Park Hill upped its representation on the Class 6 Missouri media all-state teams this year after making its first playoff run since moving up to that level.
In just its second Class 6 season, Park Hill won the Class 6 District 4 title before losing to Blue Springs in a playoff semifinal. The Trojans went 10-3 and finished ranked No. 3 in the final media poll, released along with the all-state teams last week.
Citizen file photo
Park Hill senior cornerback Devin Haney goes up for an interception against Blue Springs.
Park Hill senior Ronnie Bell (wide receiver) was a no-doubt first-team pick, while senior quarterback Billy Maples and senior running back Dorian Clayton showed the depth for the high-powered Trojans’ offense by being second-team selections. Brighton Ramirez (linebacker) and Devin Haney (defensive back) — both also seniors — made the first team on defense.
Park Hill South senior Ben Becker became a repeat Class 5 selection despite a 4-6 season for the Panthers.
All five of Park Hill’s honorees were first team selections, although most were obvious choices. The Trojans were also the Suburban Conference Gold Division champions despite back-to-back losses to Lawrence Free State (Kan.) and Lee’s Summit West in the middle of the season after a brief stint at Class 6’s No. 1 team.
Bell ended up the Simone Award winner in 2017, given to the top football player in the Kansas City metro area, despite playing wide receiver.
In a breakout season, Bell set career-highs and school-records with 89 catches for 1,605 yards and 21 touchdowns in his third year as a starter. He collected at least one receiving touchdown in nine of 13 games and added three total rushing touchdowns in two of the games he ended up shutout through the air.
Citizen file photo
TOP: Park Hill senior linebacker Brighton Ramirez delivers a hit in a game against Lee’s Summit this past season. BOTTOM RIGHT: Park Hill senior cornerback Devin Haney goes up for an interception against Blue Springs. BOTTOM LEFT: Park Hill senior running back Dorian Clayton runs up field against Blue Springs.
Bell had three 200-yard receiving games (school-record 259 in a win over Liberty North) and seven games with two or more receiving touchdowns, including four in the first of two wins over Lee’s Summit.
Maples kept finding ways to get the ball to Bell despite increased attention on the 6-foot-1, 170-pound University of Michigan signee due to injuries to wide receivers DJ Johnson and Joe Webb during the season.
Also a third-year starter, Maples set a Missouri record with eight first half touchdown passes before finishing with nine in the record-setting win over Lee’s Summit in Week 2. He easily set career-highs with 3,130 yards passing and 41 touchdowns — both school records — while completing 61.1 percent of his passes.
Maples finished with school records of 7,556 passing yards and 81 touchdowns accrued from 2014-17.
While Bell and Maples garnered much of the focus for Park Hill, Clayton quietly put together his all-state season after being a backup running back as a sophomore and limited due to injury a season ago. He ran for at least 95 yards in all 11 games he played.
Clayton ran for 100 or more in four straight games starting with Week 4 and then hit the century mark in five more consecutive games to the end the year. He set a career-high with 332 in a Class 6 District 4 semifinal win over Lee’s Summit, while he had three rushing touchdowns on just 18 carries in a first round win the week before against Kickapoo.
Citizen file photo
Park Hill senior linebacker Brighton Ramirez delivers a hit in a game against Lee’s Summit this past season.
Ramirez finished second for Park Hill in tackles at 142 (36 for loss) with a season-high 18 in two different games. He also recorded seven sacks and forced four fumbles, becoming a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award — given to the top linebacker/lineman at a large school in the Kansas City metro area.
Haney served as the shutdown corner for a third straight season.
A four-year contributor recently signed to Northern Illinois, Haney finished his career with 158 total tackles, 12 interceptions, 66 passes defensed and four fumble recoveries. Nine of those interceptions came in the past two years, and he also returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown in the Class 6 District 4 championship game win over Rockhurst.
All five Park Hill players on the media team also made the Missouri Football Coaches Association list. The only differences were Maples on the first team and Haney on the second team.
Becker made first team on both lists for Park Hill South, after being second team for the media and third team for the MFCA as a junior. He anchored the Panthers’ offensive line in a difficult follow-up to their 2016 Class 5 playoff run.
Committed but not signed to Missouri State, Becker blocked for junior transfer Ta’Von Tusa, who finished the season with 249 carries for 1,295 yards and 18 TDs. The Panthers ran for more than 1,600 yards as a team.
Citizen file photo
Park Hill South senior Ben Becker carries the team flag onto the field ahead of a game against Park Hill earlier this season.
FOOTBALL POSTSEASON HONORS
MISSOURI MEDIA ALL-STATE
Class 6
First team
WR — Ronnie Bell, sr., Park Hill; LB — Brighton Ramirez, sr., Park Hill; DB — Devin Haney, sr., Park Hill
Second team
QB — Billy Maples, sr., Park Hill; RB — Dorian Clayton, sr., Park Hill
Class 5
First team
OL — Ben Becker, sr., Park Hill South
Class 4
First team
QB — Tanner Clarkson, sr., Platte County; WR — John Watts, sr., Platte County; Devin Richardson, sr., Platte County; DL — Michael Smith, sr., Platte County; K — Parker Lacina, sr., Platte County
Second team
LB — Kobe Cummings, sr., Platte County; DB — JP Post, sr., Platte County
Class 1
First team
P — Gavin Davis, jr., West Platte
MISSOURI FOOTBALL COACHES
ASSOCIATION ALL-STATE
Class 6
First team
QB — Billy Maples, sr., Park Hill; WR — Ronnie Bell, sr., Park Hill; LB — Brighton Ramirez, sr., Park Hill
Second team
RB — Dorian Clayton, sr., Park Hill; DB — Devin Haney, sr., Park Hill
Class 5
First team
OL — Ben Becker, sr., Park Hill South
Class 4
First team
QB — Tanner Clarkson, sr., Platte County; WR — John Watts, sr., Platte County; DL — Michael Smith, sr., Platte County; LB — Dakota Schmidt, sr., Platte County; K — Parker Lacina, sr., Platte County
Third team
WR — Devin Richardson, sr., Platte County; LB — Kobe Cummings, sr., Platte County
Class 1
Third team
LB — Remington Wilson, sr., North Platte
MFCA ALL-DISTRICT
Class 6 District 4
QB — Billy Maples, sr., Park Hill; WR — Ronnie Bell, sr., Park Hill; RB — Dorian Clayton, sr., Park Hill; OL — Cory Reiter, jr., Park Hill; DL — Ethan Smith, jr., Park Hill; LB — Brighton Ramirez, sr., Park Hill; Haden Wallace, jr., Park Hill; Jarrett Ross, sr., Park Hill; DB — Devin Haney, sr., Park Hill; K — Davin Dorrell, sr., Park Hill
Class 5 District 7
RB — Ta’Von Tusa, jr., Park Hill South; OL — Ben Becker, sr., Park Hill South; DL — Etinosa Reuben, jr., Park Hill South; LB — Connor Campbell, sr., Park Hill South; Sam Beuerlein, jr., Park Hill South; DB — Payton Murray, jr., Park Hill South
Class 4 District 8
QB — Tanner Clarkson, sr., Platte County; WR — John Watts, sr., Platte County; Devin Richardson, sr., Platte County; Dylan Gilbert, jr., Platte County; OL — Matt Blaha, sr., Platte County; Reid Sutter, jr., Platte County; K — Parker Lacina, sr., Platte County; DL — Michael Smith, sr., Platte County; Chase Blankenship, sr., Platte County; LB — Dakota Schmidt, sr., Platte County; Kobe Cummings, sr., Platte County; DB — JP Post, sr., Platte County; Hunter Tongate, sr., Platte County
Class 1 District 7
RB — Gavin Davis, jr., West Platte; TE — Austin Snook, sr., North Platte; Grant Eagen, sr., West Platte; OL — Bart Owens, sr., North Platte; DL — Cole Whalen, sr., West Platte; Dylan Lock, sr., West Platte; LB — Remington Wilson, sr., North Platte; Brayan Rodriguez, sr., West Platte; DB — Corbin Green, sr., North Platte; P — Gavin Davis, jr., West Platte
ALL-SUBURBAN CONFERENCE
GOLD DIVISION
First team
QB — Billy Maples, sr., Park Hill; RB — Dorian Clayton, sr., Park Hill; WR — Ronnie Bell, sr., Park Hill; OL — Josh Nuttall, sr., Park Hill; LB — Brighton Ramirez, sr., Park Hill; DB — Devin Haney, sr., Park Hill; DL — Ethan Smith, jr., Park Hill
Second team
OL — Cory Reiter, jr., Park Hill; K — Davin Dorrell, sr., Park Hill; LB — Haden Wallace, jr., Park Hill; DL — Jhalen Turner, sr., Park Hill; Zach Mikuls, sr., Park Hill
Honorable mention
WR — Jordan Murphy, sr., Park Hill; DJ Johnson, sr., Park Hill; Joe Webb, jr., Park Hill; Payton Stanfield, jr., Park Hill; OL — Jaleel Brazil, sr., Park Hill; Brett Hooten, sr., Park Hill; TJ Ross, sr., Park Hill; Delon Morrow, sr., Park Hill; LB — Jarrett Ross, sr., Park Hill; Cole Gonier, jr., Park Hill; Seth Garrison, jr., Park Hill; DB — Kolby Heinerikson, jr., Park Hill; DaShaun Powell, jr., Park Hill; Javion Gathrite, so., Park Hill; DL — Johnny Wilson, so., Park Hill; P — Davin Dorrell, sr., Park Hill
Offensive player of the year — Ronnie Bell, sr., Park Hill
ALL-SUBURBAN CONFERENCE
RED DIVISION
First team
RB — Ta’Von Tusa, jr., Park Hill South; OL — Ben Becker, sr., Park Hill South; DL — Etinosa Reuben, jr., Park Hill South; LB — Connor Campbell, sr., Park Hill South; DB — Payton Murray, jr., Park Hill South
Second team
OL — Tyler Templin, jr., Park Hill South; LB — Sam Beuerlein, jr., Park Hill South; K — Stephen Personelli
Honorable mention
WR — Drake Chandler-Gillian, sr., Park Hill South; OL — Christian Holferty, sr., Park Hill South; Christian Pirnack, sr., Park Hill South; DL — Gage Gordon, jr., Park Hill South; LB — Jakob LeBar, jr., Park Hill South; DB — Hunter Thompson, jr., Park Hill South; P — Brock Ivy, so., Park Hill South
ALL-SUBURBAN CONFERENCE
BLUE DIVISION
First team
QB — Tanner Clarkson, sr., Platte County; WR — John Watts, sr., Platte County; Devin Richardson, sr., Platte County; OL — Matt Blaha, sr., Platte County; K — Parker Lacina, sr., Platte County; DL — Michael Smith, sr., Platte County; LB — Dakota Schmidt, sr., Platte County; DB — JP Post, sr., Platte County
Second team
RB — Gavin Hardman, sr., Platte County; WR — Dylan Gilbert, jr., Platte County; OL — Reid Sutter, jr., Platte County; DL — Chase Blankenship, sr., Platte County; LB — Kobe Cummings, sr., Platte County; DB — Dylan Gilbert, jr., Platte County; P — Parker Lacina, sr., Platte County
Honorable mention
RB — Adel Freitek, jr., Platte County; OL — Trevor Tietz, sr., Platte County; DL — Sage Smart, sr., Platte County; DB — Hunter Tongate, sr., Platte County; Nolan Saale, jr., Platte County
Offensive player of the year — Tanner Clarkson, sr., Platte County
Defensive player of the year — Michael Smith, sr., Platte County
ALL-KCI CONFERENCE
First team
LB — Remington Wilson, sr., North Platte; P — Gavin Davis, jr., West Platte
Second team
RB — Remington Wilson, sr., North Platte; Gavin Davis, jr., West Platte; TE — Grant Eagen, sr., West Platte; K — Gavin Davis, jr., West Platte; LB — Noah Johnson, jr., West Platte; S — Gavin Davis, jr., West Platte
Honorable mention
RB — Brayan Rodriguez, sr., West Platte; G — Bart Owens, sr., North Platte; T — Cole Whalen, sr., West Platte; TE — Austin Snook, sr., North Platte; WR — Corbin Green, sr., North Platte; DT — Chase Chesnut, jr., North Platte; LB — Brayan Rodriguez, sr., West Platte; CB — Corbin Green, sr., North Platte; S — Grant Eagen, sr., West Platte; P — Corbin Green, sr., North Platte