An impressive top three pushed Platte County to fifth place out of 27 teams in Saturday’s Kearney Invitational at Jesse James Park in Kearney. However, the Pirates do not have a full-strength lineup with the regular season conclusion on tap.
Platte County junior Tate Stone placed ninth overall with fellow juniors Landon McKinzie and Evan Backer not far behind in 17th and 18th. The Pirates’ top trio ended up separated by just 15 seconds but the split from the first and last scoring runner widened from recent races.
Stone finished in 17 minutes, 9.30 seconds to earn a medal.
Having missed the start of the season due to a blister issue, McKinzie continues to regain form as one of only two runners with previous state experience on the roster. He came in at 17:22.50, and Backer posted a 17:24.30 in his first season as a contributor.
Platte County senior Nick Flowers (36th, 17:54.10) and sophomore Haddon Newsome (84th, 19:09.60) rounded out a team total of 157. The Pirates were just six back of fourth-place West Platte, while Rockhurst (86) won the team title by nine points over Hickman (95).
Next up: Platte County chases a third straight Suburban Conference White Division title in Friday’s race at Platte Ridge Park. The Pirates enter with some uncertainty around the lineup.
Platte County seniors Jackson Townsend (ankle) and Jacoby Keith (foot) have both missed time this season. McKinzie earned all-conference honors as a sophomore and was honorable mention as a freshman. Flowers rounded out the Pirates team score a year ago and was honorable mention along with Keith, who like McKinzie ran at state in 2024 in Class 4.
A year ago, Platte County moved up to Class 5 District 4 and ended up with only one state qualifier — conference champion Blake Herron, part of a strong graduated senior class from last year. The Pirates remain up in this year’s postseason assignment and the Suburban Conference White Division Championships serves as the final tuneup before districts.
