Platte County hosted the first athletics and activities signing ceremony Wednesday at Pirate Fieldhouse with 15 seniors included in the celebration. The group includes a multi-sport standout headed north for a Division I opportunity and the most decorated players in program history for girls golf, girls tennis and volleyball.

Kennady Carrel
There were multiple players from four different teams represented. A breakdown for each student-athlete, listed alphabetically, is below.
Kennady Carrel, softball, Kansas City (Kansas) Community College
One of two members of this year’s Class 4 District 8 finalist to sign, Carrel signed to continue her career at a junior college after appearing in seven games this past season. She collected seven walks and three hits in 19 plate appearances, finishing with a .526 on-base percentage, five runs scored and two RBIs while mostly appearing at second base.
Platte County went 20-8 overall but lost to Kearney in the district final for a third straight season. The Pirates won 12 of 14 games at one point to end up just short of the first playoff appearance since the current seniors were freshmen.
Wes Chiddix, baseball, Missouri Western

Wes Chiddix
Platte County’s signing class included four headed to play at the Division II school in St. Joseph. The quartet, including Chiddix, helped the Pirates overcome a 3-8 start to the 2024 season, eventually winning 17 of 20 and reaching the Class 5 District 8 championship game.
A right-handed pitcher, Chiddix appeared in six games with three starts as a junior. He accrued a 1-1 record and recorded one save with 22 strikeouts and nine walks and only five walks allowed in 15 innings. His 2.33 ERA ranked second on Platte County’s staff. He goes into this season as one of five returning pitchers who threw at least 13 innings last year.
Chiddix’s best game as a junior came in aw in over North Kansas City when he struck out 12 in seven innings of work while taking a no decision. That marked his final appearance of the season.
Dayton Doll, baseball, Missouri Western

Dayton Doll
Set to be a fourth-year starter on the infield, Doll made the Class 5 Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association all-state team as a junior. He led four selections for Platte County as a first-team honoree, the first players for the program to make the lists since the 2022 state championship season.
Doll started at second base as a freshman when Platte County won the Class 5 title, the second in program history and first since taking the Class 3A crown in 2022. He shifted over to spend the majority of his time at shortstop last season and anchored the middle of the Pirates’ lineup, posting team-highs in triples (three), runs (33) and stolen bases (29), finishing with a .374 batting average, a .496 on-base percentage and a .545 slugging percentages while racking up 12 extra-base hits — eight doubles and one home run — and driving in 18.
In addition, Doll appeared as a pitcher in each of his first three seasons. He brings back the most experience of the 10 returners with significant starting experience looking to lead Platte County back to the playoffs. The Pirates were one game under .500 in 2023 before losing to Kearney in last year’s district title game.

Ella Green
Ella Green, golf, Rockhurst
One of only two all-state players in program history, Green continues her decorated career at a Division II school in Kansas City. She tied with four others in 14th place at this past fall’s Class 3 MSHSAA Golf Championships with a two-day total of 83-84—167.
Green earned one of the final all-state spots (top 15 plus ties) a year after she tied for sixth with the two lowest scores in program history for an 18-hole round (76-71).
In 2022, Bailey Silcott become Platte County’s first all-state player. In that same Class 3 tournament, Green ended Day 1 in position to do the same but finished in a tie for 30th after tying for 25th as a freshman. She also ends her career as the second four-time state qualifier, joining 2024 graduate Lily Ricketts, in addition to winning two of the past three Suburban Conference White Division individual championships. She made the all-conference team in all four seasons, and her four all-district finishes went from ninth to fourth to tied for third and then second as a senior when she won four total tournaments.

Maggie McBratney
Green first set the program’s low-round mark and then lowered that multiple times, culminating in the first-round 71 at state as a junior.
Maggie McBratney, tennis, Webster
Having spent three years in the varsity lineup, McBratney became just the second in program history to qualify for the Class 2 MSHSAA Tennis Championships — joining older sister Molly McBratney — and earned the program’s first individual medal this past fall, finishing eighth. She became the first singles or doubles entrant to win a state match and ultimately ended up on the podium, going 2-3 over the two-day tournament.
Now headed to a Division III program in St. Louis, Maggie McBratney collected 43 total wins between doubles and singles as a senior, most in program history for a single season.
In 2023, McBratney played No. 2 singles on the first team for Platte County to reach the playoffs. The Pirates won the Class 2 District 8 title and lost to Thomas Jefferson Independent in the state quarterfinals.

Caden McGhee
Caden McGhee, football, William Jewell
A starter at points of the past three seasons, McGhee became one of two players to commit to Division II William Jewell in Liberty with plans to play for head coach Jason Ambroson, entering his second season after transitioning to college after a successful stint leading Smithville High School. He spent time at cornerback and safety as a sophomore and then played in only three full games as a junior before suffering a season-ending ACL tear while returning an interception during a Week 4 win over North Kansas City.
McGhee finished his career with 102 tackles (five for loss), five interceptions, three forced fumbles and a blocked kick. He earned first team All-Suburban Conference White Division and All-Class 5 District 8 honors as a senior with 62 tackles (two for loss), three interceptions, 2 1/2 sacks and two forced fumbles from his safety spot to help lead Platte County to a Class 5 state championship. His final interception came at a key juncture in the first half of the Class 5 Show-Me Bowl against Helias.
Ava Moffitt, volleyball, Nebraska Wesleyan

Ava Moffitt
Signed to the Division III school in Lincoln, Moffitt helped lead Platte County to the third team state trophy in program history this past fall with the Pirates finishing fourth in Class 4 after a fourth playoff berth in the past five seasons. After seeing limited action as a sophomore and junior, she became a versatile impact starter in her senior year and finished with 180 kills, a team-high 52 service aces, 373 digs and 15 blocks.
Platte County went 22-13-1 this past season, and the senior class captured a third Class 4 District 8 title in four seasons. Moffitt’s digs ranked second on the team and her kills were third for the Pirates, who replaced eight seniors from a 2023 roster that also produced a 22-win season and lost to St. Michael the Archangel in the state quarterfinals.
Moffitt set a career-high for kills in a match with 15 in the five-set Class 4 District 8 championship against Kearney, while putting up a season-best six aces in a conference win over Fort Osage.
Maddy Nickell, softball, Metropolitan Community College

Maddy Nickell
Nickell also goes to a junior college, this one located in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. She also appeared in seven games, mostly at first base, as a senior and finished with three hits and six walks in 15 plate appearances — good for a .600 on-base percentage and helping her score eight runs.
In addition, Nickell drove in a run in a win over William Chrisman, a week after she hit a double and scored twice against Raytown.
Platte County finished second in the Suburban Conference White Division standings behind Grain Valley but did earn a nine-inning win over the Class 5 Eagles just before the start of the postseason.
Karlee Riggs, volleyball, Carroll University

Karlee Riggs
A three-year starter, Riggs ends her career as the first and only three-time Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association (MHSVCA) all-state selection in Platte County history. She helped the Pirates to a third-place Class 4 state trophy as a sophomore in 2022 to match the program’s best-ever finish in 2020.
Riggs signed to play at the Division III school in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
A 5-foot-10 player with a versatile skill set, Riggs finishes as Platte County’s all-time leader in kills with 974, ranking in front of Kate Brown (893), Aly Anderson (811) and Kendall Johnson (806). Brown, Johnson and Bryn McGhee were the only other two-time MHSVCA all-state selections for the Pirates
Riggs posted Platte County single-season school records for most kills (430), most points (492) and most good attacks (1,063) in a season as a senior. She became the focal point of the Pirates’ offense and developed into a full-rotation player in wake of roster turnover and also contributed 40 service aces, 38 blocks (six solo) and 348 digs.

Bronson Ryan
In addition, Riggs also played a pivotal role in leading Platte County to Suburban Conference White Division titles in 2022 and 2023.
Bronson Ryan, baseball, Missouri Western
As a junior, Ryan started much of the season in left field and finished with a .231 batting average and .367 on-base percentage with two of his nine hits going for triples. He also walked five times and scored nine runs with seven RBIs, while striking out six times in 51 plate appearances.
Ryan’s best game came during Platte County’s March trip to Stillwater, Oklahoma, when he went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs in a 22-17 loss to the hosts. He goes into the spring as one of three outfielders experienced outfielders for the Pirates, who need to replace four-year starter Devin Wassmann in center field.
Addy Schlake, softball, North Dakota

Addy Schlake
A standout in basketball and track and field, Schlake earned a Division I scholarship to play first base for North Dakota through extensive outstanding play with her club team. Notably, she’s in the midst of a third season as a starting center on the basketball team, which went to the Class 5 District 8 title game in 2023 and won 20 games a year ago, and qualified for the Class 5 MSHSAA Track and Field Championships each of the past two springs in discus, an event where she set the school record as a junior.
Schlake played her first two seasons of softball at Platte County.
Darrell Smith, football, Truman State
A three-year starter and one of the program’s all-time leading tacklers, Smith became one of 10 players to earn a spot on the Class 5 Missouri Football Coaches Association (MFCA) all-state teams. He made the second team as a linebacker, although he profiled as an “in-the-box” safety as a senior.

Darrell Smith
Smith finished a decorated career with 248 tackles (28 for loss), six sacks, three fumbles forced, three fumbles recovered and two interceptions — the first returned for a touchdown as a junior in a blowout of William Chrisman to close the regular season. He played linebacker in his first two seasons with Platte County going 5-6 in 2022 and then reaching the Class 5 District 8 title game in 2023 before this year’s unbeaten season, the only one for an 11-man team in Missouri.
Consistently dynamic on defense and special teams, Smith recorded at least 77 tackles in each of his three seasons, totaling 82 as a senior — a team-best 16 for loss. He also added two forced fumbles while recovering two more to go with 1 1/2 sacks, an interception and a blocked kick. The interception came in a Class 5 state semifinal win over MICDS that sent the Pirates to their third state championship game appearance since 2020.
Smith’s career continues at the Division II school and member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference in Kirksville, Missouri.
Taylor Stambersky, baseball, Missouri Western

Taylor Stambersky
Stambersky rounds out the group of four from Platte County headed to play for his father Damian Stambersky, the second-year Missouri Western head coach.
Stepping into a starting role for Platte County as a junior, Taylor Stambersky opened the season at third base but shifted over to second in an infield shuffle of three all-state performers. He made honorable mention as a utility player after providing steady offensive production at the top of the Pirates’ lineup.
Stambersky finished tied with Doll for the team-lead in hits at 37, while topping all players to appear in at least 50% of games with a .402 batting average. He collected 35 singles, walked 10 times and scored 23 runs while driving in 16.
Lauren Stone, basketball, Clarke University

Lauren Stone
A third-year starter, Stone currently leads Platte County in scoring at 14.3 points per game with a team-high 30 3-point field goals. She also averages 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game with the Pirates currently 10-5 overall and a 5-1 record in Suburban Conference White Division play.
Stone received limited playing time as a freshman and showed a hint of her potential with 16 points in a December game against Lafayette (St. Joseph). She blossomed after Eric Mitchell took over as head coach ahead of the 2022-23 season, leading to the current resurgence.
After scoring in double figures five times as a sophomore, Stone’s production jumped to 10.8 points and 2.5 steals per game last season. She put up a career-high 25 in a win over St. Michael the Archangel in December of 2023, and the versatile 5-foot-10 guard has finished in double figures in 10 of 13 appearances so far as a senior.

Archie Wesley
Stone’s career continues next season a the NAIA school in Dubuque, Iowa.
Archie Wesley, football, William Jewell
Wesley provided solid contributions on Platte County’s defense as a sophomore and junior and found a home as an impact starter at defensive end as a senior. He earned second team all-conference honors after finishing with 43 tackles (12 1/2 for loss), 1 1/2 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovered for a unit that limited opponents to 21 points or fewer in all but two of 14 games. The Pirates held a running clock at some point in all but three games with the closest calls coming against Fort Osage (28-13 when the Indians scored a touchdown on the final play of regulation), St. Pius X (45-23 after putting in reserves with a 38-point lead and running clock in the third quarter) and MICDS (44-30 with a touchdown in the final minute of the fourth quarter).
In 2022 and 2023, Wesley spent time at both defensive line and linebacker for Platte County, and he finished his career with 84 tackles (13 1/2 for loss), two sacks, two fumbles recovered and one forced. His best game as a senior included three TFLs and a half sack in a dominant win over rival Grain Valley in Week 2.