With the deepest roster in program history, Platte County hopes to fill all 14 spots in the lineup for the first time in program history, especially during the season’s pivotal points. The Pirates have 12 wrestlers with significant experience and a pair of freshmen with significant youth experience — a rarity in the program’s first six years.
Add in a couple of intriguing newcomers, and Platte County coach Reggie Burress can’t hide excitement on the developmental possibilities with legitimate competition for varsity spots at multiple weight classes.
“From top to bottom, we are super deep,” he said. “We have a lot of girls who have wrestled before. We’re not putting very many people in the lineup who haven’t wrestled, which is huge for us. They’re all working hard, practicing hard, and their technique looks so much different from last year to this year. I think we can continue to build on that throughout the season.”
Platte County returns two relative newcomers to the sport given overall level of experience, and Madeleine Stone and Giada Cuchhiara have vastly different track records. Stone joined the team a year ago after two standout seasons in swimming, while Cucchiara qualified for the Class 2 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships as a sophomore but missed all of 2023-24 while rehabbing a torn ACL suffered playing soccer in the offseason. She remained extremely close to the team a year ago in multiple roles — from manager to unofficial coach to fan — and provides an unmistakable boost to this year’s lineup.
Stone and Cucchiara represent leading contenders to give Platte County at least one state medalist for a sixth straight season after EmmaLyn Burnett finished sixth at 125 pounds in 2024 as the lone senior. She joined KayLyn Munn, Sarina Bertram and Lilly Brower as the only four Pirates to reach the podium to this point in the program’s short history.
In addition, Platte County juniors Charley Sims and Nicole Fernandez reached the Class 2 District 4 semifinals last year and missed advancing to state by just one match, and juniors Karrington Fridell and Gabriella Ciccarelli were all in the same position at the end of their 2022-23 season.
Compiling a 24-10 record as a sophomore, Cucchiara finished third at Class 2 District 4 as part of a program-record group of five state qualifiers. She went 0-2 at 135 pounds but gained valuable experience despite missing two weeks of that season with an ankle injury.
Cucchiara expects to return at the same weight with an intriguing opportunity to rejoin the state’s elite.
“I don’t think she’s missed any practice and workouts,” Burress said. “I think she can qualify for the state tournament and win some matches. A lot of times it’s just about the brackets and matchups.”
A former honorable mention all-state swimmer, Stone finished 25-12 in her debut season after placing third at Class 2 District 4 and then winning one match at state. She went into the district bracket unseeded, suffered an upset loss in quarterfinals and then battled back in dramatic fashion to advance.
Stone’s big win came in the consolation semifinals when she trailed No. 4-seeded Nina Porter of William Chrisman 12-6 in the third period but used a high-risk but perfectly lateral drop to come up with a pin. At state, All three of Stone’s matches ended with second-period pins with losses to No. 2 ranked Aaliyah Grammar of Lafayette (Wildwood) and Fort Zumwalt East’s Riley Kortkamp sandwiched around a victory over Hazelwood East junior Persephone Morrison.
“I can’t tell you how much Stone has gotten better,” Burress said. “I think she’s starting to think she can wrestle with anyone. She’s gotta beat someone big before she thinks she can beat anyone, but she’s getting to that point.”
Friddell, Sims (115), sophomore Anna Wiesehan (120), seniors Taylore Lavery (125) and Annabel Beeman (130), sophomore Mila Cucchiara (140), senior Alivia Juarez (170) and Fernandez (190) were all part of Platte County’s ninth-place finish in the final Class 2 District 4 team standings. The Pirates were actually third after Day 1 of the tournament with the deepest lineup to that point in the program’s history.
Fernandez, Friddell and Juarez all enter a third season in the lineup.
“That group is right there,” Burress said. “They’re getting close.”
In a breakout sophomore campaign, Fernandez went into 190 district bracket seeded second but lost a 6-1 decision to No. 3 Kendall Angelo of Oak Park in the semifinals. Staley’s Alayna Leslie then ended Fernandez’s tournament with a third-period pin in a previously scoreless match — their third of the season after splitting the first two.
Fernandez also lost in the consolation semifinals as a freshman but didn’t have the same overall success.
Most recently slated for a spot at 105, Friddell made the consolation semifinals at 100 as a freshman for Platte County, but like Lavery — last year at 145 but down four weight classes — ended up eliminated in the opening round of Day 2 last season. Juarez continues to show flashes of potential but has not advanced past Day 1 of districts in either of her first two seasons.
Sims and Beeman were both first-year contributors but, like Stone, came to the team with strong athletic credentials.
A standout in track, Sims owned the No. 3 seed at 115 at districts as a sophomore and reached the semifinals of the bracket but suffered back-to-back losses to No. 2 Maya Saldivar and No. 4 Ashley Ngo of North Kansas City. Beeman, a state qualifier in cross country and starter in soccer, overcame some early struggles and found footing late in her debut season and finished with an overall winning record at 135.
Wiesehan and Mila Cucchiara were Platte County’s freshmen contributors a year ago.
“I think more than anything, this group is starting to believe in themselves,” Burress said. “Hopefully, we can get some good wins for some of them and chip away and get to districts with a chance to advance to state.”
Platte County hopes the addition of two freshmen, a sophomore and a senior can further bolster the lineup.
Burress expects senior Maddie Nichols to start at 155. She transferred into the district this past offseason and brings past experience but no in-state track record, and sophomore Bella Dean becomes a key to avoiding opens in the lineup.
After some late shuffling, Platte County freshman Harper Golden now appears to be the lead candidate to eventually start at 100 with Friddell at 105 and either Dean or senior Adrianna Ciccarelli at 110. The Ciccarelli sisters have been important contributors in recent seasons, and Gabriella has a chance to compete with Wiesehan for time at 120.
Platte County likely starts the season open at 100 with Golden at 105 and Friddell at 110. Burress expects Golden plus freshman Ava Blankenship (145) to be bright spots due to their youth track record. The Pirates have excelled for years through the development of newcomers but have the opportunity to create a different mix moving forward as the sport gains in popularity.
“Harper and Ava will make a huge difference,” Burress said.
Platte County opens a busy tournament schedule at this weekend’s Jay Border Wars in Oklahoma. The majority of the Pirates’ duals involve an expanded Suburban Conference White Division slate with powerhouses Fort Osage and Belton the favorites to compete for the title.
