Photo Credit: Riley McCabe/PrepsKC 
With an unbeaten record on the line, Oak Park dug deep, displaying its toughness time and time again.
The Northmen showcased their durability and determination during a 43-35 victory against Lee’s Summit on Friday night in a thrilling shootout that came down to the very final play.
And no one embodied that toughness more than Oak Park junior running back Travon Pankey, who returned from an injury to score his team’s final two touchdowns – ultimately securing the victory in the process.
All in all, Pankey rushed for four touchdowns to keep the Northmen’s winning season intact, and coach Ken Clemens praised his team’s relentless mentality during a crucial win.
“All year long, including last year, they just battled to the end, and we’ve got some tough kids who are willing to lay it on the line,” Clemens said.
In a matchup between Class 6 programs, Oak Park (6-0, No. 6 in the state) jumped out to a decisive lead from the get-go. On his second carry of the game, Pankey scored on a 67-yard, tackle-breaking run, and then corner back Donovan returned an inception for a touchdown early in the second quarter – giving the Northmen a 15-0 lead.
But Lee’s Summit (2-4) had no intention of going quietly and used a fast-paced offense to claw its way back into the game.
Tigers’ quarterback Dawson Heeney threw touchdowns to Landon Moutray and Jaydan Gipson on consecutive possessions in the second quarter that pulled their team within two points – 15-13 – at halftime.
“We came in wanting to go at a tempo,” Lee’s Summit coach Eric Thomas said. “(Oak Park is) really good up front, so we wanted to slow them down. But to do that, you’ve got to get in a rhythm. It took us a while to get that rhythm and get things going.”
The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter, setting the stage for a thrilling final frame.
Nursing a two-point lead, 22-20, Oak Park senior Evan Braxton hauled in a touchdown reception from quarterback Aiden Hinkle midway through the fourth quarter to extend the lead. But Tigers’ sophomore Preston Hatfield returned the ensuing kickoff 90-plus yards on an electrifying play that kept Lee’s Summit close.
Pankey suffered a wrist injury on the very next drive that rattled the Northmen’s hopes, leading to a punt, but Oak Park’s defense responded with its fourth interception of the game – this one from Churchill Coates, to immediately retake possession.
Oak Park snagged six interceptions the previous week against Platte County, giving the defense 10 picks in the past two weeks, and Clemens said those takeaways made all the difference.
“I think the big key to those interceptions was pressure on the quarterback and stopping the running game, making them one-dimensional,” Clemens said. “Coach (Charlie) Pugh had a great game plan to keep them out of the end zone.”
But nothing – not even an injury – could keep Pankey out of the game or out of the end zone.
After getting treatment, the standout junior returned to the field and scored his team’s final two touchdowns in the final four minutes that ultimately salted the game away. Despite the nagging injury, Pankey said he wanted nothing more than to return to the field and clinch the victory for his squad.
“I knew I had to come back and hold up for my team,” Pankey said. “The team relies on me just as much as I rely on them, so I’ve got to come back and fulfill it. I knew I could come back.
“No matter what injury it is, I’ll come back, for sure.”
Lee’s Summit engineered one more scoring drive in the final minute when Heeney threw a touchdown pass – his fourth of the game – to Brayden Davis to make it a one-score game with three seconds remaining. And even though the Tigers recovered the ensuing onside kick, Oak Park forced an incompletion on the final play to close out the game.
Still, Thomas said he was proud of the way his team responded throughout the game and keep things close against the undefeated Northmen.
“That’s the team we’ve built. That’s the family we’ve built. That’s the program that I’m proud of that we’ve built here over the past 14 years,” Thomas said. “We’re not going to quit. We’re not going to give up.
“We’ve just got to go back to work and try to figure it out, and our kids did that.”
Oak Park, meanwhile, took a huge step toward securing the No. 1 seed in Class 6, District 8, by virtue of a St. Joseph Central loss, and Clemens said he was pleased to continue the team’s winning ways entering the final three weeks of the regular season.
“Our kids just go week-to-week,” Clemens said. “We feel like if our effort is great, and if we play relentlessly and with class and we’re coachable, then we’ve won, no matter what the scoreboard says.”
