Platte County didn’t end up needing a rebuild, just the chance to slowly develop into a contender. The process should carry over to this season with four returning starters and a deep group pushing for the No. 5 spot in the lineup or the chance to contribute at some point.
“We have a very high expectation to be one of the top teams in (Class 4) by the end of the season,” Platte County coach Trevor Short said. “Many of these players have been working hard in the offseason to prepare and are ready to get the ball rolling. We have a lot of skilled players that are eager to get to competitions. I have seen a lot of improvements in the players and think they have a fire under their feet to prove something from last year.”
Platte County seniors Josh Knickman and Josh Gentilia, junior Braden Hendee and Brayden Renno were all part of a runnerup finish in the Suburban Conference White Division Championships and then nearly pushed the Pirates to a team state berth. Now, they lead this year’s expected lineup with the experience to match expectations.
Knickman, Hendee and Renno all earned individual berths and made state debuts in the Class 4 MSHSAA Golf Championships.
Entering a third year as a starter, Knickman peaked late in his junior season, following up a career-best 75 at conference — good enough for second place — to grab one a state berth at Class 4 District 4. He tied for 18th to advance with the top two teams in the standings automatically qualifying their top four players then the next 13 individuals from the rest of the field.
Knickman shot the second-best 18-hole round of his career at state but ended up shooting a 77-94—177 to tie for 59th, the best showing for the Pirates’ three qualifiers.
Hendee moved into Platte County’s top five midway through the 2023 season and played as the No. 1 most of last year. He finished sixth in the White Division tournament to join Knickman as a two-time all-conference performer then ended up in the same spot at districts. Hendee’s strong second round at state allowed him to card a 90-83—173 (65th) and nearly catch Knickman in the standings at Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau.
Renno capped a standout freshman season with honorable mention all-conference honors (11th) and then a career-best round of 85 to finish just one shot back of Hendee in seventh at Class 4 District 4. Renno’s 103-95—198 at state placed him 89th but provided a valuable extension to his debut season.
Gentilia spent portions of the past two seasons in the top five for Platte County and went from honorable mention as a sophomore to a 10th-place finish last year to earn the final All-White Division spot. He also played at districts but signed an incorrect scorecard at the end of his round, leading to a disqualification. The Pirates shot a season-low team score of 330 to finish second behind Grain Valley at conference and would have posted a 342 at Class 4 District 4.
However, the loss of Gentila’s 86 added 20 strokes to Platte County’s total and left the Pirates in fourth. They would have advanced to state as a team with Gentilia if not for the scorecard violation.
Now, Platte County wants to compete for the Class 4 District 4 title and a team berth with a lineup likely to include junior Isaiah Deeken to start this season. However, the Pirates used nine different players last year at the varsity level, including a pair of juniors not on this year’s roster.
Deeken moves up from the junior varsity level for Platte County, and Short expects others to have a shot to see time, as well.
“We are encouraging them to push each other daily to become the best player/teammate they can be,” Short said. “The caliber of players that we have this year should make it for a great battle to see who will represent Platte County at the postseason tournaments. We should have a pretty solid team this year with a lot of veteran talent as well as some improved players and new players on the roster. I am excited to see the competition amongst the team for positions and for the new players to see what the Platte County golf team is all about.”
Platte County’s roster also includes juniors Jacob Hein, Caleb Leonard and Dylan Musel; sophomores Braylon Gates, Asher Hitzelberger, Chase Hulett and Jude Brown and freshmen Reid Fraccascia, Nicholas Cangelosi, Jack Dillingham, Kaplan Curtis and Bryson Hevalow.
