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.
While Platte County never trailed on the scoreboard, the title game unfolded as a razor-thin classic, defined by perseverance, discipline and a defense that delivered when the season hung in the balance.
“To come in with the pressure of an undefeated season last year to where only we could do this (win another state title) was to meet expectations is a lot harder than it looks,” Platte County head coach Bill Utz said.
The decisive moment came in overtime. After senior Adam Gisler scored on the opening play of overtime on a 25-yard reception from Rocco Marriott, Platte County’s title hopes were jeopardized when a blocked extra point opened the door for Carthage to steal the victory.
Carthage stayed true to its identity, pounding the ball on the ground against a Pirates defense that faced challenges to stop a dominant run team. Platte County stopped consecutive run plays, then appeared to seal the championship outright when the ball was stripped loose on third-and-4. Initial celebrations were halted when officials ruled the runner down prior to the fumble, a call upheld after video review.
Platte County senior Cale Buntz celebrates the Pirates’ state championship victory against Carthage.
Given one more chance on fourth-and-2, Carthage opted to go against its run-heavy tendencies and put the season in the air. As the quarterback dropped back, Platte County’s Brody Hawk and Carlos Baskerville burst through the pocket, forcing a hurried throw that fell short of the intended receiver. This time, there was no waiting, no review and no uncertainty. The Pirates had their championship.
“A powerful offense like we have, it’s kind of fitting that they won it on defense,” Utz said. “Because it’s the epitome of what a team is supposed to do and you have each other’s back, and that’s basically how this thing’s gone.”
The championship was achieved despite the Pirates’ offense being severely limited physically. Quarterback Rocco Marriott was compromised after suffering an apparent knee injury on his 7-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Tight ends Jack Utz and Brooks Hall were also far from healthy, with Utz battling through potentially a broken leg and Hall dealing with flu-like symptoms.
“We were beat up,” Utz said. “We hadn’t had injuries all year, then we finally got some this game, so we kind of pieced together a bunch of stuff and were able to get some things done and make some plays.”
For Marriott, his grit to battle through injury was the only way he was to end his career as a Pirate. Taking him out of his final game with longtime teammates and friends was not an option.
Platte County senior quarterback Rocco Marriott bursts past a Carthage defender in the state championship.
“My leg would have had to have been broken completely in half, to be honest,” Marriott said. “Nothing was going to take me off the field. All the years going through PCYFL (Platte County Youth Football League) with my boys, I would do anything to win a game and go out on the right note. Just had to be tough in that moment and did everything for my teammates.”
With Marriott limited, Platte County needed someone to shoulder the offensive burden. Once again, Gisler answered.
Fresh off a five-touchdown, 245-yard semifinal performance, the senior running back delivered again on the biggest stage, finishing with 166 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. He scored twice on the ground, including a 98-yard burst that stretched the Pirates’ lead late in the first half, and added the game-winning score through the air in overtime.
Platte County senior running back Adam Gisler stiff-arms a defender during a run against Carthage on Dec. 5.
“It means a lot,” Gisler said. “Not just what I did, but what we did as a team. We all did something to win this game and I’m very thankful.”
Though best known for his work between the tackles, Gisler’s defining play came as a receiver. On the first snap of overtime, Marriott escaped pressure and found Gisler crossing the middle.
With an open field ahead, Gisler slipped past a pair of defenders and into the end zone, a fitting finish for a player who repeatedly delivered when the moment demanded it.
“That’s what a state title game is supposed to look like, I think,” Utz said. “I want to give a ton of credit to Carthage — they did a great job; thought they had a great game plan and did what they wanted to do there. Obviously, we scored when we needed to.”
Platte County struck first through Gisler’s 8-yard touchdown run, which Carthage answered with a drive of their own. Marriott later added his own 7-yard rushing score, followed by Gisler’s 98-yard touchdown run to put the Pirates up two possessions early in the second quarter.
A strong end to the half for Carthage tied the game up at 21-21, but the Pirates managed proceedings well in the second half. Both teams got defensive stops to start the second half before Marriott connected with Tres Baskerville on a 65-yard touchdown pass.
Carthage responded by leaning heavily on its ground game, eventually tying the game in the fourth quarter to force overtime. But when everything was on the line, it was Platte County’s resilience — honed over years of shared practices, weight-room sessions and Friday nights — that carried them back to championship glory in overtime.
With the victory, Utz joins Chip Sherman as the only Platte County head football coaches to win back-to-back state championships, with Sherman accomplishing the feat with a three-peat more than two decades ago.
“When you have great players like I do, people think that it’s an easy job,” Utz said. “It’s actually harder when you have expectations as high as they are. You can’t get it done without great kids that believe in what we’re doing.”
Those kids include 25 seniors whose journey together dates back to youth football, some of whom have shared fields since kindergarten and others since fourth grade. As the clock finally hit zero, the reality of the moment set in for Marriott — not just the championship, but the end of a lifetime chapter.
“This whole week, I didn’t know how I was going to react when the clock hit zero,” Marriott said. “Whether it was excited or just sad, like I was. Just growing up with the same group of guys, playing practices every single day in fourth grade all the way through now is just crazy to think that’s all over. It really just all hit me at once.”
Back-to-back champions. Undefeated again. And forever etched into Platte County history, the Pirates proved once more why they earned the reputation they had.
For more coverage of Platte County’s State Championship, see the print edition on 12/10/2025.