Platte County’s youthful roster passes 1st test, goes on road to beat Class 4-ranked Kearney

KEARNEY, Mo. — Adam Gisler looked close to breaking a big run on multiple carries in the second half.

Thrust into an even bigger role than expected, Platte County’s sophomore running back finally broke loose midway through the fourth quarter, hitting a good-sized hole up the middle, making one jump cut and racing into the end zone. His touchdown burst capped a third straight scoring drive and helped the Pirates pull away just enough to hold on for a 21-18 victory over rival Kearney in the annual Highway 92 Showdown.

All three of Platte County’s touchdowns came courtesy of sophomores stepping into the spotlight this season, avenging a frustrating overtime loss from last season’s opener and reclaiming the game’s traveling trophy after just one year literally down the road with Kearney. No one stood out more than Gisler, who entered without a varsity carry and finished with 122 yards on just 15 carries.

“First varsity game got my first touchdown,” said Gisler, who went into the lead role after junior starter Dayton Doll went out for the second half after suffering a shoulder injury before halftime. “I’m pretty pumped, actually — really excited.”

Platte County sophomore Rocco Marriott started at quarterback for the first time, and an up-and-down performance ended up including touchdown passes to sophomore wide receivers Tres Baskerville and Braiden Stevens. The first came on an 18-yard strike in the back of the end zone to give the Pirates’ their first lead at 7-3 late in the third quarter, and the second unfolded with Stevens behind the defense to complete a back-and-forth segment of the tight game.

Kearney would not lead again after going behind 14-10 at that point.

Platte County’s defense then endured a battle of attrition down the stretch, forced to substitute even more than expected as the oppressive heat took a toll on both teams. In fact, 21 defensive players recorded a statistic for the Pirates with multiple players forced out with cramps.

In an unfortunate verification that even a late start couldn’t fully mitigate the conditions, Platte County junior Cobe Pollard, who led the Pirates with nine tackles, briefly collapsed on the sideline, and with multiple medical professionals attending to him, he eventually left on a stretcher for an awaiting ambulance for further treatment.

Pollard appeared alert and responsive in wake of the medical emergency.

“It was horrible,” Utz said. “I became a spectator after we got Cobe taken care of because that’s more important at that point in time. He’s going to be fine, but that’s tough. It’s a mental thing, too, trying to keep the kids positive and not worried about their friend and teammate. This game is a big chess match, and you’ve got to play a lot of pieces.”

Platte County’s defense forced four turnovers total — two interceptions and two fumble recoveries — and Kearney’s final four possessions ended in a mixed bag of a punt, a giveaway and a quick-strike touchdown. The Bulldogs appeared to have answered Stevens’ long touchdown with a 61-yard score for junior backup quarterback Grant Noland on a run around left end, only to have an illegal block below the waist negate the play.

After the punt, Gisler’s shifty touchdown where he broke into the open field and ran away from defenders put Platte County up 21-10 with 7 minutes, 38 seconds left in regulation.

“I didn’t expect any of this to happen, but a teammate goes out, I’ve got to step up and do my part,” said Gisler, who opened splitting series with Doll while running behind a rebuilt offensive line of seniors Muyonta Maxwell (left tackle), Becker Grego (center) and Gage Fulk (right tackle) plus juniors Riley Hixson (right guard) and Drew Doll (left guard).

Kearney used a long completion, rare on the night while using three different quarterbacks, to reach the red zone. Shortly after, Platte County junior linebacker Darrell Smith (seven tackles, one for loss) forced a fumble with junior linebacker Meritt Bigus recovering. The Pirates would go three-and-out, and a bad snap on the punt led to a shanked kick from Marriott.

One play later, Noland hit 6-foot-5 junior tight end Bryce Page for a 25-yard touchdown reception on a jump ball. Noland then ran in the two-point conversion to pull Kearney within 21-18 but with only 2:01 left. Platte County sophomore tight end Jack Utz, held without a catch while also dealing with cramps, recovered the ensuing onside kick despite taking a wicked shot from a Bulldogs player to seal the result.

Platte County ran the ball to Gisler once and then took a knee twice in victory formation before being able to celebrate.

“I didn’t expect any of this to happen,”

Kearney opened the game with senior quarterback Casey Rooney running the offense. After a long kickoff return from Manny Linthacum to open the game, the Bulldogs gained an initial first down on a pass interference call, but two plays later, Platte County junior safety Trevor Hay made a diving interception on an attempted wide receiver screen to quash the potential early momentum.

“It was huge,” Bill Utz said. “The turnovers, I think we ended up with four of them, and all of them were key momentum shifts, big play. When we had to have a turnover, we got a turnover.”

The play ended Rooney’s only significant involvement. He suffered an apparent knee injury leading up to the game and saw action only on the first drive of each half and then watched the remainder out of pads and on crutches, while Noland (4-for-11, 32 yards) and sophomore Brad Doll (1-for-1, 29 yards) split the other snaps.

Also starting at defensive back, Noland handled the majority of duties in a run-heavy attack that produced 242 yards on 42 attempts. He rushed 16 times for 80 yards, while senior running back Cameron Emmons led the way with 81 yards on 16 more carries.

Platte County’s new-look defense included a deep rotation on the defensive line: senior Tucker McDowell (four tackles), junior Kameron Doyle (one tackle), junior Jordan Miller (two tackles), senior Markus Delfin (one quarterback hit), junior Archie Wesley (two tackles), senior Kevin Taylor (one tackle) and sophomore Michael Poncavage (one tackle). Smith, Pollard and senior Seth Martin (six tackles) — a first-year transfer from Northland Christian — led the linebackers, but heat-related issues for the players also led Bigus, sophomores Cale Buntz (two tackles) and Cole Johnson (two tackles) to see extended run with the first team.

Wesley also shifted back to linebacker at times but also dealt with leg cramps.

“Defense played well all night,” Bill Utz said. “This was just a tough game in a sense of the conditions. Both teams were trying to sub and keep kids healthy. Our defense I thought stepped up, did a great job, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

The difficulties for Platte County’s defense started in the grueling first half.

Kearney ran more than 6 minutes off the clock on a short opening possession, and the Pirates used a fourth-down sneak from Marriott and then a third-down completion to Baskerville to keep a lengthy march alive. Eventually, the Pirates earned a goal-to-go scenario, but Bill Utz bypassed a short field goal attempt only for Marriott’s fourth-down pass intended for Baskerville to sail wide and incomplete.

Both teams would only have three full possessions each in the first half.

Noland kept Kearney’s second alive with a third-and-19 scramble for a first down and eventually took a 3-0 lead on junior Jacob Dillon’s 33-yard field goal 4:24 left before halftime. The teams then exchanged turnovers, first with Bulldogs senior linebacker Danny Stansbury picking Marriott off.

Platte County quickly responded with sophomore safety Ty Christopher (seven tackles) forcing a fumble, which McDowell scooped up and then added a short return.

“I say it was a big moment in the game, big turning point, gave us some momentum,” Christopher said. “It got us off the field. We were tired. It definitely gave me some energy.

Platte County’s third possession ended in a punt, as well, putting more pressure on the defense. Given the limited time with the ball, Bill Utz didn’t necessarily regret not kicking the early field goal, which would have come from the hash at a tight angle for sophomore kicker Jackson Goodale — a soccer player recruit who went 3-for-3 on extra points in his debut. The Pirates were set to receive the second half kickoff and did manage to go into the break down just 3-0.

“I second-guessed it for about 2 seconds,” Bill Utz said. “Obviously, you second-guess it in a sense that you’re down three and you had a chance to be tied. However, we got the ball back; we knew we were going to get the ball back. If he misses that field goal, they get the ball on the 20, and we give up about 15 yards in prime real estate. I wasn’t too upset about that, and kicking from the hash is just a really, really tough kick.

“My confidence is high in Jackson, but I did not want that to be his first attempt.”

Platte County didn’t make a first down on that opening possession of the first quarter but stopped the next drive with the third turnover. Delfin hit Noland as he attempted a pass that fluttered into Christopher’s hands. The converted wide receiver turned in an impressive first start, while Hay added four tackles and junior safety Montez Clemons (six tackles) and Caden McGhee (four tackles) also seeing significant time. The Pirates put junior Taylor Stamberskey (four tackles) and senior Jordan Burnett (three tackles) at the starting cornerback spots, while sophomore Brennan McLaughlin (one tackle) also saw time there, on offense at wide receiver and returning kicks.

Marriott spent much of the first half and first possession of the second half looking just a tick off, while four illegal man down field penalties due to formation errors also hurt his final line of 8 of 25 for 160 yards. He also ran 13 times for 22 yards in what ended up a gutsy performance in difficult circumstances.

“I think you still see our age,” Bill Utz said. “We’ve have some kids that have played a little bit, but at the same, a little bit better touch on a pass, a little better route running, a little better blocking, and those are easy completions. It’s part of the growth. It was literally so close. At halftime, we really didn’t have to make too many adjustments. It was a matter of we had things there, we just didn’t quite capitalize on them.”

The breakthrough came after Christopher’s interception.

On a fourth down play from Kearney’s 18, Marriott rolled out slightly to his left and bought time, twice avoiding potential sacks, before finding Baskerville floating to the back of the end zone for a wide-open score that put Platte County ahead 7-3 with 2:57 left in the third quarter. Baskerville’s final line included team-highs of five catches and 75 yards and his first career touchdown.

Marriott completed one pass each to Stevens (66 yards), Doll (13 yards) and sophomore tight end Brooks Hall (6 yards) but did not take a sack while also not having senior and leading returning receiver Dawson Mizell, who will miss Platte County’s first three games.

“No. 1, I like Rocco’s grit, always have from the time I watched him when he was little,” Bill Utz said. “He did a nice job. He did a good job managing plays. He’s just a gritty player, a good ball player and stepped up when needed. He did a good job leading, wants to do well, wants to be the best player out there and does everything he can to be that guy.”

Kearney finally broke through against an apparently tiring defense with a quick touchdown drive to regain the lead just 52 seconds into the fourth quarter. Tristan Williams, a junior running back who carried six times for 33 yards, bounced in from 14 yards out to put the Bulldogs back in front at 14-10.

Platte County’s youthful roster stayed calm and provided the answers. One play after an illegal man down field penalty negated a completion to Baskerville, Steven slipped behind the defense, and Marriott didn’t miss the open receiver on what became a 66-yard touchdown. After forcing the punt, the Pirates went right back to Gisler and trusted an offensive line playing without sophomore Quinn Lightle (knee), the projected starting right tackle.

In wake of the injury, Platte County shifted Fulk, coming back from a torn ACL suffered against Oak Park last year in Week 5, back from defensive line. He’s played both over the past two seasons, and his ability to handle right tackle against Kearney’s stout defensive front allowed Grego to stay at center, while the junior guard duo looked physical and up to the task for the Pirates, who struggled to run the ball during a 5-6 2022 season that ended in the Class 5 District 8 semifinals. Maxwell has been an anchor for three years at tackle and received playing time late his freshman season while the other four starters all have limited experience, especially as starters.

Doll added 20 yards on eight carries but didn’t play after the opening possession of the second half, and Gisler found a lot of success as the game played out.

“I’m so thankful for my O-line,” Gisler said. “I wouldn’t have scored, I wouldn’t have gone on these runs without them.”

Last year’s frustrating, not-up-to-standard season included a 21-14 overtime loss to Kearney las season where an early lead slipped away. The Bulldogs scored on the first of alternating possession after the end of regulation, and the game ended on an interception.

Platte County had won three straight in the series but stumbled to a 1-4 start after losing the traveling trophy — a rectangle metal sign with a Highway 92 emblem in the middle and color-coded stickers added for the victor each year. The Pirates received an encouraging performance against Kearney, still at No. 5 in the first Class 4 state poll despite the loss, in reclaiming bragging rights with an obvious youth movement underway where some might have expected growing pains to be more likely than immediate success.

“We just came out here, did our thing, played ball,” Christopher said.

Yet, the chance to enjoy this win comes with a short shelf life.

Platte County did debut at No. 10 in the first Preps KC Class 5 media poll but hosts Class 4 No. 1 Smithville (1-0) in Week 2. The Warriors returned just seven starters total but have reached the state semifinals in four of the past five seasons and have won the last two in the series with one of their chief rivals — 20-10 two years ago and a 10-7 thriller last fall.

After that, Platte County plays back-to-back games against North Kansas City (1-0) and Grain Valley (1-0 and ranked No. 2 in Class 5) in matchups likely to have a big impact on Class 5 District 8 seeding.

“We always want to win our opener. It’s just better to be 1-0 than 0-1,” Bill Utz said, “especially with the kids who hadn’t gotten out there yet. They just proved to themselves they can do it. Now, I anticipate them to build, and it’s our job to not let them settle. And it doesn’t get any easier.”