It was a tale of two halves for the Park Hill Trojans’’ football team which struggled in the opening 24 minutes before scoring 35 consecutive second half points to defeat Blue Springs South 45-21 for the sixth straight season.
Despite only having the ball on offense for a total of 4:29 in the first half, the Trojans were within one possession at the break. After a pair of Jaguar touchdowns in the second quarter to give them a 14-3 lead, Park Hill responded with a huge scoring drive to make it a 4-point game when Jake Powell rushed in for a 1-yard touchdown with 3:43 remaining in the first half.
“Tip your hats off to Blue Springs South; they did a fantastic job with a great game plan, and they executed it to put our backs against the wall,” Park Hill head coach Andy Sims said. “The boys got off to a slow start in the first half, but we told them that there is no script in a football game, so keep going.”
Late in the third quarter, the Trojans capped off a 9-play, 77-yard drive when Kedrick Bell scrambled out of the pocket and took it the distance by diving over the goal line pylon for a 28 yard score. On the ensuing defensive possession, the Blue Springs South punter dropped the snap and was taken down at the 1-yard line by Corbin John.
Park Hill junior Teague Wachter knocks down Blue Springs South quarterback in the first half of the Trojans home opener on Friday, Sept. 10.
Bell took it in for his second rushing touchdown with three seconds left in the third quarter to give the Trojans a 24-14 lead and momentum. On Park Hill’s first drive of the fourth quarter, Bell connected with Max Filion for 6 yards and another Trojan touchdown.
“Kedrick has been very coachable, eager and his athleticism speaks for itself. It was just his third start in the varsity level in this conference, and each week he gets better,” Sims said.
The Park Hill defense also got on the scoreboard when senior Parris Graves recovered a Blue Springs South fumble and returned it 21 yards to the end zone untouched. Junior James Noel put the nail in the coffin with a 58 yard rushing touchdown with 2:51 remaining in the contest to give the Trojans a 42-14 lead.
“We had some plays go our way with some advantage in the field position that led to some easy scores. Whether it was getting the ball at the 1-yard line or a scoop-and-score, it is good to capitalize off those mistakes,” Sims said.
The Jaguars scored their only second half touchdown with less than 30 seconds remaining as the Trojans won their home opener in Coach Sims’ first game at Park Hill High School. The Trojans move to 2-1 on the season and will host Blue Springs this Friday at 7 p.m.