Platte County finished second in last Saturday’s Tiger Invitational at Smith-Cotton Invitational in Sedalia. The Pirates notched four event victories in the final large meet tuneup ahead of this week’s Suburban Conference White Division Championships.
Platte County junior Deacon Gutshall swims in the 500-yard freestyle last Saturday during the Tiger Invitational at Smith-Cotton High School in Sedalia.
In a big shift from most of the normal teams seen on the schedule, Platte County racked up 286 points and finished just 14 back of team champion Monett. There were 13 teams in the field with majority from the central and southern portions of the state.
Platte County put up minimal new Class 1 MSHSAA State Swimming and Diving Championships qualifying consideration cuts but showed the high-end talent at the top of the roster. In addition to closing with a victory in the 400-meter freestyle relay, the Pirates also saw junior stars Deacon Gutshall (500 freestyle) and Palmer Keith (100 butterfly) plus emerging sophomore Jack Hokanson (200 individual medley) win individual events.
Keith and Gutshall always have potential to sweep their two individual events, but Missouri Military Academy senior Tiago Russ Deluca kept them from more wins at the Tiger Invitational. He won both the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly, setting a season-best in both and posting top-10 Class 1 times in the process.
Platte County sophomore Jack Hokanson competes in the 500-yard freestyle during the Tiger Invitational last Saturday at Smith-Cotton High School in Sedalia.
However, Keith topped a field of 20 in the 100 breaststroke (1 minute, 2.90 seconds), while finishing third in the 100 butterfly. Continuing a focus on long-distance freestyle, Gutshall turned in a solid 4:47.25 in the 500 to win by more than 33 seconds with Hokanson in third at 5:21:42 — a new consideration cut for him. He now ranks No. 52 in Class 1, but could have a pathway to Class 1 state with swimmers limited to a maximum of two individual events.
Gutshall, who finished second in the 200 freestyle (1:47.23) to Deluca, took that route to gain individual experience his freshman season and eventually changed the trajectory of his career. Hokanson also has state cuts in the 200 IM — an event he won last Saturday in 2:12.84, just off his season-best of 2:11.66 that ranks him No. 62 — and the 100 butterfly (No. 48).
Platte County also continues to group Keith, Gutshall and Hokanson with junior Cobie Parkin on the preferred relays. That quartet finished the 400 freestyle relay in 3:39.99 to beat Warrensburg by nearly a full 10 seconds and fourth in the 200 freestyle (1:40.34).
Parkin also placed fourth in the 200 freestyle (2:11.15) and fifth in the 100 butterfly (1:06.19).
Platte County junior Cobie Parkin competes in the 200-yard freestyle during the Tiger Invitational last Saturday at Smith-Cotton High School in Sedalia.
On a roster with no seniors, Keith, Gutshall, Parkin and Hokanson provide optimism Platte County might be able to repeat as conference champions. However, the Pirates likely need at least one relay victory and some potential breakout performances from the more inexperienced part of the roster this Friday and Saturday at Belton High School.
Platte County’s depth and a bunch of time drops created the path to last year’s White Division crown — first for the Pirates since taking the Blue Division crown in 2014 —when Raytown finished a distant second. A thinner and more experienced group chases the repeat.
Keith is Platte County’s only returning individual conference champion, having swept the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke as a sophomore in addition to a Blue Division title in the 200 IM as a freshman. The Pirates also won the 200 and 400 freestyle races in 2022.
Platte County Pentangular
Platte County sophomore Landon Steffel starts a race during the Tiger Invitational last Saturday at Smith-Cotton High School in Sedalia.
At home for the final time this season, Platte County finished second in a field that also included Savannah, Central (St. Joseph), Smithville and Union Star last Tuesday at Platte County Community Center North.
Overall, Platte County won five of 11 events overall but again showed the limited depth to the roster in coming in behind Savannah, which also recently won the Platte County Invitational. Gutshall (500 freestyle) and Keith (50 freestyle in state consideration time of 23.43) swam only one individual event each, as the Pirates took a look at the preferred lineup in all three relays.
Platte County finished first with the team of Keith, Gutshall, Parkin and Hokanson in the 200 medley (1:46.79, just off a season-best), 200 freestyle (1:36.84) and 400 freestyle (3:37.34) relays. Parkin added a fourth-place finish in the 100 butterfly with a season-best of 1:04.58, while Hokanson placed second in the 100 freestyle in his only individual event, nearly adding a state consideration cut with a season-low 53.34.
Dylan Smith, a Platte County junior, produced a career-best 1:22.11 in the 100 breaststroke to finish third, and sophomore Landon Steffel also lowered his marks in the 50 freestyle (fifth, 27.33) and 100 freestyle (fourth, 1:01.03).
