Lauren Blair will also see significant playing time.

“Our conference is a great conference," Fay said. "There’s a lot of talent from everyone we play, which makes everyone better. As for districts, it’s tough and is always a battle.”

Look for the Panthers to strongly compete for a conference and district championship again this season hoping to have another opportunity to advance to the state playoffs.

Park Hill South softball team ready to 'make noise'

Park Hill South softball coach Josh Walker’s team is ready to take their game to another level this season. After a 13-14 season last year provided the program a good step forward from previous years, the Panthers are coming into this season with some high expectations.

“We’re very senior heavy with a lot of experience coming back." Walker said. A lot of our seniors have been starting since they were freshmen."

With such an experienced team returning, Walker is looking for the whole team to step up especially some seniors that have already been active thus far in practice including shortstop Paige Cockriel, outfielder Bailey Peterson, outfielder Jen Burnette, and 3rd basemen Alyssa Weatherly. Other players who will play an important role will be pitcher Jessica McCoy, 1st basemen Brandi Weymuth, outfielder Valerie Pollan, catcher Maci Fisher, 2nd basemen Emily McLain, and outfielder Jenna Disselhoff.

Key matchups for the Panthers include the traditionally successful Oak Park, back-to-back conference champions Winnetonka, and a senior-heavy Park Hill team. All will be tests for Park Hill South’s softball team, but Walker is confident his team can make some significant strides forward.

“We’re looking to make some noise this year," he said.

Panthers hope to build on last season's strong finish

Going into his 8th season as head coach at Park Hill South, Ron Litchfield knows the importance of starting the season on a good note and to go into district play with momentum. Last year’s team started the season 1-5, but finished the season strong with a record of 3-1. This showed signs that a young and inexperienced team was getting comfortable playing at the varsity level.

“We had a lot of underclassmen playing varsity last year,” said senior Chapman Williams, a returning starter on the offensive line.

“We’re looking to be consistent from game to game and get a commitment to the program at a higher level,” added senior Ben Latteman.

South will start the season off against Fort Osage, a state quarter-finalist last year. In addition, the Panthers will be tested early on with Lee’s Summit and Winnetonka. Along the way they will also play Platte County on October 9th and Park Hill the following week on October 16th in a district match-up.

“The first game is kind of your catapult because you’ve worked so hard and you want to see it pay off,” said Litchfield.

Park Hill South’s emphasis on speed can be seen in their spread out offense and 33 stack defense which allows smaller, more athletic teams to better compete with larger, more powerful teams.

This year’s team will be anchored by an experienced offensive and defensive line including senior Jake Finn, senior Aaron Williams, junior Sam Eickhoff, and junior Myles Krieger. Taking the snaps will be senior quarterback Chris Hamilton. He’ll be handing off to a committee of running backs and sharing the ball among wide receivers Kevan Reardon and Austin Green. Defensively look for linebackers Carlas Mosby and Ben Latteman along with defensive backs Lucas Gardner and Jaron Mickles to make an impact.

“We started about six sophomores last year and the majority of the time this year we’ll have about seven juniors on offense. The defensive side of the ball is a little more senior-heavy with five juniors and six seniors, most of which are up-front,” said Litchfield about his young team.

Building on last year’s development, the Panthers will be more experienced and mature this season. With a speed based team approach, look for them to come back strong this year to surprise some teams and be a threat within the conference and district.

Park Hill tennis squad looks to continue success

To say Tim Kalis’ team has been successful over recent years would be an understatement.

Over the past four years the Trojans have gone 48-14 in duals overall, 23-1 in conference play. Last year’s 3rd place team finish was the highest in the district’s history – boys or girls. If you add in the conference and district championship along with four team tournament titles, you’ll figure out pretty quickly that this program isn’t used to losing. With five of their top six players returning from last year’s team, you can expect more of the same this year.

Merritt Whitley, Kate Skorija, Allison Skorija, Suzanne Barth, and Noelle Stratman will all be coming back to play an important part in whether the success their team experienced last year can be repeated. Whitley and Barth are the defending Class 2 Doubles State Champions. Kate Skorija medaled at last year’s state tournament by placing sixth in singles. So far their coach has noticed a completely different level of energy in practice.

“The girls have definitely come back with a mission," said Kalis. They have always worked hard, but this is one year you can definitely see all 40+ girls with a common goal."

Others hoping to make an impact will be Katy Plummer, Ashlei Bos, Bailey Petrillo, Maureen Donahue, Anna Karasiewicz, and Alisha Bos.

Kalis says he continues to tell the girls they must take pride in what they are doing and do what is right. Not only in tennis, but in life.

“One of our team themes this year is ‘win every day’,” said Kalis.

With a strong group returning for the Trojans this year, don’t be surprised if the theme of winning every day becomes closer to a reality.

Park Hill golf team returns several top players

The atmosphere of a girls high school golf practice is different than any other. With rolling hills, green grass, and not a sound in the air, afternoons at Tiffany Greens Golf Course will provide a pleasant setting over the next couple years for what coach Tari Garner hopes are some great opportunities for her team.

After finishing third in the Suburban Conference Red Division last season, one spot behind rival Park Hill South, and finishing in the top-half of all three of the tournaments they played, Garner looks at the upcoming year with excitement and sees the potential to gain the top spot.

“The conference is a little more open this year,” said the fifth year coach.

With a handful of last year’s top golfers returning as juniors and sophomores, this young group will have some time to fine-tune their game. They include all-conference team members junior Stephanie Atkinson (second team), Junior Erica Crainshaw (honorable mention), Junior Sam Brunker(honorable mention), and sophomore Anna Kloeppel (honorable mention). Also returning will be all-conference first team, all-district first team, and state qualifier Paige Loelkes.

Match wins towards the beginning of last season against Oak Park, Winnetonka, and North Kansas City, all district foes, were important in setting a good tone for the rest of the schedule. Their fifth place finish in districts was Park Hill’s best performance since 2005.

“Our district is probably one of the toughest around with Liberty, Kearney, and Park Hill South having good programs,” Garner said.

As their goals are set high, Park Hill has a chance this season to qualify more than one golfer for the state tournament for the first team in recent memory.

Park Hill soccer team ready to kick it into high gear

At 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 10 the Park Hill Men’s Soccer team kicked off their season at Park Hill District Stadium by continuing a tradition started last year, appropriately named Midnight Madness. As the name unexpectedly entailed, the evening brought about weather almost straight from the book, "Frankenstein", with scattered rain and thunderstorms in the area. It accomplished its goal of giving players, parents, and families an eventful start to the season.

“The whole idea is that we’re really excited," third year head coach Dustin Sollars said. "The state says we can practice on August 10th, so we’re going to be there at 12:01 a.m. and jump right out there."

After having one of the better seasons in recent memory last year by winning a hand-full of tournaments, being conference runners-up, and compiling a 16-7 record, the Trojans are looking to field another strong and competitive team again this season. Sollars talked about the important steps his program has taken and how they are looking to take another step up this year.

“The kids are starting to see success and that we can really start winning," Sollars said. "They’re working harder to be a part of it."

Park Hill will be led by returning starters seniors Chris Cline, Casey Johnson, and Austin Melott, who was named to the All-Conference, All-District teams. With a senior class of six, the Trojans will rely heavily on returning a varsity experienced junior class including Ricardo Garcia and Joel Gordon along with All-State Honorable Mention Ray Lee, All-District Quenton Noble, and All-Conference/All-District David Zdvorak, last year’s leading scorer. Fernando Garcia and Parker Melott will return as sophomores after contributing last year as freshmen.

“Our strength is likely to be up top, more attack heavy," Sollars said. "Our leading goal scorers are returning, but overall I think we will have a fairly balanced team.”