Nothing could remove the Platte County Pirates from their throne at the summit of MSHSAA Class 5. The Pirates cemented their place in history on Friday, Dec. 5, defeating Carthage 34-28 in overtime to claim their second consecutive Class 5 state championship on the campus of Missouri Western State University. With the victory, Platte County completed another undefeated season and lifted the fifth state title in program history in front of a packed Spratt Stadium listed at a capacity of 7,200.

The Park Hill South girls basketball team are champions of the Winnetonka Tournament Cardinal Division for the first time since 2021, defeating district rival Park Hill in the championship game on Dec. 5.

Prior to celebrating a second consecutive state title, Platte County celebrated six senior football standouts who signed to play at the collegiate level on Dec. 3 at Platte County High School.

For the second straight year — and the seventh time this century — the Platte County Pirates are headed to the state title game after overpowering Kirkwood 64–35 in a semifinal victory on Nov. 28 in suburban St. Louis.

Very little of Park Hill girls basketball was recognizable from previous years in last week’s season-opener. The gym. The coach. Even some of the players.

The West Platte football team saw its longest postseason run in 20 years come to an end on Nov. 29, when they fell on the road against Tipton.

The Platte County football team delivered in the clutch once again in a playoff thriller on Nov. 21, riding a seven-touchdown outburst from senior quarterback Rocco Marriott with junior linebacker Hank Fowler forcing a pair of late turnovers to outlast Grain Valley 46–33 in a rainy state quarterfinal win that featured five lead changes and more than 800 yards of offense.

Addison Bjorn, one of the nation’s top girls high school basketball players, held an assembly on Nov. 20 inside the Park Hill South gym where she announced her commitment to play collegiate basketball at the University of Texas.

First, it was reigning state runner-up Penney who fell prey to the West Platte Blue Jays twice this season. Now, it was defending state champion Adrian in the quarterfinals.

For the first two quarters, Platte County looked nothing like the team that had dominated its schedule the past two seasons. The Pirates stumbled through an uncharacteristically flat first half while Rockhurst seized its opportunity to take the lead into halftime. But the top seed’s fortune — and urgency — flipped after halftime as Platte County mounted a determined comeback to defeat No. 2-seeded Rockhurst 29-22 on Nov. 14 and claim a second straight Class 5 District 8 crown.