KANSAS CITY – It’s been a fun year for Park Hill tennis fans, seeing a rejuvenated squad become fearsome in the Kansas City metro area.
Park Hill freshman Carter Lovitt and sophomore Drew Miller, far left, stand on the podium after earning seventh place at the Class 4 State Doubles Tournament at Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield on May 17.
Finishing the regular season with as many ties as losses, one, the Trojans quest for a state appearance ended in agony. In the Class 3 State Quarterfinals, Park Hill (16-2-1) came up short against Pembroke Hill (12-2) on May 14.
The Trojans dominated all year long, not losing a match on the road and being a perfect 6-0 at home before hosting the quarterfinal match. They also swept six opponents this season and went 6-1-1 at neutral sites.
Pembroke Hill is a respected tennis program, winning 13 district titles since 2009 along with some state hardware along the way. Park Hill was looking for its first Final Four appearance, ending with a tie for the best postseason finish in program history with an exit in the quarterfinals.
The only time the Trojans ended with a higher overall winning percentage in the last 15 years was in 2022 when they went 19-3 and were eliminated by Rockhurst one match before state semifinals. The last two times Park Hill has made it past districts, the quarterfinal match ended with a score of 5-1.
Pembroke Hill set the tone this time, coming out on top in two of the three doubles matches, 8-2. Will Poole and Gianfranco Timotei prevented the postseason sweep with a 9-8 (7-3) win over Nicholas Dum and Liam O’Keefe.
The Raiders won the first three singles matches – which ended up being between the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 – to win 5-1. Poole, Timotei and Cody Phan didn’t finish.
Tristan Houchin was the only Park Hill senior in the lineup this year and he lost 0-6, 6-4, 10-12 to Andy Greaves. Trojan sophomore Drew Miller fell 0-6, 1-6 to David Bell and freshman Carter Lovitt was defeated by Topher Thornberry 5-7, 2-6.
Although the season ended up shy of a team trip to Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, three individuals were worthy enough to do so. Lovitt and Miller qualified in doubles while Houchin had one more shot in singles on May 16.
Lovitt and Miller faced off with Francis Howell North senior John Jameson and junior Kai Gustafson. The Trojans advanced to the quarterfinals with a 10-7 tiebreaker win and had a rematch with Thornberry and Greaves from Pembroke Hill losing 2-6, 0-6.
Lovitt and Miller survived and advanced to the next day with a bounce-back win before losing in a tiebreaker to Lindbergh. They took down Barstow to end in seventh place.
Houchin started his high school career ranked No. 24 at Park Hill and ended as a two-time state qualifier. The tennis junkie spent his 18th birthday on the courts and needed two wins on the opening day to advance to day two and won his first one.
In a win-or-go-home meeting with Blue Springs South’s Judson McIntosh, Houchin came up shy and his high school career ended. He is the only player who Park Hill will need to replace in its lineup next season.