It was a defensive slugfest between the Panthers and Hornets on Oct. 8, when there were five total turnovers forced and only one touchdown allowed, as the Park Hill South football team pulled out a 7-0 victory over North Kansas City to remain undefeated.
Both offenses struggled in the ball game as neither team converted on a fourth down and they also struggled on third downs. Park Hill South only converted on four of their 13 third down attempts and the Hornets converted on 17 percent of their third down attempts.
Park Hill South’s James Williams, above, ended with 10 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and a sack against North Kansas City on Oct. 8.
North Kansas City ended with 162 total yards on 56 plays and Park Hill South ended with 208 total yards on 58 plays. A 15-yard touchdown reception by Mudia Rueben midway through the second quarter turned out to be the only score of the contest.
Nathan Ricco completed 12 of his 22 passes for 153 yards and the sole touchdown pass, but the senior also threw two interceptions on the night. The Park Hill South defense also forced two North Kansas City turnovers as Jayvius Smith and Damien Crawford both recovered a Hornets’ fumble.
James Williams was a large factor for the Panthers’ dominant defensive performance as the senior ended the dogfight with 10 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and the only sack for Park Hill South. The Panthers ended with 55 yards on the ground when Lucas Oitker led the team with 45 yards and Darrien Jones rushed for 10 yards in his first game back from an injury.
Park Hill South has won all seven of its games so far this season and has two more contests remaining in the regular season. The Panthers will host Lee’s Summit (3-4) on Oct. 15, and head to St. Joseph Central (1-6) to take on the Indians on Oct. 22.