After wrapping up a third straight Suburban Conference White Division title, Platte County took advantage of a meaningful chance to prepare for the postseason in the Northland Tournament on Saturday morning at Oak Park High School in Kansas City. The Pirates finished tied for sixth in a deep 12-team field with the doubles team of senior Jake Diano and sophomore Mitchel McBratney accounting for the majority of points with a runnerup finish in B doubles.
Platte County sophomore Mitchel McBratney hits a shot during a B Doubles match in the Northland Tournament on Saturday at Oak Park High School in Kansas City.
The Northland Tournament’s format mirrors that of the Class 2 District 8 individual tournament scheduled for Friday at William Chrisman High School in Independence. Each team enters two singles players and two doubles teams in bracketed flights.
Platte County used senior No. 1 Paul Havemeier at A singles with senior No. 4 Will Kimlinger at B singles. The Pirates’ returning state medalist doubles team of seniors Jack Bralley and Hayden Cook were at A doubles.
Three of the four individual entrants scored points for Platte County with Bralley and Cook placing sixth to join Diano and McBratney as medalists. The Pirates totaled 13 team points and were just two out of fourth place.
“These guys responded well yesterday and competed hard against solid competition,” Platte County coach Zach Keith said. “Every team that finished ahead of us is a really strong team, and I felt like both singles players and doubles teams had a lot of positives to take away.”
Diano and McBratney went into the B doubles bracket unseeded and promptly upset No. 7 Noah Slaughter and Graham Albani of Park Hill South 8-6 in the opening round. In the quarterfinals, Diano and McBratney needed a tiebreaker to knock off Liberty North’s No. 2-seeded team of Jones Hamann and Andrew Lay to guarantee a top-four medal.
Platte County senior Jake Diano hits a shot during a B Doubles match in the Northland Tournament on Saturday at Oak Park High School in Kansas City.
Continuing the run, Diano and McBratney — Platte County’s Nos. 5 and 6 singles players, respectively — recorded an 8-1 win over No. 3 seed Cooper Morgan and Ty Hughes to reach the final, which Liberty’s Hobie West and Jack Lewis won 8-3. West and Lewis were also unseeded and beat the Nos. 8, 1 and 4 teams on the way to the title.
Diano and McBratney scored seven points for reaching the championship, while Bralley and Cook — Platte County’s Nos. 2 and 3 singles players — added three after placing sixth in A doubles. Seeded fourth, they lost 8-6 to Liberty North’s No. 5 team of Dayton Ackerman and Logan Smith and ended up in the consolation bracket.
Bralley and Cook, eighth-place state finishers in Class 2 a year ago, then record back-to-back wins to reach the fifth-place match and finished 2-2 overall after a 6-1 loss to Staley’s unseeded Cael La Rocca and Austin Lee.
Havemeier held the No. 7 seed in A Doubles and went 2-2, as well, losing in the quarterfinals and then coming up one win shy of reaching the fifth-place match. Kimlinger won one of three matches in B doubles.
Platte County senior Jack Bralley hits a shot during an A Doubles match in the Northland Tournament on Saturday at Oak Park High School in Kansas City.
“I love the Northland Tournament because it seems like we always go in with a group of tired guys who are a little beat up from a long season, and we get to see how they’ll respond after a long day of tennis against really good competition,” Keith said. “As a coach, I’m trying to always walk the line of making sure the guys are prepared for the rigors of what’s coming, while also not wanting anyone to get burnt out.”
Platte County owns an 8-6 dual record with Monday’s conference finale at home Monday against Fort Osage before traveling to Central (St. Joseph) on Tuesday to close the regular season. The Pirates will likely own the top seed in the Class 2 District 8 team bracket while seeking the third straight playoff berth in program history.
However, the individual tournament and the chance to earn berths to the Class 2 MSHSAA Tennis Championships in singles and doubles comes first.
Platte County returns three of seven players from last year’s lineup when Havemeier played singles only the majority of the season and wasn’t an individual entrant in the postseason. He moved from No. 6 to No. 1 and could be the top singles player in Friday’s Class 2 District 8 singles bracket for the Pirates. Gavin Nichols earned state medals in three of his four seasons as the only singles state qualifier ever for the Pirates. He won the Class 2 District 8 title each season and placed sixth as a sophomore and seventh in his first and last seasons.
Platte County senior Paul Havemeier hits a shot during an A Single match in the Northland Tournament on Saturday at Oak Park High School in Kansas City.
Bralley and Cook earned a state berth a year ago in doubles. They finished as the district runnerup and went on to become the second doubles team in Platte County history to medal, placing eighth.
A four-year starter in his second season at No. 2 in singles, Bralley boasts by far the most experience in Platte County’s lineup. He teamed with Jaron Cook, older brother of Hayden Cook, two years ago in doubles and went 1-2 at state. In addition to Nichols each of the past four seasons, the Pirates have qualified at least one doubles team each of the past three, sending both district entrants in 2023. Only the finalists advance to state.
Nichols, Bralley and Nathan Vanek are Platte County’s only individuals with more than one state appearance in program history.
Platte County 5, Grain Valley 4
On Monday, the Pirates’ No. 2 doubles team of Cook and Kimlinger came up with a massive tiebreaker win at Grain Valley High School in a dual that ultimately decided the White Division title.
Platte County senior Hayden Cook hits a shot during an A Doubles match in the Northland Tournament on Saturday at Oak Park High School in Kansas City.
Platte County has officially clinched at least a share of a third three straight championship and can take the outright crown with a victory against Fort Osage. The Pirates took two of the three doubles matches against Grain Valley (9-7-1) with none more important than the 9-8 (7-0) triumph at No. 2.
Havemeier and Bralley were also 8-3 winners at No. 1 for Platte County ahead of a split of six singles matches.
“I was really happy for the guys that were able to get that win for the conference championship over Grain Valley at Grain Valley,” Keith said. “There is a lot of pressure that comes with continuing a streak like that, so to get it done for a third year in a row over a quality team like that is a big deal.”
Platte County’s varsity lineup has included 14 different players that contributed to the conference titles the past three years with Kimlinger, Diano and McBratney all newcomers this season. However, the veterans were key to the Pirates’ win over Grain Valley with Havemeier and Bralley both recording 8-3 victories at the top of the singles lineup.
McBratney also prevailed 8-2 at No. 6, while Cook and Kimlinger both nearly forced tiebreakers but lost 9-7 at the No. 3 and 4 spots.
Platte County 8, William Chrisman 1
The Pirates swept the doubles and took only one loss — in a tiebreaker — to officially lock up at least a share of the conference title at Tuesday’s dual in Independence.
In a potential matchup of Class 2 District 8 opponents, Platte County’s No. 2 doubles team of Cook and Kimlinger took an 8-0 sweep, while Diano and McBratney were 8-1 winners at No. 3 and Havemeier and Bralley dropped only three games at No. 1. The Pirates were then dominant in singles with Diano (8-0 at No. 5), Cook (8-1 at No. 3), McBratney (8-2 at No. 6) and Havemeier (8-3 at No. 1) all recording big margins of victory. Kimlinger held on for an 8-6 win at No. 4, while Bralley ended up on the wrong side of a 9-8 (7-1) tiebreaker at No. 2.
William Chrisman owns a 7-4 record and might end up with the No. 2 seed in Class 2 District 8. The Bears already own wins over Kearney, Winnetonka East (Kansas City) and Raytown with a matchup Wednesday against Lincoln Prep (4-6) to likely decide the spot behind Platte County.
