Nothing about Platte County’s recent history should be considered “normal.”
Platte County senior forward Aaron Cordova dribbles the ball during a Class 3 quarterfinal against Grain Valley in 2019. Cordova transferred away after that season but returns this year for a final go-round with the Pirates.
In 2019, the program made an inspired and somewhat surprising run to the Class 3 state title game, nearly pulling a monumental upset of Rockwood Summit before ultimately settling for a runnerup finish with an overtime loss. The Pirates followed that with an 11-6 campaign shortened by COVID-19 that setup last season’s 20-4 record behind 12 experienced seniors.
However, Platte County experienced injuries and more COVID-19 absences in the final stretch, ultimately bowing out in the Class 3 District 8 championship game with a loss to Guadalupe Centers.
Don’t expect any normalcy this season either with the Pirates set to replace the entire defensive backline and goalkeeper but returning a talented group of midfielders and forwards. Oh, and Aaron Cordova — a starter at forward as a freshman phenom in 2019 on the first team in program history to earn a state team trophy — has transferred back and bolsters the attack options.
“This year we will be looking to fill gaps,” said Platte County veteran coach Ashlyn Brantley, who enters the season with a 192-121-1 career record and will likely earn her 200th career victory before the end of September. “I believe our keys to success will first be to make sure we are all on the same page and mesh well together in our defensive shape. We have some experienced attackers, so we expect to see some good things from them. Finishing will be very important as it always is.”
Cordova will be the last starter from Platte County’s second-place Class 3 team left, but Joseph Ibarra, who appeared as a reserve, will also be back after missing the closing stretch last season. He is looking at a shift from the midfield to defense, but exactly where he fits remains to be seen. That’s because the Pirates went to a three-man backline last season but then lost the experienced trio of all-conference performers in Spencer Hay, Isaac Havemeier and Sawyer Allen.
In addition, Platte County must replace the production of two-year starter Patrick Sullivan at goalkeeper. The defense allowed just nine goals in all of 2021 (0.4 per game) with 18 clean sheets as the Pirates completed just the second 20-win season in program history and shared the Suburban Conference Blue Division title with Smithville.
Brantley expects, Ibarra, senior Mark Wieshan, junior Daniel Bunge and freshmen Jackson Goodale and Cameron Habel to be the main options at defender, but the starting lineup will depend on if the formation involves a a four- or three-man backline. Habel could also play in the defensive midfield to help replace the steady presence of graduated senior Luke Bunge, a key engine for the Pirates for four years.
The goalkeeper spot is to be determined, and Brantley has never hesitated to go with a two-man rotation.
Platte County also brings back a slew of other midfielders including starters in senior Felix Victore and junior Connor Currence plus key reserves in juniors AJ Schrick and Ahoy Victore. The options at forward include Cordova, a likely starter, plus all-conference junior Gavin Nichols, who enjoyed a breakout campaign as a sizable target up front as a sophomore. Cordova started and starred for the Pirates in his only season there before transferring away to St. Louis for the past two years.
Other midfielders ready to receive additional time include sophomores Julian Nemeth and Jack Klippenstein.
Last year’s midfield starters included 2019 holdovers in Bunge, Nathan Macaluso and Calvin Forrester, while Platte County must also replaced scrappy starting forward Palmer Boekhout plus reserve midfielders Cody Green, Tyler Bean, Jake Kingery and Mitchell Kelley played key roles off the bench while being forced into more prominent roles due to injuries and COVID protocols in the final seven games of the 2021 season.
“We are lucky enough to have so many returning players even though we lost quite a few, as well,” Brantley said. “With that, we have some experience, depth and leadership. I’m looking forward to seeing how our newcomers contribute to the line up. It should be another competitive season.”
Platte County was more than competitive last season with the only regular season losses to Park Hill South and Olathe North in South’s Panther Classic and a defeat at home to Smithville that forced a split of the conference title. The Pirates came back to dramatically oust Smithville in the district semifinals before dropping the title game 3-1 to fourth-seeded and upset-minded Guadalupe Centers.
With all the recent success, Platte County beefed up the schedule this season not only with a move the Suburban Conference White Division, which includes Belton, Grain Valley, Raytown and William Chrisman, but also by entering the Park Hill Kickoff Classic to start the season pre-Labor Day.
