Park Hill ties for third; Pius settles for fourth in soccer

Source: The Star

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Photos by Sid Hastings | Special to The Star

St. Piux X captain Craig Henry (above) gathered the Warriors at midfield prior to their third-place game, During the action, Grant Geary (top right photo) took aim on a tricky pass.

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St. Pius X and Park Hill represented Kansas City last weekend in the last two rounds of the Missouri state soccer championships in Fenton. For St. Pius X, it was the second straight year advancing to the final four in Class 1 while Park Hill made its first state semifinal appearance in Class 3 in 16 years.

Although both teams lost in the semifinals, St. Pius X coach Tom Ashby seemed to speak for both by recognizing the achievement in just making it to St. Louis for the final weekend.

“The season could’ve ended on Halloween, and we’re only one of two schools from Kansas City to make it, that’s saying something,” said Ashby, whose team finished 22-7 and fourth for the second straight year. “Obviously, we’re a little disappointed we didn’t get the state championship, but final four is extremely respectable. It’s been hard to repeat anything, and to be able to repeat final four appearances is respectable.”

St. Pius X will lose six starters, including senior captains Grant Geary and Craig Henry. Ashby credited the two for fostering “great (team) chemistry” and leading the team all season. Despite the departure of the class of 2010, the Warriors will have plenty of talent returning such as leading scorer Conor Parrish (53 goals) and goalkeeper Blake Cook, a freshman who finished with 11 shutouts.

While St. Pius X finished in fourth place, Park Hill tied for third.

After losing the semifinal game on Friday to St. Louis University High, Park Hill (24-6-1) returned on Saturday and played Columbia Hickman to a 1-1 tie in the consolation game. At state, the consolation game does not have an overtime session so the Trojans share third place.

“I’m glad they got a chance to come back for a third place,” Park Hill coach Dustin Sollars said. “They had a chance to get back and redeem themselves a little bit.”

Sollars praised junior forward Quenton Nobel for creating several opportunities for his teammates at the state tournament and also recognized senior sweeper Casey Johnson for just making it to the final weekend. According to Sollars, Johnson hobbled through most of the season with a painful bone spur injury in his heel.

“At one point during the season, it got to the point where he wanted to quit,” Sollars said. “(He had) too much pain. But during this tournament, he was able to step up for us really well, especially against Hickman.

“He’s a tough kid, and it really came out.”

submitted by CANDACE BUCKNER - 2009-11-24 14:51:01