Lee’s Summit North made a mistake most didn’t last season: throwing toward Park Hill cornerback Devin Haney too much.
The junior all-state performer grabbed a pair of interceptions in a game played across two days this past weekend, already matching his total from a breakout sophomore season. The Trojans’ defense pitched a shutout for three quarters in a 37-19 win in their first game of the Suburban Conference Gold Division season.
Lee’s Summit North tacked on a pair of late touchdowns against the reserves after trailing 37-6.
Park Hill junior DJ Johnson shifted mostly into the backfield and totaled two touchdowns while starting at running back in place of injured junior Dorian Clayton, who suffered a broken jaw in the offseason. Billy Maples, a junior second-year starter, threw three total touchdowns to help the Trojans rack up 30 unanswered points before inclement weather Friday, Aug. 19 forced the completion of the game the following afternoon.
Up from No. 7 to No. 5 according to the most recent Missouri media in Class 6, Park Hill opened the scoring on a 5-yard jet sweep for Johnson, but Lee’s Summit North returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. A failed extra point left the Trojans with a one-point lead, and they weren’t challenged again thanks to five interceptions from the defense.
Kameron Kelly, a senior defensive back, added to the lead with a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter, and Parker Sampson’s field goal put Park Hill up 17-6 after the first quarter.
Maples completed a 5-yard touchdown to Quinton Harris before halftime and added scoring throws of 32 yards to Johnson and 19 yards to junior wide receiver Ronnie Bell. Johnson finished with 174 yards rushing and 50 receiving, while senior linebackers Seven Wilson (58 yards) and Zach Suppes (50 yards) received playing time on offense with Clayton out indefinitely.
Wilson and fellow linebacker Zach Suppes notched nine tackles apiece while senior defensive end Chester Graves led the Trojans with 12 stops. Kelly added eight tackles in addition to his pick, and Darion Davis and Kolby Heinerikson also notched interceptions in the strong defensive effort.
Maples finished 13 of 20 for 190 yards with Bell leading the receivers with six catches for 70 yards. Harris tallied a team-high 73 yards receiving on five receptions.
Park Hill, which moved up to Class 6 and the largest classification of the Suburban Conference this season, plays at Lee’s Summit this week in a potential high-scoring matchup. The teams, now Gold Division foes, split four nonconference meetings the past four seasons with the Trojans winning each of the last two (41-34 in 2015 and 44-33 in 2014) during Class 5 playoff seasons.