Park Hill coasted to an easy win against Ruskin on Sept. 26 at Ruskin High School in Kansas City, Mo., taking firm control of the Suburban League Red Division race. The Trojans remained unbeaten with a 52-14 victory, moving to 3-0 in league play and 6-0 overall.Now comes another daunting test.
Park Hill faces Class 6 power Lee’s Summit and dynamic quarterback Drew Lock, a 2013 finalist for the Thomas Simone Award, given to Kansas City’s top High School player. He’s already committed to play at the University of Missouri and averages more than 275 yards per game with 20 touchdowns to just one interception so far this season.
Lee’s Summit, ranked No. 6 in Class 6 in the latest Missouri media rankings, comes in with a 4-2 record with losses to Class 5 No. 1 Fort Osage and Class 6 No. 5 Blue Springs.
Park Hill moved up one slot to No. 7 in Class 5 the same poll – leap-frogging 6-0 Fort Zumwalt North.
Against Ruskin, Park Hill jumped out to a big lead thanks to a big 2-minute stretch to begin the second quarter. Freshman running back Dorian Clayton started the quarter with an 8-yard touchdown run on the first play, and the Trojans scored on the next play from scrimmage on a Davion Tyler interception return. Park Hill coach Josh Hood’s defense stood firm again with a three-and-out on the next possession, forcing a punt.
Park Hill’s David Taylor collected the ensuing punt at the 46-yard line and scampered in for a touchdown, bringing the score to 36-0.
The advantage extended to 50-6 at halftime, allowing for mainly backups to gain experience down the stretch. Kyle Timmerman provided a third-quarter safety with 8:27 to play before Ruskin’s Trevell Young punt return capped the game’s scoring in the fourth quarter at 52-14.
Park Hill senior quarterback Tyler Holmes finished with one touchdown pass on 4-of-6 attempts and 72 yards – 42 on a touchdown pass to Taylor for the game’s first score with 3:31 to play in the first quarter.
Park Hill South 21, Truman 20
The Panthers blocked an extra point late to earn a close-fought victory Sept. 26 at Park Hill District Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Park Hill South after a late stand earned the Panthers a Week 1 win at Lee’s Summit North.
Park Hill South now sits at 1-1 in Red Division play, the only blemish a 37-7 defeat against Park Hill the previous week. The Panthers travel to Liberty this week in a new Suburban League Red matchup for them after the Blue Jays dropped a division this season.
Liberty is 0-6 on the season and 0-3 in league play including losses to St. Joseph Central, Park Hill and Truman.
Park Hill South senior quarterback Shaefer Schuetz finished with a season-high 220 yards through the air on 13-of-24 attempts, including one touchdown. His fourth-quarter pass to Mitch Henderson gave the Panthers a 21-14 lead. Patriots quarterback Jordan Salima finished with a season-high 192 yards rushing on 31 attempts.