Park Hill South senior kicker Mason Love knocked down a 27-yard field goal in the first half of the Pirates’ 18-17 loss to Staley on Oct. 6.
PARKVILLE – The Park Hill South football team (1-6) was on the verge of snapping a 5-game losing skid on senior night, but Staley (2-5) took a late lead to stun the Panthers on Oct. 6.
Early in the game, Drew Paulakovich connected with Tyre Flowers for a 17-yard touchdown and Park Hill South held on to that lead until there was six minutes left in the contest. A 17-6 third quarter lead eventually turned into an 18-17 deficit in the final stretch.
Staley junior running back Joseph Sambol ran in from the goal line shortly after a pivotal roughing the passer penalty moved the ball into the red zone. Kadin Sabree rushed through the offensive line and rushed quarterback Lukas Wilson to force an incompletion on the 2-point conversion attempt.
Having one of the best kickers in the nation, all the Panthers had to do was reach midfield for a chance to regain the lead. Unfortunately for Park Hill South, it punted the ball after only one first down on the ensuing possession.
Wilson ran for a huge gain past midfield on the first play and Staley continued to move the ball and milk the clock before eventually turning the ball over on downs with 58 seconds left. With no timeouts left, Park Hill South had one last chance and had a promising start as the first play of the series was an 11-yard reception by Chance Taylor.
The Panthers only gained two more yards on the next four plays and faced a 4th and 8 on the wrong side of the 50. Paulakovich was rushed out to the right and his pass to Hachi Kotani hit the turf to solidify the Falcons’ victory.
The Park Hill South defense was big on plays after touchdowns, blocking a PAT and holding Staley 0-for-2 on 2-point conversions. Mason Love had a 27-yarder early in the second quarter and the Panthers went into the break with a 10-6 lead.
Park Hill South pushed the lead to two possessions with a 60-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Parker – his first of the year – on a quick pass down the middle of the field. Wilson got Staley’s offense going with a pass that went more than 30 yards in the air and was brought down by Andrew Genova, who ran in for a 98-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Park Hill South hasn’t won since Week 1 but will hope to change that when it heads to Platte County (5-2) to take on a Class 5 opponent on Oct. 13. The Panthers will hit the road once again in the regular season finale to take on Lee’s Summit (3-4) on Oct. 20.