The Longhorns fell short in winning their first District Championship game in over 15 years. The undefeated Panthers beat the visiting Horns 35-0. Fort Zumwalt North scored 14 points in the first quarter, but then failed to score again until mid-way through the fourth quarter.
“They were a really good football team. However, we had some moments in the game where we could have capitalized on some opportunities. We needed a better game on both sides of the ball to beat them,” senior linebacker Evan Shukers said.
At the end of the second quarter, senior running back Nick Lewis returned a kickoff 70 yards into North territory. A penalty on the play moved the ball up ten yards to the 20 yard-line. The Longhorns were unsuccessful at converting on fourth down and turned the ball over on downs.
“It could have been a huge momentum shift in the game. Nick had a great return, he really set up our offense for a manageable touchdown drive,” junior offensive lineman Logan Williams said. “Fort Zumwalt played great defense all night, we could never really get our offense going.”
The Longhorns finished the year with a record of 6-6. It was the first time since 2008 the Horns finished with a record at .500.
“It was a great ride. The fact that we were the last Parkway team standing in the playoffs for the first time in 30 years is remarkable. These group of seniors have really changed the program for the better,” junior linebacker Drew Seers said.
The last time the Longhorns made it to the District Championship was during Blaine Gabbert’s junior season, 2004.
“No one believed in us except each other. It was an up and down season,losing three in a row to Summit, U-City and Central. This team never quit though and fought through adversity. In the end we finished on a high note,” senior safety Simon Lindo said.
The Longhorns will lose 15 seniors in 2016, 12 of which started on both sides of the ball. The class of 2016 won 20 games in four years of play.
“I will remember this playoff run we had for the rest of my life. These past four years have flown by and I wouldn’t trade them for anything,” senior offensive lineman Brian Loomis said.
![Holding the disc, senior Nathan Thompson waits for an opportunity to pass to senior Timmy Fry. Parkway United’s ultimate frisbee team is made up of students from each of the four Parkway schools. “The one thing I really like about ultimate [frisbee] is the community because it’s so different from any other sport I've been a part of. [My] national teammates are people who we play against in the regular season, so we see each other all the time. It's always fun hanging out with [them],” Thompson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/C96A6823-1200x800.jpg)
![Senior Josie Grunzinger watches the football game intently from the sidelines on Oct. 18. Grunzinger stood out to the crowd as the only girl on the football team, encouraging other girls who want to play football to take a chance and go for a sport outside of their comfort zone. “If you think you could [play football] and you want to do it, just try it, because all it takes is to actually try it out,” Grunzinger said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-1200x675.png)
![With her arms held high, junior Jenna Rickelman throws the ball across the pool during a girls water polo practice. With hours of practice after school and over the summer, Rickelman saw many improvements in her water polo skills. “When I look at [my] stats, I'm so much better than I was last year,” Rickelman said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Untitled-design-2-.png)
![Putting on his helmet, catcher and senior Tommy Eschbach prepares to get in his primary stance. Despite losing 6-1 against Eureka on April 16, Eschbach didn’t let the tough loss affect his playing or mental health. “It's [so] easy to get caught up in the sport and what you're doing that [after] one bad game or a stretch of games it is hard to remind yourself that your worth as a person isn't directly related to your performance on the field,” Eschbach said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0415-1-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Sports organizations have changed lives on and off the field, improving athletes’ muscle strength, reducing their risk of diseases and building energetic work capacity worldwide. However, many student-athletes struggle to balance schoolwork and athletic commitments, hoping to seek more understanding and support from their teachers and coaches. “To lessen mental strain student-athletes [face] and create a healthier, more comfortable lifestyle, there shouldn’t be any homework. I'm already [at school] for eight hours and [homework] creates a bigger load for student-athletes in AP or honors classes,” track and field sprinter and sophomore Lucy Penton said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0095-1-e1713883278514-1200x847.jpg)
![At the Spring Pep Rally on March 8, boys varsity water poloist and junior Jack Brau stands with the boys water polo team. The group, hoping to include everyone — whether boy or girl, varsity or JV — cheered on the girls water polo team during the sports team runouts. “Even though we all play separate games and have different practices, we like to see ourselves as one big group who represent one water polo [team],” Brau said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_8810-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Looking for an open teammate, freshman Patrick May passes the ball across the court at the Nov. 28 game against Parkway Central. May started in the game against the Colts. ”Growing up, [my parents] always gave me a basketball, [and] we had a basketball hoop outside. I grew up playing [all the time], playing on the [driveway] and shooting hoops with my dad.” May said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image2-1-1200x801.jpg)
