Drew Aggus
Special to the Citizen
LIBERTY — Park Hill South dropped their second consecutive game to end the regular season, 56-35, on Friday, Oct. 25 against the Class 6 No. 2-ranked Eagles of Liberty North.
The Panthers came out hot, scoring just two minutes into the game on a two-yard run from quarterback Mike Suchanick. Park Hill South missed the point after attempt.
However, the undefeated Eagles struck back quickly, scoring a touchdown on their next drive on a 26-yard pass from Jake Van Dyne to Warren Bennett — a connection that was seen numerous times throughout the game. The Eagles made the PAT to take the 7-6 lead.
Matt Suchanick threw his first interception of the night just a few plays later and the Eagles came back strong again. They were able to score on a 45-yard pass from Van Dyne to a wide-open Luke Mathews, who would finish the day with 124 receiving yards on just four receptions.
The Panthers offense only turned the ball over twice, but that was two times too many for coach Alan Wilmes.
“We can always take care of the ball better and finish all of our drives,” Wilmes said. “Our mentality on offense all season has been that the only team that can stop us is ourselves.”
In the second quarter, Mike Suchanick pounded in another short touchdown to get the deficit down to two points. However, the Panthers were unsuccessful on the two-point conversion attempt, and it seemed like the missed PAT might haunt them all night.
Park Hill South quarterback Matt Suchanick, left, looks for running room while Liberty North’s Chase Jones (7) closes in on the play during a game on Friday, Oct. 25 in Liberty. Liberty North won 56-35.
DREW AGGUS/Special to the Citizen
Bennett returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, but it got called back after a late block in the back. But just minutes later, the Eagles offense stayed scorching hot with Keshawn Turner running in a 53-yard touchdown. Liberty North was now up 21-12.
On the Panthers’ next drive, Mike Suchanick ran in another touchdown — his third of the night. The usual linebacker only ran the ball four times. The Panthers tried to fake the point-after, but it was still unsuccessful, leaving them with a three-point deficit as halftime approached.
On the Eagles’ ensuing drive, Turner ran in another touchdown to put Liberty North up by 10 after the PAT. Turner finished the night with 214 rushing yards on 16 rushing attempts.
On the last drive of the half, Park Hill South flew down the field in just 58 seconds kicked in a 25-yard field goal to make it a one-score game at halftime, 28-21.
Liberty North’s offense looked unstoppable in the first half, but their defense had allowed 21 points, which was already tied for the most that anyone had put on them all season.
Eagles coach Greg Jones had high praise for the Panthers offense.
“Defensively, we struggled a little bit,” Jones said. “Credit to their offense; they do a really, really good job. They’ve got some great receivers.”
Liberty North got the ball to start the second half. And an offense that had looked invincible all night suddenly looked vulnerable. The Panthers forced a three-and-out in the first 60 seconds to take the ball back.
Unfortunately for Park Hill South, their special teams continued to struggle, as they juggled the ball around on the catch and Liberty North recovered it and took over at midfield.
Minutes later, Zac Willingham-Davis ran in a seven-yard score and the Eagles went up by 14. Eagles kicker Blake Craig who made all eight of his point-after attempts.
It was at this point that the momentum was shifting in the Eagles favor.
It didn’t help that the Panthers immediately went three-and-out and gave the ball right back. However, the punt pinned Liberty North down inside their own 15. Following a TFL, the Eagles were set up at their own 11-yard line.
They called a running play and Turner took off right up the middle of the field. An explosive start put him way ahead of the pack and he ran 89 yards for another Liberty North touchdown. The Eagles were now up 42-21, and things were looking grim for Park Hill South.
However, on the next drive, the Panthers struck back. Matt Suchanick got his first passing touchdown of the game with an eight-yard shot to Nathan Sharp.
Matt Suchanick finished the game with 322 passing yards on 20 completions.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, the Eagles offensive onslaught could not be stopped. Van Dyne led the team down the field on a drive that included a 44-yard pass to Mathews. He then capped it off by tossing in a 22-yard touchdown to Tyler Jenness to put Liberty North up 49-28.
The Panthers struck back quickly, though, as Matt Suchanick threw it to his tight end Brock Ivy, who trucked his way to the endzone to pick up the tough touchdown on a 22-yard pass. Cameron Gentry nailed the kick, and it was just a 14-point deficit again.
To start off the fourth quarter, though, Willingham-Davis reminded the Panthers why Liberty North was undefeated and ranked second in the state, as he took it 71 yards to put the Eagles up by three touchdowns. He would finish the game with 120 yards on the ground.
Of the Eagles’ eight touchdowns, four of them were scored on plays of 40 yards or more. Their ability to open up the field and score quickly is what allowed them to win the game.
Both offenses seemed to stifle from this point forward.
A few minutes later, Ryan Owens picked off the ball near midfield, but Park Hill South fumbled the ball away just moments later.
Both defenses stood firm, and Liberty North triumphed over the Panthers 56-35.
Despite the loss, Wilmes was pleased with his team’s effort.
“I liked the way we competed,” Wilmes said. “Offensively, we moved the ball well and finished against a great defense. We didn’t always do everything right, but we played hard and competed against a great football team.”
Fifty-six points is the most that the Eagles have scored all season, but they needed it, because 35 points is also the most points that they have allowed all season.
Jones acknowledged that his offense needed to perform well in order to take this game.
“Tonight, the offense had to step up and carry the load a little bit,” Jones said. “Offensive line did a great job; quarterback did a good job, and running backs did a heck of a job.”
Liberty North’s offense is what propelled them through the entire game. They finished the game with 279 passing yards and 373 rushing yards for a total of 652 yards.
The Panthers tried to run the ball throughout the game, but their running backs were unable to rack up much yardage, finishing the game with just 92 yards as a team. Joe Inzenga had almost half of those yards, himself, recording 40 rushing yards in the loss.
The air raid worked well for the Panthers, though, as they put up 322 passing yards. Gaige Warren finished the night with 124 receiving yards on nine receptions to lead the receiving core. Eric Avery also chipped in with 87 receiving yards of his own.
The Eagles finish the season undefeated, while Park Hill South finishes the year 4-5.
The Panthers end the year in third place behind the North Kansas City Hornets and the Staley Falcons. They will play the Hornets in their first district game on Friday, Nov. 8 at North Kansas City.
Wilmes believes that the bye week will allow the time his team needs to get healthy and prepare for a tough squad in North Kansas City.
“I expect us to compete and do well,” Wilmes said. “We have played a rigorous schedule of several great Class 6 teams. We are playoff-ready and battle-tested.”
Park Hill South will look to turn things around, as the two teams met in the district semifinal last year, as well, with the Hornets taking a 28-17 victory.