Utz stepping down as Platte County football coach

Platte County head football coach Bill Utz informed the team Thursday that he plans to step down from his position. The district now begins the search for his replacement and just the third person to hold the position since 1987.

Utz spent the past 18 years as Platte County’s head coach, accruing a record of 158-62. Under his direction, the Pirates made nine playoff appearances and reached the state semifinals nine times and the state championship game four times with back-to-back undefeated Class 5 state championships each of the past two seasons. They also reached the Class 4 Show-Me Bowl in 2019 and the Class 5 Show-Me Bowl in 2020.

Platte County moved up to Class 4 for the first time in program history in Utz’s first season as head coach and then to Class 5 in 2020.

Utz plans to take the head coaching position at Lansing (Kansas) with retiring Platte County defensive coordinator Eric Mitchell to join him there. Prior to joining Platte County as an assistant under head coach Chip Sherman, Utz served as head coach for both Stewartsville and Mid-Buchanan.

Named the Missouri Football Coaches Association Class 5 coach of the year in both 2024 and 2025, Utz sits second in all-time wins at Platte County behind Sherman, who led the program to three straight unbeaten state championships in Class 3A/3 from 2000-2002. The Pirates currently own the state’s longest active winning streak at 28 straight after beating Carthage 34-28 in overtime this past December in a memorable Class 5 Show-Me Bowl. There were 25 seniors on the roster, including a record-setting group that included Division I signees Rocco Marriott (UCF), Brooks Hall (UCF), Braiden Stevens (Minnesota), Jack Utz (Kansas) and Cale Buntz (South Dakota State) plus Division II-bound Adam Gisler (Northwest Missouri State).

During the season, Mitchell and offensive coordinator Jeff Humburg both announced intentions to retire from Platte County at the end of the season, meaning the Pirates will now have a complete overhaul at the top of the coaching staff before next season’s opener at home against Winnetonka.