For the first two quarters, Platte County looked nothing like the team that had dominated its schedule the past two seasons. The Pirates stumbled through an uncharacteristically flat first half while Rockhurst seized its opportunity to take the lead into halftime.
But the top seed’s fortune — and urgency — flipped after halftime as Platte County mounted a determined comeback to defeat No. 2-seeded Rockhurst 29-22 on Nov. 14 and claim a second straight Class 5 District 8 crown.
“A slow start in the first half and that wasn’t good enough,” senior quarterback Rocco Marriott said. “But we found a way, and that’s all that matters.”
The clash between the two football heavyweights had been a matchup to watch once MSHSAA moved Rockhurst into Platte County’s district as the Hawklets dropped down to Class 5. There was not much motivation needed for the Pirates with an opportunity to make a big statement against an opponent as reputable as Rockhurst.
“Rockhurst is a great team,” senior receiver Ty Christopher said. “It’s easy to know when you’ve got someone like that coming, you’ve got to be locked in all week.”
A standing-room-only crowd packed the grounds of Pirate Stadium expecting a clash worthy of November, and the game delivered in every aspect. Rockhurst supplied the early blows as Marriott and the Pirates’ offense never clicked in the opening half, struggling against tight coverage that led to two interceptions on the first two drives.
Platte County junior linebacker Carlos Baskerville chases down Rockhurst running back Cash Lewandowski.
Platte County’s defense kept the game from spiraling, denying Rockhurst touchdowns after both interceptions and forcing the Hawklets to settle for field goals. Still, the Pirates found themselves in a precarious situation as they trailed 6-0 — their first deficit all season.
Rockhurst eventually did find a breakthrough moment in the second quarter, connecting a 75-yard touchdown strike to build a 12-0 lead.
“It was almost like halftime couldn’t get here quick enough,” Platte County head coach Bill Utz said. “We could get readjusted, kind of think about it a little bit and then be able to make some plays from there.”
Platte County came up empty on six offensive drives in the first half, and Marriott completed just 8 of 18 passes as the Pirates were shut out in the first half for the first time all season.
“The looks that we wanted were there,” Marriott said. “I was off mentally and physically, but we as an offense picked it up and got it rolling in the second half.”
The second half opened with a palpable shift. Marriott looked sharper and the receivers settled in. Though the Pirates’ 12-play opening drive of the third quarter ended on fourth-and-1, it symbolized the return of offensive rhythm as Marriott completed 4 of 5 passes.
A defensive stop followed, and Platte County finally capitalized. Marriott delivered a dime for Christopher over the middle for a 36-yard touchdown, threading the needle to beat double coverage and slice the deficit to 12-6, igniting the home support.
“Coach Utz came in (at halftime) and said, ‘I guarantee you, when we come back in this locker room, we’re going to be celebrating,’” Christopher said. “It was a nice catch, but it really impacted everyone else more than it impacted me because it really got everyone rolling.”
Senior tight end Jack Utz catches the game-tying touchdown for Platte County in the third quarter.
Another defensive stand gave Platte County the ball back, and the Pirates tied the game when Marriott dropped a 14-yard pass into the hands of Jack Utz in the back of the end zone. Sterling Wilson’s extra point launched Platte County ahead 13-12 — its first lead of the night — with 2:13 remaining in the third quarter.
Rockhurst punched back early in the fourth. Using a fourth-and-2 conversion to extend its drive, the Hawklets regained a 15-13 lead with a field goal at the 8:03 mark.
Platte County responded with its most physical possession of the game as Adam Gisler chipped away with short runs, and Marriott ripped off a 28-yard sprint before keeping the ball again on third-and-6, racing left for a 10-yard touchdown. Platte County converted the two-point attempt to go up 21-15 with 3:38 remaining.
The Pirates were on the cusp of closing it out, but the Hawklets had one more answer. Facing fourth-and-9, Rockhurst junior quarterback Garret Miller threaded a pass to Warren Robertson over the middle. Robertson accelerated past three Platte County defenders and turned the play into a stunning 68-yard touchdown, flipping the lead back to Rockhurst at 22-21 with 1:38 left and silencing the home crowd.
Suddenly, the Pirates faced something they hadn’t encountered over the past two seasons: a final, must-score drive. Marriott calmly delivered. A 9-yard completion started the march, followed by a 4-yard keeper to move the chains. Marriott hit Christopher for a 20-yard pickup into Rockhurst territory, then scrambled for 15 more yards. On the next play, his pass was batted back at the line — but he caught it himself and turned it into an 8-yard gain.
With the clock bleeding away, a composed Marriott muscled forward on third-and-2 before being stopped just short of the goal line with six seconds left. Platte County called a timeout to set up its magical moment with Marriott.
“Make sure we had the right play and that last bit of motivation, and it really wasn’t needed,” Utz said. “I don’t even know if they listened to it because they were so focused and dialed in.”
Out of the break, Marriott lined up in shotgun with Gisler to his right. He took the snap, followed Gisler’s lead block to the right, lowered his shoulder and braced for contact, crossing the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown with two seconds remaining, putting Platte County back ahead 27-22.
Rocco Marriott lands in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown in the district championship.
Rocco Marriott and Adam Gisler celebrate taking the lead with two seconds left on the clock against Rockhurst.
“Don’t get stopped,” Marriott said of his mindset for the go-ahead touchdown run. “Gotta run through someone, gotta juke someone, had to do whatever I got to do.”
After another timeout, the Pirates kept the offense on the field and converted the two-point try on a pass to Braiden Stevens, stretching the lead to 29-22.
The final kickoff turned chaotic as Rockhurst pitched the ball around in desperation before it fell into the hands of junior Hank Fowler, sealing a cathartic victory that had tested Platte County in every possible way.
Marriott finished the second half 11 of 14 passing with two touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions, but it was his final 1-yard run — a collision of will and timing — that defined the night and swung the district plaque back into Platte County’s hands.
“This shows we can hang with anybody; we can play with anybody,” Christopher said.
With Rockhurst behind them, the Pirates now shift their focus to a familiar postseason roadblock: Grain Valley. Platte County defeated the Eagles 54-23 in Week 2, but this time the rematch comes in Grain Valley, the same setting where the Pirates’ 2023 season came to an end.
“We’ve had some decent luck down there (Grain Valley), but we’ve also had some bad luck down there,” Utz said. “It’ll definitely be a quality opponent that we know well, and they know us well. There won’t be a whole lot of surprises.”