Platte County refused to throw in the towel, came up just short in district title game comeback bid

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — There were points in Friday’s Class 5 District 8 championship game when Platte County could have accepted a disappointing but seemingly inevitable fate.

Grain Valley built a three-score halftime lead behind a trio of touchdown runs from star senior running back Ty Williams in what felt like a familiar script from the matchup between the two teams earlier this season. Instead, the youthful Pirates scored on four straight possessions to start the second half, took a lead and positioned themselves for a memorable comeback — intent on playing for the moment while perhaps unknowingly further cementing a promising future.

Ultimately, Grain Valley kicked a go-ahead field goal and survived for a 27-25 victory, although the eventual playoff-clinching district championship plaque presentation felt like just as much relief as celebration.

On the other end of the field at Grain Valley High School, Platte County (9-3) celebrated the commitment of 12 seniors who led a path that extended further than many expected. The Pirates returned to a district title game coming off the program’s first losing season in a decade and did so while turning to a strong contingent of sophomores and juniors in key spots.

“Across the board, we got better,” Platte County coach Bill Utz said. “As I mentioned to them at the end, it’s easy to have a big senior class, and this is my senior year and it’s based on seniors. They didn’t have that luxury. They had to find their spots. That’s hard to do sometimes as a senior and relinquish some of that attention and notoriety. They all realized in order to be successful they had to do that. That can be humbling, but they were willing to sacrifice and we will be able to pull lessons from this for years to come.”

Platte County sophomore quarterback Rocco Marriott threw a touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Braiden Stevens on the first possession of the third quarter and added two short scores on the ground to help put the Pirates ahead 25-24 with 8 minutes, 42 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Grain Valley showed vulnerability after Williams seemed to injure his knee on back-to-back plays late in the second quarter on a drive that ended with a short Ben Drinkwater field goal that increased Platte County’s deficit to 24-0. With Williams clearly not at full strength after halftime, the Eagles were stopped on three straight drives that provided an opening.

However, a combination of missed opportunities early, an untimely turnover in the second quarter and chasing points with two-point conversion attempts due to the mathematics involved with potentially limited possessions after halftime ultimately ended up preventing Platte County from earning the program’s first playoff berth since 2020. The Eagles answered the Pirates’ go-ahead touchdown with a drive leading to Drinkwater’s 22-yard kick that ended up as the game-winner.

Platte County twice held possession with a chance to take the lead, but those drives ended with a turnover on downs and an interception on a deep shot from Marriott with under a minute to play.

“We’ve seen games like this before. We’ve seen situations where we’ve been down big and are able to come back and get those wins,” Utz said. “We had the blueprint for them. We explained it exactly: we’re going to go down and score, get a stop, and so on and so forth. It fell right in place. The kids did a great job. Just turned out to be too big of a hole.”

In addition to trailing 24-0 at halftime, Platte County’s defense went into the game minus standout senior defensive end Tucker McDowell, who suffered a concussion on the final play of the previous week’s Class 5 District 8 semifinal win over Fort Osage. The Pirates completely reconfigured the look of the defense in his absence while also trying to slow down Williams, who totaled more than 400 yards of offense and six touchdowns in the earlier meeting between the two teams — a 45-24 win for Grain Valley.

Add in that Platte County gained just over 100 yards of offense in the first half, and the task looked daunting.

Marriott completely turned around his performance in the second half, completing four straight passes to start the third quarter in what became a 67-yard touchdown drive for Platte County. He hit sophomore running back Adam Gisler for 18 yards on the first play, and sophomore tight end Jack Utz (16 yards) and sophomore wide receiver Tres Baskerville (11 yards) set the Pirates up with first and 10 at the 11.

On the next play, Marriott worked to his left and hit sophomore wide receiver Braiden Stevens in the end zone. He extended one arm out to snare the pass and haul in the highlight-reel touchdown to pull Platte County within 24-6 with 8:46 left in the third quarter.

“Great catch, one-handed. Amazing catch,” Bill Utz said. “He’s a great player. It’s just a big play and everybody’s fired up. It makes us believe; it makes the other team doubt.”

However, Platte County went for a two-point conversion and the pass fell incomplete, leaving the deficit at three possessions. The math changed just three plays later when Grain Valley senior quarterback Sal Caldarella and Williams fumbled an exchange on third and 1, and Pirates junior linebacker Trevor Hay (team-leading 10 tackles), who did not play in the first game between the two teams due to a broken wrist that kept him out from Week 2 to Week 7, fell on the loose ball at the Eagles’ 20.

Two plays later, Gisler scored on a 12-yard run, but Grain Valley sacked Marriott on the two-point try to keep the lead at 24-12.

With the deficit trimmed, Platte County’s running game found footing in the second half. The Pirates started the same five offensive linemen in every game this season, although the alignment of senior left tackle Muyonta Maxwell, junior left guard Drew Doll, junior center Riley Hixson, senior right guard Becker Grego and senior right tackle Gage Fulk debuted in a Week 5 loss to OaK Park. Starting in that game, sophomore Quinn Lightle, a starter most of of his freshman year, started rotating in at both guard and tackle after returning from a knee injury to form a a six-player unit.

Gisler finished with 70 yards on just 12 carries, while Marriott complemented his 16-of-29 passing line for 206 yards passing with 51 yards rushing on 16 attempts, which include sacks.

“We got the offensive line fixed a little bit at halftime, continued to get those guys mentally confident,” Bill Utz said. “(Adam and Rocco) are really good athletes — tough, tough-minded kids. It shows how good the whole group can be to forget the tough start behind and start over.”

Following Gisler’s touchdown run, Grain Valley averted further trouble by recovering a fumble on the kickoff return but also quickly went three-and-out.

Platte County junior linebacker Cobe Pollard (eight tackles plus one for loss) sacked Caldarella on third down to force a punt, and Marriott overcame a first-down sack with a 43-yard completion down the visitor’s sideline for a 43-yard gain to senior wide receiver Dawson Mizell on second-and-17. An 11-yarder from Marriott to junior wide receiver Lane Webb set up a third-and-1 that Gisler converted with a 10-yard dash up the middle to put the Pirates at the 1.

Marriott sneaked in from 1 yard out on the next snap, and an extra point from sophomore kicker Jackson Goodale closed the gap to 24-19 with 2:14 still on the clock in the third quarter.

“We were right there and had all the momentum,” Bill Utz said.

While the offense put up the points, Platte County needed the defense just as much to in the comeback effort.

Grain Valley (10-1) ended up with a season-low in points scored despite 286 yards rushing on 26 attempts for Williams, who gutted his way to 84 in the second half despite the apparent knee injury. In wake of season-ending injuries to juniors Caden McGhee (torn ACL) and Taylor Stambersky (broken leg) plus senior Ayden Watts (broken leg) in the secondary, the Pirates moved sophomore Ty Christopher (two tackles) to cornerback for the first time this year opposite of senior Jordan Burnett (six tackles), while junior Montez Clemons (six tackles) played the lone safety spot.

That left senior nose tackle Kameron Doyle (four tackles) on Platte County’s defensive line with junior defensive ends Jordan Miller (three tackles plus two for loss) and Archie Wesley (one tackle) while Pollard, Hay, junior Darrell Smith (nine tackles plus two for loss and four quarterback pressures) and senior Seth Martin (two tackles) rotated looks in the versatile linebacking corps. In addition, Pirates sophomore Cale Buntz returned the to the starting lineup and posted seven tackles plus (one for loss), while sophomore Cooper Hammontree provided a key third-down stop on a tackle for loss in a brief cameo at defensive end while Wesley moved back to replace Smith for one snap in the second half while he dealt with a cramp.

“They’ve got a lot of heart, play with a lot of effort and just fight and claw,” Utz said. “Super proud of the defense. I can’t say much more.”

Grain Valley’s initial first down of the second half came on a 35-yard completion to senior Peyton Woodrome from Caldarella, who finished just 8 of 19 for 96 yards. However, four plays later on fourth and 7, Clemons came across the middle to lay out Eagles senior wide receiver Noah Olah as he attempted to make a catch over the middle.

Platte County took over at its own 26 and covered more than half of the 74 yards needed for a go-ahead score in just two snaps — gaining 5 on an offsides then 14 on a completion to Mizell and 24 on a run from Gisler. The final six plays of the touchdown drive were runs from Marriott and Gisler plus two more penalties on the Eagles.

A 12-men-on-the-field flag set up Marriott’s 2-yard run around right end into the end zone to put Platte County ahead 25-24. Due to the earlier failed conversions, the Pirates again went for two, and Marriott’s pass fell incomplete leaving the lead at a tenuous one point with plenty of time left on the clock.

A Grain Valley crowd silenced and in shock at the swift turnaround then came to life as Williams came up with a 10-yard run, converted a third and short and then broke off a 28-yard contact-laden gain to set up a first and goal at the 7. He then briefly exited, and junior reserve running back DJ Harris went back 6 yards on the next play. Williams ran for 8 on second down, but Smith chased Caldarella while he rolled to the right and forced an incompletion on third down that set up Drinkwater’s 22-yard field to put the Eagles back in front at 27-25 with 4:42 left in regulation.

At that point, the three unsuccessful two-point conversions loomed large.

“At the time, you’re looking at a math equation,” Bill Utz said. “You’re playing for points because you don’t know for sure how many times they’re going to score. You go for two because you score three times and get the twos, you’re tied. That’s simple math. You can look at that any way you want, but if we could all see in hindsight, we’d all look smart, but I would go do it again. I’d do the exact same thing again. It was the right thing to do. It puts us in the best spot to be successful, and we’ll always do that.”

Platte County quickly punted but came up with one more defensive stand.

Williams ran for 7, but Buntz brought Caldarella down for an 8-yard loss on a second-down keeper play that put Grain Valley in third-and-long. Initially, the Eagles converted only to have a holding penalty wipe out the gain, and Smith made a stop to force one last punt.

Platte County took over with just over 2 minutes left at its own 14. Marriott scrambled for 8 and was sacked for a 4-yard loss to set up third and 6. On that snap, he lofted a contested pass for Mizell that resulted in the apparent game-ending interception for senior cornerback Braylon Harden. However, a pass interference kept the drive alive.

On the next play with under a minute left, Marriott threw down the middle for Baskerville into double coverage, and Grain Valley junior safety Aaron Barr picked him off again — this time with no flags. The Eagles took a knee on the final two snaps to preserve the two-point victory.

“The kids believe in us, believed in the coaches, and they started believing in each other when they were out here,” Bill Utz said. “The momentum gets going, and we had all the momentum, get the lead and they do a good job of flipping the field and get close enough to get a field goal. We had chances, just came up short.”

Grain Valley started fast just as in the regular season matchup between the two teams. However, the Eagles came out and tossed to Williams on the opening play of the game, allowing him to loft a pass that found a wide-open receiver, who dropped the ball. He only carried the ball four times out of nine plays on a 67-yard touchdown drive but finished the march with an 8-yard run into the end zone.

Countering the stacked box from Platte County, Grain Valley looked determined to give Caldarella an opportunity to establish additional threats and ease the focus on Williams.

“Williams is a great player, and they have a good offense. They really do,” Bill Utz said.

Platte County actually held possession three times while down just 7-0, and that included Doyle forcing a fumble Miller recovered to end Grain Valley’s second possession. The Pirates started at their own 42 but committed two penalties that ultimately led to a punt after just three snaps.

A fourth straight Grain Valley drive that didn’t result in points provided another potential opportunity. However, Baskerville muffed a punt that the Eagles recovered at the 12.

Williams ran into the end zone on the next play to extend the lead to 14-0 with 8:33 left before halftime. Platte County then went three-and-out and punted the ball back, and Williams burst through the middle of defense for a 79-yard score on the next snap, giving Grain Valley touchdowns on back-to-back offensive plays and suddenly led 21-0.

“This game has a lot of momentum to it, and we could not ever gain that momentum or get ourselves going,” Bill Utz said. “They pretty much controlled the first half. That’s how crazy and fast it can go. It was a frustrating first half for sure.”

Back-to-back false starts contributed to a third straight three-and-out from Platte County, and Grain Valley promptly moved down to the Pirates’ 1 and were in position to essentially put the game away. Instead, Smith knifed in on the next play and stopped Williams for a 2-yard loss. He then hobbled to the sideline, and on second down, Caldarella threw an incomplete pass.

Williams came back on for third and goal from the 3, and Smith tackled him again on what ended up a fake that again left the bruising running back in obvious pain, while Clemons helped for Caldarella out of bounds for a 3-yard loss.

Drinkwater converted the 28-yard field goal to make the score 24-0, and Platte County’s final drive of the second quarter ended with Marriott throwing an interception in the end zone on third and long with under a minute left in the second quarter. Williams came out after halftime and tested the leg, eventually opting to play but without the same burst that caused so many problems for the Pirates for the majority of the first six quarters they played against Grain Valley this season.

Marriott rebounded in the second half and ended up turning in two of his best performances in his first year as Platte County’s starter in the final two games. He spread his 16 completions between six receivers — Mizell (five catches, 111 yards), Webb (three catches, 33 yards), Stevens (three catches, 19 yards), Gisler (two catches, 16 yards), Jack Utz (one catch, 16 yards) and Baskerville (one catch, 11 yards). The Pirates were the first team to put up more than 24 points on Grain Valley’s defense since Week 3.

Williams came up with just enough yards and touchdowns to extend Grain Valley’s season into a Friday night road trip for a Class 5 quarterfinal at Webb City (9-2).

Platte County came up just short of extending the career of the 11 seniors — the majority playing a major role in a resurgent season. The Pirates went to back-to-back state title games in 2019 and 2020 that resulted in losses to Webb City (Class 4) and Jackson (Class 5) before reaching the Class 5 District 8 title game the following season.

However, Platte County’s streak of seven straight years of reaching at least the district title game ended last year in a 5-6 campaign, the Pirates’ first losing record since 2013. That set up obvious questions and the possibility of enduring another transition season as the youth gained experience.

Instead, Platte County opened with back-to-back rivalry game victories over Kearney (10-2, Class 4 playoff qualifier) and Smithville (9-2) as part of a 3-0 start. The Pirates then endured back-to-back losses to Grain Valley and Class 6 quarterfinalist Oak Park (11-0) before reeling off a six-game winning streak that culminated with an exciting triumph to Fort Osage to earn a berth in the district title game — perhaps a year ahead of schedule based on some expectations.

The loss to Grain Valley ultimately decided the Suburban Conference White Division title and the Class 5 District 8’s top seed, and the Eagles managed to escape the rematch, as well.

Almost incredibly, only sophomores factored into Platte County’s first 18 touchdowns of the season until Webb caught a score from Marriott in the second half of a Week 6 win against Raytown. Marriott, Gisler, Baskerville, Jack Utz, Christopher and tight end Brooks Hall were all immediate impact players while Lightle, Buntz and even Goodale ended up in prominent spots by season end.

That group of sophomores made up the core of this year’s roster along with the junior class, especially those making up the bulk of the starting defense.

But the true growth for Platte County came from the top down with the seniors providing leadership and allowing their younger teammates to thrive. This contributed to immediate success in addition to honoring the Pirates’ longstanding tradition.

“We have a decent track record of district championship games, at least getting to that point,” Bill Utz said. “Obviously, we want to win these games, but getting here is kind of the low expectation. It’s the expectation to get here and then see what happens. We fell short of that a year ago, and these guys righted the ship and had a great season. We won some nice games. We corrected a lot of things and had some growing pains along the way, but to get to this point, gosh. We dug a hole to start the game, but their fight and their resolve to get back in the game is nothing short of amazing. They did a great job. I couldn’t be more proud.”

Maxwell, Fulk and Grego became anchors of an offensive line that quickly went from question mark to strength while blocking for Gisler, who ended up with 1,254 yards rushing (the ninth-best single season total in program history) after taking over as starter when junior Dayton Doll went down with a season-ending shoulder injury midway through a Week 1 win over Kearney.

Maxwell was a four-year contributor and three-year starter, while Grego went from rotational as a junior to 12 starts as a senior. Fulk oscillated between tight end, offensive line, defensive line and back to offensive line days before the start of this season due to Lightle’s knee injury.

Mizell battled through injuries as a junior and a three-game absence for disciplinary reasons to start his senior campaign to be the most productive receiver over the past two years. He recorded three touchdowns in a win over Belton and two in the district semifinal victory over Fort Osage.

After an injury-riddled start to his career, McDowell piled up 31 tackles (plus a team-high 15 for loss), three sacks, two forced fumbles, two more recovered and an interception before being forced to sit out the final game. Markus Delfin joined him as a reserve defensive lineman who provided needed depth as injuries piled up.

A transfer from Northland Christian, Martin played on junior varsity as a junior due to Missouri State High School Activities Association restrictions but became an immediate impact player on the defense (43 tackles, eight more for loss, 2 1/2 sacks and six pass breakups). Burnett started the majority of his final two years and all of this season at cornerback and tied for the team-lead in interceptions (four) and returned two for scores — one each in regular season games against Raytown and William Chrisman.

Savion Jones, a reserve cornerback, saw limited action but recorded a pick in the Class 5 District 8 first-round win over Raytown.

Watts (broken leg in second game with Raytown), Kevin Taylor (ankle injury in Week 5) and Quincy Moreau (torn ACL preseason) all finished the year on crutches.

A transfer from Texas, Watts in particular became a key contributor in wake of McGhee’s torn ACL on an interception return in a Week 3 win against North Kansas City. Watts also notched four interceptions in his only season at Platte County, returning one for a score in a win over Belton.

With restored expectations and confidence, the seniors will ultimately have played a big part in any of Platte County’s successes over the next two years. They were intent on winning now — no excuses about youth and inexperience — and provided a followable example for the underclassmen intent on using this disappointment to fuel deeper postseason runs.

“This program’s not based on one team,” Bill Utz said. “You get a different team every year, but the program is based on games like this and seniors like this that give a tremendous amount of effort, continue traditions, set standards and are good leaders for those around them. Every single one of them is a good example we can learn from moving forward.”