Andy Sims’ first playoff game as head coach for the Park Hill football team is officially under his belt when he helped the Trojans snap a 4-game losing streak with a come-from-behind 21-13 victory over Rockhurst.
The Trojans hadn’t won a game since Sept. 24 before they stepped on the turf at Park District Stadium in the Class 6 District 4 Quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 30. Despite recent struggles, Park Hill didn’t let its season come to an end in the Trojans’ first win-or-go-home game with Coach Sims.
“When you get to the postseason, the season starts over, and I know all of these guys have that mentality. Now it is more of getting them to really understand this is how you win games in the playoffs,” Sims said.
In the first half, there were no punts and both teams had two offensive possessions each – not counting Rockhurst’s one-play, end of half drive when they regained possession with one second remaining and kneeled the ball. The Hawklets drove down the field to open the district contest with a short passing touchdown to take a 7-0 lead with 6:03 remaining in the opening quarter.
Park Hill Head Coach Andy Sims, above, led the Trojans to a 21-13 victory over Rockhurst in his playoff debut on Oct. 30.
The Park Hill offense responded with an eight-play, 72-yard scoring drive that was capped off with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Kendrick Bell to James Noel. Rockhurst added a field goal and Park Hill turned it over on downs right before the first half ended to head into the locker room trailing 10-7, after a pair of penalties and a sack kept the Trojans from gaining a fresh set of downs on their final drive.
Park Hill started the second half with the ball and went three and out before Rockhurst marched down the field to the Trojans’ 8-yard line. The Park Hill defense, along with an intentional grounding and sideline infraction penalty on the offense, led to the Hawklets setting for another field goal.
“Hats off to our defense, we made the plays when we needed to, and we fixed the mistakes we needed to in the second half. I’m really proud of our guys and how they played today,” Sims said.
After a pair of punts, the Trojans entered the final quarter on offense and trailed 13-7. Bell connected with P.J. Caldwell behind the line of scrimmage and the junior had an impressive 21-yard run all the way to the end zone with 10:24 remaining.
“I think it was just them being resilient and knowing that it is a long, four quarter ball game. You don’t blow a team like that out, and I like to think our guys don’t have any quit in them,” Sims said.
Clinging onto a 14-13 lead, the Park Hill defense stepped up and forced a Rockhurst turnover on downs. The Trojan offense moved the chains, forced the Hawklets to use all of their timeouts and burned the clock before Noel ran in for a 30-yard score with 57 seconds left.
Park Hill extended its lead to eight points, and Rockhurst was unable to respond with a score in the final drive of the day. When the clock hit zero, Park Hill’s bench rushed the field in celebratory fashion and the crowd went wild as the Trojans locked in a matchup against rival Park Hill South in the next round of districts.
“For me, coming from Blue Valley who has four big rivals like this one, I’m kind of used to it. Being the new guy, I know it’s going to be important for the community on both sides and we are excited for next Friday night,” Sims said.
Bell completed 19 of his 32 pass attempts for 164 yards and two scores, while adding 33 rushing yards. Noel rushed nine times for 90 yards and Caldwell led the Trojans with five receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown.
Park Hill (5-5) and Park Hill South (10-0) will face off in the district semifinals on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. at Park Hill District Stadium. The last time these rivals matched up in the postseason was in the Class 5 District 8 Quarterfinals in 2013 when Park Hill South won, 24-3.