Park Hill’s defense continued to terrorize opposing offenses, holding Lee’s Summit North to a field goal en route to a 10-3 victory on a wet Friday night at Park Hill District Stadium.

The Trojans set the tone early, stopping a thirteen-play Broncos drive when Mikey Miles recovered a Keyon Mozee fumble on the four yard line to keep the game scoreless. That turnover- the only one for either team- proved to be costly.  

Park Hill proceeded to go on a 98-yard drive that was capped off with the game’s lone touchdown, a two yard pass from Anthony Hall to Evan Sambroski.  Sambroski played a key role in the Trojans’ passing attack, leading all receivers in both yards and receptions while the Broncos focused their attention on stopping the speedy Jaylin Noel.

From there, the Trojan defense locked in and dominated Lee’s Summit North.  After Mozee ran for 73 yards the first drive, the Broncos’ workhorse was held to just 47 yards the rest of the night while their offense as a whole reached the redzone only once more.  They got their only points of the game when Devin DeRousse drilled 52-yard field goal midway through the second quarter to cut the lead to four.  

Although Lee’s Summit North’s defense also performed well, they couldn’t get stops when they needed them the most.  The Trojans converted on fourth down five times throughout the game, the biggest coming on a 4th & 2 deep in Broncos territory that set up the eventual touchdown.

On offense, Park Hill held the ball for nearly 30 minutes of gametime thanks to another strong performance by Hall.  Hall kept the clock moving with only 11 incompletions on 36 pass attempts, making up for a rushing game that only averaged one yard per carry.  It highlighted the contrasting styles of play between the two teams- Lee’s Summit North picked up 140 of their 189 yards on the ground while the Trojans had nearly three times as many pass attempts as the Broncos.

Both teams also had opportunities to score more points but were hampered by penalties and poor execution. Park Hill added a 22-yard field goal from Grant Pella in the third but had the chance to score two more touchdowns throughout the quarter.  An overthrown pass to Noel and a dropped catch in the endzone kept it a one-possession game. 

However, Lee’s Summit North didn’t do themselves any favors, picking up penalties in key moments including a holding call after a first down completion by Carlton Perkins in the fourth, killing the last best chance they had at tying the game.

For Park Hill, every win matters in the loaded Class 6 District 4, especially after falling to undefeated Liberty North last week.  Through four games, the Trojans’ defense is allowing just 11 points per game, putting them near the top in the metro area.  The bounce-back win improved their record to 3-1 on the season.  Meanwhile, Lee’s Summit North drops their second close loss of the season, evening out their record to 2-2.  They still have yet to beat Park Hill since they joined their Suburban Conference division in 2016.  

The Trojans travel to Raymore-Peculiar next week while the Broncos return home to face Liberty.