Platte County appears to have settled on a top five that includes a promising freshman but now must build some consistency as the regular season winds toward a close.
On Wednesday, Park Hill put up a 177 to win the Battle of the Bragging Rights dual for a second straight year over Platte County, which shot 183 at Shiloh Springs Golf Course. The Pirates finished a stretch of three duals over the past week that saw up-and-down scores for individuals, and they finished fourth of four in the first, second out of three in the second and second in the only two-team competition.
Platte County enters the stretch run with senior third-year No. 1 Parker Amos the clear leader, but fellow senior Jackson Gabbert, sophomores Josh Knickman, Ben Gillilan and freshman Braden Hendee have all shown No. 2 potential. However, the Pirates have rarely had at least three players put up low scores during any one round.
Against Park Hill, Amos finished second to Park Hill’s Baker Fredal for medalist honors by two shots. However, Amos’ 41 plus Gabbert’s third-place 43 gave Platte County a shot. Instead, the Trojans had four players tie with matching 46s, while Hendee shot a 48 and Knickman a 51 to round out the team score.
To complicate matters, Platte County sophomore Josh Gentilia posted a 47 for the junior varsity on the same nine holes, while Gillilan posted a 52. The Pirates could shuffle again but have only consequential competitions left, starting with the Highway 92 Showdown against Smithville and Kearney on Wednesday with the Suburban Conference White Division Championships and Class 4 District 4 tournament the following two Mondays.
Platte County lost the Highway 92 Showdown last year but won the Blue Division conference title in 2022 before moving up a tier this season. Amos was the only player to qualify for the Class 3 Missouri State Golf Championships a year ago, and Gabbert is the only other player from the top five that competed at districts.
Smithville 174, Platte County 180, Oak Park 210
The Pirates received a preview of the Class 4 District 4 course playing Monday at on the Posse Course at Paradise Pointe Golf Complex in Smithville.
Amos (42) and Gabbert (43) again led the way, while Hendee (47) and Knickman (48) rounded out the team score, best of the three nine-hole rounds from the past week. Gillilan again played No. 5 with a 51.
Smithville is one of 15 teams in Class 4 District 4 with only the top two advancing guaranteed to advance four players to state.
Rockhurst 164, Staley 176, Liberty 178, Platte County 198
The Pirates stepped up to play some top competition last Thursday at Shoal Creek Golf Course in Kansas City.
Amos posted Platte County’s lowest score 42, but Knickman (50), Hendee (52) and Gabbert (53) were off the pace in what ended up a forgettable day in favorable weather conditions. The other three schools all play in Class 5.
