Platte County junior Austin Vanek serves against Liberty North in a dual Friday afternoon in Liberty. MAC MOORE/Special to PC Preps Extra

Vanek, Nichols sit atop Platte County’s lineup in 1st 2 duals

Pirates open season with win at William Chrisman, lose in shutout at Liberty North ahead of busy week.

Platte County entered the season with an entirely new lineup, and the first week featured a confidence-building win and a stern test against a constantly strong program.

The week started with a 6-3 win over William Chrisman on Wednesday in Independence, using a 2-1 advantage out of doubles to gain the edge needed. After seniors Daunte Alaiwat and Bradley Beeson won 10-3 at No. 1, senior Emilio Escamilla and sophomore Jack Forrest overcame a 9-7 deficit at No. 3 to win 11-9.

All six players made singles debuts, and a 4-2 showing gave Platte County the win.

Gavin Nichols, a talented freshman, won 10-3 over William Chrisman junior Joshua Huff at No. 2, while senior Tony Railsback (10-1 at No. 6), Alaiwat (10-2 at No. 3) and senior Bradley Beeson (10-4 at No. 4) also came with impressive margins of victory in their matches. Escamilla lost in tiebreaker at No. 5, while Vanek lost 10-1 in his debut at No. 1 singles after playing No. 3 junior varsity as a freshman before the pandemic wiped out last season.

Liberty North 9, Platte County 0

The Pirates were competitive, especially in doubles, but dropped to 1-14 all-time against Liberty North, which swept the matches Friday in Liberty.

Alaiwat (No. 3 singles) and Railsback (No. 6 singles) played the closest matches against a strong team. Liberty North was a district runnerup to powerhouse Liberty in 2019, 2018 and 2017.

Platte County returns to action Monday with its home opener Monday vs. Oak Park, the Pirate Invitational on Wednesday and a home dual Thursday vs. Staley.

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