Platte County didn’t shy away from expectations this season, and the potential of an experience, talented lineup might not be any more evident that what the Pirates showed this past week. They capped a trip to the southwest part of the state with a team championship in the Branson Doubles Invitational on Friday in Branson.
In a six-team field, Platte County went 4-0-1 in duals and 18-2 in individual matches, ultimately besting the hosts on the second tiebreaker — games won. There were flights, and the Pirates finished top two in all of them.
Platte County seniors Jack Forrest and Nathan Vanek led the way in A doubles. They have played in the No. 1 spot for most the young season and hav enow eight matches in a row. The D doubles team of juniors Quentin Miller and Aaron Vaughan received their varsity debut action on the trip and also took first. Their 6-1 triumph over Branson proved integral in the plus-two margin of victory in games won.
The teams of junior No. 1 Gavin Nichols and senior Mason McBratney (B) and senior Jaron Cook and sophomore Jack Bralley (C) both took second for Platte County. Their lone losses came to Branson resulting in the 2-2 dual split between the two teams.
Nichols/McBratney and Cook/Bralley both have 10-3 records on the season, meaning all three of the current Platte County doubles pairings have the same mark at this point in the season. The Pirates were dominant in sweeps of Joplin, Hillcrest, West Plains and New Covenant.
“This tournament was not only great because of the tennis, but it was a ton of fun with plenty of opportunities for team bonding,” Platte County coach Zach Keith said. “Lots of laughter and lots of really good tennis will hopefully keep this very talented group energized for the last three weeks of the regular season as we prepare for (Class 2 District 8).”
Platte County 8, Branson 1; Platte County 8, Carthage 1
As a part of the road trip, Platte County dominated a pair of duals Thursday in Carthage.
Platte County actually swept the doubles matchups with Branson in the tournament preview, but Branson played without its Nos. 2 and 5 players due to a schedule conflict. Forrest and Vanek needed a tiebreaker to topple Branson No. 1 Nathan Bartram and Ben Merrifield 9-8 (7-2), and Platte County’s lone loss came at No. 1 with Nichols dealing with a minor injury and cramps.
Bartram prevailed 9-8 (7-1).
“This match had a ton of big moments and some really good performances,” Keith said.
Notably, Bralley and Cook were dominant at No. 3 doubles in an 8-1 victory to put Platte County up 1-0 early. Vanek recorded the largest margin of victory in singles with an 8-2 win at No. 3, while McBratney (No. 5) and Cook (No. 6) were 8-3 winners.
In the nightcap, Platte County again swept doubles with Bralley and Cook maintaining momentum with a 7-6 (7-2) win at No. 3 doubles. Nichols came back from the earlier loss with an 8-4 triumph at No. 1, while Forrest (8-2), Vanek (8-2), McBratney (8-1) and Cook (8-6) also recorded singles victories.
Platte County 6, Liberty North 3
The Pirates have won four straight dual overalls, including Tuesday’s road win over a Class 3 foe in Liberty.
Liberty North trailed 2-1 coming out of doubles and managed a pair of singles win in what ended up a highly competitive dual. Platte County dominated at No. 1 doubles with Forrest and Vanek 8-4 winners and Nichols and McBratney opening with an 8-2 victory as part of the early lead. The Pirates’ key singles victories both came by a 10-7 score for McBratney and Cook in the Nos. 5 and 6 matches. Forrest lost an 11-10 (7-4) battle at No. 2 to Donovan Klish, while Nichols (No. 1) and Vanek (No. 3) both won 10-2.
Platte County opened the season with a 5-4 loss to Blue Springs South but have gone unbeaten since with victories over Willard, Liberty North, Branson and Carthage.
