The momentum seemed to build in three successive home dual victories only to end with a deflating loss to Fort Osage on Thursday night.
Platte County senior Grant Fadler works to record a pin in the 157-pound match of a dual with Fort Osage on Thursday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Platte County’s 38-29 comeback win earlier in the evening didn’t hold as much meaning after the 44-29 defeat in Suburban Conference White Division action. The seniors held a wrestles-only meeting in the aftermath, likely to discuss how continued absences don’t serve as an excuse for performance.
“Some of that frustration just comes from giving up pins, and I mean losing obviously causes frustration,” said Platte County senior Grant Fadler, who recorded victories in both of the 157-pound matches on the night. “But yes, we are down a few people, but the people still in (the lineup) still have to try their hardest and score team points for the team.”
Platte County remained without junior Jaxson Shute (shoulder), a two-time state finalist and defending Class 3 champion at 120 pounds, while senior Cole Johnson rested a night after making his season debut while dealing with a knee injury. However, the Pirates have welcomed back the majority of football players who were forced into a late start after earning a second straight Class 5 state championship in early December.
Fadler and fellow senior Cooper Hammontree, junior Jack Johnson and sophomore Hank Marriott make up the majority of Platte County’s heavy end of the lineup. They are also four of the seven returning state qualifiers on the roster with Cole Johnson a finalist at 215 as a junior and senior Quinn Lightle still out due to nagging injuries from football. He’s expected to return at some point.
Platte County sophomore Hank Marriott works for a turn in the 165-pound match of a dual with Blue Springs on Thursday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Platte County ended up winning 8 of 14 matches against Blue Springs but didn’t lead until a group of out-of-order results late. The Pirates went ahead for good when Jack Johnson recorded a pin in 42 seconds at 175 pounds, while Marriott followed up with a 19-2 technical fall over Anthony Brown at 165.
With both Shute and Cole Johnson out, Platte County still split the matches at their weights with freshman Phin McMain posting an important first-period pin at 215.
“The positive is McMain’s a freshman wrestling at a bigger weight class,” Platte County coach Reggie Burress said. “The future is bright. He’s getting a ton of opportunity right now. Cole’s back, but I didn’t want to wrestle him three days later so Phin jumps back in there and wrestles a good match.”
The two teams exchanged identical results in the first four matches with sophomore Cade Crawford winning an 18-3 technical fall over Becorath Moore. Liam Franksen, a junior with significant experience at the varsity level, added a 4-2 decision at 126 moments after senior Gabriel Wittel lost the lead late and dropped a 3-2 decision at 120. Those wins knotted the team score at 5-5 and 8-8.
Platte County junior Chase Hulett wrestles in the 144-pound match of a dual with Blue Springs on Thursday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Blue Springs then won the next two matches, including a comeback for Rylon Collier to take an eventful 14-12 decision over Platte County sophomore Ian Giese at 132. Giese ended up reversed to his back for five points in the closing seconds after leading by three.
“Didn’t stick to the game plan in some of those matches. We’ve got get better at sticking to the game plan,” Burress said.
Platte County junior Chase Hulett’s pin in the third period of the 144 match provided important team points. He continued to play a key role as a team leader after missing the entirety of the past two seasons — twice suffering a torn ACL in football that kept him out.
Platte County pulled within 17-14, but the Pirates were back down nine when Fadler, a three-time state qualifier, took the mat. He came up with a dominant 8-0 major decision over Brock Combs, and with the girls dual finished, officials started wrestling boys matches on both mats. That led to Johnson’s quick pin to put the Pirates up 24-23 before Marriott, a state qualifier at 126 as a freshman but currently up six weight classes this season, could finish his tech fall with 6 seconds left in regulation.
Platte County freshman Phin McMain wrestles in the 215-pound match of a dual with Fort Osage on Thursday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
The advantage grew to 39-23 with Hammontree’s 4-0 decision over Kade Schmidli at 190 and McMain’s pin with those finishes flipped from the normal order, as well.
“I kept track, and I knew we were doing good at that point,” Burress said.
Platte County didn’t have the same comeback ability against Fort Osage, which didn’t wrap up the win until a loss by decision in the 285 match. Starting at 120, the Indians won the first six matches with five of those by fall to take a 33-0 lead.
The max points made the task entirely too hard with only Hulett limiting his result to a 4-1 decision against Fort Osage senior Antonio Martinez, who handed Shute a loss in sudden victory at the KC Stampede in December while wrestling down at 138. Martinez, a two-time state qualifier in Class 4, scored a late takedown to earn the victory over Hulett.
However, Hulett’s performances underscored his importance to the current lineup.
“I think he just knows as a junior we need to lean on him some, too, and he’s embracing that role and trying to get better at the same time,” Burress said.
Platte County sophomore Max Shuey wrestles in the 285-pound match of a dual with Fort Osage on Thursday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Platte County ended up with a shot after wins for Fadler (pin at 157), Marriott (tech fall at 165) and Jack Johnson (pin at 175) to close the deficit to 33-17.
Fort Osage ended up with just enough thanks to senior Isaac Ward, a senior three-time state qualifier and two-time medalist (2025 champion at 175), recording a technical fall over Hammontree at 190. McMain just missed a pin in the closing seconds of an 11-4 decision after a blood stoppage gave Nathan Parker a reprieve while on his back.
Platte County sophomore Max Shuey won a 3-1 decision over Angelo Torres at 285 when a pin was needed to provide any chance. The Pirates didn’t get the other results needed, but Crawford, a fifth-place state medalist as a freshman at 106, did close with a pin at 113.
“The win (against Blue Springs) was a positive,” Burress said. “Being so shorthanded, we’re still without a lot of firepower so we’re trying to minimize giving up points. Sometimes, we haven’t been doing that, and that’s frustrating, too.
Platte County sophomore Cade Crawford wrestles in the 113-pound match of a dual with Blue Springs on Thursday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
“Without giving up the falls, it’s a much tighter dual. We’ve just got to have more pride and fight hard in every match.”
Platte County’s home opener the night before included dominant conference wins over Raytheon (47-24) and Ruskin (77-6).
Crawford highlighted the Raytown matchup with a 19-2 technical fall over David Ayala in the 113 bout. Platte County’s pins in the victory over the Blue Jays included Hulett (144), Jack Johnson (175) and Cole Johnson (215), while Marriot (10-3 at 165) and Hammontree (4-2) both took decisions. The Pirates also benefitted from three opens.
Ruskin went open at six weight classes and won only one of seven matches.
Platte County almost maxed points in the other 13 bouts with pins for Crawford, freshman Caleb Winkler (120), Franksen (126), freshman Kaiden Byng (138), Jack Johnson (175) and Shuey 285. Marriott also won an 18-3 technical fall for the Pirates at 165.
Blue Valley West Jaguars Duals
Platte County went 5-0 and captured the team title in Friday’s competition in Overland Park, Kansas. The Pirates were dominant in three of the five victories but eked past Lee’s Summit North (39-36) and Spring Hill (Kansas).
Platte County senior Cole Johnson watches from the edge of the mat as his broth Jack Johnson records a pin in the 175-pound match of a dual with Fort Osage on Thursday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Lee’s Summit North was the only other Missouri team in the field.
The dramatics started right off the bat against Spring Hill, which built a 28-5 lead with Crawford’s technical fall at 113 the lone loss in that opening stretch. Platte County won seven of the next eight and mathematically ended the dual with Cole Johnson’s pin in 0:57 at 215. Hulett, Fadler, Marriott and Hammontree also had falls while Jack Johnson took a forfeit at 175.
Platte County’s dominant 64-16 win over Shawnee Mission West started with Crawford’s pin at 113 and then three straight forfeits. The Pirates went up 30-0 on Byng’s pin at 138 followed with Hulett’s tech fall at 144. Fadler (157) and junior Justice Martin (175) sandwiched pins around Marriott’s 20-5 tech fall at 165. Cole Johnson took a forfeit, and Fitzpatrick capped the rout with a pin at 106.
Against Lee’s Summit North, Crawford closed with a 10-2 major decision over Ryan Ward at 113 to erase a one-point deficit. The two teams alternated wins in the first nine matches with Wittel (pin at 120), Giese (forfeit at 132), Hulett (technical fall at 144) and Fadler (pin at 157) recording the wins for Platte County in the early back-and-forth. The Pirates never trailed and went ahead 35-21 after Jack Johnson took a forfeit at 175 and Hammontree pinned Deandre Harrell at 190.
Lee’s Summit North went ahead for the only time after successive wins at 215, 285 and 106 before Crawford provided the dramatic conclusion. That included an 11-9 decision for Barrett Lawless over Cole Johnson, who suffered a head injury and missed the final two duals.
The biggest win for Platte County came against Shawnee Mission South (66-15) with maximum points in the 11 victories. The Pirates took three forfeits, while Giese, Hulett, Fadler, Jack Johnson, Hammontree, Shuey (215), senior Peter Tremain (285) and Fitzpatrick all recorded pins.
Platte County beat Blue Valley West 56-20 with benefit of three more forfeits. Hulett, Fadler, Marriott, Shuey (215) and sophomore Lennon Fitzpatrick (106) all recorded pins to beat the hosts in the finale.
