It was a tough night for the Park Hill football team (1-3) the last time it stepped on the field, with the Trojans giving up six rushing touchdowns to one player and Liberty (2-2) throttled the Trojans 49-24 on September 16.
Senior quarterback Kendrick Bell (#3) completes a pass to Bryce Lisaka (#17) late in the first half against Liberty on Sept. 16.
On the opening drive of the game, Liberty senior Anthony Wenson helped the Blue Jays march down the field and run in from 6-yards out to take an early 7-0 lead 2:20 into the contest. Wenson scored a rushing touchdown on the ensuing three possessions against the Trojan defense.
“They pounded the rock on us; unfortunately, the defense had way too many missed tackles, misalignment and poor execution,” Park Hill head football coach Andy Sims said. “We have to play better defense if we’re going to have a chance in this league this year to put some wins back on the board.”
After the Blue Jays went up 7-0, the Trojans put together a 10-play, 67-yard drive that was capped off with a 3-yard pass from Kendrick Bell to James Noel to tie the game with 4:40 remaining in the first quarter. Park Hill’s offense struggled to move the ball for the rest of the half and went into the break trailing 28-7.
“They made great adjustments, and we didn’t counter their adjustments. That was a surprise for our kids and that falls directly on me, so we’ve got to put our kids in better positions,” Sims said.
The Trojans came out of the locker room with a sense of urgency, driving down the field and chipping at the deficit with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Bell to Dayton Howard to narrow the gap 28-14 with 8:34 left in the third quarter. The comeback attempt was short-lived as the Blue Jays started off the ensuing drive with solid field position after a nice kick return and a Trojan penalty, and Wenson found the end zone for the fifth time to push the lead back up to three possessions.
“We have to get better at football, that’s really all it is. That’s the problem when you lose, there’s always questions; when you have some close losses that’s fine, but when they start to pile up, I have to take a closer look at how I’m coaching football,” Sims said.
The Trojans were more aggressive in the second half, such as when they went for it on 4th and 2 on their own 36-yard line and Bell was sacked, which resulted in a turnover on downs and an eventual 42-14 Liberty lead when Wenson punched in his sixth touchdown on the following possession. Park Hill had one final touchdown drive when Noel rushed in from the 3-yard line with 10:30 to play in regulation.
Scotty Robertson showed off his soccer skills when the senior kicker knocked down a career-long 52-yard field goal with 2:50 remaining in the game. The Blue Jays came out with a big win over the Trojans in the Silver Division matchup.
“There are always some answers there on a slow start. We have to look at if we’re doing the things that we need to, are we practicing the right way, do we have the right personnel out there or making the right calls; everything is on the table at this point,” Sims said.
After three consecutive losses and 0-1 start in conference play, Park Hill will look to bounce back in its next game. The Trojans will be tasked with taking on the only unbeaten team left on their schedule when Liberty North (4-0) comes to Park Hill District Stadium on September 23.