The Park Hill football team will have head coach Andy Sims back on the sidelines under the Friday Night Lights for their district semifinal on Nov. 7 following his reinstatement last week.
The district confirmed that Sims returned to his head coaching duties on Oct. 30 after a nearly two-month absence as the district dealt with a personnel matter. He is expected back on the sidelines for Park Hill’s Class 6 District 8 semifinal matchup against No. 3-seeded Liberty North at Park Hill District Football Stadium this Friday.
Park Hill High School principal Dr. Brad Kincheloe met with the football team on Oct. 29 and Park Hill School District superintendent Dr. Mike Kimbrel sent a letter to their families to notify them that Sims would return to his coaching and teaching duties the following day.
“Thank you for your continued commitment to our students and the Park Hill High School football program as we’ve worked through the personnel matter with Coach Sims,” Kimbrel said in the letter issued to the families. “We appreciate your connection with us over these past weeks as we’ve considered many perspectives involved and worked through this situation, which has included processes outside of the district’s control.”
Park Hill opened its season on Aug. 29 with a 33-13 victory on the road against Rock Bridge — the last game that Sims has coached. Now, 70 days later, Sims hopes to get his second win on the sidelines this season, or else his team’s season will end.
In the absence of Sims, legendary head coach and current defensive line coach Greg Reynolds filled in as head coach, leading the Trojans to a 5-3 record to finish the regular season 6-3. The Trojans enter postseason play on a three-game winning streak, winning four of their last five games.
The Trojans’ last loss came on Oct. 3, falling at home 31-28 in a nail-biter against Liberty, which is seeded No. 1 in the district. Since then, Park Hill has outscored opponents 108-20 in three victories with a pair of defensive shutouts.
Dante Dixon scores a touchdown in a Week 2 defeat against North Kansas City.
Offensively, the Trojans look to a trio of seniors in quarterback Zane Thomas and receivers Dante Dixon and Braylon Agee. Thomas is among the leading passers in the area while Dixon and Agee bring elite athleticism with a combined 19 touchdowns and more than 1,600 yards.
After receiving a first-round bye, Park Hill’s hunt for a second straight district crown will begin with a clash against Liberty North, whom the Trojans haven’t faced in postseason play since a 10-7 district victory in 2015. Liberty North has won the last four regular-season meetings against Park Hill, most recently seeing each other in 2023.
Liberty North is 6-4 on the season, entering the district semifinal after a 55-14 quarterfinal triumph against Oak Park on Oct. 31. The winner of Friday’s contest on Preston Field gets a spot in the district championship, facing the winner of top-seeded Liberty and No. 5 Staley on Nov. 14.
The stage is set for the West Platte and North Platte football teams as they enter the Class 1 District 6 tournament with expectations of meeting each other for a second time this season in the district championship.
The two local KCI Conference rivals recently met for an enthralling battle in Dearborn on Oct. 24, a matchup that West Platted edged out 41-34. If all goes to plan for both teams, the two sides will meet again for the district title on Nov. 14 in Weston.
No. 2-seeded North Platte hopes to get back to the district championship for the second time in three years. The Panthers have fallen to some tough defeats over recent weeks, losing three straight games to close out the regular season.
For the Panthers to get another shot at West Platte in the district championship on Nov. 14, they will need to do their part on home field in their district semifinal on Nov. 7 against No. 3-seeded Gallatin/Tri-County, who defeated No. 6 Plattsburg 54-20 in the district quarterfinals. The Panthers have a record of 4-10 against Gallatin/Tri-County since 2010, defeating them in 2023 in their most recent encounter but losing the previous six meetings.
West Platte running back Brady McMillan tries to escape a tackle by North Platte’s Heston Stockbauer.
Top-seeded West Platte’s postseason path begins against No. 4-seeded Penney in Weston on Nov. 7 — a rematch of Week 3 when the Blue Jays defeated the Hornets 13-7 on Sept. 12. Penney defeated No. 5 Maysville/Winston 42-27 in the quarterfinal round on Oct. 31.
West Platte is searching for its first district crown in a decade. The Blue Jays are on a three-game winning streak, rising victorious in four of their last five games to earn the top seed in the district.
All of Class 5 has its eyes fixated on the defending state champion Platte County Pirates as they begin postseason action in the District 8 semifinal on Nov. 7 against St. Pius X.
Winners of 23 consecutive games over the past two undefeated seasons, Platte County’s district semifinal will be a rematch of last year’s district championship. Platte County quickly ran away with a 45-23 win against St. Pius X last year, something they hope to emulate this week.
Platte County comes from its first bye this year after completing its second straight undefeated regular season. In nine victories, the Pirates outscored opponents 509-99 and remain the only undefeated team left from Class 5.
Adam Gisler in Platte County’s homecoming win against Smithville.
Senior quarterback Rocco Marriott leads the Pirates’ explosive offense, which is capable of scoring from anywhere on the field at any time. Marriott tossed for over 2,500 yards with 39 touchdowns, 11 scores caught by Braiden Stevens and Adam Gisler running in 13.
St. Pius X comes from a 59-27 win against Winnetonka in the district quarterfinals on Oct. 31, improving their record to 6-4. The Warriors have played a daunting schedule, which opened with a 49-19 defeat to district foe Rockhurst, and after starting the season with a 2-4 record, Pius enters their toughest matchup of the year on a four-game winning streak.
Platte County has hosting rights throughout districts as the No. 1 seed, which they hope to take advantage of by defeating Pius and hosting the championship on Nov. 14 against the winner of No. 2 Rockhurst and No. 3 Fort Osage.