The Platte County football team will be under new leadership next season for the first time in nearly two decades.
On Jan. 29, Platte County head football coach Bill Utz told his team of his intention to step down from his position as head coach of the Pirates. On Feb. 2, the move became official as the Lansing Board of Education approved the hiring of Utz as Lansing High School’s next head football coach.
Utz’s departure from Platte County is the final mark on the conclusion of the most recent era of the program’s statewide dominance in Class 5. After winning back-to-back state championships, the Pirates are set to graduate their seven most productive skill players on offense, with offensive coordinator Jeff Humburg and defensive coordinator Eric Mitchell previously announcing their intention to retire from Platte County.
Utz spent the past 18 years as Platte County’s head coach, compiling a 158-62 record. Utz won the last two Class 5 Missouri Football Coaches Association (MFCA) Coach of the Year honors and was given the 2025 Dave Bassore Head Coach of the Year Award for Missouri by the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association (GKCFCA).
“We are deeply grateful to Coach Bill Utz for his years of dedicated service as an educator, mentor, and leader,” said Dr. Jay Harris, Platte County School District Superintendent. “Through his leadership, he built a culture of success grounded in respect and pride both on and off the field. While leading a high-performing football program, his impact extended far beyond athletics, supporting and guiding countless students toward graduation and success in life. Coach Utz’s influence will continue to shape our school community for years to come.”
Utz’s tenure began with a slew of district titles before a four-year drought, which ended with another district title in 2017. Utz led the Pirates to state championship game appearances in 2019 (Class 4) and 2020 (Class 5) before closing his tenure at Platte County with his first two state championships in the past two undefeated seasons.
The next stop for Utz, the third head coaching job of his career, will be his first time as a head coach in his home state of Kansas. Mitchell is expected to join Utz’s staff at Lansing.
The successor to Utz will have big shoes to fill as the Pirates look reconstruct a program that has achieved great heights and developed a winning tradition over the past several decades, which included three state titles in the early 2000s under Chip Sherman. Platte County enters next fall with a big target on its back in the form of a 28-game winning streak.