A freshman at the No. 1 spot in the lineup, a key injury to a senior leader and potential uncertainty on how to handle a roster full of potential contributors could have created doubt.
Instead, Platte County handled all the circumstances and put up a dominant showing in Saturday’s Suburban Conference White Division Championships at Fort Osage High School in Independence. The Pirates won their second straight team title with a total of 25 points to finish nine points in front of runnerup Grain Valley.
There were only 29 runners total with four of eight teams with at least five individual finishers required to post a team score.
Platte County put six in the top 12 with freshman Tyler Stamberksy winning the individual championship as the only runner to post a time under 20 minutes (19:54.50). This marked the PR for the Pirates’ No. 1 as she became just the eighth in program history to go sub-20, joining a list that also includes 2022 and 2023 White Division race winner Sisely Mitchell.
Going into this season, Platte County needed to replace the all-state duo of Mitchell and Carmen Gentilia. Mitchell earned the honor three times, while Gentilia joined her on the medal stand as a senior in her fourth state race. The Pirates also graduated three-time qualifier Alex Beeman from last year’s lineup.
Stambersky quickly emerged at the top of the lineup for Platte County, which hadn’t won a conference team title since 2016 until ending the drought last year. The Pirates’ lineup on Saturday included just two of five runners with previous state experience, but Stambersky became the program’s third straight individual White Division champion.
In addition to Stambersky, Platte County senior Maddie Nichols earned first-team all-conference honors, finishing fourth with a PR of 20:59.66, while senior Madison Palmer (sixth, 21:12.00) and junior Maddie Stewart (seventh, 21:20.62) made the second team.
A three-time state qualifier who didn’t run the race as a sophomore due to illness, Palmer continues to battle a hip injury but posted a season-best in her final conference race. She made the first team as a junior (fourth) and earned honorable mention honors as a sophomore (11th).
Stewart won last year’s junior varsity race and continued an eventful path. She ran in the Class 4 District 4 meet as a sophomore but didn’t finish the race and then served as a state alternate.
Platte County senior Brooklynne Jenni earned honorable mention honors (11th) and rounded out the Pirates’ team score as their No. 5 finisher. She ran just her fourth race of the season and set a season-best at 21:55.82 in her second season on the roster.
A transfer into the program as a junior, Jenni ran at state last season and set a PR at 21:46.80 but has been limited so far this season.
Platte County freshman Arsema Ayiche went under 22 minutes for the first time (21:57.85) and placed 12th to also earn honorable mention honors, while junior Indigo Teufel ran varsity at conference for the first time and finished 18th (22.37.78). Both have carved out spots int he lineup late this season with Teufel just off her PR of 22:35.80 set in the Todd Warner Kickoff Classic back in early September.
In addition to Palmer and Jenni, Platte County’s junior varsity lineup Saturday included three more previous state qualifiers — senior Annabel Beeman and juniors Nora McCoy and Joanna Reil. The Pirates have a weekend off before deciding on the seven runners for the Class 4 District 4 meet scheduled for Jesse James Park in Kearney.
Platte County finished second last year and earned a fourth straight team berth to the Class 4 MSHSAA Cross Country Championships with a lineup that included Palmer, McCoy, Reil and Stewart.