The Park Hill Trojans are Class 6 District 8 champions after beating the Oak Park Northmen 31-21 last Friday, Nov. 15, at Preston Field.
The Trojans got the ball to start the game and scored early, getting a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Zane Thomas to Gage Dorrell.
Park Hill’s defense stopped the Oak Park offense in its first possession of the game, but the Northmen tried a fake punt, and the Trojans’ defense was not fooled. However, the momentum was quickly deflated as Thomas’s pass on first down floated and was intercepted by the Northmen and returned to the Park Hill six-yard line. Three plays later, the Northmen punched the ball in for a touchdown.
Park Hill had incompletions on three consecutive passes but caught a break on third down when Oak Park was flagged for defensive holding. The penalty gave Park Hill a new set of downs, and they took advantage of the mistake. With 1:53 left in the first quarter, Park Hill retook the lead on a 14-yard run by Dante Dixon. The kick was good, and Park Hill led 14-7.
Park Hill senior Gage Dorrell dove over the goal line for a touchdown versus Oak Park. DENNIS SHARKEY/Citizen Photos
Thomas found Dorrell again for a touchdown when he swung a pass out wide. Dorrell made a defender miss and dove across the goal line for the Trojans’ third touchdown. The kick was good, and the Trojans led 21-14. However, the Northmen got a quick touchdown scoring drive and trailed by one score going into halftime. Both teams scored second-half touchdowns, and the Trojans added a field goal for the final score.
Park Hill will take on Liberty this Saturday, at 1 p.m., who beat Blue Springs South 28-7 in the District 7 Championship. Park Hill won at the Blue Jays 21-17 on Oct. 4.
