Platte County’s football team ended the regular season on a dominant four-game winning streak, securing a share of the Greater KC White Division title for a third consecutive season.
In the month of October, Platte County completed three defensive shutouts and outscored opponents 193-3 in four games. It allowed the Pirates to share a conference title with Grain Valley, an opponent they may see again in the Class 5 playoffs.
The title was officially clinched on Oct. 23, when Platte County cruised to a 49-0 victory over Belton with seven different touchdown scorers. It was a perfect way to conclude the regular season on Senior Night.
“Our first goal is always to go win a conference title,” Platte County head coach Derek Yost said. “Proud of our guys and their effort. Proud of these 23 seniors and their ability to come out and execute exactly what we wanted to do. We felt pretty good coming in, but they had a pretty dominant performance in the first half. They have a lot to be proud of.”
Platte County sophomore quarterback Kade Fowler evades a tackle on a run against Belton on Oct. 23.
Even with so much turnover from last year and this year, Platte County’s dominance still has them ranked No. 5 in Missouri Media’s Week 8 poll for Class 5. Yost says his team’s performance reflects the program’s health.
“It’s consistency,” Yost said. “We feel really good about where the program is in general. The staff is super-familiar, the kids are familiar with success in the postseason, and we’re going to lean on some of that experience here down the stretch.”
Platte County opened the season finale with a 90-yard drive, which was capped with a 42-yard touchdown run from sophomore quarterback Kade Fowler. It opened the floodgates for an offense that ended the first quarter ahead 21-0 following a 46-yard touchdown run from junior running back Brady McDaniel and a 61-yard touchdown pass from Fowler to senior receiver Noah Omoike.
Devin Smith was among the 24 players honored on Platte County’s Senior Night. He later scored on a 32-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
The Pirates repeated the same score in the second quarter, beginning with a 32-yard touchdown run from senior running back Devin Smith. Caleb Hill also scored on a 5-yard touchdown run before Fowler connected with sophomore receiver Owen Yates on a 28-yard touchdown pass to make it 42-0 at halftime.
“They are just clicking more these days,” Yost said of his offense. “The score in the first half is pretty evident of that. Their production is just really efficient.”
With a running clock, Platte County’s reserves featured throughout the second half. They added one final exclamation point when junior quarterback Paxton Bennett found junior receiver Will Jackson for a 20-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter, making it 49-0.
Platte County’s defense, which allowed three points in the final four games, ended the regular season with four shutouts. Their senior leadership will continue to guide the Pirates in their postseason run.
Senior linebacker Carlos Baskerville and sophomore lineman Phin McMain tackle Belton senior running back Aaden Hall in Platte County’s shutout victory.
“A want-to, a drive to be able to hold and defend our piece of turf here at home,” Yost said. “A willingness to put whatever on the line and do whatever it takes. A very together group.”
Platte County’s next objective is to defend its title in Class 5 District 8, where it enters as the No. 1 seed with a 7-2 regular-season record. After a first-round bye, the Pirates will host the winner of No. 4 Winnetonka (4-5) and No. 5 Lincoln Prep (3-6) in the semifinal on Nov. 6.
“It’s putting the best group together on the turf that we can,” Yost said. “Continue to get better, continue to get healthier, and make our great postseason push.”