From a prolific football season in the fall to having numerous state medals in wrestling in the winter to setting program records in the spring, Park Hill South had plenty of accomplishments this season.
The Panther football team found different ways to win its opening 11 games: a 40-0 annihilation over Grandview, a 7-0 grudge match victory over North Kansas City and a 34-27 overtime triumph over Lee’s Summit. Park Hill South won the Red Division when it set a program record with 11 consecutive wins before falling to Liberty North in the Class 6 District 4 Championship Game.
In 2021, the Park Hill South offense set school records in total yards with 4,535 and total points with 384. Park Hill South also had the Red Division Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year with defensive lineman James Williams and wideout Mudia Rueben.
Williams is the single season leader in sacks and tackles for loss with 18 sacks and 35 tackles for loss. Rueben had a record-breaking season with 48 catches for 1,002 yards and 14 touchdowns.
The Park Hill South softball team also had a successful fall, winning 16 of its 29 games after a 1-4 start. The Lady Panthers had a talented group of seniors that won 64 games and lost 51 games in their high school career.
The Park Hill South boys’ soccer team similarly dug itself out of a sluggish start – after falling short five of its opening six games – to close the regular season out with 10 wins and three losses. The Panthers fell to North Kansas City in the Class 4 District 8 Tournament, finishing at 11-9.
Avery Simmons (#23) and Regan Williams (#24) celebrate after Simmons made the game-winning free throw in the Lady Panther basketball teams season-opener victory over Liberty North.
The Lady Panthers’ volleyball team held three winning streaks of at least four games, including two separate seven-game winning streaks, to finish the first year under head coach Jackie Rathke with a 19-11 record. Park Hill South fell short in the Class 5 District 15 Tournament, losing in three sets to Liberty.
Tyler Clippard and Ella Conklin both qualified for state in cross-country. Conklin finished in 78th place out of 163 runners with a time of 19:58 and Clippard took 80th place out of 159 runners when the senior crossed the finish line at state in 16:53.30.
Three Park Hill South golfers – Mackenna Casey, Abigail Ervin and Sara Montalbano – made it to state in the fall. Casey took 26th place, Ervin ended in 47th place and Montalbano finished in 53rd place.
The Panthers’ swimming team closed the fall off on a high note, ending in fourth place at the Class 2 State Championships. Senior Alec Enyeart ended his high school career by winning two state titles and setting a new state record in the 500-freestyle event twice.
The Lady Panthers’ swimming team took that momentum with them into the winter, taking third place at state with 186 points. Park Hill South relied on its relay teams, while seniors Madi McNearney, Lola Reuscher and Sydney Staebell all medaled in individual events.
Maddie Kubicki has become a feared wrestler for Park Hill South as the junior capped off her third season with another state championship. Kubicki has now won state for the third consecutive season as she currently holds a remarkable 108-0 record.
Aniya Coleman also made it to state and ended her year with a 27-16 overall record, going 2-2 at state. Senior Lucas Oitker finished his wrestling career off with his first personal state medal as the 220-pound wrestler took third place.
The Park Hill South girls’ basketball team had its most wins since 2019 – which included more wins than the last two seasons combined – when it finished 18-9. The Lady Panthers won the Winnetonka and North Kansas City Tournaments and had a 6-3 record in the Kansas City Suburban Conference Red Division.
Seniors Jayme Dixon, Gabbie Schultz and Cameron Farber were key pieces to the team’s success, but the sophomore duo of Regan Williams and Avery Simmons were the leading scorers. Williams averaged 14.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals while Simmons scored 10.5 points per game and snagged 5.1 rebounds per game.
The Panthers also had a prolific season on the hardwood floor, winning 17 games and losing 11 which included a 1-1 postseason record. Cahmai Crosby led the team in scoring, averaging 12.1 points per game while senior Miles Fant scored 11.6 points per game.
Once the spring came around, Park Hill South continued to have success with the baseball team setting a program record with 20 victories. The Panthers had an epic come-from-behind 10-9 district win over Oak Park before being eliminated by Liberty North in the semifinals.
The Lady Panthers’ soccer team averaged 4.2 goals per game on the way to finishing with 14 wins and seven losses. Park Hill South had a talented group of seniors, including Kansas City Suburban Conference Red Division Player of the Year Keegan Good.
The Lady Panthers made a deep playoff run last spring but were unable to repeat history this go around. Liberty defeated Park Hill South 2-1 in the Class 4 District 8 Semifinals.
Evan Jones, Keegan Feder and Jack McNearney all made it to the Class 5 State Golf Championship. Jones ended in a four-way tie for 58th place, Feder was in a three-way tie for 62nd place and McNearney finished in 69th place.
The last Park Hill South sport of the 2021-22 school year was track and field where Judy Elful was the only individual to finish in the top-8 at state. The junior competed in the 100-meter final hurdles and finished in eighth place with a time of 14.99 seconds.
The Park Hill South boys’ 4x100 and 4x200-meter relay teams took sixth and eighth places at state with Briggs Bartosh, Troy Mosby and Shane Smith being on both relays. Charles Noland was in the 4x100 and Noah Beckert was in the 4x200.
The Panthers pounced their competition all year long. Park Hill South will head into the offseason with the plan to keep the high accomplishments going into next year.