Platte County’s defense posts hard-earned shutout in tight win at North Kansas City

The break finally came on the type of unpredictable play no coach can possibly draw up.

Stuck in a scoreless quagmire, a low snap on a punt ended up North Kansas City’s undoing and the spark Platte County needed but only after a bit of uncoordinated mayhem ensued. The Pirates ended up with a short field after junior linebacker Cobe Pollard blocked a kick attempted more than 10 seconds after the play started and sophomore safety Ty Christopher won a scrum for a loose ball that appeared up for grabs.

On the very next play, Platte County sophomore quarterback Rocco Marriott found sophomore running back Adam Gisler on a well-timed screen for a touchdown, sparking the Pirates to a 17-0 victory Friday at North Kansas City High School. All of the points came unanswered in the second half, while an aggressive and dynamic defense recorded the team’s first shutout since posting three in 2021, most recently a 35-0 win over Winnetonka in Week 7 of that season.

“That’s big for the defense,” said Platte County senior Seth Martin, who finished with three tackles but a team-high six for loss in addition to a pass defensed. “It’s hard to lose when you have zero points on the board for the other team.”

Platte County improved to 3-0, thanks to rivalry victories over Class 4 top-five-ranked Kearney and Smithville and now a key triumph in a matchup with Class 5 District 8 seeding implications. North Kansas City (1-2) lost for a second straight week but proved a formidable challenge with an again elite defense creating a multitude of problems for the Pirates, who made just enough plays in the second half to create a misleadingly comfortable margin of victory.

“Not super shocked at the outcome,” said Platte County coach Bill Utz, who recorded his 150th career victory. “One of my big concerns all week is we’re coming off two big emotional victories, and these guys were in a situation where, I’m not going to say it’s a must-win scenario, but a sitatuion where they need to get back on a winning track. We knew we were going to get their best shot.

“The defense is playing great and playing the way you want a defense to play.”

A second-year transfer from Northland Christian, Martin appeared to snuff out the ill-fated punt much earlier, but nothing about the play went according to plan.

North Kansas City senior Te’Ron Chappell first fielded the ball skidding along the turf and quickly decided not to try the punt on fourth and 8 from the Hornets’ own 22. Instead, Platte County senior defensive lineman Tucker McDowell, who had five tackles for loss and one tackle in the shutout effort, received the first of two chances to make a tackle as the athletic punter rolled left.

From there, Martin wrapped up Chappell from behind only for him to slip and spin out of the tackle and roll all the way back right, bypassing McDowell a second time. Once closer to the home sideline, Chappell tried a rugby-style kick, only for the ball to carom off of Pollard as a Platte County defender clattered into the punter. The ball then hit a Pirates player in the hands and started rolling around free.

North Kansas City appeared to have more players in the area, but Christopher, who finished with six tackles, came away with the ball to avoid any dispute over possession. The officials originally threw a flag, presumably for roughing the punter, but eventually picked it up, and Platte County took over at the Hornets’ 27.

“That’s a big turning point in the game. A lot going on there,” Martin said. “Chased (him) down over to the right and then we swing around to the left. In the end, we got the ball back.”

On the very next play, Platte County finally solved a blitz-heavy defense, leaking Gisler out to the left side. Marriott dumped off the pass, and the running back went in behind senior left tackle Muyonta Maxwell and junior left guard Drew Doll before triumphantly weaving into the end zone to give the Pirates a 7-0 lead with 6 minutes, 2 seconds left in the third quarter.

Marriott faced consistent pressure with North Kansas City content to send extra defenders and cover receivers one-on-one. He finished 5 for 24 for 134 yards with two touchdowns and an interception while also being held to just 28 yards rushing on 13 attempts. That continued to put a lot of focus on Gisler, who took over for injured junior starter Dayton Doll midway through a Week 1 win over Kearney and has started the last two weeks. Gisler appears set to remain as the lead back with Doll set to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.

Gisler’s biggest play in his second carer start came on the screen pass, which seemed to come at the perfect time.

“We knew we were going to hit it. We knew it was there; it was just a matter of hitting it,” Utz said. “We had it in the first half and missed it; we had (the right look) a couple of times in the first half on some different opportunities. They were getting to the quarterback quick. That was by far the most pressure Rocco has seen and getting hit and picking yourself up off the turf is frustrating.

“Once we got some things calmed down for our offense, good things happened.”

Platte County’s first-half drives ended with a disastrous opening punt, two failed fourth-down attempts inside the red zone — the second ending with Marriott’s interception — and a three-and-out. However, the Pirates were stingy from the start and ultimately limited North Kansas City’s run-focused offense to 32 yards on 28 attempts.

The linebackers for Platte County were disruptive with Martin, Pollard (five tackles) and junior Darrell Smith (14 tackles), taking advantage of a strong push up front. The Pirates rotated through McDowell, senior Markus Delfin (two tackles) and juniors Kameron Doyle (two tackles), Archie Wesley (one tackle) and Jordan Miller (one tackle) to occupy blockers and free up the athletic second-level defenders to make plays.

“We put a lot of work in the summer and offseason, and it’s showing,” Martin said. “We’re working as a team, so I don’t really have much else to say. We’re just doing what we learned.

“We just wore them down. We had more stamina.”

Platte County’s industrious defense then created the next scoring opportunity though hustle.

North Kansas City occasionally rotated in sophomore running back Stephen Thomas, Jr. in running situations, and after the teams exchanged punts, he failed to field a first down snap. The loose ball then squirted out from underneath him with Doyle going full extension to scoop up the loose ball at the Hornets’ 8.

Platte County gained just 2 yards on three snaps and then turned to sophomore Jackson Goodale for his second field goal attempt of the night and his career. After missing a 33-yard try at the end of the third quarter’s opening drive, he drilled a 24-yarder to extend the Pirates’ lead to 10-0 on the second play of the fourth quarter.

Goodale remains a perfect 10-for-10 on extra points this season, but Bill Utz had bypassed field goal tries on multiple opportunities the first three weeks — twice in the first half against North Kansas City — while Marriott’s last-minute winning touchdown against Smithville avoided a scenario where the first attempt could have come with the stakes much higher.

“I have so much confidence in Jackson,” Bill Utz said. “We put him in a spot on the first one (against NKC) that I wasn’t real comfortable with just because I wanted it to be a good one, but it was a challenge. We’ve seen him hit that one before. Everything looked good; he just didn’t get it, but then he stepped up and hit one that really becomes the deciding score.”

Platte County forced a three-and-out and then put the game away with a final touchdown on a 64-yard drive. The key play ended up a 42-yard completion to sophomore wide receiver Braiden Stevens on a fade route along the visitor’s sideline to convert a third and 5. Four plays later, Utz gambled again on a fourth-and-11 with Marriott finding sophomore wide receiver Tres Baskerville uncovered over the middle for a 22-yard score with 7:56 left in regulation.

After going 0-for-2 in similar situations the first half, Platte County showed faith in a youthful offensive core.

“Just shows, our coaches, they believe in us,” said Maxwell, who started on the offensive line late in his freshman season and spent one year as the starting right tackle before shifting over to the left side and posting a dominant first three games to his senior campaign.

Marriott’s completions were spread across four receivers with Gisler finishing with two catches for 33 yards, while Stevens, Baskerville and sophomore tight end Jack Utz all had one catch apiece. Marriott and Baskerville have now connected for at least one touchdown pass in each of the first three games and four total.

In addition to the two catches, Gisler also carried 24 times for 89 yards after going over 100 in the first two games of his career. North Kansas City’s stout defensive line and frequent blitzes led to limited offense, but he ran for 29 on a final drive that allowed the Pirates to run out the clock.

Platte County started the same offensive line combination for a third straight game with senior center Becker Grego, junior Riley Hixson at right guard and senior Gage Fulk at right tackle opposite of Maxwell and Doll. The Pirates shuffled late in the preseason after a knee injury to expected starting right tackle, leading to Fulk’s move back over from the defensive line.

Fulk might not leave the starting unit even when Lightle returns, especially as the group facing some question marks continues to answer challenges. The key against North Kansas City ended up adjusting to the frequent and multi-faceted blitzes, which eventually opened up running lanes for Gisler in the second half plus the gamebreaking screen that took advantage of the aggressiveness

“Everybody just calmed down and did their fifth. That’s all we can do,” Maxwell said. “Everybody’s playing hard; everybody wants to win.”

North Kansas City couldn’t take advantage of two key opportunities in the first half. On the opening drive, the Hornets moved as far as Platte County’s 18 before senior quarterback Garin Walton, a second-year starter for the Hornets after transferring from Platte County threw an interception on a fourth and 17 from the 25.

Platte County junior safety Caden McGhee stepped in front of the pass near the goal line and then returned the ball all the way to the Pirates’ 47. However, the play proved costly with McGhee going down with a left knee injury on the runback that forced him to miss the rest of the game.

This added to existing injuries for sophomore kick returner/cornerback/wide receiver Brennan McLaughlin (foot) and junior safety/linebacker Trevor Hay (wrist).

Platte County shifted junior Taylor Stambersky (two tackles) from cornerback to safety alongside Christopher and junior Montez Clemons (three tackles plus two for loss). That left the Pirates with seniors Jordan Burnett (three tackles) and Ayden Watts (one tackle plus one for loss) at the cornerback spot for the most part.

Stambersky also came up with two critical passes defensed in the second half to limit Walton to 9 of 18 passing for 73 yards.

“Take your pick,” Bill Utz said. “Stambersky was targeted a lot and made great plays. There’s a bunch of them, and they all played well.”

After McGhee’s interception, Platte County reached the red zone on a 25-yard scramble from Marriott, but a holding penalty and an errant snap over his head led second-, third- and fourth-and-goal from the 36. The Pirates reached the North Kansas City 13 on their second drive thanks to the 37-yard completion to Jack Utz but a fourth down pass on fourth-and-9 went incomplete.

Marriott’s interception came inside the 10 while trying to find sophomore tight end Brooks Hall in the end zone on fourth and 7.

After the second punt from Platte County, Walton led a crisp 2-minute drill drive with completions of 8 and 18 yards plus a personal foul penalty that set up first and goal from the 10. North Kansas City threw two incompletions before junior running back Carlon Hill ran 7 yards down to the three. The Hornets called a timeout and sent Thomas, Jr. out as the quarterback for the next snap.

Predictably, Thomas, Jr. ran a power sweep to the right with Watts — thrust into extended playing time for a second straight week came up to make a tackle for loss and keep the game scoreless going into the second half.

“No one is going to be thrilled with 0-0, but at the same time, I felt like we were in a good spot,” Bill Utz said. “Probably the best moment for (Watts). Here’s a kid that moves in with a military family, trying to find his position and has showed some signs. All of the sudden, he’s put in that spotlight and makes a play. What a great opportunity, and I’m super happy for him.”

Platte County’s defense continued to thrive in the second half — one week after allowing 36 points in a dramatic back-and-forth win over Smithville. The road doesn’t ease up any time soon for the Pirates.

The only two teams in the state to record victories over ranked opponents in the first two weeks were Platte County and Grain Valley. Now those teams meet in Week 4 with a plethora of storylines in play.

Grain Valley dropped to 2-1 with a tight loss to Class 6 No. 7-ranked Oak Park (3-0). In the most recent Class 5 media poll, Grain Valley dropped from No. 2 to No. 4, while Platte County’s surprising-to-some start pushed the Pirates up from No. 7 to No. 6.

“Here we are. Let’s keep it going,” Martin said.

In addition, Platte County currently heads up the Class 5 District 8 standings and the race for the first-round bye, but only by about a half of a point over Grain Valley. That means the winner Friday at Pirate Stadium goes a long way toward locking up that top seed and taking the inside track toward the Suburban Conference White Division title.

Last year, Grain Valley held on for a 24-14 win at home and eventually won the league and Class 5 District 7 titles. The two teams are now in the same district grouping after the shuffle prior to this season, putting even more emphasis on this matchup.

This marks a stark contrast from a year ago when Platte County beat North Kansas City at a critical juncture but dropped to 1-3 and then 1-4 after consecutive losses to Grain Valley and Oak Park.

“You wouldn’t think you’d be looking at playoff stuff already, and we just did it tonight,” Bill Utz said after the win over North Kansas City. “And now it’s coming all the time. Grain Valley is a really good team. They return a lot of really good players. They’re very-well coached, very similar to us in demographics, geography — the works. It’s almost a mirror image so it should be a great opportunity and a fun game.”