Platte County forces 2 turnovers, finally records elusive shutout in romp over Truman

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Platte County’s defense finally produced an elusive shutout in utterly dominant fashion during Friday night’s 63-0 road victory in Independence.

Truman produced just 29 yards of offense and four first downs, while committing back-to-back turnovers directly resulting in two quick touchdowns that utterly derailed the Patriots’ first half. Pirates senior cornerback Mudiaga Egbedeju directly returned the first for 35 yards and the first touchdown of his career, while Caleb Hill’s fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff allowed the sophomore running back to plunge into the end zone three plays later to reward his special teams effort and cap off a 35-point first quarter.

Platte County scored all of the points in the first half of the lopsided Suburban Conference White Division matchup with the offense running just 22 total plays.

“We need more of those,” said Egbedeju, playing just his fourth game since earning eligibility after an offseason trip to visit family in the African county of Zambia kept him from achieving the required number of practices until before the Week 4 matchup with Washburn Rural (Kansas). “This isn’t really a good team, but we’re going to get more shutouts. I promise you that. We’re just going to work on that, keeping getting better every single week. We’re not satisfied on this right now.”

Extending the current winning streak to a state-best 21 games, Platte County (7-0) continues to rank No. 1 in the Class 5 Missouri media poll while garnering all nine first-place votes and extended the lead in the Class 5 District 8 standings over Rockhurst (6-1), which stayed in contention for the No. 1 seed with a comeback overtime victory over previously unbeaten Class 5A St. Thomas Aquinas (Kansas).

Continuing to build on the second-longest winning streak in program history, Platte County looked nearly flawless in the first half against Truman, save for a late lost fumble that prevented potentially adding to the already grandiose 63-point lead. The Pirates produced three one-play touchdown drives in addition to the defensive score.

Half of Truman’s first downs came in succession during a first quarter drive that neared midfield. Three plays after a 12-yard completion, the Patriots lost the football when senior running back Doral Thompson, Jr. dropped an option pitch from junior quarterback Maxmius Flanagan. Edgbedeju scooped up the bouncing loose ball in stride and raced 35 yards into the end zone for a touchdown to extend Platte County’s lead to 28-0 with 3 minutes, 4 seconds left in the first quarter.

“I was going to get that touchdown,” said Egbedeju, who finished with two tackles in his second straight start at cornerback.

Truman (2-5) didn’t have another first down until after halftime.

Platte County’s reserves played the entire second half and held the shutout this time. The Pirates have allowed just 86 points total in seven games, three times allowing just one fourth quarter touchdown in blowout wins. Limited snaps and deep secondary rotation have curtailed statistical numbers for the starters, and senior defensive end Cale Buntz, senior linebacker KJ Stallings and juniors safeties Devin Lumm and Maverick Troncin all finishing with just three tackles.

Buntz made two tackles for loss and Lumm one, while Troncin forced the fumble Hill recovered.

Platte County’s starting defensive backs were Egbedeju and junior Jordan Moore at corner and Lumm, senior Mogie Walkingstick (one tackle) and junior Matt Cisco (two tackles) at safety while senior cornerback Adeboye Akande (two tackles) and junior Jack Johnson (one tackle) and Troncin rotated in. Egbedeju opened at safety against Washburn Rural but continued to look more comfortable shifted back to the outside.

Egbedeju made a juggling interception while navigating the sideline in last week’s 49-7 win over Smithville and has made an immediate impact beyond the flashy plays since debuting in Week 4.

“I’m just glad to be back playing with the team,” Egbedeju said. “We can play better, you know what I’m saying? But it’s not all me. It’s everybody contributing like defensive line, linebackers, the whole secondary.”

Following Egbedeju’s defensive score, Thompson fumbled again returning the ensuing kickoff for Truman, and Hill recovered for Platte County at the Patriots 12. The Pirates scored three plays later with a 5-yard run from senior quarterback Rocco Marriott, 5 more from Hill and then his 2-yard touchdown run to extend the Pirates’ lead to 35-0 late in the first quarter.

Marriott totaled five touchdowns, throwing for four more to take his season total to 31 and adding a 17-yard scramble into the end zone for the game’s final points with 4:22 left in the first half.

Platte County senior running back Adam Gisler, starting for a second straight week after missing the majority of three games due to a shoulder injury, ran four times for 91 yards and two touchdowns, while Hill finished with three carries for 4 yards — the first two attempts on the short scoring drive and one for -4 yards early in the second half.

“We got (Hill) in at tailback, and he’s done a nice job so with an opportunity to get him into the end zone, we made sure to make that happen,” Platte County coach Bill Utz said. “We have so many talented kids that you want to keep that reward system around to pay them back. He’s a good player, and it was good to see him in (the end zone).”

Platte County’s four touchdowns in the second quarter came on a total of just six snaps.

Early in the second quarter, Marriott hit senior tight end Brooks Hall for an 8-yard gain, and fellow senior tight end Jack Utz rumbled 42 yards on a short tight end screen for a touchdown on the next play. The next two series were just one play on passes over the top — a 44-yard connection senior wide receiver Braiden Stevens on a record-setting play and a 62-yarder to senior wide receiver Ty Christopher on his only catch.

Stevens remains the only player to score a touchdown in every game this season for Platte County, and this one marked the 28th over the past three years and set a new program career record, breaking a tie with Aliek Reed (2012-2014) and Dylan Gilbert (2016-2018).

In addition to 44 yards rushing on just three attempts, Marriott finished 8 of 12 for 226 yards and continues to have more touchdown passes (31) than incompletions (30) on the season with an absurd 26.7 percent of his 116 completions going for scores. He upped his career total of touchdown passes to 95 and needs just five more to become the eighth 11-man player in Missouri history to hit 100.

Platte County has scored at least 46 points in every game this season and gone 54 or more five times.

“I mean it’s been really fun (to be a part of this offense),” said Platte County senior center Lucas Dillingham, who made his seventh career start for an offense averaging more than 56 points per game this season. “I love these guys. It’s fun to play with them. Just being out there with everybody, getting to experience that when we score — running down and celebrating with everybody.”

Dillingham and juniors Reece Moppin (right guard) and Cooper Koenigsfeld (right tackle) were Platte County’s newcomers up front this year, mixing in with second-year senior left guard Michael Poncavage and senior left tackle Quinn Lightle — a starter the majority of his four seasons. Poncavage missed one game this season due to a head injury, and freshman Jayden Horn started against Grain Valley and continues to receive rotational series at right guard with the unit at full health. The Pirates gained over 400 yards against Truman despite some short fields and limited possessions after halftime with a running clock.

Gisler provided a fast start, bursting 73 yards down the visitors sideline to put Platte County up 7-0 after just 16 seconds. He finished with 91 yards on just four attempts, adding a 1-yard score on the second possession after Marriott’s 27-yard completion to senior wide receiver Tres Baskerville came up just short of the end zone.

“I saw Adam break (that first one), and I was like, oh, he’s going to score,” Dillingham said. “He’s gotta score — right here. We opened the hole, and I’m like, oh, he’s gotta score.”

Platte County’s defense provided two initial three-and-outs, and the second resulted in the longest touchdown drive of the day in terms of plays. A 29-yard completion to Stevens, a 6-yard rush for senior reserve running back Zach Burch on one of his two carries and a 22-yard rush around left end for Marriott put the Pirates at the 3-yard line.

On the fourth play of the drive, Marriott started to scramble left before realizing he didn’t have an angle to the goal line. He stopped, spun around and whipped a 3-yard pass to Hall in the end zone for a 21-0 lead.

“Obviously, that’s a tremendous play,” Bill Utz said. “Then in the second quarter, he’s rolling out, and we have kids in a scramble situation to try and get open. You’re waiting for him to find a receiver open and then he just bursts in and scores. That athleticism and extra gear that he has makes him a really hard player to defend.”

Platte County only ran nine more offensive plays after that and scored 42 more points.

Stevens (73 yards), Jack Utz (53 yards) and Hall (11 yards) all made two catches, while Baskerville and Christopher finished with one apiece. Burch totaled 18 yards rushing, and junior kicker Sterling Wilson went a perfect 9-for-9 on extra points.

The question became could Platte County hold the shutout with the defensive tackle duo of senior Cole Johnson (one tackle) and junior Kyler Parker (one tackle and one pass defensed) plus Buntz and junior defensive end Brody Hawk starting to rotate out in favor of seniors Cooper Hammontree (three tackles) and JoJo Wolo (two tackles) and sophomore Miller Bigus (one tackle for loss). The Pirates also rested Stallings and junior linebacker Carlos Baskerville (two tackles) with junior Hank Fowler (four tackles, one for loss) and sophomore Boston Wasserman (two tackles) seeing extend action.

Platte County sophomore running back Cassius Guillory (three carries, 28 yards) and junior backup quarterback Brandon Reynolds (one carry, 4 yards) were the majority of the second half offense. Reynolds and sophomore quarterback Paxton Bennett also both threw an incompletion. The Pirates defense held up with senior Kyler Howren (three tackles) and sophomores Nolan Sipes (five tackles), Eric Dooley (three tackles), Zachaeus Paxton (one tackle) and Gunner Horn (one tackle) leading the reserve defensive backs, while junior defensive end Noah Omoike recorded a sack and sophomore Greyson Reik made one tackle.

“The challenge has been really the same challenge all year: go out and play to where we want to be and the standard we want to play at. And they’ve done that,” Bill Utz said. “They’ve done a nice job with that. We haven’t had a situation yet where I feel like we’ve played to another team’s standard. I’m definitely happy with that. The competitive nature of these kids come out, and it’s fun to watch.

“We had a decent week of practice, and so what we saw (against Truman), we kind of expected.”

Platte County’s first seven games have included four teams with winning records Grain Valley (5-2), Fort Osage (4-3), Washburn Rural (5-1) and Smithville (5-2), but Ruskin (2-5) awaits this week in the final home game of the regular season. The Eagles enter off of a 45-28 victory against winless Lone Jack, a Class 2 school.

Truman beat Ruskin 33-6 in Week 1.

Platte County needs two more wins to secure a second straight conference title but do close with resurgent Raytown (5-2) in Week 9. The Pirates have held a running clock at some point in 17 of the 21 games during the current winning streak that started with last year’s unbeaten Class 5 state championship season, including six so far this fall with Washburn Rural (60-28 victory) the lone exception).

“In practice, (coaches) have been pushing us hard, just to keep our minds up,” Dillingham said. “We’re just getting ready and staying at the same level, same standard all throughout the season.”

Rockhurst bounced back from a loss to Blue Springs but still must play Liberty North (4-3) and St. Louis University High School (7-0) with both games offering bonus points for the Class 6 opposition. The Hawklets, a traditional Class 6 power dropped down to a decline an enrollment, currently sits a healthy 3.21 points behind Platte County’s leading total of 50.77 in the Class 5 District 8 standings, but unbeaten finishes should see that margin tighten with the No. 1 seed eventually receiving a bye Halloween weekend and the opportunity to host the championship game, assuming advancement out of the semifinals.

In addition to the battle for the top two spots, Winnetonka (5-2) must try to hold the No. 3 spot while facing a tough closing stretch of Class 4 No. 1 Kearney (7-0) and Smithville with Fort Osage and St. Pius X (3-4) right behind. William Chrisman (2-5) and Truman (2-5) sit at No. 6 and No. 7, but Truman holds the head-to-head tiebreaker and would jump up a spot if the standings hold.

St. Pius X finished as district runnerup last season in a first season up at the Class 5 level but have faced a more difficult schedule after leaving the Midland Empire Conference. The Warriors have played four out-of-state teams and close with St. Pius X (Festus) (4-3) and Class 4-ranked Savannah (7-0) while trying to improve seeding while also having a Week 1 loss to Rockhurst by 30 points.