Panthers take fourth at state swim meet

Park Hill and Park Hill South both competed in the state swim meet in St. Peters last weekend, but it was the Park Hill South coming home as the big winners with their fourth place finish, tying for the best finish in school history after racking up 173 total team points.

The Panthers placed high in most of the 12 events, but were led by second place performances in the 200 free relay and 400 free relay made up of swimmers Spencer On, Alex Heuton, Daniel Day, Jacob Fisher, and Liam Huffman. Huffman and Day added more to South’s points coffer when Day placed fifth in the final 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly races while Huffman placed fourth in the 200 freestyle and fifth in the 100 freestyle. The 200 medley relay team added a sixth place finish. Spencer Moran placed 10th in the diving portion of the competition.

Park Hill did not perform as highly as they would have liked with a total of 14 team points, but did see quality performances from the 200 medley relay team which placed 15th while Matt Wagner placed 16th in the backstroke. Connor Shene placed ninth in diving.

Underdog Trojans win district title, third in a row

Coming into this season, Park Hill boys soccer coach Dustin Sollars knew his team would face some obstacles if they wanted to match what they had accomplished the previous two seasons. In 2009 and 2010, the Trojans won district titles and advanced to the quarterfinals both years, advancing to the state semifinals in 2009. After losing a good portion of that experienced and talented squad to graduation, it would have been easy to write 2011 as a rebuilding year, but a 2-1 victory over Oak Park last week in the district title game has given Park Hill its third consecutive district championship and sets them up with a meeting with Liberty this week in the state sectionals.

“Being back in the playoffs means a lot. Losing that group last year hurt and as a result no one expected anything out of us,” Sollars said. “I think this year’s group took that to heart and really played with a chip on their shoulder for a while. We had bouts of immaturity along the way where we let down and gave up games, but that's what happens when you go from a very senior laden team to a new bunch.”

Park Hill seeded third coming into district play with a 12-11 record was an underdog unlike previous years. Going to double overtime in their first round game against Park Hill South with each tied at 1-1, it was Neal Sampson scoring the game winning goal to advance the Trojans to the title game against Oak Park. The Northmen who had gone through an incredible regular season racking up a 21-3 record faced Park Hill in the first week of the season in two matchups where the Trojans pulled out one victory before Oak Park came back a couple days later to beat Park Hill in what began the Northmen’s tear through their schedule. In the end it would be the Trojans not just taking the season series with a 2-1 win, but also giving them their third straight district title on the heels of goals from Shane Belew and Chris Walker.

“We were the last team to beat Oak Park before their streak,” Sollars said. “Beat them on a Saturday, turned around and lost on Tuesday. We began and ended their streak.”

The Trojans will be in a similar position for redemption this week against Liberty as Park Hill fell to the Blue Jays in a close 2-1 match earlier in the season. Sollars thinks it was a game they should have won and hopes their improvement throughout the season will give them the added advantage they need to make their third trip to the quarterfinals.

“We hit the post a couple times but just had trouble finishing,” Sollars said. “We like to think we've gotten better at finishing, but I'm sure their defense has improved very much since that second week of the season.”

For this year’s team, who may not have come into the year considered a threat, their accomplishment comes in the form of securing a part of school history in being the first team to win three district titles in row since the program’s start in 1980.

“This year’s group figured it out along the way as opposed to when the season started. And that's fine,” Sollars said. “They set their own goals and one of them was to get back to the quarterfinal game. And the exciting part is that they’re not satisfied yet.”

Fall Roundup: Oct. 31 - Nov. 5

Park Hill Boys CC
Park Hill’s Joey Walton finished his senior season at the Missouri state cross country championship last week with a ninth place finish clocking in with a time of 16:25. Walton came in just 31 seconds behind first place finisher Caleb Wilfong of Columbia Rockbridge.

Park Hill South Boys CC
Park Hill South freshman Tucker Melles has set a solid foundation for which to base the next three years of his high school career this season. Melles was consistently the top Panthers’ cross country runner this fall and capped off his first year with a top 50 finish in last week’s state cross country championship coming in 43rd with a time of 17:05.

"Tucker ran a great race at state and was the highest finishing frosh at state. Our team this year was very young. We are graduating one senior from our varsity so the next couple years should be good."

Park Hill Girls CC
Park Hill sophomore Kim Rau place 55th at the Missouri state cross country championship meet last weekend capping off her season as the Lady Trojans’ most consistent runner.

“It’s always an honor to take a runner to the big show of the season. I cannot thank Kim Rau enough for her hard work and dedication throughout this season,” Coach Jason Parr said. “It makes coaching so much fun when you have runners that see light at the end of tunnel and decide that they must finish strong and stay the course. If you were to ask Kim if she ran well she would tell you ‘No’. This just goes to show what kind of competitor she is each day.”

Park Hill Swim and Dive
Park Hill swimming came in second at the suburban conference red division last week with a total of 500 team points. They trailed conference champion Lee’s Summit West who racked up 569 points. First place finishes included the 200 individual medley relay, Matt Wagner in the 200 yard free, Vinnie Tutorino in the 100 butterfly, Matt Johnson in the 100 break stroke, and Wagner in the 100 backstroke. Also contributing with second place finishes were Garrett Wooldridge in the 200 individual medley, Barry Chang in the 500 free, Kyle Allen in the 100 breakstroke, Jared Alderman in the 100 yard backstroke, the 200 freestyle relay, and the 400 free relay. The Trojans will compete in the state meet in the Columbia this weekend.

Park Hill South Swim and Dive
… took the Suburban White Division title last weekend in dominating fashion as they placed first in every event they completed (disqualified in the 200 yard medley relay), compiling an impressive 625 team points, almost doubling their nearly competitor in Raytown with their 377 points.

Daniel Day brought home first place finishes in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly, Liam Huffman placed first in the 200 individual medley and 100 free. Spencer On took first in the 50 freestyle and second in the 100 butterfly. Tom Prinslow placed first in the 500 freestyle and second in the 200 individual medley. Caleb Siebert took second in the 500 freestyle while Chase Riekhof took second in the 200 freestyle. Jacob Fisher and Aubrey Churchman took first and second in the 100 backstroke. Travis Colpitts and Joe Richey brought home first and second in the 100 breaststroke. The 200 and 400 yard free relay teams also place first.

They’ll next compete for another coveted top finish at the state swim meet in Columbia this weekend.

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.