Both of Platte County’s doubles teams in the Class 2 MSHSAA Tennis Championships individual tournament played in lengthy, competitive matches but ended up on the wrong side of the decisive results this past weekend at Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield. Ultimately, the Pirates didn’t have a medalist at state for the first time since 2022, but the four first-time qualifiers gained valuable experience at the top level likely beneficial to the rest of this season and next.
Platte County junior Mitchel McBratney and sophomore Jackson Kluck went 1-2 in the bracket, while juniors Wyatt Beeson and Jacoby Keith lost both matches.
“We’ve been very fortunate the last couple of years to bring some really experienced guys to the state tournament who walked away with state medals, so I know the guys were a little disappointed that we didn’t bring any home this year,” Platte County coach Zach Keith said. “But at the same time, we were incredibly proud of the way they represented our team, our school, and our community at the state level. All of them will be back next year, and I’m sure their desire to improve in order to make those state medals a reality is only growing because of this experience.”
In Friday’s first round, Platte County split a pair of matches against twin tandems.
McBratney and Kluck — the Class 2 District 8 champions — were a dominant 6-0, 6-3 winner over Central (Cape Girardeau) seniors Bruce and William Miller to move one win away from a guaranteed state medal. Beeson and Keith dropped a match by the same score to Warrensburg seniors Oliver and Nick Staab.
Platte County’s remaining three matches all went to third-set tiebreakers.
Beeson and Jacoby Keith’s tournament ended with a 7-6 (2), 4-6, 10-6 loss to Branson senior Tyler Borger and junior Pierson Dean, while McBratney and Kluck moved to the consolation side of the bracket unable to capitalize on winning the first set against Ladue Horton Watkins seniors Aiden Qian and Sanjay Adireddi, who came back for a 6-7 (2), 6-3, 10-6 victory. McBratney and Kluck came back Saturday morning and dropped a consolation quarterfinal to Poplar Bluff seniors William Sherrill and Beau McCormack.
Impressively, the Staab brothers went on to place fourth, while McBratney and Kluck’s losses were to the third-place team (Qian/Adireddi) and sixth-place team (Sherrill/McCormack).
“It was really fun for me to see these guys getting to compete against the best the best teams in the state,” Zach Keith said. “There was a moment late Friday afternoon when both doubles teams were playing on side-by-side courts. Both matches were incredibly competitive, and the level of tennis was very high. All of our parents, a few players, and just some casual fans were there supporting both teams as they tried to pull off upsets. The atmosphere was incredible for a high school tennis match.
“And the whole time I was just thinking, ‘How lucky am I that I get to be the coach of these great players fighting with everything they have in the state tournament right next to each other?’ We lost both of those matches in heartbreaking fashion, and the guys were crushed, but I think everyone that got to witness those matches would tell you that it was an unforgettable tennis experience that we were all thankful to be a part of.”
Platte County earned both state doubles bids out of Class 2 District 8 for the second time, last doing so in 2023. The Pirates have sent at least two individual entrants to state in each season since 2022.
The attention now turns to this week’s Class 2 MSHSAA Tennis Championships team placement matches. The Pirates have advanced to the semifinals for the third straight season, having won the Class 2 District 8 championship each of the past four years.
Platte County (16-9) finished second in 2024 and placed fourth last season. The Pirates advanced back to the semifinals with a 5-1 win over Lebanon in last week’s quarterfinal matchup.
Also played at Cooper Tennis Complex, Platte County faces Father Tolton Catholic (19-2) in a Class 2 semifinal, while the matchup on opposite side of the bracket pits Ladue Horton Watkins (14-2) against Warrensburg (14-2). Winners advance to the championship later in the day to be played at the same time as the third-place match between the losers.
