The 2024 season did not pan out how Park Hill South’s football team had hoped, but there is a hunger and desire to get the ship back on the right track this fall.
A Panthers team that went 3-8 last year with major defensive woes now has a renewed belief after a grueling offseason. South confronted those defensive question marks by making some changes to the defensive personnel.
“We are excited for the opportunity to get back on the field and compete again,” head coach Justin Poncy said. “We had a rocky season both on and off the field last year with the loss of a teammate to begin the season and some lopsided scores throughout the year.”
Based on what has been observed since regrouping in January, all the way up to the lead-up to this season, Poncy thinks his team will step up to the challenge this year.
“We have been blown away as a staff by how coachable and hard-working this group has been,” Poncy said. “They have embraced the challenges of summer and fall camp.”
On the defensive side, South made some adjustments by promoting Zac Miller to defensive coordinator and adding former Mill Valley coach Brad Scott to the defensive staff. Those changes will aim to fix the apparent defensive issues from last season for a South team that gave up nearly 39 points per game in 2024.
In the defensive secondary, Travon Flowers will start at safety while Jeremiyah Bradley and Hayden Lea start as cornerbacks. The linebackers will be led by Perry Nelson and Micah Forrest, with additional spots still up for grabs in the linebacker and defensive line roles.
The Panthers have given the quarterback keys to junior Tyler Briggs. In the third year of the offense, Briggs has been around for its entire lifespan and has picked up on little details that previously haunted the team.
Briggs will be assisted in the backfield by sophomore Emmett Lopez and junior Magnus Hoenshell, who will also get time in the slot. Briggs will be protected up front by the senior trio of Jacob Russell, Brady Dobbins and Ee’ron Douglas, who will provide their quarterback time to find targets such as senior Tyre Flowers and junior Jake Hensel.
The Panthers are growing more confident and motivated with each practice, but they remain grounded with hopes to keep the team as healthy as possible. They will need everyone to contribute in order to weather the difficult schedule that they face in Class 6.
“The kids are flying around and making plays like we haven’t seen in a few years,” Poncy said.
After opening the season on the road against Grandview and Blue Springs South, the Panthers open the conference slate on home turf in Week 3 against Oak Park on Sept. 12.