The 2024-25 sports season is officially in the books for all five high schools in Platte County, with a number of state champions and historic achievements to remember.
Four teams were able to celebrate tremendous success on the field, pool and track with dominant showings when it mattered most. There were also a pair of individual state champions on the wrestling mat and numerous champions on the track.
PLATTE COUNTY FOOTBALL dominated its entire schedule, winning its first state championship in over two decades with a pristine 14-0 record and outscoring opponents 684-176. Pirate junior quarterback Rocco Marriott received numerous awards, including Class 5 Player of the Year, while head coach Bill Utz was named GKCFCA Coach of the Year.
PARK HILL SOUTH GIRLS SWIM had a record-breaking performance in the pool as they became back-to-back state champions over the winter. Natalie Dunaway won gold medals in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle, also helping the Panthers to first-place finishes in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays, while Elizabeth Landuyt won gold in the 100 backstroke and helped South to a 200 medley relay state title and the 400 freestyle relay title.
BOYS WRESTLERS Erik Egstad of Park Hill and Jaxson Shute of Platte County were crowned 120-pound state champions. Egstad, a senior, won his second state title in Class 4, while Shute, a sophomore, took home his first state championship in Class 3 as the Pirates finished fourth as a team.
NORTH PLATTE GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD completed a historic four-peat state championship campaign in heart-pounding fashion. After Lindsey Ramsey finished her remarkable career by adding two individual (400 and 800) and two relay state titles (4x100 and 4x800), the Panthers still trailed Penney by nine points going into the final event — the 4x400-meter relay — which delivered with a first-place finish to help North Platte leapfrog Penney for the team state title.
PLATTE COUNTY BASEBALL used explosive bats and solid defense to win its third state championship, capped off by a 14-4 run-rule victory over previously top-ranked St. John Vianney. The Pirates were stacked with some elite talent, especially on the left side of the infield with Class 5 Player of the Year Brennan McLaughlin at third base and Conference Player of the Year Dayton Doll at shortstop.
MORE TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONS were crowned for Platte County and West Platte. Platte County’s 4x400-meter boys relay of Ty Christopher, Jackson Goodale, Jack Johnson and Joshua Fraker won the state title with a state record of 3 minutes 13.80 seconds. West Platte’s boys relay teams were dominant as they raced to state titles in the 4x200 and 4x400, with a silver finish in 4x100. West Platte’s girls 4x200 relay team also claimed a state title. While a handful of programs reached the pinnacle with state championships, several others etched their names in school history with deep postseason runs, breakout performances and milestone achievements. From first-time titles to record-setting campaigns, the 2024-25 season was filled with standout moments beyond the trophy stage.
WEST PLATTE GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY AND BASEBALL both had great postseason runs. The girls cross country finished second in Class 2 last fall, while the baseball team won districts for the first time since 2016 before bowing out in the quarterfinals.
PARK HILL FOOTBALL, BOYS VOLLEYBALL, GIRLS SOCCER all tasted success this year. Park Hill football and boys volleyball defeated Oak Park to win district championships, the football team’s first district title since 2017, while it was the boys volleyball program’s first-ever title in their inaugural season. The girls soccer team ushered in a new era with a conference championship and a 17-2 record as they fell in the district championship.
PARK HILL SOUTH GIRLS BASKETBALL AND BASEBALL both reached unprecedented levels of triumph this year. DiRenna Award winner Addison Bjorn led PHS girls basketball team to a conference championship and a 26-0 regular season campaign before losing in the district championship, while the Panthers’ baseball team set a program wins record, going 21-13.
NORTH PLATTE GIRLS BASKETBALL won its second straight district title and had its first 25-win season in a decade. The Panthers’ nine-game winning streak was snapped in the Class 2 quarterfinals when they lost to eventual state champion Skyline.
PLATTE COUNTY AND PARK HILL BOYS TENNIS both won district championships as Platte County placed fourth at state and Park Hill fell in the quarterfinals. Park Hill’s doubles team of Andrew Miller and Carter Lovitt placed third in Class 3 while Jack Bralley and Hayden Cook from Platte County finished sixth in Class 2.