Still yet to write the final chapter of increasingly accomplished high school careers, six Platte County senior football players were honored at a signing ceremony Wednesday night at Wilson Auditorium, ending recruitment processes with varying levels of intricacy. The group of three-year starters for the still defending Class 5 state champions includes a staggering five going to the Division I level and another to a traditional Division II powerhouse.
Platte County quarterback Rocco Marriott (Central Florida), wide receiver Braiden Stevens (Minnesota), tight ends Jack Utz (Kansas) and Brooks Hall (Central Florida), defensive end Cale Buntz (South Dakota State) and Adam Gisler (Northwest Missouri State) all made their choices official on national signing day and then joined friends, family, teammates, coaches and community members to celebrate later in the evening.
Five play integral roles for a dynamic and versatile offense averaging 53.1 points per game this season.
Marriott leads the way. Originally committed to James Madison, he continued to take official visits and recently flipped to Central Florida and coach Scott Frost while putting the finishing touches on one of the best careers for a quarterback in Missouri history.
Earlier this season, Marriott became just the seventh 11-man player to throw for more than 100 touchdowns in his career and still has a shot to become the fifth to throw for at least 9,000 yards. He set career-highs and school records across the board this season, completing 201 of 275 passes for 3,382 yards and 52 touchdowns. He’s also the seventh to throw for at least 50 touchdowns.
Marriott holds Platte County’s all-time passing records in yards (8,666) and touchdowns (116). He also has 660 rushing yards this season — more than 1,800 in his career — and 12 touchdowns, bringing his career total to 43.
Stevens also continues to set school records and went from a first official offer to Dort College just last spring to committing to South Dakota State to earning multiple FBS offers and ultimately choosing Minnesota. His career-best season stat line currently sits at 59 catches for 1,126 yards and 18 touchdowns. He’s just off the program record for yards in a season and his three touchdowns in Friday’s 64-35 win over Kirkwood in a Class 5 state semifinal helped him pass the previous mark of 16 previously held by Jim Myers (1968) and Devin Richardson (2017).
With one game left, Stevens has 129 career catches for 2,465 yards and 37 touchdowns. The latter two are career program records at Platte County having shattered the touchdown mark of 27 jointly held by Aliek Reed and Dylan Gilbert and having passed Gilbert’s yardage mark of 2,442 produced from 2016-18.
The lone Division II signee, Gisler recently became the fifth in program history with at least 3,000 yards rushing. He sits at 1,059 this season with 18 touchdowns rushing, taking him to 3,151 yards for his career behind only Zach Sherman (7,727; 1998-2001), Mike McNair (3,516; 2013-16), R.B. Miller (3,225; 1959-62) and Joe Henson (3,193; 2009-11) in the school record book.
Gisler missed four total games over the past two years and the majority of two others due to shoulder injuries but has still scored 28 total touchdowns while averaging 7.6 yards per carry. He committed to Northwest Missouri State, which won seven national championships between 1998 and 2016 and lost in the championship game four other times during the same span, in July.
Utz and Hall have enjoyed their best offensive seasons for Platte County, which has been able to spread out the offense even more during the unbeaten start to this season.
Committed to Kansas since last January and the first in this group with a Power 4 offer, Utz has 21 catches for 370 yards and seven touchdowns this season, upping his career totals to 50 for 808 and 11 scores. Hall received an offer from Central Florida shortly after Marriott and then flipped his commitment from South Dakota to the Golden Knights for a chance to play in the Big 12. Hall has 32 catches for 440 yards and seven touchdowns with a career line of 53 for 732 and 12 scores.
Buntz stayed with South Dakota State after first committing in June. An injury opened up a starting role for him at Platte County as a sophomore, and he never gave back the spot.
A 6-foot-5 defensive end, Buntz has a team-high nine sacks this season with 41 tackles (10 for loss), three pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovered to lead a strong defensive front for Platte County, which recorded two shutouts in the first 13 games and has allowed more than 23 points just three times — the last two in the state quarterfinals and semifinals.
Buntz’s career numbers currently sit at 85 tackles (23 for loss), 14 1/2 sacks, five pass breakups, four fumbles recovered, two forced fumbles and an interception.
Over the past three seasons, Platte County has accrued a record of 36-3, having won the past 27 straight — the state’s longest active winning streak. This also marks the third-longest unbeaten stretch in program history and the most consecutive victories since the Pirates piled up 52 straight with the first 42 part of three straight unbeaten Class 3A/3 state titles.
Platte County (13-0) goes for a second straight Class 5 title in Friday’s Class 5 Show-Me Bowl against Carthage (12-1). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Spratt Stadium on the campus of Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph.
