One drive into the third quarter, Ray-Pec scored yet another touchdown against Park Hill South at Preston Field at Park Hill High School.
The three-touchdown advantage for Park Hill South seemed even larger than that, but then things changed. After a quick three-and-out on offense, the home team got a fortunate break when Ray-Pec fumbled.
That set the stage for a feverish rally for Park Hill South, but the Panthers came up short in the end, falling 41-35 in the season opener on Friday, Aug. 24.
Park Hill South had the ball with a chance to drive for the game-winning score, but a critical turnover with less than a minute left halted the comeback attempt.
“I’m very proud of how we battled,” said Park Hill South coach Mike Sharp, whose team earned the No. 7 ranking in Class 5 by the Missouri Media after falling to a Class 6 school. “We competed until the end. A pass here or there and it’s a different ball game … especially if we don’t spot them 21 points.”
The turnovers by Park Hill South plagued the team in the first half and that led to a 31-14 deficit.
The first offensive play of the year was a fumble that bounced around and was finally picked up by Ray-Pec linebacker Wyatt Quest, who needed only two steps to reach the end zone.
That touchdown came a mere 17 seconds after Ray-Pec had scored on the game’s first possession, when Brandon Rayos scored on a 3-yard run, capping a 12-play, 80-yard drive.
Down 14-0 less than a 1½ minutes into the contest, Park Hill South scored on what turned out to be a critical drive. Facing a 4th-and-2 from the Ray-Pec 29, junior quarterback Matt Suchanick called his own number and busted through for a 29-yard keeper.
Michael Verhoeven’s point after attempt cut the Ray-Pec lead to 14-7.
The Panthers were 3-for-3 on fourth-down conversions in the game, but were a less-than-desired 1-for-11 on third-down conversions.
Park Hill South had a chance to tie the game on the next possession, but Suchanick was intercepted by Ian Hornbeck at the Ray-Pec 24.
Still down by a score, Park Hill South got a 35-yard completion from Suchanick to Brock Ivy, to move into Ray-Pec territory. The junior’s next pass was intercepted by Jaquan Willis at the Ray-Pec 19. The junior worked his way up the field and toward his team’s sideline and finished the 81-yard touchdown return, making it 21-7.
Suchanick helped erase the deficit with a 28-yard touchdown run with 5:28 left in the second quarter. The first play of the drive saw him connect with Nathan Sharp for a 38-yard gain.
Seemingly back in the game, Ray-Pec scored twice over the final four minutes.
A 38-yard field goal made it a 10-point deficit and then Grant Miller connected with Devonte Johnson on a 54-yard touchdown with 1:08 left, coming on fourth down.
The lead for Ray-Pec swelled to 38-14 when Rayos added his second touchdown of the game on a 26-yard run.
The tide then turned momentarily when Ray-Pec fumbled the punt, which was recovered by junior Ryan Owens at the Ray-Pec 41.
Eight plays later, Suchanick ran for his third touchdown of the game, this one from 5 yards out.
Ray-Pec answered with a 27-yard field goal to make it 41-21 going into the fourth.
Suchanick hit Ivy for a 27-yard score on the first drive of the fourth quarter and with 2:25 left, the two connected again, this time for a 52-yard touchdown.
The first score set up a 69-yard run by Ta’Von Tusa, who gave the Panthers some breathing room after the drive started at their own 6.
Ivy had eight catches for 159 yards, while Suchanick passed for 221 and the 52-yarder was his longest completion of the night. Tusa ran for 122 yards on 13 carries.
The Park Hill South defense held and forced a punt, getting the ball back with 1:50 left, trailing 41-35 and sitting 54 yards away from tying the game with a score.
Three plays later, the game essentially ended. Suchanick was picked off for the third time and Luke Grimm ran back the return for a touchdown. An illegal block negated the touchdown and Ray-Pec took a knee to end the contest.
“Any time you don’t play a clean game, in terms of turnovers and things like that, you won’t beat a team like Ray-Pec … it won’t happen,” Sharp said.
Suchanick was hit hard on the last play and needed help off the field. His status for Friday’s game against Platte County wasn’t known by press time.
The Panthers struggled with injuries. Prior to kickoff, there were six starters out due to either illness or injuries. Two other players were injured in the game as defensive lineman Xavier Jackson and offensive lineman Tyler Templin were both hurt. Jackson returned to action in the second half, while Templin, a senior, left the field on crutches.
Looking ahead
Park Hill South put up more yards than Ray-Pec and they will need a similar offensive effort to keep up with a Platte County offense that tallied 35 points in Week 1.
The showdown between two ranked teams — the Pirates are No. 4 in Class 4 — is the first since 2015.
Platte County won 37-7 that year and posted a 14-12 win the year prior.
Park Hill South will look to avoid losing back-to-back games to open a season for the fourth time this decade. In 2012 and 2013, the Panthers lost their first two before getting in the win column. In 2015, Park Hill South lost its first seven games.
One key for the Panthers will be the defensive front’s ability to make an impact. Ray-Pec was sacked only once — by linebacker Kellen Danielsen — and held defensive ends Etinosa Reuben — a Clemson commit — and Addison Snowball to combined one tackle.