The 2025 season has looked eerily similar to last year for the Park Hill South football team, which began and ended the regular season with wins sandwiched around a seven-game losing streak.
The Panthers played the same schedule as they did last year, getting the same results as they did in 2024. One of the few differences was swapping a one-point loss to North Kansas City last year in Week 8 for a one-point loss to Oak Park in Week 3.
For the second straight year, the Panthers enter district action with a 2-7 record. After a dominant start to the season — defeating Grandview of Class 5 by 20 points on Aug. 29 — the Panthers faced an uphill battle against Class 6 opposition.
Park Hill South finally got its second win of the season, defeating St. Joseph Central on Oct. 24 as the Panthers celebrated their seniors in likely the team’s final game at Park Hill District Football Stadium this season. Junior wide receiver Jake Hensel played a key role, setting program single-game records with 233 yards and four touchdowns in against Central, and also set the program single-season receiving record with 1,076 yards.
The Panthers got some momentum in the first quarter when they forced a turnover on downs, but they were unable to take advantage. After South turned the ball over on downs, Central capitalized on the short field to take a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter on a third-down 3-yard passing touchdown to the left.
Park Hill South showed better in the second quarter, when they grabbed a 14-7 lead before halftime. Tyler Briggs orchestrated South’s first scoring drive of the half by driving 62 yards downfield and finding Jake Hensel on a 9-yard touchdown pass, and ended the second quarter with a near-perfect drive as they went 87 yards and took the lead on a 21-yard pass to Hensel.
Central answered early in the third quarter, tying the game up at 14-14 on their opening drive of the second half. Facing fourth-and-4 from the 19-yard line, the Indians dodged the Panthers’ blitz for a passing touchdown over the middle.
The Panthers got a critical turnover near the conclusion of the third quarter when junior Aiden Phanpruet intercepted a pass with an over-the-shoulder grab to end the Indians’ promising drive in Panther territory. An even more important turnover came on the Indians’ opening drive of fourth quarter, when they failed to convert on fourth-and-1 from inside the Panthers’ 5-yard line.
On the ensuing drive, Briggs and Hensel connected for a third touchdown — an explosive 91-yard touchdown reception as the junior receiver’s speed was unmatched on the left side.
The Briggs-Hensel tandem struck once again midway through the fourth on a 45-yard touchdown. Hensel ran a 5-yard curl route to receive the pass, and after the defensive back overcommitted, Hensel exploited the open space and raced to the end zone for his fourth touchdown reception of the evening, giving the Panthers a 28-14 advantage.
Central looked for a late surge, but their hopes died when Park Hill South sophomore Noah Spencer-Coleman intercepted the quarterback on fourth-and-27. The Panthers kept the ball on the ground with a pair of first downs to secure their 11th consecutive victory against Central.
The Panthers’ attention turns towards the Class 6 District 7 tournament. They will enter as the bottom seed and travel to face No. 4-seeded Lee’s Summit West in the district quarterfinal on Thursday, Oct. 30.
If the Panthers manage to win their district quarterfinal — as they did last year — they will visit top-seeded North Kansas City on Nov. 7.