Friday the 13th of November will have a whole new meaning for North Platte’s football team.
North Platte hopes to strike one final moment of fear into its district, which seeded North Platte last after it finished the regular season 4-5, along with three of the four other teams.
In all of Missouri high school football, from 8-man to Class 6, North Platte is one of only two bottom-seeded teams still alive. Both the Panthers and Blue Springs South (Class 6 District 6) now have an opportunity to win a district championship.
North Platte stunned the home crowd in Carrollton on Nov. 6, defeating the district’s top seed on the road 46-34.
Both teams went on lengthy first-quarter drives to exchange opening scores. North Platte scored first before Carrollton equalized on second-and-goal from the 2-yard line.
The Panthers took the lead back on a third-and-7 play from Carrollton’s 32-yard line in the second quarter. Carrollton never picked up junior Johnathan McCracken, who had run straight ahead untouched on a play-action pass from sophomore quarterback Camden Colburn with 8:49 left in the half.
This time, Carrollton sped up its offense to tie it 14-14 with a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Both teams traded scores again before the half’s conclusion, and the score remained deadlocked at 22-22 at halftime.
North Platte edged in front once more, taking advantage of speed from junior running back Caden Rogers, who finished the night with three rushing touchdowns. Facing another short-yardage situation on third-and-2 from the 2-yard line, Rogers received the ball on a pitch to the right and hit the accelerator to find the end zone after being left unphased by Carrollton’s last-ditch effort to tackle.
The Panthers converted a third straight two-point conversion, extending their lead to 30-22 with 6:44 left in the third. It was a lead they would never give up.
Carrollton responded with a 49-yard rushing touchdown just over a minute later, but North Platte stopped the two-point try. North Platte made it a two-possession game early in the fourth quarter, then scored again to take a 46-28 lead.
The hosts pulled one score closer but ultimately fell short, leaving them shocked after giving up 46 points at home for the first time all season. Five of North Platte’s six touchdowns came on the ground, ending the night with 351 rushing yards. The trio of Gavin Vest, Heston Stockbauer and McCracken combined for 33 of North Platte’s 67 tackles.
North Platte advances to the district championship on Friday, Nov. 13, to face No. 2-seeded Adrian away. The first-ever meeting between the two sides is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
After losing last year’s district championship to West Platte, North Platte has another shot at redemption and a first district title since 2023. This time, the title comes against a completely unfamiliar opponent, but it offers one final opportunity to make a statement to a district that did not respect their regular-season results.